Manila Standard - 2018 September 29 - Saturday

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Sept. inflation may hit 7.1% BSP forecast differs from DOF’s 6.4%

By Julito G. Rada, Dexter See, and Macon Ramos-Araneta

T VOL. XXXII • NO. 226 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

HE rate of inflation could go as high as 7.1 percent in September, driven by higher prices of rice, fuel and some agricultural products as well as the weakening peso, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Friday.

“Higher domestic petroleum prices, higher prices of rice and other agricultural commodities due to Typhoon “Ompong,” and the peso deprecia-

DOF: Inflation outlook

tion contributed to the upside price pressures for the month,” the BSP Department of Economic Research said in a statement Friday, projecting inflation would settle within a range of 6.3 to 7.1 percent.

On the high end of the department’s estimate, this would be faster than the 6.4-percent inflation recorded in August, which was a nine-year high.

The last time the inflation rate breached 7 percent was in February Next page 2009 at 7.2 percent.

Another fuel price hike up PRICES of petroleum products will most likely rise again on Tuesday next week, the eighth consecutive week of price increases, sources at the Department of Energy said Friday.

Pump prices for diesel are pegged to rise by P1.34 per liter, gasoline prices are set to go up by one full peso, and kerosene will be up a further P1.09, DoE sources told MaNext page nila Standard.

‘Only sin’joke AGRI turns serious yarn for critics OTHER

PRODUCTS

By Nat Mariano and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Palace scrambled Friday to explain President Rodrigo Duerte’s remark in a speech Thursday that his “only sin” was extrajudicial killings.

“Well, you know the President. What he said was not serious. He only said that because that’s the usual thing they always accuse him of,” said Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque in a ratio interview.

“That’s just the President being himself and being playful, highlighting the

Court defers action on Trillanes arrest

By Joel E. Zurbano and Macon Ramos-Araneta MAKATI City Regional Trial Court Branch 148 Judge Andres Soriano on Friday deferred ruling on the government prosecutors plea to issue an arrest and hold departure order against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. The judge also ordered state prosecutors and the camp of Trillanes’ to submit

evidence and set a hearing for 9 a.m. on Oct. 5.

“Without necessarily reopening the case or giving due course” to the prosecution’s motion, Soriano said, the parties are given a chance to present evidence on: * Whether or not Trillanes filed the requisite application for amnesty under Proclamation 75 before he was granted amnesty in 2011, and Next page

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Hitler, Lenin vie for mayor post in Peru’s polls

CONG DADONG HOME.

Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (second from left) leads the ceremony in front of this monument marking the 108th birth anniversary of her father, President Diosdado Macapagal, at the DM MuseumLibrary in his hometown of Lubao, in Pampanga.

CONTINUING TOUR. President Rodrigo Duterte appreciates exhibits in the third of a series of Defense Security and Crisis Management Exhibition and Conference of the Asian Defense and Security 2018 the other day. Malacañang Photo

LIMA—Hitler will stand in Peru’s municipal elections on Oct. 7 after authorities rejected a bid from Lenin to have h i m barred.

It may sound like some sort of spoof about the historical battle between fascism and communism, but Germany’s Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and Soviet Marxist

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JBC now accepting Quarrying ban lifted except in Naga, Cebu nominations for By Rio N. Araja new chief justice

By Rey E. Requejo MORE than a week before Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro retires from the judiciary, the Judicial and Bar Council on Friday started accepting the nominations for the post she will be vacating starting today, Oct. 1 Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, an ex-officio member of the JBC, said the deadline for the submission of the requirements for those interested in the position will be on Oct. 15.

He made his statement even as the Supreme Court affirmed the Labor Next page

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources has lifted the suspension on most quarry operations, but maintained the ban in Cebu’s Naga City.

After a thorough review, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said they decided to allow mining firms in La

Union, Pangasinan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Zambales, Batangas, Rizal, Camarines Sur, Misamis Oriental, Iligan City and Davao City to resume operations.

“There are no communities around quarry sites who will be affected in case of a landslide,” he said.

Still, he prohibited the quarrying in Next page

Boracay to reopen Oct. 26; wild parties out

By Rio N. Araja TOURISM Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, in London Friday, has announced the reopening of Boracay in Aklan on Oct. 26—after a six-month closure—but with changes: no more wild, Ibiza-like parties, neither alcohol

and cigarettes nor drugs.

She was referring to Ibiza, an island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain, known for its summer club scene which attracts very large numbers of tourists.

But the island’s government and the Next page

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News

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

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Lacson, GMA assure loyalty, ask support for President

By Macon Ramos-Araneta PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte still enjoys the support of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Friday.

This developed as House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo rallied support for the Chief Executive, who has revealed a supposed “Red October” plot to overthrow him.

“The President shouldn’t worry. In our own assessment he has the overwhelming support of the vast majority of the AFP,” Lacson said.

“The President has been president for two years, let’s support him and give him a chance,” Arroyo added to reporters on the sidelines of the 108th birth anniversary of her father, the late President Diosdado Macapagal.

After the controversy over the withdrawal of the amnesty to Senator Antonio Trillanes broke out, Duterte called on the military to support Trillanes if they believed in him.

Duterte also accused some soldiers of conniving with Trillanes and some of his critics to unseat him.

Earlier this week, Arroyo said the public should believe the President’s reports of an alleged ouster plot since he has access to “good information.”

JBC...

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Department’s order and the circular of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board requiring bus operators to provide fixed salaries to bus drivers and conductors and to give them additional pay for good performance.

At the same time, the high court dismissed the petition filed by bus operators that questioned the order and the circular.

The JBC will start vetting the nominees aspiring to succeed De Castro when she reaches her mandatory retirement age of 70 on Oct. 8 this year.

Only the nominations with a letter of acceptance by the nominees will be processed.

The five most senior associate justices of the Supreme Court are automatically nominated, but they still need to submit a letter of acceptance and other requirements.

The magistrates who will be automatically nominated to the post of chief justice are Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Mariano del Castillo and Estela Perlas-Bernabe.

Bora...

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Spanish Tourist Office have controversially been working to promote more family-oriented tourism.

Ibiza is home to the legendary “port” in Ibiza town, a popular stop for many tourists and now a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Meanwhile, a high-ranking official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Friday said the agency had given 25 resorts the green light to operate in time for the soft reopening on Oct. 26.

Undersecretary for Attached Agencies Sherwin Rigor said only 25 resorts with 1,000 rooms shall be made available for the first day of operation after being able to secure the necessary permits.

But he said those given the permits would still have to be regulated.

Only high-capacity boats would be allowed to ferry more passengers per trip with a capacity of 150 to 200 passengers from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. or 6 a.m. to 7 a.m.

Another...

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With the impending increase, the price of diesel would have gone up by P3.54 a liter and gasoline by P3.50 a liter in September alone.

This week, the price of diesel went up by 20 centavos, gasoline by 40 centavos, and kerosene by 15 centavos. On Sept.

18, oil companies also announced hikes of P0.15 per liter of diesel, P0.50 for gasoline and P0.20 for kerosene.

The Standard sources said the current tensions between top petroleum producers the United States and Iran are driving the oil price surges, but warned that the DoE and oil firms would announce the actual price increases on Monday.

The DoE continues to monitor trading in the international oil market to determine the adjustments to be made to local pump prices, Oil Management Bureau Assistant Director del Romero said previously. With PNA

Except in Marawi, no more extension for voter listup

By Vito Barcelo

The Comelec also said the special voter registration for Marawi City had been set for next month.

But Senator Francis Pangilinan said the typhoons that hit the country in the last few months should prompt the Comelec to extend the voter registration period for the 2019 midterm elections.

“We urge the Comelec to give the

Filipinos one more week to register and be given the opportunity to exercise their right in choosing the country’s next leaders,” Pangilinan said in a statement.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the continuing registration of voters for the May 13, 2019 National and Local Elections resumed on July 2 this year.

“We call on the public to exercise patience as the long queues are to be expected in the last few days of registration,” Jimenez said.

“The members of the vulnerable sectors such as Senior Citizens, Persons with Disability and heavily pregnant women will have priority lanes provided for them.”

Registrants may proceed to the Office of the Election Officer in their respective city, municipality or district or any satellite registration site in their area from 8 am to 5 pm.

“The schedules of satellite registration activities nationwide are posted on the official Facebook page of the Comelec,” Jimenez said. With PNA

Sept....

But the Department of Finance said it expects the inflation rate to be unchanged at 6.4 percent in September, as lower power rates could offset higher food prices.

Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran, also the DoF’s chief economist, said in an economic bulletin on Friday that month-on-month price increases in September likely decelerated from 0.9 percent in August to 0.6 percent.

As a result, he said “September yearon-year inflation is seen at 6.4 percent, unchanged from August.”

“Price increases in food items are the main drivers of inflation. The decline in power rates, however, moderated the inflationary pressure from non-food items,” Beltran said.

Beltran added that strong monetary action by the BSP backed by two successive 50-basis-point policy rate hikes and the President’s support for administrative measures proposed by the Economic Development Cluster to remove non-tariff barriers on major food items would moderate food inflation in the short run.

“Policy reforms including rice tariffication and budget support for agricultural productivity programs will stem similar inflation episodes in the future,” he said.

Inflation in August reached a nine-year high of 6.4 percent, faster than the 5.7 percent a month ago, driven mainly by higher prices of fish, rice, meat and vegetables. This brought inflation in the first eight months to 4.7 percent, well over the target range of 2 to 4 percent set by the BSP early this year.

National Economic and Development Authority Director-General Ernesto Pernia said Friday that the declaration of a state of calamity in Ompong- and monsoon-hit areas would help manage expectations on inflation.

“We are getting ready to respond to the possible impact of the calamity on our macroeconomic targets. The declaration of a state of calamity in the affected areas is one measure that will enable the government to use contingent credit lines and mitigate rising inflation,” Pernia said.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed on Thursday declared a state of calamity in Regions I, II, III and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

The proclamation stated that declaring a state of calamity in these areas would provide a basis for price control measures that could mitigate the economic impact on the affected populations. It would also effectively provide the government ample leeway in using funds for recovery and rehabilitation efforts, as well as the delivery of basic needs and services.

Typhoon Ompong hit mostly northern Luzon that claimed at least 88 lives and caused billions of pesos worth of agricultural damage.

On Thursday, the Bangko Sentral raised by another 50 basis points the policy rate to 4.5 percent, in a bid to temper the accelerating inflation that is still seen to peak in the third quarter. This brought the total increases in policy rate to 150 basis points since May 2018.

On Friday, the Cordillera office of the Philippine Statistics Authority said the average farm gate price of palay and other varieties went up to P19.40 a kilo during the first quarter this year, compared to the same period last year when it stood at P17.24 a kilo.

During the same period, the PSA noted that the price of yellow corn increased from P11.92 per kilo to P12.75 per kilo.

The average farm gate price of live weight livestock and poultry increased from the first quarter last year to the first quarter this year, with the price of cattle going from P112.85 per kilo to P118.55 per kilo; hogs from P103.75 to P117.36 per kilo; goat from P100.24 per kilo to P103.96 per kilo; native chicken from P134.66 per kilo to P144.15 per kilo and duck from P130.75 per kilo to P139.01 per kilo.

As production fell, prices of most leafy vegetables in the region also increased, with the farm gate price of broccoli rising from P15.59 per kilo to P42.62 per kilo; cabbage from P15.26 per kilo to P19.39 per kilo; cauliflower from P11.63 per kilo to P50.84 per kilo; lettuce from P11.81 per kilo to P61.22 per kilo; Chinese pechay from P6.51 per kilo to P15.59 per kilo; and native pechay from P24.74 per kilo to P30.98 per kilo.

But the price of celery fell from P31.36 per kilo to P23.03 per kilo because of higher production in Benguet.

The average farm gate price of ampalaya went up from P25.18 per kilo to P22.26 per kilo; chayote from P4.41 per kilo to P6.99 per kilo; squash from P17.40 to P22.57 per kilo and tomato from P15.79 per kilo to P19.70 per kilo. The price of purple eggplant dropped slightly from P21.83 per kilo to P21.6 per kilo.

The average farm gate price of roots and tubers generally declined. Carrots decreased from P34.33 per kilo to P25.27 per kilo; sweet potato from PP27.37 per kilo to P19.88 per kilo and cassava fresh tubers for food from P16.05 per kilo to P10.74 per kilo.

The price of white potato increased from P22.23per kilo to P30.39 per kilo, however.

Farm gate price of beans and legumes increased.

The price of habitchuelas was up from P18.61 per kilo to P25.04 per kilo; string beans from P23.99 per kilo to P26.92 per kilo and sweet peas, Chinese Baguio beans from P53.05 per kilo to P80.91 per kilo.

The price of native ginger went down from P34.61 per kilo to P25.18 per kilo and Hawaiian ginger from P34.35 per kilo to P25.66 per kilo.

Prices of onion leeks, on the other hand, went up from P27.21 per kilo to P36.15 per kilo and bell pepper from P50.85 per kilo to P52.49 per kilo.

The average prices for different varieties of banana went down, while prices for green carabao mango and Hawaiian papaya rose.

The PSA said its farm prices survey is a nationwide household-based monthly survey designed to gather data on farm gate or producer’s prices received by farmers, livestock and poultry raisers for the sale of their produce, at the first point of sale, excluding transportation and delivery cost.

An opposition lawmaker on Friday said the Duterte administration’s wrong priorities were the primary reason for its failure to address inflation.

Citing the latest Pulse Asia survey on Urgent National Concerns and the Performance Ratings of the National Administration on Selected Issues, Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejani said 51 percent of Filipinos are dissatisfied with how the government is handling the problem of inflation.

“This is not a surprise since this administration prioritizes the silencing of the opposition over providing solutions to the grievances of the people and other pressing problems of the country right now,” Alejano said.

Alejano reiterated his call to suspend the excise taxes on fuel imposed by the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law to mitigate the effects of rising inflation.

Alejano also accused the administration of resorting to diversionary tactics to keep the public attention’s away from gut issues.

“It has been the tactic of the Duterte administration to divert the attention of the public away from the real issue to mask its incompetence. But when the problem hits the people every day, in their every meal, there is no escaping no matter how the Duterte administration tries to bury the problem,” Alejano said.

The Pulse Asia survey results said controlling inflation is the most urgent national concern.

Alejano said the result of the survey is a manifestation that the effects of surging prices could really be felt by the Filipinos despite Malacañang’s efforst to play down the problem.

“The surging prices cannot be detached from the effects of TRAIN 1 despite the continuous denial of Duterte’s economic managers,” Alejano said.

Meanwhile, Senator Joel Villanueva, chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development, said it would be better to delay the passage of the TRABAHO (Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-quality Opportunities) bill if it thousands of Filipinos would be made jobless.

During a Senate hearing on the TRABAHO bill, Labor Department Director Dominique Tutay admitted that the second tax reform package could result in job losses as it might affect the industry and services sector, including technology-driven industries.

The Department of Labor and Employment also said that 30,000 jobs in the industry and services sectors were lost in the first quarter of 2018, based on their job displacement monitoring.

DOLE said that their agency and the Department of Finance (DOF) have yet to complete their joint study on the impact of TRABAHO bill on jobs in two weeks.

In a statement, the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation Inc. (SEIPI) said the passage of TRABAHO bill, particularly the House version (HB 8083), would force them to lay off 140,000 workers.

They said several multinational companies are planning to move out of the country due to uncertainty of keeping their tax incentives here.

The TRABAHO bill aims to cut corporate income taxes down to 20 percent and remove redundant fiscal incentives.

Citing the projected job losses, Villanueva said that the DOLE “should work together with other agencies to make sure job reduction won’t be a possibility if the bill is enacted into law.

“With the ballooning inflation that has burdened our consumers, the Filipino people cannot suffer another blow through the loss of jobs that might be caused by the new tax reform package,” Villanueva said.

Allaying fears on job losses, the DOF said the bill allots for a contingency fund amounting to P500 million to be used as cash grants for displaced workers. An additional P500 million will also be provided for trainings and skills upgrading.

“Providing cash grants is just a band-aid solution for our displaced workers. It cannot sustain them for a long time, that is why we have to make sure that the Trabaho bill will not result in unemployment,” Villanueva said.

The senator added that on its part, DOLE should be ready with its employment adjustment program to ensure adequate re-tooling and re-training programs are in place if the bill is enacted.

“The thousands of jobs that are projected to be lost due to Trabaho bill is a serious matter.

The DOLE, along with other concerned agencies, should be proactive in addressing this problem,” Villanueva said.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Friday that minimum wage earners in Metro Manila are expected to get a P20 daily wage increase in October, raising the minimum daily rate from P512 to P532 a day.

However, the Alliance of Labor UnionsTrade Union Congress of the Philippines said the amount is demeaning and an insult to the millions of workers in Manila.

Bello, on the other hand, said the rate hike would protect the interests of the stakeholders, which need to be balanced so that workers would not suffer if many establishments are forced to shut down because of rising costs.

“We have to balance the interest of management and also labor. You cannot give a very high wage hike to the workers. It will only help in the short term,” he said. With Maricel V. Cruz and Vito Barcelo

Hitler,...

Quarrying...

revolutionary Vladimir Lenin are nowhere to be seen.

Representing the center-right Somos Peru (we are Peru) party, Hitler Alba Sanchez is running for mayor of Yungar, a remote district in central Peru.

And his name has made it onto the ballot paper thanks to authorities rejecting a bid from citizen Lenin Vladimir Rodriguez Valverde to have him struck off. AFP

Naga City that included the operations of Apo Land Quarry Corp.

“Ninety percent of quarry sites nationwide will resume operations, provided that these areas are one kilometer away from the communities that can potentially be affected,” he said.

On Sept. 20, a huge landslide in Naga City buried houses in barangays Tinaan and Naalad after days of heavy rains.

The death toll rose to 65 with 21 people

still missing and 18 injured.

Cimatu said experts from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau have been deployed to the landslide area to inspect the condition of the quarry site.

He reiterated quarrying activities in the area would remain suspended until further assessment.

The quarry site operated first before a community was built.

He said he got a phone call from Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez who warned that the quarrying suspension could trigger the prices of construction materials to go up. With PNA

T

HE Commission on Elections said Friday there will be no extension of the voter registration period for next year’s elections that ends today, Saturday.

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More PH-US military works in the offing MORE cooperation between the Philippines and the United States may be expected following the completion of this year’s Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board meeting on Thursday.

Representing the Philippine military in the meeting in Camp Aguinaldo was Armed Forces Chief Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. while the US was represented by Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) head Admiral Philip Davidson.

“We have been doing this year after year, and yet there is still so much left to learn,” Galvez said.

“We hope that this year will be another fruitful interaction that will lead to a favorable outcome. May our discussions lead to actions, and may these actions lead us to success.”

Galvez made his statement even as Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Thursday night the United States had again offered its F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines.

“They offered us some equipment that we might want to buy like the F-16s and the attack helicopters,” Lorenzana told reporters on the sidelines of China’s 69th founding anniversary reception in Makati. PNA

‘Only sin’...

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point that he’s not corrupt,” he added.

During an oathtaking ceremony in Malacañang Thursday night, Duterte seemed to admit to orchestrating extrajudicial killings under his government’s war on illegal drugs.

“What is my sin? Did I steal even a peso? Did I prosecute somebody who I sent to jail? My only sin is extrajudicial killing,” Duterte said.

The President, however, said there was no evidence to incriminate him in the deaths of more than 4,000 alleged drug offenders since he assumed office in June 2016.

“Four thousand deaths. When?

Where? How? What did I use? There’s none,” he said, adding that “ninja cops” or police involved in the illegal drug trade were behind the killings.

Roque said the statement was made in a jest.

“I think, he only wants to highlight that he never steals [from the government]. They are blaming him of EJK, but they do not accuse him of corruption,” he said.

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo addeed that the President only wanted to say that the only issue thrown at him is extrajudicial killings.

“What he meant was, ‘The only issue against me is extrajudicial killings.’

That’s what he meant. You know, he’s a Bisaya,” Panelo said in a radio interview, implying that Duterte has difficulty communicating straight in Tagalog as he was born in Mindanao.

The Palace official said the public should also consider the President’s previous statements in his speech to understand what he really meant.

“When the President says something, you should look into his previous statements. It must be consistent with the things he said,” Panelo added.

Court defers...

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• Whether or not there was an admission of guilt on his part at the time he applied for and was granted amnesty.

In 2011, the court dismissed the case against Trillanes and the other Magdalo soldiers in connection with the Oakwood Mutiny by virtue of the amnesty given by the previous administration.

But the prosecution panel argued that Proclamation 572 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte recently, voids the court’s order of dismissal issued seven years ago.

Duterte said Trillanes had failed to present the necessary requirements in the application of the amnesty for the Oakwood Mutiny, the Marine standoff and the Manila Peninsula siege.

On Tuesday, Makati RTC Branch 150 Judge Elmo Alameda granted the motion filed by Department of Justice in connection with the rebellion case against Trillanes and other Magdalo soldiers over the Manila Peninsula siege in 2007.

Alameda said the Sept. 7, 2011 dismissal of the case can be considered void with no legal and binding effect considering the issuance of Proclamation 572. Trillanes posted P200,000 bail.

State prosecutors earlier asked Soriano and Alameda to order Trillanes’ arrest and prevent him from leaving the country, saying the nullification of his amnesty meant that the case against the senator related to the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege and 2011 Oakwood Mutiny must be pursued.

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Lawyer of slain alleged drug lord Odicta shot dead

Erap settles Manila’s P200-m debt to BIR MANILA Mayor Joseph ‘Erap’ Estrada on Thursday handed over P200 million to the Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Caesar “Billy” Dulay to finally settle the city government’s 2007 tax liabilities left unpaid by former mayors Atienza and Lim. With the payment, Estrada said the City of Manila is now totally debt-free.

When he assumed office as mayor in 2013, Estrada inherited a bankrupt administration that had unpaid of over P5 billion, with over P630 million in overdue bills to Meralco.

In 2015, Estrada declared the city debt-free after instituting various fiscal reforms that provided it with sufficient revenues to undertake infrastructure projects that would renew the city’s position as a prime financial, business and tourism hub.

2 soldiers killed, 3 hurt in Cotabato road crash AN ACCIDENT in North Cotabato claimed the lives of two soldiers and injured three others.

The accident happened when the dump truck they were riding plunged into a 20-foot-deep ravine on Thursday, a military official said Friday.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Ehrlich Noel Paraso, commander of the 19th IB, the fatalities as Private First Class Joemar Tan and Corporal Vincent Sarona, both members of the Scout Rangers Company and deployed at the 19th IB. Initial investigation said that the dump truck was on a narrow dirt road in Barangay Meocan in Arakan town when it lost control and fell into the ravine.

Senior Inspector Jun Napat, chief of the Arakan PNP, said that the driver of the government-owned truck stopped by the roadside to give way to a motorcycle in the narrow dirt road. PNA

Only 115k work permits issued to aliens since 2015 THE Department of Labor and Employment has expressed concern over a report on the increasing number of illegal foreign workers in the country.

“Whether it is true or not, the only thing we are certain is that there are only around 115,000 foreign workers with Alien Employment Permit issued

by DOLE regional directors,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a statement on Thursday.

He said the agency has issued Alien Employment Permit to over 115,000 foreigners since 2015. Citing the latest data from the Bureau of Local Employment, there are 115,652 foreign nationals who were issued with AEP, 51,980 of whom are Chinese, while 12,177 are Japanese and 11,780 are Koreans, for a three-year period from 2015 to 2017.

Earlier, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon has claimed there are around 400,000 foreigners working in Metro Manila alone. Bello noted that they are not the only permit-issuing agency that allows foreign nationals to work in the country. PNA

PDEA employs ad firm for anti-drug campaign THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency on Friday partnered with an advertising company to produce animated anti-drug advocacy campaign materials.

Director general Aaron Aquino said PDEA and the Activations Advertising Inc. have both signified their commitment to collaborate efforts in the conceptualization and production of animated anti-drug advocacy materials for presentation in drug prevention and awareness programs in the communities.

A shorter version of the animation shall be shown in mall cinemas nationwide, he said.

Aquino and AAI president and chief executive officer Suzzane Claire Quintana inked the arrangement.

Rio N. Araja

Quake jolts some parts of Laoag, Ilocos Norte A MAGNITUDE-4.0 earthquake was felt in some parts of Laoag City at 8:03 a.m. Friday, state seismologists said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake was tectonic in origin and with a depth of seven kilometers.

Its epicenter was located five kilometers southwest of Marcos in Ilocos Norte.

Intensity III was felt by some residents in Sinait, Ilocos Sur while Intensity I was recorded in Laoag City.

Phivolcs said there was no expected damage or aftershocks.

UNCERTAIN TIMES. Residents of Barangay Ucab and adjacent barangays Ampucao, Tuding, Virac, Loacan, Poblacion, Gumatdang face uncertainty after the Mines and Geosciences Bureau declared their areas as geo-hazard zones and were asked to evacuate or avail the government’s Balik-Probinsya program after massive landslides brought by Typhoon ‘Ompong’ claimed scores of lives in the area, where residents engage in small-scale mining. Dave Leprozo Jr.

PH, China working on state visit of Xi Jinping to Manila

By Rey Requejo

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HINESE Ambassador Zhao Jianhua on Thursday night said the Philippines and China are preparing for President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the country by end of the year.

“The plan is that he will come to the Philippines for a state visit but the specific date and month have not been finalized yet so we’re in close coordination with the Filipino side to prepare for the most likely state visit,” he told reporters in Makati City.

Xi was invited to the Philippines by President Rodrigo R. Duterte when they first met in October 2016.

Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano earlier said the two sides are eyeing the month of November for the trip after a mutually accepted draft agreement on the joint exploration in South China Sea is signed.

The agreement, however, was stalled after the scheduled official visit of State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sept. 16 was canceled due to a typhoon that battered the Philippines.

Cayetano said the two sides’ talks on

this partnership are on track.

Meanwhile, Zhao said Beijing and Manila have not come to an agreement on the planned joint exploration in the South China Sea but both parties are “seriously” considering its possibility.

“I think both sides have realized that it would be our common interest to explore the possibility of joint exploration, which will be neutrally acceptable,” he said. But first and foremost, we must maintain stability and peace in the South China Sea,” he said.

During his speech at the reception of the 69th Founding Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China in Makati Shangri-La, Zhao cited the “sustained betterment and growth” of relations between the two countries since Duterte assumed the presidency.

“Over the past two years, a series of dialogue and consultation mechanisms

have been revived in areas such as foreign affairs, defense, energy, economy and trade, agriculture, fisheries, science and technology,” he said.

“There have been also increasing interactions and exchanges between local governments, media agencies, universities, think tanks and cultural institutions. In the meantime, China and the Philippines have maintained good communication and coordination on international affairs,” he added.

In tourism, he reported that the Philippines already received more than 760,000 Chinese tourists in the first seven months of 2018, achieving a 40 percent year-on-year increase and about 50 percent of the targeted arrivals by end of the year.

“We have every reason to expect more than 1.5 million Chinese tourists to visit the Philippines this year and generate a revenue of more than P32 billion,” the envoy said.

The two countries continue to work closely to combat illicit drugs, terrorism and cyber-crimes, he said.

During his short conversation with Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana at the reception, Zhao lauded China and the Philippines’ military-to-military relationship which already “turned into a new phase.”

PAL signs deal giving travel perks to AFP personnel

By Joel E. Zurbano LEGACY carrier Philippine Airlines has signed an agreement with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to give travel privileges to all AFP military personnel in the form of discounted domestic economy or business class tickets.

The travel privilege, according to PAL corporate communications division head and spokesperson Ma. Cielo Villaluna, is 20 percent off the base fare of a ticket along with the corresponding free baggage allowance.

The other salient privileges include priority during check-in and boarding and acknowledgment during the flight.

Villaluna said AFP personnel may book their flights at any PAL ticket of-

fice in the country or through the PAL reservations hotlines.

To avail of the discount, she said, the officers are required to present a valid AFP ID and a travel order for rest and recreation signed by an authorized signatory.

AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. signed the agreement on behalf of the Armed Forces during signing ceremonies at the PAL head office in Pasay City.

In welcoming the new accord, PAL acknowledged the contribution of the men and women of the Armed Forces in bringing peace and development to the country.

The airlines cited the AFP’s heroic role in security operations in Mindanao

where soldiers continue to risk and sacrifice their lives.

“PAL has renewed with vigor the grant of said travel benefits to our country’s heroes as a way of providing assistance to them as they travel throughout the country,” said PAL executive vice president/ treasurer and chief administrative Officer Stewart Lim. Also present during the signing ceremony were AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel Brig. Gen. Erickson Gloria and AFP Morale and Welfare Division Chief Lt. Col. Ma. Noel Tolentino.

Signatories of the agreement on the PAL side were Lim, PAL senior vice president for operations Ismael Augusto Gozon and PAL SVP for legal Siegfred Mison.

AT LEAST three armed men shot dead the lawyer of slain suspected drug lord Melvin “Boyet” Odicta Sr. Reports said lawyer Edeljulio Romero, whom police said was listed as a high-value target in the HighValue Level 3 among drug personalities, was shot on the back of his head around 1 p.m. on Friday while he was eating at a carinderia in Barangay Culasi, Roxas City.

Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, director of Police Regional Office 6, said that his office had immediately launched a hot pursuit operation against the suspects who remain unidentified.

“We are already conducting an investigation on this incident to identify and arrest those responsible,” he said.

Romero served as the lawyer of Odicta until the alleged drug lord and his wife Merriam were gunned down by unidentified men on Aug. 29, 2016, shortly after they disembarked from a ship at the Caticlan port in Malay town in Aklan.

The lawyer was among those who were at the Caticlan port to fetch the Odicta couple.

The killing of the Odicta couple has remained unsolved.

A member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Iloilo, Romero, along with his wife, were waiting to board on a roll-on, roll-off vessel bound for Manila when the shooting occurred.

“We enjoin possible eyewitnesses to share information that may help in the ongoing investigation. We assure the victim’s family that a thorough investigation is under way to arrest those responsible,” Bulalacao said.

Lawmaker lauds MRT, LRT execs’ move providing seniors free rides

By Maricel V. Cruz A PARTY-LIST lawmaker on Friday expressed appreciation over the move of the Manila Light Rail Transit System and Metro Rail Transit System to provide free rides to all senior citizens from Oct. 1 to 7 in observance of the Elderly Filipino Week.

Senior Citizen party-list Rep. Francisco Datol said the decision of MRT 3 General Manager Rodolfo Garcia, LRTA administrator Reynaldo Berroya, OIC Deputy Administrator Felix Gerard Leyson, and LRT Line 2 manager Antonio Laigo is also timely in the wake of rising inflation.

“We thank these officials for supporting Elderly Filipino Week by providing free rides for seniors,” Datol, vice chairman of the House special committee on senior citizens, said.

He advised senior citizens who will avail of the free ride to bring their senior ID or any valid ID showing date of birth.

Based on the advisory of the managenent of the LRT Line 2, Datol said senior citizens can avail of the free rides from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“For the convenience of the elderly, LRT Line 2 management said seniors will have assigned selected gates,” the lawmaker said.

‘STL provides 310,863 jobs nationwide’ ASIDE from contributing billions of pesos to the Charity Fund, Small Town Lottery operations has given jobs and decent lives to 310,863 people all over the country, reported Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Alexander Balutan on Friday.

“Of 310,863 jobs, 13,611 are organic STL employees, 22,950 are sales supervisors, and 274,302 are sales agents,” Balutan said.

When it comes to regions, assistant general manager for Branch Operations Sector Remeliza Gabuyo confirmed that Northern and Central Luzon have generated the highest number of jobs with 147,261.

“It was followed by Southern Tagalog and Bicol Region with 88,745 jobs, Visayas with 43,464 jobs, Mindanao with 20,552 jobs, and National Capital Region with 10,841 jobs,” Gabuyo said.

“Instead of tolerating jueteng, let us

support and strengthen STL. STL has provided ‘legal’ jobs for people who were used to illegal numbers game.

They are the ones who cannot even pass the nitty-gritties of job fairs due to age, lack of education, and physical disability. We have saved them from vices—example drugs—and from being exploited by criminals. STL is giving them and their families a decent life,” Balutan said.

The established and existing STL corporations provide regular medical missions and educational assistance to their towns and municipalities, apart from providing economic activity to the province.

At present, Balutan said that PCSO has 85 operational Authorized STL Agents nationwide, with 18 more approved ASAs for the first semester of 2018 and six terminated ASAs for violations of the STL Implementing Rules and Regulations.

FOUNDING ANNIVERSARY. Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara

Duterte (3rd from left) was the guest of honor of Bacoor, Cavite Rep. Strike Revilla (left) during Bacoor’s 347th founding anniversary and inauguration of its new Hall of Justice Bldg., located in Barangay Tabing Dagat, Bacoor, Cavite. The Hall of Justice, a brainchild of Rep. Revilla in 2013 when he was still the mayor, was constructed right after the construction of its new City Hall and the Strike Gymnasium along Molino Blvd. Also in photo are Bacoor City Mayor Lani Mercado-Revilla (4th from left) and RTC branch 89 executive judge Eduardo Tanguanco (2nd from left). Lino Santos

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Opinion

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Breakthrough in Duterte’s EJK admission

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

our midst, that of Bernabe Sabangan and Salvador Locasia Jr. As narrated by the victim’s next of kin, which we reproduce in this article, Bernabe Sabangan dabbled in the drug trade as a small-time DUTERTE’S admission that his courier because of poverty. For a only sin is the extrajudicial killings few months, when money was tight, plaguing the country has enormous he became a―runner for the bigger significance. It’s not true of course pushers, delivering at most P200 ($4) that EJKs is his only sin. Contrary worth of shabu at a time. He did not to what the President claims, he has use drugs, says his sister, and quit the had people arrested illegally like business entirely when Duterte came Senators Leila de Lima and Antonio to power. He was afraid for his life, Trillanes. There is a lot of corruption said Mariel Sabangan. in his government.

Bernabe surrendered to authorities And for sure, the admission is by coming clean to his barangay not a joke; he is actually flaunting captain. He was not put on any his impunity. His words are to be rehabilitation program because he taken literally. wasn’t a user.

He means them.

But police later It is consistent went after him, with previous claiming, he kept statements about at the business.

It’s not a joke. He the collateral In May 2017, was actually flaunting damage of his while he was war against his impunity. watching lateillegal drugs. His night television statement is also with his friend an admission Arnold Vitales, against interest police swarmed and can be absolutely used against into his house. His sister’s family, him in the case of crimes against who had just retired for the night, was humanity that will most likely be roused by shouting from downstairs filed with the International Criminal no more than five minutes after.

Court soon and, after his term, in Armed men then barged into their the hundreds of murder cases filed bedroom and forced them out of the against him in the Philippines. Every house. lawyer knows that admissions against Passing by the living room, Mariel interest have the strongest probative saw Bernabe lying prone, handcuffed. value.

Arnold was sitting on a chair, crying Rise Up for Life and for Rights, and pleading with the police. Many an ecumenical group that assists and armed men surrounded them, with consolidates victims of the war on their guns trained on the two. All drugs, recently filed a communication other people inside the shared house and complaint with the ICC. Two were ushered out, leaving the two cases included in the complaint men with the police. are typical of the crimes against When Mariel was outside the humanity that is being perpetrated in Turn to A5

His biggest sin

A

T A Palace oathtaking ceremony Thursday, President Rodrigo Duterte insisted he did not steal even a peso from public funds. He also did not prosecute or send anybody to jail.

His only sin, he said, are the extrajudicial killings done in his all-out campaign against illegal drugs.

Immediately he scored high for his candor, but all too soon his handlers and spokesmen realized the implications of what the President said. And so they scrambled to explain his words and “put them in the proper context”—an all-too-familiar occurrence in the past two years.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Mr. Duterte was just being his playful self, highlighting the point that he is

not corrupt.

Meanwhile, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said the President instead meant that the only issue against him is the one on extrajudicial killings.

“You know, the President is a Bisaya,” Panelo added, implying something about the way Bisaya talk that we are sure many from the island group will not appreciate.

This unfortunate speech pattern does little to boost Mr. Duterte’s credibility as a leader.

He was elected precisely because of his maverick ways and the promise that he would perform his functions differently from the way his predecessors did.

The people who continue to adore him say his spontaneity is refreshing after the rehearsed, if clinical, pronouncements of those who came before him.

When his minions come forward to “explain” what he

really meant to the people, the message is that we have a leader who cannot be taken seriously.

This is a grievous offense for a chief executive. How can you respect and believe in a leader who either does not mean what he says, communicates poorly, does not know what he is talking about, changes his mind on a whim—or is a really poor joke-teller?

This is why we refuse to accept any subsequent explanations on what the President means from anybody else. Let Mr. Duterte rise and fall on his own words.

He has had sufficient experience as a lawyer and local politician.

He should know that words carry consequences. He should know that he should not rely on other people to clean up after him, and that president of the land, he should be circumspect about everything that comes out of his mouth.

Conflict and drought ravage Iraq’s prized date palms

By Sarah Benhaida SWEET Iraqi dates adorn tables in homes across the country, but the fruit tree and national symbol has come under threat from conflict and crippling drought.

Shopping in the southern city of Basra, Leila only buys “the queen of dates”—those produced in the surrounding province.

Her husband Mehdi, 68, said the couple have the sweet fruit “every lunchtime, and also for snacks between meals.”

The pair devours a kilo (two pounds) over two to three days, at a cost of 5,000 dinars, or just over $4 (3.40 euros).

But high unemployment and price hikes mean not all families can afford such luxury.

For trader Salem Hussein, who has been selling dates for 40 years, the decline set in long ago—before the drought and even this century’s series of deadly conflicts.

Imports fill the gap The 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war decimated the groves of date palms on Iraqi soil, he said, dressed in a sky blue robe and white skullcap.

The majority of trees lining the Shatt al-Arab waterway, marking the border between the two countries, were incinerated by shells and rockets.

Hussein once dreamed of expanding palm groves and introducing even more varieties than the 450 already boasted by Iraq, which used to be known as the land of 30 million palm trees.

The country’s dates were long exported “to the United States, Japan and India,” recalled the 66-year-old.

“We thought of developing and doubling the number of palms, but the figure only falls.”

Official estimates put the decline at 50 percent of pre-1980 numbers.

“We hoped for a better future—and it got even worse,” Hussein lamented.

Iraqi agriculture has been especially hard hit by drought this year, resulting in an official ban on the growing of rice and cereals which require a lot of water and the deaths of thousands of animals.

With Iraqi farmers hiking their prices due to the drought, seller Aqil Antuch has adapted to keep his cashstrapped customers happy.

He now sells dates imported from Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait at his central Basra shop, which he has run for 25 years.

“The Saudis, who produce a high quantity, want to sell their merchandise and lower the price to 1,500 dinars per kilo,” said Antuch, 52.

It’s a far cry from decades past.

Saddam Hussein “never let a foreign date enter Iraq,” he said of the former dictator, who presided over the IranIraq war and was deposed by the USled military invasion in 2003.

Sick palms once ‘like patients’ Shopper Mehdi remembers palm trees in his garden during the dictatorship, when Iraq was under an international trade embargo.

“We would go to the agriculture office with a sick palm tree and they would examine it like a patient at the doctor’s,” he said.

But, in recent years, farming has also been hit by an exodus from rural areas, as Iraqis flock to cities and informal neighborhoods.

Irrigation channels have become open sewers and the rows of trees which once provided shade have disappeared.

Palm groves have also been ripped up to make way for oil installations, the country’s biggest source of revenue.

Other groves have been snapped up for construction of new buildings.

In a cruel irony, the majority of dates now sold in Iraq come from trees which first took root in the country, Turn to A5

Mexico’s dwarf wrestlers overcome mockery to become stars

By Jean Luis Arce HE IS just 90 centimeters (less than three feet) tall, but he packs muscles, power and swagger in a little frame: Meet Microman, the smallest star in Mexican professional wrestling.

Mexico’s “lucha libre,” a wildly popular mix of sport and entertainment, long featured midgets and dwarfs in a deeply demeaning role: they were “mascotas”—a word that can mean both “mascot” and “pet”—for full-size wrestlers.

But a new generation of little people are now rising lucha libre stars in their own right, and dream of one day headlining the main events on their fight cards.

Microman wowed a skeptical crowd at one recent bout in Mexico City, where he and two co-stars, El Gallito and Guapito, took on another team of small-sized wrestlers.

He and his fellow “Micro Stars” were met with a smattering of jeers when they got in the ring.

But Microman silenced them when

he climbed onto the top rope—more than three times his height—to execute a high-flying leap straight into the neck of his also small, but larger, rival.

He then flattened another with an acrobatic headstand kick known as the “Zero Gravity” move.

The audience went wild in Arena Mexico, the high cathedral of lucha libre.

“Did you see how he held that headstand on top of the ropes? He does it really well,” said one impressed fan, Turn to A5

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Opinion

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Asia’s ‘Big Uncle’ DESPITE a doomsday scenario being painted by critics of the Duterte administration, no less than former president and now Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo insists that China, should assume a big role in fostering cooperation in the disputed South China Sea or West Philippine Sea. In a speech during China-Asean Mayor’s Forum in Nanning City in Guangxi province recently, Arroyo said she believes China should view itself as the “Big Uncle” to many nephews in the family. She said both uncles and nephews have responsibilities to work for harmony and the common good of the family.

Apart from the Philippines, China shares the waters in that area with Asean countries Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam.

While prodding China to assume a bigger role, Arroyo, however was critical of the Belt and Road Initiative saying it lacks feasibility studies to enable countries to better understand how they can contribute in creating the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative was set up by China in 2014 as it sealed its position as a key player in global trade. The initiative was envisioned to greatly increase trade between and among the countries, as well as make logistics and trade more affordable in the region.

The Pan-Beibu Gulf is an intersection of economic activity in south China, southwest China and Asean, as well as an important marine

Mexico’s...

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28-year-old construction worker Juan Carlos Elizalde.

“He’s really tiny, but look how he fights!” said another, 30-year-old Felipe Escorza.

Microman, 19, takes it all in with an attitude befitting lucha libre’s biggest little star.

“Microman is a wrestler who gives everything he’s got for the crowd,” he said, referring to himself in the third person.

From father to son Microman was fighting in the second match of the night—four bouts down from the top of the fight card.

But just having his name on the billing shows the progress he and other little wrestlers have made since his father’s time.

Microman is the son of Kemonito, who was also a midget wrestler but had a very different career.

For 30 years, Kemonito was a “mascota” for full-size wrestlers, a laughable sidekick who provided comic relief until the real action started.

Breakthrough...

From A4

house, she heard gunshots, in short succession. Arnold’s elder sister, Angelica, then came around looking for her brother. None of them were allowed into the house or given information. For about 30 minutes, the police kept their place and were observed playing ball outside the house.

It was around 11:30 pm when officials from the barangay and investigators came to the scene.

Two bodies, wrapped in bloodied blankets, were taken out and sent to the hospital. Bernabe and Arnold were declared dead on arrival. A funeral company processed the two bodies, with prior arrangements for discounts courtesy of the vice mayor’s office.

When Mariel returned home, their television set, watches, two cellphones and other personal belongings, as well as the motorcycle of her husband were missing.

The incident was reported by the police and portrayed in the media as a buy-bust operation conducted by joint elements of the Quezon City Police District and the Philippine

traffic hub connecting China with Asean countries.

Putting the necessary infrastructure in place, Arroyo, an economist, said that to this end, Asean countries can “jointly seek” technical and engineering manpower to prepare these feasibility studies designed for project proposals as the One Belt, One Road initiative can explore the inclusion of cities in terms of crossborder cooperation.

This, Arroyo said, would mean forging partnerships between cities that are near each other to connect the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road as “bonds across the sea can be formed between and among our coastal communities.”

Arroyo also lauded China’s BRI citing its impact on neighboring countries like the Philippines.

According to Arroyo, China’s BRI could never have come at a more opportune time than today when China has finally emerged from four decades of breathtaking growth to become the world’s second-largest economy, projecting “President Xi Jinping’s vision to totally modernize and propel itself in the next decade or so when China will surely become the world’s No. 1 economy.”

Assessing China’s success in the last four decades, Arroyo cited five key factors which propelled China to where it is now, starting with its long-term vision backed by long-term planning, its strong will to implement that vision, followed by its embracing of technology through adaptation and innovation.

The fourth and fifth keys to China’s success, Arroyo said, are its recognition of the value of infrastructure and its tremendous ability to access, harness and employ capital.

Arroyo said that while many countries lacked resources, especially capital and access to technology, China has so much resources that other countries are benefitting from the trickle-down effect, although she pointed out that the immediate obstacle facing these countries is not the absence of willing capital but the lack of feasibility studies.

It is imperative, therefore, that Asean countries harness the technical and engineering manpower and expertise available in the region to prepare the feasibility studies for project proposals. *** I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincerest gratitude to lawyer Dennis Manalo and his partner, Gemma Andrea Javier, for the successful handling of the cyber libel case filed against me and my editor and publisher from my former paper, resulting to our acquittal.

This actually was the third of the five cases resulting from an article I wrote in 2017. The other two are still pending with the Office of the Prosecutor, awaiting resolution soon. But with my lawyers’ effective handling of my defense, I am optimistic they would also end up with favorable results.

Working conditions and the level of respect have improved dramatically since then in the Mexican professional wrestling league, the World Lucha Libre Council (CMLL), says Catalina Gaspar, an activist for little people’s rights.

“They train them professionally now. I’ve been really happy to see that.

Twenty years ago, they threw them in the ring with wrestlers who were two meters (more than 6’6”) tall, and they got injured a lot,” Gaspar told AFP. Kemonito’s generation had no health insurance or benefits, but put up with the job for lack of other options, she said.

“Some of them were paralyzed...

One even committed suicide,” she said.

“But now they are seen as idols, not mascots or buffoons.”

But Gaspar, who is herself just over one meter tall, said there is still a long way to go: social security benefits, pension plans and other support for “life after wrestling.”

Wrestling revelation The eight Micro Stars debuted in April 2017 as the third weight category in the CMLL. Their coach, wrestling legend

The Last Warrior, remembers it as a revelation.

“It was Children’s Day, and it was awesome. Everybody in the crowd was going crazy,” he said.

Microman himself said he did not know just what to expect that day.

“I didn’t know people would react like that, that they would back me so much without even knowing me. I think it was my happiest day in wrestling,” he said.

The Micro Stars started out with abbreviated bouts, but now fight fulllength matches just like their bigger peers.

They do not earn a regular salary, but they get medical care, health insurance and a guarantee of at least two events per month, according to the CMLL. Increasingly, that includes the league’s prized weekend fight nights.

“That makes you nervous, because you never know what will happen, whether people will like it,” said Microman.

“But when you enter the arena and start walking down the bridge, you just do what you have to do, which is show everything you know in the ring.” AFP

Drug Enforcement Agency. The district police chief announced that the two were on a drug watchlist.

Sachets of shabu, two handguns, and an improvised shotgun were allegedly found at the scene.

The case of Salvador Locasia Jr. was allegedly on the barangay drug list of Bagong Silangan, Quezon City, but this was not confirmed. Bongbong, as he was fondly called, used to be a small-time peddler and runner, when he needed the money for his family.

Eventually, he settled into a stable, though not as lucrative, job as sidecar driver.

On a busy weeknight in August 2016, barely a month after President Duterte had taken oath, he was killed by four policemen near a neighborhood wake.

Witnesses claimed that after a known police asset came by, four policemen arrived and directed everyone keeping vigil at the wake, except for Bongbong, to run away.

Police then turned off the lights thereabouts, including those around the casket. They dragged Bongbong away to a dark place. The witnesses then heard gunshots, and saw Bongong’s bloody body on the ground.

The police reported it as a buy-bust operation, complete with coordination forms and marked money. Bongbong,

on his own, had fought back against a team of 20 police operatives, for about P200 worth of shabu, the police claimed.

Bongbong’s mother Irma Locasia tried to raise funds for her son’s wake and funeral. After relaying the situation to a local barangay official, the official remarked,―ah, para sa anak mong adik? [oh, for your son who is an addict?]. Irma denies that her son ever used drugs.

Martin Luther King once said: That “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

An unidentified author also points out: “Justice will not fail, though wickedness appears strong, and has on its side the armies and thrones of power, the riches and the glory of the world, and though poor men crouch down in despair. Justice will not fail and perish out from the world of men, nor will what is really wrong and contrary to God’s real law of justice continually endure.”

Sabangan and Locasia, and their families, will get the justice that the Lord promises. Duterte’s admission about EJKs is a breakthrough and brings them and this country closer to that day.

Uncles and nephews have responsibilities to work for harmony and the common good of the family.

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Folly in the claim for compensation and 791 disappearances. Those figures alone indicate obvious discrepancy.

These claimants not only refused to accept the decision of the Supreme Court but are most vociferous and persistent in claiming compensation. Not one of them ever presented their release paper Part I as evidence to justify their demand for WHEN I read the column written by compensation, which is supposed to be a colleague, Rigoberto Tiglao, that the issued and signed by the then chief of leader of the Communist Party of the the Philippine Constabulary and marPhilippines (CPP), Jose Ma. Sison, and tial law administrator, Fidel Ramos.

Rather, they merely submitted their his wife, Julieta Sison, received P2.4 self-serving affidavits claiming they million from the Commission on Human Rights now headed by a raving were detained and tortured during the yellowtard, Jose “Chito” Gascon, the martial law period. Neither did these first thing that entered my mind is to cabal of leftists that have metamorask, what human rights violations Joma phosed to become mulcting mercenarand his fossilized followers are talking ies present their amnesty paper. Obviously, that would expose them as being about?

This I asked because whatever this not wholly innocent of the charge that noisy group says of the alleged abuses caused them their incarceration.

Maybe the safekeeping of the records committed during the martial law years of the Marcos administration has now of persons granted amnesty should be become stale and even paradoxical to with the Armed Forces, PNP or Detheir claim as victims of human rights partment of Justice, as Senator Antonio Trillanes would now insist. Nonetheviolations.

This writer has yet to verify that one less, nobody failed to take note that all claimant who in fact voluntarily surren- persons whether as detainee or who dered to avoid detention filed a claim were released after serving sentence and allegedly received P1 million as are to be given a copy of their order.

This is different from amnesty. A recompensation without the CHR knowing the claimant is a resident of Ayala lease paper does not say anything about Alabang and own two condominium the person freed from detention, but simply state that the detainee has been units at Serendra, BGC. Let us admit it, compensation released by the arresting agency and is a form of payment. Once they cannot be rearrested unless he violates the condition for opted to receive his release, and compensation that when the perto restitute the son was released, misdeed, logically This group of political he was in good they should desist physical condifrom making a desperados must know tion. holler of what Whether the happened to that Marcos was never charged for any human person was them. All their released after accusations are rights violation. serving sentence, now moot. They pardoned or are precluded granted amnesty, from filing a case just the same he against the party that caused them injury, suffering, has to have with him the paper. It is anxiety or delusion. The amount prospective—like inquiring whether received by Sison and his mulcting he is qualified to receive compensation gang is an out-of-court settlement made or to run for public office. If the by the Noynoy Aquino government to person was granted amnesty, there is substitute Marcos to pay them using no legal impediment, much that it is the taxpayers’ money to appease them absolute. Being prospective, it only guarantees that they have already for political consideration.

Even if the settlement was initiated been legally released, yet many of the by the government to pin the blame on claimants failed to submit their release Marcos without the benefit of being paper because they treat the document charged or much more convicted, their as retrospective, and are fearful that acceptance of the payment should it would expose them as not wholly have served to prevent them from innocent of the reason why they were marching, parading, propagandizing was detained.

The grant of amnesty presupposes through the media or vandalizing the streets to collaterally accuse the that whatever offense they commitDuterte government of human rights ted is legally erased, they being in the violations. This group of political category of political offenses. Just the desperados must know that Marcos same, every detainee who was released was never charged for any human from detention during that period was rights violation, except in the US where issued a release paper. Likewise, their these anti-imperialist imbeciles sought claim of having been arrested and detheir assistance for the realization of tained without a warrant is pure nonsense. They somehow participated in their misplaced objective.

For the record, then Commission the commission of rebellion and subon Human Rights chairman Aurora P. version that warranted the declaration Navarrete-Recina issued on March 4, of the national emergency. This means 1997 a certification that “there is no that according to Senator Enrile, those formal complaint as of date filed with who were arrested were not wholly inthis Commission against former Presi- nocent. While nobody could fathom dent Ferdinand E. Marcos and mem- their degree of participation, what is bers of his family.” That certification important is they participated in that debunked altogether the claim of the bloody enterprise, one way or the othTask Force Detainees of the Philip- er, directly or indirectly.

Moreover, for whatever they say pines (of “widespread” human rights violations during the period of martial about martial law, it was upheld by the law. Moreover, the certification could Supreme Court. Martial law simply not have been influenced because that expedited the process of arrest but never was issued during the Ramos adminis- did it legalize and condone abuses, tration, one of those who spearheaded torture or extrajudicial execution as they now claim. The problem, however, the coup to oust Marcos.

What is ironic and noticeable about with the arbitrary classification made this Task Force Detainees is the same by the TFDP is it rejected altogether group that shouted to high heavens the validity of the Arrest, Search and calling for the prosecution of President Seizure Order (ASSO) later known as Duterte before the International Crimi- the Presidential Detention Order (PDO) despite being upheld by the Supreme nal Court.

To begin with, many of those claim- Court. The refusal to recognize the ants were not detained, but out-and- validity of martial law was precisely out mercenaries. TDFP claims that done to justify their claim and to lend between 1977 up to 1986, a total of credibility to their propaganda.

21,893 warrantless arrests were made, rpkapunan@gmail.com 2,658 cases of extrajudicial executions

BACKBENCHER ROD P. KAPUNAN

Conflict...

From A4

before being replanted in other Gulf states decades ago.

One Basra grower, Raed al-Jubayli, said surviving producers have been hit by a double “tragedy”—drought and pollution from oil installations.

“Buying a palm tree costs around $250. The maintenance then costs

about $12 per season, while its four kilos of dates don’t sell for more than $3.50,” he said.

But Jubayli remains proud of the date palm’s “ancestral heritage” and its diverse uses.

“With the palm, nothing is wasted,” he said.

“Dates bring people sugar and energy; the palms, which provide shade, once woven, make brooms; the wood is used to make furniture.” AFP

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News

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

DoH gears up for wide battle to check AIDS

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

W

ITH the significant hike in the number of human immunodeficiency virus cases—from one to 31 just over the past decade—Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the Department of Health was gearing up for a large-scale battle to stop the increasing number of individuals affected by HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

“Just over the past decade, the average rate of new HIV cases in the Philippines has grown from one per day to 31 per day,” said Duque on Friday.

“And this figure does not include undocumented cases. We also currently have the highest percent of increase of new HIV cases in the Asia and Pacific region from 2010 to 2016, at 133 percent,” he added.

He noted the number of Filipinos affected by HIV and AIDS had drastically increased over the last couple of years.

“More than anyone else, we at DoH take this very seriously, that’s why we’ve decided to partner with people and organizations that will allow us to address the root cause of this growing epidemic,” he said.

Enter LHIVE FREE, a campaign

created by the DoH and Integrative Competitive Intelligence Asia.

Using modern means to disseminate information about HIV and AIDS, as well as to promote safer sex, LHIVE FREE aims to make conversations about the virus a normal thing among today’s youth.

Duque said: “We need to equip people with the right knowledge about HIV and AIDS. “Oftentimes, they are not open to talking about anything that has to do with the disease in general because they see it as something that’s very distant from them, when in fact, there’s a big chance that someone they know might already be infected by the virus— and there’s an even bigger chance that that person infected by the virus is not aware that he or she has it already.”

TOURISM AWARDS. The SKAL International Club of Makati recently celebrated its 37th funding Anniversary and the 28th SKAL International Tourism Personality Award at the New World Hotel Makati.

Shown in photo are SKAL president Jimmy Bautista, PAL president and COO, welcome Gov. Houdou Nakamura of Nagasaki Perfecture of Japan, who is himself an awardee, and Japanese Ambassador Koji Haneda and wife Ihoko Haneda

PSA urged: Broaden bases of poverty stats in surveys BULUAN, Maguindanao— Government statistics from official poverty surveys are largely based on average monthly family income and costs of expenditures to meet food and non-food requirements, officials said.

But for Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, poverty incidence could have been expressed for the province, if the people’s access to free education and healthcare, potable water and other social services were integrated and factored-in in all poverty surveys and indices.

Maguindanao had better statistics in the think-tank group Ibon Foundation’s poverty surveys, which considered those factors as access to free education, healthcare and potable water and other social services.

At the sidelight of Provincial

Peace and Order Council meeting on Wednesday, Mangudadatu said many student-beneficiaries of the Maguindanao Program for Educational Assistance and Community Empowerment have earned tertiary degrees in different fields of profession—thus, effectively reducing the incidence of college dropouts in the province.

The national government’s free college education program also started this school year in many of the country’s 81 provinces.

Dr. Tahir Sulaik, head of the Integrated Provincial health Office, said the IPHO-Maguindanao is equipped with modern medical facilities like CT-Scan and Hemodialysis machines, and has eight upgraded hospitals under its operational supervision.

Nash B. Maulana

‘Heart-to-Heart Doctrine’ marked

By Rey E. Requejo AFTER more than four decades since the late Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda laid down the foundation of the current Japan’s diplomacy towards South East Asia, a commemorative marker will be unveiled in Manila on Monday.

This will be in Fukuda’s honor at Manila Hotel, the place where he made the declaration of what is now known as the “Fukuda Heart-to-Heart Doctrine” in 1977.

Fukuda’s son, former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, and Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda, will lead the installation of the commemorative marker at the Heritage Hall of the Manila Hotel, as a tribute to his father Takeo who founded the current Japan’s diplomacy towards its neighbors in the Southeast Asian Nations.

“The Fukuda Doctrine has been the foundation of Japan’s diplomacy towards Southeast Asia, and four decades since its declaration, all of us bear witness to the doctrine’s wisdom, foresight and enduring relevance especially to Asean,” the Japanese Embassy said, in a statement.

After the unveiling of the commemorative marker, a symposium on the Fukuda Doctrine will be held at the Fiesta Pavillion, the same venue where the late Japanese Prime Minister first pronounced the Fukuda Doctrine on Aug. 18, 1977.

Sports

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Huge field vies in 13th Highlands Ladies Cup A FULL-PACKED field featuring a mix of players and guests from various sectors braces for another spirited but fun-filled competition in the Highlands Ladies Cup which unfolds tomorrow (Saturday) at Tagaytay Midlands Golf and Country Club.

The organizing Tagaytay Highlands Ladies Chapter has assembled another huge cast in the 18-hole tournament, which as in its past editions offers top prizes in different categories, including for hole-in-one feats.

In fact, all four par-3s stake fabulous prizes for aces, including two round-trip tickets to Kuala Lumpur with four days/three nights accommodation courtesy of Regent Travel Corp. on No. 3; a two-night accommodation in Coron with breakfast and airport transfers for two from Baron Travel Corp. on No. 5; two round-trip Philippine Airline tickets to Hong Kong; and a four-night cruise to Singapore-Port Klang (KL)-Phuket (or Penang)-Singapore for two courtesy of Royal Caribbean International on No. 17.

In case no one scores an ace, all prizes will be raffled off during awards rites of the event backed by Diamond sponsors Auto Nation Group, Inc., Pacific Online and W Group.

The System 36 scoring format will be used in the tournament supported

by Powerball Gaming, San Miguel Corp. and Security Bank as Platinum sponsors, Kaiser Health Group and Royal Caribbean Int’l as Gold backers and ComWorks Inc., Fitness First, HBC, Huawei Philippines, Leisure and Resort World Corp., Lucerne, New Golden City Builders, PLDT-SME, Regent Travel Corp. and SM Retail as Silver sponsors.

Other backers are bronze sponsors Baron Travel Corp., Burlington Socks, Caraderm, CLC Marketing Ventures, Cobra, Concrete Masters, Dickies, First Life Financial Co. Inc., Focus Global, H&E Mfg., Honda Cavite, Marie France, Orocan, Parola Maritime Corp., Peerless Products, Philippine Airlines, Puma, RCW Construction Dev’t Corp., Santi’s, SL Agritech Corp., SM Hotels, Studio337 Salon & Spa, Unilever and URC and donors Green Cross, Red Ribbon, Splendido Golf and Sunset at Aninuan Beach Resort.

Part of the event’s proceeds will also benefit the Sisters of Mary boys and girls town complex in Silang, Cavite as part of THLC’s mission of helping the underprivileged youth fulfill their dreams by way of allotting part of the proceeds of the annual event for the center.

Blue Royals overwhelm Red Kittens JOHN Mark Cerezo fired 19 points for the La Consolacion Baby Blue Royals as they trounced the San Beda ManilaA Red Kittens, 73-46, over the weekend in the 16th Fr. Martin Cup Division 2 basketball tournament.

Cerezo’s teammates Harvee Galang and Justine Latonio added 8 and 7 points, respectively, to lead the Baby Blue Dragons to their fourth straight win when action ended at the St. Placid gymnasium inside San Beda-Manila campus in Mendiola.

This kept the Baby Blue Royals in contention for a quarterfinals seat in Group A, according to Commissioner Robert de la Rosa.

The Baby Blue Royals limited the Red Kittens to nine points in the first period and went on to coast to a 38-22 halftime lead.

In the senior division, the Letran Knights won by default over St. Joseph College-Bulacan and so did the La Salle Green Archers in their game with Pasig Catholic College.

The Knights are unbeaten after three games in Group B, while the Green Archers have a 2-2 slate.

The Mapua Cardinals (1-4) won over BBC, 99-52, in another senior match.

In other junior games, Diliman Preparatory School turned back the Mapua Red Robins, 87-69, to improve to 2-1 in Group B. PCC prevailed over Rich Golden School Montessori, 98-81, to hike their win-loss record to 1-3.

Bigger, better ‘The Score’ on ABS-CBN’s Sports+Action

FIGHTS. A dwarf fighter gestures during a fight at the Arena Mexico, in Mexico City on September 07, 2018. ‘Microstars’ is a show that mixes sport, circus and collective catharsis in what Mexicans call ‘fights.’ AFP

Serena pulls plug on China tourney, season looks over

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EIJING—American great Serena Williams was left out of the China Open tennis draw on Friday as she appeared to call time on her season following her meltdown at the US Open.

Williams’ name, along with that of her sister Venus, did not appear on a list of 64 players ahead of the start of the tournament in Beijing, one of the women’s tour’s mandatory events.

It comes less than three weeks after the tempestuous US Open final, where Williams, 37, accused the umpire of lying and sexism in an angry rant during her 6-2, 6-4 defeat to Japan’s Naomi Osaka.

In extraordinary scenes, Williams went into a tailspin after a warning for receiving coaching from the sidelines, smashing her racquet and being docked a point and then a game.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion later said she wanted to “move on” from the incident, but maintained that women players could not get away with

“even half of what a guy can do”.

“Right now we are not, as it’s proven, in that same position,” she told Australia’s Channel Ten. “But that’s neither here nor there. I’m just trying most of all to recover from that and move on.”

The episode polarized tennis with many expressing sympathy for Williams, while others said her behaviour was out of line.

Osaka was in tears during the victory ceremony for her first Grand Slam win as boos rang out from the New York crowd, prompting Williams to call for calm.

“We cannot measure ourselves by what we think we should also be able to get away with,” Czech-born American Martina Navratilova wrote in the

New York Times.

“In fact, this is the sort of behaviour that no one should be engaging in on the court.”

- ‘On the cusp’ Reports from the United States said Williams’ season is now over, which would make it the fourth year in a row she has curtailed her playing commitments -- although in 2017 she took time off to have a baby.

In 2016 she called it quits after the US Open citing a shoulder injury, and in 2015 she took a break after narrowly failing to win all four majors in the same year, following a shattering defeat in New York to Italy’s Roberta Vinci.

The biggest event left on the 2018 calendar is next month’s elite, eight-player WTA Finals in Singapore. Williams is currently 11th on the Race to Singapore rankings.

Williams, who won her first Grand Slam title in New York in 1999, captured her 23rd while pregnant at last year’s Australian Open, but she has since stuttered on the brink of Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24. AFP

ABS-CBN S+A’s flagship program “The Score” will debut a new and more exciting format on digital and on television this Monday (October 1) as it also introduces its new main anchor, veteran sports commentator and analyst, Mico Halili.

The new “The Score”promises to be bigger, better, and bolder as it offers a variety of sports content and experiences to Filipino sports fans throughout the week, going live on the ABS-CBN Sports Youtube channel and Facebook at 1 pm and airing on primetime television at 6 pm on S+A and S+A HD. Joining Mico in delivering the latest sports news and analysis and fun features and discussions are sports icons Gretchen Ho, Michele Gumabao, Allan Caidic, Beau Belga, Joe DeVance, Jett Manuel, Jai Reyes, L.A. Tenorio, and Jimmy Alapag, who will all be bringing their own wit, charm, and expertise to the program.

On Mondays and Fridays, Mico invites sports analysts to talk about the hottest issues in the world of sports. On Tuesday and Wednesday, he goes one-on-one with sports personalities to show their other side and reveal their stories beyond the game. Thursday is all about basketball as Mico and his squad of professional ballers share light and amusing conversations about the sport loved by Filipinos worldwide. Aside from these, there will still be the rundown of sports news and special segments with the likes of comedian Victor Anastacio.

“We’re very excited to bring “The Score” further to the digital sphere where we know our audiences love to watch their favorite teams and players while interacting with fellow sports fans. We are also airing it on television on primetime to reach more Filipinos especially the youth who look up to our athletes as role models and find inspiration in their journey to greatness,” said ABS-CBN Integrated Sports head Dino Laurena.

“The Score” was first launched in 2014 during the reformat of the channel into ABS-CBN Sports + Action.

UAAP stars inspire hopefuls of PLDT’s Inter Village League HOME courts are breeding grounds for raw athletic talent and skill—something that University Athletic Association of the Philippines stars Thirdy Ravena, Matt Nieto and Mike Nieto know all too well.

In an online video, Ravena and the Nieto brothers share how their own inter-village league experiences helped shape their game and fueled their passion for the sport, making them an inspiration for the players of the first ever Metro Manila Inter-Village League (MMIVL) powered by PLDT Home Fibr, the country’s No. 1 Home broadband.

“From starting at the village court to entering UAAP, and eventually, playing for the country, hindi nawawala ang motivation namin which is to prove who you are as a team and as an individual,” Matt Nieto said. “It’s important to remember your roots and how you started so you can always get better.”

MMIVL is a basketball tournament

open to all Fibr-powered villages in the National Capital Region, attracting young and seasoned players. For young athletes, MMIVL is a platform to hone their talent for the big leagues, while for local basketball legends, the tournament serves as a chance to showcase their skills and share their experiences.

Fibr-powered sports action A total of 59 teams have joined MMIVL, all vying for the tilt’s first championship title, as well as cash and exciting prizes. The teams are divided into two brackets—29 & under and 30 & above. The former has six divisions— North A & B, South A & B and East-West A & B while the latter has five—North A & B, South A & B and East.

Leading the 29 & under are Philam Homes and Filinvest Homes 2. For the 30 & above bracket, Ayala Heights and Philam Homes.

MMIVL has a single round-robin elimination format. The top four teams per bracket are determined through a

UAAP stars Thirdy Ravena and Nieto brothers Matt and Mike

round of 16 games, where winners advance to the semi-finals, and eventually, to the finals in October.

MMIVL comes on the heels of PLDT partnership with NBA to offer the NBA League Pass, which allows customers to stream the NBA games live or on-demand and enjoy exclusive NBA content for only P50 a day.

PLDT empowers Filipino families with the strongest connections through

PLDT Home Fibr, the fastest fixed line network in the country, according to the latest Speedtest Report by Ookla, the global leader in internet testing and analysis.

For more information on MMIVL and PLDT Home Fibr-powered products and services, visit www.pldthome.com and follow PLDT Home’s official Facebook account at www.facebook.com/ PLDTHome.

Nino Jesus, Titan 8 top Arceegee Tatluhan 57 PH...

From A8

THE much-awaited Arceegee X PYD Tatluhan Showcase finally hit the road last Sept. 22 and 23 with Nino Jesus House of Studies topping the Manila leg and Titan 8 ruling the Quezon Province stop.

NJHS defeated Team Oflear in the finals to emerge as the first champion in the four-part 3-on-3 competition organized by the Pinoy Youth Dreamers and sponsored by Arceegee, a fast-growing sportswear provider.

Jan Daniel Geronimo teamed up with KD Prolles, Juncel Nudo and Jhunerits Martin to lead NJHS to the championship in the tournament, which attracted 20 teams.

Geronimo was named Most Valuable Player.

Rinbert Galarde of Arceegee delivered the inspirational remarks during the opening ceremony also attended by PYD president Beaujing Acot.

In Quezon Province leg last Sept. 23, Titan 8 emerged as champion and Ameer Nikko Aguilar as MVP. Chicoy Capistrano of Batis Aramin Hotel and Re-

sort and Vino Veluz of Buddy’s Pancit Lucban hosted the one-day event, which drew teams from Lucena, Candelaria, Lucban, Tayabas, Cavite and Laguna There are two more legs in the schedule: Bulacan leg- Venue: Villa Desta Basketball Covered Court, Brgy. Atlag, Malolos Bulacan, Sept. 29.

Contact: Coach Mel Arcena (0906-3564625), Coach Mark Domingo (0915-1231873).

Malabon leg—Venue: Barangay Tonsuya Basketball Court, Malabon, Oct. 6. Contact: Coach Okkin Cartago (0945-8443086) The overall champion will earn the right to represent the country in the Dreamers International 3on3 Basketball Challenge scheduled Nov. 2 to 4 in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

Supporting the Arceegee X PYD Tatluhan Showcase are the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Smart Communications, Buddy’s Pancit Lucban, Regent Foods, Batis Aramin, Hygienix Alcohol Splash Corp., JAMAN, Hook Up Clothing and Watches, H+Autoworks, Xpress Printing and Barangay San Antonio-Pasig.

Redor, Israel Peligro, Arman Subaste, Francis Ching, Rodolfo Sarmiento, Cecilio Bilog, Fe Mangayayam, Jean-lee Nacita and Cheryl Angot (chess); Arthus Bucay and Godfrey Taberna (cycling); Gener Padilla, Deterson Omas and Carlito Agustin (judo); and Achelle Guion, Agustin Kitan, Marydol Pamatian and Romeo Tayawa (powerlifting).

Also joining the Jakarta trip are Minnie Cadag, Benedicto Gaela, Pablo Catalan, Darwin Salvacion and Smith Billy Cartera (table tennis); Ernie Gawilan, Gary Bejino, Roland Subido, Arnel Aba and Edwin Villanueva (swimming); and Kim Ian Chi, Samuel Matias, Angelito Guloya, Christopher Yue, Francisco Ednaco, Jaime Manginga, Augusto Hernandez, Crisostomo Yao, Noel Espanol and Ruben San Diego (tenpin bowling).

The Asian Para Games is a multi-sport event held every four years after every Asian Games for athletes with physical disabilities. The first Asian Games were held in Guangzhou, China in 2010. The second edition was held in 2014 in Incheon, Korea.

This year’s contingent hopes to better their last medal record to inspire other para athletes to break barriers and pursue their dream of representing the country.

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor sports@thestandard.com.ph; sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

US golfer Tiger Woods (center) smiles as he receives a standing ovation from teammates during the opening ceremony of the 42nd Ryder Cup at Le Golf National Course at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, south-west of Paris. AFP

Cayco, Chito get POC nod; 4 disciplines knock on door

By Peter Atencio ARELLANO University executive Peter Cayco has been recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee as the newly elected president of the Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. Cayco got the nod of the POC executive committee during a meeting at the Meralco offices in Ortigas.

Having succeeded Joey Romasanta, Cayco is expected continue what the LVPI started and the association’s focus on its grassroots programs.

The new leadership of Chito Loyzaga as the new head of the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association was also given recognition.

Loyzaga is all set to implement the association’s vision and mission, with new secretary general Pepe Munoz, who is into age group baseball.

POC membership committee head Richard Bachmann also said during the meeting that four new sports disciplines are knocking on the door of the POC, namely sikaran, kiteboarding, tchoukball and floorball.

In the meantime, the General Assembly of the POC has approved the inclusion of the Pilipinas Sambo Federation and the Philippine Cricket Association during its meeting last month.

The PSFI, headed by Immigration lawyer Paolo Claudio of Davao City, has made their representations before the POC. Sambo is a Russian martial art and combat sport created in the 1920s by the Soviet Red Army initially integrating the techniques of judo, juijitsu and catch wrestling.

The PSFI was founded two years ago in Davao City.

The local body is already recognized by the Federation International de Sambo.

On the other hand, the PCA is represented by Rolando Goitia, who is their president.

Ginebra, Phoenix fives clash in Cagayan de Oro

By Jeric Lopez

T

WO of the top teams cross paths in a highly anticipated bout as league-leader Phoenix and second-running Barangay Ginebra meet out of town in the resumption of the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup. The Fuel Masters (5-1) will be gunning for their fourth straight win, but the Gin Kings (4-1) are looking to spoil their parade when they go at it at 5 p.m. in Cagayan De Oro City.

Given their places, their tussle ahead will have them fighting for the top spot.

Improving their already good campaign thus far is both on the eyes of Phoenix and Ginebra as they look to take a step closer to clinching a spot in the quarterfinals.

Reinforced by their prolific imports, the Fuel Masters and the Gin Kings are both off to rousing starts.

While Ginebra, being the two-time reigning champion, is expected to perform well, Phoenix’s fiery start is somewhat a surprise.

Euegene Phelps’ continued steady play and the entry of Calvin Abueva into the fray certainly made the Fuel Masters a team to reckon with.

“Our team is starting

Game Today (Cagayan de Oro) 5 p.m. Barangay Ginebra vs Phoenix Fuel

to realize the potential we can have, especially with Calvin (Abueva),” said Phoenix coach Louie Alas.

Phoenix last victimized Magnolia after dishing out an impressive 95-82 rout last Sunday.

On the same night, the Gin Kings likewise impressed, taking down San Miguel Beer, 110-102.

For Ginebra coach Tim Cone, it’s all about staying in the top four for his team until key players Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar return from their injuries.

“We’ve been missing key guys all tournament. We’re on survival mode and hope to stay in the top four until they comeback,” said Cone.

Phoenix Fuel Master Calvin Abueva (left) is a marked man when the Fuel Masters take on the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings.

Falcons shoot for 5th straight win THERE’S something different about the Games Today Adamson Falcons these days.

(The Arena in San Juan) The San Marcelino-based cagers are 1 p.m. Adamson vs NU showing more poise down the stretch, some4 p.m. UST vs Ateneo thing that was not seen in previous seasons.

And this is what makes them scary when the Falcons clash with the National University Bulldogs at 4 p.m. today in the 81st University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament at the Arena in San Juan.

The Falcons showed this following a close game with the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, 69-68, last Wednesday.

And that was when Sean Manganti, who was struggling with a foot injury, nailed a floater with 0.7 of a second left.

“Probably the old Adamson, when they’re down by eight or 10 points heading into the four, five minutes, that 10 points will balloon to a bigger lead. But this time around we kept our composure, which is a trademark of accepting their respective roles, accepting that it’s high time somebody should assume responsibility down the stretch,” said coach Franz Pumaren.

The Falcons are on their best start since 2003 and are seeking to improve on this with their fifth straight triumph at the expense of the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs have a 1-2 win-loss slate after their 46-72 loss to the defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles.

The Blue Eagles (3-1) are going for their fourth consecutive win in their 1 p.m. battle with the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers.

Female chessers move into contention THE Philippines went to FIDE Master Shania Mendoza and Women International Master Marie Antoinette San Diego in pulling the rug from under a favored Slovakia, 2.5-1.5, to zoom into contention after four rounds of the 43rd World Chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia Thursday night.

Mendoza shocked Woman Grandmaster Zuzana Cibickova on board three, while the 19-year-old San Diego turned back WFM Dominika Ferkova on board four to seal the win by the Pinay chessers as top board player WGM Janelle Mae Frayna split the point with IM Eva Repkova.

WIM Catherine Secopito succumbed to IM Zuzana Stockova on second board but the effect was cushioned by the feats of Mendoza and San Diego, who struck hard when the team needed it most.

The victory sent the PH leapfrogging to a 29-country logjam at No. 12 with six

match points apiece in this 11-round tournament giving two points to a victory, a point to a draw and none for a defeat.

The Philippines, which is being bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission, will clash with 25th seed England, which steamrolled El Salvador, 4-0.

The PH men’s squad wasn’t as fortunate as it absorbed a 1.5-2.5 defeat to Estonia that was hastened by IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia’s defeat to GM Aleksandr Volodin on board three.

GMs Julio Catalino Sadorra and John Paul Gomez and IM Haridas Pascua fought for draws with GM Kaido Kulaots, GM Ottomar Ladva and FM Ilja Sirosh on boards one, two and four.

The Filipinos thus sputtered to a share of 66th place with just four points to show.

It was the second straight defeat for the PH after falling to Croatia, 1-3, in the third round.

US chases rare Euro win in Ryder Cup SA I N T- QU E N T I N - E N -Y V E LINES—-Tiger Woods teed off in an electric atmosphere at his first Ryder Cup since 2012 on Friday as defending champions United States launched their quest for a first win on European soil in 25 years.

Woods, a 14-time major winner, snapped a five-year win drought only five days ago to cap a sensational comeback season after spinal fusion sugery and was set to attract huge crowds in a feature morning four-ball match alongside Masters champion Patrick Reed against British Open champion Francesco Molinari of Italy and English rookie Tommy Fleetwood.

More than 7,000 spectators at Le Golf National jammed into the largest first-tee grandstand in Ryder Cup history, cheering and screaming to produce a roar unique to the emotional atmosphere of the biennial team golf showdown.

“It’s unbelievable,” US captain Jim Furyk said. “Any Ryder Cup is magical but there are 6,000 people back here. It’s incredible.”

Four morning four-ball matches were set to be followed by four afternoon foursomes matches on Friday and Saturday with 12 concluding singles matches Sunday.

“This is going to be pretty mega,” said European talisman Ian Poulter, the Englishman whipping up loud cheers from the crowd even though he was benched for the opening session.

The Americans need 14 points to retain the trophy while Europe need 14 1/2 points to win for the ninth time in 12 attempts.

England’s Justin Rose birdied the opening hole to give himself and Spain’s Jon Rahm, another Ryder Cup newcomer, a 1-up edge on US rookie Tony Finau and reigning PGA Championship and US Open champion Brooks Koepka.

Rory McIlroy teamed with Danish rookie Thorbjorn Olesen against world number one Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler for the Americans, while Europe’s Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton faced Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

Reed grinned as the crowd booed his name while Woods remained stoic. Reed swung his club to elicit “Ole” cheers from spectators then blasted his tee shot down the heart of the fairway. Woods followed by finding the left-centre of the fairway. AFP

57 PH athletes join Asian Para Games in Jakarta

FIFTY-SEVEN Filipino para athletes journey to Jakarta, Indonesia on Monday to slug it out in the 3rd Asian Para Games that will take place from Oct. 6 to 13 in 19 locations around Jakarta.

Filipino para athletes will compete in 10 of 18 sports slated in the Para Games, namely archery, athletics, badminton, chess, cycling, judo, powerlifting, table tennis, swimming and tenpin bowling.

Leading the Philippine contingent are bemedalled para athletes Adeline Dumapong-Ancheta of powerlifting and Josephine Medina of table tennis.

Ancheta holds the record for being the first Filipino to win a medal in the Paralympics after bagging a bronze medal in Sydney, Australia in 2000. Ancheta won another bronze medal recently in the 2018 World Para Powerlifting Asia-Oceania Open Championships held in Fukuoka, Japan in early September. Medina won a bronze medal in 2016 at the Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Philippine Paralympic Committee president Michael Barredo expressed optimism in the Filipinos’ campaign in Jakarta, saying that the Philippines hopes to improve on its five silvers and five bronzes in Incheon, South Korea four years ago.

University of the Philippines Professor Francis Carlos Diaz who will serve as Chef de Mission said that the Philippine team went through rigorous training to prepare for this regional event.

He thanked the Philippine Sports Commission for the generous support that it extended so that Filipino para athletes could compete for the country.

Donning the national colors are Agustina Bantiloc and Giovanni Ola (archery); Prudencia Panaligan, Andy Avellana, Jerrold Pete Mangliwan, Joel Balatucan, Evaristo Carbonel, Jeanette Acebeda, Marites Burce, Arman Dino and Cendy Asusano (athletics); Jonas Matados, Paz Lita and Kathleen Pedrosa (badminton); Sander Severino, Henry Roger Lopez, Jasper Rom, Minandro Turn to A7

IN BRIEF PH needs to import cement amid shortfall CEMENT importers said a voluntary investigation launched by the Trade Department failed to determine the real reason for rising cement imports and validate the claims of injury from local manufacturers.

A position paper submitted by five major cement importers—NGC Land Corp., Philcement Corp., Pabaza Import and Export Inc., All Asia Countertrade Inc. and Fortem Cement Corp. cited a justification for importing more cement.

“Except for 2016 and 2017, cement imports to the Philippines were minimal.

The increase in imports in 2016 to 2017 was due to a surge in demand and the lack of supply capacity of manufacturers that even they (manufacturers) brought in substantial quantities of cement and clinker,” the companies said in a formal response letter to the department’s motu proprio investigation.

Cement shortfall in 2016 and 2017 stood at 2.47 million metric tons and 2.98 million MT, respectively. Clinker imports in 2017, meanwhile, hit 2.87 million MT and 4.44 million MT in 2017. Othel V. Campos

Domestic liquidity up by 10.4% in August

DOMESTIC liquidity, or the money supply circulating in the financial system, rose 10.4 percent in August to P11.2 trillion year-on-year, slower than the 11-percent expansion in the previous month, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Friday.

Domestic claims grew 15 percent in August, slower than the 16.1-percent rise in the previous month owing to the slower growth in credit to the private sector.

“The overall pace of growth in M3 remains in line with the BSP’s outlook for inflation and economic activity. The BSP will continue to closely monitor domestic liquidity dynamics to ensure that monetary conditions remain conducive to price and financial stability,” the central bank said in a statement.

Data showed that outstanding loans of commercial banks, net of reverse repurchase placements with the Bangko Sentral, increased at a lower rate at 18.9 percent in August from 19.6 percent in July. Julito G. Rada

Business IMF trims ‘18 growth target, keeps ‘19 goal

By Julito G. Rada

T

HE International Monetary Fund cut its growth forecast for the Philippines this year to 6.5 percent from the earlier estimate of 6.7 percent made in July amid the slower-than-expected expansion of 6.3 percent in the first half.

The fund, however, kept its growth projection of 6.7 percent in 2019. The latest GDP forecasts were contained in its report on the conclusion of its Article IV Consultation with the Philippines on Sept. 17, 2018.

IMF resident representative to the

Philippines Yongzheng Yang said in briefing at the Bangko Sentral on Friday there was nothing “dramatic” in the reduction in the 2018 growth projection.

“It is just that the second-quarter growth was slower-than-expected... But we expect the 2019 growth to pick up.”

“We expect a rebound in the rest of the year... Maybe third quarter is around 6.6 percent and fourth quarter maybe higher at 6.9 percent...,” Yang said.

He said the second semester expansion might be driven mainly by investments and spending, especially household which is expected to remain robust.

Yang, however, said domestic as well as external risks might pose threat to the economic expansion. These include policy normalization in advanced economies as well as higher oil prices in the global markets. On the internal front, he cited the higher inflation environment and the increased risk of overheating of the economy.

“The economy continues to perform

well but is facing new challenges.

Real GDP growth is projected to grow strongly in 2018 and 2019, supported by domestic demand,” the report said.

But it said poverty and inequality challenges remained, inflation had risen, and external uncertainty increased.

“The medium-term economic outlook remains favorable, but short-term risks have risen. Real GDP growth is projected at just under 7 percent over the medium term,” it said.

IMF expects inflation to settle above the 4-percent upper target bound in 2018 and stay in the upper half of the target band (3−4 percent) during 2019–2020.

Inflation in the first eight months averaged 4.7 percent, well over the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent in 2018.

The inflation in august reached a nineyear high of 6.4 percent, faster than 5.7 percent a month ago, driven mainly by faster increases in the prices of rice, fish, vegetables and meat.

Govt debt rises

by P60b to P7.1t

THE government’s outstanding debt reached P7.103 trillion as of endAugust 2018, a P60.27-billion or 0.86-percent increase from the previous month’s level, the Bureau of the Treasury said Friday.

Of the total stock, 35.63 percent were obtained externally while 64.37 percent were borrowed domestically.

Domestic debt amounted to P4.572 trillion, P27.61 billion or 0.6 percent lower compared with the end-July 2018 level.

“For the month, the lower domestic debt was due to the net redemption of government securities amounting to P27.77 billion slightly offset by the depreciation of the peso that increased the value of onshore dollar bonds by P0.16 billion,” the Treasury said.

Domestic debt to date has increased

by P131.67 billion or 2.96 percent since the beginning of the year.

External liabilities, meanwhile, amounted to P2.530 trillion, P87.88 billion or 3.6 percent higher compared with the end-July 2018 level. Julito G. Rada

PCCI wants govt to subsidize power to be competitive

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE energy committee of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry wants the government to look at the possibility of subsidizing power rates like in some countries to reduce electricity costs.

PCCI chairman of energy and infrastructure committee Jose Alejandro said during an energy forum that power costs in the country had not been going down.

“We still have a big challenge in our hands. With all the efforts that have been going on, power cost is not going down even by 10 percent when our competitors (are) 30 to 50 percent lower than us. That is the challenge we have,” Alejandro said.

The Philippines ranks second highest in terms of residential power rates and third highest in average power rates in the Asia Pacific.

“In the end, we have to think of how to subsidize our power costs. No way can we run away from the word subsidy. We all know... our competitors are subsidized,” Alejandro said.

The PCCI official said other countries subsidized their power rates to remain globally competitive and attract investors.

“They subsidize because they want foreign direct investments to come in their country and they are succeeding.

Their GNP (gross national product) is going up, their per capita is going up and if their per capita goes up, they’re slowly raising power costs,” he said.

He said there were no new investments and existing investors were not expanding.

NEW SB CORP. DIRECTOR. Small Business Corp. director and acting Chairman and Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Zenaida Cuison-Maglaya (right) swears in SB Corp’s new Director, Joe Jay Doctora (center), as national government representative. A native of Bacolod, Doctora finished BS Business Administration in Marketing Management at the University of the Philippines in Diliman and holds a mini Masters Degree in Business Administration at the University at Buffalo School of Management and a Masters Degree in Business Administration at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City. With them is SB Corp vice chairman and president and CEO Ma. Luna Cacanando.

ISM selling stake in Acentic, eyes new investments

By Jenniffer B. Austria ISM Communications Corp. plans to sell its 32.5-percent stake in Acentic GmbH of Germany as the company looks for new investment opportunities after raising fresh capital from the recent investment of businessman Dennis Uy and Singapore-based Accion Common Development Fund.

ISM chairman and chief executive Eric Recto said in an interview at the sidelines of a special stockholders’ meeting the company was considering selling the holdings in Acentic GmbH by next year.

“That would be the ideal scenario selling it by 2019 but until a process has officially started, it is hard to be firm about that. But we don’t want to keep Acentic under the new management,” Recto said.

ISM in 2010 acquired a stake in Acentic GmbH, which provides internet connectivity and inter-room entertainment solutions for the hospitality industry.

Recto said the planned sale of Acentic Gmbh was in line with the company’s thrust to look for new investment opportunities in the country using close P2.5 billion in fresh capital raised from sale of shares to Uy and the Singapore-based equity fund.

While there were some market speculations that Uy might use ISM for his planned venture into telecommunications industry, Recto said the company as of the moment was not engaged in telecommunications.

Recto, however, said the company was open to a possible investment in the business.

“If we come across one we would consider it. But i am not confirming that we are involved in telco business right now,” Recto said.

Uy through Dennison Holdings Corp. in August acquired a 45.13-percent interest in ISM for P1.28 billion.

ISM also agreed to sell P1.22 billion worth of treasury shares to the Sinapore-based equity fund.

Peso appreciates to 54.02 vs US dollar THE peso on Friday strengthened against the US dollar, gaining P0.21 after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas raised interest rates by another 50 basis points to 4.5 percent to temper inflation and address excessive exchange rate volatility.

The peso closed at 54.02 from 54.23 on Thursday. It was its strongest finish in a week since 54.04 on Sept. 21.

BSP Deputy Governor Chuchi Fonacier said the board agreed a tighter monetary policy stance would help steer inflation toward a target-consistent path over the medium-term by reducing further risks to the inflation outlook, including those stemming from exchange rate volatility given the continued uncertainty in the external environment amid geopolitical tensions and the normalization of monetary policy in advanced economies.

The peso has been posting multiyear lows against the US dollar the past few days due to the country’s widening trade deficit and the escalating

trade war between the US and China.

The peso’s weakest finish this year was 54.325 on Sept. 26, 2018.

ING Bank data showed that the local currency had depreciated by 8.23 percent against the US dollar since the start of the year.

The country’s balance of trade-ingoods’ deficit in July widened by 171 percent to $3.55 billion from $1.31-billion deficit a year ago as imports jumped by 31.6 percent while exports barely grew by a dismal 0.3 percent.

The figure brought the trade deficit in the first seven months of the year to $22.49 billion, significantly higher than $13.055 billion a year ago.

Prakash Sakpal, ING Bank Asia economist, said in an earlier report remittances were insufficient to cover the trade deficit on a sustainable basis and the current account in deficit. “... This isn’t a long-term positive for the Philippine peso,” Sakpal said.

Julito G. Rada

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

B1

Aboitiz gets edge in Bohol airport

By Darwin G. Amojelar ABOITIZ InfraCapital Inc., the infrastructure unit of the Aboitiz Group, has obtained an original proponent status from the Department of Transportation to operate and maintain the future development and expansions of the New Bohol International Airport.

“In line with AIC’s commitment to support the Philippine government’s efforts in advancing infrastructure within the country, we look forward to moving ahead with our proposal to provide a long-term solution for the operations, maintenance and future expansions of the New Bohol Airport,” AIC president and chief executive Sabin Aboitiz said.

“Our vision is to transform the New Bohol Airport into a prime example of excellence and efficiency for regional gateways,” he added.

The new airport, located on Panglao Island, aims to replace the current airport in Tagbilaran City, which is currently serving under one million passengers a year. With a much larger capacity, the New Bohol International Airport will be a key catalyst in unlocking the tourism potential of Bohol and the rest of the region.

The OPS grant is a crucial step toward AIC’s partnership with the government to develop world-class infrastructure and establish a high standard for regional airport operation.

“We believe our proposal provides an expedient and comprehensive solution for the immediate and longterm needs of the New Bohol International Airport. We also remain committed and ready to support the government in its initiative to develop and enhance other regional airports throughout the country,” Aboitiz said.

The DOTr t earlier turned down the proposal of Aboitiz InfraCapital to operate, maintain and expand the Iloilo International Airport, BacolodSilay Airport, Laguindingan Airport and New Bohol International Airport (Panglao) following a policy change.

Besides AIC, Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp. offered to develop and maintain the Davao International Airport.

Transportation Undersecretary for planning Ruben Reinoso, meanwhile, said there were no unsolicited offers from the private sector to develop and operate the Bacolod-Silay International Airport, the Iloilo International Airport and Laguindingan Airport.

“These airports would be auctioned off by the government, hopefully this year,” he said.

The Regional Airport PPP Projects were originally approved under a bundled PPP structure by the Investment Coordination Committee and the National Economic and Development Authority board.

The Neda board later approved the unbundling of the five airport projects in November 2016.

BAYAD CENTER PARTNER. Bayad Center, the leading bills payment platform in the Philippines, adds Carmona Water to its long line of bill partners to make bills payment more convenient for residents of Cvite province. Signing the partnership agreement are (seated, from left) Bayad Center senior vice president and chief operating officer Francispito Quevedo, Bayad Center chief executive officer Manuel Tuason, Carmona CW general manager Aniline Francia and Carmona CW finance division manager Joemar Cunanan.

B2

Business

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market declines; BPI, PLDT up T

HE stock market declined Friday on lingering concerns about higher inflation after the Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas raised Thursday the overnight borrowing rate by another 50 basis points to 4.5 percent to contain rising prices.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index fell 43.77 points, or 0.6 percent, to 7,276.82 on a value turnover of P6 billion. Losers beat gainers, 99 to 85, with 50 issues unchanged.

Consumer prices rose by a nine-year high to 6.4 percent in August, with some analysts warning the September data, due

out next week, could top seven percent.

Aboitiz Power Corp. of the Aboitiz Group dropped 4.4 percent to P33.45, while LT Group Inc. of tobacco and airline tycoon Lucio Tan lost 4 percent to P14.40.

Bank of the Philippine Islands, the third-biggest lender in terms of assets, advanced 4.4 percent to P83.30, while PLDT Inc., the largest telecommunications firm, climbed 3.8 percent to P1,350.

The rest of Asian markets rose Friday, tracking a rally on Wall Street where investors were buoyed by the Federal Reserve’s positive outlook for the US economy, and oil added to gains with predictions it could be headed back to $100.

While concerns over the China-US trade row hang in the air, equities continue to be supported by optimism that the global economy and companies are in rude health.

That was reinforced by the Fed

Wednesday as it lifted interest rates and indicated more to come over the next year citing the strong labour market and playing down concerns about vulnerabilities in the financial system.

“One thing that’s telling is the current price action which sees investors continually coming back for more. That suggests the gushing US economy and not trade wars, continues to influence investors’ decisions,” said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trading at OANDA. All three Wall Street indexes ended with gains and Asia followed suit.

Tokyo led the way, ending 1.4 percent higher as exporters were boosted by the weaker yen, which is at its lowest level against the dollar this year.

Shanghai gained 1.1 percent, Sydney rose 0.4 percent and Singapore climbed 0.6 percent. Wellington added 0.7 percent while there were also solid performances in Manila, Mumbai and Jakarta.

However, Hong Kong pared early

gains and was flat in the afternoon with property firms again hit after the city’s banks on Thursday lifted commercial lending rates for the first time in 12 years following the Fed hike.

Seoul and Taipei were also lower.

While the prospect of higher US rates has lifted the dollar, the upbeat mood is also helping emerging market and high-yielding currencies, which have been swiped in recent weeks by the trade war fears.

The South Korean won, Indonesian rupiah, Thai baht and Mexican peso were all being well bought while the Turkish lira jumped more than one percent, despite ongoing concerns about the country’s economy.

The euro continued fell further after losing almost one percent Thursday as Italy’s populist government agreed on a budget deficit target of 2.4 percent of gross domestic product for next year, fueling fears of a bust-up with Brussels.

With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 59.2 74,180 83.3 3,277,500 2.57 2,000 119.8 2,335,270 1.58 5,000 28.85 186,000 7.79 300 16.2 5,900 12.64 300,100 4.3 137,000 1.62 330,000 849 10 0.51 847,000 67 4,036,170 0.93 515,000 20.45 1,000 43 73,400 188.5 1,470 125 10,170 25.3 26,100 154 715,370 1,815 120 67 58,980

4,379,986.50 273,400,225.50 5,150 278,364,004 7,800 5,399,065 2,337 96,450 3,804,674 584,170 551,720 8,490 438,340 273,856,712.50 478,000 20,515 3,167,985 277,151 1,254,822 663,195 111,961,363 218,900 3,943,764

4,367,618 -88,004,988 82,905,594 -1,919,900 -32,400 -863,950 10,600 -32,694,467.50 -1,954,905 -334,780 -52,604,966 -352,804

33.45 17.92 1.02 1.25 0.217 2.33 14.1 33.5 17.6 38 1.7 7.45 9.85 15.44 8.5 7.03 7.06 1.58 16.72 63.3 28.1 6.84 11.92 1.84 257 4.84 24.3 11.66 15.3 340 0.185 1.79 4.16 8.69 4.9 8.9 0.98 10.5 52.6 5.75 4.84 2.62 2.99 1.52 11.7 95.95 5.72 0.124 0.97 144.2 2.5 2.04 19 1.95

INDUSTRIAL 33.45 3,383,900 18.16 898,700 1.03 5,264,000 1.3 948,000 0.224 310,000 2.38 5,277,000 14.2 120,800 33.5 421,900 17.6 8,600 38.5 90,700 1.71 312,000 7.45 3,100 9.85 6,846,200 15.48 334,200 8.5 48,300 7.04 439,900 7.08 1,764,900 1.58 10,000 16.76 1,080,500 64.5 77,330 29 700 6.92 17,700 12.24 976,400 1.86 297,000 257 605,490 4.84 40,000 24.5 2,290,300 11.7 102,800 15.5 4,167,900 340 529,600 0.185 10,000 1.8 88,000 4.17 65,000 8.69 1,168,800 4.9 39,000 9 76,300 1 213,000 10.72 34,100 52.75 421,690 5.75 3,000 4.85 6,226,000 2.68 5,893,000 3 6,000 1.58 31,000 12 28,300 96.9 511,400 5.72 8,100 0.124 100,000 1 103,000 144.5 745,690 2.5 50,000 2.05 1,401,000 19 1,000 1.98 7,664,000

116,358,710 16,250,546 5,486,370 1,212,270 68,050 12,541,950 1,715,544 14,158,075 152,204 3,461,610 533,420 23,158 68,200,324 5,176,328 413,140 3,099,245 12,467,483 15,800 18,110,124 4,967,786.50 20,120 122,497 11,939,144 552,160 156,812,492 193,600 56,108,590 1,203,298 64,796,234 180,759,238 1,850 159,720 271,250 10,208,113 192,305 683,489 213,400 359,502 22,360,107.50 17,250 30,146,110 16,044,790 17,980 48,970 333,922 49,478,477.50 46,420 12,400 100,160 108,722,486 125,000 2,878,360 19,000 15,379,030

-31,998,070 -1,155,610 -22,950 151,200 -1,033,300 -131,976 -3,446,400.00 -16,205,091 4,751,910 -255,040 -386,093 -9,637,329 10,248,900 856,351.50 7,285,300 -20,900 -52,732,468 -143,730 883,500 -22,381,298 -5,605,568 -32,550 -8,500 -8,372,267 -10,856,864.50 -2,092,710 106,800 18,872,796 6,747,359.00 125,000 101,000.00 -309,520

0.47 51 12.64 6 28 1.3 1.3 958 5.91 11.54 7.21 831 55.8 5.06 0.57 4.83 15.2 0.62 4.9 0.04 1.19 2.5 169.8 912 0.81 1.4 280 0.285

0.425 48.35 12.4 5.95 26.75 1.2 1.2 928 5.79 11.38 7.11 812 53.95 5.06 0.55 4.4 14.4 0.58 4.75 0.038 1.19 2.45 167.5 896.5 0.81 1.38 278 0.27

HOLDING FIRMS 0.43 144,830,000 49 969,600 12.48 2,485,200 5.95 31,600 27.2 135,000 1.29 50,848,000 1.28 8,627,000 928 228,060 5.8 985,000 11.38 5,366,800 7.11 8,600 820 49,520 53.95 1,022,050 5.06 200 0.57 6,000 4.43 3,706,000 14.4 14,460,400 0.6 686,000 4.75 28,175,000 0.04 8,000,000 1.19 9,000 2.45 682,000 169.5 336,230 904 517,870 0.81 140,000 1.4 234,000 280 2,550 0.27 1,190,000

65,134,850 47,595,220 31,083,848 188,880 3,671,525 63,123,460 10,765,590 215,297,195 5,723,544 61,348,752 61,426 40,692,325 55,636,382 1,012 3,360 16,752,590 209,476,068 408,840 135,777,370 310,400 10,710 1,674,150 56,969,363 468,168,925 113,400 323,750 713,938 324,250

-207,150 1,847,130 -5,111,974 99,600 89,450 -397,420 9,347,085 872,571 -19,741,290 3,080,425 4,536,987 -6,135,390 4,883,820 -22,124,740 49,000 1,148,234 153,124,670 -302,398 47,250

7.3 0.88 12 0.68 41.25 2.65 4.42 5.37 0.445 0.97 0.93 0.233 0.395 8.65 20.25 1.45 1.15 2.37 4.44 0.65 0.45 0.435 4.1 20.4 1.98 3.17

7.22 0.85 10.98 0.65 40 2.42 4.29 5.35 0.435 0.94 0.92 0.221 0.39 8.34 18.72 1.43 1.1 2.23 4.37 0.61 0.44 0.42 3.85 19.9 1.92 3.17

1,309,476 226,380 88,354 208,180 399,019,725 4,484,570 1,592,110 115,409 1,975,400 89,300 13,408,280 2,267,340 82,600 7,267,778 13,819,843 3,299,620 306,420 28,669,870 37,964,870 45,723,170 280,300 177,600 4,458,420 17,990,635 407,150 95,100

674,560 -3,440 -94,117,715 -3,325,530 -455,260 11,700 -3,369,840 -2,056,540 -331,940 525,790 18,987,180 1,837,550 299,230 -574,776.00 4,200 -95,100

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK BRIGHT KINDLE CHINABANK CITYSTATE BANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK FERRONOUX HLDG IREMIT MANULIFE MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PHILTRUST RCBC SECURITY BANK SUN LIFE UNION BANK

59 81.05 2.58 116 1.48 29.1 7.79 16.18 12.88 4.26 1.68 849 0.53 67.45 0.93 20.55 43.1 189 110 25.7 155.5 1,850 68

59.2 83.7 2.58 119.8 1.58 29.9 7.79 16.46 12.92 4.3 1.76 849 0.53 68.8 0.95 20.55 43.5 189 125 25.7 159.8 1,850 68

58.8 81.05 2.57 116 1.48 28.85 7.79 16.18 12.64 4.25 1.58 849 0.51 67 0.92 20.45 43 188.5 110 25.3 154 1,815 64.5

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS BASIC ENERGY CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CROWN ASIA DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP EMPERADOR ENERGY DEVT EUROMED FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG GINEBRA HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LMG CHEMICALS MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PEPSI COLA PETROENERGY PETRON PHIL H2O PHINMA PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP RFM CORP ROXAS AND CO ROXAS HLDG SFA SEMICON SHAKEYS PIZZA SMC FOODANDBEV SPC POWER SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VICTORIAS VITARICH VIVANT VULCAN INDL

36 18 1.03 1.26 0.217 2.36 14.34 33.8 18.34 38.05 1.71 7.48 10.14 15.72 8.5 7.06 7.07 1.58 16.74 64.6 28.1 6.84 11.92 1.86 262 4.84 24.3 12 15.5 346.8 0.185 1.79 4.25 8.9 5 8.9 1 10.5 53.6 5.75 4.84 2.95 2.99 1.52 11.8 96 5.75 0.124 0.98 144.2 2.5 2.04 19 2.03

36 18.16 1.07 1.31 0.224 2.42 14.34 34 18.34 38.5 1.71 7.48 10.14 15.72 8.6 7.06 7.08 1.58 16.8 64.6 29 6.93 12.42 1.9 265 4.84 24.7 12 15.78 346.8 0.185 1.86 4.25 8.9 5 9 1.01 10.72 54 5.75 4.86 2.95 3 1.6 12 97.05 5.75 0.124 1 147.3 2.5 2.08 19 2.08

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANSCOR ASIABEST GROUP ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B AYALA CORP COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV GT CAPITAL JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV PACIFICA PRIME MEDIA PRIME ORION SAN MIGUEL CORP SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS

0.43 50 12.6 6 27.35 1.21 1.24 949.5 5.83 11.4 7.21 813.5 55.3 5.06 0.57 4.47 15.2 0.61 4.8 0.039 1.19 2.45 169 898 0.81 1.4 278 0.27

8990 HLDG A BROWN ANCHOR LAND ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEB LANDMASTERS CEBU HLDG CENTURY PROP CITY AND LAND CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DM WENCESLAO DOUBLEDRAGON FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE IRC PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP

7.22 0.88 12 0.68 40.65 2.51 4.36 5.35 0.435 0.94 0.93 0.222 0.395 8.51 19 1.43 1.1 2.37 4.44 0.64 0.44 0.435 3.86 20.4 1.98 3.17

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND STARMALLS VISTA LAND

37 1.17 6.52 6.04

37.1 1.18 6.6 6.17

36.15 1.15 6.45 6.04

36.15 1.18 6.57 6.09

12,400,100 377,000 118,400 2,580,900

451,809,305 441,920 771,347 15,710,718

-103,876,790 -11,004,470

2GO GROUP ABS CBN APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CEBU AIR CENTRO ESCOLAR CHELSEA DFNN INC EASYCALL FAR EASTERN U GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN BRIA HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL INTL CONTAINER IPM HLDG ISLAND INFO ISM COMM JACKSTONES LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES LORENZO SHIPPNG MACROASIA MANILA JOCKEY MELCO RESORTS METRO RETAIL METROALLIANCE A METROALLIANCE B NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PAXYS PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRANSPACIFIC BR TRAVELLERS WATERFRONT WILCON DEPOT

11.48 20.9 0.475 0.044 1.91 8.8 0.061 72.5 7.97 5.6 8.72 23.35 900 2,200 5.39 310 2.7 2 92.5 7.75 0.114 2.94 3.35 14.22 3.61 0.97 16.1 5.55 7.01 2.48 1.59 1.49 7.4 10.98 8.2 3.05 102 4.39 1,311 0.89 0.385 45.7 81.9 7.95 2.2 0.9 0.56 5.15 0.69 10.04

11.48 21.3 0.48 0.044 1.95 9.06 0.062 72.55 8.12 5.65 8.72 23.35 900 2,210 5.39 314 2.78 2 95 7.75 0.117 3.01 3.53 14.22 3.66 0.97 16.26 5.8 7.05 2.48 1.59 1.49 7.46 10.98 8.25 3.39 102 4.39 1,363 0.89 0.39 45.8 81.9 7.95 2.24 0.92 0.58 5.2 0.69 10.4

11.2 20.9 0.47 0.043 1.89 8.77 0.06 70 7.97 5.5 8.61 22.2 900 2,194 5.37 293 2.7 2 92.5 7.75 0.113 2.82 3.33 14.2 3.61 0.93 16 5.55 7 2.43 1.54 1.49 7.31 10.9 8.2 3.05 101.8 4.33 1,311 0.87 0.375 45 79 7.76 2.2 0.88 0.55 5.15 0.67 10.04

SERVICES 11.3 21.3 0.475 0.043 1.92 8.77 0.06 70 8.12 5.5 8.61 22.4 900 2,200 5.37 314 2.72 2 94.1 7.75 0.116 2.83 3.53 14.2 3.61 0.96 16 5.79 7.05 2.45 1.56 1.49 7.31 10.9 8.25 3.37 101.8 4.39 1,350 0.87 0.39 45 79.7 7.8 2.22 0.89 0.56 5.2 0.67 10.3

12,500 105,400 3,140,000 2,200,000 4,970,000 8,670,300 10,430,000 253,010 165,000 405,600 17,200 12,900 50 136,125 73,600 6,590 936,000 56,000 637,750 7,000 1,340,000 4,290,000 24,000 3,900 2,275,000 135,000 1,088,300 1,800 12,055,300 329,000 23,000 2,000 741,900 5,500 3,900 9,000 18,070 178,000 203,125 2,544,000 1,970,000 172,300 826,780 7,000 5,508,000 19,030,000 48,248,000 460,800 928,000 1,157,500

141,990 2,208,210 1,485,950 95,800 9,557,730 77,043,544 634,810 17,906,208 1,322,050 2,252,465 149,464 289,645 45,000 299,564,470 395,740 2,034,374 2,560,520 112,000 59,934,081 54,250 154,060 12,372,630 81,960 55,384 8,216,390 127,580 17,455,966 10,280 84,517,872 807,840 35,600 2,980 5,473,776 60,350 32,026 29,940 1,843,027 778,590 273,255,645 2,227,700 760,750 7,770,390 65,928,226 54,685 12,217,120 17,094,090 27,122,660 2,387,175 630,730 11,845,080

11,200 -17,401,091 -12,400 -7,780,854 4,305 52,718,850 -750,168 -95,950.00 10,156,841 23,000 83,220 -272,130 -4,411,302 -47,179,236 -7,400 24,630 31,565 -8,780 132,533,905 -381,260 465,500 -3,416,570 -11,502,966 3,801,490 -3,650,910 -778,530.00 -105,320 -9,562,984.00

ABRA MINING APEX MINING ATLAS MINING ATOK CENTURY PEAK DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL GEOGRACE LEPANTO A LEPANTO B MANILA MINING A MANILA MINING B MARCVENTURES NICKEL ASIA NIHAO OMICO CORP ORNTL PENINSULA ORNTL PETROL A ORNTL PETROL B PHILODRILL PHINMA PETRO PX MINING PXP ENERGY SEMIRARA MINING UNITED PARAGON

0.0024 1.47 3.01 18.4 1.92 7.14 1.85 0.204 0.115 0.12 0.007 0.0073 1.2 4.4 1.16 0.65 1.17 0.013 0.014 0.012 3.65 3.32 15.52 27 0.0065

0.0024 1.5 3.01 18.4 1.92 7.16 1.86 0.21 0.115 0.12 0.007 0.0073 1.3 4.4 1.16 0.65 1.17 0.013 0.014 0.012 3.65 3.34 15.98 27.35 0.0068

0.0023 1.46 3.01 18.4 1.91 7.11 1.83 0.202 0.111 0.111 0.007 0.007 1.2 4.37 1.11 0.63 1.12 0.012 0.014 0.011 3.45 3.32 15.36 26.7 0.0065

MINING & OIL 0.0023 168,000,000 1.48 670,000 3.01 60,000 18.4 500 1.92 53,000 7.16 27,200 1.86 356,000 0.208 420,000 0.111 610,000 0.111 30,000 0.007 2,000,000 0.007 35,000,000 1.22 66,000 4.38 964,000 1.15 15,000 0.65 980,000 1.14 862,000 0.012 101,600,000 0.014 2,600,000 0.012 10,900,000 3.6 79,000 3.34 498,000 15.5 741,900 26.7 1,076,000 0.0068 13,000,000

399,700 987,610 180,600 9,200 101,370 193,688 658,970 86,120 68,780 3,420 14,000 245,600 80,900 4,229,880 16,780 632,820 983,320 1,220,300 36,400 125,400 275,880 1,660,100 11,538,108 28,998,280 87,200

-12,040 -209,320 210,000 -2,591,980 1,120 28,000 -89,640 -11,232 -5,189,875 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 DD PREF FGEN PREF G GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR HOUSE PREF A LR PREF PCOR PREF 2B SMC FB PREF 2 SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

19.5 486 495 100 103 490 5.2 95.2 1.04 1,047 1,000 76.45 78.15 75 74.95 75 74 74.95

19.5 486 495 100 103 490 5.2 96.5 1.04 1,047 1,000 76.45 78.15 75 75 75 75 75

19.2 485 490 99 103 490 5.17 95.2 1.04 1,047 1,000 76.45 78.1 75 74.95 75 72.5 74.95

PREFERRED 19.2 374,600 485 2,000 495 2,020 99.5 44,220 103 80 490 5,200 5.17 100,000 95.2 510 1.04 1,000 1,047 5 1,000 300 76.45 80 78.1 970 75 1,000 75 43,560 75 3,200 75 12,500 75 455,330

7,201,306 970,020 990,400 4,380,400 8,240 2,548,000 517,600 48,682 1,040 5,235 300,000 6,116 75,765 75,000 3,266,985 240,000 936,090 34,149,575

-903,706 -413,600 -

LR WARRANT

2.36

2.4

2.36

WARRANTS 2.36 51,000

120,880

-59,240

ITALPINAS XURPAS

5.26 2.26

5.4 2.26

5.24 2.15

5.24 2.18

3,461,378 1,962,600

-64,520 -91,540

FIRST METRO ETF

109.1

110.2

109

815,997

-

50,651 35,910

-

NAME

MS

PROPERTY 7.28 0.87 11.04 0.65 40.05 2.42 4.42 5.37 0.445 0.97 0.92 0.233 0.39 8.34 19.5 1.43 1.15 2.3 4.4 0.62 0.445 0.435 3.99 20.3 1.92 3.17

180,200 262,000 8,000 320,000 9,919,200 1,822,000 361,000 21,500 4,490,000 94,000 14,574,000 9,940,000 210,000 854,000 711,700 2,297,000 276,000 12,511,000 8,627,000 72,478,000 630,000 410,000 1,126,000 888,400 210,000 30,000

USD DMPL A1 USD DMPL A2

10.14 10.26

TRADING SUMMARY

10.14 10.26

SHARES

FINANCIAL

12,938,197

INDUSTRIAL

76,551,187

HOLDING FIRMS

295,570,974

PROPERTY

158,792,574

SERVICES

136,731,660

MINING & OIL

341,123,011

GRAND TOTAL

1,023,273,113

10.1 10.26

SME

655,100 902,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 109.2 7,430 DDS

10.1 10.26

5,000 3,500

VALUE 1,620.56 (up) 30.80 962,896,591.70 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,647.53 (down) 133.36 1,180,578,832.38 HOLDING FIRMS 7,159.93 (down) 60.07 1,664,253,461.70 PROPERTY 3,620.84 (down) 87.73 1,494.97 (up) 9.84 1,058,519,087.23 SERVICES MINING & OIL 8,972.00 (down) 71.22 1,076,886,488.82 PSEI 7,276.82 (down) 43.77 52,851,844.62 All Shares Index 4,464.92 (down) 18.89 6,002,228,363.65 Gainers: 85; Losers: 99; Unchanged: 50; Total: 234

RCBC raises P3.58b from new LTNCDs due in 2024

By Julito G. Rada RIZAL Commercial Banking Corp., the 10th-largest lender in terms of assets, successfully returned to the debt capital markets after raising P3.58 billion of new long-term negotiable certificates of deposits due in 2024.

The 5.5-year LTNCD carries a coupon of 5.50 percent yearly. The latest issuance of LTNCDs by the bank followed a P2.502-billion issue of the same instrument in August 2017 and $450 million in senior RegS bonds issued in the offshore market earlier this year.

Bank president and chief executive Gil Buenaventura said the notes issuance was part of RCBC’s initiatives to maximize long-term funding.

“We thank our clients and investors who continue to believe in our credit story and have supported us in our various fundraising exercises so far. This latest LTNCD issuance provides us a competitive long-term funding base for the bank that will be used to support our growth objectives,” Buenaventura said.

“We will keep our eyes out for similar such opportunities to lock in attractive cost of funding or explore alternative avenues that will support our strategic plans,” he said.

Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. acted as sole lead manager and bookrunner for the deal and was also a selling agent, along with RCBC, RCBC Savings Bank and Multinational Investment Bancorporation.

LTNCDs are bank products with long tenors which are offered to investors looking for a higher interest rate compared with regular savings accounts or shorter-term deposits.

RCBC remains one of the leading universal and commercial banks in the country.

Net income in the first half, however, fell 6 percent to P2.2 billion from P2.35 billion a year ago on lower trading gains. But excluding nonrecurring income (trading gains), core income grew 47 percent from a year ago, reflecting the robust growth in earnings from core businesses.

PLDT expands Amdocs tie-up in new agreement

By Darwin G. Amojelar PLDT Inc. expanded its strategic partnership with Amdocs, a leading provider of software and services, to communications and media companies under a new six-year service agreement.

PLDT, Smart and Amdocs early this year signed a seven-year Master Transformation Agreement to undertake the modernization of IT applications, and introduction of digital technologies.

Such state-of–the-art digital capabilities will deliver compelling customer experiences for PLDT’s wide range of telecommunications and digital services across fixed line and mobile networks.

Under the new agreement, Amdocs will consolidate, modernize and manage PLDT and Smart’s IT Infrastructure.

This will entail introducing artificial intelligence, machine learning, analytics and robotics to their operations.

With advanced automation, PLDT and Smart will be able to implement predictive and zero touch operations, auto resolutions of errors and self-healing of systems.

With fully automated operations, PLDT and Smart can prepare for their journey to the cloud, while reducing their operational costs, and engaging their customers with innovative services and compelling experience.

“Our successful collaboration with Amdocs gets stronger as we continue our digital journey,” PLDT chairman, president and chief executive Manuel Pangilinan said.

“This agreement will further boost our efforts to enhance customer experience and engagement. With Amdocs running and automating our IT operations, we will be better equipped to quickly launch innovative products and services to deliver a compelling digital experience to our customers,” he added.

Gary Miles, chief marketing officer at Amdocs, said his company was committed to expedite PLDT’s digital journey.

“With Amdocs Intelligent Operations, PLDT will be able to inject intelligence and automation into their entire operations, enabling them to become more efficient and take smart product and service decisions,” he said.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

World

Manila

Standard

TODAY

B3

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2018 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Trump backs embattled court choice

W

ASHINGTON― Brett Kavanaugh’s contentious Supreme Court nomination will be put to an initial vote Friday, after a dramatic Senate hearing saw the judge furiously fight back against sexual assault allegations recounted in harrowing detail by his accuser.

Donald Trump whole-heartedly backed his pick for the nation’s top bench after the gripping day-long hearing opened with Christine Blasey Ford, 51, who delivered

to a packed room her stark account of what she said was an attempted rape by Kavanaugh 36 years ago.

In a passionate defense, the 53-yearold conservative judge insisted before the Senate Judiciary Committee that it never happened, accusing the Democrats of destroying his reputation and condemning his confirmation battle as a “national disgrace” and a “circus.”

“Judge Kavanaugh showed America exactly why I nominated him,” the president tweeted just minutes after the close of the hearing.

“His testimony was powerful, honest and riveting,” Trump said. “Democrats’ search and destroy strategy is disgraceful and this process has been a total sham and effort to delay, obstruct and resist. The Senate must vote!”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Trump would get his wish, with

IN BRIEF

the Judiciary Committee―which has 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats―set to vote on its recommendation Friday before the nomination goes to the full Senate, where Republicans hold a slim 51-49 edge.

“We’re going to vote in the morning and we’re going to move forward,” McConnell told journalists, adding in a later statement that the full Senate would vote “in the coming days.”

The allegations against Kavanaugh

by Blasey Ford, a psychology professor in California, have threatened to derail Trump’s bid to tilt the highest US court to the right for years to come.

They come against a backdrop of the #MeToo movement―and the hearing included sharp exchanges between Republicans and Democrats mirroring the atmosphere of bitter political partisanship in Washington.

“I categorically and unequivocally deny the allegation by Dr. Ford,” Kavanaugh said in an opening statement during which his voice shook with anger, repeatedly fighting back tears.

“I’ve never sexually assaulted anyone, not in high school, not in college, not ever,” he said. “I am innocent of this charge.”

Earlier, during four hours of testimony, Blasey Ford said she was “100 percent” certain that Kavanaugh was her assailant and it was “absolutely not” a case of mistaken identity.

“I am here today not because I want to be,” Blasey Ford said as she recounted the alleged assault at a high school party at a suburban Maryland home.

“I am terrified,” she said, her voice often quivering. “I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me.”

Republic of the Philippines ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

Abused Hong Kong maid rises again YOGYAKARTA―She was once the face of abused maids in Hong Kong― imprisoned, starved and beaten so badly she lost control of her bodily functions.

But four years after her horrific ordeal made global headlines, Indonesian Erwiana Sulistyaningsih is a university graduate and fighting for the rights of domestic helpers in the southern Chinese city and beyond.

Erwiana completed a degree in economics this month―the culmination of a dream that brought her to Hong Kong in 2013 before her life was turned upside down.

“Before I went to Hong Kong, I had been dreaming I could make enough money to study,” the 27-year-old told AFP from her home in Indonesia’s cultural capital Yogyakarta.

“After the incident, I thought I might have to give up on that dream.”

Erwiana’s employer Law Wan-tung was jailed after pictures of her extensive injuries went viral in 2014.

Widespread media coverage of Erwiana’s torture had one unexpected benefit―she was offered scholarships to study.

“I’m happy but it’s bittersweet because even though I graduated university there are still many migrant workers who are persecuted and treated badly,” she said.

She chose economics partly to understand “why so many people in this world have to migrate” for work.

“People should be able to live peacefully in their own country without having to work abroad unprotected,” she said.

Erwiana plans to take that message to demonstrations outside the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Bali next month.

She now works on behalf of migrant workers, including pushing for the release of former Filipino maid Mary Jane Veloso who is on death row in Indonesia for drug smuggling. AFP

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF THE ANCILLARY SERVICES PROCUREMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE NATIONAL GRID CORPORATION OF THE PHILIPPINES AND SOUTHWEST LUZON POWER GENERATION CORPORATION, WITH PRAYER FOR ISSUANCE OF PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY

Applicants. x-----------------------------------------------------x

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: Notice is hereby given that on 12 July 2018, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corporation (SLPGC) filed an Application dated 02 July 2018, seeking the approval of their Ancillary Services Procurement Agreement (ASPA), with prayer for the issuance of provisional authority.

In their Application, NGCP and SLPGC alleged, among others, the following: NATURE OF THE CASE

3.

This Application is for the approval of the Ancillary Services Procurement Agreement (“ASPA”) between the NGCP and SLPGC dated 29 May 2018, pursuant to the Decision dated 3 October 2007 in ERC Case No. 2006049RC entitled: “In the Matter of the Application for the Approval of Ancillary Services — Cost Recovery Mechanism (AS-CRM) of the Ancillary Services Procurement Plan, with Prayer for Provisional Authority;”

SLPGC is a corporation duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the Republic of the Philippines with principal place of business at Barangay San Rafael, Calaca, Batangas. It may be served with orders, notices, and other legal processes through its counsel. It is the owner and operator of the 2X25MW Modular Gas Turbine Power Plant (“Generation Facility”) located at Barangay San Rafael, Calaca, Batangas, which was certified and accredited by NGCP to be capable of providing Ancillary Services (“AS”) in the form of Regulating Reserve (“RR”), Contingency Reserve (“CR”) and Dispatchable Reserve (“DR”);

4.

Republic Act No. 9136 provides that it is the responsibility of NGCP to ensure and maintain the reliability, adequacy, security, stability and integrity of the nationwide electrical grid in accordance with the performance standards for its operations and maintenance, as set forth in the Philippine Grid Code (“PGC”), adopted and promulgated by the Commission, and to adequately serve generation companies, distribution utilities and suppliers requiring transmission service and/or ancillary services through the transmission system;2

5.

Similarly, the PGC provides that NGCP is responsible for determining, acquiring, and dispatching the capacity needed to supply the required Grid AS and for developing and proposing Wheeling Charges and AS tariffs to the ERC;3

6.

AS as defined in Section 4(b) of the EPIRA “refer to those services that are necessary to support the transmission of capacity and energy from resources to loads while maintaining reliable operation of the transmission system in accordance with good utility practice and the Grid Code to be adopted in accordance with this Act.” These services are essential in ensuring reliability in the operation of the transmission system and consequently, in the reliability of the electricity supply in the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao grids;

7.

8.

In order to implement and regulate the procurement of AS, the Commission approved the Ancillary Services Procurement Plan (“ASPP”) through its Order dated 9 March 2006 in ERC Case No. 2002-253 and the Ancillary Services-Cost Recovery Mechanism (“AS-CRM”) through its Decision dated 3 October 2007 in ERC Case No. 2006-049 RC; Pursuant to its mandate, NGCP on different dates published in newspapers of general circulation a Notice of Invitation for Prospective Ancillary Services Providers, inviting all grid-connected merchant plants and independent power producers to participate in the provision of ancillary services. Upon receipt of the intention from SLPGC to provide ancillary services, NGCP commenced negotiations with SLPGC for the execution of an ASPA;

1

9.

3

2 3

Non-firm Contingency Reserve

The nominated price in PhP/kW/Hr or PhP2.25/kW/Hr, whichever is lower

Non-firm Dispatchable Reserve

The nominated price in PhP/kW/hr or PhP1.25/kW/Hr, whichever is lower

Indicative Rate Impact

NGCP agreed to procure and SLPGC agreed to supply AS in the form of: (a) RR under a firm and non-firm arrangement; and (b) CR, and DR under a nonfirm arrangement. A copy of the Ancillary Services Procurement Agreement between NGCP and SLPGC dated 29 May 2018 with Addendum to the ASPA dated 29 June 2018 is attached in the Application.

10. During the period of negotiation, NGCP conducted several tests on the Generation Facility, and certified that the generating units have met and complied with the Standard Ancillary Services Technical Requirements of the ASPP as capable of providing RR, CR and DR. A copy of the NGCP Accreditation Certificate No. 2017-L011 dated 1 October 2017 is also attached in the Application; FIRM AND NON-FIRM CONTRACTED CAPACITY RATE AND IMPACT SIMULATION 11. Under Clause 3 of the ASPA, SLPGC shall provide NGCP with the following AS as specified in Schedule 1 of the ASPA: A.

Firm Contracted Capacity: Regulating Reserve - up to 23 MW per unit from 0801H to 2100H for the entire Contract Term.

B.

Non-Firm Contracted Capacity: From 0001H to 0800H and from 2101H to 2400H for the entire Contract Term, the type of Ancillary Services that can be nominated: Regulating Reserve - up to 23 MW per unit Contingency Reserve - up to 23 MW per unit Dispatchable Reserve - up to 25 MW per unit

These capacities are the maximum offer. However, for clarity, the basis for AS Provider’s maximum declaration or nomination and scheduling shall be the capacities listed in its valid AS Certificates.

12. The Applicable Rates for the capacity covered by the ASPA as provided in Schedule 4 are as follows: 1

2 3

An Act Granting the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines a Franchise To Engage in the Business of Conveying or Transmitting Electricity Through High Voltage Back-Bone System of Interconnected Transmission Lines, Substations and Related Facilities, and for other Purposes; Section 9 (d).

Section 6.3.1.2.

P/kW-mo

P/kWh Equivalent

RR (with Pmin)

6.6178

0.0127

CR

4.0371

0.0078

DR

2.7132

0.0052

15. Consistent with the AS-CRM, all the related and incidental expenses which NGCP will incur as a result of the procurement and operation of the ancillary services shall be recovered from all the load customers in the Luzon Grid.

16. The ASPA shall be effective for a period of five (5) years, to commence immediately upon the effectivity of the provisional approval (“PA”), or in the absence thereof, the final approval (“FA”) of the instant Application. In the event that the PA or FA, as the case may be, does not state a particular date of effectivity, the Agreement shall be effective on the date agreed upon by the Parties.

17. Other than the ASPA, there are no other existing power supply agreements executed by SLPGC covering the capacity of the Generation Facility.

Attached in the Application is the Certification dated 27 June 2018 issued by Charlie V. Robles, Plant Manager of SLPGC, attesting to such fact.

18. SLPGC, as a generation company, falls within the ambit of Sections 6 of the EPIRA. Attached in the Application are copies of relevant documents proving SLPGC’s due registration as a generation company, relevant permits to operate the Generation Facility and audited financial statements, as follows: Document Articles of Incorporation Latest General Information Sheet filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission Latest Audited Financial Statement Certificates of Compliance covering the Generation Facility SLPGC’s WESM Registration in respect of the Generation Facility

NGCP is a corporation created and existing under the laws of the Philippines, with office address at NGCP Building, Quezon Avenue corner BIR Road, Diliman, Quezon City. It holds a franchise under Republic Act No. 95111 to engage in the business of conveying or transmitting electricity through highvoltage back-bone systems of interconnected transmission lines, substations and related facilities, and for other purposes. The franchise also includes the conduct of activities necessary to support the safe and reliable operation of the transmission system;

ANTECEDENT FACTS

2

1

PhP2.25/kW/hr The nominated price in PhP/kW/hr or PhP3.00/kW/hr, whichever is lower

14. The rates under ASPA was subjected to a simulation by NGCP, the results of which are as follows:

THE PARTIES 2.

Applicable Hourly Rate

Non-firm Regulating Reserve

NATIONAL GRID CORPORATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (NGCP) AND SOUTHWEST LUZON POWER GENERATION CORPORATION (SLPGC),

Suu Kyi stripped of honorary citizenship OTTAWA―Canada’s parliament voted unanimously on Thursday to effectively strip Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi of her honorary Canadian citizenship over the Rohingya crisis.

Ottawa had given the long-detained democracy advocate and Nobel laureate the rare honor in 2007.

But her international reputation has become tarnished by her refusal “With deep grief For to call out the atrocities we inform the fast ad by her nation’s military sad demise against the Rohingya of Mulford J. results, Muslims minority, Colebrook on please which Ottawa last week Saturday, August declared a genocide.

18, 2018. His call “In 2007, the House remains will be of Commons granted taken back to his Aung San Suu Kyi the home country Advertising status of honorary Cathe United State Department nadian citizen. Today, of America”. the House unanimously 832-5547 (MS-SEPT.29 OCT. 6 & 13, 2018) passed a motion to remove this status,” said Republic of the Philippines Adam Austen, spokesREGIONAL TRIAL COURT man for Foreign MinNational Capital Judicial Region BRANCH 214 ister Chrystia Freeland.

Mandaluyong City A brutal military JENNIFER BAUTISTA-FLORES, campaign that started Petitioner, last year drove more -versusCIVIL CASE NO. R-MND-18-00800-CV than 700,000 RoFor: DECLARATION OF NULLITY OF MARRIAGE hingya Muslims from OLIVER BERIONG FLORES, Myanmar into neighRespondent. x------------------------------------------------------x boring Bangladesh, ORDER where they now live An amended petition for declaration of nullity of marriage was in cramped refugee filed by Jennifer Bautista Flores (PETITIONER) against Oliver Beriong Flores (RESPONDENT) on 04 May 2017. camps―fearful of rePETITIONER prays that after due notice and hearing, judgment be rendered declaring her marriage with RESPONDENT null turning to mainly Budand void ab initio on the ground of bigamous marriage under dhist Myanmar despite Article 35(4) of the Family Code of the Philippines. PETITIONER further prays for such other reliefs just and equitable under the a repatriation deal. circumstances.

Many have given acTo support her claim, PETITIONER cites the following allegations; (1) PETITIONER is a Filipino citizen and with counts of extrajudicial address at No. 533 Cordillera Street, Mandaluyong City while RESPONDENT is likewise a Filipino, of legal age and with last killings, sexual vioknown address at 301-A- 186 15th Avenue corner Monterey lence and arson.

Street, Quezon City; (2) PETITIONER and RESPONDENT were married on 02 October 2004 at the Roman Catholic Church of The military has deSan Felipe Neri Parish, Mandaluyong City; (3) Out of their union, a child was born on 26 January 2005 and named him Ruiz Miguel nied nearly all wrongAlejandro Bautista Flores ; (4) PETITIONER later discovered doing, justifying its that RESPONDENT has a subsisting marriage with one Glenda S. Dizon on 05 July 1995 and had a child with his previous crackdown as a legitimarriage named Lance Spencer D. Flores ; (5) That because of PETITIONER’s discovery of RESPONDENT’s prior marriage, mate means of rooting the latter left their conjugal home; (6) That the minor child of out Rohingya militants.

PETITIONER and RESPONDENT is presently under the custody of PETITIONER; (7) That RESPONDENT’s first wife is still alive But after a fact-findas there is no report of death filed before the Philippine Statistics Authority; and (8) That during their marriage, PETITIONER and ing mission, the United RESPONDENT did not acquire real or personal properties.

Nations on Thursday set WHEREFORE, finding the petition to be sufficient in form and substance and pursuant to Supreme Court A.M. No. 02-11-10up a panel to prepare inSC in rel. to Sec. 15, Rule 14 of the Rules of Civil Procedure, let SUMMONS be served upon RESPONDENT OLIVER dictments against MyanBERIONG FLORES by PUBLICATION in a newspaper of mar’s army chief and general circulation in the Philippines accredited by the Office of the Executive Judge of Regional Trial Court, Mandaluyong five other top military City once a week for THREE (3) CONSECUTIVE WEEKS and a copy of the summons and this Order be sent to commanders for crimes RESPONDENT by registered mail to his last known address against humanity. at the expense of the PETITIONER. RESPONDENT is directed to file his Answer to the Petition Suu Kyi’s demowithin THIRTY (30) DAYS from the last issue of publication. cratically-elected govFinally, PETITIONER is DIRECTED TO SUBMIT proof of service by publication by submitting affidavit of publication, ernment remains in together with copy of the publication, and an affidavit showing a delicate power balthe deposit of a copy of the summons and the Order for publication in the post office, postage prepaid, directed to the ance with the generRESPONDENT by registered mail to his last known address, in STRICT COMPLIANCE with the Rules on service of summons als, whose presence in by publication. parliament gives them SO OREDERED. an effective veto on Mandaluyong City 28 August 2018. constitutional changes.

(Sgd.) IMELDA L. PORTES-SAULOG Austen cited Suu Presiding Judge Copy Furnished: Kyi’s “persistent reOffice of the Solicitor General Office of the City Prosecutor, Mandaluyong City fusal to denounce the Atty. David Michael O Gabriel (COUNSEL FOR PETITIONER) Rohingya genocide” GABRIEL & MENDOZA Law Offices Suite 601, Fil-Garcia Tower, 140 Kalayaan Avenue for the withdrawal of Corner Mayaman Street, Diliman, Quezon City Jennifer Bautista-Flores (PETITIONER) the Canadian honor, No. 533 Cordillera Street, Mandaluyong City which is symbolic and OCC-RTC, Mandaluyong City Certificate of Marriage as Annex “A” of the Petition. comes with no special Certificate of Live Birth as Annex “B”, ld.

Birth Certificate as Annex “C”, ld. (MStandard-Sep. 29, Oct. 6 & 13, 2018) privileges. AFP

Ancillary Service Firm Regulating Reserve

13. NGCP and SLPGC submit that the rates represent a reasonable recovery of its opportunity cost in making available generation capacity to provide the procured AS. ERC CASE NO. 2018-074 RC

1.

The married mother-of-two, wearing glasses and a sober dark blue suit, appeared nervous but poised as she sat at the witness table, consulting occasionally with her lawyer.

She said Kavanaugh and a friend of his, Mark Judge, were drunk at the 1982 party when they pushed her into a bedroom.

“Brett and Mark came into the bedroom and locked the door behind them,” she said. “I was pushed onto the bed and Brett got on top of me.”

“I believed he was going to rape me,” she said. “I tried to yell for help. When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from yelling.”

“It was hard for me to breathe, and I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me,” she said.

Blasey Ford said she managed to escape after Judge jumped on the bed, sending the three toppling to the floor. AFP

While SLPGC is a co-applicant, it manifests that the instant Application shall neither modify, diminish or constitute a waiver of SLPGC’s rights nor expand its obligations and responsibilities as a generation company under EPIRA. ALLEGATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY 19. It is a declared policy of the State to ensure the quality, reliability, security and affordability of the supply of electric power (Section 2(b), EPIRA). To this end, there is a need to comply with the system requirements for AS to ensure grid system security and reliability. As mentioned above, NGCP has the mandate to procure the required AS. 20. The current levels of available contracted AS in the Luzon Grid have not yet reached the desired levels necessary for the system security and reliability.

Thus, Applicants executed the ASPA. A copy of the relevant actual data showing the required and available levels of AS in the Luzon Grid, entitled as “Luzon Regulating Reserve Availability”, Luzon Contingency Reserve Availability, and Luzon Dispatchable Reserve Availability which were attached as Annexes in the instant Application.

21. As the demand for power in the Luzon increases, the requirements of the system to ensure stability, reliability, and security likewise increases.

Ensuring the integrity of the system is essential to protect the interests of the public. The absence of system reliability and stability will certainly discourage investments and growth. The importance of AS, from SLPGC to ensure and maintain the reliability, adequacy, security, stability and integrity of the Luzon Grid cannot be overemphasized.

22. Applicants respectfully submit that the immediate approval of the ASPA by this Commission is a necessity to maintain the reliability, adequacy, security, stability and integrity of the Luzon Grid. In support of these allegations, NGCP submits a copy of the Judicial Affidavit of Engr. Lisaflor Bacani-Kater of the Revenue and Regulatory Affairs Department of NGCP. 23. NGCP and SLPGC prayed for the following: a)

Issuance of a provisional authority to implement the subject ASPA executed on 29 May 2018; and

b)

Approval, after notice and hearing, of the subject ASPA.

The Commission has set the Application for determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, Pre-trial Conference, and evidentiary hearing on 11 October 2018 (Thursday) at two o’clock in the afternoon (2:00 PM) at Building 2 Calaca Power Complex Housing, Brgy. San Rafael, Calaca, Batangas.

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the instant case may become a party by filing with the Commission a verified Petition to Intervene at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, indicating therein the docket number and title of the case and stating the following: 1)

The petitioner’s name and address;

2)

The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and

3)

A statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file their Opposition or Comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before Applicants rest their case, subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure. No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following: 1)

The name and address of such person;

2)

A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and

3)

The grounds relied upon.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from Applicants that they be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing.

Applicants are hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours.

Pasig City, 11 September 2018.

FOR AND BY AUTHORITY OF THE COMMISSION:

AGNES VST DEVANADERA Chairperson & CEO

M. Standard – Sept. 22 & 29, 2018

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

B4

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Joel D. Lacsamana, Editor jdlacsamana@gmail.com

TIMELESS LOOK T

HE Ethan Allen Design Center recently launched its new Uptown Collection featuring curated pieces from hand-tailored upholstery to artisancrafted decorative accents.

One of these is the Anderson shelter arm sofa that brings old Hollywood allure back to life with a lush fabric and tempting configuration.

The Andover upholstered poster bed, on the other hand, showcases timeless elegance and grandeur with its fine finish and gilded accents.

The Uptown Collection is curated

by Cynthia Alamario (inset), one of the formidable names in Philippine interior design.

“What sets this collection apart aside from the superior craftsmanship is that there are so many options to choose from,” Alamario said.

“Imagine 144 finishes, from weathered oak to walnut, to different kinds and shades of fabric, to different kinds of details such as studs that can be in nickel or chrome.”

KUDOS FOR EFFECTIVE PROCUREMENT, SUPPORT SERVICES.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) recently recognized the Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) for its efficient procurement services to support the implementation of DICT’s Provincial Wi-fi infrastructure network. The awarding ceremony was conducted during the PITC’ 45th year anniversary rites held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). A coffee table book tracing PITC’s story over the past five decades while shepherding the resurgence of Philippine industry and entrepreneurship in the 1990s up to today, was also launched. At the awarding ( from left) : DICT project manager Engr. Enrico A. Toledo; PITC department manager, David A. Inocencio; DICT Asec Alan A. Silor; DICT ccting secreatary Eliseo M Rio Jr.; PITC president and CEO, Dave M. Almarinez; PITC VP Atty. Ma. Victoria C. Magcase; PITC VP Christabelle P. Ebriega; PITC department manager Atty. Maria Gudelia C. Guese; and PITC OIC-VP Myra Chitella T. Alvarez.

MASTER-PLANNED COMMUNITY. Century Properties Group Inc. (CPGI) and Mitsubishi Corporation recently launched a joint venture company, PHirst Park Homes, Inc., and announced its plans to cater to the market of first homebuyers by rolling out 33,000 units in key locations outside of Metro Manila. The project has an estimated sales value of P57 billion. The joint venture company is 60 percent and 40 percent owned by CPGI and Mitsubishi, respectively. Ricky M. Celis, president and CEO of PHirst Park Homes, said the company will launch 15 master-planned communities in Calabarzon and Central Luzon within the next 5 years,. The new launches will entail capital expenditures of approximately P28 billion, of which P11 billion will be spent in the first 5 years. Shown here are officials of Mitsubishi Corporation and CPGI with Socioeconomic Planning secretary Ernesto M. Pernia (center). From left: Kiyoto Asari, senior manager of Mitsubishi Corporation Tokyo’s ASEAN Urban Development Department; Shunsuke Tanaka, team leader; Masahiro Nagaoka, deputy general manager; Keiichi Matsunaga, general manager of Mitsubishi Corporation Manila Branch; Takuya Kuga, senior vice president, Mitsubishi Corporation Tokyo’s real estate business division; Hidetoshi Suzuki, general manager of Mitsubishi Corporation Tokyo; Secretary Pernia; Katsumi Nakamoto, incoming general manager of Mitsubishi Corporation Tokyo; CPGI’s chairman and CEO Jose E.B. Antonio; Hilda Reyes-Antonio; Dennis Macalisang, department manager, Mitsubishi Corporation Manila; Jose Carlo R. Antonio, PHirst Park Homes, Inc. chairman and CPGI co-managing director; Loren Sales, PHirst Park Homes, Inc. customer management group vice president; Ricky M. Celis, PHirst Park Homes president; Marco R. Antonio, CPGI COO; and Ponciano S. Carreon, CPG Chief Finance Officer.

HAPPY BEACHCOMBERS. Scores of residents of Atimonan buckle down

to clean their beaches.

Big beach bucket brigade strains trash to clean up Atimonan coast

IT’S HIP TO BE SQUARE… IN SAN JUAN. Real estate developer Federal Land Inc. is building One Wilson Square in San Juan City to reinforce its commitment to support emerging cities in the country. One Wilson Square is designed with residentfocused features, providing spaces and amenities – from personal to familial and business pursuits. Each unit has a private balcony that opens up to the sky, encouraging residents to build their personal skylines. The topmost floors have as little as four units with at least 55-square meter decks. The development is close to Greenhills’ shopping, dining, and entertainment centers, as well as leading schools and workplaces.

“San Juan City persistently strives to attain progress and we’re glad to be part of that,” said Federal Land Inc. president Pascual M. Garcia, “We are inspired to work with emerging cities that care for its people and its communities.”

CHIC BAYSIDE LIVING. Hospitality brand Ascott Limited is adding a new property to its portfolio with the scheduled opening of Citadines Bay City Manila in November 2018. Located in Bay City Manila, at the corner of Diosdado Macapagal Avenue and Coral Way, the project, which will have 212 units, is in the heart of a mixeduse complex, with office spaces and retail options. Options to choose from include studio deluxe; studio deluxe twin; and spacious one-bedroom premier serviced apartments. All apartments are equipped with modern amenities, including a smart TV, en-suite bathroom, and split air-conditioning system. For recreational needs, there is a fitness center with free weights, selectorized machines, cardio zone, curated jogging path, and functional area that provides a space for group exercise classes. Right outside is a 25-meter swimming pool, wading pool for kids, pool bar, a running path, and a relaxing sun deck. A member of CapitaLand, Ascott has more than 30 years’ experience in supporting travellers who work and live away from home.

CLOSE to 500 volunteers literally dug in to clean up Atimonan’s beaches last week - at least from small foregn objects and trash.

As part of “International Coastal Clean-up Day”, 475 volunteers from the nearby communities decided to help clean up the Atimonan coast.

Receiving containers of water to keep themselves hydrated during the event were enthusiastic beachcombers from the Philippine Coast Guard; schools including Atimonan United Methodist Christian School Atimonan National Comprehensive High School (ANCHS), Leon Guinto Memorial College, and College of Science, Technology and Communication, Inc. (CSTC); Kababaihan, Kabalikatan para sa Kapakanan at Kaunlaran (4K), and officials and residents from Barangays Zone 1,2,3 and 4 – Poblacion, and various non-government organizations (NGOs).

COMMUNITY PASSION YIELDS HEFTY HAUL An estimated 1.2 kilometers coastal area yielded around 1,150 kilos of garbage that included plastic water bottles, plastic bags, styrofoams, candy wrappers, fishnets and cans. The garbage was immediately disposed at the municipal landfill in Barangay Inaclagan. Some 15 to 20 tons of coconut husk, bamboo pole and stick, sea grass, and woods were also collected, and buried.

The clean-up activity was led by Atimonan One Energy, Inc. (A1E) and Atimonan’s

Municipal Environment and National Resources (MENRO).

“We support these activities to teach students the importance of taking care of our environment,” explained Lucrecia Escritor, head teacher of the ANCHS-science department.

CULTURE OF “MALASAKIT” In nearby Siokoy Beach in Barangay Cawag, some 150 volunteers from Subic pitched in for “International Coastal Cleanup Day”, led by stakeholders from the Redondo Peninsula Energy, Inc. (RP Energy), Umicore Specialty Chemicals, Manggahan and Mapanao elementary school, municipal and barangay officials from the city.

Coastal clean-up activities are part of A1E and RP Energy’s environmental stewardship programs to help local communities.

“We teach young people the value of environmental stewardship,“ said Jason Gavina, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) officer of RP Energy. “The objective is to develop a culture of “malasakit” for the environment.”

RP Energy’s “Protect the Bay” program is currently building a community of volunteers from business, government and private sector to help curb illegal fishing, improve the livelihood of local fisherfolk, and promote environmental awareness in communities around Subic Bay. The company’s year-round program involves myriad advocacies such as “pawikan”, or sea turtle conservation.

NEW BLOOD, NEW CREATIONS. The PSID (Philippine School of Interior Design) advanced class of 2018 and the Santolan Town Plaza recently signed a sponsorship deal with Rockwell Land—represented by Rockwell Land commercial development marketing supervisor Mia Apilado, and marketing events associates Naomi Lo and Mitchelle Quioge, as co-presenter of the PSID graduation exhibit: “Juxtapose: Espasyo at Panahon.” The PSID advanced class 2018 was represented by batch president Andrew Nieves and internal vice-president Lauren Laudico. The event, in cooperation with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), will be held at at the Santolan Town Plaza in San Juan City, and will showcase 17 curated spaces that will seek to challenge proponents of the conservation of cultural heritage, and developers to find creative solutions in the restoration and rehabilitation of historic structures.

Life

bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor E manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @mstandardLIFe

young life

saturday, september 29, 2018

C1

It’s playtime!

in The age when almost everything has gone digital, parents have become more concerned on the adverse impacts of video games and electronic gadgets on their children.

A group of young style trendsetters, all recent graduates of Fashion and Design Merchandising program of the De la Salle-College of Saint Benilde, aims to break kids’ unhealthy dependence on technology and bring back how children used to play.

Jenilee Salud, Trenzi navarro, Merielle Soliman, Victoria Aldaba, and Dianne Concepcion, created a 13-piece children’s wear collection that blends the amusement brought by arcade games

with the charms of kids’ clothing.

Dubbed Arkids, the collection features high-street pieces showcasing interactive activities such as the classic Tic-Tac-Toe, Connect Four, Target, Tetris, Fishing Game, and Basketball. it likewise features iconic characters such as pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and little Mermaid. To add to the fun, safe versions of lego, Slime, Jibbitz, and polymer molded clay are created as playful accessories.

Crafted from chemical-free fabrics in cheerful pastels and bold neon colors, Arkids meets any parent’s requirement for trendy yet comfortable clothes for children aged two to 12 years old.

Pac-Man-inspired tracksuit

Connect Four-inspired ensemble

FIGHTING FORM. Filipino-Japanese karateka Junna Tsukii bags a bronze medal at the recent 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.

Fil-Jap karateka

talks about the sport

F

ilipino-Japanese karateka Junna Tsukii has always wanted to help develop karate in the philippines, so much so that despite being raised in Japan—the home of the said martial art—she joined the country’s national team last year.

“i chose to be a national player of the philippines despite being brought up in Japan because i wanted to help the philippines through what i have learned in Japan,” said Tsukii.

She continued, “The environment and system of the philippines are not yet developed compared to Japan and other advanced countries. But i still practice hard every day with the teammates to be able to participate in the olympic Games.”

Things are looking great for the 26-year-old karateka as she bagged a bronze medal at the recent 2018 Asian Games in indonesia.

Tsukii won the Asiad bronze after beating Thailand’s paweena Raksachart, 4-1, in the women’s 50kg bronze medal match.

She was delighted with the win, albeit she admitted to wanting to take home the gold.

Aside from regular practice and will to win Tsukii shared local coffee brand Kaffea helped power her way to the bronze medal.

She said she was able to indulge in her favorite coffee drink even during training for the Asian Games.

Tsukii likes to drink a hot cup of Kaffea coffee while resting after a training session.

Donkey Kong-inspired jacket

“i really love Kaffea! i love coffee but i am refraining from taking sugar. This coffee is coconut sugar. i am very happy because i can drink delicious Kaffea,” enthused Tsukii. prior to her recent win, Tsukii also won a bronze at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.

Born in pasay City to a Filipina mother and Japanese father, Tsukii moved to Japan with her family before she entered kindergarten.

She was introduced to karate at age 7 and became very proficient in the sport.

She started winning tournaments regularly and eventually became a five-time champion in Japan national Games.

“Through the practice of karate, you can learn many attacking techniques such as punches, kicks, blocks, and sweeps to protect yourself. Karate is not

just a sport, it is a martial art,” she said.

According to Tsukii, karate is not just about combat and competition, as it is imbued with the martial art spirit called “bushido” or the samurai spirit of spiritual seekers.

“First thing we learn when we start karate is not techniques but how to bow,” she related. “in karate, bowing to your opponent is a sign of respect. in bushido you always have to strive for the correct way, just, and courage to push through. never forget thoughtful consideration even toward opponents.”

Tic-Tac-Toe-inspired attire

Kaffea is available nationwide at Shopwise, Rustan’s, SM Hypermarket Bazaar, SM Market Street, SM Kultura, CityMall GoLokal stores, and online at lazada.com.ph and beautymnl.com.

Call (02) 477-9920 for inquiries.

Margaret Zhang in Manila

Margaret Zhang talks about her collaboration with The SM Store.

MulTi-hyphenATe artist and one of this generation’s style icons Margaret Zhang was in Manila recently to talk about her collaboration with The SM Store.

The 25-year-old ChineseAustralian director, photographer, stylist, and model worked behind and in front the camera in Shanghai for SM’s FashioniSM campaign. in the campaign, Zhang shows how her unique, sartorial style represents all facets of her life. her cool-girl approach to fashion is evident in the images she produced. “it’s about not taking yourself too seriously,” she said.

Zhang has built her career when she started her blog at age 16. She is now a young creative whose resume includes working with global brands

such as Gucci, Dior, uniqlo, and louis Vuitton, and for big fashion magazines such as Vogue, L’Officiel, and Harper’s Bazaar.

She is in both Forbes Asia’s “30 under 30” and Timeout’s “40 under 40” lists, and was named Best Digital influencer

by ELLE magazine.

25-year-old style icon Margaret Zhang vists Manila.

Life

C2

saturday, september 29, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Philippine School of Interior Design’s graduating class of 2018 spends a day bonding with children of La Sagesse Rehabilitation and Development Center.

Artworks created by children of La Sagesse

Interior design students

brighten up a children’s center F Or one full day, the Philippine School of interior Design graduating class of 2018 traded their design and construction tools for an armory of art materials to spend time creating masterpieces with children with disabilities.

Dubbed as Araw ng Sining at Disenyo, the art and design fair was held at La Sagesse rehabilitation and Development Center, a vibrant facility that provides educational, social, and life training skills to children.

Activities such as origami, coloring, dance, fashion, collage, and freehand drawing allowed them to explore the arts and maximize their creative talents.

“As creative arts school students, we want our work to have a meaningful impact on society, and we can do this by reaching out to kids with disabilities and imparting to them lessons on creativity-with a dash of fun,” said PSiD Batch 2018 president Andrew nieves.

interior design student Chelsea Chua shared, “We believe that everyone, regardless of their life situation, must be given an equal opportunity to explore and tap their creative talents and potential. We wanted to do something more meaningful by teaching the children what PSiD has taught us—the heart of arts and design.”

Carefully mimicking each fold and each crease under the guidance of the PSiD students, the children tried their hand at the ancient art of origami and transformed a mound of colored paper into canoe boats.

Armed with the colors of the rainbow in a box of crayons, the children

also brought life to the black and white pages printed with their favorite things: an illustrated assortment of cars, boats, fruits, and animals.

One group also meticulously designed their own versions of traditional Filipiñana attires and the Philippine flag with an arsenal of fabrics, ribbons, buttons, sequins, beads, flowers, and gems in varying colors, shapes, sizes, and degrees of shimmer and gloss.

Pauline Alarilla, the student who led the freehand drawing activity, shared that every moment spent teaching the children was fulfilling. “The activity widened the imagination and design skills of students, all whilst having fun at making visuals,” she said.

To cap off the art-filled morning, the students of La Sagesse huddled together on tables and enjoyed a warm and hearty lunch with the graduating batch.

As a token for their participation, the

Children create their own version of the Philippine flag using a variety of materials.

students of La Sagesse also received gold medals which plastered beaming smiles across their faces.

The outreach program at La Sagesse is one of the activities leading up to the celebration of PSiD’s 51st year and the culminating exhibit of Batch 2018 entitled “JUXTAPOSe: espasyo at Panahon.”

Co-presented by Santolan Town Plaza and in partnership with the national

Commission for the Culture and the Arts, the exhibit will showcase 17 wellthought-out booths that will challenge proponents of the conservation of cultural heritage, developers, and the audience to find creative solutions in the restoration and rehabilitation of historic structures.

JUXTAPOSe will run for the whole month of October on the 11th floor of The Santolan Town Plaza in San Juan City.

hot deals

The Asean Youth Community, a regional youth empowerment program based in Singapore, recently launched its presence in the Philippines through its local partner YGOAL, Inc.

Helping Pinoy youth

be ‘Asean Ready’

Spotify offers students discounts on a three-month subscription.

students’ discount on spotify HOW does P65 for your first three months on Spotify sound? P65/month for the following months. Those who will pay The digital music service is letting more students enjoy their fa- via prepaid load, only have to shell out P75 for the first three vorite music any time, anywhere with its new Student intro Offer. months, and pay P75/month for the following months.

Credit card users can soundtrack their study with Spotify The offer is until Oct. 22 only.

Premium for only P65 for the first three months, and pay Go to www.spotify.com/ph/student for more details.

* * *

New kicks, speakers from lifestyle credit card rCBC Bankard treats cardholders to a stylish pair of Sperry and JBL bluetooth speaker.

Platinum, World, or infinite credit cardholders who spend at least P30,000 within two months can claim P3,500 worth of Sperry gift certificates at any Sperry boutique nationwide.

The offer is available until Sept. 30 and redemption is until Jan. 31, 2019.

Music lovers who get any of rCBC Bankard Classic, gold, or Co-Brand (MAngO, Landmark, Sta.Lucia, Wilcon, LJC, Fully Booked) card until Sept. 30 and spends a minimum of P12,000 get a free high-fidelity JBL gO Speaker. redemption is until end of January next year.

Go to www.RCBCBankard.com to know more.

RCBC Bankard gives free Sperry GCs and JBL speaker to cardholders.

A regiOnAL program has been launched recently to equip Filipino youth, that makes up over 45.1 percent of the country’s labor force, with 21st century skills needed to be competitive in the Asean region.

The 4th industrial revolution (4ir) brings technological advancements that are changing the nature of work.

This rapidly changing landscape requires young people to develop 21st century skills in order to adapt and thrive not only in the Philippines, but as part of the Asean economic Community, which aspires to be the fourth largest economic bloc by 2030.

According to experts, the evolving job landscape and Asean integration pose opportunities and challenges for young Filipinos.

To help Filipino youth be #Aseanready and take advantage of opportunities in the 4ir, the Asean Youth Community, a regional youth empowerment program based in Singapore, recently launched its presence in the Philippines through its local partner YgOAL, inc., a social enterprise specializing in training, working closely with the private sector.

AYC promotes the idea that young people can develop 21st century skills and be competitive in the region if they are bridging leaders first in their local communities.

“We have to empower young people to gain skills ready for emerging industries in Asean, without leaving behind youth in local communities with limited access to opportunities,” said AYC program chairman Delane Lim. The strategy of AYC is to establish

its presence across Asean countries by collaborating with the public and private sector with a common goal of empowering the Asean youth as partners for sustainable growth.

“AYC in the Philippines aims to empower youth to be Asean ready by enabling opportunities to increase employability and develop entrepreneurship by integrating 21st-century skills with leadership practice in community development,” said AYC country director and YgOAL president Jr Demecais.

To be guided and aligned with existing initiatives for 21st century skills in the 4ir, youth empowerment, and Asean community building, AYC actively seeks the mentorship of a network of enablers to coordinate its efforts across regional organizations, such as the ASeAn Foundation, Un Asia-Pacific youth interagency network, and ramon Magsaysay Awards Foundation.

For its initial campaign, AYC Philippines will hold a three-day pilot boot camp on nov. 15-17 across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. This will serve as an avenue to develop design thinking, creative collaboration, leadership, and community development.

The program will also provide participants opportunity to practice what they have learned through community immersion with social entrepreneurs or to apply for internship in AYC’s partner companies in the Philippines and other Asean countries. Anyone between 19 and 40 years old may apply for AYC’s boot camp.

Visit www.aseanready.org to learn more about AYC and its activities.

Manila

Standard

Republic of the Philippines

TODAY ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF THE NON-FIRM ENERGY SUPPLY AGREEMENT BETWEEN COTABATO LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY AND THERMA MARINE, INC., WITH MOTION FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY AND MOTION FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF INFORMATION

ERC CASE NO. 2018-091 RC

COTABATO LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY (CLPC) AND THERMA MARINE, INC. (TMI), Applicants. x-----------------------------------------------x NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: Notice is hereby given that on 03 August 2018, Applicants Cotabato Light and Power Company (CLPC) and Therma Marine, Inc. (TMI) filed an Application dated 11 June 2018 seeking the approval of their Non-Firm Energy Supply Agreement (ESA) with motion for provisional authority and motion for confidential treatment of information.

ECPIm =

EURO CPI of the current billing month

ECPIb

=

EURO CPI of 96.050 as of June 2011 [2015=100]

JCPIm

=

Japan CPI of the current billing month

JCPIb

=

Japan CPI of 96.4 as of June 2011 [2015=100]

PUXm

=

Peso to US Dollar exchange rate at the end of the current billing month

PUXb

=

Peso to US Dollar exchange rate of 44.8210 PHP/USD as of 17 May 2010

PEXm

=

PEXb

=

Peso to EURO exchange rate at the end of the current billing month Peso to EURO exchange rate of 55.4032 PHP/EUR as of 17 May 2010

PYXm

=

PYXb

=

Peso to Yen exchange rate at the end of the current billing month Peso to Yen exchange rate of 0.4851 PHP/JPY as of 17 May 2010

Notes: a.

If the CPI of current billing month is not published and available within two days from the end of the Billing Period, the most recent available published index shall be used.

b.

If the source of any the foregoing indices is no longer available or is not published or available for a prolonged period, the replacement index shall be selected by Supplier.

In their Application, CLPC and TMI alleged, among others, the following: 1. CLPC is a domestic corporation duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the Republic of the Philippines with office address at Sinsuat Avenue, Cotabato City. It is a grantee of a legislative franchise under Republic Act No. 10637 to construct, install, establish, operate, and maintain a distribution system for the conveyance of electric power in Cotabato City and portions of the Municipalities of Sultan Kudarat and Datu Odin Sinsuat, Province of Maguindanao;

c.

If any of the foregoing indices are re-based during the duration of this Agreement, Supplier has the option to apply a corresponding adjustment to the inflation formula to conform with the re-basing of the subject indices.

2. TMI is a generation company duly organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines with principal office address at Mobile 2 Lawis, Sta. Ana, Nasipit, Agusan del Norte. TMI is the owner and operator of two (2) 100 MW power barges located in San Roque, Maco, Compostela Valley (“M1”) and Sta. Ana, Nasipit, Agusan Del Norte (“M2”), (M1 and M2, collectively, the “Power Plant”); 3. Among the declared State policies of Republic Act No. 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2008 (EPIRA) as enumerated in Section 2 thereof, is ensuring the quality, reliability, security and affordability of the supply of electric power. CLPC shares in the realization of this State policy;

18. As earlier intimated, the non-firm ESA is a mode proposed by CLPC to provide a more resilient sourcing of the power needs of its customers; 19. In the event that there is a sudden need for CLPC to source power for its customers for reasons such as short term demand growth or temporary unavailability of supply from other suppliers to meet demand, CLPC may call on the non-firm supply from TMI under the ESA; 20. The grant of a provisional authority will allow CLPC to immediately draw power under the ESA when needed by CLPC’s customers. Thus, the immediate approval of the ESA will ultimately redound to the benefit of CLPC’s customers in terms of continuous, reliable, efficient and affordable power supply. Attached to the Application is the Judicial Affidavit of Mr. Anthony Bueno in support of the motion for provisional approval; 21. Section 1, Rule 4, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure provides that a party to any proceeding before the Commission may request that information about that party in the Commission’s possession not be disclosed; 22. In line with this, TMI prays for the confidential treatment of the information contained in the Application, and not disclose the same except to the officers and staff of the Commission:

23. The foregoing documents contain information and data involving TMI’s operation, financial trade secrets, formula and pricing structures used in arriving at TMI’s tariff. These information are not generally available to the public. As such, the information and data contained in these documents are privileged and confidential in nature. In the case of the Air Philippines Corporation v. Pennswell, (G.R. No. 172835, December 13, 2007), the Supreme Court explained that:

4. As part of its thrust to provide a more resilient sourcing of the power needs of its customers, CLPC deemed it prudent to have an alternative source of power from suppliers that are willing and capable of supplying power to CLPC on an as-needed, or non-firm, basis; 5. Thus, CLPC sought competitive offers for the non-firm supply of up to 5 MW of capacity from prospective suppliers. After the second round of the competitive selection process, two (2) winning bidders emerged and CLPC awarded and signed two non-firm supply contracts with the winning bidders, one of which is TMI;

[T]rade secret is defined as a plan or process, tool, mechanism or compound known only to its owner and those of his employees to whom it is necessary to confide it. The definition also extends to a secret formula or process not patented, but known only to certain individuals using it in compounding some article of trade having a commercial value. A trade secret may consist of any formula, pattern, device, or compilation of information that: (1) is used in one’s business; and (2) gives the employer an opportunity to obtain an advantage over competitors who do not possess the information. Generally, a trade secret is a process or device intended for continuous use in the operation of the business, for example, a machine or formula, but can be a price list or catalogue or specialized customer list.

It is indubitable that trade secrets constitute proprietary rights.

The inventor, discoverer, or possessor of a trade secret or similar innovation has rights therein which may be treated as property, and ordinarily an injunction will be granted to prevent the disclosure of the trade secret by one who obtained the information “in confidence” or through a “confidential relationship.” (Footnotes omitted, emphasis supplied.)

6. Section 45 (b) of Republic Act No. 9136, or EPIRA, provides that distribution utilities may enter into bilateral power supply contracts subject to review by the Commission. In connection with this, Commission’s Resolution No. 2, Series of 2015 provides that the distribution utilities and generation companies should jointly file with the Commission their respective power supply agreements; 7. Thus, CLPC and TMI filed the instant Joint Application for the approval of their non-firm Energy Supply Agreement (ESA); 8. Contract Period. The ESA provides for a Contract Period of three (3) years from Operations Effective Date as defined in the ESA. The ESA also stipulates that at any time during the Contract Period, the Parties may enter into good faith negotiations to extend the Contract Period under the same terms and conditions of the ESA;

24. The foregoing documents constitute a compilation of information on the operations of the plant that have actual and valuable proprietary interest, which TMI must protect against competitors. This information must be protected since if this matter is known by the public, especially TMI’s competitors, the data can be used by a competitor as an input or variable in the determination of the competitor’s tariff. Thus, a competitor knowing this information will gain a competitive leverage against TMI. As explained in this Commission’s Decision in the ERC Case No. 2015-111 RC:

9. Maximum Contract Demand and Supply of Energy. The Maximum Contract Demand refers to the maximum quantity (in kilowatts) that CLPC may nominate and draw per Interval. Beginning on Operations Effective Date, TMI shall deliver, on an as-available basis and as needed by CLPC, the quantities nominated by CLPC up to 5,000 kW (whether from the capacity of the power plants owned and operated by TMI, any of its affiliates, or any third-party supplier) to CLPC at the Delivery Point; 10. Adjustments to Maximum Contract Demand. At any time during the Contract Period, CLPC may send a written request to increase the Maximum Contract Demand no later than sixty (60) days prior to the date of effectivity of such proposed increase, which shall be without prejudice to the right of TMI to waive the sixty (60)-day notice period. TMI may, at its sole option, approve the request to increase the Maximum Contract Demand, and the energy quantities attributable to the additional Maximum Contract Demand shall be paid for by CLPC at the Contract Price. CLPC may also request for an adjustment to the Maximum Contract Demand in respect of a particular Billing Period by delivery of a written notice thereof at least thirty (30) days before the date on which such adjustment is proposed to take effect, which shall be without prejudice to the right of TMI to waive the thirty (30)-day notice period, setting out the reasons therefore and providing all documents necessary to support the request. Any such request shall be subject to approval by TMI in its sole discretion (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld), and the energy quantities attributable to the additional Maximum Contract Demand shall be paid for by CLPC at the Contract Price;

“In the case of PNOC RC, the documents sought to be protected from disclosure contains formula and pricing structures used in arriving at their proposed tariff. The prices cited in the documents were components of the proposed tariff. In fact, all three (3) documents were used by the Commission in evaluating the reasonableness of the proposed rate. In electric power industry [where] prices is a major consideration in selecting one’s supplier, it is apparent that the assumption used in arriving at one’s proposed tariff is considered a competitive leverage by one player against its competitors.

Thus, the Commission resolved to treat the said documents confidential and may not be publicly disclosed.1” 25. In view of the foregoing and pursuant to Rule 4 of the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, TMI respectfully requests that the aforementioned documents attached to the Application and the information contained therein as confidential and privileged, and not be disclosed to persons other than the necessary officers and staff of this Commission;

11. Monthly Payments. TMI shall deliver to CLPC a Billing Statement setting out the Electricity Fees due on account of Contract Energy delivered during each Billing Period on or before the seventh (7th) day of the Payment Month. If TMI sourced any capacity and/or energy from another supplier during any particular Billing Period, the Billing Statement(s) shall (a) set out the quantities of capacity and/or energy sourced from such other suppliers and the amount due thereon, (b) identify the account or accounts to which amounts payable to it may be paid, (c) identify value-added taxes due on all capacity and/or energy sourced and delivered, if any, and (d) have attached thereto copies of invoices, statements, or other acceptable substitutes issued by the relevant supplier in respect of any capacity and/or energy sourced and delivered by such supplier;

26. CLPC and TMI prayed for this Commission the following:

12. Penalties. If CLPC fails to pay the Electricity Fee or any other amounts payable by it under the ESA in full on the due date, it shall pay a penalty of one percent (1%) per month (a fraction of a month to be considered one month) based on the amount due, from the date when such payment is due until the date such amount is received in full by TMI. In the event that any charges due from TMI are not credited or paid in accordance with Section 8.1.1 of the ESA, TMI shall be liable to pay interest of one percent (1%) per month (a fraction of a month to be considered one month) based on the unpaid charges, from the date when such amount is due until the date it is received in full by CLPC;

a.

The issuance of an Order treating Annexes “O-1”, “O- 3”, “P” and “Q-1”, and the information contained therein as confidential, directing their nondisclosure to persons other than officers and staff of the Commission, as necessary, pursuant to Rule 4 of the ERC Rules, and prescribing guidelines for the protections thereof;

b.

Pending trial on the merits provisionally approve, the ESA, including all the rates, fees and charges set out therein; and

c.

After trial on the merits, approve with finality the ESA, including all the rates, fees and charges set out therein.

On 24 September 2018, TMI filed a Motion to Set Venue of Hearing in ERC’s Mindanao Field Office (Motion) due to some security concerns within CLPC’s franchise area, which was granted by the Commission.

Accordingly, the venue of the scheduled hearing of the instant Application is hereby transferred from CLPC’s Office at Sinsuat Avenue, Cotabato City to the Commission’s Field Office in Davao City.

13. Taxes, Fees and Costs. Save as otherwise provided in the ESA, each Party shall be liable for such taxes, fees, costs and expenses that each may incur on account of the performance of its obligations hereunder, including legal and professional fees, if any. CLPC shall be liable for payment of the Universal Charge, it being understood that the imposition of the Universal Charge pursuant to the provision of the EPIRA shall not be an event of Force Majeure;

The Commission has now set the Application for determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, Pre-trial Conference, and evidentiary hearing on 16 October 2018 (Tuesday) at nine o’clock in the morning (09:00 A.M.), at the ERC Mindanao Field Office, Mintrade Building, Monteverde St., cor Sales St., Davao City.

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the instant case may become a party by filing with the Commission a verified Petition to Intervene at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, indicating therein the docket number and title of the case and stating the following:

14. Electricity Fees. Electricity Fees refer to the total amount of charges due from CLPC in respect of all energy supplied during a Billing Period, computed in accordance with Schedule 7.2 of the ESA. Schedule 7.2 of the ESA is provided below. The term “Customer” refers to CLPC while “Supplier” refers to TMI. Schedule 7.2 Rate Schedule a. Electricity Fees

1)

The petitioner’s name and address;

2)

The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and

3)

A statement of the relief desired.

15.The Electricity Fees will be on a per kWh basis; The Electricity Fees are exclusive of applicable Value Added Tax (“VAT”), which shall be for the account of Customer and shall be reflected in the Invoice to be issued to Customer. For the avoidance of doubt, the valueadded tax that shall be remitted by Customer to Supplier is the amount as actually collected by Customer from its customers.

16. Estimated Rate Impact. The indicative rate impact on CLPC’s overall generation rate with and without the non-firm supply from TMI under the ESA are as follows:

TARIFF STRUCTURE

Assumptions: (1) TMI is projected to enter in May 2018 (2) Power Cost used is based on ERC-approved rate per supplier (3) TMI will cater the forecasted demand growth and shortfall of PSALM in 2018 and thereafter 17. The foregoing documents and/or information are attached to this Joint Application hereof:

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file their Opposition or Comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before Applicants rest their case, subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure.

No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the docmrient, letter, or writing should contain the following: 1) The name and address of such person; 2) A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and 3) The grounds relied upon.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from CLPC and TMI that they be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing. CLPC and TMI are hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours Pasig City, 24 September 2018.

FOR AND BY AUTHORITY OF THE COMMISSION:

AGNES VST DEVANADERA Chairperson & CEO

PCPlb

=

Philippine CPI of 126.4 as of June 2011

UCPIm =

US CPI of the current billing month

UCPIb =

US CPI of 225.722 as of June 2011

1 In the Matter of the Application for the Approval of the Power Supply Agreement Between Nueva Ecija II Electric Cooperative, Inc. - Area 2 (NEECO II - Area 2) and PNOC Renewables Corporation (PNOC RC) with Prayer for Provisional Authority, ERC Case No. 2015-111 RC, Decision dated 30 May 2017. p. 26. Emphasis and underscoring supplied.

(MS-SEPT. 29 & OCT. 6, 2018)

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

C4

Entertainment

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

URCC Global’s ‘Colossal’ rocks Big Dome tonight UNIVERSAL exhibition not only shows Reality Combat the themes and authors Championship or in all their respective URCC, a Philippinehistorical periods until based mixed martial ISAH V. RED today, but also recaps arts competition, a tumultuous national launches its biggest, history through comics most exciting, that aptly reflects the adrenaline-pumping fight card “Colossal” historical, political and cultural changes of at the Araneta Coliseum, 7:00 p.m. the Czech Republic. tonight highlighted by the showdown of Samples of different illustrations are featherweight fighters, top Filipino pick showcased to depict the history and Mark “Mugen” Striegl and South Korean evolution of Czech Comics and how fighter Do Gyeom Lee. they were affected by the times. Popular Founded by the Brazilian jiujitsu black works like Kája Saudek’s superheroes, belt Filipino Alvin Aguilar, URCC started Jaroslav Foglar’s five-generation the mixed martial arts (MMA) trend in the classic Fast Arrows, as well as pre-World Philippines after its inaugural event at the War II artist Ondřej Sekora’s early comics Casino Filipino Amphitheater in Parañaque precursor Ferda the Ant (in-illustration) are City on Nov. 23, 2002. URCC has since also seen. been the breeding ground for world-class Furthermore, a selection of contemporary Filipino fighters that have made their own avant-garde comics of sorts such as marks in the global MMA arena.

Jaromír Rudiš’s Alois Nebel and Jaromír This year, URCC marks its foray towards 99 encapsulate all young comic-enthusiasts. global domination with URCC Global with Visitors of all ages can enjoy the exhibition Arnold Vegafria as chairman. as it contains numerous original comic Vegafria, at the press conference last books and magazines.

Wednesday, said URCC Global has made The fate of Czech comics reflects not inroads in cities and countries outside the only the periods of high creative freedom, Philippines and said the first big URCC but also the times of stagnation and control, event could probably be in Las Vegas, as there was a political ban during the Nevada.

Communist rule in Czechoslovakia that He added that URCC Global hopes to was only lifted when democracy was penetrate the Southeast Asian region and restored in 1989 and the boom of comics forge long-term partnerships with its Asian recommenced. counterparts, and eventually assemble a The exhibit is at the NCCA Gallery, 633 contingent of iconic fighters willing to take Gen Luna St., Intramuros Manila until the on their Caucasian counterparts. end of September.

Apart from Striegl and Gyeom Lee, For details please contact the gallery “Colossal” also features matches between secretariat at 527-2192 loc. 308, 324 and and among some of the country’s best 328; email:nccagallery09@gmail.com, MMA fighters like Caloy Baduria of Elorde What’s up with Sarap Diva and IBilib Sucat and Sugar Ray Estoso and four This Saturday morning, Asia’s Songbird female fighters (two are South Korean) and Regine Velasquez-Alcasid welcomes a three-on-three match up.

Philippine TV’s Sweetheart as she spreads URCC Global recently honored the good and fashionable vibes in Sarap Diva! country’s top celebrity athletes during the Joining Heart Evangelista are the three first URCC Hall of Fame Awards on July Crazy Gay Asians… Krisetay, Echo and 31 at Samsung Hall in SM Aura.

Terry!

Among the awardees were Ormoc Heart will share her memorable moments City Mayor Richard Gomez (fencing), in Paris and New York Fashion Week as Makati Representative Monsour del well as her stint on the Harper’s Bazaar Rosario (taekwondo), Senator Miguel U.S. with her friend the author of Crazy Zubiri (arnis), and 11-time World Boxing Rich Asians book, Kevin Kwan. champion, Senator Manny Pacquiao.

Heart’s style and fashion sense will also Tickets to “Colossal” are available at the be challenged as she dresses up the three Araneta Coliseum box office and Ticketnet crazy and fab gays!

(911-5�555). Czech Comics in Manila Regine and resident chef, Jonah will In celebration of the 100th year of Czech prepare Paella Negra for Heart and the Comics, famed works of notable Czech other guests. artists and writers of both mainstream and All that and more in Sarap Diva! alternative comics from the last century is Saturdays before Eat Bulaga on GMA-7. on exhibit at NCCA Gallery in Intramuros, Sarap Diva also airs on GMA Pinoy TV Manila. and GMA Life The show entitled Meanwhile, Elsewhere Meanwhile, this Sunday in is a grand cultural collaboration between I-Bilib, teleserye star Pauline Mendoza the Embassy of the Czech Republic returns to join Chris Tiu, James and in Manila and the National Roadfill.

Commission for Culture and the The episode features a heated bottle Arts (NCCA). magically sucking water as well as the The exhibition forms part mystery of how an upside-down bottle of the commemorations of the full off water can take in toothpicks major anniversaries of 2018 – without spilling its contents. the centenary foundation of In “Bilibabols,” it’s the turn of Czechoslovakia (1918), 70 Kapuso celebrities to be victimized years from the establishment by the fire and ice pre-conditioning of the infamous communist experiment previously done on James regime (1948) and and Roadfill.

25 years of the Be amazed at how flimsy sheets creation of of newspaper can break a wooden the Czech yardstick and how a humble chain Republic can stop heavy concrete blocks (1993). from crashing on a car, with T h e the “Street Genius” team.

Finally, “Huling Hirit” features Chris testing the gang’s powers of observation by making them count how many holes there are in a certain pair of pants.

All these on your favorite science show every Sunday morning on GMA!

Road to the

FINAL CLASH

TOP 6. (From left) Jong Madaliday, Garrett Bolden, Golden Cañedo,Anthony Rosaldo,Mirriam Manalo and Josh Adornado battle it out in the reality singing's show penultimate showdown.

I

T’S true that we have already VERY seen so many singing reality WANG shows on TV, and yet we still NICKIE don’t get tired of watching these WANG programs where each contestant battle it out for the top prize and sing for their dreams. As a matter of fact, many reality singing shows have been running for many seasons now, and they still get the viewers all excited.

Case in point, GMA-7’s original singing reality show, The Clash, has been creating big buzz not just on TV but also online. The contestants’ performances become trending content on YouTube just a few hours after the live airing. Thus, it’s no surprise if Kapuso viewers would be glued to their TV screens as the highly-anticipated grand finals of the intense singing battle draws near.

The game is not yet over for six talented singers who are close to their dreams of becoming the first-ever The Clash champion.

The clashers who made the cut at the Top of the Clash are Anthony Rosaldo of Valenzuela, Garrett Bolden of Olongapo, Golden Cañedo of Cebu, Jong Madaliday of North Cotabato, Josh Adornado of Cagayan de Oro, and

Mirriam Manalo of Pampanga.

The Clash Panel of judges admit that they are having a difficult time in determining who will be declared as the competition’s winner because all of the contestants are showing extraordinary singing skill every week.

Romantic balladeer Christian Bautista revealed that he wants someone who can be an inspiration to aspiring singers.

“I’m looking for a singer that can compete vocally with the best singers in the country and even in the world. I am also looking for someone who can easily capture the heart of the Filipino by engaging them through his performance,” he explained.

Comedy Concert Queen Ai Ai delas Alas, on the other hand, shares that she gauges her bet by looking at its combined distinct voice quality and

Dealing with your

‘EXES BAGGAGE’

Angelica Panganiban and Carlo Aquino, lead stars of 'Exes Baggage.'

Rolling out the red carpet for ABS-CBN’s biggest stars WITNESS the brightest Kapamilya stars in their best and most stunning looks in real time as Metro Channel airs the exclusive red carpet coverage of the ABS-CBN Ball 2018 with master of couture Rajo Laurel, international model, coach, and Women of Style host Joey Mead-King, and eventologist and host Tim Yap today at 6:00 p.m..

As trendsetters themselves, Joey, Rajo, and Tim lead the pack through all the elegant gowns and dashing suits with esteemed fashion insights. Get inspired with all the noteworthy details and adorable moments that are hotly anticipated by the country this weekend.

Joining them as guest panelists are Metro magazine’s editor-in-chief Geolette Esguerra, celebrity make-up artist RB Chanco, and writer and blogger Leah Puyat.

MYX VJ and talk show host Robi Domingo will give viewers a ‘first look’ as the Kapamilya celebrities arrive at the venue while Star Patroller Gretchen Fullido will be interviewing the stars on the red carpet.

The ABS-CBN Ball is the stage for the country’s biggest stars to come together and celebrate a night of fashion, friendship, and advocacies.

With the theme “Share the love,” the ABS-CBN Ball is dedicated to the relaunch of the Bantay Banta 163 Children’s Village, a halfway house for children rescued by Bantay Bata 163 where victims of abuse are cared for towards their healing and recovery.

The country’s biggest celebrities such as Coco Martin, Anne Curtis, Sarah Geronimo, and Vice Ganda who have already confirmed their attendance, are sure

to make their stunning appearances on the much-awaited eve.

Power tandems Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil, Joshua Garcia, and Julia Barretto, MayMay Entrata and Edward Barber, and James Reid and Nadine Lustre are also expected to set the red carpet ablaze.

Catch all the happenings at the ABS-CBN Ball as they unfold by tuning in to Metro Channel and ANC today with a primer at 5:00 p.m. followed by the live red carpet coverage at 6:00 p.m..

Viewers may also witness the happenings online via Metro.

Style’s YouTube channel from 5:00 p.m. onwards.

It will be available on SKY On Demand from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31.

charisma on stage.

“Apart from excellent singing skill, I’m looking for someone who has the star quality and x-factor. People idolize those singers who exceed our expectations, so we should look for someone who has those qualities,” she said.

Asia’s Nightingale Lani Misalucha, in turn, revealed her expectations for the finale.

“Everybody has been doing really well, so for me it’s going to be a tough fight. Pakiramdam ko ako yung unangunang kakabahan for our clashers. For me, it’s a bittersweet ending because the clashers are already close with each other, close din sila sa amin to the point na we endeared them so much like our own children. Kaya malamang after the grand finals, for sure mamimiss namin sila,” she said.

The Clash champion will take home more than 4 million worth of prizes including an exclusive management contract with GMA Network, 1 million pesos cash, a brand new car and a Bria house and lot.

Who among the Final 6 will be hailed as the first ever The Clash champion?

Meanwhile, later tonight, the Top 6 clashers will undergo their ultimate challenge to be able to reach The Final Battle where only five of them will be able to book their slots in the much-awaited grand finals tomorrow, Sept. 30.

WOULD you take a chance on someone new when you’ve just had your heart broken?

That’s probably what you’re going to hear from someone who has already seen the much awaited reunion movie of real life ex-lovers Carlo Aquino and Agelica Panganiban, Exes Baggage. Apart, of course, from the warning to have tissue papers on hand before heading inside the cinema.

Fans of CarGel can see one of the biggest 90s love teams once again after their last project together in 2014. While the two are still good friends in real life, their supporters cannot wait to witness their undeniable chemistry on the big screen.

Directed by Dan Villegas, Exes Baggage tells the story of two individuals who find each other in a time of heartbreak and healing. Pia (Angelica Panganiban) and Nix (Carlo Aquino), both recently having their hearts broken, instantly feel a connection when they meet at a bar. This connection quickly turns into a relationship. But are they ready for another commitment when wounds from their previous relationships have yet to heal?

Catch Exes Baggage in SM Cinema branches nationwide. Book your tickets through the website, www.smcinema. com or download the SM Cinema mobile app.