Manila Standard - 2018 October 6 - Saturday

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Duterte not dying—Palace

VOL. XXXII • NO. 233 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

Sept. inflation jumps to 6.7%

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is not dying, his spokesman said Friday, even as House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is among those who think the Chief Executive can still function normally despite a “growth” found in his digestive tract.

Asked if the President was on the brink of death, spokesman Harry Roque said: “I don’t think so. That’s

why I showed a video of the President yesterday to show that he is healthy.”

“But he also said yesterday, name a 73-year-old who does not have an illness. So, if he really has an illness, he thinks it’s not out of the ordinary,” Roque added.

Arroyo, a key ally of Duterte, vouched for the President’s ability to execute his duties, citing her own experiences.

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Spiraling costs of food, fuel push it to near 10-yr. high

By Julito G. Rada

T

HE rate of inflation jumped to an almost 10-year high in September, data showed Friday, putting pressure on President Rodrigo Duterte to act as the cost of food and fuel hit the country’s poor in the pocket.

Consumer prices have risen every month this year, with food surging further after Typhoon “Ompong,” the world’s most powerful storm in 2018, smashed into the country’s northern agricultural heartland in mid-September.

Increases have been powered by a collision of factors including Duterte’s massive spending on a broad infrastructure building effort, climbing oil prices and weak farm output.

Consumer price increases accelerated to 6.7 percent, from 6.4 percent in August, in the steepest climb since February 2009, the Philippine Statistics Authority said.

“We... understand that many are feeling the hit of a faster inflation rate, particularly those who toil so hard just to keep up,” Duterte’s economics team said.

The tens of millions who get by on less than $2 per day have been especial-

ly hard hit by the increase.

The government has boosted imports of rice following shortages but authorities acknowledged Friday that grain prices remain “elevated” due to the typhoon.

Analyst Astro del Castillo said the problem “will not be solved overnight” because some factors are beyond the government’s control, such as oil prices. Global crude prices are sitting at a four-year high around $85 and there are warnings they could break $100.

However, Del Castillo said the people expect the President to do something about it.

“You’ve seen the [opinion] surveys. The people would like inflation to be the government’s top priority,” he added.

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PHILIPPINES INFLATION RATE

Cancer risk in Barrett’s disease PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has admitted to suffering from Barrett’s esophagus, a complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, as illustrated in the images here from the famed Mayo Clinic in the United States.

According to gastroenterologists working in various Metro Manila

hospitals interviewed by Manila Standard, Barrett’s increases the risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma—a serious, potentially fatal cancer of the esophagus.

The doctors—who requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak on the President’s health Next page

SOURCE: TRADINGECONOMICS.COM / PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY

‘Out of the loop’ Roque may quit, drop Senate bid

By Nat Mariano PRESIDENTIAL Spokesman Harry Roque on Friday appeared to be out of the loop, out of the running for the Senate, and most likely out of the Palace as well as a result of recent developments.

He said Friday he was “kept in the dark” about President Rodrigo Duterte’s health, and appeared ready to walk out after clarifying matters including Duterte’s health and Duterte’s decision discouraging him from running for the Senate next year.

He also said a “major revamp” was expected in Duterte’s Cabinet as the election season loomed.

“In this capacity as spokesperson, I must Next page

Govt takes steps to curb rising prices

By Nat Mariano, Othel V. Campos and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE government is doing everything it can to cushion the impact of rising prices, the Palace said Friday as the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that inflation had risen to 6.7 percent, a nine-year high in September.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque s a i d r i s -

ing prices for oil and fuel in the world market was the root of the high inflation here.

“Well, when it comes to inflation, we know it only started when there’s a rise in crude prices—the price of crude has increased. But when it comes to other commodities, we are doing what we can do. We are importing food to lower prices,” said Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque in an interview with radio dzMM. Roque said the government is also looking for ways to independently acquire oil rather than relying on imports.

“We are working to look for oil and we see the joint exploration in the West Philippine Sea as another option,” he Next page

Pinay Muslim bet wins Ms. Asia-Pacific crown

By Eton Concepcion

Galvez claims DoJ infiltrated by Reds

By Rey E. Requejo ARMED Forces Chief Carlito Galvez’s claim that the Justice department has been infiltrated by communists for a supposed “Red October” uprising has surprised Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.

“Personally, this is the first time I heard such allegation,” Guevarra said Friday.

“I will take it up directly with AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] Chief Galvez to get more info from him. We take this seriously,” he added.

The secretary made his statement after AFP Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Brig. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. alleged the communists had infiltrated the Department of Justice and are helping in dismissing criminal complaints against the communist rebels.

Guevarra expressed confidence in his prosecutors’ handling of criminal complaints.

“Our prosecutors rely principally on the evidence submitted by our law enforcers and security personnel, including the AFP,” he said.

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SHARIFA Areef Mohammed Omar Akeel of the Philippines bested 49 delegates from around the world during the finals of the 50th Miss Asia- Pacific International 2018 on Thursday night at the Newport Performing Arts Theater of Resorts World Manila.

Akeel, a 21-year-old teacher from Lebak, Next page

WEATHER ‘Habagat’ air out, X-mas breeze in PEACE ADVOCATE. Sharifa Areef Mohammed Omar Akeel of the Philippines, a 21-year-old teacher, is the 50th Miss Asia-Pacific International, beating 49 others Thursday night for the crown at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila.

She was crowned by last year’s winner Francielly Ouriques of Brazil.

THE Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration on Friday declared the end of the southwest monsoon season or “hanging habagat,” which ushers in the colder northeasterly or “amihan” winds.

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THANK YOU, TEACHER. A bouquet of flowers for an unidentified teacher from her Grade 10 students at the Araullo High School in Manila on World Teachers’ Day. Public school teachers nationwide are seeking an increase in their salaries. Norman Cruz

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News

saturday, october 6, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

7k teachers celebrate in Ormoc

By Ronald O. Reyes and Macon Ramos-Araneta

O

VER 7,000 teacher-delegates nationwide gathered in Ormoc City on Friday to celebrate this year’s World Teachers’ Day.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones, along with Undersecretary Tonisito M.C. Umali, and other key officials, thanked Mayor Richard Gomez and his wife, Leyte 4th District Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez for hosting the event.

“Yearly, we move from Luzon to the Visayas to Mindanao and then back to Luzon again. Last year, we held the celebration in Bicol which is a part of Luzon. Now, for the Visayas, the secretary chose Region VIII as the host of the celebration,” said Umali.

“Ormoc City is a 1st class independent component city in Leyte that was once very controversial due to

the effect of a devastating calamity, the Typhoon “Yolanda”...They want to prove that they can host and handle national events after the said calamity,” he added.

In a related development: Senator Juan Edgardo Angara has filed a resolution urging the Senate to look into the recent cases of suicides committed by public school teachers to institute needed measures to further safeguard their physical, emotional and mental welfare.

Senate Resolution 914 aims to determine whether the suicides were indeed caused by heavy workload as claimed

by a group advocating teachers’ rights and welfare, and come up with measures that would address the lack of qualified mental health professionals in the country’s public school system.

Angara said a thorough evaluation was recommended “to identify if the current workload of public teachers is detrimental to their holistic well-being, address the current and arising needs of our country’s educators, and determine the necessary steps to ensure that our teachers are afforded with accessible mental health services.”

In an interview, Umali urged every Filipino to celebrate the National Teachers’ month from Sept. 5 to Oct. 5 like how they would celebrate Christmas and other happy holidays “to revitalize the image and respect for teaching as a vocation by increasing awareness on the value of teach-

ers in the Philippine society.”

Following this year’s theme “Gurong Pilipino: Turo mo, Kinabukasan ko,” Briones honored those who are in the teaching profession, acknowledging the “crucial role, loyal service, and dedicated commitment of teachers in developing globally minded citizens, nurturing families, strengthening communities, and building the nation.”

DepEd also thanked its partners including Metrobank Foundation Inc., One Meralco Foundation, Globe Telecommunications, Enchanted Kingdom, Philippine Postal Corp., and other private organizations and government agencies for their “treats” as a token of gratitude to the teachers.

Schools both in private and public around the country held synchronized programs and activities to celebrate the event.

8 in 10 Pinoys Piñol bares plan to import fancy whole grain rice satisfied with PH democracy the Manila Standard.

He said Piñol has set another meeting with the millers and importers on Oct. 18 to iron out their “counter-hirit.”

“We may be able to see 25-percent broken [commercial] rice earlier before December,” he said.

“Our secretary is doing consultations, not imposing, with the affected groups reacting on the issue. I cannot say they are objecting, but they have these socalled ‘counter-hirit,’” he added.

According to Imperial, the commercial rice traders fear that people may no longer buy commercial rice with 25-percent broken grains.

“This is not yet a decision. We are still negotiating with the millers and importers,” he said.

He said Piñol wanted to give the local rice farmers the chance to supply good variety of rice to high-end restaurants and hotels that may be affected by the looming ban in the importation of the fancy rice.

Meanwhile, Akbayan Party-list Senator Risa Hontiveros pressed Piñol regarding his decision to cancel the leave of absence of former NFA Administrator Jason Aquino and retain his services despite the alleged large-scale corruption and shortage of government-subsidized rice in the market under his term.

The Agriculture chief reportedly said he needed Aquino during the transition of the NFA to a new leadership.

“Why is Aquino, who is included in a CoA report pointing to possible technical malversation in the NFA, allowed to go back to work and tasked no less to transition the NFA to a new leadership?” asked Hontiveros.

“Is the government rewarding corruption? Is it the policy of the government to provide graceful exits to disgraced public officials allegedly involved in corruption?

Or is this an attempt to cover his tracks?”

Hontiveros asked Piñol. With Macon Ramos-Araneta and Vito Barcelo

tenance of the house, 3.6 percent, and health, 4.1 percent.

Duterte’s economic team—composed of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno and Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia— said they were working swiftly to temper the rise in the prices of goods and offer relief to those most affected.

“We remain committed to our goal of ensuring price stability, along with our overarching aim of translating sustained broad-based economic growth to comfortable lives for everyone,” they said in a statement.

They said supply disruptions caused by the onslaught of typhoon Ompong recently in the regions of Ilocos, Cagayan, and Cordillera Autonomous Region pushed food prices up. Latest data from the government also showed that damage to agriculture, including facilities and infrastructure, amounted to P26.8 billion.

“This has kept the price of the country’s staple grain elevated despite the arrival of some imported rice and the improvement in the rice stocks of the National Food Authority. The declaration of a state of calamity we have proposed in these regions through the President’s Proclamation 593, series of 2018, should provide some needed relief,” they said.

They expressed confidence that in-

flation would taper off by yearend and go back to the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent early next year.

“Global fuel prices remain a concern in the near term given the gloomy outlook on oil supply and an increasing demand for petroleum products during the winter.

Thus, we urge a quick response to address this upside risk, including demandside management strategies,” they said.

They said one of the proposed measures was to reduce the country’s overall energy demand through the Department of Energy’s e-Power Mo program, the public utility vehicles modernization program of the Department of Transportation, and other renewable energy initiatives.

The Palace blamed higher world oil prices for the continued rise in inflation.

“When it comes to inflation, we all know that the rise in crude prices is one of the main drivers,” said Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, speaking in Filipino to radio dzMM. Critics, however, also blame the high excise tax on gasoline and other fuel products, imposed this year as a result of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law.

There are several efforts in Congress to amend the law to remove the excise taxes, which are scheduled to go even higher in 2019 and 2020. With AFP

as a spokesperson unless I know everything about the President. Now, people think I lied. I’m telling the nation I did not, I did not know.”

Roque said only two of Duterte’s Cabinet officials, including him, had access to the President’s daily schedule.

Asked about Duterte’s reason for being absent in an engagement on Wednesday, Roque said Duterte only had a day off due to several tedious activities he had previously attended.

He said Duterte’s sudden visit to the hospital surprised him.

“This came as a complete surprise to me as well because he announced it in the command conference... People will think I lied. But honestly ladies and gentlemen, I did not know, and not knowing is not the same as lying,” Roque said.

In his speech Thursday night before the members of the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association in Malacañang, Duterte openly disclosed he had undergone a one-hour medical checkup at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center, disputing the earlier statements of his officials amid rumors about his failing health.

Sultan Kudarat, is the first Muslim Filipina to win an international title for the country and the fifth Filipina to win in the pageant that was founded in Manila

originally as the Miss Asia Quest in 1968. She was crowned by last year’s winner Francielly Ouriques of Brazil.

Akeel, a half-Qatari, half-Filipina beauty, was asked the during the Q&A portion of the pageant: “What do you think is the biggest issue of diversity that the world is facing today and how

do you think you can play a part to resolve it?”

“One of the biggest issues our country is facing today is cyberbullying.

We have to accept the fact that all of us were born with strength and weaknesses and with that, we have our own imperfections,” Akeel said.

the public the names of 18 schools in Metro Manila where the CPP is allegedly recruiting members for its ouster plot against the Duterte administration.

Senator Francis Escudero agreed with Lacson that any list that was “being validated” should not have been released to the public.

The schools were identified as University of the Philippines Diliman, UP Manila, Polytechnic University of the Philippines Sta. Mesa, Ateneo de Manila

University, Dela Salle University, University of Santo Tomas, Adamson University, Far Eastern University, University of the East Recto and Caloocan, Emilio Aguinaldo College, Eulogio Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology, San Beda University, Lyceum University, University of Makati, Caloocan City College, University of Manila and Philippine Normal University.

• The Federation of Free Workers expressed alarm over what it called a

“baseless report” by the military that the communists had infiltrated the country’s leading educational institutions.

“Accusation appears to be making the military fall into the trap of communist psywar,” group president Sonny Matula said.

“The military is mouthing the communist propaganda that the insurgents forces are everywhere including in the academic institutions to show its sphere of influence.” With Macon RamosAraneta and Vito Barcelo

By Rio N. Araja

By Nat Mariano EIGHT out of 10 adult Filipinos are satisfied with the way democracy works in the country, an independent pollster revealed Thursday.

The Social Weather Stations’ latest survey, released Thursday evening, said 84 percent of those polled said they are satisfied. This was six points above the 78 percent recorded in March 2018.

SWS also found that most Filipinos preferred democracy over any other form of government.

Of the 1,500 adults, 59 percent said they prefer democracy than any other kind of government system. The portion, which SWS labeled as “committed democrats,” barely moved from the 60 percent recorded in June.

Meanwhile, 20 percent answered they prefer an authoritarian system of government than democracy. This group, which the pollster referred to as “conditional authoritarian,” only moved a little from the 19 percent recorded in June.

On the other hand, 19 percent expressed ambivalence on the matter, believing it does not matter whether the country is under a democratic or a nondemocratic system of government. The recorded “indifferent” portion barely changed from March’s 21 percent.

duterte...

From A1

“I’m also going through treatment, right? But even I can go through a six o’clock adjournment [in Congress],” the 71-year-old Arroyo said. “So it can be done.”

Reporters sought the opinion of the former President and Pampanga lawmaker on Duterte seeking medical treatment for an admitted “bad case” of Barrett’s esophagus, which could lead to cancer.

As Manila Standard reported Friday, the President revealed he is awaiting the results of fresh medical tests at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City—adding that “if it’s cancer, it’s cancer.”

Duterte, 73, is the oldest person ever to be elected president in the country, and speculation about his health has cropped up regularly since he took power in 2016.

Arroyo, meanwhile, had been diagnosed with degenerative bone disease, among other ailments, and wore a neck brace for a while. She was under hospital arrest for a plunder charge for nearly four years starting in 2012 at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City.

Roque, who said he did not know about the tests until later, said the President underwent an endoscopy to learn more about a growth in his digestive tract.

“Right now, we don’t know [if it’s serious] because he went for a diagnostic exam,” he said.

Galvez...

From A1

The military claims there are at least 18 schools where the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army is allegedly recruiting students as part of their plan to overthrow President Rodrigo Duterte.

In other developments: • Senator Panfilo Lacson on Friday rebuked the military for releasing to

AGRICULTURE Secretary Emmanuel Piñol is working out a ban to import the 5-percent broken milled white rice known as the fancy “whole grain” rice to be able to lower the prices of commercial rice in the market before December.

At the first 1st Usapang Politika, Agrikultura at Komunidad media forum in Quezon City, NFA spokesperson Angelo Imperial Jr. said Piñol wanted commercial rice to be 25-percent broken just like the NFA rice being sold at P27 per kilo.

“Our good secretary met with the millers and importers last Wednesday and discussed the issue. Instead of importing the 5 percent or 10-percent broken milled rice and selling it to the public, he asked the stakeholders to import the 25-percent broken milled rice, or the rice with ‘binlid,’” he told reporters.

“At least 25 percent of our NFA rice is broken, or not whole grain,” he told

sept. inflation...

From A1

The central bank last month jacked up key rates for the fourth time this year, while also raising its inflation targets for this year and next.

Passage of a law lifting import quotas on rice and extra imports of other food items “could lead to an earlier return of inflation to within the target range in 2019,” it added.

Analysts believe the pain may not be over yet, with interest rates expected to climb another full point in the next six months.

The peso has been hovering at 13year lows, closing at 54.32 to the US dollar on Thursday—making imports more expensive—while the stock market has plunged about 17 percent since December, making it one of the world’s worst performers.

The PSA attributed the high inflation rate to faster increase in the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, which went up 9.7 percent in September.

Relative to the annual rates in the previous month, annual increases were also higher in the indices of alcoholic beverages and tobacco, 21.8 percent; transport, 8 percent; clothing and footwear, 2.5 percent; furnishing, household equipment and routine main-

‘out...

From A1

know everything about the President,” said Roque who added he needed a weekend to think about his options.

“I do concede that his [Duterte’s] going to that diagnostic exam was something that I did not know, and therefore I’m inclined to believe that perhaps I am not in a position to continue with this current function.

“As you can see, I cannot be effective

First Pinay...

From A1

Duterte: Leni weak; VP: No need to hit me

By Nat Mariano and Rio Araja PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has described Vice President Leni Robredo as weak when it comes to strategy, stressing he will not hand her the presidency amid health issues about him.

“I will not resign to give it to [her].

In all honesty, even her public statements, I do not mean to offend the lady. She’s very good, she’s gentle.

But, Leni is weak,” Duterte told members of the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association in his speech at Malacañang Thursday evening.

Within hours, Robredo slammed Duterte for saying she was a “weak” leader, saying there was no valid and justifiable reason why the President should underestimate her.

“Nobody wants the President to get sick. But being sick is not a reason to belittle me,” she said.

Thursday, Duterte admitted he went through a medical checkup, and that his attending physicians found a growth in his digestive tract.

“It is not my want to politicize [things]. I would rather want to keep quiet and just work. But this is all what I have to say, courage, strength and [leadership] skill cannot be attained with hurtful words,” Robredo said.

“What the people need is courage in deeds,” she added.

She said the President should act on the problems of the country, instead of blaming others and the previous administration, critics and “me.”

“We as leaders took our oath [of office] to work for the betterment of the people,” she said.

Gov’t...

From A1

said, referring to the possibility of an agreement with China in the disputed South China Sea. Roque said the government continues to support the poor through its cash transfer programs.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said measures to curb the inflationary effects of world oil prices will soon be in place.

“We already expect this big jump in inflation from January to December this year due to the lingering and rolling hikes in oil prices. The jump, monthon-month, was actually higher this year compared to 2017, when inflation would only rise 2 to 4 percent,” he said.

“Even other oil-importing countries are complaining about this. We cannot escape the fact that inflation will continue to rise unless global crude falls back to $40 [a barrel],’ he said.

But he said the government has already taken steps to lower food prices, including liberalizing the importation of rice and other agricultural products.

“With these measures, in place, we want to have a stable supply of basic commodities and reduce the rate of inflation by the end of 2018,” Lopez said. With Vito Barcelo

‘Habagat’...

From A1

“Recent analyses showed a significant weakening of the southwest monsoon winds over the last few days.

With this development, the southwest monsoon season or known locally as ‘habagat’ has ended,” Pagasa Administrator Vicente Malano said.

“Moreover, the strengthening of the high pressure area systems over the Asian continent suggests the gradual transition of the season. This pattern will lead to the beginning of the northeast monsoon or amihan season in the coming days,” he added.

The change in season has already been felt in highland Baguio City, where temperatures fell to 13.8 degrees Celsius, and nearby Atok in Benguet province recorded 9 degrees Celsius, the weather bureau noted.

Rio N. Araja

cancer...

From A1

by their hospitals—said although the risk of this cancer is higher in people with Barrett’s, the disease is still rare.

Less than 1 percent of people with Barrett’s esophagus develop the cancer, they added.

However, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Friday said a “growth” was found in Duterte’s digestive tract following his medical examination at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City on Thursday.

News Du30 appoints ex-Army chief to head DSWD PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he would appoint retiring Philippine Army Commanding General Lt. Gen Rolando Bautista to head the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

In his speech before the members of the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association, Inc. in Malacañang, Duterte expressed his preference for Bautista to be the next Social Welfare secretary.

“I’ll announce it, the next DSWD secretary... Rolly, Rolly Bautista. Sorry secretary,” Duterte said, apologizing after he mistakenly announced Eduardo del Rosario, chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, as the incoming DSWD secretary.

Duterte originally planned for the Army chief to head the National Food Authority after his appointee Jason Aquino asked to be relieved. Nat Mariano

5 PDEA agents killed in Lanao FIVE anti-illegal drugs law enforcers were killed in Kapai, Lanao del Sur today, reports reaching the Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency regional office in Cotabato City.

Authorities said five operatives and a non-uniform personnel of the PDEA office in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao were ambushed after attending a ceremonial program for surrendering drug users at the Municipal Police Station in Tagoloan town.

According to reports from the Tagoloan Municipal Police Station, the victims were ambushed on a white Toyota van by still unidentified armed men in in Barangay Malna, Kapai.

Kapai and Tagoloan police personnel responded; took the victims to Amai Pakpak Hospital in Marawi City.

Three of the victims were identified as Tabolo, Kristine May Torlao, Lores Joy Amas, and Binzo. Nash Maulana

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Romualdez backs Senate bid of detained Revilla Jr.

By Maricel V. Cruz and Rio N. Araja

F

ORMER Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, president of the Philippine Constitution Association, has backed the senatorial bid of detained former senator Ramon Revilla Jr. “I am pleased and honored to officially announce the candidacy for the Senate of Senator Bong Revilla Jr., our party chairman,” Romualdez said in a statement.

Romualdez said Revilla’s decision to join the senatorial race in the May 2019 elections was reached after a series of consultations with his family, close friends, constituents and political leaders.

The former Leyte congressman said Revilla “is one of the most qualified senatorial aspirants.”

“His passion and dedication to serve the people will bring positive change and help improve the country’s good governance, policies, and lawmaking process,” Romualdez said.

He added Revilla’s “experience as a two-term senator has helped him gain an understanding about the complexities of various problems besetting the nation.

“Senator Bong’s integrity and honesty will make him a strong candidate for the Senate. With the people and God’s help, the Lakas-CMD is looking forward to his victory in next year’s midterm poll,” he said.

Meanwhile, Romualdez said the Lakas-Christian Democrats will also support the senatorial candidates to be endorsed by Hugpong ng Pagbabago regional party of presidential daughter and incumbent Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.

“We look forward very well to local and national races. Lakas-CMD has produced two excellent presidents. President Fidel V. Ramos and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and maybe someday, Lakas will produce another president,” ended Romualdez, Lakas-CMD president and former House Independent Bloc Leader of the 16th Congress representing the first district of Leyte.

Meanwhile, lawyer Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon, has also indicated his desire to run for senator and expressed confidence that he would win a Senate seat after next year’s midterm polls.

Gadon had filed an impeachment rap against then Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, which set the stage for the removal of the former chief justice through a quo warranto petition.

“I am very confident of winning because the people do not want idiots,” he said.

“If you take a look at the social media, you will see that one can no longer fool the people,” he added.

Despite his low ranking in the Pulse Asia’s September survey, Gadon reiterated he would win because of his popularity.

He lauded comedian Michael V. who spoofed him in his weekly television program, “Bubble Gang.”

“Where I go, people would mob me.

These are the millennials, professionals, senior citizens,” he said.

Gadon is running under the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan.

He said he would not ask for any endorsement from the Duterte administration.

“I am not begging for endorsement. I want to win on my own name. I will win on my own name,” he said.

MMDA to close C’wealth U-turn THE Metro Manila Development Authority on Friday announced it would close the U-turn slot along Commonwealth Avenue beginning today (Oct. 6) to give way to the construction of the Metro Railway Transit Line 7 (MRT-7).

MMDA general manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. said the U-turn slot closure, particularly at Don Antonio, would last for two months as private contractor EEI Corp. begins the construction of an abutment station in the area.

For the meantime, motorists are advised to use the Eclaro U-turn slot, located 700 meters from the one to be closed.

The MRT 7 project involves the construction of a 23-kilometer railway system with 14 stations from North Avenue, Quezon City to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

It is expected to serve thousands of passengers in Metro Manila and nearby provinces of Bulacan and Rizal when completed. Joel E. Zurbano

PCSO hands P2m to help end violence vs women THE Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office has donated a P2-million sponsorship to the Philippine Commission on Women for the 18-day Campaign to End Violence Against Women in November 2018.

“It’s time to further our collective actions to end violence against women. Let us all work together so that our women and girls can live free from harassment, harmful practices, and all other forms of violence. I hope that this sponsorship from PCSO will go a long way to boost the campaign,” said PCSO general manager Alexander Balutan who led the turnover of check to PCW. The 18-day Campaign to End Violence Against Women is observed annually from Nov. 25 to Dec. 12 to raise awareness among all stakeholders that VAW is a public issue of national concern.

‘Du30 did not link Chinese envoy, trader to illegal drugs’

By Nat Mariano and Macon Ramos-Araneta PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte did not link Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua to a Davao tycoon allegedly involved in illegal drug trade, the Palace clarified on Friday.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, who called for a press briefing, said that some online news sites appeared to have misinterpreted Duterte’s statements.

“I think it’s very clear that what the President meant to say was he cannot believe that Michael Yang is involved in the drug trade. And because he was saying he could not believe that Michael Yang is involved in the drug trade, the report that the President linked the Chinese Ambassador to a drug lord is obviously false,” Roque said after playing a clip of Duterte’s speech before members of the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association Inc. in Malacañang.

In his speech, the President cleared a Davao-based Chinese businessman named Michael Yang who was allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade.

“They said Michael Yang is a drug addict. The Chinese ambassador sleeps in his house, he’s even part of the entourage of the Chinese Premier,” Duterte told the PMAAAI alumni.

The President added Yang owns Davao City Los Amigos shopping center, saying that Yang’s close ties with Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jinhua and Chinese Premier Le Keqiang are proof that the tycoon does not have any record of illegal activities.

“He’s with Ambassador Zhao who is from a military. You can’t fool him.

That’s nonsense,” the President said.

Speaker Arroyo visits recipients of socialized housing in QC

By Maricel V. Cruz

SOCIALIZED HOUSING. House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Thursday visited the initial recipients of the government’s Socialized Housing Program during her administration in Sitio Pajo in Baesa, Quezon City. In 2001, then President Arroyo issued Executive Order 48, which sought to grant the National Power Corp.’s 1.6-hectare land to the informal settlers who occupied the property. Speaker Arroyo also took part in a medical mission for more than 500 Sitio Pajo constituents.

No records of amnesty documents of Trillanes, others—DND

By Rey E. Requejo OFFICIALS of the Department of National Defense testified on Friday before the Makati City Regional Trial Court, Branch 148, that there are no records of documents relating to deliberations, as well as amnesty application forms of 277 individuals including Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. During the hearing on the coup d’ etat case of Trillanes, witness lawyer Norman Daanoy, Chief Legal Affairs of the Department of National Defense, said that there were no records of all deliberations on 277 amnesty applications and minutes of the proceedings regarding Proclamation 75.

“There are no records of any documents on amnesty applications pursuant to Proclamation 75,” Daanoy said.

“All records are missing?,” lawyer Reynaldo Robles, counsel for Trillanes asked, to which Daanoy replied in affirmative.

The DND Legal Affairs Office has submitted a letter dated Sept. 21, 2018 to the Department of Justice stating that based on records, there are no available documents, transcript of stenographic notes and minutes of deliberation related to the proclamation.

Proclamation 75 granted amnesty to Trillanes and several others. However, Proclamation 572 revoked the amnesty given to Trillanes for allegedly not complying with the basic requirements of NEW LAKAS MEMBERS. Philippine Constitution Association president and Lakas-CMD Party president Martin Romualdez (2nd from left), assisted by Lakas-CMD Party Secretary General and Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay Jr. (left), administers the oathtaking ceremony of Eastern Samar candidates for its lone district, Congressman Rafael Asebias (center), Quinapondan Mayor Denver Balbuena, (2nd from right) and for Famy, Laguna Mayor Charlie Llamas (right), after a short meeting at the social hall of the House Speaker’s office at the House of Representatives.

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submitting an application form and admitting guilt.

Arlene Manjares, Chief Records Division of the Department of National Defense, added that even in her office, there are no existing records of the 277 amnesty application forms.

Manjares, who became chief of the Records Division in 2014, said she checked all the records in her office even those before she became its head.

“I only searched our office, your Honor, other offices have their own records custodian,” Manjares said, when asked if she asked other offices if they have in their custody a copy of the 277 amnesty application for Proclamation 75.

BENEFICIARIES of a socialized housing project in Quezon City had a treat when they were visited by Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who as president in 2001, issued an executive order that disposed of the 1.6-hectare government land and granted it to its occupants.

Arroyo motored to Sitio Pajo, Baesa, Quezon City after leading the House of Representatives in the approval of the 2019 national budget last Wednesday.

Residents in the area were the initial beneficiaries of the socialized housing program of the government during her administration.

In 2001, Arroyo as president, issued Executive Order 58, which disposed of the 1.6-hectare property of the National Power Corp. in Sitio Pajo and granted it to its occupants. Some 300 squatter families occupied the land at the time.

On Thursday afternoon, a few direct awardees of the urban housing also took part in the get-together and recounted the time they were able to enter the Malacañang when then-President Arroyo signed the proclamation.

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista acknowledged the governance of Speaker Arroyo, which exhibits an institution devoid of politics.

During her visit, Arroyo brought with her a medical mission that provided medical and dental care for more than 500 residents.

There are currently about 1,000 families living in the area.

SC holds retirement rites for CJ De Castro SUPREME Court Chief Justice Leonardo de Castro on Friday formally bowed out of her illustrious career in the government spanning 45 years from both the executive and judicial branches and capped by her 44 days as top magistrate.

The Supreme Court held its retirement ceremony for De Castro who will turn 70 years old on Oct. 10, the compulsory retirement age for members of the judiciary.

During her valedictory address, De Castro traced her legal and judicial career, and also acknowledged the love and support of her family.

She also noted the lack of collegiality in decision-making on administrative matters during the last few years and enumerated the many things that she had accomplished in 44 days as chief justice, according to Justice Secretary Menardo

Guevarra, who attended the retirement rites for the first female top magistrate.

De Castro was appointed Chief Justice

by President Duterte on Aug. 25, 2018 following the ouster of Maria Lourdes Sereno whose appointment as Chief Justice was nullified by the SC in quo warranto proceedings.

The retiring top magistrate has served the government for 45 years both in its executive and judicial branches. She joined the SC as associate justice on Dec. 4, 2007.

Her public service career started in 1973 when she was appointed law clerk at the SC’s Office of the Clerk of Court and occupied positions as legal/judicial assistant and member of the technical staff of the late Chief Justice Fred Ruiz Castro. Rey E. Requejo

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Opinion

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

No to redbaiting, yes to students

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

see only young, idealistic people and I see them now endangered by the reckless statements of some officials.

As to the accusations that professors are teaching students the wrong thing by showing martial law firms or by REDBAITING is a dangerous mind- talking about martial law in our classset. It’s one of the most terrible thing rooms, let me be clear that I am very government, especially military and proud of the martial law commemorapolice officials, can do. In our history, tion exercise I have developed with my smearing people with the communist students. Using the Bantayog ng mga label has resulted in killings, disap- Bayani roster of heroes, my law and pearances, and even massacres. And undergraduate students choose martial when the target are our young people, heroes and heroines that they identify such accusations are criminal, endan- with and share their stories in class using creative means. My students every gering the best hope of our society.

As a professor of law, philosophy, and year sing, dance, perform skits, recite poetry, and progovernance, with duce videos to almost 40 years pay tribute to of teaching all those who died in sorts of students the fight against in schools I can assure the the US-Marcos from Luzon dictatorship. to Mindanao military that there is no I will not apol(including seven Red October uprising ogize that I make of the schools being planned in the sure to highlight tagged by the for my students m ilit ar y/police universities of the the connection of as infiltrated by Philippines. the martial law of Communists), I Marcos with the am totally with dangers we face the students and today in the era youth activists of Duterte, while here and I call on everyone to stand by them. We cannot also making sure they can make disafford to lose another generation of tinctions. In my classes, I do make sure our best and most committed young that the students get a full picture of what happened during the dictatorship. people.

I can assure the military that there is We do not romanticize the communist no Red October uprising being planned revolutionaries among the heroes and in the universities of the Philippines. heroines even as we honor them for For the Catholic schools, it’s a Blue their courage and sacrifice. For sure, October because it’s a Marian month we also do not demonize the soldiers where we pray the rosary every day. who were faithful to their duties, but In some schools, October is the end of condemn only their masters who used the semester so the finals week is in the military to plunder the people and permiddle of the month and for others its petuate themselves in power.

Turn to A5 midterms time. In all these schools, I

In the dark

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte missed a Palace function on Wednesday, and his spokesman Harry Roque said he only took some private time.

We soon learned that the President took some private time indeed—at a private hospital to undergo some tests. It was Mr. Duterte himself who provided this information, adding that if he had stage 3 cancer, he would refuse treatment altogether.

Feeling the sting of being kept out of the loop, Roque now says he will use the weekend to ponder his options. “I will consider the fact that in

this capacity as a spokesperson I must know everything about the President.”

He added he may no longer be effective as a spokesman after he was kept in the dark about Mr. Duterte’s visit to the hospital. “Now people think I lied. I’m telling the nation I did not.”

Then again, this could only be a convenient excuse for Roque to step down because he is thinking of running for public office—despite his boss’ apparent lack of confidence in his ability to win a Senate seat and despite the offer of another government post.

The past few months have shown us how difficult and tricky it is to speak for the

President, especially if it is somebody as unpredictable as Mr. Duterte. How many times has the public cringed in hearing Roque attempt to make sense of the President’s words and put his statements “in the proper context”?

We agree with Roque on one thing. That he was kept in the dark speaks volumes about the confidence he enjoys from his boss.

The next few days will be crucial; Mr. Duterte needs to be up front with the people about his plans, his views, and his health most of all. The person who will speak for him has to be able to clarify his message—not massage, twist or modify it to confound the people even further.

Playing stupid teachings of Mao Zhe Dong, is pushing for armed rebellion as the main form of its struggle. It adheres to one of Mao’s principles: “Political power emanates from the barrel of the gun.”

Ergo, the CPP has not and will not HOW low can they go? abandon its armed revolution.

The other day, Magdalo Party-list So, how does Alejano reconcile his Rep. Gary Alejano joined two other statement that membership in the CPP lawmakers in a press briefing to air is not illegal, RA 1700 having been retheir grievances against the Duterte ad- pealed already, with that of the fact that ministration. They called on the people CPP refuses to be recognized legally and other groups to oppose the rumored has it has not given up armed struggle, imposition of martial law. and has, for the record, admitted conAnd just to tickle the imagination of trol over its armed wing, the New Peothe groups they are counting on for sup- ple’s Army? port, Alejano declared it is no crime to In fact, Alejano and his group be a member of the Communist Party should now stop forging a united front of the Philippines. Of course, Alejano’s with the Left as even Machiavelli himgroup is enjoining the support of all self, if he were alive, could not justify those critical of the Duterte administra- their end. tion, calling for the The objective end of the rule of of the Left, be it the foul-mouthed the legal or the president, and CPP underground, is among them. is to overhaul The best they Alejano was rethe social, pocould do is to work to ferring to RA 7636 litical and ecowhich repealed nomic structure replace an existing RA 1700 otherof the state, and government with wise known as eventually reAnti-Subversion verse the social leaders coming from Act. However, it pyramid, puttheir own ranks but was obvious Aleting the basic who will not in any jano was twisting masses over that the interpretation of the oligarchs way disturb the status of the law just to and their minquo. provide lip service ions (Something to one of the most which will not unholy alliances. happen even in RA 7636 comes the event of a with a pre-conCPP takeover as dition that in order for the communist the basic masses will only be then repparty to be legalized and recognized resented by the intelligentsia. And if as a legitimate group, it should first this sounds familiar, this is so because renounce violence or armed struggle. this is how a party-list operates—the RA 7636 does not have to be explicit on marginalized never getting to be repthis as it clearly qualifies it does not in resented by themselves). any any manner repeal, amend or modAnd this is what Alejano’s group and ify the provisions of the Revised Penal all of their putschist followers cannot Code, the provision on the penalties for and will not tolerate or accommodate. armed rebellion included.

The best they could do is to work to Presently, there are two recognized replace an existing government with communist parties in the country—the leaders coming from their own ranks 1930 Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas, but who will not in any way disturb the now led by Pedro Baguisa, and the CPP, status quo. allegedly led by its founding chairman, It’s about time Alejano and his group Jose Ma. Sison. oriented the people on the true charWhile the PKP has long given up on acter of every group they are trying to armed struggle, the CPP which adheres enjoin for support. Their end will never to the principles of Marx, Lenin and the justify their means.

Forever young: China’s ‘dancing aunties’ kick up their heels

By Kelly Wang IN A sparkling white cap and oversized sunglasses, 55-year-old retiree Zhang Yongli and dozens of neighbors liven up a Shanghai park by doing the jitterbug, part of a public dance craze that has become China’s national pastime.

Every day, an estimated more than 100-million people—dubbed “dancing aunties” as they are primarily older women—take over squares and parks to tango, waltz, and grind out everything from flamenco to Chinese traditional dance.

Complaints over speakers blaring late at night have ensued, and even physical

brawls pitting aunties against others vying for park turf.

But toes are tapping to an ever-quickening beat as “square dancing”—as it is known in China—booms.

Teams are competing in dance-offs featuring thousands of contestants, while a thriving market of dance-related paraphernalia and mobile apps catches the attention of the business world.

Even the government has jumped on the bandwagon to extol the health benefits.

“Square dancing happens wherever there is a square,” said Wang Guangcheng, a fitness instructor and choreographer who helps the govern-

ment devise dance routines and is widely known as China’s “Square Dance Prince”.

“It has become a venue for the masses to exercise.”

Shaping up More than 240-million Chinese are 60 or older, a number expected to double by 2050.

By then, the government estimates China will be spending more than onequarter of GDP on elderly care and medical services, compared to around seven percent in 2015, placing increasing importance on healthy, active lifestyles.

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Opinion Duterte’s candidates: Who is in and who is out?

POWER POINT ELIZABETH ANGSIOCO THERE are only a few days left before the period for filing of Certificate of Candidacy for those running for the 2019 elections. Between now and Oct. 17, the deadline for filing CoCs, there will be movements in the Duterte Cabinet because those running will need to resign from their positions.

The shuffle has already began with the resignation from the presidential communications group of Mocha Uson a few days ago. Uson used the Senate deliberation for the PCOO budget to announce her resignation, milking it dry for media mileage.

Playing the “victim” card, Uson blamed legislators for allegedly using her to block the communication office’s budget. It will be remembered that the House of Representatives required her presence to answer questions from lawmakers relative to the budget. She was a no-show despite assurances by her boss that she would attend. This prompted Rep. Prospero Pichay to say that the discussions on the PCOO budget would be deferred until the controversial assistant secretary showed up.

The following day, Uson appeared before the Senate and resigned making it appear like she was making the ultimate sacrifice so the PCOO budget would pass scrutiny. Her resignation statement that she read during the Senate hearing (which, of course, enjoyed full media coverage) was also a statement of intent to run in the 2019 elections. She said in no uncertain terms that she will bring the “fight” to congress or Senate.

Earlier on the same day, there were already reports that Uson was a nominee of ACTS OFW party list—he group of the beleaguered and controversial Rep. Aniceto Bertiz. This means that before resigning, Uson was already poised to run albeit under the party list system.

Her drama in the Senate is unnecessary and had nothing to do with the PCOO budget. It was done for media

No...

From A4

Whenever I have the opportunity, I make sure to honor also the young military officer whose life was cut short in unjustified wars.

Earlier this week, in Xavier University (XU), in my hometown Cagayan de Oro where I started my teaching career 37 years ago, I shared with my constitutional law students my own martial law story. The XU campus was a big setting for that story as I taught philosophy there in 1981-83. At night, national democratic collectives openly met in the field behind the chapel. Military intelligence agents enrolled in my classes and followed us around. I knew XU students who died in the struggle, some unfortunately killed by their own comrades.

In every class I do the martial law activity, I invite my students to read with me Pete Lacaba’s Prometheus Unbound, ending with Marcos Hitler a Diktador Tuta and more importantly at the end we all exclaim: “Never forget, never again!”

I am not in a mood to fight the military and the police. Since the 1986 EDSA revolution, I have engaged and collaborated with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police on human rights, leadership, and governance. As a former government official myself and someone routinely asked by the government to help out in several issues of national importance, I have worked productively with the AFP and PNP countless times.

I have lectured (and continue to do so) many times to AFP officials and police officers and all the time they do not disappoint with the seriousness and patriotism they approach the topics I talk about—from climate change to negotiation skills. I have mentored a few military and police officials, some of them

Forever...

From A4

Zhang “was sitting at home, doing nothing” after retiring five years ago from her travel-agency job, undergoing treatment for diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol.

“Since I started dancing, my [health] indicators are now normal. I no longer need medication,” she said as her neighborhood dance group’s red skirts twirled in Shanghai’s Zhongshan Park.

“I also look younger,” said Zhang, who has jitterbugged away 11 kilograms [24 pounds] of body weight.

A 2016 national fitness plan stresses “square dancing” as a team sport to be

mileage. After all, blaming legislators for allegedly blocking the budget was pure nonsense. Even PCOO Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy said so.

The budget deliberation session is really the time for those in the Executive to answer questions from legislators about their budget. This is the reason why during these sessions, even the directors and staff of Executive offices are present.

Uson simply refused to do her job, and used the opportunity for her political plans. Hers was an orchestrated propaganda to further her upcoming electoral candidacy, nothing more. I do not think that Uson was the brain of this gimmick. She is being propped up as one of this administration’s candidates.

We can expect more drama in the coming days.

Apart from Uson, we are seeing signs that Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque is also on his way out. I have been told much earlier on that Roque had his eyes on the Senate. This I think is the reason why he has embraced his role as “presidential alibi-maker” fully and turned his back on whatever principles he had before.

Unfortunately for him, recent statements from his boss seem to imply that he is not among the favored few after all.

There were talks that President Duterte missed an event in Malacañang because he was brought to the hospital.

Roque got “burned” when he insisted that Duterte was on “private time.” Duterte himself said that indeed, he went to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center where he had an endoscopy and colonoscopy. He also said that he would tell the nation if he has cancer, and that he would refuse treatment if it is already stage three.

When sought by media for his reac-

tion to the President’s statement the following day, Roque said that he was kept in the dark about the hospital visit. He even added that it would be hard for him to be effective as the President’s spokesperson if he does not know things.

What made matters worse for Roque beyond the fact that he seemed out of the loop as regards Duterte’s health (at least the last hospital visit) was the President’s statement that he did not believe Roque would win if he were to run for the Senate. This is a big blow to the presidential spokesperson. If Duterte did not believe in him enough to become a senator, it becomes questionable if he would be among those Duterte would support.

No wonder, when asked about his political plans, Roque said that he would need this weekend to think things through. He insinuated that he may have something for the media on Monday.

Will he resign from his post given Duterte’s statement? If he does, will he still run for the Senate? If he pursues his candidacy, under which slate? Running as an independent candidate without the backing of a major political party is suicide. What are his options then?

Roque is in a difficult position. If he does not resign, he would appear as an outsider even if he is the presidential spokesperson. His credibility, or whatever is left of it will surely suffer further. If he resigns and decides to run and Duterte does not support him, his political career is over.

On the other hand, he cannot go back to what and who he was before joining this government because he will no longer be trusted by former allies.

Roque turned his back on the advocacies he once was involved in. It will be interesting to find out what his game plan would be.

Uson and Roque are just two of those wanting to run in 2019. There are others and we can expect more drama in the coming days. Who is in and who is out? Surely, the opposition will not be left behind as they all prepare for 2019.

Yes, the circus has come to town. @bethangsioco on Twitter Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook

already high-ranking, and it has been a pleasure to do that.

Because of my long experience with the AFP and PNP, I am bothered by the redbaiting going on. This is not the professional military and police I know. For sure, the recent statements are is based on faulty and outdated intelligence, similar to the terrorism case brought against the Communist Party of the Philippines where many good people were smeared without basis.

I am glad to hear PNP Chief Oscar Albayade say he would like to engage with universities. I say we engage and educate each other. I hope I can enlighten General Alabayade and also learn from him.

Among others, in that dialogue, I will echo Sarah Elago, Kabataan Youth Representative, who posted in Facebook: “By tagging school activities as recruitment fronts in their Red October scam, Duterte and the AFP are setting a dangerous precedent to directly, or through administrators, crackdown on student activities and attack the students’ right to organize, freedom of expression, and freedom of association.

By hitting on films critical of dictators and tyrants, the Duterte regime wishes to stifle critical thinking and expression through film and art. Duterte is playing straight from the Marcosian playbook, engaging in censorship of films and pronouncements critical of the regime.”

I will echo also what one of my bright PUP student said to respond to the lament why scholars criticize the government: “Hindi gobyerno ang nagpapaaral sa mga Isko. Pera ng taumbayan ’yan. Ang utang na loob ng mga Isko ay sa Bayan at hindi sa kung sinong nakaupo sa gobyerno.” (It’s not the government that supports the studies of scholars. They owe the country and not those who are in power.)

I will share how haunted I am by the faces of Rizalina Ilagan, Jessica Sales,

Cristina Catalla, Leticia Ladlad, and other activists from UPLB who up to now are desaparecidos, having been abducted in the early years of martial law. Their eyes pierce my heart and I find myself crying when I imagined what happened and was done to them.

The story of Liliosa Hilao, the heroine and martyr from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila where I now teach, is always in my mind. And yes, the contemporary story of missing UP students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño is always in my consciousness. The conviction of the mastermind of their abduction, General Palparan, is good but it is disturbing that the mentality that led to their disappearances still reigns in the military and police.

I will tell the military and the police how impressed I was with the student leaders that spoke in the United People’s Action last Sept. 21. Fresh, young, passionate, full of hope—all of us should thank this new generation of activists. But I also worry that what happened in the 1970s and 1980s will happen again. We cannot afford that. Edgar Jopson and Lean Alejandro would have become presidents of the Philippines if their lives were not cut short in the struggle.

To my colleagues in all schools and universities, it is important that our campuses become sanctuaries where students are protected and shielded from attacks by state forces. Let’s set aside our own ideological biases and our fears of being manipulated, something that made universities like Ateneo de Manila turn its back on its own activist students and professors when martial law was proclaimed. Let’s all rally around the students and make sure they are not smeared, targeted, and killed. In our specific context, this is what “Never forget, never again!’ means.

“vigorously developed” and last year it became an official event at China’s National Games along with old reliables like athletics and swimming.

Local contests are proliferating.

Shanghai retiree Li Zhenhua’s team worked with a professional instructor for weeks, enduring the winter chill and the summer heat of their local square to train for a months-long citywide contest that culminated in August.

The team, drawn mostly from China’s ethnic Korean minority, took the title with their traditional Korean dances, beating out 750 other troupes.

“I was happy to find a Korean ethnic dance team in Shanghai, not only to exercise and dance but also to pass along our ethnic culture,” Li said.

Silver’ economy Mass public dancing took root after the 1949 Communist takeover as the government organized communal activities to foster unity and loyalty to the party.

But it has really taken off lately as an increasingly prosperous China finds more leisure time, and nearly every neighborhood park or square today is enlivened by dancers availing themselves of the free exercise.

Taobao, the leading Chinese e-commerce site owned by Alibaba, and other businesses are expressly targeting the new market to sell clothing, speakers, and gadgets for watching and learning new dances, and market studies say the industry is booming.

Han Xiaoyuan, 28, founded a mobile platform for organizing competitions and purchasing gear. User numbers quintu-

Facebook: tonylavs Twitter: tonylavs

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2018

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Folly in the claim for human rights compensation ippine Alliance of Human Right Advocates, that cannot be made an issue because the variation did not indicate a reduction from Marcos to Aquino, but a concurrence of the steep increase in the number of violations. No less than an anti-Marcos opposition stalwart, Part II Justice Abraham Sarmiento, cited the THE problem with the arbitrary clas- massive human rights violation during sification made by the Task Force De- the Aquino administration. Somehow, tainees of the Philippines is they reject- it was glossed over because of the eued altogether the validity of the Arrest, phoria of freedom from the Marcos dicSearch and Seizure Order later known tatorship.

If these figures were true, then the as the Presidential Detention Order despite its being upheld by the Supreme reign of Mrs. Aquino was worse than Court. The refusal was done to justify that of Marcos. For the TDFP to claim the claim of the alleged victims. There that 15,999 were arrested without a are inaccuracies in their claim of extra- warrant by a government that vowed judicial executions and disappearances, to guarantee civil liberties could strike fear to our people. Warrantless arrest to wit: First, many of those in the list in- is not supposed to take place in the abcluded those killed in the course of sence of martial law or when the writ their armed clash with the Armed of habeas corpus is not suspended beForces or possibly executed by their cause the right to issue arrest warrant own comrades as alleged deep penetra- is exclusive to the courts. Marcos was tion agents. It was bloated to purposely honest enough to formalize the arrest make it appear that human rights abus- and detention of suspects by imposing es were widespread during the martial first martial law to justify the issuance of the controversial ASSOs and PDOs. law period.

The same can be said of R.A. No. Second, their arbitrary listing of alleged victims was designed to instill 10368 or “An Act Providing Reparainto the minds of the next generation tions and Recognition for the Victims that massive human right violations of Human Rights Violations” during the Marcos Regime. It was enacted on took place.

Third, while the TFDP is gregarious February 25, 2013 on the occasion of in pointing out alleged atrocities, many the 27th anniversary of their so-called wonder why it failed to account even “Edsa Revolution.” The bait of compensation swelled a single executhat it unmasked tion carried by the the true nature of communist rebels, these mendicant foremost of which The funny were the execuThose who have faith rebels. thing about this tions of the Plaza ploy is that the Miranda hand in their government same mercenaries grenade thrower should be accorded the Noynoy thought Danny Cordero, he could politicaland former NPA right to choose their ly use in the 2016 military commis- heroes. election supported sion chief, Manuel instead their now “Noli” Collantes. hated President Everybody knows Duterte. Opporthat hundreds from their own ranks were summarily tunism and not ideology prevailed over executed as alleged spies. They even them.

These two nitwit congressmen comboasted of carrying out the execution.

Fourth, their claim for compensation mitted the greatest fraud against the was uncannily supported by the US gov- Filipino people, for why should the ernment which is ironic as it stands today government appropriate funds to defray those erstwhile rebels turned menas the greatest violator of human rights.

Yes, rebels who fought against the dicants? The giving of reparations to government can create their own he- the so-called “human rights victims” is roes, but certainly they cannot demand an indictment that our soldiers fought compensation for the people they want an unjust, illegal and a morally wrong to be elevated as martyrs. That is ba- war. Naming Marcos guilty of violatsic logic. Nevertheless, those who have ing human right was only used to cover faith in their government should be ac- their swindling of government funds.

Moreover, the authors did not mind corded the right to choose their heroes, and that include the soldiers who died that the law they enacted is a travesty to our legal system because they did in its defense.

On the contrary and unknown to the not bother to declare the imposition of public, the Cory Aquino administration martial law in 1973 as illegal. Rather, chalked up an unprecedented number they enacted a bill of attainder because of human rights violations. For the pe- it specifically sought to punish Marcos riod from March 1, 1986 to December, without the benefit of trial.

Now that the US has withdrawn from 1991, it registered a record 15,999 warrantless arrest and detention, and 1,733 the UN Human Rights Council and extrajudicial executions, including 189 refused to recognize the International that occurred in 1990. Mrs. Aquino did Criminal Court even branding it as ilthat under the aegis of freedom and de- legitimate, the hypocritical opposition mocracy. The records in Congress in- led by the yellow horde, the clergy and dicate that the Commission on Human the oligarchy are in a quandary on how Rights, and TFDP, for the same period to package their propaganda on human also listed 335 cases of disappearanc- rights and charge of alleged extrajudies, and 146 cases of massacre, which cial killings committed by the Duterte happened between March 1, 1986 and administration.

US envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, 1989, including the infamous Mendiola carnage that claimed the lives of 13 branded the UNHRC as a “hypocritical” body that “makes a mockery of huprotesting farmers.

The TFDP documented human rights man rights.” On the other hand, Trump’s violations that during the first 1,000 National Security adviser, John Boldays of the Aquino regime (1 March ton, vowed to protect US citizens. That 1986 to 21 November 1988) there were means the US will not surrender its ju11,911 cases of illegal arrest, 705 sum- risdiction to the ICC, and the hypocrites mary executions, 88 frustrated sum- where they get their ideological guidmary executions, six deaths associated ance and strength on the issue to convert with cruel treatment or prison condi- human rights violation into a weapon for tions, 125 massacres with 480 fatali- political propaganda, much that the US ties and 138 wounded, 136 counts of has openly regurgitated it.

The case of the ideologically bankfrustrated massacre, 1,676 tortured victims, 224 involuntary disappearances, rupt militant Left is even more acute, 25 civilian deaths in counterinsurgency much that they could not even decipher related activities, 37,133 families in 64 that the US has substituted internabarangays forcibly evacuated, 623 fam- tional law in favor of national interest ilies in 21 barangays hamletted, and in the pursuit of its policy suggesting 500 families in 37 barangays subjected that it would only be guided by what suits best to its interest, and not to any to food and economic blockade.

Even if there are discrepancies in other thing. the number of human rights violations rpkapunan@gmail.com cited by the TFDP and that of the Phil-

BACKBENCHER ROD P. KAPUNAN

pled over the past two years to more than 500,000.

It is also one of many business initiatives seeking to tap into the wider “silver economy” represented by dancers, by selling travel packages, financial services and other products geared towards retirees.

Han said the elderly “have time [and] money.... They are our best business target group.”

Square dancing is even changing age-old gender dynamics, as grandmothers are often away training for long stretches.

“Several of our team members’ husbands have learned to change diapers and taken over feeding the grandchildren as a way of supporting us,” said 65-year-old Hong Aizhen, a competitor in the Shanghai-wide contest.

But many men are showing off their dance moves as well.

Late one recent weekend, hundreds of people filled a tree-lined park in central Shanghai amid a cacophony of musical styles as men and women waltzed or formed conga lines, and children did the cha-cha.

Often, they dance to old Chinese revolutionary standards or other patriotic tunes.

“We are not only delivering a fitness culture, but also the concept of a prosperous country,” said choreographer Wang.

“Many songs we choose express our national characteristics and values.”

But dance enthusiast Zhang prefers the zesty jitterbug.

“It’s quick and rhythmic. I forget all my worries when I dance, sometimes even my age,” she said. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK 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)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

Manila

Standard

TODAY

Ramos, Abelar share Cangolf Am honors ORCHARD’S Sean Ramos held off a charging Paolo Wong to complete a wireto-wire triumph in the men’s championship while Villamor’s Nicole Abelar took the women’s crown in the Canlubang Amateur Open at Cangolf’s North and South courses in Laguna yesterday.

Ramos recovered from a second 73 with a gutsy 69 for a 54-hole total of 211, foiling Wong, who fought back with a 70 in the second day and closed out with a four-under 68 for a 214, with Aguinaldo’s Masaichi Otake snaring third place via countback at 218 after a 70.

Kim Tae Soo, also of Orchard, likewise pooled a 218 after a 71 but lost in the countback to Otake and settled for fourth while Southwoods’ Jaehyun Jung matched Wong’s four-under card to place fifth at 219 in the annual event hosted annually by the Yulo family in their continuing effort to help boost amateur golf.

Abelar, on the other hand, strung up a pair of 68s to rule the 36-hole women’s division, edging The Country Club’s Samantha Dizon, who failed to sustain her opening four-under card with a 70.

She wound up with a 138 and nipped teammate Eagle Ace Superal and Alabang’s Laurea Duque in the countback for second. Superal rallied with a 66 while Duque carded a 70.

Kristine Torralba, also of TCC, slowed down with a 71 after a 69 and finished fifth at 140 followed by teammates Laia Barro, who matched par 72 for a 141 and Rafaela Singson, who shot a 71 for a 143.

Football settles PSC account THE Philippine Football Federation settled its unliquidated accounts amounting to P4.8 million with the Philippine Sports Commission last Sept. 14.

PFF General Secretary Atty. Edwin Gastanes confirmed this and said that, “the federation has remitted a check to cover all unliquidated financial assistance from the PSC amounting to P4,882,602.71.”

“That amount is from past administrations of PFF from 1996 to 2010,” added Atty. Gastanes.

On Sept. 27 of 2017, the PSC released a policy via Board Resolution No. 16562017 stating that “NSAs with outstanding obligations and/or unliquidated accounts shall receive no funding from the Commission, effective November 1, 2017.”

On April 25, the agency, through Board Resolution No. 652-2018 announced that “NSAs with requests for financial assistance and with unliquidated accounts in amount of One Hundred Thousand Pesos (P100,000.00) and below may be considered for approval by the Board.”

A7

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

PH chessers close in on Top 10 finish

PTT THAILAND MOTOGP 2018. Winners of PTT Lubricants’ “Win a Trip to PTT Thailand Grand Prix 2018 Promo” are shown during their send-off at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 on Friday to watch the PTT Thailand MotoGP 2018 set Ocat. 5 to 7 at the sprawling Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand. Five lucky winners from the raffle draw held last month came from Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga, Pasay and Cebu, each won an all-expenses paid trip for two to Thailand to watch the MotoGP. PTT, Thailand’s largest oil and gas company, is the title sponsor of this year’s Grand Prix, the first MotoGP in Thailand.

Osaka survives huge scare to reach China Open semis

B

EIJING—US Open champion Naomi Osaka overcame her emotions to roar back and defeat unseeded Zhang Shuai 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 in a rollercoaster China Open quarter-final on Friday.

The 20-year-old Japanese was broken on her first two service games and had tears in her eyes as the match threatened to slip away in the second set.

But the world number six gathered herself and -- although she continued to look glum and flung her racquet about -- found the resolve to pull through over three nailbiting sets.

Osaka faces either of the unseeded duo of Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova or Slovak Dominika Cibulkova in the last four.

The 45th-ranked Zhang—with the Beijing crowd on her side—raced into an early lead against an unusually erratic Osaka, who had won 24 of her previous 28 games.

The eighth seed, who stunned Serena Williams to win her maiden Grand Slam last month in New York, belatedly began finding some range.

But she continued to rack up errors and conceded the first set when she hit into the net. She was to make 66 un-

forced errors in all.

The 29-year-old Zhang, who has won two career WTA singles titles, saved six break points to take the lead in the second set.

Zhang broke to go 2-0 up and Osaka—who has admitted struggling with the fall-out from the US Open final, when Williams rowed with the chair umpire—began welling up.

But Osaka defied her emotions to avoid the upset, although she barely raised a smile even in victory.

In the men’s quarter-finals, the Italian Fabio Fognini continued his march towards a fourth title of the season with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Marton Fucsovics of Hungary. AFP

McGregor-Nurmagomedov grudge match set LAS VEGAS—Conor McGregor makes a long-awaited return to the mixed martial arts octagon on Saturday, facing off against unbeaten lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in a money-spinning grudge match tipped to break pay-per-view records.

Trash-talking Irish star McGregor was one of the highest earners in the sporting world in 2017 after pocketing around $100 million from his crosscombat boxing bout against Floyd Mayweather, which ended in defeat.

Now the 30-year-old former UFC champion is set for another hefty pay-

day when he faces Nurmagomedov at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday in what will be his first MMA bout since November 2016.

Bookmakers have installed Nurmagomedov as favourite to retain his UFC crown, pointing to the Russian’s formidable record.

Nurmagomedov has won all 26 of his fights, and so far in his career has not lost a single round.

Taking on the powerful champion from Dagestan in his comeback fight represents a colossal gamble by McGregor.

But the drumbeat for a showdown

between the outspoken former plumber from Dublin and Nurmagomedov intensified earlier this year when McGregor was at the centre of a extraordinary melee in New York in April.

McGregor and his entourage reportedly sought to confront Nurmagomedov following a press conference at the Barclays Center, claiming the Russian had intimidated one of the Irish fighter’s friends, Artem Lobov.

McGregor was filmed hurling a dolly through a window of a bus carrying Nurmagomedov and other fighters as it moved through a loading dock at the venue. AFP

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health CENTRAL OFFICE BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

THE Philippine men’s team turned back Ecuador, 3-1, to close in on a top 10 finish after the 10th and penultimate round of the 43rd World Chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia Thursday night.

International Masters Jan Emmanuel Garcia and Haridas Pascua delivered the decisive wins over FIDE Master Kevin Naboa and IM Miguel Munoz Sanchez on the last two boards as Grandmasters Julio Catalino Sadorra and John Paul Gomez drew with GM Carlos Matamoros Franco and IM Christian Barros on the top boards.

The win sent the Filipinos into a seven-team tie at 13th place with 14 match points, or three points behind co-leaders United States, which edged Armenia, 2.5-1.5, and China, which pulled down erstwhile solo leader Poland with a 3-1 triumph, with 17 points each.

Left for dead after succumbing to less regarded Lebanon, 1.5-2.5, in the fifth round that sent it down to the tournament purgatory at 101st place, the PH turned things around as it vented its ire on Jersey, Albania, Uruguay, Zambia and then Ecuador and beat them all to resuscitate its bid.

And now the Filipinos will have a chance to finish in the top 10, or better, surpass their best finish at seventh place in the 1988 edition in Thessaloniki, Greece if they could pull the rug from under the favored Vietnamese, who drew with the Germans, 2-2, in the final round at press time.

And non-playing coach GM Eugene Torre, who played top board in that historic 1988 team, said they have a chance.

“The team prepared hard and didn’t give up. We have an opportunity to make history,” said Torre, whose team is backed by the Phl Sports Commission and NCFP president Prospero Pichay.

The PH women’s team lost to Moldova, 1.5-2.5, and slipped to a share of 46th spot with 11 points.

WGM Janelle Mae Frayna and WIM Bernadette Galas lost to WIM Diana Baciu and WFM Paula-Alexandra Gitu on first and fourth boards while WIM Catherine Secopito bested WFM Olga Hincu on second board and WFM Shania Mae Mendoza drew with IM Svetlana Petrenko on third board.

NOTICE Extra – judicial settlement of the Estate of Antonio Talavera by Nenita and Bryan Anthony Talavera containing an area of 164sq.m located at #5 Marcel Drive Himlayan, QC covered by TCT No.104176 of the Registry of Deeds, QC.

2.

3.

By Denniel Dioneo and Paul Gelario WITH the hopes of making their basketball dreams come true, 16 young athletes showed their skills in basketball at the Jr. NBA AllStars sendoff last Wednesday, at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong City.

Eight boys and 8 girls were chosen from all over the country to become part of the Jr. NBA All-Stars Philippines 2018.

The young athletes, as well as the Coaches of the Year, are representing the country in Shanghai, for their NBA Experience Trip, the last phase of the Jr. NBA Philippines program.

The athletes expressed excitement for their coming trip during the press conference, all looking forward in meeting other all-stars and in making new friends.

Most of them find their inspiration from their families, others including their coaches, through the support that they receive.

Jr. NBA MVP, Prince Ray Alao, 14, said that proper time management and knowing his priorities helped him in balance his training and his academics. “‘Yung mga homework ko po kasi ginagawa ko sa school,” said Alao, who studies in San Beda University, adding that it gives him plenty of time to rest after their training, which ends at about 8 p.m.

NBA Legend Cherokee Parks and Los Angeles Sparks Forward Alana Beard were scheduled to grace the event, but the US Embassy pulled them out for unknown reasons.

Here is the list of the All-Stars from the Official website of the Jr. NBA Philippines (www.jrnba.asia) BOYS’ ROSTER: Prince Ray Alao 14 San Beda University; Ethan Rod Aljan, 14, La Salle Greenhills; John Lester Amagan, 14, St. Robert’s International Academy of Iloilo; Seven Gagate, 14, Chiang Kai Shek; Nathan Jan Jundana, 14, Bacolod Tay Tung; Christian Joi Mesias, 14, Jose Maria College of Davao; Kim Aaron Tamayo, 13, National University; Rhon Khaniel Telles, 13, St. Anthony de Carmelli Academy GIRLS’ ROSTER: Madelyn Flores, 14, Bukidnon National High School; Gin Kayla Huelar, 13, St. La Salle University, Bacolod; Aishe Solis, 13, Corpus Christi School in Cagayan De Oro; Pauline Angelique Valle, 13, Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High; Christine Nichole Venterez, 12, Baguio City National High School; Marielle Vingno, 14, Escuela de Sohia of Caloocan Inc.; Amber Esquivel, 14, De La Salle Zobel; Kyla Marie Mataga, 13, De La Salle Zobel

The DOH now invites bids for the procurement of the above-captioned project.

Delivery of the Goods is required within the period specified under SECTION VI. Schedule of Requirements. Bidders should have completed, within two (2) yearsfrom the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project, equivalent to at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the ABC. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183.

Members of the Jr. NBA All-Stars bound for China are shown prior to their trip.

16 athletes comprise PH’s Jr. NBA Stars

The Department of Health (DOH), through the General Appropriations Act of 2018 intends to apply the sum of Forty-Five Million Philippine Pesos (PhP45,000,00.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Procurement of Progestin Only Pill (POP) under I.B. No. 2018-299. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

4.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the COBAC Secretariat, G/F, Bldg. 6, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given above during 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on 08 October 2018 to 30 October 2018 from the address above and upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Twenty-Five Thousand Philippine Pesos (PhP25,000.00).

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

6.

The DOH will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on 15 October 2018, 10:00 A.M. at the COBAC Conference Room, Ground Floor, Bldg. 6, Department of Health, Sta. Cruz, Manila, which shall beopen to prospective bidders.

7.

Bids must be duly received by the COBAC-D Secretariat at the address below on or before 30 October 2018, 9:00 A.M. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on 30 October 2018, 9:00 A.M. at the COBAC Conference Room, Ground Floor, Bldg. 6, Department of Health, Sta. Cruz, Manila. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address above. Late bids shall not be accepted.

8.

The DOH reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

9.

For further information, please refer to: COBAC-D Secretariat Department of Health San Lazaro Compound Sta. Cruz, Manila Tel. Nos. 651-7800 local 1625 to 1627; 1650 to 52 Facsimile No.: 741-9775; 740-6830 (SGD) MARIO C. VILLAVERDE, MD, MPH, MPM, CESO I Undersecretary of Health Chairperson, COBAC – D

(MS-OCT. 6, 2018)

(MS-SEPT.29 OCT. 6 & 13, 2018)

(MS-OCT.6, 13, & 20 2018)

InvItatIon to BId for ProCUrEMEnt of ProGEStIn onLY PILL (PoP) IB no. 2018-299 1.

“With deep grief we inform the sad demise of Mulford J. Colebrook on Saturday, August 18, 2018. His remains will be taken back to his home country the United State of America”.

Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT National Capital Judicial Region BRANCH 214 Mandaluyong City JENNIFER BAUTISTA-FLORES, Petitioner, -versus-

CIVIL CASE NO. R-MND-18-00800-CV For: DECLARATION OF NULLITY OF MARRIAGE OLIVER BERIONG FLORES, Respondent. x------------------------------------------------------x

ORDER An amended petition for declaration of nullity of marriage was filed by Jennifer Bautista Flores (PETITIONER) against Oliver Beriong Flores (RESPONDENT) on 04 May 2017.

PETITIONER prays that after due notice and hearing, judgment be rendered declaring her marriage with RESPONDENT null and void ab initio on the ground of bigamous marriage under Article 35(4) of the Family Code of the Philippines. PETITIONER further prays for such other reliefs just and equitable under the circumstances.

To support her claim, PETITIONER cites the following allegations; (1) PETITIONER is a Filipino citizen and with address at No. 533 Cordillera Street, Mandaluyong City while RESPONDENT is likewise a Filipino, of legal age and with last known address at 301-A- 186 15th Avenue corner Monterey Street, Quezon City; (2) PETITIONER and RESPONDENT were married on 02 October 2004 at the Roman Catholic Church of San Felipe Neri Parish, Mandaluyong City;1 (3) Out of their union, a child was born on 26 January 2005 and named him Ruiz Miguel Alejandro Bautista Flores2; (4) PETITIONER later discovered that RESPONDENT has a subsisting marriage with one Glenda S. Dizon on 05 July 1995 and had a child with his previous marriage named Lance Spencer D. Flores3; (5) That because of PETITIONER’s discovery of RESPONDENT’s prior marriage, the latter left their conjugal home; (6) That the minor child of PETITIONER and RESPONDENT is presently under the custody of PETITIONER; (7) That RESPONDENT’s first wife is still alive as there is no report of death filed before the Philippine Statistics Authority; and (8) That during their marriage, PETITIONER and RESPONDENT did not acquire real or personal properties.

WHEREFORE, finding the petition to be sufficient in form and substance and pursuant to Supreme Court A.M. No. 02-11-10SC in rel. to Sec. 15, Rule 14 of the Rules of Civil Procedure, let SUMMONS be served upon RESPONDENT OLIVER BERIONG FLORES by PUBLICATION in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines accredited by the Office of the Executive Judge of Regional Trial Court, Mandaluyong City once a week for THREE (3) CONSECUTIVE WEEKS and a copy of the summons and this Order be sent to RESPONDENT by registered mail to his last known address at the expense of the PETITIONER. RESPONDENT is directed to file his Answer to the Petition within THIRTY (30) DAYS from the last issue of publication.

Finally, PETITIONER is DIRECTED TO SUBMIT proof of service by publication by submitting affidavit of publication, together with copy of the publication, and an affidavit showing the deposit of a copy of the summons and the Order for publication in the post office, postage prepaid, directed to the RESPONDENT by registered mail to his last known address, in STRICT COMPLIANCE with the Rules on service of summons by publication.

SO OREDERED. Mandaluyong City 28 August 2018.

(Sgd.) IMELDA L. PORTES-SAULOG Presiding Judge

Copy Furnished: Office of the Solicitor General Office of the City Prosecutor, Mandaluyong City Atty. David Michael O Gabriel (COUNSEL FOR PETITIONER) GABRIEL & MENDOZA Law Offices Suite 601, Fil-Garcia Tower, 140 Kalayaan Avenue Corner Mayaman Street, Diliman, Quezon City Jennifer Bautista-Flores (PETITIONER) No. 533 Cordillera Street, Mandaluyong City OCC-RTC, Mandaluyong City 1 Certificate of Marriage as Annex “A” of the Petition.

2 Certificate of Live Birth as Annex “B”, ld.

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

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

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

A8

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2018

Kenneth San Andres of the Kawasaki JBS Team is competing in the Olympics of motocross competition.

Letran scores controversial win vs Lyceum Games Tuesday (The Arena in San Juan) 10 a.m. Letran vs San Sebastian (jrs) 12 noon Perpetual Help vs EAC (jrs) 2 p.m. Letran vs San Sebastian (srs) 4 p.m. UPHSD vs EAC (srs)

By Peter Atencio THE Letran Knights pulled off a controversial win over the Lyceum Pirates after the referees downgraded a supposed triple by Jaycee Marcelino into a two-point basket in the last 43 seconds.

Marcelino’s “triple” tied the score at 80-all.

But upon review of the referees, done two empty possessions later and as time ran out, the basket was decided as a twopointer, allowing the Knights to escape with an 80-79 victory--their 11th in 16 games in the 84th National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament.

Larry Muyang showed the way with 23 points, while Bong Quinto added 20, including a three-point play and layup allowing the Knights to overtake the Pirates, 80-77, before Marcelino’s controversial basket was downgraded.

Lyceum, with Mike Nzeusseu making 25 points and 10 rebounds, dropped behind the San Beda Red Lions (14-1) with their 14-2 win-loss card.

Meanwhile, striking hard early, the Arellano University Chiefs took a big lead and held on to it until the end for an 86-70 win over the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers.

Second-unit players Archie Concepcion, Daniel Bayla and Guilmer de la Torre led the charge and their huge efforts saw the Chiefs moving away following a 15-2 run in the opening minutes of the game.

Interim coach Junjie Ablan was impressed by the cohesion of his starters, who gave him his first win since taking over the reins from Jerry Codinera.

“We played good defense. Nagawa ng mga players ang game plan,” said Ablan as the Chiefs ended their fivegame slump with a bang.

Levi de la Cruz tallied 19 points, unloading three consecutive triples in the second period to hand the Chiefs a 38-14 lead.

Zamar’s game-winner puts Elite back on track The Elite unleashed a 14-4 blast to suddenly take the driver’s seat, 88-86, with 1:29 left after a Walker AUL Zamar may have hit the biggest shot in his basket. pro career.

The two teams then exchanged clutch baskets the rest of the way until Zamar nailed a game-winning triple with 7.9 ultimately, Blackwater had the last say seconds remaining to lift Blackwater to a thrilling with Zamar’s heroics.

94-91 escape win over struggling Meralco to resume Durham led Meralco with 32 points.

Blackwater started out hot, taking a its winning ways in the 2018 Philippine Basketball 32-19 lead in the latter part of the first Association Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta quarter before Meralco quickly erased its deficit.

Coliseum Friday night.

It then became a nip-and-tuck battle The teams were knotted at 91 apiece triples and five rebounds. in the middle quarters, with the Bolts when Blackwater swung the ball and Zamar finished with 13 points and eventually taking a slim 62-61 edge found Zamar on the left elbow for the Roi Sumang had 12 for the Elite. heading the final canto. go-ahead triple.

Blackwater improved to 5-1 after Still with some time on the clock, the bounce-back win, tying Barangay The scores: the Bolts rushed to the other end but Ginebra and Magnolia at the top of the Blackwater 94—Walker 24, Belo Allen Durham opted to go for a two- heap.

14, Zamar 13, Sumang 12, Maliksi 10, point bank shot, despite the three-point On the other hand, Meralco’s woes Jose 8, Sena 5, Pinto 4, Digregorio 2, difference, and it did not find its mark, continued as it dropped to 1-4 in Al-Hussaini 2, Javier 0. allowing the Elite to escape with the ninth place after absorbing its fourth Meralco 91—Durham 32, Amer 14, straight loss. hard-fought win.

Bono 10, Newsome 8, Caram 7, Lanete Blackwater trailed 74-82 midway 5, Hodge 4, Salva 4, Tolomia 3, Jamito Henry Walker led the way for Blackwater with 24 points, while the fourth, but it managed to make its 2, Hugnatan 2, Atkins 0, Canaleta 0.

Mac Belo had 14 markers, with three way back.

Quarters: 18-14, 40-37, 61-62, 94-91.

By Jeric Lopez

P

Eagles have mental edge against Archers Games Today (Mall of Asia Arena) 12 nn UST vs UE 4 p.m. Ateneo vs La Salle

THE defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles will seek to further improve on their head-to-head record with their archrivals the La Salle Green Archers when they meet today in the 81st University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament.

The Blue Eagles have a 3-2 win-loss record against the Archers last season and a 4837 mark over the years with their arch-rivals.

This gives the Blue Eagles the psychological edge and a great deal of confidence going into their 4 p.m. match at the Mall of Asia Arena.

They will come into the fight brimming with confidence after prevailing over the National University, 72-46, for their second straight win.

The Loyola dribblers showed how tough they are by quickly erecting a 15-point lead after two quarters as they limited the Bulldogs to just 18 Baldwin points in the first 20 minute.

“I thought our defense was the way we wanted to be played. There’s no excuse to not play that way after this. It’s nice that we are able to set standards for ourselves,” said Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin.

The Blue Eagles will draw strength from the court leadership of Thirdy Ravena and Anton Asistio in their bid to claim

their fifth win in six matches.

Meanwhile, the Green Archers have made adjustments some two weeks after missing the services of team captain Kib Montalbo, who sustained a fracture to his left thumb.

As Montalbo sits out for four to six weeks, the Green Archers have been getting big numbers from Aljun Melecio and Justine Baltazar.

“It’s early in the season. Kailangang mabuildup ang team namin. I need the other guys to start contributing and this is the second game we have played without Kib,” said coach Louie Gonzales after the Green Archers won over the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, 99-72. Peter Atencio

Amateur takes Party Golfers crown

Chia Yen Wu hoists the pro and amateur crowns

TAIWAN—Princess Superal and Cyna Rodriguez groped for putting form and missed a Top 10 finish in the Party Golfers Ladies Open ruled by 14-year-old Chia Yen Wu at the National Golf Country Club in Miaoli County here yesterday.

Playing in calmer condition after battling it through brutal winds in the first two days, Superal and Rodriguez found the undulating surface too tough to read, hampering their final round charge in the $100,000 championship, the first co-sanctioned event by the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour abroad with the Taiwan LPGA. The two circuits will next joint stage the Philippine Ladies Masters in February.

Superal flubbed a number of makeable birdie putts and muffed short par-putts, including a twofooter the par-5 No. 16 that saw her leave her head down for seconds in disbelief. That marred her closing one-over 73 and typified the Pinay bets’ day-long struggle on the unreceptive greens.

From joint eighth with Rodriguez and four others after 36 holes, the former US Girls Junior champion wound up tied at 16th at 218 with three others.

“Just couldn’t make the putts…the greens are

really difficult to read,” said Superal who ended up with 34 putts to produce a two-birdie, threebogey one-over card.

Worse was Rodriguez, who made quite a surge with a gutsy 72 in wild conditions Thursday to fuel hopes of her title bid. But she struggled with 37 putts and wound up with five bogeys and a double bogey with only a birdie to show for a 78 that dropped her to joint 39th at 233.

But Chia showed the elite pro field how to tackle the challenging layout, finishing with a second straight 71 and nipping a charging Babe Liu by one to win the crown on a seven-under 209 total, matching fellow amateur Hsin Yu Lu’s feat when she beat Thai Supamas Sangchan by three to snare the Kenda Tire TLPGA Open last week.

Liu sizzled sans the wind from fifth-to-last flight, ramming in four straight birdies from No. 2 for a 31 then adding three more birdies at the back to shoot the tournament-best eight-under 64.

But she fell short of foiling Chia although the TLPGA’s No. 5 took the top purse of $18,000 with the 14-year-old junior high student taking the championship crown.

San Andres vies in Motocross of Nations MULTI-TITED Kenneth San Andres of the Kawasaki JBS Team will be pitting guts and skills against the world’s best riders on Sunday at the 2018 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations at the Red Bud Circuit in North Buchanan, Michigan, USA. San Andres, a many-time awardee for motocross of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA), is entered in the premier MX GP Class, where the world’s greatest riders such as champion Gautier Paulin of France, Jeffrey Herlings of the Netherlands and Tommy Searle of Great Britain will be competing.

The Motocross of Nations is considered the Olympics of two-wheel off-road motorsports competition, wherein each country is represented by its top three motocross riders. For the first time since 2010, the event will be held in the United States and the first time at Red Bud. France goes into the event that lured a total of 31 nations as the defending champion after taking its fifth title in 2017.

The Valenzuela native San Andres will be leading the charge of Team Philippines, also composed of Mark Reggie Flores of San Pablo City, Carlo Rodriguez of Dipolog City.

Flores competes in the MX2 class, while Rodriguez is listed in the MX Category.

They are joined in the Philippine delegation by team manager Tim Bennett of TCD Racing, assistant team manager Mel McCormick and Kenneth’s father/coach Jun San Andres, the 2017 FIM Asian Motocross Veterans’ Division reigning titlist.

“To be the best, you have to ride and compete with the best,” said San Andres, who is backed by Kawasaki Philippines, Clean Fuel, Mxon2018, Motul Philippines, CDR, McCormick Excavating, TCD, Tim Bennett, Devol, Prowheel, Troy Lee Designs, Foilacar Industries, R33 Cars, Game Over Ph, Kia Global, Bel lPower Sports, Alpine Stars PJ, Pro Taper, Pirelli Tires, JM Mirasol Advertising, Pro Pipe, Polisport, Halrey, JBS Motorcycle, Oakley Philippines, One Obsession, Motox, Moto Metal Wheels and Auto Options.

“We are honored to be representing the flag here and we hope to deliver a nice performance for Philippine motocross,” added the the longest-reigning National Rider of the Year of the National Motorcycle Sports and Safety Association (NAMSSA) with 10 straight titles.

The campaign of Team Philippines to the Motocross of Nations was made possible by NAMSSA President Macky Carapiet, through the official endorsement to carry the national flag by the Philippine Olympic Committee and assistance from the Philippine Sports Commission.

San Andres also currently leads the 2018 NAMSSA National Motocross Development Program.

Le Tour PH celebrates 10th year EL JOSHUA CARINO will have to summon more power from his legs when he defends his crown in the Le Tour de Filipinas that will celebrate its 10th year in 2019 with a five-stage race and a bigger cast of 20 teams of five cyclists each.

The International Cycling Union, the world-governing body for cycling, has approved the request of LTdF organizer Ube Media Inc. for a fivestage race from the previous four days to mark the 10th year of the event that has molded two other Filipino champions—Baler Ravina in 2012 and Mark Galedo in 2014.

The UCI scheduled the 2019 LTdF on the Asia Tour calendar from Feb. 17 to 21.

Carino, riding for Standard Insurance-Philippine Navy, joined 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines riders Ravina and Galedo in the LTdF honor roll after ruling last year’s race that returned with a Baguio City finish over treacherous Kennon Road.

The LTdF returns down south to Bicol for the 10th edition with majestic Mayon Volcano again serving as a picturesque backdrop.

The LTdF is the predecessor of the fabled Philippine Tour that started with the Manila-Vigan Race and evolved into the Tour of Luzon, Tour ng Pilipinas, Marlboro Tour, FedEx Express Tour of Calabarzon, Tour Pilipinas, Golden Tour and Padyak Pinoy.

IN BRIEF ERC deals with Iloilo co-op complaints THE Energy Regulatory Commission is addressing the consumer complaints lodged against Panay Electric Co., the sole electricity utility serving Iloilo City.

A total of 96 complaints have been filed with the ERC against PECO covering the 2017 to 2018, mostly over improper billing and poor customer service.

“We have addressed the complaints and very few are remaining,” ERC chairperson Agnes Devanadera said.

Devanadera, however, said the decision to cancel or grant a new franchise to Iloilo City was within the powers of Congress, which has the exclusive jurisdiction to decide on the grant or denial of such franchise.

“ERC’s top concerns are matters that will affect the consumers like the bill deposits which distribution utilities must refund to their consumers. This applies not only to PECO but also to all distribution utilities including electric cooperatives,” she said.

Devanadera said ERC’s main concern was the welfare of consumers and that the service of electricity in Iloilo would continue. Alena Mae S. Flores

DICT’s broadband project gets support THE Department of Information and Communications Technology said the House of Representatives signified support to its bid to get additional budget for the roll-out of the National Broadband Project in 2019.

House Committee Chair on Rep. Cong.

Victor Yap, Deputy Speaker Arthur Yap and Appropriations Committee Rep. Joey Salceda signified their support in endorsing the P2-billion proposed budget of the DICT to implement the NBP next year.

Sealing major connectivity deals this year, the DICT is looking to spend the budget on reinforcing and accelerating the operational stage of the NBP, the government’s blueprint in improving the quality and bringing down the cost of internet in the country.

Covered in the proposed P2-billion budget is the operation of the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure, which links to the fiber optic cables of National Transmission Corp. Darwin G. Amojelar

Business 2 Cebu projects get P3.5b in DBP loans P1.5-billion loan agreement with the Cebu provincial government for the construction of a new 20-storey office building.

TATE-RUN The bank also granted a P3-billion loan to a local developer that will put up a mixedDevelopment Bank use development tower in Mandaue City. of the Philippines, “This projects illustrate how DBP is the eighth-largest lender in assisting local government units in improving their service delivery and partterms of assets, is funding nering with the private sector to stimuthe construction of two late economic activity in the region,” Borromeo said. major building projects in Cebu is the most populous province Cebu province, which is in Visayas with close to three million seen to improve the delivery residents. The province was cited by the Commission on Audit as the richest of basic government province in the country, while the capiservices and boost the tal city is the center of economic activity the entire Visayas region. competitiveness of the local in The 20-storey building will rise inside economy. the Cebu capitol compound and house most of the provincial offices. The building will serve as a “one-stop shop” Bank president and chief executive and provide comfort and convenience to Cecilia Borromeo said the bank signed a the transacting public while providing

By Julito G. Rada

S

income to the local government through the lease of the commercial spaces in the property.

Borromeo also said the DBP approved a P3-billion loan to Cebu Landmasters Inc. to partially finance the construction of its Astra Centre as well as to support the company’s working capital requirements.

Strategically located at A.S. Fortuna Street in Mandaue City, the Astra Centre will have a mall, office spaces and condominium units, and will also house the first Radisson Red Hotel in Asia.

Cebu Landmasters is a leading local developer in Cebu province. It is also developing the Davao Busines Park in Matina, Davao City.

Earlier, DBP also extended a P2-billion assistance to the Philippine Army Finance Center Producers Integrated Cooperative for relending to uniformed personnel. PAFCPIC is one of the largest cooperatives in thecountry composed mainly of members of the military.

PNB widens reach in Visayas, Mindanao PHILIPPINE National Bank, the fifthlargest lender in terms of assets, has widened its reach in the Visayas and Mindanao regions in response to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ call for financial institutions to be vital instruments for financial inclusion.

PNB said in a statement Friday the newly-opened branches were composed of “branch-lite” units aimed for the unbanked and underserved communities.

Executive vice president and retail banking sector head Bernie Tocmo said PNB was strengthening its presence in places where banking products and services were seen to be most needed to support the growth of regional economies.

As of August 2018, PNB has successfully established six branchlite units, including PNB Quezon City-BSP in Metro Manila; PNB CebuMactan International Airport in Cebu; PNB Pagadian City-Gaisano Capital in Zamboanga del Sur; PNB Leyte-Baybay City-VSU in Leyte; PNB Southern Leyte-Hinunangan in Southern Leyte; and PNB Davao-Samal Island in Davao del Norte. Juilito G. Rada

Century: Batulao vacation homes post sales of P2b

By Jenniffer B. Austria PROPERTY developer Century Properties Group said it has pre-sold P2 billion worth of vacation homes in Batulao Artscapes, its first residential tourism project in Nasugbu, Batangas.

Century Properties said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it sold 342 units since the launching of Batulao Artsacpes in December 2017.

Tim Hallett, head of Century Properties’ leisure, tourism and hospitality division, said the project attracted local end users seeking a weekend retreat, as well as families and active retirees looking for secondary homes not too far from Metro Manila but surrounded by nature and a cooler climate.

“This community is the first of its kind in the market. We are excited to bring something that combines art, nature and adventure into this beautiful out-of-town property. We are optimistic of the market’s continuous positive response to the project given the expanding middle class and surge of domestic tourism in the Philippines,” he said.

Batulao Artscapes, which is within the first 36 hectares of the 142-hectare development, plans to offer 2,000 vacation homes with combined sales value of P19 billion.

Home prices range from P4 million for a 56-square-meter unit at the Cluster Village to the larger homes at the Curated Village, which start at P17.4 million with their own private pool and guest home.

Land development and home construction are in progress on site, with the first batch of homes scheduled for completion in early 2019.

FOR PH STARTUPS. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez (third from left) and Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato de la Peña (second from L) sign an agreement that includes the Department of Information and Communications Technology to further support Philippine startups. The Startup Systems Program 2019-2023 aims to strengthen the collaboration between the government, industry and academe in spearheading endeavors to promote and assist PH startups. With them are Department of Science and Technology Undersecretary Rowena Guevara (leftmost) and Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Nora Terrado (right most).

Japan’s Uniqlo opens global flagship store in Glorietta 5

By Othel V. Campos JAPANESE giant apparel retailer Uniqlo unveiled Thursday its global flagship store in Manila, one of only 15 flagship outlets in the world.

Uniqlo Philippine partner SM Retail collaborated with Ayala Malls to house the Uniqlo Manila inside the posh Glorietta 5 Wing, where the store occupies 4,100 square meters of retail space.

“Our Global Flagship Stores are designed as showcases to the world, displaying the very best that Uniqlo has to offer. Uniqlo Manila is an important example of our commitment to Southeast Asia. It is one of the largest Uniqlo stores in the world and is a big step toward continued Uniqlo growth in the region and globally,” said Uniqlo

chief executive officer for Southeast Asia and Oceania Satoshi Hatase.

Global flagship store features are incorporated into Uniqlo Manila’s design. Highlights include revolving mannequins in the store atrium display windows and stunning LED displays throughout.

A reference to the store’s opening campaign Our Future Is Here, the first floor will feature artworks by members of the Plus63 Design group. Capturing the cultural zeitgeist of the country, the team worked with Uniqlo to create a series of murals depicting scenes of everyday life in the Philippines, taking inspiration from its vibrancy and diversity to tell the story of each Filipino’s journey.

Uniqlo created customized instore experience to meet the needs of

customers. A space that brings together local and global flavor, Uniqlo Manila combines Filipino ingenuity and creativity with the brand’s global and innovative retail expertise to deliver the ultimate Manila shopping experience.

Uniqlo Manila includes a terrace for customers as a quiet respite from the busy store. Set up with lounge furniture by local designer Kenneth Cobonpue, the terrace acts as a community area where shoppers can rest, meet new people and experience utmost satisfaction after a long day of shopping.

Uniqlo is a brand of Fast Retailing Co. Ltd., a leading global Japanese retail holding company that designs, manufactures and sells clothing under seven main brands: Comptoir des Cotonniers, GU, Helmut Lang, J Brand, Princesse tam.tam, Theory and Uniqlo.

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2018

B1

Shell keen on buying Alegria oil output

By Alena Mae S. Flores PILIPINAS Shell Petroleum Corp. has expressed interest to purchase crude from the Alegria oil and gas discovery in Cebu, according to the parent firm of the project proponent, Polyard Petroleum International Group Ltd. Polyard disclosed to the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong unit China International Mining Petroleum Co. Ltd. received a letter of intent from Shell, the country’s second largest oil company.

“Pursuant to the letter of intent, CIMP may sell and PSPC may purchase the crude oil produced by CIMP from the Alegria Oil and Gas Field,” Polyard said.

Polyard cited the letter of intent in which an initial analysis of the quality of the crude oil produced by CIMP was found to be acceptable as a feedstock to Shell’s refinery, “but it is subject to further detailed analysis.”

Shell owns a 110,000 barrel-perday refinery in Batangas. Shell officials did not comment as of press time.

The letter said the price of the crude oil produced by CIMP and additional contractual terms and clauses would be subject to negotiations.

“Upon successful resolution of the above conditions and negotiations, a formal sales and purchase agreement shall be negotiated and executed by CIMP and PSPC,” Polyard said.

It clarified that no definitive consideration, means and terms of the formal agreement had been formulated, and no binding agreement in relation to the letter of intent had been signed.

“The board of directors of the company considers the potential transactions contemplated under the letter of intent, if materializes, (offer) potential opportunities for CIMP to secure sales of crude oil and enhance its performance which will be in the interest of the company and its shareholders as a whole,” it said.

CIMP holds Petroleum Service Contract No. 49 which covers the Alegria oil field, an onshore site in the fourth-class town of Alegria in the southern part of Cebu province.

CIMP acquired an 80-percent stake in the participating interest of the SC 49 project and became its operator in July 2009. The contract covers a 25-year production period.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi earlier said the Alegria oil field can power up to 60 megawatts of natural gas-fired power plant and produce up to 360 barrels of oil per day.

“There are two wells that already produced 180 barrels per day. They are ready so we are just scheduling when will be the first delivery, first output,” Cusi said.

$38-m loan in Medical City questioned

BANK OF CHINA’S NEW HOME. Bank of China officially transfers its operations to its new home in BGC, located at the The Finance Center, 26th Street, corner 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City. The new office is a testament to the bank’s growing presence in the Philippines. The move is strategic in nature according says Deng Jun, Country Head of Bank of China Manila. Bank of China is China’s most international and diversified bank with operations in 54 countries and regions around the world where it provides a comprehensive range of financial services to customers.

Bank of China has a full commercial banking license in the Philippines and has been in operations since 2002.

THE former president and chief executive officer of The Medical City has asked the hospital’s treasurer to disclose the terms and conditions of a $38-million loan extended by a Singapore-based investor and which was used to fund the acquisition of Professional Services Inc. shares.

Dr. Alfredo Bengzon in a statement called on Jose Xavier Gonzales “to bare the truth” regarding the “real intention” of the loan from Viva Holdings, saying the transaction might have “failed to protect the interest of the company and other stockholders.”

Viva Holdings is identified with the Clermont Group, an international finance services and retail conglomerate.

Bengzon earlier filed a complaint before the Securities and Exchange Commission questioning the validity of the acquisition of a 54-percent stake in PSI by Gonzales’ companies and Viva Holdings. PSI owns and operates The Medical City.

Bengzon claimed the group, through

allegedly “fraudulent” actions, acquired and increased its shareholding from at least 35 percent to over 50 percent.

Bengzon said Gonzales had admitted that the $38-million loan extended

by Viva funded the acquisition of PSI shares by Gonzales’ holding company in 2013. Gonzales said loan had since been “satisfied.”

Bengzon alleged that under the agreement, the loan and all accrued interest could be converted to one share of Gonzales’ HK company. Gonzales could then buy back that share from Viva for only HK$101, if he was able to deliver to Viva an amended articles of incorporation of PSI, where the corporation’s right of first refusal was removed.

“Gonzales should explain to PSI shareholders if this is what he means with his repeated public statements that the loan has been ‘satisfied.’ If so, Gonzales seems to have gotten the deal of the century—HK$101 for US$38 million,” Bengzon said.

B2

Business

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market slips; Jollibee declines

T

he stock market fell slightly Friday in step with the rest of Asia, with local investors wary about rising inflation, the weak peso and the health of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index slipped 15.14 points, or 0.2 percent, to 7,078.20 on a value turnover of P4.1 billion. Losers routed gainers, 129 to 66, with 40 issues unchanged.

The inflation rate in August further accelerated to a nine-year high of 6.7 percent from 6.4 percent a month ago, driven mainly by faster increases in the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, the Philippine Statistics Authority said on Friday.

President Duterte on Thursday admitted that he sought a second opinion at Cardinal Santos hospital on Wednesday after undergoing endoscopy and colonoscopy three weeks ago.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said earlier Thursday Duterte decided to take a “day-off” on Wednesday when he had been expected to grace a turnover ceremony involving Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

Conglomerate JG Summit Holdings Inc. of industrialist John Gokongwei dropped 3.4 percent to P49.05, while Megawide Construction Corp. declined 2.6 percent to P14.02.

LT Group Inc. of airline and tobacco tycoon Lucio Tan retreated 2.6 percent to P14.34, while Jollibee Foods Corp., the biggest fast-food chain, fell 2 percent to P247.

The rest of Asian markets suffered further losses Thursday, hit by mounting fears about the path of US interest

rate hikes and the increasingly fraught relations between China and the United States.

Stocks in Hong Kong, where monetary policy is linked to the Fed because of the city’s dollar peg, fell 0.2 percent Friday, having already lost more than four percent this week.

Tokyo ended 0.8 percent lower, Singapore shed 0.7 percent, Seoul was 0.3 percent off and Taipei sank 1.9 two percent.

New Zealand, Mumbai and Jakarta were also well down.

Tech firms were among the worst hit following a news report that said Beijing had used microchips as part of a drive to steal technology secrets.

Traders tracked a sell-off on Wall Street, where all three main indexes were hit by another increase in the 10year US Treasury yield to a fresh sevenyear high.

With Treasuries the key gauge for

Federal Reserve policymakers when deciding interest rate hikes, markets are growing more concerned that the cost of borrowing will rise more than previously expected and in turn hit the economy.

This week also saw Fed chief Jerome Powell deliver a hawkish assessment of rates, which added fuel to the fire for many who are predicting a quick pace of hikes.

The prospect of borrowing costing more, slamming the door shut on a decade of ultra cheap cash, has sent investors running for the hills, with indebted emerging market economies in the spotlight as dollar-denominated repayments become harder.

“This week’s Fed speak does paint an exceedingly rosy picture of the US economy, the prospect of higher inflation and the Fed responding with even quicker and steeper rate hikes,” said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trading at OANDA. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2018

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 58.45 13,640 81 1,875,840 2.4 10,000 115.2 1,054,410 1.36 15,000 28.85 28,000 15.1 200 12.38 59,000 4.27 84,000 1.73 2,000 825 350 0.52 129,000 66.2 1,754,050 0.91 293,000 11.5 3,000 42.95 45,900 184.1 550 73.5 710 25.5 6,000 144.8 536,490 65.95 12,530 1.17 169,000

799,217.50 151,925,791 24,000 121,689,325 20,720 810,910 3,010 730,972 357,240 3,460 288,850 67,090 116,134,627.50 266,500 34,500 1,972,135 101,250 52,150 153,210 77,842,693 826,907 198,150

637,726 -65,583,434.50 -86,235,598 -23,150 -500,344 82,500 -49,092,668 -182,000 -1,070,260 -38,951,086.00 -147,121.00 -

33.5 18.16 0.92 1.23 0.216 110 2.14 13.5 34 17.06 38 65 1.71 6.75 9.88 15.14 8.32 6.92 7.07 16.02 63.8 25.5 6.68 12.2 1.83 246.6 4.8 3.24 24.4 11.06 14.02 350 0.182 6.4 1.78 4.06 8.5 4.75 8.98 0.94 10.3 53.55 4.85 2.4 1.6 11.8 93 5.2 0.124 0.96 133.5 1.88 2.03

INDUSTRIAL 33.6 1,163,300 18.3 985,300 0.95 19,194,000 1.27 1,002,000 0.22 480,000 110 10 2.18 8,300,000 13.5 472,700 34 523,500 17.9 600 38 16,300 65 120 1.71 71,000 7.39 700 10 1,399,300 15.36 113,000 8.34 17,700 7.01 174,100 7.07 511,600 16.28 388,800 64 32,660 25.55 15,200 6.68 147,700 12.2 2,525,700 1.84 323,000 247 897,790 4.8 30,000 3.24 3,000 25.25 1,355,800 11.16 28,100 14.02 5,313,500 356 238,180 0.184 350,000 6.4 3,500 1.78 5,469,000 4.06 60,000 8.64 864,300 4.76 58,000 8.98 18,400 0.94 1,053,000 10.66 53,300 53.65 136,100 4.85 79,000 2.45 1,226,000 1.61 298,000 12 99,400 93.05 1,025,030 5.2 148,200 0.124 40,000 0.96 41,000 133.5 331,530 1.9 955,000 2.07 2,290,000

39,344,295 17,983,614 18,623,540 1,246,910 105,640 1,100 18,073,350 6,384,388 18,206,500 10,324 627,130 7,800 121,410 5,045 13,930,875 1,730,956 147,665 1,214,250 3,617,012 6,306,418 2,090,569 388,110 989,778 31,192,164 596,220 222,232,564 144,000 9,870 33,763,290 314,060 75,154,170 84,460,770 65,080 22,678 9,843,860 244,800 7,441,213 275,850 165,576 995,400 564,858 7,304,933.50 383,150 2,966,180 481,250 1,192,512 98,401,112 777,711 4,960 39,360 44,342,720 1,811,610 4,707,320

-6,030,170 5,624,414.00 -49,890 -9,070,260 334,350 -3,850 68,400 3,117,030 1,007,278 -2,508 -203,944 -789,719 -888,498 1,436,269 -5,100 -404,872 14,074,598 -46,320 -139,557,612 7,956,770 -83,830 -45,220,570 15,825,506 9,380 -2,217,300 1,183,183 -50,658 1,728,468.50 242,500 -24,150 685,110 15,552,559 -1,276,481 -9,450 -138,130

0.425 48 11.98 0.93 6.14 28.3 1.29 1.28 935 5.95 11.98 5.64 797.5 6.1 51.4 6.6 0.57 4.7 14.48 0.58 4.91 0.038 1.23 2.43 173.4 875 0.83 1.4 281 0.26 0.216

0.415 46.25 11.78 0.88 6.14 26 1.21 1.22 911.5 5.83 11.58 4.51 764 6.1 49.05 5.79 0.55 4.38 14.12 0.55 4.76 0.037 1.18 2.36 170 866.5 0.78 1.4 279 0.25 0.216

HOLDING FIRMS 0.42 11,590,000 47.1 531,400 11.78 1,875,800 0.93 4,000 6.14 2,000 26.75 90,700 1.25 5,404,000 1.24 1,665,000 935 196,600 5.9 1,453,800 11.72 2,697,400 5.64 2,700 764 80,280 6.1 20,000 49.05 1,819,680 5.79 6,000 0.57 8,000 4.66 427,000 14.34 5,802,100 0.55 828,000 4.76 7,094,000 0.037 11,800,000 1.18 14,000 2.36 379,000 172.9 519,500 870 259,030 0.83 203,000 1.4 1,000 281 3,220 0.255 1,230,000 0.216 10,000

4,826,050 25,060,205 22,247,874 3,620 12,280 2,441,750 6,682,460 2,060,800 181,532,790 8,572,879 31,697,476 12,932 61,995,380 122,000 90,153,284.50 37,090 4,500 1,949,340 82,667,366 464,650 34,169,570 442,300 17,040 902,920 89,515,739 225,811,735 166,630 1,400 904,190 311,150 2,160

-415,000 -16,183,465 -17,918,346 102,245 300,210 -63,784,480 869,387 -20,378,280 -38,487,605 -6,841,007 -489,360 -5,236,416 -5,519,980 0 5,314,465 -144,407,865 -

7.23 0.84 11.96 2.03 0.63 39.3 2.44 4.43 5.2 0.44 0.93 0.23 0.4 8.29 19.8 0.56 0.11 1.46 1.14 2.49 4.21 0.63 0.45 0.43 3.93

7.12 0.82 11.96 2.03 0.63 38.75 2.39 4.35 5.2 0.43 0.9 0.218 0.365 8.27 19.48 0.56 0.11 1.44 1.11 2.33 4.1 0.6 0.44 0.415 3.87

1,871,378 299,460 8,372 40,600 117,810 347,107,485 3,289,260 170,700 260,000 1,365,500 15,560 118,610 309,100 316,824 5,886,766 5,040 24,200 4,662,000 764,820 34,874,010 39,848,030 34,765,620 545,800 124,950 847,800

10,695 -80,661,970 -3,006,660 44,000 121,500 1,654 -2,957,938 43,750 -1,553,600 -6,600,150 235,690 -308,000 -107,700

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK BRIGHT KINDLE CHINABANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK FERRONOUX HLDG IREMIT MANULIFE MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PB BANK PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK VANTAGE

58 81.2 2.4 117 1.58 29.5 15 12.4 4.29 1.73 826 0.54 66.05 0.92 11.5 42.8 184.1 73 25.7 146 66 1.17

58.95 81.35 2.4 117 1.58 29.5 15.1 12.46 4.29 1.73 826 0.54 66.9 0.92 11.5 43 184.1 73.7 25.7 146.8 66 1.18

58 80.6 2.4 115 1.32 28.8 15 12.34 4.21 1.73 825 0.51 66 0.9 11.5 42.8 184 73 25.5 144.7 65.6 1.17

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

34.2 18.24 1.01 1.27 0.222 110 2.25 13.52 35.6 17.08 38.6 65 1.71 6.75 9.91 15.2 8.32 7.01 7.07 16.04 64.5 25.55 6.73 12.7 1.9 251 4.8 3.39 24.75 11.24 14.38 354 0.187 6.49 1.8 4.15 8.59 4.75 9.02 0.97 10.48 53.75 4.85 2.46 1.63 11.8 98 5.3 0.124 0.96 134 1.92 2.06

34.3 18.3 1.02 1.28 0.222 110 2.32 13.56 36 17.9 38.6 65 1.71 7.39 10.02 15.4 8.36 7.01 7.07 16.36 64.9 25.55 6.73 12.7 1.9 251.4 4.8 3.39 25.5 11.24 14.38 359 0.19 6.49 1.8 4.15 8.65 4.8 9.02 0.97 10.8 53.9 4.85 2.46 1.65 12.06 100 5.3 0.124 0.96 137.2 1.92 2.1

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ANSCOR ASIABEST GROUP ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B AYALA CORP COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FJ PRINCE A GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT KEPPEL HLDG A 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 ZEUS HLDG

0.42 47.8 11.9 0.88 6.14 28.15 1.25 1.28 930 5.84 11.7 4.52 783.5 6.1 51.05 6.6 0.57 4.65 14.4 0.55 4.85 0.038 1.22 2.43 170.2 869.5 0.78 1.4 280 0.26 0.216

8990 HLDG A BROWN ANCHOR LAND ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEB LANDMASTERS CEBU HLDG CENTURY PROP CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DM WENCESLAO DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE IRC PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP

7.13 0.84 11.96 2.03 0.63 38.9 2.44 4.43 5.2 0.43 0.93 0.22 0.39 8.28 19.52 0.56 0.11 1.46 1.11 2.36 4.12 0.63 0.45 0.415 3.87

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

PTFC REDEV CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND STARMALLS VISTA LAND

31.4 19.7 1.95 3.15 34 1.15 6.35 6

31.4 20 1.96 3.16 34.6 1.15 6.35 6

31.4 19.62 1.9 3.15 33.95 1.12 6.24 5.89

31.4 19.8 1.96 3.15 34.3 1.14 6.3 5.9

37,300 411,200 42,000 24,000 7,079,100 77,000 67,300 3,370,700

1,171,220 8,144,092 80,780 75,620 242,796,120 86,530 421,620 19,925,335

-3,695,636 9,670 6,320 -125,136,550 -633 -12,421,600

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 INTL CONTAINER IPEOPLE ISLAND INFO ISM COMM JACKSTONES LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES LORENZO SHIPPNG MACROASIA MANILA JOCKEY MELCO RESORTS METRO RETAIL METROALLIANCE A MLA BRDCASTING NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG 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

10.4 21.5 0.465 0.04 1.88 8.12 0.06 67.5 8 5.27 8.45 22.2 890 2,172 5.35 305 2.62 94.15 11.54 0.114 2.37 3.1 14.26 3.58 0.91 17.16 5.84 7.08 2.36 1.39 16 7.36 10.98 8.85 100 4.23 1,380 0.85 0.38 45 80 7.46 2.31 0.81 0.55 5.17 0.67 10.5

10.68 21.5 0.47 0.042 1.92 8.3 0.061 69 8 5.29 9 22.75 890 2,290 5.35 312.4 2.62 95.45 11.98 0.116 2.49 3.2 14.26 3.6 0.97 17.28 5.84 7.09 2.37 1.51 16 7.4 10.98 8.85 100 4.23 1,401 0.87 0.38 45 80 7.46 2.46 0.82 0.55 5.2 0.68 10.88

10.3 21 0.46 0.038 1.85 8.11 0.059 67.2 8 4.78 8.42 20 890 2,172 5.25 305 2.58 93 11.54 0.114 2.37 3.09 14.26 3.22 0.89 17.02 5.6 7.06 2.3 1.38 16 7.23 10.98 8.85 100 4.1 1,376 0.85 0.37 43.2 77.8 7.45 2.29 0.78 0.52 5.17 0.65 10.5

SERVICES 10.64 21.5 0.46 0.041 1.85 8.12 0.061 67.2 8 4.8 9 20.1 890 2,270 5.25 312.4 2.62 95.45 11.6 0.115 2.46 3.2 14.26 3.45 0.96 17.1 5.82 7.06 2.3 1.51 16 7.3 10.98 8.85 100 4.23 1,390 0.85 0.375 44 78 7.45 2.45 0.81 0.52 5.19 0.66 10.84

9,100 7,800 2,020,000 12,600,000 3,034,000 7,269,400 8,320,000 35,360 102,600 4,574,100 63,400 146,900 300 90,245 444,500 200 678,000 417,390 2,300 410,000 2,061,000 41,000 100 1,379,000 992,000 340,300 5,400 900,900 251,000 15,000 100 966,000 2,000 10,500 740 284,000 113,100 1,340,000 550,000 190,600 1,301,740 3,000 24,558,000 2,682,000 15,578,000 466,400 1,213,000 1,667,000

94,234 167,550 936,200 496,300 5,655,990 59,144,489 495,910 2,381,699 820,800 22,571,137 554,041 3,012,280 267,000 204,011,590 2,337,494 61,074 1,760,390 39,475,292.50 26,786 47,150 5,015,620 128,560 1,426 4,826,430 919,300 5,829,254 30,332 6,369,435 589,010 21,240 1,600 7,065,256 21,960 92,925 74,000 1,173,360 157,364,045 1,146,480 204,650 8,383,010 102,234,413.50 22,360 59,200,690 2,142,310 8,243,380 2,421,324 797,490 17,960,268

-4,569,694 -1,365,033.50 175,515 102,563,850 -125,740 -1,507,344 11,970 -183,590 -224,010 1,135,516 -383,600 -14,600 88,500 -50,160 37,410,495 -303,100 118,880 -15,995,105 -22,360 -1,990,010 427,920 -212,100 -13,520 -22,940 10,082,974

ABRA MINING APEX MINING ATLAS MINING ATOK CENTURY PEAK DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL GEOGRACE LEPANTO A LEPANTO 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

0.0026 1.51 2.91 17.48 1.91 7.04 1.84 0.205 0.11 0.111 1.29 4.26 1.1 0.68 1.14 0.014 0.013 0.012 3.77 3.3 15.84 25 0.0077

0.0027 1.53 2.91 17.48 1.92 7.08 1.84 0.205 0.111 0.111 1.29 4.3 1.15 0.71 1.15 0.014 0.013 0.012 3.77 3.32 16.18 25.4 0.0077

0.0024 1.45 2.9 17.48 1.91 7.03 1.82 0.201 0.109 0.11 1.27 4.2 1.06 0.67 1.1 0.013 0.013 0.012 3.42 3.26 15.74 24.95 0.0074

MINING & OIL 0.0026 684,000,000 1.45 4,550,000 2.9 64,000 17.48 1,500 1.92 416,000 7.08 4,000 1.83 405,000 0.201 440,000 0.11 800,000 0.11 2,000,000 1.27 6,000 4.23 355,000 1.12 9,000 0.68 1,116,000 1.1 1,124,000 0.014 34,000,000 0.013 1,900,000 0.012 29,100,000 3.5 178,000 3.27 765,000 15.74 2,341,800 25.1 3,279,800 0.0074 2,000,000

1,750,600 6,657,570 185,710 26,220 795,720 28,133 741,600 88,520 88,490 221,000 7,640 1,502,350 9,920 767,970 1,254,650 445,700 24,700 349,200 619,230 2,525,950 37,154,520 82,246,175 15,100

293,000 -11,610 112,030 -545,770 46,130 39,520 1,770,910.00 -38,792,970 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B2 ALCO PREF B DD PREF FGEN PREF G GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A HOUSE PREF A LR PREF PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC FB PREF 2 SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

19.2 489 100.1 100.2 100.8 492 5.09 911.5 98 1.02 103 109 983 76.3 75 74.8 75 74.5 74.5

19.2 495 100.5 100.4 102 492 5.09 911.5 98 1.04 103 109 999 76.3 75 75 75 75 75

18.8 489 100.1 100.2 100.5 490 5.04 911 98 1.02 103 101.2 983 76 75 74.8 74.5 74.5 74.5

PREFERRED 19 101,000 495 770 100.5 29,500 100.4 1,030 102 20,900 490 1,520 5.06 506,700 911 200 98 90 1.02 70,000 103 300 101.2 340 999 3,300 76 13,850 75 1,000 75 4,300 74.5 53,010 75 17,700 75 11,540

1,927,380 376,590 2,960,950 103,212 2,116,350 744,840 2,564,854 182,215 8,820 71,420 30,900 36,823 3,295,100 1,055,955 75,000 321,702 3,957,875 1,325,300 861,230

-218,380 -1,695,506 -723,380

LR WARRANT

2.4

2.4

2.31

WARRANTS 2.31 116,000

269,470

-

653,800 628,000

3,392,668 1,368,940

56,391 -210,690

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 106.8 16,550

1,768,932

2,136

51,005 70,700

-

NAME

MS

PROPERTY 7.23 0.82 11.96 2.03 0.63 39 2.39 4.35 5.2 0.44 0.93 0.23 0.4 8.29 19.48 0.56 0.11 1.44 1.11 2.49 4.15 0.6 0.445 0.43 3.88

259,700 365,000 700 20,000 187,000 8,894,300 1,372,000 39,000 50,000 3,130,000 17,000 540,000 810,000 38,300 301,500 9,000 220,000 3,224,000 689,000 14,476,000 9,629,000 57,134,000 1,240,000 300,000 218,000

ITALPINAS XURPAS

5.28 2.23

5.3 2.28

5.15 2.16

FIRST METRO ETF

107.3

107.3

106.8

USD DMPL A1 USD DMPL A2

10.1 10

10.1 10

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

6,292,729

INDUSTRIAL

62,435,375

HOLDING FIRMS

80,547,108

PROPERTY

114,322,987

SERVICES

98,450,924

MINING & OIL

769,150,363

GRAND TOTAL

1,132,499,336

10.1 10

5.16 2.16

10.1 10

SME

DDS

5,050 7,070

VALUE 1,574.96 (down) 5.18 497,802,618.40 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,405.15 (down) 55.66 813,355,175.68 HOLDING FIRMS 6,951.46 (down) 46.36 1,088,395,961.38 PROPERTY 3,487.97 (up) 22.25 1,503.83 (up) 3.14 753,445,971.01 SERVICES MINING & OIL 8,652.67 (down) 35.27 785,311,523.34 PSEI 7,078.20 (down) 15.14 137,526,346.83 All Shares Index 4,363.36 (down) 6.98 4,082,369,921.58 Gainers: 66; Losers: 129; Unchanged: 40; Total: 235

Metrobank set to issue P2b in CPs and bonds

By Julito G. Rada METROPOLITAN Bank & Trust Co., the second-largest lender in terms of assets, plans to raise at least P2 billion through the issuance of the first tranche of a P100-billion bond and commercial paper program.

Metrobank said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Friday it appointed Standard Chartered Bank as sole arranger for the first tranche of the issuance.

“The first tranche will have a tenor of two to five years to be priced using the applicable Php benchmark. Issue size will be determined through a book-build process,” it said.

“The bank is looking to raise at least P2 billion, with the option to upsize. Timing of the issuance will be subject to market conditions,” Metrobank said.

The bank’s board on Sept. 19 approved the bond and commercial paper program of up to P100 billion in one or more tranches and tenors of at least three months.

The bank said the the program aimed to support lending activities and diversify funding sources.

Metrobank is one of the leading universal and commercial banks in the country in terms of assets, deposits and loans.

Net income in the first six months of 2017 climbed 16 percent to P11 billion from a year ago, buoyed by the sustained strength of core businesses. Net income in the second quarter jumped 31 percent to P5.2 billion from P3.9 billion a year ago.

Metrobank president Fabian Dee said the solid performance was driven by the core business, as the double-digit growth in loans and sustained Casa (current and savings account) ratio lifted margins, while recurring expense growth was kept at a manageable level.

The bank said the loan growth guidance of high-teens was met, as the total portfolio expanded 18 percent year-on-year to P1.3 trillion. The commercial segment led the growth at 21 percent, driven by the strong performance of top corporate accounts followed by middle market and SMEs.

Chelsea bares Roro passenger ship, oil tanker

By Darwin G. Amojelar CHELSEA Logistics Holdings Corp. on Friday inaugurated the country’s biggest vessel and a brand-new roll-on, roll-off passenger ship.

“We have long dreamed of having our presence felt in the international waters and to commence our foray into the regional liquid carrier market. Today, we are grateful to welcome our biggest as well as the Philippines’ biggest registered vessel – M/T Chelsea Providence,” CLC founder and chairman Dennis Uy said.

M/T Chelsea Providence is a 183.3-meter long medium-range oil tanker that can carry up to 54 million liters of petroleum at any given time.

“In our efforts to provide better customer experience, safe and reliable journey, and convenient travel, the Chelsea Group has been investing in younger vessels and presently brand-new ones, including the one we are on board right now—the M/V Salve Regina,” Uy said.

M/V Salve Regina, is a roll-on, rolloff vessel which can accommodate more than 500 passengers and 41 vehicles. It is the first brand-new RoPax to service the Batangas-Caticlan route.

It was built by Kegoya Dock Co. Ltd., a Japan-based shipbuilder.

“With M/T Chelsea Providence, we hope to support local oil companies in the importation of various petroleum products and in ensuring a reliable supply of fuel for our growing economy,” CLC president and chief executive Chryss Alfonsus Damus said.

“We also look forward to supporting Philippine tourism, as M/V Salve Regina offers more options for tourists to reach and experience one of the country’s most-visited tourist destinations,” he added.

CLC has been in an expansion mode.

It operates 16 tankers, 20 RoPax, 9 cargo vessels and 14 tugboats through Chelsea Shipping, Starlite Ferries,Trans-Asia Shipping Lines Inc. and Fortis Tugs. In addition, its investee 2GO Group, Inc. operates eight RoPax vessels, five cargo vessels and 11 fast craft.

World

B3

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2018 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Korean ex-president jailed for 15 years

HOMAGE TO AZNAVOUR. French comedian Michel Leeb and his wife Beatrice arrive to attend the national homage to French-Armenian singer-songwriter Charles Aznavour at the Invalides in Paris on October 5, 2018. Aznavour, 94, was found dead on October 1, 2018, at his home in the southeast, sparking nationwide mourning for an entertainer who sold 180 million records during his eight-decade-long career. AFP

US Senate braces for key vote on Kavanaugh W

SEOUL―Former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak was jailed for 15 years for corruption Friday, becoming the latest of the country’s ex-leaders to be sent to prison.

The 76-year-old CEO-turnedpresident, who served from 2008 to 2013, was found guilty on charges including bribery and embezzlement and ordered to pay a fine of 13 billion won ($11.5 million) by the Seoul Central District Court.

The former South Korean leader was indicted in April on 16 charges that included bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.

The court found that Lee was the de-facto owner of DAS―a controversial auto parts company that he claimed was his brother’s―which he used to create slush funds of around 24 billion won.

Lee was also found guilty of

accepting nearly six billion won from his relatives and aides as from Samsung Electronics in re- “fabrications”. turn for a presidential pardon for His lawyer called the ruling its chairman Lee Kun-hee, who “extremely regrettable” and said was jailed for tax evasion. the court’s finding of Lee as the A Samsung spokesman de- de-facto owner of DAS “hard to clined to comment on Friday’s understand”. ruling.

He told reporters that he will “Despite objective evidence discuss appealing the verdict and credible testimonies, he has with Lee and reach a decision by denied all offenses and shifted Monday, according to Yonhap. responsibilities to others by saySouth Korean presidents have ing he was being framed,” said a tendency to end up in prison afa judge during the trial that was ter their time in power – usually broadcast live. once their political rivals have “Bringing everything into con- moved into the presidential Blue sideration, heavy punishment for House. the accused is inevitable,” she All four former South Korean said. presidents who are still alive Lee was not in attendance, have now been convicted for citing ill-health and in protest criminal offenses. against the court’s decision to Conservative Lee’s successor televise the ruling.

Park Geun-hye was sentenced to Lee earlier dismissed what 25 years in prison and fined milprosecutors say are “incriminat- lions of dollars for bribery and ing” documents andCYAN testimony abuse YELLOW of power. AFP MAGENTA BLACK

Manila

Standard

November 22, 2018 (THU) to February 20, 2019 (WED)

TODAY

December 07, 2018 (FRI) to January 19, 2019 (SAT)

Republic of the Philippines COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS Manila CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES AND PERIODS OF CERTAIN PROHIBITED ACTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE JANUARY 21, 2019 PLEBISCITE TO RATIFY THE “ORGANIC LAW FOR THE BANGSAMORO IN THE AUTONOMOUS REGION IN MUSLIM MINDANAO, PURSUANT TO REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11054 OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE “ORGANIC LAW FOR THE BANGSAMORO AUTONOMOUS REGION IN MUSLIM MINDANAO”. x--------------------------------------------------------x

ABAS, Sheriff M., PARREÑO, Al A., GUIA, Luie Tito F., GUANZON, Ma. Rowena Amelia V., INTING, Socorro B., CASQUEJO, Marlon S., KHO, Antonio, Jr. T.,

Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner

WHEREAS, the Commission on Elections (Comelec), pursuant to its powers under the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, the Omnibus Election Code, Republic Act No.11054, and other election laws, will conduct and supervise the January 21, 2019 plebiscite ratify the “Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao”; WHEREAS, in relation to the said plebiscite, some periods and dates prescribed by law for certain pre-election acts are no longer reasonably possible to observe;

A final vote could come Saturday on President Donald Trump’s embattled candidate, who if approved would seal a conservative majority on the nine-seat court for decades.

It is not a done deal, however.

Republicans hold a 51-49 majority in the chamber and three of their members are seen as undecided on Kavanaugh, as a confirmation process that has gripped the city and the nation and aggravated already deep political divisions reaches its climax with just weeks to go before the midterm elections.

Under new rules approved last year, 50 votes are needed for victory in Friday’s procedural vote. It is on ending debate on the confirmation and moving to a formal and definitive confirmation vote.

The vote is expected around 10:30 am (1430 GMT). That same threshold of 50 also applies to the final confirmation vote.

DATE/PERIOD July 02, 2018 (MON) to September 29,2018 (SAT)

IN BRIEF

Using armored land, water or air craft (Sec. 261 (r), OEC) . (Note: prohibition includes the day before elect!on and election day).

Appointing or using special policemen, special/ confidential agents or the like.

(Sec . 261 (m), OEC).

(Note: prohibition includes the day before election and election day) .

December 07, 2018 (FRI) to January 21, 2019 (MON) December 07, 2018 (FRI) to February 05,2019 (TUE)

PLEBISCITE PERIOD

Use of security personnel or bodyguards by candidate (Sec. 33,R.A. 7166) Transfer or detail of officers and employees in the civil service including public school teachers. (Sec. 261 (h),OEC).

NOW, THEREFORE, the Commission on Elections, hereby prescribes the following calendar of activities and periods of certain prohibited acts in connection with the January 21. 2019 plebiscite to ratify the “Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao: ACTIVITIES Filing of applications for registration of voters, transfer of registration records, reactivation of registration records, etc” in the plebiscite areas, except for Marawi City.

September 11, 2018 (TUE) to Special registration.

September 13, 2018 (THU) October 01, 2018 to October 15, 2018

Conduct of special registration in Marawi City

October 03, 2018 (WED)

Last day to post notice of ERB hearing and list of applicants for registration of voters, transfer of registration records, reactivation of registration records, etc., except for Marawi City.

October 06, 2018 (SAT)

Last day to file opposition to the applications for registration as voters, transfer of registration records, reactivation of registration records, etc ., in the plebiscite areas, except for Marawi City.

October 09, 2018 (TUE)

October 18,2018 (THU)

October 22, 2018

October 25,2018 (FRI)

Approval or disapproval of applications for registration of voters, transfer of registration records, reactivation of registration records, etc., for Marawi City.

Last day to post the list of approved and disapproved applications for registration, transfer of registration records, reactivation of registration records, etc., for Marawi City.

November 16, 2018 (Fri)

Suspension of any elective provincial, city, municipal or barangay officer. (Sec. 261 (x), OEC).

December 22, 2018 (SAT) to January 20,2019 (SUN)

Appointment or hiring of new employees, creation of new position, promotion, or giving of salary increases, remuneration or privileges.

(Sec. 261 (g), OEC).

Construction of public works, delivery of materials for public works, issuance of treasury warrants and similar devices.

(Sec. 261 (w),OEC) Release, disbursement or expenditures of public funds.

(Sec. 261. (v), OEC)

January 20, 2019 (SUN)

EVE OF PLEBISCITE DAY

Last day to file petition for inclusion of voters. (Sec. 34, RA 8189).

Last day to file petition for exclusion of voters. (Sec . 35, RA 8189).

Period to constitute the Plebiscite Committee (PlebCom), DepEd Supervising Officer (DESO), and their Support Staff, Municipal Plebiscite Boards of Canvassers, City Plebiscite Boards of Canvassers, Provincial Plebiscite Boards of Canvassers, and the Regional Board of Canvassers.

November 17, 2018

Last day for the ERB to certify the List of Voters for the plebiscite. (See Sec. 28,Comelec Resolution No. 10166 dated October 25, 2016 in relation to Comelec Resolution No. 10188 dated July 19, 2017)

November 22,2018 (THU)

Lost day to post the Computerized Voters’ Lists (CVL) for the plebiscite. (Sec. 30, RA 8189 in relation to Sec. 29, RA 6646).

Campaigning (Sec. 3, OEC) .

Selling, furnishing, offering, buying, serving or taking intoxicating liquor, etc., (Sec .

261 (dd), OEC).

Giving, accepting free transportation, food, drinks and things of value (Sec. 89, (OEC).

(Note: Acts mentioned in the three preceding paragraphs are prohibited until election day).

January 21, 2019(MON)

Last day to file opposition to the applications for registration as voters, transfer of reg istration records, reactivation of registration records, etc., for Marawi City.

Last day to post the list of approved and disapproved applications for registration, transfer of registration records, reactivation of registra tion records, etc., in the plebiscite areas, except for Marawi City.

November 06, 2018 (Tue)

Organizing or maintaining reaction forces, strike forces or similar forces. (Sec. 261 (u),OEC).

PROHIBITED ACTS

Approval or disapproval of applications for registration of voters, transfer of registration records, reactivation of registration records, etc., in the plebiscite areas, except for Marawi City.

Last day to post notice of ERB hearing and list of applicants for registration of voters, transfer of registration records, reactivation of registration records, etc., for Marawi City.

Raising of funds thru dances, lotteries, cockfights, etc 97,OEC).

Alteration of territory of a precinct or establishment of a new precinct. (Sec. 5, R.A. 8189).

Carrying of firearms or other deadly weapons (Sec. 32, R.A. 7166).

“SEC. 29. Designation of Other Dates for Certain Pre-election Acts. - If it should no longer be reasonably possible to observe the periods and dates prescribed by law for certain pre-election acts, the Commission shall fi)( other periods and dates in order to ensure accomplishment of the activities so voters shall not be deprived of their right of suffrage .”

Vietnam makes fresh ivory, pangolin haul HANOI―Vietnam has seized eight tons of pangolin scales and elephant ivory shipped from Nigeria, police said Friday, the second such haul in a week in a country that both consumes and traffics huge volumes of endangered African wildlife.

The ivory and pangolin trade is banned by Vietnam, but sales continue to flourish on the black market due to demand domestically and from neighboring China, which feeds the global $20 billion industry.

The eight-tonne shipment was discovered Thursday at a port in the coastal city of Danang, according to the Hai Quan online newspaper, a state-run mouthpiece for Vietnam’s customs office, making it “the country’s biggest ever bust over the past several years.”

“The batch originated from Nigeria,” it said, adding that officials took several hours to tally up the ivory tusks and pangolin scales, which were listed as “scrap metal” on the container’s shipping bill.

Customs officials refused to comment when reached by AFP. Last Friday, authorities in Hanoi found almost 1,000 kilograms of pangolin scales and elephant ivory on a commercial flight arriving from Nigeria.AFP

Removing, destroying, obliterating, defacing, tampering or preventing distribution of lawful election propaganda. (Sec . 83, OEC) .

Holding of barangay Making any donation or gift assemblies (Sec. 47, OEC) in cash or in kind. (Sec .

104, OEC). (Note: prohibition includes the day before election and election day).

WHEREAS, the Commission on Elections finds it necessary to adjust, as it hereby adjusts, certain dates or periods to ensure accomplishment of preelection acts prescribed by law. pursuant to its authority under Section 29 of Republic Act No. 6646, thus:

Farmers welcome rain amid drought SYDNEY―Farmers in drought-stricken parts of Australia are celebrating after the heavens opened up this week, inundating parched lands with more than a month’s rain in one day following the country’s driest September on record.

Eastern Australia has been suffering from an extended dry period―in some regions stretching across several years―leaving farmers struggling to keep their sheep and cattle alive with dwindling supplies of feed.

A trough system moving across New South Wales state in the southeast of the vast continent since Wednesday has brought wild weather, including heavy rain, to bonedry towns including Broken Hill and Dubbo.

“A lot of New South Wales is in drought so getting rain anywhere is quite good,” Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Chua Zhi-Weng told AFP. The outback town of Broken Hill received 34.2 millimeters (1.35 inches) of rain on Wednesday, above the October monthly average of 24.2 millimeters and more than what they had received in the previous nine months.

“Forty-one millimeters! It’s bloody great to see. I’ve lost my words,” one farmer near the outback town of Menindee, which received some 50 millimeters in one day, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“It doesn’t matter how old you are, rain brings people joy,” another farmer told the ABC. AFP

CAMPAIGN PERIOD

RESOLUTION NO: __________

ASHINGTON―The US Senate girded Friday for a critical, too-closeto-call vote on moving ahead with the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, as the Republicans brushed aside the complaints by Democrats that a new FBI probe of sexual assault allegations against him was rushed and incomplete.

Thursday was a day of high drama and emotion in Washington: protesters swamped Capitol Hill and roamed the corridors of the Senate to lobby lawmakers who took turns in a secure basement room reviewing a single copy of the new FBI report on Kavanaugh.

More than 300 people were arrested, including the comedian Amy Schumer, who is a second cousin of Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer, and model Emily Ratajkowski.

Republicans insisted that a week-long investigation, summed up in the FBI dossier, had turned up nothing to corroborate the sexual assault allegations against the 53-year-old Kavanaugh, who now sits on a federal court in Washington.

Democrats assailed the probe as an incomplete vetting constrained by a White House determined to push through the lifetime appointment of Trump’s man. AFP

Illegal release of prisoners before and after election.

(Sec. 261 (n),OEC).

PLEBISCITE DAY Campaigning (Sec . 3, OEC).

Casting of votes (From 7:00 o’clock a .m. to 3:00 o’clock p.m.) (Sec. 190, OEC) Counting and canvassing Voting more than once or in of votes and proclamation substitution of another (Sec. of results (Immediately after 261 (z) (2) and (3). OEC) .

3:00 o’clock p .m.)

January 21, 2019(MON)

PLEBISCITE DAY

Soliciting votes or undertaking any propaganda for or against any candidate within the polling place or within thirty (30) meters thereof. (Sec. 261 (cc), (6),OEC).

Selling, furnishing, offering, buying, serving or taking intoxicating liquor, etc., (Sec .

261, (dd) , OEC).

Opening of booths or sta lls for the sale, etc, of wares, merchandise or refreshments within thirty (30) meters radius from the polling place. (Sec. 261 (dd) (2), OEC).

Giving, accepting free transportation, food, drinks and things of value (Sec. 89, OEC) Holding cockfights, horse races sports. (Sec. (3,) OEC).

The Education and Information Department shall disseminate copies of this Resolution, and shall cause its publication in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.

This Resolution shall take effect on the seventh (7th) day after its publication in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.

(MS-OCT. 6, 2018)

B4

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2018

Joel D. Lacsamana Lacsamana, Editor jdlacsamana@gmail.com

T

HE feeling of retreating into complete luxury in a five-star hotel after a long day of work or shopping, is one we could get used to. But frequent business travellers, in particular, will know that the novelty wears off after some time — and one starts craving the comforts of home, even if just for a few weeks.

The solution? Serviced apartments, which are fully-furnished accommodation options available for both short-term and long-term stays — providing guests with hotel-like services and amenities such as daily breakfast, room service, business lounges, wellequipped fitness centers, and expansive swimming pools.

GREAT CHOICE Serviced apartments are a great choice for business travellers temporarily moving to a city for months at a time, as well as professionals who want to stay within walking distance to their offices in the Central Business District (CBD), instead of jostling with the peak hour crowd every morning.

Metro Manila is host to a range of luxurious serviced apartments for the modern business traveller, or affluent professional.

One of them is the Somerset Millennium, a 30-storey development which rises over the business and commercial centers of Legaspi Village in Makati City.

Somerset Millennium is within walking distance to a wealth of lifestyle options, including the luxurious CBD-located malls where a variety of restaurants and entertainment venues are available.

“Serviced apartments are great for business travellers who are on short or long business trips, as well as families, and big groups travelling together,” explained Heidi Manabat, marketing manager of Ascott Limited. “The comprehensive range of facilities available — including in-house dining experiences and housekeeping services — is a key reason why people would choose serviced apartments over apartment rentals.”

COMPREHENSIVE AMENITIES Each of Somerset Millennium’s 132 units, from its studio to one- to threebedroom residences, offer contemporary interiors with kitchen amenities,

SWANKY DIGS IN THE CBD CANYON

Makati’s well-heeled, professionals home in on Somerset Millennium

separate dining areas and spacious living areas in most residences and wireless internet (WiFi).

The project also has a residents’ lounge, fitness center and outdoor swimming pool & jacuzzi.

One can have a wide variety of choices from a spacious studio, to a one-bed-

room with a huge living room area or a two-bedroom unit.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME For those in need of a haircut while ensconced in comfortable surroundings, John Barbers is located at the ground floor of the building, where one can get a quick massage, and some personal

spa treatment, the Paradasia Royale Spa at the building’s basement offers a beaconing ambience to relax body and soul.

Somerset Millennium is part of the the Ascott Limited’s serviced residences in over 130 cities across the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

CENTRAL EXPOSURE. AboitizLand, the Cebu-based property arm of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. recently launched Ajoya, a mid-market residential development that offers master-planned communities for families in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, and Capas, Tarlac. Ajoya Cabanatuan is a 19-hectare property located in Barangay Valle Cruz, Nueva Ecija, while Ajoya Capas is a 13-hectare house and lot development located in Barangays Talaga and Estrada in Tarlac. Both properties contain 1,000 units of homes each. Ajoya Cabanatuan property prices range from Php3.2M to Php5.5M, while Ajoya Capas’ are from Php1.7M to Php3.5M. “With the launch of Ajoya as our flagship mid-market residential product in Luzon, we are excited to finally bring the distinct spirit of AboitizLand communities to our prospective ‘vecinos’ (neighbors) in Nueva Ecija and Tarlac,” said AboitizLand first vice president Rafael de Mesa.

AboitizLand has built 23 communities, industrial, residential, and commercial combined, in more than 612 hectares of land in Cebu. In 2014, it expanded to Luzon with the acquisition of the 485-hectare industrial park Lima Technology Center in Lipa-Malvar, Batangas.

Form, function, flexibility in light

STELTZ Gallery recently unveiled lighting solutions created by designers Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby (Bellhop), Formafantasma (Wirering) and Michael Anastassiades (Arrangements), in collaboration with lights maker Flos.

The Bellhop (Seen in photo) is a cordless, spun aluminum lamp that pays homage to every hotel porter, from which it gets its name. The belllike shaped lap was originally conceptualized by Barber and Osgerby (the same design duo who made the 2012 London Olympic torch) to create a lamp for the newly-opened Design Museum’s Parabola restaurant.

The WireRing by Formafantasma was unveiled last year in Euroluce, during the annual Milan Design Week. Described by light artists and designers as a “tense sign of orthographic light”, it is midway between a wall lamp and floor lamp, and is reminiscent of the light ring concept in portrait photography as it frames faces, using its ring of indirect light.

Cyprus-born designer Michael Anastassiades’ new creation, Arrangement (Inset), is a flexible system of geometric light components which could be conjoined in different ways, creating seamless artistic compositions as individual chandeliers. The Steltz gallery is at the East Wing of Edsa Shangri-La Plaza Mall.

ENLIGHTENED LIVING IN EASTERN MM. DMCI Homes recently

MASTERPIECES OF ITALIAN DESIGN. Italian brand Boffi is celebrating its second year in the Philippine market, dishing out innovative kitchen installations and storage systems. Boffi’s kitchens are well known in the world of interior design and found in the most upscale homes around the world including in the Philippines, where the Italian manufacturer made its market debut two years ago through Focus Global, Inc., Boffi’s exclusive distributor. Boffi occupies a showroom at the ground floor of The Residences at Greenbelt, Makati City. Shown here is the Xila, an iconic, handle-less kitchen system by Luigi Massoni.

grooming as well.

In the mood for a twist on some classic Spanish-Filipino cuisine? There is the Abuela, at the 2nd Floor. If not, one you can always take a quick walk to Greenbelt or some surrounding restaurants around Legaspi like Kitchen 1B. For those who want to de-stress with a

launched Satori Residences, a five-building development along the bustling Santolan in Pasig City. ‘Satori’ in Japanese means “to awaken,” ‘conjuring an image of sudden, intuitive enlightenment in Zen Buddhism.

Inspired by this concept of finding one’s inner peace amid the chaos of everyday living, DMCI’s latest project along F. Pasco Avenue combines tranquil gardens and green spaces with five neo-Asian architecture themedbuildings - Amani, Hacana, Lana, Rahu and Yasu - which all feature Lumiventt® design technology. The later uses three-storey high Sky Patios, garden atriums and single-loaded hallways to let natural light penetrate the building’s common areas and allow fresh air to circulate within the condo’s residential floors. Priced at P3.5 million onwards, Satori Residences’ offers a mix of 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom units with gross floor areas ranging from 27.50 to 82 square meters.Two of the residential buildings, namely Hacana and Lana, are targeted for turnover to unit owners in February 2023 and August 2023, respectively.

SHOPPERS’ HAVEN DOWN SOUTH.

A new international outlet mall along Km 48 on Aguinaldo highway, Silang, Cavite will open on October 26. “The Acienda designer outlet is ready to welcome shoppers and tourists everyday starting with our opening this month,” said Jeffrey Ng, president of Cathay Land. “While the hefty discounts in fashion, sportswear and jewelry will surely attract people given the current inflationary climate, we hope the perfect mix of brands and leisure amenities on site will entice many to become repeat shoppers,” Ng opined. Some of the lifestyle brands that are opening include Archive, Geox, Reef, Sunglass Haven, 158 Designer’s Boulevard of SSI Group, Levi’s, Oakley, Just Jewels, Mango, Guess, Mossimo, The Rail, Kid’s Depot and RSI, which carries Florsheim and Naturalizer. Sports and shoe brands geared towards fitness buffs include Asics, Onitsuka, Vans, Oregon Premium Outlet Store/Nike and Skechers.

Ng promised that additional international brands will be added to the outlet. Meawhile, shoppers can get to relax in between shopping rounds at the Wine Bank, Pizza Warehouse, Cold Stone and Café Passcuci.

Life

bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MstandardLIFe

young life

A tired but gleeful monster inspired by crumpled paper full of doodles.

A creature that resulted from the mashup of Snow White and one of the seven dwarfs.

saturday, october 6, 2018

A monster inspired by circles.

The monsters

C1

A monster wearing an outfit made of five wearable dresses.

under your bed

T

o descRibe the fashion creations of design duo Abraham Guardian and Mamuro Oki flamboyant would be an understatement.

The up-and-coming fashion designers are the imaginative geniuses behind HA.MÜ, an emerging brand of eccentric clothing pieces. both Guardian and oki completed the Fashion design and Merchandising program at the de La salle-college of saint benilde.

They initially captured the attention of the discerning fashion industry leaders during their graduation show.

The experimental brand they co-created heavily features old deconstructed garments up-cycled to create something

new with patchworks and thread-works alongside the artistic play of layers.

HA.MÜ has quite instilled a definitive character and beauty in the clash of texture, colors, materials, and patterns.

Following their previous collection, Guardian and oki launches their latest ready-to-wear series inspired by the concept of revisiting childhood.

HA.MÜ pleasantly shocked the scene with the otherworldly ensembles from their “Mama! Mama! There are monsters under my bed!” collection, which

Design duo Mamuro Oki and Abraham Guardian at the Bench Design Awards 2018.

debuted at a recent design awards show.

The design duo drew inspiration from their own childhood fears of having imagined monsters under their beds, which now, as adults, turned out to be the inner demons they face on a daily basis.

“We have experienced moments that left battle scars but they also became our learning points in our lives,” said Guardian. “We have since stopped looking for monsters under our beds when we realize that they may be inside our own minds. We live with them, but we can always fight them off and not let them affect us.”

With multiple googly eyes, tentacles of all sizes, gills and fins, and prominent horns, HA.MÜ’s trademark of avant-garde is well depicted as the new anthology rigorously showcasing the designers’ exquisite experimentation of silhouettes, textures, and prints.

HA.MÜ said that enthusiasts may purchase their masterpieces.

“We consider our pieces as art that onlookers can actually acquire as a form of a designer’s collectible item,” Guardian shared.

The two young designers are currently busy stitching up their upcoming— and second—RTW project, entitled “a collective of rejects and sorts,” made of parts and pieces from the fashion line’s custom orders. The ongoing venture is expected to don the label’s signature looks in shapes of more wearable and lightweight ensembles.

Check out @_ha.mu_ on Instagram to see more of their flamboyant designs.

A tired prom monster—This look consists of a structured poncho top and a puffy ball gown skirt.

A coral-like art installation dress inspired by a lot of underwater fears from the designers’ beach trips.

DiD you know?

These 8 Filipino art masters started as student art contest winners WHeTHeR artists are born or made is debatable, but the talents and contributions of these renowned masters in the Filipino art scene are undeniable. beneath the differences in styles, media, and inspirations lie a common experience that, in a way, contributed to and Twins by Bencab powered them to be the celebrated art1. Benedicto ‘Bencab’ Cabrera ists they are today.

Second prize, 1962 Shell National Students Art Competition Get to know bencab is a renowned Filipino painter who was named National Artist these eight Filipino of the Philippines for Visual Arts (Painting) in 2006. He has established artists who started as student art com- himself in the international stage, holding exhibitions from London to New York, has won several major art awards, and is widely hailed as a master of petition winners. contemporary Philippine art. during his college years at the University of the Philippines college of Fine Arts, he competed and won second prize at the 12th shell National students Art competition for his oil painting “blue serenity,” a surreal abstraction of barung-barong (shanties).

Abiding Me by Juvenal Sansó

2. Juvenal Sansó Third prize, 1951 Shell National Students Art Competition sansó may be spanish by birth but proudly Filipino at heart. in his mission to give back to his beloved Philippines and its art community, sansó has played an important role in inspiring young Filipino artists to excel in their field. As a young artist, the WWii years resulted in his so-called “black Period” when he painted exclusively in black and white with gruesome imagery. However, the years 1950-51 became the turning points for his work: sanso won various competitions in watercolor and oil categories of the Art Association of the Philippines and won third place at the 1st shell National students Art competition with his piece “cha bianang.”

Surging Red by Jose Tanig Joya

3. Jose Tanig Joya First prize, 1952 Shell National Students Art Competition considered as a pioneer modern and abstract artist, Joya is said to have “spearheaded the birth, growth, and flowering of abstract expressionism” in the Philippines. His sense of color vibrancy was inspired by the hues of the Philippine landscape. in 1953, Joya graduated from UP with a degree in Fine Art, and was recognized as the university’s first Magna cum Laude. it was also during this year when Joya joined and won first prize at the 2nd shell National students Arts competition for his oil painting piece entitled “Gossips.”

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From C1

6 Clowns by Ang Kiukok

Goin Bulilit’s Angelika Rama hugs her new Hatchimals.

Child blogger Athalia See at Barbie’s themed area.

Baby Baste strikes a pose with his favorite Paw Patrol characters.

Kids gather

T

at the amazing toy expo

HE most amazing gathering of toys in the Philippines recently drew thousands of kids of all ages, including celebrities, who brought their families to join in the fun.

Toy Kingdom’s three-day Toy Expo 2018 transformed the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City into a giant toy wonderland with fun booths and colorful themed areas with life-size characters, games, and activities with lots of surprises for kids and kids at heart.

The expo featured the newest toys in the market, as well as some limited edition collections of well-loved brands like Star Wars, Transformers, and Gundam.

Shoppers also enjoyed great discounts and exclusive promo items perfect for early Christmas shopping.

In celebration of SM’s 60th anniversary, Toy Kingdom also treated kids to 60 exclusive meet and greet events, where they had the chance to see their favorite characters up close. These included Shopkins, Piny Pon, My Little Pony, Hello Kitty, Spongebob, Powerpuff Girls, Paw Patrol and many more.

Toy Kingdom stores are located in most SM Supermalls.

Model and actress Helga Krapf and daughter Amelie

4. Ang Kiukok Third prize, 1955 Shell National Students Art Competition The National Commission for Culture and the Arts describes Ang Kiukok as one of the most vital and dynamic figures who emerged during the 1960s. Known for his cubist-like works, he often chose dynamic or disturbing subjects, depicting a style that infused influences from cubism, surrealism, and expressionism. When he was a student, he won third prize for his piece “Calesas” under the oil painting category at the 5th Shell National Students Art Competition.

5. Leeroy New Second prize, 2004 and 2006 Shell National Students Art Competition New is a contemporary Filipino fine artistdesigner whose practice intersects film, theater, product design, fashion, and visual arts. He is visual arts graduate of Philippine High School for the Arts and the UP College of Fine Arts.

As a college student, he competed under the sculpture category of the 37th and 39th Shell National Students Art Zoomorph 2006 by Leeroy New Competition and won second prize for his piece, “Prima Materia” in 2004, and “Zoomorph” in 2006 which also won second prize.

Melissa Ricks and daughter Kiera Kelly

Fright five: Horror films and TV series to watch on Netflix “NETFLIX and thrill” this October as the leading Internet entertainment service unveils an exciting Halloween lineup that will have you checking under the bed and sleeping with the lights on.

The Forest, 2015 by Ronald Ventura

6. Ronald Ventura First Prize, 1990 Shell National Students Art Competition Known for melding realism, graffiti, and cartoons, this contemporary visual artist takes inspiration from science fiction, Western history, Asian mythology, and popular comic book characters in creating his art pieces. His exposure in art-making started as early as his elementary and high school years, and continued on in college when he competed in art contests including the 23rd Shell National Student Art Competition where his painting entitled “Dama” won first prize in the oil/acrylic category.

Haunted (streams on Oct. 19)

Real people sit down with friends and family to share true stories of terrifying events that continue to haunt them.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (streams on Oct. 26)

This adaptation imagines the origin and adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, it finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature—half-witch, half-mortal—while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family, and the daylight world humans inhabit.

Hold The Dark (now streaming)

This psychological horror centers on a young boy in a remote Alaskan village who is killed by a rogue wolf. A wildlife naturalist is summoned from the mainland to investigate, only to be involved in a dangerous triangle with the boy’s grieving mother and unstable father, sending them all on a violent odyssey to the edge of their own humanity.

Apostle (streams on Oct. 12)

The year is 1905.

Thomas Richardson travels to a remote island to rescue his sister after she’s kidnapped by a mysterious religious The Haunting of Hill House (streams on Oct. 12) demanding Part-horror and part-psychological drama, this TV series is a cult modern reimagining of Shirley Jackson’s legendary novel of the a ransom for her same name. It revolves around five siblings who grew up in the most safe return. It soon becomes clear that the cult will regret the day it famous haunted house in America. Now adults, they’re reunited by baited Thomas, as he digs deeper and deeper into the secrets and lies the suicide of their youngest sister, forcing them to finally confront upon which the commune is built. the ghosts of their own past, some of which lurk in their minds, and Bonus: Riverdale: Season 3 (streams on Oct. 11) some may really be lurking in the shadows of the iconic Hill House.

Archie and the gang returns this October.

7. Rodel Tapaya First prize, 2001 Shell National Students Art Competition Tapaya’s work combines folk narrative and contemporary reality using a range of media— from acrylic on canvasses to underglass painting, tradiBarking up the Wrong Tree by Rodel Tapaya tional crafts, diorama, and drawing. His breakthrough came when he won the coveted Nokia Art Awards. He completed his studies at the UP College of Fine Arts where he joined and emerged as winner of the 34th Shell NSAC for his entry entitled “From East to West #2” under the oil/ acrylic category.

8. Luis Yee Jr. Finalist, 1967 Shell National Students Art Competition Luis E. Yee Jr. or “Junyee” is a pioneer of site specific art in the Philippines, incorporating found objects and natural materials. He was Martha’s Dance by Luis Yee Jr. awarded by the NCCA the Diwa ng Sining at Kalinangan award in 1998. During his university years, he competed at the 17th Shell National Students Art Competition with his piece entitled “Condemned No. 3” under the sculpture category.

Pilipinas Shell, through the National Students Art Competition—the first, most enduring, and highly anticipated student art competition in the country—continues to support young Filipino art talents. This year’s theme, “Perspective,” celebrates young visionaries whose magnificent perspectives of tomorrow contribute in propelling the country toward progress.

The Shell NSAC is open to all college students enrolled with at least 12 units in a recognized Philippine school in the school year 2018-2019. Participants can submit their works in oil/acrylic, watercolor, sculpture, and digital fine arts (print).

Go to www.shell.com.ph/shell_art for more information.

Entertainment Ronnie Alonte and Loisa Andalio will be in Cebu for a fan event

A

The 19-year-old Loisa and 21-year-old Ronnie, known as LoiNie to their fans, were chosen to be the ambassadors for Ever Bilena and Blackwater, respectively, because of their charm, talent, and personalities that complement the brands they are representing.

To get a ticket to see one of the Philippines’ hottest love teams, buy Ever Bilena products with any Blackwater fragrance worth at least P299 until tomorrow at any Gaisano Grand Mall Store in Cebu.

DURING the recently concluded 2nd Viddsee Juree Awards Philippines, the Cinematheque teemed with young men and women filmmakers, eager to share their slices and visions of life, captured on camera, presented as short films in Vidsee.

Considered as a leading video entertainment platform for short premium content, Viddsee has over 1 billion views powered by data insights and a trusted community. They empower cinematic storytellers by enabling the creation of films and amplifying stories to targeted audiences.

The Viddsee Juree Awards celebrated the enterainment industry’s picks of Asian short films from all genres: fiction, documentary and animation. The Viddsee Juree Awards Philippines 2018, stories were picked from the brightest talents and upcoming filmmakers, and judged by a panel of international judges and showcased online. Juree is part of Viddsee’s commitment to celebrae and support filmmakers and film communities in Asia.

Ruelo Zendo’s Divine XY emerged this year’s gold victor. Ben Thompson’s citation: “In this film we are introduced to a wonderful character who guides us through her story with both humor and heart. We were particularly impressed by the filmmaker’s strong and unique voice and how they were able to demonstrate so poignantly that something as small as a single letter on a form can have such a dramatic effect on a person’s life. We commend both the filmmaker and actress for their bravery and vision in exploring this story and are delighted to award Divine XY with the Gold Jury Prize.”

“The film is message for people across the oceans to be open to other possibilities and accept the change that could affect our lives,” declared Zendo. “I was inspired to do it after watching D i v i n e A u c i n a ’s physicality and comedic acting, and wrote the script around her talents.”

Zendo was an alumnus of the Mowelfund Film Institute, most of ALWIN films were grant IGNACIO his recipients from art and media institutions.

Ruelo previously worked as a director for notable television documentaries. Currently, he is a resident artist at Casa San Miguel, Zambales and works as a director for film, television and video.

Christian Rae Villanueva’s The Lessons of the Night took home the silver award.

Villanueva’s inspiration to become a director came after watching Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1at the age of seven. He made his childhood ambitions come true after enrolling at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLSCSB). His silver winning short film was his capstone project for the college.

Christian said, “This film is a love letter to all single mothers. I grew up with a single mom, so I wanted my film to be about my mother, but of course, exaggerated it. The actors learned a lot from the films I liked, especially Two Days, One Night by the Dardenne brothers (Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne) that also inspired this film.”

Zendo (Gold) and Villanuena (Silver) were awarded film production grants worth P160,000 and P80,000 respectively, along with audio equipment provided

by RØDE Microphones. The Gold winner also won a five-day Global Film & TV Program in Los Angeles sponsored by the Motion Picture Association. All ten finalists received a 12-month Creative Cloud All Apps subscription worth US$560 each from Adobe.

Zendo and Villanueva, young film makers whose dreams are now realities and are already part of Philippine entertainment history. Because of these young film Jedis, we are assured that a new hope springs for Philippine cinema.

ARIAS

A scene from 'The Lessons of the Night' by Christian Rae Villanueva.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Saturday, October 6, 2018

ACROSS 1 Pie ingredient 6 Kites and blocks 10 Male gypsies 14 Apprehension 15 Tin foil 16 Livy’s “it was” 17 Cruise port 18 Land measure 19 Auto parts store 20 Gold Medal org.

21 In a monetary manner 24 Cornering 26 Bearded flowers 27 Carson City loc.

28 Written reminders 30 Helps in wrongdoing 33 Unrestricted workplace (2 wds.)

37 Carry on 38 Ghostly noise 40 Ambiance 41 Famed French cathedral 43 Scoff at 44 Lull 45 Solstice mo.

46 In short supply 49 Plywood layers 53 Oddities 56 Miss Piggy’s

word 57 Mr. Redding of the blues 58 Ruler of Valhalla 59 Homer opus 61 Profound 62 Fr. miss 63 Like Thor 64 Goes out with 65 Scrutinizes 66 Blows hard DOWN

1 Come clean 2 Monastery title 3 Nobel Prize category 4 On the — 5 Uplifts 6 Nasal tone 7 Porpoise relative 8 Wild tale 9 Lab sample 10 Michelangelo’s time 11 Grad-school exams 12 Vermont syrup 13 Spends the night 22 Packing slip 23 Implacable 25 Ventures 28 Huge-antlered deer 29 It banned DDT

30 Electric bridge 31 Phooey!

32 “— Luna” (Allende book) 34 Tint 35 Prospector’s find 36 Standard 38 Horrible 39 Home tel.

42 Tortilla snack 43 Feeling 45 “Gidget” actress 46 Flat-bottomed vessels

47 — pie 48 Hop out of bed 49 Wall climbers 50 Qatar rulers 51 Swelter 52 Meat-locker units 54 Casually 55 Shower liner 60 Comic — Costello

C3

nickie.standard@gmail.com

Ronnie and Loisa bring ‘Kilig-All-Over-Again’ to Cebu LEADING cosmetics brand brings young stars Loisa Andalio and Ronnie Alonte tomorrow, 1:00 p.m., at Gaisano Grand Mall Mactan. The love team is set to stage Kilig-All-Over-Again performances for Cebuano fans for their first-ever LoiNie Mall Tour.

On Vidsee, new hope springs for PH cinema

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2018

Present your ticket at the Gaisano Grand Mactan activity area (gate opens at 9:00 a.m.) and enjoy a day filled with games, makeovers, beauty talks and exciting activities, plus a chance to win a pass to the meet-and-greet with Loisa and Ronnie themselves.

Fifty lucky winners will be able to get up close and personal with LoiNie for an exclusive photo session. For more information, go to www.facebook.com/everbilenacosmetics/.

Award-winning scriptwriter to hold screenwriting classes MULTI-AWARDEE movie and television scriptwriter Lilit Reyes will mentor a series of scriptwriting classes in three modules offered by the School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPaCE) at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLSCSB) on selected Saturdays of October and November.

Reyes is the head of Bent & Buzz, a contentment company that produces story content for branded entertainment on multimedia platforms.

He bagged the 1st Prize for Screenplay in the prestigious Carlos Palanca Awards for Literature for Hubog Ng Langit, and the Best Screenplay for Water Lemon at the QCinema International Film Festival. He likewise earned a Gawad Urian nomination.

Reyes was named as Star Awards Indie Movie Screenwriter of the Year as the CoWriter for the adapted screenplay of the Palanca Award-winning musical Changing Partners with the original playwright Vincent De Jesus. Their work was likewise a FAMAS nominee for Best Adapted Screenplay.

In the first module, Reyes will assist

participants to humanize brands, combine scriptwriting skills plus basics of video storytelling, and to come up with storylines to be proposed as corporate brand content.

It will be held today (Oct. 6) and 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The fee is P7,550.

In the second module, students will use their scriptwriting and video storytelling skills to create Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) campaigns to be pitched to companies and advocacy groups. Reyes will lecture on how to persuade or encourage the attendees’ audiences to support a cause. This two-day session will be on Oct. 20 and 27, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The fee is P7,550.

In the third module, Reyes will guide attendees on how to frame the narrative and the timeline of an original work into a three-act structure, and to transform pre-assigned adapted materials into video storytelling. The one-day class is on Nov. 10 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The cost of this workshop will be P3,800.

For inquiries and registration, contact Marlon Eusebio and Lynn Garcia at 4005425, 400-7405, and 230-5100 local 3802, or email space@benilde.edu.ph.

2nd Glory Awards, musical tribute highlight UP CMC Homecoming FORMER students of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UPCMC) gather today for their 53rd alumni homecoming. The event features the 2nd Glory Awards for outstanding alumni and a musical show.

The festivities start at 4:00 p.m. at Bahay ng Alumni in the UP Diliman campus.

This year’s highlights include a musical tribute to the late film and TV director Maryo de los Reyes—a beloved professor and two-term alumni association president—featuring singer-actress Isabelle de Leon, balladeer Steven Paysu, and a rare performance by UP Masscom alumnus Raymond Lauchengco. His fellow alumni Pia Guanio, Ramon Bautista and Willy Inong (a.k.a. Hillbilly Willy) co-emcee the homecoming show presented by FrontRow and Ibarra Manila with TAPE Inc., Smart Communications and Maynilad as cosponsors. Tickets are at P700 to cover the dinner-show, alumni membership fee, loot bag and a raffle entry for a chance to win Ibarra Manila classic watches, gift certificates from Seaoil Philippines and

McDonald’s, and Avida Land and Sari Monde Food Corp. giveaways, among other prizes.

Twelve alumni will receive “Glory” trophies for the excellence and impact of their work in various mass communication fields. The Glory also enshrines the legacy of Gloria D. Feliciano, the first dean of what was formerly the UP Institute of Mass Communication when it was founded in 1965.

In his congratulatory message, UP president Danilo Concepcion described UPCMC as “the country’s premier institution for the development of a Philippine mass media that is socially responsible, critical, vigilant, transformative, free and independent.”

Alumni association president Malou Choa-Fagar said the Glory awards “recall our roots as scholars of the people who are expected to serve and excel with selflessness and honor. By shining the spotlight on our alumni achievers, we hope to share their inspiring lessons with today’s mass communication students and graduates.”

Simply...

From C4

‘Sarap Diva’ celebrates 6th anniversary; Ashley Ortega in ‘IBilib’ Sarap Diva with Asia’s Songbird, Regine Velasquez celebrates another milestone starting today in a two-part 6th Anniversary Special.

Its first part, airing today, features two young divas Julie Anne San Jose and Rita Daniela in an ultimate singing showdown. Regine will also cook a special Stuffed Chicken with Vigan Longganisa, a succulent dish perfect for the Christmas Season.

All these plus more in the next two Saturdays of Sarap Diva with the Asia’s Songbird, Regine Velasquez!

Sarap Diva also airs on GMA Pinoy TV and GMA Life TV. Meanwhile, learning about science is fun in I-Bilib featuring Street Genius! This Sunday, make your morning more exciting with award-winning host Chris Tiu, the wacky duo of James & Rodfil of Moymoy Palaboy and Kapuso sweetheart Ashley Ortega Ortega.

What will happen to a balloon if you dip it in freezing liquid nitrogen? What can you use to get a cork out of a wine bottle?

Discover the answers with the help of Street Genius in the amazing experiments: nitrogen balloon experiment and cork in a bottle experiment.

What can you use to make slime change color when it’s hot and when it’s cold?

Find out how in the thermochromic slime experiment!

How can you use a match, a balloon and candle to make an alarm? Learn how in the D-I-Y fire & water alarm experiment!

Join James & Rodfil for an experience of the bilibabol ketchup art of a student I-Biliber.

Count your lucky stars because for the huling hirit hirit, Ashley will show you how to make a yummy banana-sicle!

Kapamilya continues to lead nationwide While ratings rival Kapuso claims leadership nationwide, the Kapamilya network has remained unfazed and continues its affirmation to its influence among television audience nationwide.

In August, based on data supplied by Kantar Media, the network claimed an average audience share of 44 percent or 12 points higher than the Kapuso network’s 32 percent.

The Kapamilya network remained victorious in both urban and rural homes, particularly in Metro Manila where it recorded 41 percent versus GMA’s 28 percent. ABS-CBN also ruled Total Luzon with 40 percent, compared to GMA’s 36 percent. And in Total Visayas it cleaned up the audience with 51 percent leaving the morsels to its competitors, so did it bashed its rival with 52 percent in Mindanao.

And, despite the hype the rival is giving its newest show to challenge FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, the audience across the 7, 100 islands, readily gave the Coco Martin starrer two thumbs up, making it the most popular prime time show on Philippine television.

Among the 10 most popular shows in the country, only Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho made it to the list and settled in the ninth spot, below Home Sweetie Home and above The Blood Sisters.

Naturally, rival network that subscribes to another ratings provider and continued to think Kantar Media isn’t credible enough for anyone to put trust on would readily jump into an argument on the veracity of Kapamilya’s claim.

But in this business, what the Kapamilya chose to believe in is its right and privilege, and like its rival, it will continue to lay claim based on the data that they get from the ratings provider it subscribes to.

Happy televiewing!

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

C4

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2018

HOLLYWOOD

Roberts, Huppert star in new Amazon Prime Video series line-up US ONLINE giant Amazon’s film studios subsidiary moved up a gear this week by announcing in London a multitude of new series for its Amazon Prime Video subscription video platform.

Here are the new offerings: The Romanoffs The new anthology series from US director Matthew Weiner, whose previous creation Mad Men earned him several Emmy Awards, explores the theme of identity.

The series, which will air from Oct. 12, revolves around contemporary characters who believe they are descended from the House of Romanov, the Russian imperial dynasty dethroned in 1917 by the Bolshevik revolution.

Each of the eight 80-minute episodes is a self-contained story, set in a different city. Filming spanned seven countries and three continents and boasts a starstudded cast.

Homecoming The US psychological thriller starring Julia Roberts and Sissy Spacek, directed by Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail, launches on Nov. 2.

The 10 half-hour episodes are adapted from the hit podcast of the same name, created by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg.

The story follows Heidi Bergman, played by Roberts, four years after she has left the “Homecoming” support and transition centre for reintegrating of excombatants.

Her life is blown apart by a visit from a Department of Defense auditor, who questions her over her time at the facility.

Good Omens An angel and a demon join forces to prevent the coming birth of the son of Satan in this adaptation of an English comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

David Tennant and Michael Sheen play the lead roles, while John Hamm of Mad Men fame plays the archangel Gabriel, a character specially created for the six-part series, to be broadcast in 2019.

Carnival Row Immigration forms the central theme of this fantastical series, created by Cuban and US screenwriters Rene Echevarria and Travis Beacham and starring British actors Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne.

The drama unfolds in a neo-Victorian city to where mythical creatures have fled, and where Inspector Rycroft Philostratus leads investigations into a series of mysterious murders.

Deutsch-les-Landes The Franco-German comedy, comprising 10 episodes, is the first Amazon series produced in France, scheduled for release in late 2018.

Marie-Anne-Chazel, Roxane Duran, Sylvie Testud and Christopher Maria Herbst star in the production, which is set in Jiscalosse, an idyllic but heavily indebted village in the Landes department.

Deutschland 86 The sequel to 2015 series Deutschland 83, the German drama, created by Joerg Winger and his US novelist wife Anna, again follows the adventures of Martin Rauch, a young Stasi spy who infiltrated West Germany at the height of the Cold War. Bibi & Tina The famous animated German youth saga is to be adapted into a liveaction television series, with shooting scheduled to begin in 2019.

The series revolves around Bibi, a young witch in her teens, and her best friend Tina—addressing themes such as friendship, family, trust, tolerance and ecology. It will be the streaming platform’s sixth German production. AFP

PRETTY WOMAN. Julia Roberts stars in the US psychological thriller 'Homecoming,' directed by 'Mr. Robot' creator Sam Esmail.

Solenn with former co-hosts Rhian Ramos, Belle Daza and Iya Villania

VERY WANG NICKIE WANG

By Nickie Wang

B

EGINNING today, model-turned-actor Gil Cuerva is off to a different adventure as he joins multi-hyphenate actress Solenn Heussaff in GMA News TV’s lifestyle show Taste Buddies.

A self-confessed foodie and travel enthusiast at heart, Gil is sure to add fun and new flavor to the program as its firstever male co-host. See the other side of Gil as he shares with viewers insights about the food and activities he tries his hand at.

“What I can offer is some sort of a guy’s perspective and most importantly, make the show more relatable to that market, the male market. I want the guys who watch the show realize that they can also the stuff I do, like they can say, ‘Oh I can cook this for my girlfriend or for my mom,” Gil shared with Manila Standard in an interview.

Having been a previous guest on the show, Gil looks forward to joining Solenn on Taste Buddies as they explore the best food destinations in the metro and all around the country.

“This is my first hosting project. In the past, I really enjoyed being a guest on Taste Buddies. Now that I am officially part of the show, I am excited to join Solenn in her adventures,” he added.

Together, Solenn and Gil live up to the tagline of the show, “Basta masarap, Go!” where they dish out fun activities and delicious meals every week.

“I’m happy that he’s my new co-host because he’s very easy to get along with.

It’s nice to work with people like him,” Solenn said.

“Every year, for the past six years, w e ’ v e been offering different flavors to our viewers and Taste

The man in the kitchen offers something

NEW TO THE TABLE

Buddies has found its identity with a mix of lifestyle and the quirkiness of the people in show from Belle to Iya to Rhian and now Gil,” she added.

For her part, Solenn said having a male co-host is a breath of fresh air. “I’m sure having Gil in the show will really be fun. He will bring a new dynamic since he is a guy and I cannot wait for our adventures together. It will be an interesting mix and viewers should watch out for it,” she shares.

For his first episode as the new Taste Buddies co-host, Gil brings Solenn to Novotel Araneta’s Sabor Bar de Vinos.

The two hosts enjoy a fine dining experience over savory Spanish tapas and extensive wine varieties.

At the same time, Solenn gets to know more about her new cohost as they play a fun Q & A game.

Will Gil survive the ‘grilling’ of his new food buddy?

In an upcoming episode, Solenn and Gil will head on to Instagram-worthy restaurant Perry’s where they will jump into a food adventure and sample Perry’s specialty teas.

Join Solenn and Gil in a fun-filled journey are they discover new things about food, events, places, and adventures.

Catch the 2018 COMGUILD Media Awardee for Best Lifestyle Program Taste Buddies every Saturday from 8:45 to 9:15 p.m. only on GMA News TV.

In 'Para Sa Broken Hearted,' Marco Gumabao is RJ, a varsity player and a smooth-talker which is a solid combo to attract girls

ISAH V. RED

MARCO GUMABAO: Young, hot, and sexy IN VIVA Film’s latest outing titled Para Sa Broken Hearted (in theaters since Wednesday), one actor seems to have caught many a male, albeit gay, reporter’s eyes. I was curious who this guy was as a herd of male showbiz reporters/columnists swarmed around him, all waiting to have his photo taken with him with their phone cameras.

Someone whispered to me he was Marco Gumabao, son of actor Dennis Roldan. Looking at him, I saw no trace of Dennis who was once the apple of the eye of many similar showbiz reporters.

Listening in to what he was telling the writers, I gleaned he knew he has become the latest fantasy of many reporters. Yet, that doesn’t bother him, he said, because he knows what he is and he doesn’t need to do anything he would regret later only to advance his interest in show business.

I told myself, “This was a principled young man, and I hoped many more in the business would be like him.

“How does he feel being a lead actor in the movie?” I heard someone close by asked.

The young actor said, “Happy ako, siyempre.” He added, “And at the same time nakaka-pressure kasi movie na ’yan, kailangan paying audience na ang makuha mo. But at the same time ano naman, confident naman kami sa project na binigay sa amin. Maganda naman ’yung movie, so sana magustuhan ng mga tao.”

Another reporter two bodies away from him, asked if he was aware those photos from an underwear brand and his being sexy are the reasons ABS-CBN still gives him assignments even if he is no longer with Star Magic?

Without hesitation, he said, “Well, siguro yes, oo. Because, kung ’yon naman talaga ’yung bebenta sa ’yo then use it ’di ba? Eh, before nu’ng medyo batabata ako, nu’ng chubby ako, talagang ano, medyo malayo pa sa ngayon. So, I guess na malaking tulong rin talaga siya.

Pero at the same time, ayoko naman siyang gamitin all the time para makuha ’yung mga roles. Ayoko naman na makilala lang na, ‘Ay, si Marco Gumabao naghuhubad lang.’ Siyempre, gusto ko makilala na marunong umarte tapos maganda rin ’yung katawan. Bonus na lang ’yung maganda ang katawan.”

Apart from Para sa Broken Hearted is also in ABS-CBN’s Los Bastardos that will soon hit the small screens.

With Marco in Broken Hearted are Yassi Pressman, Shy Casarlos, Louise Delos Reyes, and Sam Concepcion.

The movie is based on the best-selling book of the same title by Marcelo Santos III and is released nationwide by Viva Films and Sari Sari Films. It is directed by Digo Ricio. Continued on C3

GMA beats ABS-CBN anew in September numbers game FOR the whole month of September, GMA Network was able to maintain its lead in the nationwide television ratings competition based on the latest data from the industry’s widely-trusted ratings service provider Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.

The network posted an average total day people audience share of 41.1 percent in the National Urban Television Audience Measurement (NUTAM), beating ABS-CBN’s 37.1 percent. It also emerged as the viewers’ top choice as it continued to lead across all day parts. In the morning block, GMA registered 38.2 percent people audience share versus ABS-CBN’s 34.3 percent.

GMA remained undefeated in the afternoon block after tallying 41.2 percent while ABS-CBN only managed to get 37.1 percent. Likewise in the evening block, GMA again led competition with 42.3 percent as against ABS-CBN’s 38.3 percent.

The Kapuso Network also maintained its dominance in the viewer-rich areas of Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, which respectively account for 72 and 59 percent of all urban viewers in the country.

GMA garnered an average total day people audience share of 46.7 percent in Urban Luzon versus ABS-CBN’s 30.8 percent.

Similarly in Mega Manila (with official data from September 1 to 22), the Network posted an average total day people audience share of 48.6 percent, which was largely ahead of ABS-CBN’s 27.9 percent.

More GMA shows also made it to NUTAM’s list of top-rating programs with Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS) still the most watched Kapuso program nationwide followed by The Clash, 24 Oras, Pepito Manaloto, Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko, Magpakailanman, Onanay, Victor Magtanggol, and Amazing Earth.

Completing the network’s list of ratings drivers for September were Inday Will Al-

ways Love You, Wowowin, 24 Oras Weekend, Imbestigador, Contessa, Eat Bulaga, Kapuso Movie Night, and Tadhana.

Kapuso programs also dominated the list of top programs in both Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, respectively taking 21 and 24 spots out of the top 30.

Nielsen data is gathered through a greater number of sampled homes nationwide in comparison to Kantar Media.

With approximately 900 more homes surveyed in Total Urban and Rural Philippines compared to Kantar, Nielsen data is statistically considered more representative of the total TV population.

In 2018, Nielsen TV Audience Measurement’s client pool covers a total of 34 clients/subscribers consisting of 8 local TV networks including ABS-CBN, TV5, Aksyon TV, CNN Philippines, and Viva Communications Inc., among others; 3 regional clients; 2 blocktimers; and 21 agencies (17 media agencies, 3 consulting agencies, 1 digital agency).

Golden Cañedo, grand champion of 'The Clash,' one of GMA Network's top rating shows in September.