Manila Standard - 2018 October 23 - Tuesday

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Trillanes arrest, HDO junked Makati RTC rejects prosecutors’ plea in relation to 2003 mutiny

By Rey E. Requejo, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Joel E. Zurbano

VOL. XXXII • NO. 250 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

NPA blamed for massacre of 9 farmers

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MAKATI judge on Monday denied the motion filed by state prosecutors to issue a hold departure order and a warrant of arrest against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV in connection with the coup d’etat case against him for his participation in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny.

In denying the state’s motion, Judge Andres Bartolome Soriano of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 148 said he saw “no reason to disturb the doctrine of immutability of a final and executory judgment.”

The case against Trillanes was dismissed in 2011, after then President Benigno Aquino III granted him an amnesty.

The government, however, wants that dismissal thrown out after President Rodrigo Duterte voided the amnesty granted to Trillanes through Proclamation 572.

Acting Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon confirmed the decision, but said he had not read the full resolution yet. He also said the judge also affirmed the validity of Proclamation 572.

In his decision, Soriano emphasized the finality of the court’s decision on the coup d’etat case.

“Subsequent jurisprudence may forge new horizons in which exceptions to the immutability of a final and executory judgment may be born,” the Makati City judge said. “For now, the court finds itself powerless to disturb the said doctrine even if it had sustained the factual bases for the issuance of Proclamation No. 572.” Next page

By Nat Mariano and Francisco Tuyay THE Palace on Monday said the New People’s Army may have killed members of their legal front to discredit the government.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo identified the organization of the slain farmers as a legal front of the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA. “The Federation of the farmers… turns out to be the legal front of CPPNPA. And these farmers were only recruited a day before they were killed,” Panelo said in an interview with the state-owned Radyo Pilipinas.

“If that is really a legal front of CPPNPA and the slain farmers were recruits, then why did they do that? It appears they killed their own recruitments, right?” he said.

Panelo said the surviving victims even identified their assailants as memNext page bers of the CPP-NPA.

PNP posts drop in crime cases

Customs deputy on floating status; ‘cleansing’ begins

By Vito Barcelo CUSTOMS Commissioner Isidro Lapeña on Monday sacked the deputy collector who accused Customs officials of covering up the smuggling of P6.8 billion worth of shabu through four magnetic lifters.

Customs deputy collector Lourdes Mangaoang, the former X-ray division chief, was put on floating status, allegedly for underperformance.

Customs spokesman Erastus Austria denied she was transferred to silence her, and said she was moved because of the “ongoing internal cleansing of corrupt Customs officials.”

However, a NAIA-BOC official, who requested anonymity said that Next page

UNHCR makes Duterte cry

By Nat Mariano PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said he cried after former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein told him he should seek a psychiatrist for using profanities and for his improper behavior. Next page

MEET THE MEDIA. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV meets the media Monday after Makati City Judge Andres Bartolome Soriano of Regional Trial Court branch 148 denies the motion filed by state prosecutors to issue a hold departure and arrest order against him in connection with the coup d’etat case relative to his participation in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny. Lino Santos

Basic goods more expensive for poorest 3rd—PSA THE poorest third of Filipinos saw prices of prime commodities rise even higher than the national average of inflation of 6.4 percent in August this year, the Philippine Statistics Authority said.

In a statement posted on its website last Friday, the PSA said the country’s yearon-year inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, for the bottom 30

percent of income households went up by 8.0 percent in August.

It is higher than the 7.3 percent rise the group experienced in July 2018 and the 3.0 percent posted in August 2017, the agency added.

“The indices of all the commodity groups posted higher annual rates during the month, except for fuel, light and water [FLW] index,

whose annual increment slowed down to 10.2 percent,” the PSA said.

The lowest-level earners in the National Capital Region had it worse. Compared to a year-ago level, prices for this group of consumers accelerated by 8.3 percent in August and 7.6 percent in July, in contrast to the 4.7 percent posted in August 2017.

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THE number of crimes decreased during the first six months of this year, the Philippine National Police announced on Monday.

Citing data from the PNP’s Unit Crime Periodic Reports, Director General Oscar Albayalde said a total of 227,757 crimes were recorded from January to June this year, a 17.39-percent decrease from 275,702 during the same period last year.

This was due to the decrease in the volume of index and non-index crimes, at 33.05 percent and 13.20 percent, respectively.

“Among index crimes, the top three most prevalent crimes are theft, physical injury and robbery. But despite theft and physical injury registering the top two most prevalent crimes nationwide, both crime categories went down by 36.90 percent and 33.80 percent, respectively,” Albayalde told reporters in a press briefing.

Index crimes include murder, homicide and physical injury while examples of nonindex crimes are violations of city ordinances and less serious offenses.

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Gov’t lashes out at Joma: Peace gab revival futile THE Interior department on Monday condemned the ambush on the head of the Food and Drug Administration and her police escorts in Camarines Sur, saying such act showed the futility of negotiating peace with communist leader Jose Maria Sison.

“We condemn the killing of three police officers during the ambush of a PNP convoy escorting FDA Director General Nela Charade Puno,” Interior Officer in Charge Eduardo Año said in a statement.

“This violent incident against government officials who are just doing their jobs is a pure act of terrorism that shows the futility of talking to Joma Sison.”

Año made his statement even as the Palace on Sunday dared Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Sison to “walk the talk” and back President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for peace.

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FERRY SERVICE. Mabuhay Maritime Express Transport Inc., a subsidiary of Philippine Airlines, will initially provide ferry service between Kalibo and Boracay and vice versa using brand new 42-meter catamarans. Officials say this is in time for the reopening of Boracay to tourists and will complement its airline operations

Lucio Tan group sets launch of Boracay ferry service

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Lucio Tan group is venturing into shipping with the launch of a ferry service today between Kalibo and Boracay.

Mabuhay Maritime Express Transport Inc., a subsidiary of Philippine Airlines

Inc. which was established in August 2016, will initially provide ferry service between Kalibo and Boracay, and vice versa utilizing brand-new 42-meter catamarans.

PAL is targeting to start the ferry service between Kalibo and Boracay by the

last week of October.

MME earlier secured a green light from the Board of Investments as a domestic shipping operator of high-speed passenger ship with a project cost of P602 million to service the Kailbo-Boracay, Aklan route.

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News

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

3 telco rollout likely in June—DICT rd

our people can have a good service,” said Poe who presided over an explanatory hearing on Monday on the government’s search for a third telecommunicaHE winning third tions service provider. telecommunications network Poe, who heads the Senate public services committee, said the entry of a third telco player would introprovider may start getting its duce fresh “competition” in the market. own subscribers by June next year, Rio, who attended the committee hearing on the selection of the third telco, said they will conduct the Information and Communications bidding proper on the company that will compete with Technology Acting Secretary Eliseo telecommunication giants Globe and Smart on Nov. 7.

Rio Jr. said Monday.

“If anything goes as planned, we will have a bidding on Nov. 7. Let’s give six months to the third telco He made the statement even as Senator Grace Poe ex- to roll out infrastructure, and by the middle of next pressed hope that the much-awaited entry of a new telco year it can have subscribers,” Rio said. player would mean more choices for Filipinos and would So far, five local companies and at least seven fortruly bring down rates and improve services. eign ones have expressed interest in filling the coun“We hope that this bidding will be successful so that try’s need for a third telco provider.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

T

These include PT&T, Now, Converge, TranspacificBroadband and TiereOne. Meanwhile, the foreign companies vying for the slot include China Telecom, KT Corp., LG U+, KDDI Corp., Viettel, Vietnam Telecom, Telenor and AT&T. The telecommunications companies vying to be the third telco player must have a congressional franchise or one that covers a bidding agreement with committed local or foreign investors.

They must also have a paid-up capital of at least P10 billion or, if covered by a bidding agreement, the aggregate paid capital of its members should be at least P10 billion.

The minimum or maximum average broadband speed of the bidding companies should likewise be 5 megabytes per second to 55 megabytes per second.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology earlier said it was targeting to name the third telco player before the end of the year.

IS-linked terrorist killed in firefight

By Francisco Tuyay A LOCAL terrorist who allegedly has a direct link to the Islamic State and was reportedly involved in a recent bombing in General Santos City was killed in a firefight with security forces in Sarangani province early dawn yesterday.

Philippine National Police Region 7 Director Chief Supt. Eliseo Rasco identified the slain terrorist as Bassir Sahak, a member of the Ansar Al-Khilafa Philippines.

Rasco said Sahak was killed in an encounter with government troops at Sitio Lebe, Barangay. Daliao in Maasim town.

Security forces recovered an M16 rifle, a bandolier with magazines and ammunitions, cellphones and several improvised explosive devices and components from Sahak.

Sahak is reportedly in charge of managing the finances of AKP and procuring firearms and ammunitions for the group.

He is also belived to have a direct contact with Abu Toraife, a leader of the ISISinspired Dawla Islamiya group operating in Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat.

UNHCR...

From A1

He recalled the incident as he again slammed the International Criminal Court for saying he committed crimes against humanity in connection with his administration’s war on drugs.

“Their president [in the UN High Commission on Human Rights] said, ‘Duterte you need to see a psychiatrist’,” the President said in his speech during a business forum.

“I was in tears. The people hurt me,” Duterte said.

He said he was then planning to visit Jordan, but he canceled it after recognizing Al Hussein was the cousin of Jordanian King Abdullah II that he recently met in September.

In March 2018, Al Hussein said Duterte, with his controversial drug war and behavior, should “submit himself to some sort of psychiatric evaluation.”

PNP posts...

From A1

“We noted that homicide incidents have been slightly reduced during the first half of 2018 after several months of consistently posting increased incidents among the eight focus crime categories,” Albayalde said.

The focus crime categories, which posted a decline, include murder (29.54 percent); homicide (9.47 percent); physical injury (33.80 percent); rape (24.82 percent); robbery (34.40 percent); theft (36.90 percent); hijacking of motor vehicles (36.30 percent); and hijacking of motorcycles (26.61 percent).

“The significant 17.39-percent drop in crime incidents during the January-June period, and onwards until the end of September, is expected become the trend for the remaining months of the year when petty crimes are traditionally believed to peak in the holiday season. But contrary to this perception of a spike in crime during the [these] months, we see a steady decline in all crime categories,” Albayalde said.

The PNP chief, however, said it is likely that violent crimes could spike leading to the election period in January 2019. PNA

Lucio Tan...

From A1

MME’s new ferry service is in time for the reopening of Boracay Island to tourists and will complement its airline operations.

All of PAL’s flights at Caticlan are run by its domestic subsidiary PAL Express, which operates A320 family aircraft and Dash 8 turboprops.

The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation said about one million of the 6.6 million overseas visitors to the Philippines in 2017 stopped in Boracay.

Boracay is popular with Chinese and South Korean visitors, which are the largest markets for the Philippine tourism industry.

PAL’s parent firm, PAL Holdings Inc., posted a total comprehensive loss of P444.78 million in the first six months, up 59 percent to P444.78 million from P279.79 million year-on-year.

EXPLANATORY HEARING. Senator Grace Poe, chairman of the Senate committee on public services, fires a barrage of

questions at Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. of the Department of Information and Communications Technology and Chairman Gamaliel Cordoba of the National Telecommunications Commission during the explanatory public hearing on the third telecom player in the country. The reelectionist senator says she is intent on filing a legislation on the matter. Lino Santos

Trillanes...

From A1

The Makati City court also ruled that Trillanes did file an application for amnesty and admitted his guilt for his participation in the Oakwood mutiny, among others, based on the “unrebutted evidence, both preponderant and admissible secondary” presented by the senator.

On the other hand, Soriano said he found “no basis to believe that Proclamation No. 572 has breached any constitutional guaranty or that it has encroached on the constitutional power of either the judicial or the executive branch.”

Trillanes has challenged the proclamation before the Supreme Court.

Soriano’s ruling contradicted the order

by Judge Elmo Alameda of the Makati City RTC, Branch 150, who ordered Trillanes’ arrest for rebellion, in connection with the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege, but allowed him to post bail in late September.

Soriano released his decision nearly a month after the DOJ motion was first submitted for resolution.

The DOJ had sought the revival of the criminal cases against Trillanes upon orders from President Duterte who issued Proclamation 572 voiding the senator’s am-

NPA blamed...

From A1

On Saturday, nine sugarcane farmers, including four women and two minors, were fired upon by some 40 armed men as they were resting in their makeshift shelter at Hacienda Nene in Barangay Bulanon, Sagay City, Negros Occidental.

The Philippine National Police said it was too early to conclude the NPA’s involvement, but the Palace assured the bereaved families that the perpetrators would face the “full wrath of the law.”

CPP founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison held the President responsible for the crime.

Customs deputy...

From A1

Mangaoang was doing her job since the Ninoy Aquino International Airport where she was posted is one of the top BOC ports that exceeded its collection target of P3.587 billion in September this year.

Mangaoang said her assignment at the airport was too short for an evaluation, saying she only assumed office at the NAIA on Aug. 27.

She said her removal was a warning to stop her from testifying against Lapeña or

Basic goods...

From A1

If food alone were the index, the PSA said the annual inflation rate countrywide was at 7.8 percent in August and 6.9 percent in July—more than double the 3.0 percent posted in August 2017.

“Relative to the annual growth rates in the previous month, higher annual mark-ups were also observed in the indices of all the food groups in August 2018, except for the index of corn, which registered a slower annual hike of

nesty granted by former President Benigno Aquino III. The presidential proclamation was based on Trillanes’ alleged failure to apply for amnesty and to admit his guilt, two “minimum requirements” for the amnesty grant.

Trillanes denied the allegations and submitted proof against the charges.

Trillanes also asked the Supreme Court to declare as unconstitutional the issuance of Duterte’s Proclamation No. 572, revoking the amnesty granted to him.

In the Oct. 5 hearing, Trillanes’ legal counsel presented witnesses, two of whom were part of the ad hoc Defense committee that processed amnesty applications, who testified that they saw Trillanes file an application for amnesty, which contained a section on admission of guilt.

On the other hand, government witnesses told the court that there were no records not only of Trillanes’ application, but of proceedings in connection with applications pursuant to the 2010 Aquino amnesty grant.

Trillanes branded Soriano’s decision a victory for justice, rule of law, and democracy.

“Let’s remember this day. The truth won.

Justice won. The rule of law won, democracy won and only one person did that,” said Trillanes, referring to the judge.

Trillanes, a staunch critic of the President, acknowledged how Soriano “single-

handedly sustained justice and the rule of law despite the extreme pressures coming from the Duterte regime.”

Trillanes vowed to continue his criticism of the Duterte administration.

“I am full of energy now. They really have to watch out,” he said.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday said the Department of Justice will elevate to the higher courts its bid to arrest Trillanes.

In a press conference, Guevarra said he will discuss with the prosecution team their next move.

“The cases in Makati RTC Branch 148 and Branch 150 are essentially the same, but the judges had [a] different appreciation. Both parties may elevate the rulings to a higher court,” he said.

The DOJ chief also downplayed the ruling of RTC Branch 148, which Trillanes considered a legal victory.

“Nobody can claim total victory in this ruling of Makati RTC Branch 148,” he said.

“The RTCs were simply directed by the SC to resolve factual issues which are instrumental to the case in the SC. So we are done in that stage,” he said.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the Palace respected the judge’s decision and welcomed his affirmation of the validity of Proclamation 572.

“Duterte is responsible for these crimes of mass murder. His favorite expression is to ‘Kill, Kill, Kill.’ That is his main call to military and police officers, he promises them impunity and he gives them rewards in terms of cash and promotions,” said Sison in an interview with ANC Sunday.

“You [can] expect a lot of killings to be undertaken by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and PNP, these are the manifestations of a ruling system that is already rotten and in a serious condition of disintegration,” he added.

The police have not arrested any suspect yet, but Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. has offered a P500,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the gunmen.

Former top aide to the President Christopher

Go said Duterte will personally extend his condolences to the families of the slain farmers.

The deadly attack has provoked outrage as well as criticism of the slow-moving program to redistribute farmland to millions of sharecroppers—tenant farmers who give a part of each crop as rent—who remain mired in poverty.

The violence erupted Saturday on the central island of Negros, the center of the nation’s sugar industry and home to some of the country’s wealthiest landowners as well as some of its poorest farm workers.

Up to 40 gunmen attacked a group of about 25 people who had entered the plantation near the city of Sagay just hours earlier to sow their own crops. With Macon Ramos-Araneta, AFP, PNA

“worse will come.”

But Austria said Lapeña removed Mangaoang 11 days before she testified before the Senate Blue Ribbon committee.

In her testiomny, Managaoang insisted that the four magnetic lifters found in Cavite contained illegal drugs, contrary to Lapeña’s assertion that they did not.

Aside from removing Mangaoang from her post, Lapeña also ordered a lifestyle check on her.

“Our internal cleansing and anti-corruption efforts must be hurting people from within and outside the organization that I feel there is a concerted effort to discredit

the reforms we are doing,” Lapeña added.

The Palace said Monday that President Rodrigo Duterte still trusts Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Aaron Aquino and Lapeña, who have been at odds over the smuggled shabu.

“He still trusts the two,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said.

Panelo also said the Palace would await the results of an investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation.

Aquino has been adamant that the four magnetic lifters had contained shabu that has now flooded the market. Lapeña insists no drugs were inside the lifters.

3.0 percent this month,” the PSA said.

Contributing to the inflation uptrend in Metro Manila was the 8.1 percent annual mark-up noted in the heavily-weighted food, beverages and tobacco index, the agency said.

Higher annual increases also appeared in the indices of clothing (1.8 percent) and services (2.2 percent). However, the cost of housing and repairs, FLW and miscellaneous expenses posted lower annual gains in August compared to the July rate.

A higher annual uptick of 7.3 percent was registered in the food alone index in NCR during August, the PSA said. “In the previ-

ous month, its annual rate was posted at 6.1 percent and in August 2017, 4.7 percent,” it added.

Relative to the annual rate in July, the PSA said annual upticks recorded in the indices of the following food groups were higher during August: Rice (3.6%); Cereal preparations (3.0%); Fruits and vegetables (15.0%); Meat (7.2%); and Miscellaneous foods (7.9%).

It also noted the annual rates in the indices of eggs fell by 5.2 percent and corn by 4.5 per-

Pimentel barred from running for senator —lawyer SENATOR Aquilino Pimentel III is facing a disqualification case that could derail his bid for reelection in the 2019 midterm elections.

This came about after a lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, claimed Pimentel may not run for senator again as he had already served two terms―the maximum allowed.

But Pimentel III said his lawyers will in due time answer Topacio’s petition to stop him from running in the May 2019 elections.

“However, Comelec may surprise us by dismissing the petition outright for being a nuisance petition,” Pimentel said.

In any case, he said, they were ready and “we know the correct answer to this issue.”

During the 2007 elections, Pimentel was narrowly edged out by Juan Miguel Zubiri for the 12th and last Senate spot.

Pimentel contested Zubiri’s victory, alleging that the latter benefited from wholesale cheating carried out by his party, the United Nationalist Alliance.

The Senate Electoral Tribunal in 2011 ruled in favor of Pimentel’s election protest, allowing him to assume the remaining two years of Zubiri’s term.

But Topacio said Zubiri’s entire term legally belonged to Pimentel because the SET declared that he was the rightful 12th placer.

“When the electoral tribunal annulled the proclamation of Zubiri, that was retroactive and it meant that Senator Pimentel was the one elected, not Senator Zubiri,” Topacio said.

“It did not matter whether or not he was able to serve all of the six years,” he told ANC’s Dateline Philippines in a separate interview.

Topacio, a known ally of Pimentel, said he filed the disqualification case of his own accord. He said doing so gave him “scant joy” when he had been friends with the senator.

Topacio had supported all of Pimentel’s election campaigns since 1995. The senator, meanwhile, is a godfather of Topacio’s eldest child.

“He is my friend. I just need to enforce the law because I swore as a lawyer to uphold and defend the laws of the republic,” Topacio said. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Gov‘t lashes...

From A1 Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the government had been dismayed in several occasions over the CPP’s opportunistic attacks amid the ongoing peace talks.

“We challenge Mr. Sison, as well as his forces on the ground, to walk the talk and support the President’s call for conciliation towards the nation’s quest for a just, sustainable and enduring peace in our motherland.”

Meanwhile, Duterte’s offer to give communist rebels their own houses and employment if they surrendered to government should not be construed as a form of bribery, Malacañang said Sunday.

Panelo said Duterte “is not being less hostile, nor hostile for that matter” in his pronouncement during last Friday’s inauguration of the Gaisano Grand Citygate Mall in Davao City.

“We should not construe the President’s aspiration for peace as a form of bribery,” Panelo said in a statement.

On Thursday morning, Puno’s convoy, consisting of her vehicle and two police vehicles, was passing through Barangay Napolidan in Lupi, Camarines Sur, around 9:10 am when around 20 communist rebels opened fire, resulting in the death of three police security escorts and the wounding of three others.

Puno’s vehicle sped off as the assailants continuously shot the tailing police car.

“How can Joma expect to have meaningful peace negotiations when they are killing our police officers and ambushing government officials, including the FDA head who was just there to attend a government event?” Año said.

Año said Sison’s new offer to resume the peace talks was a clear attempt to ease the pressure on the NPA, which is losing the battle in the mountains to government forces.

“More than a thousand former rebels have since returned to the fold of the law and they are feeling the pressure. Peace talks are a way for them to regroup and strengthen their forces,” Año said.

He said Sison’s new offer was a futile attempt to divert the people’s attention from their foiled “Red October” plot to oust the Duterte administration.

“Sison wants to take the Filipino people for another ride. Now that their ‘Red October’ plot has fizzled out, now that they realize that there is no hope to oust this administration, they now suddenly want to go back to the negotiating table,” Año said. Nat Mariano with PNA cent. The indices of dairy products and fish held their July rates of 8.7 percent and 12.3 percent.

Inflation in areas outside NCR for the bottom 30 percent income households likewise picked up by 8.0 percent in August, the PSA said, compared to 7.3 percent in July and 3.0 percent in August 2017.

Compared from their annual rates in July 2018, all the commodity groups outside Metro Manila registered higher annual gains in August 2018, again except for food, light and water, which saw a slower annual hike of 10.1 percent.

News

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

Carpio won’t back down on stand vs China

By Rey E. Requejo

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CTING Chief Justice Antonio Carpio will not change his strong stance on the country’s sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea in his bid for the most coveted post in the judiciary.

Carpio, one of the five most senior magistrates in the Supreme Court automatically nominated for the chief justice post, said that he has no plans of changing his position on the issue, which is contrary to the policy position of President Rodrigo Duterte not to protest China’s reported incursion in disputed areas.

According to Carpio, he would not sacrifice his “advocacy” in the WPS, which he

considers “more important” than being appointed chief justice.

“The President has the prerogative to appoint whoever he wants and I will respect that. But that will not stop me from continuing my advocacy (in the West Philippine Sea) because for me this is more important than anything else,” Carpio said in an interview.

Carpio has been calling on the Duterte

administration to file a new protest against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration over the incident involving the harassment of Filipino fishermen by Chinese Coast Guard in the Scarborough Shoal off Zambales province.

The Acting Chief Justice proposed that the Philippine government should seek damages from China for violation of the PCA ruling in 2016 that favored the Philippines’ claim on the shoal, including its lagoon.

Carpio had accepted his automatic nomination for the chief justice post as one of the five senior magistrates of the High Court.

He said that there was no more reason for him to decline the nomination for chief justice after earlier declining the nomination for the same post after the

ouster of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno last June.

He cited the difference between the previous vacancy after Sereno’s ouster and the current vacancy after the retirement of Chief Justice Teresita Leonardode Castro last Oct. 10.

“Because in Sereno, my dissenting opinion stated that she could not be removed by quo warranto. So I did not want to benefit from a ruling that I disagreed on. But now in De Castro, this is an expiration of term. There’s no legal issue anymore. That’s why I said there is no reason anymore to decline,” the magistrate explained.

The head of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines has welcomed Carpio’s decision to accept the nomination for chief justice post.

We don’t need legal guidance from ‘strangers’, Palace tells IPU

By Nat Mariano and Rio N. Araja

LIVELIHOOD PROGRAMS. The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology of Manila City Jail celebrates the 23rd National Correctional Consciousness Week with livelihood programs for the inmates. Norman Cruz

SC reinstates dismissed PNP exec in chopper scam THE Supreme Court has upheld the decision of the Court of Appeals that overturned the resolution of the Office of the Ombudsman dismissing a police superintendent involved in the alleged anomalous purchase of three helicopters by the Philippine National Police in 2009 from the Manila Aerospace Products Trading.

In an en banc decision, the SC through Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, ordered the reinstatement of P/Supt. Ermilando O. Villafuerte to his former position without loss of seniority rights and with payment of backwages and all benefits which would have accrued as if he had not been illegally dismissed, in compliance with the 2017 Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service.

The SC ruling is immediately executory.

In ruling against the Ombudsman, the SC found no sufficient basis to hold Villafuerte administratively liable.

Villafuerte and several others were dismissed by the Ombudsman for serious dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service following their alleged involvement in the chopper purchase anomaly.

In its petition, the PNPCriminal Investigation and Detection Group accused Villafuerte of liability on the

simple fact that the award of the contract to MAPTRA was made through the documents that he drafted.

However, Villafuerte argued that his duties and functions as a member of the BAC Secretariat are merely administrative and ministerial in nature and that he was merely following the instructions of his superiors. He claimed that it is the Technical Working Group of the NHQ-BAC that has the duty and responsibility to verify whether a proponent is indeed technically, legally, and financially capable to enter into a contract with the PNP. The high court descrbied as an “egregious error” the PNPCIDG’s imputation, saying the “petitioner cannot judge respondent Villafuerte’s actions based on the end result of the document draft.”

“Based on the foregoing, petitioner miserably failed to establish a nexus between the ministerial act of drafting the said documents and a scheme to defraud the government,” the SC said.

The tribunal found “untenable and simply unfair” petitioner PNP-CIDG’s insistence of holding Villafuerte liable even if it does not contest the CA’s finding that the latter’s duties as member of the BAC Secretariat are ministerial in nature. Rey E. Requejo

NO TO LEAD. Eco Waste Coalition and other environmental groups

gathered at the Quezon Memorial Circle in observance of the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, as they aired their concerns over the amount of lead that are present in paint materials. They emphasized the need for workers education on lead handling safety at the workplace as lead released into the environment through repairs, removal and renovation and demoliton can be hazardous to the health of the workers and consumers. Manny Palmero

MALACAÑANG on Monday said the country does not need legal guidance from “strangers,” as it said that members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union are not welcome in the Philippines.

This was in reaction to the statement made by the IPU, which said that it would send an official mission to the country to look into the administration’s “political persecution” of two of its most vocal critics in Senators Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes IV. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the IPU’s probe would be “counterintuitive” as the group already have formed its conclusion without even conducting an investigation.

“The problem with IPU, they said they would investigate, but they already have a

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mst.daydesk@gmail.com

conclusion that they [senators] are victims of injustice and maltreatment. Why do they have that conclusion? They didn’t even investigate first,” Panelo said in a radio interview Monday.

“I don’t think they’re welcome here, they will only cause trouble,” Panelo added.

In a statement released Sunday, the IPU said it adopted during their 139th assembly two resolutions expressing deep concern over the “human rights violations” against the two opposition senators.

Expressing concern about the “public campaign of vilification by the highest state authorities” against De Lima, the IPU said it will do a follow up visit to the former Justice secretary.

The group again called for the release of De Lima, even as it urged the Senate to act in solidarity with the detained lawmaker.

Solons happy as House ratings rise

By Rio N. Araja HOUSE Majority Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. on Monday credited the one grade or 11 percent increase in the overall net satisfaction rating of Congress to the “workaholic attitude” of its members.

Andaya welcomed the Social Weather Stations survey showing good +36 net satisfaction rating of the House of Representatives last September or from moderate to good, up by 11 points from +25 in June 2018.

“This is due to the multi-partisan effort of the House to freely debate bills that will benefit the nation. When congressmen roll up their sleeves, work long hours, and keep the lights on until past midnight, as in the case of the marathon budget hearings, they do it not expecting any bump in survey ratings, but because it is their job. That is the primary motivation,” he said.

Based on the SWS survey, the 11-point rise in the overall net satisfaction rating of the House of Representatives was due to increases of 21 points in Balance Luzon, and 15 points in Mindanao, combined with decreases of two points in the Visayas, and 10 points in Metro Manila.

“But if the people view such labor in a positive light, then it is bonus, one that warms our heart and inspires us to work even harder,” Andaya said.

The SWS survey showed the net satisfaction rating of the House of Representatives rose by one grade from moderate to good in balance Luzon, up by 21 points from +18 in June to +39 in September.

It also leveled up from moderate to good in Mindanao, up by 15 points from +26 in June to +41 in September.

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Opinion

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

The next chief justice

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

corruption in some instances, exacerbated by inadequate court facilities, provisions and personnel are heavy and burdensome. Some other important concerns are compensation of judges, court administration, and training and career path for judges.

THE Judicial and Bar Council will This why I wrote in 2012 that being soon be interviewing the applicants chief justice is not for the faint-hearted, and nominees for Chief Justice of the the pessimist, the slothful and most of Supreme Court. Soon after that, the all the mediocre. It is suited only for JBC will vote and send a short list to one possessed with strong leadership the President who will make the final qualities, impeccable record of compedecision. It is not an exaggeration to tence, integrity, probity; one who meets say that this appointment is one of the the highest standards of competence most important a President can make. and knowledge of the law, and better Its impact on the country and our citi- than average administrative skills. But zens cannot be underestimated. above all else, we need a chief magisAs I wrote in 2012, after the Corona trate known for his or her independence. impeachment, that the Judiciary faces As I write this column, Regional Trial a multitude of issues and problems. Court Judge Andres Soriano of Makati Soon enough, a is reported to have newly appointed ruled on the Trillchief justice finds lanes amnesty out that being the case, declining chief magistrate to issue an arThe next top is not only about rest warrant. I prestige, perks, magistrate will have his still have to read power and author- or her hands full upon the order but cerity. More than any- taking the reins of an tainly this controthing else it’s all versy has brought about fixing and imperfect Judiciary. to light the isfine-tuning a probsues of integrity, lematic judicial transparency, insystem that disdependence, and penses justice all accountability of throughout the archipelago. Clogged our courts. This is one aspect the Indockets, delays in court processes, ternational Criminal Court will look at corruption, inadequate logistical sup- when it decides whether a prosecution of port and infrastructure are but some of the President is justified under the rule the intractable challenges that the new on complementarity. Is our judiciary chief magistrate will have to face. headed by a person known for his or her As I also wrote then, the ultimate ob- independence. jective is to come up with radical and For sure, all of those who will make enduring reforms that will result in the JBC short list will have, in varying inexpensive, accessible, credible and measures, the qualities I mention here. efficient justice system. This is easier But there is one other quality that may said than done because these problems prove to be critical if one is to function even after so many measures have been well as chief—and this is experience. and are being adopted, persist. Often, In this regard, the most senior among they deteriorate. them, Associate Justice Antonio T. Indeed, our justice system is not per- Carpio, has a decisive advantage over fect. Critical issues and problems face the others. I wrote this in 2012 and I the judiciary. Foremost of these are say this again today: “An experienced clogged dockets, protracted litigation, leader, Carpio knows the ins and outs high cost of legal services resulting of the trade; he can be relied upon to act in the diminishing accessibility of the decisively in times of crises. His long courts to the poor, ethical failures and Turn to A5

F

A resounding message

IFTY-NINE-YEAROLD journalist Jamal Khashoggi went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 to obtain a document for his marriage. His fiancee waited outside, and when he took long, camped out in front of the consulate. He never came out.

What emerged from the Saudi consulate instead was a series of bizarre, conflicting stories. First they said he had gone back out to the streets of Istanbul. And then, that he was involved in a brawl and fistfight with those inside.

Turkish police said they had audio recordings that indicate Khashoggi was tortured and killed right inside the consulate.

A team of 15 were flown in by private jets, did the deed, and then were flown out. The outrageous “official” stories and the

specter of Khashoggi’s macabre end now shed light on press freedom not only in the Middle East, but the rest of the world.

In his last column for the Washingtoin Post, received by the paper the day after he went missiing, Khashoggi said that what the Arab world needs most is free expression. He started with some statistics—that according to the 2018 Freedom in the World report, only Tunisia is classified as “free.” Jordan, Morocco and Kuwait were “partly free” with the rest of the Arab world “not free.”

Arabs living in these countries are either uninformed or misinformed, he said. “They are unable to adequately address, much less publicly discuss, matters that affect the region and their day-today lives. A state-run narrative dominates the public psyche, and while many do not believe it, a large majority of the population falls victim to this false narrative.”

Khashoggi ended his piece by saying: “We suffer from

poverty, mismanagement and poor education. Through the creation of an independent international forum, isolated from the influence of nationalist governments spreading hate through propaganda, ordinary people in the Arab world would be able to address the structural problems their societies face.”

The circumstances surrounding Khashoggi’s death must be investigated and the brains behind it exposed for their barbarity and impunity.

Meanwhile, let Khashoggi’s message ring more loudly. Denying people information, or the right information, is keeping them in the dark and consigning them to a future of ignorance and poverty.

There have been many journalists across the world who have paid the ultimate price for championing free expression. The least we can do to honor their memory and their sacrifice is to press on, every day, despite attempts to muzzle and obfuscate.

Fight for a congressional fiscal integrity continues tense—“was”—because Philconsa has ceased to be preoccupied with ensuring that the legislature operates on the basis of fiscal integrity.

RUDY ROMERO Ensuring congressional integrity in fiscal matters was what brought toTHE filing last week of certificates gether Philconsa’s founders. Alarmed of candidacy by three former sena- by evidence that incumbent members tors prosecuted in connection with the of the two chambers of Congress were PDAF (Priority Development Assis- better able to finance their re-election tance Fund) has reminded the Filipino campaigns—and thereby lessen the people of the persistence of the problem success prospects of their challengers of irregular congressional intrusion in —five men got together to try and get the implementation of the national the Supreme Court to stop the head of budget, more formally known as the the GAO (General Auditing Office, the General Appropriations Act. predecessor of today’s Commission on The discovery of the three senators’ Audit) from passing in audit payments allegedly criminal acts, and their sub- to the Representatives and of amounts sequent prosecution, was largely acci- in excess of their statutory salaries. dental. They were These payments, offshoots of a circalled “allowcumstance that ances,” were later was not directly renamed CDF related to legisla(Countryside DeThe ‘allowances’ tive activity, to tiger changed its velopment Fund) wit, the filing of and, much later, a criminal com- stripes and became PDAF. The Audiplaint filed against CDF and PDAF, and tor-General then Janet Lim-Napoles was a Caviteno there was no Philconsa for the abduction named Pedro E. of a member of to challenge it.

Gimenez. her office staff.

Philconsa’s five They were not the founders—retired results of governSupreme Court ment action directly related to the PDAF. Justices Jose B. L. Reyes and Calixto The uncovering of Janet Napoles’ gi- Zaldivar, retired Central Bank Goverant PDAF-based scam—budgetary ap- nor Miguel Cuaderno, Salvador Aranpropriations channeled, upon the direc- eta and my late father Jose E. Romero tion of Mrs. Napoles, to non-existent (who passed away exactly 40 years projects—was done not by an entity today) organized Philconsa with the devoted to the monitoring of govern- avowed intention of making their orment spending but by an enterprising ganization the guardian of congresstaff-member of a news organization. sional fiscal integrity.

Yet, once upon a time, that would not No sooner had the ink on its registration have been the case; Janet Napoles’ papers dried than Philconsa filed with PDAF-related operations would have the Supreme Court, then headed by been exposed by an entity focused on Chief Justice (and later member of the ensuring the integrity of the national- International Court of Justice) Cesar budget implementation process. Phil- Bengzon, a case entitled Philippine consa (Philippine Constitution Associ- Constitution Association vs. Pedro E. ation) was such an entity. I use the past Turn to A5

BUSINESS CLASS

Climate change: Global challenge requiring global response

By Dr. Lee Ying-yuan CONTINUED growth in emissions of greenhouse gases around the world has caused abnormal and extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, and catastrophic torrential rains. These events are no longer just abstract future scenarios; they are happening today in all corners of the globe.

Average temperatures in Taiwan in the past two years have been the highest in 100 years. Since 2017, rainfall has dropped markedly, affecting Taiwan’s hydroelectricity generation. Indeed, these recent developments are having a

considerable impact and pose a significant threat.

Other parts of the world have witnessed similar trends. During the 2018 summer season, many countries across the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia, North America, and North Africa have experienced record-breaking heatwaves and deadly wildfires that seriously jeopardize human health, agriculture, natural ecosystems, and infrastructure.

To further implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and achieve the goals outlined therein, the United Nations Framework Convention

on Climate Change, in addition to faithfully conducting important projects, consultations, and negotiations, has also invited parties from various fields to join the Talanoa Dialogue, so as to take full advantage of the collective wisdom of humankind in formulating workable solutions to climate change.

As a member of the global village, and in line with the Paris Agreement, Taiwan has actively encouraged all stakeholders to do their part and strengthen efforts toward reducing carbon emissions.

Taiwan has passed the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act, Turn to A5

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www. manilastandard.net

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Opinion MAIL MATTERS

The DTI’s holistic approach to solve the trade deficit WE THANK Mr. Rudy Romero for his article entitled “DTI has no solution for worsening trade,” which appeared in Manila Standard on 20 September 2018. We want to assure him that DTI does not stop in finding ways and implementing programs that would help reduce the trade deficit, which is, for the most part, structural in nature and has been in existence for decades.

Allow us to inform the public of the holistic approach in solving this perennial issue of the trade deficit.

Building the export manufacturing base We know the Philippine economy has been exhibiting robust growth, which in the past was largely driven by buoyant consumption. In principle, if the country’s production base is not supplying enough to meet the needs of the local economy, then we will be importing more than what we export, resulting in a trade deficit. Conversely, if local production is more than enough to address domestic demand, we would have exports outweighing imports, i.e., a trade surplus.

Under President Duterte’s administration, our economy has exhibited strong growth momentum, with the first half (H1) 2018 GDP growth at 6.3 percent on the back of gross domestic capital formation (+16.4 percent) and government spending (+12.6 percent), both of which have performed better compared to previous periods. This economic expansion is supported by locally produced and importable goods. The difference now is that imports comprised more of capital goods (33 percent of total imports for January to August 2018) and raw materials/intermediate goods (38 percent import share). These are imports that support the increasing investments and government spending that cater to the production requirements of the business sector and the major infrastructure programs of the government. These are quality imports in the sense that it builds on the manufacturing and export capacity that the country needs moving forward, preparing the country for the future. This structural change must continue in order to support the medium- to long-term objective of building a much larger export manufacturing base, and eventually attain a more balanced trade position or even a sustained trade surplus.

This is the reason why the DTI as well as the BOI and related agencies have been exerting best effort in encouraging more investments into the country, especially in the manufacturing and infrastructure sectors, that are essential for building a very competitive production base to drive up our exports in the medium to long term.

We need to address the manufacturing and production efficiency to support our export strategies.

We have already seen the beginning of this structural change in the form of stronger growth for the manufacturing sector over the last two years at nearly 8 percent as opposed to its 5 percent average growth over the 2000-2015 period. This is not to belittle the importance of the services sector which has led the growth in total exports and in GDP over the past years, accounting for over half of employment and economic activity. But we need to see all sectors growing to be able to achieve a more solid and sustained economic growth.

DTI has been working together with industry groups in the formulation and implementation of industry roadmaps. In collaboration with industry and academe, DTI has crafted and implemented a new industrial policy known as Inclusive Innovation Industrial Strategy (i3S). I3S aims to grow and develop globally competitive and innovative industries with strong forward and backward linkages. It focuses on building an inclusive innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in order to upgrade and develop new industries; remove obstacles to growth and attract more investments and create more and better jobs; and strengthen domestic supply and value chains to enable our domestic industries to participate in global/regional value chains. The i3S has five major pillars covering the creation of new industries and new industry clusters, human resource development and capacity building, MSME development, innovation and entrepreneurship, and ease of doing business. The priority industries are: auto and auto parts, electronics and electrical, aerospace parts and MRO, agribusiness, chemicals, shipbuilding and repair, tool and die and iron and steel, agribusiness, ITBPM, furniture, garments/textile/creative, materials, parts and components, construc-

tion, and transport and logistics. We are working closely with the private sector in the implementation of the roadmaps for the development of these priority industries.

It is import to note that industry development and the establishment of our innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem cannot be done overnight. We need to go through a process of structural transformation. This is the essence of our new industrial policy.

For the industry and innovation roadmaps to be successfully implemented, strong collaboration between and among government, academe, and industry is indeed necessary.

Through our industrial policy and innovation strategy, we believe that we can develop globally competitive and innovative industries and address the gaps in our domestic supply and value chains. DTI is focusing on building the competitiveness of and linking together manufacturing, agriculture and services. By doing so, trade would be better able to play a critical role in supporting rapid growth in incomes and reducing poverty, especially when accompanied by foreign direct investment.

Our industry development strategy aims to address the roadblocks to our industry value chain that will strengthen our export manufacturing base over time. It is important to build on the manufacturing capacities, thus the need to pursue relentlessly more investments in manufacturing, policies that will develop competitive industries, lower power cost, lessen trade barriers to materials that cannot be produced locally

The next...

system. Over the long term, particularly under future presidencies whose virtues we are unable to anticipate at this point, adherence to the principle of seniority may still be our best option. Restoration of the tradition, which is entirely of Philippine innovation, would then shift the national focus to the quality of every future appointment to the Court, and away from the position solely of the Chief Justice.

Would not this be in better keeping with the collegial character of the Republic’s Supreme Court?”

Most Presidents of the Philippines followed the seniority tradition. In the recent past, only Presidents Ferdinand Marcos, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and Noynoy Aquino disregarded the tradition, with consequences that have not been the best for the judiciary. For the record, I think that Chief Justice Meilou Sereno did a

good job but she was seriously handicapped by her lack of seniority.

The next chief justice will have his or her hands full upon taking the reins of an imperfect Judiciary. He or she is destined to contend with so many challenges armed only with a shoestring budget. Judicial reforms must be made effective and sustainable, not merely palliative or illusory. He or she must possess essential attributes required to make a big difference such as vision, leadership, integrity, initiative, and the ability to make things happen.

What I wrote in 2012 is still good today: “The judicial system is way too critical in a democratic set-up for it to fail. An imperfect judiciary is tolerable but a failed judicial system can only bring chaos and anarchy to the society. This we cannot afford.”

The Supreme Court saw the merit of Philconsa’s core argument and ruled in its favor.

Henceforth there were to be no payments of “allowances” to the members of the legislature; they were to be paid—and the GAO was to pass in audit—only their salaries and their verified travel expenses to and from Congress.

Philconsa’s founders had scored a brilliant victory for the Constitution—more specifically, the Constitutional principle that Congress approves, but must not be involved in the implementation of the national budget—and it should have remained the watchdog against fiscal impropriety on the part of the legisla-

ture. Unfortunately, the crusade begun by my father and his co-founders was not maintained by the succeeding Philconsa leaders. Keeping up the anti-allowances fight ceased to be a high-priority Philconsa activity. The “allowances” tiger changed its stripes and became CDF and PDAF and there was no Philconsa to challenge it.

The present Secretary of Budget and Management has been proclaiming to high heavens that there is no pork—the allowances of yore—in the national budget that is undergoing finalization. Philconsa’s founders would not have taken Secretary Diokno at his word.

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institutional memory guides him to avoid the pitfalls of his calling and pursue what is beneficial to the institution he serves. In short, he has had hands-on experience of what works and what does not.

In 2012, I also pointed out another reason why the seniority tradition makes good sense in choosing a chief justice—to avoid excessive politicizing of the process. I cited former Energy Secretary Lotilla’s letter declining his nomination to the post, where he said: “The tradition of seniority has a way of muting political ambitions and insulates to some degree the office of Chief Justice from the patronato

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Gimenez, which sought to restrain GAO from passing in audit payments of “allowances” to the members of the two houses of Congress and thereafter to prohibit all future approvals of those payments. In its petition Philconsa argued that the Constitution mandated the payment to the members of Congress only of their salaries and verifiable travel expenses to and from their districts; all other payments were, therefore, unconstitutional and illegal.

at competitive costs and quantity, promote greater agriculture-based inputs efficient logistics and infrastructures, and export financing and marketing.

This macro perspective provides a backdrop for the recent export performance of the country, growing but still vulnerable to internal supply and exogenous challenges.

Philippine export performance Philippine merchandise exports increased at a more rapid pace than initially estimated in 2017: Final annual export figures released by Philippine Statistics Authority in June revealed exports grew by 20 percent to $68.7B for the year, superseding the preliminary 10 percent growth rate it reported earlier. The 2017 final export figures created a high base effect, leading first half 2018 exports to incur a slight decline of -2 percent from previous years. Note, however, that export growth has reverted to positive territory over three-consecutive months through August, the letter depicting 3 percent growth. We hope to see certain sectoral growth tracks sustained as large export groups like electronics expect upticks in the second half of 2018 albeit at a modest single-digit trajectory.

Meanwhile, services exports continue to perform very well, growing by 15 percent in 2017 and 13 percent in the first half of 2018.

Combining merchandise and services exports, its total for 2017 amounted to $87.8B, posting a growth rate of 19 percent. For the first half of 2018, total exports (merchandise and services) valued $51.8B, translating to a 2 percent growth rate.

Data shows that Philippine merchandise exports have been largely concentrated in a few products namely: Electronic products, machinery and transport equipment, and other electronics. In 2017, these products namely: electronic products, machinery and transport equipment, and other electronics.

In 2017, these products comprised 65 percent of our total exports. Garments which used to be a major export of the country indicated a tiny share of 1.6 percent while special transactions accounted for 2 percent of the total.

In recent years, we have also seen the growth of non-electronics export products, with the share of non-electronics exports to total increasing to 47 percent in 2017 from 38 percent in 2007.

Strategies for export growth and development We wish to reiterate the DTI synergizes its efforts in building a more robust production and market base by encouraging investments in manufacturing; diversifying into new markets and products; elevating the competencies of our labor and manufacturing processes; pushing technological upgrading as well technological know-how of workers; identifying and developing export capabilities in products where global market demand is fast-growing; addressing bottlenecks that undermine the competitiveness of exports; and harnessing the potential of goods and services where the Philippines can be competitive.

To this end, the DTI, through the Export Development Council (EDC), has finalized the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) 2018-2022 which consolidated the strategies in PEDP 2015-2017 into more effective groups of strategies, namely: 1) Improve the Overall Climate for Export Development; 2) Exploit existing and prospective opportunities from trading arrangements; and 3) Design comprehensive packages of support for selected products and services sectors. The economic development cluster has approved the PEDP 27 directing all government agencies to strengthen the implementation of the PEDP and involving other relevant government agencies are directed to collectively work, review, institute reforms, and implement all relevant policies in harmony with the PEDP and the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) to boost export growth.

On another front, the currency depreciation, brought about by market forces, should encourage exports and increase its production base. Also, the continued consultation and collaboration with various stakeholders in addressing supply concerns, particularly agricultural products, are expected to contribute to the country’s better export performance in the future. Alongside it is the proposal to build and encourage more exporters in an economic zone to make them more globally competitive.

On promotion efforts, the DTI, through the Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) and the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) under the Trade and Investment Promotions Group (TIPG), continues to undertake, subject to sufficient budget appropriated, the following action points to help the sectors increase their competitiveness and address other concerns hampering their growth and market share among others: Aggressively invite exporters to participate in outbound business matching missions (OBMMs) and international trade fairs to help them meet prospective buyers and market their products and services in the export market. For instance, the country’s participation in the 1st China International Import Expo (CIIE) in November is expected to provide a wide-range of opportunities that the Philippine companies can take advantage of as trade relations between the two countries continue to warm up; Conduct information sessions to prepare the companies in entering the foreign markets and push them to avail themselves of the benefits of utilizing the free trade agreements where the Philippines is a signatory to as an individual economy or as a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations; and Increase the base of export-ready companies with the continued implementation of the Regional Interactive Platform for Philippine Exporters Plus (RIPPLES Plus) Program to help prepare local companies to compete in terms of volume, quality, price, packaging, compliance with market entry requirements, rules and regulations, and design leadership, or alignment with current design trends.

These industry development strategies and export promotion programs will address roadblocks to our industry value chain that will strengthen our export manufacturing base over time.

We hope that with all these initiatives, our efforts at revving up the country’s exports and investments would bear good fruits that everyone will get to enjoy in the future.

RAMON M. LOPEZ Secretary Department of Trade and Industry

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

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mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Migingo Island: A rocky marriage between Uganda and Kenya

By Nicolas Delaunay A ROUNDED rocky outcrop covered with metallic shacks, Migingo Island rises out of the waters of Lake Victoria like an iron-plated turtle.

The densely populated island is barely a quarter of a hectare large, its residents crammed into a hodge-podge of corrugated-iron homes. There’s little else but a few bars, brothels and a tiny port.

Nevertheless for over a decade Migingo has been a source of tension between Uganda and Kenya, who have been unable to decide to whom it really belongs.

They were once pushed to the brink of what some said would have been Africa’s “smallest war” over the island.

While fishing communities around Lake Victoria have seen their catches slowly diminish over the years, the deep waters surrounding Migingo abound with catch such as Nile Perch.

Isaac Buhinza, 22, of Uganda learned fishing from his father and never went to school, and said he was drawn to Migingo because “my friends who were here before used to come back home with lots of goodies” from their fishing bounty.

“I do not know which country this [island] belongs to, I just stay here.”

For fisherman like Buhinza, living directly on the tiny island saves them fuel and also gives them direct access to wholesale buyers.

It was in the early 2000s when the island was barely inhabited—then situated within Kenya on all maps—that it began drawing the attention of Ugandan authorities who sent officials to Migingo to tax fishermen and offer protection against pirates.

Kenyan fishermen in return began complaining they were being shaken down by the Ugandans in their own waters and chased from the island. They called on Kenya’s government which deployed security forces to Migingo in a move that nearly brought the two nations to blows in 2009.

Kenya and Uganda then decided to create a joint commission to determine where the watery border is, relying on maps dating from the 1920s whose interpretation is a key point of contention.

But nothing has come of the commission, and in the absence of any decisions on the boundary, the island is co-managed by both countries, a marriage of convenience that has seen highs and lows.

A flap over flags Whether gutting fish on the rocks of the island, frying them up in greasy cafés, or stringing them up to dry on wires between rusty metal shacks, Migingo’s residents generally just go about their own business.

But “sometimes there are tensions,” admitted Collins Ochieng, a young fisherman who moved to Migingo to “make money.”

A Kenyan policeman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the latest flare up of acrimony came in mid-September, when Kenya tried to raise its flag

Climate...

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under which five-year carbon reduction targets have been formulated. Taiwan has also created the National Climate Change Action Guidelines and implemented the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Action Plan, which targets six major sectors: energy, manufacturing, transportation, residential and commercial development, agriculture, and environmental management. By setting emission caps, promoting green finance initiatives, cultivating local talent pools and education, encouraging cooperation across central and local government agencies and across industries, and involving the general public, Taiwan seeks to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to less than 50 percent of 2005 levels.

Almost 90 percent of Taiwan’s annual greenhouse gas emissions come from fuel combustion. The government is striving to increase the share of renewable sources in overall energy generation to 20 percent by 2025, and raise the share of energy produced with natural gas up to 50 percent. At the same time, Taiwan is gradually reducing its reliance on coal, closing older coal facilities and equipping the remaining ones with high-efficiency ultra-supercritical units that cause less pollution. The government is also investing in other equipment and technology that can help reduce pollution, offering subsidies to encourage people to replace older vehicles as well as promoting electric vehicles. Earlier in 2018, Taiwan’s Air Pollution Control Act was amended, with stronger measures to curtail air pollution and accelerate Taiwan’s energy transition.

Taiwan’s energy policies are being promoted in consideration of four core aspects: Energy security, green economy, environmental sustainability, and social fairness.

Furthermore, Taiwan is working on an energy transformation white paper and encouraging public participation and input during this process. It is also implementing key action plans under the Energy Development Guidelines, so as to make a decisive shift towards sustainable energy development.

The pursuit of economic growth often comes at the expense of environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources. According to research by the Global Footprint Network, human consumption of natural resources is outpacing the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to regenerate resources by a factor of 1.7. In fact, in 2018, Earth Overshoot Day fell on Aug. 1, which was earlier than ever before.

on the island—which had long had only the Ugandan flag fluttering above it.

He said the Ugandans “wanted to flex their muscles” and began patrolling the island in uniform and carrying weapons, “terrorizing” residents.

On the Ugandan side, a policeman concedes there were tensions but said the issue was quickly resolved.

“We decided no flag would be hoisted,” he said.

For Boaz Owuor, a 28-year-old fisherman based in Sori on the Kenyan side of the lake, about 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Migingo, the incident proved that “Ugandan authorities take Migingo a lot more seriously than Kenyan authorities.”

The co-management agreement stipulates there should be equal numbers of police from both nations but “there are more Ugandans,” said a Kenyan officer based on the larger nearby island of Ugingo. The Ugandan side denies this.

‘We just want to sell fish’ Lake Victoria is the largest in Africa, and the loss of its once abundant fish life has raised the stakes for millions living along its shores in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

In the past four decades, up to 80 percent of indigenous fish species have been lost, and 70 percent of forest cover in the area, according to the conservation group WWF. Meanwhile, thick green fields of water hyacinth have bloomed, bedevilling fishermen.

Around Migingo, Kenyan fisherman complain about Ugandan officers harassing them, seizing fish and equipment in what they say are their waters.

Rejecting the accusation, the Ugandan policeman told AFP that it is a “complex issue.”

“The deep waters where fishermen fish are more on the Uganda side, and the shallow waters where fish breed are more on the Kenyan side. We all need to work together,” he said.

Adams Mulabbi, the officer in charge of the Ugandan police station on Migingo, said: “We just want fisherman to be able to do their business in peace.”

Faced with mounting complaints from their constituents, local Kenyan politicians have called on Nairobi to ask the International Court of Justice to intervene and make a decision on the border —to no avail.

“What matters now is not about the claims by either side, but the need to demarcate the place properly so that the border lines are clear,” said Patrick Mugoya, permanent secretary in Uganda’s foreign ministry.

On the island, some taunt each other good-naturedly. “This is Kenya,” said Colins Ochyeng. “It’s Uganda,” fired back a Ugandan fisherman passing by, with a smile.

“I don’t know who this island belongs to,” said Kenyan fisherman Emmanuel Aringo.

“These are all political issues and we just want to sell our fish.” AFP In order to find a proper balance between economic development and environmental protection, Taiwan is promoting the circular economy as part of the Five Plus Two Innovative Industries program. There is a widespread international consensus that the circular economy plays a vital role in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Taiwan has already made significant progress over the past two decades in recycling and reusing resources. In fact, in 2017, Taiwan’s resource recovery rate was 52.5 percent, a ratio surpassed only by Germany and Austria. The recycling rate of plastic bottles in Taiwan in 2017 was 95 percent.

And during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, about half of the 32 teams in the tournament wore jerseys produced with recycled bottles from Taiwan.

Looking to the future, Taiwan will continue to strengthen technological R&D and innovation, so as to bolster recycling while building integrated industrial value chains.

The goal is to achieve a situation in which there is zero waste and everything that can be recycled is recycled. Taiwan is more than willing to share its technology and experience with the international community.

By advancing environmental sustainability, we can ensure that our planet remains as uniquely beautiful and habitable as it has been more for millions of years.

All countries and parties should take part in this common endeavor. Having benefited tremendously from industrialization, Taiwan is now fully committed to playing a key role in saving the planet and its precious ecosystems. Taiwan is ready and willing to share its knowledge and experience in environmental management, disaster prevention and warning systems, energy efficiency enhancement technology, and application of innovative technology.

Climate change is a matter of our planet’s survival, and should not be reduced to a political issue. Taiwan has long been unfairly disregarded by and isolated from the United Nations system. This has not discouraged us. On the contrary, we have doubled our efforts based on our belief in the Confucian saying that “a man of morality will never live in solitude; he will always attract companions.” In a professional, pragmatic, and constructive manner, Taiwan will seek meaningful participation in international organizations and events, and fulfill its responsibilities as a member of the international community. Let Taiwan join the world, and let the world embrace Taiwan.

The author is Minister of the Environmental Protection Administration, Executive Yuan, R.O.C. (Taiwan).

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘No hiccup’ in Balangiga bells return

MEDICAL MISSION. Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo interacts with residents of Brgy. Escopa before the start of a medical mission in Quezon City Monday when residents also discussed with the former president the possibility of getting titles for their awarded lands. Manny Palmero

3 blocked for transport of dog meat in Batangas THREE suspects were arrested Monday in Lemery, Batangas after they were found transporting 64 pieces of slaughtered dogs weighing over 600 kilograms.

According to Lemery Police Officer-in-Charge Chief Insp. Alfie Maluenda Salang, law enforcers and members of the International Wildlife Coalition Trust erected a checkpoint along the national road of Mataas na Bayan in Lemery before sunrise Monday.

Lynson dela Cruz, a researcher/investigator, represented International Wildlife Coalition Trust, police said.

Arrested at the checkpoint were all residents of Benguet province: Kyth Baybay, 27, of Baguio City; Perry Jim Baybay, 44, of La Trinidad, Benguet and his son Diwan Lee Baybay, 17, who were on board a white Toyota Hi Ace Van. “Mr. Dela Cruz informed us of a dog meat trade at barangay Mataas na Bayan where an unknown vehicle was loaded with dog meat which were about to be transported to Baguio City,” Salang told Rappler.com.

The recovered slices of dog meat were turned over to the National Meat Inspection Services in Lipa City while charges are being prepared against the suspects for violating the Amended Animal Welfare Act.

COMELEC to accept petitions for opted inclusion in BOL T

HE Commission on Elections on Monday will accept petitions for voluntary inclusion in the January 21, 2019 plebiscite to ratify the Bangsamoro Organic Law before the end of October.

In a statement Monday, the poll body said the petition might be filed by a local government unit or any registered voter of a contiguous LGU. The petitioner LGU is required to submit, in nine legible copies, a Sangguniang Resolution that bears its official seal and is approved by at least a majority of its members.

The petition shall state the specific areas of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region that the petitioning LGU claims to be adjacent to, the reasons for such claim, and that there is no pending boundary dispute involving

the petitioning LGU. The Sangguniang Resolution and the supporting documents shall be personally filed at the Office of the Clerk of the Commission in Intramuros, Manila.

The poll body, meanwhile, said registered voters of LGUs might also file a petition provided it wass supported by at least 10 percent of the registered voters therein, together with the supporting documents, and sign it before the Election officer or Provincial Election supervisor concerned.

It shall be in writing and under oath; be prepared in nine legible copies; and contain the names, addresses, gender and signatures or thumbmarks of the petitioners in signature sheets in the form prescribed by Comelec, among other required contents.

Supporting documents shall include the original or certified true copy of a map showing the territorial boundaries of the petitioning LGU and the LGU it is contiguous to; the original CTC

or a Certification from the Sangguniang Bayan/ Panlungsod of the petitioning LGU that there is no pending boundary dispute involving the petitioning LGU, and; the original or CTC of a Certification from the appropriate Sangguniang Panlalawigan that there is no pending boundary dispute involving the petitioning LGU. Pursuant to RA 11054, all other areas contiguous to the territorial jurisdiction of the proposed BAR may submit a petition for voluntary inclusion.

Subject to the approval of Comelec, the territorial jurisdiction of the BAR may further include “all other contiguous areas where: (a) the local government unit thereof, by way of a resolution, asked for inclusion in the plebiscite; or (b) at least 10 percent of the registered voters in the local government unit, by way of a petition, asked for inclusion in the plebiscite” (Section 3(f), Article I of Resolution No. 10425).

A filing fee of P10,000 and a legal research fee of P100 shall be paid. PNA

CHINESE GODDESS. The

image of Chinese the goddess ‘Mazu’ is carried during a procession upon its arrival for a twoday visit in Manila on Monday. Mazu, also known as Matsu, is a popular Taoist and Chinese Buddhist goddess and patroness of the sea believed to protect fishermen and sailors.

Norman Cruz

LTFRB lauds Grab for safety standards

By Rio N. Araja LAND Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board chairperson Martin Delgra III on Monday lauded Grab Philippines for “raising the bar for safety standards of the overall transport industry.”

At the launch of Grab’s Safer Everyday Tech Roadmap in Quezon City, Delgra said “all we want to see is a zero-accident and a zero-crime on the road. That is what I want to happen.”

He called on Grab to expand its services and deliver more innovations to be able to protect its passengers.

At a news conference, Grab country head Brian Cu assured their riders of safety through stricter security measures.

He said Grab had adopted measures aimed at changing usersafety habit, such as driver fatigue monitoring and telematics reports for drivers to learn their driving patterns and identifying how to drive more safely—to drive on long-term road behavior change and reduce the chance of incidents.

Officials of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Metro Manila Development Authority and Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group have backed Grab’s initiative to help the government to strengthen safety processess and standards for drug prevention, and accident and criminal response.

According to Grab’s marketing head Cindy Toh, passengers would be safer since Grab has rolled out a passenger validation and driver selfie authentication, and that passengers could send their relatives their real-time location.

She said they would be very strict to check the background of their drivers.

PAL to open 3 new routes to, from Clark

By Joel E. Zurbano LEGACY carrier Philippine Airlines has announced it is set to open three new routes to and from Clark International Airport in Pampanga.

The new routes are Clark-San Vicente (Palawan), Clark-San Jose (Mindoro) and Clark-Cauayan (Isabela) where PAL will utilize its brand-new 86-seater Bombardier Next-Generation Q400 turboprop aircraft which is fitted with six Economy Plus premium seats and 80 roomy Economy Class regular seats.

The Q400NG flights are operated by PAL’s affiliate airline PAL Express.

Services to San Vicente and San Jose begin Oct. 28, 2018, while flights to Cauayan start Oct. 30, 2018.

The PAL flights to San Vicente will commence with five weekly flights (on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday), and will increase to daily flights by

Dec. 18, 2018. Flights depart Clark at 7 am, arriving in San Vicente one hour and 40 minutes later.

PAL is pioneering regular flights to the newly opened airport at San Vicente, a first class municipality and gateway to El Nido in north Palawan. San Vicente’s 14-kilometer, white sand Long Beach is a fast emerging tourist attraction.

Meanwhile, San Jose in Occidental Mindoro will have four weekly flights (on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), leaving Clark at 11 am.

The return flight departs San Jose at 12:05 noon.

Vacation spots in San Jose include Aroma beach, Ambulong and White islands, ancient burial caves and shell divers at Ilin island and Mt. Iglit National Park.

Beginning Oct. 30, 2018, three times weekly flights (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) to Cauayan in the center of Isabela are intended to help hasten economic growth in the country’s second biggest province.

US AMBASSADOR to the Philippines Sung Kim has given assurances Washington would not allow any spasms regarding the return of the Balangiga bells he said would happen “soon.”

Kim told the ANC’s headstart Monday the US government would be able to move forward with the return of all bells if the “notification passes without any action by Congress.”

The Balangiga bells are three church bells taaken by the US Army from the town church of Balangiga in Eastern Samar as war trophies after reprisals following the Balangiga massacre in 1901 during the Philippine-American War. Official documents suggest one church bell is in the possession of the 9th Infantry Regiment at Camp red Cloud, their base in South Korea.

The two others are on a former base of the 11th Infantry Regiment at Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

At least one of the bells had tolled to signal the surprise attack by the Filipinos while the American troops were eating breakfast.

“We will make sure there is no hiccup. This is a long, difficult issue for both sides so I’m hopeful that we will be able to reach conclusion or resolution,” Kim said.

“Assuming there is no hiccup, we should be able to return all three bells, hopefully soon,” he said, short of providing a more specific time frame.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has notified the US Congress the Department of Defense “intends to return the bells” to the Philippines.

Last August, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney said she and two other senators “voiced their strong disapproval” at the Department of Defense’s plan to return the bells,” because it “establishes a dangerous precedent for future veterans’ memorials.”

President Rodrigo Duterte, during his State of the Nation Address last year, called for the return of the church bells.

8 wanted Chinese fugitives nabbed

By Vito Barcelo AT LEAST eight Chinese fugitives wanted by authorities in Beijing for economic crimes have been arrested by immigration agents in Muntinlupa City BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the aliens were apprehended inside their office at the Northgate Information Technology Park in Filinvest Corporate City along Alabang-Zapote Road, Muntinlupa City.

The eight are the latest catch in the Bureau’s intensified campaign to flush out illegal aliens, including not only fugitives but also those who are illegally working in the country.

Morente said operatives from the BI Fugitives search unit conducted the operation against the fugitives.

“These aliens are undesirable, and are already undocumented as their passports have already been canceled by the Chinese government,” said Morente.

He added the eight would immediately be placed in the Bureau’s blacklist to prevent their return to the country.

Arrested were seven males and one female, and were identified as Li You, Chen Huapeng, Sun Bin, Lu Changren, Li Zigou, Li Lei, Fu Chen and Wu Sile.

According to BI FSU chief Bobby Raquepo, some of the Chinese nationals were even caught in the act of manning their workstations, where they were using computers to conduct their cybercrime operations, which victimize fellow Chinese nationals in China.

“The Chinese Embassy in Manila sought our assistance in capturing these fugitives so they can be deported to China and face their crimes,” Raquepo said.

Morente reiterated there would be no letup in the BI’s campaign to “serve notice to these foreign fugitives that the Philippines is off limits to them and that they would be expelled from the country once they are caught.

Anti-graft court junks Pichay motion to dismiss case THE Sandiganbayan on Monday junked the motion filed by Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay Jr. to dismiss the case of conflict of interest he is facing over a P1.5-million sponsorship for the National Chess Federation of the Philippines when he was the Local Water Utilities Administration chief in 2010.

The anti-graft court’s Fifth Division ruled in favor of the prosecution that there was “sufficient

evidence to sustain accused’s violation of the conflict of interest rule.”

In 2010, Pichay launched a chess event named after him and voted for the approval of a P1.5million donation for the “Chairman Prospero A. Pichay Cup International Chess Sponsorship.”

“As such, there is more than prima facie evidence of Pichay’s conflict of interest... because the National Chess Federation of the Philippines

of which he was the president was the recipient of the P1.5-million LWUA sponsorship grant,” the resolution read.

“Notably, the sponsored chess tournament was held in his name and honor from which he would logically derive a personal advantage or benefit, gain or loss, materially or otherwise.”

A hearing on the main case is set today.

Rio N. Araja

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Dodgers eye 1 World Series crown since ‘88 vs Red Sox st

B

OSTON—A classic showdown between two of Major League Baseball’s oldest clubs opens Tuesday when the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers meet to open the 114th World Series.

Boston will try to cap a team-record 108-win season with a championship trophy and capture a fourth in 15 seasons and ninth overall starting Tuesday at historic Fenway Park.

“It’s huge to be able to continue the trend of winning,” Boston outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr, said. “You want to be part of something great.

Obviously we want to win it all. And we’ve got to win four more.”

The Dodgers chase their first crown in 30 years and seventh overall after losing to Houston in last year’s World Series, one win shy of a title.

“We’ve got a tough series against the Red Sox coming up,” said Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger. “We know how hard it is to make the World Series. To do it two years in a row is really special.”

Red Sox star left-hander Chris Sale will pitch the opener despite being hospitalized a week ago with a stomach ailment. Sale went 12-4 with a 2.11 earned-run average this season.

Dodgers southpaw Clayton Kershaw, hoping to shatter a history of underperforming in big games, is expected to pitch the opener despite throwing Saturday’s last inning in a playoff win

at Milwaukee.

It’s baseball’s first version of the Boston-LA rivalry made famous in NBA Lakers-Celtics 1980s title showdowns and it comes in Fenway Park, the oldest venue in the major leagues dating to 1912, half a century before Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers, whose history dates to the 1880s and includes a move from Brooklyn to California 60 years ago, and Red Sox, in their 118th campaign, met in the 1916 World Series, which Boston won thanks in part to 13 scoreless innings pitched by legend Babe Ruth in a 2-1 Red Sox victory.

“I think it’s great for baseball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Two storied franchises going head-to-head. It’s going to be a great series.” AFP

Wounded Sta. Lucia vows to go all out DESPITE some health issues, Sta. Lucia is still tipped to go all out when the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference unwraps this weekend at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

Head coach George Pascua said his top spiker in FilipinoAmerican MJ Philips and Chin Basas are still nursing various injuries a few days before the season-ending conference of this prestigious women’s club bankrolled by Isuzu, Sogo, Senoh, Asics, Mikasa, Mueller, UCPB Gen and Bizooku with ESPN5, Aksyon and Hyper HD as broadcast partners.

Philips is suffering from an Achilles tendon injury while Basas has yet to recover from her ear and shoulder injuries.

Timetable for their recovery has yet to be announced as they are still undergoing therapy.

Still, the Lady Realtors vowed to come out fighting with veterans Michelle Laborte and Rubie de Leon leading a relatively young crew composed of Carlota Hernandez, Pam Lastimosa, Jeanette Villareal, Rebecca Rivera, Roselle Baliton, Jackie Estoquia and Jhoanna Maraguinot.

Libero Rica Rivera, Dhannytaine Demontano and Souzan Raslan are also set to do wonder for the Lady Realtors.

“We may be dealing with injuries, but we’re ready to go,” said Pascua, who steered Petron to a sweep of this conference in 2015 with stars Rachel Anne Daquis, Dindin Manabat and Aby Marano at the helm.

“MJ and Chin are not yet in 100 percent, but some players are ready to step up. We know that the All-Filipino is such a tough tournament, but we’re more than ready to compete and show that we belong.”

Pascua said their goal is to make a semifinal appearance for the first time since joining the league last year.

The closest they ever got to a semifinal finish was in the Grand Prix when they finished fifth with imports Marisa Field and Kristen Moncks of Canada and Bohdana Anisova of Ukraine doing damage on both ends.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES TARIFF COMMISSION COMMISSION ORDER NO. 2018 - 01 SUBJECT

:

RULES OF PROCEDURE CLASSIFICATION

ON

DISPUTES

INVOLVING

TARIFF

This Commission Order (Order) establishes the procedure for a Dispute Ruling system on tariff classification involving imported and exported goods pursuant to Chapter 1 of Title XI of Republic Act No. 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), consistent with Philippine commitments under the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Agreement on Trade Facilitation, the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), the World Customs Organization’s (WCO) Harmonized System Convention, the Revised Kyoto Convention, and other relevant international trade agreements.

Section 1. Scope.

This covers the administrative remedies and procedures in the final determination by the Tariff Commission (Commission) of disputes involving tariff classification under Chapter 1, Title XI of the CMTA. Section 2. Objectives.

2.1 To provide rulings on goods with disputed tariff classification endorsed by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) or filed by the importer or exporter.

2.2 To establish a Tariff Classification Dispute Ruling system that is in line with the standards set out in the Revised Kyoto Convention, the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation, the ATIGA, the WCO Harmonized System Convention, other relevant international trade agreements, relevant Philippine laws, and international best customs practices.

2.3 To increase the level of stakeholders’ compliance through an informed customs compliance regime.

Section 3. Definition of Terms.

3.1

Advance Ruling on Tariff Classification– an official written decision issued by the Commission which provides the importer or exporter with the appropriate tariff classification of goods under the ASEAN Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature (AHTN) prior to importation or exportation.

3.2

ASEAN Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature (AHTN) – an eight-digit commodity nomenclature adopted by the ASEAN Member States to harmonize their tariff nomenclatures at the eight-digit level. It adheres to the six-digit commodity classification code of the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System of the WCO but adds two digits, with corresponding commodity descriptions, that represent ASEAN subheadings.

3.3

Authorized Representative – a natural or juridical person duly authorized by an importer/ exporter in writing to process its request for a Tariff Classification Dispute Ruling.

3.4

BOC Single Administrative Document (SAD) – form used for customs declaration or goods declaration.

3.5

Exportation – refers to the act, documentation and process of bringing goods out of Philippine territory.

3.6

Exporter – natural or juridical person who brings goods out of the Philippines.

3.7

Filing Fee – a non-refundable amount assessed by the Commission to be paid by the importer or exporter or his/her Authorized Representative to cover the reasonable cost of service rendered for the issuance of a Tariff Classification Dispute Ruling.

3.8

Goods – refer to articles, wares, merchandise and any other items which are subject to importation or exportation.

3.9

Importation – refers to the act of bringing in goods from a foreign territory including free zones into Philippine customs territory, whether for consumption, warehousing, or admission.

3.10

Importer– a natural or juridical person who brings in goods to the Philippine customs territory, whether for consumption, warehousing or admission.

Legal Research Fund Fee – refers to the additional amount of one percent (1%) of the filing fee imposed but not lower than Ten Pesos (Php 10.00) to be collected from applicants/ petitioners as required under Presidential Decree No. 1856, s. 1982.

Parties – refer to the importer or exporter or BOC who are in dispute over the classification of goods.

Tariff Classification – refers to the act or process of determining the subheading in the AHTN to which goods appropriately belong in accordance with Sections 1610 and 1611 of the CMTA.

3.11 3.12 3.13

3.14

Tariff Classification Dispute – refers to a situation or case when a declared tariff classification of goods, not subject of a pending application for advance ruling, is in dispute because the BOC has a different classification or the tariff classification for the subject goods is considered difficult or highly technical by the BOC.

3.15

Tariff Classification Dispute Ruling–an official written decision issued by the Commission on the disputed tariff classification which provides the importer, exporter or the BOC with the appropriate classification of goods under the AHTN during importation or exportation.

Section 4. Initiation of Tariff Classification Dispute Settlement/Ruling.

A dispute on tariff classification, not subject of a pending application for advance ruling, can be initiated through the following: a. b.

Members of the victorious Mighty Sports-Prudential Guarantee, managed by Caesar Wongchuking, Den Coyiuto and Willie Ocier, are shown after winning the Open Division title for an unprecedented fourth straight time in the Xavier Alumni basketball tournament held recently.

Mighty-Prudential tops Xavier caging CHARLES Tiu put on a one-man show right in the first quarter as Mighty Sports-Prudential Guarantee won an unprecedented fourth straight Cortina Conference Division 1 title in the Xavier School Alumni Basketball League with an 83-72 win over Embassy Whisky last Sunday at the Cortina gym of Xavier School.

The coach of Mighty Sports in the Merlion Cup and a sports analyst of CNN, Tiu outscored the entire Embassy Whisky team by scoring 27 of the team’s 30 points in the first quarter, burying seven triples in the first seven minutes.

Tiu’s remarkable shooting threw Embassy out of their comfort zone as it struggled to keep pace with the Caesar Wonghuking-managed Mighty Sports-Prudential Guarantee squad in the annual alumni tournament. Also backing the team are

Den Coyiuto and Willie Ocier.

“Everybody played well, but it was Charles who started it all,” said coach Mike Fermin. “He was so hot, he deserved to be the MVP.” The title win enabled the Go for Gold-backed Mighty Sports-Prudential Guarantee to complete another glorious year as it won the title undefeated.

Taking a cue from Tiu, Joseph Yeo and TY Tang made several highlight moves in the next three frames to frustrate Embassy’s repeated rallies.

Tiu went on to finish with 34 points and emerged as the Final MVP. Tang and Yeo, whose partnership with ROS star Chris Tiu—Charles older brother—in the 90s earned Xavier numerous titles, finished with 18 and 15 points, respectively, with the latter dishing off eight assists.

In either case, the importer or exporter or the BOC shall submit the following documentary requirements: a. letter-endorsement, or ruling or assessment reflecting the tariff classification made by the BOC; b. filled-out form prescribed by the Commission (for importer or exporter only); c. product description, brochures, technical specifications; d. pictures of products and/or samples, as may be appropriate; e.

BOC SAD; and f. affidavit or certification under oath that the goods are not subject of a pending application for advance ruling (for importer or exporter only).

Section 5. Fees.

Pursuant to the Commission’s relevant Administrative Orders, the importer or exporter, upon filing of the case, shall pay the following: a. b. c.

filing fee; Legal Research Fund fee; and other fees, as may be prescribed by the Commission

Failure to pay the fees shall cause the non-acceptance of the case Section 6. Evaluation of Cases Endorsed by BOC. 6.1

Within seven (7) working days from receipt of the case, the Commission shall notify the importer or exporter and, if it deems appropriate, require him/her to submit additional information and/or allow on-site verification to determine the proper tariff classification of the subject goods.

6.2

Within ten (10) working days from receipt of notice, the importer or exporter shall submit additional information and/or allow on-site verification

Section 7. Evaluation of Cases Filed by an Importer or Exporter.

7.1 Within seven (7) working days from receipt of the case, the Commission shall, if it deems appropriate, require the importer or exporter to submit additional information and/or allow onsite verification to determine the proper tariff classification of the subject goods.

7.2 Within ten (10) working days from receipt of notice, the importer or exporter shall submit additional information and/or allow on-site verification.

7.3 Within seven (7) working days from receipt of the case, or receipt of additional information, or conduct of on-site verification, the Commission shall notify the BOC that a tariff classification dispute is filed before it and request comments.

7.4 Within ten (10) working days from receipt of the notice and the records of the case, the BOC may file a comment or submit any additional explanation or documents to justify its findings.

FRIENDSHIP GAMES. BIMPEAGA, Philippine Sports Commission Secretariat team members, Sports Development Officer Zenaida Rollon (second from right) and IT Chief Rovilyn Gofredo (second from left) paid a courtesy call on the Office of Chargé d’Affaires Pete Raymond V. Delfin of the Philippine Embassy in Brunei Darussalam (center).

The PSC, through Commissioner Charles Maxey, handles the country’s participation in the 10th BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games in December.

SBU Red Lions, Perpetual Altas in preview of Final 4 SAN Beda University and meeting, 67-65, in the season Games Tuesday Perpetual Help brace for opener on July 7 at the MOA (Filoil Flying V Centre, San Juan) their much-awaited Final Arena in Pasay City.

8 a.m.- SSC vs AU (jrs) 10 a.m.- SBU vs UPHSD (jrs) Four showdown as the two And San Beda coach Boyet 12 nn.- SSC vs AU (srs) collide today in the final Fernandez knows they’re in 2 p.m.- SBU vs UPHSD (srs) playdate of the elimination for another grueling match.

4 p.m.- CSJL vs CSB (srs) round of the 94th NCAA “They have a multi-titled 6 p.m.- CSJL vs CSB (jrs) basketball tournament at the coach and a good set of playFiloil Flying V Centre in San Juan City. ers that can beat anyone. We just have to be The Lions and the Altas, currently with a ready for them,” said Fernandez referring to 16-1 and 11-6 (win-loss) records, respectively, Perpetual Help mentor Frankie Lim. were already booked for a Final Four duel as The Altas have been the biggest surprise the former will end up the top seed and the this year as they made the Final Four even latter the No. 4 seed regardless of the result of though they were not given a chance by extheir 2 p.m. showdown. perts to make it that far.

They will start their Final Four series on Thanks to Lim, who coached San Beda to Friday at the Filoil Flying V Centre and will four NCAA championships last decade, and continue, if necessary, on Monday. an overachieving crew, headed by leading The reigning back-to-back champion, MVP candidate Prince Eze, the Las Pinaswhich will go to the Final Four armed with a based school defied the odds and made it to twice-to-beat incentive, barely won their first where none expected them to be.

endorsement from BOC in the case of difficult or highly technical questions on tariff classification, as determined by BOC; or filing of case by the importer or exporter when BOC has a different tariff classification.

N OTICE Notice is hereby given that CEBU AIR, INC. doing business under the names and styles of Cebu Pacific and Cebu Pacific Air [Formerly: CEBU AIR, INC.] with office address at Cebu Pacific Building, Domestic Road, Barangay 191, Zone 20, Pasig city is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as a New Operator of Air Transport Services (A321CEO #7 with CAB Registration No. RP-C4117 and Serial No. MSN8606) on a Non-Pioneer status with project site at Airline Operations Center, Domestic Road, Pasay City.

Section 8. Conduct of Hearing.

The Commission, if it deems necessary, shall conduct a hearing to clarify facts necessary to resolve the pending dispute on tariff classification. The Commission shall accordingly notify the Parties of the time and date of the scheduled hearing.

The hearing shall be summary and fact-finding in nature and shall be presided by a hearing officer designated by the Commission.

Section 9. Issuance of Tariff Classification Dispute Ruling.

Within twenty (20) working days from receipt of all required information or documents or the termination of the hearing, the Commission shall issue the appropriate ruling on the dispute furnishing the importer or exporter, BOC, and the Secretary of Finance their respective copy thereof.

Depending on the complexity of the case,said period may be extended for another twenty (20) working days upon prior notice to the importer/exporter and BC. Pursuant to Paragraph 2, Section 1100 of the CMTA, tariff classification rulings of the Commission shall be binding upon the BOC, unless the Secretary shall rule otherwise Section 10. Grounds for Dismissal for Cases Filed by an Importer or Exporter.

The Commission may dismiss cases in any of the following circumstances: a. b. c. d.

Section 11. Motion for Reconsideration.

The importer or exporter aggrieved by the ruling of the Commission may file a motion for reconsideration within fifteen (15) days from receipt of the ruling on the ground of mistake of fact and excusable negligence or newly discovered evidence or information not discovered during the proceedings that if presented may alter the result of the Dispute Ruling.

Only one (1) motion for reconsideration is allowed.

Section 12. Appeal.

Within fifteen (15) days from receipt of the Order denying the motion for reconsideration, an appeal may be filed by the importer/exporter before the Secretary of Finance.

Section 13. Finality of the Ruling.

Unless a motion for reconsideration or an appeal is made in the manner and period prescribed herein, the ruling of the Commission shall be final and executory.

In accordance with Section 1100 of the CMTA, rulings of the Commission on commodity classification shall be binding upon the Bureau, unless the Secretary of Finance shall rule otherwise.

Section 14. Publication.

The Commission shall publish its rulings on its website and deposit a copy of the same in its Records Unit.

Section 15.Confidentiality.

The confidentiality of any and all documents and information shall be duly respected in the conduct of the proceedings. No confidential information shall be disclosed unless otherwise ordered by competent courts or upon waiver or consent of the rights holder thereof.

Section 16. Separability Clause.

If any part of this Order is declared unconstitutional or contrary to existing laws and government policies, the other parts not so declared shall remain in full force and effect.

Section 17. Repealing Clause.

All previously issued Commission Orders and other rules and regulations which are inconsistent with this Order are hereby repealed and/or modified accordingly.

Section 18. Effectivity.

This Order shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

The Office of National Administrative Register of the UP Law Center shall be provided three (3) certified copies of this Order.

MARILOU P. MENDOZA Chairperson

Any person with valid objection/s on the abovementioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication.

(SGD.) MARY ANNE E. RAGANIT Officer-In-Charge Infrastructure and Services Industries Service (MS-OCT.23, 2018)

when the importer or exporter fails to provide any additional information requested within the reasonable period required by the Commission; the importer or exporter did not allow the Commission to conduct on-site verification; misrepresentation; or noncompliance with these Rules or any Order of the Commission

ALLAN B. GEPTY Commissioner

ERNESTO L. ALBANO Commissioner

Date Approved: OCTOBER 17, 2018 1

Section 1100, Chapter 1, Title XI, CMTA. (MS-OCT. 23, 2018)

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

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

Rex Luis Krog

Go for Gold rider rules Tour of Matabungkay PULLING off outstanding performances in elite races is slowly becoming a habit for junior cyclist Rex Luis Krog of Go For Gold Philippines.

The most promising rider in the country recently ruled the punishing Tour of Matabungkay, with Go For Gold teammate Ean Cajucom giving Krog a big lift in the four-stage race for a superb finish.

Krog, 18, captured the overall general classification title in seven hours, 11 minutes and 13.45 seconds followed by runner-up Mark Ryan Mendoza (1:37 behind) and third-placer Albert Primero, who was 2:21 back.

The 16-year-old Cajucom, a prized find by Go For Gold project director Ednalyn Calitis Hualda, placed fourth overall, 2:45 slower than the champion but was instrumental in Krog’s victory.

“We are really proud of the development of our young riders. They continue to do well and we hope that it continues with more races in their schedule,’’ said Go For Gold godfather Jeremy Go. Up next for Krog, who brought home a silver medal from the UCI Asian championships early this year, is the three-day Tour de Linggarjati in West Java on Oct. 25 to 27 before taking on another challenging race also in Indonesia.

According to Hualda, Go For Gold is focused on developing young riders like Krog and Cajucom in line with Philippine cycling’s bid to send a rider to the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics.

“Besides aiming to fulfill our dream to see a Filipino cyclist in the Olympics, our goal is to provide more opportunities for less fortunate young riders to flourish and improve their lives,’’ said Hualda.

Cajucom, brother of veteran rider John Mark Camingao, topped the fourth stage of the out-and-back race in Matabungkay that propelled him to fourth place overall.

“I’m sharing this victory with Ean. With our solid teamwork, we were able to implement our race plan against some of the toughest riders in the sport,’’ said Krog.

Cajucom nosed out Efren Reyes, Myrson Basto and Mendoza in a sprint finish on the final stage of Tour while Krog, with triumph already assured, checked in sixth, almost 13 seconds behind the lap winner.

Andre Iguodala (left) of the Golden State Warriors and Paul Millsap of the Denver Nuggets fight for rebounding position during the game at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. AFP

Paul, Rondo, Ingram suspended; Dubs fall N

EW YORK—The NBA came down hard on Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram Sunday, suspending him four games while banning teammate Rajon Rondo three games and Rockets guard Chris Paul two for their roles in a fourth-quarter melee.

The league said in a statement that Ingram “has been suspended for aggressively returning to and escalating the altercation and throwing a punch in the direction of Paul, confronting a game official in a hostile manner, and instigating the overall incident by shoving Rockets guard James Harden.

“Rondo has been suspended for instigating a physical altercation with, and spitting and throwing multiple punches at, Paul,” the statement from executive vide president of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe said. “Paul has been suspended for poking at and making contact with the face of Rondo, and throwing multiple punches at him.”

Paul was to begin serving his suspen-

sion on Sunday, when the Rockets played again at Staples Center against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said before that game that he didn’t think a twogame suspension for Paul was fair.

“It’s just not equitable,” D’Antoni said.

“You watch the film, you watch the spit ...

I understand he gets maybe one (game).

(But) what is he supposed to do -- just stand there and get spit on and then take a punch to the face and say it’s OK?” Ingram and Rondo will begin serving their suspensions on Monday, when the Lakers host the San Antonio Spurs.

The fight erupted with 4:13 left to play and the Rockets leading 109-108.

US, Aussie bets ready for local challenge

3x3 Golden League lures provincial bets THE 3x3 Golden League Manila 2018 slated from Oct. 26 to 28 has drawn participants from teams from the provinces.

Tournament commissioner Allan Caidic said teams from Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, and Camarines Sur are among those who confirmed their participation in the league, jointly organized by Mediapro Asia and Sina Sports.

“We are happy with the turnout of provincial teams that will be joining the tournament as we want to develop 3x3 players in the countryside,” Caidic said.

Aside from the provincial teams, a guest team from Tibet in Aba Prefecture, a winner of the Chengdu leg of the Sina 3x3 Golden League China, secured one of the 128 slots available in the tournament.

Registration is still open for the tournament whose preliminary matches will be held from Oct. 26 to 27 at the historic Dumlao Sports Center in Mandaluyong, with the playoffs and final set on October 28 at the Ayala Circuit Manila.

The champion team of the 3x3 Golden League Manila will take home $3,000 and will earn the right to represent the Philippines in the SINA 3x3 International Elite League slated to held from November 13-17 in Beijing. All expenses will be paid. For details, visit facebook. com/3x3GoldenLeagueManila and facebook.com/nblphil.

Ingram received two technical fouls —one for pushing Harden and the other for punching an unsuspecting Rockets player from behind as he charged back into the kerfuffle.

Paul and Rondo also traded blows, Paul claiming that he had shaken his finger in Rondo’s face after the Lakers player spit at him.

The extraordinary scenes overshadowed LeBron James’s home debut with the Lakers, which ended in a 124-115 Rockets victory.

Meanwhile, Juancho Hernangomez came up with the game-saving block Sunday as the Denver Nuggets held off the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors 100-98 in a thriller in Denver.

The unbeaten Nuggets handed the Warriors their first defeat of the young season, staking their claim to contender status in Western Conference. AFP

Tim Stewart tries to become the third Aussie winner on the PGT Asia this year.

TARLAC—The Philippine Golf Tour Asia resumes today (Tuesday, Oct. 23) with the CAT (Central Azucarera de Tarlac) Open featuring a stellar field bannered by the local top guns and toughened up by a slew of foreign aces all primed up for the $100,000 event at the Luisita Golf and Country Club here.

Sam Gillis, for one, exudes confidence coming off a playoff victory in Malaysia last week, leading a crack US contingent that includes regular PGTA campaigners John Michael O’Toole, Lexus Keoninh, Nicolas Paez, Andy Kang, Sydney Chung, Charles Lee, Cory Oride, Pete Vilairatana and Joshua Salah.

The Australians will be as much tested as the Americans with the likes of Tim Stewart, Nathan Park, Jack Sullivan, Nabil Abdul, Jeram Chudleigh, Calum Juniper and Simon Vitankangas setting out to keep their compatriots’ remarkable showing in the first five legs of the second season of the region’s newest circuit put up by ICTSI. David Gleeson nipped local bet Erwin Arcillas in a playoff to rule the

PGTA’s kickoff leg here last April while Damien Jordan dominated the Aboitiz Invitational at Orchard last month, victories that should serve as impetus for Stewart and company to accomplish their mission this week.

Stewart actually fell short of his title bid in last week’s ICTSI Luisita Invitational won by Clyde Mondilla, finishing tied for second with Macedonian Peter Stojanovski, another foreign ace tipped to contend for the $17,500 purse in the 72-hole championship serving as the sixth leg of this year’s PGTA put up to raise the level of the Filipino golfers’ games and at the same time make the country a major golfing destination.

O’Toole also finished second to Jay Bayron in PGTA Southwoods last June with the 25-year-old American raring to finally end a string of heartbreakers in the local circuit organized

by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. and backed by ICTSI, Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Champion, Summit Mineral Water, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT and M.Y. Shokai Technology, Inc.

Tio: Road to silver was a challenge

By Peter Atencio PREPARING for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games proved to be a challenge for Christian Tio, who clinched a silver medal in men’s kiteboarding.

As a resident of Boracay Island, he could not train in his own hometown for six months after it was ordered closed by the government. But this did not become his excuse to give up the sport.

“They closed it for water sports. I could not train. It was a challenge,” said the 17-year-old Tio, who gave the Philippines its only medal two weeks ago at Club Nautica San Isidro in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Accompanied by his mother Liezl Mohn, Tio talked about his experience when they visited the Philippine Sports Commission office, where they paid commissioners Arnold Agustin and Celia Kiram and chef de mission Jonne Go a courtesy call.

Boracay was closed for six months starting April 26, 2018 as part of the government’s efforts to rehabilitate the island. Local officials said only registered island residents and employees of business establishments will have access to its facilities.

Tio’s family lives at the Bulabog beach area where they have a restaurant and many academies for watersports are located. He still had access to the gear available at his club, Freestyle Academy.

But when local officials said water sports activity will also be affected, his family made a decision for him to travel and train in other places.

In May, Tio found himself at the lakeside of Caliraya in Laguna. The following month he went to Italy to continue training. After that, he traveled to the Dominican Republic to acclimatize.

The decision to travel elsewhere eventually paid off for Tio as he shared his spot on the podium and a silver with Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek. They both finished behind contest leader Dominican Republic’s Deury Corniel in the IKA Twin Tip racing event.

By virtue of R.A. 10699, Tio is set to receive P2.5 million in cash incentives, with his coach receiving the equivalent of 50 percent of Tio’s incentive.

Lhuillier lauds PH Blu Boys’ impressive show in Makassar THE Philippine Blu Boys continued to dominate their opponents in the ongoing Makassar Open International Men and Women Softball Tournament at Makassar, Indonesia.

The team has already posted five wins in six games.

In opening their campaign, the PH Blu Boys edged Bedford (Australia), 10-9, before losing to New Zealand, 1-5.

The Philippine national men’s softball team quickly bounced back, shutting out Piccadilly (New Zealand), 3-0, Lakidende (Malaysia), 1-0, and Pirates (Indonesia), 10-0, before holding off Bedford, 6-3.

“This is another testament to the

talent of Filipinos when it comes to softball. The PH Blu Boys are definitely a force to reckon with in the international scene. I wish them good luck and I am confident that they will deliver good results for our country’s glory,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines president, as he expressed his delight on the national team’s winning streak.

The PH Blu Boys made a courtesy call on Jean Henri Lhuillier, one of softball’s long-time patrons.

Prior to competing in the Makassar Open, the national men’s softball team already achieved a silver medal finish at the 10th Asian Men’s Softball Championship.

Jean Henri Lhuillier with the Blu Boys during a the team’s courtesy call

IN BRIEF PNOC woos bidders for Batangas LNG hub STATE-RUN Philippine National Oil Co. is inviting bidders to participate in the selection of a joint venture partner to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Batangas liquefied natural gas hub in Batangas Bay. PNOC said it also sought approval of the Department of Energy to classify the hub an energy project of national significance under Executive Order 30 to streamline the permit process.

PNOC set a pre-eligibility conference on November 16 and urged interested parties to submit letters of interest.

The joint venture selection committee created by PNOC in September will administer the competitive selection process while the Asian Development Bank will act as transaction advisor.

PNOC president Reuben Lista earlier said more companies expressed interest to participate in the solicited tender process for PNOC’s LNG terminal.

“The group of Chevron, NYK, Jera, accompanied by an American consul representing an American firm, called on PNOC and expressed interest,” Lista said. Alena Mae S. Flores

Business

Ecozone operators defer investments INVESTMENTS for the expansion of economic zones plunged 65 percent in the first nine months to P42.9 billion from a year ago amid the government’s plan to phase out tax incentives.

Data from Peza showed that the ninemonth investment figure declined from P123.7 billion approved in the same period last year.

Peza director-general Charito Plaza said economic zone operators were holding off expansion plans because of the uncertainties in the Philippine tax reform program.

“They are holding off expansion. Even the new zones are on a wait-and-see mode for updates regarding Train [Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion] 2. Others are preparing for an exit plan in case they are not happy with Train 2,” she said.

Plaza said investments in the manufacturing sector slid 46 percent to P24.2 billion from P45 billion in 2017.

IT investment pledges provided the silver lining with an 8.8-percent increase to P12.4 billion in the nine-month period from P11.4 billion a year ago on rising demand from BPO clients. Othel V. Campos

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

B1

By Jenniffer B. Austria

MANILA BAY RECLAMATION. Officials of Pasay City and the city of Manila sign a memorandum of agreement for a joint “utmost effort to cooperate with each other and extend mutual assistance” in connection with their separate partnerships with private groups to reclaim huge swathes of the Manila Bay. The signing by Manila mayor Joseph Estrada and Pasay mayor Antonino Calixto, along with the representatives of Manila Goldcoast Development Corp., SM Prime Holdings Inc. and the Pasay Harbor City consortium clears the way for three reclamation projects. Shown during the signing ceremony at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel are (from left) SM Prime Holdings Inc. senior assistant vice president Noel Sanchez, MGDC president Wilson Tieng, Calixton and Charlie Gonzales of Ulticon Builders, one of the consortium members of the Pasay Harbor City consortium, along with Udenna Development Corp. and China Harbor Engineering Co..

Strong expenditures lift budget deficit to P378b

By Darwin G. Amojelar

T

HE government’s budget deficit surged 160.7 percent in September to P96.2 billion from P36.9 billion a year ago, as expenditures exceeded the target for the period and revenue collection barely grew.

“The wider fiscal gap is due to a strong spending performance, outpacing revenue growth,” the Bureau of Treasury said in a statement.

This pushed total fiscal deficit in the first nine months to P378.2 billion, up by 78 percent from a year ago. It also accounted for 72 percent of the P523.7billion programmed deficit for 2018.

Data showed that government expen-

ditures hit P298.6 billion in September, up by 26 percent from P237 billion disbursed in the same month in 2017.

Cumulative disbursements in the nine-month period also surged 24 percent to P2.49 trillion from a year earlier.

It also surpassed the spend target for the period by 3 percent.

The Treasury said that as of end-September, about 74 percent of the P3.37 trillion budget were already disbursed.

Meanwhile, revenue collection increased by only 1 percent in September to P202.4 billion as the Bureau of Internal Revenue failed to meet its target collection for the month.

Nine-month revenue collection grew 17 percent to P2.1 trillion from P1.8 trillion. It also outperformed the programmed collection by 4 percent.

BIR collected P1.44 trillion in the first nine months, up by 11 percent from a year ago, but still behind the January to September target by 2 percent.

The Bureau of Customs generated P434.6 billion in revenues during the

NTC likely to name third major telecom player in November THE National Telecommunications Commission rejected the request of a bidder to extend the submission and opening of bids by one week for the selection of a new major player in the Philippine telecommunication sector.

“The selection committee regrets to deny the request for a one-week extension,” NTC said in a clarificatory bid bulletin.

A prospective bidder earlier asked NTC to consider a one-week extension on the deadline of submission of documents to allow people to observe the All Saints Day in the first week of November.

The submission and opening of bid documents were set on Nov. 7 this year.

China Telecom, Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Corp., Now Telecom, Dennis Uy’s Udenna Corp., the joint venture of businessman Chavit Singson’s LSC Group of Companies and TierOne Communications and Norway’s Telenor Group purchased bid documents.

Under the final terms of reference issued by NTC and DICT, the potential bidders will be chosen based on the highest committed level of service for over a period of five years.

The three criteria are national population coverage with a weight of 40 percent, minimum average broadband speed of 25 percent and capital and operating expenditure with 35 percent.

The rules stated that the minimum population coverage for the first year should be 10 percent, a figure that should reach 50 percent by the fifth year. Darwin G. Amojelar

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

SM Prime’s income rose 17% to P23.4b in 9 months

DoE to reject Colossal’s Palawan exploration bid THE Department of Energy may reject the bid of Colossal Petroleum Corp. in two exploration areas offered under the 5th Philippine Energy Contracting Round in 2014.

“We wrote them a letter and met with them. We warned them that if they are not supportive, we might not push through with the awarding... If they do not comply soon, their proposal may be disqualified,” Energy Undersecretary Donato Marcos said after the Samahang Plaridel Kapihan at the Manila Hotel Monday.

Marcos said the department asked Colossal to abide by whatever the Supreme Court decides on the pending case between the Commission on Audit and the Malampaya consortium on the interpretation of the corporate income tax payments.

Colossal earlier submitted a qualifying bid for Area 5 (Northeast Palawan block) covering 576,000 hectares and Area 7 (Recto Bank block) covering 468,000 hectares under the PECR 5.

“We try to untangle all those problems (of the industry) including CoA issue. … there are other service contract that the DOE has issued but are pending,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said.

Alena Mae S. Flores

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor

period, a 34 percent increase from the same period last year and surpassing the target by 4 percent.

Collections from the other offices reached P125.5 billion in the first nine months, up 43 percent compared to the same period last year.

Debt interest payment amounted to P32.7 billion in September, up 24 percent from P26.4 billion last year.

“The higher interest bill was primarily because of coupon payments for RTBs issued in December 2017 and June 2018,” the Treasury said.

Interest payments rose 9 percent to P273.1 billion in the nine-month period.

Excluding interest payments from total spending, the national government recorded a primary deficit of P63.6 billion in September, higher than the P10.5 billion primary balance in 2017.

This brought the primary balance in January to September to P106.9 billion, a reversal of the P35.9-billion primary surplus posted in the same period last year.

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, October 22, 2018

TOP CSR ADVOCATE. Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Awards

recognizes the Bank of the Philippine Island through its social development and sustainability arm BPI Foundation as ‘Top CSR Advocate’ in Asia for exemplifying leadership in corporate social responsibility. The Aces is an annual awards program organized by Mors Group. Receiving the award from Mors Group chief executive Shanggari Balakrishnan (center) are BPI Foundation executive director Maricris San Diego (left) and BPI head of corporate affairs and communications Owen Cammayo.

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

53.8780

Japan

Yen

0.008882

0.4785

UK

Pound

1.307400

70.4401

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.127533

6.8712

Switzerland

Franc

1.004016

54.0944

Canada

Dollar

0.763592

41.1408

Singapore

Dollar

0.726216

39.1271

Australia

Dollar

0.711400

38.3288

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652872

142.9314

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266539

14.3606

Brunei

Dollar

0.723589

38.9855

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000066

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.030665

1.6522

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

14.6695 62.0567

Euro

Euro

1.151800

Korea

Won

0.000884

0.0476

China

Yuan

0.144321

7.7757

India

Rupee

0.013630

0.7344

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.240616

12.9639

New Zealand

Dollar

0.660800

35.6026

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032378

1.7445

Cusi asks Petron to offer cheaper diesel to boost price competition

By Alena Mae S. Flores ENERGY Secretary Alfonso Cusi welcomed the offer of Petron Corp. to offer diesel products at a cheaper cost to state-run PNOC Exploration Corp., but said consumers will benefit more if the low-priced fuel is sold directly to the public.

“That is great news. This is a positive development that we can still bring down [pump] prices. What we are saying [is] if that is the pump price that is being offered, may be we can ask Petron [president] Ramon Ang to offer it directly to the public,” Cusi said during a breakfast forum organized by Samahang Plaridel at Manila

Hotel Monday.

Petron president Ramon Ang made the offer after the board of PNOC-EC approved the plan to import 50,000 metric tons of diesel that would be P5per-liter cheaper than the current pump prices.

Ang said instead of buying diesel from other countries, PNOC-EC should secure it from Petron which has a refinery in Bataan to save on logistics cost.

Petron owns the country’s biggest oil refinery with a capacity of 180,000 barrels per day.

Ang said the government would not have to pay for excise and value added taxes and freight costs if it would buy its fuel from Petron, thus saving as much as

P12 to P17 per liter.

“We are hoping that Petron will offer lower price compared to its competitors.

That is a great development. We welcome that,” Cusi said.

“Why not just offer it directly to the public through offering lower pump price versus the others to truly create competition,” Cusi said.

Ang wanted PNOC EC to buy from Petron instead of proceeding with its oil importation.

“Definitely, our price is very competitive to be exported to Singapore. Freight alone, they will have huge savings. Why will they import there? That’s dollar outflow,” Ang said, referring to PNOCEC’s plan.

PROPERTY developer SM Prime Holdings Inc. said Monday net income expanded 17 percent in the first nine months to P23.44 billion from P20.05 billion a year ago on higher revenues.

SM Prime said in a disclosure to the stock exchange consolidated revenues increased 15 percent in the nine-month period to P74.56 billion from P64.69 billion in the same period last year.

Consolidated operating income went up 16 percent in the first three quarters to P34.91 billion from P30.14 billion a year earlier.

SM Prime said net income in the third quarter grew 20 percent to P6.82 billion from P5.66 billion a year ago, as revenues climbed 16 percent to P24.79 billion from P21.44 billion.

“SM Prime’s continuous growth as reflected in our first nine-month report shows the results of our strategic expansion in various developing cities in the country. Through the solid performances of our core businesses, we are positive that we will deliver the net income growth we committed when we integrated five years ago,” SM Prime president Jeffrey Lim said.

“We intend to keep this growth trajectory to enrich more lives in the communities that we serve and deliver more sustainable integrated developments for the betterment of our country,” he said.

Mall revenues, which accounted for 58 percent of the group’s ninemonth revenues, recorded a 12-percent increase to P43.26 billion.

The growth was driven by an 8-percent same-mall sales growth and aggressive mall openings.

SM Prime was operating 78 malls as of end-September, including 71 in the Philippines and seven in China.

These malls had a total gross floor area of 9.5 million square meters.

SM Prime’s residential group recorded a 23-percent growth in revenue in the first three quarters to P25.26 billion from P20.50 billion in the same period last year.

ICTSI set to open container barge terminal in Cavite THE Department of Transportation said the country’s first container barge terminal is set to open in Tanza, Cavite on Nov. 5 this year.

Cavite Gateway Terminal will allow trans-shipment of cargo from international ports in Manila to Cavite via barges and roll-on roll-off operations.

The terminal will be integrated with other major Luzon port facilities for a cost-effective and time-bound access to the Cavite market.

“We are an archipelago, so this is really a no-brainer. This project is also proof that when the government and the private sector work together, beautiful things can happen,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

CGT, which was privately funded by port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc., has a capacity of 115,000 twenty-foot equivalent units.

Dubbed as the first barge terminal of its kind in the Philippines, the project will have 550 ground slots for containers. It will accommodate barges with estimated two to three hours of ferry time, with initial multiple pick-up locations.

Harbor Star, the barge operator for the CGT, will deploy 150 TEU barges.

Projections indicate that the terminal will result in about 140,000 fewer truck trips annually. It is also expected to reduce road traffic by almost two kilometers of trucks once fully operational.

The terminal is also only 11 kilometers away from the Cavite Export Processing Zone Authority whose users could be clients of the facility.

Passenger ferry services from Cavite to Manila and vice-versa will also be made available in the future following discussions between the government and the operator. Darwin G. Amojelar

B2

Business

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks climb for 5 straight day T th

HE stock market surged Monday to extend its rally for the fifth straight day, with banks and select blue chips leading the advance.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index rose 84.64 points, or 1.2 percent, to 7,236.16 on a value turnover of P4.5 billion. Gainers beat losers, 107 to 83, with 38 issues unchanged.

BDO Unibank Inc., the biggest lender in terms of assets, climbed 2.6 percent to P122.90, while Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., the second-largest bank, advanced 4.5 percent to P69. GT Capital Holdings Inc., parent of Metrobank, surged 6.4 percent to P775.

Globe Telecom Inc., the secondbiggest telecommunications company, advanced 4.3 percent to P1,998, while

Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which is into toll roads, water and electricity distribution, power generation and hospitals, gained 2 percent to P5.05.

Most Asian markets also rose Monday, with Shanghai surging more than four percent to build on a rally at the end of last week but traders are still cautious over geopolitical tensions.

A close eye is being kept on China this week after Vice Premier Liu He led the country’s top economic officials in a coordinated drive to shore up beleaguered equities, which have fallen more than a quarter this year.

The Shanghai Composite Index piled on more than two percent after that, with observers suggesting governmentbacked funds known as the National Team helped provide support.

And those gains filtered through to Monday after further support measures were announced, with President Xi Jinping promising help for non state-

backed firms, while authorities also unveiled a plan to lower taxes.

The moves came as data Friday showed the world’s number two economy grew at its slowest pace for nine years during the third quarter.

The announcements helped Shanghai rise 4.1 percent Monday—the biggest one-day gain since the start of March 2016—while Hong Kong added 2.3 percent in the afternoon.

Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trade at OANDA, said: “The big noise in local markets is the much-anticipated personal tax cuts are a bit more freehanded than had been expected. And what investor doesn’t like the sound of tax cuts?”

However, he added Chinese “markets remain under pressure from every economic angle leaving more than a few investors extremely sceptical Friday’s recovery will have lasting legs”.

Elsewhere in Asia, Tokyo reversed

early losses to end 0.4 percent higher, Singapore and Seoul each rose 0.3 percent and Taipei rose 0.6 percent.

Sydney and Bangkok fell.

While China-US trade tensions simmer, investors are also having to consider other brewing problems, with the US saying it will pull out of a decades-old nuclear treaty with Russia, which Donald Trump accused the country of long violating.

Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned withdrawal “would be a very dangerous step”.

That comes as pressure grows on Saudi Arabia as it admitted a journalist critical of Riyadh had been killed at its Istanbul consulate.

“Geopolitics looks like dominating the news flow this week and what that does to risk sentiment and oil prices will... be important for markets,” said Ray Attrill, head of forex strategy at National Australia Bank. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2018

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 59.4 73,510 83.35 1,787,830 2.26 33,000 122.9 1,850,800 28.1 218,100 15.82 300 11.72 524,200 4.2 13,000 7.81 1,200 1.65 4,000 800 40 0.49 260,000 69 5,301,970 19.86 400 41.55 27,000 189.9 630 78.3 500 28.5 10,100 152.6 592,250 1,825 90 65.95 21,390

4,347,354.50 148,822,429 73,610 226,245,088 6,124,465 4,746 6,062,040 53,620 9,372 6,620 32,000 127,050 359,521,425 7,578 1,111,340 115,914 38,605 288,250 90,835,434 164,250 1,414,644

4,324,389 -79,299,218.50 60,123,410 -1,290,100 -3,013,302 -57,138,319.50 -983,415 11,500,296 -778,402

34.65 17.86 0.96 1.25 0.224 2.23 13.3 36.5 16.8 38 1.59 4.1 7 10.7 14.8 7.95 6.99 7.15 1.68 15.6 63.4 24.95 11.88 1.7 263.4 45 4.79 13 25.1 10.96 16.84 346.8 0.179 6.39 1.62 4.15 8.26 4.75 8.95 0.96 10.7 51.05 4.8 2.13 1.54 11.3 83.75 5.18 0.88 145 2.39 1.59 2.53

INDUSTRIAL 34.7 2,117,100 18.04 1,101,900 1.01 6,316,000 1.3 832,000 0.224 10,000 2.34 11,398,000 13.36 16,500 36.5 582,100 17.68 3,600 38.7 300,000 1.6 237,000 4.1 24,000 7.1 11,300 10.76 1,972,300 14.92 12,300 8.18 46,700 7.01 32,400 7.2 12,900 1.69 15,000 15.98 1,151,500 64 45,750 25.85 900 11.88 278,800 1.73 53,000 272 699,990 45 520 4.79 1,000 13 100 25.15 133,100 11.02 219,400 16.9 244,400 351.8 86,540 0.18 320,000 6.39 100 1.7 24,000 4.26 147,000 8.32 512,200 4.92 45,000 9.02 70,300 0.97 456,000 10.8 62,500 51.05 240,520 4.8 1,200,000 2.37 1,136,000 1.64 203,000 11.3 216,300 84.8 736,060 5.2 76,400 0.96 75,000 145.7 551,470 2.39 80,000 1.61 3,162,000 2.66 27,611,000

73,792,185 19,823,764 6,277,630 1,048,360 2,240 26,364,760 222,226 21,350,910 61,598 11,400,140 379,240 98,440 79,422 21,231,960 183,442 375,252 226,781 92,789 25,340 18,204,094 2,927,041.50 22,730 3,319,066 90,810 186,857,130 23,410 4,790 1,300 3,361,910 2,432,210 4,137,828 30,302,742 57,470 639 40,620 620,340 4,260,136 216,040 633,108 445,720 676,370 12,348,038.50 5,760,000 2,646,360 324,800 2,458,910 62,064,825.50 397,047 71,120 80,417,211 191,200 5,098,860 73,140,920

3,313,250 14,307,896 141,720 -10,250,240.00 104,948 0 9,660 4,274,650 81,308 -69,299 1,434 -813,724 -1,270,599 863,426 53,754,374 -1,778,465 -1,196,988 444,126 2,479,682 57,470 -10,120 -1,217,063 42,840 -7,911,658.50 -2,160,000 65,520 -2,332,340 -46,773,452 23,812,565 191,200 40,600.00 738,180

0.45 46.3 11.8 6.16 25.8 1.16 1.18 910 6.7 12.1 7.2 728.5 6.01 48.1 0.52 4.34 13.26 0.52 4.92 0.037 1.15 2.31 155.5 860 1.4 280 0.235

HOLDING FIRMS 0.46 58,060,000 47.7 1,074,000 12.1 6,639,700 6.16 100 26.3 10,600 1.23 5,884,000 1.23 2,463,000 928.5 226,420 6.98 9,690,500 12.1 1,019,100 7.2 900 775 79,660 6.01 1,800 48.75 1,058,300 0.55 60,000 4.41 91,000 13.5 3,075,100 0.52 923,000 5.05 15,157,000 0.038 3,500,000 1.21 75,000 2.33 401,000 156 137,330 878 145,520 1.42 5,000 280 10 0.244 2,280,000

27,140,400 51,717,510 80,208,414 616 276,550 7,072,270 2,985,400 210,157,080 66,952,665 12,432,708 6,488 60,755,665 10,818 51,623,705 31,310 400,430 41,579,608 483,460 76,269,020 131,800 88,250 941,210 21,489,737 127,771,260 7,080 2,800 553,510

767,250 -6,982,640 -16,137,420 15,590 -81,990 53,131,875 -3,189,427 -8,283,676 7,700,375 -14,815,995 4,760 -10,835,680 6,008,810 -3,800 -9,921,945 -12,601,325 73,200

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK CHINABANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK FERRONOUX HLDG FILIPINO FUND IREMIT MANULIFE MEDCO HLDG METROBANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK SUN LIFE UNION BANK

59 82.5 2.28 120 28.65 15.82 11.34 4.1 7.81 1.67 800 0.485 66.5 18.64 41.4 183.6 77 28.8 152.8 1,825 66.4

59.4 83.6 2.28 123.1 28.9 15.82 11.76 4.2 7.81 1.67 800 0.49 69 19.86 41.55 189.9 78.35 28.8 156 1,825 66.4

58.8 82.1 2.2 118.5 28 15.82 11.3 4.1 7.81 1.65 800 0.485 66 18.64 40.9 183.6 76.2 28.5 151.8 1,825 65.95

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS BASIC ENERGY CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CROWN ASIA DAVINCI CAPITAL DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP EMPERADOR ENERGY DEVT EUROMED FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG GINEBRA INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LIBERTY FLOUR LMG CHEMICALS MACAY HLDG 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 TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VICTORIAS VITARICH VULCAN INDL

35.1 18.1 0.98 1.27 0.224 2.24 13.5 36.95 17.32 38 1.59 4.11 7.1 10.78 14.8 8 7 7.15 1.69 15.98 64 25.9 11.9 1.7 265 45 4.79 13 25.3 11 17.06 346.8 0.179 6.39 1.65 4.17 8.4 4.89 8.97 0.96 10.7 51.5 4.8 2.32 1.57 11.8 84.1 5.2 0.88 145.3 2.39 1.63 2.65

35.1 18.14 1.01 1.31 0.224 2.38 13.52 37.45 17.7 38.7 1.61 4.11 7.1 10.82 15 8.18 7.01 7.2 1.69 15.98 64.1 25.9 11.94 1.73 272 45.1 4.79 13 25.8 11.2 17.06 351.8 0.18 6.39 1.7 4.27 8.4 4.92 9.02 0.98 11 51.65 4.8 2.38 1.65 11.8 84.8 5.2 0.97 146 2.39 1.64 2.73

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

0.48 46.3 11.98 6.16 26.4 1.17 1.18 910 6.71 12.34 7.2 748 6.01 48.3 0.55 4.48 13.4 0.52 4.92 0.037 1.19 2.41 158 867 1.4 280 0.235

0.49 49.2 12.2 6.16 26.6 1.23 1.23 929.5 7.01 12.6 7.22 775 6.01 49 0.55 4.48 13.76 0.53 5.06 0.038 1.21 2.41 159 883.5 1.42 280 0.245

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

6.95 0.76 11.96 1.97 0.62 40.9 2.37 4.32 5.14 0.42 0.9 0.89 0.211 0.395 7.99 20.15 0.53 1.43 1.07 2.37 4.43 0.61 0.41 0.41 3.21

7.05 0.79 11.96 1.97 0.65 41.4 2.55 4.42 5.14 0.425 0.9 0.92 0.219 0.4 8.08 21.35 0.54 1.46 1.07 2.58 4.5 0.61 0.415 0.415 3.24

6.93 0.76 10.86 1.97 0.62 40.8 2.35 4.32 5 0.415 0.9 0.89 0.21 0.395 7.99 20.15 0.52 1.43 1.06 2.35 4.35 0.59 0.41 0.41 3.15

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND STARMALLS SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

21.45 1.93 3.19 34.15 1.11 6 0.75 5.42

21.45 1.94 3.19 35.3 1.12 6.05 0.75 5.45

20.55 1.91 3.11 34.15 1.09 5.95 0.75 5.28

20.7 1.94 3.11 34.9 1.12 5.96 0.75 5.4

684,900 160,000 22,000 12,715,400 155,000 82,500 20,000 6,667,300

14,454,245 309,830 69,260 441,414,365 171,610 494,476 15,000 35,701,411

2,078,985 279,240 15,580 -125,013,535 600 -27,792,363

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

11.3 21.3 1.38 0.435 0.04 13.4 1.69 8.6 64.55 8 5.67 8.49 14.12 1,940 5.15 310 11.32 2.67 95.2 7.7 0.106 3.04 3.56 0.85 18.2 5.05 7.15 2.25 1.39 15.04 5.3 10.98 8.38 3.07 111.9 3.64 1,430 0.84 0.355 40.65 76.6 7.2 2.65 0.78 0.54 5.2 0.6 11.2

11.8 21.5 1.38 0.45 0.042 13.4 1.73 8.96 65.9 8 5.71 8.49 14.68 1,998 5.19 310 11.32 2.85 95.2 7.7 0.11 3.04 3.73 0.87 18.22 5.39 7.21 2.3 1.39 15.04 5.62 10.98 8.39 3.17 112 3.65 1,435 0.85 0.355 42.2 79.8 7.2 2.7 0.81 0.54 5.24 0.61 11.4

11.26 21.3 1.38 0.435 0.04 13.4 1.67 8.6 64.55 8 5.4 8 14 1,926 5.12 302 11.32 2.66 93.2 7.7 0.106 3.03 3.55 0.84 18 5.05 7.11 2.21 1.33 15.04 5.15 10.7 8.35 2.95 106.6 3.57 1,400 0.83 0.34 40.65 75.8 7.2 2.62 0.78 0.52 5.19 0.58 11

SERVICES 11.7 21.3 1.38 0.45 0.041 13.4 1.72 8.8 65.45 8 5.67 8 14 1,998 5.14 310 11.32 2.85 93.2 7.7 0.109 3.03 3.55 0.86 18.16 5.39 7.15 2.21 1.34 15.04 5.48 10.7 8.39 3.17 109.8 3.58 1,411 0.84 0.345 41.95 78.9 7.2 2.66 0.8 0.53 5.19 0.6 11.4

72,000 30,200 10,000 240,000 2,100,000 200 1,148,000 5,709,100 45,330 7,200 3,239,300 116,000 105,900 69,055 168,600 720 19,400 3,780,000 565,690 1,500 1,090,000 6,000 721,000 188,000 270,000 400 6,850,100 1,102,000 92,000 700 3,140,700 2,100 6,400 197,000 1,222,750 240,000 34,615 1,332,000 580,000 102,300 591,140 200 10,429,000 1,621,000 9,422,000 227,200 1,036,000 1,091,800

828,970 645,030 13,800 105,350 86,800 2,680 1,961,420 50,380,614 2,963,857.50 57,600 17,967,276 930,204 1,494,912 136,395,520 869,009 219,200 219,608 10,479,670 53,055,291 11,550 117,320 18,210 2,580,980 160,030 4,903,240 2,064 48,989,895 2,446,100 123,940 10,528 17,068,574 23,030 53,598 589,240 136,820,026 861,200 49,135,065 1,116,790 201,700 4,259,345 46,242,308.50 1,440 27,742,850 1,291,290 4,987,210 1,182,948 617,580 12,360,272

-17,350 -4,000 -167,650 -276,284 -1,948,865.00 308,700 127,707 -28,200 53,420,135 65,100 -1,541,640 -19,697,028.50 -96,600 -684,714 -455,109 -17,810 -470,548 -21,814 79,000 20,198 -422,930 21,705,950 -24,360 -398,840.00 -9,795,486.50 12,734,450 -24,100 -368,350 -786,337 5,167,748

ABRA MINING APEX MINING ATLAS MINING ATOK CENTURY PEAK COAL ASIA HLDG DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL GEOGRACE LEPANTO A MANILA MINING A 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

0.0023 1.6 2.89 15.98 1.92 0.3 7.41 1.8 0.211 0.11 0.0075 1.23 2.72 1.07 0.61 1.03 0.013 0.013 0.012 4.11 3.26 16.04 29 0.0069

0.0023 1.62 3 17.48 1.92 0.305 7.41 1.83 0.22 0.112 0.0075 1.29 2.73 1.07 0.61 1.05 0.013 0.013 0.012 4.21 3.54 16.4 29 0.0069

0.0022 1.58 2.88 15.98 1.91 0.3 7.28 1.8 0.211 0.11 0.0075 1.23 2.68 1 0.6 1.02 0.012 0.013 0.011 4.05 3.26 16 28.25 0.0069

MINING & OIL 0.0023 236,000,000 1.6 3,471,000 2.91 831,000 17.48 4,300 1.91 187,000 0.305 150,000 7.41 400 1.82 1,319,000 0.219 990,000 0.112 530,000 0.0075 6,000,000 1.29 22,000 2.71 896,000 1.06 45,000 0.6 174,000 1.03 879,000 0.012 14,600,000 0.013 100,000 0.012 41,200,000 4.2 150,000 3.41 5,221,000 16.02 535,900 28.6 1,181,300 0.0069 4,000,000

528,400 5,534,660 2,455,160 70,318 358,590 45,550 2,938 2,403,350 215,940 58,800 45,000 27,360 2,423,420 45,300 104,560 904,740 185,300 1,300 484,800 613,630 17,789,430 8,650,466 34,021,490 27,600

-1,901,000 -482,310 -330,370 -464,980 -1,300 -230,400 41,860 -6,999,980 348,414.00 24,785,295 -

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

21.05 489.8 97.6 100.8 482.2 4.95 890 1.02 1,005 102.2 995 76 77 74.4 74.25 74.8 73.65

21.5 489.8 97.9 100.8 482.2 4.95 890 1.02 1,005 102.2 1,000 76 77 74.4 75 75 74.7

21.05 487 97 100.8 482 4.95 890 1.02 1,000 102.2 995 75.15 76.95 74.4 74.25 74.8 73.65

PREFERRED 21.5 13,600 489 2,170 97 565,160 100.8 53,000 482 390 4.95 80,000 890 800 1.02 308,000 1,000 200 102.2 120 1,000 3,690 75.5 1,950 76.95 290 74.4 300 75 11,010 75 6,950 74.7 31,600

291,155 1,059,634 54,835,520 5,342,400 187,984 396,000 712,000 314,160 200,950 12,264 3,683,000 146,930 22,323.50 22,320 825,592.50 519,870 2,355,120

162,280 -396,000 200,950 -12,320 -

LR WARRANT

2.45

2.46

2.4

WARRANTS 2.41 261,000

628,180

-

2,147,840 6,000 6,227,070

48,600 7,460

798,096

-

MS

PROPERTY 7.05 0.78 11.94 1.97 0.65 41.15 2.42 4.42 5 0.42 0.9 0.92 0.219 0.4 7.99 20.25 0.52 1.45 1.06 2.58 4.5 0.6 0.415 0.415 3.19

264,100 335,000 5,100 100,000 343,000 9,223,600 1,489,000 179,000 18,700 1,680,000 1,000 46,000 1,780,000 40,000 651,300 2,897,500 91,000 3,494,000 264,000 38,480,000 13,403,000 15,232,000 100,000 80,000 597,000

1,847,347 260,720 58,244 197,000 212,960 379,416,475 3,601,130 788,910 94,940 704,300 900 41,170 380,350 15,850 5,219,175 58,775,595 47,760 5,048,370 282,280 95,183,000 59,308,250 9,148,780 41,250 33,050 1,900,510

-22,416 -72,890 49,155,515 -2,889,990 -478,800 1,780 4,035 -1,216,410 297,680 -8,490 508,420 3,847,080 52,800 -4,430

ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE XURPAS

5 3 1.93

5.01 3 2.01

4.8 3 1.86

FIRST METRO ETF

107.4

108.7

107.4

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

10,720,583

INDUSTRIAL

69,562,551

HOLDING FIRMS

112,218,225

PROPERTY

112,836,626

SERVICES

60,664,453

MINING & OIL

318,838,693

GRAND TOTAL

688,551,536

4.8 3 1.9

SME

440,000 2,000 3,257,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 108.6 7,400

VALUE 1,640.53 (up) 27.98 845,416,665.22 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,864.35 (up) 57.52 745,527,562.69 HOLDING FIRMS 6,969.33 (up) 101.96 880,524,960.84 PROPERTY 3,602.07 (up) 24.26 1,491.97 (up) 4.28 1,208,649,702.90 SERVICES MINING & OIL 9,505.45 (down) 112.35 680,975,332.56 PSEI 7,236.16 (up) 84.64 77,031,062.24 All Shares Index 4,398.73 (up) 39.08 4,447,320,620.78 Gainers: 107; Losers: 83; Unchanged: 38; Total: 228

Cosco Capital sells Liquigaz stake, leaves LPG business

By Jenniffer B. Austria COSCO Capital Inc., the listed retail holding company of retail tycoon Lucio Co., is exiting the liquified petroleum gas business with the sale of its entire stake in Liquigaz Philippines Corp.

Cosco Capital through unit Canaria Holdings Corp. said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it sold its 100-percent interest in Liquigaz covering 826,530 shares to Fernwood Holdings, Inc. The company did not disclose the value of the transaction. The company said the value was less than 12 percent of the total asset of the company as of December 2017.

Cosco Capital said the transaction “is expected to maximize shareholders’ value and for the company to achieve financial flexibility moving forward.”

The transaction is still subject to approval by the Philippine Competition Commission.

Liquigaz Philippines is one of the major distributors of liquefied petroleum gas in the country. It is the second largest supplier of LPG in the country accounting for approximately 30 percent of total market volume and the biggest seller in Luzon, the site of its storage facilities.

Cosco Capital in 2014 acquired 90 percent of the capital stock of Liquigaz Philippines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SHV Energy of the Netherlands.

Over 60 percent of the country’s total annual LPG importation is unloaded, stored and sold from Liquigaz’s 12,500-metric-ton capacity storage tanks in Mariveles, Bataan, the largest of such facility in the Philippines. It is the only supplier capable of receiving both refrigerated and pressurized LPG cargo.

Liquigaz Philippines generated a 28-percent increase in revenues to P7.59 billion in the first six months of 2018, mainly driven by an increase in sales volume and the recovery in global LPG prices during the period.

Net income, however, declined nine percent to P233 million.

With the divestment, Cosco Capital will still have several business under its portfolio including Puregold Price Club Inc., S&R Membership Shopping, Ellimac Prime Holdings Inc. and Office Warehouse, Inc. Share price of Cosco Capital on Monday climbed 4.2 percent to P6.98.

Ayala subsidiary investing P1b in logistics business AC INFRASTRUCTURE Holdings Inc. of conglomerate Ayala Corp. plans to boost its investments in newlyformed logistics joint venture Entrego Fulfillment Solutions Inc. to P1 billion to help the unit construct a new state-of the-art e-commerce center.

AC Infrastructure chief executive Rene Almendras said in a press briefing Entrego would start building a 12,000 fully-automated sortation facility in south of Metro Manila with capacity of 100,000 packages a day. The new facility is expected to be operational by the second half of 2019.

Entrego is a technology-driven, endto-end fulfillment and logistics solutions provider in the Philippines. It is 60-percent owned by AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., another unit of Ayala, and 40 percent held by Brillant 1257 GmbH & Co. Vierte Verwaltungs Kg, a subsidiary of the Global Fashion Group, the leading online fashion destination for growth markets.

AC Infra said the planned expansion was expected to help Entrego achieve its 2019 target of having 60 distribution hubs across the country Entrego currently has 45 distribution hubs serving 27,000 barangays.

“We are applying technology to transform the logistics ecosystem. Our intent is to innovate and organize services to achieve better operating and cost efficiencies for the various customers we have, whether large, medium, or smallscale companies,” Almendras said.

AC Infra so far has committed P580 million to expand Entrego into a significant technology driven fulfillment solutions provider in the Philippines.

Almendras said the group would increase the investment to over P1 billion by next year because of more opportunities in the logistics space.

Jenniffer B. Austria

World

B3

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

PM apologizes to child sex abuse victims C

ANBERRA―Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued a national apology to thousands of victims of institutional sex abuse Monday, admitting the state utterly failed to stop “evil, dark crimes” committed over decades.

ROYAL TOUR. Britain’s Prince Harry takes part in a traditional ceremony with Aboriginal elder Aunty Nai Nai Bird (C) and

Aboriginal artist Shawn Wondunna-Foley (L) during his visit to Fraser Island, in Queensland, on October 22, 2018. - Prince Harry greeted an Aboriginal community on the stunning World Heritage-listed Fraser Island on October 22 as his pregnant wife Meghan took a break from official duties during the royal couple’s Australian tour. PETER PARKS, POOL, AFP

IN BRIEF Harry goes solo on royal tour FRASER ISLAND, Australia―Prince Harry greeted an Aboriginal community on the stunning World Heritage-listed Fraser Island Monday as his pregnant wife Meghan took a break from official duties during the royal couple’s Australian tour.

The pair have already traveled to Sydney, Melbourne and the regional town of Dubbo since touching down in Australia last Monday, drawing thousands of screaming fans to their events.

The visit to Fraser Island off the coast of Queensland state took on a different tone, as the Duke of Sussex was greeted with a traditional Aboriginal ceremony from the local Butchulla people on the peaceful shores of Lake McKenzie.

Harry later walked barefoot on the soft white sands of the lake, a source of drinking water for the Butchulla people, and splashed water on his face.

Fraser is the world’s largest sand island and the prince was due to unveil a plaque to dedicate the holiday site’s acres of rain forests to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy project.

His visit will also touch on other environmental issues, a cause close to his father Prince Charles’ heart, when he meets with park rangers to learn more about the island’s plants and animals.

Later, he will meet with two Hervey Bay paramedics, who are being recognized for granting a dying woman’s final wish by taking her to the beach.

A photo of a paramedic beside a stretcher facing the ocean was posted on Facebook last year and went viral around the world.

The royal couple had earlier arrived in Queensland by plane before traveling to the island separately.

Harry boarded a barge, a route used by tourists to travel to the island, while the Duchess of Sussex took a different vessel and then retreated to a private residence.

Her choice of dress, a maroon number with white polka dots, sparked excitement in Queensland, as the deep brownish-red happens to also been the official colour of the state. AFP

Working with Trump ‘not always simple’ MONTREAL―Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said working with US President Donald Trump is “not always simple,” as he welcomed the successful renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Speaking on an episode of Quebec’s most popular talk show, “Tout Le Monde En Parle,” broadcast Sunday, Trudeau said he had done his job of “standing up for Canadians” in agreeing the USMCA trade pact with the US, Canada and Mexico.

Asked about his relationship with Trump, Trudeau cautiously acknowledged it was “not always simple.”

“He knows it and so do I. We are not aligned on many things and it is sometimes difficult to find common ground, but we managed to do it fairly well,” Trudeau said.

Relations between the two leaders took a hit in June, when Trump taunted Trudeau as “very dishonest & weak” and “meek and mild” as he left a G7 summit in Canada that the prime minister had hosted.

Trudeau also defended cannabis legalization during the interview, a key campaign promise that came into effect October 17.

He argued 90 years of prohibition had not worked, and only lined the pockets of organized criminals.

Meanwhile, ahead of his upcoming campaign for next year’s elections, Trudeau vowed to tackle climate change.

“The reality is that we must protect the environment while creating economic growth that is sustainable and responsible,” he said, going on to accuse the opposition Conservative party of having “no plan” on environmental issues. AFP

Turkey promises to reveal truth over reporter’s death

DUBAI-Saudi Arabia faced a growing chorus of incredulity Sunday over its belated explanation of how critic Jamal Khashoggi died inside its Istanbul consulate, as world powers demanded answers and the whereabouts of his body.

After a fortnight of denials, Saudi authorities admitted on Saturday that the Washington Post columnist was killed after entering the consulate on October 2, a disappearance that sparked outrage and plunged the Gulf kingdom into a spiraling international crisis.

Turkish officials have accused Riyadh of carrying out a state-sponsored killing and dismembering the body, with pro-government media in Turkey reporting the existence of video and audio evidence to back those claims.

Police have searched a forest in Istanbul where they believe his body may have been disposed of.

After initially saying Khashoggi left the consulate unharmed, and then that they were investigating his disappearance, Saudi authorities backtracked and admitted the 60-year-old was killed in a “brawl” with officials inside the consulate.

But that narrative-combined with the absence of Khashoggi’s body―quickly drew skepticism and scorn from many, including staunch allies.

Ankara vowed to reveal all the details of its own inquiry as US President Donald Trump said he was unsatisfied with Saudi Arabia’s response to the columnist’s death while the EU, Germany, France, Britain, Australia, Canada and the UN also demanded greater clarity.

The controversy has put the kingdom―for decades a key ally in Western efforts to contain Iran―under unprecedented pressure.

It has also evolved into a major crisis for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a Trump administration favorite widely known as MBS, whose image as a modernizing Arab reformer has been gravely undermined.

Canada is among the latest countries to question Riyadh’s version of events.

“The explanations offered to date lack consistency and credibility,” Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement Saturday.

Senior Republican Senator Marco Rubio was more stark in his assessment. AFP

Taiwan probes train crash that killed 18 people YILAN, Taiwan―Taiwan’s president pushed for a swift investigation Monday after an express train derailed on a coastal tourist route, killing 18 people as it sent sleeping passengers flying from their seats.

The crash on the popular east coast line injured another 187 people Sunday and left the Puyuma Express lying zig-zagged across the tracks in the island’s worst rail accident for a quarter century.

Among those who died, the youngest was nine years old. Two students aged 12 and 13 from a junior high school in Taitung―where the train was headed―were also killed, according to the transport ministry.

“Everyone is concerned about the cause of the incident and I’ve asked prosecutors to clarify the situation... and the cause soon,” President Tsai Ing-wen told reporters as she visited the scene of the accident Monday.

A task force and forensic units will determine whether the derailment was “an accident or human error”, prosecutor Chiang Jen-yu said as investigators combed through the wreckage for evidence.

Passengers who survived the accident recalled how the train had been shaking intensely during the journey and was going “very fast” before it derailed.

“The train stopped twice and we were told that there were problems that needed repair but the train restarted not long after,” one passenger who identified herself as Mrs Chiu told reporters.

“We felt that the speed was too fast, then there was a crashing sound and we flew off [from the seats],” she said, adding that many passengers were sleeping at the time.

An official from the Taiwan Railways Administration said the train driver had reported a pressure device used for braking had malfunctioned 30 minutes before the accident, but that it should not have caused the train to go too fast.

Officials said Monday that the search for victims had ended at the accident site in the northeastern county of Yilan and that no more passengers had been found in the carriages. AFP

“This was done by Australians to Australians, enemies in our midst, enemies in our midst,” Morrison said in an emotional address to parliament, designed as a belated apology to the 15,000 known survivors of child abuse.

“As a nation, we failed them, we forsook them, and that will always be our shame,” he said, recounting abuse that a government inquiry has shown was rife in schools, churches, orphanages, sports clubs and other institutions across the country over decades.

Morrison’s voice cracked and trailed off as he recounted a history of exploitation, cover-ups and state failure. He declared a new national credo for future allegations: “We believe you.”

The state apology comes after a fiveyear Royal Commission that detailed harrowing child sex abuse claims involving once well-trusted institutions.

“Today, we say sorry, to the children we failed. Sorry. To the parents whose trust was betrayed and who have struggled to pick up the pieces. Sorry. To the whistle blowers, who we did not listen to. Sorry,” Morrison said.

“To the spouses, partners, wives, husbands, children, who have dealt with the consequences of the abuse, cover-ups and obstruction. Sorry. To generations past and present. Sorry.”

In parliament, lawmakers stood for a moment of silence following the remarks, as hundreds of survivors looked on or watched in official events across the country.

Normal parliamentary business, a session of prime minister’s questions, was suspended in a bipartisan show of respect.

Outside the parliamentary chamber,

relatives of victims wore tags with the names of departed daughters and sons, brothers and sisters, for whom the apology came too late.

After meeting some of the victims, Morrison told journalists “I’ve never felt such pain in one room, ever.”

A series of Australian institutions have already apologised for their failings, including Australian Catholic leaders who have lamented the church’s “shameful” history of child abuse and cover-ups.

According to the Royal Commission, seven percent of Catholic priests in Australia were accused of abuse between 1950 and 2010, but the allegations were rarely investigated, with child victims ignored and even punished.

Some senior members of the church in Australia have been prosecuted in relation to the abuse.

The Australian government has previously issued formal apologies for the mistreatment of Aboriginal Australians, for forced adoptions and homosexual convictions.

There are growing calls for an apology for the military’s treatment of gay, bisexual and transgender personnel.

For many Australians there will still be questions about how the child sex abuse and cover-ups took place.

And for some of the victims, the government’s atonement rings hollow―a step short of removing public funding for offending institutions, or far-ranging legal reforms.

At an event attended by the leaders of both major political parties, protesters shouted demands that the government do more to punish the guilty and dig into the past of other institutions like the military. AFP

LGUs

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor lgu@manilastandard.net editor.lgustandard@gmail.com

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LocaL government units

tuesday, october 23, 2018

Subic firm inks pact with TeSda for auto workers

By Butch Gunio SUBIC BAY FREEPORT―A company engaged in trading of motor vehicles here has sealed an agreement with the Technical education and Skills Development Authority for the training of workers in the automotive industry.

Subictrak International Inc., a locally registered enterprise engaged in importation, remanufacture, rebuilding and re-export of motor vehicles and heavy equipment, will join TeSDA for an inplant Dual Training System to help increase standards in truck rebuilding.

Subic bay Metropolitan Authority Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. eisma said the partnership exemplifies the culture of community involvement the agency is cultivating among stakeholders in the Subic Freeport. under the agreement, TeSDA will execute the training program designed by both parties in accordance with the Dual Training System Act of 1994, while Subictrak will provide the facility for the in-plant Shielded Metal Arc Welding NC2 class and Automotive Servicing NC2 class.

The memorandum of agreement was signed by Subictrak president Ferdinand Tangan and TeSDA provincial training center administrator eugene Peñaranda.

TeSDA Zambales provincial director benhur baniqued lauded Subictrak for partnering with the agency to help address job mismatch in the community.

SBITC joins Int’l Coastal Cleanup day SubIC bay International Terminal Corp. recently joined the International Coastal Cleanup Day in support of ocean preservation activities of the Subic bay Freeport community.

SbITC volunteers, together with participants from the Freeport community, collected trash along the coastline areas of the Subic Freeport.

SbITC volunteers were designated to clean up the southern and western coastal areas of New Container Terminal 1 and 2.

“SbITC looks forward to participating in coastal cleanups regularly.

Sustaining this initiative is a means for us to contribute to environmental preservation. This raises our awareness in proper waste disposal,” said Mechell Madriaga, health, Safety, Security and environment head, who led the activity along with henry Dungca, SbITC Acting Terminal Manager.

SbITC volunteers were able to fill 40 sacks of plastic beverage bottles, food wrappers, and styrofoam.

“In SbITC, we have already prohibited the usage of single-use plastics as we continue to improve our waste management policies. The sea is valuable in our operations and we are committed to preserve our water resources,’’ said Dungca.

SbITC, an ICTSI company, is a common-user, multi-purpose terminal, providing on and off-dock marine port cargo and container handling services in Subic Freeport Area. It is one of the leading port operators in the world which leverages on fast, reliable, and cost-efficient system.

CANCER FORUM.

Dr. Li Xiao Shi (left), chief physician of St. Stanford Modern Cancer Hospital in Guangzhou, China, St. Stanford Hospital general manager Tu Xiao Ming (right) and He Langbing, China Director of Foreign Affairs (center) stand with cancer survivors Alma Mae Pallon, Ernesto So and Eric Tanga (from left) during the ‘New Treatment, New Hope, New Life’ forum at the Century Park. Norman Cruz

GO FISH. A man uses an air rifle fitted with a small harpoon (barbed spear) attached to a string to catch fish in Laguna de Bay in Lower Bicutan, Taguig City over the weekend. PNA

Manila nabs over 100 in anti-littering drive

M

ORe than 100 litterbugs were apprehended by Manila police over the weekend as part of the amplified campaign by the City government to address indiscriminate disposal of garbage in the city, Mayor Joseph estrada said Monday.

Those arrested will be charged for violating City Ordinance 7866 for illegal disposal of garbage with a fine of P3,000 and/or imprisonment of 30 days or both upon the discretion of the court, estrada said.

The city government is vigorously pursuing its anti-garbage program in the city aimed at ridding Manila of a wanton disposal problem that has be-

come overwhelming, the mayor said. estrada has asked citizens to act responsibility through motivational messages in print and social media. “however, some citizens are disregarding the law with impunity,” he said, adding he is left with no choice but to enforce the law.

The city government cannot accept citizens littering the drains and canals

as it is an economic, environmental and social burden, estrada said.

“When the environment is polluted and defaced with litter, it affects our ability to promote Manila as a tourist destination,” the Manila chief executive said.

The mayor has instructed the Manila Police District to apprehend those who will violate the city ordinance.

The campaign against litterbugs was intensified because of unabated littering by irresponsible individuals, poor garbage disposal by uncooperative households, and delays in the hauling of garbage, he said.

IN JESSE’S FOOTSTEPS.

Vice President Leni Robredo (right) and Galing Pook Foundation chairman Rafael Coscolluela (left) confer the 4th Jesse Robredo Leadership Award to Legaspi City Mayor Noel E. Rosal at the Galing Pook Award 2018 at the Novotel Araneta Center Cubao Quezon City. Rosal was cited not only for achievement in the delivery of effective programs and services to his constituency, but also for his impeccable character as a civil servant characterized by integrity and transparency.

Manny Palmero

Navotas bags accounting office award

By Jun David The Navotas City Government has received another award for its sterling accounting practices.

The city was named one of the Outstanding Accounting Offices in the country during the 2018 ConventionSeminar of the Association of Government Accountants of the Philippines Inc. (last Oct. 17 at the Iloilo Convention Center.

City accountant evangeline Pascual, together with the city accounting personnel, received the award.

Mayor John Rey Tiangco commended the city accounting office for their exemplary work, and noted the collaborative effort among all city department heads and employees.

“The awards we received not only bring honor to our city. They also validate our efforts to ensure that our city’s financial transactions are honest and transparent,” Tiangco said.

“Furthermore, they confirm our city’s endeavor to make rational and prudent spending and investment of the taxes paid

by Navoteños to provide them with services responsive to their needs,” he added.

The awardees were selected based on the recommendations of the Commission on Audit, whose criteria for judging included unqualified COA findings, as well as the accuracy, consistency, comprehensiveness and timeliness of submission of 2017 financial reports.

Navotas has received the highest mark from COA for three consecutive years.

“This is part of our steadfast commitment to provide our constituents the best service they deserve and help improve their quality of life,” Tiangco said.

Supreme Court acquits former Cagayan Mayor Taruc of graft rap The Supreme Court acquitted last week former Mayor Ignacio Taruc of buguey, Cagayan for alleged violation of Republic Act No. 3019, of the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act. In the resolution dated Aug. 29, 2018, the Supreme Court’s First Di-

vision granted Taruc’s petition for review on certiorari and reversed and set aside the decision of Sandiganbayan, which sentenced Taruc to 10 years imprisonment with perpetual disqualification from holding any public office.

The case arose from the refusal of Taruc to pay and sign the checks for the salaries of the five employees of the Office of the Vice Mayor from the period of July to August 2007.

The Supreme Court held that the prosecution failed to prove beyond

reasonable doubt the elements of manifest partiality or evident bad faith and undue injury.

“Absent these elements, petitioner cannot be found guilty of violating Section 3 (e) of RA No. 3019,” the Supreme Court stated.

Munti gives P5m to typhoon-hit towns The City Government of Muntinlupa has donated P5 million or P500,000 each to 10 municipalities in Cagayan, benguet, and Kalinga that were affected by Typhoon “Ompong.”

On Sept. 15, Ompong (international name: “Mongkhut”) made landfall in baggao, Cagayan and threatened Northern Luzon leaving at least 81 people dead.

While the Department of National Defense said baggao suffered the most damage, the number of casualties has climbed mostly due to the corpses recovered from landslides in the Cordillera Administrative Region, including the mining town of Itogon.

Muntinlupa City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer erwin Alfonso and Muntinlupa Social Service Department chief

Analyn Mercado handed the donation to local officials and council members of the typhoonstricken towns.

The 10 municipalities include baggao, Iguig, Pamplona, Lasam, Claveria, Sta. Praxedes, and Sanchez Mira in Cagayan, Itogon and Kabayan in benguet, and Pasil in Kalinga.

Leaders from the recipient municipalities expressed their utmost thanks to the City Government for the aid.

Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi said this initiative is the city’s share in helping kababayan who are in need.

“In the spirit of bayanihan, the local government of Muntinlupa has been and will continue to lend its hand to towns in the country needing assistance,” the local exec added.

Life

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

health and environment

T

He Philippines has been tagged the world’s third worst plastic polluter of oceans. The study by ocean Conservancy and McKinsey Center for Business and environment revealed we generate 2.7 million metric tons of plastic garbage per year, 20 percent of which ends up in the ocean.

This incident is largely caused by inefficient waste disposal in the country and poor awareness of the problem, hence World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines, has been closely involved in coastal cleanups and other initiatives around the country to instill in Filipinos the importance of tackling this issue. on its 11th landmark year, Hamilo Coast and WWF-Philippines’ partnership now stands firmly on environmental programs aimed at not just ending plastic pollution but also at preserving its surrounding nature.

Hamilo Coast, with the help of the environmental group, has gone way beyond annual coastal cleanups and has carefully practiced sustainability within its day to day operations.

@MstandardLIFe tuesday, october 23, 2018

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A pArtnership for nAture

Warriors of the waters

Acknowledging that everything that happens on the ridge has a direct effect on the reef, WWF-Philippines and Hamilo Coast continue to implement programs for its ridge to reef Management.

Programs include the declaration of the premier beach resort town’s three coves into Marine Protected Areas, namely Pico de Loro and etayo coves, and Hamilo Coast’s main marine sanctuary, Santelmo Cove, where giant clams are being cultivated and a vibrant marine life thrives. ongoing projects to protect coastal and terrestrial resources include mangrove reforestation, pawikan conservation, marine mammal rescue, and reef monitoring.

Hamilo Coast and WWF-Philippines’ partnership stands firmly on environmental programs aimed at ending plastic pollution and preserving its surrounding nature.

From solid waste to zero waste

With efforts to keep the property and surroundings clean and green, WWF-Philippines developed a solid waste management plan for Pico de Loro Cove, including a vermicomposting site. early this year, Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club and Pico Sands Hotel modified a few of its operations to become more environment friendly.

Plastics used in the said properties have been replaced with paper straws and cups, good grade stirrers, and takeaway packs, which is expected to eradicate the dumping of non-biodegradable waste of 180,000 plastic straws and 27,000 plastic stirrers annually.

The club and hotel also partnered with WWF-Philippines in implementing a food waste management system, an initiative intended to urge staff, members, and guests to be more conscious about food resources and waste.

With leftover rice noted as one of the highest food waste contributor in the

Hamilo Coast’s Santelmo Cove has been declared a Marine Protected Area.

property, the restaurants’ menus now offer rice separately, while also considering diners who are non-rice eaters.

A campaign to encourage guests to only get the food they can consume in a buffet was also launched in the middle of the year.

In addition, water quality is regularly tested and monitored while waste water from different locators within Pico de Loro Cove are processed and

A vibrant underwater life, which includes giant clams, corals, and fish, thrives at Santelmo Cove.

recycled to keep the lush landscapes sea and verdant mountains, takes pride on its features that allow susclean and green. tainable green living.

In harmony with nature It also takes into account cost-effiGreen building strategies were care- cient operations. For instance, natural fully considered in Pico de Loro Cove’s lighting and ventilation was considered latest luxury beach condominium de- in the building design, and solar energy velopment, Freia. will be used for certain common areas.

The mid-rise contemporary tropiAn efficient waste management syscal condominium building, which tem is being put into place to ensure reoffers a spectacular panorama of the duced carbon footprints on the part of

the residential community.

Hamilo Coast has long been championing sustainable practices through luxury seaside living at par with environmental awareness.

Achievements and recognitions include Bronze Benchmark Status from earth Check in 2015 and 2017 and exemplary practice on solid waste management given by the Department of Natural resource’s Annual environmental Summit in 2017.

Mental health support in the workplace

Havas Ortega chief executive officer Jos Ortega asserts employees are the most important asset in a company

More than 300 million people around the world suffer from depression, according to a recent study by the World Health organization. Meanwhile, the National Statistics office said the Philippines has the highest number of depressed people in Southeast Asia.

The WHo said the workplace is one of the key environments that affects a person’s well-being and health.

However, globally, only 9 percent of mental health promotion and prevention programs are focused on the workplace. Here at home, for example, there are only two mental health care workers for 100,000 people.

“We spend at least nine hours a day at our workplaces. If it’s not a healthy environment for your mind, body, and soul, your output and morale will definitely suffer,” states Philippa Keys, exofficio of In Touch Philippines.

In Touch Philippines is a non-stock, non-profit organization providing mental health services in the Philippines since the ‘80s.

“A recent study conducted by the World Health organization revealed that the global economy loses up to 1 trillion US dollars annually due to lost productivity caused by mental health issues such as depression and anxiety,” says Keys.

According to Keys, the stigma at-

Iea Nepomuceno understands the importance of having a sound mental health.

tached to mental health disorders prevents those who suffer from talking about their issues.

“The ever-increasing demand to deliver more in the workplace in shorter timeframes is still prevalent across dif-

ferent industries. And it’s time for companies to play their part by providing an environment that opens the conversation on mental health.”

In Touch Philippines has extended Turn to C2

Life

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tuesday, october 23, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Campaign

highlights the importance of play “P

lay is not just important for the child’s healthy and total development—it is essential,” averred Dr. Bless de asis of Mindfulness, love, and Compassion Institute for Psychosocial Services.

WWF-PH National Ambassadors Rovilson Fernandez and Marc Nelson discussing the #AyokoNgPlastik movement

according to her, play can allow children as well as adults to rise up from challenges and regain the strength to live a full life.

Experts say every child should have access to play, especially those who are exposed to different situations where they become vulnerable and are forced to put their childhood on hold.

Unilab Foundation believes that play is essential to a child’s holistic development, hence it launched Play It Forward in 2012. all PIF’s activities are designed to highlight play and its significance to the mental health of children, especially in vulnerable situations. It uses therapeutic play to provide psychosocial support to pediatric patients and to children in post-disaster or disasterprone communities.

PIF has enabled access to play for thousands of children by facilitating play sessions in hospitals and communities, therefore providing them with safe spaces they need to release stress and build resilience.

This year, PIF takes its advocacy Play It Forward has enabled access to play for thousands of children by facilitating play further with Play advocacy Week sessions in various communities.

2018, a week-long campaign, happening on Nov. 18-24, that aims to encour“Play It Forward hopes to reach more storenas, executive director of Unilab age everyone to take play seriously communities and organizations through Foundation. and to explore how it can be integrated Play advocacy Week. We invite everyGo to unilabfoundation.org or call (02) in today’s society. one to join our cause,” said lilibeth ari- 858-1000 local 8163 for more information.

Raptor migration season in Sarangani aBOUT 93,000 migratory raptors from Taiwan and Japan flocked to southern Mindanao during the migration season happening this month.

In recent years, the migratory birds heading to Indonesia have been observed making a stopover in Rio del Pilar in the municipality of Glan in Sarangani. last year, the Provincial Government of Sarangani, through the Environmental Conservation and Protection Center, counted a total of 132,945 birds composed of Chinese Sparrowhawk (96 percent), Grey-faced Buzzard (3 percent), Peregrine Falcon and Western Osprey (1 percent).

The birds are looking for thermal air currents which can be found in Mt. latian Complex, which has been identified an important biodiversity area and a Philippine Biodiversity Conservation priority by the Department of EnvironMigratory raptor birds spotted in Sarangani. ment and Natural Resources.

Raptor migration is a vital indicator area. They are characterized by their tect prey during flight, thus serving as of the ecological balance of the roosting sharp vision, which allows them to de- natural pest control in the area.

The migratory birds arrive in Sarangani twice a year: September to October, and March to april (their return flight). a study entitled “Project Southern Crossing 2014: First Observations of autumn Raptor Migration at Sarangani, Mindanao, Philippines” described the archipelago as an “important link in the East asia–australasian Flyway (Birdlife International 2015), a migration route involving long sea crossings.”

This year’s monitoring season includes a reforestation initiative of one of the roosting sites, Mt. Taltak, in partnership with Raptorwatch Network Philippines and the Japanese SoBird watchers at the Sarangani Raptor Hill. ciety for the Preservation of Birds.

Mental...

From C1

help to hundreds of struggling employees through its Employee Well-being Program or EWP. among those who have availed of EWP from In Touch Philippines is media and creative agency Havas Ortega.

Havas Ortega partnered with In Touch Philippines to help its employees address the day-to-day challenges that affect their mental health. Through its partnership with In Touch, the organization created TalK program which provides every employee a dedicated 24/7 Employee Hotline as well as subsidized private counseling sessions.

Furthermore, resource speakers from In Touch Philippines’ pool of professional experts have enabled Havas Ortega to conduct monthly In-house Skill Builder Sessions to educate and

empower the workforce on a range of topics such as “Mental Health awareness and First aid,” “Stress Management,” and “Finding Grit.”

“Employees are the most important asset in the company. Here at Havas Ortega, we want to make sure that we look after their health with a holistic approach, and that includes putting a premium on mental well-being,” says Havas Ortega chief executive officer Jos Ortega.

He adds, “at the end of the day, we want to keep them inspired and motivated. We want to ensure them that there is a solid support system to help them keep going.”

Havas Ortega’s internal mental health program claims to be the first of its kind in the local advertising industry.

For more information on In Touch Philippines’ Employee Well-being Program, call (02) 893-1893 or email intouch@in-touch.org.

‘No to plastic’ movement

launched

IN a bid to address the plastic pollution in the oceans, the World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines, together with ayala Malls and other partner corporations, has launched the #ayokoNgPlastik movement.

The #ayokoNgPlastik movement brings together companies, individuals, and other sectors to minimize and eventually put a stop to single-use plastics such as straws, bags, bottles, and cups. Refusing these items is a simple yet strong first step that individuals can take to commit to a sustainable lifestyle, especially since the harm that these materials cause directly affects humans.

“Plastic pollution is a serious threat not only to marine life but to human life as well. Plastics don’t completely degenerate and just break down into small pieces—microplastics—which are ingested by the fish that we eat.

The possibility of plastics ending up on dinner plates is a serious concern and a health hazard,” said WWF-Philippines president and chief executive Joel Palma.

Initiated by WWF-Philippines’ Next Generation Council, #ayokoNgPlastik’s goal is to raise awareness and encourage individuals to live more consciously and for businesses to operate more sustainably.

The NGC is made up of young movers and shakers who heeded the call to spread WWF-Philippines’ conservation thrusts. Headed by The Net Group chair Raymond Rufino, members include television host and columnist Stephanie Zubiri-Crespi, Philux chief operating officer Stephanie KienleGonzalez, Magsaysay Transport and logistics chief operating officer Jesse Maxwell, Teach for the Philippines chief executive officer Clarissa Delgado, The Moment Group co-founder and creative director abba Napa, and former WWF-Philippines National youth Council chairperson alexa Cancio.

“Driven by deep concern, every member of the NGC is volunteering time, energy, and resources to reduce single-use plastic pollution in the country. The challenge is daunting but we are determined and committed,” stated Rufino. ayala Malls, one of the biggest shopping mall developers in the Philippines, has also expressed support for the movement.

“Sustainability has long been a priority for ayala Malls and we’re especially proud to have the chance to continue the momentum with WWF,” enthused ayala Malls deputy head Mariana Zobel de ayala.

“We launched our initial campaign in 2009, with the aim to bring focus to the importance of sustainable living, and last year we established our intent for no plastic shopping bags across ayala Malls,” shared Zobel de ayala.

“We are thrilled to have found a partner in WWF for #ayokoNgPlastik campaign, as we work together for a more sustainable future for the Philippines,” she added.

In addition to ayala Malls, other official partners of the #ayokoNgPlastik movement include National Geographic, Bellevue Hotels and Resorts, Bo’s Coffee, Corkcicle, Coffee Project, Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort, Puerto Pension Inn, foodpanda, HSBC, Impact Hub Manila, IVO, The lind Boracay, The Moment Group, Toby’s Estate, CIBO, and CNN-Philippines.

“We’re very grateful to have a number of companies join the movement this early on. With their involvement, it makes it easier for Filipinos to veer away from plastic and choose a sustainable alternative instead. We’re hoping to get more partners to participate in this cause,” remarked Palma.

Go to WWF-Philippines’ social media pages to find out how to participate in the #AyokoNgPlastik movement.

Chi-chi, the Panda says no to plastic

Havas Ortega employees benefit from their employer’s partnership with In Touch Philippines in providing mental health support.

Entertainment

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

C3

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Ogie not the reason why Regine made the move

Eat’s playtime The immersive VR Zone at The Garage

By Darwin Pesco

P

LAY and eat at The Garage, the City of Dreams Manila’s new exciting attraction.

Changing the landscape of entertainment and dining, the new haven for fun is a VR Zone and food park that enables guests to enjoy the immersive experience of virtual reality entertainment and various choices of casual dining.

Bandai Namco Amusement from Japan provides the virtual reality experience at the VR Zone. The guests can also be players in the rousing games such as Mario Kart Arcade GP VR, Hospital Escape Terror, and Ski Rodeo.

“The Garage is City of Dreams Manila’s latest attraction featuring unique entertainment activities in partnership with Bandai Namco Amusement. With their creativity and cutting-edge technology,

we are honored and delighted to partner with them, and together blaze a trail in delivering extraordinary entertainment experience that go beyond gaming and recreation in the Philippines,” Kevin Benning, City of Dreams Manila’s Chief Operating Officer, said.

Celebrities like Julian Trono tried the Mario Kart VR Game, and fun could be seen in their faces.

“Bandai Namco Amusement is honored to partner with luxury integrated resort City of Dreams Manila and bring to this exciting destination our first VR Zone entertainment facility in Southeast Asia. We hope to bring outside of Japan an immersive, multisensory and fun activities to Filipinos and foreign guests with our unique VR activities at The Garage,” Kunihisa Yagisita, Bandai Namco’s General Manager said.

The Garage’s VR Zone is also serving food from the 10 food and beverage trucks and trailers: Pink’s Hotdog, LA’s most popular food; Little Flour Café, which serves well-loved and locallyinspired Filipino rice bowls, delicacies; El

Chupacabra, casual street taco bar serving Mexican-influenced dishes for lunch and dinner; Pizza Grigliata, serving freshlymade pizza, Farmacy Ice Cream, known as a time of classic turn-of-the-century ice cream parlor; Enjoy smoothies, slushies, and juices in Juiced; Taste the array of gourmet coffee served in The Roaster; and experience Japan’s food adventure with Hokkaido Ramen Santouka.

Also, the other The Garage’s food stops are Pizza Grigliata, Farmacy, Choco8, and Katsu Sora.

The new area is set in a 2,714-square meter cool and comfortable space located at the upper ground floor and designed by the award-winning Paris-based creative design agency, Malherbe Design in collaboration with Westar Architectural Interior Design. Graffiti works of Kookoo Ramos and DeeJae Paeste.

The Garage is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. and open for all ages. For more information, call (+632) 800-8080 or email guestservices@cod-manila.com or visitwww.cityofdreamsmanila.com.

OGIE Alcasid nixes talks that he’s allegedly the reason why wife Regine Velasquez decided to transfer to ABS-CBN after being with rival network GMA for twenty years.

“I guess it’s just but natural for them to think that way because I’m already here in the Kapamilya grounds,” he states.

“But to be honest, I never meddled with any of her professional decisions. Never had I convinced her to follow me here in ABS-CBN. It’s still her call. I’m just here as her husband.”

When they were both still in GMA, they had done numerous projects together like SOP, Party Pilipinas, Celebrity Duets and Sunday All Stars. Now that Regine is a Kapamilya, many ask if he will be open to do a project with her if ever.

“Well, that sounds a good idea! If that will happen, I’ll be grateful. It’s been ages since we last collaborated on a TV show.

But just like what she already announced, we’re doing a musical sitcom together,” he says.

Meanwhile, Ogie is thankful that as for his own career, he’s as busy as a bee.

He’s seen as a regular judge in It’s Showtime apart from his inclusion in Home Sweetie Home and ASAP. “I’m simply grateful. The spacing of my shows are okay. My bosses always see to it that I’m okay and comfortable. I feel so blessed when I moved here and it feels as if I didn’t leave. In case you don’t know, I started in the Kapamilya lot with Small Brothers opposite Janno (Gibbs) in the early nineties,” he ends. ***

After being silent for some time, Billy Crawford finally made public the reason why he left the noontime variety show It’s Showtime where he used to be a regular host.

“It’s because of my personal life,” he says. “As you all know, I got married to Coleen (Garcia) last April.

Right before the wedding, I got really very busy so I had to take a leave of absence. I’m very grateful to the management for allowing me to take some time off in order to concentrate on the planning of the wedding. My leave of absence helped a lot for me to work on the details.”

Many expected that after the nuptials he would already go back to the show.

“Well, I still didn’t because I concentrated on the construction of our house. Of course, building a house is not that easy.

It would require your time and effort. I didn’t want to give the production team false hopes that I’d come back. What I did was just to extend my vacation.”

Apart from focusing on his marriage he’s also giving more time to his music now.

“Everyone knows that music is a huge part of my life. During the time off, I was able to finish my album which took nine years to complete. It’s something which cannot be rushed. It’s perfect timing since I got the inspiration from Coleen. It’s all part of the plan.”

So what’s his plan now? Will he still go back to It’s Showtime?

“For sure, but I just don’t know exactly when,” he ends.

Ogie Alcasid with wife Regine Velasquez Stars and VIPs during the grand opening of City of Dreams Manila's new dining and entertainment complex.

Maximum...

From C4

The Philippines’ fastest LTE network Customers are able to optimize the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max powered

by Smart LTE, the Philippines fastest LTE network, according to network testing authorities OpenSignal and Ookla.

In its latest report covering the months of May to July 2018, UK-based firm OpenSignal recognized Smart’s lead in terms of LTE download speeds nationwide at 13.09 Mbps, well ahead of the competitor’s 7.34MBps. In July, US-based Ookla, the global leader in Internet testing analysis, cited Smart as the country’s fastest LTE network after analyzing over 2 million user-initiated tests on LTE devices in the Philippines for its Q1-Q2 2018 Speedtest awards.

The reviews are in Reviewers from across the globe have put iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max to the test. Here’s some of what they’re saying: Mashable “The improved camera hardware combined with a new automatic ‘Smart HDR’ technology, powered again by the Neural Engine and the A12 Bionic’s ISP (image signal processor), mean you get the best of both the advanced camera optics and computational photography.”

TechCrunch “In terms of CPU performance the world’s first at-scale 7nm architecture has paid dividends. You can see from the iPhone XS benchmarks that it compares favorably to fast laptops and easily exceeds iPhone X performance.

Daring Fireball “iPhones can’t compete with big dedicated cameras in lens or sensor quality. It’s not even close. The laws of physics prevent it. But those traditional camera companies can’t compete with

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Tuesday, October 23, 2018

ACROSS 1 Jungle warning 5 Trade 9 Damp 14 Game for (2 wds.)

15 Hi’s comic-strip wife 16 Out, at the dentist’s 17 Fragrant oil 19 Parcels out 20 Yale athlete 21 Pointed tools 22 Prepared apples 23 Got away 25 Soda pop 26 Spring mo.

27 Cinderella’s coach 30 Raring to go 33 Change, sci-fi style 34 Promise 36 Tennessee players 37 Fails to place 38 Disappear gradually 39 Water, in Cannes 40 Made a sound like a cow 41 Yearned deeply 42 Bring 44 Adult person 45 Scraped by 46 Barbarians

50 Fleece 52 Go at a moderate gait 53 Narrow inlet 54 Book jacket ad 55 Ink users of yore (2 wds.)

57 Hard roll 58 Hay bundle 59 Difficult duty 60 Norse neighbor 61 Drags into court 62 Simple DOWN 1 Kashmir cash 2 Outback gemstones 3 Upper room 4 Sinbad’s transport 5 More dilatory 6 Is willing to 7 Runs a fever 8 Frat letter 9 Ninth reindeer 10 Hooded parka 11 Not working 12 Have occasion for 13 Time divs.

18 Cheerful 22 Free tickets 24 Pleased sighs 25 As good as new 27 Conundrum 28 Dr. — Pavlov

29 Knotlike mass 30 — got it!

31 Garden hopper 32 Evidence 33 Cut the lawn 35 Marry 37 Romantic one 38 Discovery 40 Friendly 41 Committee 43 Ogled 44 Sugarbush trees 46 Sheer fabric 47 Hockey venue 48 Nobelist —

Pauling 49 Pert 50 Picnic fare 51 Gigantic 52 Where poi is served 54 Toy gun ammo 55 Montana and Flutie 56 Edgar Allan —

Apple in custom silicon or software, and their cameras can’t compete with iPhones in terms of always-in-your-pocket convenience and always-on internet connectivity for sharing. In the long run, the smart money is to bet on silicon and software.”

The New York Times “Apple did a terrific job of increasing screen size without adding bulk or compromising the usability of the [iPhone] XS Max. … These changes amounted to meaningful improvements in ergonomics and overall convenience.”

Best Products “We found [iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max] to offer a perfect blend of design, craftsmanship, industry-crushing performance, as well as a seamlessly intuitive user experience.”

Hypebeast “It feels great to have a new device that’s optimized for speed. The time it takes to open an app is the difference between me forgetting an idea or not.

With iPhone XS Max, I can do tasks more quickly, and features like the Camera feel more refined than ever before.

All these little things are welcome updates that make the workflow from my creative standpoint easier.”—Virgil Abloh, founder of OFF-WHITE and Louis Vuitton artistic director Medium “In the pure-play photography race, though, Apple takes the lead. Its Smart HDR uses sensor, ISP and neural engine enhancements to capture some of the best high-dynamic range photos I’ve ever seen.”

Tom’s Guide “[To transcode a 2-minute 4K video to 1080p,] iPhone XS and iPhone XSMax knocked it down further to 39 seconds. …

The Galaxy S9+ took 2 minutes and 32 seconds to complete the task, and that’s the fastest we’ve seen from an Android phone. … Based on our testing, the A12 Bionic processor inside the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max make these the fastest

phones you can buy.”

Dailymail.com “From a hugely updated processor, to an updated camera and terrifying loud speakers, everything about the [iPhone] XS feels faster, snappier and better thought out than in any previous iPhone.”

TechRadar “The iPhone XS is for those that want a fast, powerful and impressive smartphone—not just Apple lovers.”

HardwareZone “One of the best things about iPhone photographs is their bright, vivid colors, and the iPhone XS takes that up a notch.”

Sydney Morning Herald “The impact of the OLED display is pretty seductive. In fact, the whole thing is pretty seductive.”—Mags King, Sydney Morning Herald photo editor For more details on pricing and data plans, visit smart.com.ph/Postpaid/iPhoneXs. For more details on iPhone please visit www.apple.com/ph.

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

C4

Entertainment

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

What’s the big dream,

MARIA? VERY WANG NICKIE WANG

UP-AND-COMING. Teen singer Maria Laroco is back in town to pursue

her career in music.

A

FTER months of staying in the UK chasing her dreams, 17-year-old Maria Laroco, who impressed the judges of The X Factor UK during the live auditions for the show’s 15th season, is back in town.

Fresh from the airport, the budding superstar shared some of her biggest moments at a press event held recently at the Brickyard, Quezon City, where she also gave a special homecoming performance of her winning songs.

In an exclusive interview with Manila Standard, the teen singer said her journey may have ended by not being able to advance in the next round of competition in the popular reality singing show but that doesn’t stop her from making solid efforts to advance her career in music.

“I felt sad that I wasn’t able to go to California to perform live in front of Simon Cowell and his guests. It’s a big thing to be there but it’s nerve-wracking as well because I didn’t know what they’re reactions would be. It’s a risk and I took,” she said.

Maria could not get a visa to come to travel to the US so she was forced to perform via video link in front of 50 of the biggest names in the music industry. She belted out a fantastic rendition of “California Dreamin’,” wowing Simon and guest judges Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest.

Unfortunately, Maria did not get through.

“My entire experience has been overwhelming,” Maria shared.

“I’ve always wanted to sing at the X Factor UK. It’s my biggest dream, and being able to join the contest is already a huge achievement for me. I’m very happy to be given a chance to perform in front of the British audience, and especially Simon Cowell.”

The 17-year-old first made headlines when she impressed all four judges and the audience at the Wembley Stadium with her stunning rendition of Prince’s “Purple Rain” during the live auditions.

“I still couldn’t believe that I got four yeses from the judges. It was very surreal. I never expected to get a standing ovation from these really big people,” the petite singer said about her audition.

Maria won a spot in the Six Chair Challenge with Whitney Houston’s “Queen of the Night” that left international star maker Cowell wide-eyed with excitement.

She almost lost her seat to another contestant, but was called back amidst popular demand from the crowd. The teen singer had to fight for her place once again when Cowell asked her to do a sing-off with another contender. It was a tough moment, but she managed to pull through by singing her audition piece, “Purple Rain.”

“That, vocally, was just like a different class,” The X Factor UK judge and One Direction member Louis Tomlinson couldn’t help but exclaim afterwards. Cowell was convinced and decided to keep her among the final six contenders under the “Girls” category.

The X Factor UK contestant shared how proud she was to be one of the many Filipino participants who won hearts from fans both in the UK and around the globe: “It feels incredible to represent our country,” Laroco said. “This contest really gave me an opportunity to raise our flag and show how talented Filipinos are.”

She also expressed her heartfelt gratitude to all her supporters at the X Factor UK. “I wouldn’t make it this far without everyone who cheered for me. Thank you so much for believing in me,” the young talent said.

“I’ve learned a lot from the competition, and I’ll continue to work hard to make my dreams come true. Please continue to support me. I promise to have more in store for all of you in the future,” she added.

Citing Yeng Constantino, Sarah Geronimo, Morissette Amon, Ariana Grande, Jessie J and Celine Dion as her idols in music, Maria believes that one day, she would be able to realize her dreams and make it big like the artists she looks up to. In fact, she’s already preparing for some big surprises for her fans.

“I’m crossing my fingers, but yeah, there’s something big coming in 2019 and I can’t wait to share it with the people who have been very supportive of me,” she said.

The X Factor UK S15 continues every Sunday and Monday, 7:55 p.m. same day as the UK, first and exclusive on Blue Ant Entertainment, available on SKYcable channels 53 (SD) and 196 (HD), SKYdirect channel 35, Destiny Cable channel 53, and Cablelink channels 37 (SD) and 313 (HD).

MAXIMUM ENTERTAINMENT

experience with iPhone’s new flagship phones THE best music and movies experience ever to hit the smartphone screen has arrived as Smart Communications announced it will offer the most advanced iPhones ever, iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max, and customers are able to pre-order now atsmart.com.ph/Postpaid/iPhoneXs and Smart Stores nationwide.

Smart is offering the new iPhones under the data-packed GigaX Plans, which feature separate data allocations for streaming videos, as well as enjoying apps and surfing websites, for a much bigger digital experience.

The iPhone Xs is available at Smart for P3,299 per month for 24 months, inclusive of 15GB (10GB for video streaming, plus 5GB for apps and websites), unlimited texts to all networks, and 60 minutes of calls to all networks every month.

Now you can binge-watch on the latest contents from your favorite apps like Netflix, iflix, Fox +, iWantTV, YouTube and stream music from Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify and other music apps with one of the best speakers ever produced on a mobile device.

The iPhone Xs Max is available at Smart for P3,599 per month for 24 months, inclusive of 15GB (10GB for videos plus 5GB for apps and websites), unlimited texts to all networks, and 60 minutes of calls to all networks every month.

For the complete pricing details, visit smart.com.ph/Postpaid/iPhoneXs. The most advanced iPhones ever iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max

Flagship mobile device iPhone X Max is touted by the tech giant Apple as the best iPhone ever.

are the most advanced iPhones ever, taking the vision for the future of the smartphone to a new level, featuring stunning 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch Super Retina displays that offer remarkable brightness and true blacks while showing 60 percent greater dynamic range in HDR photos. iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max bring an improved dual camera system that offers breakthrough photo and video features, A12 Bionic chip with next-generation Neural Engine, faster Face ID, wider stereo sound, longer battery life, splash and water resistance, the most durable glass ever in a smartphone, a beautiful new gold finish that joins silver and space gray, and introduce Gigabitclass LTE for even faster download speeds. iPhone Xs Max offers a more immersive experience with over 3 million pixels for videos, movies and games, offering the largest display ever in an iPhone. Both phones introduce Dual SIM to iPhone through the use of a nano-SIM and digital eSIM.Continued on C3

Ultimate skincare treatments at Heaven Spa

By Jo Aguilos IT’S that time of the year again when the atmosphere changes and people seem a bit more hurried and stressed, yet also excited for the Christmas holidays. This is also the time when indulging a skincare treament or a good massage would be the perfect way to cap one’s day.

One of the best places to go to for a wonderful and rejuvenating treatment is Heaven spa at Shangri-La mall in Mandaluyong. Heaven uses its own award-winning beauty and skincare products by its founder Deborah Mitchell.

Among the favorites of its clients —some of whom are the sought-after celeberities nowadays—is the Afternoon Tea Ritual, which works wonders on the skin. This super relaxing and rejuvenating ritual is perfect for the weary souls after a long day of hard work.

“We call it a ‘spiritual treatment’ that works on manifestation. If you have been wanting or wishing something for yourself, this ritual has the ‘power of emotive healing.’ It awakens the senses and calms the mind, body and soul, giving you the clarity and renewed energy to pursue what’s in your heart,” shares Kristine Chung, manager at Heaven.

“For this treatment, we use Heaven’s own blend of Afternoon Tea, which is then used as a tonic for the skin, and then the client is served canapes to complete the ritual - a traditional British treat,” adds Chung.

First, a luxuriously warm wax is poured over the back, then a combination of delicate and firm strokes follow to ease muscle pain and negative thoughts.

Heaven products, which are suitable for all skin types, are infused with warm tea to rejuvenate the skin and stimulate the senses during the facial. This treatment is an ultimate treat that you can give to yourself.

Another favorite skincare ritual is

the Willow Bee which uses Heaven’s exclusive Bee venom products, which contain powerful anti-aging formula. Bee venom, (scientific name: apitoxin) is the clear, odorless liquid that’s released from a honeybee when it stings. It consists of more than 20 known compounds, the most prominent being Melittin, a protein that boasts powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral properties.

“Our anti-aging formula ABEETOXIN® uses bee venom to trick skin into thinking it’s actually been stung, which causes the body to direct blood toward the area, stimulating the production of collagen, which strengthens tissue, and elastin, which helps the skin to remain taut and bounce back into shape,” says Chung.

Heaven offers a wide range of spa services and skincare treatments using its own Heaven By Deborah Mitchell line of award-winning beauty products.

Mitchell’s products are winner of more than 25 Stevie Awards, a set of business awards given annually by the American Business Awards organization to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of companies and business people worldwide. She’s also a Patent Owner of the Bee Venom products ABEETOXIN®, a wonderful all-natural organic range of products, specially formulated for skin and body treatments, which offer the latest breakthroughs in beauty technology.

With over twenty five years of experience as an esthetician, Mitchell has developed a unique approach to looking after the skin using extensive knowledge of ancient herbal remedies. This has enabled her to create a unique way of thinking about achieving a beautiful and healthy skin.

Visit www.heavenskincare.com to know more about Heaven’s skincare offerings. You may also call (02) 622 3033.

Heaven is located at the Lower Ground level of Shanri-La Plaza East Wing in Mandaluyong City.

Heaven Spa at Shangri-La mall in Mandaluyong is a wonderful place for relaxation and rejuvenation.