Manila Standard - 2018 December 17 - Monday

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Catriona Gray’s fearless forecast

Bethlehem Church regains splendor

‘‘NEXT time the sun rises, the Universe will be upon us.’’

That’s what Catriona Gray posted on her Instagram account on Sunday, expressing confidence in taking home the crown for the Philippines in the 2018 Miss Universe Next page beauty pageant.

BETHLEHEM—Masked for centuries by the soot of candles and lately by scaffolding, the mosaics of Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity have been restored to their Crusader-era splendor in time for Christmas.

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VOL. XXXII • NO. 305 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

NATIVITY CHURCH. A picture taken on Nov. 30, 2018, shows renovated columns and mosaics inside the Church of the Nativity in the occupied West Bank biblical city of Bethlehem. The Italian government and the Palestinian Authority have been working in a joint effort to restore the Church of the Nativity since 2013. It is one of the first Christian Churches, associated with the birthplace of Jesus. The cost of renovation is around 18 million euros ($20.5 million), funded by the Palestinian Authority, the Vatican and other governments. (INSET) In Manila, people attend the first of nine dawn Masses signalling the start of Christmas at Saint Joseph Parish in Manila on Dec.16. 2018. AFP

P300-m pork misuse bared Duterte proud of his Cabinet, say Palace men

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte is proud of his Cabinet and continues to believe in each one of them, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Saturday.

Andanar made this remark a day after the President hosted a party for members of the Cabinet on Friday night.

“He spoke a little about [Budget] Secretary Ben Diokno, what happened in the Congress, then he explained and reminded us that he is proud of his present Cabinet,” Andanar said in Filipino in a radio interview.

Duterte also reminded them about refraining from engaging in corrupt activities, and said he was happy to work with each of his Cabinet members, Andanar said.

Earlier, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said Diokno still enjoys the trust and confidence of the President after the House of Representatives adopted a resolution urging him to reconsider the Budget chief’s appointment.

Diokno was accused of being responsible for the alleged P75 billion worth of “insertions” contained in the P3.757trillion proposed national budget for 2019 without the President’s consent.

Two SC justices junk plotters’ list: Laughable joke

By Rey E. Requejo TWO associate justices of the Supreme Court on Sunday denied taking part in any alleged plot to destabilize the administration or oust President Rodrigo Duterte.

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Associate Justice Marvic Leonen even described as a “joke” their inclusion in the list of personalities allegedly involved in the plot to remove the President that was posted by presidential son and former Davao City Vice Mayor

Paolo Duterte on his Facebook page.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has dismissed the list as “fake news.”

In an interview, Carpio agreed.

“I consider that as a joke. It’s laughable,” he said.

Carpio, who has been a vocal critic of the Duterte administration over its handling of the territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea, also considered the list “incredible” since it included even vocal supporters of the President.

“The cast of characters include Vic-

tor Corpus, who is very pro-Duterte, and also Carmen Pedrosa, who is rabidly pro-Duterte, so I cannot imagine how these people can be destabilizers,” the senior magistrate said.

He said he had no idea where such an insinuation came from and that he “totally ignored it” upon learning about his inclusion in the list.

When asked why he thinks he was included in the list, the magistrate replied: “Well since I’m always in the news it did not surprise me anymore.”

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House leader tags ex-Cabinet official in illegal scheme

By Rio N. Araja and Macon Ramos-Araneta

OUSE Majority Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. on Sunday said a former Cabinet official seeking an elective post has allegedly parked at least P300 million in infrastructure projects in the national budget.

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Andaya, House committee on rules chairperson, said a mayor from Region 5 had told him over the weekend that the former Cabinet official—who he did not name—was responsible for parking the funds in flood mitigation projects for the region.

He said the mayor, who requested anonymity, said other local government executives wanted to speak to Andaya too to shed light on the budget funds.

The House rules committee will begin its investigation of the budget anomalies on Jan. 3 next year.

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Poll bets’ list out soon—Comelec

Smugglers’ new modus uncovered

THE Commission on Elections will release the final list of candidates for the 2019 national and local elections on Dec. 17 to 21, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said Sunday.

“The Comelec has announced that the release date for the final list of candidates for [the 2019 national and local elections] has been moved to the latter half of next week,” Jimenez told GMA News Online in a text message.

He said this was to “allow pending issues related to several candidacies to be settled, without negatively impacting the final contents of the 2019 ballot.”

He said that would not adversely affect the schedule of the commission’s activities related to the coming elections.

The Comelec began accepting certificates of candidacy on Oct. 11 and continued to do so until Oct. 17. Next page

APART from false declaration and laneswitching, a new modus called “swinging” is now being employed by syndicates to smuggle contrabands into the country, Rep. Jericho Nograles said Sunday.

He said “swinging” had allegedly become possible at the Mindanao International Container Terminal Services Inc. at the Phividec Industrial Estate complex when some Customs officials decided to transfer the mobile X-ray machine out of the designated examination area.

The decision to transfer the machine would make it easier for smugglers to “swing” their containers in and out of the MICT, Nograles said.

He said this was also very dangerous because of the continuing threat of terrorism in Mindanao.

Congress has decided to extend martial law in Mindanao due to the security Next page problems there.

SEASON’S SYMBOL. A female worker arranges poinsettias also known as Christmas Star at a flower shop inside the Quezon City Memorial Circle which is expected to draw in more customers in the run-up to Christmas Day. Manny Palmero

‘Simbang Gabi’ homily: Bishop hits bullying, abuse of power MANILA Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle warned against anxiety, bullying and the abuse of power that he said were attitudes that prevent people from being happy.

He made the statement as he kicked off the traditional Simbang Gabi Dawn Masses in preparation for Christmas.

“As Saint John the Baptist said, do not be a bully. Do not bully anyone. Do not use your power to become rude. Don’t

use your power to pressure or coerce others. Do not use your arms to make false accusations,” Tagle said in his homily at the Manila Cathedral on Sunday.

“Do not belittle others. Even if you have a position, your position doesn’t give you the right to destroy others. You will not be happy that way. In fact, the bullies who use power to humiliate others, they are the most afraid and insecure individuals.”

Tagle made his statement even as the National Capital Region Police Office said no crimes were reported on the first Simbang Gabi at dawn on Sunday.

“There was no untoward incident related to the first day of Simbang Gabi of Ligtas Paskuhan 2018,” NCRPO Director Guillermo Eleazar told the Philippine News Agency.

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Pinoys’ woes persist: High prices, job losses

By Macon Ramos-Araneta TEN days before Christmas, Filipinos were worrying about high prices, about jobs and their children’s education, Senator Francis Pangilinan said during Project Makinig [Listen] in the metropolis over the weekend.

Pangilinan and senatorial candidates Bam Aquino, Chel Diokno, Samira Gutoc, Pilo Hilbay and Erin Tañada were among more than 5,000 volunteers who visited various parts of the Philippines to talk to more than 100,000 people there.

“Our people hope to be able to share more for the noche buena feast and to do that not just this Christmas but in the new year,” Pangilinan said.

“Our people feel the hard times and the need to work harder to give their family a better life.”

Pangilinan said the conversations were casual, down-to-earth and dealt with problems like traffic, floods, the long lines for NFA rice, high prices of goods, tuition increases, water and electricity bills.

Sometimes, the exchange extended to personal matters such as misunderstandings with neighbors and love, Pangilinans said.

The Liberal Party initiative that started on Oct. 6 has since been adopted by various groups such as the Akbayan Party-list, Magdalo Party-list, Team Pilipinas, Kilos Maralita, Millennials PH and youth and civil society groups.

Pangilinan said the feedback and suggestions gathered from the conversations would be collated and be made part of the inputs for the party’s future actions.

“In instances when there is need to assist the families immediately, we also try to do our share to ease their burden,” said Pangilinan, who went with Vice President Leni Robredo’s daughters Aika and Tricia. The vice president went on her own Project Makinig ops in Bicol a couple of weeks ago.

During the weekend when the senator took part in the listening project, he visited a market and chatted with vegetable vendors. A farmer himself, Pangilinan was not new to the woes the country’s farmers face such as the difficulty in transporting and marketing their produce, high prices of farm inputs, lack of government support and climate change.

One vegetable vendor said that, for the new year, she wished her children would be able to go back to school.

Pangilinan’s next step was a relaxing story-telling with women in a salon. Sitting beside a customer who was there for a pedicure, Pangilinan saw how skillful the Filipinos were in their chosen craft, yet poorly paid.

Two SC...

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Leonen said he merely treated his inclusion in the list as a joke.

“I am vegan. I do not collude nor conspire with Jollibee,” Leonen said in a post on his Twitter account immediately upon learning about the list last week.

The “Oust Duterte Movement” list linked politicians, bishops, former Cabinet members, journalists, civil society leaders and companies in the supposed ouster plot.

Among those included in the list with Carpio and Leonen were Vice President Leni Robredo, former Vice President Jejomar Binay, former chief justice Hilario Davide, opposition Senators Leila de Lima and Risa Hontiveros, former Cabinet members Corazon Soliman, Florencio Abad, Paquito Ochoa, Cesar Purisima and former police chief Alan Purisima.

Also in the list were Catholic bishops Broderick Pabillo, Leo Drona, Antonio Tobias, Deogracias Iñiguez, Pablo David and journalists Maria Ressa, Ellen Tordesillas and Ed Lingao.

Bishop Julio Xavier Labayen, who died two years ago, was also on the list of alleged anti-Duterte plotters.

The list also included Jollibee Foods Corp. as a supposed destabilizer, prompting several memes online.

The presidential son said he posted the list—which was quickly deleted— “for fun.”

Poll bets’...

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Substitute candidates for the candidates who withdrew their candidacy, who died or were disqualified by final judgment were allowed to file their CoCs from Oct. 18 to Nov. 29.

On Friday, the Commission showed reporters and election stakeholders how the software system to be used in the 2019 elections is assembled and programmed as part of its preparations for the polls.

The election period for the midterm elections will start on Jan. 13, 2019.

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Balangiga turnover tiff clarified “I didn’t see it. The only thing I noticed was the entrance of the President in the gymnasium. He greeted his Cabinet and officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Andanar told radio dzBB. “Then, he greeted the priests and Archbishop Romulo Valles, he’s from Davao, right? He also greeted the Papal Nuncio and the other reverend representing the United States military,” he said.

Andanar said the crowd even cheered as Duterte met Valles, the Papal Nuncio, and the Archbishop of the Military Ordinariate of the United States.

Andanar issued the statement after a Facebook post was publicized on Saturday afternoon by the Diocese of Borongan, Bishop Crispin Varquez of Borongan, saying the Archbishop of the Military Ordinariate of the United States and the Apostolic Nuncio were “told to go out” of Balangiga plaza.

The post also said that the President only wanted Valles, a friend, to be in the area. Some priests, however, were even supposedly asked to take off their Roman collars so as not to offend Duterte, who

has criticized Catholic priests in his previous speeches.

Seats were also placed in front of the priests’ place “to cover them,” the post added.

Fr. Edmel Raagas, one of the priests who attended the historic turnover of all three church bells, supported the allegation.

“Priests, including the Borongan bishop and the Apostolic Nuncio, were initially told to go out of the Balangiga plaza, minutes before the President arrived,” he told one online news service.

Raagas said it was the Presidential Management Staff that told them to go out and transfer to other seats out of Duterte’s vision.

Andanar quickly denied the allegation, calling it untrue. The President even recognized the priests and other clergymen in his speech, he said.

“I don’t know why there are stories like that,” he said.

During the ceremony on Saturday, Duterte witnessed US Deputy Chief of Mission John C. Law hand over the bells’ transfer certificate to Defense Secretary

Delfin Lorenzana. The certificate was then handed to Balangiga Mayor Randy Graza.

In his speech, Duterte said that the return of the bells was possible because of the “several efforts made by both Americans and the Philippines.” He said no particular statesman can solely take credit for the successful return of the bells.

“Let me be very clear on this: There are some who are front loaders and pedantic in the government. The bells are returned and it was really because of the fervent prayers of the entire Filipino nation,” Duterte said.

“But nobody can claim a singular credit for the generous act of the Americans.

The bells are returned. The credit goes to the American people and to the Filipino people. Period,” the President added.

The bells were seized as war trophies

by American troops during the Philippine-American War 117 years ago. During the ceremony, the President kissed the bells and rang them seven times.

The Catholic Church has been at the center of the President’s tirades over its vocal stand against Duterte’s controversial drug war that killed thousands of drug suspects and addicts.

Yet during the handover ceremony, the President was seen shaking hands with the bishop, the apostolic nuncio and other church delegates before he took to the stage for the ceremony.

The President, however, skipped the Catholic Mass after the ceremonial turnover.

The President arrived at 5 pm Saturday

P300-m pork...

for 2019 is an indication of the government’s failure to lay it out properly but Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he remains confident that it will be signed by the President before the end of January.

The Senate failed to approve the proposed budget before Congress adjourned for the Christmas break.

Earlier, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said that P75 billion was inserted into the 2019 allocation for the Department of Public Works and Highways, not P51 billion as was previously reported.

While Diokno said these were not illegal insertions, Andaya said the DPWH did not know about these funds, and that

President Rodrigo Duterte had “nothing to do with it.”

Drilon said Diokno should be able to explain this.

Sotto, meanwhile, said the was sure his colleagues would tackle allocations of the remaining departments by Jan. 14.

Until then, the government would have to operate on a reenacted budget, he said.

Sotto reiterated that the delay in the budget’s approval was not the Senate’s fault, because the House did not submit its draft until Dec. 1.

Sotto blamed the delays on the change in leadership in the House, which in turn caused changes in committee memberships and leaderships.

is a mockery of standard democratic procedures,” they said in their letter submitted to the President.

Panelo said despite Diokno’s denial, the executive branch will still investigate the allegations, and said there will be no sacred cows.

“Secretary Diokno has already denied any involvement or any link. But let me repeat what we have said: This President is no respecter of friendship, of alliances, of party affiliations, of friendship.

His principle is you follow the law; you violate it—you will account for it. You engage in corruption, then you will be fired,” Panelo said.

Palace ally Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Ray Villafuerte on Sunday said the allegations against Diokno were absurd.

“Ben Diokno has earned the monicker

‘Mr. No’ for firmly turning down proposals tinged with even just a hint of illegality. His integrity is beyond doubt and his track record in government is exceptional,” he said in a statement.

He said Diokno has introduced several reforms to ensure the efficient and transparent use of government resources in his stints at the Department of Budget and Management.

“His ‘what-you-see-is-what-you-get” policy implemented during the Estrada administration enhanced transparency in, and simplified the budgeting process,” he added.

In the Duterte administration, he introduced cash-based budgeting to instill fiscal discipline among government agencies and to increase their absorptive capacity, Villafuerte said. Rio N. Araja with PNA

was himself into drugs, a charge denied by David and denounced by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

Tagle on Sunday said his reminder, while written during the time of Jesus Christ, was as if it had been written “just yesterday.”

He spoke against bullying in the context of the need for “joy in the Lord.”

“A person who is peaceful is happy, and will never be arrogant because he or she is joyful in the Lord. A person who is

joyful in the Lord will boast of the Lord.

“Remove all worries, avoid losing hope, remove all anxiety. Why? Because there’s someone who will save you. It’s Jesus, and his coming is near. Because he will be the one to save you from all your fears, you can be happy.”

Aside from the Manila Cathedral where Tagle said Mass, other churches drew thousands of Filipino Catholics on Sunday, the first day of the Philippines’ traditional dawn Masses.

The coronation show of the annual contest unfolds this morning in Bangkok, Thailand, with Grey also asking for prayers from Filipinos via social media, as she remains one of the bettors’ favorites to rule the competition.

Betting site OddsShark places Gray, who is hoping to become the fourth Miss Universe from the Philippines, as a +500 favorite alongside Miss Puerto Rico Kiara Ortega. Sophida Kanchanarin of host Thailand is next at +800 odds, tied with Miss United States Sarah Rose Summers.

On Instagram, the Filipino-Australian model posted a photo of herself on a beach with a view of the sunrise in the background, wearing an enchanting yellow bikini top and matching sheer skirt.

“Less than 24 hours to go to @missuniverse! Keep sending me prayers mga kababayan!” she asked her fans— which now include non-Filipinos like top American model Tyra Banks.

Amazed by Gray’s show-stopping “slomo” twirl during the preliminary swimsuit competition on Friday, Banks said on her own social media platform: “It’s all about “Pinoy Power to the Max!!!”

The video of the 24-year-old model’s performance has gone viral online, as pundits bolstered her standing as one of the early favorites to win the crown— and countless imitators have spawned hilarious memes with Gray’s come-hither look as she twirled on the catwalk.

It didn’t hurt that Grey’s showing in the long gown competition was equally enthralling, as she wore an orange flowing number inspired by the mythical “ibong Adarna” co-designed by her and Mak Tumang.

Gray is hoping to win the Philippines’ fourth Miss Universe crown after Pia Wurtzbach in 2015, Margie Moran in 1973, and Gloria Diaz in 1969. She had already placed in the top 5 of the 2016 Miss World pageant.

Nograles said what was even more suspicious was the absence of a memorandum coming from Customs’ head office that could have prompted the transfer of the X-ray machine.

He said he informed Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero about the alleged irregularity on Nov. 20, but nothing happened.

“This representation is in receipt of reports that X-ray machine of the BoC in Mindanao International Container Termi-

nal in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, was moved away from the designated examination area since 10 September 2018,” Nograles said in his letter.

“The lack of proper inspection is alarming as it is nor just violative of the laws, rules and regulations, it allows contraband to enter Mindanao.”

Just recently, 51 shipping containers filled with garbage from South Korean were discovered and seized at the MICT. “This shows the brazenness of these

smugglers. Trying to smuggle in 51 containers filled with garbage shows their confidence that they can pass through customs. Something must have gone wrong along the way and that’s why the shipment was discovered,” Nograles said.

He said containers were being snuck out of the port to be unloaded in nearby warehouses, and then brought back to the MICT for dummy inspection and documentation.

Overlooking the nave are seven angels framed in gold who appear to have landed on a carpet of vivid green grass.

Each is placed between windows symbolizing divine light. One of the angels was discovered during the restoration work beneath a layer of plaster.

“These mosaics are made of gold leaf placed between two glass plates,” Marcello Piacenti, who supervises the work on behalf of his Italian family restoration firm Piacenti, told AFP. “Only faces and limbs are drawn with small pieces of stone.”

One of the partially destroyed angel figures was restored using different materials to the original so as not to mislead future archaeologists.

Ibrahim Abed Rabbo, a Palestinian Authority engineer said the transformation caused by the restoration is striking.

“When you entered the church before, you could not even make out that there were mosaics, it was so black,” he said.

In a rarity for the period, the works were signed by the craftsmen responsible, Abed Rabbo said.

In the choir of the church, the visitor can now see an image of Saint Thomas, incredulous at the resurrection, poking his finger into Christ’s wound from his crucifixion.

Elsewhere there is the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

“It’s meticulously detailed, it gives the impression of being brand new,” said Pa-

tricia Lieby, 44, a French tourist visiting the church for the first time.

“I have never seen a mosaic like this outside Jerusalem, it’s sublime.”

Father Asbed Balian is the senior cleric of the Armenian church at the basilica, where property rights are shared with the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox faiths.

After seeing the completed restoration, he said, he was “stunned.”

“Spiritually, we feel more exalted,” he added.

On the nave walls, the restorers also gave renewed life to paintings dating from 1127 and the end of the 12th century when wealthy pilgrims commissioned artists to paint their family or home region saints, for display in the holy site. AFP

By Nat Mariano and Ronald O. Reyes

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OMMUNICATIONS Secretary Martin Andanar on Sunday dismissed allegations that President Rodrigo Duterte’s staff ordered priests and bishops to leave the Balangiga town plaza during the ceremonial turnover of historic church bells in Eastern Samar.

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“We will include these allegations in our investigation,” Andaya said.

The parking scheme allegedly facilitated by the Budget department could explain the huge increase allocated to flood mitigation projects from 2017 to 2018, Andaya said.

The budget stood at P79 billion in 2017 but ballooned to P133 billion in 2018, he said.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Sunday said the issues hounding the proposed P3.757-trillion national budget

Duterte proud...

From A1

He was also accused of having links to CT Leoncio Construction and Trading, a contractor that bagged billions of pesos worth of government projects, an allegation which he denied.

Panelo also said that at least eight Cabinet members threw their support behind Diokno and slammed the House members for their display of “disrespect and utter lack of courtesy” toward Diokno during the recent Question Hour.

“To use the congressional process to bombard Secretary Diokno with pre-considered questions and answers in aid— not of legislation—but of persecution and excoriating him with baseless allegations

‘Simbang Gabi’...

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following President Rodrigo Duterte’s continuing badmouthing the Catholic hierarchy in the Philippines.

Most recently, Duterte said bishops should be “killed” for supposedly doing nothing but criticizing the government.

He also suggested that Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, a critic of his drug war,

Smugglers’...

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“Due to martial law in Mindanao, the MICT and other seaports and free ports in Mindanao must have strict monitoring of incoming and outgoing shipments,” Nograles said.

“This questionable decision to transfer the X-ray is truly very alarming and highly suspicious.”

Bethlehem...

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Over the past 15 months, experts have cleaned and repaired surviving fragments of the 12th century masterworks, preserving 1,345 square feet (125 square meters) of what was once 21,528 square feet (2,000 square meters) of glittering gold and glass.

The rest has been eaten away by wear, humidity, wars and earthquakes.

Now the restored remains shine against the white walls above the heads of visitors to the church in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem that marks the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

at the town’s covered court where hundreds of government officials, Catholic priests, and residents gathered to witness the historic event.

After greeting Cabinet officials at the left side of the covered hall, Duterte proceeded to the other side to shake hands with top church officials led by Valles, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

The President’s friendly gesture to the CBCP leader elicited applause from the crowd as people watched the event on a big screen set up by the Presidential Broadcast Staff Radio-Television Malacañang.

The President also shook the hands of Borongan, Eastern Samar Diocese Bishop Crispin Varquez, Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, Archbishop of the US Military Ordinariate Timothy Broglio and other church officials seated in front facing the stage.

“The rest of the Filipino nation joins the Diocese of Borongan in celebrating this historic event. Indeed, this victory is the result of the optimism and solidarity and patriotism of those behind the bells’ return, just like when our forefathers fought for freedom against foreign domination more than a century ago,” Duterte told the crowd.

US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission John Law and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph Felter represented the US government at the return ceremony of the Balangiga Bells in this town. With AFP

Catriona Gray’s...

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2018

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Martial law extension good for Mindanao, says Bong Go

TRADITION. People line up to buy servings of

traditional delicacies such as puto bumbong and bibingka after attending the first Simbang Gabi of the year at the Quiapo Church in Manila. Norman Cruz

DENR sets all-out Manila Bay rehab

By Rio Araja

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HE Department of Environment and Natural Resources is preparing to embark on a “highly ambitious and more complicated” endeavor in the restoration of the Manila Bay to its pristine state.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said that Manila Bay is known for having one of the most beautiful sunsets but its waters are considered the most polluted due to domestic sewage, toxic industrial effluents from factories and shipping operations, and leachate from garbage dumps.

He said he was keen to have Manila Bay rehabilitated, restored and maintained to

a level fit for swimming, skin diving and other contact forms of recreation.

“We are preparing for an all-out strategy to bring the coliform concentration in Manila Bay to a safe level so that millions of people who reside in the bay region and neighboring areas will enjoy its waters and marine resources without fear of getting sick,” he said.

Cimatu said they want to replicate

what has been achieved in Boracay Island once described as a “cesspool” by President Rodrigo Duterte.

According to Cimatu, the government would show the same level of political will in cleaning up the bay spanning three major regions—Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Calabarzon or Region 4A “as it did in Boracay, a tiny island in Western Visayas.”

A 2017 report by the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau showed that the fecal coliform level in Manila Bay reached as high as 330 million most probable number per 100 milliliters. The safe level is only 100 MPN/100ml.

The DENR chief said part of their strategy is to ensure compliance with environmental laws among all local gov-

ernment units surrounding Manila Bay. “I am calling on all LGUs to step up their efforts in cleaning up the bay because it is their own constituents who will benefit (from a rehabilitated Manila Bay),” he said.

A Manila Bay command center under the DENR’s National Capital Region office would be created to oversee the zonal operations of four field offices to be set up in six coastal cities in the metro—Malabon-Navotas, Manila, Pasay-Parañaque, and Las Piñas.

To address problems on human waste arising from the presence of informal settlers along the bay, the DENR is looking at technologies that would treat water of pollutants, whether directly discharged into the bay or through toilets.

Cops arrest female cop for extort try

PAL marks milestone with Antique-Clark flight PHILIPPINE Airlines’ maiden flight to Antique landed at the Evelio B. Javier Airport in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique on Sunday morning.

The new route will not only realize the longtime dream of many Antiqueños to be able to fly directly from their home province to Clark International Airport, but more so to South Korea, PAL Corporate Communications vice president Jose Enrique Perez de Tagle said during the Antique-Clark inaugural flight send-off ceremony at the airport.

De Tagle said PAL Express would also allow residents to fly conveniently to Manila and to PAL’s 17 other domestic destinations like Cebu and Palawan through their growing hub in Clark.

“You may now fly from Clark to Seoul Incheon in South Korea also,” de Tagle said.

He said PAL, although it was only short-lived, had serviced Antique in the 1960s and 1970s.

Transportation Undersecretary Manuel Antonio Tamayo, who spoke in behalf of Secretary Arthur P. Tugade, said he return of PAL to Antique is another historical milestone.

“After 12 years ago, the airport has returned to commercial operation,” Tamayo said.

With the flag-carrier now coming back to Antique, more locals may fly more often, he added.

He further said PAL’s return, being the only airport in Antique, will spur the development of the whole province.

“Patronize the flight to sustain it,” he told the Antiqueños.

The PAL executive recalled that with the previous flights like that of the Asian Spirit—the latest airline to fly in Antique 10 or 12 years ago—stopped operation because it was not economically viable due to fewer passengers flying, preferring the roll-on roll-off.

The new route of PAL, through 86-seater PR- C5910, flies from Clark to Antique and vice versa every Sunday and Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Department of Tourism Assistant Secretary Roberto Alabado III, who traces his family roots from Antique, said Antiqueños must treat the airline and the airport like their “babies,” nurturing them so these may grow.

He said the airline operation in Antique will further sustain the tourist arrivals in the province.

Antique Governor Rhodora J. Cadiao, who was a former flight attendant of PAL, said that when the PAL Express touched down at the airport, memories flashed back to her mind.

“Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Director General Captain Jim C. Sydiongco was then my former boss and pilot,” Cadiao said. PNA

By Francisco Tuyay

UNITY RIDE.

Scores of ‘Angkas Riders’ affected by the Supreme Court’s TRO hold a Unity Ride along EDSA in Quezon to air their grievances.

Manny Palmero

Atienza, Escudero lock horns over Department of Culture proposal

By Rio Araja TWO lawmakers are at odds over a proposal to set up a Department of Culture that will cost P2 billion to make it operational.

Senator Francis Escudero made the proposal via Senate Bill No. 1528, a move that was readily rejected by Rep. Joselito Atienza of Buhay Party-list.

“We don’t really need another large and expensive bureaucracy, such as a

Department of Culture, because we already have the National Commission for Culture and the Arts,” Atienza said.

“What we absolutely need now is the immediate reintegration of culture and sports back into our public school system,” he added.

Atienza earlier batted for the “simple and practical reorganization” of the Department Education into the Department of Education, Culture and Sports.

“Our proposal is far less bureaucratic

FORMER Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong Go” has welcomed the decision of Congress extending by another year the implementation of martial law in Mindanao, saying it would help preserve peace and order in the region.

Voting jointly, the two chambers of Congress overwhelmingly approved on Dec. 12, 2018, President Duterte’s request for the extension of martial law in Mindanao by another year, up to the end of 2019.

Go said the people of Mindanao prefer the continued implementation of martial law because the presence of soldiers in the streets further helped improved the peace and order situation.

A candidate for a Senate seat in the 2019 elections, Go’s legislative agenda also include the promotion of peace and order through localized peace talks in a bid to end armed conflict in the countryside that continue to hamper development efforts.

This approach includes enactment of measures that will strengthen all assistance given by the government for rebel returnees, such as livelihood cash assistance with the necessary training, housing, farming lots, easier livelihood credit access, medical care and education support for their children, among others.

Other areas of concern in his priority measures include agriculture and food security, anti-illegal drugs and criminality, housing, education, long-term youth, and sports development, anti-corruption drive, fire protection, the creation of a Department of OFWs, and enactment of a Magna Carta for barangay officials.

Go also clarified the talks that he had developed a vice. He noted that while some people developed a fondness for smoking or drinking, some people have developed positive habits, including the drive to serve others.

“Alam mo almusal, pananghalian at pahapunan na namin ni Pangulong Duterte ay magserbisyo, yun na ang nakagawian po namin. Kaya siguro natawag tayong ang bisyo ay magserbisyo. Tuloy-tuloy po ito,” said Go.

and won’t cost taxpayers extra money because we will just be restoring two bureaus under the DepEd—one for culture and one for sports. And these bureaus may be run by existing DepEd officials,” he said.

Atienza’s House Bill No. 2628 seeks to rectify the blunder committed by Congress when it passed the Governance of Basic Education Act in 2001 that reorganized DECS into DepEd. “Once we have the DECS back, we

HEAD. caption

should be able to properly guide the youth toward conserving our rich history and heritage, promoting arts and culture, strengthening their minds and bodies, and molding them into leaders and custodians of our nation’s future,” Atienza said.

The proposed Department of Culture Act authored by Escudero, committee on education, arts and culture chairperson, is set for plenary approval at the Senate.

A POLICEWOMAN was arrested by her colleagues after she allegedly tried to extort money and expensive valuables from a recruiter who had previously been nabbed for estafa right inside Camp Crame Friday.

The Counter Intelligence Task Force and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group identified the arrested female cop as SPO1 May Ann Malcontento, assigned at the CIDG. Chief Supt. Amador Corpus, CIDG director, said Malcontento was arrested during an entrapment operations in the act of receiving a Louis Vuitton bag worth P34, 000, wristwatch worth P2,999.00 and P50,000.00 (P48,000 boodle money and P2,000 marked money).

Corpus said the entrapment stemmed from the filing of complaints by Sonia Gaba of 1838 M. Eusebio Ave. Employees Village, Pasig City who accused the suspect of demanding cash and jewelry to shield her from entrapment operations by the CIDG. Gaba was formerly arrested and charged with illegal recruitment and estafa by CIDG-Anti Transnational Unit. However, the illegal recruitment case was dismissed in court.

Malcontento is now under the custody of the CITF and charges are being readied against her.

The arrest of Malcontento followed the relentless campaign initiated by PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde to cleanse the police ranks of rogue elements.

At least 6,401 erring PNP personnel were meted administrative penalties for various offenses ranging from involvement in criminal activity, grave misconduct, serious neglect of duty, involvement in criminal cases, serious irregularity, malversation, dishonesty, and graft and corruption.

Of the figures, 3,589 personnel were suspended; 362 demoted in rank; 403; reprimanded; 147 , salary forfeiture; 43, withheld privilege and 29, restricted to quarters.

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Opinion

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2018

Agricultural free patent reform owners to sell and mortgage the land within the first five years of the patent grant and gives the option to the original owner of buying back the property within five years from the date of sale. The latter restriction has made agricultural patents unbankable THE right to life is the source of all inasmuch as banks do not want to hold rights—and the right to property is a property for five years before its their only implementation. Without disposition. property rights, no other rights are Senator Richard Gordon, the possible. Since a person has to sustain principal champion of the Bill and his life by his own effort, the person Chairman of the Senate Justice who has no right to the product of Committee, claims that this law is his effort has no means to sustain his going to be a game-changer. “We are life. The person who produces while trying to create wealth, and the poor, others dispose of his product is a kakaunti lang ang lupa nila, hindi pa slave. nila maisanla.

Bear in mind [Their land is that the right already small to property is a yet they cannot right to action, mortgage it to The law will be like all the borrow money.] others: it is not transformational, even That’s why this the right to an law has been revolutionary. object, but to the tackled by the action and the Senate and the consequences House and has of producing been approved,” or earning he said. that object. It is not a guarantee that “The Agricultural Free Patent a person will earn any property, but Reform Act will be revolutionary only a guarantee that he will own it if and transformational for agriculture,” he earns it. It is the right to gain, to according to Calixto Chikiamco, keep, to use, and to dispose of material President of Foundation for Economic values.

Freedom. He added that the Act will Finally, after decades, an economic benefit more than two and half million restriction, which prevented land agricultural patent landowners and owners from creating wealth, and spur agricultural lending. It will ease hampered economic prosperity, was transactions in the rural land market removed by the government. that will lead to the highest and best use Both the Senate and the House have of agricultural land. ratified the bicameral report of the Johnson Melo, Director of Agricultural Free Patent Reform Act Rural Bankers Association of the under Senate Bill 1454 and House Bill Philippines, said that the lifting 8078, paving the way for its passage of restrictions on agricultural free into law. patents will enhance the credit access The Agricultural Free Patent Reform of farmers as well as micro, small, and Act removes the Commonwealth-era medium enterprises, or MSMEs. It restrictions on agricultural free patents will empower millions of free patent imposed under the Commonwealth Act holders who, prior to this, could not No. 141 or the Public Land Act. freely use their land as a capital asset These restrictions prohibit land Turn to A5

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Miscalculation of the year

T

HE President last week seemed almost resentful as he played down the recognition given by TIME magazine to Maria Ressa, the founder of Rappler, an online news site that has been critical of his administration.

The international news magazine had honored Ressa last week, along with slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, jailed Burmese journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo of Reuters and the Capital Gazette in Maryland as guardians of the truth by naming them Person of the Year.

In a mix of Filipino and English, Duterte alluded to Ressa by saying “a time of – a time of the – woman of the century and all. You can have it all.”

But whether the President likes it or not, the award given to the Rappler executive was a public relations black eye— and one that could have been easily avoided by tolerance and self-restraint.

Sadly, these qualities were not in play when the administration used its regulatory bodies to go after Rappler.

First, the Securities and Exchange Commission sought to revoke Rappler’s

license to operate in January over questions about its foreign ownership. The move was immediately denounced as an attack on free speech by journalists, human rights groups and lawmakers and challenged in court.

When this obvious ploy to silence a critical news outlet failed, the Bureau of Internal Revenue filed a tax evasion case against Rappler Holdings, Ressa and the company’s treasurer, James Bitanga in March, for allegedly attempting to evade tax payments and failing to provide accurate information on its income tax and value-added tax returns for 2015.

The President has also barred Ressa and Rappler’s Palace reporter from entering the Malacañang complex.

The Palace has disavowed any role in the lawsuits against Rappler, but this claim rings hollow amid the President’s

continuous rants against the online news outlet.

Have these verbal attacks and legal action against Rappler worked to the administration’s advantage? One would think not, given the high profile that the TIME Magazine Person of the Year award brings to the Philippine press situation.

Whoever advised the President to go after Rappler with hammer and tongs did Mr. Duterte a huge disservice. Perhaps they did so to curry favor—or they truly believed that persecuting critics is the way to go in a democracy. Or perhaps they all just had thin skins.

But instead of silencing a critical voice, they have given the online news outlet a platform and a megaphone with which to fight back. Surely, this is a prime example of the law of unintended consequences at work. This consequence wasn’t difficult to foresee, however. All it took was a level head to realize that it is the Office of the President that has the bully pulpit, and that the President need not look small, petty and mean to get his message across.

Was Duterte prescient?

Brittanica, after England defeated the Spanish armada and colonized most of the world where in boast they presided over an “empire where the sun never sets.”

After a century, their former colony, the United States of America whose size and resources dwarfed England IT WAS Napoleon Bonaparte, the and upon which the brightest minds emperor of France who conquered most of Europe and the rest of the world of Europe in his prime, who said “let immigrated to build a nation, became China sleep, for when she awakes, the the 20th century’s largest political, whole world will tremble.” military and economic power, Decades later, several European ushering in what is now known as Pax countries and Great Britain carved Americana. out for themselves special territories But as the 20th century ended, and of China, humiliating the Chinese after the British handed over leased people and the dynasty overlords. This Hong Kong and the New Territories “conquest” of China was preceded by back to China soon after Portugal the Opium Wars involving the Qing surrendered Macau, the “sleeping” Dynasty and Great Britain. nation flexed its muscles so quickly The wars were over the trade of that before anyone realized, it has opium, that narcotic grown in the awakened. jungles of Burma and parts of the Right from the start of his amazing Middle East then under the British. The presidential victory, Rodrigo Roa defeats of China and the forcible leases Duterte, for an entire generation Davao of territory to Britain and European City’s undisputed leader, defined nations weakened the Qing Dynasty Philippine foreign policy as one of true while harboring independence, as, deep resentment in the description upon both the of his former “gwailou” or foreign secretary, foreigners as Alan Peter The inevitable has well as the weak Cayetano, “friend and subservient to all and enemy dawned upon us. leadership. to none.”

The twentieth But in so century which doing, Duterte saw the opened up to Philippines our neighbor to proclaiming independence over Spain the west, China, whose friendship he only to be fooled by the new American embraced like a long-lost cousin, to colonialists also saw the birth of a the chagrin of most America-focused revolutionary China. First by the Filipinos. nationalists under Dr. Sun Yat Sen, till Meanwhile, he excoriated the longnow revered in the pantheon of Chinese held allies’—America, Europe, Canada revolutionary heroes, and later, the and Australia and even the United Communist takeover.

Nations—leadership for condemning But this was not the epoch Napoleon his war on drugs as an affront to human must have dreamed of. rights, labeling their intervention as an Instead, upon the death of Mao- intrusion into sovereignty.

Zedong, China’s Politburo decided Today, America under Donald upon a tectonic shift in the nature Trump is acting like a racist, ultraof power. From political power, the nationalistic, some say even jingoistic focus became economic power, led by brat even against its neighbors and longDeng Xiaoping. And in an amazing time allies, Canada and Mexico. And generation and a half, China has Europe is reeling under the combined become the world’s second biggest onslaught of unwanted mass migration economy, dislodging its “enemy” to the from its strife-torn former colonies east, Japan, and is predicted to be the in the Middle East, the decline of its world’s largest in another 20 years or united economy, and the divorce from sooner. the United Kingdom known as Brexit.

China has awakened, and the rest With a full and hard divorce, Brexit of the world, particularly the West, has would not only ruin Britain’s economy, begun to tremble. but tout l’Europe as well.

Historians record an era called Pax Turn to A5

A deep scar DESPITE their return to their rightful place, the Balangiga bells of Eastern Samar continue to ring with controversy.

United States soldiers took them as a war booty to mark the darkest and bloodiest chapter in the history of the Philippine-American War. The Philippines protested the hauling away of the Balangiga bells, claiming these are the country’s property and the US had no right to take them away as they are symbols of the country’s fight for independence.

The Balangiga bells, according to Filipino historians, were used to warn the locals of the arrival of the American enemies in their areas and therefore were a treasured relic.

It really depends on which side of the aisle in the Phil-Am war you’re

God, what a country!

on. The Americans in their version look at the bells as the Filipino symbol of treachery when the locals attacked the Yanks who were then having breakfast in their camp.

Wielding bolos and machetes, the Filipinos exacted heavy casualties on the American side. After the massacre, the Americans retaliated. As their final act, they brought down the church bells of Balangiga and shipped two of them to Cheyenne, Wyoming. One of the bells ended in an American camp in South Korea.

Adding to the controversy was the statement of President Rodrigo Duterte that he will be present at the turnover

ceremony of the bells in Samar but will not attend Mass to be held at the Balangiga church which is part of the ritual.

As usual, the President let loose expletives against the clergy. This only betrayed the deep scar that was left in him by the alleged fondling by a priest when he was a young boy. We have to understand the man. Sexual misconduct by priests around the globe has drawn the Vatican’s censure. It is an act certainly not to be condoned.

But forgiveness is a Christian virtue we should not expect from this President. A psychologist treating a rape victim to recover from the trauma can explain this better than anyone else. The bishops can do better than take on Duterte by exchanging vitriolic words. They should instead pray for his enlightenment. There are still two and half years left in the President’s term. Perhaps the President can still mellow with his words and change his contentious ways.

Our congressmen too can practice Turn to A5

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher can be accessed at: manilastandard.net 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

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2018

Top insights on 2019 economic challenges

Finally, a compact for migrants ALMOST lost in the highly toxic, politicized atmosphere which has been our lot for years on end and a variety of Christmas sounds is one of the most important documents which the United Nations initiated and nursed for years was finally crafted in Morocco two weeks ago.

With 170 members signing, this document, Global Compact on Migration, will now serve as an instrument to assist governments and migrants’ rights entities in devising ways to fully implement the 1990 enacted UN International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, otherwise known as the Migrant Workers Convention.

Thanks to the deliberate and highminded intervention of the Philippines through our then Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York and his ragtag staff, now Foreign Affairs Secretary TeddyBoy Locsin, we will have every reason to ensure that the years of hard work done by earlier missions and our own network of migrants’ rights advocates will finally get due recognition. This is one solid achievement which should prod us to lead the charge in getting ASEAN and as many of the 110 countries hosting the 10-million (and counting) Filipino diaspora to put into practice the initiatives suggested in the Compact.

Such a task will not be easy specially at this time when even the most advanced countries which have heretofore been havens for migrants are being blinded by isolationist thinking. Foremost of these is the United States, a country populated and prospered by migrants of all races, creed and color, which is now being torn between isolationism and its established history of accommodation and acceptance. This nation of immigrants, as the well-loved President John F. Kennedy wrote in his book of the same name, is now on the verge of descending into a country wary if not

CROSSROADS JONATHAN DE LA CRUZ openly fearful of immigrants. It is as if the lights of safe and caring entry of that iconic symbol of migrants not only in the United States but in the whole world—the Statue of Liberty—is now dimming with President Trump’s “America First” rhetoric.

It will truly be a pity if the US, the bastion of freedom in all its forms, will now throw into the dustbin the famous inscription at the base of the statue written by Emma Lazarus, a New Yorker of consequence, a woman to the manor born as her friends said, as part of the fund raising for its erection would now be cavalierly disregarded. That powerful inscription which reads in part “give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores” has been the migrants’ creed for years since 1883.

It is not only the United States among the G20 group of developed nations which has now sounded the alarm to the migrants’ despair. Members of the European Union have been deluged with accusations of going back on their earlier commitments to accept migrants as both a salving presence and a practical alternative to their requirements for workers in both public and private sectors since their population has slowly but surely aged.

With this compact, Secretary Locsin noted in his speech before the UN migrants rights convention in Morocco, migrants, whether temporary (as in those under specific contracts) or permanent (as in those who have taken residence in the host countries),and the receiving nations will now share a document which balances the concerns of the host countries with those of their migrant population.

“We have defeated the notion,” Secretary Locsin emphasized in that Morocco convention, “that migration is bad, quite the contrary. And we did that with facts and not frightful fantasies of losses of jobs no Westerner would take.

And we did it with reason by showing that migrants have been useful additions to host countries. Not fear but facts shaped our perception, reason and passion distinguished discussion at the UN, if nowhere else, and we should be proud to acknowledge that a decent regard for the opinion of mankind dictated our decision to adopt the Global Compact today.”

Proceeding further in elaborating the moral and practical sharing that ensues in migration flows, Secretary Locsin emphasized that no one country address it alone, nor should any leading state take the lead in saying what can be done for and about it. Migration as a shared responsibility, Locsin emphasized, is the message of the Global Compact for Migration. And that includes addressing the fears of some peoples and states that migration flows as these are today would derogate their own “nationhood and unique standing as a people and as a state.” By the wording of the compact, it is not and will not be the case.

As Locsin noted, sovereignty is both a duty of care as it is an assertion of unlimited freedom of action. How that will translate in real life, in the day-to-day struggles of people fleeing persecution, organized crime and poverty, the impact of natural disasters or simply for want of a better state in life without enhancing the fears and confusion in peoples and states, whether migrant receiving or originating, is the challenge that we, all of us, must endeavor to overcome. We will surely be better off if we let our better angels prevail amid the furtiveness and fury of those who do not care a whit about their fellow human beings. Let the sharing begin in earnest now. Not later.

EVERYMAN

Revisiting the culture of New Year’s resolutions

By Honor Blanco Cabie WE HAVE resolved, decided not to be persuaded by other beliefs that we find preposterous, if bizarre, in our autochthonous culture: The breeding, the politeness, the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively as urbanity and sophistication in this Land of the Morning.

We find it ridiculous and nonsensical that there should be New Year’s resolutions, in the first place, like it is the only time we can promise to do good, do better, or completely stop something bad we have been doing.

In the second place, can there not be Resolutions at other points in the Gregorian calendar?

If there can be, what’s the point in making New Year’s resolutions—one, two three, or even a dozen Resolutions that would not be followed to the letter anyway, or resolutions that would be forgotten, intentionally, when the fireworks that ushered in the first few hours of the New Year had returned to the Cimmerian shade of the ground?

This is not to ridicule those who still make New Year’s resolutions every beginning of a year, or a few days before it. Not at all.

It is just that, from where we are, and given the culture in our heartbeats, we find it laughable, contemptible and daffy that we should make such New Year’s resolutions when we could silently resolve to perhaps do better, or completely stop something unnecessary that had been in our manners any time of 2019 or any other year.

Comical tradition The tradition of New Year’s resolutions—most common in the Western Hemisphere although this is now observed in some countries in the Eastern Hemisphere—dates back to 153 B.C.

Agricultural....

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due to the restrictions.

Senators Richard Gordon and Bam Aquino, sponsored the Bill in the Senate. In the House, it was sponsored

by Representatives Joey Salceda, Kit Belmonte, Romero Quimbo, Arthur

Was Duterte....

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While here in Asia, where more than four-billion people live, member-countries and their economies are beginning to assert themselves in the geopolitics and the economy of the world.

Southeast Asia with its 600-million market, China, Japan and Korea with a combined two-billion people, India and the rest of the South Asian subcontinent with more than a billion and a half altogether comprise 60 percent of the world’s population.

January is named after Janus, a mythical god of early Rome.

Documents say Janus had two faces —one looking forward, the other looking backward. This allowed him to look back on the past and forward toward the future.

According to this tradition—verily a concoction in the Western world— the Romans imagined Janus looking backward into the old year and forward into the new year.

This was the symbolic time for Romans to make resolutions for the new year and forgive enemies for troubles in the past.

Interestingly, the Romans also believed Janus—was perhaps a relative of Enero by consanguinity or by affinity?—could forgive them for their wrongdoings in the previous year.

And the Romans would give gifts and make promises, believing Janus would see this and bless them in the year ahead.

There are those who are carried by the tradition and start the year with hope and with promises to be more successful, more productive, and more adjectives than properly just substance.

In any case, there are some who suggest the following when making resolutions: Some examples include resolutions to donate to the poor more often, to become more assertive, or to become more environmentally responsible.

Popular goals Popular goals include resolutions to: • Improve physical well-being: Eat healthy food, lose weight, exercise more, eat better, drink less alchohol, quit smoking, stop biting nails, get rid of old habits.

• Improve mental well-being: Think positive, laugh more often, enjoy life • Improve finances: Get out of debt, save money, make small investments.

• Improve career: Perform better at current job, get a better job, establish own business

• Improve education: Improve grades, get a better education, learn something new (such as a foreign language), study often, read more books, improve talents • Improve self: Become more organized, reduce stress, be less grumpy, manage time, be more independent, perhaps watch less television, play fewer sittingdown video games • Take a trip • Volunteer to help others, practice life skills, use civic virtue, give to charity, volunteer to work part-time in a charity organization • Get along better with people, improve social skills, enhance social intelligence • Make new friends • Spend quality time with family members • Settle down, get engaged/get married, have kids • Pray more, be more spiritual • Be more involved in sports or different activities • Spend less time on social media (such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr etc.)

There are those who argue against making New Year’s resolutions, given that many if not most are unreachable targets and demand extremely high expectations.

At the same time, resolutions made in January can’t even reach the track line in June, or even as early, or probably already late, as March 19 when the swallows return to Capistrano, in California or Saint Joseph’s Day in the calendar.

But do we need a New Year—in this case 2019—to make the resolutions? Beat the deadline.

Yap, Monsour del Rosario III, Reynaldo Umali, Ferdinand Hernandez, Orestes Salon, Delphine Lee, and Luis Villafuerte Jr. The Bill was heard under the Senate Committee on Justice, chaired by Senator Gordon and the House Committee on Justice, chaired by Rep. Umali and later

by Rep. Doy Leachon.

Individuals and organizations who have also pushed for the removal of the restrictions include RBAP, leading

Philippine agricultural economists Dr. Raul Fabella, Dr. Rolando Dy, Dr. Ramon Clarete, and Dr. Bruce Tolentino, Philippine Solar Power Alliance, and the AGRI Party-list.

I applaud these honorable representatives and individuals in their efforts to find and remove wealthdestroying economic restrictions.

In our lifetime, in this age, this 60 percent, once considered by the imperialist nations as their “hewers of wood and drawers of water” has become the axis upon which the world economy revolves.

From Pax Britannica in the 19th century, to Pax Americana in the 20th, to an indisputable Pax Asiatica in the 21st and beyond.

Was Duterte prescient when he made his “apertura Sinica,” highlighted by the recent visit of Xi Jinping after 13 years, six of which were a clear “cold war” between the Philippines and China under Benigno S. Aquino III? Prescience or not, the inevitable has

dawned upon us.

But what all Asians must strive for, in the days when colonialism has lost its favor and flavor, is to ensure that what we Orientals can collectively achieve in the coming decades and past this century is a Pax Asiatica among selfrespecting economies and sovereign countries rather than one dominated solely by a Pax Sinica.

China for its part must likewise work towards that Pax Asiatica without thinking of itself as an overlord, forgetting past enmities and historic humiliation, and usher in a peace and a shared prosperity that would last centuries.

(HBC is an academic who writes speeches for senior government officials and former Executive Council Member of the 13-man Committee on Literary Arts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.)

eric.jurado@gmail.com

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HIGH-CALIBER experts from the government, the academe and the private sector weighed in on what lies ahead for the Philippine economy at the Pilipinas Conference 2018 organized by independent think tank Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute held recently in Makati.

For starters, it’s a dire picture in terms of the government’s attempt to make economic growth inclusive, said Calixto Chikiamco, president of Foundation for Economic Freedom.

The country failed to achieve its target of reducing poverty incidence to 17.2 percent by 2015 and instead hit 21.5 percent. More recently, a Social Weather Stations survey revealed that 13.3 percent, or some 3.1 million families, “experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months.” This is 3.9 points higher than the 9.4 percent recorded the previous quarter and the highest since December 2017, when it hit 15.9 percent.

Some aspects of the macroeconomic picture aren’t as rosy either, according to Chikiamco. The country’s Gross Domestic Product growth rate has slowed down due to subpar agriculture and manufacturing numbers.

Agricultural productivity is down and while manufacturing expanded by 4 percent in the third quarter of this year, it was a significant increase from the 10.1 percent jump recorded a year ago.

In addition, the usual sources of strength for the economy are being undermined by a wide range of factors.

OFW remittances have slowed down due to, among others, the severe government deficit that the Saudi Arabian economy is experiencing, which has affected scores of workers.

Once a sunshine industry, the Business Process Outsourcing sector is facing threats from key strides in automation and artificial intelligence, although the development also brings with it some opportunities.

“BPO companies need to upgrade the skills of their call center agents to high-value industries—healthcare information management, software development, and data analytics,” Chikiamco said.

Some of the fundamental weaknesses of the economy remains, if they have not worsened. Imports still outpaced exports in the third quarter of the year, with exports declining by 2.6 percent and imports swelling by 26.1 percent.

“Although the country’s dollar reserves are still comfortable, the trend must be reversed, and structural problems must be addressed as well,” he added.

Also, the country’s export base remains to be largely undiversified: a large chunk of it lies in the low value-added electronics sector and its agriculture exports are further affected by slower growth, swelling population, and high food inflation. Meanwhile, the potential of some industries—like the mining sector that can harness the country’s rich mineral reserves—is undermined by unstable government policies.

The reforms necessary to reverse these trends are fundamental in nature, Chikiamco said. These include the removal of constitutional restrictions on foreign investments, the passage of the amendment to the Public Service Act, liberating the rural land market, stabilizing the country’s mining policy,

A deep...

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a little patience and composure. They bullied Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno during the hearing on the national appropriations act, blaming him for alleged insertion in the budget that favored certain parties.

No amount of badgering, however, diminished the President’s trust and confidence in Diokno. Because there is no more time to call for a special session, the national government will have to depend on a reenacted budget for its expenditures. To tackle a new budget, the legislators will have to find time for other national issues of great importance. This includes the federal form of government approved by the House not to mention that next year, the country will hold the midterm elections on May 13. Thus we see several reelectionist senators and congressmen already at the hustings and posting their poll advertisements on TV. The Commission on Elections has

and amending the Labor Code, among others.

The Philippine economy must therefore navigate a “new normal,” said U.P. School of Economics professor Raul Fabella. In particular, the government must closely monitor the manufacturing sector, which is “relatively linked to poverty reduction,” as seen in the recent growth of China and Vietnam.

Unfortunately, while manufacturing grew faster than the service sector during the Aquino administration and up until Duterte’s first year in office, it started to slow down in Duterte’s second year. The clamor to end to contractualization does not bode well for the industry, too, he said.

In line with this, Fabella’s

Political stability and economic development are deeply intertwined.

recommendations include staying on track with the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law 1 and not suspending the fuel excise tax increase; passing the second TRAIN package but “with better regard for tradables;” minimizing the uncertainties in political projects, such as sensitive topics like charter change and contractualization; and restoring property rights stability in agriculture.

The position on TRAIN is supported

by George Barcelon, Chairman of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in light of the country’s economic story for 2018. On one hand, he highlighted the “strong macroeconomic fundamentals” of the Philippine economy, especially in relation to consumer spending, infrastructure, and capital outlays. June data for Foreign Direct Investments, a perennial problem for the Philippines, actually surpassed targets. On the other hand, while half a million jobs were created in 2018, stubbornly high underemployment is still an issue.

It’s the quality investments that TRAIN would attract, he said, that could address another problem for businesses—high logistic cost, in fact the highest in ASEAN. Barcelon thus lauds the continuing government effort to further ease the act of doing business despite some hiccups in implementation. Lastly, he echoed the need for government to invest in the development of human skills, including the laudable transfer of TESDA to the Department of Trade and Industry toward aligning training with industry needs.

In all these, political stability and economic development are deeply intertwined. And because the reforms necessary to make growth inclusive and sustainable are many, this administration’s still-significant political capital is crucial, said ADRI president Dindo Manhit.

He added: “Our political institutions and mechanisms may have its flaws and shortcomings, but they remain to be vital in driving change and promoting accountability and good governance.

While our economic fundamentals are strong, they need to be anchored on solid and effective leadership backed by sound, predictable, and sustainable policies to ensure continuity of growth.” not taken action on early campaigning.

It has not curbed election expenditures with these TV ads. Voters should separate the chaff from the grain and weed out those who are seeking public office through their enormous wealth but hardly for their qualifications and competence. Watch those senatorial debates on TV and determine whom to vote for by what they say in their answers to debate moderators.

Sometimes, however, the questions asked are just as inane as the answers given by certain candidates.

One astute political observer once said that Filipinos get the fake leaders they deserve for not voting wisely.

Patronage politics is the name of the game in this country. Politicians who dole out money to constituents during times of birth, hospitalization and death are mostly remembered as the ones to vote for. Never mind if they are corrupt or don’t even know the provisions of the Constitution This is the very foundation of the barangay and local politics which translate as ticket to national positions.

God, what a country!

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News

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Court junks Okada move to prevent Tiger ouster T

By Rey E. Requejo

HE Parañaque Regional Trial Court has junked the move of gaming tycoon Kazuo Okada to question and stop his removal from Tiger Resort, Leisure and Entertainment Inc., the operator of Okada Manila.

In a nine-page order, Judge Noemi J. Balitaan of RTC Branch 258 dismissed the Intra-Corporate Dispute for Declaration of Nullity of his Removal from TRLEI filed

by Okada, ruling that his action has already prescribed.

“In Aldovino versus Alunan, the Supreme Court has held that when the plaintiffs’ own

complaint shows clearly that the action has prescribed, such action may be dismissed even if the defense of prescription has not been invoked by the defendant . . . Wherefore, based on the foregoing, the case is hereby dismissed,” the lower court ruled.

Court records showed that Kazuo had filed the case questioning his removal as shareholder, director, president and chief executive officer of TRLEI in a stockholders’ meeting in June 2017.

TRLEI held the special stockholders’ meeting to elect a new board since Okada’s one nominal share of TRLEI had been revoked by its parent company, Tiger Resorts and Leisure based in Hong Kong.

It appeared that Okada held his lead-

ership positions in TRLEI on the basis of the nominal share he held in trust for TRAL. Okada was subsequently removed from TRLEI, since his Deed of Assignment with Declaration of Trust with TRAL had been revoked by the Hong Kong firm.

On Aug. 29, Okada filed the intracorporate dispute case, arguing that his removal was void and illegal and that the election of the new composition of the board of TRLEI was likewise void.

However, the court ruled that what Okada filed was an election contest seeks to nullify the election of the Board of Directors. It stated that being an election contest, the same should have been filed within 15 days from the alleged date of his removal.

Nancy: Public needs more rides this Xmas

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Nancy Binay has asked the government’s transportation and traffic management agencies to extend their service hours in anticipation of the large number of rush-hour shoppers during the last week before Christmas.

“If ‘we got it all for you’ is the answer of malls, that should also be the answer of the government when it comes to public vehicles,” said Binay on Sunday.

She specifically called on the Department of Transportation, the Metro Manila Development Authority, and the operators of the Mass Rail Transit and Light Rail Transit systems to stretch their working hours to complement the 11 am to 11 pm mall hours.

Commuters and motorists have complained of spending more than three hours on the road and arriving home as late as 3 am, as traffic has worsened with malls operating until near-midnight, Binay noted.

Recent intermittent rains and the crush of people doing last-minute shopping and going to late-night Christmas parties has added to the usual traffic woes in the metropolis.

“Is this the new normal traffic, or is this more burdensome to our commuters due to the extended mall hours?” she asked.

“Shout out to our authorities at the Department of Transportation at MMDA if they can extend MRT and LRT time to help ease traffic on major roads and have additional option for our commuters and consumers to comfortably go home,” the senator said.

Bike riders show force in 1 km-long Angkas‘unity ride’ TO SUPPORT drivers of the motorcycle ride-sharing application Angkas, several bike riders’ groups held a “unity ride” along EDSA on Sunday, blowing their horns at the same time to protest a plan to put license plates on the front end of the two-wheeled vehicles.

This came days after the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order against a Mandaluyong Court decision that barred authorities from arresting drivers operating under the popular ride-hailing platform.

The motorcade stretched for over a kilometer on EDSA’s northbound lane from the People Power Monument at White Plains in Quezon City.

Angkas riders are asking the government to legalize motorcycle ride-sharing, saying this was a source of livelihood for around 25,000 motorcycle riders who use the platform.

In a press conference that followed the motorcade, representatives from Angkas said that while they would follow the court order, they are still negotiating with the government to allow them to operate freely.

They pointed out the need for ridesharing apps to provide alternative modes of transportation amid heavy traffic and a lack of public utility vehicles.

Motorbike riders also urged the government to reconsider a plan to put license plates on the front of motorcycles, saying this posed a safety risk to riders and other road users.

The Motorcycle Rights Organization, which organized the “Unity Ride,” said strong winds can tear off a license plate mounted in front of a motorcycle, and possibly injure riders and other people along the road.

A Senate bill earlier proposed mandating the Land Transportation Office to issue bigger and reflectorized license plates that must be placed in both front and rear parts of motorcycles, apparently in a move to deter “riding-in-tandem” crimes and assassinations.

GOODY BASKETS. Residents of Barangay 688 Zone 75 District 5 along Singalong Street in Manila receive baskets of Christmas goodies for senior citizens and poor families, a practice held annually every Advent season by barangay officials headed by Barangay Chairwoman Irene Gotoc and her councilors. Ey Acasio

Villar SIPAG lauds 22 outstanding cooperatives TWENTY-TWO outstanding multipurpose cooperatives were recognized this year by the Villar SIPAG Foundation for their significant contributions in poverty reduction and economic growth in their communities.

The annual Villar SIPAG Awards on Poverty Reduction, an initiative of the Villar SIPAG (Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance) Foundation, acknowledges and rewards the good practices of coop-

eratives and community enterprises nationwide that help bring down incidences of poverty and spur economic developments in their covered areas.

Senator Cynthia A. Villar, director of Villar SIPAG and chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, stressed the important role played by peoples organizations in the government’s continued fight against poverty.

“Multipurpose cooperatives help

bridge the gap between communities and the government,” said Villar.

“They fill in the many shortcomings of both the local government units and the national government and work directly with affected families to improve the quality of their lives,” added Villar during the awarding ceremonies for the Top 20 multipurpose cooperatives in the country held at the Villar SIPAG offices in Las Piñas City.

Macon Ramos- Araneta

GIFTS GALORE. A stall at Commonwealth Market in Quezon City is bursting with goods, as buyers browse Sunday for possible gifts for their children with Christmas fast approaching. Manny Palmero

Cotabato’s Shariff Kabunsuan fest celebrates Islam COTABATO CITY—City Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi led on Saturday the formal opening of the weeklong annual Shariff Kabunsuan Festival, commemorating the arrival of Islam in mainland Mindanao.

The activity commenced with an opening program at the city plaza followed by the launching of the brassware exhibit at the old city hall building, which shows various artifacts and utensils made of bronze and silver.

In the afternoon, Sayadi led the opening of Shariff Kabunsuan Festival Bazaar at the Citi Mall featuring low prizes gift items ideal for Christmas gift-giving.

Gurlie Frondoza, city tourism officer, said other highlights of the celebration is the Guinakit Fluvial parade commemorating the arrival of Shariff Kabunsuan to bring Islam to mainland Mindanao using the Rio Grande de Mindanao.

The celebration is centered on the arrival of Shariff Kabunsuan via Rio Grande de Mindanao more than 500 years ago to introduce Islam to the natives.

“It is an event displaying Muslim religion and culture,” Frondoza said.

Apart from the colorful fluvial parade, a street dancing parade and competition will be featured along with cultural shows, “inaul” (Muslim fabric) fashion show, culinary competition, and many others.

“Cotabato City is host to fishponds that cultures tasty crabs, thus the festival will feature crab cooking and eating show,” Frondoza said. PNA

Sports

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Doroy loses but Fronda wins in 17th Asian Chess

MAKATI CITY, Philippines –Woman FIDE Master Allaney Jia G. Doroy (ELO 1972) suffered a stinging defeat in Saturday’s sixth round to drop out of the top ten in the 17th Asian Continental Chess Championships (2nd Manny Pacquiao Cup) at the Tiara Oriental Hotel in Makati.

Woman International Master Jan Jodilyn Fronda (ELO 2139) toppled WFM Aashna Makhija (ELO 2181) of India to gatecrash into a 7-player tie at 11th place with 3.5 points each.

IM Rout Padmini (ELO 2345) of India trounced WGM Qianyun Gong (ELO 2312) of Singapore to remain on top with 5.5 points while WIM Jiner Zhu (ELO 2409) of China nipped WGM Thi Bao Tram Hoang (ELO 2314) of Vietnam to claim the solo second place with 4.5 points.

The 33th seed Doroy, one of the top players of National University (NU) Team Manager Samson Go yielded to 16th seed Woman International Master Tianlu Gu (ELO 2231) of China.

With the setback, Doroy remains at 3.0 points and was dropped into a tie for 18th to 23rd place in the company of compatriots WGM Janelle Mae Frayna (ELO 2228) and WFM Shania Mae Mendoza (ELO 2165).

The win improved Gu’s total to 4.0 points, to climbed at 3rd to 10th place.

IM Ricardo De Guzman (ELO 2357) halved the point with GM Zhongyi Tan (ELO 2508) to raise his total 3.0 points in the men’s division, the same output of compatriots GM Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. (ELO 2431), GM John Paul Gomez (ELO 2450) and FM Mari Joseph Turqueza (ELO 2305).

GM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi (ELO 2701) of India defeated overnight solo leader GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly (ELO 2621) of India to create an eight way-tie for first place with 4.5 points each in the company of Ganguly,GM Wei Yi (ELO 2728) of China, GM S. P. Sethuraman (ELO 2664) of India, GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov (ELO 2546) of Uzbekistan, GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (ELO 2641) of Vietnam, GM Amin Tabatabaei (ELO 2587) of Iran and top seed GM Wang Hao (2730) of China.

Petron nears Super Liga All-Filipino championship

THE deadly form that made Petron the most successful club team in the country was in full display when it crushed F2 Logistics, 25-23, 25-12, 25-17, in Game 1 of their Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference best-of-three finals series over the weekend at the Mall of Asia Arena.

But for head coach Shaq Delos Santos, the battle is still far from over.

Delos Santos said celebration is not yet on their minds as they expect a furious fightback from the Cargo Movers in Game 2 of this prestigious women’s club tourney tomorrow at the same venue.

He said F2 Logistics coach Ramil de Jesus is the best in the business in tweaking his game plan so he expects Game 2 to be another thrilling showcase of high-flying attacks, great defense and nail-biting rallies from both sides.

“This is not yet over. A win in Game 1 doesn’t mean anything if we fail to clinch the title. We know they will prepare so we have to be ready,” said Delos Santos, whose wards moved a win shy of sweeping this tourney that is bankrolled

by Isuzu, Asics, Mikasa, Senoh, Mueller, UCPB Gen and Bizooku with Genius Sports as technical provider.

Delos Santos sure knows what he’s talking about.

In the Grand Prix last year, the Blaze Spikers hammered a convincing Game 1 win, thanks to the firepower of imports Lindsay Stalzer and Hillary Hurley as well as local stars Frances Molina, Aiza MaizoPontillas and Mika Reyes.

PH swimming looks good in 2019

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) drives to the basket against the Charlotte Hornets on December 15, 2018 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. AFP

Triple-doubles from James, Ball lift Lakers L

OS ANGELES, United States—Lonzo Ball joined LeBron James in elite territory Saturday as their twin triple-doubles lifted the Los Angeles Lakers to a 128-100 NBA victory over the Hornets in Charlotte.

James, a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, scored 24 points with 11 assists and 12 rebounds and Ball, the second overall selection in the 2017 draft, added 16 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds.

It was the first time two NBA teammates posted triple-doubles in the same game since Jason Kidd and Vince Carter did it for the Nets in 2007.

James and Ball became the only Lakers teammates to do it besides Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1982.

“We just tried to do a little bit of everything to help our team win,” James said. “Try to put the ball in the hole, rebound so we could start the break and then get our guys the ball.

“That’s the most important to both of us,” James added, “getting our guys involved.

It’s a great feeling when you’re able to get

the ball to a teammate and see them make a shot.”

Both James and Ball had completed their triple-doubles with plenty of margin. After helping the Lakers out-score the Hornets 4017 in the third quarter James sat out all of the fourth quarter and Ball played just five minutes of the final period.

Ball added five steals as the Lakers came back with a vengeance from a 126-111 loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday.

“It was a good win,” Ball said. “We didn’t want to lose two in a row. We came out strong ... got it done.”

Meanwhile, Memphis Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace called the unravelling of a planned three-team NBA trade over apparent mistaken identity of one of the players involved “unfathomable”.

The deal proposed on Friday would have sent Washington Wizards player Kelly Oubre to Memphis, the Suns’ Trevor Ariza to Washington and have the Grizzlies send one of their two players named Brooks – MarShon or Dillon – to Phoenix along with Wayne Selden.

“What happened last night was unfathomable. I’ve never experienced this before, and we were very clear about who was in this deal and Dillon Brooks never was intended to be a part of this, was not from our standpoint,” Wallace told reporters Saturday, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

“And we made this very clear, it was not Dillon Brooks. And I let Dillon know that after the game, too, that don’t believe what you’re reading and hearing tonight. You were not a part of this trade and you’re not going to be a part of it.”

Dillon Brooks is a 22-year-old secondyear player who started 74 games as a rookie last season, while MarShon Brooks is a 29-year-old veteran reserve. AFP

Jamieson seeks first win in six years MELANE, South Africa – Scott Jamieson of Scotland shot a 68 Saturday to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa, six years after his only previous European Tour win.

The 35-year-old from Glasgow is on 205 at Leopard Creek Country Club, one ahead of American David Lipsky, who shot a third-round 70.

Defending champion Brandon Stone (69) and fellow South African Zander Lombard (68) are on 208, three adrift of Jamieson after a round played in 38 degrees celsius (100 fahrenheit) heat.

“It is obviously a great position to be in but I am certainly not getting ahead of myself,” said Jamieson, whose previous triumph on the European circuit came at

the Nelson Mandela Challenge in South Africa in December 2012.

“There is an awful long way to go and a lot can happen in 18 holes, especially on this golf course, particularly the back nine where there are so many risk-and-reward opportunities.”

Jamieson birdied two holes and bogeyed one to turn in 34, one under par on a recently redesigned course that borders the Kruger National Park.

His second nine was much more eventful with an eagle two, a double-bogey six and three birdies within six holes from the 11th.

Lipsky, another one-time European Tour winner, failed to click on the front nine and reached the turn one over after a birdie and two bogeys.

His inward nine was similar to that of Jamieson as he carded an eagle, a doublebogey and three birdies.

He double-bogied hole 16 after finding a bunker off the tee, took two shots to reach the green and two putted.

Raphael Jacquelin of France and Christian Bezuidenhout of South Africa notched seven birdies each as they carded 66s, the best third-round scores, to stay in contention.

Four-time European Tour winner Jacquelin is four shots behind Jamieson while Bezuidenhout lies five shots off the pace.

Former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, whose world ranking of 25 makes him the highest profile contender, also trails the leader by five shots. AFP

Netherlands to face Belgium in hockey World Cup final BUBANESWAR, India—Goalkeeper Pirmin Blaak helped the Netherlands set up a title clash with Belgium in the field hockey World Cup after edging out Australia 4-3 on penalties in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

Blaak was on top of his game throughout the semifinal, producing a match-winning save in sudden death to deny Australia a chance of clinching their third successive title after they won in 2010 and 2014.

The match was level at 2-2 after world number one Australia claimed an equalizer 26 seconds from full time at the Kalinga Stadium in the east Indian state of Odisha.

Both teams scored three goals each in the penalty shootout but as the match went to sudden death, the Netherlands – shooting first – scored while the Kookaburras missed the goal after Blaak got the ball away with his stick.

It will be the Netherlands’ record

seventh final and they have the chance to claim their fourth World Cup title.

“Really happy that we won... When it came down to the final one I had to make a decision and got the sweep,” said Blaak.

“Conceding a goal 26 seconds before the end of the game is something really terrible and but (we) turned it back,” he said.

In the first semifinal Belgium thrashed England 6-0, with Simon

Gougnard scoring a goal after his father died on the eve of the crucial clash.

Olympic silver medallists Belgium, who had beaten two-time champions Germany in the quarter-finals, came out all guns blazing with Tom Boon giving them an early lead in the eight minute of the match.

In an emotional moment for Gougnard, he doubled his team’s early lead in the 19th minute with a penalty corner conversion. AFP

PHILIPPINE swimming hopes to finally make a big splash in the coming new year under the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

Two of the country’s brightest young swimmers certainly think so.

Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh and Marc Bryan Dula, dubbed by local sportswriters as the “future of Philippine swimming,” said the assurances of support of the PSC, headed by Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez, serves as an inspiration to young swimmers like them to strive harder and bring honors to the country.

“We have already been assured of support by the PSC in both our local and international campaigns said Mojdeh during her appearance in the fourth “Usapang Sports” presented by the Tabloid Organization in Philippine Sports (TOPS) at the National Press Club in Intramuros on Thursday.

“We’re very happy. This is really good news for all of us,” said the 12-year-old student of Immaculate Heart of Mary College-Parañaque, who bagged seven gold medals and established a new Philippine national junior record in 200m butterfly (2:25.82) during the 2018 Hamilton Aquatics Winter Long Course Swimming Championships in Dubai last week.

“We hope we can continue to win more golds for our country next year,” added Dula, who captured eight golds and one silver in the same event.

The two champion swimmers were accompanied by Mojdeh’s mother Joan and Philippine Swimming League coach Alex Papa, during the weekly session attended by sports editors, writers and photographers of the country’s leading tabloids.

“PSC Chairman Ramirez is pushing for this ‘Swim for All’ program. I think this is a good program by the PSC since this will give equal opportunity to all talented swimmers,” said the elder Mojdeh, who is also the PSL regional director for National Capital Region.

“Umaasa kami sa PSL sa mga magagandang pagbabago sa swimming community sa ilalim ni Chairman Ramirez next year,” added Mojdeh, a former triathlete and volleyball player herself before focusing on her daughter’s swimming career.

Mojdeh said her daughter Micaela is just one of the many young and talented swimmers from all over the country, who will greatly benefit in this “Swim for All” program of the PSC.

Texans shoot down New York Jets LOS ANGELES, United States— Houston receiver DeAndre Hopkins hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass with 2:15 left to play Saturday as the Texans held off the New York Jets 2922 and edged closer to an NFL playoff berth.

Hopkins added catches for 20 and seven yards on the seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive that put the Texans up 26-22 in a see-saw battle that saw both Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson and Jets signal caller Sam Darnold excel.

Having Hopkins as a target helped Watson’s cause. He caught 10 passes for 170 yards and two TDs, including a second-quarter reception that made it 13-3 for Houston.

Darnold got off to a slow start for the Jets but connected with Robby Anderson for a touchdown shortly before halftime, and with Andre Roberts for a TD early in the third quarter.

Jason Myers missed the extra point on both and the Jets still trailed 16-15.

Houston increased that lead to 19-15 with a field goal, but the Jets seized the lead with five minutes remaining when Darnold handed off to Elijah McGuire, who bulled his way two yards into the end zone. AFP

Sotto leads UAAP HS MVP race

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

A8

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2018

By Peter Atencio

Sports CJ Perez (center), the consensus best amateur player, was selected first overall by the Columbian Dyip during the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Gatorade Rookie Draft at Robinsons Place Manila. PBA Media

Perez selected 1st overall

By Jeric Lopez

T

HE projection was right all along.

CJ Perez was selected by Columbian Dyip as the top overall pick in the Philippine Basketball Association Gatorade Rookie Draft 2018 at Robinsons Place Manila yesterday.

With his athleticism, scoring ability and star potential, the Dyip made official what it stated all along that Perez is the team’s guy.

“Pangarap ko talagang makapag-PBA at masaya ako narating ko,” said Perez.

“Excited na ko makalaro at matulungan ang team ko.”

Columbian hopes that the star out of Lyceum of the Philippines University can turn its fortunes around in the coming season.

In the succeeding suspense-less picks

Blackwater selected Bobby Ray Parks at No. 2 while NorthPort took Robert Bolick from San Beda at No. 3.

The top three picks went according to consensus as Perez, Parks and Bolick, clearly the top three players in the draft class, were selected first.

Parks was unable to attend the draft due to his commitments with Alab Pilipinas, his current ball club, whose game in Indonesia coincided with the PBA Draft.

“It was a special day for me. I am sad I wasn’t able to make it in the draft but I’m ready for my next adventure in the PBA,” said Parks.

With Parks, the Elite is looking forward to a better campaign ahead as it will most likely have its most competitive team i franchise history.

Bolick’s role at the Batang Pier is clear --- bemthe backcourt partner in crime of Stanley Pringle.

Paul Desiderio of UP was taken next by NLEX at No. 4, Filipino-American Trevis Jackson was selected by Meralco at No. 5, Rain or Shine went big with its No. 6 pick by selecting San Beda’s Javee Mocon.

For its second pick in the first round, NLEX upgraded its ceiling by taking Abu Tratter from La Salle at No. 7, the Elasto Painters picked again at No. 8 and took Jjay Alejandro out of NU, while Alaska

snagged Jesper Ayaay at at No. 9.

Magnolia helped its frontcourt by tabbing Michael Calisaan from San Sebastian at No. 10, while Columbian took JP Calvo at No. 11.

Rounding out the first round was Jorey Napoles out of Bicol, who was selected by Phoenix as well.

As of this report, the succeeding rounds are still taking place as teams are looking to find some sleepers in the remaining pool of hopefuls.

Meanwhile, the Finals of the PBA Governors’ Cup resume on Wednesday with Magnolia eyeing to hoist the championship trophy by potentially ending Alaska’s hopes.

Ahead 3-2 in the best-of-seven finale, the Hotshots can claim glory and close out even as the Aces will try to force a deciding Game 7.

Organizers Alvarez stops Fielding in third round want intact SEAG budget THE proposed budget of P7.5 billion for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games should be enough to get things running smoothly.

Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee executive director Ramon “Tats” Suzara said this as organizers await the release of the Games’ funds into the hands of the Philippine Sports Commission.

“If you ask me, it should not be lessened. We are trying to raise the standards of the Games, through the venue and the sports (that will be played). There are 56 sports,” said Suzara.

Current Department of Foreign Affairs secretary Teddy Locsin Jr. recently informed the PSC that they will seek the transfer of the funds to the government sports agency after the Senate questioned the DFA’s 27.4-billion proposed budget for 2019.

The PHISGOC budget was included in the DFA’s budget when oganizing committee chairman Allan Peter Cayetano was still the secretary.

The Philippines will host the Games from November 29 to December 10 next year, and most of the events will be held at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, Subic, Bulacan and in Metro Manila.

The funding for the SEA Games has gone under intense scrutiny following a plenary deliberation of the Senate, which is still deliberating on this.

Preparations for the Games is expected to pick up in the coming days.

Meanwhile, PSC Commissioner Ramon Fernandez said the Games budget should be handled properly by the PSC, and not the Phisgoc, since the agency will be able to account for the funds, and with Chairman William Ramirez on top of this as Phisgoc vice chairman.

“The Phisgoc can’t handle the funds.

For them to do so, they will have to have a memorandum of agreement with the PSC, and they’ll be the one to answer to the COA,” said Fernandez.

The opening ceremony goes out of tradition by holding a glitzy opening ceremony on November 30 at the 60,000-seat Philippine Arena in Bulacan. Peter Atencio

NEW YORK, United States—Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez brutally overpowered England’s Rocky Fielding with a dominant display on his New York City debut Saturday to become a three-weight world champion.

Alvarez, who is the reigning World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association middleweight world champion following his thrilling victory over Gennady Golovkin in September, had little trouble in moving up in weight class and defeating Fielding, who held a second tier version of the WBA’s super-middleweight title.

Alvarez sent Fielding to the canvas in the very first round with a crunching body shot and remained in complete control. He delivered a similar punch in the second which was also too much for the Englishman to take before the fight was stopped towards the end of the third following two further knock-downs.

“I thought he would use his distance but luckily he didn’t,” Alvarez said in the ring after becoming the ninth Mexican fighter to be a champion in three different weight divisions.

“He came to attack and I did my thing.

The plan was to hit the body. That was the result.”

It was, ultimately, a total mismatch.

Fielding just didn’t have the power to compete, and when he went down twice in the third, referee Ricky Gonzalez cor-

Canelo Alvarez (left) lands a punch against Rocky Fielding during their WBA Super Middleweight title bout at Madison Square Garden on December 15, 2018 in New York City. AFP

rectly stopped the fight with 22 seconds left of the round.

It was a brave effort from the 31-yearold from Liverpool, who deserves great credit for accepting the task of entering the ring against the brilliant flame-haired Mexican, who extended his record to 51-12 with 35 knockouts in his first appearance since signing a record-breaking 11-fight, $365 million contract with sports stream-

Red Cubs roar to victory

SAN BEDA launched its title retention bid in grand fashion, crushing University of Cebu, 103-63, while former champion Chiang Kai Shek College fired a strong warning at the start of the Philippine Secondary Schools Basketball Championship ‘Rain or Shine Cup’ Saturday at the SGS gym in Quezon City.

It took only two quarters for the Red Cubs to disarm the Baby Webmasters in Group B elims as they held the Cebuano dribblers to just 26 points while exploding for 66 points – thanks to the hot-shooting duo of Winston Ynot and Ryyan Amsali who combined for 39 points and 16 boards.

James Incio and Ice Blanco – son of former PBA hotshot Dondon Hontiveros – led the Baby Webmasters with 20 and 9 points, respectively.

The Blue Dragons of Tondo also leaned on a torrid start to stun the reigning NCAA champi-

ing service DAZN. This was Alvarez’s first bout at supermiddleweight. He fought Julio Chavez junior at a 164-pound catch-weight in a nontitle match-up in 2017, and although he is set to move back down to 160 pounds for his next fight in 2019, his performance in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd was evidence of his ability to perform whatever the weight class. AFP

ons Mapua Red Cubs, 84-75, in Group D action of the 12-team tournament bankrolled by Rain or Shine, Freego, Dickies Underwear, Hapee Toothepaste, IronCon Builders, MEC Networks, Blackwater Sports, and Che’Lu Bar and Grill.

Batang Gilas member Rafael Go came off the bench to lead Blue Dragons with 14 points and 12 boards.

League chairman Terry Que and vice chair Eduard Tio expressed delight with the turn out as collegiate coaches were also part of a big crowd obviously looking for talented players.

Dan Arches sizzled for 25 points but got little support from his Red Robins teammates as the Blue Dragons held NCAA Finals MVP Paolo Hernandez to just seven points.

Also off to a rousing start was Jose Rizal University which bombed University of Luzon with 11 triples in coasting to a 101-68 victory in Group A.

BATANG GILAS Kai Sotto emerged on top of the MVP race again after the first round of the 81st University Athletic Association of the Philippines Juniors Basketball Tournament.

The 7’1” Sotto, who was the Finals MVP last season when the Ateneo Blue Eaglets won the crown, averaged 25.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.3 blocks, and 2.7 assists, after seven games in the first round.

In becoming the tournament’s best scorer, rebounder and blocker, Sotto amassed 93.3 statistical points (SPs).

Mark Nonoy of University of Santo Tomas is no. 2 with 70.9 points, with averages of 18.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.7 steals also impressive especially for a first-year player.

Ateneo’s Forthsky Padrigao with 70.0 SPs is in close third followed by Far Eastern University-Diliman’s RJ Abarrientos, Adamson High School’s revelation at forward in AP Manlapaz, and Nazareth School of National University’s versatile big man Carl Tamayo.

Meanwhile, the NSNU Bullpups upset the Blue Eaglets, 78-62, last Saturday at the end of the first round at the Blue Eagle gym, with Gerry Abadiano and Terrence Fortea showing the way with 17 and 16 points.

The Bullpups took advantage of the Blue Eaglets’ foul trouble in the third period, with Fortea and Abadiano tallying nine and seven points in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

This allowed the Bullpups to grab the solo lead with their 6th win in seven outings, while the Blue Eaglets dropped to a share of second place with FEU and Adamson.

Surigao gets most wins in Fil-Am BAGUIO CITY—With Manila Southwoods going two for two in the 69th Fil Championship setting also records in Fil and Am Championship for the winning margin, this other team could be yet the most successful in the annual golfing event.

Team Surigao had the most titles in the tournament that drew some 1,380 players in two weeks of competition with three titles, three first runners-up finishes and one individual titlist.

“That is the idea, we want to win here,” said retired general Edgardo Acuna, chairman of the 57 strong Mindanao team, whose line up is as deep as the Philippine Trench near their province.

Team Surigao I had 432 and a 19 points victory in Fil-A, Team Surigao Omni Pharma took the Am B crown with 403, Team Surigao got its third title in Am C when it outshot overnight leader Mizuno Power Systems in the last round 82-67 for a 346 total and a six shot victory.

But they failed to get Waterlympics Clark denied Team Surigao a fourth crown after a fourth round 84 and 332 total, a two shot victory over the latter in Fil D. Uragun Golf B also denied Team Surigao Magilas the Fil E crown after closing with 87 for 324 and a two shot win over the latter which closed with 78.

Batch 92 is the third team to stop Team Surigao by outperforming the latter in the last round 66-62 to win by three despite a two point penalty for the Am E crown.

Rene Estepa, meanwhile, of Team Surigao Magilas took the Group 7 individual plum.

The team was founded by Surigao congressman Robert Ace Barbers while serving his second term as congressman of Surigao del Norte. AFP

General Santos beats Navotas Clutch, 80-73 GENERAL SANTOS CITY —Host team General Santos City gave its proud son, eightdivision world boxing champion and MPBL founder Manny Pacquiao, a fitting birthday gift with a home victory late Saturday night as the Warriors turned back the Navotas Clutch, 80-73, and bolstered their playoff chances in the Datu Cup at the Lagao Gymnasium here.

Leomar Losentes knocked in 11 of his 19 points in the fourth period while Delmar Mahinay poured in all of his 14 markers in the first half as the Warriors moved into a tie with the Para-

ñaque Patriots at sixth to seventh places with the same 8-9 winloss record.

Navotas saw its two-game winning streak snapped and suffered its first loss under new head coach Gabby Severino. The Clutch now carry a 7-10 card to fall in a three-way tie in sixth to eighth places with Valenzuela and Mandaluyong.

GenSan’s latest win at home has improved to 3-0, giving the local folks a reason to celebrate, but for the people who trooped to the gymnasium, it’s also one way of welcoming celebrity baller Gerald Anderson.

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2018

B1

BoI expects P792-b investments P

By Othel V. Campos

ROJECTS approved by the Board of Investments are expected to hit an all-time high of P792 billion by year-end, surpassing the 2018 target of P680 billion, according to Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.

Lopez, who is also the chairman of BoI, said a number of investments were expected to be approved this month, bringing the full-year tally past the P617-billion

investments recorded in 2017.

“This year, I won’t give you the number, but we will definitely beat the P617-billion investment by a wide margin before the end

of the year. This will be another record-breaking year in the 51-year history of BoI,” Lopez said.

Data showed that investment pledges approved by BoI reached P520 billion in the first 10 months of 2018.

BoI managing head Ceferino Rodolfo said several more major projects, worth billions of pesos, were set to get approved by the agency in December.

These investments include the China integrated steel project that is expected to add P150 billion to

the year’s total investments; an infrastructure project worth P50 billion; a cement project costing P13 billion; and a minerals processing project worth P60 billion.

“It took us more than three months to assess these projects.

We deemed these projects as worthy of getting government support in terms of incentives. Approval is imminent before the end of 2018,” Rodolfo said.

The BoI said the manufacturing industry was continuing its breakout story and showed signs of

stronger expansion, as the Nikkei Philippines Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index for October jumped to a 10-month high of 54 from 52 in September.

“We can see the continued confidence on the strong fundamentals of the Philippine economy and all its reforms and infrastructure development programs under the Duterte administration. Investments continue to drive growth, amid robust foreign direct investments, as per the BoI’s latest data,” Lopez said.

ALI spending P3.8b to develop Habini Bay in Misamis Oriental

By Jenniffer B. Austria

MAIDEN ANTIQUE FLIGHT. Ramp marshals bid goodbye to a PAL express Q400NG carrying a full load of 86 passengers that is about to leave Clark International Airport Dec. 16 on its maiden flight to San Jose de Buenavista in Antique – the first time the two destinations are linked by air – with Transportation Undersecretary Capt. Antonio Manuel Tamayo and Civil Aviation of the Philippines Director General Capt.

Jim Sydiongco on board. Antique is the latest domestic destination added to the award-winning flag carrier’s extensive domestic network. The new twice weekly PAL service between Clark and Antique is operated with brand-new 86-seater Bombardier Next Generation Q400 aircraft.

Australian bank downgrades PH growth forecast to 6.3%

By Julito G. Rada AUSTRALIA and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. revised downward its growth forecast for the Philippines this year to 6.3 percent from the previous estimate of 6.5 percent, following the sluggish economic output in the first three quarters.

“Based on year-to-date realized growth in 2018, we estimate fullyear 2018 GDP at 6.3 percent, slightly lower than the previous estimate of 6.5 percent,” ANZ said in a report over the weekend.

“As mentioned earlier, net exports have been the only drag on growth in the Philippines, primarily owing to strong import growth.

The increase in imports has been underpinned by the government’s infrastructure spending, which rose 46 percent year-on-year during January-September this year amid disbursements related to the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program,”

ANZ said.

The economy grew 6.3 percent in the first three quarters, slower than 6.8 percent in the same period last year. The slowdown was largely due to a bigger drag from net exports rather than softer domestic demand.

“In fact, strong domestic demand remains the principal cause for the deterioration in the Philippines’ external position. Domestic demand increased 9.4 percent year-on-year during the same period. Its contribution to headline GDP also stayed strong at 10.0ppt,” it said.

The bank also said that at the component level, a 15.5-percent year-on-year growth in fixed capital formation provided the main boost to domestic demand.

Government consumption also remained solid this year, rising by 13.2 percent in the first three quarters, compared to 5.4 percent in 2017.

IN BRIEF

Singson to launch own virtual currency

THE LCS Group of Companies of former Ilocos Sur governor Luis Singson will launch its own virtual currency called Gold Chavit Coin in early 2019 as the group makes its foray into the financial technology sector.

“Many Filipinos still have no access to a bank account, which prevents them from saving for their future and participating in basic financial transactions, such as simple payments,” Singson, LCS Group chief executive, said in a pre-debut event on Dec. 14.

“GCC aims to change all that by offering an ubiquitous currency that they can use for nearly all types of transactions, both in the country and abroad,” he said.

LCS will list GCC in local cryptocurrency exchanges, where it can be traded for fiat money or other digital currencies.

The app is being developed with Billing System Corp., a Japanese fintech company that previously developed the PayB payment app. “We plan to leverage the entire LCS network, in addition to partnerships with other vendors and firms, to drive mass adoption, which in turn will increase GCC’s market value,” Singson said. Othel V. Campos

Faulty forecasting blamed for inflation THE Department of Finance partly blamed the “faulty” forecasting done by some analysts for the elevated inflation expectations this year.

The DoF said in a statement the off-the-mark estimates by some analysts added to the food supply issues during the third quarter and external factors such as rising oil prices for most of 2018.

“On top of food supply issues during the third quarter and external factors such as rising oil prices for most of 2018, inflation was also driven this year by expectations of a faster climb in prices resulting from ‘faulty’ forecasting done by some analysts whose projections were off the mark by as high as plus or minus 0.4 percentage points from the official rates eventually announced by the Philippine Statistics Authority,” Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua said.

He said an analysis done by the Department’s Strategy, Economics and Results Group on the inflation forecasts of several economists and analysts from 13 prominent institutions from January to November this year showed that the absolute deviations were as high as 0.4 percentage points, representing an estimated margin of error of around 15 percent. Forecasts with margins of error above 10 percent are considered weak estimates.

Julito G. Rada

PROPERTY developer Ayala Land Inc. said it will initially spend P3.8 billion to develop integrated estate Habini Bay, a 526-hectare master-planned project in Misamis Oriental.

Ayala Land head for business development for Mindanao Rico Manuel said Habini Bay, which was being positioned as a new center of trade and commerce in Northern Mindanao, would be anchored by an industrial park to be managed by unit Laguna Technopark Inc.

Manuel said the development was expected to generate 2,580 jobs. Once fully operation, total employment from locators could reach 40,000, he said.

The estate is a joint venture project of Ayala Land and parent company Ayala Corp. which acquired the property in the 1960s and eventually donated 183 hectares to form part of the airport.

The property developer said the municipal government of Laguindingan planned to relocate and build a new Municipal Government Center within the estate.

21 groups eyeing oil, gas blocks

By Alena Mae Flores TWENTY-ONE groups expressed interest in the latest Philippine Conventional Energy Contracting Program to develop indigenous sources of energy, a government official said.

“We have 14 pre-determined areas under PCECP. Thirteen have applied for the pre-determined areas and eight nominated for a potential area, so actually PCECP is a hybrid of PECR [Philippine Energy Contracting Round] and application by nomination,” Energy Undersecretary Donato Marcos said.

The PECR was the previous contracting round for oil and gas exploration which focused only on bidding out areas to prospective investors.

The PECR was revised to PCECP, a transparent petroleum service contract awarding mechanism that allows the government to develop and utilize indigenous petroleum resources under a service contract with qualified local and international exploration companies.

Under the PCECP, awarding of service contracts are conducted either through the competitive selection process or via nomination.

Meanwhile, Marcos said all areas offered received interest except the Cotabato basin which is being offered as Area 10.

“For the Cotabato basin, there was an intent but nothing formal. When you launch, the race application starts and we have at least 180 days to submit the bid for that,” Marcos said.

B2

Business

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Flat trading seen; eyes on Fed T

By Jenniffer B. Austria

RADING at the Philippine Stock Exchange is expected to move sideways this week as investors take some cues in the upcoming US Federal Open Market Committee meeting scheduled this week.

Analysts said the upcoming US FOMC meeting could also provide investors an indication if global rate hikes would continue or taper off next year.

At the same time, the recent move of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to keep rates unchanged should calm investors and is an indication that inflation is stabilizing.

“So far, the PSEi’s upwards trajectory has managed to stay intact as we continue to stay above immediate support; we’re still on our way to test resistance

at 7,617 as long as we don’t see a breach below 7,330,” Arbee Lu, head of online trading of Papa Securities, said.

“We continue to monitor the VIX fear gauge (volatility measure based on S&P 500 options) as well, a good indicator of investor sentiment. We’ve seen the VIX declining throughout the week in response to positive trade war developments. If this continues to improve, we may be able to look forward to a yearend rally,” Lu added.

The PSEi last week closed gained 0.8

percent to 7,524.37, while the the broader All Shares index added 0.2 percent to 4,506.50.

Major counters, however, ended mixed with the industrial, holding firms and services indices posting week-on-week gains, while the financial, mining and oil and property sectors registered week-onweek declines.

Foreign investors were net buyers by P2.28 billion, while the average daily value traded improved to P8.8 billion from the previous week’s average of P8.7 billion.

Weekly top price gainers were Bloomberry Resorts Corp., which climbed 17.1 percent to P9.39; Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., which rose 11.3 percent to P56; and JG Summit Holdings Inc., which advanced 6.2 percent to P53.20.

Weekly top price losers, meanwhile, were San Miguel Corp., which declined

12.4 percent to P142; PAL Holdings Inc., which dropped 11.2 percent to P7.58; and SM Prime Holdings Inc., which lost 3.9 percent to P34.60.

Wall Street led stock markets lower across the globe on Friday after data showed weakness in the Chinese and eurozone economies, despite further indications Beijing and Washington might be moving to end their trade war.

Signs of easing tensions had helped propel equities higher earlier last week week, with both China and the United States seeming to give key concessions, fueling hopes they can eventually resolve their differences.

But data showing that the trade war is already having an impact on China—consumer spending grew at its slowest pace in 15 years and factories eased up in November—prompted equities investors there to take their gains off the table.

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS WEEKLY STOCKS REVIEW STOCKS

DECEMBER 3-7, 2018 Close Volume

Value

Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources China Bank COL Financial Eastwest Bank Ferronoux Holding Filipino Fund Inc. First Abacus I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp.

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

PB Bank Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank Philippine trust Co. PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities

58.95 133.20 94.25 2.15 1.51 27.7 15.7 11.98 4.01 7.24 0.67 1.45 835.00 0.480 79.8 0.92 11.1 43.50 72.7 117 177 28.5 160 1810.00 65.95 1.2

49,370 15,149,290 13,889,050 1,235,000 4,113,000 742,700 148,700 2,397,000 570,000 4,300 3,000,000 151,000 560 1,070,000 28,387,900 2,938,000 327,200 1,947,900 7,190 480 4,250 293,300 1,920,540 840 2,798,510 51,000

FINANCIAL 2,949,764.00 2,032,497,447.00 1,297,732,013.50 2,690,750.00 6,613,380.00 20,523,770.00 2,340,054.00 28,747,968.00 2,236,560.00 32,636.00 2,010,000.00 210,650.00 467,100.00 498,100.00 2,224,483,826.00 2,523,310.00 3,644,574.00 83,399,755.00 516,873.00 54,524.00 750,041.00 8,502,185.00 313,820,808.00 1,531,940.00 186,402,895.50 61,140.00

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Basic Energy Corp.

C. Azuc De Tarlac Cemex Holdings Century Food Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ Conc. Aggr. ‘B’ Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Eagle Cement EEI Emperador First Gen Corp.

First Holdings ‘A’ Ginebra San Miguel Inc. Greenergy Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp.

Liberty Flour LMG Chemicals Mabuhay Vinyl Macay Holdings Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide MG Holdings Mla. Elect. Co `A’ Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp.

Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petroenergy Res. Corp.

Petron Corporation Phil H2O Phinma Corporation Phinma Energy Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

Pilipinas Shell Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas and Co. Roxas Holdings SFA Semicon Shakeys Pizza SMC Food and Beverage SPC Power Corp.

Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Universal Robina Vitarich Corp.

Vivant Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

33 17.4 1.02 1.26 0.250 17.00 1.66 14.84 32.5 60.65 78.1 37.5 1.76 6.5 6.55 10.200 14.88 8.12 6.98 19.32 65 24.20 2.1300 6.20 9.07 1.740 295.00 51.05 4.3 3.21 8.52 28 9.95 18.58 0.162 376.00 5.87 1.39 3.96 8.34 5.05 8.23 0.90 10.80 48.45 5.2 4.80 1.87 2.67 1.47 10.46 84.15 5.15 0.122 0.83 127 1.84 16.90 1.74

23,140,600 2,591,600 41,301,000 1,062,000 7,560,000 14,600 48,082,000 2,361,300 1,490,500 2,170 40 1,341,100 785,000 3,870,400 170,300 17,336,800 649,700 1,058,000 935,300 21,451,000 1,057,130 85,200 81,490,000 797,500 12,743,900 4,723,000 4,379,350 121,710 315,000 24,000 5,100 4,682,900 2,161,000 38,839,300 4,320,000 1,436,750 32,500 2,797,000 88,000 7,828,100 678,100 42,100 7,964,000 695,900 10,676,900 834,900 12,146,000 1,648,000 168,000 1,663,000 320,700 7,364,110 7,252,900 1,250,000 1,372,000 8,654,280 74,238,000 8,500 107,138,000

INDUSTRIAL 749,190,065.00 45,571,166.00 42,264,110.00 1,323,380.00 1,870,180.00 256,232.00 82,095,630.00 36,066,382.00 48,750,570.00 131,837.50 3,123.50 49,623,300.00 1,297,300.00 26,510,491.00 1,132,089.00 179,988,890.00 9,823,052.00 8,916,870.00 6,526,419.00 397,273,694.00 66,892,366.00 2,078,110.00 176,038,540.00 4,717,483.00 119,331,074.00 8,370,880.00 1,276,488,490.00 6,107,293.00 1,299,380.00 77,300.00 43,641.00 129,775,780.00 21,587,451.00 731,788,742.00 718,110.00 553,202,508.00 196,225.00 3,870,670.00 349,780.00 65,266,856.00 3,449,370.00 352,080.00 7,180,760.00 7,633,974.00 508,044,410.00 4,452,664.00 58,397,430.00 3,070,460.00 478,100.00 2,338,170.00 3,341,860.00 617,901,631.50 39,703,800.00 155,080.00 1,113,990.00 1,120,163,093.00 134,572,800.00 143,418.00 195,776,320.00

Abacus Cons. `A’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A Anscor `A’ Asiabest Group ATN Holdings A ATN Holdings B Ayala Corp `A’ Cosco Capital DMCI Holdings F&J Prince ‘A’ Filinvest Dev. Corp.

Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Jolliville Holdings Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

Lopez Holdings Corp.

LT Group Mabuhay Holdings `A’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

Pacifica `A’ Prime Media Hldg Prime Orion Republic Glass ‘A’ San Miguel Corp `A’ Seafront `A’ SM Investments Inc. Solid Group Inc. South China Res. Inc. Top Frontier Transgrid Wellex Industries Zeus Holdings

0.620 50.30 11.86 0.86 6.42 28.85 1.370 1.370 910 7.35 12.58 5.1 9.81 0.201 920 5.94 50.10 5.5 0.54 4.13 16.94 0.620 4.77 0.0380 1.240 2.400 2.69 162.20 2.23 940.00 1.33 0.74 280.000 505.00 0.2650 0.224

178,145,000 34,924,570 74,704,000 249,000 24,300 18,321,900 65,209,000 12,029,000 2,346,370 12,552,800 26,828,600 36,300 4,126,500 210,000 816,320 19,700 12,372,770 54,200 1,648,000 55,078,000 34,144,100 2,589,000 247,475,000 379,300,000 176,000 3,594,000 1,000 3,016,690 35,000 2,014,910 321,000 1,096,000 21,920 3,710 59,760,000 800,000

HOLDING FIRMS 110,855,830.00 1,829,351,464.50 868,557,304.00 205,400.00 155,542.00 427,134,505.00 94,141,270.00 17,057,450.00 2,222,038,315.00 92,539,274.00 341,793,210.00 192,492.00 41,086,105.00 48,890.00 775,553,735.00 117,180.00 634,177,949.00 288,504.00 883,170.00 224,098,240.00 577,641,040.00 1,574,890.00 1,200,077,090.00 15,486,900.00 215,300.00 8,609,220.00 2,690.00 511,419,854.00 77,090.00 1,930,164,010.00 414,560.00 810,960.00 6,096,424.00 1,987,528.00 15,336,870.00 174,640.00

8990 HLDG A. Brown Co., Inc. Anchor Land Holdings Inc. Araneta Prop `A’ Arthaland Corp.

Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ CEB Landmasters Cebu Holdings Cebu Prop. `A’ Century Property Cityland Dev. `A’ Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp.

DM Wenceslao Double Dragon Empire East Land Ever Gotesco Filinvest Land,Inc. Global-Estate Megaworld MRC Allied Ind. Phil Infradev Phil. Estates Corp.

Phil. Realty `A’ Primex Corp.

Robinson’s Land `B’

7.740 0.77 10.56 1.700 0.560 40.750 2.39 4.05 6 6 0.405 0.890 0.233 0.340 8.040 17.7 0.485 0.120 1.51 1.09 4.8 0.415 2.3900 0.4800 0.385 3.8 21.00

5,077,100 3,674,000 12,000 695,000 3,787,000 68,463,300 11,709,000 914,000 137,200 6,300 16,230,000 112,000 14,480,000 9,050,000 2,819,900 1,166,100 2,358,000 740,000 26,153,000 14,463,000 86,880,000 226,290,000 46,237,000 8,820,000 1,850,000 2,428,000 13,508,800

PROPERTY 38,796,982.00 2,887,770.00 121,992.00 1,215,160.00 2,187,310.00 2,872,259,600.00 27,266,560.00 3,706,710.00 823,572.00 36,870.00 6,541,700.00 97,180.00 3,305,860.00 3,124,900.00 22,663,642.00 21,194,796.00 1,159,615.00 87,750.00 39,078,930.00 15,677,720.00 414,506,070.00 91,174,050.00 110,874,060.00 4,236,050.00 712,100.00 9,101,290.00 289,652,770.00

NOVEMBER 26-29, 2018 Close Volume Value 59.7 130.20 94.00 2.30 1.60 27.65 15.5 11.52 4.14 8.00 0.67 1.41 830.00 0.450 74.6 0.8 10.9 41.20 71.25 117 171.1 29 161 1825.00 67.70 1.14

61,820 15,662,340 8,808,990 8,000 4,102,000 428,800 21,300 4,649,900 810,000 100 203,000 68,000 100 1,000,000 91,132,250 949,000 189,400 1,349,000 28,800 1,520 10,430 419,500 3,264,970 460 7,692,800 171,000

3,668,996.00 2,030,890,636.00 502,297,320.50 18,520.00 6,118,720.00 11,848,280.00 328,562.00 53,100,726.00 3,199,840.00 800.00 136,010.00 96,420.00 83,000.00 450,200.00 6,841,505,038.50 741,970.00 2,048,794.00 55,154,775.00 2,041,457.50 177,850.00 1,802,423.00 12,053,980.00 525,352,726.00 835,635.00 507,104,806.00 194,940.00

31.7 17.8 1.05 1.28 0.250 17.00 1.7 15.74 32.5

8,195,000 2,935,800 84,500,000 956,000 26,120,000 12,300 39,586,000 7,271,400 304,300

267,619,400.00 51,545,428.00 92,501,290.00 1,188,330.00 6,541,230.00 200,728.00 67,528,810.00 105,989,184.00 10,272,550.00

78.05 36.4 1.56 5.5 6.85 10.200 15.5 8.64 6.98 17.72 62.05 25.00 2.1000 5.80 9.18 1.640 278.40

200 863,300 451,000 258,600 51,000 10,563,600 5,615,800 1,630,200 636,000 12,082,900 4,926,340 146,700 107,186,000 1,326,500 22,625,500 3,264,000 3,796,370

15,610.00 31,600,615.00 656,960.00 1,412,017.00 354,085.00 109,243,404.00 87,884,920.00 14,213,694.00 4,427,244.00 211,931,176.00 305,349,483.00 3,502,125.00 219,920,350.00 7,811,573.00 201,317,659.00 5,405,590.00 1,064,240,426.00

4.62 3.34 8.46 26.95 9.98 18.2 0.179 384.20 6.00 1.35 3.90 8.20 4.87 8.78 0.90 11.02 47.4 5.2 4.75 1.91 2.8 1.36 10.7 82.85 5.4 0.123 0.84 128 1.74 15.20 1.70

66,000 32,000 64,100 2,299,000 1,001,100 42,031,200 810,000 2,510,910 40,700 928,000 145,000 4,923,300 507,000 21,000 1,891,000 732,700 12,602,000 493,400 82,000 464,000 30,000 1,484,000 426,300 9,945,310 4,294,700 690,000 353,000 5,151,280 75,442,000 200 78,511,000

306,040.00 106,110.00 542,675.00 59,976,075.00 10,109,042.00 743,887,374.00 142,390.00 967,970,730.00 243,853.00 1,258,730.00 568,470.00 40,117,444.00 2,401,910.00 179,693.00 1,695,660.00 8,101,092.00 601,854,255.00 2,522,728.00 388,810.00 865,630.00 84,260.00 1,943,900.00 4,547,752.00 827,097,990.50 23,291,554.00 84,520.00 285,620.00 672,282,193.00 120,909,150.00 3,040.00 138,040,610.00

0.580 52.20 11.42 0.90 6.42 19.9 1.510 1.510 951 7.06 12.34 5.09 9.30 0.198 888

212,796,000 18,629,570 57,092,600 15,000 117,400 5,698,200 63,402,000 17,429,000 1,671,890 3,455,600 33,886,100 19,000 28,717,000 720,000 734,140

123,070,410.00 989,863,829.50 647,087,702.00 13,400.00 747,535.00 113,335,989.00 94,643,980.00 26,090,670.00 1,585,395,985.00 24,793,211.00 436,270,716.00 71,155.00 256,375,698.00 170,130.00 646,452,090.00

48.20 4.41 0.53 4.08 15.98 0.620 4.7 0.0360 1.240 2.280 2.69 174.70

11,621,700 3,000 169,000 62,781,000 13,315,800 5,422,000 156,108,000 66,700,000 164,000 1,678,000 28,000 882,040

565,388,890.00 13,910.00 85,430.00 249,584,410.00 207,702,098.00 3,292,030.00 723,939,500.00 2,396,200.00 197,880.00 3,888,590.00 74,420.00 152,870,005.00

908.50 1.35 0.78 280.000 475.80 0.2450 0.215

1,890,460 366,000 126,000 520,780 620 10,250,000 160,000

1,734,811,145.00 465,800.00 97,670.00 145,288,716.00 279,814.00 2,415,840.00 34,410.00

7.550 0.77 10.60 1.850 0.570 41.650 2.22 4.08 5.98

6,646,000 9,088,000 23,200 93,000 3,821,000 53,913,200 6,477,000 2,530,000 26,100

50,184,650.00 7,141,610.00 245,542.00 164,890.00 2,153,790.00 2,229,399,565.00 14,288,870.00 10,371,730.00 149,245.00

0.410 0.870 0.217 0.340 7.850 18.2 0.490 0.108 1.45 1.03 4.51 0.380 2.4500 0.4700 0.390 3.6 20.45

21,450,000 96,000 6,130,000 2,210,000 828,200 907,100 541,000 2,050,000 15,515,000 11,642,000 103,983,000 193,740,000 24,310,000 4,920,000 4,590,000 2,180,000 11,201,600

8,690,350.00 82,520.00 1,309,480.00 760,800.00 6,363,797.00 16,444,350.00 270,095.00 242,560.00 22,535,470.00 11,713,570.00 488,819,300.00 75,737,650.00 59,601,510.00 2,291,650.00 1,718,850.00 7,829,000.00 235,445,310.00

STOCKS

DECEMBER 3-7, 2018 Close Volume

NOVEMBER 26-29, 2018 Close Volume Value

Value

Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

2 3.09 36.00 1.22 5.4 0.720 5.140

552,000 388,000 72,322,200 6,548,000 3,285,000 232,000 33,438,300

1,099,660.00 1,203,650.00 2,640,848,430.00 7,750,730.00 18,343,615.00 169,460.00 173,557,895.00

2GO Group’ ABS-CBN Acesite Hotel APC Group, Inc. Apollo Global Asian Terminals Inc. Berjaya Phils. Inc. Bloomberry Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Centro Esc. Univ.

Chelsea DFNN Inc. Discovery World Easy Call “Common” FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Golden Haven Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. `A’ IPeople Inc. `A’ IPM Holdings Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones LBC Express Leisure & Resorts Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp.

Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown Metro Retail MetroAlliance A MetroAlliance B NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

PAL Holdings Inc. Paxys Inc. Phil. Seven Corp.

Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Premium Leisure Puregold Robinsons RTL SBS Phil. Corp.

SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers Waterfront Phils.

Wilcon Depot

11 19.92 1.46 0.405 0.040 13 2.69 8.02 74.65 7.95 6.57 7.93 2.42 19.52 920 2076 5.30 319.00 3.29 94.5 2.09 11.64 7.20 0.114 5.5600 3.43 14.3 3.49 0.76 14.58 18.00 0.345 5.51 7.25 2.28 2.32 2.35 3.640 10.02 8.54 3.44 116.90 3.01 1165.00 0.315 0.750 42.75 71.50 7.45 2.38 0.640 0.41 5.26 0.680 12.260

547,800 558,400 7,364,000 11,570,000 180,800,000 762,800 39,755,000 50,974,700 865,970 12,700 10,835,200 17,000 37,000 4,801,400 1,260 309,240 881,100 4,770 9,748,000 7,606,510 580,000 5,300 16,000 16,070,000 102,683,600 7,000 6,600 7,576,000 105,000 3,488,300 68,800 50,000 265,300 82,986,700 6,778,000 11,239,000 693,000 19,800,000 74,800 90,000 17,000 432,380 9,022,000 596,760 2,410,000 84,451,000 19,574,500 6,701,470 7,838,200 35,862,710 86,851,000 244,000,000 1,178,100 32,927,000 9,138,400

Abra Mining Apex `A’ Atlas Cons. `A’ Atok-Big Wedge `A’ Benguet Corp `A’ Benguet Corp `B’ Century Peak Metals Hldgs Coal Asia Dizon Ferronickel Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. Lepanto `A’ Lepanto `B’ Manila Mining `A’ Manila Mining `B’ Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. Nickelasia Nihao Mineral Resources Omico Oriental Peninsula Res. Oriental Pet. `A’ Oriental Pet. `B’ Philex `A’ PhilexPetroleum Philodrill Corp. `A’ Phinma Petro Semirara Corp.

United Paragon

0.0020 1.62 2.51 16.00 1.1600 1.1300 1.91 0.300 7.12 1.700 0.205 0.095 0.108 0.008 0.0063 1.08 2.23 1.07 0.5900 1.0100 0.0120 0.0120 2.82 15.70 0.0120 3.2400 24.55 0.0060

MINING & OIL 6,174,000,000 11,989,800.00 17,536,000 29,043,040.00 615,000 1,607,340.00 41,300 632,196.00 28,000 32,640.00 17,000 19,140.00 1,996,000 3,810,440.00 530,000 157,750.00 30,500 222,326.00 28,655,000 48,831,860.00 530,000 107,750.00 96,330,000 9,549,820.00 3,770,000 384,680.00 27,000,000 204,200.00 29,000,000 193,400.00 93,000 100,450.00 32,629,000 75,454,730.00 861,000 918,770.00 253,000 135,160.00 9,603,000 7,422,730.00 612,400,000 7,408,500.00 123,100,000 1,529,800.00 9,532,000 26,171,440.00 13,979,300 218,795,316.00 109,000,000 1,292,400.00 203,000 637,670.00 10,898,200 277,276,955.00 41,000,000 252,900.00

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Alco Preferred B Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ DD PREF First Gen G GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B House Preferred Leisure and Resort MWIDE PREF PCOR-Preferred A PCOR-Preferred B PNX PREF 3B SMC FB PREF 2 SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F SMC Preferred G SMC Preferred I Swift Pref

18.82 98 460 490 98.9 103 475 5.24 940 925 94.55 1 101.5 990 952 102.2 998 75.95 76.6 73.95 74.5 75 74.5 73.9 2.16

508,600 18,040 4,770 4,050 53,410 44,210 4,920 162,600 960 1,620 5,460 1,045,000 22,940 2,550 80 10,380 60 13,500 278,540 33,000 10,000 94,470 13,910 71,580 1,000

LR Warrant

2.050

WARRANTS & BONDS 4,136,000 8,889,360.00

SERVICES 6,103,349.00 11,126,880.00 10,072,040.00 4,682,750.00 7,014,400.00 9,917,296.00 99,767,840.00 429,254,273.00 64,682,324.00 101,342.00 73,823,526.00 128,270.00 87,770.00 93,893,566.00 1,159,200.00 637,743,955.00 4,633,669.00 1,536,830.00 32,613,520.00 716,261,333.00 1,237,210.00 60,176.00 115,200.00 1,777,760.00 619,159,638.00 23,630.00 92,914.00 27,485,140.00 79,720.00 51,357,104.00 1,076,462.00 16,650.00 1,420,269.00 601,587,017.00 15,454,360.00 24,666,660.00 1,465,970.00 73,687,710.00 751,100.00 711,857.00 57,360.00 49,658,852.00 28,561,440.00 706,849,155.00 771,850.00 60,986,220.00 835,170,210.00 495,505,047.50 58,931,221.00 55,792,170.00 55,253,950.00 100,680,950.00 6,198,621.00 22,665,940.00 111,501,982.00

PREFERRED 9,718,344.00 1,770,668.50 2,194,380.00 1,980,498.00 5,238,977.00 4,540,385.00 2,296,220.00 830,355.00 866,225.00 1,452,280.00 516,460.50 1,045,930.00 2,280,980.00 2,523,500.00 79,520.00 1,060,390.00 58,480.00 1,016,038.00 21,253,310.00 2,411,392.50 745,000.00 7,032,307.50 1,017,343.00 5,269,150.00 2,160.00

SME 3,449,750.00 5,778,260.00 61,660,330.00

1.95 3.12 34.70 1.18 5.12 0.740 5.300

462,000 122,000 47,824,000 2,662,000 22,686,400 574,000 15,333,100

897,900.00 379,260.00 1,652,915,090.00 3,117,110.00 138,017,741.00 419,250.00 81,291,752.00

9.96 19.86 1.44 0.380 0.038 13.02 2.35 8.34 74.15 7.97 7.17 8.00 2.36 18.20 892 1970 5.25 325.00 3.43 93.5 1.71 10.8 7.20 0.104 6.4100 3.44 14 3.30 0.78 14.50 15.50 0.350 5.5 7.25 2.20 1.94 1.85 3.450 10.4 8.00 3.09 112.00 2.97 1158.00 0.330 0.640 42.55 76.40 7.49 2.32 0.610 0.385 5.3 0.610 12.060

66,600 286,700 20,000 9,760,000 7,900,000 3,500 38,421,000 49,910,100 1,196,740 121,400 26,054,500 34,400 13,000 13,553,200 820 215,180 303,200 13,080 8,217,000 19,122,870 12,000 17,400 33,500 83,060,000 189,746,300 52,000 8,700 22,232,000 457,000 5,728,100 4,400 920,000 149,500 4,636,100 16,145,000 13,648,000 1,013,000 47,335,000 18,000 12,000 170,000 32,790 3,334,000 648,940 1,400,000 103,541,000 10,001,500 4,738,360 192,700 43,102,000 29,288,000 208,407,000 3,260,200 16,127,000 26,812,000

662,688.00 5,651,312.00 27,740.00 3,722,100.00 294,400.00 45,774.00 83,617,730.00 410,612,640.00 86,809,631.50 946,906.00 183,294,073.00 259,314.00 30,270.00 269,335,754.00 773,350.00 428,840,745.00 1,601,119.00 4,193,190.00 28,541,440.00 1,836,930,582.50 21,220.00 178,810.00 241,200.00 9,231,470.00 1,015,468,689.00 301,270.00 122,680.00 71,687,130.00 346,890.00 80,802,438.00 78,766.00 324,900.00 807,399.00 33,000,158.00 33,896,080.00 26,737,440.00 2,049,750.00 177,020,770.00 187,514.00 96,229.00 548,910.00 3,547,158.00 10,000,050.00 762,110,570.00 465,200.00 66,687,960.00 429,809,500.00 356,093,521.00 1,358,912.00 104,128,810.00 18,393,330.00 109,425,400.00 17,172,090.00 9,287,420.00 325,211,422.00

0.0018 1.57 2.64 13.92 1.1100

1,331,271,000 18,842,000 174,000 70,700 2,000

3,061,300.00 30,841,530.00 429,230.00 974,182.00 2,220.00

1.9 0.290 7.00 1.700 0.202 0.097 0.100 0.007 0.0070 1.11 2.22 1.03 0.5300 0.8800 0.0130 0.0120 2.56 14.42 0.0120 3.2100 26.20 0.0060

601,000 890,000 13,600 1,798,000 260,000 21,820,000 2,230,000 74,000,000 2,000,000 133,000 89,037,000 94,000 578,000 1,570,000 134,160,000 9,800,000 7,028,000 11,471,700 38,700,000 434,000 4,750,400 15,000,000

1,146,210.00 257,450.00 95,504.00 3,030,450.00 52,030.00 2,000,260.00 221,570.00 532,400.00 14,000.00 136,160.00 197,651,460.00 94,160.00 199,140.00 1,417,490.00 1,744,500.00 117,600.00 18,247,390.00 170,099,734.00 476,700.00 1,420,270.00 124,901,050.00 97,300.00

19.1

20,400

391,640.00

460 489 97.9 102.5 475 5.06

6,640 300 43,620 10,160 30 32,600

3,056,800.00 146,140.00 4,180,068.00 1,029,850.00 14,250.00 165,537.00

95 1.03

2,650 4,000

251,750.00 4,120.00

989.5 1010 102 998 75.95 76.55 71.4 74.95 75 75 73.5

350 1,220 6,120 2,320 10,360 440,390 78,860 35,560 1,066,590 20,130 13,170

339,450.00 1,181,905.00 624,680.00 2,265,320.00 780,088.00 33,539,682.50 5,662,197.00 2,599,963.00 79,811,141.50 1,473,890.00 967,212.50

1.960

4,002,000

7,709,240.00

4.44 1.32

1,789,000 36,427,000

7,960,260.00 44,532,010.00

Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Xurpas

2.98 4.61 1.25

1,292,000 1,253,000 46,175,000

First Metro ETF

111.5

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 61,680 6,930,222.00

110.5

22,890

2,526,491.00

10 10 1.02

DOLLAR DENONIMATED SEC. 28,500 287,424.00 16,000 161,200.00 48,000 48,830.00

10.2 10.2

5,900 11,600

60,180.00 117,865.00

USD DMPL A1 USD DMPL A2 USD TECH B2

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS Abra Mining Oriental Pet. `A’ Pacifica `A’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

Transpacific Broadcast MRC Allied Ind. Apollo Global Abacus Cons. `A’ Oriental Pet. `B’ Philodrill Corp. `A’

VOLUME 6,174,000,000 612,400,000 379,300,000 247,475,000 244,000,000 226,290,000 180,800,000 178,145,000 123,100,000 109,000,000

STOCKS Ayala Land `B’ SM Prime Holdings Metrobank Ayala Corp `A’ Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. SM Investments Inc. Aboitiz Equity Bank of PI Jollibee Foods Corp.

Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

VALUE 2,872,259,600.00 2,640,848,430.00 2,224,483,826.00 2,222,038,315.00 2,032,497,447.00 1,930,164,010.00 1,829,351,464.50 1,297,732,013.50 1,276,488,490.00 1,200,077,090.00

SEC orders Tiger Resort to file a new tender offer

By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Securities and Exchange Commission ordered Tiger Resort Asia Ltd. (Tiger Resort) to file a revised tender offer report for its takeover bid on Asiabest Group Inc. to include the ongoing ownership legal dispute with Japanese casino tycoon Kazuo Okada.

SEC’s Market Securities and Regulation Departments director Vicente Graciano Felizmenio Jr. directed tiger Resor to submit the amended tender offer to prevent any grave and irreparable damage to shareholders of Asiabest and the investing public.

“By amending the tender offer report to include factual information regarding the conflict that led to the eventual filing of criminal and civil cases in Hong Kong, shareholders of Asiabest and the investing public would be able to arrive at an intelligent investment decision on whether to invest, sell or remain in the company,” the SEC said.

The SEC further directed Tiger Resort to immediately cause the publication of the amendment once in two newspapers of general circulation, and extend the tender offer period for 10 days starting from issuance of the public notice.

The SEC issued the order after Asiabest minority shareholder Carnell Valdez filed a complaint with the SEC requesting for a cease-and-desist order against Tiger Resort when it failed to disclose the intra-corporate dispute involving the major shareholder of Tiger Resorts.

Okada Holdings is the controlling shareholder of Japan’s Universal Entertainment Corp., which in turn is the 100-percent owner of Tiger Resort, which fully controls Tiger Resort Leisure & Entertainment Inc., operator of casino hotel Okada Manila.

Japanese pachinko billionaire and UEC founder Kazuo Okada and his daughter Hiromi Okada earlier initiated civil and criminal proceedings in Hong Kong to regain control of Okada Holdings and secure criminal convictions for fraud and financial crimes against those responsible for his alleged illegal ouster as chairman of Okada Holdings, UEC, Tiger Resort and Okada Holdings in 2017.

Cebu Pacific flies from Clark to Bohol daily

By Darwin G. Amojelar CEBU Pacific said over the weekend it started daily flights between its hub at the Clark International Airport in Pampanga and the Bohol-Panglao International Airport.

The airline said the new route was part of the carrier’s expansion plans in the Clark hub to cater to the catchment areas in Northern and Central Luzon.

The route is expected to stimulate domestic tourism between Visayas, Central Luzon and Northern Luzon; as well as provide support for the growing Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions tourism sub-industry.

“We are excited to commence operation of our newest route in Clark. As we expand our fleet and our route network, we look forward to supporting economic growth in Clark and its surrounding areas as well as in the province of Bohol through tourism and logistics support,” Cebu Pacific director for airport services Dindo Fernando said.

Cebu Pacific started commercial flights out of the Clark airport in 2006.

It has served as its North and Central Luzon hub for the past 10 years.

The carrier has increased its frequency out of its Clark hub by 75 percent this year, bringing the total number of flights in and out of Clark to 3,711 by the end of 2018, or equivalent to 620,540 seats.

Cebu Pacific, meanwhile, has been mounting flights to and from Bohol— initially from the Tagbilaran Airport— since 2004.

Over the past 18 years, Cebu Pacific, along with subsidiary Cebgo, has flown close to three million passengers across thousands of flights to and from Manila, Cagayan de Oro (Laguindingan) and Davao.

Cebu Pacific has maintained its leadership in the domestic market—having flown over 11.1 million passengers across 37 destinations, 76 routes and over 2,130 weekly flights from January to September 2018.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Business/World

Manila

Standard

TODAY

B3

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2018 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Cambodia seizes a record three tons of African ivory

PHNOM PENH―Cambodia the southern African nation of seized more than 3.2 tons of el- Mozambique and arrived at the ephant tusks hidden in a storage port last year. container sent from Mozambique, The unidentified owner of the a customs official said Sunday, shipment did not arrive to pick up marking the country’s largest the cargo. ivory bust.

Pictures of the massive haul The discovery Thursday of showed long rows of confiscated 1,026 tusks at the Phnom Penh tusks spread out on the ground at Autonomous Port followed a tip the port. from the US embassy, the official Sun Chhay said he did not know said, and highlights Cambodia’s whether the shipment was destined emergence as a key regional tran- for markets in other countries. sit point for the multi-billion-dolDemand from China and Vietlar trade in illicit wildlife. nam has fueled the growth of illegal “The elephant tusks were hid- wildlife trafficking via Cambodia. den among marble in a container Weak law enforcement and that was abandoned,” Sun Chhay, corruption attract wildlife smugdirector of the Customs and Excise glers, especially at a time when Office at the port, told AFP. neighboring Thailand is cracking HeCYAN said theMAGENTA ivory was sent from down on the banned trade. AFP YELLOW BLACK

TEMPORARY CALM. Kashmiri Muslims walk past as an Indian paramilitary trooper stands guard during the second day of a three-day strike called by

Kashmiri separatists in Srinagar on December 16, 2018. -Seven civilians were killed as Indian troops fired on protesters onn December 15 after a gunfight left three armed rebels and a soldier dead in the disputed region of Kashmir, police and hospital officials said. The fighting erupted soon after troops laid siege to a house in the southern Pulwama area in Indian-administered Kashmir, where the militants were hiding, a police officer said. AFP

Nations agree milestone rulebook on climate pact K

ATOWICE, Poland― Nations on Sunday struck a deal to breathe life into the landmark 2015 Paris climate treaty after marathon UN talks that failed to match the ambition the world’s most vulnerable countries need to avert dangerous global warming.

Delegates from nearly 200 states finalized a common rule book designed to deliver the Paris goals of limiting global temperature rises to well below two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit).

“Putting together the Paris agreement work program is a big responsibility,” said COP24 president Michal Kurtyka as he gaveled through the deal after talks in Poland that ran deep into overtime.

“It has been a long road. We did our best to leave no one behind.”

But states already dealing with devastating

floods, droughts and extreme weather made worse by climate change said the package agreed in the mining city of Katowice lacked the bold ambition to cut emissions the world needed.

Egyptian ambassador Wael Aboulmagd, chair of the developing nations G77 plus China negotiating bloc, said the rule book saw the “urgent adaptation needs of developing countries relegated to a secondclass status.”

Executive director of Greenpeace Jennifer Morgan said: “We continue to witness an irresponsible divide between the vulnerable island states and impoverished countries pitted against those who would block climate action or who are immorally failing to act fast enough.”

The final decision text was repeatedly delayed as negotiators sought guidelines that could ward off the worst threats posed by the heating planet while protecting the economies of rich and poor nations alike.

“Without a clear rulebook, we won’t see how countries are tracking, whether they are actually doing what they say they are doing,”

It’s not the thought that counts: Greening our Christmas choices JONNA BAQUILLAS

GREEN LIGHT Christmas is definitely in the air.

The streets are adorned with colored lights, the malls decorated with extravagant fixtures. Most homes have been stuffed with Christmas decors, too. In fact, for most Filipinos, Christmas starts as soon as the “-ber” months show on the calendar.

The economics of Christmas has commercial importance because the period leading to the holidays is usually the peak selling period for a lot of retailers around the world. I used to work in the Philippine retail industry, and the Christmas holidays are always a peak season for the two retailers I was connected with—a major supermarket company and an international beauty brand. For supermarkets, the spike in the demand for Noche Buena/Media Noche feast items—spaghetti, fruit salad, macaroni salad, round fruits, refrigerated cake—keep the shelves busy and the sales bustling.

I used to put together Christmas basket packages for everyone’s budget—from as low as P250, to as high as P3,000 for the extravagant gift-givers. For the beauty brand, different gift packs are the bread and butter, but consumers, especially women, also tend to splurge on personal care products for themselves during this season—a new velvety vanilla lotion, a cream that makes the dark spots fade away, or an evening serum that promises a youthful glow.

Our consumption-oriented society has fueled our fascination for shiny new things. Our throwaway culture has created products that break quickly so consumers will commit to repeat purchases (planned obsolescence), or those that become unfashionable or “baduy” after a certain period (perceived obsolescence). How many times have you changed your phone in the past years just because a new model came out and you felt that what you have is no longer sufficient for your needs? How many clothes have you ripped, because they are made of poor quality, or those that are now buried deep in the closet because they aren’t “in” anymore after only a few uses? In this Christmas season, how many gifts will you buy that will break easily (like the cheap plastic toys from tiangge), or those that will no longer be “uso” after a few months (remember the loom bands trend?).

Gift giving is a tradition that comes with the holidays. It is associated with nurturing social relations by transforming commodities into gifts, with the presents symbolizing the celebration and significance of our relationships with the people around us (Carrier, 1993; Cheal, 1987. But do we really need to buy presents for everyone, sometimes at the expense of giving thoughtless gifts, because, well, “it’s the thought that counts? “Really, how many mugs does a person need? Do you think your

colleague needs another key chain to add to his 20 others that are gathering dust? How do we make our Christmas shopping sustainable and meaningful?

Christmas gift-giving does not have to hurt the environment. You only need to be more mindful of your shopping choices. Below are some suggestions to make your Christmas green this year (and in the years to come).

Choose local. When you buy local products, you reduce your carbon footprint. Imported products, while they are popular among Filipinos, travel from halfway around the world, contributing significant greenhouse gas emissions. Buying local, especially when you buy from micro and small companies or from social enterprises, boost their financial capabilities and help promote inclusive growth aside from helping reduce environmental damage.

Put thoughts in your gifts. Don’t just give gifts for the sake of giving your friends something.

Make sure that what you give them is an item they really like, so you know that they will love it and use it for a long time.

Bake or make—create personalized presents.

If you like baking or cooking, think of something that you can make in the kitchen and give away to your friends. This year, I chose to give homemade polvoron (my mother’s specialty and own recipe), packed not in individual wrappers, but in reused glass bottles from spreads and pasta sauces. It’s more fun to dig in with a spoon into that buttery perfection of polvoron, without waste from cellophane wrappers!

Or if you are artsy, you can create artworks that use sustainable materials. Your friends will surely love the handcrafted pieces you’ll send them!

Reduce waste—in wrapping and in gifting. Wrap your gifts in newspaper or magazine pages, tied with a natural fiber bow like a sisal rope. You can also use cloth to wrap your gift—called furoshiki in Japan, it is the traditional way of wrapping and transporting gifts.

For presents, you can give reusable bamboo straws, tumbler, or collapsible cups to jumpstart your friends’ green lifestyle choices.

No wrong in re-gifting. This may be controversial to some; but really, if you don’t have a need for the item gifted to you, wouldn’t it be nicer for someone else to use it, rather than shove it in the corner box then forget about it? At least give it a chance to be used by someone else.

Christmas is no excuse for us not to be mindful of our choices. After all, protecting the environment does not need an occasion. It should be an everyday decision that each one of us make. Let this be our gift to earth this Christmas. It’s our only home after all.

Jonna Baquillas is a Doctor of BusinessAdministration student at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of business of De La Salle University. She teaches marketing, brand, business and retail management classes in Asia Pacific College. She believes that everyone should take action to reduce environmental impact—collective small steps result to a huge impact. She is committed to switch to a sustainable lifestyle, one step at a time. She can be reached at jonna.baquillas@gmail.com.

Canada’s Environment Minister Catherine McKenna told AFP. At their heart, negotiations were about how each nation funds action to mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as how those actions are reported.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who has recently backed down on anti-pollution fuel tax hikes in the face of country-wide “yellow vest” protests, said France must “show the way” as he welcomed the progress made at the talks.

“The international community remains committed to the fight against climate change,” he tweeted on Sunday.

“Congratulations to the UN, scientists, NGOs and all negotiators. France and Europe must show the way. The fight goes on.”

Developing nations had wanted more clarity from richer ones over how the future climate fight will be funded and pushed for so-called “loss and damage” measures.

This would see richer countries giving money now to help deal with the effects of climate change many vulnerable states are already experiencing. AFP Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT National Capital Judicial Region Branch 5-FC, Mandaluyong City IN RE: PETITION FOR ADOPTION OF SOFIA PATRICIA SARMIENTO, Spec. Proc. No. R-MND-18-01625-SP SPOUSES ALBERT AND DOLORES REYES, Petitioners. x------------------------------------------------------------x

ORDER

This is a petition for adoption filed by the petitioners, Spouses Albert C. Reyes (“Albert”) and Dolores Chua L. Taw-Reyes (“Dolores”), praying that this Court issue in their favor a decree of adoption over Sofia Patricia Sarmiento (“Sofia Patricia”), a Certificate of Live Birth be issued identifying them as the parents of Sofia Patricia, and that the name of Sofia Patricia be legally changed to Audrey Daphne Taw Reyes in her Certificate of Live Birth.

As can be culled from the Amended Petition and its attachments, Albert and Dolores are both of legal age, Filipinos and residents of Unit 407, 32 Florante St., Barangay Plainview, Mandaluyong City. They have no legitimate or illegitimate children. On the other hand, Sofia Patricia was born on March 9, 2017 at the Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City, has no middle name and, based on her Certificate of Live Birth with Registry No. 2017-14595, is the child of Sweetzelyn Inventado Sarmiento.

Albert and Dolores coursed their application for adoption through Kaisahang Buhay Foundation, a Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-accredited child placement agency at the Heart Mary Villa, which, in turn, is an accredited child-caring agency. The DSWD has declared Sofia Patricia legally available for adoption, approved her placement with the petitioners and, through its Regional Director for the National Capital Region (NCR), Vincent Andrew T. Leyson, consented to the adoption of Sofia Patricia by the petitioners-spouses.

Petitioners-spouses further allege that they: (1) are in possession of their full civil capacity and legal rights; (2) are of good moral character; (3) have not been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude; (4) are emotionally and psychologically capable of caring for children; (5) are at least sixteen (16) years older than the adoptee; (6) are in the position to support and care for the adoptee; and (7) have undergone pre-adoption services as required under Section 4 of Republic Act No. 8552.

WHEREFORE, finding the Petition to be sufficient in form and substance, let the same be set for hearing on March 26, 2019 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning, in the courtroom of the Regional Trial Court of Mandaluyong City, Branch 277, 3rd Floor, New Hall of Justice, Maysilo Circle, Mandaluyong City, at which date, time and place, the petitioners-spouses, the adoptee, and all interested persons who may be affected thereby, specially Sweetzelyn Inventado Sarmiento and her relatives, are DIRECTED to APPEAR and show cause why the petition should or should not be granted.

Pursuant to Section 13 of Administrative Matter No. 02-6-02SC on the Rule on Adoption, in relation to Section 11, Article IV of Republic Act No. 8552, otherwise known as the “Domestic Adoption Act of 1998,” the Court of Social Worker is DIRECTED to PREPARE a Child Study Report and a Home Study Report, with a recommendation on the adoptee and the petitionersspouses. The Court Social Worker shall SUBMIT the Child and Home Study Reports directly and only to the Court at least ONE (1) WEEK before the hearing on March 26, 2019, and BE PRESENT during said hearing. The Child and Home Study Reports shall include, but not limited to, the following: 1) A verification with the Civil Registry of the real identity and registered name of the adoptee; 2) The establishment that the child is legally available for adoption and the documents in support thereof are valid and authentic; 3) A determination of the veracity of the allegations of the petitioners-spouses with respect to the biological mother of the adoptee; 4) A determination of the earnest intention of the petitionersspouses and whether the adoption will inure to the best interest of the child; and 5) A determination of whether there is/are ground/s to deny the petition.

Pursuant to Section 12 of A.M. No. 02-6-02-SC, the Court Social Worker is further DIRECTED to CONDUCT counseling sessions with the biological mother of the adoptee, should the latter’s whereabouts be known, on the matter of the adoption of the adoptee and SUBMIT his/her report thereon at least ONE (1) WEEK before the hearing on March 26, 2019.

Let a copy of this Order be published at the expense of the petitioners-spouses in a newspaper of general circulation in Metro Manila and nearby provinces selected by raffle, ONCE a week for THREE (3) CONSECUTIVE WEEKS. Further, let a copy of this Order together with the Amended Petition and its annexes be served upon the Office of the Solicitor General, the Office of the City Prosecutor of Mandaluyong City, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Court Social Worker.

SO ORDERED. October 12, 2018, Mandaluyong City.

(Sgd.) JOANNE G. HERNANDEZ-LAZO Presiding Judge

(MStandard-Dec. 10, 17 & 24, 2018)

without having been deposited by the plaintiff; REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION 6. When the loan became due, the Plaintiff demanded payment from Defendant or for him METROPOLITAN TRIAL COURT to execute the dacion en pago as he verbally BRANCH 97, MANDALUYONG CITY committed to the plaintiff; FE D. VALDEZ, Plaintiff/s, -versus-

M-MND-17-04217-CV For: Sum of Money

RENATO BARCELONA, Defendant/s. x---------------------------------------------------x

ORDER Before this Court is an Ex-Parte Motion for Leave of Court to Serve Summons by Publication filed by the plaintiff through counsel, Atty. Xerxes E. Cortel on 17 September 2018.

Finding merit in the reasons cites therein, the same is hereby GRANTED. Accordingly, let an Alias Summons issue and let such Alias Summons and a copy of the Complaint be published once every week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation chosen after a raffle conducted by the Executive Branch of the Regional Trial Court pursuant to Section 10 of A.M. No. 01-1-07-SC. Furnish the plaintiff, its counsel and the Clerk of Court of the Regional Trial Court a copy of this Order.

SO ORDERED. 18 September 2018, Mandaluyong City, Philippines.

(Sgd.) DOLLY ROSE R. BOLANTE-PRADO Presiding Judge

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION METROPOLITAN TRIAL COURT BRANCH 97, MANDALUYONG CITY FE D. VALDEZ, Plaintiff/s, -versus-

7. Notwithstanding several demands made by the plaintiff, the defendant unjustifiably refused and failed and continues to refuse and fail to pay his obligation to the Plaintiff or comply with his verbal undertaking. Copy of the demand letter sent by the plaintiff by Plaintiff’s counsel is hereto attached as Annex “C”.

8. Due to the default in the payment by the defendants, the plaintiff was constrained to hire the services of the undersigned counsel in the amount of P20,000.00 as acceptance fee plus 25% contingent fee upon collection and P3,000.00 per appearance;

PRAYER WHEREFORE, it is prayed that this Honorable Court.

1. After trial on the merits, render judgment in favor of the plaintiff and ordering the defendant, to pay the plaintiff the sum of: a. Php350,000.00 representing the unpaid obligation by the Defendant to the Plaintiff plus legal interest; or b. In the alternative, Plaintiff be ordered to cause the execution of Dacion en Pago or such document transferring ownership of the property covered by Transfer Certificate of Title No. 072-2011004382 in favor of the Plaintiff as payment for the outstanding loan.

2. In either case, the defendant be ordered to pay: a. 25% of the sum due by way of attorney’s fees; and b. The cost of suit.

Plaintiff prays for other relief just and equitable in the premises.

Makati City for Mandaluyong City, July 10, 2018.

CORTEL LAW OFFICE Counsel for Plaintiff Suite 1015, 10F Cityland Condominium 10 Tower 1, Ayala Ave., corner H.V. dela Costa Street, Makati City Telephone: 813-0103/813-9092 Email: cortellawoffice.recovery@gmail.com

By: M-MND-18-04217-CV For: Sum of Money

RENATO BARCELONA, Defendant/s. x---------------------------------------------------x

ALIAS SUMMONS TO: RENATO BARCELONA Naga St., Napocor Village, Tandang Sora, Quezon City GREETINGS: You are hereby required, within fifteen (15) days after service of this summons upon you, to file with this Court and serve on the plaintiff your answer to the complaint, copy of which is attached, together with the annexes and Civil Case Information Statement. If you fail to answer within the time fixed, the plaintiff will take judgment by default and may be granted the relief applied for in the complaint.

Moreover, pursuant to the IBP-OCA Memorandum on Policy guideline, date March 12, 2002, you are expected not to file a Motion to Dismiss but instead, you are requested to allege the grounds of such motion as defenses in your answer. Likewise, you are expected to utilize the deposition-discovery-discovery measures under Rules 23, 25, 26, 27 & 28 of the 1998 Rules of Civil Procedure. Failure to resort to deposition by written interrogatories under Rule 25 and the request for admission of facts under Rule 27 may be prejudicial to your interest.

WITNESS THE HONORABLE DOLLY ROSE BOLANTE-PRADO, Presiding Judge of this Court, this 18th day of September, 2018 at Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila.

(Sgd.) CHRISTINE T. MISTICA Branch Clerk of Court

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION METROPOLITAN TRIAL COURT Mandaluyong City, Branch 97 FE D. VALDEZ, Plaintiff/s, -versusM-MND-18-04217-CV For: Sum of Money RENATO BARCELONA, Defendant/s. x---------------------------------------------------x

COMPLAINT PLAINTIFF, through counsel, respectfully alleges THAT: 1. Plaintiff is of legal age, Filipino citizen and with residence at 494 Barangka Drive, Barangay Malamig, Mandaluyong City while Defendant is of legal age, Filipino citizen and with residence at No. Naga St., Napocor Village, Tandang Sora, Quezon City, where they may be served with summons and other processes of the Honorable Court; 2. Sometime in February 12, 2002, Defendant borrowed from the Plaintiff cash in the amount of THREE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS (Php350,000.00) payable on or before May 2012. As security for the said loan, Defendant gave the Plaintiff Transfer Certificate of Title No. 072-2011004382 covering a parcel of land located at Brgy. Latag, Lipa City with an area of ONE HUNDRED FORTY ONE (141) SQUARE METERS. Copy of the said Transfer Certificate of Title No. 072-2011004382 is hereto attached and made integral part thereof as Annex “A”; 3. Defendant undertook to sell the subject property to the plaintiff by way of dacion en pago in the event he fails to pay his obligation.

However, defendant did not execute any document to express this undertaking and merely assured the plaintiff thereof verbally and by delivering the owner’s duplicate of title to her; 4. As additional security thereof, Defendant issued Chinabank Check No. TRI A1019402 in the amount of THREE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS (Php 350,000.00) in favor of the Plaintiff. Copy of the said check is hereto attached and made integral part thereof as Annex “B”; 5. The defendant requested the plaintiff to just hold on to the check and not deposit the same as he will pay the plaintiff when his obligation becomes due. Hence, the check became stale

XERXES E. CORTEL Roll No. 40927 PTR No. 6615532; 01-03-18; Makati City IBP No. 019713; 01-03-18; Nueva Ecija MCLE Compliance No. V-0010755 Valid Until 04-14-19

(Sgd.) MAGNOLIA M. MASANGCAY Roll No. 69481 PTR No. 6744512; 03-05-18; Makati City IBP No. 1065697; 01-05-18; Batangas Chapter MCLE VI Complaint – Waiting for Certification/ Compliance No.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES } MAKATI CITY } S.S.

AFFIDAVIT OF MERIT AND CERTIFICATION I. FE D. VALDEZ, Filipino, of legal age and with office address at 494 Barangka Drive, Barangay Malamig, Mandaluyong City, after being sworn in accordance with the law, hereby depose and state that: 1. I am a plaintiff in the above-stated case; 2. I caused the preparation of the foregoing complaint; 3. I have read the contents thereof and the facts stated therein are true and correct of my personal knowledge and/or on the basis of copies of documents and records in my possession; 4. I have not commenced any other action or proceeding involving the same issues in the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, or any other tribunal or agency; 5. To the best of my knowledge and belief, no such action or proceeding is pending in the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, or any other tribunal or agency; 6. If I should thereafter learn that a similar action or proceeding has been filed or is pending before the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, or any other tribunal or agency, I undertake to report that fact within five (5) days therefrom to this Honorable Court.

(Sgd.) FE D. VALDEZ Affiant SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me on the date and place above-stated, affiant exhibiting to me her Social Security System (SSS) No. 050294176-4.

Doc. No. 47 Page No. II Book No. 42 Series of 2018.

ANNEX “A”

ANNEX “A-2”

ANNEX “A-1”

ANNEX “B”

ANNEX “C”

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

LGUs

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

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Las Piñas Parol festival, parade winners named

LoCAL goverNmeNT uNiTS

monday, december 17, 2018

In BrIef QC cops to work through Yuletide POLICEMEN in Quezon City will work through the Yuletide season to ensure the success of the “Ligtas Paskuhan” 2018 program, District Police Chief Supt. Joselito Esquivel Jr. said on Sunday.

More cops will be seen in the city’s streets and in places where most people converge, such as transportation terminals, markets, malls, business establishments, and near churches especially with the start of daily dawn Masses or “simbang gabi.”

“Despite strengthening security for Christmas season, our regular anti-illegal drugs and anti-criminality operations in Quezon City remain in full force,” Esquivel said. Rio N. Araja

289 in NavotaAs graduation rites NavOtaS has gained a new batch of skilled workers following the graduation of 289 Navoteños from the Navotas training and assessment (Navotaas) Institute.

Some 189 graduates completed the Navotaas Institute Scholarship Program funded by the city government, while 100 were under the training for Work Scholarship Program of the technical Education and Skills Development authority.

Mayor John Rey tiangco and Rep. toby tiangco both congratulated the graduates and urged them to continue to improve themselves.

“Learning never ends. You’re still young and you have one of the most precious resources―time.

Use it to your advantage. Continue to learn and upgrade yourself,” Mayor tiangco said. Jun David

Two KSK batches finish training tack taLavERa, Nueva Ecija— Farmers from the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Zambales completed their 12-week-long training program under SM Foundation’s Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Farmers’ training Program. they comprised KSK batches 182 and 183.

Batch 182, composed of 104 graduates, held their harvest festival at at Brgy. Caaninalpihan, talavera, Nueva, Ecija with the program’s partner stakeholders—SM City Cabanatuan, Savemore talavera, Harbest agriBusiness Corp., Department of agriculture, and the talavera local government.

Meanwhile, 92 participants of KSK batch 183 completed their training in Brgy. Palanginan, Iba, composed of farmers, indigent recipients of 4Ps, indigenous peoples, and senior citizens from different barangays.

Senator Cynthia A. Villar poses with the Las Piñas parol makers who bagged the top three prizes during the 13th Parol Festival in the city. The winners are (from left) second runner-up Dolores Alifaro, grand winner Merlito Menchero, and first runner-up Rogelio Apuli. The senator said the use of recycled wastes even in Christmas lanterns is a great opportunity to promote environmental protection.

‘No cholera in San Juan’

t

HE City of San Juan is free of cholera contamination, government agencies said, as the owner of a restaurant accused on social media of making its diners sick with the disease said it passed at least two sanitary inspections done by the local government.

City health and sanitation officers confirmed that cholera does not exist in San Juan, about three months after Mayor Guia Gomez noticed Facebook posts of a family complaining of illness after eating at one of the city’s restaurants and vowed to act.

Gomez ordered the inspections last September, directing the San Juan health department under chief Jesus Esteban and city environment office head Dante Santiago to lead the probes on the restaurant—the Chef Laudico Guevarra’s buffet place of popular chef Roland Laudico.

Officials of the Epidemiology Bureau of the Department of Health also said there is no cholera incidence in Metro Manila. However, they said there are several cholera cases in Region 4a or the neighboring Calabarzon area, as reflected in its Food and Waterborne Diseases Surveillance Report No. 8 for January to august this year.

the supposed victims who posted their complaints online reside in taytay, Rizal, which is part of Calabarzon, composed of the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon. through the Research Institute for tropical Medicine, the DOH epidemiologists tested the water supply and personnel of the restaurants on the date of the visit of the complaining family, and found none of the harmful pathogens, Laudico said in a statement.

Guevarra’s was even closed for a few days to accommodate the additional sanitation tests ordered by city hall, the chef added, but it has been business as usual for the buffet restaurant since Sept. 17. “the local DOH immediately cleared us. We voluntarily chose to keep to the restaurant closed so we could take elevated precautionary measures. We went above and beyond the requirements of the local DOH,” Laudico said.

“No, it is not true, people did not get cholera after eating in Guevarra’s,” the chef said. “the persons may have been sick but they did not contract the illness from eating in [our restaurant].”

Laudico said Guevarra’s tapped three different testing companies to check the business for cholera bacteria. all three tests came back negative, not just for cholera but for amoeba and E. Coli infection as well, he added. an infectious and often fatal bacterial disease of the small intestine, cholera is typically contracted from infected water supplies, causing severe vomiting and diarrhea. It may also be carried in uncooked seafood that came from a contaminated water supply.

“But as the tests proved, our water supply is clean. If our water had the cholera bacteria, the problem would have spread to the surrounding areas and there would have been more casualties,” Laudico said.

“Over 700 people dined in our restaurant that day, but none of the other patrons allegedly contracted cholera. Guevarra’s does not serve raw seafood. all our seafood dishes are cooked,” he added.

GIFT-GIVING.

The Mandaluyong City government led

by Mayor Menchie Abalos (center, with sunglasses) and husband Benhur Abalos (second from left) lead the distribution of gift packs to the people of Mandaluyong to continue the city’s yearly tradition of gift giving.

Manny Palmero

Platinum trophy for Carmen Copper in annual mine safety awards CELEBRatING 14 years of responsible mining, Carmen Copper Corp. marked another milestone in winning the Presidential Mineral Industry and Environmental award Platinum achievement for Surface Mining Category.

Carmen Copper was cited for demonstrating outstanding safety, health and environmental management and com-

munity development in the conduct of its mining operation. this year’s Platinum award is a marked improvement from the titanium achievement bestowed to the company in 2017. the Philippine Mine Safety and Environment association and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau conferred the award last Nov. 23 during the 65th annual Na-

tional Mine Safety and Environment Conference awards Night and testimonial Dinner at the CaP-John Hay trade and Cultural Center, Baguio City.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, who graced the awards Night and testimonial Dinner, urged all mining companies to continue creating meaningful contributions to the people especially

those who need the most intervention. “the government and the people and private sector should both agree on the long term growth strategy to achieve sustainable mining practices that alleviate poverty, protect the environment and people and promote safety of the environment and the people,” Cimatu said in his keynote message.

OFWs cheer PLDT-Smart promo

‘UPO’ HARVEST. Representatives from the SM Group—SM City Cabanatuan assistant mall manager Joanne Bondoc, Savemore Talavera store manager Jayson Ramirez, Savemore market area manager Ana Bustamante, Savemore market AVP Rey Del Valle, and Savemore market president Jojo Tagbo—join farmers from Talavera, Nueva Ecija in harvesting their ‘upo’ or bottle gourds during the Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Farmers’ Training Program over the weekend (See story above).

It SHOULD have been a of her homecoming, her arjoyous homecoming this rival coincided with the Christmas for Marites launch of the PLDt-Smart Seraspe agbu, an Over#OFWins Christmas Grand seas Filipino Worker based Salubong project at the in Hong Kong. However, NaIa terminal 3. shortly before her arrival, Marites was an instant rafher father passed away. fle prize winner, a balikbayagbu was grateful she was an on the receiving end of with the family in their hour Marites Agbu the customary pasalubong. of grief. She counts it among For agbu, the unexpected the blessings that have sustained her happy circumstance was yet another through the 20 years she has been testament to the importance of stayworking abroad, since she was barely ing positive. out of her teens, to support her parents “If God sends trials, it is to strengthand sisters, and now her own family. en our trust in Him…all things work as though to ease the somber mood together for good,” she said.

RESIDENtS of Las Piñas City gathered over the weekend to watch the parade of giant colorful lanterns made of recycled materials as part of this year’s celebration of the 13th Las Piñas Parol Festival.

Senator Cynthia a. villar and representatives from the local government joined spectators as giant lanterns made by local residents were paraded in the city grounds. “a Filipino Christmas is not complete without a traditional parol hanging outside our homes. I am truly amazed by the creativity of the Las Piñeros as they continue to come up with unique and creative designs that make Christmas in our city truly alive and colorful,” villar said. the festival was launched by the senator 13 years ago to revive the city’s parolmaking industry. villar helped organize the “Samahang Magpaparol ng Las Pinas” and later on set up the Las Pinas Parol Center which has since served as the training area for lantern makers.

Parol maker Merlito Menchero took home the first prize of P20,000; while second prize of P15,000 was given to Rogelio apuli and Dolores alifaro took home the third prize award of P10,000. the colorful festival also featured a street dance competition participated in by elementary school students from the various Las Piñas schools.

Caa Elementary School, Caa Elementary annex and Gatchalian Elem. School won the grand prize of P50,000 cash. almanza Elementary School annex and Pilar village Elementary School garnered the second prize of P30,000 cash and Manuyo Elementary School Daniel Fajardo, Ilaya and Las Piñas Central got the third prize of P20.000 cash. the rest of participants received a subsidy of P40,000 for their costumes, props and other equipment. this year, the lanterns built by Las Piñeros were used to adorn the façade of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, one of the popular landmarks in Metro Manila.

“I am proud to say that our unique design ingenuity has caught the eye of both local and international markets as seen by the increasing demand of our parols,” villar added. apart from the usual raw materials such as bamboo, parol makers also used recycled materials such as plastic, straw, pet bottles, cartons, cans, and shells like clams and oysters, and indigenous materials like coconut husk, dried leaves, feathers and shells in their finished products.

For this year, 18 parol makers submitted their striking lantern designs, which have been on display at the villar SIPaG grounds since Dec. 1.

Telebastagan wins Lantern Festival again SaN FERNaNDO, Pampanga—a lantern interplay of “positive and negative” with 10,000 multicolor bulbs made Barangay telebastagan as the first prize winner in the annual Giant Lantern Festival 2018 held here Saturday. an estimated 80,000 visitors, including foreign dignitaries and tourists, national and local officials watched the event and were impressed by the dancing lights and colors of the 11 lantern entries flashing to the tune of music at the Robinson Starmills here.

Each entry measured about 20 feet high and carried a maximum of 10,000 bulbs.

Barangay telabastagan officials received a trophy and a cheque for P150,000 from alex Patio, president of the festival committee. this is the second time telebastagan won the 110-year-old contest. Its first win was in 2013.

First runner-up went to barangay San Jose, which received a trophy and cheque worth P100,000.

Maryann torres, the descendant of the one of the pioneers of the local industry and the first woman to join the annual festival of lights and colors in the lantern capital of the country, received the award for San Jose.

Barangay San Juan was third and San Nicolas was fourth, and also received individual trophies and cheques from Ferdinand Caylao, a member of the contest committee. this year’s winning entries will be on display at different places for public viewing on the following schedule: Dec. 16, 21, and 30 up to Jan. 2, 2019 at the Robinsons Starmill, Dec. 22 at SM telebastagan, Dec. 23 at the Greenfield in Sindalan, Dec. 24 at the old city hall, and Dec. 29 at the Marquee Mall in angeles City.

Life food

bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @mStandardLIFe monday, december 17, 2018

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Delicious and affordable Noche Buena dishes, from left: Chicken in creamy garlic and spinach, chicken wrapped in ham with apple sauce, turmeric rice with grilled liempo, and cheesy cordon bleu.

Clash of Kawali:

The P500 Noche Buena Challenge

F

IlIPInOS have been bearing the brunt of record-high inflation rates for the past 10 months. While inflationary pressures tapered a bit in november, prices of basic goods have remained high while that of food products associated with the holidays are expected to spike even more.

With this in mind, Manila Standard, in partnership with Sharp Philippines and Eden Cheese, challenged four contestants to prepare Noche Buena dishes with a budget of only P500 through its Clash of Kawali competition.

“It has always been my advocacy to prepare affordable but delicious dishes.

I want to educate people that this can be done, that is why I joined this contest,” said homemaker Bihildis Felipe-Singh.

For Jan Paolo Han, a professional chef, he was challenged to create a Noche Buena spread within the limited budget.

“I made my computation and went

to the market to check the prices of the ingredients. I had to haggle for discounts,” he shared.

Geryzer Guinto, for his part, said he joined the contest to challenge himself in preparing Noche Buena dishes that are budget-friendly for his family.

“For me, health is wealth, and simple yet healthy Noche Buena food is something that I would like to serve my kids.

This inspired me to take on this challenge,” said Marissa Malonzo.

All contestants showcased their skill not only in the kitchen but in budgeting and maximizing the use of their ingre-

The four contestants of Manila Standard’s first Clash of Kawali, in partnership with Eden Cheese and Sharp Philippines.

dients at hand. of Filipino families to enjoy and share mean making elaborate gestures. It can According to Anna Sapitan, category delicious dishes despite the tough times mean making heartfelt actions to share manager for meals of Mondelez Philip- when the cost of living is on the rise. something good with the people in your pines, Eden Cheese shares the desire “Showing goodness does not have to Turn to C2

Eden encourages Filipinos to #GiveGoodness this holiday season EdEn Cheese in november successfully launched its Christmas campaign entitled #GiveGoodnessWithEden at One Canvas Events Place in Makati City where it introduced its latest ambassadors, Judy Ann Agoncillo-Santos and Chef JP Anglo. during the event, the brand ambassadors showed how to spice up favorite Christmas dishes such as carbonara, caldereta, and leche flan through an Eden cooking demo.

As an iconic brand, which has been a witness to Filipinos’ remarkable spirit, Eden continues its campaign to #GiveGoodness. According to the brand, no mat ter what the situation is, the Filipino core value of bayanihan always shines through. Bayanihan is shown when we help people we know as well as strangers.

This Christmas, Eden encourages every-

one to start by sharing something good to people around us. With its delicious blend of cheese and milk taste, it can fill any dish with goodness, and there is no better way to enjoy it than by sharing it with others.

Eden has been part of Filipino famil i e s for decades and it aims to inspire the community. despite the tough times where the cost of living may be on the rise, Eden believes that in the end, the naturally giving spirit of Filipinos or inherent bayanihan will shine.

Eden proudly continues the #GiveGoodness campaign as it symbolizes the brand’s commitment to the collective purpose of paying it forward by giving goodness.

To know more, like Eden on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EdenCheesePH and follow @edencheeseph on Twitter and Instagram.

Eden brand ambassadors Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo and Chef JP Anglo preparing favorite holiday dishes made special with Eden cheese.

Life

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monday, december 10, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

DINE OUT

Sumptuous meals

for the most wonderful time of the year H

OLIdAy celebrations are made more special with mouth-watering dishes on the table; everyone’s favorite are served and ready to be enjoyed. It’s indeed the season to indulge, so forget about diet for the meantime as we list down a few choices where families and friends can share wonderful memories over a sumptuous meal.

Premium treats at a luxury resort

Favorite Filipino fare at a beloved resto

Integrated luxury resort City of dreams Manila sure knows how to tease the palate and senses with a wide array of lavish menu choices from its three signature restaurants—The Tasting Room, Crystal dragon, and Nobu Manila; Southeast Asian restaurant Red Ginger; and at Café Society and chocolate shop Chocol8.

Flavors of Christmas and the New year are highlighted at The Tasting Room from dec. 23 to 31 with a five-course or a four-course menu priced at P8,400++ and P7,100++ per person, respectively. The menu comes with an option for wine pairing for an additional fee.

Crystal dragon, on the other hand, offers a six-course Festive Season menu at P2,800++ from today until Jan. 1, 2019. While Nobu treats diners to a Special Omakase, an eight-course meal priced at P5,400++, available for the whole month of december, and a Christmas Special Omakase at P6,999++ on dec. 22-27.

The flavors of the season can likewise be savored at Red Ginger with its Festive Platters, and through indulgent selection of treats and gift ideas available at Café Society and Chocol8.

Call (02) 800-8080 or e-mail guestservices@cod-manila.com or visit www.cityofdreamsmanila.com for more information.

Romulo Café, known for serving Filipino cuisine in an elegant setting, has prepared its newest additions to its premium menu.

Cochinillo, a roasted suckling pig served with Romulo Café’s special lechon sauce, is priced at P4,800 for whole and P2,500 for half.

Order it at least four days prior.

Another Christmas dish served this season is its very own Lola Virginia’s Chicken Relleno, a roasted chicken stuffed with ground pork, raisins, chorizo, and peas. It’s available at P1,396 for a whole serving plus minimal charge for packaging, for those planning to take it home.

Call (02) 478-6406 (Jupiter Street), (02) 332-7275 (Quezon City), (02) 556-1443 (Alabang) for inquiries.

Sambo Kojin’s carving choices for the holidays

Sambo Kojin’s yakiniku selection

Binge on yakiniku at a buffet restaurant diners craving Japanese yakiniku can enjoy an incredible selection of unlimited premium meats, seafood, and vegetable items at Sambo Kojin.

Aside from grills, the buffet restaurant offers a wide range of delicious cooked specialties: from Japan’s famous katsu, sukiyaki, and tempura to other Asian delights like Korea’s beloved chap chae and bibimbap, among others. There are also burger teppan, creamed croquettes, salmon kawa karaage, chicken bun, pork bun, new makimono, and sushi to name a few.

Sambo Kojin invites holiday revelers to throw their parties at the restaurant as every group of 10 guests that dines in gets one guest to enjoy free buffet with Sambo Kojin’s One Free Buffet for a Group of 10 promo. Birthday celebrants (with one full paying adult), meanwhile, can avail of a free buffet with Sambo Kojin’s Free Birthday Buffet promo, on actual birthday and three days before and after. diners can also take the goodness of Sambo Kojin anywhere with its holiday takeout meals packaged in ready-to-serve containers.

Call (02) 696-1291 / 0917-8961757 (SM Megamall), (02) 511-783 / 0917-8107833 (SM Southmall), (02) 921-5172 / 0917-6556240 (SM Fairview), (02) 372-8846 / 0917-8948845 (West Avenue), (02) 4210145 / 0917-3160144 (Eastwood), (02) 726-4466 / 0917-8964465 (Edsa) for inquiries.

Nobu’s Signature Trio Yellowtail Jalapeno Tachiuo Tiradito and Unagi (top) and Nobu’s Christmas Truffle (bottom)

A glass of sparkling juice can easily make any holiday parties a fun one.

Anyone can enjoy it—both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinkers.

Made from the freshest Concord and Niagara grapes, Welch’s line of sparkling juices is available in two flavors: Welch’s Sparkling White Grape Juice and Sparkling Red Grape Juice.

Both variants are incredibly easy to mix with other beverages. Using a splash of creativity, they can be teamed up with other juices to create one’s own special fizzy mocktail.

Lola Virginia’s Chicken Relleno.

Cheesy, meaty holiday bonding with the family

SIP A glass of bubbly celebration

Cochinillo

Welch Sparkling Grape Juice

Flavorful coffee in festive cups Costa Coffee warms up the season with six new hot drinks and Frostino flavors including last year’s favorite, the Billionaire’s Hot Chocolate, and the well-loved Golden Hazelnut Chocolate Frostino.

Other reasons to warm up or get cold and cuddle during this nippy season are the Salted Pistachio Mocha, available in hot and in Frostino; the new Golden Hazelnut Hot Chocolate, another chocolate-y choice with heaps of holiday decadence; and the Candy Cane Frostino, Frostino peppered Costa Coffee hot drinks with colorful candy cane sprinkles.

All these delicious drinks are served in eye-catching festive cups that feature cute characters such as the snowman, gingerbread man, and Santa Claus.

THERE’S nothing cheesy about spending quality time with the family, hence fast food giant Jollibee makes family bonding special with its Jolly Spaghetti Family Pan. This best-selling classic is made with freshly prepared spaghetti noodles, covered with a generous serving of the inimitably sweet-sarap spaghetti sauce with real ground beef and juicy hotdog slices. The sprinkling of creamy grated cheese seals the deal and completes the delightful experience delivered with every forkful.

“Jolly Spaghetti has always been a favorite among Filipino kids and the young-at-heart,” said Cathleen Capati, Jollibee’s assistant vice president for flagship category.

She added, “And with the Jolly Spaghetti Family Pan, there’s simply more to love and more to share. Imagine the sweet-sarap smiles that will greet you when you come home bearing the Jolly Jolly Spaghetti Family Pan Spaghetti Family Pan, and the delightful meal you’ll share with every member of the family to make the holiday The Jolly Spaghetti Family Pan is and drive-thru in all Jollibee stores naseason feel even more special!” available for dine-in, take-out, delivery, tionwide for P199.

clash...

From C1

life. In today’s hectic and confusing world, we can all give a little goodness.

This Christmas, Eden inspires everyone to give goodness—not just by filling people’s tummies, but by filling people’s hearts,” said Sapitan.

Sharp Philippines product analyst Ion Lance delos Angeles said Sharp’s lat-

est line of small kitchen appliances are multi-functional while providing the same Japan-quality the brand has been known for.

“Our products are flexible—from entry-level to middle to high-end—there’s a product for every one and for every need,” he said.

Malonzo’s cheesy chicken wrapped in ham in apple sauce was a delicious surprise. Guinto’s chicken cordon bleu was a budget-friendly version of the

holiday staple, same with Han’s creamy garlic chicken with spinach.

But Felipe-Singh—with her turmeric rice, grilled liempo, corn soup, and leche flan—emerged victorious.

“This for me is a way to educate fellow homemakers that we can easily prepare affordable, delicious and healthy meals given the right ingredients and the right kitchen appliances,” she said.

I’m at joyce.panares@gmail.com.

Entertainment Simply...

From C4

“But since I didn’t have enough time to keep going back, Dr. Vicki Belo suggested I do Thermage (a noninvasive treatment that uses patented RF technology to tighten skin, smoothen out wrinkles, and contour the face and body. A handheld device delivers heat to the targeted area, triggering tightening and stimulating collagen production) for my loose skin on the body (from losing 100lbs before) and also for my face to stimulate production of collagen.

“I also recently discovered the beauty of their laser treatments and have done Angel White (a revolutionary treatment that targets melanin deposit to effectively lighten skin and deliver a more even tone.

There’s also a panda eye mode, which is specifically designed to lighten dark circles. It can also target spider veins and reduce facial redness) and also tried Skin Reboot (a skin firming and tightening treatment that uses mesobiolift and micro current to stimulate collagen formation for younger- looking skin).”

Iza is bright-eyed and her future looks divine as her husband-to-be seems to complement her in a lot of ways. She says of him, “Ben and I balance each other out. I feel that we fill each other’s weaknesses with each other’s strengths. I knew he would make such an amazing father because he has been very helpful in helping me raise my step brother and of how he is with our dogs. I knew he would be a great partner in life.”

Q &A with Iza Any other beauty regimen that you practice?

I always make it a point to cleanse and moisturize my face (Pond’s Girl Here!), I eat lots of vegetables and fruits, drink copious amounts of water, drink bone broth soup which is Rich in collagen and try to get enough sleep when I can Plus I make sure to always wear a smile on my Face. Kahit anong pagpapaganda mo, kung hindi ka masaya, hindi ka magiging truly beautiful.

What about your fiance, did he have to undergo some treatments at Belo?

Nope, none. He has never gone to any facial clinic in the PH. Ben is super low maintenance.

What kind of wedding will you have?

Beach Wedding. Hopefully a fun One! How did you and your fiance meet and match?

I was hosting for the launch of

Esquire magazine in 2011. He was a guest and he saw me on stage. Our common friend, Isabelle Daza, found out that Ben was asking another friend about me and was quick to pull him to me and She tapped my shoulder and said “Ben-Iza, Iza-Ben. Single-Single.” Safe to say I met my prince at the Ball. The rest is history, More about your fiance (his family background, profession, etc.)?

Benjamin Wintle is half British, half Filipino. Born and raised in Hong Kong. He is a tech entrepreneur and is the Founder and CEO of the app, Booky, which started as a food app and has now entered fitness and beauty space. He loves dogs and plays tennis on the weekends.

How did you know that you were compatible enough to settle down as husband and wife?

Ben and I balance each other out. I feel that we fill each other’s weaknesses with each other’s strengths. I knew he would make such an amazing father because of how he is with our dogs and how he has been very helpful in helping me raise my step brother, i knew he would be a great partner in life, that’s what made me realize that he is the One. How soon do you plan to have a child and how many do you want?

Just need to finish some projects next Year so end of the next year is the deadliest deadline to start creating and hoping for a family.

Where’s the honeymoon gonna be and how will you start your own family?

We haven’t planned it, I am still very busy with work.

Will there be any changes (choice of roles, etc.) in your career after the wedding?

Ben is very supportive and understanding, so in terms of roles, I don’t See anything changing. I have been playing Mother roles naman na so it’s not like that’ll be something new for me pa. Maybe Will be different to execute it once I have a Child of my own. I really don’t know where this road will lead me but I know that when the Time comes for me to be a Mother, I will Take on that role as seriously as I have taken on all my other roles as an actress probably 1000x more serious. My passion to create and express and grow as an artist will always be in me but this time it Will go hand in hand with my growth as a woman, wife and hopefully a mother. ** * More stories of these kinds at www. isah.red. Follow me on Facebook (@ isahvr), Twitter (@isahvred) and Instagran (@isahvred). ??

ARIAS

INSTEAD of clothing, food, gadgets or money, books are the perfect holiday gifts. Not only do they last, one gains and gets much when you buy for yourself or become a receiver of one.

It expands your vocabulary, for starters. When I encounter a new word from a novel or autobiography, searching for its meaning in a dictionary, (never the thesaurus, mind you) has been a habit hard to break. Looking for its definition in a dictionary strikes a major difference because it teaches you how you can use the given word as a noun, adjective or verb. And yes, immediately, using this new word in a sentence follows suit.

More good reasons, it transports you to another place and time. Allows you to

imagine and behold the written word. It gives you insights on a particular belief system, failures, struggles, triumphs and culture of the authors who wrote them.

And most of all, it broadens your enlightenment and understanding of your fellow human being. It makes you realize that we are all truly complicated creatures, governed by our minds, loins, and most of our hearts, and how we strike a balance and deal with these forces, make our lives not only in a surviving mode but living in the truest essence of the word.

Allow me to share my top picks, books that resonated to me the most, and re-read from time to time, and hopefully, you make think of them

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Monday, December 17, 2018

(2 wds.)

63 Fill with joy 64 Florid 65 Boot out 66 Truck, in London 67 Joule fraction 68 Buy alternative 69 Diary keeper 70 Summer in Savoie DOWN 1 Yellow color 2 It swims with crocs 3 Arab nation 4 Make believe 5 Pays tribute 6 Actor — Sharif 7 Diplomat’s asset 8 Not deceived by 9 Horse-drawn carriage 10 Woodwinds 11 Dilapidated 12 Actress — Wallace Stone 13 Almost grads 22 Spouse’s brother (hyph.)

24 Grimy 26 Use force 27 Static 28 Well-bred chaps 30 Container weights

C3

nickie.standard@gmail.com

Changing lives of hundreds of Filipinos:

‘Wish Ko Lang’ celebrates 16 years of public service

Kyline Alcantara (center) in a scene from yesterday’s episode of Wish Ko Lang.

O

NE of the longestrunning legacy programs of GMA News and Public Affairs, Wish Ko Lang, is celebrating its 16th year this month.

GMA News pillar and Wish Ko Lang host Vicky Morales takes pride that the program has changed the lives of hundreds of Filipinos— from ordinary people with special conditions, victims of abuse and poverty, and even celebrities.

Advancement in technology has not hindered the wish-granting program’s advocacy throughout the years.

It remains steadfast in spreading goodness and hope with each episode every Saturday afternoon.

“Imagine 16 years ago, dumarating sa amin ang kahun-kahon ng sulat. Ngayon, email na, Facebook messages, mga Instagram. Ang daming nagbago over the past 16 years but what will never go out of style is spreading kindness and that’s what the show wants to do,” says Vicky.

The program remains one of the most-awarded public affairs show. The pioneering public service program recently earned an Anak TV Seal from the Anak TV Foundation.

Vicky, on the other hand, won the Best Public Service Program Host at the 32nd PMPC Star Awards and

Sumpa tells the story of siblings Abraham, Edwin, and Alejandro, who are called the pamilya unggoy because of their appearances.

the Pinakamagiting na Personalidad ng Public Service Program at the 6th Kagitingan Awards for Television.

In turn, Wish Ko Lang took home the Pinakamagiting na Public Service Program award. Wish Ko Lang was also awarded the 2018 Best Public Service Program of the Year at the 5th Umalokojuan Media Awards and at the 9th Northwestern Samar State University Student’s Choice Awards for Radio and TV. Now more than ever, the program intends to make each episode stronger and more inspiring. There are bigger surprises for its viewers. Just this month, Wish Ko Lang gave a new house as an early Christmas gift to three orphaned brothers. In one of its upcoming episodes, another house will be given to a deserving individual or family.

As part of its month-long celebration, Wish Ko Lang is working with award-winning celebrities such as Manilyn Reynes, Ruru Madrid, Kyline Alcantara, and Rayver Cruz.

Last Saturday (Dec. 15), Kyline bannered the episode, “Sumpa”. It tells the story of siblings Abraham, Edwin, and Alejandro, who are called the “pamilya unggoy” because of their appearances. Kyline portrayed the siblings’ cousin, Jenny, who will be their shoulder to lean on.

Aside from defending her cousins from the people who rebuke them, Jenny has promised the three she will stay by their side because she knows they need caring and understanding the most. But

it seems Jenny can only give so much of herself to her cousins. It turns out she herself is sick.

Wish Ko Lang airs every Saturday after Tadhana on GMA 7.

Wish Ko Lang host Vicky Morales. The show is celebrating its 16th year this month.

Books are precious and few

ALWIN IGNACIO

ACROSS 1 Not outgoing 4 Snapshot 9 Engine covers 14 Fasten 15 Kind of numeral 16 Better trained 17 Engine stat 18 Make into law 19 Knots 20 Zoo animal 21 Land turtle 23 Amazement 25 Pushing ahead 29 Part of MIT 31 Horror-film street 32 Curly’s friend 33 Prize 36 Subtle emanation 38 Twirl 39 Chelsea chap 40 Archery need 41 In case 42 Rowboat 43 Transmit 44 Verne of sci-fi 45 Arapaho foe 46 Qt. parts 47 Pentathlon event 49 Account book 51 Decree 55 Quick surveys (hyph.)

59 Veld grazer 60 Make a pit stop

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2018

31 Rust away 33 Singer Paula — 34 Put pen to paper 35 Ventilated 37 Coffee maker 38 Fishtailed 40 Kind of physicist 44 Pullovers 46 Folks 48 Odes and sonnets 50 Cements 52 See eye-to-eye 53 Lifeless

54 Prod 56 Sushi ingredient 57 Kind of gin 58 Lawman Wyatt — 60 Mousse alternative 61 Cutting tool 62 Sauna site

as gifts: Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, Emily Bronte’s Wuthering and Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ Dangerous Liaisons, think epic and intrigue, mayhem and passionate love in all its splendor, these novels nailed it.

Sensuality, sexual beings that succumb to the flesh, all sorts of seduction and magical realism elements that are ever present in Laura Esquivel’s Like Water For Chocolate, Isabel Allende’s Of Love and Shadows, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s 100 Years of Solitude and Love In the Time of Cholera.

If you are on the lookout for a book by a Filipino author, go to the nearest bookstore and look for Nanay’s Gay Boy, by King of Talk Boy Abunda.

“Speak your truth,” he writes a short but impactful dedication on my book copy.

His book contains two emotional and stirring speeches, Why Can’t We Have A Gay President and Dearest Nanay.

Why Can’t We Have A Gay President is a question that provokes us all. How come we don’t have one? Is there no man or woman whose sexual orientation and preference who are not the same as the status quo courageous enough to take the bold and brave step of becoming the first Philippine gay president? Is the present scenario ripe for a gay or lesbian leader for this Republic or it is still too premature to even think of it as a possibility?

Dearest Nanay, on the other hand, is

love letter and tribute made into a speech for his Nanay Lesing. In this part of the book, one gets to read the devotion, dedication, and love of Abunda for his nanay dearest who is a heroine, a symbol of hope, a source of inspiration and his greatest critic and friend.

Boy’s book will definitely stir a lot of sensibilities, proof which are some lines quoted from it, “This is the best time for exploration. This is the best time for discovery, observation, and provocation. This is also the best time to challenge prejudicial, discriminatory and common cultural beliefs. This is also the best time to correct the wrongdoings of colonialism.”

Nanay’s Gay Boy is now available in leading bookstores.

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

C4

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2018

It’s ‘all or nothing’for CATRIONA GRAY PEOPLE

By Nickie Wang

T

HE world is such a small place for the phenomenal beauty queen Catriona Gray, which is why she’s now conquering the universe.

Tipped to win in this year’s edition of Miss Universe, the most coveted titled on the pageant stage, Catriona was a vision of elegance and class as she glided on the Miss Universe catwalk during the preliminaries. And that now iconic slow-motion twirl during the swimsuit competition, she just made everybody’s world stopped for a minute.

It’s safe to say that the 24-year-old FilAustralian beauty is the most prepared Miss Philippines to walk the Miss Universe stage, and it’s going to be a sin, according to pageant aficionados, if the judges would not give her the crown.

In an interview with Manila Standard before she flew to Thailand, Catriona revealed that she’s been preparing for months because she wanted to represent the country in the best way she possibly could. And obviously, that’s what people have been seeing since day one of the pageant.

“I’m in a good head space. I just feel great energy with the love and support of the people that surround me, especially my team, the Binibining Pilipinas and my supporters,” she started.

“I prepared for months because I ’ d rather take time and be slow about it rather than wait for it until the very end and then cram. It’s like studying for an exam, you have to do it little by little over a course of time rather than cramming the night before. It’s been a wonderful and positive experience. I just learned so much about myself and about the Philippines,” she continued.

She also said that she wanted nothing but the crown. And her confidence is inspired by the people who rally behind her even before her Binibini days.

“Confidence is not something you’re born with. It’s a muscle that you choose every day. It’s just the feeling that I am supported—knowing that no matter what, I have people to fall back, people to build me up. That makes me feel that I can do what I do. It doesn’t just come from my team, it also comes from every supporter, every person that leaves me a comment online or anyone who sees me in person who gives me kind messages. I’m very blessed,” she enthused.

“I wanted to go all out. [It’s] all or nothing,” Catriona said.

Following the preliminaries, the top 20 will be determined prior to the coronation night.

The pageant will keep the regional selection format with five women from four groups of countries—Europe, North America, South America, and Asia and Africa—will each have five representatives.

The ceremony will be hosted by comedian Steve Harvey and supermodel Ashley Graham, with TV personality Carson Kressley and runway coach Lu Sierra providing the commentary throughout the event and R&B superstar NeYo performing a special number.

This year’s judges are Fil-American fashion designer Monique Lhullier, Miss Universe 1988 Bui Simon, Miss Universe 1992 Michelle Mclean, Miss New Jersey USA 2004 Janaye Ingram, women’s digital platform SWAAY MEDIA founder Iman O u b o u , Entrepreneur and CEO of CulturIntel and CIEN + TV Lili Gil Valetta and vice chairperson of the LCS Group of Companies Richelle Singson-Michael.

Filipinos can watch the culmination of Catriona Gray’s quest for the Philippine’s fourth Miss Universe title as ABS-CBN airs the coronation ceremony live from Muang Thong Thani, Thailand, today at 8:00 a.m. and via free livestreaming on the ABS-CBN Live channel on ABSCBN’s streaming service iWant.

The free livestreaming o n iWant, meanwhile, may be accessed via web browser on iwant. ph and the iWant app on iOS and Android.

Aside from ABS-CBN’s free-toair TV channel, the pageant can also be seen on SKYcable via the Metro Channel on Dec. 24 at 3:00 p.m. and on digital television via ABSCBN TVplus.

pageant events.

CROWN-READY. Miss

Philippines Catriona Gray, wearing an 'Ibong Adarna' inspired gown by Mak Tumang, sashays on the Miss Universe stage during the pageant's preliminaries.

Catriona Gray in her modern Filipiniana during the preliminary interview

Iza Calzado ready for her wedding

Catriona shows off her sensational figure during the preliminary swimsuit round.

The Manor lights up the holiday season THE Manor Camp John Hay once again welcomed the holiday season with the launch of their Christmas Wonderlights, the much-awaited yearend extravaganza.

Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan, Congressman Mark Go, and Chairman Robert John L. Sobrepeña, lit up the massive digital Christmas tree, enhanced by the pyrotechnic show, complete with a choir which sang Yuletide carols at the Main Grounds.

The event, hosted by GMA7’s Tonipet Gaba, featured a fashion show with creations by San Francisco-based

ISAH V. RED

BEAUTIFUL and talented Iza Calzado is the newest Belo bride. She is set to wed her fiancé, tech entrepreneur Ben Wintle in a fun beach wedding very soon.

Although she is the first person to say that juggling a super busy schedule (that involves a new TV show for ABS-CBN and shooting for a brand new film for iFlix), in between wedding preparations presents all sorts of challenges, the happy lady remains unperturbed.

Iza’s mind is put at great ease knowing that she has people around her ready, willing and able to help and support her in any way in her journey to the next chapter of her life. To prepare herself physically for the wedding, Iza’s go-toclinic remains to be the Belo Medical Group (BMG) and Dr. Vicki Belo, her trusted go-to-beauty expert. “They have always taken great care of me. I love Dr. Belo, she is not just my doctor. More than that, she is my friend,” she said.

Iza added, “I have always done RF treatments for the body such as

STANDOUT. Miss Philippines is an eye-catcher in a group photo in one of the pre-

designer Anthony Legarda, inspired by some paintings by children with autism.

A cocktail party followed, with a special holiday menu prepared by Chef Billy King of Le Chef at The Manor.

The evening’s beneficiary was the Autism Hearts Foundation Philippines, Inc., headed by president and founder Lynda Borromeo.

The Christmas Wonderlights celebration will continue for the whole month of December, with hourly choir performances at the grounds, at 6:30, 7:30, and 8:30 p.m..

Belo bride Iza Calzado

Venus Freeze (a skin-tightening and contouring treatment that uses multipolar radio frequency (RF) and pulsed magnetic fields to safely and evenly heat the tissue under the surface of your skin encouraging your body to produce more collagen and elastin fibers. As a

result, the overlying skin is tightened, smoothened, and toned) and Exilis (works to contour the face and body by liquefying fat, as well as triggering the production of collagen to tighten skin—all without surgery).Continued on C3

The Manors usher in the holiday season with the launch of their Christmas Wonderlights, the much-awaited year-end extravaganza.