Manila Standard - 2018 June 18 - Monday

FATHER-COACH.

A coachman teaches his young son the ways to feed and take care of his workhorse while on a break on Father’s Day at Malate’s Rajah Sulayman Park in Manila. Father’s Day was first observed on July 5, 1908 in West Virginia, USA as a tribute to 250 American fathers who perished in a 1907 disaster. Ey Acasio

VOL. XXXII • NO. 123 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

4 ERC execs slapped with suspension

By Rey E. Requejo and Alena Mae Flores

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HE Office of the Ombudsman has again ordered the suspension of four commissioners of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), the second time it has done so in the last six months.

Acting on a syndicated estafa complaint by a consumer group, the Ombudsman ordered the ERC commissioners suspended for simple neglect of duty for tolerating the misuse of bill deposits by the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), which were co-mingled with capital or operating costs.

In December 2017, the ERC suspended all four commissioners for a year over alleged anomalous power supply deals with 38 companies, seven of which were affiliated with Meralco.

The Court of Appeals, however, issued a temporary restraining order to stay their suspension.

In the new case, Graft Investigation

and Prosecution Officer III Cherry Bautista-Bolo recommended the suspension of ERC Commissioners Alfredo S. Non, Gloria Victoria C. Yap-Taruc, Josefina Patricia M. Asirit and Geronimo D. Sta. Ana for three months. The recommendation was approved by Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang.

The suspension is in response to a complaint filed by the National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms, Inc. (Nasecore) against the four ERC commissioners over the alleged unauthorized use

by Meralco of the bill deposits of customers, and the unjust fixing of its interest rates and the non-crediting of interest in Next page favor of the consumers.

Gordon wants PH to assert rights

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Richard Gordon on Sunday underscored the need for the Philippines to have a “deterrent force” in the Panatag or Scarborough shoal to assert the country’s rights over the area.

In an interview on radio dzBB, Gordon said the government should boost its military capability in the area so that China will not belittle Filipinos by harassing fishermen who operate there.

He said it was wrong for members of the Chinese Coast Guard to board Filipino fishing boats and confiscate part of their catch.

“They are harassing and intimidating our fishermen because we don’t have the capacity [to defend them],” he said.

He cited Vietnam and India, which did not back down from using might to ad-

Parallel probe of priests’ slays in the works

dress Chinese aggression.

Gordon, an administration ally, said President Rodrigo Duterte was not remiss in his duty to assert the Philippines’ rights in the shoal.

“We are talking. But China should respect our President,” he said.

While he acknowledged the friendship between the two countries, Gordon said what China was doing to the Philippines was “not the attitude of an elder brother to his younger brother” but that of a bully.

Gordon earlier said alliances are best seen by the actions of a people, not their words.

“You are not a reliable ally or a friend,” he said, addressing China directly. “We are not enemies of China but you are treating us as if we are interlopers in our own country.”

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HUMONGOUS.

Three passengers of a pickup truck suffered injuries and got the scare of their life Sunday morning when a boulder crashed onto their vehicle cruising around the zigzags of Camp 3 along Kennon Road. Crewmen of the Public Works department had a hard time clearing the road of the boulder as big as a nipa house. Dave Leprozo Jr.

By Rey E. Requejo JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra is considering launching a parallel probe by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on the recent spate of killings of Catholic priests.

Guevarra said he is ready to direct the NBI, the investigative arm of the Department of Justice, to conduct a parallel investigation, but will allow the Philippine National Police (PNP) to take the lead in the investigations first.

Gov’t forms 3 consultative teams on peace THE government panel negotiating a peace accord with the Communist Party of the PhilippinesNational Democratic Front has created three teams to conduct consultations with local government units, Congress and the Supreme Court.

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WASHINGTON—Hey, Google, order a large pizza! Alexa, I need vitamins!

Voice shopping using smart speakers and smartphone apps is starting to gain traction among consumers, opening up a new “conversational commerce” channel and potentially disrupting the retail sector.

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DTI chief discusses US-China trade war BUSINESS B1

RAMON LOPEZ

Science seen to solve Loch Ness mystery INVERNESS—Tales of a giant creature lurking beneath the murky waves of Loch Ness have been around for more than 1,500 years— and one academic hopes the marvels of modern science can finally unravel the mystery.

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By Joyce Pangco Pañares and Macon RamosAraneta

Voice shopping opens new frontier

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Ruling party offers to help boost ties between PH, NoKor

By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan has offered its services to the Department of Foreign Affairs to help improve the Philippines’ ties with North Korea.

The group made the offer following the summit between President Donald Trump of the United States and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12.

“As part of our independent foreign policy, the Philippines should not hesitate to re-frame our relations with countries

that we have not significantly engaged with in the past,” said Energy Secretary and PDP Laban National Vice Chairman Alfonso Cusi.

The Philippines and North Korea established frelations on July 12, 2000, Next page

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News

MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Hybrid Charter lacks basis, says House deputy

By Rio N. Araja DEPUTY Speaker Fredenil Castro on Sunday slammed Senate President Vicente Sotto III’s proposed hybrid constitutional body to break the deadlock in amending the Constitution.

He said Sotto’s proposal was “baseless.”

“You know, I have lost track of what I learned at the college of law [with what he said], Castro told dzBB radio.

“It seems my knowledge [about the law] has mixed up. With due respect, what the Senate President had said did not have any basis.”

Meanwhile, as President Rodrigo Duterte’s expert panel comes closer to finishing its draft Federal Constitution, on Saturday night he reiterated his commitment to step down once federalism is in place.

“We’re just trying to perfect everything, and if you want a new leader during the transition you can provide it in the law itself, and I would be happy to step down,” Duterte said in a speech in Davao City before Muslim leaders.

“The time for federalism has come to our country. We have to move away from the style of unitary government.”

Castro said he was not against Charter-change.

“But the proposal of Senate President Sotto does not have any basis. First, if you look at the Constitution, I am referring to the 1987 Constitution, you can only see two modes of how to revise or amend the Constitution,” Castro said.

“That is when both the Senate and House of Representatives exercise their constitutional power by acting as a constituent assembly. The second one is by a constitutional convention.”

Earlier, Sotto said to break a deadlock in the voting on the proposed amendments to the Constitution, a hybrid constitutional body composed of 12 senators, 12 members of the House of Representatives, 12 nominees by Duterte and 12 nominees from the civil society was needed.

Congress wanted to convene as a constituent assembly and vote jointly with the Senate on the proposed amendments.

But the Senate opted to vote separately because the 24-member chamber could easily be outvoted by Congress’ 292 members.

“The Senate President’s proposal has no legal basis. First and foremost, under what authority could the President appoint the 12 members [for each representation]?” Castro said.

“Secondly, there would be 12 members or [private] individuals. I don’t see any provision in the Constitution that allows the President to do so.”

Castro raised concern that should Congress rush the holding of the plebiscite by early 2019, the proposed constitutional amendments could be half-baked.

He said the plebiscite for the proposed shift to federalism must not be held simultaneously with the May 2019 midterm elections.

Ruling...

From A1

when then Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon Jr. and North Korean Ambassador to Thailand Jo In-chol signed a joint communique declaring the establishment of relations at the ambassadorial level.

Cusi said PDP Laban was ready to do its part to facilitate closer ties with North Korea.

“In fact, our Party will send a delegation to Pyongyang, led by our Vice President for International Affairs Secretary Raul Lambino, to meet with their counterparts from the Workers’ Party of Korea,” Cusi said.

The Workers’ Party is the ruling party of North Korea.

Cusi said the PDP Laban delegation was charged with the task of forging closer party-to-party and people-to-people ties between the two countries.

“We offer to the DFA our services to help establish more formal relations between our governments,” he said.

Gordon...

From A1

Gordon said the Philippines should have the resolve to tell China that it would not be bullied, adding that China should be reminded that, at the very least, the ownership of the area is still being disputed.

He also suggested that the Philippines may be forced to form alliances with Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand or perhaps the United States should Chinese bullying continues.

Du30 vows to pass BBL ‘uncut’

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DAY after Eid’l Fitr or the end of Ramadan, President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday night reiterated his promise to try to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law “without any cuts,” but at the same time sought more time in case it did not work out.

“We will try to pass the BBL with no cuts. I’m sure the Speaker will agree with me,” Duterte said in his speech at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City, referring to House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

The same day, Duterte received a copy of the draft Bangsamoro State Constitution, an alternative solution within the

framework of federalism drafted by a 19-member All Moro Convention.

Duterte urged Moro Islamic Liberation Front chairman Murad Ebrahim to wait for the passage of the final version of the BBL, assuring him that what was not included in BBL could be added in the federal scheme of things.

“If nothing really works out with the

BBL, then give us time because I do not want to fight. I do not wage war against my own countrymen,” Duterte said.

Alvarez was one of the lawmakers who asked Duterte to certify the BBL as urgent, and Duterte acknowledged that request on May 29.

Duterte also expressed hope that Moro National Liberation Front founding chairman Nur Misuari would join the peace talks.

“We will try to pass the BBL. I hope Chairman Misuari can be convinced to join the talks so that if there are corrections or maybe additions or provisions that would not sit well with the Tausug and the rest of the southern part of Mindanao, then maybe we can realize alto-

4 ERC...

guarding and protecting the interest of the public consumers by regulating, monitoring or checking Meralco’s utilization of the bill deposits, at the very least,” the resolution said.

Nasecore claimed that based on its projection, the total consumers’ deposits now amount to P61.36 billion from 2006 to 2016 but Meralco accounted for the balance of only P26.5 billion in its financial statement.

Thus, the group said the consumers have been robbed a total of P34.84 billion or more considering that the amount will still increase after due accounting by the ERC and Commission on Audit (COA) to determine the actual amount accrued compounded interest earned by the bill deposits.

Although the respondents argued that the utilization of the bill deposits for DUs or Meralco’s operation is an acceptable practice, the Ombudsman pointed out that it does not mean that such practice is legal or advantageous to the public.

The four commissioners have filed an appeal.

Rolly Faller, private legal counsel for the commissioners said the suspension order (signed on May 18 but approved on May 22) is executory but the Supreme

Court held in one case that CA may issue a temporary restraining order versus the Ombudsman decision as it did in February and April 2108.

“The suspension order is now the subject of a petition we filed with the Court of Appeals. We will await the action of the CA on our request for TRO. We stated the need for TRO because the ERC, as a collegial body, cannot act on matters concerning public interest because the law requires a quorum of three to discharge the functions of the commission,” Faller said.

Faller said the commissions are also waiting for the decision of the Office of the President on the implementation of the order.

“Since the four commissioners are under the OP, we will also wait for the disposition of the OP as to whether it will cause the implementation of the suspension order,” he said.

Faller said that pending the implementation order from the OP, the commissions “can still discharge the functions of the office.”

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, head of the Senate committee on energy, also scored the ERC allowing Meralco to appropriate billions of pesos worth of con-

he announced the date of the negotiations as well as the June 21 date for a standdown order for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, and New People’s Army to take effect.

Bello admitted that while he signed the stand-down order together with his NDF counterpart, Fidel Agcaoili, it was agreed that they would jointly announce it in Manila on June 21.

He said Sison should have been “more prudent” instead of prematurely announcing the dates.

A well-placed source privy to the Joint AFP-PNP Command Conference held in Malacañang where Duterte announced his decision said the media blitz of the exiled communist leader did not sit well with the President.

“The President reviewed the recent statements of Joma because it was Joma who was announcing that there will be a week-long ‘stand down order’ between the NDF and the government that will begin on June 21 and that the formal peace talks will resume on June 28. Is he the spokesman of the government? Baka akala niya nanalo na sila sa giyera (Perhaps

he thought they already won the war),” the source said.

“How can Joma say there will be a ceasefire effective June 21? Sinong kausap niya? (Who is he talking to?) There are backchannel talks but nothing has been approved by the principal yet. Is he trying to preempt the government?” the source added.

Bello admitted that Duterte has yet to see a copy of the stand-down agreement and the draft interim peace agreement.

“We will move forward with the consultations. The President just wants to make sure that whatever document we sign will be acceptable to all stakeholders,” he said.

With the President’s decision to postpone the peace negotiations, five of six rebel leaders with standing arrest warrants who were supposed in the talks have gone underground.

Sison, however, said Duterte is to blame for the situation. “Duterte has made it impossible for our consultants to present themselves before the proper courts. Duterte removed the safe environment for them to face the court again.”

From A1

While the Ombudsman found the respondents not liable for estafa or misappropriation of funds relative to the management of bill deposits, it held that the four ERC commissioners failed to strictly implement the rules defining the nature of bill deposits as mere “mere guarantee in payment of bills,” which must be returned upon termination of the distribution utilities (DUs) service.

The anti-graft body said the respondents also failed to perform their mandate to issue rules or policies such as the creation of a separate escrow account to avoid commingling of bill deposits with the capital or operational expenses of Meralco or any other utility for that matter.

“Meralco treated the bill deposits as part of its capital without the benefit of a reasonable return of interest to accrue to consumers – a practice which respondents appeared to have acquiesced in,” the Ombudsman resolution said.

“In fact, without the letter of Nasecore… respondents will continue to ignore their mandate in promoting, safe-

Gov’t...

From A1

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, who is also the government chief negotiator for the peace talks, said this was in accordance with the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to postpone the resumption of formal negotiations to allow the government to engage a “bigger peace table.”

“The President does not want us to sign a final peace agreement that would just get rejected by Congress and the Supreme Court,” Bello said in a phone interview from Doha.

The government and the CPP-NDF peace panels, Bello said, have already drafted an interim peace agreement, which once signed will form the meat of the final peace pact.

Both panels were supposed to meet on June 28 in Oslo, but Duterte decided to scrap the resumption of the peace talks Wednesday last week.

The President was reportedly irked with the media pronouncements of CPP founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison where

Science...

From A1

Neil Gemmell has traveled from the University of Otago in New Zealand to collect water samples in the Scottish lake, in the hope of finding out more about the creatures that inhabit its depths.

“Over 1,000 people claim that they have seen a monster. Maybe there is something extraordinary out there,” he told AFP, as he dropped a five-liter probe into the loch.

Gemmell said he would be keeping an eye out for “monster DNA” but the project was more aimed at testing environmental DNA techniques to understand the natural world.

Local resident Adrian Shine said Gemmell’s findings could contribute to his own long running research program— The Loch Ness Project.

The venture was itself inspired by the efforts of earlier international explorers like American Dan Scott Taylor who patrolled the loch in his Beatles-inspired Yellow Submarine in the late 1960s.

“I’m sure that some species will be found which have probably not been described. They’re more likely than anything else to be bacteria,” Shine told AFP. “If you did find something else—and I do emphasize the if—then you would actually get quite a good handle on what sort of creature, what class of animal, it is.”

‘Record number of sightings’ Theories abound about the true nature of the Loch Ness Monster, from a malevolent, shape-shifting “water horse,” to an aquatic survivor of the dinosaur age, right down to logs, fish, wading birds or simply waves which have been blown out of all proportion.

“Anything that you see on the loch that you don’t understand can be your Loch Ness Monster on that day,” Shine said.

The earliest chronicles of a creature in Loch Ness are attributed to Saint Columba, who brought Christianity to Scotland in the sixth century.

The last reported sighting was on March 26 this year by a US couple standing on the ramparts of the majestic ruin of Urquhart Castle.

“They described a large shadow moving under the water which they estimated to be around 30 feet in length,” said Dave Bell, skipper of the Nessie Hunter tourist boat.

“Last year we had a record number of sightings: 11 in total.”

Bell has never seen anything himself in his many years on the loch, but that does not shake his belief that there is something down there.

“I find it hard to believe that over 1,000 people can be wrong,” he said.

“Too many rational, level-headed people have said they have seen what they believe to be a creature in the loch.”

Tourism boom The Highlands are experiencing a boom in tourism—and not all of it is related to mythical monsters.

Inverness is the gateway to the North Coast 500, a new 500-mile (800-kilometre) trail dubbed “Scotland’s Route 66” which attracted 26 percent more tourists to the area last year, according to the Highlands and Islands Enterprise agency.

“There’s a lot more people around,” said Joanna Stebbings, operations manager at Loch Ness Lifeboat Station, which carried out a record 33 rescues last year.

“All the hire companies, whether they are kayaks or cruisers or even yachts are fully booked.”

Andrea Ferguson, 56, a school teacher from Saint Louis, Missouri, took a trip on Nessie Hunter to try to catch sight of the monster which has fascinated her since childhood. AFP

Parallel...

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“I will give the PNP ample time to do their job. But I will bring in the NBI any time as circumstances may warrant,” Guevarra said in a text message to reporters.

He said the NBI would be brought in if the police fail to make headway in the cases—three murders in the last six months.

Fr. Richmond Nilo was shot dead June 10 while preparing for a Mass in Zaragoza town, Nueva Ecija. Police have already arrested one of the primary suspects in the killing that probers attributed to a land dispute.

Nilo was the third priest killed in recent months.

On April 29, Fr. Mark Ventura was killed in Cagayan after celebrating a Mass.

Fr. Marcelito Paez, on the other hand, was shot dead in Nueva Ecija on Dec. 5.

Senator Risa Hontiveros has already called for a Senate inquiry and filed Resolution 764 for the Senate Committee on Public Order to look into the murders of Nilo, Ventura and Paez.

The resolution also includes the case of Fr. Rey Urmeneta of Calamba, Laguna, who survived an attack.

In filing the measure, the minority senator claimed there is a “dangerous pattern” emerging with the spate of killings and attempted killings of members of the clergy.

Hontiveros said she believed the killings are not isolated cases as the police say.

Hontiveros also echoed the sentiment of senior clergymen that the President’s verbal attacks might encourage violence against priests.

“These killings further reinforce the culture of impunity to silence valid Church-led criticisms on state policies, particularly those with respect to human rights and due process,” she said.

gether the friction,” Duterte said.

But he said if he remained stubborn and insisted on intransigence, it could result in war, which he said he did not want to experience during his term.

Duterte reiterated his commitment to shift to a federal form of government along with the BBL to alleviate poverty and the Muslim separatist insurgency.

“The time for federalism has come to our country. We have to move away from the unitary form of government, which has been in existence or set up originally by the Spaniards,” Duterte said.

“Look, we’re all human beings. Let us not abandon each other. Let us not forget that we belong to the Malay race.” PNA sumer deposits for its own purposes.

Gatchalian said ERC was created to safeguard the rights and welfare of power consumers, who would otherwise be defenseless against unfair, anti-competitive, and outright anti-consumer practices of powerful, well-moneyed energy industry players – a perfect example of which was the “outrageous misuse” of bill deposits by distribution utilities.

“Unfortunately, instead of standing up for the consumers, the ERC allowed an energy industry titan to appropriate billions of pesos worth of consumer deposits for its own corporate purposes. This is absolutely unacceptable,” he said.

“What is even more unacceptable is the fact that this is the second time within the past seven months that the Ombudsman has found the ERC commissioners administratively liable for failing to fulfill their duty to protect the interests of the consumers. Quite frankly, it’s an embarrassment,” he added.

Gatchalian called for the implementation of sweeping reforms that will restore the institutional integrity of the ERC and rebuild the public confidence in the commission that has been virtually eliminated by the never-ending list of recent scandals.

Voice...

From A1

Devices such as Amazon’s Alexapowered speakers and Google Home, which use artificial intelligence to respond to voice commands, are offering new choices to consumers who are looking for more convenient ways to order goods and services.

Voice shopping is expected to jump to $40 billion annually in 2022 in the United States, from $2 billion today, according to a survey this year by OC&C Strategy Consultants.

“People are liking the convenience and natural interaction of using voice,” said Victoria Petrock of the research firm eMarketer.

“Computing in general is moving more toward voice interface because the technology is more affordable, and people are responding well because they don’t have to type.”

A recent eMarketer survey found 36 percent of US consumers liked the idea of using a home-based assistant like Amazon Echo for making a purchase.

Amazon’s devices, which hit the market in 2015, were designed in large part to help boost sales, and Google Home was launched a year later.

The use of smart speakers has expanded the possibilities available through smartphone chatbots or text-based systems including those from Facebook and Apple.

Exponential growth “This is growing exponentially,” said Mark Taylor, an executive vice president at consultancy Capgemini and co-author of a study on conversational commerce.

“We’re getting very used to asking Alexa or Google to do something on our behalf, which makes it simple to switch and say, ‘Hey Alexa, buy me dog food.’”

Capgemini research shows many consumers are satisfied with voice interactions and that this is growing for search and information as well as for purchases and that this is likely to become a “dominant” mode of consumer action within a few years.

“It’s becoming part of the fabric of our lives,” Taylor said.

The most commonly shopped categories through voice are groceries, entertainment, electronics and clothing, according to OC&C. For now, Taylor said, most voicebased purchases have been “low consideration goods” such as items consumers have purchased before.

But as people grow comfortable with voice assistants Taylor sees a potential for growth in “higher consideration” items including insurance or financial services.

An important element will be the tonality and personality established by intelligent assistants that will help companies establish an image or brand.

“People like to talk to human beings because humans give insight and guidance, and AI can do the same thing,” he said. AFP

News

MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2018

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Aussie nun faces DoJ ruling today THE Department of Justice is expected to release today its resolution on the appeal made by Australian nun Sr. Patricia Fox seeking the reversal of the Bureau of Immigration’s decision ordering her to leave the country.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra revealed that the “DOJ will release the resolution on Monday, June 18, Sister Fox deadline to leave the country.”

In a petition for review filed last May 25, Fox through her legal counsels from the National Union of People’s Lawyers asked the DOJ to reverse the BI’s leave order on May 17, forfeiting her missionary visa due to allegations of violating the conditions of her stay and gave her a temporary visitor’s visa lasting only 30 days.

“There is no factual basis for the downgrading of petitioner’s missionary visa into a temporary visitor’s visa,” she stressed.

“The allegation that she violated the terms and conditions (of her visa are misplaced and unfounded. In the case of the petitioner, there is no mention in the report of the intelligence agents of the BI and even in its assailed order that petitioner’s presence or activities disturbed the peace and order of the country,” the appellant said.

While Fox’s counsels agreed with the BI’s position that a visa is a privilege and not a right given to foreigners, they pointed out “once it is granted by the State, it cannot be revoked except on valid and lawful ground and upon observance of due process of law, both substantive and procedural.”

According to her lawyers, these limitations apply not only to its power to deport foreigners, but also to all the other powers that the BI may exercise such as visa forfeiture or visa cancellation.

Fox expressed hopes that the DOJ will grant her appeal.

“All I can say I’m hopeful this will be given due consideration in the case.

Still I’m hopeful,” Fox said.

In its order, the BI dismissed Fox’s arguments that the bureau forfeited her visa without due process and that allegations that she engaged in political activities were not backed with solid evidence.

It reiterated that Fox acted beyond allowed activities under her visa by working outside Barangay Amihan in Quezon City, where she claimed she would render her missionary work when she applied for her visa.

The order likewise stressed that the strict rules on evidence do not apply to immigration cases, which are administrative proceedings requiring only the lowest quantum of evidence.

Angara vows reforms in health and education SENATOR Sonny Angara has promised to continue the legacy of his late father, former Senator Edgardo Angara, by pushing for reforms—particularly in health and education—that will help uplift the lives of Filipinos.

“My father is my idol. I want to accomplish what he has accomplished— to change and improve the lives of many Filipinos,” said Angara.

“The best way to help others is by giving them opportunities. That’s the most important lesson I learned from my dad. Lagi niyang sinasabi noon, ‘Every Filipino deserves a fighting chance.,” he said.

The late Senate President was the principal author of the Free High School Act, while the incumbent is one of the authors of the Free College Law and the Free Kindergarten Law. Angara is now pushing for the enactment of his bills institutionalizing the student fare discount, and providing discount on books, school supplies, food and medicine for poor students..

His father was also responsible for the Senior Citizens Law that granted 20% discount for seniors.

Angara expanded this benefit by giving senior citizens VAT-exemption on particular goods and services.

The late senator is also known as the “Father of PhilHealth” for authoring the law that created the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. Macon Ramos-Araneta

REFILL. Motorists start refilling their vehicles at a gasoline station in Kamias, Quezon City, trying to beat an impending price increase a week after oil companies rolledback pump prices. Manny Palmero

Justice asked: Indict Okada et al for $10-m estafa cases T

By Rey Requejo

HE Department of Justice has been asked to conduct a new preliminary investigation and reverse the resolutions issued by the Paranaque City prosecutor’s office dismissing the $10 million estafa cases against Japanese gaming tycoon Kazuo Okada and his co-respondents.

In two separate motions, Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment Inc. prodded the DOJ to instead indict Okada, saying that the dismissal of the complaints and the premature release or leakage to his camp of the resolutions that junked the charges violated Tiger Resort’s constitutional right to due process.

“Complainant (TRLEI) respectfully prays that the resolution(s) dated 11 May 2018 (and) 15 May 2018 of the Office of the City Prosecutor of Paranaque be vacated or, in the alternative, be reconsidered (and) re-

spondents . . . in conspiracy with each other, be charged with estafa . . . upon finding that there is probable cause to believe that they defrauded and deceived complainant,” the complainant’s motions stated.

TRLEI complained that the pertinent portions of the resolutions issued by Paranaque City Prosecutor Amerhassan C. Paudac had been leaked and found their way to the social media accounts of Okada’s Korean girlfriend, Chloe Kim, on May 18.

TRLEI said it was only on May 30 or almost two weeks after Kim had posted

the dispositive portions of the resolutions on social media that it received copies of resolutions signed by Paudac.

“The premature leakage, followed by the apparent ‘rush to release’ the assailed resolutions, coupled with the wrongful dispositions and resolution of these cases, are indicative of Paudac’s feared undue interest in the instant cases and which not only violate due process… but are grave administrative offenses,” TRLEI said in its motions.

It stressed that the leakage “not only violated pertinent laws on public officers but also seriously damaged the credibility, independence, and integrity of the assailed resolutions as well as of the OCP-Paranaque and, ultimately, City Prosecutor Paudac.”

“With due respect, the leaked assailed resolution(s) itself is the smoking gun that something irregular happened in the Office of the City Prosecutor of Paranaque City, headed by Paudac,” TRLEI said.

THRASHED. A pile of uncollected garbage lies scattered along a depressed area on Road 10 in Tondo, Manila,left to serve as host to flies and cockroaches .

Norman Cruz

Senator pushes review of infra buildup plan

By Macon Ramos-Araneta AS THE flagship infrastructure program of the Duterte administration is expected to spur P89-trillion spending from 2017 to 2922, Senator Win Gatchalian this early is seeking a review of the status, sustainability, and risks accompanying these ‘Build, Build’ Build” projects.

“It is incumbent upon us senators, in the exercise of our power of the purse, to ensure that public funds diverted from health, education, and social services financing for debt services payment are properly appropriated,” Gatchalian stressed.

A Senate probe, he said would ensure a “judicious, prudent, and sound economic planning” by the government.

In filing Senate Resolution No. 759, which calls for a Senate inquiry into the financial requirements of BBB, the senator citrd thr need to closely monitor the debt obligations and modes of financing incurred and adopted by the Duterte administration for its “Build, Build, Build” Program.

Gatchalian also noted that the move will guarantee transparency, accountability, and prudent use of loans and other financing methods utilized by the government.”

The senator, who chairs the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, explained that 40 out of 75 approved infrastructure projects as of July 2017 will be funded through Official Development Assistance (ODA), which comprises the bulk of expenditures amounting to P1.006 trillion.

He said the total outstanding debt of the national government as of December 2017 reached P6.65 trillion, while P329.05 billion was allocated for debt servicing in the 2018 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

This month, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported that the country’s external debt-to-GDP ratio was 23.3% in 2017 – a five-year low and a 5.6% decrease from the 28.9% ratio recorded in 2013.

Forest Limits bill approved on final reading; House unanimous

By Rio N. Araja

THE House of Representatives has unanimously approved on third and final reading House Bill 7496 seeking to delineate the specific limits of forestlands of the public domain for the conservation, protection and development of forest resources.

All 239 House members present during the voting backed the proposed “Forestland Limits Act” to give life to Section 4, Article 4 of the Constitution

mandating Congress to determine by law the specific limits of forestlands and national parks by marking clearly their boundaries on the ground.

The bill refers to delineation as the “conduct of site investigation, field reconnaissance and assessment, and staking of boundaries between forestlands, national parks and agricultural lands verified in the field in accordance with the criteria set forth under Department of Environment and Natural Resources Administrative Order No. 2008-24.”

To determine the specific limits of forestlands, the previously established land classification survey lines per province with their respective technical description and maps shall be the basic data and information that will be used as reference material in undertaking the validation, assessment and delineation process.

All completed assessment and delineation reports for a given province shall be endorsed to the national review and evaluation committee as created.

The committee shall be composed of

the DENR secretary as chairperson, secretary of the socioeconomic planning and director general of the National Economic and Development Authority as vice chairperson, and heads of the Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Agriculture and chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council as members.

All assessments, valuations and delineations shall be completed within one year after the passage of the law.

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Opinion

MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2018

The right to free tertiary education

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

sumed by an adult. And no matter that a voracious grown-up may want more, if there is not enough to go around, then some equitable limits must be set. Then, too, the right to education is not necessarily the right to schooling, much less the right to tertiary educaPLANS are afoot for a rally against the tion. The right to education is in fact an administration of the Cagayan State aspect of social justice: the right of the University tomorrow. For some time individual to participate in the heritage now, there has been grumbling and of knowledge, culture and values of gnashing of teeth against the admission any given society, and it is silly to think policy that the that this can take university adoptplace only in ed following the the form of uniimplementation versity educaof Republic Act tion. So, when No. 10931, the the resources for This is too important Universal Access higher educaa matter to resolved to Quality Tertion are scarce, by vociferation and tiary Education as they are in the Act. Because the Philippines, and demagoguery. law grants free paid for by taxtuition and mispayers, the right cellaneous fees to university edto all students ucation will be of state univerenjoyed by those sities and colleges, the administrators capable of university education and of these SUCs have also been directed those most likely to benefit from it— to up quality and to lay down stringent and that means those most likely to be admission and retention standards. able to complete their courses on time That is what has incurred the ire of with better than just barely passing those who failed the CSU Admission grades. And that is why other forms of Test—and those who have seized the education are available—and demandopportunity to gain mileage, personal, able: first of all, the education that one political or otherwise. The restrictive receives from the home (probably the admission standards of the university, most important that one will ever reit is claimed, deny the poor the right to ceive), the education that comes from education. non-formal delivery systems, technical In the first place, some thoughtful- and vocational education and tertiary ness on the matter of the “right to edu- education. State universities and colcation” is in order. One’s right to food leges are instrumentalities of national is in proportion to one’s capacity to eat, government, their students, “scholars and also gauged against the right of of the people” in a very real and tanothers to eat. So an infant has the right gible sense. Such higher education into eat, but is not entitled to the same stitutions cannot afford to be reckless: amount and kind of food as that conTurn to A5

W

Expunging the record

HAT are we to make of a request by Senate President Vicente Sotto III to an online news site to remove three “unverified articles” that he says have hurt his reputation by making “malicious imputations of a crime” against him?

Copies of the letter that Sotto sent to Inquirer.net just days after he was elected Senate president became public knowledge when its US-based columnist, Rodel Rodis, posted it on his Facebook page.

In the letter, Sotto asks the online news site to remove two stories by Rodis (“The Rape of Pepsi Paloma” and “Was Pepsi Paloma murdered?”) and another by Totel de Jesus (“Tito Sotto denies whitewashing Pepsi Paloma case”).

The articles, published between 2014 and 2016, refer to the gang rape of a 14-year-old starlet, Pepsi Paloma, in 1982, by Sotto’s brother and two other showbiz associates, and suggest that Sotto “talked” her out of pressing charges after he visited her and put a pistol on

the table in front of her.

Sotto denied his alleged role in covering up the rape, but curiously, now asks that the story about his denial also be taken down.

Inquirer.net has issued a statement recognizing Sotto’s right to request the articles to be removed, but said it has yet to make a decision.

In his letter, Sotto says he has no intention of trampling on the freedom of the press, and points out that he is all for protecting the constitutionally enshrined right.

“Just like everyone, I am for the truth—a ‘balanced news,’ so to speak,” Sotto said.

Another online news site, Rappler, reports that Sotto confirmed his request that the articles, which he called “libelous,” be removed.

“I’d rather that they take it down than file charges in court,” he added, suggesting his next course of action, should his request be turned down.

Of course, by seeking to have the articles removed, Sotto has managed—at least in the short term—to put the issue in the public eye again. If his intention were to quash the speculation about his role in covering up the 1982 rape, doing this most certainly will have an opposite effect.

The bad publicity will likely linger even more if he files a libel suit.

And even if Inquirer.net buckles and pulls the stories, they will live on in the internet and social media.

Perhaps, in the flush of success at being named Senate president, Mr. Sotto took to heart Winston Churchill’s words that history is written by the victors.

Churchill, however, never had to deal with the internet or social media, and Mr. Sotto, from all indications, has yet to learn how.

Socked by Sackur had a chief justice like her while he listened to the Hardtalk interview.

“Paano siyang na-appoint na CJ in the first place?” he asked.

Oh well. *** This is not to say that the President continues to generate huge public supWHOEVER thought getting Meilou port because he has a set of able propaSerreno on BBC’s Hardtalk would pro- gandists or a great team behind him. mote her “cause” or even her ambitions Just think “Norwegia” and Mayon should be socked, pronto. eruptions in Camarines instead of AlIt’s as if the opposition, assuming bay and wonder how come Duterte is someone plans strategically for them, still so popular with the people. never watched the Trillanes interview This president is sui generis. One of over the same program by the same an- a kind. chor.

Despite all the communication nightSo the “celestial” looking Sereno got mares of his 2015-2016 presidential socked, clobbered, by Sackur after she campaign, the public accepted him into got sacked by her peers in the high tri- their hearts and minds, and understood bunal. him and what he stood for. Recall how Hindi na kayo nadala. Stephen he p…i’d the Pope mismo. in November Sackur does his homework. Whoever of 2015, right after it became clear he egged Sereno to face him did not. was seeking the presidency.

It seems that the opposition to DuAny other candidate would have terte, seeing how been clobbered their tirades get out of his presidefused by a dential illusions supportive conby that indelistituency in the cate remark in The BBC host does his country are desu b e r- C a t h o l i c perately hoping Philippines. But homework. to ignite internanot Rodrigo tional opprobriDuterte, who um as a means bounced back, to get back to and climbed conpower. So very sistently thereafpathetic. ter in the ratings, all the way to a May *** victory.

Something these Duterte-haters *** ought to know is that the international Still and all, one should never rest on media, just like ours, can only sustain present laurels. “negative” news about foreign politiNote how rising, not “runaway” incians for a certain period of time. After flation, as Senator Bam Aquino deinterest has waned, the negative reac- scribes present day-to-day reality, has tions die down. started to dent the President’s popular Back they go to the next interesting acceptance. news item. Sure, they have left lasting It is quite safe to say the President’s impressions on some people about the acceptance index will yet be high come immediate object of their attacks, but as the State of the Nation Address, but he far as policy makers in their countries needs to fortify his defenses. The fact are concerned, it becomes ho-hum. that he has had to remove so many of Remember as well that foreign pol- his original team indicates that he himicy is an extension of domestic inter- self realizes there are problems with ests. Domestic realities mean foreign the staff support and implementing countries need to relate to each other, arms he presently has. whatever their leaders may think of As for all the wannabes for high each other. elected positions soon, as in 2019, or In any case, Sereno looked so piti- later, as in 2022, they need to develop ful the way she responded to Sackur. their own style, and fashion their own A Filipino career official who recently marketing “wardrobe.” Aping Duterte visited Taipei remarked to me privately just won’t wash with the public.

Turn to A5 that he felt embarrassed that we once

Mount Everest, the high-altitude rubbish dump

By Paavan Mathema and Annabel Symington DECADES of commercial mountaineering have turned Mount Everest into the world’s highest rubbish dump as an increasing number of big-spending climbers pay little attention to the ugly footprint they leave behind.

Fluorescent tents, discarded climbing equipment, empty gas canisters and even human excrement litter the well-trodden route to the summit of the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) peak.

“It is disgusting, an eyesore,” Pemba Dorje Sherpa, who has summited Everest 18 times, told AFP. “The mountain is car-

rying tonnes of waste.”

As the number of climbers on the mountain has soared—at least 600 people have scaled the world’s highest peak so far this year alone—the problem has worsened.

Meanwhile, melting glaciers caused by global warming are exposing trash that has accumulated on the mountain since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first successful summit 65 years ago.

Efforts have been made. Five years ago Nepal implemented a $4,000 rubbish deposit per team that would be refunded if each climber brought down at least eight kilograms (18 pounds) of waste.

On the Tibet side of the Himalayan mountain, they are required to bring down the same amount and are fined $100 per kg if they don’t.

In 2017 climbers in Nepal brought down nearly 25 tonnes of trash and 15 tonnes of human waste—the equivalent of three double-decker buses—according to the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC).

This season even more was carried down but this is just a fraction of the rubbish dumped each year, with only half of climbers lugging down the required amounts, the SPCC says.

Instead many climbers opt to forfeit the 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 Dengvaxia CROSSROADS JONATHAN DE LA CRUZ THE gist of the Dengvaxia article published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine on June 13, 2018 says it all: Dengvaxia®: Protective value for people with at least one prior dengue infection confirmed; vaccinating people without prior infection not recommended.

The article, entitled “The Impact of Dengue Serostatus on Dengue vaccine Safety and Efficacy,” was written by a group of scientists from mostly tropical regions regularly affected by dengue such as the Philippines and Brazil. The group includes those working with then-Health Secretary Janet Garin at the Department of Health who were complicit in the unwarranted rush to inject the new drug despite cautionary advice from the World Health Organization not to proceed until further tests have been conducted as required for new products such as Dengvaxia. The study group presumably organized by Sanofi itself analyzed the data gathered in tests conducted on 830,000 children of various ages but mainly those aged nine years and above who were given the vaccine manufactured by the French pharmaceutical giant.

The study confirms what the WHO advised and issued prior to the tests on unsuspecting children who were used as guinea pigs by Sanofi and its enablers in the Aquino administration.

Indeed, as was belatedly advised and shared by Sanofi itself in some kind of a mea culpa last November 2017, months after it had already done its tests, the Dengvaxia vaccine can provide some kind of protection to those who have had prior dengue infection (seropositives) but could cause hospitalization and severe dengue to those who have yet to be infected (seronegatives). Not being a doctor or a scientist and not even a medical reporter and in order to avoid the possibility of missing out the full impact of this latest study I have taken the liberty of reprinting in this column the study bulletin as advised by, yes, Sanofi itself: “...This new publication confirms the vaccine’s potential to prevent dengue, particularly severe dengue (84%) and hospitalizations due to dengue (80%) for the 5-year follow-up period of the study in individuals 9 years of age or older who have had a prior dengue infection. This finding has also been fully documented and recognized by different experts including the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization in their latest recommendation on the use of the vaccine which was published in their Weekly Epidemiological Report on 8th June 2018.

The right...

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their choice of students must be judicious so that taxpayers’ money does not go to waste, and its graduates can be a reliable reservoir of human resource essential to the felicitous development of the nation. You do not achieve that by admitting everyone who seeks admission!

How high should institutions of higher learning set the bar? In one case, a student who had flunked the National Medical Admission Test repeatedly insisted that, on the basis of his constitutional right to education, he had the right to try his luck a fourth time. The matter reached the Supreme Court on the constitutional issue of the right to education. In his own inimitable style, the brilliant Justice Isagani Cruz wrote for the Supreme Court in DECS v. San Diego (1989): “The Court feels that it is not enough to simply invoke the right to quality education as a guarantee of the Constitution: one must show that he is entitled to it because of his preparation and promise. The private respondent has failed the NMAT five times.

While his persistence is noteworthy, to say the least, it is certainly misplaced,

Socked...

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You can’t do a repeat of the Duterte blitzkrieg in 2015-2016. The guy is, as we said, one of a kind.

Try mimicking the style and you get laughed out by an unbelieving public. *** It is good that the Philippine National Police has apprehended a suspect in the murder of Catholic priest Richmond Nilo who was laid to rest recently.

We hope they investigate in earnest and pin down whoever are responsible

Dengue is the fastest growing mosquito borne disease in the world today with an estimated 1 million new infections reported daily. While severe dengue is rare overall, occurring in only 0.5% of all symptomatic cases of the disease, secondary infections with the virus are more likely than first infections to develop into severe disease.

This unique feature of dengue infection is critical to understanding the new data on the dengue vaccine discussed in the New England Journal of Medicine article. In this supplementary analysis, we found an increased incidence of severe disease in vaccinated people without a prior infection

Here is the study bulletin, straight from Sanofi.

compared to un-vaccinated people without a prior infection.

The relative risk of getting severe dengue from a mosquito bite post-vaccination for a study participant 9 years of age or older who had no prior infection was similar to that seen in an unvaccinated person who gets a secondary infection.

More importantly, the degree of severity of the disease in vaccinated individuals responded well to medical care and all individuals recovered fully.

Based on this finding, reported in November 2017, Sanofi Pasteur has reached out to the national regulatory authorities in the countries where the vaccine is currently approved to propose an update to the prescribing information for the vaccine recommending use in individuals with prior dengue infection and warning against vaccination of those without prior infection. At present, several countries have already decided to move forward with the proposed label update and the rest are still reviewing it.

In sharing the new data on our dengue vaccine, Sanofi Pasteur has realized the increasing importance of being able to communicate complex science in an understandable way to avoid unnecessary anxiety and correct any misunderstanding in the public about the safety or efficacy of our vaccines.

Sanofi Pasteur has a long-standing commitment to the global fight against dengue. We will make every effort to facilitate access to the dengue vaccine for people who have had at least one dengue infection already and could, therefore, benefit significantly from the vaccine’s high degree of protection against subsequent infections with dengue....”

So there. With this latest study vetted by no less than the most prestigious medical journal in the United States, it is time for those who conspired with Sanofi in making guinea pigs of almost a million Filipino children and a good number of adults (remember the Quezon City policemen who were also inveigled to take Dengvaxia) and those who were cajoled by their own doctors in private hospitals to buy from the market, to make amends.

Sanofi is doing its level best to steel itself from the lawsuits which will surely come its way with a series of mea culpa initiatives including this latest study.

Of course, PNoy and his gang are busy defending themselves from the lawsuits which have been filed and from being further tainted by the findings of both the Senate and the House inquiries which clearly show their utter neglect and insensitivity in this deadly experiment. As for the so-called experts including the country’s highly regarded medical practitioners and their NGO cohorts and other individuals who should have known better than joining the proDengvaxia fray, may you live to witness the agony and the anxiety of those who have been shamelessly collared to serve, like the Holocaust victims, as the fodder to this deadly experimentation.

I will say it again what I have been saying long before this latest hyped incident about the forced exchange (barter as some Palace insiders called it) of goods in the high seas between our fishermen and some Chinese coast guard personnel happened. Let us permanently station our own Coast Guard vessel in the vicinity of Panatag shoal eyeball-to-eyeball with the Chinese and have a flotilla of fishing vessels fish inside the lagoon every week.

That way we can at least minimize the possibility of continued bullying by the Chinese of our fisher folks.

I am sure that will also accelerate remedial action by the Chinese government to ensure free and untrammeled access to the fishing grounds just like before.

Remember that the escalation of the ‘conflict’ in Panatag was when we confiscated the haul of fish and giant clams from Chinese fishermen and brought them to court a year or so into the PNoy administration. The rest, as they say, is now our ongoing story of bombasts, fake accounts and contrived scenarios of war and destruction by anti-Duterte groups.

But the best action we should now take remains the fortification and full usage of our occupied islands and islets in the Spratlys called the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG). As our friend, Bobbi Tiglao, has time and again advised bring this administration’s signature Build, Build, Build program to the Spratlys to somehow prepare us for the eventual stabilization of relations among the claimants to islands, islets and other rock formations in that vast body of water. Period.

like a hopeless love.” As telling, however, were the ponente’s opening lines: “The issue before us is mediocrity. The question is whether a person who has thrice failed the National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) is entitled to take it again.” No, state universities and colleges were not meant to be cesspools of mediocrity. If anything at all, they are and should always be the precincts of academic excellence.

The High Court frontally addressed the issue of the necessary balance between claims to the right to education and the academic freedom of the higher education institution to determine its own standards. Said the Court in Calawag v.

University of the Philippines (2013): “Verily, the academic freedom accorded to institutions of higher learning gives them the right to decide for themselves their aims and objectives and how best to attain them. They are given the exclusive discretion to determine who can and cannot study in them, as well as to whom they can confer the honor and distinction of being their graduates.

This necessarily includes the prerogative to establish requirements for graduation, such as the completion of a thesis, and the manner by which this shall be accomplished by their students.

The courts may not interfere with their

exercise of discretion unless there is a clear showing that they have arbitrarily and capriciously exercised their judgment.

Lastly, the right to education invoked

by Calawag cannot be made the basis for issuing a writ of preliminary mandatory injunction. In Department of Education, Culture and Sports v. San Diego, we held that the right to education is not absolute. Section 5(e), Article XIV of the Constitution provides that ‘[e]very citizen has a right to select a profession or course of study, subject to fair, reasonable, and equitable admission and academic requirements.’

The thesis requirement and the compliance with the procedures leading to it, are part of the reasonable academic requirements a person desiring to complete a course of study would have to comply with.”

Academic standards will be set and determined by the university—its academic administrators and its governing board, in a manner consistent with law and state policy. It is too important a matter to resolved by vociferation and demagoguery.

for these shocking crimes.

Whatever the motives have been in the spate of killings, and I would not want to speculate as some have about anything larger or more sinister than personal motivations, these executions of men of the cloth are very disturbing, especially to Filipinos who were reared in a very Catholic upbringing.

PNP Director General Oscar Albayalde must get to the bottom of these, and fast. *** A few columns ago, we worried about the impact of looming trade wars.

First there was the tit for tat between Trump and China, Trump and Mexico,

Trump and the EU, including those between Macron and the American “idol.”

Then there was the disastrous G-7 confab in Quebec where the usual friendly communiqué that would have temporarily swept the disagreements under the rug came out with blistering Trump ad hominem versus Canada’s Justin Trudeau. And after a temporary détente as the world watched how Kim Jong Un and the Donald “waltzed” in Singapore, now it’s back to brass tacks and bare knuckles.

The trade wars have begun.

Our economic managers should now look into the effects on the country’s economy, beyond the present and into the medium term.

rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@outlook.com

MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2018

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Cautious steps to unleash a trillion-dollar potential scheme by doubling the excise tax imposed on mining. It’s important to note that the mining sector had long been advocating a sharing scheme that prioritizes local government units, in particular the host communities, over the NOT long ago, the local mining indus- current process in which everything try was besieged in practical disarray is remitted to the national coffers and in the wake of the former Department takes at least two years before hosting of Environment and Natural Resources local governments get their share.

Similarly, DENR’s Mines and Geosecretary’s unabashedly anti-mining stance. At one-point entire operations sciences Bureau had earlier proposed and pending projects, including the a per-commodity basis tax increase in livelihood of thousands, were on stand- the sector, which Department of Fistill, if not altogether compromised, nance Carlos Dominguez said “makes awaiting a decisive move from gov- sense.”

“The government is firm in its poliernment and policymakers to resolve a long drawn impasse that has stymied cy that the utilization or the country’s mineral resources should be allowed the Philippine mining industry.

As it is, the country’s mineral when the proposed mining operation wealth—estimated by some to be is technically feasible, environmentally worth more than a trillion dollars—sits compliant, socially acceptable, and financially viable,” underground MGB said. largely unLawmakers are tapped. While other nations considering the inclusion of the with a similar There is a pressing fiscal regime on mineral profile the mining indussuch as Ausneed to remove all the try in the package tralia and even legal and regulatory two of the govIndonesia have ernment’s comtaken strides to impediments that prehensive tax retake advantage prevent the jumpform package. of such wealth, starting of a new era for Meanwhile, the Philippines DMO 2016-01, has, for the the sector. issued two years most part, been ago before Secunable to do the same, mired in retary Cimatu prolonged legal was appointed, and regulatory imposes a moraconfusion that Lopez’s crusade only torium on the acceptance, processing, and approval of mining applications and exacerbated.

Months after that unfortunate episode, new mining projects for all metallic and there appears to be a sliver of clarity pol- non-metallic minerals. Its implementaicy-wise. Incumbent DENR Secretary tion put on hold then ongoing feasibilRoy Cimatu recently announced plans ity studies of big-ticket projects, namely to possibly amend the controversial the Silangan Copper-Gold Project in Executive Order 79 and DENR Memo- Surigao del Norte and the Nickel and randum Order 2016-1, a move that some Chromite Mining Project in Zambales.

Industry observers have long noted industry observers say crucially signals the government’s new direction in terms that similar crusades against responof fixing and clarifying, once and for all, sible large-scale miners are broadly misguided. Mining corporations are its fiscal regime in mining.

This comes in the heels of a crucial in the forefront of self-regulation and vote by the inter-agency Mining Indus- stewardship because of the country’s try Coordinating Council to officially stringent environmental laws and their lift the ban on open-pit mining. Open- voluntary submission to international pit mining, of course, is a globally ac- benchmarks. Case studies of successful cepted method of extracting minerals rehabilitation, for instance, of open-pit from the earth and yet demonized and mines abound in Zamboanga del Norte, portrayed as heinously destructive and Surigao del Norte, and Palawan.

This, in addition to a clear and comtherefore unacceptable.

If the moves push through, the para- prehensive natural resources roadmap, digm shift can contribute to unleashing had always been in the agenda of the the still untapped potential of the coun- sector. Such clamor for clarity stems try’s mineral wealth—all in the context from a desire to ensure both the strict compliance to environmental regulaof responsible mining.

EO 79 and DMO 2016-01 effectively tions and the strategic harnessing of banned any new mining projects all mineral resources.

Clearly then, there is a pressing need over the country, consequently causing the slowdown of the mining sector. EO to remove all the legal and regulatory 79, issued by former president Benigno impediments that prevent the jumpAquino III, effectively implemented a starting of a new era for the sector, one moratorium on mining projects until a that could unleash a wave of mega inlaw that rationalizes revenue sharing vestments, paving the way for a longschemes and mechanisms have been term cycle en route to national industrialization and inclusive growth. Also, put in place.

Some say the much-maligned Tax in the context of the Duterte adminisReform for Acceleration and Inclusion tration’s ambitious Build Build Build (TRAIN) Law, is at least partly re- program, not prioritizing the mineral sponsible for record inflation since its sector is a profound oversight, a missed implementation early this year, in fact opportunity of gargantuan proportions, effectively legislated a new revenue to the tune of a trillion dollars.

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deposit, a drop in the ocean compared to the $20,000-$100,000 they will have forked out for the experience.

Pemba shrugs that many just don’t care. Compounding the problem, some officials accept small bribes to turn a blind eye, he said.

“There is just not enough monitoring at the high camps to ensure the mountain stays clean,” he said.

Inexperience The Everest industry has boomed in the last two decades.

This has sparked concerns of overcrowding as well as fears that ever more inexperienced mountaineers are being drawn by low-cost expedition operators desperate for customers.

This inexperience is exacerbating the rubbish problem, warns Damian Benegas, who has been climbing Everest for over two decades with twin brother Willie.

Sherpas, high altitude guides and workers drawn from the indigenous local ethnic group, carry heavier items including tents, extra oxygen cylinders and ropes up the mountain—and then down again.

Previously most climbers would take their own personal kit like extra clothes, food, a sleeping bag as well as supplemental oxygen.

But now, many climbers can’t manage, leaving the Sherpas to carry everything.

“They have to carry the client’s gear so they are unable to carry down rubbish,” Benegas said.

He added that operators need to employ more high-altitude workers to ensure all clients, their kit and rubbish get safely up and down the mountain.

Raw sewage Environmentalists are concerned that the pollution on Everest is also affecting water sources down in the valley.

At the moment the raw sewage from base camp is carried to the next village —a one-hour walk—and dumped into trenches.

This then “gets flushed downhill during the monsoon into the river”, said Garry Porter, a US engineer who together with his team might have the answer.

They are considering installing a biogas plant near Everest base camp that would turn climber poo into a useful fertiliser.

Another solution, believes Ang Tsering Sherpa, former president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, would be a dedicated rubbish collection team.

His expedition operator Asian Trekking, which has been running “Eco Everest Expeditions” for the last decade, has brought down over 18 tonnes of trash during that time in addition to the eightkilo climber quota.

And last month a 30-strong cleanup team retrieved 8.5 tonnes of waste from the northern slopes, China’s state-run Global Times reported.

“It is not an easy job. The government needs to motivate groups to clean up and enforce rules more strictly,” Ang said. AFP

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News

MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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Invitation to Submit Proposal for theTODAY Supply of Power to Davao Light and Power Company, Inc.

1.

Bid Information

Davao Light and Power Company, Inc. (“DLPC”) is a duly franchised distribution utility engaged in the distribution of electricity within its franchise area in Davao City and the City of Panabo, and Municipalities of Carmen, Sto. Tomas and Braulio Dujali, province of Davao del Norte. DLPC is in need of the supply of electricity for its peaking requirements to meet the demand of its customers.

DLPC needs a qualified supplier that can supply 50MW of power to commence August 26, 2018, which date for the start of supply shall be subject to the approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission.

2.

Minimum Requirements of Supply

DLPC, through its Third Party Bids and Awards Committee (“TPBAC”), is inviting proposals with the following Minimum Requirements of Supply (“Bid”): Supply of 50 MW Maximum Energy of 438,000MWh

1

Required Contract Capacity

2

Reason for Generation Source

Peaking requirements

3

Plant Description

Peaking

4

Term of Contract

Three (3) years, subject to the right of DLPC to terminate on an annual basis

5

Start of Supply

August 26, 2018, subject to ERC Approval

6

Historical Plant Availability Factor (AF) and Reliability Factor (RF)

AF is greater than or equal to 95% RF is greater than or equal to 95%

7

Load Factor

Can sustainably operate at low load factor, at 30% or lower.

8

Start Up and Shut Down Capability

Capability for at least three (3) times per day

9

Receiving Point

DLPC Metering Points

Minimum Energy Off-take of 0MWh

Annual planned outage allowance of no more than five (5) days or one hundred twenty (120) hours.

10

Plant Outage Allowance & Replacement Power

Forced Outage Allowance of five (5) days or one hundred twenty (120) hours.

Replacement power required only during outages beyond outage allowance at the option of DLPC (at contract price) Proponents must submit a diagram of its plant’s Connection Scheme with the Transmission Grid, which will be part of the over-all evaluation.

11

Connection Scheme and other Technical Characteristics

Plant technical specifications to ensure the reliability of the plant and its capability to be an immediate source of replacement power during outages of base load power plants: i. Physical location and proximity to DLPC Metering Points ii. N-1 connection to the grid

12

13

Form of Payment

Philippine Peso

Tariff Structure

Price for Generation must be broken down into Fixed Capacity Fee, Fixed and Variable O&M, and Energy Fees, or their equivalent including the applicable indexation and taxes.

Evaluation of price offers shall consider delivered cost at any of DLPC’s receiving points.

14

Other Cost Items

Other cost not enumerated in Tariff Structure that will be charged to DLPC

15

Taxes

Bidder to indicate applicable taxes

16

Performance Security

PhP100,000,000.00

17

Other Terms and Conditions

As set out in the power supply agreement

3.

Pre-Qualification Requirements

Parties intending to bid (“Prospective Bidders”) shall comply with the following prequalification requirements (“Pre-Qualification Requirements”): a.

b.

4.

submission of: (i) board resolution authorizing the Prospective Bidder to participate in the bidding; (ii) expression of interest to participate in the bidding in the form prescribed by the TPBAC; (iii) duly notarized non-disclosure undertaking in the form prescribed by the TPBAC; and (iv) written acceptance of the TOR in the form prescribed by the TPBAC [collectively, (i) to (iv) shall be referred to as the “Pre-Qualification Documents.”] payment of non-refundable bid processing fee of PhP100,000.00.

Instruction to Bidders

Prospective Bidders may obtain a copy of the forms of the Pre-Qualification Documents at the DLPC Office, C. Bangoy Sr. Street, Davao City, or by sending an email request to dlpc.csp.secretariat@aboitiz.com on or before 5:00 p.m. of June 28, 2018. Prospective Bidders shall submit the Pre-Qualification Documents and the proof of payment of the non-refundable bid processing fee at the DLPC Office, C. Bangoy Sr. Street, Davao City on or before 5:00 p.m. of July 2, 2018 (the “PreQualification Deadline”).

On or before July 4, 2018, the TPBAC shall notify a Prospective Bidder whether it meets the Pre-Qualification Requirements for timeliness, completeness and conformity.

Only Prospective Bidders that have complied with the Pre-Qualification Requirements on time may be allowed to participate in the bidding and to obtain the bid documents, including the detailed terms of reference and bid procedures.

The TPBAC reserves the right to declare a failed bidding in the event that less than two (2) Prospective Bidders comply with the Pre-Qualification requirements. Further, the TPBAC reserves the right to reject a proposal or not proceed with an award that is reasonably determined not to redound to the benefit of the consumers of DLPC and cancel the bidding process at any time without liability to the TPBAC and DLPC.

‘BAWAL ANG ISTAMBAY.’ At least 92 bystanders are apprehended during Oplan Galugad in Tondo, Manila in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s instruction to arrest loiterers to avert crimes, including illegal drug trade, in the metropolis. Norman Cruz

Sandiganbayan junks 24 cases vs former Basilan vice mayor

By Rio N. Araja

B

ECAUSE of the Office of the Ombudsman’s failure to follow its own procedures, the Sandiganbayan dismissed 24 charges filed against a former vice mayor of Lamitan City, Basilan.

The anti-graft court’s First Division junked the 12 counts of graft, six counts of violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, and six counts of violation of the Local Government Code of 1991 filed against former vice mayor Arleigh Eisma.

In its 25-page resolution, the Sandiganbayan cited “vexatious, capricious, and oppressive” delays in the investigation of the Ombudsman.

The charges against Eisma stemmed from his decision to tap his own gas station business as supplier of fuel requirements of his office and the city council from October 2011 to January 2012 and May to November 2012.

The fuel procurement totaled P1.97 million.

The Ombudsman said Eisma acted with “manifest partiality and evident bad faith” for allowing the purchase of fuel from his own Shell Station for vehicles used by the Office

of the Vice Mayor and the Sangguniang Panlungsod without public bidding, “giving unwarranted benefits, advantage and preference to his own gas station.”

But the anti-graft court still dropped the charges against Eisma, noting that the Ombudsman failed to observe its own rules to terminate the process of preliminary investigation within 10 days after the last pleading was filed.

“In these cases, such process dragged on for three years and five months. The protracted investigation... constitutes inordinate delay on the part of the Office of the Ombudsman thereby effectively removing from it the authority to file … and to pursue the instant criminal cases,” the Sandiganbayan resolution read.

Eisma, for his part, said the charges against him were just politically motivated, and that then mayor Roderick Furigay approved such transactions.

Atienza seeks EO charging hourly fees on road works TO EASE traffic jams due to road diggings, a lawmaker wants all public works contractors and the utilities sector charged escalating hourly fees so they would be compelled to finish their jobs right away.

“The bottlenecks created by these messy road diggings cost us billions of pesos in lost economic productivity,” said Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza.

“Manufacturing activities are being disrupted, deliveries are getting stalled, and people are unable to get to work on time,” the senior deputy minority leader added.

There could be up two million road diggings nationwide every

year, Atienza said, including those done by private firms supplying water, gas and electricity, “Road excavation permit applicants should be billed rising hourly fees so they will be forced to complete their work without delay,” said Atienza, a former three-term mayor of Manila.

“They should also be required to pay additional charges if they choose to do their work on weekdays, instead of weekends,” Atienza said.

Government agencies in March last year outlined new guidelines that required all road repairs and diggings to be done only at night – between 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. – to free up

busy roads during the day.

The Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Transportation and the Metro Manila Development Authority also agreed to require all private contractors to use quick drying cement on road repairs to reduce curing to 24 hours.

“But these remedial measures have obviously failed. We still see daylight road diggings being carried out everywhere and open pits left abandoned in all places,” Atienza said.

Atienza urged President Rodrigo Dutetre to issue an executive order to ensure highly disciplined road works.

5. Indicative Schedule Availability of Bid Documents Deadline for Submission of Comments and Questions on the Bid Pre-bid Conference Issuance of Bid Bulletin/s, if required Deadline for Submission of Bids (“Bid Submission Deadline”)

CHR hits TV show for ‘ampon’ joke

July 4 to 18, 2018 July 7,2018 July 9, 2018 July 9 to 13, 2018

Rio N. Araja

5:00 p.m. of July 20, 2018

Opening of Bids Evaluation of Bids Declaration of Winning Bidder

July 23, 2018

Issuance of Notice of Award

July 26, 2018

Any amendment to the Schedule will be announced through Bid Bulletins.

Unless otherwise expressly specified in writing, all references to times and dates shall refer to Davao time. Unless otherwise expressly specified in writing, the venue of all the above shall be at the DLPC Office, C. Bangoy, Sr. Street, Davao City.

For further information, please refer to: MARK A. VALENCIA Chairman, Third Party Bids and Awards Committee Davao Light and Power Company, Inc. Rondez Engineering Complex J.P. Laurel Avenue, Bajada, Davao City Tel No. (082) - 2293537 Fax No. (082) - 2213082

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD. The MRT Line 7 construction is in progress along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan. The 22-kilometer elevated railway is expected to serve initially 500,000 riders per day. Manny Palmero

Without any imposed formalities, conditions or incurring any liability to any affected proponents, DLPC reserves, at any time, the right to reject any or all submissions, waive any minor defects therein, decide or resolve matters arising from the bid, as it deems most advantageous to DLPC’s customers.

THIRD PARTY BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE DAVAO LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY, INC. By:

MARK A. VALENCIA Chairman, TPBAC June 18, 2018 (MS-JUNE 18 & 25, 2018)

Senate employees’coop rolls out 15 e-jeepneys THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has given the green light to the Senate Employees Transport Cooperative to roll out modern jeepneys that are compliant with the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program.

A total of 15 electric powered jeepneys traversing the routes of Star City-Cultural Center of the Philippines to the Philippine International Convention Center, Government

Service Insurance System-Senate to Mall of Asia to Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange and back will be launching trips starting today (Monday) Transportation Undersecretary Tim Orbos and LTFRB chairman Martin Delgra III are scheduled to join Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, and senators Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Sherwin Gatchalian during the launch.

THE Commission on Human Rights on Sunday called on the public, particularly those from the entertainment sector, to stop from promoting discrimination against less privileged people, including adopted children.

Last week, a talent of ABS-CBN’s noontime show ‘It’s Showtime’ cracked a joke about adopted kids.

The banter drew negative reactions from netizens who pointed out that it ridiculed adopted children.

“We call on ‘It’s Showtime’ to be more responsible in providing entertainment,” CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said.

“Being funny at the expense of people under less favorable circumstances is inhumane and cruel. A person’s birth circumstance does not diminish his/her dignity, nor does it define his/her personhood,” she added.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has condemned the “offensive joke” adding that ‘It’s Showtime’ stimulated) social stigma to adoptees.

The management of ‘It’s Showtime’ has already apologze for the mistake of its talent.

Sports

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MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Mitchell: Listen to coaches, practice hard, learn basics

By Aidan Fajardo LISTEN to your coaches.

That is the advice of Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell to budding basketball players during his press conference at the adidas Sports Performance Store, Two Parkade, Bonifacio Global City on Sunday.

“For me, you just have to listen to your coaches, if you don’t listen you don’t really have a shot”, said Mitchell, who is currently one of the frontrunners for the NBA Rookie of the Year award alongside Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons The Jazz shooting guard and adidas endorse was accompanied

by Rain or Shine player Chris Tiu MITCHELL

and Gilas star Kobe Paras.

Mitchell also said that in order to succeed in the NBA, he mastered the fundamentals of basketball and practiced hard before turning pro.

“I practiced the crazy shots before I even got to the NBA. Practice the fundamentals. Fundamentals must be solid,” said Mitchell, who owns the nickname Spida. “Pay attention to detail, if you don’t know what you’re looking for, well, you’ll suck.”

“Speed, the preparation, the athleticism. You have to get used to that,” Mitchell added.

Tiu, a PBA veteran, also shared that the biggest advantage you can have against a rookie is experience.

“Definitely, these guys are much younger than I am, you know exactly what they’re tendencies are,” Tiu said.

FUNDRAISING GOLFEST. Rep. Prospero “Butch” Pichay of Surigao

del Sur’s First District makes the ceremonial drive kicking off the 1st Butch Pichay Pro-Am Golf Tournament at the Veterans Golf Club on Saturday. The golfest, organized by the Pichay Initiative Foundation and the Professional Golfers Association of the Philippines, lured 72 teams and 144 amateur and professional golfers and was held for the benefit of Gawad Kalinga projects in Surigao del Sur. Some of the sponsors were CM Tan Construction, JM Luciano Construction, Equi-Parco Construction, ICAD Foundation and Vendeka, Puregold, CNC Mining and MR1. Manny Palmero

Johnson, 3 others share lead S

OUTHAMPTON—Dustin Johnson surrendered a fourshot lead to fall into a four-way tie atop the US Open leaderboard as Shinnecock Hills again battered the world’s best golfers on Saturday.

World number one Johnson closed with a three-putt bogey at the 18th in a sevenover par 77 that left him tied on three-over par 213 with Daniel Berger, Tony Finau and defending champion Brooks Koepka.

Berger and Finau teed off early and stormed up the leaderboard with four-under par 66s, playing before sunshine and sea breezes dried out the course.

By the time the leaders teed off, Shinnecock’s greens were hard and fast, and players could only watch as good approach shots rolled off the domed putting surfaces and lightly tapped putts skated past the hole.

The sight raised the spectre of the 2004

US Open at Shinnecock, when weekend wind dried the course and rendering some of the greens virtually unplayable by Sunday.

“Frankly, we missed it with the wind,” admitted US Golf Association chief executive Mike Davis. “The speed of the greens was too much for the wind we had. It was a very tough test, but probably too tough this afternoon.”

Johnson, four-under and leading by four heading into the round, was in trouble early with his first double bogey of the week at the par three second. His four bogeys on the front nine included three in a row at six, seven and eight.

“I didn’t feel like I played badly at all,” Johnson said. “Seven-over usually is a terrible score, but with the greens the way they got this afternoon -- they were very, very difficult.”

As he struggled, England’s Justin Rose and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson tussled for the lead.

But Rose had three bogeys in a row at eight, nine and 10 and bogeyed two of his last three to come in with a 73 that left him tied for fifth on 214.

“I’ve never seen golf course change that quickly,” Rose said. I don’t think the course was necessarily over the line, but pin placements relative to speed and firmness ... the edge was reached.”

Stenson capped his four-over 74 with a bogey at 18 and was alone in sixth on 215.

Despite all the difficulties, Johnson steadied himself to arrive at the 18th tee with a one-stroke lead. His approach from

the fairway bounced near the pin and rolled 17 feet past. His first putt raced past the hole and his par attempt burned the edge but didn’t drop.

Koepka, who had two birdies and four bogeys in his two-over 72, voiced concern that the golf course would hold up through the final round.

“I hope these greens are good enough to play tomorrow,” said Koepka, who lifted the trophy at Erin Hills last year with a record-equalling 16-under par total.

“They’re very borderline right now to be honest with you.”

Finau and Berger both notched six birdies in their four-under efforts. The day’s only other sub-par round was Kiradech Aphibarnrat’s 68, which put the Thai into a tie for seventh on six-over.

But two-time US PGA Tour winner Berger had seen the danger developing during his early round. AFP

Foreigners dominate YOG qualifying tilt THE 2-in-1 Youth Olympic Games qualifying race and the South East Asian Triathlon Sprint Championship held in Subic yesterday morning resulted in contrasting results as visiting triathletes dominated both the boys’ and the girls’ divisions in the qualifying race, depriving local triathletes the chance to join the 2019 Buenos Aires YOG, even as Philippine entries John Chicano and Kim Kilgroe stamped their class in their respective divisions in the SEATA event.

Singapore’s Emma Ada Middleton adapted well to the change from a triathlon to a duathlon event due to the inclement weather that also washed trash on the ACEA beachfront, forcing organizers to scrap the swim leg.

Middleton clocked 1:01.44 in the 2.5K run-20K bike- 5K run race that attracted entries from 17 countries.

Korean Jung Won Lee came in second in 1:02.34, while China’s Xinying Yu and Meiji Lu took third and fourth places in 1:02.52 and 1:04.33, respectively.

Japanese bet Maki Uchida, who covered the distance in 1:04.55, placed fourth, while Hong Kong’s Hie Yee Chan took the last slot for Buenos Aires as she out-sprinted Filipina Karen Manayon in the last 100 meters of the final run leg. Manayon finished only six seconds behind Chan, who clocked 1:05.32.

Only the Top 5 finishers qualified for the YOG. The race was also backed by the SBMA and the Philippine Sports Commission and sanctioned by the Asian Triathlon Confederation.

In the boys’ side, Japan placed three finishers in the Top 7, with Teppei Tokuyama emerging champion in 54:29. Another Japanese bet Kanta Ando finished second in 54:37, followed by Vhina’s Junjie Fan in 55:31. Hong Kong’s Hung Tiklong was in fourth place in 55:42, while the third Japanese bet, Yuya Otani came in sixth in 55:57, followed by Syrian Zakaria Alkarrat in 56:18 for the fifth seat to the YOG. Filipino bet Juan Francisco Baniqued dropped his left shoe at the bike mount area and paid the price as he could only finish 13th overall.

Kilgroe, 28, was uncontested in the SEATA sprint race with her solo finish in 1:02.37, while Chicano, living up to expectations, led a 1-2 finish for the host country together with Andrew Remolino. Chicano clocked 54.54 to Remolino’s 55.38.

Clutch, Stars turn back foes in MPBL caging SILENTLY building up its team prior to the league, Navotas came out strong in its first game of the new MPBL season by blasting Pasay, even as host team Manila came from behind before turning back fellow favored team Bataan late Saturday night at the packed San Andres Gym. The Clutch showed up with only two holdovers left from last season’s roster, but they didn’t have difficulty displaying better team chemistry in their 89-82 win over the Pasay Voyagers.

Only Rey Publico and Ron Dennison were retained form last season’s roster as the team made a total revamp from the coaching staff all the way to the last player on the bench.

The Clutch found a new top gun in former TNT guard Levy Hernandez, who scattered 26 points to power his team in just his first game in the fastest regional amateur basketball league in the country put un by Senator Manny Pacquiao with PBA legend and former MVP Kenneth Duremdes serving as commissioner.

But Hernandez wasn’t the only one who did much of the damage on the Voyagers.

Publico showed vast improvement as he finished with a rebound away form posting a double-double performance.

The newly appointed team captain finished with 22 points and nine boards and his showing earned praise from new head coach Ritchie Ticzon.

Collegiate cage awards at Bayleaf Joseph Enriquez (second from left) holds his trophy and prize as he poses with (from left) organizing committee chairman John Jay Omega, runner-up Marc Enriquez and Ormoc Tennis Club president Benjamin Omega after ruling the men’s Open singles in the first PPS-PEPP Goma Cup Open Tennis Championship recently.

Enriquez bags Goma Cup title FOURTH-RANKED Joseph Enriquez outduelled sibling Marc with his power and superb baseline game, scoring a 6-4, 6-2 romp in the finals to become the first PPS-PEPP Hon. Richard Gomez Open Tennis Championship champion at Ormoc Midtown Tennis Courts in Leyte recently.

Enriquez, 20, flashed top form in the first three rounds, dropping just five games then thwarted Venz Alforque, 6-3, 6-3, in the semis before prevailing in long rallies and subduing his elder brother to pocket the top P20,000 purse in the men’s singles Open put up by Gomez as part of his effort and commitment to boost local sports and sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala and presented by Dunlop.

The Univ. of Visayas student actually came into the event brimming with confidence following his three-gold romp in the recent Philippine National Games where he took the singles, doubles (with Marc) and mixed doubles (with Zethley Alferez of Naga City) titles.

His Goma Cup triumph also netted him a wild card slot, plus free airfare and hotel accommodation in three other PPSPEPP Open tournaments, including the Ibalong Open in Legazpi City, Albay, the

Pintaflores Festival in San Carlos City and the Iloilo Open.

“We thank Mayor Gomez and the organizing committee for joining our evergrowing list of age-groupers and Open championships nationwide. This guarantees a steady flow of talents, which we hope to nurture through our weekly tournaments,” said Palawan Pawnshop president Bobby Castro.

On their way to the semis of the event, backed by Asiatraders Corp. and sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines, made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg, Joseph toppled Ju Rhee Young, 4-2, 4-0; crushed Tyrone Ybañez, 4-0, 4-0; and dominated Sai Lago, 6-1, 6 -2; while Marc scored a walkover win in the first round, routed Nicolas Olat, 4-0, 4-0; then pulled off a pair of tiebreaks, 6-2, 4-6, 10-7 over Vinz Lominoque and 6-4, 6-7(6); 10-7, over third seed Ricardo Lagac.

Meanwhile, the PPS-PEPP will hold two age-groupers in Gen. Santos City and Digos City on June 21-25 and June 28-July 1, respectively. Listup is ongoing. For details, call PPS-PEPP Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.

Bersamina, Quizon lead PH chess team

OLYMPIAD veteran International Master Paulo Bersamina and reigning Asian Age Group champion and runner-up IM John Marvin Miciano and Daniel Quizon will spearhead the country’s bid in the premier under-20 division of the 19th ASEAN+ Age Group Chess Championship set June 19 to 28 at the Royal Mandaya Hotel in Davao City.

The 19-year-old Bersamina, who was part of the PH Olympiad team in Tromso, Norway in 2014 and Baku, Azerbaijan two years ago, is expected to arrive today in Davao City fresh from his failed Olympiad bid in the Grand Finals of the Olympiad qualifier dubbed “Road to Batumi” a few days back.

He will be joined by Miciano and Quizon, who finished first and second, respectively, in the Asian Age Group tilt in Chang Mai, Thailand last April, along with Far Eastern University’s Jeth Romy Morado and John Merill Jacutina and Rhenzki Kyle Sevillano.

Shania Mae Mendoza, who topped the women’s division of the Olympiad qualifier, will carry the torch for the country’s team in the 20-under girls’ side alongside Kylen Joy Mordido.

BEFORE the collegiate wars commence, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines-National Collegiate Athletic Association Press Corps is set to honor the heroes of the past season in the 2018 Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Basketball Awards.

The group, made up of scribes from print and online outfits covering the beat, is set to distinguish the best players from last year when they hold the annual awards night on Thursday at The Bayleaf Hotel in Intramuros.

Set to be awarded are standouts from the championship teams of San Beda Red Lions in the NCAA and the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP. But the trophies aren’t just limited to them as the group will also hand out special awards to the breakout performers of this past season in the event sponsored by Chooks-to-Go. The Red Lions, led by Robert Bolick and coached by Boyet Fernandez, were crowned as the NCAA Season 93 champion in 2017, copping the league’s crown for the 10th time over the last 12 seasons.

LOTTO RESULTS

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

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MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2018A

Sports

Bolts boost bid for Top 2

By Jeric Lopez MERALCO had an explosive third quarter that turned a close game into a blowout, routing Alaska, 89-74, to boost its bid for a top two finish in the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday night.

Chris Newsome had a nice outing, scoring a team-high 18 points and eight assists to lead the Bolts’ balanced attack.

Still steady, Arinze Onuaku added a monster double-double with 14 points and 23 boards, while Jared Dillinger and Baser Amer added 17 markers each.

This fourth straight win was huge for Meralco as it tied Alaska for second place with their now identical 7-2 records.

“It was a good and needed win for us.

We were able to get contributions from everyone while defending really well,” said Meralco coach Norman Black. “We give ourselves a chance to hopefully finish in the top two.”

Both teams are now fighting for a top two finish with two games left in hopes to earn a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals.

In the process, Meralco snapped the seven-game winning streak of Alaska, which was the league’s hottest team coming in.

Argentina’s forward Lionel Messi looks dejected during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group D football match between Argentina and Iceland at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow. AFP

Obiena rips SEA Games pole vault record twice

New Zealand bets share triathlon honors in Albay LEGAZPI CITY – Sam Osborne and fiancée Samantha Kingsford of New Zealand bucked tough condition and challenging terrain to emerge the new XTERRA Off-Road Triathlon champions here yesterday.

Osborne endured the heat and the demanding bike and run courses to get back at XTERRA Danao tormentor Bradley Weiss, clocking 2:16:58 over the 1.5km swim-28km bike-8km run race to capture the men’s pro crown in the event presented by the City of Legazpi and produced by Sunrise Events, Inc. “It was hot and the terrain was very challenging with its uphill and downhill trails,” said Osborne, who barely wrested control in the swim and mountain bike legs before pouring it all in the trail run to win pulling away.

Weiss, winner here in 2015-16 who also fueled his three-peat bid with a victory in Danao last April, timed 2:19:26, his drive for another crown stymied by poor showing in the culminating run stage.

He was behind b y just

three seconds after the swim and by five seconds in mountain bike but lost by two minutes and 20 seconds in the closing run leg now held at Legazpi City Blvd. and the hilly villages Lamba, Puro and Taisan overlooking the Albay gulf from the previous route at the foot slopes of Mayon Volcano from Legazpi to Sto. Domingo.

“I was used to running at the foot slopes of Mayon but now it’s a different terrain,” rued Weiss.

Organizers had to change the mountain bike and trail run routes after the event, originally scheduled last March, was moved to a June date owing to the irregular behavior of Mayon Volcano then.

Another Kiwi Olly S h a w placed third in 2:19:43 while Filipino ace Jos e p h Miller clocked 3:04:24 a n d Japanese Akihiko Maeda t i m e d 3:12:08 for fourth and fifth, respectively, in the event held as part of SEI’s decadelong staging of triathlon events in the country.

Kiwi Samantha Kingsford basks in glory at the finish line of the XTERRA Off-Road Triathlon in Albay.

By Peter Atencio

C

OMEBACKING Ernest John Obiena continued his road to recovery after breaking the Southeast Asian Games record twice in three days.

First, the 22-year-old Obiena cleared a height of 5.40 meters in the men’s pole vault event of the Golden Spike of Ostrava, Czech Republic and Germany last week.

His performance allowed Obiena to surpass the Southeast Asian Games record of 5.35 m, which was established

by Thailand’s Porranot Purshong during the 2017 SEAG in Kuala Lumpur.

Obiena landed 10th place after he and seven other pole vaulters recorded the same performance at the Czech meet.

The only participant from Asia, Obiena stayed on course for his buildup for the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games in August, according to Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association chief Philip Ella Juico.

The tournament is an annual athletics’ event at the Městský Stadion in Ostrava-Vítkovice, Czech Republic

and is part of the International Association of Athletic Federations World Challenge Meetings.

The second time that Obiena shattered the SEA Games’ mark was at the International Stabboc Spring Meeting at Zweobrucken WestphalzStadium in Germany, where he vaulted higher to a height of 5.51 meters.

Here, Obiena finished seventh in a field of 12, with two Chinese athletes finishing ahead of him.

“EJ’s amazing performance brings him within striking distance of a podium finish at the Asiad, where the record for the gold medal was 5.65 in Hiroshima and 5.70 in the Asian championship in Manila in 2003,” said Juico.

Chinese pole vaulter Bokai Huang (5.61) and Jin Yao (also 5.51) had higher clearances, according to Juico.

Jin made the height on his first attempt.

Juico added that Obiena’s feat was achieved only on his third competition after he resumed his build up for the Asiad a month ago in Formia, Italy. He had a year-long layoff as a result of his ACL injury.

The athletics’ chief added that Obiena’s recent performance is still a shade below his Philippine Record of 5.61.

National Poomsae meet set June 23, 24 at Rizal Coliseum THE Philippine Taekwondo Association will hold the 2018 PLDT Home Ultera/ MVP Sports Foundation National Poomsae Championships on June 23-24 at the Rizal Memorial (basketball) coliseum.

No less than 1,500 athletes are expected to represent all regions and PTA chapters all over the country in the poomsae or forms competition which features attack and defense techniques against imaginary opponents.

Through poomsae, the mind and body can work together in striving for perfection of technique because a martial art practitioner develops breathing control, balance, coordination and concentration.

Entries in the two-day event will compete in five events, namely, Individual,

Pair, Team, Free Style and Synchronized Poomsae for colored and blackbelts.

Among the participating regions are ARMM, CAR, CARAGA and NCR while the chapters include Central Gymnasium, Powerflex, Ateneo, San Sebastian College, UP, San Beda College, De La Salle Zobel, DLSU, Team Baguio, Pangasinan, Cebu, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, PNP and AFP, among others.

Sponsors of the event include SMART Communications Inc., MILO, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and MERALCO. Competition will start at 9 a.m. Martial arts enthusiasts and sports buffs, especially children who are interested to learn the sport, are invited to watch.

PH Golf Tour revives Vis-Min swing THE men of the Philippine Golf Tour brace for a grueling campaign in Visayas and Mindanao as the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. lined up a seven-leg swing spread over the next three months in various championship courses with each leg offering P3 million in total prize.

The quaint Apo Golf and Country Club in Davao will host the kickoff leg, actually the third stop of this year’s PGT after the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Challenge and the ICTSI Villamor Philippine Masters, on June 20-23 with current Order of Merit leader and PGT Eagle Ridge leg winner Guido Van der Valk of the Netherlands leading the stellar cast in the ICTSI Apo Golf Invitational.

The challenging Del Monte layout in Bukidnon will stage the next leg on June 2730 for the ICTSI Del Monte Championship before action shifts to Cagayan de Oro for

the Pueblo de Oro Championship on July 4-7 at the Pueblo Oro Golf and Country Club.

Visayas will stage the next four tournaments beginning with the Bacolod Golf Championships on Aug. 8-11 at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club with the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic hosting the next stop on Aug. 15-18 at the Negros Occidental Classic at the NOGCC also known as the Marapara course.

The ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge, meanwhile, will be held on Aug. 22-25 before the Vis-Min swing winds up at the Cebu Country Club for the ICTSI Cebu Invitational on Aug. 29-Sept. 1.

The PGT last held a tournament in Visayas in 2016 with golf legend Frankie Miñoza edging Miguel Tabuena in a classic five-hole playoff to snare the Negros Occi-

UST’s junior female team of Pauline Jubelag, Aljana Erece and Jade Carno shows its winning form in a previous tournament.

Misery for Messi in World Cup MOSCOW—Lionel Messi fluffed his World Cup lines on Saturday, missing a penalty as Iceland held Argentina to a 1-1 draw after France benefited from the first use of the Video Assistant Referee system in tournament history to grind out a victory over Australia.

Just a day after his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo scored a sensational hat-trick to secure a 3-3 draw for Portugal against Spain, Messi had a golden chance to write his own headlines.

The Argentine stepped up to the spot with the teams locked at 1-1 in Moscow’s Spartak Stadium after Rurik Gislason was adjudged to have brought down Maximiliano Meza in the 63rd minute.

But Hannes Halldorsson guessed correctly and palmed away the Argentine skipper’s side-footed effort and, despite intense pressure, Iceland held on for a famous draw in their debut at a World Cup finals.

Sergio Aguero scored the opener for the two-time world champions in the 19th minute but his strike was almost immediately cancelled out by Alfred Finnbogaso.

A downcast Messi spoke of his disappointment at the penalty miss.

“There is a bitterness of not being able to give the team all three points because I think we deserved it,” the Barcelona icon said.

Messi is yet to win a major international tournament and time is running out with his 31st birthday looming. AFP

‘We have to win over Taipei first’ GOING deeper and high up in the rankings of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers will be the goal of Gilas Pilipinas.

“A win is difficult. We are not thinking of 2-0. We’re thinking of getting Taipei first,” said national coach Chot Reyes.

Gilas Pilipinas will meet together for the first time as a team when they go to Taipei on June 25, some four days before their June 29 game.

The team, which will play minus suspended Kiefer Ravena, will be going for their fourth win in five matches. Ravena tested positive for three banned substances during the first two games of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.

A win will solidify Gilas’ hold on the second qualifying slot in the second round with Australia in Group B. It will also allow them to move up in the rankings for a better seeding in the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers next year.

“That’s going to improve our standings and our chances of going deeper into the qualifiers,” added Reyes, who admitted that Gilas has been a complete team since they lost to Australia, 68-84.

Reyes expects the team to get serious training once they start preparing for Taipei by next week.

China and New Zealand are also qualified for the second round in Group A, along with Jordan and Lebanon in Group C, Iran and Kazakhstan in Group D. The Philippines is bunched in Group F in the second round with Iran and Kazakhstan and possibly Japan and Qatar. Peter Atencio

IN BRIEF BSP’s income climbed to P9.8b in first quarter NET income of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas increased significantly to P9.815 billion in the first quarter 2018 from P1.664 billion a year ago, driven mainly by higher interest profits and foreign exchange gains during the period.

Data showed revenues increased 19 percent to P14.918 billion from P12.557 billion a year ago due to a 28-percent increase in interest income to P16.878 billion from P13.140 billion on year.

The central bank realized P7 billion in foreign exchange gains during the period, higher than P4.695 billion in the same period in 2017.

Expenses, meanwhile, fell to P12.143 billion from P15.588 billion a year ago.

Total assets stood at P4.781 trillion as of end-March, slightly higher by P169 billion or 3.7 percent than the year-ago level of P4.612 trillion. The assets were also higher

by P115 billion or 2.5 percent from the endDecember 2017 level of P4.666 trillion.

Liabilities increased P138.7 billion or 3 percent year-on-year to P4.690 trillion.

Julito G. Rada

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2018

B1

PLDT to borrow $400m from local banks in Q4 PLDT Inc. said it plans to borrow $400 million from local banks by the fourth quarter to refinance maturing debts in 2019.

“It’s not a big funding exercise, it’s quite manageable around $400 million between PLDT and Smart. So, if ever towards the tail end of the year,” PLDT chief financial officer Anabelle Chua, said.

PLDT’s gross debt totaled $3.5 billion as of end December 2017, of which only 8 percent was unhedged when available US dollar cash and hedges allocated for debt are taken into account.

Majority or 92 percent of PLDT’s debt are fixed-rate loans.

Chua said PLDT had raised the money to deal with the capital expenditures for 2018.

The company has programmed P58 billion in capital expenditures this year to further expand the fixed and mobile broadband networks, higher than P40 billion last year.

PLDT earlier reported a net income of P6.9 billion in the first quarter, up 39 percent from P4.9 billion in the same period last year.

Consolidated core income reached P6.1 billion in the three-month period, up 14 percent from a year ago. Darwin G. Amojelar

SMC no longer upbeat on Meralco supply deal SAN Miguel Corp. no longer expects the Energy Regulatory Commission to approve a power supply agreement with Manila Electric Co. San Miguel president Ramon Ang last week conceded that the ERC might not want to approve the application due to cases filed with the agency. He added electricity prices had also softened since the time the applications were filed.

“This means we hope ERC will still approve because prices were at P5 (per kilowatt-hour) at that time. Now it’s P3, so ERC may be afraid to approve it because of the high price. So it will be subjected to CSP (competitive selection process),” he said.

Ang said Meralco might be forced to do a CSP or bid out its requirements.

“So I’m not to hopeful because of the many cases filed with ERC. It will have an impact, revenues will go down, “ he said.

“We will have lower revenues but there is still profit because of lower cost of production,” he said. Alena Mae S. Flores

POWER SUPPLY DEAL. Officials of Nueva Ecija II Electric Cooperative Inc. and Aboitiz Power Corp. raise their thumbs to celebrate a partnership after a ceremonial contract signing on May 29, 2018. 10 municipalities of Nueva Ecija will soon power their homes and businesses with clean and renewable energy after NEECO II signed a 33-megawatt power supply deal with Aboitiz Power. (Story on B2)

BSP hikes 2018 investments target T

By Julito G. Rada

HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas revised upward the net inflow target for foreign direct investments this year to $9.2 billion from the previous estimate of $8.2 billion due to the brighter outlook for both the domestic and global economies and the impact of the massive infrastructure projects of the government.

“Net inflows of FDI in 2018 are projected to reach $9.2 billion, driven primarily by the sustained positive developments in the domestic economy, expected improvement in global economic conditions relative to 2017 as well as the implementation of public-private partnership projects that were approved/awarded in the previous years, when most projects started,” the

central bank said over the weekend.

“FDI uptick is further seen in 2018 in line with the continued fast tracking and modernization of the country’s soft and hard infrastructure, growing interest from nontraditional investment sources, and improved global perception of the Philippines as an investment destination,” the regulator said.

FDI net inflows totaled $2.2 billion in the first quarter of 2018, an increase of 44 percent from $1.5 billion in the comparable period last year.

Net equity capital for the quarter increased more than six-fold to $887 million from a year ago as gross placements of $996 million more than compensated for the withdrawals of $109 million.

Equity capital placements originated mainly from Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Japan, and Taiwan.

The bulk of the placements were invested in manufacturing; financial and insurance; real estate; arts, entertainment and recreation; and electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply activities.

Net investments in debt instruments reached $1.1 billion, down 8.2 percent from $1.2 billion in the previous year. Reinvestment of earnings was steady at $193 million.

Lopez: US-China trade war will not have a major impact

Dominguez, PH economic team leave for Japan FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III will lead a Philippine delegation to Tokyo this week to pitch the planned Samurai bond issuance and present to investors the country’s bigticket infrastructure projects for possible Japanese financing.

Scheduled on June 18 to 21, the Tokyo visit will include a Philippine economic briefing, the second to be held in Tokyo since last year, and the fifth regular meeting of the Philippines-Japan High-Level Committee on Infrastructure and Economic Cooperation.

The briefing, which will lay out the Duterte administration’s plan to sustain the Philippines’ status as one of the fastest-expanding economies in Asia and its programs for inclusive growth, will also set the groundwork” for the deal roadshow that the government will roll out for its planned yendenominated Samurai bonds issue.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Secretaries Ernesto Pernia of the National Economic and Development Authority, Benjamin Diokno of the Department of Budget and Management, Arthur Tugade of the Department of Transportation, and Mark Villar of the Department of Public Works and Highways Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. and Vivencio Dizon, president and CEO of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, are expected to join Dominguez at the economic briefing scheduled on June 19.

While in Tokyo, Dominguez is also set to meet with officials from the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Nomura, Mizuho, Daiwa and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. to discuss the Philippines’ plan to float Samurai bonds by the third or fourth quarter of 2018.

Dominguez will hold a separate meeting with officials of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation to discuss possible areas of cooperation between the Philippines and the financial institution. Julito G. Rada

Net inflow of foreign direct investments in march jumped 27 percent to $682 million from $537 million a year ago, as net equity capital increased markedly on the back of higher gross placements of equity capital ($351 million from $51 million) and lower withdrawals ($33 million from US$42 million).

Equity capital infusions came mostly from Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, the United States and Sweden. These were channeled largely to manufacturing, real estate, art, entertainment and recreation, and financial and insurance activities.

Non-residents’ investments in debt instruments issued by local affiliates (or inter-company borrowings) posted net inflows of $301 million, down 36 percent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, reinvestment of earnings increased 13 percent to $63 million in March 2018 from $56 million in March 2017.

Earlier, Bangko Sentral Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said he was expecting the growth momentum of foreign direct investments to be sustained this year, citing a number of drivers for expansion such as the country’s solid macroeconomic fundamentals and strong partnerships with traditional and non-traditional trading partners.

By Othel V. Campos

PUBLISHERS MEET. The Asia Pacific Publishers Association headed by Filipino publisher Dominador Buhain as president holds its 2018 Annual General Meeting in Manila. Shown are (from left) representatives from APPA member-countries led

by Joseph Palimi (Papua New Guinea); Kush Bahadur Dhoju (Nepal); Shanty Kumar Gautama (Nepal); Yin Wang Hsiu and Annie Wu (as observers from Taiwan); Mazharul Islam (Bangladesh); Eric Yang (Korea); Buhain (Philippines); Vijitha Yapa (Sri Lanka); Kamrul Hasan Shayok (Bangladesh); Yodi Setiawan Ibrahim (Indonesia); Sonia Santiago (Philippines); Rodelio Dascil and Jobelle Bongco (Philippines).

PAL cuts baggage allowance

By Darwin G Amojelar PHILIPPINE Airlines plans to reduce by half the free baggage allowance on domestic and London flights in a bid to mitigate the impact of high jet fuel prices.

PAL, in a filing with the Civil Aeronautics Board, wants to reduce the free baggage allowance to 10 kilograms from 20 kilograms on domestic operations.

PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said the reduction of free baggage allowance only covered promo fares on domestic flights.

“Those who wish to avail of lowest fares and are traveling light may avail of promo domestic fares which offer 10 kg of free baggage allowance,” she said.

“This change is not yet being implemented,” Villaluna added.

PAL carried 1.26 million passengers last year, down 35 percent from 1.95 million passengers, while unit PAL Express flew 5.94 million passengers last year from 5.08 million passengers in 2016.

PAL also reduced the free baggage allowance on its London operations from two pieces at 23 kilograms per piece to only 30 kilograms for economy class.

For business class, PAL wants to cut the free baggage allowance from two pieces at 32 kilograms per piece to only 40 kilograms.

“For London, PAL would like to shift from piece system to weight system,” Villaluna said.

“Under the piece system, an extra piece regardless of weight automatically is charged $150,” she added.

PAL’s move to cut free baggage allowance aims to reduce flying expenses amid higher jet fuel prices.

PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista earlier said it expected to consume 11 million barrels of jet fuel this year, resulting in an additional cost of $143 million to the country’s flag carrier.

Data from the International Air Transportation Association showed that jet fuel prices averaged $91.4 a barrel as of May 25, up 42 percent from a year ago.

THE Department of Trade and Industry said the trade war between the US and China will not have a major impact on the Philippine exporters.

The US said it was imposing a tariff of 25 percent on $50 billion worth of exports from China, which, in turn, announced retaliatory moves against the US. “This will have a huge impact on the economies of the two countries, as their higher import costs will affect their respective consumers and imported inputs-using manufacturers,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said.

US lawmakers agreed, expecting the trade volume between the two countries to decline.

Lopez said the trade war might backfire on the US cost and competitiveness and would affect American industries.

The situation could also encourage affected manufacturers to shift their

production activities to other countries like the Philippines.

Philippine exports have started reviewing product lists that the Philippines can easily supply.

The other trade moves of US were not country-specific but product specific and would China and other countries as well, Lopez said.

“Invoking Section 201 of US Trade Act, the US can impose duties and non tariff barriers on products that injure or threaten to injure their local industries.

Affected products are solar panels and washing machines, Lopez said.

“For the Philippines, there is no impact for washing machines, but there is an impact for solar panels since there is one major exporter Sunpower Inc. The company has submitted (its)position for exemption,” he said.

The US may also impose tariff on sensitive products to address issues on national security, like steel at 25 percent tariff and aluminum at 10 percent.

B2

Business

MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stock market eyes BSP meeting

By Jenniffer B. Austria

S

hare prices are expected move sideways this week as investors focus on Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ next move following last week’s 25 basis point rate hike implemented by the US Federal Reserve.

“This week, central bank officials will convene to decide on local interest rates, and how the peso’s weakness will be addressed. To stave off an expected capital outflow from the Fed rate hike, BSP officials will need to review all arsenals that may not necessarily lead to an adjustment in rates,” 2TradeAsia.com said.

Philstocks Inc. research head Justino Calaycay said while the Philippine Stock Exchange Index might continue to trade between 7,500 points and 7,700 points, the entering the bear market remained a threat.

“Philstocks think that while we are not yet in the bear’s hug, we have felt its pawing and the bulls are

definitely no longer in control. We have been served up one half of a bearish signal—a death cross on that appeared on the charts sometime April. All it takes is for the Index to drop further past the 7,250 line to provide final confirmation,” Calaycay said.

He said the valuation remained a concern, with the Philippine stock market still considered expensive despite its recent drop.

“While forward PE for the local market has dropped to 17.2 and 15.3 this year and the next, Philippine shares still rank as among the more expensive propositions across the globe, and across the narrower region,” he said.

The bellwether PSEi sank 2.7 percent to 7,529.54 while the broader All Shares Index dipped 2.07 percent to 4,593.18.

All sectoral indices declined, led by property (-5.47 percent), financials (-2.26 percent), holdings firms (-1.96 percent) industrial (-1.29 percent), mining and oil (0.63 percent) and services (-0.62 percent).

Foreign investors were net sellers by P4.02 billion during the three-day trading week, while the average daily valued traded stood at P7.8 billion from the pre-

vious week’s average of P5.8 billion.

Weekly top price gainers were Melco Resorts and Entertainment (Philippines) Corp., which rose 8.7 percent to P6 per share; Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., which advanced 4.9 percent to P51; and Bloomberry Resorts Corp., which climbed 4.2 percent to P11.44.

Weekly top price losers, meanwhile, were Lopez Holdings Corp., which declined 12.7 percent to P3.65; Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., which dropped 8 percent to P30.45; and SM Prime Holdings Inc., which fell 7.8 percent to P34.75.

Meanwhile, Wall Street stocks retreated Friday as tit-for-tat tariff announcements by the United States and China ignited a trade war that could spread.

Major indices were in the red the entire session, but closed above their session lows.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.3 percent to end the week at 25,090.48.

The broad-based S&P 500 slipped 0.1 percent to close at 2,779.42, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index lost 0.2 percent to 7,746.38, retreating from Thursday’s record. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS WEEKLY STOCKS REVIEW STOCKS

JUNE 11-14, 2018 Close Volume

Value

JUNE 4-8, 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 Bank of Comm Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank Philippine trust Co. PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities

58.5 136.00 95.85 2.90 1.57 34.4 16.6 15.1 3.58 9.49 0.67 1.5 851.00 0.580 74.75 1.23 12 20.60 49.80 85.8 108 204.8 30.45 206 1955.00 88.90 1.18

47,170 8,485,880 6,031,700 89,000 553,000 283,500 106,300 2,487,800 99,000 1,800 5,000 5,000 610 11,357,000 21,209,030 12,773,000 38,800 6,700 2,210,560 3,150 420 5,650 798,600 1,857,870 160 224,000 21,000

FINANCIAL 2,779,827.00 1,149,843,145.00 582,616,675.50 265,560.00 867,660.00 9,767,780.00 1,761,992.00 36,821,972.00 355,220.00 16,922.00 3,350.00 7,500.00 520,550.00 6,438,230.00 1,623,328,739.50 15,410,170.00 465,588.00 134,475.00 113,646,052.50 270,898.00 47,390.00 1,158,726.00 25,647,610.00 377,054,659.00 313,300.00 19,930,618.50 24,880.00

59.35 137.10 99.30 2.99 1.65 34.5 16.68 14.76 3.5 9.47 0.66 1.49 850.00 0.550 80 1.14 11.98 20.00 50.70 86 105.6 206.8 33.1 200.6 1960.00 89.00 1.18

95,790 10,168,370 7,416,470 154,000 3,393,000 735,200 99,900 3,590,900 246,000 2,700 26,000 53,000 1,350 6,165,000 23,241,010 31,144,000 40,400 21,800 699,240 2,070 320 2,940 652,200 1,162,260 490 209,890 3,000

5,654,419.00 1,343,156,322.00 736,944,688.00 434,680.00 5,730,950.00 25,265,320.00 1,653,342.00 53,804,552.00 867,150.00 24,613.00 17,160.00 79,940.00 1,186,435.00 3,290,800.00 1,874,286,864.00 37,016,010.00 485,592.00 437,295.00 35,545,663.50 178,620.00 33,741.00 608,738.00 22,708,980.00 229,701,492.00 953,675.00 18,682,260.00 3,540.00

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Asiabest Group Basic Energy Corp.

Bogo Medelin C. Azuc De Tarlac Cemex Holdings Century Food Chemphil Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ Conc. Aggr. ‘B’ Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Eagle Cement EEI Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) Euro-Med Lab First Gen Corp.

First Holdings ‘A’ Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 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 Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

38.7 14.72 0.6 1.26 23.1 0.232 112 23.80 3.11 16.5 260.8 49.95 61.1 80.05 59.95 1.92 5.1 8.99 10.620 16 11.38 7.25 5.25 1.7 15 64 21.60 8.57 15.1 2.450 279.20 45.00 5.03 3.3 16.70 27.4 11.86 22 0.183 345.00 6.75 2.28 4.30 9.19 5.94 7.75 1.33 12.40 51 5.95 4.60 2.44 3.6 2 13.22 63.8 5.03 0.132 0.91 121.6 2.6 3.02 1.62

3,952,500 2,704,600 2,062,000 2,076,000 288,900 23,380,000 30 158,100 10,745,000 386,700 110 1,336,510 1,250 390 1,764,220 647,000 2,100 46,000 8,734,100 1,635,300 107,100 5,811,000 7,870,700 10,000 1,211,300 99,700 1,131,200 96,500 3,622,600 8,136,000 2,956,640 450 227,100 14,000 2,000 6,633,000 638,100 5,009,700 4,880,000 2,299,010 40,400 15,046,000 161,000 3,585,300 3,693,700 14,300 2,891,000 170,900 1,737,100 117,500 37,771,000 1,577,000 74,000 1,182,000 871,500 914,210 494,400 6,810,000 151,000 5,039,840 20,000 25,154,000 232,537,000

INDUSTRIAL 150,535,510.00 38,892,360.00 1,226,250.00 2,639,420.00 6,520,559.00 5,432,580.00 3,360.00 3,773,000.00 34,260,670.00 6,343,194.00 28,698.00 66,665,102.50 76,633.00 31,219.50 97,040,244.50 1,241,970.00 10,710.00 406,864.00 92,567,378.00 26,134,024.00 1,221,710.00 41,851,165.00 41,388,852.00 17,300.00 18,125,072.00 6,259,285.50 23,417,480.00 834,858.00 54,896,084.00 19,204,540.00 828,164,456.00 21,327.50 1,146,310.00 46,560.00 33,444.00 180,879,205.00 7,675,010.00 111,684,605.00 934,260.00 780,096,722.00 269,178.00 34,604,510.00 697,020.00 32,299,743.00 22,375,573.00 111,759.00 3,970,080.00 2,131,574.00 86,155,145.00 704,060.00 173,745,720.00 3,998,760.00 267,040.00 2,307,160.00 11,481,384.00 59,555,275.50 2,520,142.00 884,360.00 140,420.00 625,427,933.00 52,000.00 76,725,790.00 323,959,700.00

38.2 14.1 0.62 1.28 19.9 0.223 110 25.60 3.33 16.28 255 50 61 87.95 54 1.92 5.1 8.71 10.600 16.12 11.56 7.19 5.44 1.77 14.62 62 20.65 8.94 15.42 2.300 284.00 51.95 5.1 3.39 17.00 27.05 12.26 22.5 0.188 338.00 7.00 2.27 4.49 9.00 5.94 7.70 1.41 12.50 48.6 6.1 4.60 2.54 3.65 2.07 13.14 67 5.15 0.136 0.96 131 2.56 3.11 1.15

8,628,700 3,335,800 6,437,000 1,336,000 179,700 14,230,000 2,830 626,000 57,661,000 3,453,700 270 2,044,410 2,060 230 1,876,630 391,000 14,500 167,000 6,923,800 3,127,600 86,700 1,156,400 3,645,300 15,000 1,583,900 1,428,810 1,011,700 197,800 5,475,800 8,217,000 3,870,580 1,410 338,600 4,000 20,000 1,477,000 987,500 9,033,800 1,780,000 1,735,900 280,300 22,499,000 294,000 3,783,400 654,600 255,800 525,000 861,800 2,809,500 181,500 3,597,000 6,775,000 132,000 7,185,000 2,231,700 1,110,700 5,269,500 10,020,000 420,000 5,555,370 102,000 71,685,000 213,056,000

332,577,765.00 46,994,922.00 3,843,130.00 1,694,930.00 3,558,990.00 3,212,550.00 316,716.00 16,754,790.00 183,121,550.00 56,290,776.00 60,118.00 102,047,588.50 126,811.50 18,585.50 97,672,132.00 753,170.00 72,340.00 1,491,656.00 74,998,756.00 50,384,642.00 1,000,190.00 8,303,455.00 19,347,970.00 26,240.00 23,612,242.00 88,623,126.50 21,820,061.00 1,759,172.00 84,404,366.00 18,205,460.00 1,090,484,760.00 72,536.50 1,697,766.00 13,530.00 338,952.00 40,284,890.00 12,121,380.00 205,285,615.00 321,910.00 405,006,204.00 1,968,026.00 51,955,470.00 1,297,100.00 34,165,030.00 3,785,446.00 1,986,019.00 736,790.00 10,519,372.00 136,721,925.00 1,087,780.00 16,544,480.00 17,101,670.00 487,260.00 14,446,980.00 29,293,854.00 74,025,211.00 28,463,034.00 1,310,620.00 387,200.00 698,402,994.00 265,760.00 214,796,770.00 219,315,780.00

Abacus Cons. `A’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A Anscor `A’ ATN Holdings A ATN Holdings B Ayala Corp `A’ Cosco Capital DMCI Holdings Filinvest Dev. Corp.

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

Lopez Holdings Corp.

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

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

0.270 62.60 12.78 0.95 6.11 0.680 0.700 950.5 6.4 10.74 7.39 0.196 1007 6.50 57.10 5.5 5.67 0.58 3.56 19.38 0.570 4.99 3.36 0.0370 1.230 2.890 140.00 2.55 902.50 1.63 0.81 260.000 579.00 0.2200 0.211

39,540,000 5,678,000 27,474,600 1,950,000 49,100 10,243,000 2,432,000 1,130,530 4,582,400 38,025,400 211,300 270,000 685,890 69,600 6,945,310 14,700 14,200 686,000 12,303,000 9,311,700 3,727,000 111,052,000 5,000 13,700,000 5,739,000 6,709,000 535,930 13,000 1,332,930 101,000 121,000 15,980 8,920 3,000,000 320,000

HOLDING FIRMS 11,079,550.00 354,350,076.00 349,871,116.00 1,931,080.00 301,234.00 6,875,380.00 1,678,450.00 1,073,418,480.00 29,310,000.00 410,917,010.00 1,558,635.00 53,160.00 688,959,230.00 452,410.00 402,813,687.50 81,420.00 77,606.00 391,230.00 45,285,450.00 184,158,556.00 2,143,150.00 555,977,049.00 16,800.00 504,900.00 7,325,280.00 19,303,140.00 74,644,123.00 33,190.00 1,203,791,125.00 165,870.00 97,100.00 4,137,106.00 5,266,750.00 660,630.00 68,500.00

0.285 64.00 12.98 0.94 6.20 0.680 0.690 966.5 6.31 11.12 7.50 0.197 1000 6.70 59.35 5.5 5.38 0.56 4.08 20.55 0.580 5.01 3.36 0.0370 1.270 2.960 140.00

596,340,000 4,635,980 31,800,000 184,000 129,800 20,402,000 3,380,000 1,273,750 30,839,800 56,376,500 170,800 610,000 769,560 8,500 5,884,380 3,900 14,200 3,159,000 24,937,000 24,690,000 17,441,000 111,103,300 4,000 41,000,000 43,270,000 3,545,000 906,990

155,854,390.00 288,859,819.00 416,390,984.00 172,700.00 799,324.00 13,768,020.00 2,312,680.00 1,232,702,900.00 193,776,662.00 629,591,682.00 1,283,711.00 119,590.00 768,820,867.50 56,650.00 402,426,988.50 20,960.00 77,488.00 1,804,110.00 102,255,760.00 505,106,162.00 10,982,850.00 564,679,850.00 13,440.00 1,506,500.00 59,847,130.00 10,434,840.00 127,721,117.00

917.50 1.65 0.80 264.000 553.00 0.2300 0.218

762,060 541,000 248,000 20,500 870 7,010,000 530,000

689,214,530.00 878,240.00 198,500.00 5,321,954.00 451,810.00 1,600,660.00 114,420.00

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 City & Land Dev. Cityland Dev. `A’ Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp.

Double Dragon Empire East Land Filinvest Land,Inc. Global-Estate Interport `A’ Keppel Properties Megaworld MRC Allied Ind.

7.540 1.00 15.00 2.040 0.810 39.150 3.38 4.76 6 6 0.450 1.08 0.960 0.220 0.415 27.1 0.610 1.60 1.27 1.10 4.28 4.56 0.630

10,405,400 7,825,000 61,400 106,000 2,583,000 42,973,200 1,312,000 1,474,000 11,800 300 63,350,000 195,000 511,000 17,270,000 770,000 2,246,000 1,269,000 19,024,000 3,831,000 9,854,000 2,000 88,442,000 106,098,000

PROPERTY 77,449,044.00 7,893,290.00 926,254.00 217,280.00 2,060,170.00 1,710,781,505.00 4,394,970.00 7,137,360.00 70,415.00 1,800.00 29,060,800.00 205,300.00 489,840.00 3,874,230.00 323,650.00 61,422,620.00 795,660.00 30,431,800.00 4,895,760.00 10,713,840.00 8,560.00 412,633,420.00 67,859,020.00

7.340 1.03 15.30 2.020 0.820 40.800 3.38 4.79 6 6 0.460 1.02 0.960 0.232 0.425 27.9 0.620 1.65 1.29 1.10

24,060,100 12,742,000 96,100 224,000 4,660,000 41,747,800 664,000 1,526,000 13,037,000 2,300 94,970,000 96,000 846,000 17,310,000 780,000 4,497,800 1,661,000 28,457,000 3,409,000 38,230,000

174,969,260.00 13,104,770.00 1,429,030.00 451,500.00 3,732,350.00 1,709,875,310.00 2,257,140.00 7,165,610.00 76,932,956.00 13,800.00 42,663,950.00 97,380.00 814,230.00 3,983,960.00 334,400.00 128,020,270.00 1,030,500.00 45,942,560.00 4,322,650.00 44,413,480.00

4.9 0.650

118,456,000 231,323,000

580,105,870.00 150,049,580.00

STOCKS

JUNE 11-14, 2018 Close Volume

JUNE 4-8, 2018 Close Volume

Value

Phil. Estates Corp.

Phil. Realty `A’ Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry Primex Corp.

Robinson’s Land `B’ Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

0.4350 0.520 29.00 2.75 19.56 2.04 3.3 34.75 1.1 8.95 0.790 6.800

4,090,000 7,951,000 1,200 18,711,000 6,872,200 6,309,000 226,000 49,201,400 1,262,000 5,010,500 23,000 12,538,600

1,828,500.00 4,058,950.00 34,845.00 50,047,600.00 136,768,448.00 13,468,220.00 739,930.00 1,747,672,705.00 1,376,530.00 47,406,390.00 18,390.00 85,084,089.00

2GO Group’ ABS-CBN Acesite Hotel APC Group, Inc. Apollo Global Asian Terminals Inc. Berjaya Phils. Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings 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

15.3 26.2 1.33 0.485 0.046 13 5.4 11.44 0.0540 84.5 8.8 8.1 7.30 2.29 18.70 950 1680 5.63 311.00 3.68 86.05 2.16 13.3 8.22 0.114 1.8700 4.42 15.04 4.36 1.04 25.15 19.46 0.455 4.26 6 2.93 3.80 3.80 10.080 11.44 9.10 3.1 123.00 5.38 1297.00 0.360 0.920 48.00 84.00 9.32 2.08 1.220 0.45 4.9 0.840 11.940

34,900 116,200 1,000 23,690,000 9,500,000 151,000 2,000 33,190,100 14,710,000 483,330 5,000 31,471,800 20,400 42,000 429,000 510 126,575 247,300 20,980 1,985,000 5,256,180 59,000 300 27,600 3,260,000 18,090,000 1,129,000 15,900 3,832,000 1,958,000 1,036,300 14,500 50,000 131,000 27,823,500 2,241,000 55,667,000 3,329,000 63,337,600 6,700 22,600 59,000 18,160 2,923,400 276,575 910,000 27,372,000 2,840,300 1,217,160 5,502,200 8,224,000 2,005,000 52,880,000 24,655,500 5,905,000 7,820,100

SERVICES 540,666.00 3,038,420.00 1,330.00 11,813,010.00 425,600.00 1,935,180.00 10,800.00 366,006,046.00 799,880.00 41,805,707.50 44,000.00 256,170,479.00 148,860.00 95,210.00 8,038,492.00 482,500.00 209,155,980.00 1,385,507.00 6,487,342.00 7,399,670.00 453,032,820.00 129,200.00 3,990.00 226,645.00 373,760.00 31,629,580.00 4,640,440.00 241,104.00 16,424,030.00 2,041,240.00 26,186,935.00 278,072.00 22,550.00 557,340.00 168,379,947.00 6,616,780.00 206,904,890.00 12,337,240.00 605,232,165.00 75,516.00 206,445.00 180,800.00 2,260,725.00 15,604,258.00 357,906,970.00 323,300.00 26,216,850.00 137,081,855.00 57,488,848.50 51,500,198.00 17,198,280.00 2,465,440.00 23,576,300.00 119,969,924.00 4,898,120.00 94,566,452.00

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

0.0028 1.56 4.43 26.70 1.6500 1.6000 1.73 0.300 7.70 2.300 0.199 0.133 0.133 0.009 0.0081 1.53 5.01 1.11 0.5200 0.9300 0.0120 0.0130 4.92 12.50 0.0120 2.0100 30.65 0.0061

599,000,000 8,488,000 81,000 939,500 51,000 30,000 2,120,000 460,000 35,500 5,048,000 1,090,000 3,950,000 930,000 23,000,000 8,000,000 1,011,000 1,451,800 32,000 166,000 431,000 36,500,000 8,200,000 1,223,800 6,201,700 28,200,000 43,000 10,051,100 11,000,000

MINING & OIL 1,671,400.00 13,245,870.00 351,530.00 26,625,510.00 84,150.00 47,400.00 3,618,860.00 137,800.00 263,840.00 11,543,520.00 209,070.00 525,670.00 124,580.00 193,700.00 64,800.00 1,530,160.00 7,221,068.00 35,180.00 86,320.00 387,420.00 438,500.00 111,400.00 6,213,193.00 76,078,990.00 325,300.00 85,270.00 310,647,470.00 67,500.00

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

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

24.8 102 500 101 107 510 5.38 980 100 1.05 103 1021 102.8 978 76 79.8 76 78.4 76.6 76 76

578,000 2,400 520 41,220 50 20 228,500 5,000 6,500 73,000 4,910 500 1,510 10,870 73,820 12,650 3,000 2,340 2,010 35,520 20,400

LR Warrant

2.610

WARRANTS & BONDS 3,045,000 7,929,910.00

PREFERRED 14,448,370.00 250,500.00 261,600.00 4,162,959.00 5,350.00 10,250.00 1,235,086.00 4,861,700.00 645,000.00 77,390.00 505,730.00 510,500.00 155,228.00 10,605,120.00 5,620,904.00 1,010,648.50 228,000.00 183,085.00 153,966.00 2,702,412.00 1,551,360.00

SME 20,231,788.00 5,554,390.00

Value

0.4300 0.520 29.05 2.6 20.35 2.08 3.25 37.70 1.09 9.98 0.800 6.960

5,620,000 14,219,000 100 24,035,000 16,002,800 1,030,000 284,000 37,539,800 2,727,000 7,323,700 174,000 15,711,600

2,439,950.00 7,319,340.00 2,905.00 63,502,070.00 327,803,964.00 2,099,690.00 923,770.00 1,414,711,525.00 2,980,030.00 72,858,538.00 142,510.00 107,143,978.00

15.86 26.4 1.33 0.510 0.045 13 4.99 10.98 0.0550 87 8.8 7.62 7.20 2.29 19.46 950 1660 5.58 311.80 3.90 86.95 2.35 13.02 8.21 0.117 1.6200 3.95 15.04 4.09 1.06 25.35 17.12

93,100 790,600 38,000 64,890,000 23,400,000 7,002,700 29,100 48,611,500 63,020,000 2,154,030 22,800 3,901,300 161,300 33,000 890,500 16,520 263,380 1,137,100 49,550 4,323,000 14,329,350 192,000 13,100 44,300 13,740,000 12,106,000 3,901,000 5,900 7,670,000 4,245,000 2,175,300 3,200

1,438,062.00 20,804,890.00 50,740.00 32,837,250.00 1,054,000.00 88,330,876.00 147,334.00 536,385,178.00 3,517,080.00 190,739,980.00 200,660.00 29,309,448.00 1,159,534.00 74,790.00 17,189,381.00 15,730,840.00 431,477,910.00 6,399,451.00 15,240,780.00 16,465,630.00 1,232,670,330.00 419,120.00 172,828.00 363,582.00 1,580,680.00 19,352,850.00 16,534,460.00 88,826.00 30,916,490.00 4,540,810.00 55,373,575.00 58,654.00

4.29 5.52 2.98 2.86 2.86 9.950 11.76 9.05 2.9 123.00 5.20 1319.00 0.360 0.970 47.90 87.80 9.00 2.11 1.270 0.43 5.02 0.840 11.960

139,000 16,475,800 4,911,000 75,609,000 9,324,000 64,442,900 1,700 91,200 70,000 332,470 1,844,800 420,135 5,650,000 22,503,000 2,617,200 1,089,120 21,250,900 8,590,000 42,663,000 39,340,000 55,688,000 18,420,000 26,309,100

577,790.00 92,352,673.00 14,700,310.00 250,114,560.00 29,971,500.00 666,418,701.00 19,874.00 833,626.00 205,440.00 41,467,415.00 9,725,453.00 546,600,865.00 2,044,000.00 22,284,380.00 124,086,315.00 95,795,072.50 180,700,730.00 18,393,500.00 52,554,720.00 16,886,950.00 271,911,590.00 15,357,200.00 313,709,958.00

0.0027 1.60 4.48 28.70

1,285,000,000 10,177,020 308,000 2,054,100

3,690,700.00 11,763,290.00 1,324,330.00 67,136,459.00

1.4500 1.69 7.280 7.28 2.300 0.195 0.136 0.135 0.009 0.0080 1.52 5.04 1.12 0.5200 0.9000 0.0130 0.0120 5.30 13.04 0.0120 2.0500 30.00 0.0062

1,000 4,168,000 1,410,100 1,200 21,028,000 3,940,000 11,730,000 6,190,000 14,000,000 6,000,000 1,596,000 4,606,000 374,000 348,000 1,038,000 1,533,100,000 2,200,000 3,265,300 12,818,400 105,900,000 26,000 18,000,600 21,000,000

1,450.00 7,081,640.00 422,678.00 8,744.00 48,433,910.00 734,090.00 1,552,610.00 815,110.00 119,300.00 48,800.00 2,471,500.00 22,486,910.00 404,140.00 186,170.00 921,910.00 19,411,000.00 27,300.00 43,032,158.00 172,890,550.00 1,202,600.00 52,720.00 538,710,000.00 129,200.00

25.1 101.1 508 101 106 515 5.4 961 100 1.07 103 1021 102.8 970 77 79.85 76 77 76.7 77 76

1,153,600 1,000 17,890 43,080 270 1,100 1,381,000 23,240 860 1,861,000 10,040 6,700 14,620 16,100 1,770 63,650 100,010 125,540 161,610 37,600 76,650

29,016,815.00 101,100.00 9,197,895.00 4,351,011.00 28,620.00 566,500.00 7,525,388.00 22,338,185.00 84,802.00 1,947,310.00 1,025,235.00 6,840,700.00 1,500,530.00 15,740,455.00 136,282.00 5,028,751.50 7,579,128.50 9,750,680.00 12,367,430.00 2,872,520.00 5,896,100.00

2.480

2,161,000

5,226,920.00

5.12 3.28

2,852,700 3,797,000

14,309,782.00 12,285,210.00

Italpinas Xurpas

5.29 3.24

3,800,500 1,696,000

First Metro ETF

112.3

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 175,700 19,953,055.00

115.4

125,320

14,358,858.00

10.1 10

DOLLAR DENONIMATED SEC. 10,690 107,647.00 35,400 354,000.00

10 10

20,390 1,100

205,306.00 11,000.00

USD DMPL A1 USD DMPL A2

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS Abra Mining Vulcan Ind’l.

Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

MRC Allied Ind. Megaworld Century Property NOW Corp.

MetroAlliance A Transpacific Broadcast SM Prime Holdings

VOLUME 599,000,000 232,537,000 111,052,000 106,098,000 88,442,000 63,350,000 63,337,600 55,667,000 52,880,000 49,201,400

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

Mla. Elect. Co `A’ GT Capital Universal Robina

VALUE 1,747,672,705.00 1,710,781,505.00 1,623,328,739.50 1,203,791,125.00 1,149,843,145.00 1,073,418,480.00 828,164,456.00 780,096,722.00 688,959,230.00 625,427,933.00

Aboitiz Power signs electricity deal with 10 N. Ecija towns

By Alena Mae S. Flores ABOITIZ Power Corp. signed an agreement with 10 municipalities of Nueva Ecija province to supply 33 megawatts of capacity, accounting for 80 percent of the peak demand of the electric cooperative serving the areas.

Aboitiz Power will supply power to Nueva Ecija Electric Cooperative II-Area 1, which distributes electricity to the towns of Talavera, Lupao, Carranglan, Aliaga, Quezon, Licab, Sto. Domingo, Muñoz, Guimba and Talugtug.

AboitizPower Corporate Business Group executive vice president and chief operating officer Luis Miguel Aboitiz said the company company had been striving to address the increasing demand of customers for power.

“The Cleanergy brand is our solution to the growing demand for renewable energy in the country,” Aboitiz said.

He said Aboitiz Power’s wide portfolio of renewable energy assets ensured customers of reliable and reasonably priced electricity.

Aboitiz Power also has a portfolio of coal-fired or base load power plants, including the recently completed Pagbilao 3 plant in Quezon.

Neeco II-Area 1 board president Reynaldo Villanuev said the decision to go renewable was a key milestone for the cooperative, which was established in 1975 and had since secured its energy requirements from non-renewable sources.

“We consider our Cleanergy partnership with Aboitiz Power as a major accomplishment because we have been using non-renewable energy since we started operations forty years ago,” the official said.

“But we wanted to explore other energy options to maximize benefit to our customers, and at the same time, minimize impact on the environment.

So we looked at several power companies and in terms of track record, capacity, and customer service, Aboitiz Power emerged as our power partner of choice,” Villanueva said.

Alliance Global begins monorail project in Makati INFRACORP Development Inc., a unit of Alliance Global Group Inc. of tycoon Andrew Tan, said it may select its operations and maintenance partner and as well as the technology supplier for its planned P3-billion sky train monorail project by the last quarter of 2018.

INFRACORP president Kevin Tan said in an interview during the recent stockholders’ meeting of sister company Megaworld Corp. the group received offers from Austria and France for the sky train project.

Tan said said the company was also looking at Japan and China as possible technology provider and O&M partner.

“After we have obtained the Original Proponent Status from the government, we are now starting to prepare and we already received some bids,” Tan said. “I think should be able to make decision on the O&M by end of the year.”

Tan said he was also open to the idea of extending the planned threekilometer monorail project to Makati and Taguig.

Tan said the Ayala Group approached the company for the possible extension of the project, which could benefit the property firm’s mixed-use projects, Circuit in Makati and Arca South in Taguig.

“We are in the process of implementing the first phase of the project which is Gaudalupe to Bonifacio Global City.

Any expansion will be taken as second or even third stage (of the project),” Tan said.

The P3-billion Skytrain monorail project, which will use the automated cable-propelled monorail technology, will reduce travel time from Fort Bonifacio to MRT Guadalupe Makati and vice versa to just five minutes.

The project will also make provisions to interconnect with other transport hubs operating within the area where the monorail passes through. It envisions to benefit around 60,000 to 100,000 passengers daily going to and from the bustling business districts of Makati and Taguig. Jenniffer B. Austria

extrastory2000@gmail.com

Business/World

B3

MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2018 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Manila

Standard

TODAY

Far-right terror threat on the rise in Britain L ONDON―Stung by an attack on Muslims in London a year ago, Britain is facing a growing threat from far-right extremists fueled by online hate speech, forcing the authorities to react.

In a country hit by five attacks in the space of six months in 2017 that killed 36 people, “the biggest threat is from Islamist terrorism”, Home Secretary Sajid Javid said earlier this month.

But “extreme right-wing terrorism is also an increasing threat”, the interior minister added as he unveiled a new counter-terror strategy.

A government report found that four attacks have been carried out in Britain over the past five years “by lone actors motivated to varying degrees by extreme rightwing ideologies”.

Among them was Darren Osborne, a 48-year-old from Cardiff, who a year ago on Tuesday drove his rented van into a group

of Muslim worshipers near Finsbury Park Mosque in north London, killing one man and injuring 12 others.

The father-of-four’s radicalization ramped up in a matter of weeks, fed by compulsive reading of hate material online.

In February, Mark Rowley, the then head of counter-terrorism policing, said that four extreme rightwing plots were foiled last year and described the trend as “worrying”.

Matthew Henman, from the Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Center database, told AFP: “There is a clear increase in both the tempo of attacks conducted by right-

wing extremists and in the seriousness, lethality, of such violence.”

In recent decades, extreme right-wing activity in Britain had been confined to small, established groups with an older membership, which promoted anti-immigration and white supremacist views but presented a low risk to national security.

But the emergence of the neoNazi group National Action in 2014, and similar fringe outfits like Generation Identity, has helped forge a new, younger pool of extremists, according to the “2018 State of Hate” report by the anti-racism organization Hope

Last of Jayer wine to go on sale in Geneva GENEVA―The last batch of late legendary wine maker Henri Jayer’s Burgundies―which include some of the world’s most expensive wines―go on auction in Geneva Sunday and could rake in up to $13 million.

In all, 1,064 bottles will go under the hammer at the Baghera Wines auction, which will take place at a gourmet restaurant in Geneva. They include CrosParantoux Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru, which ranks among the world’s priciest wines.

The 855 standard bottles and 209 magnums, dating from between 1970 and 2001, are from the personal wine cellar of the man broadly considered the king of the Pinot Noir.

“These bottles and magnums from his personal reserve were a bit like his laboratory... A way to see his vintage wines age over the years,” his daughters Lydie and Dominique Jayer, wrote to AFP in an email.

“It was natural for us, since we could not drink all of these bottles, to offer them up for sale so that wine lovers ... could buy them and drink them in his honor,” they said.

The daughters will be present at the auction to watch the dispersion of their inheritance.

Frenchman Henri Jayer, who died in 2006 at the age of 84, established a name for himself in the 1970s, when specialized wine reviews ranked his wines among the best in the world. AFP

Not Hate.

The report’s “online hate” section cited prominent British figures among those with the biggest reach on social media.

They included Stephen Lennon―known as Tommy Robinson―founder of the English Defense League, which he left in 2013.

They also included Paul Joseph

Watson, whose videos have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, and commentator Katie Hopkins, who in 2015 compared migrants to “cockroaches”.

“The authorities are failing to appreciate or deal with this growing far-right online threat and antiMuslim hatred in general,” Hope Not Hate’s report concluded. AFP

FINANCING, REHABILITATION, DEVELOPMENT, EXPANSION IMPROVEMENT, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF BOAC, MARINDUQUE The Municipality of Boac (“The Municipality”), created under the Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991, states that the local government, as a territorial and political subdivision, enjoys local autonomy and fiscal autonomy. Thus, local governments have the power to create their own sources of revenue in addition to their equitable share in the national taxes as well as the power to allocate their resources in accordance with their own priorities. Under this principle, The Municipality subjected its Municipal Waterworks (“The Waterworks”) to a feasibility study in lieu of its goal in improving the efficiency and delivery of various water services in the municipality.

The Municipality now invites interested Private Sector Participants (PSPs) to submit bid proposals for the above-captioned Project. The Municipality is in search of a Private Sector Partner to undertake the project under a Concession Agreement as the legal framework compliant to the municipality’s local PPP Code. The winning PSP shall FINANCE, REHABILITATE, DEVELOP, EXPAND, IMPROVE, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN THE WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF BOAC, MARINDUQUE subject to the detailed terms and conditions stated in the Tender Documents.

Name of Project:

FINANCING, REHABILITATION, DEVELOPMENT, EXPANSION IMPROVEMENT, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF BOAC, MARINDUQUE

Location of Project:

Municipality of Boac, Marinduque

Project Description:

This project involves a Concession Agreement between the municipality of Boac and the winning bidder for the Financing, Rehabilitation, Expansion, Improvement, Operation and Maintenance of the Water Supply System in the Municipality of Boac.

Application for eligibility shall be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion.

An IPP shall be considered eligible upon compliance with the following minimum qualification requirements: 1.

Legal Eligibility

1.1 The IPP must be either of the following: a. b.

STOP AT MANDALAY. Singer/songwriters Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush of Sugarland perform

c.

during a stop of the duo’s Still the Same Tour in support of the new album “Bigger” at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on June 16, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP

Greece, Macedonia set to sign name accord PSARADES, Greece―The small fishing village of Psarades is about to make history Sunday when the leaders of Greece and Macedonia meet to bury a 27-year-old name row, but many locals are seething.

“I would not call it a pleasant day,” says Achileas Papadopoulos, a 60-year-old fisherman on the banks of Lake Prespa, a natural boundary between the two countries.

“We are giving away the name ‘Macedonia’, and we’re supposed to be happy?” he says.

Greece and Macedonia later today will sign a preliminary accord to rename the small Balkan state

the Republic of North Macedonia, ending a dispute dating to 1991.

Security is intense, with police cordons in place many miles from the village. Anybody seeking to approach has to pass through successive identity checks.

Protests against the agreement are expected in the area on Sunday.

On Saturday, as the government defeated a censure motion against the accord in Athens, clashes broke out between protesters and police outside parliament.

Officials later blamed the incident on far-right supporters of Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, some of whom attacked the

cars of lawmakers after the vote.

Opposition is even stronger in Greece’s north, where Greek and Bulgarian guerrillas fought a bitter four-year war in the early 20th century for predominance among Orthodox Christians in then Ottoman-held Macedonia.

Two short wars were then fought in 1912 and 1913 between the Balkan states and the Ottoman Empire to end six centuries of rule from Istanbul, with atrocities committed by both sides.

“This land has been watered with blood,” says a 22-year-old Psarades local, who declined to give her name. AFP

GREEN LIGHT

IS social entrepreneurship the answer to poverty in our country? Certain sectors of Philippine society seem to think so.

Not surprisingly, there are pending bills in Congress that seek to provide support for social enterprises. Among these is the Poverty Reduction through Social Entrepreneurship (PRESENT) Bill, the Senate version of which was filed by Sen. Bam Aquino. According to the bill, a social enterprise purposefully renders “both transactional and transformational services” for the benefit marginalized sectors such as farmers, fishers, persons with disabilities, and indigenous peoples. The bill is supported by the PRESENT Coalition, which is an alliance of various social entrepreneurs and advocates, which include academia and civil society.

While the PRESENT Bill addresses some important points such as the need to get social enterprises integrated in the value chain, there are some provisions (or the absence of relevant ones) that betray a lack of understanding of the mechanisms that result in the successful scaling of social enterprises or in the scaling of innovative solutions to social problems. For example, the proposed law provides for the establishment of a social enterprise development fund, which is meant for value chain financing and enterprise development services. The bill also provides for special credit windows that can be used by social enterprises for buying assets or for augmenting their working capital. What makes these different from the credit facilities already made available by government financial institutions to micro-, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and which are not fully availed of anyway?

At De La Salle University, we have undertaken several studies on the business models of various for-profit social enterprises and on the services provided by

1.2 If the IPP is a Consortium, each member of the Consortium must be disclosed during the pre-qualification stage and the Lead Member thereof must be specifically identified. For this purpose, the Lead Member must have at least fifty one (51%) equity interest in the Consortium, and the total percentage interest of all Consortium Member must be one hundred percent (100%).

2.

Technical Eligibility

2.1 The IPP must have completed a similar or related project within the last ten (10) years. For this purpose, the total project cost is equal to Three Hundred Twenty Seven Million Six Hundred Thirty Six Thousand Six Hundred Seventeen Pesos and Ninety One Centavos (MPhp 327,636,617.91).

3.

3.1 3.2

4.

Financial Eligibility The IPP should have the capability to finance the completion of the entire project supported by financial documents which will form part of the financial proposal.

A letter from a domestic universal/commercial bank, or an international bank with a subsidiary/branch in the Philippines, or any international bank recognized by the BangkoSentralngPilipinas (BSP), attesting that the IPP is one of its current clients, and is in good financial standing.

Additional eligibility criteria are specified in the instruction to IPPs. Only those IPPs that are deemed eligible shall be entitled to submit bid proposal, which must be in accordance with the instructions contained in bid documents.

The PPP Prequalification Bids and Awards Committee shall evaluate the proposals usingThe Quality Based Evaluation/Selection (QBE/QBS) procedure.

The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of the proposals shall be provided in the instruction to IPPs. The following procedure, schedule and instructions shall be strictly observed:

What is absent in the PRESENT bill?

RAYMUND B. HABARADAS

A duly licensed sole proprietorship owned by a Filipino citizen; or A partnership or corporation created pursuant to the Corporation Code of the Philippines and registered with the SEC A consortium of two or more entities with at least sixty percent (60%) of both voting and non-voting interest in the said Consortium being owned and held, by citizens of the Philippines and/or by Philippine registered corporation at least 60% of both the total number of outstanding shares of stock, whether or not entitled to vote in the election of directors are owned by the Philippine nationals.

social business incubators. Thanks to the support of the Social Enterprise Research Network (SERN) of the Center for Business Research and Development (CBRD), we have generated some valuable insights on how for-profit social enterprises face the challenges of reconciling their financial and social objectives, even as they strive for business growth. Among our findings is that the scaling of social enterprises is largely dependent on their adoption of innovative business models, the business acumen of their owners and/or managers, and on their ability to leverage on the resources of other organizations through social or institutional networks. Many of the social enterprises we encountered also seem averse to availing of loans, preferring other forms of financing.

For many small businesses, including social enterprises, finding a way to be part of the industry-level value chain, especially getting access to bigger markets, is important.

However, studies show that it is rarely the small players that define the activities of the industrial value chain. The lead player is usually a big firm that needs the products or services of smaller players, and that provides the credit/financial resources and expertise to these smaller players, who latch onto the value chain as a valued supplier. In the social enterprise sphere, there are examples of non-government organizations (e.g. Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm) that trigger the linkage between the social enterprise and key suppliers and potential markets. Thus, it might be better to provide incentives not directly to the social enterprises but to the enablers of value chain integration for small enterprises.

Another concern is how to define social enterprises, which are the supposed beneficiaries of the proposed law, but this is problematic especially since there is still a lack of agreement of what a social enterprise is in the literature. A viable solution to this problem can be drawn from the article “A Positive Theory of Social Entrepreneurship,” written by Filipe Santos, Academic Director of the Social Entrepreneurship Initiative at INSEAD. Santos argued that social entrepreneurship is the pursuit of sustainable

solutions to problems of neglected positive externalities (or areas that could have positive social impact, but that, for some reason, neither government nor commercial enterprises want to venture into). Might it not be better that incentives be given to organizations that address these neglected positive externalities (e.g. electrification of remote island economies, employment for persons with disabilities)? Therefore, there is no need to distinguish between organizational types, as long as their business model addresses these social needs, perhaps in the form of a prototype or of a proof of concept that needs additional support to scale. Also, the government should not be using public funds to support to programs and activities that are already being addressed by government agencies or by commercial enterprises.

The general idea is that the incentives, instead of being given to hundreds of small enterprises, can instead be given to those organizations that can trigger the scaling of innovative solutions and, therefore, generate more impact. Also, support can be given to those that have already shown a proof of concept so that there is assurance of a more effective use of resources. Other small social enterprises can avail of needed resources by tapping into support mechanisms already provided for by existing laws such as the BMBE law, Kalakalan law, etc. and existing programs offered by DTI, DOST, etc.

Raymund B. Habaradas is an Associate Professor at the Management and Organization Department of the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University (DLSU). He does research on corporate social initiatives, social entrepreneurship and SME development. He is also the Director of the DLSU Center for Business Research and Development and is a Fellow of the center’s Social Enterprise Research Network.

He welcomes comments at rbhabaradas@ yahoo.com. The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.

Activity Submission of signed Letter of Intent (LOI), purchase of Volume I of the Tender Documents for a nonrefundable fee of Fifty Thousand Pesos (Php50,000.00) and submission of Eligibility Documents Deadline for written clarifications for volume I Deadline of feedback to PSPs clarifications for volume I Deadline for Submission of Eligibility Documents Opening and Evaluation of Eligibility Documents including determination of eligible/ineligible PSP Notification to Participants

Eligible

/

Ineligible

Period of Appeal Purchase of Volume II of the Tender Documents by PSPs declared “eligible “for non-refundable fee of One Hundred Thousand Pesos (Php 100,000.00), payable either in cash or Manager’s check.

Pre-selection conference

Schedule

Additional Instructions

June 04 - 22, 2018

The Eligibility Documents may be purchased ONLY from PPP PBAC Secretariat Office at the Kasilag St., BgyIsok I, Boac, Marinduque.

June 20, 2018 June 22, 2018

June 29, 2018

July 2-13, 2018

July 16-23, 2018 July 25-31, 2018 July 25-31, 2018

July 25, 2018

Period of Preparation of Proposals (Financial and Technical) Last day of submission of written queries/ clarifications Last day of Issuance of response to queries/clarifications

July 25October 26, 2018

Deadline for Submission of Proposals

October 26, 2018

Opening of Comparative Technical Proposal (Preliminary Examination)

Time: 12:00 nn.

Philippine Standard Time (“PST”) Venue: Office of the PPP PBAC Chairman Kasilag St., BgyIsok I, Boac, Marinduque.

Time: 1:00 p.m. PST Venue: Office of the PBAC Secretariat at Kasilag St., BgyIsok I, Boac, Marinduque.

The PPP PBAC will notify eligible PSPs thru email and/or facsimile

Tender Documents may be purchased from PPP PBAC Secretariat at Kasilag St., BgyIsok I, Boac, Marinduque.

Time: 9:00 a.m. PST Venue:PPP PBAC Secretariat office at Kasilag St., BgyIsok I, Boac, Marinduque.

August 31, 2018 October 08, 2018

October 26, 2018

Time: 12:00 nn PST Time: 1:00 p.m. PST Venue: PPP PBAC Secretariat office at Kasilag St., BgyIsok I, Boac, Marinduque.

Detailed Evaluation of Technical October 26 - 31, Proposals 2018 Notification to the PSPs who passed November 05, 2018 Notification from PPP PBAC shall or failed the Evaluation of Technical be through email and/or facsimile Proposal Time: 1:00 p.m. PST November 06, 2018 Venue: PPP PBAC Secretariat Opening of Financial Proposals office at Kasilag St., BgyIsok I, Boac, Marinduque.

November 06Evaluation of Financial Proposals 09,2018 Notification of the PSPs who passed and Novemeber 12, Notification from PBAC shall be failed the Financial Evaluation 2018 through email and/or facsimile The PPP PBAC will notify the November 12-16, winning PSP thru email and/or Notice of Award 2018 facsimile

For any queries and or clarifications, please address your communication in writing to the Chairperson of SBAC at the address indicated above or fax the same at (042) _______________ or email the same to _____________________________.

Municipality of Boac reserves the right to reject any or all submissions, waives any minor deviations, and award the contract for the Concession Project to the IPP whose financial proposal is the best among the qualified interested private proponent/ whose technical proposal are complying.

All proposals must be accompanied by a Bid Security in the form of cash, manager’s check, letter of credit, or bank draft/guarantee issued by a reputable local/foreign bank, or surety bond callable on demand issued by GSIS or an entity duly registered and recognized by the office of the Insurance Commissioner, or a combination thereof payable to the Municipality of Boac amounting to 2% of the total project cost.

Municipality of Boac assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify any IPP for the expenses incurred in the preparation of the bid proposal.

(SGD) LCOL LUNA EULOGIO R MANRIQUE, ENP, MNSA, CESE Chairperson PPP PBAC (MS-JUNE 4,11 & 18, 2018)

LGUs

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

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LocaL government units

monday, june 18, 2018

Didipio grabs Mother Nature, TOPCO awards

By Brenda Jocson The mining industry, as represented by Oceanagold (Philippines), Inc., copped the premier environmental award at the annual national convention of the Pollution Control Association of the Philippines, Inc. at the L’ Fisher hotel in Bacolod City on May 9.

Manuel Ordoñez Jr., OGPI’s environment Supervisor, also attained The Outstanding Pollution Control Officer (TOPCO) Award during the convention for establishing an excellent pollution control system at the Didipio Mine in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya.

David Way, OGPI’s General Manager; Bonifacio Labatos Jr., Didipio environment Superintendent; and Oliver Donato, environment Officer, accompanied Ordoñez in receiving the Mother Nature Award.

“OceanaGold supports and commends PCAPI’s efforts in connecting industries to resolve a large yet underestimated issue which is pollution. The awards we received are testimonies that the Didipio Mine is equipped with calibrated and innovative environment specialists who are experts in their respective fields,” Way said.

OGPI was also recognized in the convention’s Success Story Category for Ordoñez’ project on the “Reduction of Total Suspended Solids (TSS) of the Didipio River: Improving Water Quality for the Next Generations.”

The criteria in selecting the TOPCO are non-violation of any environmental laws from the PCO’s company for the past three years, successful establishment of an excellent environmental and pollution control system in his/ her company, among others.

Free lab services for QC indigents okayed by dads

By Rio N. Araja The 37-member Quezon City council has passed a measure providing free laboratory services to indigent residents.

Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, the council’s presiding officer, backed Ordinance No. SP-2686 or the Quezon City Clinical Laboratory Ordinance, approved in response to the lack of access of poor residents to free and quality health services.

“Clinical laboratory services in private clinics and hospitals are usually expensive so we thought of putting up our own laboratories in our public health centers for our indigents,” the vice mayor said.

According to Belmonte, the cityoperated clinical laboratory services “will contribute to maximizing interventions to improve the health and quality of life” of every city resident.

The clinical laboratories shall provide hematology, clinical microscopy, serology and immunohematology, clinical chemistry, and creatinine and electrolyte tests.

Meanwhile, a 30-percent discount on laboratory package services shall be granted to registered senior citizens, solo parents, and persons with disabilities, while a 20-percent discount goes to permanent city hall employees and their dependents.

MINIPHOTOGRAPHY.

Almost 30 young photographers set up their small ‘subjects’ as they joined SM San Mateo’s miniature photography contest over the weekend.

They explored taking pictures outside the common street and food photography subjects, producing unique images.

Manny Palmero

MASS OATHTAKING. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte leads the oathtaking

of new elected village leaders in the Calabarzon region at the Sta. Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna on June 14. Attending the gathering were (inset, from left) Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, Special Assistant to the President Secretary Christopher ‘Bong’ Go, PITC President and CEO Dave Almarinez, and Local Government Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Martin Dino. Roy Tomandao

Araw ng Maynila festivities kick off

M

ANILA Mayor Joseph estrada has announced the activities lined up for the upcoming 447th Araw ng Maynila on June 24, highlighting the city’s numerous achievements and historical events.

The city chief executive said the celebration will start today, June 18, with the awarding of Outstanding employees and City Service Awardees at the City hall’s Bulwagang Villegas at 2 pm.

From June 19 to 21, the Division of City Schools leads the awarding of Outstanding educators at the Century Park hotel at 1 pm, and a youth concert to be led by the Manila Youth Bureau at the Rajah Sulayman Park at 7 pm. The concert is free and open to the public for them to appreciate and listen to the talents of the city’s homegrown bands.

The former President will also honor Manila’s senior citizens in the “Gabi ng Parangal Para sa mga Nakatatandang Manilenyo” (Awards Night for elder Manileños) to be held at the Universidad de Manila starting at 4 pm.

On June 20, Mayor estrada will also honor exceptional Filipino artists who have excelled in architecture, painting, and other art forms and culture through the yearly “Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Awards” (Arts and Crafts Awards). It will be held at the Ayuntamiento in Manila.

The following day, June 21, estrada will bestow honors to outstanding city employees, teachers, judges, prosecutors, and police officers at the Manila hotel at 7 pm. he will likewise honor the Outstanding Taxpayers and Manilans with the Bureau of Permits and Manila Barangay Bureau as the lead division of the city hall, at the Manila hotel at 7 pm on June 22.

On June 24, estrada will grace a Thanksgiving Mass at the San Agustin Church at 7 a.m., right after the wreath laying at the Rizal Park.

On June 26, the much-awaited grand coronation night of the annual 2018 Miss Manila pageant will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center at 7 p.m.

Marawi digitized database to help IDPs, says official

By Jun David The man who oversees the national government’s public information infrastructure said efforts are underway to digitize information of those forced to flee their homes after a conflict.

Philippine Information Agency Director General harold Clavite said the digitization of the database of displaced Marawi residents is now being explored by the Information Management and Strategic Communications Support Group (StratComm) of Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM).

Clavite co-leads the StratComm together with Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar.

“StratComm is working on a centralized database tracking system that will track thousands of IDPs (internally displaced persons) of the Marawi conflict. During one of the execom meetings held in March 2018, the Department of Trade and Industry raised the issue of a lack of a centralized tracking system, so TFBM Chairman eduardo Del Rosario asked the PIA to investigate the matter,” he said.

“Right now, the government is doing it manually and we want to look at available options to make it easier for workers of all agencies involved in the work. A web-based database system will allow the task force and the NGAs (national government agencies) to track the needs of IDPs as well as food and non-food assistance being provided. We will continue our discussions with the agencies involved including the local government units as we develop this tracking system,” he added.

Currently, to validate the status of affected families, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, which chairs government’s response cluster, uses the Disaster Assistance Family Access Card.

The DAFAC also serves as a reference for the provision of additional and appropriate interventions. It records the names of family members and the assistance that they have already acquired from the DSWD or other humanitarian agencies.

“It relies on manually recording family information, reporting, and checking data [by hand] can be time consuming at times. Due to the frequent change of location of IDPs, for example, there was a need to recheck possible cases of double entries and to sanitize the master list of IDPs, which will be used as a basis for those who will receive further interventions,” Clavite said.

“The current system is less efficient. Can you imagine managing through the DAFAC hundreds of thousands of people? We are creating this tool to economically and quickly help more families not only in Marawi but in other future scenarios,” he added.

To boost tourism, biz, Isabela town tags self as ‘lobster county’

By Abe Almirol MACONACON, Isabela—This remote town in the eastern coast of northern Luzon wants to be identified for its lobsters, a delicacy that would make tourists spend money willingly on the dining table.

Asked what would make people visit her town, Mayor Lycelle Kate M. Domingo said Maconacon’s seafood delicacies and the charm of Sierra Madre are their best assets.

“We are blessed with beach fronts with colorful pebbles, and of course, our lobsters,” Domingo said.

The local government held its annual “Binaguing” Festival last May to promote its economic potential, after the local name for lobsters.

“We also have 20 different kinds of seashells, and a wide array of fish species,” the mayor added.

The absence of access roads connected to the main Cagayan Valley road has stunted the town’s growth, Domingo said.

The Maconacon fishport (inset) has been a daily source of lobsters exported to markets as far as Metro Manila. A kilogram of the delicacy is sold as high as P500 by local dealers. Abe Almirol

That’s why Vice Mayor Jolly Taberner hopes the ongoing Ilagan-Divilacan road would be completed soon, to bring more people into the third-class municipality with just over 4,200 residents – the least populous town in the province.

“I prefer land transportation, I have enough bad experiences riding airplanes,” Taberner said.

Maconacon is currently reachable by

six-seater planes operated by Cyclone Air in Cauayan City and North Sky in Tuguegarao City.

By sea, cargo-passenger boats ply the Maconacon-San Vicente route, the latter port being in Santa Ana, Cagayan.

Maconacon started being populated in the 1980s when ACMe, a logging company, brought its workers from Ilocos Norte and northern Cagayan here.

The original inhabitants are from the Agta indigenous cultural communities, who are now outnumbered by Ilocanos and other migrants. The workers stayed when the company closed after a logging moratorium was imposed.

“Right now, 60 percent of the population are Ilocanos, Tingguians and other migrants, the remaining 40 percent are native Agta communities,” Domingo said.

2 extortionists nabbed for try on Sta. Rosa buses SANTA ROSA, Laguna—Staffers of Laguna 2nd District Rep. Jun Chipeco have filed robbery extortion and estafa charges against two persons for posing as towing company employees and impersonating the lawmakers’ staff while trying to victimize workers of a shuttle service, whose bus broke down here last week.

In a report by Police Supt. eugene Orate, City Chief of Police of Santa Rosa, to Laguna Provincial Director Senior Supt. Kirby John Brion Kraft, the suspects were identified as Dina Andes Del Rosario and Domingo hi-

lario Artes, former Land Transportation Office workers.

Del Rosario and Artes were arrested in an entrapment operation by the Santa Rosa Police at the Sta. Rosa Commercial Complex in Barangay Balibago last Wednesday night.

The event stemmed from a complaint filed jointly by havana Shuttle Service, represented by its operations manager edwin Moyco Cerdena; Kevin Doy Lusabia, representing Central Towing Services; and Melchor Lusabia, owner of Central Towing and a staffer of Rep. Chipeco, against the couple.

They alleged that Del Rosario and Artes went around posing as employees of the towing firm, using the name of the elder Lusabia, to solicit funds for a supposed company outing without the knowledge of the latter.

If their would-be victims like havana denied their request, the duo threatened to tow their shuttle or tour buses, especially if they found them parked along the main Sta. Rosa highway, unless they were paid a certain amount to prevent the towing. This modus continued until the local police successfully entrapped them last week.

Life

HISTORICAL.

The Aguinaldo Shrine, where the Philippine Independence from Spain was declared, is a popular destination in Cavite.

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

food

@mStandardLIFe monday, june 18, 2018

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By Raye Sanchez

U

NLIKe its neighboring provinces Batangas and Laguna, Cavite is not exactly popular for its cuisine.

People usually go to this province for a quick trip to its historical sites, clueless about the kinds of food the “Historical Capital of the Philippines” serves.

enter “Proba: Cavite Comida,” a two-day food crawl hosted by San Miguel Pure foods Culinary Center, which introduced Cavite’s culinary offerings from six food establishments that can be enjoyed by diners of all ages. according to SMPfCC culinary services manager Llena Tan-arcenas, one factor they want to address with the food tour is the acknowledgement and preservation of the food heritage of Caviteños, which, she said, can only be possible if it will be handed down to the future generations as well as if the cuisine’s authenticity is kept by not twisting or changing the traditionally used ingredients and way of cooking too much.

A gustatory adventure in Cavite Chef Chris Bautista cooks Pipian (top right) and Tinumis (bottom right) at the Abad Ancestral House

Chef Bernie of Bernie’s Kitchenette; Crispy Lao-Lao (inset)

Pat and Sam’s Bibingkang Samala

Cavite City: Bernie’s Kitchenette, Pat and Sam’s

The first stop of the food crawl was Bernie’s Kitchenette, a charming restaurant owned and managed

by Chef Bernadita Rojas-fontanilla, or Chef Bernie, three years ago.

Despite its recent establishment, it has become popular among locals for its Pansit Puso with kinilaw na puso ng saging, Bacalao, Crispy Lao-Lao (fried fish), and Morcon (savory meat roll).

During the media food crawl, Chef Bernie prepared two famous dishes from her menu: Pansit Pusit (squid in savory sauce) and Bacalao (fish sauteed in Magnolia Dairy Creme).

The hearty lunch was followed by Bibingkang Samala (malagkit topped with latik) from Pat and Sam’s. This delicacy is made of glutinous rice, coconut milk, and sugar; proudly Tatak Caviteño.

Tanza: Abad Ancestral House

Located in the town of Tanza is one of the oldest houses that dates its construction back in the 1820s.

The abad clan was able to preserve the structure that used to be a home, a clinic, and a production hub for fish sauce and fermented fish. although the heritage house is not open to the public, the SMPfCC was able to get an exclusive viewing and access to its balcony where Chef Chris Bautista, former culinary director of Lyceum of the Philippines University, did his cooking demo of two Cavite specialties. Chef Chris cooked Pipian, a Spanish-inspired kare-karelike chicken dish, and Tinumis, a dish similar to dinuguan which used Monterey pork flavored with young tamarind leaves (instead of vinegar).

Olivia’s Coffee is a newly opened coffee shop in Amadeo

Cavite Republic’s (from left) Grilled Sinampalukang Manok, Crispy Dinuguan, and Ginataang Langka

Trece Martires: Cavite Republic

Mang Jose’s Rolling Kitchen’s famous Puchon—lechon cooked in brick oven

Kawit: Mang Jose’s Rolling Kitchen

a filipino party is not complete without lechon. Our love for the roast suckling pig has given birth to many different ways of cooking it. The last stop of the day one of “Proba: Cavite Comida” brought food crawl participants to Mang Jose’s Rolling Kitchen, popular for its Puchon (lechon sa pugon), the brick oven-cooked lechon. according to owners Jhing and Mimi Hernandez, they intend to make Puchon a traditional Caviteño dish that’s why they often join food expos in Cavite and Manila.

The rolling kitchen also serves Chicken Inasal, Tenderloin BBQ, Crispy Sisig, Tahong, and many other dishes patrons come back for again and again.

The second day of the food crawl commenced at Cavite Republic, known as the reincarnation of the 1974 Town’s Delight. It opened on June 12, 2002 and has since been managed by Matt Pacumio, the grandson of Cecilia Pacumio, the founder of Town’s Delight.

The 16-year-old establishment was designed to look like an elegant historic architecture which complements the food and services they offer. It is known to serve food that combines the Caviteño taste with modern twists from several influences, one of which is Spanish.

Some of the specialties they served were Crispy Dinuguan, Paella Valenciana, Grilled Chicken Sinampalukan, Pancit Estacion Negra, and Cavite express all of which made with twist.

They also served Lihim Ni Lola, a kakanin stuffed with salted egg and topped with latik. The kakanin looks like ube halaya but is more similar to suman. Lihim Ni Lola originated from their grandmother’s desire to show how to make suman.

Amadeo: Olivia’s Coffee

Putting a kicking end to the two-day food crawl was Olivia’s Coffee, a newly opened coffee shop in amadeo, the largest coffee producer in the Philippines.

The coffee shop is owned and managed by Olivia Lansang, whose history with coffee started with her grandparents who owned a coffee farm in Bulacan. although Olivia’s Coffee is new to the coffee industry, its coffee bean producer has been active since 1995. It also produces differently milled coffee beans. Lansang proudly shared that its roasting processor is what makes it different from other mainstream coffee shops. Her coffee beans are roasted using a locally made air roaster.

Photos by Raye Sanchez

Big in health benefits, easy on the stomach

Sennen Lacsamana prefers Kaffea as it doesn’t cause acidity

Kaffea is a delicious blend of coffee which contains 10 essential elements and minerals including the best and healthiest sweetener, coconut sugar mixed with coconut cream. It has almost no caffeine which is why it has balanced acidity. fifty five-year-old PLDT media consultant Sennen Lacsamana said this for him is the biggest attraction of Kaffea.

It is not only delicious but also does not cause acidity.

“I tasted Kaffea coffee for the first time after it was introduced to me by a friend. It wasn’t the usual decaffeinated coffee that I used to have. I have acid reflux and I can only have decaf coffee.

Kaffea coffee was a welcome treat for me,” shared Lacsamana. acid reflux is a common condition that causes a burning pain, or heartburn, in the lower chest area. It happens when certain food or drinks cause stomach acid to flow back up into the food pipe.

“I have had this acid reflux condition for so many years now and been treating for a while with meds. It has now been regulated with precautions as recommended by my doctor. for one, I can only have decaf coffee, with low acid,” he shared. “I can drink Kaffea regularly because it has balanced acidity. It uses coconut sugar. I now seldom feel the effects of acid reflux.”

Lacsamana availed of the company’s early retirement years ago but still maintains a full work load.

“I have been doing consultancy functions handling major events such as the annual Stockholders’ meeting, annual MVP Media Golf Cup, quarterly press conferences, and other special events. I am also part of the management committee in charge of producing the annual report,” said Lacsamana.

He added, “I also handle the conceptualization and production of the yearly planner and calendar collaterals. I like-

wise perform administration functions such as processing of manpower requirements and on-the-job training applications of the division.”

The interaction of the 10 essential ingredients of Kaffea produces a beneficial effect which promotes health and wellness.

Coconut sugar helps regulate blood sugar level and helps manage weight because it has the lowest Glycemic Index among all types of sugar, according to a study by the food and Nutrition Research Institute. for many like Lacsamana, Kaffea is their drink of choice because of its health benefits as well as its delicious f lavor.

Kaffea is available nationwide at SM Kultura, Rustan’s Supermarkets, Marketplace, Shopwise, Wellcome, SM Supermarket Market Street, CityMall GoLokal stores, and online at lazada. com.ph and beautymnl.com. Call (02) 477-9920 for orders and inquiries.

Life

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monday, june 18, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Longganisa from north to south cooked a la minute

Lechon belly tinomok stuffed with taro leaves simmered in coconut milk

Timeless flavors:

A celebration of culinary heritage Pinoy pride in a bowl HAVING been influenced by different nationalities around the world, the Philippines boasts a cuisine of rich and diverse ingredients and flavors.

Convenience store FamilyMart makes it easier for harried individuals to savor favorite Filipino dishes with the new addition to its donburi rice bowls.

Dig into a bowl of Beef Caldereta (P69), cooked the way your lola

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Hey say that we grow up eating the food of our culture. Those from Luzon, for example, will not likely know chicken piyanggang, just as people from Visayas and Mindanao will probably be unfamiliar with insarabasab. Food is a reflection of the ingredients available in our regions, of the traditional preparations passed from one generation to another, and of the innovations that shaped the texture, aroma, and flavor of our dishes over the years.

I am always excited to try local dishes other than the usual kare-kare or adobo, that is why I braved the rains and the traffic, and trooped to F1 Hotel Manila at the Bonifacio Global City for its Filipino food festival, Luzviminda.

The spread did not disappoint. F1 Hotel’s executive chef Angelo Timban and guest chefs AJ Reyes, owner of Privatus Private Dining, and Zhe Jacinto, chairperson of Culinary Team Pilipinas, prepared traditional Filipino dishes, some of which were given modern twists.

The buffet, in a nutshell, was a delicious tour of the country’s 7,107 islands.

From Luzon, there was insarabasab from Ilocos, served on a bed of red cabbage salad; pocherong baka; grilled Bicol express; bagoong padas; kinalas; dinuguang baboy ramo; adobong bone marrow; crispy bagbagis (pork intestines); and the Bahay Kubo salad con-

These donburi meals are now available at FamillyMart outlets nationwide.

Kalabasa leche flan sisting of singkamas, talong, sigarilyas, and mani.

Kinilaw na lobster headlined the dishes from Visayas, along with sinuglaw (a portmanteau of sinugba or grilled meat and kinilaw or raw meat); smoked corn salad with adlai; bagoong tahong; and kinilaw na Aklan oysters topped with lato (seaweed).

Tausug dishes chicken piyanggang, which is similar to the curry dishes of Malaysia and Singapore, and beef korma, which is a cross between kare-kare and beef curry, represented the country’s food basket, Mindanao.

“We wanted to prepare something different—one that would reflect the flavors of our culture that is truly timeless,” said Timban.

He added, “We have so much to offer as a nation. We only need to go back to our roots and rediscover the flavors that have long been prepared by the generations before us.”

And since cuisine, like culture, continues to evolve, F1’s dessert station offered a heady mix of innovative sweets, from the tamales blanca that used salted caramel popcorn as syrup, to the piaya with raspberry, kalabasa leche flan, brazo de ube, banana suman, Halo-Halo de Davao (with preserved durian), and guyabano cheesecake. In

particular, the unassuming tamales, which was not as colorful as the other dessert options, was a delicious sur surprise—the blandness of the corn-based tamales contrasted wonderfully with the salty-sweet syrup.

Luzviminda, held once a year every Independ June to mark the country’s Independence Day celebration, is now on its sixth edition. This brings to mind an article written by renowned historian Ambeth Ocampo, who said that Filipinos these days equate preserving heritage with saving a structure that is threatened by destruction or alteration.

“Contrary to popular belief, heritage is not just for the rich and educated; it also manifests itself in our daily lives on our palate. Nobody will argue that food is heritage, that food reflects our history and culture like no other and should be nurtured, preserved and protected with the same vigor that we lobby for buildings and, in the case of the Torre de Manila, the preservation of a vista or view of the Rizal monument,” said Ocampo.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if hotels across the country hold similar Filipino food festivals not just in June but allyear-round if only to keep our heritage, through food, alive?

I’m at joyce.panares@gmail.com.

Buffet restaurant launches GCash Scan to Pay THe country’s largest luxury buffet, Vikings Group, makes it easier for diners to pay for their meals as it now allows GCash QR-based mobile payment technology in all its branches nationwide.

“We are happy to welcome the Vikings Group as our latest partner for mobile payments,” said Anthony Thomas, president and chief executive of Mynt, the operator of GCash.

He continued, “We are thrilled to increase their customers’ convenience in paying by making GCash Scan to Pay available in all Vikings Group restaurants and outlets. We will also be coming up with exciting promos for our loyal GCash customers who will dine at any Vikings restaurant.”

To use the GCash Scan to Pay, a customer with an iPhone or an Android smartphone only needs to download or update to the latest version of the GCash App, register an account, and fund their GCash wallet at any of the over 15,000 GCash partner outlets nationwide—which now includes all the restaurants under the Vikings Group.

The customer then just have to tap on Scan QR, point their phone’s camera at the partner’s QR code, and pay.

used to make, or satisfy your chicken cravings with Chicken Adobo (P59).

There’s also the sinfully delicious Pork Sisig meal (P69) and the meaty and veggie goodness of Pinakbet with Bagnet (P59).

From left: Mynt vice president for business development Luigi Reyes, Mynt president and chief executive Anthony Thomas, Globe Telecoms president and chief executive Ernest Cu, Vikings Group managing director Jackson Go, Vikings Group independent director Charles Stewart Lee, and Vikings Group assistant managing director Edna Wang

FamilyMart’s Pinoy donburi meals: Pork Sisig, Pinakbet with Bagnet, and Chicken Adobo

Filipino-inspired salads IN CeLeBRATION of the Philippine Independence Day, SaladStop! launches two new seasonal menus featuring two well-loved Filipino dishes— kinilaw and inasal.

The What a Catch! salad—also available as a wrap—takes inspiration from the beloved Filipino appetizer kinilaw, a type of local ceviche that cures fish in a sour blend of citrus fruits, vinegar, and spices. SaladStop! captures the same freshness and bright flavors of kinilaw with the Kinilaw Dressing made from a lovely blend of lime juice, garlic, ginger, chili, and coconut milk. The coconut milk lends a bit of creaminess, sweetness, and a natural nutty flavor. This is then mixed with extra virgin olive oil to create a smooth dressing.

Packed with flavor, this salad is also filling with its incredible ingredients of greens and fruit: romaine lettuce, cucumber, avocado, ripe mango, red onion, and

arugula. Completing the kinilaw-inspired dish are slices of lightly seared tuna crusted with black pepper.

The Chicken Inasal-ad warm grain bowl is another dish inspired by a Filipino favorite. The bowl is topped with tender roasted chicken breast marinated in garlic, ginger, chili, vinegar, and spices. Unique to this warm grain bowl is the use of adlai grains.

Considered by many as a healthier substitute to rice, the adlai grain is high in fiber, low on glycemic index, and packed with protein.

For a beautiful balance of rich flavors in this warm grain bowl, cucumber, red onions, edamame, fresh button mushrooms, pomelo, and kale are all tossed together with the spicy, savory Inasal Dressing.

These new dishes are available in all SaladStop! stores nationwide until June 30.

Chicken Inasal-ad warm grain bowl and What a Catch! salad

Entertainment

MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2018

nickie.standard@gmail.com

By Louise Lizan

A

Industry experts to mentor stop motion animation course

Director, animator, and film editor Ricky Orellana

Animator and storyboard artist John Paul Bonoan

THE School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPaCE) at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) offers a Master Class in Stop Motion Animation to be held on four consecutive Saturdays during the end of June and the beginning of July.

Lessons include animation principles, story ideas, basic film terms, storyboard, composition, and lighting. Hands-on activities such as wire armature-making, walk cycle exercise, and editing animation will also be conducted.

The module aims to give a broader knowledge on stop motion animation with a comprehensive introduction on the craft and its techniques: object, clay, and pixilation. Students will likewise be immersed into the basic workflow of the production pipeline.

Participants will likewise obtain an in-depth training on the needed software such as Dragonframe, Stop Motion Studio, and Handbrake. By the end of the course, the attendees will be encouraged to create a oneminute project.

The program will be facilitated by award-winning artists Ricky Orellana, director, animator, film editor, sound recordist, and art director on short and feature films and documentaries; and John Paul Bonoan, animator, storyboard artist, and video editor on short and web series.

Orellana’s long stretch of accomplishments include his representative work Sa Maynila, which garnered the Best Documentary award at the 3rd Gawad CCP para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video in 1989 and Best

Student Film Documentary at the 8th FAP Student Motion Picture Awards in 1990.

He is now a board member of the Animation Council of the Philippines (ACPI) and the Samahan ng Filipinong Arkivista para sa Pelikula (SOFIA) and the Audiovisual Archive Head at MOWELFUND. He is currently teaching Experimental Animation and Scriptwriting for Animation at DLS-CSB. He likewise directed documentary films on Philippine National Artists Arturo Rogerio Luz and Maestro Lucio San Pedro.

Bonoan’s experimental film The Ditch bagged the Best Animated Short Film Student Category Award and Best Technical Excellence in Animahenasyon 2013. Bonoan likewise received the Best Animation by Alumnus award at Benilde Animation Festival 2016.

He has worked as a stop motion animator under the production of Indie Pop Films for LEGO: The Build Zone web series, as shown on the official YouTube channel of the brand. He is currently teaching Experimental Animation and Flash Animation at DLS-CSB. The four sessions will be on June 23, 30, July 7 and 14 from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m..

Fee of the entire program is P17,400.

For inquiries and registration, contact Lynn Garcia or Marlon Eusebio at 230-5100 local 3802, 400-5425 and 400-7405, or email space@benilde.edu.ph.

SPaCE is located at the Fourth Floor, School of Design and Arts Campus, 950 Pablo Ocampo (Vito Cruz) Street, Malate, Manila.

Monday, June 18, 2018

28 Ceased 29 San Diego pro 30 Dishwasher cycle 31 Puts up with 32 Historical period 33 Zeus or Odin 35 Groves 39 Certain erratum 40 Not keep a secret 43 Chilean novelist 46 Daily grind (2 wds.)

‘RESPETO‘ dominates

41st Gawad Urian Joanna Ampil ('Ang Larawan') and Abra (top photo) ('Respeto') receiving the top acting honors at the 41st Gawad Urian.

RESORTS World Manila (RWM), in cooperation with Creative Minds and JNA Events, bring back the good old memories of the ‘80s with its Reminiscing Concert Series featuring British singer-songwriter Julia Fordham in Happy Ever After on June 22 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater.

Known for such hits as “Where Does Time Go, “Love Moves In Mysterious Ways ,“Invisible War,” “Loving You,” “Porcelain”, and Philippine favorites “Girlfriend” and “Happy Ever After”, Julia has released 17 studio albums and has maintained her unique and stunning alto voice.

Her 2016 release, the critically-ac-

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 55 Mouths, in biology 56 Foolhardy 60 Make — — for it 61 In a casual way 64 South African money 65 Lummoxes 66 Went on stage 67 To be, to Brutus 68 Capone foe 69 Crystal-filled rock DOWN 1 Hi’s comic-strip wife 2 — mater 3 Scoots along 4 Subterfuge 5 Perm follow-up 6 Active ones 7 Wrist-to-elbow bone 8 Hr. part 9 Climbers’ need 10 Dishing out 11 Party-tray cheese 12 Point a finger at 13 Does batik 18 Stationery buys 23 Countdown number 25 Road map nos.

26 Doctrine 27 Cowboy’s rope

LBERTO “Treb” Monteras II’s Respeto was the most decorated film at the recently concluded

Gawad Urian Awards held at the ABS-CBN Tent Vertis North and organized by Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino.

Respeto, an independent film that tackles the powerful use of the Filipino poetry in the form of Pinoy hip hop rap battles and Balagtasan poetry, bagged four trophies including the Best Actor award for rapper Abra, Supporting Actor for Dido de la Paz, Best Editing, and Best Sound.

Meanwhile, Balangiga: Howling Wilderness, a film about the PhilippineAmerican War walked home with the coveted Best Picture and Best Music trophies.

Musical Ang Larawan won Best Actress plum for Joanna Ampil and Best Production Design.

Arnel Barbarona took home the Best Director award for Tug Pug Imatuy following his win for the same category at the 66th FAMAS earlier this month.

The Natatanging Gawad Urian award was presented to jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and musical director Winston Raval.

Other winners were: Best Supporting Actress for Odette Khan; Best Screenplay for Christopher Gozum (Dapol Tan Payawar Na Tayuh 1931); Best Cinematography for Mycko David (Neomanila); Best Documentary for Victor Delotavo Tagaro and Toshihiko Uriu (Yield); and Best Short Film for Kiti Dalena (Gikan sa Ngitngit Nga Kinailadman).

The awards were presented by former winners of the Gawad Urian with the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (MPP) members led by its President Rolando Tolentino and members Grace Javier Alfonso, Butch Francisco, Bienvenido Lumbera, Miguel Rapatan, Benilda Santos, Dr. Nicanor Tiongson, Tito Genova Valiente, Patrick Campos, Shirley Lua, and Gary Devilles.

Members of the MPP also took time to honor the late Mario Fernando, the co-founder of the Manunuri with stars and film directors who had been a part of the Gawad Urian throughout the years.

The night was hosted by Butch Francisco along with Alessandra de Rossi and Empoy Marquez, stars of the film Kita Kita.

Further giving filmmakers to showcase their films, Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino partners with Cinema for the inaugural CineManunuri Film Festival, taking until June 29 featuring the winners and the nominated films in the 41st Gawad Urian.

Reliving yesteryear with JULIA FORDHAM

British singer-songwriter Julia Fordham continues to enchant audiences around the world with her extraordinary vocal range and heartfelt song

ACROSS 1 Uses a hammock 6 Do housework 10 Let use 14 Dull green 15 Toast topper 16 Forever and —— 17 Restlessness 19 Slangy lady 20 Back talk 21 Hunter’s org.

22 Rathbone role 24 Annoys 26 Pop’s — Tennille 27 Transplants 30 Capitulated 34 Ridiculous 35 Gale 36 Stare at 37 Throw in 38 Earliest 41 Garden-pond fish 42 Prefix for “trillion” 44 Nearly all 45 Construct 47 Capital of South Australia 49 Loud 50 Red-ink amount 51 Early Briton 52 Defies authority

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48 Email provider 49 Misgivings 51 Get to the other side 52 Hard to come by 53 Important decades 54 Nape knots 55 Switch positions 57 Choir voice 58 Husky’s vehicle 59 Jekyll’s alter ego

claimed Live and Untouched album, which showcased one of her great performances onstage, retains the sheer adulation of her global fan base.

The Los Angeles-based artist last visited the country in 2014 for a series of charity shows for Yolanda victims.

Julia frequents the Philippines having told stories about falling in love with Cebu, a place which she mentions in the song “I Want to Stay Home With You”.

For her RWM concert, Fordham will be joined by seasoned guitarist Colin Ryan who has also worked with the likes of Louise Goffin, Jane Siberry, and tower of Power’s Lenny Goldsmith, among others. Local band

Neocolours, famous for such singles as “Say You’ll Never Go”, “Tuloy Pa Rin” and “Kasalanan Ko Ba,” adds their own set on concert night to bring audiences down memory lane.

Fordham’s fans can expect a set list of modern pop, rock, and R&B classics with the singer’s distinct vocals and contemporary arrangements, plus a number of her original fan favorites.

Tickets to Happy Ever After: Julia Fordham Live at Resorts World Manila are now selling at the RWM Box Office and all TicketWorld outlets.

Visit rwmanila.com or download the RWM Mobile App for more upcoming entertainment events at Resorts World Manila.

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

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Entertainment

MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2018

NIALL HORAN’s

Flicker Tour ‘lit’ up Manila

James Reid with the executives from Viva, Epik Studios and Cignal during 'Pedro Penduko' press launch held on Thursday at Cignal Launchpad Headquarters in Mandaluyong City.

Irish musician and former One Direction member Niall Horan staged a sold out concert at Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.

By Louise Lizan FORMER One Direction member Niall Horan rocked the Mall of Asia Arena concert stage on Sunday whipping thousands of millennial fans into rabid frenzy.

The 24-year-old pop star kicked off his solo world tour in his home country in March and is set to conclude the concert series in the United States in September.

The Manila leg of Flicker World Tour, generously presented by Smart Music Live, was the first pitstop of Horan’s tour in Asia.

Clad in his signature white shirt with his guitar slung over his shoulder, Horan opened the concert with his newest single “On The Loose,” which immediately made the audience up on their feet grooving, singing along, and appreciating Horan’s amazing vocals and guitar skills.

“Wow, this is absolutely insane,” Horan’s instantaneous response commending the crowd for their warm welcome. He also expressed his gratitude to all his fans that came despite of the bad weather.

Horan not once let his energy fade as he performed his sets in succession, just throwing some short spiels in between, also checking up on his fans all throughout the concert.

At one point, the Irish singer also remembered the last time he came to Manila with the rest of One Direction and his travel around the country.

“It’s a beautiful country with beautiful people,” he said.

The singer also asked the audience to put their phones down and feel the music, even as far as asking the people to close their eyes as he performed “Flicker.”

Throughout the show, Horan was all smiles— especially during the fan projects segment where the entire Arena turned green as fans held up their flashlights while Horan was singing “This Town,” which he released just right after the

1D break-up.

During his “Fire Away” set, the singer told the crowd, “I see you,” responding to his fans holding out papers saying, “It all worked out.” “Thank you so much for that, that was very nice,” he commented.

Paying tribute to the world’s biggest boy band in recent history, Horan sang his rendition of One Direction’s “Fool’s Gold,” which got the fans all teary-eyed and choked up of all the memories of the old days.

His biggest single “Slow Hands” also took center stage. It got the audience’s hyped up with the whole Arena singing along, the venue was filled with deafening screams.

Horan concluded his show with “On My Own” as he showcased his guitar skills, his body moving along with the rhythm.

Still, accompanied by his own band and flashing LED lights behind him, Horan was evidently grateful and overjoyed to be back in the Philippines performing among thousands of screaming fans.

It all worked out indeed, as in the end, Horan’s constant vocals never wavered all throughout the concert, his energy matching the audience’s. His presence can be felt around the stage, strumming his way across the stage whether it’s an electric, bass, or an acoustic guitar.

“Manila, thank you so much! I’ll see you soon,” Horan promised as he walked out the stage, throwing his guitar picks to the crowd.

Even though alone, Horan proved the world that he can still dominate the stage with his ‘flicker’ of hope growing into something much bigger—probably another successful world tour in the near future.

JAMES REID

stars in P100-M ‘Pedro Penduko’ film

By Nickie Wang

T

HE forthcoming Pedro Penduko film, which stars James Reid and features an appearance of Nadine Lustre as Maria Makiling, has a production budget of P100 million making it one of the most expensive films to be produced by a local outfit.

A dynamic partnership is making Pedro Penduko, the Filipino comic book character created by National Artist for Literature Francisco V. Coaching come to life even more massive.

Beyond your run-of-the-mill comic take, EPIK Studios has partnered with Viva Entertainment and Cignal TV to create more than fifty extraordinary comic book characters making the film close to the heart of those who love Philippine folklore.

One of Viva’s biggest stars, James will portray Pedro Penduko as the ordinary Filipino who is out to fight the forces of evil with the help of an extraordinary amulet.

Filipino actor Efren Reyes Sr. was the first to play the role. Other actors who portrayed the iconic folk hero were Ramon Zamora, Janna Gibbs and Matt Evans.

The full-length feature film will be shown in theaters in 2019.

James is deep into preparations for the challenging role. He is currently undergoing martial arts training for the rigorous scenes in the film. His character undergoes a modern twist that redefines Mad makes relevant superheroes for the current generation.

“The character is really fun to play. And I am confident that I can really pull it off.

I’ve been training since last year with weapons and some Martial Arts,” James told the press during a media launch on Thursday.

For its part, Cignal TV is bringing Pedro Penduko and all these other thrilling characters to life through films and series, and distributing them through different platforms. The partnership goes beyond video entertainment as it ventures into merchandising and gaming.

There is more in the pipeline as EPIK Studios plans to retell the stories of more folk heroes. These will have a refreshing and new perspective from the eyes of young graphic novelists and animators.

The re-imagined version of Pedro Penduko is going to link other films that will be part of a cinematic universe slated to unspool in theaters one after the other until 2021.

Epik Studios’ ambitious slate of movies includes by a reboot of Carlo J. Caparas’s Totoy Bato, also scheduled in 2019, Bernardo Carpio in 2020, along with a movie about a sea siren hero “Osyana” and the Nadine Lustre-starrer Maria Makiling.

THE marching band capital of the Philippines, the City of Bacoor, has partnered with Winter Guard International (WGI) and the Asian Marching Band Confederation (AMBC) to bring the first City of Bacoor International Music Championships.

The three-day international marching band competition will take place from June 22 to 24 in various venues in Baccor, Manila, and Pasay as part of the observance of the 6th Cityhood Celebration of Bacoor.

Offering all three WGI division of color guard, percussion ensemble and wind groups plus AMBC’s Marching Show Band, street parade competitions, drumline battle, and brassline battle, the competition boasts of an extraordinary lineup of local and international marching bands with back-to-back competitions showcasing the best of Bacoor and the rest of the Philippines.

“The local government of Bacoor is more than proud to host the first ever WGI Philippines as it promises a new level of cultural awareness and

James Reid plays modern-day Pedro Penduko in a cinematic universe that will present local superheroes in a series of films that will unspool in theaters until 2021.

Nadine Lustre makes a cameo appearance in 'Pedro Penduko' ahead of her own film as Maria Makiling also by Epik Studios.

City of Bacoor, through the international music championships, would like to strengthen its position as the country's marching band capital.

an appreciation for the arts for our young Filipinos,” says Bacoor Mayor Lani Mercado-Revilla.

“We promise to create an unforgettable spectacle for the Philippine marching band community as we bring them closer to their contemporaries from all over the world,” she further says.

“We are proud to be the champion of the marching band community in the country,” adds Cong. Strike Revilla who made this vision turned into reality.

A total of 23 local marching bands and 11 international band entries from Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Hong Kong will participate in the