Manila Standard - 2018 July 21 - Saturday by Manila Standard

WEATHER 13 Pangasinan towns under water By Rio N. Araja and Romeo Dizon

or “habagat” continued to wreak havoc on Luzon and some parts of the Visayas region on Friday. Heavy rainfall left at least 13 towns in THE effects of Severe Tropical Storm Next page “Inday” and the southwest monsoon VOL. XXXII • NO. 156 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

WATER EVERYWHERE. In this photo from the Office of Civil Defense, an Air Force helicopter flies over flooded rice fields in Pangasinan. The Northern Luzon province saw 13 towns submerged by steady monsoon rains.

3 make cut for Ombudsman

DoLE chief out of race amid graft charges By Rey E. Requejo and Vito Barcelo

HE Judicial and Bar Council submitted a shortlist of nominees for the position of Ombudsman to President Rodrigo Duterte Friday, as Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales retires July 26.

SILVESTRE BELLO III

Primer on the Con-Com draft constitution Sixth of a series PRIMER ON THE CON-COM DRAFT CONSTITUTION (6) Fr. Ranhilio Callangan Aquino Con-Com 2018 Member Q: Does the inclusion of the right to food and housing guarantee that every Filipino shall have food and housing? A: No it does not. No constitution can do that. But the signiﬁcance of having that in the Bill of Rights is that when food is available either for sale at reasonable cost or distribution, then the people have a demandable and a justiciable right to it. NFA can be compelled by appropriate court writ to sell its stock, whatever its contingency plans. In respect to housing, Congress Next page

‘Diving school:’ Neymar teaches kids to fall, roll RIO DE JANEIRO—Neymar took a swipe at his critics on Thursday with a tongue-incheek video in which he teaches children how to dive. The Brazilian superstar was widely lambasted at the World Cup for his theatrical reactions to challenges

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Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, an ex-officio member of the JBC, revealed that Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Martires topped the shortlist of candidates for the position. Also included in the shortlist were retired Sandiganbayan presiding justice Edilberto Sandoval and private practitioner Felito Ramirez. Martires got six votes from the seven-member JBC, Sandoval got five while Ramirez got four. The President has 90 days to appoint a new Ombudsman after Morales leaves office next week. Morales, a retired SC associate justice, was appointed by former President Benigno Aquino III as Ombudsman in 2011. Another aspirant for the position, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, slammed his enemies who want to replace him and to block his nomination for the Ombudsman. “Being an Ombudsman depends on the members of the Judicial Bar Council and the President. All applicants are qualified but why choose to discredit me?” the online news site Rappler quoted Bello as saying. Bello denied involvement in the extortion complaint filed by Monalie Dizon of the Kilusang Pagbabago National Movement for Change before the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission. PACC Commissioner Manuelito Luna has said the Labor chief will be probed over the allegations. Bello also questioned the timing of the complaint, which came as he expressed interest in applying for the post of Ombudsman. Dizon alleged that Bello and former Labor Undersecretary Dominador Say asked P6.8 million from Azizza Salim to reverse the cancellation of his recruitment agency’s license. Next page

Batasan complex locked down, set for Rody’s Sona By Maricel V. Cruz, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rio N. Araja THE Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City was locked down Saturday in preparation for President Rodrigo Duterte’s annual State of the Nation Address on Monday. House Sergeant-at-Arms Lt. Gen. Roland M. Detabali said all security plans and deployment are in place. With the lockdown, troops from the Presidential Security Group assumed responsibility Next page

EDIBERTO SANDOVAL

SAMUEL MARTIRES

FELITO RAMIREZ

Albay radioman killed as crime rate drops A BROADCAST newsman in Albay died Friday from 14 gunshot wounds inﬂicted by still unidentiﬁed gunmen in Daraga, only 7 kms from his work station Legazpi City, coinciding with police report the nationwide crime rate has dropped from 2014 to 2016. Only hours later, Malacañang condemned the assault on members of the media, with Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque saying in a statement the

Palace strongly rebuked the killing of dwZR Broadcaster Joey Llana, 38, at his residence in Barangay Penafrancia in Daraga, Albay. “[It is] yet another infringement on the rights to life and a free press,” said Roque. PNP-Bicol spokesperson chief inspector Maria Luisa Calubaquib reported hat Llana was driving out of his garage when the suspects at-

tacked at 4:45 am. Roque gave assurances the Presidential Task Force on Media Security would bring justice to another victim of media killings. “The PTFoMs will be relentless in according justice to this latest victim,” Roque said. For his part, PTFoMS executive director Joel Egco also condemned ‘in Next page

OFF THE AIR. Radio brodcaster Joey Llana, 38, (above) gets his closing billboard Friday when still unidentified gunmen attacked him while he was driving out of his garage in Peñafrancia, Daraga, en route to his dwZR ‘Metrobanat’ program in Legazpi City, 7 kms away.

Gov’t bars Aussie nun from returning for religious works By Vito Barcelo AUSTRALIAN missionary sister Patricia Fox, who was ordered deported, can no longer return to the Philippines to continue her religious and missionary work after the Bureau of Immigration included her name in the bureau’s Black List Order for violating conditions of her visa. Next page

Rights group: PH ‘dangerous place’; Palace hits label PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has made the Philippines a “far more dangerous place” by rolling back the Filipinos’ human rights protections instead of making it a safer place, Amnesty International Philippines says. “Impunity and the lack of accountability have been shamelessly displayed at almost all levels of his administration, failing to meet its basic job to protect the Filipino people and meeting their basic economic needs and civil liberties,” the group said in a statement on Thursday. Next page

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SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2018

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Du30 ratings suffer from his ’authoritarian tendencies’ By Evalea Casaljay PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s “authoritarian tendencies” have been drawing increased “dissatisfaction” and it is showing in his ratings, a public policy center said Friday. “His ratings are still high, but at the same time we can see the fall,” Temario Rivera, chairman of the group Center for People Empowerment, told reporters. “I think this could be the beginning of an increasing challenge and dissatisfaction with the way the government has been run because the strongman authoritarian tendencies had been stronger and now seen.” Rivera also said the President’s allies’ call for a no-election could backfire as the Filipinos had high expectations that the elections would be taking place. “We know Filipinos. They have a high expectation for the election to happen,” Rivera said. Malacañang says it opposes the cancellation of the May 2019 elections, but it will not stop its allies from pursuing it. “If its people’s initiative, perhaps that is also the answer of the House leadership to the position of the President that he would not have any hand in it,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said. “If that’s people’s initiative, what can you do if it came from the people, right?’’ Rivera disagreed.

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for the 19-hectare complex where the House of Representatives holds office. As early as Friday, PSG troops in battle were deployed at the complex. Incoming vehicles without House of Representatives decals were inspected, causing a queue of vehicles from the inspection bay up to the Batasan Road several hundred meters away. “[We] have more agencies, forces and equipment that can deal with any emergencies now,” Detabali said, adding that they were holding exercises to deal with all contingencies. “We have held numerous inter-agency meetings, plannings and rehearsals considering all possible scenarios from bombings, fire, [to] chemical attacks... and have measures in place to ensure the safety of the President, our other VIPs, guests and personnel,” Detabali added. Bomb sniffing dogs were also taken to the various areas in the complex. House Secretary-General Cesar Strait Pareja, chairman of the Sona 2018 steering committee, said the House is prepared for any eventuality this year. Pareja said the House Secretariat and the Senate have been prepared, and are now ready for the most anticipated annual event of Congress—the Sona and the opening of the Third Regular Session. “Just to assure you, based on what we have been doing before, we prepare for the worst but we expect the best. We hope for the best, but we are ready in case anything happens,” said Pareja. Detabali also said that land and air forces as well as civilian agencies are on alert and will work together to ensure that the event will take place without any untoward incident.

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Pangasinan province under floodwaters, led to widespread class suspensions, and caused at least P6 million in damages to crops and infrastructure, mostly in Occidental Mindoro, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said in a statement. “Inday” (international name Ampil) was expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday morning, but it was still enhancing the “habagat” as it was moving northwest. At 11 a.m. Friday, the storm was estimated at 945 kilometers east northeast of Basco, Batanes, with maximum sustained winds of 90 kms per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 115 km/h. Taking the place of “Inday” is a new low pressure area spotted 475 kilometers west of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, which the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said could enter the PAR this weekend. Both the storm and the LPA were pulling in the southwest monsoon, leading to torrential rainfall across much of Luzon and flooding the Pangasinan cities of Alaminos, Urdaneta and Lingayen and the towns of Bani, Mangatarem, Calasiao, Sta. Barbara, Labrador, Mabini, Bugallon, Malasiqui, Agno, and Natividad. With PNA

No rush to amend 1987 Constitution, Sotto says By Macon Ramos-Araneta

He said most of the senators were not in a hurry to revise the Constitution, and that the Senate would take its time deliberating on the Duterte administration’s bid to amend it. Sotto made his statement even as the head of the Philippines’ anti-trust body on Friday backed the creation of a Federal Competition Commission under the Consultative Committee’s proposed constitution. Philippine Competition Commission Chairman Arsenio Balisacan said that under the Con-Com’s proposed draft constitution, the PCC would be replaced with a constitutional body with “more teeth” in curbing unfair trade schemes. “The proposal includes making the [PCC] into a Federal Competition Commission and making it a constitutional

body to give it more teeth and independence, and [the] power to address highly anti-competitive practices,” he said. “This would be very good for competition, obviously,” Balisacan said. Sotto said the senators deemed it better to know first what the people wanted than rush into things. “It is much better to get first the sense of our countrymen and the way it is now, the sense right now is they don’t understand how federalism will be and what is the effect of federalism in our country,” Sotto said. A Pulse Asia survey conducted from June 15 to 21 showed that majority of the Filipinos do not want the shift from unitary to a federal form of government. Sotto said the public’s lack of support for federalism may be the reason “some

are proposing that no election be held. While President Rodrigo Duterte’s wish for Congress to hasten the Charter change process had weight, he said, there were many issues that needed to be addressed. Opposition Senators Franklin Drilon and Francis Pangilinan earlier said Congress should not be rushed into amending the Constitution to pave the way for federalism. He said amending the Charter was not like passing ordinary legislation. It required study and deliberation. “There are a lot of imponderables and implications that can affect our people of today and of the generations to come,” Drilon said. “Let the committee system work. Let the committee draft its report and route it to its member. Then, let the debate proceed.” Citing past studies, Drilon said only three regions―the National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Region IV― were found to have the capability and resources to stand on their own once the country shifted to a federal form of government.

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Martires, was an associate justice of the Sandiganbayan and also served as a regional trial court judge of Agoo, La Union. If appointed Ombudsman, Martires will have to take an early retirement from the 15-member bench. Sandoval, on the other hand, is a retired Sandiganbayan presiding justice. An expert in criminal law, he was a professor, author and a Bar reviewer. He is currently a special prosecutor. Ramirez is a private practitioner. He is also a graduate of San Beda and a fraternity brother of President Duterte. The JBC, concurrently chaired by acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio, is constitutionally mandated to screen applicants to the Judiciary and top Ombudsman positions. Besides Carpio and Guevarra, the JBC is composed by ex-officio members Senator Richard Gordon and Oriental Min-

doro Rep. Reynaldo Umali. Gordon and Umali have their term sharing agreement since the Congress is entitled only to one vote in the council. Its regular members include retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Jose Catral Mendoza, representing the justices and chairperson of the JBC Executive Committee, Jose Mejia, representing the academe, Milagros Fernan-Cayosa, representing the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, and retired judge Toribio Ilao, representing the private sector. Labor Undersecretary Jacinto Paras, who was reportedly eyeing the top post at the Labor Department, admitted knowing Salim, who first approached him about the alleged extortion activities. Paras is also connected to PACC’s Luna through the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption.

dinated with the Provincial Investigation and Detective Management Division in Bicol Region. Based on PTFoMS protocols, Llana’s case is being initially treated as a case of media killing which falls under Administrative Order No. 1 “until further investigation proves otherwise.” In the Senate, Senator Grace Poe deplored Llana’s killing and urged the authorities “to swiftly act on this and bring the perpetrators to justice.” Poe said the increasing number of killings of journalists and the slow resolution of cases emboldened those who carry out the attacks against the members of the media. “Let us not allow the culture of impu-

nity to claim more lives,” she said. Philippine National Police data suggested 1,040,987 crimes were reported from July 2016 to June 2018, lower than the 1,325,789 cases reported during the same period in 2014 to 2016. Crimes against persons like homicide, physical injuries, and rape also went down, except for murder which saw an increase of 19,210 or 1.50 percent during the last two years, according to the data. The murder rate in Metro Manila soared by around 112 percent or 3,444 from July 2016 to June 2018, significantly higher than the 1,621 murder cases from July 2014 to June 2016, according to the PNP. Macon Ramos-Araneta, PNA and Nat Mariano

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“After thorough review and deliberation, the BOC, composed of Commissioner Jaime Morente, Associate Commissioner J. Tobias Javier and OIC Associate Commissioner Marc Red Marinas, found that Patricia Anne Fox violated Philippine Immigration laws and was found to be an undesirable alien,” a spokesperson for the bureau, Dana Krizia Sandoval, said. “The BOC found that her actions are inimical to the interest of the state,” she said. Fox was earlier granted a missionary visa on July 21, 2016, valid until Sept. 5, 2018, with a limitation that she would render missionary work in Barangay Amihan, Quezon City. “Sister Fox clearly violated the limitation and conditions of her visa, which specifically allowed her to engage in missionary and religious work, not political activities in the Philippines,” said Sandoval. “She was found by the board to have actively participated in political activities, which she also admitted in her pleadings,” she said. Fox attended different rallies holding banners and wearing shirts representing different leftist organizations, the bureau said. “Foreign missionaries in the country must be actually, directly and exclusively engaged in religious work in the Philippines. They must not engage in partisan political activity or in any endeavor not consistent with their religious or missionary vocation,” Sandoval said. She added that an alien’s stay in the country is “but a mere privilege, and [he or she] should not be allowed to foment unrest and defiance. The BI said allowing Fox to participate in rallies would open floodgates for other aliens to join rallies to the detriment of public peace and order. In its decision, the BOC also reiterated that the BI’s mandate is to implement immigration laws, and is duty-bound to apply these laws equally, regardless of race, color or creed. With Maricel V. Cruz

cannot put this concern in the back-burner as citizens who urgently need it may demand it, either administratively or judicially. Q: Where lies the difference between first generation (civil and political) rights and socio-economic [second generation] rights? A: While first generation rights are an all-or-nothing manner (they are either observed or not) and are always immediately demandable and enforceable, socioeconomic rights are, as the draft puts it, “progressively realizable.” But being in the Bill of Rights, this bundle of socioeconomic rights is not merely an ideal or a desired state. It vests in the people an enforceable claim and, on the government, a constitutional obligation to respond to the demand. Q: What are environmental rights? A: The inclusion of third (environmental and ecological) generation rights in the Con-Com’s draft is our response to the now almost universally recognized peril to humankind that environmental depredation has brought about. While in the landmark case of Oposa v. Factoran, the Supreme Court had to wrestle with a state policy and read it as self-executory, the draft constitution leaves no doubt that the right to a healthful environment and to a balanced ecology are enforceable and demandable. Q: We have had the Clean Air Act for some time now—but it has remained largely on paper. Are these provisions not headed towards the same fate? A: No, definitely not. Notice that there is mention in the draft itself of the writ of kalikasan and of other protective writs. Once more, therefore, what started as a court-forged writ for the protection of environmental claims has received constitutional imprimatur and cannot be undone either the rule-making power of the Supreme Court or the law-making power of Congress. But it should be noted that there is nothing in the Constitution that bars the Supreme Court from rewriting the rule or Congress from passing a law

that strengthens the existing writ and other orders like it. Q: But the trouble with science is that it sometimes has no definite answers, and experts contradict each other. How does the Constitution deal with the possibility of a clash of scientific opinions in respect to the environment? A: There is in the draft a “cautionary” or “prudential” clause that all doubts are to be resolved in favor of the environment. So, while different scientists and ecologists may debate about whether open incineration contributes to global warming or not, because of the cautionary provision of the draft, regional or federal laws may prohibit open incineration because the presumption should always legally be in favor of the environment. Q: Aside from injunction, prohibition or the exercise of police power, what recourse do aggrieved persons or communities have? A: The draft allows them compensatory damages which they may demand against natural or juridical persons, and since the constitution itself grants victims of environmental ruination such reliefs, government may not invoke immunity on the basis of the doctrine of the nonsuability of the State, precisely because of an express grant of right by the Constitution in such cases. Q: One principal objection to the “writ of continuing mandamus” that was promulgated as a rule under the 1987 Constitution was that it not-toosubtly constituted a usurpation by the Supreme Court of the function of the execution of laws. How is this issue to be dealt with in the light of the Draft? A: To see to the execution and enforcement of its orders is a judicial power— otherwise decisions and judgments of courts would serve only rhetorical and declamatory purposes. The draft affirms the power of the Courts to issue such orders and writs as may be necessary to save the environment and to maintain the balance of a severely threatened ecology. Inherent to all this is the power of the courts to see to it that their orders are not trifled with.

HERE is no rush to amend the 1987 Constitution and establish a federal system of government, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III told reporters on Thursday night.

Bello denied all of the allegations and said he will resign if the group can show evidence that he was involved in corruption. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court unanimously recommended Martires. “Associate Justice Samuel R. Martires was unanimously recommended by the Court (Bernabe, Caguioa, JJ., not present) for appointment as Ombudsman. He obtained 11 votes of the 12 Justices who were present (Martires, J., no part),” SC spokesman Theodore Te said, in a media briefing. Martires, a graduate of San Beda College of Law and a former Sandiganbayan justice, was the first appointee of Duterte to the high court.

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the strongest possible terms’ Llana’s killing, vowing to solve the case. Egco has ordered the creation of a special investigation task group to look into the killing of the Albay reporter. “This saddens me. This is the reason why it is very important that we should know the protocols on media security,” Egco said in a media interview in Baguio City. The PTFoMS has ongoing training and seminar on media security and the Task Force protocols. He said the task force has already coor-

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P100-m loan fund opened for Marawi IDPs, soldiers THE Department of Trade and Industry said it has P100 million now being made available to displaced Marawi City residents and military personnel who saw combat in the besieged capital of Lanao del Sur last year, for them to start livelihood activities. In a statement Friday, the DTI said the microloan budget for Marawi’s internally displaced persons and soldiers is part of the Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pagasenso (P3) Program, the microfinance program of the administration. Of the allotted amount, P50 million will be allotted for Marawi IDPs and the other half can be availed by qualified soldiers or their families. As of end-May 2018, some P5.28 million has been released to 364 borrowers in Marawi. Another P11.96 million was released to 167 soldiers and/or their families. “President Duterte’s vision for P3 is for it to replace ‘5-6’ as the primary source of working capital for micro entrepreneurs. To do this, we are working to rival their wide reach and accessibility,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said. According to Lopez, the P100-million allocation from P3 Program is on top of the approved P872.7-million budget for DTI under the “Bangon Marawi” initiative. The DTI, as the head for Task Force Bangon Marawi’s sub-committee on business and livelihood, aims to help war-affected individuals and families to return to business, he added. “President Rodrigo Roa Duterte wants to ensure that government support continues, and DTI must help revive business and livelihood in Marawi City. We will not stop until this city restores its vibrant trade and Industry,” Lopez said. PNA

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Malacañang on Friday rejected the group’s accusation. “There is no truth to that statement,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement. He said Amnesty International’s statement contradicted a Social Weather Stations survey showing the victims of common crimes were at a record-low of 6.1 percent in 2017. But Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel said Amnesty International’s observation “has a hint of truth.” “I believe the delivery of basic services is more important than this war on drugs,” said Pimentel, chairman of the House committee on good government and public accountability. AI Philippines section director Jose Noel Olano said the Duterte administration “does not know how to listen” and that his human rights agenda had been “on a downward spiral” since his first State of the Nation Address in 2016. “While the President said in his 2016 speech that his administration shall be sensitive to the State’s obligation to promote, protect and fulfill human rights, especially the poor, marginalized and the vulnerable; that social justice will be pursued and the rule of law at all times will prevail’, his human rights agenda basically went on a downward spiral from that time onwards,” Olano said. What contributed to this, he said, was the President’s resistance to recommendations “put forward by more diverse sectors in lieu of the opinion of his few trusted advisors.” Olano also blamed Duterte’s refusal to accept criticism from the international community. Earlier this year, Duterte announced the Philippines’ withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, citing its “baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks” against him related to The Hague-based tribunal’s probe into “summary killings” being linked to his administration. Duterte’s Cabinet had also fired back at the 38 states that urged the Philippine government to put an end to the drug killings. Maricel V. Cruz

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which often left the world’s most expensive footballer wincing and rolling on the ground. However, on Thursday, he took to Instagram to get his revenge. “One, two, three, go!” shouts Neymar as around a dozen youngsters fall to the ground of a parking lot. “That’s a free-kick!” screams the Brazilian breaking into fits of laughter. The video was released with a hashtag #ChallengeDAFALTA, the free-kick challenge in Portuguese. During the recent World Cup, the player’s antics sparked the “Neymar Challenge” where he was widely mocked. In Mexico, a football club organized a competition in which contestants attempted to roll the entire length of the pitch. AFP

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PDEA nabs 7, saves 6 minors from drug den OPERATIVES of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and Southern Police District have rescued six minors and arrested seven persons, including the leader of a drug group, in a suspected drug den in Muntinlupa City. PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino on Friday identified the suspects as Cristina Lopena, 52, the alleged drug den owner; Marlon Macatuggal, 24, a paint artist; Mark Gil Patriarca, 35, also a paint artist; Dandrian Alvarez, 30, helper; Michael Lopena, 38; and Virgilio Valdrias, 30, all residents of Purok 1, Barangay Sucat, Muntilupa City; and Rejay Lazaga, 19, jobless, of Marcelo Green, Parañaque City. Aquino said the joint operatives of PDEA Regional Office-National Capital Region (PDEA RO-NCR) Southern District Office under Director Ismael G. Fajardo Jr., the Muntinlupa City Police Station and the Southern Police District implemented a lawful search in a house that doubles as a drug den in Barangay Sucat, Muntinlupa City on Tuesday afternoon.

Cab driver who stole OFW’s bag arrested GOVERNMENT agents arrested a taxi driver who stole a bag with P60,000 worth of cash and valuables owned by a returning female overseas Filipino worker whom he picked up at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last Monday. Members of the Manila International Airport Authority—Intelligence and Investigation Division also recovered the valuable items stolen by suspect Rodel Ormillo from his passenger Catalina Prado, a native of Surigao del Sur. Investigation conducted by MIAAIID police inspector Erick Mejia showed that Prado, who works as laser technician in Oman, took a regular white taxi Queensmen with registration plate 1130-ABQ driven by Ormillo after her arrival at the Naia terminal 1 on the night of July 16. While exiting the Naia compound, Ormillo told Prado that his company charges a P1,700 ﬂat rate for a passenger going to the area of Muntinlupa City. This prompted Prado to ask the driver to transfer her to another taxi that charges a metered rate. Joel E. Zurbano

Win wants aliens to join PH infra bid DUE to the reported delays in infrastructure projects over limitations in the capability of domestic contractors, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian wants to open the door for more foreign contractors in the light of the President’s most ambitious “Build Build, Build program. To do this, Gatchalian told reporters he would ﬁle a bill to amend the 80-year-old Commonwealth Act 541 which imposes restrictions on foreign contractors. He cited the need to amend Commonwealth Act No. 541, which gives preference to Filipino or US contractors to handle the construction and repair of public works. His proposed measure, Gatchalian said, would allow foreign contractors to participate in public construction projects in support of the government’s Build, Build, Build program. “We will ﬁle a legislative measure to allow foreign contractors to participate in government projects,” said Gatchalian in an interview after the Senate hearing on foreign investment laws. Since the direction is to build more infrastructure and to have simultaneous construction projects, he emphasized that foreign contractors should be allowed to join government projects. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Baguio folks form long lines to avail of National Food Authority’s cheaper rice of around P27 per kilo way, which is cheaper than other commercial rice sold in the market which fetches around P40 above to around P80 per kilo. Each individual is allowed a maximum of five kilos of NFA rice. Dave Leprozo Jr.

PCOO flagged for spending P1.3b for 2017 Asean summit By Rio N. Araja

HE Presidential Communications Operations Ofﬁce has spent P1.3 billion in operating expenses for the country’s hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in 2017.

In a 2017 audit report, the Commission on Audit flagged the PCOO for a 700-percent increase in 2017 compared to its expenditures in 2016 on the Asean summit. The PCOO’s maintenance and other operating expenses in 2017 reached P1.3 billion against 2016’s P156.67 million. The state auditors said PCOO’s 2017 expenses were eight times more than that of 2016’s. The huge increase went to rental expense with PCOO spending P764 million more than it did in 2016. At least P771.88 million was eaten up by rentals and lease last year against 2016’s P7.86 million. Rentals and lease expenses specifically went to the “rental of equipment, vehicles, venues, parking space, tents used during the Asean Summit 2017 as well as rentals of office equipment used during the foreign travels of the President,” the

report read. The audit body assailed PCOO’s awarding of contracts for van rentals and the procurement of goods and services for the Asean events. Travel expenses of the PCOO ate up the second biggest increase in expenditures with P162.32 million funding in 2017 against 2016’s P30.11 million, or an increase of P132.21 million. Some P119.62 million went to domestic travels for ofﬁcials and employees against 2016’s P14.99 million, while overseas travels increased to P42.36 million from 2016’s P15.12 million. The PCOO spent P98.85 million in 2017 for “other maintenance and other operating ofﬁce” with an increase of P98.85 million from 2016’s 21.17 million to last year’s P120 million that went to payment for contractual personnel for the Asean summits. CoA called the attention of the PCOO

for an increase in internet connection in 2017 to P80.27 million from P2.31 million or with a P77.95-million increase. In addition, the audit body recommended the filing of charges against PCOO officials for the P38-million “deficient” disbursements for the 2017 Asean Summit. CoA also questioned the purchases of goods and services worth P27, 503,535.40, and van rentals worth P7, 264,450, rental of information technology equipment for P4,039,140. PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar said he had already ordered a probe of any violation of the Government Procurement Act in the rental of IT equipment and vans. Meanwhile, PCOO Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Marvin Gatpayat said at least five individuals including two PCOO deputy officials are now being investigated for possible violation of procurement laws. “It’s under investigation. Let’s just say more or less around five,” Gatpayat told the media in an interview. While the communications official refused to name names, he said the two PCOO officials have been designated to handle the Asean Committee on Media Affairs and Strategic Communications which was assigned to PCOO.

PNP to admit MILF, MNLF fighter as regular members By Macon Ramos-Araneta MEMBERS of the Moro National Liberation Front and Moro Islamic Liberation Front will be admitted to the Philippine National Police under the newly-approved Bangsamoro Organic Law which is hoped to bring lasting and genuine peace in Mindanao. The BOL, which was finally approved by the congressional bicameral conference committee Wednesday, is expected to be signed ty President Rodrigo Duterte into law before he delivers his third State of the Nation Address later that dah of Jan. 23. The BOL also provides that age, height and educational attainment qualifications may be waived and can be availed of within five years after the ratification of the BOL.

The BOL, which paves the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to replace the ARMM, further provides that recruits from the MNLF and MILF have up to 15 years after their entry to fulfil the educational attainment requirement. Senator Win Gatchalian on Friday commended the MILF and the MNLF for their contributions to making the historic BOL a reality. “We recognize the sacrifices of the MILF and MNLF and we thank them for their patience and their willingness to set aside political differences for the sake of lasting peace in Mindanao,” he said after the approval of the BOL by the bicameral conference committee. Gatchalian said the inputs of both groups were vital in making sure the BOL was inclusive and would end all conflict

with various secessionist factions. “The support of both groups for the BOL means there is a greater chance for the new Bangsamoro region to succeed,” he said. The lawmaker said the BOL will guarantee that the new Bangsamoro political entity will be a fertile ground for investment and inclusive economic development. “Peace always fosters greater economic development. When there are more economic opportunities, it will be easier for people to rise from poverty and be ﬁnancially independent,” he said. The inclusion of the MILF and the MNLF was among the highlights of the BOL as cited by Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri, chairperson of the Senate subcommittee on the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

Police nab QC, Caloocan drug dealers By Joel E. Zurbano AUTHORITIES arrested on Friday a leader of a criminal group engaged in drug trafﬁcking and gun-for-hire activities in Quezon City, Caloocan City and in the province of Bulacan. The buy-bust operation conducted by elements of the National Capital Region Police Ofﬁce—Regional Drug Enforcement Unit and Caloocan City police station also resulted in the seizure of 350 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride worth P2.4 million from the possession of 42-year-old suspect Rolando Arnaiz. Members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement—NCR unit also participated in the police operation conducted at the corner of Tulyahan Road and Ignacia Road in Barangay Sta. Quiteria, Caloocan City around 12:15 am. NCRPO chief Guillermo Eleazar said Arnaiz, also known as “Lang-Lang,” is

the leader of the notorious criminal group “Lang-Lang Arnaiz Gang” who was arrested along with his companion David Montalbo, 48. Eleazar said Arnaiz is also listed number one Most Wanted Person of Novaliches Police Station with a standing warrant of arrest for a murder case ﬁled at the Regional Trial Court Branch 85 of Quezon City. No bail recommended against the suspect. “He [Arnaiz] had been a subject for intensive manhunt operation by the NCRPO-RDEU for more than one month. Efforts were paid off when intelligence ﬁeld operatives of TeamNCRPO gained access with the group,” said Eleazar. Arnaiz, a resident of Lot-6, Virginia Drive, Rodriguez Subd., Baesa, Quezon City; and Montalbo, of 21 Talipapa, Novaliches, Quezon City, are now detained and placed under police interrogation.

DUTERTE EFFIGY. Militant workers of Bayan Party-list puts on the finishing touches in the effigy of President Rodrigo R. Duterte which will be used in a protest rally on the day of the Sona on Monday, July 23. Manny Palmero

Army troopers kill five ASG bandits, wound five others By Francisco Tuyay ELITE army troopers killed five notorious Abu Sayyaf bandits and wounded five others in two separate encounters between the terrorist group and elite army troopers in the hinterlands of Patikul, Sulu midnight Thursday. The government side, however, lost one soldier while five others were injured in the clash that took place in the boundary of barangays Tanum and Liang in Patikul. Lt. Gen. Arnel dela Vega, commander of the Army’s Western Mindanao Command troops of the 45th Infantry Battalion led by Lt. Col. Rhenante Salvador said they were on an intensified operation when it encountered around 20 ASG members under sub-leader Almujer Yaddah. Dela Vega said the death of the five Abu Sayyaf was confirmed on an information reported to the military by a reliable source on the ground. Hours after the fighting in Barangay Tanum and Liang, another encounter erupted between troops of the 1st Scout Ranger Battalion and a separate group of around 20 bandits in Brgy. Tabu-Bato, Maimbung, Sulu. Dela Vega said scout ranger troops led by Major Leoncito Grezula were on combat operations when they chanced upon the terrorist elements under Almadjan Sahidjuan, alias Apoh Mike, triggering a running gunbattle.

PNP upbeat on drug case vs Kerwin, Co PHILIPPINE National Police Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde on Friday expressed confidence that the evidence against self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, convicted drug kingpin Peter Co, and several others can withstand scrutiny of the courts. “I am glad that the DoJ [Department of Justice] found merit in the case filed by the CIDG [Criminal Investigation and Detection Group] against Kerwin Espinosa and several other respondents for violation of RA (Republic Act No.) 9165,” Albayalde said in a statement. He added that the “the CIDG case buildup was consistent from the start” and that there was “damning evidence to indict Kerwin, et. al for the crime.” “Rest assured the PNP will provide [the] DoJ with all available evidence and information to establish a strong case against the respondents,” Albayalde said. Earlier this week, the DoJ reversed its earlier ruling and indicted Espinosa and Co and several others on the drug complaint filed by the PNP. In a resolution, the prosecution panel, composed of Senior Assistant State Prosecutors Juan Pedro Navera and Anna Noreen Devanadera, and Prosecution lawyer Herbert Calvin Abugan, found sufficient evidence to charge Espinosa, Co, Lovely Imperial and Ruel Malindagan for violation of Section 26 (B) in relation to Section 5, Article II of RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Acts of 2002.

Opinion

SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2018

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Still an imperial presidency dent of the Senate and thereafter the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall take his place. Section 11 of both constitutions provide for an identical mechanism in the event the president fails to disTHE head of the executive department charge his powers and duties during under the proposed federal republic his incumbency. Section 12 of both is the president. Both the executives constitutions, which requires the govunder the 1987 Constitution and the ernment to inform the public of the prosed new charter have substantially president’s state of health in case he similar qualifications including citi- falls seriously ill, are substantially zenship (natural-born), minimum age similar. The only difference is that (40 years old) and a registered-voter aside from the members of the cabistatus. net for foreign relations and national However, there are also distinct security as well as the AFP chief, the differences. In the 1987 Constitution proposed federal constitution also the president must be able to read and specifies the personal physician of the write and a reside in the country for president as one of those who shall not at least 10 years while under the probe denied access. posed charter, he must be a college deAlso present in both are the prohigree holder or its bitions on certain equivalent on the officials includday of the election ing the president and domiciled in against holding The main ﬂaw the Philippines any other office for at least ten of the proposed or employment (10) years imme- new constitution is during their tendiately preceding ure, or practicing its retention of the the election. a profession or As proposed in presidential system. engaging in busithe federal constiness or to avoid tution, the term of conflict of interoffice of the presest. The president ident is four (4) remains prohibyears with one term reelection. This ited from appointing relatives by conis in contrast to the president in the sanguinity or affinity up to the fourth 1987 Constitution which has a six (6) civil degree into certain offices. year term but without reelection. The As to the president’s appointees president and the vice president shall than must go through the Commission be voted as a team which is not the on Appointments, both constitutions case in the present set-up where both provide for similar classes of officers officials may come from different po- except that the proposed constitution litical parties. now requires for a Major General or Both constitutions adopt an identi- Rear Admiral to go through the CA cal mechanism for succession in the instead of a colonel or a naval captain event the president or the vice presi- as provided in the present charter. dent fails to qualify or dies, becomes Under both, the president is vested permanently disabled, is removed or with the power of control and general resigns. As provided, if the president supervision over the government. He fails to qualify or dies, or is removed remains the commander-in-chief of the from office or resigns, he will be suc- armed forces. However, the proposed ceeded by the vice president or if the constitution now adds lawless violence latter falls under any of the circum- in addition to invasion or rebellion as stance so mentioned, then the presiTurn to A5

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

The overspending underwhelming agency

HE Presidential Communications Operations Ofﬁce has earned some notoriety in the past two years. The agency tasked to deliver and clarify the President’s message to the people has, alas, committed nefarious gaffes that would be laughable if they weren’t so tragic. Among the grievous mistakes of the PCOO: Using misleading photos, misidentifying people, using unverified news, committing atrocious grammatical errors in basic communication, blurring the line between fact and opinion—sometimes fact and fakery —and waging a social media war against those it perceives to be critical of the President. Controversial posts are eventually taken down or rectified, but its representatives, led by Secretary Martin Andanar, tend to take a haughty stance against those who point out their mistakes.

Worse, Andanar has the habit of laying blame on his subordinates instead of acting as a true leader and holding himself accountable for the blunders. An official of the agency even had the gall to say its correction of its mistakes proves their people are the best and brightest there are. What escaped this official was that correction of an error is not a sign of excellence or heroism but a basic act. Such a deficiency in ability and attitude worsens, not helps, the communication standing of the President, himself already given to rambling, cursing and self-contradiction. Unfortunately it appears the communication team enjoys Mr. Duterte’s unqualified confidence—he has never expressed any dissatisfaction at the work of this patently underwhelming team. It’s a team that is given to overspending, we now learn. The Commission on Audit has recommended the filing of charges against the agency for P38 million on deficient disbursements of its expenses during the Asean

Summit held here in November. The deficiencies, according to CoA, were in the form of: • purchases of goods and services worth P27.5 million; • rentals of vans worth P7.3 million; and • IT equipment rental of P4 million. The commission said PCOO could have saved money had it bought, not rented, the equipment. The CoA noted that the PCOO split its contracts among various suppliers, an act that deprived it of big discounts if the purchases were made in bulk and under established norms. Nobody challenges the fact that the Asean summit was a high-profile event that required the government to put its best foot forward. Unfortunately, the PCOO mistook this to mean it could spend carelessly and show off at taxpayers’ expense. We wonder if this latest anomaly would be enough to jolt the President into realizing that his communications team has become a liability—something he does not need now, or ever.

Hope, love and values: 110 years of Japanese migration to Brazil By Paula Ramon AS EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Eiki Shimabukuro left Japan in 1959 with his parents and five siblings for the twomonth sea voyage to Brazil, passengers were given ribbons linking them to those who stayed behind. As the ship pulled away, the ribbons stretched, unraveled and finally broke. “It was the last link, a very moving vision,” says Shimabukuro, now 67 years old. The family followed tens of thousands of Japanese people who had migrated to Brazil since the beginning of the 20th century. And this week, Princess Mako, the granddaughter of Emperor Akihito of Japan, trekked to Brazil to visit more than a dozen cities bearing symbols of Japanese heritage and to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the first pioneers’ journey. That first big group of 781 Japanese, mostly farmers, arrived at the port of Santos in Sao Paulo state in June 1908, aboard the cargo and passenger ship Kasato Maru. Plagued by debt in the wake of Japan’s industrialization, the migrants hoped for a new life working on South American coffee plantations, which were facing a labor shortage. Today, Brazil hosts the largest community of “nikkei”—as Japanese immigrants and their descendants are known—in the world, with 1.9 million people. Hope The devastation and penury wrought by World War II triggered another wave of migrants fleeing misery at home. “After the war, Japan was in a difficult situation. I came to Brazil at age 19, alone and full of hope,” says Yoshiharu Kikuchi, 78. Originally from Japan’s north, he spent his first years in Brazil working the land, before moving to Sao Paulo in 1965.

“Everything we got was hard won,” he says. “I learned a lot here.” Today the nikkei are mostly well integrated into Brazilian society. But the first generations endured significant prejudice, especially in the early 20th-century tide of Western xenophobia aimed at the so-called “yellow peril.” Kikuchi, who has two children and five grandchildren born in Brazil, says he has no intention of returning to Japan. In his retirement he volunteers for several organizations, one of which uses a Japanese method to help children with autism. “Life opens to us when we help others,” he says. Love Rumi Kusumoto’s mother arrived in Brazil with her family in the 1910s. After completing her studies, she went back for a visit only to get stuck on the archipelago during the war. She married and had four children in Fukuoka, all the time feeling a deep sense of “saudade”—a Portuguese term that evokes a blend of nostalgia and melancholy. The younger Kusumoto remembers how her mother would cook dishes influenced by Brazil, where she ultimately returned in 1962 with her new family. “I was born to live outside of Japan,” says Kusumoto. “I quickly got used to change and I did not think I would go back.” But destiny decided otherwise. In the 1970s, she was hired as a translator for a Japanese man on a business trip. “On the last day, he invited me to dinner and asked me to marry him,” she says. The pair exchanged letters until Kusumoto journeyed to Tokyo for their wedding. But returning to her native country came with intense culture shock. Turn to A5

WhatsApp limits forwarding in India after lynchings By Simon Sturdee WHATSAPP announced limits on Friday on the forwarding of messages by its 200 million Indian users in an effort to stop a spate of horrific lynchings and to assuage government threats of legal action in its biggest market. More than 20 people have been butchered by crazed mobs in the past two months across India after being accused of child kidnapping and other crimes in viral messages circulated wildly on WhatsApp. Late Thursday India’s government, scrambling to find a response, threatened to take WhatsApp to court, saying the “medium” for spreading malicious

abettors and thereafter face consequent legal action,” the information technology ministry said. The Facebook-owned firm responded on Friday with an announcement it will test limiting the ability to forward messages and cap at five the number of contacts or groups that messages can be forwarded to. It addition, it said it will remove the “quick forward button” next to media messages, making sending on messages more cumbersome. “We believe that these changes— rumors “cannot evade responsibility which we’ll continue to evaluate—will and accountability.” help keep WhatsApp the way it was “If [WhatsApp] remain mute spec- designed to be: a private messaging Turn to A5 tators they are liable to be treated as Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher

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Opinion A plea for Rohingya refugees By António Guterres SMALL children butchered in front of their parents. Girls and women gangraped while family members were tortured and killed. Villages burned to the ground. Nothing could have prepared me for the bone-chilling accounts I heard earlier this month in Bangladesh from Rohingya refugees who had fled widespread killings and violence in Rakhine state, Myanmar. One man, a member of this mostly Muslim ethnic group, broke down in tears describing how his eldest son was shot dead in front of him, the man’s mother was brutally murdered and his house was torched to ashes. He said he took refuge in a mosque but was discovered by soldiers who abused him and burned the Koran. These victims of what has been rightly called ethnic cleansing are suffering an anguish that can only stir a visitor’s heartbreak and anger. Their horrific experiences defy comprehension, yet they are the reality for nearly one-million Rohingya refugees. The Rohingya have suffered a pattern of persecution—lacking even the most basic human rights, starting with citizenship—by their own country, Myanmar. Systematic human rights abuses by the security forces in Myanmar over the past year were designed to instill terror in the Rohingya population, leaving them with a dreadful choice: stay on in fear of death or leave everything simply to survive. After a harrowing journey to safety, these refugees are now trying to cope with the harsh conditions in the Bangladesh district of Cox’s Bazar that have naturally resulted from the world’s fastest-growing refugee crisis. Bangladesh is a developing country with resources stretched to the limits. Yet, while larger and wealthier countries around the world are closing doors to outsiders, the government and people of Bangladesh have opened their borders and hearts to the Rohingya. The compassion and generosity of

WhatsApp... From A4

app,” a statement said. Worldwide, the company will limit the number of forwards to 20 other groups, a spokesman said. Under pressure from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, the firm had already announced new features to help users identify messages that have been forwarded. It bought full-page adverts in Indian newspapers with tips on how to spot misinformation. The ministry also called on WhatsApp to enable the “traceability” of messages when an official request is made. But the platform on Friday said its messages would stay “end-to-end encrypted.” Chocolates to kids Lynchings are nothing new in India, but the spread of smartphones—there are a billion plus handsets, and data is cheap—to even the most remote corners has enabled rumors to be shared at lightning speed.

Still... From A4

ground to suspend the writ of habeas corpus. He/She shall continue to be vested with the power to grant pardon, commutation and reprieve or remit fines and forfeitures. However, the proposed constitution specifies that amnesty will be with the concurrence of majority of all members of Congress, voting jointly. He/She remains granted with the authority to enter into treaties and international agreements with the concurrence of two-thirds of the Senate. He/She is also required to submit the proposed budget as basis for the general appropriation bill within 30 days from the opening of every regular session by Congress. At the opening of each regular session, the president is required to address Congress. He/

Hope,...

Guterres

mediate monsoon risk. Makeshift homes hastily built by the refugees on arrival are now threatened by mudslides, requiring urgent action to find alternative sites and build stronger shelters. Much has been done to address the challenge, but there are still grave risks because of the sheer dimensions of the crisis. I traveled to Bangladesh with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and welcome his leadership in mobilizing the bank’s announcement of $480 million in grant-based support to Rohingya refugees and their hosts. Yet far more is required from the international community. Expressions of solidarity are not enough; the Rohingya people need genuine assistance. Despite all they endured in Myanmar, the refugees I met in Cox’s Bazar have not given up hope. “We need security in Myanmar and citizenship. And we want justice for what our sisters, our daughters, our mothers have suffered,” one distraught but determined woman told me as she gestured to a mother cradling her young baby, the result of rape. The crisis will not be solved overnight. At the same time, the situation cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely. Myanmar must create the conditions for the return of the refugees with full rights and the promise of living in safety and dignity. This requires a massive investment—not only in reconstruction and development for all communities in one of Myanmar’s poorest regions, but also in reconciliation and respect for human rights. Unless the root causes of the violence in Rakhine state are addressed comprehensively, misery and hatred will continue to fuel conflict. The Rohingya people cannot become forgotten victims. We must answer their clear appeals for help with action.

the Bangladeshi people show the best of humanity and have saved many thousands of lives. But the response to this crisis must be a global one. A Global Compact on Refugees is being finalized by member states of the United Nations so front-line countries such as Bangladesh are not alone in responding to a fleeing wave of humanity. For now, however, the United Nations and humanitarian agencies are working flat-out alongside the refugees themselves and host communities to improve conditions. But far more resources are desperately needed to avert disaster and to give fuller expression to the principle that a refugee crisis calls for a global sharing of responsibility. An international humanitarian appeal for almost $1 billion is funded at only 26 percent. This shortfall means that malnutrition prevails in the camp. It means that access to water and saniAntónio Guterres is Secretary-Gentation is far from ideal. It means that eral of the United Nations. This piece we cannot provide basic education for refugee children. Not least, it means in- has been published in The Washington adequate measures to alleviate the im- Post. In India people forward on WhatsApp more messages, photos, and videos, than any other country in the world, the company says. The latest incident last Friday saw a 27-year-old software engineer beaten to death by a crowd of more than 2,000 people in the southern state of Karnataka after he and his friends offered chocolates to local children. Fatal attacks have also been carried out on Muslims by “cow protection” groups roaming highways and inspecting livestock trucks. Cows are sacred to the majority Hindu community. Indian authorities have launched awareness campaigns and patrols and imposed Internet blackouts in some areas but the impact has been limited. One official “rumor buster” was himself beaten to death in the northeast in June. In China, WhatsApp is subject to major disruption, prompting people to use the homegrown WeChat. But elsewhere in Asia and beyond, WhatsApp and other tech firms have come under fire for the spread of “fake news.” Major media organizations, often

in partnership with big technology and social media corporations, have stepped up fact-checking and other steps to support credible journalism. Internet firms, after initial reluctance to define themselves as “media,” have stepped up efforts to identify false news and to “curate” stories from “trusted” news sources. In Pakistan, WhatsApp this week began a week-long publicity campaign offering tips to spot fake news ahead of elections on July 25. In India, the firm is in discussions with the government on how to tackle spam messages ahead of upcoming elections and bringing in a fake news verification model similar to one used recently in Mexico, the Economic Times reported on Friday. This week, the Supreme Court told the government to enact new legislation and commentator and former magazine editor Paranjoy Guha Thakurta told AFP that just criticizing WhatsApp was insufficient. “You can shoot the messenger but the primary responsibility lies with the government to take action against the perpetrators,” he told AFP. AFP

She may also appear before Congress at any time. Having summarized the features of the Presidency in the Puno proposal, I must say that this is the main flaw of the proposed new constitution of the Philippines—its retention of the presidential system. In fact, my reading of the Puno proposal is that it strengthens and expands presidential power, certainly in declaring martial law (“lawless violence” is foolishly restored as a ground) and in dealing with secession and transition issues. This decision to keep an all-powerful presidency guarantees the continuation of Manila imperialism and contradicts the decentralization objective of federalism as well as the expansion of the Bill of Rights. Retired Justice Vicente V. Mendoza, who with Fr. Joaquin Bernas is the most brilliant living Filipino constitutionalist, wrote in an early article, “The Origin and Development of the

Philippine Constitutional System,” how the Philippine constitutional system diverged from the United States tradition of separation of powers early in our colonial history. Our presidency is not patterned after the US president who is constrained by Congress and the Supreme Court. Instead, our presidency is patterned after the office of the Spanish and American governor generals, who had total authority to suppress the local people to allow the plunder of resources for the colonial masters. Independence did not change that and the imperial presidency was established and institutionalized. That is what we now have and the proposed new constitution does not change that. And with an imperial presidency, it is safe to bet that Imperial Manila will continue to dominate and federalism will only be in name.

to cry.” Today, she splits her life between Japan, Brazil and the United States, where From A4 her two children live. But she knows where her roots lie. “As soon as a letter arrived from Bra“I identify more with Brazil,” she zil, my husband went to get a handker- says. “It’s the country that opened all chief,” she says. “He knew I was going doors for me.”

Facebook: tonylavs Twitter: tonylavs Values As a child arriving in Brazil, a wideeyed Eiki Shimabukuro found himself captivated: “I had never seen so many foreigners,” he remembers with a smile. He went on to work several years as a farmer, before studying engineering and nabbing a post at state-controlled

SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2018

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Trump, hostage of the ‘deep state’ relations. The issue of meddling in the US election, the annexation of Ukraine and the pyrrhic adventurism to play proxy for Israel and Saudi Arabia which are known to cuddle terrorTHE hysteria over how US President ist organizations are issues which the Donald Trump acted and talked with US cannot claim free from the stain of Russian President Vladimir Putin at intervention. As said, Trump refused the Helsinki summit has generated de- to sing the song that was prepared for bate in the deeply divided American him. That, however, was interpreted public. The US mainstream media, as appearing soft to what the West which many now realize as expressing would saw as the new Kremlin autothe views of the giant corporations and crat. They threw all wild speculations supported by the two major political that he is under the firm control of parties, Republican and Democratic, Vladimir Putin. To this ridiculous allegation, Putin acted in concert to counter what they see as the “overwhelming” Russian simply give them a rhetorical answer attacks on the American democratic if they truly believe Russia is capable of influencing the US election. values. The issues raised against Russia According to the Washington Post, “Ahead of the meeting, staffers pro- have been lingering on after the US vided Trump with some 100 pages of violated the understanding not to adbriefing materials aimed at laying out vance Nato’S defense perimeter bea tough posture towards Putin, but the yond the border that existed during the president ignored most of it. Trump’s Cold War. But to the US, the implosion remarks were “very much counter to of the Soviet Union did not really end the plan,” the staffer said. “Everyone the Cold War, but was merely substiaround Trump was urging him to take tuted by a new paradigm of competition grooved within that system. a firm stance with Mr Putin…” There is no doubt that Russia, as well For saying something “out of the box” on what the corporate media as its strategic ally, China, has acceptwants him to say, a barrage epithet ed capitalism and injected their own against him were hurled never before modification of maintaining in that heard by what they often refer to as system the same formula that could highly independent-minded Ameri- bring about progress and prosperity. The new competican public. Action has generated cording to Reinner fear that publican Senator sooner the US Lindsay Graham, would be overtak“Trump’s failure They expected the US en by these two to hold Moscow countries as the accountable for president to fumble. leading economic election interferpowerhouse. ence and seemEven if Trump ingly absolving subscribes to the them “will be seen by Russia as a sign of weakness same ideology of free enterprise, the and create far more problems than it deep state could sense his version is inimical to the interest in what Presisolves.” Republican senator, Jeff Flake, dent Eisenhower would say as the tweeted: “I never thought I would see “military industrial complex.” As one the day when our president would stand would quip, the giant corporations on the stage with the Russian presi- and the mainstream media come from dent and place the blame on the United the same genus that for Trump to iniStates for Russian aggression. This is tiate a rapprochement could imperil shameful.” US speaker Paul Ryan said their substituted Cold War. After Russia recovered from the “Russia is a menacing government trauma of near economic collapse, Nathat does not share our interests and it does not share our values, adding that to’s move to encircle the Russian Fed“Russia meddled in our election” On eration was effectively thwarted. The the other hand, Senator John McCain US cannot accept of what remains of termed the stand of President Trump Ukraine. It tries to gloss over the fact at the press conference as ‘embarrass- that the unrest in Ukraine is the result ing.’ One Congressman even called his of US interference that saw the violent overthrow of Viktor Yanukovych in statement “treasonous.” Others assessed the summit posi- February 2014. Maybe Russia would have forsaken tively and considered the Trump-Putin summit as a sign that the geo-political Crimea had it not for the agitation of relations of the two countries still have McCain, Nuland and other neoliberal room for improvement. Somehow they zealots to alienate its blood brother say, the American public gave their and possibly threaten its border. Now positive account of the summit. Curi- that Russia reasserted to bring back a ously enough, that perception of the part the Motherland that accorded it performance of President Trump was strategic access to the warm waters condemned as most outrageous and of the Black Sea on Mediterranean, embarrassing. It was summed up by the deep state insists that Trump raise the US corporate media as a “debacle.” the issue of the annexation. As Putin Indeed it was a fiasco, if one might would flatly put it, imposing tougher call it. Trump refused to be packaged sanctions will never work against a big by the deep state as they would want and economically powerful Russia. Those who survived in the real world him to appear. One must take note that Deputy Attorney General Rod of business competition like Trump, J. Rosenstein announced the indict- his election is the defining moment ment of 12 Russian military officers for the American public; that they for conspiring to interfere with the have had enough in brokering foreign 2016 presidential election by hacking wars. Many may disagree with him on the Democratic National Committee the issue of tariff protectionism as his three days before the summit. Ac- way to make American great, but he cording to New York Times, Robert knows as a frontline man in business S. Mueller III, the special counsel, that the economy must first be enerintended to jolt tension to the already gized to make America great again. freighted atmosphere surrounding Mr. It has to lessen its financial burden Trump’s meeting with Mr. Putin. The of sustaining a losing wars overseas indictment was meant to undermine that divert the income, resources, enTrump’s design to reach a rapproche- trepreneurial competitiveness of the American people only in favor of the ment with Russia. They expected Trump to fumble, military-industrial complex that gives and from there, hoped to steer the life to the political plasma of this ogre American public to endorse the main- called “deep state.” Restoring the competitiveness of stream media’s prejudgment of him as a weakling hiding behind the façade of the US is to the deep state a nightmare. The failed expectation of the a straight-talking bully. The indictment of the 12 Russians people has amplified their frustrawas a cheap propaganda ploy. They tion, and Trump maybe is their acknew the alleged Russian hackers cidental or lateral disciple who could could not be tried without Russia get- help free them from the trance of the ting some kind of reciprocal legal ac- deep state. The only drawback is he commodation to examine the case. opted to take the hard route by initiatRather, it was intended to put pressure ing a trade war. on Trump to talk tough on a range of rpkapunan@gmail.com issues that drifted apart US-Russian

BACKBENCHER ROD P. KAPUNAN

oil company Petrobras. In 1984, he won a scholarship to study for three months back in Japan. “Even though I was born there, it was a shock,” he says. “Everything is organized and planned—it’s very different from Brazil.” Today, back in Brazil, he doesn’t plan

on returning to the archipelago. But the stay in his home country instilled in him certain values, he says. “In Brazil, we have a lot to learn from Japan, in terms of honesty, ethics and morale,” he says. “There are very positive values we could incorporate here.” AFP

News

SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘MMDA’s quake drill rakes up impressions on social media’

Pagcor seeks Duterte’s clarification on CoA note

By Joel E. Zurbano

By Evalea Casaljay

GENERAL manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. of the Metro Manila Development Authority on Friday said the annual earthquake drill raked up over a billion impressions on social media which showed metro-wide engagement of the people in the disaster preparedness exercise. The agency also declared the event successful in its objective in raising public awareness on the “Big One,” a phrase used to describe the gigantic earthquake. Garcia said the MMDA gave its workforce a modest 85-percent grade for performing assigned tasks “very well” during the drill conducted last Thursday. “The Shake Drill was well organized. Our personnel know their tasks very well, they know what to do when disaster strikes.” Highlights of the drill included how the agency personnel handled the situation and responded to the earthquake scenarios as a team amid heavy rains. Like the public, agency personnel were only informed of the exercise on the day of the drill itself. An hour before the drill happened, telecommunication companies sent alert messages and alarms to mobile subscribers. Garcia said many of the personnel deployed at designated evacuation centers and command posts in northern, southern, western and eastern locations in Metro Manila spent the nights there just to carry out their preparedness plans. Another notable improvement this year was communication among the quadrants, Garcia added. “We have backup phones. Aside from our cellular phones, we have satellite phones on hand,” he said. Garcia, however, noted that the Shake Drill had still a lot of room for improvement. “It [Shake Drill] was not perfect. There is still a lot more work to do in the succeeding drills,” said Garcia. He also noted there was a need to upgrade tools and equipment for emergency cases. Moreover, Garcia said motorists have yet to learn how to give way to ambulances and emergency vehicles on the road.

THE Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. has asked for presidential clarification regarding the Commission on Audit’s findings on their alleged violation of employee compensation and allowances. “We are seeking clarification from the President [Rodrigo Duterte] if this should go on,” Pagcor chairman Andrea Domingo said on Friday. The Commission on Audit, based on its 2017 report, had questioned Pagcor’s P13.020 million worth of 18 karat gold rings as well as cash amounting to P12.495 million, which were awarded to the corporation’s 20-year loyalty awardees. The CoA said the amounts violated the circular issued in 2013 which provides a maximum cash award of P10,000 for loyalty awardees, even when the awards are in the Pagcor’s employee handbook. Domingo slammed the CoA’s timing of the report and scored as well the news item that portrayed her as dictating her own salary. “There were no additional benefits. We only retained what was implemented by the last administration because of the Presidential Directive as amended in 2008 by Pagcor. We didn’t add any new benefits,” Domingo said during a radio interview with dzMM’s Failon Ngayon program. She said there had been an agreement with the Government Commission for GOCC’s which was due to the presidential directive released during the time of President Fidel Ramos. “CoA wanted us to follow their interpretation of the law. I cannot overturn the presidential directive by myself. Only another president can actually revise, amend or cancel that directive,” the chairman said. Domingo also likened the case to the alleged under-remittance of P21.186 billion to the Bureau of Treasury. The auditors were the ones who firstly suggested to the corporation to seek clarification from the Office of the President regarding the grant of benefits to loyalty awardees. Pagcor had initially denied the accusation and said the report had “no basis.”

Villar says: Invest in agri devt By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Cynthia Villar has underscored the need to invest in research and development to hasten the growth and development of the country’s agriculture sector. Villar, chairman of the Senate agriculture and food committee, stressed that agri growth was very important to Filipinos because majority or twothirds of the population were directly and indirectly involved in agriculture. Villar said she had always been a firm believer in the importance of R&D. She advocates the incorporation of R&D in the agriculture sector, which also helps improve agricultural mechanization efforts. The senator was the guest speaker during the Turnover Ceremony of Decorticating Machine. The machines will help increase the productivity and income of the farmerbeneficiaries especially the 3.5-million coconut farmers. “lf we address the poverty among the coconut farmers and the rice farmers, I believe it will have a huge impact in improving our country’s poverty level since they compose 90 percent of all our farmers,” said Villar. In the Senate, Villar said they had passed the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund bill to safeguard the P100-billion coconut levy funds. She also guaranteed the coconut farmers and their families would be the direct beneficiaries of the coco levy funds after resolving this decades-old issue. “Of course, that is just one aspect. My actions and support are not only through legislation. I also make sure that I have practical approaches that will benefit the poor like these decorticating machine and coco coir processing machine or facility,” said Villar. Being a social entrepreneur, Villar said she was a proponent of a similar technology which they have been using in Las Piñas City to provide livelihood and augment income of farmers.

SHIFT THE GEAR. Some 180 units of modernized jeepneys are deployed for operation at the Quirino Grandstand on Friday as the government gradually implements its public utility vehicle modernization program. Norman Cruz

NBI files raps vs Aklan mayor, others on Boracay T

HE National Bureau of Investigation has ﬁled criminal cases against Malay, Aklan Mayor Ceciro Cawaling and several local ofﬁcials and corporations at the Department of Justice for their role in the deterioration of world-renowned island-resort Boracay in Aklan.

The NBI’s Environmental Crime Division filed violations of the Revised Forestry Code, Philippine Fisheries Code, and Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act against Cawaling, former Malay mayor John Yap, Malay municipal engineer and building official Elizer Casidsid, Kalibo, Aklan municipal assessor Erlinda Casimero and Aklan Provincial Assessor Kokoy Soguilon. Also charged were Correos Internacionale Inc. and its officers—Singaporean Lim Chee Yong, the president and CEO, Maria Christina Rumualdez, stockholder and chairman of the Board

and Gene Arthur Go, stockholder and Director; Seven Seas Boracay Properties Inc., and Boracay Tanawin Properties Inc. and its ofﬁcers—Gregory Wells, acting president, Immanuel Sodusta, secretary and Kennelyn Gonzaga, treasurer. Also charged were Boracay Island West Coast Management Philippines Inc. and its ofﬁcers—Crisostomo Aquino and Maria Jovita Aquino. Acting Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon said the cases had been docketed and assigned to prosecutors for preliminary investigation.

The DoJ will conduct preliminary investigation to determine if the cases filed have sufficient basis to warrant the indictment of the respondents before the court. “There were cases filed by the NBI task force that was directed to look into violations in Boracay. There were four cases that were filed with the department,” Fadullon told reporters Thursday afternoon. President Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered the closure of Boracay to tourists for six months starting April 26 to pave the way for its rehabilitation. Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu previously said they found several illegal sewage pipes that directly discharged wastes into Boracay’s seawaters. Several establishments were also found violating the 30-meter shoreline easement rule. PNA

SK leaders tackle health in drug forum LEADERS of Sangguniang Kabataan from Metro Manila on Friday discussed the importance of a public health approach in treating illegal drug use and addiction in barangays. In a forum in Quezon City, 70 SK leaders tackled alternative programs to the administration’s criminal approach in eradicating illegal drugs. “The drug problem in our society is a social and public health concern,” Senator Risa Hontiveros said in Filipino, addressing SK leaders mostly from Caloocan City, where many alleged drug users were reportedly killed in Oplan Tokhang. “I suggest that the evidence, study, and research that we acquired from analysis and experience should be the basis of our actions, of our law enforcement projects and campaigns,” Hontiveros said. Last year, Hontiveros filed Senate Bill 1313 or the Public Health Intervention for Drug Use Act that aims to adapt a rehabilitative manner in treating drug addiction instead of a punitive one. In the bill, Hontiveros noted that local government units were integral part of the community-based drug intervention for people who use drugs. The senator also said “diversion,” such as sports and education, were important strategies to keep the youth away from illegal drugs. She also challenged the SK leaders to implement programs beneficial to the youth to prove that they deserve the power that they have. “We may have good intentions, but if we do not execute it [sic] well, the outcome would be compromised,” said Pasig City Councilor Vico Sotto, one of the speakers. The SK conference was organized by Akbayan, Center for Youth Advocacy and Networking, and Kaisahan, that gathered the first batch of SK leaders elected in May after the reform law was passed. MJ Blancaflor and Dexter Tilo

SUPPORTERS SIGNATURES. Department of Agrarian Reform Secretary John Castriciones, officials and thousands of federalism supporters, sign what some declare as a People’s Initiative on Federalism—despite opposition from various sectors of society—during the gathering at Barangay Bahay Toro in Quezon City. Manny Palmero

39 Filipinos to take their MA and Ph D Programs in EU A TOTAL 39 Filipino students are going to pursue their higher education studies in the European Union under the Erasmus+ Program. The Erasmus+ Program will allow them to pursue MA and Ph D programs in different universities across the European continent. The scholarship allows students to study in more than one European Union country, giving them the opportunity to beneﬁt from the academic expertise and culture of more than one university. Ambassador Jessen urged the outgoing Erasmus+ students to become ambassadors of goodwill and agents of change to help strengthen the partnership between the EU and the Philippines in a reception at the EU Delegation to the Philippines.

He also encouraged the Erasmus+ scholars to give back to their country after they ﬁnished their program in the EU. This program gives life-changing opportunities for Filipino students to experience living the European culture, learning European languages and being integrated into the European society for one to two years. The Erasmus + (formerly called the Erasmus Mundus Program) promotes the EU as a center of excellence in learning and making student mobility a reality for EU and non-EU citizens alike. Erasmus Mundus alumni led by Kate Ramil, president of the EMASoutheast Asian Region and Maybel Nonato, country representative of

EMA Philippines, along with other alumni shared their experiences in studying in Europe. The alumni encouraged their scholars to take advantage of their time in the EU to benefit from borderless traveling and studying across different European Union countries and to become active members of Erasmus Associations in Europe. Since 2004, more than 300 students and lecturers benefited from the program which covers air travel to Europe, tuition fees and a monthly living allowance. The Erasmus + is among the leading international academic mobility programs in the world, and students from the Philippines have benefited considerably from the program.

Sports

Manila

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TODAY

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Lady Bulldogs kick off PVL title defense

Armywoman leads Manila Bay Clean-Up Run winners

Games today

2 p.m. – Adamson vs Perpetual 4 p.m. – National U vs San Beda Games tomorrow (Sunday) 4 p.m. – FEU vs St. Benilde 6 p.m. – UST vs San Sebastian

By Ernest Caballero PHILIPPINE Army’s Jhoann Villarma once again dominated the 2018 Manila Bay Clean-up Run as she ruled the 21-kilometer race by foiling the challenge of rivals Maricar Camacho and Celma Hitalia, even as runners from Kenya in Jackson Chirchir, Joseph Miruri and Alex Melly dominated the men’s division. The 2018 Manila Bay Cleanup Run is a project of the Manila Broadcasting Company and Star City, with the support of Manila and Pasay City. In the 10-kilometer race, Richard Solano grabbed his third gold medal, followed by Jujet De Asis and Mark Anthony Oximar, while in the women’s division, Cinderella Lorenzo came in first, with former winners Luisa Raterta and Jhanice Tawagin settling for runner-up and third-place honors, respectively. To show support for the clean-up program of the Sunset Partnership, 2018 Miss Eco International Cynthia Thomalla also ran in the 10-kilometer race, while triathlete beauty queen Alexandra Faith Garcia joined the 21-kilometer run. Current Reyna ng Aliwan Chelsea Fernandez took part in the 3-kilometer run and was joined by her second runner-up Lady Justerinnie Santos. Meanwhile, Gilbrat Rotaquio, Evelou Abutas, Rowel Galvero, Joida Gagnao, Joneza Sisituedo and Rishane Abellar each won a medal in the 5-kilometer race. On the other hand, Aris Africa beat Immuel Camino and Reynaldo Villafranca as he ruled the 3-kilometer race. In the women’s division, Jie Ann Calis, Lovelyn Pamatian and Feiza Lenton placed first to third, respectively. The 2018 Manila Bay Clean-up Ran is supported by the Columbia International Food Producst Inc., Steeltech Colored Roofing, Silka Papaya Soap and Lotion, Symdex-D, Manila Bulletin, Kenny Rogers Roasters, Vital Purified Water, Shield Bath Soap, Unique Toothpaste and Tang.

Winners of the 2018 Manila Bay Clean-up Run display their medals and prizes and were joined by the proponents of the fun, led by MBC president Ruperto Nicdao (fourth from right).

Gin Kings, Painters break 1-1 standoff in PBA semis By Jeric Lopez

AME 3 is all that matters now as Barangay Ginebra and Rain or Shine both seek to gain a critical advantage in their bestof-ﬁve semiﬁnals series in the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Commissoner’s Cup. Tied at 1-1, the Gin Kings and Elasto Painters are bound to break the deadlock in their 7 p.m. duel at the Mall of Asia Arena today. On the brink of falling to a deep 0-2 hole, Rain or Shine answered the call when needed in Game 2 to put itself right back in the series. The Elasto Painters finished strong Thursday night, unloading 12 unanswered

points in the final three minutes to pull off a 109-100 victory in Game 2. Reggie Johnson starred with 25 points and 20 rebounds in the equalizer, while James Yap and Gabe Norwood hit clutch shots to help as well. Still, Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia credits his team’s resiliency and defense down the stretch in the last outing. “I’m so proud of the players. We won

that game because we hit bigger shots and had good defense in the end,” said Garcia. “I hope we can sustain that for us to have a good chance of getting another one.” Ginebra look poised to have a 2-0 lead after taking a 14-point advantage early on in Game 2, but it was not meant to be as Rain or Shine responded. Now, the Gin Kings are hoping that Japeth Aguilar can help them and be available come game time to make his series debut. Aguilar sat out the series’ first two games after injuring his Achilles heel in Ginebra’s clinching victory against Meralco in the quarterfinals. As of this report, Aguilar is bound to suit up but will be a game-time decision.

PH opens bid in Asean School Games KUALA LUMPUR—Malaysia’s Minister of Education Dr. Maszlee Bin Malik is guest of honor when the 10th edition of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Schools Games opening ceremony officially unfurls Friday afternoon at the Dewan Agung Canselor, UiTM in Sha, Alam here. Some 1,500 secondary studentathletes, coaches, team managers, and delegation officials from 10 Asean member-countries will take the spotlight in this five-day competition. Education Undersecretary Tonisito S. Umali, Assistant Secretary Atty. Revsee Escobedo, and Philippine Sports Commission Commissioner Charles Raymond A. Maxey, Chef-de-Mission Rizalino Jose Ro-

sales, and deputy CDM Cesar Abalon will lead the strong 230-member Philippine contingent during the parade of the delegates. Other guests expected to attend the ceremonies include Deputy Minister of Education of Brunei Darussalam Datin Paduka Dr. Hajah Romaizah, also the Asean School Sports Council president, and Malaysia’s Director General of Education Dr. Amin Bin Senin. This year’s theme is “Unity through Sports.” The Philippine contingent, comprised of 167 student-athletes, 34 coaches will vie for top honors in artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, athletics, swimming, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, PSC Commissioner Charles Raymond A. Maxey is shown with the members of the 2018 Asean Schools Games Welcome Committee at the Grand Bluewave Hotel in Shah Alam, Malaysia. badminton, sepak takraw and squash.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES AUTONOMOUS REGION IN MUSLIM MINDANAO PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF BASILAN BIDS AND AWARD COMMITTEE Provincial Capitol Bldg., Isabela City, Basilan Province, 7300

PH cyclists get a toast from their Pru Life benefactors during their sendoff party. Rochelle Salvador

pine National Road Race Championships Women’s Elite and Criterium Women’s Elite, Prado of Standard Insurance will be representing the country in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100-mile event. On the other hand, 18-yearold Grospe of Go For Gold and who’s a cycling national champion for winning PRUride PH 2018’s Philippine National Road Race Championship Men’s Elite U-23, will make a return trip to London this year as he will join for Prudential RideLondonSurrey 46-mile event.

A CRACK group of cyclists will be carrying the Philippine flag in the Prudential RideLondon on July 28 and 29 in the capital of the United Kingdom, where more than 100,000 participants are expected to answer the starting gun. The Philippine Team, composed of Jermyn Prado, Ismael Grospe, Jeremy Maraña, and Aidan Mendoza was sent off by the sponsoring PruLife at the Brewery at The Palace in Taguig City, Thursday. Brompton Challenge winner Jun Minagawa, Pru Life UK employee and cycling hobbyist Ryan Lamayo, together with PRUride PH 2018 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ raffle winners John Kenneth Cruz and Bertrand Tepltixky, will DIGITS 00-00-00-00 be joining the cycling group. DIGITS 00-00-00 A double-gold national champion for winning both of PRUEZ2 00-00 ride PH 2018’s Philip-

LOTTO RESULTS

6/45 4 3 2

(INVITATION TO BID) SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF MEDICINES AND FLUIDS FOR PHARMACY AND USE OF LAMITAN DISTRICT HOSPITAL, BASILAN PROVINCE. UNDER BAC PUBLICATION 07-014-2018 The Provincial Government of Basilan, through the 20% Development Fund of the province1 intends to apply the sum of Two Million Six Hundred Fourteen Thousand and Six Hundred Forty Three 84/100 Pesos Only (P2,614,643.84) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Supply and Delivery of Medicines and Fluids for the Pharmacy and use of Lamitan District Hospital, Basilan . Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

Name of Contract Approved Budget for the Contract 1. PRNo. E-181 dated July 17,2018 P1,150,582.80 2. PRNo.E-182 dated July 17,2018 1,464,061.04 Total ABC ...... P2,614,643.84 2.

8 PH cyclists bound for London By Rochelle Salvador

THE future of Philippine volleyball take the spotlight beginning today (Saturday) as the Premier Volleyball League unveils its Season 2 Collegiate Conference at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan with eight teams setting out to foil National U’s backto-back title drive. San Beda gets the first crack at NU as the Red Spikers tangle with the Lady Bulldogs, who swept the Far Eastern U Lady Tams to clinch the inaugural PVL crown last year, in the 4 p.m. main game following the 2 p.m. clash between the Adamson Lady Falcons and the Perpetual Help Altalettes. With the core of the team that played and placed sixth in the recent PVL Reinforced Conference, NU looms as the team to beat again although the eight others have also primed up for the event which also serves as part of the schools’ buildup for their respective upcoming leagues. Though the Lady Bulldogs will be without last year’s top players Jaja Santiago and Aiko Urdas, they remain a strong force on a team built around incoming rookie setter Joyme Cagande, Ivy Lacsina, libero Jennifer Nierva, Princess Robles and high school star Faith Nisperos. Other teams vying in the mid-season conference of the league organized by Sports Vision and backed by Mikasa and Asics are FEU, St. Benilde, UST, San Sebastian and University of the Philippines. The Lady Tams battle the Lady Blazers at 4 p.m. tomorrow (Sunday) while the Tigresses mix it up with the Lady Stags at 6 p.m.

The Provincial Government of Basilan, now invites bids for Supply and Delivery of Medicines and Fluids for the Pharmacy and use of Lamitan District Hospital, Basilan Delivery of the Goods is required (within the required delivery date or expected contract duration). Bidders should have completed, within 10 years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. (i) Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens,pursuant to RA 5183.

4. 5.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from Provincial Government of Basilan and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during 8:00 am to 5:00 pm during Office hours). A complete set of Bidding Docwnents may be acquired by interested Bidders on July 16, 2018 to August 6, 2018 from the address below on the amount of Five Thousand Pesos (P5,000,00) and another One thousand pesos (P 1,000.00) for the letter of intent It may also be dovvnloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The Provincial Government of Basilan will hold a Pre-Bid Conference 6 on 10:00 am, July 23, 2018 at BAC Office, Provincial Capitol, Isabela City Basilan, which shall be open to prospective bidders. Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before 10:00 anl, August 6, 2018. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Claused opening shall be on 10:00 am, August 6, 2018 at BAC Office, Provincial Capitol, Isabela City, Basilan province. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidder’s representative who choose to attend at the address below. Late Bids shall not be accepted.

The Provincial Government reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. 10. For further information, please refer to: The BAC CHAIRPERSON LGU- BASILAN Bids and Award Committee C/O BAC Secretariat Ground Floor, Provincial Capitol Building, Isabela City, Basilan Province, 7300 Fax No.: 062 2003416 & 062 200 3417 (SGD) INTAN GORDANA A. ABUBAKAR Chairperson, Bids and Awards Committee

(MS-JULY 21, 2018)

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING On the ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (EIS) of the MALOMA RIVER DREDGING PROJECT of SPARTAN MINING AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION to be located inLOWER MALOMA RIVER, BARANGAY MALOMA, MUNICIPALITY OF SAN FELIPE, PROVINCE OF ZAMBALES Notice is hereby given to all parties who wish to give their opinion regarding the implementation of the MALOMA RIVER DREDGING PROJECT to attend a Public Hearing on 03 AUGUST 2018 (FRIDAY) at 9:00AM (registration starts at 8:00 am) to be held in the COVERED COURT OF BARANGAY MALOMA, MUNICIPALITY OF SAN FELIPE, PROVINCE OF ZAMBALES. The Public Hearing is being conducted in connection with the review of the EIS of the aforementioned project by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The Spartan Mining and Development Corporation is proposing to dredge the lower Maloma River remove 12,120,375.00 m3 lahar for its various purposes, a by-product of which will be reduction and eventually control of flooding in areas adjacent to Maloma River. Currently, Maloma River is overburdened with lahar with recorded highest flood level of 4.5m. The local population has been suffering a long time from damage to farmlands and regular threats to safety and property brought by lahar. The Government demand for construction materials is expected to create a sufficient market for lahar to create a flood control project from the extraction of construction materials. The key information about the project is as follows: Project name Project location and area Nature of project Components

MALOMA RIVER DREDGING PROJECT Lower Maloma River, Barangay Maloma, Municipality of San Felipe, Province of Zambales Dredging, Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change Adaptation • No-dredging Buffer Zones • Delivery of dredged Lahar ( 48.35 has.) by hydraulic pipe from • Geotube Ground Sill Dredger to Transport Barge • Armor Rock Bridge Column • Transport of Dredged lahar Protection to final destinations by • Creation of Pilot Channel by water mode Dredging (40m x 2,300 m x • Sell of lahar for cost -2m) recovery • Creation of Dredging Basin by Hydraulic Dredger (150m x 150m x -4m) • Natural sediment transport by river discharge

All interested parties who wish to attend or participate in this Public Hearing should preferably confirm their attendance/participation and may give their opinion(s) in a concise position paper to the ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT DIVISION (EIAMD) of this Office through mail or through email at eiamd.emb.co@gmail.com, three (3) days before the Public Hearing schedule. Those who will not be able to register or submit written positions may be given the opportunity to share their issues on the day of the hearing itself. The project’s EIS and Executive Summary for the Public (ESP)are downloadable at our website:www.eia.emb.gov.ph (kindly access the Notice of Public Hearing/ Consultation link found in the right portion of our website)while the hard copies will be available in this Office and in the following offices: 1)

EMB National Capital Region Office Address: National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Diliman Telephone No.: (02) 515-0683/931-2397/931-1834/931-2954

Municipal Planning and Development Office (MPDO) Office Address: Municipal Government of San Felipe, Province of Zambales Telephone No.: (047) 913-4210

For more details, please contact EIAM Division of this Office at telephone number (02) 920-2240 to 41 and look for the project case handlers Engr. Carlo Vic Arida and Mr. Joel Polintan. (MS-JULY 21 & 28, 2018)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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

SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2018

Thai takes golf crown as last round cancelled CARMONA, Cavite—Ploychompoo Wirairungreung of Thailand claimed the ICTSI Champion Tour crown without hitting a shot as organizers cancelled the final round of the $75,000 event at Manila Southwoods due to inclement weather. “Because of the weather forecast and prevailing course condition, the final round of the ICTSI Champion Tour at Manila Southwoods has been cancelled,” said the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and cosanctioning Taiwan LPGA Tour in a statement. Incessant rains spawned by Typhoon Inday rendered some parts of the Legends course unplayable. The organizers actually delayed the start of the final round, hoping the weather to improve but decided to cancel it altogether after a while, handing the crown to the Thai ace. “I would’ve wanted to play because I want to see if I can measure up to the pressure and control my game in a tight championship flight,” said Wirairungreung after receiving the replica of the check worth $15,000 put up by ICTSI. The 23-year-old shotmaker from Chiang Rai coped admirably with wet conditions in the first two days, putting in a 65 and 69 that left her with a remarkable bogey-free total of 10-under 134. Local ace Princess Superal tried to give chase with a second round 68, moving to joint second with another Thai Supamas Sangchan, who also shot a 68, and Taiwanese amateur Hou YuChiang, who made a 71, at 138. “I feel I’m still hot from the second round. Sayang. I think I’ve got a good chance to go for it,” rued the former US Girls’ Junior winner, who also ruled the Tagaytay and Riviera stops of this year’s Ladies Philippine Golf Tour last March. Superal and Sangchan shared the combined $12,000 for joint second place finish with Hou Yu-Chiang snaring the low amateur honors from sister Hou Yu-Sang.

Sports Thai Ploychompoo Wirairungreung holds her ICTSI Champion Tour trophy after scoring an abbreviated victory in the rain-hit event.

Blazers stun Cards; Knights win By Peter Atencio

ANKIE Haruna shrugged off a difﬁcult experience and provided the spark that carried the College of St. Benilde Blazers to a 90-79 win over the Mapua Cardinals yesterday at The Arena in San Juan. The 6’2” Fil-American, who needed to travel out of the dorm in his flooded Manila neighborhood in a pedicab just to get a bus ride to the game venue, top-scored for 19 points, including eight in the final period to lead the Blazers to their first win in two games. Haruna’s big efforts with Edward Dixon in a crucial stretch of the fourth period helped the Blazers improve their standing in the 94th National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament. With the game tied at 71-all, the Blazers scored on four turnovers, with James Pasturan touching off a searing 17-0 blast with his triple.

4 teams shoot for finals’ seats in Superliga semis ACTION heats up as the four remaining teams clash for the elusive finals slots in the sudden-death semifinals of the Chooks to Go- Philippine Superliga Invitational Conference Saturday at the Muntinlupa Sports Center in Muntinlupa City. Cignal, the lone unbeaten side, seeks to return to the finals as it battles dangerous F2 Logistics at 6 p.m. while Grand Prix champion Petron takes on overachieving Smart-Army at 4 p.m. in the other semifinal pairing of this prestigious club tourney bankrolled by Isuzu, UCPB Gen and SOGO Hotel with ESPN5, Hyper HD and Aksyon TV as broadcast partners. The winners will advance to the bestof-three titular series starting Thursday next week at the FilOil Flying V Centre while the losers will clash in a one-game battle for bronze. Meanwhile, Sta. Lucia and Generika-Ayala, who are licking the wounds of their respective defeats in the quarterfinals, battle for fifth place finish in the 2 p.m. appetizer of this tourney that also has Senoh, Asics, Mikasa, Mueller and Grand Sport as technical sponsors. Smart-Army booked the last semis ticket after surviving Generika-Ayala

Games Today: (Muntinlupa Sports Center) 2 p.m. — Sta. Lucia Realty vs Generika-Ayala 4 p.m. — Petron vs Smart-Army 6 p.m. — Cignal vs F2 Logistics

in straight sets, 25-19, 25-22, 25-21, in a knockout quarterfinal showdown late Thursday. Giga Hitters head coach Kungfu Reyes said they are dedicating their amazing run to Army veterans led by Ging BalsePabayo, Joanne Bunag and Nene Bautista. “We’re happy for our Army players like Ging, Joanne and Nene,” said Reyes, who steered RC Cola-Army to the Invitational crown two years ago against Est Cola of Thailand. “This is their reward for their relentless performance and showing that they can still play at a higher level even if they are up against younger stars.” “We’re up against a strong team like Petron and this is a perfect opportunity for us to overachieve again.” The Blaze Spikers, on the other hand, are seeking to sustain their momentum in this venue, where they dominated erstwhile-unbeaten F2 Logistics, 25-16, 21-25, 25-20, 26-24, to steal the outright semifinal berth in Pool A.

Then, Haruna and took Justin Gustang took over with their driving shots as they padded the Blazers’ lead to 17, 88-71, at the two-minute mark. “It was all about minimizing our turnovers. It did not really matter if our field goal percentage was low (in the first half), as long as we had scoring opportunities. We will score. It’s just that we could not buy ourselves scoring opportunities in the first half,” said Blazers’ coach Ty Tang. Gutang tallied 17 points for the Blazers, while Dixon finished with 13. Noah Lugo led with 14 points for the Cardinals, who took their first set-

Kisner

back in two outings. In the junior division, John Barba scored on a three-point play in the last 11.2 seconds and stole the ball off John Amores in the last three seconds to lift the Lyceum Junior Pirates to a close 88-87 win over the Jose Rizal University Light Bombers. Barba went on to top-score with 30 points in carrying the Junior Pirates to the solo lead with their 2-1 slate. “In first game against San Sebastian, they took a half court shot and won it. That first game was a heartbreaker. It was the same situation here. We learned from that. We needed to score our free throws at crunch time,” said Junior Pirates’ coach LA Mumar.

The Mapua Red Robins banked on three-pointers by Paolo Hernandez and Roseller Sarias to put away the defending champion La Salle Greenhills, 95-81. Triples from Hernandez and Sarias midway in the second canto gave the Red Robins enough fuel to take a 49-39 halftime lead en route to a 1-1 win-loss record. Clint Escamis showed the way with 28 points for the Red Robins, who are tied with the Greenies. Joshua David hit 19 points for the Greenies, while Joel Cagulangan and Inand Fornilos added 14. In the third and final seniors’ game, John Quinto, JP Calvo and Jerrick Balanza teamed up as Letran overcame San Sebastian, 83-76, to book its first win after a disappointing 75-78 setback to Perpetual Help a week ago. Quinto, Calvo and Balanza finished with 17, 16 and 15 points, respectively to propel Knights to their first win. The Stags skidded to 1-2.

12 teams dispute last Vivo Hoop Battle beths TWELVE squads gear up for a battle royale at the Fairview Terraces in Novaliches, Quezon City on Sunday as they clash for the last two slots in the final stop of the four-leg eliminations leading to the VIVO Hoop Battle Championship Philippines Finals. Six teams have advanced to the finals of the pioneering event here, an annual 3x3 basketball tournament held in some districts in China and other Asian countries. The Phl leg, presented by AyalaMalls Synergies, Inc. and Vivo, is held at various Ayala Malls in Metro Manila. Still, focus will be on the chase for the last two spots in the finals among Tune Squad, Herons, MCM, Arellano U-2, Team Enderun, Triple B’s, EAC Pride, Twice, New Kicks Ballhandlers, EUDEX, Team Regal and D&B Titans. Organizers are expecting a huge crowd to watch the final leg at Market! Market! on July 29 in a day tipped to be filled with fast-paced basketball action and excitement. For details and updates, follow the official Facebook page at https:www. facebook.com/VHBCP/. Meanwhile, the top two teams in the eight-team finals on July 29 at Market! Market! will join the other top squads in other Asian tournaments in the grand championship slated in August in Suzhou, China.

Kisner leads; McIlroy starts well; Spieth sputters CARNOUSTIE—Kevin Kisner of the United States leads the way after the first round of the British Open on Thursday, but Rory McIlroy is one of the big names who got their bid for the Claret Jug off to an encouraging start at Carnoustie. Kisner went out in one of the first groups just before 8 a.m., yet his five-under-par round of 66 was not beaten all day as reigning champion Jordan Spieth and other big names struggled to properly get to grips with the Scottish links. That means Kisner is a shot clear at the top of the leaderboard. “The golf course is great for me,” said the 34-year-old, who led going into the final round of last year’s PGA Championship before finishing tied for seventh. “Going forward, you never know what you’re going to have in Scotland. I know the rain is coming in tomorrow,”

Games Today (The Arena in San Juan) 8 a.m. Lyceum vs Arellano (jrs) 10 a.m. San Sebastian vs JRU (jrs) 12 noon Lyceum vs Arellano (srs) 2 p.m. San Sebastian vs JRU (srs) 4 p.m.San Beda vs CSB (srs) 6 p.m. San Beda vs LSGH (jrs)

added Kisner, who is sharing a house with Spieth and several other US stars this week. Kisner had an eagle and four birdies in his round on a perfect summer’s day on Scotland’s east coast, and he leads from compatriot Tony Finau and the South African duo of Erik van Rooyen and Zander Lombard, who all went round in 67. Another South African, Brandon Stone, joined American pair Ryan Moore and Brendan Steele in shooting a threeunder 68, while McIlroy lurks ominously after a two-under-par round of 69. Back at the course where he was the best amateur as a fresh-faced teenager the last time The Open came here in 2007, the Northern Irishman adopted an attack-minded approach and had just one dropped shot all day, at the par-four fifth hole. AFP

Prince Rivero of Team Coco in action

The top finishers in the Phl leg will receive P200,000 and P100,000, respectively, while the top three teams in the grand finals in China will get P3 million, P900,000 and P600,000, respectively, in the event sponsored by Vivo, the le a d i ng global smartphone brand endorsed by NBA superstar Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, and backed by Capdase.

Meanwhile, Team Just Coco, bannered by former La Salle aces Prince Rivero and Brent Paraiso along with Phl U-18 3x3 member Encho Serrano and Ajay Khatri, and Team Core, led by former UE mainstay JR Alabanza, National U’s JP Cauilan, John Vidal and Axel Torres of Mandaluyong in the MPBL, dominated the third leg at South Park recently to clinch berths in the finals.

Makati edges Davao Occidental CEDRIC Ablaza bounced back from a mediocre showing the last time around and played a near perfect game Thursday night to lift Makati to a hard-earned 79-77 win over Davao Occidental in the MPBL Datu Cup at the Alonte Sports Arena in Biñan Laguna. Shackled by Batangas in Makati’s first loss in the tournament last time, the hardworking forward made all but one of his 10 attempts from the field on his way to finishing with 22 points on top of eight rebounds. It was a good way for Ablaza to atone from his so-so performance in the Skyscrapers’ loss to the Athletics as he was held to just two points on 1-of-9 shooting from the field. But Ablaza made sure he’ll work double time in his shooting the past few

practices and shot more efficiently this time around. He made all of his three three-point shots and had five crucial points in the killer stretch in the fourth, allowing the Skyscrapers to build a 6659 lead heading into the last five-minute mark of the game. With the win, Makati improved its win-loss record to 3-1, while handing Davao Occidental its second straight loss. But Makati’s victory over Davao Occidental was overshadowed by Rizal’s thrilling come-from-behind victory over host team Laguna as Alvin Vitug finished with 21 points, including the game-winning bucket in the final second of the game to propel the Xentro Mall-backed Crusaders to an 80-79 win over the Krah-supported Heroes in the second game.

IN BRIEF GSIS’s 2017 income rose 69% to P94.7b STATE-RUN pension fund Government Service Insurance System posted a 69-percent increase in net income in 2017 to P94.7 billion from P56.1 billion a year ago, driven mainly by strong growth in its financial assets. GSIS said in a statement Friday income from financial assets almost doubled to P59.1 billion in 2017 from P30.2 billion in 2016. “In particular, the increase came from the gains on valuation of traded stocks for 2017, which reached P37.3 billion, reversing the loss of P516.2 million the prior year,” GSIS said. The stock market had a stellar year in 2017 after Philippine equities posted a record-high of 8,558.4 points. In 2018, president and general manager Jesus Clint Aranas said GSIS would focus on plugging financial leakages to guard the returns and manage its expenses to generate savings. “We are also diversifying our investments to improve the returns of our portfolio. It is never good to put all our eggs in one basket,” Aranas said. Income from insurance climbed nearly 10 percent to P107.2 billion, boosted by contributions of members who have reached 1,712,173 as of end December 2017. Julito G. Rada

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2018

July inflation rate likely at 5.3%, says Finance THE Department of Finance said Friday the inflation rate in July likely rose slightly to 5.3 percent from 5.2 percent a month ago, driven by faster increases in tobacco, utilities and fuel prices. In an economic bulletin for the month of July, however, the DoF said month-onmonth inflation decreased from 0.6 percent in June to 0.17 percent in the month of July. “By commodity group, month-onmonth inflation for both food and nonfood items declined with food declining to 0.04 percent from 0.74 percent and nonfood declining to 0.22 percent from 0.45 percent,” it said. The DoF said the only items which deviated from the trend were tobacco which increased to 1.23 percent, housing, utilities and fuels which rose 0.43 percent on account of the lagged impact of petroleum products on electricity prices, health which rose by 0.26 percent, and two other items which climbed slightly. Julito G. Rada

PH sardine canners prefer coal fuel source INDUSTRIAL companies such as sardine canning factories in Zamboanga are pushing for the use of clean coal technology in foodmanufacturing plants to keep the prices of commodities low. “[Coal] is not only economical. It is also beneﬁting because they use coal to produce heat for the pressure to run the machineries and produce steam,” said Roberto Valerio, executive director of the Industrial Group of Zamboanga Inc. IGZI is an association of canning plants and other industrial companies in Zamboanga, the ‘Sardine Capital of the Philippines.’ “Now, where is the pollution aspect there? Very little because a plant, let’s say, operates in 2 shifts in 16 hours a day so the burning of coal is very minimal,” Valerio said. The industry executive noted the difference between the environmental impact of coal-using food production plants against that of coal-ﬁred power plants. Valerio said coal use for food production was totally different and consumed at least “10 times lower” the amount used by power plants. Alena Mae S. Flores

25TH YEAR. Jollibee Foods Corp. marks its 25th year as a listed company with a special bell-ringing ceremony at the Philippine

Stock Exchange on Wednesday. Leading the event are (from left) PSE director Alejandro Yu; JFC independent director Monico Jacob; JFC director and former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban; Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat; JFC director Antonio Chua Poe Eng; Jollibee Group Foundation Inc. president Grace Tan Caktiong; JFC chairman Tony Tan Caktiong; PSE chairman Jose Pardo; DBP chairman and former Senator Alberto Romulo; PSE COO Roel Refran; JFC directors William Tan Untiong and Joseph Tanbuntiong; and PSE director Emmanuel Bautista.

Aboitiz acquires control of Gold Coin for $334m A By Jenniffer B. Austria

BOITIZ Equity Ventures Inc. said its food unit acquired a 75-percent interest in Gold Coin Management Holdings Ltd., Asia’s largest privately-owned agribusiness company, for $334 million.

The acquisition will enable Aboitiz Equity to significantly expand its animal feeds business in the Asia-Pacific region. Aboitiz Equity said in a disclosure to the stock exchange wholly-owned subsidiary Pilmico International signed an agreement with British Virgin Islandsbased Golden Springs Group Ltd. to acquire a 75-percent equity interest in Gold Coin. Aboitiz Equity said it would fund the transaction through financing from for-

eign banks. “Asean’s market size of over 500 million will bring many opportunities to expand our customer base. This acquisition serves as a platform towards achieving Pilmico’s strategy to grow our core feed milling business beyond Asean and now across Asia,” Aboitiz Equity chief operating ofﬁcer and Pilmico president Sabin Aboitiz said. “This acquisition will add three million metric tons of volume which quadruples our overall feeds production capacity,” he added. Singapore-based Gold Coin is a major producer of animal feeds and operates 20 production facilities, employing over 3,000 people across 11 countries in Asia. The Gold Coin acquisition is Pilmico International’s largest investment in the Asia-Paciﬁc region to date. Pilmico managed to close the deal after it was chosen as the preferred bidder following a competitive bid selection process for the acquisition of Gold Coin shares from GSG.

“The Zuellig and Aboitiz families have known each other for generations. I am excited about the partnership with Aboitiz Group, one of the largest and most established conglomerates in the region. The partnership will strengthen Gold Coin’s growth proﬁle and longterm value creation potential”, said Peter Zuellig, chairman of GSG. Pilmico ﬁrst ventured outside the Philippines in 2014 when it acquired 70 percent of Vinh Hoan Feeds, one of Vietnam’s major aqua feed manufacturer. Then in 2017, it bought an additional 15 percent stake in VHF, boosting its stake to 85 percent. It also purchased 70 percent in Europe Nutrition Joint Stock Company (Eurofeed), an animal feeds manufacturer. Gold Coin offers a wide range of products for both the livestock and the aqua industries, including young animals and hatchery feed, premixes, concentrates and compound feed. Gold Coin in 2017 generated net revenues of S$751million.

BSP eyeing ‘strong follow-through’ monetary action Toyota confident of hitting 2-m sales By Julito G. Rada market in 3 years By Othel V. Campos TOYOTA Motor Philippines Corp. is optimistic of hitting the 2-million sales mark in the next two to three years despite challenges in the automotive sector. Toyota Motor president Satoru Suzuki said sales were consistently up over the last 30 years. “We have the support and conﬁdence of customers. We reached this new milestone just last month (June 2018),” he said during the launch of the all new Vios at Okada Manila in Pasay City. Toyota took just three years to reach sales of 1.5 million vehicles after hitting the 1-million mark in April 2015. Toyota Motor senior vice president for marketing Jose Maria Atienza said the Philippines had been consistently leading global and regional sales for several segments. “We continue to be the top market for the Hi Ace within the Toyota Group globally,” he said. The Philippines also emerged as the second top market for Asia Paciﬁc sales in 2017, next to China. It sold 36,733 units that year. The company noted the improved economy and the better purchasing power would continue to entice Filipinos to buy cars. “Adding to that, we also provide good products like the Avanza, Wigo and Rush. Our dealership continues to increase. In fact, we just opened a new store in Bukidnon,” Atienza said. The Philippines ranked third in terms of sales after the traditionally big markets of Indonesia and Thailand, respectively.

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is considering a “strong follow-through” monetary action in the next meeting of the Monetary Board in August amid rising inflation and excessive volatility in the foreign exchange market, Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said Friday. “Accordingly, the BSP will sustain its utmost vigilance. In particular, we are taking into account the potential price pressures of excessive volatility in the foreign exchange market. While we believe that our fundamentals remain solid and healthy, sustained pressures on the peso could adversely affect inflation expectations,” Espenilla said during the second-quarter inflation briefing held at the Bangko Sentral. Espenilla said some demand side pressure might also be already feeding into inflation.

“All of these warrant a firm and timely monetary response. Therefore, let me say that the BSP is considering strong follow-through monetary adjustment at the next meeting of the Monetary Board in August,” he said. But he said the pace and magnitude of policy tightening would necessarily be dependent on the comprehensive and rigorous assessment of all relevant data and forecasts. He said Bangko Sentral would always stand by its primary mandate of promoting price stability conducive to a balanced and sustainable growth of the economy. The inflation rate in June further accelerated to an over five-year high of 5.2 percent from 4.6 percent in May and surpassed the government forecast for the month, triggered mainly by faster increases in the prices of some food and beverage products.

PEPSI ADVOCACY.

Philippine Red Cross led by chairman and chief executive and Senator Richard Gordon (center) recognizes Pepsi Cola Products Philippines Inc. for its commitment to save lives through blood donations in the 2018 Blood Service Partners’ Engagement Ceremony held in Clark, Pampanga. Shown with Gordon are (from left) PRC secretary-general Oscar Palabyab, PCPPI human resources officer Michelle Alfonso and PCPPI human resources assistant and nurse Valarie Ckaz Sarte.

The June inflation, based on the 2012 price index, was also significantly faster than 2.5 percent a year ago, bringing the average inflation in the first half to 4.3 percent, more than the upper limit of the target range of 2 to 4 percent for 2018. The June inflation was faster than the Department of Finance’s 4.9 percent projection for the month and the target range of 4.3 percent to 5.1 percent by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Espenilla earlier described the higher-than-expected June inflation as a “setback.” He said monetary authorities would review and update their situational assessment and forecast inflation path. The peso closed at a fresh 12-year low of 53.53 against the US dollar on July 19, pulled down mainly by the country’s widening trade deficit. It was its weakest level in 12 years since the 53.55 on June 29, 2006.

DICT body picks mode for choosing 3rd telco firm By Darwin G. Amojelar A COMMITTEE drafting the terms of reference for the country’s third major telecommunications firm on Friday adopted the highest committed level of service model over the auction process proposed by the Department of Finance in selecting a new player that will challenge the duopoly PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. Acting DICT Secretary Eliseo Rio said the committee decided to choose the HCLos model “with conditions” in selecting the third major telco player in the public telecommunications market. The committee is composed of the DICT, DoF, the Office of the Executive Secretary and the National Security Adviser. DoF representatives abstained from voting during the committee meeting. Rio, who threatened to resign if the HCLos model will be rejected by the committee, said one of the conditions in the HCLoS model included an increase the spectrum users fee to be able to raise more revenues for the government. He said a public hearing for the final TOR for the selection of a new major player would be conducted. Based on the DICT’s informal survey, 15 potential players found that 75 percent preferred the highest committed level of service, or HCLoS, for the selection of the new major telco player. Results of the survey showed only 17 percent among the participants chose the auction mode being pushed by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez. Eight percent abstained from the survey. Under the HCLoS, the criteria for the selection of new major telco player are national population coverage (40 percent weightage), minimum average broadband speed (20 percent weightage) and annual capital and operational expenditure (40 percent weightage) computed annually over a five-year period. The annual minimum levels for each of the criteria are 30 percent for national population coverage, 5 megabits per second for the minimum average broadband speed and P40 billion for the capital and operational expenditure.

DoF to fine officials, others in tax scam FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the government will slap charges against public officials and private individuals who unduly benefited from the issuance of tax credit certificates amounting to P11 billion to ineligible and non-existent textile companies from 2008 and 2014. Dominguez said in a briefing Friday afternoon said the TCCs were issued by the One-Stop-Shop Interagency Tax Credit and Duty Drawback Center within the six-year period. “From 2008 to 2014, the One-StopShop Interagency Tax Credit and Duty Drawback Center erroneously issued around 3,231 TCCs contrary to the Omnibus Investment Code of 1987 to the detriment of the government. In particular, P8.85 billion tax credits were overstated and supported by spurious documents,” Dominguez said.

“While P2.34 billion tax credits were granted to claimants whose fiscal incentives had already expired,” Dominguez said. Dominguez said he directed a highlevel task force within the Department of Finance to recover the value of P11.18 billion worth of undue tax credits granted to these firms by OSS during the six-year period. Finance Undersecretaries Antonette Tionko, who heads the DoF’s Revenue Operations Group, Bayani Agabin of the Legal Affairs Group and Gil Beltran, who heads the Policy Development and Management Services Group, are the members of the task force. “Expect this department to pursue the appropriate charges against the public officers and private persons who manipulated and unjustly benefited from the tax credit process with the OSS,” Dominguez said. Julito G. Rada

Business

SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market gains; Megawide rallies T HE stock market rose slightly in thin trading Friday, as investors turned cautious pending the next move of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas amid rising inﬂation.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index gained 11.74 points, or 0.2 percent, to 7,399.61 on a value turnover of just P3.4 billion. Gainers edged losers, 96 to 93, with 51 issues unchanged. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said the central bank was considering a “strong follow-through” monetary action in the next meeting of the Monetary Board in August in the face of rising prices and excessive volatility in the foreign exchange market. SM Prime Holdings Inc. of retail ty-

coon Henry Sy Sr. gained 1.2 percent to P37, while JG Summit Holdings Inc. of industrialist John Gokongwei climbed 1.9 percent to P54. Megawide Construction Corp., which just completed the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, rallied 4.6 percent to P18, while Aboitiz Power Corp., a major power generator, advanced 2.1 percent to P37.15. The rest of Asian markets advanced Friday, with Shanghai gaining two percent as China’s weak yuan currency deﬁed US President Donald Trump’s criticism of a strong dollar and Fed rate hikes. Trump, in part of an interview aired by US television network CNBC, broke with the long-established executive branch practice of not commenting on the Federal Reserve’s decisions out of respect for its independence. “I’m not thrilled,” Trump told the

network in an interview excerpt aired Thursday. “Because we go up and every time you go up they want to raise rates again.” Trump also suggested that higher interest rates left the United States at a disadvantage compared to the European Union, China and Japan, allowing their currencies to weaken as the dollar strengthens. The dollar index fell immediately after the remarks were broadcast and a stronger yen saw Tokyo shares edge down 0.3 percent on Friday. Hong Kong gained 0.8 percent while Singapore and Sydney advanced 0.4 percent. Fears are growing over a potential trade war, after Trump’s move to impose hefty import taxes on steel and aluminum from the EU, Canada and Mexico, in addition to levies on goods from China worth tens of billions of dollars,

sparked retaliatory tariffs. “Currency is now part of the trade war folks,” said Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at AxiTrader. “And it is worth pondering whether this is a President who is going to break with 25-30 years of tradition in not interfering in Fed policy deliberations going forward. “What I saw in that brief excerpt is a President who is going to drive his trade and tariff policy forward regardless of outside objections,” McKenna added. But China’s yuan largely continued its steady decline against the dollar on Friday, providing Beijing with a buffer against the punitive tariffs, and Shanghai soared two percent by the end of the day. The yuan bounced back slightly to around 6.79 to the dollar after falling below that earlier in the session. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 59.8 10,900 95.5 501,280 2.75 26,000 132 755,170 1.52 26,000 33.05 41,400 16.5 34,900 14.58 130,600 3.65 394,000 1.63 216,000 825 480 0.53 291,000 70 5,207,520 1.03 231,000 11.9 27,800 47.7 85,400 190 1,190 110 260 88 7,870 28.3 58,200 206.6 262,810 1,900 5 84.1 3,620

649,879 47,966,320.50 73,120 98,965,918 39,520 1,370,635 574,568 1,903,102 1,382,930 336,430 395,355 148,850 364,637,830 238,160 330,820 4,062,055 226,390 28,600 691,103 1,658,930 54,655,024 9,500 304,453

642,177 -8,168,629 53,870 21,696,955 -403,150 -330,390 -89,135,023 -516,910 7,600 -1,152,750 6,074,358 -209,411

36.05 15.7 0.7 1.15 0.255 3.16 15.8 39.15 21.35 52 1.87 7.8 10.16 15.8 10.8 7.23 5.13 15.3 60.8 23.15 7.32 12.86 2.36 250 3.29 12.94 26.6 11.54 17.44 354 0.18 6.79 2.23 4.12 8.75 5.42 1.19 11.82 54.2 5.93 4.6 2.27 3.28 1.76 13.2 5.29 0.125 1.2 132 2.5 2.43 21.2 1.37

INDUSTRIAL 37.15 1,348,200 15.9 295,300 0.72 3,939,000 1.15 232,000 0.265 3,850,000 3.17 1,907,000 15.8 3,600 39.15 476,600 21.55 3,300 52 1,100 1.87 8,000 8 5,800 10.2 1,180,900 15.9 114,100 10.8 11,000 7.33 350,800 5.13 1,034,900 15.46 232,700 62 54,700 23.9 9,100 7.34 24,800 12.9 1,613,200 2.4 692,000 250 585,790 3.29 10,000 13.78 9,300 27.5 234,600 11.72 33,800 18 7,855,200 357.2 77,020 0.182 110,000 6.99 7,000 2.3 15,000 4.12 14,000 8.79 270,600 5.63 613,100 1.19 576,000 12 65,100 54.2 175,660 5.93 14,000 4.65 382,000 2.36 275,000 3.28 17,000 1.8 291,000 13.24 11,300 5.3 63,400 0.131 510,000 1.31 5,337,000 132.5 471,730 2.5 13,000 2.5 5,570,000 21.2 500 1.42 2,772,000

49,511,130(11 4,687,476 2,800,050 266,800 ( 1,016,150 6,080,620 56,880 19,309,035 70,865 57,200 14,960 46,000 12,060,722 1,811,120 118,838 2,569,924 5,311,131 3,588,110 3,356,251 212,335 183,026 20,812,632 1,663,820 146,528,602 32,930 125,382 6,333,150 395,700 139,618,896 43 27,489,626 19,900 47,912 34,060 58,150 2,378,080 3,474,302 690,350 779,176 9,885,607 83,246 1,759,300 1 664,510 58,060 520,270 149,398 336,762 64,230 6,846,210 62,415,627 26 32,600 13,803,230 10,600 3,870,720

,023,750.0003) -25,988 120,749.9999) 130,000 1,232,960 -55,300 -1,202,710 -6,405 -57,200 9,350 -242,394 -201,930 -204,886 -3,143,303 1,397,944 30,415.50 -2,653,140 -4,800 -63,960,872 -23,030 550,035 21,898 ,347,233.9996 3,484,378 -15,690 987,026.00 22,080 -2,063,134.50 -17,223 ,338,649.9997 27,890 37,100 -400 ,764,939.0003 7,500 -421,280 -64,020

0.245 50.55 11.64 6 32 0.73 0.73 944.5 6.08 11 7.1 4.34 4.5 0.208 922.5 5.95 52.05 0.6 3.56 16.88 0.67 4.29 0.038 1.3 2.76 134 2.55 878 1.56 488 254.2 0.335 0.225

HOLDING FIRMS 0.245 680,000 50.8 1,867,240 11.88 772,600 6.02 119,300 32 176,100 0.78 48,516,000 0.78 8,914,000 960 145,670 6.1 176,200 11 1,727,500 7.28 60,700 4.5 20,000 4.5 10,000 0.208 620,000 950 72,090 5.95 10,500 54 1,720,990 0.62 1,390,000 3.56 392,000 17 7,196,200 0.73 25,042,000 4.3 49,562,000 0.038 200,000 1.33 2,807,000 2.78 417,000 136.8 587,320 2.55 7,000 890 240,220 1.57 941,000 490 190 260.6 4,430 0.335 22,900,000 0.225 10,000

166,740 95,822,570 9,136,828 717,586 5,692,825 36,864,710 6,812,220 139,258,580 1,074,725 19,009,684 436,080 89,830 45,020 132,160 67,117,545 62,643 91,817,316.50 858,880 1,404,540 122,365,244 17,907,390 214,617,240 7,600 3,722,740 1,157,750 79,670,259 17,850 213,182,280 1,480,270 92,740 1,149,042 7,843,250 2,250

-56,696,464 2,176,522 289,246 272,875.00 856,180 -18,161,990 437,502 -6,516,224 10,539,335 41,570,108 331,790 -44,260,706 -7,316,200 -177,056,410 195,980 -21,447,468 -116,360,985 231,284 37,500 -

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

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

59.6 97 2.85 130.8 1.52 33.25 16.48 14.54 3.66 1.58 820.5 0.51 70 1.03 11.9 47.45 193 110 84 28.6 211.2 1,900 84.1

59.8 97 2.86 132 1.52 33.25 16.5 14.68 3.7 1.65 825 0.53 70.35 1.06 11.9 47.75 193 110 88 28.7 211.2 1,900 84.4

59.1 95.5 2.75 128.8 1.52 33.05 16.46 14.52 3.45 1.49 820 0.51 69.9 1.03 11.9 47.45 190 110 84 28.3 206.4 1,900 84.1

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

36.5 15.92 0.72 1.15 0.265 3.21 15.8 41 21.35 52 1.87 7.8 10.24 15.8 10.82 7.27 5.14 15.3 61 23.15 7.4 13 2.4 250.6 3.3 12.94 26.9 11.88 17.44 354 0.182 6.99 2.3 4.19 8.82 5.45 1.22 12.1 57.3 5.95 4.65 2.27 3.51 1.76 13.2 5.3 0.126 1.29 132.2 2.51 2.43 21.2 1.42

37.25 15.92 0.73 1.15 0.27 3.24 15.8 42.9 22 52 1.87 8 10.32 15.9 10.92 7.35 5.15 15.48 62 24 7.4 13 2.44 251.4 3.3 14.5 27.5 11.92 18.02 358 0.182 6.99 2.3 4.19 8.82 5.9 1.22 12.1 57.3 5.95 4.65 2.46 3.51 1.82 13.4 5.36 0.131 1.33 132.5 2.51 2.52 21.2 1.44

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

0.245 53 11.78 6 32.2 0.73 0.74 950 6.2 11.16 7.2 4.5 4.51 0.228 929 5.97 52.05 0.62 3.6 17.1 0.68 4.48 0.038 1.3 2.8 136.9 2.55 891.5 1.62 488 259 0.35 0.225

0.247 53 11.88 6.03 33.5 0.78 0.78 960 6.2 11.16 7.28 4.5 4.51 0.228 950 5.97 54 0.63 3.6 17.1 0.74 4.48 0.038 1.34 2.8 136.9 2.55 913.5 1.62 490 260.6 0.355 0.225

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

7.65 0.96 14.4 1.9 0.72 38.7 3.2 4.61 5.38 0.43 0.9 0.219 8.85 25 0.6 0.116 1.45 1.22 1.44 4.58 0.61 0.435 0.51 3.7 19.74

7.8 0.96 14.7 1.9 0.72 38.9 3.2 4.61 5.38 0.43 0.9 0.219 8.85 25.25 0.6 0.116 1.46 1.22 1.48 4.6 0.63 0.445 0.51 3.74 19.76

7.56 0.95 14.3 1.86 0.71 38.1 3.18 4.59 5.36 0.425 0.88 0.217 8.8 25 0.6 0.116 1.45 1.2 1.4 4.55 0.58 0.435 0.49 3.65 19.6

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

2 3.28 36.8 1.1 7.55 0.78 6.05

2.05 3.28 37 1.14 8.02 0.78 6.09

2 3.26 36.3 1.1 7.1 0.78 5.96

2.02 3.26 37 1.14 7.31 0.78 6

284,000 15,000 4,359,900 2,407,000 3,818,500 5,000 1,101,500

575,840 ( 49,100 160,245,585 2,694,890 28,813,605 3,900 6,606,275

135,459.9998) 3,941,205 1,403,788 -2,496,787

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

14.1 23 1.32 0.475 0.043 13.54 9.7 0.053 70.15 6.94 2.15 30.1 910 1,745 5.39 277 3.8 2.09 79 12.96 7.89 0.137 2.81 3.46 14.7 4.2 1.03 24.2 0.435 4.3 6 2.55 2.02 2.05 16.8 9.61 8.8 3.22 115 5.7 1,369 0.88 0.34 45.95 83 8.28 1.87 1.15 0.54 4.95 0.73 11.16

14.1 23.45 1.33 0.475 0.044 13.56 9.7 0.053 70.5 6.96 2.15 31.85 920 1,745 5.4 279 3.85 2.09 79.6 12.98 7.89 0.139 3 3.64 15.14 4.3 1.03 24.3 0.435 4.39 6.07 2.63 2.09 2.16 17.38 9.75 9 3.45 115 5.78 1,372 0.9 0.35 46.4 83 8.28 1.94 1.15 0.58 5 0.76 11.44

13.4 21.9 1.32 0.465 0.042 13.54 9.43 0.053 69.65 6.85 2.15 27.5 910 1,701 5.36 271.4 3.67 2.09 78.8 12.96 7.89 0.135 2.72 3.46 14.68 4.2 1.02 24.1 0.435 4.3 5.96 2.55 1.96 1.86 16.8 9.02 8.8 3.22 115 5.5 1,353 0.86 0.335 45.6 82.05 8.28 1.87 1.14 0.52 4.94 0.73 11.14

SERVICES 13.4 22 1.33 0.465 0.044 13.56 9.43 0.053 69.9 6.95 2.15 27.5 920 1,730 5.37 279 3.71 2.09 79.6 12.98 7.89 0.137 2.91 3.54 15.14 4.3 1.03 24.15 0.435 4.39 6 2.62 2 1.97 17.38 9.15 8.8 3.45 115 5.51 1,372 0.88 0.345 46.4 83 8.28 1.9 1.14 0.57 5 0.75 11.2

70,600 74,200 77,000 2,810,000 8,800,000 4,800 1,854,000 10,660,000 170,040 673,100 1,000 842,900 40 15,410 69,600 2,440 1,002,000 2,000 380,630 200 28,000 5,530,000 5,845,000 61,000 500 344,000 159,000 592,500 30,000 22,000 4,609,000 604,000 571,000 160,000 1,900 8,038,500 3,600 107,000 230 794,800 29,775 7,006,000 170,000 538,600 222,470 100 9,198,000 473,000 102,057,000 647,000 1,091,000 540,600

955,208 1,660,750 102,140 1,310,450 378,700 65,048 17,602,039(5, 564,980 11,893,020.50 4,663,663 2,150 24,998,865 36,700 26,542,535 374,025 679,572 3,762,040 4,180 30,111,757 2,594 220,920 753,150 16,796,440 212,380 7,430 1,452,210 163,570 14,370,260 13,050 95,260 27,680,231 1,574,950 1,146,240 320,070 31,978 75,475,271 32,280 367,570 26,450 4,498,453 40,776,890 6,220,840 58,050 24,851,305 18,459,285.50 828 17,542,030 539,930 56,945,880 3,224,160 808,780 6,071,286

6,700 30,360 973,229.9993) -5,123,300 138,000 432,655 -27,600 -668,965 175,770 -4,250 -7,192,834.50 39,610 -26,160 5,960 -58,980 -48,410 8,893,820 8,041,278 -26,160 -248,550 2,426,956 -172,530 -8,050 2,880 16,667,455 -871,990 -19,718,075 -16,480,387 4,823,200 -205,560 -1,116,640 -2,876,608

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

0.0026 1.42 3.92 20.5 1.45 1.46 1.85 0.305 7.71 2.11 0.21 0.124 0.126 1.49 4.33 1.19 0.55 1.16 0.012 0.013 0.011 2.85 4.3 10.2 31.5

0.0026 1.42 3.93 21.4 1.45 1.46 1.9 0.305 7.71 2.23 0.21 0.125 0.126 1.51 4.5 1.23 0.61 1.17 0.012 0.013 0.012 2.9 4.3 10.28 31.7

0.0025 1.41 3.92 20.2 1.45 1.46 1.83 0.305 7.39 2.11 0.207 0.12 0.126 1.49 4.26 1.17 0.54 1.12 0.012 0.013 0.011 2.85 4.29 10.02 31.5

MINING & OIL 0.0025 16,000,000 1.42 224,000 3.92 38,000 21.2 8,800 1.45 5,000 1.46 1,000 1.9 2,670,000 0.305 600,000 7.7 1,200 2.16 19,772,000 0.21 1,200,000 0.122 1,320,000 0.126 20,000 1.5 101,000 4.5 397,000 1.21 115,000 0.56 883,000 1.14 1,057,000 0.012 7,100,000 0.013 4,000,000 0.012 300,000 2.86 77,000 4.3 53,000 10.22 482,300 31.55 1,307,200

40,700 317,640 148,980 182,975 7,250 1,460 5,025,210 183,000 8,931 43,118,000 249,370 161,490 2,520 151,820 1,726,830 136,570 506,030 1,210,920 85,200 52,000 3,400 220,340 227,700 4,905,452 41,229,760

-7,840 -1,934,100 104,000 809,700 -15,660.00 2,200 -8,580 -307,446 -4,975,890

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B2 DD PREF FGEN PREF G GTCAP PREF A LR PREF PCOR PREF 2A PCOR PREF 2B PNX PREF 3A SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

20.9 506 101.2 107 996.5 1.04 1,030 1,040 101.8 76.15 75.3 75.3 75.3 75.45 75.35

21.1 508 101.2 107 1,000 1.04 1,030 1,040 101.8 76.15 75.3 75.3 75.3 75.45 76

20.1 501 101.2 107 996.5 1.04 1,030 1,040 101.8 76.15 75.3 75.3 75.3 75.45 75.3

PREFERRED 20.7 33,100 501 3,190 101.2 1,200 107 20 998 10,010 1.04 1,000 1,030 670 1,040 250 101.8 1,150 76.15 10 75.3 30 75.3 1,000 75.3 26,730 75.45 3,000 76 34,100

692,415 ( 1,602,320 121,440 2,140 10,009,445 1,040 690,100 260,000 117,070 761.5 2,259 75,300 2,012,769 226,350 2,568,085

162,699.9999) 10,180 -

LR WARRANT

2.52

2.6

2.45

WARRANTS 2.53 123,000

311,390

ITALPINAS XURPAS

5.15 3.19

5.39 3.22

5.15 3.17

5.35 3.18

15,227,070 1,735,760

-17,146 121,090

FIRST METRO ETF

111

110

851,253

66,000

32,727.20 2,000 12,928

NAME

PROPERTY 7.8 0.96 14.4 1.86 0.71 38.9 3.18 4.59 5.36 0.425 0.9 0.218 8.8 25.1 0.6 0.116 1.46 1.21 1.44 4.6 0.6 0.44 0.5 3.74 19.7

812,000 604,000 5,000 50,000 68,000 4,324,300 88,000 19,000 4,900 1,400,000 228,000 1,300,000 300,000 739,100 146,000 20,000 724,000 1,161,000 9,005,000 4,224,000 58,895,000 1,380,000 767,000 492,000 1,137,000

6,278,519 574,490 71,830 93,720 48,640 166,858,210 280,250 87,430 26,354 600,400 203,830 283,200 2,649,874 18,565,180 87,600 2,320 1,054,870 1,398,670 13,014,060 19,378,250 5 35,337,490 604,000 381,760 1,822,400 22,405,912 5

-1,616,938 38,380,395 -146,240 21,500 21,600 -47,748 1,147,110 -87,600 -8,710 -2,900,220 ,869,379.9996 115,580 22,020 ,242,050.0001

USD DMPL A1 USD DMPL A2 USD TECH B2

10.1 10 1.01

10.18 10 1.01

TRADING SUMMARY

FINANCIAL

8,870,374

INDUSTRIAL

43,788,434

HOLDING FIRMS

177,484,683

PROPERTY

99,892,017

SERVICES

177,162,582

MINING & OIL

57,944,934

GRAND TOTAL

568,582,533

10.1 10 1.01

SME

2,886,300 545,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 110 7,730 DDS 10.18 10 1.01

3,240 200 12,800

VALUE 1,832.23 (up) 5.75 648,615,027.81 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,533.84 (up) 5.64 567,756,679.186 HOLDING FIRMS 7,171.41 (down) 26.52 1,156,302,615.09 PROPERTY 3,657.02 (up) 34.64 1,448.19 (down) 2.97 491,251,338.705 SERVICES MINING & OIL 9,696.75 (up) 30.76 447,490,872.63 PSEI 7,399.61 (up) 11.74 99,913,878.18 All Shares Index 4,466.70 (up) 4.26 3,429,146,749.66 Gainers: 96; Losers: 93; Unchanged: 51; Total: 240

Aboitiz Power sells 800 MW of power under open access By Alena Mae S. Flores ABOITIZ Power Corp. sold a total of 800 megawatts of power to customers under the retail competition and open access regime. “We’re now 800 MW. Close to 800 MW,” Aboitiz Power chief operating officer Emmanuel Rubio said Friday. RCOA allows large power users to choose their own suppliers. “We’re renewing a lot of contracts because of open access, the terms are short, one- to two-year contracts,” Aboitiz Power first vice president Sandro Aboitiz said. He said the bulk of the company’s customers are 1-MW users while the rest are 750 kW customers. Aboitiz Power signed up Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa on Mactan Island in Cebu in May as one of its customers. Aboitiz said more and more businesses were looking for sustainable energy solutions. “More than just supplying power, we are looking at providing better solutions to our customers. Our wide portfolio of energy sources, both renewable and non-renewable, gives us the flexibility to meet the demand of our customers, while assuring our customers of the reliability that only Aboitiz Power can give,” Aboitiz said. Erramon Aboitiz, president and chief executive officer of Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., Aboitiz Power’s parent firm, said the company had built additional merchant power plants on the premise that open access would be fully implemented. “We, together with others in the power industry, are therefore awaiting the full implementation of open access reducing the thresholds for contestability from 1 MW to 750 KW and the further reduction to 500 KW and below,” he said. Aboitiz said open access was the “Holy Grail” for true competition, “giving power producers and RES access to the end user, hence the importance that it be implemented swiftly and as planned.” The full implementation of open access was halted following a petition filed with the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on February 21, 2017, stopping the Department of Energy and the Energy Regulatory Commission from implementing the RCOA rules and regulations that mandated the mandatory migration of contestable customers.

Robinsons Land opens 50th mall in Tuguegarao By Jenniffer B. Austria ROBINSONS Land Corp., the property unit of the Gokongwei Group, recently opened Robinsons Place Tuguegarao, its 50th shopping mall in the country. Robinsons Land said in a statement the opening of the newest mall would further boost the company’s recurring income portfolio. “We are happy to mark our 50th mall milestone in Tuguegarao. This city is a perfect place to open a mall right now because of its vibrant economy as the central hub in the province of Cagayan,” said Robinsons Land president Frederick Go. “We look forward to our next 50 malls. We will continue to build in new territories, in underserved markets, and in places where they can be catalysts of economic growth,” he added. Located in Cagayan’s regional center, the three-story Robinsons Place Tuguegarao is the second Robinsons mall in the region following Robinsons Place Santiago in Isabela and the fourth in Northern Luzon. Robinsons Land said Tuguegarao’s economy had gradually shifted from agriculture to trading, commerce and services. It serves as commercial and institutional hub and is the ideal location of banks as well as regional or provincial branches of big companies. “With the presence of the new mall, RLC becomes the catalyst in promoting and supporting progress, spurning more businesses to open and ﬂourish in the Region,” said Robinsons Malls general manager Arlene Magtibay. The mall has a gross ﬂoor area of 60,000 square meters with 38,000 sq. m. of leasable space. Robinsons Land hotel chain Go Hotels will also be annexed to the mall. Go Hotel Tuguegarao will have 136 rooms. Robinsons Land is scheduled to open four malls, which will boost the company’s total mall space to ovre 1.5 million square meters.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2018 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

World

Manila

Standard

TODAY

IN BRIEF Trump plans to host Putin WASHINGTON―US President Donald Trump, under ﬁre over his Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin, doubled down Thursday by saying he looked forward to meeting the Russian leader again― with talks already underway for a visit to Washington in the fall. Trump has come in for bipartisan criticism for what many saw as his unsettling embrace of the Russian strongman this week―and his seeming disavowal of his own intelligence agencies and their assessment that Moscow meddled in the 2016 election. The backlash has thrust Trump onto the defensive, leading to days of conﬂicting statements from both the president and the White House. But Trump has largely shrugged off the criticism and took aim at the “fake news media” Thursday for failing to recognize his achievements. “The Summit with Russia was a great success, except with the real enemy of the people, the Fake News Media,” Trump said on Twitter. “The Fake News Media wants so badly to see a major confrontation with Russia, even a confrontation that could lead to war.” Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Trump’s goal was to “redirect” two countries “that’d been on a bad path.” “There’s been a lot of heat and very little light following that press conference,” he told Catholic television network EWTN. AFP

Eight more years in jail for Park S EOUL―Disgraced former South Korean president Park Geunhye was convicted of charges including illegally receiving funds from the country’s spy agency on Friday and given eight more years in prison, on top of her current term.

Park, the South’s ﬁrst female president, was impeached last year after huge street protests over a sprawling scandal, and was jailed for 24 years for corrup-

tion and abuse of power in April. Friday’s penalty―issued in her absence after she refused to attend the Seoul Central District Court―came after a separate trial for pocketing money from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and improperly intervening in 2016 in the selection of her ruling party’s parliamentary candidates. The Seoul Central District Court gave Park six years for taking 3.3 billion won ($2.9 million) from the spy agency, and two years for the electoral offense. The penalties apply consecutively, meaning the 66-year-old now faces a total of 32 years in prison. “The accused received some three bil-

lion won over three years from the three NIS chiefs. Through this crime, the accused incurred a considerable amount of loss to the state treasury,” said senior judge Seong Chang-ho. Three former NIS chiefs testified they had funneled the funds to Park on her orders, the court said. The judge rebuked Park, who denied the charges, for being “un-cooperative” throughout the court hearing and questioning by prosecutors. Park allegedly squandered the taxpayer money on maintaining her private house, financing a boutique where her secret confidante Choi Soon-sil―the central figure in the corruption scandal―had Park’s clothes made and other

Protesters pelt Chiang statue with red paint

Bigger, badder aliens in ‘The Predator’ SAN DIEGO―Fox kicked off San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday with world premiere footage of its action horror retread “The Predator,” showcasing a new supercharged alien hunter. The movie, due out on September 14, will reacquaint audiences with the deadly extraterrestrial made famous in the 1987 blockbuster starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Shane Black’s modern take on the cult series―five films in total, including two crossover releases with the Alien franchise―sees the universe’s most lethal hunters returning smarter and deadlier thanks to genetic modifications. “There’s a faction on Predator home world that’s been bested not once, but twice, by earthlings,” said Black. “They send their champions to earth, and they don’t come home. They don’t like that. So we figured they want to punch back.” The new cast is a diverse ensemble featuring Boyd Holbrook, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Alfie Allen and Jake Busey. The Hall H crowd at Comic-Con was treated to detailed footage including a look at Munn’s government scientist in a hotel room with a group of ex-soldiers who’ve just got away from one of the alien hunters. Another clip shows a Predator almost getting the better of Munn, Tremblay (“Room”), and Boyd Holbrook (“Narcos”) before getting taken out and beheaded by a bigger, previously unseen “Ultimate Predator.” AFP

IN MEMORIAM. Colleagues and friends lay flowers by the portrait of journalist Pavel Sheremet, set on the place where his car exploded, during a memorial ceremony marking the second anniversary of his death in the center of Kiev on July 20, 2018. Sheremet, a 44-year-old columnist for Ukrainska Pravda, a dual Russian and Belarusian citizen, died when his car exploded in the Kiev city center in 2016 in still unexplained circumstances. AFP

‘North Korean economy shrank sharply in 2017’ SEOUL―North Korea saw its economy contract 3.5 percent last yea―its worst showing in two decades―as it was hit by sanctions over its weapons programs, the South’s central bank said Friday. It was a sharp reversal from its 3.9-percent growth in 2016, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The UN Security Council last year banned the North’s main exports―coal and other mineral resources, ﬁsheries and textile products―to cut off its access to hard currency in response to Pyongyang’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. As a result, the North’s mining industry slumped 11 percent, the BOK said, having grown 8.4 percent in 2016. Manufacturing output fell 6.9 percent―down from 4.8 percent growth― while agriculture and ﬁsheries slipped

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES AUTONOMOUS REGION IN MUSLIM MINDANAO PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF BASILAN BIDS AND AWARD COMMITTEE

UNDER BAC PUBLICATION 07-011-2018

2. The Provincial Government of Basilan, now invites bids for Supply and Delivery of Construction Materials for the SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF TEN (10) HEAVY EQUIPMENT FOR ROAD REHABILITATION, CONSTRUCTION I IMPLEMENTATION OF MOA PROJECTS AND OTHER PROVINCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.8 Delivery of the Goods is required [within the required delivery date or expected contract duration]. Bidders should have completed, within 10 years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. 3. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183. 4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from Provincial Government of Basilan and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (during Office hours). 5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on July 16, 2018 to August 6, 2018 from the address below on the amount of Twenty Five Thousand Pesos (P25,000,00) and another One thousand pesos (P1,000.00) for the letter of intent . It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. 6. The Provincial Government of Basilan will hold a Pre-Bid Conference9 on 10:00 am, July 23, 2018 at BAC Office, Provincial Capitol, Isabela City Basilan, which shall be open to prospective bidders. 7. Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before 10:00 am, August 6, 2018. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount Stated in ITB Claused .opening shall be on 10:00 am, August 6, 2018 at BAC Office, Provincial Capitol, Isabela City, BasiIan province. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

a per-capita Gross National Income of 1.46 million won ($1,011), while the South’s was 23 times higher. The North, which holds most of the peninsula’s mineral resources, was once wealthier than the South, but decades of mismanagement and the demise of its former paymaster the Soviet Union have left it deeply impoverished and suffering chronic food shortages. Despite a historic summit with the North’s leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore in June, US President Donald Trump has said the sanctions will remain in force until the North takes substantial steps toward removing its nuclear arsenal. “The UN imposed fresh sanctions against the North in August and December, and those will make a serious dent in the North Korean economy this year,” another BOK ofﬁcial said. AFP

(INVITATION TO BID) SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS FOR THE REHABILITATION OF BULAN BULANTANG ELLA RAN ROAD SECTION, BULAN BULAN AND KALUGUSAN BRGY. LANTAWAN, BASILAN PROVINCE. UNDER BAC PUBLICATION 07-013-2018 1.

The Provincial Government of Basilan, through the 20% Development Fund of the province1 intends to apply the sum of Three Million Three n Hundred Fifty Seven Thousand One Hundred Eighty Seven 100/75 Pesos Only (P3,357,187.75) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Supply and Delivery of Construction Materials for the Rehabilitation of Bulan Bulan-Tangellaran road section, Bulan -Bulan and Kalugusan brgy., Lantawan, Basilan. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The Provincial Government of Basilan, now invites bids for Supply and Delivery of Construction Materials for the Rehabilitation of Bulan Bulan-Tangellaran road section, Bulan -Bulan and Kalugusan brgy., Lantawan, Basilan. 2 Delivery of the Goods is required [within the required delivery date or expected contract duration). Bidders should have completed, within 10 years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. (i) Bidding is restricted to . Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183. Interested bidders may obtain further information from Provincial Government of Basilan and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (during Office hours).

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on July 16, 2018 to August 6. 2018 from the address below on the amount of Five thousand Pesos (P5,000,00) and another One thousand pesos (P1,000.00) for the letter of intent It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

The Provincial Government of Basilan will hold a Pre-Bid Conference3 on 10:00 am, July 23, 2018 at BAC Office, Provincial Capitol, Isabela City Basilan, which shall be open to prospective bidders. Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before 10:00 am, August 6, 2018. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount Stated in ITB Claused .opening shall be on 10:00 am, August 6, 2018 at BAC Office, Provincial Capitol, Isabela City, BasiIan province. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidder’s representative who choose to attend at the address below. Late Bids shall not be accepted.

10. For further information, please refer to:

10. For further information, please refer to: The BAC CHAIRPERSON LGU- BASILAN Bids and Award Committee C/O BAC Secretariat Ground Floor, Provincial Capitol Building, Isabela City, Basilan Province, 7300 Fax No.: 062 2003416 & 062 200 3417

The BAC CHAIRPERSON LGU- BASILAN Bids and Award Committee C/O BAC Secretariat Ground Floor, Provincial Capitol Building, Isabela City, Basilan Province, 7300 Fax No.: 062 2003416 & 062 200 3417 (SGD) INTAN GORDANA A. ABUBAKAR Chairperson, Bids and Awards Committee

(SGD) INTAN GORDANA A. ABUBAKAR Chairperson, Bids and Awards Committee (MS-JULY 21, 2018)

TAIPEI―Protesters threw egg shells filled with red paint onto a statue of former leader Chiang Kai-shek at one of Taiwan’s best-known landmarks Friday, as the island grapples with its authoritarian past. The imposing Chiang Kai-shek memorial hall in the capital Taipei is a popular tourist attraction and the bronze 20-foot tall seated statue is its centerpiece. Police said two people were detained after the sculpture was left smeared with red paint and egg shells strewn around its base. Chiang is seen by many as symbolic of a brutal military regime that purged thousands of opponents until his death in 1975 and it is not the first time his statues have been targeted. For many youths on the island, Chiang is also synonymous with the authoritarianism that wary Taiwanese now equate with mainland China, which still views the self-ruling island as part of its territory. “Let the red paint symbolizing the blood of the victims once again spread over this absurd shrine,” the group that organized the protest said in a statement on Facebook. They called for all relics of Chiang to be removed, including his mausoleum. Chiang and his nationalist Kuomintang troops fled from the mainland to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war to Communist forces. Although Taiwan today is a fullfledged democracy, it was only in December that a bill was passed to tackle the legacy of the injustices under Chiang. AFP

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES AUTONOMOUS REGION IN MUSLIM MINDANAO PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF BASILAN BIDS AND AWARD COMMITTEE

Provincial Capitol Bldg., Isabela City, Basilan Province, 7300

(INVITATION TO BID) FOR SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF TEN (10) UNIT HEAVY EQUIPMENT FOR ROAD REHABILITATION, CONSTRUCTION IMPLEMENTATION OF MOA PROJECTS AND OTHER PROVINCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.

1.The Provincial Government of Basilan, through the Approved Loan proceeds from Landbank of the Philippines7 intends to apply the sum of Thirty Nine Million pesos (P39,000,000.00 ) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF ONE TEN (10) HEAVY EQUIPMENT FOR ROAD REHABILITATION, CONSTRUCTION I IMPLEMENTATION OF MOA PROJECTS AND OTHER PROVINCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

1.3 percent after also expanding in 2016. “Sanctions against the North were much more intense last year,” a BOK official told journalists, adding that bad weather was also a factor. Exports tumbled 37.2 percent to $1.77 billion, while imports inched up 1.8 percent to $3.78 billion. Inter-Korean trade collapsed 99.7 percent year-on-year to a mere $900,000 after the South shut down the joint Kaesong industrial complex in the North amid the tensions over the North’s nuclear and missile development. The North does not publish economic statistics of its own, leaving outside estimates―which by definition are based on limited information―as the only available figures for its financial performance. According to the BOK, the North had

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES AUTONOMOUS REGION IN MUSLIM MINDANAO PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF BASILAN BIDS AND AWARD COMMITTEE

Provincial Capitol Bldg., Isabela City, Basilan Province, 7300

(MS-JULY 21, 2018)

private purposes, including massage treatment. Choi was found to have taken advantage of her “long private ties” with Park to extort bribes worth millions of dollars from businesses including telecommunications giant Samsung and retail conglomerate Lotte. She is serving a 20-year sentence for abuse of power, bribery and meddling in state affairs. Earlier Friday, prosecutors asked an appeals court to extend Park’s sentence for her corruption and abuse of power conviction to 30 years, arguing the original penalty was too lenient. They also asked for her ﬁne to be multiplied sixfold to 118.5 billion won. AFP

Provincial Capitol Bldg., Isabela City, Basilan Province, 7300

(INVITATION TO BID) FOR SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF ONE (I) UNIT GEOMETRIC CONTROL SURVEYING INSTRUMENT) AND OTHER CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT FOR ROAD REHABILITATION, CONSTRUCTIONIIMPLEMENTATION OF MOA PROJECTS AND OTHER PROVINCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. UNDER BAC PUBLICATION 07-012-2018 1. The Prooincial Governmenl of Basilan , through the Approved Loan proceeds from Landbank of the Philippines 4 intends to apply the swn of One Million Four Hundred Seventy Thousand pesos (Pl ,470,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF ONE (1) UNIT GEOMETRIC CONTROL (SURVEYING INSTRUMENT) AND OTHER CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT FOR ROAD REHABILITATION, CONSTRUCTION/IMPLEMENTATION OF MOA PROJECTS AND OTHER PROVINCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. 2. The Provincial Government of Basilan, now invites bids for Supply and Delivery of Constuction Materials for the SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF ONE (I) UNIT GEOMETRIC CONTROL (SURVEYING INSTRUMENT) AND OTHER CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT FOR ROAD REHABILITATION, CONSTRUCTIONIIMPLEMENTATION OF MOA PROJECTS AND OTHER PROVINCIAL PROJECTS.5 Delivery of the Goods is required [within the required delivery date or expected contract duration]. Bidders should have completed, within 10 years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instmctions to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a nondiscretionary “ pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act’. 3. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183. 4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from Provincial Government of Basilan and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during 8:00 am to 5:00 pm during Office hours). 5. A complete set of Bidding Docwnents may be acquired by interested Bidders on July 16, 2018 to August 6, 2018 from the address below on the amount of Five Thousand Pesos (P5,000,00) and another One thousand pesos (P 1,000.00) for the letter of intent It may also be dovvnloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. 6. The Provincial Government of Basilan will hold a Pre-Bid Conference 6 on 10:00 am, July 23, 2018 at BAC Office, Provincial Capitol, Isabela City Basilan, which shall be open to prospective bidders. 7. Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before 10:00 anl, August 6, 2018. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Claused opening shall be on 10:00 am, August 6, 2018 at BAC Office, Provincial Capitol, Isabela City, Basilan province. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted. 8.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidder’s representative who choose to attend at the address below. Late Bids shall not be accepted.

(MS-JULY 21, 2018)

(SGD) INTAN GORDANA A. ABUBAKAR Chairperson, Bids and Awards Committee

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Joel D. Lacsamana, Editor jdlacsamana@gmail.com

SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2018

‘Tidy space, tidy mind’ ‘NEXT GENERATION’ CENTER. Aseana City, the 107-hectare masterplanned community located along Roxas Boulevard, is projected to become the next business district in Metro Manila. An emerging business and tourist destination, it is home to residential condominiums, international schools, dining and retail centers, and office buildings, among others. “Our vision for Aseana City is to become the ‘next generation’ city,” said Buds C. Wenceslao, CEO of D.M. Wenceslao & Associates, Incorporated (DMWAI). More establishments and structures were completed in 2017, including Aseana 3, the third of the four commercial projects of DMWAI in Aseana City, which was designed specifically to cater to the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry. The two other BPO projects inside Aseana City are Aseana 1, a 12-storey building with 20,000sqm gross floor area; and Aseana 2 with 14,000sqm. DMWAI recently held the ground breaking ceremony of 8912 Asean Ave., the fourth office development of the company.

RISE UP. Shang Properties, Inc. recently celebrated the topping off of The Rise, its newest upscale residence in north of Ayala Avenue. The Rise is just a stone’s throw away from a mix of galleries, delicatessens, indie music venues, one-of-a-kind retail experiences, and everything in between for the cultural aficionado in the city—from career-oriented professionals to aspiring artists and busy urban couples—to build the perfect dream home. Interested parties may visit The Rise Showsuite at 4th Avenue corner Rizal Drive, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. At the event were (left to right): Aurora Yu, president, Vivelya Development Company, Inc. ; Greg Dogan, executive director, Shang Propertes, Inc.; Corazon Yap, Vivelya Developmet Company, Inc.; Wlfred Woo, executive director; and Atty Karlo Estavillo, COO and CFO of Shang properties, Inc.

WARM WELCOME. Daiichi Properties, together with its subsidiary, Daiichi Property Solutions (DPS), recently hosted a thanksgiving event for tenants and over 2,000 employees of World Plaza , its premium-grade office building on 5th Avenue in Bonifacio Global City. Daiichi Properties introduced the DPS team tasked to manage the building, and the customer service team who is responsible for handling all tenant concerns. World Plaza was designed by global architectural firm Gensler, and stands as one of the few structurally-tested buildings in the country that can stand withstand earthquakes and typhoons. The building was recognized as a five-star best office development – Philippines in the 2015 Asia Pacific Property Awards, and bagged the gold medal in the office category of the 2017 FIABCI-Philippines property and real estate awards. “Daiichi Properties is honored that many companies chose us to be their corporate address,” said Daiichi Properties senior vice president Charmaine Uy.

REAL ESTATE CRYPTO PAYMENTS MADE EASIER. Global real estate platform AQWIRE recently partnered with Satoshi Citadel Industries (SCI), one of the biggest crypto companies in the Philippines. The partnership aims to build up the former’s capability to list units from different developers worldwide, process payments through different channels such as credit/debit cards, international bank transfers, as well as give out analytical data to help potential buyers. AQWIRE will handle real estate transactions in different stages of the sale cycle, from developers listing their units for sale to buyers paying their monthly dues in perpetuity. SCI is a financial technology company building the blockchain ecosystem in the Philippines. At the signing were Miguel Cuneta, chief community officer, and John Bailon, CEO of SCI; Ray Refundo, CEO, and Scott Dy, chief blockchain developer, AQWIRE.

Home work spaces can be creative, focused, while blocking out domesticities

HETHER you are working from home a couple days a week, run your business, study, or just need a place to schedule your day and pay the bills—you want a comfortable, stylish and productive work space. Simply because in a well-designed and organized home ofﬁce, you would likely spend more time, you would fulﬁll more tasks, and still be happy, not exhausted, at the end of the day.

cabinets, drawer units and shelves by the time when you need it. Invest in your chair It should be The Chair. It is obvious —a beautiful, ergonomically-correct, comfortable seat is worth every dime. And your back will thank you. Consider lighting Make sure your ofﬁce has plenty of light. A good working lamp with adjustable head is what you need. Make yourself a beautiful view when you glance up from the computer. The best is to sit in front of the window with natural light, but if it is not possible, hang a pretty picture above the table, it could be a family portrait, inspirational quote or something that would give you positive vibes. Create construction Your technology can also be stylish. But do not forget to hide unsightly cords. Make sure your equipment is close to power outlets and easy to access. Keep it clean and organized Do not forget to eliminate clutter— in a well-designed home ofﬁce, where everything has its place and function, you should not have a problem of piling stuff.

Compact furniture and careful planning will help you incorporate a fully functioning workspace into the smallest of rooms, the corner of a living room or even a little nook beside the kitchen. Here are some designing ideas to create a home office. The best place One would recommend to designate a room, if it is possible, no matter how you can withstand distractions, a separate room is the best. If it is not possible, still do not sacrifice space trying to squeeze your working space between kitchen and dining room. You’ll likely spend a lot of time in your home office so it should be comfortable. Functional first, then beautiful Your desk and shelves should be functional first, and then beautiful. Think about your work and what you need in your office—how much storage, how and have no idea what to expect—buy a Storage should be the top priority in big the table, what is the technology you simple table—just legs with the working all home office designs. With so many use. If you are just starting your business surface and then you could add storage papers, books and supplies to store, be sure to accommodate it all with shelves, drawers and cabinets. There’s nothing more distracting than piles of paper, which is no good in an environment where you want to be productive. Color schemes What will work for one person won’t necessarily work for another, but what you are aiming for is a calm, organized, productive and inspiring environment. For you, that might mean choosing peaceful colors, such as neutrals, blues or greens, or you might find that bright pops of hot pink or red fire up your imagination. Choose something that will inspire you rather than distract you. Office decor ideas To give your work area a personalized touch, bring in framed family photographs and travel souvenirs you’ve picked up along the way. For those must-have accessories, like pencil cups, paper trays and magazine holders, try using bright, vibrant patterns to add a pop of color or even novelty pieces that will make you smile every time you look at them. Always think in terms of inspiration; your work area should be functional but also reflective of the things that motivate you.

Life

Bernadette lunas, Issue Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MstandardlIFE @M @Ms standard tandardllIFE

young life

saturday, july 21, 2018

Gerald Anderson runs with a purpose By Gabbie Parlade

OR actor/athlete Gerald Anderson, running with a purpose helps one stay motivated to be fit. He believes that in order to achieve one’s goal, a person must stay grounded on the things that motivate them. Hence, despite his busy schedule, Anderson doesn’t look for any excuse not to work out; he manages to go for a run or head straight to the gym whenever he can. “it [all] comes down to your motivation kung bakit mo ‘to ginagawa; yung reason kung bakit ka nasa gym (it all comes down to what motivates you to do it; the reason why you’re at the gym),” says Anderson. Anderson is one of today’s hottest stars. He shares that the secret to maintaining his physique is getting into various activities and exercises, most especially running, even with his busy schedule. “it takes me away from all the stress, yung gulo ng sitwasyon sa Maynila [and] yung traffic; it’s my own world when i’m running,” shares the 29-year-old actor. He adds, “Meron akong 30 minutes to one hour time to myself [wherein] ako lang yun [and] running. it is also pushing me to do something more [na] nagagamit ko rin sa life at sa career ko (i allot 30 minutes to one hour to myself wherein it’s just me and running.

The 29-year-old actor steps on the podium after his successful race.

it helps push me to do something more which is useful in my life and career).” Skechers has been the actor’s go-to shoes ever since he experienced an injury while running, as the brand’s signature technology allows the user to feel its maximum speed and comfort. “Nagkaroon kasi ako ng injury sa

Rest, if you must, but never quit. Anderson takes a break from his workout.

hamstring and sobrang laking tulong talaga sa akin ng Skechers, na kahit sa therapy or training suot ko talaga yung sapatos (i had a hamstring injury and Skechers was a huge help at the time, so much so that i wore the shoes in therapy and training),” relates Anderson. inn light of the upcoming Skechers Performance Run 2018 on August 5 at the SM Mall of Asia Complex, Ander Anderson, one of the brand’s ambassadors, invites everyone to join the marathon whose mission is to make the fit and active lifestyle more accessible and enjoyable for more people. “What i really love about [these] marathons is that at the end of the day, everyone’s helping each other [by] telling words of inspiration. i love the running community,” enthuses Anderson. Other brand ambassadors such as triathlete Faith Garcia and pro-runner Richard Salano will also be joining the marathon. the he run consists of three categories: 5k, 10k, and 21k which are open to both beginner and seasoned runners.

ON TRACK.

Actor/athlete Gerald Anderson always reminds himself of his goals whenever he feels demotivated to run.

50 works of young artists in a traveling exhibit FiFty best works made by young Filipino visual artists are currently exhibited across the country. the Philippine Art Educators’ Association, a non-government organization created to promote education through the arts and culture in schools and other institutions, in collaboration with the Cultural Center of the Philippines, launched the National Students’ traveling Art Exhibition themed “Buhay Katutubo.” the exhibit features the winners of the competition, which highlighted the beauty of the country’s indigenous race. the top 50 entries chosen from over 300 artworks from different national academic institutions are currently mounted and exhibited in various galleries, museums, and partner schools across the country. Notable submissions are from Regino Abiño Jr. from Statesfields School Cavite; Vren Protacio from St. Mary’s Academy, Sta. Ana Manila: Rudy Cuecaco Jr. ii from Lyceum of Aparri, Cagayan; Vivien Premistra from Antipolo Lady of Lourdes School; Kamila Piansay from St. Mary’s Academy Pasay City; and Pontillas Ussiah, Hannah iguas, and Jeffry Cabilogan from Marsman National High School, Davao del Norte. Of note, nine out of the top 50 shortlisted works were from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, namely, “Malakas at Maganda” by Pamela Madlangbayan, “Kasiyahan” by Mark Cedrix Lopez, “Kulay ng Kultura’ by Justine torregoza, “Habi ng tela” by Bea Canete, “Weaving together ideas” by Louis Miguel Moldez, “tahanan” by isabelle Louis Garcia, “Dream Weaver” by Beatrice Cadiz, “Kagalakan at Kasiyahan” by Bart Mocorro, and “tandang Pananong” by Mitzi Comia. the Benildeans are part of the Philippine Art & Design classes under their mentor Jerome Asuncion, an active member of the international Society of Education through Arts, and the former executive director of the UP Art Educators’ Society.

The works of young artists who won in the National Students’ Traveling Art Exhibition are displayed across the country.

Life

saturday, ju juLy 21, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Jennifer Padua got her job with the help of a job portal.

What’s your career success story? FUTURE NATION-BUILDERS. Pupils from a remote school in Tanay, Rizal keenly read I am M.A.D.’s MACbooklet.

Millennial volunteer group launches booklet for schoolchildren

n Its continuing mission to provide the younger generation with opportunities to realize their dreams and passions, non-profit volunteer group I am Making A Difference, Inc. (I am M.A.D.) has launched a new learning tool called the MAD Activity booklet (MACbooklet) that espouses values that help kids to become nation-builders.

Based on the 10 I am M.A.D. Commitments that the group has been sharing with youngsters since its inception in 2009, the MACbooklet is an original creation by the group’s co-founders Mark Conrad Ravanzo and Christian Marx Rivero, and written by Wino Dela Cruz, one of its active volunteers. the booklet contains interactive content and illustrations, made solely in Microsoft PowerPoint, and a relatable story—inspired by the real-life characters of Damhar and Chooky, two of I am M.A.D.’s youngest volunteers from Basilan. the latest learning tool highlights the group’s 10 small fundamental habits and to-do’s that can make a big difference, anchored on the Department of Education’s core values—love of God (makaDiyos), love for others (makatao), love of environment (makakalikasan), and love of country (makabayan). Benefitting 250 students and led by close to a hundred volunteers, including 42 new recruits, I am M.A.D., this year

Students show their copies of the MACbooklet at the MAD Camp in Mati City, Davao Oriental

has so far conducted its trademark threeday I am MAD Camp and pioneered the dissemination of its MACbooklet together with packs of school supplies to farflung school communities such as Itbayat Central school in Itbayat, Batanes; Camp susana Elementary school in La Paz, Zamboanga City; Laiban Elementary school in tanay, Rizal; B. Aldana Central Elementary school in Lamitan City, Basilan; and Mayor santiago Garcia Memorial Elementary school in Mati City, Davao Oriental. “As part of our efforts to continuously innovate and give schoolchildren more ways to appreciate learning and further inspire them, we developed and launched the MACbooklet out of donations and help from our sponsors and friends,” said Ravanzo, who is also the illustrator/designer of the booklet.

Ravanzo, however, revealed that with limited resources and working essentially on goodwill of other people, they would need further support to sustain its new initiative. “We are seeking for support from those who share our advocacy to help us print and distribute our MACbooklet to inspire more kids,” he said. One MACbooklet costs P50 and the group would need 50 booklets per camp. the group calendared 15 camps all over the Philippines this year and still has 10 remaining outreach in General santos, Bohol, sulu, Romblon, Antique, samar, tawi-tawi, Bacolod, nueva Ecija, and Abra. It also plans to share the booklet to other school partners in the country. For partnerships, interested volunteers, and sponsors, email iammadph@ gmail.com.

JEnnIfER PADuA graduated with a degree in Political science. But her path did not bring her to a career expected of what she finished at school. With the help of a job portal, Padua is now a digital marketing manager. “As cliché as it sounds, you just have to try and try sending your resumé to potential employers. You’ll never know what new opportunities are out there unless you try,” she shares. Meanwhile, Junel De Guzman Aceres once found himself turned away by some companies to which he applied after his first internship. But he soldiered on, making extensive use of the same job portal to find more opportunities. ultimately, he ended up working fulltime for the company where he interned. “for all the jobseekers out there, I urge them to hold on to their dreams. nothing in life comes easy, so do not give up even if you feel you’ve been rejected too many times,” says Aceres. Padua and Aceres are just two of the many young professionals who took advantage of the job portal, Jobstreet. com Philippines to find their dream job—or at least the career in which they excel and thrive. to celebrate these happy and feel-good stories of finding one’s place, Jobstreet.com Philippines has launched the My Jobstreet stories testimonial campaign.

Junel De Guzman Aceres

the campaign aims to inspire more filipinos to share their career success stories. stories of individuals who have found their dream job through Jobstreet and those who were able to expand their horizons and go to something entirely different from what they’re expecting are welcome. the best stories will be featured on Jobstreet’s official facebook page.

No Wi-Fi? No problem. Because there are ways to fix some of the common Wi-Fi problems.

Easy ways to fix 5 Wi-Fi problems

YouTube NextUp aims to help Filipino creators take their channels to the next level.

HOME Wi-fi issues can be really frustrating, especially if you’re in the middle of sending an important work file, a video call with a relative living overseas, or netflix-bingeing marathon. But most of the time, these problems are rather simple with quick do-it-yourself fixes. Here are some common Wi-fi issues—and ways to address them without breaking a sweat:

YouTube NextUp to boost Filipino creators’ skills ARE you vlogger who wants to improve your storytelling and production skills? Youtube launches in the Philippines its nextup competition to help creators take their channels to the next level. since its launch in 2011, nextup has helped over 500 creators in more than 13 countries by giving them skills, mentorship, and a network to help them create compelling content. this year, nextup is putting up a week-long creator camp at the Youtube Pop-up space Manila from sept. 7 to 12, during which Youtube creators will learn production techniques from nextup alumni and work closely with top Youtube creators. “We’re bringing nextup to the Phil-

ippines to support filipino creators, who are among the most creative and inspiring in the world. We want to help them bring their Youtube careers to the next level by exposing them to meaningful learning experiences,” said Gabby Roxas, Google Philippines country marketing manager. He added, “We are also giving filipino creators the opportunity to inspire and learn from other creators around the world who share their passion for creating great online content.” to enter the contest, go to youtube. com/nextup and fill out the application form. to be eligible for nextup Manila, your channel must be in good standing

with 10,000 to 100,000 subscribers. the channels will also be selected on the basis of their potential for improvement, capacity for attracting audience, and alignment with Youtube’s core values. Deadline for submission is on Aug. 3. On top of joining the week-long creator camp, those who will be selected to join nextup Manila’s class of 2018 will receive ongoing strategic account management by the Youtube Creator and Artist Development team, us$1,000 production voucher, and mentorship by alumni/top creators. Email nextup@youtube.com for inquiries.

3. Connection lags because of too many devices connected to the network

Is everyone in your home looped in a single Wi-fi network? If so, one or more family members might be hogging all the bandwidth and thus making the Internet connection slower for everyone else. use Quality of service (Qos) to ensure equal Wi-fi enjoyment for the family, and prioritize certain applica1. Poor Wi-Fi signal tions (like video chats, streaming serthere are many reasons why you are vices, gaming, and more) over others. experiencing poor Wi-fi signal and each has its own simple tweak. When4. No Wi-Fi signal at all ever your home Wi-fi signal is down, this can be addressed by physically try to reposition the router away from checking the router if it’s turned on and cordless phones, microwave ovens, properly connected to all the required thick walls, and anything that can ob- cables and an electric socket. turning struct the signal. You can also move the router off and turning it back on afcloser to the router or simply adjust ter a minute or so can help, too. your router’s antenna.

2. Slow connection because of ‘kapit Wi-Fi’

unauthorized Wi-fi moochers—or “kapit Wi-fi”—can slow your connection down and prevent you from fully enjoying the speeds you are paying for. to prevent moochers from accessing your connection, hide the name of your Wi-fi and require anyone who wants to join in to type the name manually. simply toggle the ssID (technical term for your Wi-fi network’s name) broadcast option in the router’s firmware setting. there are simple step-by-step guides available from reliable sources online.

5. Device can’t connect to the Wi-Fi network

trouble connecting your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or any Wi-fi-enabled device to your home network? Check: - If you’ve joined the correct network; - If you’ve entered the right password; - If your device is within the router’s range; and - If your device’s Wi-fi settings are turned on. If you’ve gone through the checklist above and still can’t connect to the Wifi network, you can try restarting the router and device.

Entertainment

SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2018

nickie.standard@gmail.com

BEYOND RADIO

The colorful personalities of Barangay LS 97.1 DJs China’s most expensive movie BECOMES EPIC FLOP WITH a $113-million budget, the most expensive Chinese film ever made has become a flop of historic proportions, pulled from theatres on its opening weekend after bringing in a paltry $7.3 million. Alibaba Pictures’ special effectsheavy fantasy film Asura was intended as the first installment in an epic trilogy inspired by Tibetan Buddhist mythology, part of a drive by authorities to promote works bearing elements of traditional Chinese culture. The film cost 750 million yuan ($113.5 million) to make, state media said, and opened on Friday, but Chinese ticketing platform Maoyan said it only took in just over $7.3 million at the weekend. By Sunday, the film’s official social media account posted a statement declaring that it would be removed from theatres as of 10 pm that night. “We express our apologies to all those who wanted to but won’t have the chance to see it,” it said. Most of China’s biggest blockbusters to date have been made with half the budget lavished on Asura. The estimated loss of $106 million would make it the fifth-biggest flop in movie history worldwide, behind frontrunner Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, which suffered losses of $125 million, according to data from website Box Office Mojo. State media had touted the movie before it was released, with the China Daily hailing Asura as “the most hotly anticipated blockbuster of China’s competitive summer season.” “It’s a very imaginative movie. We

wanted the film to raise confidence in our own culture and train more domestic talent,” Yang Hongtao, chairman of Ningxia Film Group, one of the movie’s backers, told the paper ahead of Friday’s opening. Six years in the making, the film was heavy on expensive visuals, featuring 2,400 scenes with special effects in its runtime of just 141 minutes, the paper noted. Bankable Hong Kong actors Tony Leung Ka-fai and Carina Lau starred, while high-powered foreign talent— such as Oscar-winning Ngila Dickson, costume designer for the Lord of the Rings franchise—also took part. Yet the film garnered a rotten 3.1 rating on Douban, China’s most influential user review platform. “My god, it’s horrifying! It’s just a magnificent pile of excrement!” one user wrote. Wildly different reviews on the country’s two largest ticketing platforms prompted a virulent retort from the movie’s production team, posted Friday to its social media account. On opening day, Asura netted an 8.4 rating out of 10 on Alibaba-owned Tao Piaopiao. But on Maoyan, backed by Alibaba’s rival tech giant Tencent, reviewers had given it just 4.9. The team accused Maoyan of using fake, paid reviewers to post 1-star ratings to artificially deflate the film’s score, calling the alleged move “despicable, foolish, and ludicrous.” Many users dismissed the film’s team’s statement. “It was garbage anyway,” one reviewer wrote. AFP

'Asura' China's first $100M production, was pulled from cinemas after its disastrous opening weekend.

Simply... From C4

Indie-Siyensya workshops More than a hundred students, teachers, filmmakers, and science professionals flocked to the Cinematheque Centre Manila on July 6 for the program launch and workshop of the 3rd Indie-Siyensya Filmmaking Competition. Indie-Siyensya, the country’s first and only science filmmaking competition, is now open for submission of film concepts for short documentaries that capture science as it works to answer the needs of communities and the country. “We are encouraging students to create more science films,” says Dr. Josette Biyo, director of the Department of Science and Technology—Science Education Institute

(DOST-SEI), the competition’s main organizer. “DOST-SEI aims to promote a culture of science in the country and film is no doubt a powerful medium to achieve this,” Biyo adds. This year, Indie-Siyensya strengthens the competition and its workshop offering by partnering with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP). The free workshop is part of the competition’s series of activities and meant to arm interested participants with the skills needed to create credible and visually appealing science films. UP Los Baños Development Communication Professor Garry Montemayor, a member of Indie-Siyensya’s board of judges, delivered a workshop on science communication, while 2017 Breakthrough Junior Challenge grand prize winner, Hillary Diane Andales, facilitated the segment

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Saturday, July 21, 2018

ACROSS 1 Wetlands 5 Stingy 10 Fabricated 14 He played Obi-Wan 15 Clock watcher 16 Where Japan is 17 Reckless 18 Extinguish 19 Get closer 20 Costume 22 Alloy components 24 Printemps month 25 Carol 26 Most bashful 29 Against the rules 33 Unwanted plants 34 In — veritas 36 “The Greatest” 37 Architect’s wing 38 Preserves with salt 39 Tony-winner — Hagen 40 Jungfrau 41 Gross 42 Kitchen staple 44 Hieroglyphics stone 47 Customers, after the sale

48 Fossil fuel 49 Skosh 50 Vote 53 Round containers 58 Name in essays 59 In a foul mood 61 Yield, as territory 62 Sari wearer 63 Tanker 64 — -jerk reaction 65 Stratum 66 Lunch periods 67 — dollar DOWN 1 Taxi rider 2 Flair 3 Monster’s loch 4 Plotted 5 Juicy morsel 6 Archaeologist’s find 7 Adhesive 8 Rams and bulls 9 Vibrating effects 10 Long loose cape 11 On a cruise 12 TV part 13 Hearing organs 21 Aggregation 23 Sushi fish 25 Dingbat 26 Take an oath 27 Word of wel-

come 28 Canine cries 30 Dash feature 31 Wedding site 32 Polygraph flunkers 34 Outspoken 35 Peeve 38 Award 42 Shipboard mop 43 Leaves the space station 45 Rich pastry 46 Excessively 47 Sliders on

stream banks 50 Ernie’s Muppet friend 51 Kyrgyzstan range 52 Finish a jacket 53 Luminous circle 54 Pharaoh’s god 55 Warrior princess 56 Jeannie portrayer 57 Tennis ranking 60 Port on Guanabara Bay

TRADITIONAL ENTERTAINMENT. Barangay LS' Mama Cy, Chiko Tito, Janna Chu Chu, and Papa Marky take their job seriously as they continue to stay relevant among young listeners.

By Clay Moreno

AMA Cy, Chiko Tito, Janna Chu Chu, and Papa Marky—disc jocks (DJs) of GMA’s flagship FM radio station Barangay LS 97.1 – take pride in their individuality and celebrate the multi-faceted personalities behind the voices that listeners hear on radio. Mama Cy is a modern-day Filipina who is single-handedly raising her 12-year-old daughter. She is the Barangay’s “Palaban na Beauty” who can practically do anything from being a fun but sensible DJ to writing, singing, dancing, acting, doing PR work, and managing events. “#BidaBidaAko,” she quipped. Dubbed as “Ang Chika Master”, Chiko Tito, on the other hand, is a husband and a father who refers to himself as a straight male trapped inside a gay personality. “I’m chatty and sociable with a cheerful heart na kaya kong makipagchikahan about anything trending sa Barangay,” he said.

Barangay LS resident “Showbiz Insider” Janna Chu Chu, basically breathes everything that’s happening inside the industry. He was exposed to show business at the age of 14 when he became a TV dancer for the late Kuya Germs (Moreno). Apart from being a Barangay LS DJ, he is also a DZBB anchor and an entertainment writer for online and tabloids. “I was so happy dahil alam kong mapapalapit ako sa mga celebrities,” he said. Last but not the least is “The Life Coach,” Papa Marky, who uses his unique opportunity to help people in emergency situations regardless of who they are or what they believe in. “I value the essence of their stories and I respect their individuality,” he said. In this modern world where people are focused on being liked and loved, they were each asked how they express their individuality. Mama Cy said she eliminates all the unnecessary to make space and time for the more important ones. For her, people in this modern world are so engrossed on being liked and loved even if it meant losing themselves. “I learned to avoid the complexities of life.” She believes that we all have a blessing of our own. “So I don’t compare.” Mama Cy also acknowledges the truth that she is empowered not just by her own strength but through God’s grace. “Our society is forever changing, so I do not really conform with what

is standard according to society,” said Chiko Tito who doesn’t worry much about what others might say despite his interesting background. “I always explain to my kids na kapag sa radyo, ganito si daddy. Pero kapag sa bahay, si daddy ay si daddy.” Janna Chu Chu, meanwhile, distinguishes himself by being passionate in what he does best – showbiz, writing, and music. “Kahit ang dami kong ginagawa, lahat kinakaya ko pa rin. Kasi hindi lahat ng tao nagagawa yung gusto nilang gawin,” he assured. Living up to his moniker, Papa Marky said he doesn’t dictate people on what they should do about their problems. “Most of the time, I listen and find the right timing kung kailan ako magsasabi sa’yo ng totoo,” he shared. He further said that sometimes the answer can be found when the listeners begin to reflect on their own lives because most people in trouble are cloaked by negativity. He added that his job is to shed new light on difficult situations. For these DJs, celebrating each person’s individuality is not about getting chained with what society imposes. It is getting out of one’s own box and following what he loves and what he is passionate about. To get to know more of Mama Cy, Chiko Tito, Janna Chu Chu and Papa Marky, catch them on Barangay LS 97.1 Tugstugan na. Listeners may also tune in via live audio stream at www. gmanetwork.com/radio/streaming/dwls.

Indie-Siyensya is inviting all interested students, out-of-school youth, teachers, filmmakers, and science professionals to submit their film concepts until Aug. 3. For approved concepts, deadline of submission of film entries is on Oct. 15. For details and inquiries, visit www.facebook.com/indiesiyensya/ ‘The Clash’ panel in ‘Sarap Diva’ “Clash” master and Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez-Alcasid welcomes The Clash panel to her home in today’s episode of Sarap Diva. Comedy Concert Queen Aiai Delas Alas and Asia’s Romantic Balladeer Christian Bautista will bring us a morning dose of laughter Regine Velasquez-Alcasid welcomes ‘The Clash’ panel to her home in today’s episode and awesome music. And get ready for a taste of The Clash battle of 'Sarap Diva.' as Sarap Diva Brings you “va-clash, isang on scientific content. Cinematographer UP Film Institute Director Patrick F. beki laban sa mga bekila with Pekto, Tammy Joshua Reyles engaged the participants Campos and FEU and DLS-CSB Profes- Brown, Echo and Adelantada. with training on camera and lighting. sor Seymour Sanchez, in a Q&A session Sarap Diva airs before Eat Bulaga on Montemayor also joined fellow judges, on the contest mechanics. GMA-7.

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

Entertainment

SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2018

Anne Curtis’ dream to star in action-thriller comes true Korea. AFTER starring in romAside from the coms and drama both in film’s screening in US films and on television, and Korea, the movie actor Anne Curtis will also be seen and started to be fussy when ISAH V. RED enjoyed by Filipinos in accepting offers in the Middle East, Hong films in particular. She Kong, and Singapore wants roles thrown at her to test her physical, intellectual, and soon. In an interview, Dylan Marchetti, emotional range. Then came the offer from Reality Well Go USA senior vice president for Entertainment with a film it is acquisitions and theatrical distribution, collaborating with Anne’s home studio said, ”If you lose your mind for an Viva Films. The role was exactly what amazing action film, the last hour of BuyBust is going to blow your head clean she’s been dreaming and looking for. For the first time, Anne is dumping her off.” The movie revolves around a special goddess-like image for a role that requires her to deliver intense and gripping action forces team sent to raid a drug den only to find themselves trapped in it. scenes. The project is a 360-degree turn In VIVA Films and Reality Entertainment’s latest joint venture, as well as a very challenging one for BuyBust, Anne joins Fil-Am, ONE the It’s Showtime mainstay as Anne spent hours and hours of rigorous Championship heavyweight champion training to give justice to Brandon Vera. This Erik Matti the character of drug action-thriller is earmarked for enforcement agent, Nina international release. Manigan in the film. Two international Here, she is seen stained companies have joined forces with blood during handto ensure its international to-hand combat with her success: XYZ Films, the co-stars. movie’s sales agent and In a previous interview, Well Go USA, the movie’s Anne said, “I’ve been official distributor in North working on this for two America. The film starts years already and alam playing in US cinemas kong ang dami nang starting Aug. 10. naghihintay na Well Go USA, mapanood an international film siya dito. Ang distributor, is the same galing din company responsible for kasi, at least, the distribution of the mashointernational hit, Train to showcase Busan, which features a n g Korean Superstar, Gong quality ng Yoo. They will formally Filipino launch the movie to the film sa public today during the ibang 21st Annual Superhero bansa.” Kung Fu Extravaganza But at the San Diego Comic Anne Con. g e t s BuyBust had its a m p l e world premiere on support and July 15 as it was to pointers from close the New York Brandon, who, Asian Film Festival. needless to say, is an Anne, Brandon, expert in the mixed Erik and Dondon martial arts arena. Monteverde It is Brandon’s big of Reality screen debut. Entertainment Also in the cast attended the event. are Victor Neri, Last Thursday, Arjo Atayde, the film was AJ Muhlach, premiered in Joross Gamboa and Canada during Noni Buencamino, the Fantasia among others. Festival. It also The film opens in graced the Buncheon cinemas on Aug. 1. International Fantastic Continued on C3 Film Festival in

PATRICIA Lelis (right), a 23 year-old call center employee, takes home the surprise P500,000 cash prize from GMA’s biggest proof-of-purchase promo Kapuso Milyonation. Lelis says she will use her winnings to continue her studies as a college student and save some for her own business. Other winners claiming their prizes also got a treat after being surprised on location by Dave Bornea (left) of the popular male group One Up. Now on its 12th season, Kapuso Milyonation will be giving away more surprises to over 1,800 winners nationwide. For the grand draw, six lucky winners of one million pesos each and a house and lot will be announced in Sunday Pinasaya. For more details, visit www. gmanetwork.com/GMAPromos and like the ofﬁcial Facebook Page at www. facebook.com/GMAPromos. Per DOH-FDA-CFRR Permit No. 0459 Series of 2018. This year, participants can win additional prizes if they include the name of their partner sari-sari store. To qualify for these additional prizes, simply include on the entry the name of the valid sari-sari store where the proof-ofpurchase entry was bought, the store’s complete address, and the contact number of the sari-sari store owner. The sari-sari store owners will get the chance to receive special prizes along with the winning participants.

The cast of 'Unli Life' led by comedian Vhong Navarro. The Regal Films offering is an official entry to Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino.

VHONG NAVARRO

a time-traveller in ‘Unli Life’

OST and comedian Vhong Navarro has a lot to be thankful for these days. Apart from being very much visible on TV, the rape and attempted rape charges against him have been dismissed by the DOJ and now he’s also back on the big screen to present a brand of comedy that only him can deliver. Vhong topbills Unli Life, a Regal Entertainment Inc.’s offering, and the production outfit’s official entry to the forthcoming Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino film festival, which runs from Aug. 15 to 21. Just last year, Vhong entertained the audience with two comedy films, Mang Kepweng Returns and the blockbuster hit with Lovi Poe, Woke Up Like This. With Unli Life, the comedian promises the same kind of impeccable comic timing and witty dialogues as he portrays a man who is given a chance to mend the breakup with his girlfriend, played by Teresita ‘Winwyn’ Marquez, by going back in time through the help of a magic

whiskey, called “wishkey.” By drinking “wishkey,” Vhong says that his character is transported to different time periods, such as the Dinosaur NICKIE Era, Magellan, and the ‘70s Era, in an WANG effort to correct his mistakes and prevent her girlfriend from breaking up with him in the current time. The film tackles how much one is willing to go great lengths to get back that person he loves the most and what one is willing to do just to preserve it. Meanwhile, after making the country proud by being the first Filipina contestant and eventually crowned Reina Hispanoamericana 2017, Unli Life marks Teresita’s comeback to acting. It also marks her first major role and as a leading in the movies. Teresita, together with her fellow beauty queens from Miss World Philippines, signed up with Regal Entertainment, Inc. last October 2017. Unli Life is directed by Miko Livelo, whose credentials include being the writer and director of the 2013 indie film Blue Bustamante and as a writer for number of television series. The star-studded cast includes Joey Marquez, Ejay Falcon, Donna Cariaga, Jon Lucas, Isabelle de Leon, Alex Calleja, Kamille Filoteo, Red Ollero with James Caraan, Anthony Andres, and Jun Urbano, and with special participation of Dimples Romana, Joem Bascon, Jun Sabayton, Epi Quizon and Jhong Hilario.

VERY WANG

The many faces of Vhong Navarro in 'Unli Life.'

A peek inside the world of ‘Billionaire Boys’ AMBITION. Greed. Murder. All of these are in the latest crime thriller movie, Billionaire’s Boys Club featuring Ansel Elgort (The Fault in our Star, Baby Driver) and Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service). Directed by James Cox (Wonderland, Straight A’s) and co-written by Captain Mauzner, the movie is about the real events of an exclusive investment-and-social club during the 1980s. The Billionaire’s Boys Club was organized by sons of the wealthy families living in Southern California in 1983. They entice businessmen to invest on them by luring them with getrich-quick schemes, and the money contributed by investors was spent on the lavish lifestyles of the club members. But in 1984, the club’s funds started to run short, and everything turned for the worse from there. Golden Globe nominee, Ansel Elgort plays the role of Joe Hunt, the leader and the ﬁnancial expert of the Billionaire’s Boys Club and his love interest; Sydney is played by Emma Roberts (Nancy Drew); Taron Egerton plays as Dean Karny, a professional tennis player and one of the members of the club; and Academy Award Winner, Kevin Spacey is the mysterious Beverly Hills high roller Ron Levin. From the luxurious cars, to the lavish homes, to the wild parties, up to the deadly encounters, the powerful cast of Billionaire’s Boys Club will show you what it takes and what’s at stake when you desire fame and

social status. Presented by VIVA International Pictures and MVP Entertainment, Billionaire’s Boys Club is now in cinemas nationwide.

Ansel Elgort is swoon-worthy in a suit filming a scene for the film 'Billionaire's Boys Club.'