Manila Standard - 2018 June 28 - Thursday

MAYNILAD, MANILA WATER PUSH FOR RATE INCREASES requests that water concessionaires and airline companies made Wednesday.

Both Maynilad and Manila Water apWATER rates and air fares could go up pealed to the Metropolitan Waterworks again soon, if the government grants the and Sewerage System during a public

By Othel V. Campos and Maricel V. Cruz

VOL. XXXII • NO. 133 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

consultation to increase their rates

by P12 per cubic meter and P8.30 per cubic meter, respectively, hoping these would take effect this August.

Meanwhile in the House of Representatives, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel cautioned the Civil Aeronautics Board against hastily authorizing commercial airlines to impose fuel surcharges on passengers.

Even without these looming inflationary issues, another lawmaker assailed the government’s intensified price monitoring drive in public markets and groceries, supposedly to arrest profiteering.

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Heading heading heading heading heading heading

FULLY LOADED. American sailors work in a hangar bay as aircraft are parked on the flight deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), anchored off Manila Bay on Tuesday. The visit was the third such port call in four months, as its admiral hailed America’s ‘enduring presence’ in a region where China’s military build-up had raised tensions (See story on A2). AFP

Palace rules out Du30 apology Maradona fine after health scare DIEGO Maradona says he is fine after sparking a health scare following Argentina’s dramatic late win against Nigeria that saw them progress to the last 16 of the Next page World Cup.

Evangelist warns of ‘spiritual warfare’ if Rody doesn’t apologize Board of inquiry looks into war on illegal drugs

By Francisco Tuyay and Vito Barcelo

New Barbie ‘inspirational’ LOS ANGELES—An inspirational new version of Barbie will encourage young girls to embark on careers in engineering and the sciences, the iconic doll’s manufacturer Mattel said on Tuesday.

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THE Philippine National Police on Wednesday formed a board of inquiry to evaluate recent findings that poor communities were the most vulnerable in the government’s relentless campaign on illegal drugs.

PNP chief Oscar Albayalde also said that aside from the formation of a board of inquiry, they have created a special investigation task group on a regional level together with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Albayalde denied they were coddling wealthy individuals, however.

“The poor are victimized because they are the market for drugs,” he said in Filipino in a radio interview.

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By Vito Barcelo

ALACAÑANG on Wednesday said there is no need for the President to apologize for calling God stupid, saying the God of the Bible does not demand a public apology.

M

In a radio interview, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, who met with leaders of the Philippine Council for Evangelical Churches, said the religious group values the feelings of the President and would pray for healing and forgiveness for him.

“We’re here to provide pastoral care…

We understand him……We’ll pray for

him,” Roque quoted the PCEC as saying.

Evangelist Eddie Villanueva, meanwhile, said Duterte’s blasphemy against God invites calamities, not only on himself but the country he leads.

Villanueva, founder of the Jesus is Lord Church, urged the President to apologize to God or suffer the consequences.

“To insult God, to us is a kind of blas-

phemy in the highest order. The Bible is clear, when you slander God, you are inviting curses not only to yourself but to the entire nation,” Villanueva told the ANC news channel.

Villanueva furthered that Duterte’s persecution against God is an invite of His wrath.

The Philippines for Jesus Movement, of which Villanueva is a part, said they would hold a huge prayer rally if the President does not apologize.

“We are representing 10 million people.

I don’t believe the President will ignore this. Because once he ignores the collective wisdom of the body of Christ, this Next page

Aklan governor, 16 other execs face neglect raps

By Rio N. Araja THE Interior department on Wednesday filed administrative and criminal charges before the Ombudsman against the governor of Aklan and 16 other officials for their negligence in the management of Boracay Island.

Undersecretary for Operations Epimaco Densing III filed charges of graft, grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, conduct unbecoming of public officials and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service against Gov. Florencio Miraflores, Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling, Vice Mayor Abram Sualog and members of the municipal council.

Included in the charges were the provincial environment and natural resources officers and even village officials.

Densing said former local officials would also be charged over the collection of environmental fees on Boracay Next page Island.

JAMPACKED. Around 98 prisoners are crammed into a 10 x 3.5 meters detention cell of the Manila Police District Station 11 in Divisoria, Manila, as police officials received commitment orders from the Regional Trial Court to facilitate the release of some prisoners and prevent deaths of the inmates, noting that detention cells are only meant to hold up to 40 people. Norman Cruz

Minors not arrested, only rescued—QCPD Top regional cop in hot water—PNP

By Gianne Mae Antonio THE chief of the Quezon City Police District said Wednesday that the Philippine National Police doesn’t arrest minors who are loitering, but “rescues” them.

In a roundtable discussion, Chief Supt.

Joselito Teodoro Esquivel, director of the QCPD, said loitering is not a crime, and the police have not been ordered to arrest loiterers.

The QCPD has been under fire after one man arrested in its anti-loitering sweep was beaten to death, allegedly by his fellow inmates, while in jail.

But Esquivel said the police were or-

dered to enforce local ordinances pertaining to discipline and to ensure the safety of the community.

He added that arresting minors is against the law, and that any of them who have been “rescued” are turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

He said that the rescuing of minors is a part of their war on drugs and they only aim to protect and preserve the youth.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered police to round up minors who are loitering the streets after their curfew stating that “it is for their own protection.”

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By Macon Ramos-Araneta POLICE Chief Oscar Albayalde says he has temporarily relieved some officials involved in the misencounter between policemen and Army troops in Samar that resulted in the death of six policemen.

“I ordered the regional director of [Police Regional Office-8] to temporarily relieve the group director of the regional mobile group and also the company commander who led the Next page

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THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

US vows ‘enduring presence’ A

US aircraft carrier visited the Philippines on Tuesday, the third such call in four months, as its commander cited America’s “enduring presence” in a region where China’s military aims have raised tensions.

Dalton said.

“We have operated naval forces in the Pacific for seven decades... and that is an enduring presence and an enduring mission that has not changed and it will not.”

This is the third visit since mid-February of an American aircraft carrier to the Philippines or nearby waters, and comes as Manila takes a non-confrontational approach with Beijing over the South China Sea. While the Philippines won a key 2016 ruling against China’s claims in the waterway, President Rodrigo Duterte has opted to set it aside in order to court Chinese investment and trade.

The Reagan, whose nearly 1,100-foot

length exceeds the height of the Eiffel Tower, is on a four-day visit to the Philippines.

The Nimitz-class “super carrier” sails with 5,500 sailors and more than 70 aircraft.

US Navy presence in the region is a flexing of American military muscle that Dalton said was intended to “promote adherence to a rules-based international order.”

The Pentagon has criticized “intimidation and coercion” in the disputed waterway, where the Chinese air force landed long-range bombers for the first time, putting the entire Southeast Asia within their range. AFP

The nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan docked in Manila after sailing through the disputed South China Sea as part of a mission intended to reassure Washington’s allies in the area.

China claims almost the entire sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually, with competing partial claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Beijing drew criticism after it landed

bombers last month on a disputed island in the waters and reports emerged that it had installed missiles on another.

The US carrier’s commander, Rear Adm. Marc Dalton, told reporters on board that the visit was meant to demonstrate America’s dedication to the region.

“Countries that are concerned about US commitment can look to the continued routine presence of [the] Ronald Reagan Strike Group as reassurance,”

Maradona...

Marcos camp to comply with tribunal’s penalty order

Maradona had been visibly emotional during the match in Saint Petersburg, which Argentina had to win to stay in the tournament.

He leaned over the front of the VIP box from where he was watching with friends and made an obscene gesture after Marcos Rojo scored a late winner.

“I want to tell everyone that I am fine, that I am not and was not hospitalized,” the 57-yearold wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.

A video emerged showing the 1986 World Cup winner looking dazed.

He walked with difficulty and was guided into the dining room of the VIP section by two friends before sitting down in a chair.

“At half-time against Nigeria, my neck hurt a lot and I suffered a drop in my blood pressure,” he said.

“I was checked by a doctor and he recommended that I go home before the second half, but I wanted to stay because we were risking it all,” he wrote.

“How could I leave?”

A medical source told Russia’s RIA Novosti state news agency that paramedics checked Maradona’s blood pressure but that the star refused all other assistance. AFP

By Rey E. Requejo

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New...

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Barbie, who first hit the shelves in 1959, prides herself on trying out jobs where women aren’t strongly represented, to add to her more traditional skill set of dancing with Ken and looking fabulous.

The company has announced a “Career of the year” Barbie who just happens to be a robotics engineer—a job that in real-life is occupied almost nine times out of 10 by men.

Kids aren’t just supposed to play makebelieve with the newest Barbie, however, as Mattel has partnered with games platform Tynker to provide owners with online coding experiences.

“For almost 60 years, Barbie has exposed girls to roles where women are underrepresented to show them that they can be anything,” Lisa McKnight, Mattel’s senior vice president for Barbie, said in statement.

“By playing with Robotics Engineer Barbie on and offline, we are giving girls a new platform for play in their imaginary world and teaching them important skills for their real world.” AFP

Aklan...

THE camp of former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday vowed to comply with the order of the Supreme Court, acting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal, penalizing him and the camp of Vice President Leni Robredo for allegedly violating the gag order imposed by the tribunal.

Marcos’ spokesman Vic Rodriguez said they respect the decision of the PET ordering both Marcos and Robredo camps to pay a P50,000 fine for violating the sub judice rules, in connection with the ongoing revision of votes for the 2016 vice presidential race.

“From the filing of the protest and all throughout its processes, we have been respectful of the Tribunal. We respect the decision of the Tribunal and will be more mindful of the sub judice rule in the future,” Rodriguez said in a statement.

“We will continuously abide by the Tribu-

Palace...

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may lead to a kind of huge prayer rally that will design first to intercede and to… socalled spiritual warfare. And worst I hope it will not lead to the imprecatory prayers,” Villanueva said.

Villanueva also added that Duterte violated the Constitution which acknowledges God in the preamble that he swore to when he assumed presidency.

“For the sake of argument, that is already a violation of the Constitution because the very Constitution, the soul of the Filipino people believes in God,” Villanueva said.

Roque said a God of love would not require a public apology.

“The President is aware of his mistake, if any, but I don’t think the God of the Bible will demand a public apology,” he said.

“He needs to ask for forgiveness, but that’s a personal thing,” he added in Filipino.

Roque, part of a three-person committee to talk with religious leaders, declined to provide more details on their meeting, saying he would report to the President first.

Roque acknowledged that Catholic leaders were as cool to the President as he was toward them.

In a radio interview, Roque said that since Duterte assumed the presidency in 2016, the Church had given the impression that they do not like Duterte and would not accept that their favored candidate did not win the presidential race.

The word war between the Church and the President started when the Catholic

nal’s rulings as we continue our quest for justice in our on-going election protest,” he added.

The Robredo camp said they have yet to receive a copy of the tribunal’s order.

“We have not received a copy of the resolution and we don’t want to preempt the Supreme Court,” Robredo’s legal counsel Romulo Macalintal said in a statement.

“However, we stand firm that the lies propagated by the Marcos camp called on us to defend ourselves. Sometimes, we have no choice but to speak out, in order for the public to be enlightened amid the relentless black propaganda, which aims to discredit the recount being spearheaded by the PET,” Macalintal added.

The PET earlier ordered both camps to pay P50,000 each for discussing their arguments and the merits of the election protest in public and media interviews.

On April 10, the PET directed both parties to show cause and explain why they should not be cited in contempt for violat-

ing the resolutions dated Feb. 13, 2018 and March 20, 2018.

In a resolution dated Feb. 13, the tribunal ordered the parties to strictly observe the sub judice rule pending the proceedings of the instant case.

Despite PET’s warnings, several news reports showed that the parties, their counsels or their representatives, continued to disclose sensitive information regarding the revision process to the public, a clear violation of the tribunal’s resolutions.

Both camps denied violating the rule in their respective answers, but failed to convince the tribunal.

The manual recount and revision of votes in the protest filed by Marcos against Robredo started last April. The process covers three provinces identified by Marcos in his protest.

PET has finished its manual recount and revision of ballots in Camarines Sur. Undergoing the process are the ballots in Iloilo and later in Negros Oriental.

Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines denounced the government’s anti-drug war because of its high death toll.

In the past, the President fumed that the Catholic Church is a bastion of misogyny and that its leaders engage in sinful acts.

“The President has his own way of expressing his spirituality and what he said does not need any interpretation. He never tried to hide that kind of language when he ran for president,” Roque said.

“Just accept it that he is that way, because when he asked for a mandate from the voters, he never tried to hide that,” he added.

Meanwhile, Pastor “Boy” Saycon Jr., a member of the three-man team formed to have a dialogue with religious groups, revealed that there is a possibility that the Catholic Church could be used to destabilize the Duterte administration.

“There are radical members of the Catholic Church but the leadership of the Church would not meddle in such destabilization efforts,” Saycon said in a radio interview.

However, he clarified that the threats to oust the President did not come directly from the Church but from organizations connected to foreign groups with foreign interests.

The Church played a key role in the ouster of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and the corruption-tainted President Joseph Estrada in 2001.

The CBCP reiterated that the church will never instigate or plot to oust Duterte, but wants the killings to stop.

The President’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, asked the public not to heed her father’s “anti-Catholic remarks” because he is not a preacher, a

priest, a pastor or an imam who can interpret the Bible of the Quoran.

In a post on social media, the mayor said the public should listen to the President only when it concerns work, and criticize him on his work, not his words.

An opposition lawmaker on Wednesday joined the snowballing criticism against Duterte’s attack on God. “There is no excuse for attacking the foundations of an entire religion,” Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano said.

Alejano said the President’s insult was a grave act of disrespect to millions of Filipino Christians whose faith is part of their identity as a people.

“Duterte has destroyed our democratic institutions. He is waging a senseless war against the poor. Now, for whatever devious purpose, he is trying to discredit the Catholic faith. Regardless of the form, he is disrespecting the country and its citizens,” Alejano said.

“My God has been my refuge most especially during trying times. He has been the provider and rock of my life. Who is Duterte to mock my God, our God, when he can’t even fulfill his mandate and promises to the Filipino people?” he said.

Another Duterte critic, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, said the dialogue with religious leaders was nothing but a “crisis management move” to contain the outrage over Duterte’s tirades against God. “It has no value at all because it was committed by a clearly unrepentant Duterte against all Christians and not just the Church leaders,” he said. With Maricel V. Cruz, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Evalea Casaljay sults, as indicated by the improving peace and order situation.

President Rodrigo Duterte, meanwhile, said he is firm on a plan to arm barangay captains, but will consult with his Cabinet members first.

“I will consult the Cabinet on my proposal to give them firearms. Maybe a 22 just to defend themselves,” Duterte said during the oathtaking of newly elected barangay captains in Zamboanga de Sur. “You know, even a 22, I’m telling you as a lawyer, as a trial lawyer for so long a time, trying murder, homicide cases. Even 22, it’s like a screwdriver. If it enters your body— liver, gall bladder, pancreas or kidney. You only have 30 minutes, that’s true,” he said.

However, Duterte said he would not allow barangay officials to carry highpowered firearms.

At the same time, he said he would file charges against local officials who are deemed incompetent in keeping their areas safe and free from illegal drugs.

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“Just last week, we received a response from CoA [Commission on Audit] that they will be conducting a special audit on the environmental fees collected in the last five years. That should be part two― involving the officials who are no longer incumbent,” Densing told ANC television.

“This is just the first tranche. We are talking about administrative and criminal charges against incumbent officials.”

Densing called on Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales to issue a preventive suspension on Miraflores and the other officials.

He blamed the governor for failure to ensure the cleanliness of the island and the Malay officials for the issuance of business permits to allow commercial establishments to operate despite the lack of appropriate documents.

On April 26, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the closure of the islands’s operation to pave the way for its sixmonth rehabilitation.

Board...

Initial results of an inter-university study by the Ateneo School of Government showed that about 16 percent of individuals killed in drug-related incidents—particularly in police operations—from the period May 10, 2016 to Sept. 29, 2017 had low-income jobs.

“Lawyer and ASG non-resident research fellow Michael Henry Yusingco said anecdotal data also suggested the vulnerability of poor Filipinos during the same period in Quezon City,” the report said.

“Relatively poor barangays, or those with land values below the median in Quezon City, account for over 75 percent or threefourths of drug-related killings in Quezon City,” the report quoted him as saying.

Unconfirmed statistics showed that there were 5,021 killings from May 10, 2016 to Sept. 29, 2017, of which 98 were tricycle

drivers, 32 construction workers, 24 vendors, 19 jeepney barkers, 16 farmers, 12 jeepney drivers, 15 pedicab drivers and seven garbage collectors.

Most of those killed were male.

“We will study those statistics,” Albayalde said.

The province of Bulacan, Caloocan City and Manila, which are densely populated, had the highest number of deaths in the drug war.

The National Capital Region was considered as the largest hotspot in drug-related killings during the first year of the Duterte administration’s anti-illegal campaign.

Albayalde said that police intelligence units continue to track down the supply of illegal drugs into the country, whether they are smuggled or locally produced.

In 2016, anti-narcotics agents seized some P10.6 million worth of drugs in a laboratory in Valenzuela City.

He said the campaign against illegal drugs would continue to bring positive re-

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ensure no recurrence of such incident in all areas where troops from different units were simultaneously operating against local rebels and secessionists.

“Precisely, a joint AFP-PNP investigation team is now formed to conduct the probe, not so much to find fault but to pinpoint the lapses in coordination,” he said.

Lacson, a former PNP chief, said the misencounter in Santa Rita village was unfortunate because it was not the first time it happened.

Aside from the loss of human lives, he said, government resources were unnecessarily wasted in the recruitment and training of the PNP personnel.

The Board of Inquiry will be led by

Directorate for Integrated Police Operations Eastern Visayas head Rolando Felix.

Directorate for Operations Executive Officer Chief Supt. Rene Pamuspusan, Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management Executive Officer Chief Supt. Adelio Benjamin Castillo, and a representative from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group will also participate in the investigation.

The board will serve as a support group and coordinate closely with its counterparts in the Armed Forces, PNP spokesman Sr. Supt. Benigno Durana Jr. said.

The Interior and Defense departments have also formed their own Board of Inquiry to look into the matter.

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troops in that operation,” Albayalde told CNN Philippines’ News Night on Tuesday.

He said he might relieve more officials depending on the recommendations of the Board of Inquiry probing the misencounter.

Albayalde made his statement even as Senator Panfilo Lacson said Wednesday the investigation of the misencounter must focus on preventing any similar occurrences.

Nine other policemen were wounded in the encounter.

Lacson said the Board of Inquiry must

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Minors...

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They were under the custody of the DSWD and barangay officials until claimed by their parents.

The DSWD said their centers were on call 24 hours a day and seven days a week to give assistance to minors who need their help.

DSWD Acting Secretary Virginia Orogo made this remark after Duterte ordered the PNP to pick up loitering teenagers to protect them from crime and illegal drugs.

Orogo said that DSWD centers’ doors will be open to loitering youths the same way they are open to street children and their families.

Solons wary of Marawi rehab, rights situation

By Maricel V. Cruz SEVERAL lawmakers on Wednesday expressed concern on the human-rights situation in Marawi and the status of the rehabilitation of the war-damaged city.

Members of the Makabayan Bloc in the House of Representatives filed Resolution 1973 that calls for a legislative inquiry into the bloc’s concerns.

Party-list Representatives Antonio Tinio and France Castro of ACT-Teachers, Emmi de Jesus and Arlene Brosas of Gabriela, Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna, Ariel Casilao of Anakpawis, and Sarah Elago of Kabataan asked the House Committees on Human Rights and on Muslim Affairs to conduct an investigation, in aid of legislation, on the reports of human-rights violations in Marawi and other serious concerns of the city’s residents on the government’s rehabilitation plans for the city.

“There is a need for Congress to investigate the reports of human-rights violations and the valid concerns of the people of Marawi as regards their land, properties, culture and future,” the group said in the resolution.

The bloc said, however, that “no amount of investigation, compensation and accountability will bring back lost and shattered lives, properties, culture and dignity” but added “this probe is important for the people to regain a part of their lives and culture.”

The resolution cited a report from the National Interfaith Humanitarian Mission in June and July 2017, respectively, that documented several cases of extrajudicial killings, disappearances and torture of Marawi residents, who were allegedly accosted by soldiers while in the process of evacuation.

NIHM also reported several complaints of alleged looting by soldiers who forced their way into abandoned homes and took household items and other properties.

Amnesty International, in its report on November 2017, said “Philippine security forces violated the prohibition on the use of torture and other ill-treatment of people in their custody,” The group said “most of the violations were carried out against civilians who were escaping from the besieged lakeside town and seeking military protection.”

Maynilad,...

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Gabriela Party-list Rep. Emmi de Jesus said it was only a “PR” (public relations) stunt to cover up the Duterte administration’s refusal to grant a significant wage increase and to junk the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion or TRAIN Law. On the water rate hike, Lopez-owned Manila Water and Maynilad Water Services Inc. both called for a rate rebasing scheme, a five-year mandatory measure that allows the concessionaires to recoup frontloaded costs, investments, and even losses they incurred in the last five years.

The MWSS clarified that the petitions were not yet approved ahead of other public hearings nationwide, and assured the public of coming up with a list of what should be included in the computation for rate increases.

Manila Water and Maynilad submitted their business plans in 2017 hoping to implement the adjustment in January 2018, and sought an August implementation to start the consolidation of their fiscal updates and reports.

Once approved, the rate rebasing adjustment will be imposed on top of the recently approved third-quarter Foreign Currency Differential Adjustment of 6.20 percent of the basic charge, equivalent to P1.58 per cubic meter.

The new FCDA, which will be collected starting July 1, is P0.99 or 3.89 percent higher than the second-quarter 2018 FCDA of 2.31 percent on the basic charge or P0.59 per cubic meter.

Manila Water, in a statement, said it considered its company income tax and other expenses like sports activities in requesting the agency for its P12 hike.

In the same consultation, however, Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes opposed both water firms’ pleas, noting Manila Water made P6.5 billion in net income despite a corporate income tax of P72 billion, and Maynilad had posted P7.4-billion net income of its own.

DSWD has previously urged the public to report, through Twitter, sightings of street children so that social workers can be sent to rescue them.

Moreover, Orogo said social workers also take calls through the national emergency and complaint hot lines, 911 and 8888, respectively.

Orogo said that at present, the DSWD has a total of 72 centers but usually accommodate senior citizens. However, she said that the agency is currently adding 50 more beds in each center to accommodate more people.

There is also an upcoming program called “Silungan sa Barangay,” meant to allocate space for street kids and their families, which is on the table for further study.

With PNA

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THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Cayetano, Japanese envoy meet in Tokyo FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono met in Tokyo last week and agreed to continue working closely together to further strengthen the partnership between the Philippines and Japan.

In a statement, the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo said that in addition to bilateral relations, the two officials also discussed regional concerns, including developments in the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula.

Ambassador to Tokyo Jose C. Laurel V said the breakfast meeting was held before the 5th Meeting of the Philippines-Japan Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation on June 20, 2018 where Cayetano participated as one of the leaders of the Philippine Delegation.

“At the onset of the meeting, Secretary Cayetano conveyed his sympathies to Foreign Minister Kono on the earthquake that hit Kansai region on 18 June and, assured the latter of the readiness of the Philippines to assist, same as Japan being consistently ready to help the Philippines during calamities,” Ambassador Laurel said.

In their discussions, Ambassador Laurel said Secretary Cayetano and Minister Kono noted the dynamic and collaborative partnership between the Philippines and Japan in the areas of social security, infrastructure development, defense and security as well as in counter-terrorism.

Ambassador Laurel said both Ministers also exchanged views on important regional matters such as the Asean and the South China Sea. Ambassador Laurel said the two also expressed their optimism on the recently held summit between United States President Donald Trump and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore and agreed to continue to cooperate in establishing a stable and peaceful Indo-Pacific region.

INC’s Lingap outreach program reaches Africa LINGAP sa Mamamayan, the Iglesia Ni Cristo’s free local and international outreach program, was successfully held in two African countries recently in what the homegrown church called its “continuing drive to actively, positively and concretely affect the lives of people in depressed and needy communities all over the world.”

The INC hosted outreach activities in Kibera and Kawangware in Nairobi, Kenya on June 23 and 24 after holding similar activities in Blantyre and Samama Vil. Mangochi in Malawi on June 19 and 20. Over 33,000 Lingap attendees were provided assistance.

“We’re sweeping both Northern and Southern Africa as we reach out to INC members and non-members alike.

We’ve always envisioned Lingap as a secular and non-partisan humanitarian campaign that benefits everyone,” stressed INC general auditor Glicerio B. Santos Jr. “These latest activities in Kenya and Malawi build on earlier Lingap projects in South Africa and Lesotho. The INC has an established presence in 16 countries in the continent, and we are now formulating ways to reach out to other African countries,” Santos said.

The INC has in the past conducted similar Lingap activities in several parts of the United States and Canada, Northern and Southern Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and key areas in the Middle East including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

“We have been faithfully following the mandate given to us as a Church and the path laid out by INC Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo. We are very thankful for this unique opportunity to uplift the lives of people in our own small way,” added Santos.

Bro. Eduardo V. Manalo was appointed Special Envoy for Overseas Filipinos Concerns by President Rodrigo Duterte at the begining of the year. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said that Manalo was tapped because of the INC’s vast international network.

THAI RICE. Imported rice from Thailand is being unloaded at the Paco Public Market. The rice is sold at P27 per kilo. Norman Cruz

Justice seeks transfer of cops in Ick-Joo slay T

By Rey E. Requejo

HE Department of Justice has asked the Angeles City Regional Trial Court to order the immediate transfer of detention for police officers implicated in the kidnapping and killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-Joo in October 2016.

In an eight-page motion, the DoJ’s panel of prosecutors pleaded the Angeles City RTC, Branch 56, to order the transfer of Superintendent Rafael Dumlao III, Senior Police Officer 2 Ricky Sta. Isabel and Jerry Umlang to the Angeles City Jail.

The DoJ prosecutors led by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera assailed the continued detention of Dumlao at the Philippine National Police custodial center in the PNP headquarters in Camp Crime, Quezon City and of Sta. Isabel and Umlang at the National Bureau of Investigation custodial center in Manila, which they branded as special treatment.

The prosecutors argued that such setup, which was approved by the former judge who handled the case but

inhibited last March—Judge Irineo Pangilinan Jr. of RTC Branch 58 in May last year, “is not in accordance with the laws, rules and regulations governing inmates undergoing trial of their cases.”

The DoJ said any accused who is already facing trial before the court should be detained in a facility of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

“To say the least, the accused’s continued detention at the PNPCC and NBI facility afford them special treatment as they are subjected to different sets of rules and procedures not afforded to all other detainees under the BJMP control,” the motion dated last June 11 said.

The DoJ prosecutors also argued that the transfer of the three accused to the

city jail would be more practical since their continued detention in PNP and NBI is “burdensome, costly and inefficient for the government, particularly for the law enforcement agencies where they are presently detained.”

“The [Angeles City Jail] is nearer to the court where the criminal cases are pending against all the accused. All the more, the BJMP has the resources to sustain the continued confinement, detention and transportation of both accused to and for the court where their case are pending as it is in the institution’s mandate to do so,” they said.

Dumlao, Sta. Isabel and Omlang are three of the accused facing kidnapping for ransom with homicide case before the RTC. The two other accused are Gerardo “Ding” Santiago, owner of the Gream Funeral Services where the body of the victim was brought, and SPO4 Roy Villegas, who turned into state witness for the prosecutors.

Ick-Joo was abducted on Oct.18, 2016 and killed inside Camp Crame. An alleged victim of the so-called “Tokhang for ransom,” his body was not recovered and reportedly cremated and flushed in the toilet.

MIAA to replace, construct new boarding bridges

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Manila International Airport Authority on Wednesday announced that it will construct new boarding bridges at the Ninoy Aquino International AirportTerminal 1 to further improve its service, and for the safety and convenience of air travelers.

“Naia 1 passengers will soon be treated to more modern aerobridges as they disembark or board their flights,” said MIAA general manager Eddie Monreal.

Monreal said his agency has embarked on a project to replace the decades-old passenger boarding bridges with new ones. He added the project entails the design manufacturing, factory testing, delivery and installation of new and customized units of apron-type and

pedestal-type boarding bridges.

Phase 1 of the project consists of replacement of nine units while Phase 2 includes the construction of 11 boarding bridges. The first phase is now being implemented with a project cost of about P319 million.

The actual replacement commenced this week and is expected to be completed on or before December this year.

Phase 2, on the other hand, is due for bidding with actual implementation expected to commence by first quarter of 2019.

The passenger boarding bridge connects the airport walkway directly to the aircraft. It provides ease and convenience to passengers and protects them from both hot and humid or inclement weather.

From steel walls, the new aerobridges are made of glass wall. The units are

also airconditioned and are equipped with closed-circuit television camera with a view of the apron. The bridges are also designed with programmable motor controller and are GPU (ground power unit) ready.

The bridges being replaced have been in operation for 33 years and are now out-dated rendering them unreliable with incidents of breakdown occurring from time to time.

MIAA records showed that Shinmaywa Industries Inc. supplied the 20 aerobridges in the late 1970s when Naia Terminal 1 was under construction.

The units were the first of its kind in the Philippines back then.

Shenzhen CIMC-Tianda Airport Support Ltd (CIMC-TIanDa) is supplying the new aerobridges for Naia.

The company’s core business is airport support equipment, among others.

Leptospirosis kills 6 NKTI patients; 33 still confined

By Rio N. Araja AT LEAST six patients have died due to leptospirosis over the past three days at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City.

The fatalities consist of a 16-yearold boy and five adults who all died due to pulmonary hemorrhage or bleeding in the lungs, according to Dr. Luis Limchiu Jr., chairman of NKTI’s Department of Adult Nephrology.

Thirty-three others are still confined at the hospital.

Limchiu expressed alarm over the increasing number in the cases of leptospirosis.

To date, there are 22 leptospirosis patients still undergoing dialysis to treat kidney failure caused by the ratborne disease.

“We recorded 44 admissions between June 23 and 27. This is alarming because we only had 41 leptospirosis patients in the entire 2017,” Hemodialysis Unit chief Dr. Romina Danguilan said.

“Most of the patients were family breadwinners who had waded in floods and work even during stormy weather,” she added.

The NKTI was forced to put up 24 make-shift beds for the patients at the gym.

Danguilan said they are bracing for more leptospirosis patients to be admitted because of the rainy season.

She added that the frequent flooding and the failure of those possibly exposed to rat urine to take antileptospirosis antibiotics, such as prophylaxis capsules that directly attack the bacteria from rat urine, Danguilan said.

“These prescriptive antibiotics are available for free from barangay health clinics and government hospitals,” she added.

According to the Department of Health, there were 1,030 cases of leptospirosis from Jan. 1 to June 9.

The half-year figure is nearly double the total number of leptospirosis cases in 2017 pegged at 2,495, the DoH said.

‘PH should invest in agri revolution’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

FISHPENS. This photo taken on June 26, 2018 shows a general view of fishpens along Manila Bay, with the city’s skyline in the background. AFP

SENATOR Sonny Angara said that if the Duterte administration wants economic growth to be more inclusive or be felt by a larger population, it should also invest heavily in the agriculture sector aside from infrastructure development.

Angara said the country needs nothing short of an “agricultural revolution,” which the Duterte administration could spearhead, alongside its “Build, Build, Build” initiative, the centerpiece program of the administration.

“Just as we hope to enter a golden age of infrastructure, we should aim to reach an equivalent ‘golden age’ of agriculture,” Angara said during the 2018 National Conference and AgriFishery Research and Development Festival held in Sorsogon City.

“Where there’s build, build, build, there should also be a ‘grow, grow, grow’; ‘plant, plant, plant’ or even ‘fish, fish, fish’,” he said.

Angara noted that an agricultural revolution is necessary to help revive the country’s ailing agriculture sector.

“We may be exhibiting among the fastest growth rates in the world today, but such growth would be for nothing if it doesn’t reach our farmers and fisherfolk,” he said, citing a data which showed that 60 percent of poor Filipinos work in the agriculture sector.

The conference was hosted by the Fulbright-Philippine Agriculture Alumni Association Inc. The senator’s father, the late Senate President Edgardo Angara, is considered the father of the Fulbright-Philippine Agriculture Program.

A4

Opinion

THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

A sound beginning

An exercise in futility TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

The President should also be told that most barangay officials are elected because they are supported by traditional politicians. In effect, the President will just be promoting private armies.

In the case of ROTC trainees being armed—for what? Whoever suggested such a thing must be gun-crazy. Or, they could be the enemies of the President. I say this because it is clear that this idea could only be bad for Mr. Duterte.

THE reported formation of a three-man committee to mend fences with Catholics and Christians is just a propaganda move on the part of Malacanang to soften the impact of the President’s remarks on God. I would go further and say it’s hypo*** critical to hold a dialogue with Christian Top universities analyzed the Duterte leaders, since he has focused his tirades administration’s war on drugs and conon the Catholic faith. Santa Banana, cluded that the government was focusing didn’t Duterte say “my God is not your on the symptoms without addressing the God?” root causes.

How can there be a dialogue when the Such causes, the report said, were povdifferences in faith are just irreconcile- erty and unemployment. able?

I have been saying the same thing all My gulay, how can Presidential along. The poor are really the targets of Spokesman Harry Roque, Foreign Affairs the campaign, even though both rich and Undersecretary Ernespoor people use to Abella and Pastor drugs.

Boy Saycon agree on The President biblical teachings? may be able to Within the Catholic kill the last drug Why sit down faith itself, there never dealer or drug was any unanimity on with those you have lord, but if he creation as a purely cannot stop the insulted? historical event. Many demand, the believe it is absurd problem will conthat the universe could tinue even after be created in six days. he steps down in 2022.

Scholars say it is a big mistake to read the Bible literally.

They may reject the findings of Ateneo So what will Roque, Abella and Saycon and La Salle, but so long as he views the say in their dialogue with the bishops? To drug problem as only a peace and order me, that’s an exercise in futility. issue, President Duterte and the PNP are I think God has allowed President Du- bound to fail. terte to ask these questions to test our Santa Banana, more and more daily faith. Questions on religion are really a killings are being reported! The President matter of faith. must remember that illegal drug use is not The President was born and raised a only for the poor.

Catholic. He attended Catholic schools.

However, it appears he no longer believes *** in the values and teachings ingrained in I have long been urging government him in his youth. to build more jail facilities considering This is tragic—we now have a Presi- the inhuman congestion happening here. dent who believes in his own god, cursing With more and more arrests made in the god of his ancestors. Is this the change connection with the war on drugs, existwe bargained for? ing prisons will not be able to hold the inmates. Conditions here are worse than *** what one can imagine. People have to The environment of impunity, with take turns sleeping, my gulay! killings left and right, is fast becoming I am sure President Duterte has seen our culture. Eventually we just might be the photos of existing jail facilities. One regarded as the Wild, Wild West! can get sick and die in them. Can anyone What does President Duterte want ba- live on P50 a day for food? rangay officials to do? Kill and kill, in the With the order to arrest tambays, condiTurn to A5 name of the campaign against drugs? tions are bound to get worse.

N

OW this is an issue that Filipinos from any and all political persuasions can at least agree on.

The President this week signed the Mental Health Law that provides affordable and accessible mental health services to those who need them.

The passage of the law yields a growing awareness about mental health, something that was unimaginable decades or even years ago.

The law will, in theory, integrate mental healthcare in the public health system, establishing that the wellbeing of a nation transcends the physical aspect.

Among others, the law would secure the rights and welfare of persons with mental health needs; provide mental health services down to the barangays; integrate psychiatric, psychosocial, and neurologic services in regional, provincial, and tertiary hospitals; improve mental health care facilities; and promote mental health education in schools and workplaces.

In the past, mental health issues were not openly discussed and any person suffering from such had to contend as well with the stigma and prejudice that came with it. There was a certain shame that came with coming forward to say one was facing mental issues—they were sure they would be at

the receiving end of jokes, ridicule or disbelief.

Because of this, they were not able to avail themselves of the treatment they needed.

There are many things that can still be improved.

For instance, some lawmakers want PhilHealth to cover not only acute attacks or conditions, but regular consultations and treatments for mental well-being.

Moreover, after the law’s passage, the real test would be the law’s implementation in all levels of the public health system, even in schools and workplaces.

For now, this is a sound beginning. Let us not waste the opportunity to rally behind something so unifying, for a change.

Losing my religion hindi natin alam, kaya hindi tayo puwede magbigay ng comment.” Well, we haven’t forgotten how he quoted scripture for his own purposes to demean the LGBTQ. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque told the Church not to be “onion“THAT’S me in the corner/That’s me skinned” but also said that a three-man in the spotlight/Losing my religion…” panel has been formed to dialogue with These lyrics are from R.E.M.’s 1991 church leaders. So after you slap them, smash hit “Losing My Religion.” While you sit down and discuss? What for? a song about obsessive love, these lines The only one so far among those in particular were brought to my mind surrounding the President who seems

by President Rodrigo Duterte’s latest to have a good grasp on political oprant against the Catholic Church and tics and the consequences of actions is Christian scripture, when he derided Presidential daughter and Davao City the Judeo-Christian creation story and mayor Sara Duterte. She asked the pubcalled God “stupid.” lic to ignore whatever her father says Also, the phrase “losing my reli- about religion. gion,” according to an online source, “Please do not listen to him interis an expression from the southern re- pret the Bible or Quran, he is not a gion of the United priest, a pastor or States that means an imam,” she said losing one’s temin a recent Instaper or civility, or gram post. “He is “being at the end the President, lisLet the President of one’s rope.” ten only when he stand—or fail—by his It certainly speaks about his seems that Duterte own words. work. And critiis losing not only cize him on his his temper—he’s work not on his always had a short ‘talkkalese.” fuse—but also his “Do not waste sense of judgment, discernment, and your negative energy on his interpretaself-control. tion of the Bible, that is his opinion. He As expected, the usual gang of of- is protected by the constitutional right ficial brown-nosers leaped to his de- to freedom of speech and expression fense. Communication official Mocha even if he is President,” she added.

Uson was quick to say that Duterte was But may we remind her, if she claims pointing out fallacies being taught by free speech rights for her father, neither priests and there was no offense meant should she in fairness deny the same to God. to the President’s critics, as the same Bible-thumping senator Manny rights cover them.

Pacquiao said that Duterte’s profaniGoing back to the various defenses ty-laden screed should be dismissed made in his behalf, it is true that the because “yung malalim na dahilan ay Turn to A5

Airbnb, Uber woes show Japan does not share easily

By Anne Beade THOUSANDS of Airbnb reservations scrapped, Uber reduced to delivering food: Life is hard in Japan for giants of the sharing economy, stuck between tough regulation and popular suspicion.

Japan may be the world’s third-largest economy and a high-tech hub but it has been surprisingly slow to warm to the sharing economy that has disrupted markets across the globe.

According to 2016 figures compiled by research institute Yano the sharing economy accounted for 50 billion yen ($455 million) in Japan.

While that’s a 26 percent year-onyear rise, it is a drop in the ocean compared with markets in Europe, the US or China, which are worth tens or hundreds of billions of dollars.

This is partly due to confusion among the public about what the sharing economy is: Only 2.7 percent of the population are familiar with the concept, according to a 2017 survey by PwC professional services firm.

Strict local regulations have also held back the sector—as flat-sharing firm Airbnb found out to its cost recently.

On June 15, a new law came into effect that sought to regulate the short-

term rental sector.

Although welcomed by Airbnb as a way to clear up the legal grey zone in which it was operating, the new law has become a double-edged sword, with thousands of owners forced to remove property after failing to comply with it.

“This stinks—and that’s an understatement,” fumed Airbnb as it announced it was cancelling thousands of reservations with owners who had failed to obtain a registration number by June 15.

In addition, the law prevents owners from renting out properties for more than 180 nights per year and local authorities Turn to A5

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A5

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Address the transportation mess

Mess(i) times for Argentina

ommended a “Negotiated Procurement through Emergency Cases.” This decision aimed to provide a Single Point Responsibility for the general overhauling of 43 units of light rail vehicles, total replacement of signaling system, and other maintenance works. Several joint ventures submitted their proposals, however, they all failed in the evaluation process as they lacked eligibility and technical requirements. The BAC

lieved that Argentina, whose population consists largely of people of European (Spanish, Italian and German) origin, should have attained First RUDY ROMERO World status decades ago. But that has not happened.

On the contrary, since the 1970s, IN HIS infinite wisdom God created Argentina’s economy has lurched all men equal but He did not give the from crisis to crisis, necessitating renations of the world equal national en- current outside intervention, usually dowments. Some nations are so defi- in the form of International Monetary cient in land, flora, fauna and minerals, Fund-World Bank Group assistance while others are so abundant with these (standby credits from the IMF and resources. At one end of the spectrum development loans from the WB). In are countries like Israel and at the other the IMF-WB classification system, end are countries like the United States. Argentina continues to be classified One of the countries with which I as an upper-middle-income develophave always been fascinated is Argen- ing country. tina—something that I guess was partly Argentina is once again in the midst caused by the of an economic Hollywood films crisis. Urged by about the gauits creditors and chos. But it was regional partners not until I made to seek internaIts economy has preparations to tional assistance, lurched from crisis teach the subject the Argentinian Economic Geoggovernment early to crisis. raphy at a Manila this year began university that I negotiations with realized how very the IMF for a well positioned standby credit program. The an Argentina was, aneconomically speaking. nouncement that was made simultaneArgentina is one of the largest ously—Washington and Buenos Aires countries in the world. It is South two weeks ago tried to apply a joyous America’s second largest country— touch—“Argentina Gets $50B Loan Brazil is the largest—and its vast ter- from IMF”—making it appear that good ritorial expanse runs from the borders times automatically were ahead for Arof Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil and Uru- gentina and its long-suffering people. guay, to the north, to Tierra del Fue- This country, which was the object of go and the Strait of Magellan at the a succession of IMF standby programs southern tip of South America. Were in the pre-OFW-remittances era, knows it not for Chile, it would link the At- fully well that that will not be the case. lantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. It has A host of mutually agreed instructions been estimated that only around 20 and limitations—especially on politipercent of Argentina’s vast land mass cally motivated government spending, —consisting of the renowned pam- such as subsidies and fiscal privileges pas—has been developed; this area —will be put in place, which, as in this is the northeast corner of the coun- country, will provoke much civil unrest try, centering on the national capital, and political turmoil. Argentina is in for Buenos Aires. Argentina lies mostly a messy time in the near term, if its govin the world’s temperate zone, which ernment does not quickly come to grips allow its economy to operate on a with economic reality. four-seasons basis. The land of the But their country’s economic situagauchos is a leading world producer tion is not the only mess that the Arof wheat, barley and meat, and Argen- gentinian people have to deal with. tina wine has been acclaimed by con- They also have to contend with the noisseurs as being among the world’s mess that their current national footbest. Argentina not so long ago dis- ball hero, Lionel Messi, is creating covered oil offshore in the Mar de la in the World Cup tournament that is Plata area, and, when completed, the going on in Russia. Messi is largely World Bank-financed Iguaipu Dam at being blamed for the recent humilithe common border of Paraguay, Bra- ating 3-0 loss of Argentina, which is zil and Argentina will rank among the a world football power, to Croatia, biggest producers of hydro-electric which is not. The loss placed Arpower in the world. gentina—the land of the legendary From the foregoing description of Diego Maradona—in danger of being Argentina’s economy, one should be knocked out of the tournament. able to conclude that, economically A mess in Buenos Aires and a mess speaking, Argentina has everything in Russia: These are very messy times, going for it. Indeed, I have long be- indeed, for Argentina.

OVERSIGHT DANILO SUAREZ THIS week opened with the news that Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales had indicted former Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio “Jun” Abaya and 16 others over the P4.2billion MRT mess.

Former Secretary Abaya, transport officials, and private officials involved in the Busan Joint Venture were charged for violating Section 3 (e) of the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act for extending unwarranted benefits, advantage, and preference to Busan JV over the MRT3 3-year maintenance contract, which took effect in January 2016.

The Ombudsman’s Special Panel of Investigators discovered that the two biddings conducted by the Department of Transportation in 2014 and 2015 for the three-year MRT maintenance service contract were a failure because of the non-submission of the bids. Secretary Abaya then issued a Special Order to establish an MRT 3 Bids and Awards Committee for the procurement of goods and services. In 2015, per Section 53.2 of the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Government Procurement Reform Act, the BAC rec-

The commuting public has long suffered from the incompetent management of the MRT.

declared Busan JV as the sole entity that passed evaluation, and eventually awarded them the contract.

According to the 2016 Consolidated Annual Audit Report of the Commission on Audit, “DOTr still failed to provide the riding public with a safe and comfortable transport system even with the procurement and delivery

The Fox case

DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA DEPARTMENT of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra recently reversed the decision of the Bureau of Immigration with regard to the case of Australian nun Patricia Fox. He said the BID did not have the authority to deport the septuagenarian nun.

This is good for Fox but this is by no means the end of her case. She could still be deported. With due respect to Fox and her many supporters, it seems that the good nun keeps on pushing the envelope.

She is blurring the difference between purely religious pastoral work and activities that can be construed as political.

Fox is here in the country on a missionary visa. What this means is that there are certain activities that she cannot do.

There are limits even if these activities are in pursuit of very noble causes. One paper reported yesterday that she attended a mass organized by a farmer’s organization which has lost a case in the Supreme Court with regard to their claim on a piece of land as part of the Agrarian Reform Program of the government.

There is already a verdict by the Supreme Court and hence, all those involved in the case must respect that decision. The farmer’s organization, however, does not and the members are still protesting, hoping perhaps that the Supreme Court will reverse itself. This is the activity that Fox attended, describing it as part of her pastoral work.

This is political activism which her missionary visa does not allow. Pastoral work is when she goes to Payatas to teach the children there or go to orphanages and hospitals to help minister to the sick.

Pastoral work does not involve taking sides in a land dispute already decided by no less than the Supreme Court. Yes, there are many injustices in this world which are heartbreaking to people like her. But that is-

sue was already decided by the courtts and she should respect this.

I spent a couple of years in her native Australia while doing my graduate work. I was there on a student visa which like her missionary visa here limited the things that I was allowed to do. If for instance I would have participated in a protest rally over the way the Australian government treated the aboriginal people there, my visa could be subjected to immediate revocation no matter how noble

Perhaps she should aim for Philippine citizenship.

my reason was in participating in the pro protest. If I were an Australian citizen and she a Filipino citizen, both our activities would be perfectly all right.

One solution for Sister Fox is for her to apply for Filipino citizenship. After all, she has expressed her undying love to the people of this country where she has lived for the last 27 years even learning to speak the language. But one wonders why she has not done that yet. *** In this country, everybody is entitled to his or her own opinion. We are also free to choose our own God if we believe in one or not to believe in any god if that is what we want.

President Duterte, it appears, is one fellow who has something to say on almost any subject. He has not only blasted God’s representation here on earth who is the Pope but has now called the Christian God as stupid.

In a speech delivered extemporaneously in Davao City he showed the country and the whole world his theological pro-

from August 2015 to January 2017 of 48 new LRVs with a total cost of Php 3,759,382,400.00”. The same CoA report also specified that, “Despite four years in the procurement process and total payments of P527,761,083 to Dalian, the LRVs remain inoperational and unaccepted by the DOTr as of reporting date, due to glitches in the power supply and signaling system. These resulted from the DOTr’s poor planning and other major procurement lapses.” The acquisition of 48 coaches from Dalian, China was jumpstarted by the previ previous administration but got delayed due to several issues. It was only in April of this year when the testing of these coaches has been completed.

The Ombudsman’s decision to file graft charges against them is the first step towards the right direction. These irregularities happened during the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III, who was not included in the indictment. I am optimistic that fair and impartial pro proceedings will be conducted.

The commuting public has long suf suffered from the incompetent management of the MRT. The previous administration should take full responsibility should the findings of the Ombudsman be upheld. I also hope the current administration will learn from their predecessor to avoid committing the same mistake.

ficiency. Yes, everyone is also entitled to express one’s opinion in public. But why would the President of the largest Christian country in Asia find it necessary to curse the Almighty at a public gathering which was not intended to be a religious event in the first place? Why would he find it necessary to blast the Pope because he could not pee while stuck in traffic due to the number of people wishing to see the Pope? Could he not have been more forgiving and charitable?

I am not prepared to cross swords with the President on matters of faith because such would not settle anything anyway.

But I would like to relate a story about a friend of mine. He is also a lawyer who stayed long in the seminary but left a couple of years before his ordination. When I met him, he was full of questions about the Lord Almighty. He seemed to have lost his faith and has stopped going to church altogether. As he told me then, he had a lot of questions in which he could not find answers. Unlike the President who was abused by a pedophile priest which perhaps explain his constant ranting on the Catholic Church, my friend’s beliefs and attitude were basically a question finding satisfactory answers to his questions on faith. This friend of mine is now in the twilight of his life and yes, he has gone back to going to church and has regained his faith in his God. His reason is that who is he to question more than 2,000 years of theological doctrines propounded by great minds on matters about our Christian beliefs in the Almighty.

In other words, there will come a time when intimations of mortality will hit us all. President Duterte may have been born differently from all of us ordinary mortals because he has found a god that allows him to apparently do anything that he wants and will not need to ask for forgiveness for all his transgressions which I suspect is a lot but sooner or later we will all have to face the same music which is the great equalizer.

Let us hope that we will all be able to face that moment with dignity.

Airbnb...

‘Vested interests’ Such restrictions are in effect choking the sector, says Hiroyuki Kishi, a former official at the economy ministry and now professor at Tokyo’s Keio University.

“Vested interests are so strong in Japan,” he told AFP, regretting that such measures are coming into force “only two years before the Olympic Games” when Japan hopes to welcome 40-million tourists.

For Airbnb, the laws seek to protect the hotel industry and ryokans—traditional Japanese inns—whereas the taxi lobby has made it difficult for ride-sharing app Uber to set up shop in Japan.

“To promote the sharing economy, we have to loosen regulations” to allow new players to enter the market, said Kishi.

He believes that despite the “Abenomics” reform efforts of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the government has “no

An exercise...

From A4

What has the Duterte administration done to fix the congestion problem?

Nothing!

I found it strange that resigned Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II stopped the final bidding for the relocation of the New Bilibid Prison. Three bidders have pre-qualified, but why was the bidding stopped?

The NBP was built only for 2,500 inmates. Guess how many there are now? They number 24,000, Santa Banana! ***

Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio may have declined his nomination to the highest post in the judiciary, but I maintain he is the best person for the job. I am happy that the Integrated Bar of the Philippines has endorsed him.

Justice Carpio, please accept the nomination. We need to restore our faith in the justice system. *** Please visit my website, www. emiljurado.weebly.com.

Losing...

From A4

From A4

can impose further restrictions.

In the tourist magnet of Kyoto for example, rentals in residential areas are only allowed between mid-January and midMarch, the tourism low season.

BUSINESS CLASS

intention” of opening up the sector “for fear of a backlash in sectors which have enjoyed a monopoly until now.”

Sharing economy firms have faced pushback elsewhere too, with Uber being accused of skirting regulations and making long-standing jobs obsolete, and Airbnb criticized for pushing up prices and transforming residential areas in many popular tourist destinations.

Takashi Sabetto, from an association that aims to promote the sharing economy, said in Japan “public opinion is very much against services like Airbnb and Uber.”

“We have tried to change this mentality but it is very difficult. It takes time,” added Sabetto.

One reason is that “Japanese are very protective of their privacy.”

The culture of sharing is not ingrained in society and—in the case of Airbnb—they do not like the noise and security risk caused by a procession of tourists in their backyard, he said.

In addition, unlike in many developed economies, the quality of service provision is very high in Japan. Hailing a taxi in a major city rarely takes more than a few seconds, lowering demand

for Uber-type services.

Craftsmanship Despite this bleak picture, there are some successes, notes Sabetto, with younger generations showing “a greater interest” in the sharing economy.

Car- and bike-sharing schemes are taking off and meal delivery service UberEATS has been a hit in Tokyo since arriving in 2016.

But local start-ups struggle to get financing, Sabetto said, in a country that tends to pride “monozukuri”—or craftsmanship—above innovation.

Some firms are moving away from the cities into the countryside, where a steady trend of depopulation has made sharing economy services more attractive.

Uber last month said it would launch a pilot programme this summer to hook up tourists and residents with available drivers in the western Awaji island.

But Sabetto said a change in culture was needed for the sharing economy to really take root.

“I would like foreigners that are aware of the sharing economy to make their voice heard more to change the situation,” he said. AFP

President has the right to have an opinion on any matter. His statements about a “stupid God” and casting doubt on the Bible’s creation story ties in with the basic arguments of atheists and are nothing new.

That Duterte says he believes in a “universal mind” that has more common sense than the Christian deity relates to the fact that religion and its various aspects such as scripture, dogma, and ritual are constructed and created by humans to serve their own purposes.

That he rails against the Catholic Church in the Philippines and gives away copies of Aries Rufo’s book on church corruption and secrets could be a long-overdue backlash against the immense power the Catholic Church still wields in politics and society to the present day, despite the Constitutional strictures about the separation of church and state.

But the President, because of his position in politics and society, has the responsibility to weigh the words he says in public and discern whether or not they would do good rather than harm. If his words can cause dissension and strife and serve to futher polarize the already divided Filipino nation, why say them out loud? It’s an

issue of judgment.

He himself said last Tuesday that he meant to say what he did. “Sinasadya ko ‘yan eh. You know why? This country is in doldrums. I am shaking the tree para mabuhay lahat, para makita ko. I am shaking the tree pati mga salita ko bastos and I am trying to go to the boundaries of hanggang saan,” the President said.

What for, we wonder. He should concentrate on his job. The economy is slipping, the peso is at its lowest in more than a decade, inflation is at an all-time high, we risk losing territory to China because of cowardly appeasement and bad loans, crime is still prevalent, and his drug war and anti-tambay policies are attacks on the poor.

In any case, Duterte has shown time and again that his discernment is questionable. He is, as the American Southerners say, “losing his religion,” becoming less civil and showing less control over his temper.

But yes, he has a right to free speech, so let him stand—or fall—by his own words. *** Dr. Ortuoste, a writer and researcher, has a PhD in Communication.

FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

News

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THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Rizal’s bust unveiled in Prague AFTER 131 years, the Philippines’ National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal, returns to Prague. Rizal’s bust was created by Filipino sculptor Jose Giroy, apprentice of National Artist Napoleon V. Abueva. It was unveiled at the foyer of the Czech National Bank headquarters.

In special attendance during the official unveiling of Rizal’s bust last June 26 were Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr., and his counterpart, Czech National Bank Governor Jiří Rusnok.

Apart from these two main personalities, the first Czech Ambassador to Manila Stanislav Slavický, Deputy Head of Czech Embassy in Manila Jana Peterková, as well as, representatives from the biggest Czech com-

pany operating in the country, HomeCredit Philippines which employs almost 10,000 Filipinos nationwide, were present on the celebrated occasion.

Rizal’s [bust] return to Prague was the brainchild of Czech National Bank ViceGovernor Vladimír Tomšík, who teamed up with Czech Ambassador to the Philippines Jaroslav Olša, Jr., with an aim to commemorate Rizal´s visit to Prague in 1887. He [Rizal] then traveled around Europe alongside his friend Máximo Viola.

Before coming to Prague they spent four days in Litoměřice (Leitmeritz) where they met Rizal’s closest collaborator, mentor and friend, Ferdinand Blumentritt. Afterwards, Rizal and Viola spent a few days in the

STATE OF VERMONT CHITTENDEN COUNTY SS.

IN RE: THE ADOPTION OF T.P.

CHITTENDEN PROBATE COURT DOCKET NO. 527-4-18Cnpr

NOTICE OF HEARING To: EDWIN P. ESCABAL You are hereby notified that a Petition Requesting the Adoption of T.P. and Petition to Terminate your parental rights had been filed with the Chittenden Probate Court in Burlington, Vermont.

You have been named the biological parent of the minor child.

If you wish to contest this petition, you must file a written answer to the petition by mailing it to the Chittenden Probate Court at P.O. Box 511, Burlington, VT 05402, tel. (802) 651-1518, and by sending a copy of your answer to Kurt M Hughes, Esq., P.O. Box 363, Burlington, Vermont 054020363, tel. (802) 864-9811.

The Petition to Terminate your parental rights is scheduled for hearing on Friday July 20, 2018 @ 10:00AM. Pursuant to 15A V.S.A. subsection 3-503(b), you are hereby informed that: (1) You have a right to be represented by an attorney, and you may be entitled to an attorney appointed by the court; and (2) If you fail to respond within 21 days after service and, in the case of an alleged father, fail to file a claim of paternity within 21 days after service unless a claim of paternity is pending, you may not appear in or receive further notice of the proceeding for adoption or termination and your failure to respond will result in termination of the relationship of parent and child between you and the minor unless the proceeding for adoption is dismissed.

Czech capital touring the city, meeting scientists, such as botanist Heinrich Willkomm, with whom Rizal later on collaborated during his exile in Dapitan. While in Prague, they stayed in Hotel Modrá hvězda (Blue Star), which was later demolished to give space for a new building of a national bank headquarters.

As Czech National Bank stands opposite the famed Art Nouveau Municipal House and the gothic Powder Tower which can be seen at the beginning of the Royal Route at the Square of the Republic, Rizal´s bust can now become another must-see spot for Philippine tourists to appreciate Rizal’s shared history with Prague. Many tourists will get more than what they came for—a dose of history in this famed European city.

With a handshake, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. (left) and his Czech counterpart Gov. Jiri Rusnok celebrate the official unveiling of Jose Rizal's bust.

143 cities keen on green fund program—Diokno B

UDGET Secretary Benjamin Diokno on Wednesday said that 143 cities have expressed interest in securing funding from the national government under the Green Green Green assistance program.

During a regular media briefing, the DBM chief said his office is currently processing 100 out of the 143 cities that forwarded their project proposals for funding assistance.

“Green Green Green is now in full swing, and is expected to benefit over 50-million Filipinos,” Diokno said.

The government allocated P2.5 billion this year for the program.

“The program assists the Philippines’ 145 cities and their local government units in making their communities more livable, sustainable, and well-connected through the development or enhancement of public open spaces such as

parks, waterfronts, plazas, esplanades, arboretum, botanical gardens, bike lanes, walkways, and green infrastructure,” Diokno explained.

Last March, the DBM conducted a series of technical workshops that engaged city mayors, engineers, architects, and planners in a learning session focused on the best practices in public open space designs, and policies and procedures for the implementation of the program, he added.

Meanwhile, DBM Assistance to Cities Program Manager Julia Nebrija said the agency is

Pursuant to 15A V.S.A. subsection 3-401 and 3-402, you are hereby notified that a Petition for Adoption of the minor has been filed. The petitioners therein request that they be permitted to adopt the minor. You must file a written appearance in the adoption proceeding with the Court in 21 days after service of this notice in order to participate in the proceeding and to receive further notice of the proceeding, including notice for the time and place of any hearing. Please note that you will not be permitted to appear in or receive further notice of the proceeding for adoption unless you also respond to the Petition to Terminate in the manner described above.

12K school bags for one town

If you have any questions about the nature of this proceeding or the purpose or content of this notice, you may inquire by calling or writing the register of the Court.

Dated at Burlington, Vermont, this 19th day of April, 2018.

Docket Clerk

(MS-JUNE 28 & JULY 5, 2018)

PUBLIC INFORMATION SHEET FOR DIRECT USE AS FOOD AND FEED, OR FOR PROCESSING PROPOSAL FOR DIRECT USE AS FOOD AND FEED, OR FOR PROCESSING Bt11 Corn 1. Applicant’s Name Syngenta Philippines, Inc. 2. Applicant’s Address 12th Floor, Two World Square, # 22 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, 1630 Philippines 3. Telephone Number/ Facsimile Number, E-Mail Address of the Applicant Tel. +63 2 370 2100; Fax: +63 2 856 9260; E-mail: c/o jet.parma@syngenta.com 4. Name of Responsible Officer/Authorized Representative Jet Marcial G. Parma, President and Commercial Unit Head, Philippines Ma. Emeru Bool, Seeds and Traits Regulatory Manager, Philippines 5. Description of the Regulated Article for Direct Use (mention the crop, transformation event, new trait conferred, name of the gene transferred, method of transformation, and advantages of the trait conferred)

Bt11 corn has been developed through modern biotechnology via a protoplast transformation system. It contains the cry1Ab gene which encodes the Cry1Ab protein that provides protection against the European and Asiatic corn borers; and the pat gene which encodes the enzyme phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT) and allows the positive selection for the recovery of the transformed plants.

6. If to be imported, Country (ies) of Origin of the Regulated Article

United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, South Africa, Uruguay, Vietnam or from other countries which will have cultivation approvals in the future 7. Brief Summary of Potential Effects on Human and Animal Health and the Environment Bt11 corn has been adequately assessed to demonstrate its safety as food, feed, and its safety to the environment. Studies conducted show that the Cry1Ab and PAT proteins produced in Bt11 corn do not have homology to any known or putative mammalian toxin and share no biologically relevant amino acid sequence similarity to known or putative allergen. There is no evidence that these proteins will interact to form new toxin or allergen. In addition, the modes of action of these proteins are distinct and no interaction has been detected. Furthermore, studies show that Bt11 corn is nutritionally and compositionally similar to, and as safe and as nutritious as the conventional corn.

Bt11 corn will only be imported for direct use as food, feed, and for processing and will not be propagated in the Philippines. In the event that there is an accidental release of grains in the environment during the importation of the Third Party Importer, chances of survival of Bt11 corn is unlikely since it will generally occur in industrial areas which are highly disturbed habitats unsuitable for significant plant establishment.

The spilled grains have to reach the soil and need to be exposed to specific favorable conditions, such as light, moisture, and temperature so that germination and plant establishment will occur.

8. Brief Summary of Potential Benefits

Bt11 corn was developed through modern biotechnology to provide protection to corn against European and Asiatic corn borers. In countries where the corn borers cause dramatic yield loss, the Bt11 corn offers the farmers a better and a more cost effective way to combat the corn borer pest. The use of this technology will tremendously cut back the insecticide use on farms and the grain yield will increase mainly due to the elimination of the corn borer.

Since Bt11 corn will be a traded commodity, the society will be the main beneficiary in case importation will be required to supply the industry with grains of corn and corn products to feed millers, for use in poultry, livestock, aquaculture, and other industries.

9. Countries Where Approvals Have Been Granted

Bt11 corn has already been approved in Argentina (cultivation, feed, and food), Australia/New Zealand (food), Brazil (cultivation, feed, and food), Canada (cultivation, feed, and food), China (food, feed, and processing), Colombia (cultivation, feed, and food), European Union (food, feed, and processing), Indonesia (food), Japan (food, feed, and cultivation), Republic of Korea (food, feed, and environment), Malaysia (food, feed, and processing), Mexico (food, feed, and processing), Paraguay (cultivation, food, and feed), Philippines (food, feed, processing, cultivation), Russian Federation (food and feed), Belarus/Kazakhstan (food), Singapore (food, feed, and processing), South Africa (food, feed, processing, and cultivation), Switzerland (food and feed), Taiwan, province of China (food and fee), Turkey (feed), United States (cultivation, feed, food and processing), Uruguay (cultivation, feed, and food), and Vietnam (cultivation, feed, and food).

The public is hereby invited to submit their comments to the BPI Director (within 60 days from date of publication) on the Proposal for the Direct Use as Food and Feed, or for Processing of Bt11 Corn.

Director Bureau of Plant Industry San Andres, Malate, Manila E-Mail bpibiotechsecretariat@gmail.com Approved for Publication: ___________________________ MR. GEORGE Y. CULASTE OIC-Director Bureau of Plant Industry Date:

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

(MS-JUNE 28, 2018)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

expected to complete the review and release the funding for qualified projects by the third quarter of the year.

Nebrija said most of the project proposals of the LGUs involve the development and improvement of institutional open spaces, parks, streetscapes, waterfronts, and mangrove parks, among others.

The Green Green Green program aims to increase softscape, maximize underutilized spaces, improve connectivity and accessibility, and support biodiversity throughout the country. PNA

Masbate Gold Project donates bags to grade school pupils in 17 barangays of Aroroy, Masbate.

De Lima tests SC on Rome Statute

By Rey E. Requejo DETAINED Senator Leila de Lima has asked the Supreme Court to allow her to appear and represent herself during the oral arguments on the petition she and other opposition senators have filed assailing President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to withdraw the country’s adherence to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

In a four-page manifestation dated June 25, 2018, De Lima stressed that while it is true that the 1987 Constitution prohibits members of Congress from appearing and arguing case before the SC as counsel, the tribunal itself has allowed in several instances a lawmaker to take part in oral arguments.

De Lima said the Rules of Court as well as previous SC rulings also allows a litigant to personally prosecute his or her case.

Apart from De Lima, the other petitioners are Francis

“Kiko” Pangilinan, Benigno Paolo Aquino, Antonio Trillanes IV, Riza Hontiveros and Franklin Drilon.

The SC initially scheduled the oral arguments on July 24, but was later moved to Aug. 7 at the SC session hall.

In their petition, the opposition senators pointed out that the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute “cannot be justified under the so-called ‘residual powers’ of the President.”

They also argued that the Constitution mandated the Senate to ratify a treaty or an international agreement, and as such, the Executive branch cannot just unilaterally repeal a law or withdraw from the treaty of international agreement.

Under Article VII Section 21 of the 1987 Constitution, “entering into treaty or international agreement requires participation of Congress, that is, through concurrence of at least 2/3 of all the members of the Senate.”

JUST imagine 12,000 school bags that were distributed to all barangays of a town—and imagine the pleasant surprise of students and teachers in this fast-progressing town where the biggest and most responsible mining firm operates. The town is Aroroy in the province of Masbate, where the Masbate Gold Project operates.

One day, all of 12,000 school bags were distributed for grade school pupils in 17 barangays of Aroroy, Masbate, in time for the academic year this June.

MGP has been manufacturing these bags for the past five years as part of its program for education in its host barangays.

Funding education projects in Aroroy has been part of the social development and management project of the MGP, composed of two companies: Filminera Resources Corp. and the Phil Gold Processing & Refining Corp.

Part of the funds go to scholarship programs that cover for tuition of select students, some of whom have already graduated. Among its graduates decided to return to Aroroy as a payback gesture to become elementary and high school teachers.

STL creates 300k jobs, gains P2b each month—PCSO THE expanded Small Town Lottery has generated 309,436 regular employees who are enjoying mandatory benefits as required by law, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office said yesterday.

The STL workforce is giving the national government almost P2 billion a month to fund President Rodrigo Duterte’s free medical services to the poorest of the poor, PCSO general manager Alexander Balutan said.

“Apart from providing economic activity to the province, the established and existing STL corporations provide regular medical mission and educational assistance to their towns and municipalities. The goal of STL expansion is to spread out the system of corporate social responsibility to all the provinces with STL licenses and operators,” Balutan said.

In fact, Balutan said, in 2017 a total of 1,640 members of Social Security System, PhilHealth

and Pag-IBIG were enrolled by existing STL corporations, majority of which are already beneficiaries of SSS pensions and loan benefits.

“These are all reflections of the STL corporations’ desire to have concrete corporate social responsibility program in the communities where they conduct business, unfortunately, gambling lords are desperate to kick them out of the picture,” Balutan said.

Balutan also revealed that STL corporations have their own financial assistance in providing land and building the houses for their employees.

“You know what? Majority of these STL employees are those who could not pass the nitty-gritties of job fairs because of their old age and just because they are physically impaired. At least they are now earning more than P7,000 a month to feed their families rather than we will

see these less fortunate sector in our society running for illegal drug syndicates and other criminal activities just to earn a living,” he said.

Balutan said PCSO is earning almost P2 billion a month from STL operations, a very potent revenue-collection machine of the government.

“From January to May 2018, STL has already provided the government P9.7-billion revenues. At present, we have 83 Authorized Agent Corporations playing STL nationwide. These corporations are doing great for us especially in providing additional fund for our charity services to the people. In fact, from January to May, PCSO has already spent more than P3 billion with almost 154,000 patients who received financial assistance through guarantee letters to pay for their hospital bills, medicines and cancer treatments, the top three most sought requests to PCSO,” he said.

Sports

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THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Serena gets 25th seed at Wimbledon LONDON—Seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams has been seeded 25 for this year’s women’s singles by the organisers despite being ranked 183 in the world.

The 36-year-old—who was not seeded for the French Open—has made only a tentative return to action following complications during daughter Alexis Olympia’s birth last September.

Williams played her first Grand Slam for over a year at the French Open last month, reaching the fourth round before a shoulder injury forced her to quit ahead of her clash with old rival Maria Sharapova.

By contrast Britain’s two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has not been seeded in the men’s singles although he has returned to action in the past fortnight.

The 31-year-old—who spent nearly 11 months off the court due to a hip injury and then a subsequent operation —has not yet committed himself to play at Wimbledon and is due to play compatriot Kyle Edmund at Eastbourne later Wednesday.

Some had argued against Williams being seeded with world number 32 Dominika Cibulkova telling the BBC it would be ‘unfair’ as she would be the player to lose out as there are 32 seeds.

The All England Club usually follows the WTA ranking list, but reserves the right to make a change if it “is necessary to produce a balanced draw”.

Romanian’s French Open champion Simona Halep is the women’s top seed, with Swiss legend and eight time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer the men’s top seed. AFP

Cocolife, Cignal gun for share of PSL lead Games Today (STRIKE Gym, Bacoor) 4:30 p.m. — Cignal vs Smart-Army 8:00 p.m. — Sta. Lucia vs Cocolife

BACOOR CITY—Cocolife and Cignal gun for a share of early lead when they battle separate foes in the 2018 Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga Invitational Conference today at the STRIKE Gym here.

The Asset Managers will shoot for their second straight win against Sta. Lucia Realty in the 8 p.m. main encounter of this prestigious club tourney bankrolled by Isuzu, UCPB Gen and SOGO Hotel with ESPN5, Hyper HD and Aksyon TV as broadcast partners.

Prior to that, Cignal and SmartArmy clash for Pool B lead in the 4:30 p.m. appetizer of this mid-season conference that also has Senoh, Asics, Mikasa, Mueller and Grand Sport as technical sponsors.

The HD Spikers recovered from a first-set lost before crushing UECherrylume, 19-25, 26-24, 25-21, 25-22, late Tuesday to open their titleretention bid on a high note.

Mylene Paat and Rachel Anne Daquis, who led Cignal with 20 and 14 points, respectively, are expected to carry the cudgels anew against a seasoned Smart-Army squad that is still fresh its first franchise win after beating depleted Sta. Lucia in straight sets, 25-14, 25-16, 25-23, last Monday.

Also aiming for the lead are the Asset Managers, who seek to apply the things they learned from their 22-25, 25-13, 25-22, 25-18 victory over UECherrylume.

Cocolife Head Coach Moro Branislav said their first game was an acid test since he is handling a young and retooled roster bannered by 20-year old Gyra Barroga as well as Denice Tan and Justine Tiu.

Mendoza, Quizon top Asean junior chess events

BADMINTON, VOLLEYBALL WINNERS. Leyte (1st District) Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez (center) is shown after awarding trophies and cash prices to the winners of Martin Yedda Cup Badminton and Women’s Invitational Volleyball Tournament. The Tacloban Lady Stallions won the championship, with Leyte Normal University Alumni settling for runner-up honors. Tacloban Maasin Selection and Leyte National High School Spikers placed third and fourth, respectively. The tournament was part of Rep. Romualdez’s quest to discover new talents and sports heroes from Leyte and the whole of Eastern Visayas. Ver Noveno

Philracom Triple Crown 3rd stage slated Sunday T

EN of the country’s finest thoroughbreds, led by Smart Candy and Wonderland, face off for the third and final leg of the most prestigious racing extravaganza for three-year-old horses—the Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom)-backed Triple Crown series on Sunday at the Saddle and Clubs Leisure Park in Naic, Cavite.

Smart Candy, the SC Stockfarm threeyear-old filly who won two of the three legs of Philracom’s 3YO Stakes Race series early this year and the first leg of the Triple Crown last May, will try to notch her second win in the series against nine others, led by TC second-leg winner Wonderland, ridden by FM Raquel and owned by Herminio Esguerra. Wonderland placed third in the first leg.

The duel between two is particularly interesting as it was Wonderland, which quashed Smart Candy’s hopes of a Triple Crown sweep by ruling the second leg, relegating the SC Stockfarm filly to the runner-up post.

Stamina could very well decide Sunday’s Triple Crown third-leg winner as the series heads to its longest route of 2,000 meters.

“Smart Candy and Wonderland are expected to go at it in the final leg, but there’s no reason why eight other horses can’t crash that two-horse party. It will surely be a treat to all racing aficionados,” said Philracom Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez.

Smart Candy will be joined in the battle for the P1.8 million top purse by her stablemates Box Office, to be ridden by jockey JB Hernandez, and El Debarge, with JA Guce on board.

Standing in their way are Critical Moment to be ridden by jockey RO Niu Jr. and owned by Melanie C. Habla; Disyembreasais (JB Cordova, Alfredo R. Santos); Goldsmith (RG Fernandez, Cpriano T. Sison Jr.); Prosperity (JB Guce, Leonardo M. Javier Jr.); Speedmatic (PR Dilema, Herma Farms & Stud. Inc.) and Victorious Colt

(OP Cortez, Jose Antonio G. Zialcita).

A guaranteed total of P3 million in prizes will be up for grabs in the race, with P675,000 allocated for the runnerup. Third and fourth placers get P375,000 and P150,000, respectively. The breeder’s purse is P100,000.

Also highly anticipated on Sunday is the P1-million 2018 Philracom Hopeful Stakes Race offering P600,000 to the champion, and the P500,000-3YO Locally Bred Stakes Race, which awards P300,000 to the winner.

Eight horses make up the Hopeful Stakes’ roster, namely Aphrodisiac (jockey CS Pare Jr., owner Herminio S. Esguerra); Be The One (OP Cortez, Running Rich Racing, Inc.); Eli Brassous (Ro Niu Jr., Running Rich Racing, Inc.); Jack Hammer (JB Hernandez, Leandro M. Naval); Royal Signal, (MB Pilapil, Peter L. Aguila); Talitha Koum (RG Fernandez, George R. Raquidan); Tapster (Ja Guce, James Albert C. Dichaves) and The Best Ever (PR Dilema, Herminio S. Esguerra).

Meanwhile, Courageous (JB Hernandez, Narciso O. Morales); Misha (JB Guce, Leonardo M. Javier Jr.); Perlas ng Silangan (FM Raquel, Herminio S. Esguerra); Smell My Tail (MB Pilapil, Mark Vincent A. Geron); The Barrister (JT Zarate, Daniel C. Tan) and Tipsy Tapsi (JV Ponce, John Ericson Avelino) will run in the 3YO Locally Bred Stakes Race.

The three-leg series is patterned after the United States’ Triple Crown, with its three legs comprised of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes, also with progressively longer distances.

Endurance Weekend at Filinvest City IT’S time to test your limits and build your strength as Filinvest City, the premier lifestyle destination in the Metro South, once again plays host to the Endurance Weekend on July 7 to 8 at the Pacific Rim, Filinvest City.

With the event now on its sixth year, participants can look forward to a bigger and more exciting set of bike courses. Bikers can opt to go solo or with a team and choose from a category of 24-Hour Solo (Elite), 24-Hour Team, 12-Hour Solo (Age Category), 12-Hour Team, 6-Hour Solo (Elite), and 6-Hour Solo (Age Category).

“We are very excited to host our sixth Endurance Weekend following the success of the previous editions,” says Filinvest Alabang Inc.’s vice president for townships Don Ubaldo. “This sporting event is another opportunity for us to tap into the biking community and showcase Filinvest City as a garden city that promotes a healthy and active lifestyle.”

To register, aspiring participants may log onto https://reg.goorahna.com/#/ event/endurance-weekend-2018. Online registration to the Endurance Weekend 2018 is open until July 4, 2018.

So get your biking gears ready and prepare for a fun race experience with thrilling bike trails and tree-canopied road networks only at Filinvest City.

For more information, visit Filinvest City’s official Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/FilinvestCityOFFICIAL/.

Participants gear up for the 6th Endurance Weekend on July 7 to 8 at the Pacific Rim, Filinvest City.

YKK, Real Madrid give PH football a boost

By Aidan Fajardo

Kids learned football the Real Madrid way.

THE YKK Holding Asia PTE LTD. and YKK Philippines Inc. recently collaborated with the Real Madrid Foundation for the holding of the two-day YKK Asia Group Kids Football Clinic, which came to a close last Sunday with 300 underprivileged kids getting the rare opportunity to learn football the Real Madrid way at the McKinley Hill Stadium in Taguig City.

Two kids from war-torn Marawi City were among those who experienced the world-class football training from coaches of the multi-titled La Liga team with 33 Championship titles to its name.

Children from Gawad Kalinga

communities were first to undergo the clinics on Saturday, followed by children from lakeshore communities in Batangas on Sunday morning. Homeless children who live and sleep on streets and places like Luneta and the Caloocan Monumento who were cared for

by Child Hope Asia Philippines had their own exhilarating football experience in the afternoon.

“YKK’s presence in the Philippines dates back since 1978, and our growth and success during these 40 years owes a great deal to the local society which our customers and employees also form part of. It is a great opportunity and pleasure for us to give back and help create the initial spark of

encouragement for children who do not normally experience big name events due to its exclusivity.

This time, it’s their turn to experience greatness,” said YKK Philippines’ Tadashi Koshio “We have successfully partnered with YHA since 2012 and have had incredible and positive experiences from the Asian countries where the events have been held. Watching the local coaches and children engage and participate in a sport which knows no language or social barriers is the ultimate reward,” said Pablo Gomez Revenga, Real Madrid Foundation’s Technical Managements Clinics and International Technical Schools Director.

WOMAN FIDE Master Shania Mae Mendoza and Daniel Quizon topped their respective divisions as host Philippines ruled the blitz section that prevented a Vietnam sweep at the end of the ASEAN+ Age Group Chess Championships at the Royal Mandaya Hotel in Davao City yesterday.

Mendoza walloped Vietnamese Woman International Master Nguyen Thanh Thuy Tien to cop the premier girls’ U20, while Quizon dumped Jasper Faeldonia to reign supreme in the open U14.

Both Mendoza and Cuizon ended up the best-performing Filipinos with four golds apiece, with the former winning the individual and team golds in the standard division and the latter the individual and team mints in the rapid section the day before.

Mendoza and Cuizon capped the PH’s strong effort in blitz where it outperformed Vietnam with better gold count, 17-12, in this event organized by Chess Events International, sanctioned by the NCFP under Butch Pichay, bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission and backed by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

Ruelle Canino (girls U10), Rhenzi Kyle Sevillano (U20), Darry Bernardo (U18), FM Alekhine Nouri (U16), Francois Marie Magpily (girls U16) and WFM Allaney Jia Doroy (girls U18) provided the other individual victories for the country.

The PH’s last-day feat salvaged some measure of pride after Vietnam lorded it over the standard and rapid sections with gold hauls of 18 and 20 as against the former’s 10 and eight, respectively.

At the end of the nine-day tournament, the Vietnamese went home regaining the overall title with a total gold harvest of 60 as against 35 by the Filipnos.

Rhenzi Kyle Sevillano emerged the unlikely hero in the premier U20 as he lost his final round game to countryman Sarri Subahani but still won the blitz’ crown.

Sevillano ended up tied with standard champion IM Paulo Bersamina, who fell to IM John Marvin Miciano, and Vietnam’s Pham Minh Hieu, who downed compatriot Nguyen Huynh Tuan Hai, but took the gold after three tiebreaks.

Davao Occidental blasts QC Capitals MINDANAO-BASED team Davao Occidental continued to make a good impression in the ongoing MPBL Datu Cup as the Tigers blasted the Quezon City Capitals, 90-78, for their second win in a row and a share of the lead with Muntinlupa in the southern division Tuesday night.

Playing without an injured Bonbon Custodio and missing Mark Yee for most part of the match, the Tigers needed a big third-quarter run before completing the come-from-behind win.

Custodio, a PBA journeyman who was recruited by the Tigers a day before the tournament started, was sidelined by a nagging back injury.

Yee, a veteran forward who last played with Dyip of the old Columbian Autocar franchise, brought a wrong set of uniform and had to wait for the right one to be able to play.

He was inserted in the last 41 seconds of the match when the game was practically all decided.

But the absence of these key players hardly had any effect on the formidable Davao Occidental side, which got big games from amateur standout Eman Calo and EX-PBA forward Leo Najorda.

Calo, who played for MP Hotel in the PBA D-League, finished with 21 points, the same output produced by Najorda.

“We had a good start, but it is still far from what I want,” said Don Dulay, head coach of the Cocolife-backed Davao Occidental, on the team’s 2-0 start. “I know we can still play better. Our team showed a lot of fight. May laban lahat ng players.”

Laguna turned to former TNT player Jai Reyes who finished with a rare double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds as the Krah-sponsored Heroes outplayed the Pasig Pirates-Gameville, 83-75, in the other game.

LOTTO RESULTS

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 6 DIGITS 00-00-00-00-00-00 3 DIGITS 00-00-00 2 EZ2 00-00

Sports

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

A8

THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018

Argentina’s forward Lionel Messi (10) competes for the ball during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group D football match between Nigeria and Argentina at the Saint Petersburg Stadium in Saint Petersburg. AFP

Volcanoes smash Singaporeans CANLUBANG, Laguna—Fil-British bet Robin Fogerty completed his debut with a bang.

The 22-year-old Fogerty, who came all the way from England to join the national team, led the Philippine Volcanoes to a 38-12 smashing of Singapore on Tuesday afternoon at the Southern Plains Field in Canlubang, Laguna.

Fogerty showed what he can do on a wet and slightly muddy turf when he struck with 19 points after scoring five penalty shots and two conversions to carry the Volcanoes to their first Asian Rugby 15s Division 1 Championship in six years.

“It’s quite emotional for me,” said Fogerty, who used to represent England in the English Counties Under-20 team back in London.

Singapore got off to a good start by scoring first on a try from Matthew Humphries, 5-0, in the 59-second mark.

Stephen Howorth equalized at 5-all with his own try for the Volcanoes at 3:26.

“We did not know what the conditions are. But it was still good weather.

We were able to execute our game play,” said general manager Jake Letts at the end of a finals’ series supported

by Herbalife.

The Volcanoes, who have 11 new players in their roster, finished the finals’ series at 2-0 after bringing down the Volcanoes, 32-24, in Game 1, which ended in a brawl.

Fogerty, a student of Strength and Conditioning Science at St. Mary’s University, scored thrice in a row, following an attack on the left side.

He drove in to the left at 4:12 and then sank his penalties at 9:59 and at the 27:21 mark to hand the Volcanoes a 13-5 edge.

It was not over yet for Singapore, which rallied off runs coming from Peter McFeely and Ishraff Marah as it threatened at 12-13 in the 35th minute.

But the Volcanoes moved away behind Justine Coveney’s try in the 37th minute of the first half, handing the team an 18-12 edge. Peter Atencio

SMC donates P50M to PH Olympic body

By Peter Atencio

T

HE Philippine Olympic Committee was expecting a cash donation of P20 million for its projects and activities from San Miguel Corporation.

Instead, POC President Ricky Vargas and Secretary-General Patrick Gregorio got a surprise when they dropped by the San Miguel Corporation offices in Ortigas yesterday.

SMC President and COO Ramon S. Ang presented them a check worth P50 million.

“I was pleasantly shocked and momentarily speechless,” said Vargas in a statement.

The POC chief added that they did not expect this much from SMC. “The P20 million was already generous, but the additional P30 million really highlights the commitment of San Miguel Corp. and Mr. Ang to Philippine sports. I am beyond grateful,” added Vargas.

On the other hand, Ang said that

they are willing to lend a hand as a “Sports Godfather.”

Ang told Vargas that SMC has always believed that sports plays an important role in building a nation’s character.

Meanwhile, SMC Sports Director Alfrancis Chua added that he recommended the additional amount because the San Miguel group supports the leadership of Vargas and Gregorio.

Chua added that SMC is backing the forward-looking programs of the POC. He took note of the POC’s efforts to work with national sports associations in order to ramp up the development and training of their individual athletes.

Vargas asked Gregorio to put together a group that would include Communications Director Ed Picson and newlyappointed POC General Manager Art Aro to identify which sports which they could prioritize for financial help from donations to the POC. The cash donation from SMC comes at a time when the Philippine Sports Commission won’t be releasing funding yet for the national contingent that’s set to go the Asian Games in Indonesia.

The government agency has a budget allocation of P72 million for the PH Team’s participation in the Asiad.

But the PSC said that an unliquidated amount of P10.3 million used for the 2017 Southeast Asian Games needs to be accounted for.

The funds from the PSC will eventually be released once the POC’s liquidation report is completed.

There are around 285 athletes expected to be sent to the Indonesia Asian Games set from Aug. 18 to Sept. 2.

SAINT PETERSBURG—A relieved Lionel Messi admitted the stress at the prospect of crashing out of the World Cup at the group stages was the worst he had ever experienced after Marcus Rojo’s late strike beat Nigeria 2-1 to send Argentina into the last 16.

Messi opened the scoring in Saint Petersburg with his first goal of the tournament, but Victor Moses’s early second-half penalty made it another nervous night for the five-time world player of the year and under-fire coach Jorge Sampaoli.

“I don’t remember such suffering,” said Messi when asked if it was the most tense match of his career.

“It was due to the situation and what we were playing for. It is a huge joy for everyone for the difficult days we lived after the last defeat. Luckily we achieved our objective.”

Messi’s quest for World Cup glory faces a much tougher test on Saturday as Argentina face a highly-fancied France side in the last 16.

The Barcelona star will come faceto-face with club team-mates Samuel Umtiti and Ousmane Dembele and is aware of the improvement needed to make the last eight.

“They are a very complete team.

They have top players individually,” added Messi.

“I have teammates I know very well at the back and up front. It will obviously be very difficult.”

Sampaoli had been fiercely criticised after a 3-0 defeat to Croatia on Thursday left Argentina on the brink of an embarrassing early exit.

And despite changing his tactics and making five changes to free up Messi to have a more influential role, he refused to take credit for the victory.

“A coach who has to train Leo knows that everybody surrounding him needs to make him feel secure,” Sampaoli said.

“We need to make passes to Leo so he can create chances. If not we suffer, we know we have the best player in the world and we have to benefit from that.

“It is for that reason I said the Croatia match was our fault not his.”

Argentina’s success was also accompanied with a good slice of fortune and more controversy over the VAR system used to review contentious decisions.

With the score at 1-1, Nigeria thought they should have had a second penalty when Rojo headed the ball onto his arm inside the area.

Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakır reviewed the incident, but stood by his original decision not to award the spot-kick.

“I don’t understand how that wasn’t a penalty, for me it was a clear penalty,” said Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel.

“Maybe the referee has given the first one and he doesn’t want to give the second one.” AFP

Johnson to step down if he fails to rebuild Lakers

SMC president and COO Ramon S. Ang (third from left) and SMC sports director Alfrancis Chua (right) present their company’s donation to the POC , respresented by POC president Ricky Vargas (second from left) and SecretaryGeneral Patrick Gregorio.

Song rallies, forces 3-way tie for lead

Korean Lee Song bucks shaky driving in the early going with an eagle-spiked windup

Argentina, Messi face bigger test vs France

MANOLO Fortich, Bukidnon—Korean Lee Song checked a rollercoaster start with a five-under card in the last 11 holes, finishing with a eagle-spiked 68 and catching Ira Alido and American Lexus Keoninh at the helm in the first round of the ICTSI Del Monte Championship here yesterday.

Bracing for another so-so stint with a two-birdie, threebogey effort in calm condition after seven holes, Song found his rhythm and target, hitting back-to-back birdies from No. 8 then gunning down an eagle on the par-5 14th and closing out with a birdie to force a three-way tie for the lead in the P3 million tournament put up by ICTSI. Keoninh and Alido bucked

humid weather and also leaned on strong finishes in opposite nines to produce a pair of four-under efforts with the former birdying Nos. 16 and 18 to likewise string an eagle-aided round and the latter rattling off three birdies in the last six at the front for identical 33-35 cards.

“I stayed focused and played one hole at a time,” said Keoninh, who tied for 12th with Song in last week’s Apo Invitational won by Jobim Carlos.

He eagled No. 9 for a 33 start but reeled back with bogeys on Nos. 12 and 15 against a birdie on the 13th.

“I’ll try to be patient tomorrow (today) and composed and wait for the opportunity to score,” added the Ameri-

can shotmaker, looking to end a string of heartbreaks for a crack at a first-ever championship in the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. Alido also hopes to sustain his good form, particularly off the tee where he missed just one fairway as he tries to step up his drive for a shot, also at a first title, after a couple of solid starts in recent tournaments.

“I played well today (yesterday). I hit most fairways and greens and my putting clicked,” said Alido, who tied for 10th at Apo. “As much as possible, you’ve got to avoid the roughs and the pine trees. Otherwise, you’ll get stuck and most probably you’ll be left with hard layups.”

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles Lakers president Magic Johnson warned on Tuesday that rebuilding the franchise would be a long-term project which could not be achieved in this year’s free agency window.

The Lakers have been repeatedly linked to audacious moves for LeBron James and Paul George this year as they attempt to re-establish the team as contenders in the Western Conference.

However, while Johnson told reporters Tuesday that he would likely step down if he fails to secure his chosen targets, he stressed the team rebuilding would need this year and next year’s free agency windows to be completed.

“No, because I’ve always said this is [about] two summers,” Johnson said, when asked if he would regard it as a failure if he was unable to entice James or George to the Lakers.

“We don’t know what people are going to decide. And we can’t control that. So if guys decide not to come here, it’s not a failure, we turn to next summer,” the Lakers legend added.

Johnson indicated, however, he could walk away from the Lakers if he was unsuccessful in persuading top targets next year.

“Next summer, if nobody comes and I’m still sitting here like this, then it’s a failure. But if you judge us on one summer, that’s ridiculous,” he said.

“If I can’t deliver, then I’m gonna step down myself ... I’ll step away from it.”

Johnson, a five-time NBA champion with the Lakers during their 1980s dynasty years, joined the team’s front office in 2017 on a mission to halt the franchise’s declining fortunes. AFP

IN BRIEF Ex-Peza chief De Lima joins board of FWD Life FORMER director-general of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority Lilia de Lima has been appointed member of the board of FWD Life Philippines, one of the fastest-growing insurance companies in the country.

De Lima, whose appointment took effect June 21, served as the first director-general of Peza from 1995 to 2016. As Peza head, De Lima was responsible for building the agency into a showcase of successful regulatory reform, a model institution of honest and committed public service, and a key contributor to the nation’s economic growth.

She was a recipient of the 2017 Ramon Magsaysay Award for her “unstinting, sustained leadership in building a credible and efficient Peza, proving that honest, competent and dedicated work of public servants can, indeed, redound to real economic benefits to millions of Filipino.”

De Lima was also conferred The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, the highest award given to a non-head of state, by the Japanese government.

P100-b deposit auction undersubscribed—BSP THE P100 billion worth of term deposits offered by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on Wednesday was undersubscribed due to weak demand for long-tenor instruments.

Data showed total tenders for the instruments reached just P92.63 billion, or P7.37 billion short of the weekly volume.

Investors preferred the seven-day instruments worth P40 billion, as total bids reached P45.831 billion. However, the 14-day deposits worth P40 billion was undersubscribed after total tenders hit P31.99 billion.

The 28-day deposits amounting to P20 billion, meanwhile, attracted bids of just P14.81 billion.

The Bangko Sentral reduced the weekly volume of the TDF auction on June 6, 2018 to P100 billion from the previous volume of P110 billion.

Bangko Sentral Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. earlier said the market should not be surprised every time the regulator reduced the weekly volume in view of the liquidity requirement of the financial system. Julito G. Rada

Business

NGCP to expand transmission lines by 70% in 22 years

By Alena Mae S. Flores GRID operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines said it will expand the installed transmission line network by 70 percent by 2040 to meet the country’s rising power demand.

NGCP said in a statement it already installed a total transmission line length of 20,848.54 circuit-kilometers and a total substation capacity of 34,177 megavolt-amperes across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao as of end March.

“By 2040, to meet the projected system peak demand of 49,844 MW nationwide, NGCP plans to increase its total transmission line length to 35,312 ckm and its total substation capacity to 88,036 MVA,” NGCP said.

Demand for electricity continues to grow alongside the continued growth of the Philippine population and economy.

System peak demand for electricity reached 13,789 megawatts nationwide in 2017 and is projected to reach 49,844 MW by 2040, according to the latest data from the Energy Department.

NGCP crafted Transmission Development Plan 2016-2040 to address the growing demand for electricity in the years ahead.

The TDP is aligned and harmonized with the DOE’s Power Development Plan 2016-2040, which details the government agency’s planning horizon for the Philippine energy sector.

“Through our TDP, we can ensure that we have the necessary infrastructure to fulfill our vision of a strong, unified electricity transmission network that can meet the country’s increasing power needs until 2040―and beyond,” said NGCP. NGCP transmits electricity to all electric cooperatives, private distribution facilities and industries across the nation as the country’s sole power grid operator.

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018

B1

Sweet drinks to carry health warnings

By Othel V. Campos

R

EADY-to-drink and prepared beverage products laden with sugar or artificial sweeteners will be required to include health warnings on their front labels starting August 2018, the Trade Department said Wednesday.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez urged manufacturers of sugar-sweetened beverage to comply with the order, after the Food and Drug Administra-

tion and representatives of the beverage industry agreed in two separate meetings on the text and content of the health warnings.

“Right now [contents of prepared beverages] are sugar and flavoring.

They [manufacturers] can claim that the sugar content is this much, when the propel label should state per serving,” Lopez said.

He said an indicative measurement could be 20 to 30 grams.

Lopez said the department prepared the order after President Rodrigo Duterte warned about the high levels of sugar in beverages such as powdered juices and their accompanying health risks such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

He said the president himself thought about placing warnings on the labels of sugar-sweetened beverages.

The agency said that after the initial meetings, stakeholders agreed to determine the list of products that should be covered by the order.

Lopez said the initial list could cover more products, aside from ready-todrink, powdered drinks, concentrates and energy drinks.

Even beverage sold in coffee shops could be subject to the labeling requirement, the agency said.

The Trade Department said it would still determine if the health warnings would have any impact on sales of beverages with high-sugar content.

The agency said it was trying to be

pro-active in promoting healthy eating habits and healthy food including manufactured products.

Beverage manufacturers expressed their commitment to provide consumers an option for their food choices by complying with the new labeling requirement.

Beverage manufacturers, however, earlier complained about lower sales this year, following the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law which imposed an excise tax of P6 per liter on drinks with caloric or non-caloric sweetener and P12 on drinks with high-fructose corn syrup. This affected the sales of softdrinks, bottled drinks and powdered juices.

P650m worth of surety bonds released to PAL

AirAsia PH posted loss of P392m in 1st quarter THE Philippine unit of Southeast Asia’s largest budget airline incurred a loss in the first quarter of the year due to higher operating expenses.

AirAsia Philippines said it registered at net loss of P391.98 million in the January-toMarch period, a turnaround from a profit of P29.37 million year-on-year.

The budget airline’s revenues reached P5.27 billion, up 46 percent from P3.62 billion on year.

Operating expenses rose 7 percent to P426.63 million from P399.68 million on year.

AirAsia carried 1.61 million passengers in the first quarter of the year, up 39 percent from 1.15 million passengers in the same period last year.

The airline recorded a load factor of 87 percent during the period, down 5 percentage points from 92 percent.

AirAsia operates several flights to/from Manila, Davao, Kalibo, Caticlan (Boracay), Tacloban, Tagbilaran (Bohol), Puerto Princesa (Palawan), Clark, and Iloilo in the Philippines, with international flights to/from Shanghai, Taipei, Incheon (Seoul), Hong Kong, Macau, Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Guangzhou, Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore. Darwin G Amojelar

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

By Julito G. Rada

DIGITAL CITIZEN CARD. Muntinlupa City launches the Muntinlupa Care Card Plus, an all-in-one citizen ID and payment card powered by PayMaya. Dubbed as “the most advanced LGU citizen card,” the MCC Plus and its linked PayMaya account can be used for in-store and online shopping, bills payment, prepaid load reloading, and remittances, on top of serving as a benefits and rewards card for more convenient access to government services. Muntinlupa residents can also tap their MCC Plus at e-Jeepneys plying the city to avail of a free ride. Shown are Muntinlupa City mayor Jaime Fresnedi (right), PayMaya Philippines managing director Paolo Azzola (second from right), councilor Ivee Rhia Arciaga-Tadefa (third from left), along with the initial resident beneficiaries of MCC Plus.

First Metro sees second-quarter GDP growth topping 7% F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

53.4210

Japan

Yen

0.009087

0.4854

UK

Pound

1.323000

70.6760

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.127408

6.8063

Switzerland

Franc

1.009693

53.9388

Canada

Dollar

0.751484

40.1450

Singapore

Dollar

0.733676

39.1937

Australia

Dollar

0.739300

39.4941

Bahrain

Dinar

2.621576

140.0472

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266645

14.2444

Brunei

Dollar

0.730994

39.0504

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000071

0.0038

Thailand

Baht

0.030312

1.6193

UAE

Dirham

0.272294

14.5462

Euro

Euro

1.164900

62.2301

Korea

Won

0.000895

0.0478

China

Yuan

0.151983

8.1191

India

Rupee

0.014628

0.7814

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.248694

13.2855

New Zealand

Dollar

0.686200

36.6575

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032890

1.7570

Source: PDS Bridge

THE Philippine economy has the potential to grow over 7 percent in the second quarter on higher infrastructure spending, robust manufacturing and sustained consumer spending, economists from the First Metro Investment Corp. and University of Asia & the Pacific said in a joint report Wednesday.

The economists said in the June edition of Market Call Capital Markets Research that the government showed the ability to expand infrastructure spending on a sustained basis.

“And with major PPP projects [considered as private construction] getting up to speed, the construction sector will likely lead investment spending in the second quarter,” the report said.

The government sustained the torrid pace of growth in infrastructure and capital outlay spending, which almost doubled from P33.5 billion in April 2017 to P65.6 billion in April this year. It also marked the fourth consecutive month of above-10-percent gains in 2018. Strong spending in April resulted in a P1-trillion disbursements in the first four months.

The report also cited the unusually rapid growth in manufacturing and tax revenues in April, pointing to brisker economic activity during the quarter.

The country’s manufacturing output, measured by the volume of production index, soared 31.1 percent year-on-year in April, a large jump from the 16.5-percent expansion recorded in March.

“Strong employment gains averaging 1.5 million new jobs for the year ending in the second half, should provide additional impetus to consumer spending apart from the above gains and the likely positive impact of Train’s [Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law] individual income tax cuts,” the report said.

They said the positive developments would likely offset the sluggish growth in exports in the first quarter and the 9.8-percent slump in remittances from overseas Filipino workers in March.

“Overall, the high-octane driven speed suggested by economic numbers and consumer sentiment should enable the Philippine economy to resume 7 percent and above growth by the second quarter,” they said.

The GDP grew 6.8 percent in the first quarter, faster than 6.5 percent a year ago and 6.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017, despite the acceleration in inflation during the period which neared the upper limit of the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent. Julito G. Rada

THE Insurance Commission said Wednesday said it authorized the release of P650 million worth of collateral security for the supersedeas bond posted by Philippine Airlines Inc. in 2011.

A supersedeas bond, also known as a defendant’s appeal bond, is a type of surety bond that a court requires from an appellant who wants to delay payment of a judgment until the appeal is over.

PAL posted the supersedeas bond when it appealed the Feb. 18, 2011 order of National Labor Relations Commission ordering the airline to pay P650 million to retrenched employees.

Insurance commissioner Dennis Funa said in a statement the agency authorized the release of the P650 million cash which was deposited in Allied Banking Corp. in favor of PAL. “We have verified from the NLRC that its Nov. 27, 2015 decision affirming the order of the labor arbiter canceling surety bond issued by Philippine Phoenix Surety and Insurance, Inc. and releasing the collateral security posted for the said bond attained finality on Feb. 22, 2016. In fact, a corresponding entry of judgment was issued by NLRC on April 12, 2016,” Funa said.

“In view of this, we have authorized the release of the collateral security posted for the said bond to PAL,” he said.

The supersedeas bond was placed under liquidation by the Insurance Commission on May 4, 2015. The NLRC in an order dated July 23, 2015 issued a writ of execution ordering the cancellation of supersedeas bond.

The case stemmed from the illegal dismissal case filed by the Flight Attendants and Stewardess Association of the Philippines against PAL in 1998.

The NLRC initially found PAL guilty of unfair labor practice and illegal dismissal and ordered the reinstatement of PAL’s retrenched employees.

PAL appealed the case which reached the Supreme Court. It posted the corresponding supersedeas bond while the case was being heard.

PH eyes more loans from China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

ENERGY RESILIENCY. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, speaking at the first anniversary of the E-Power Mo Campaign, urges all stakeholders to join the effort to raise awareness towards an energy resilient Philippines. The E-Power Mo movement is the Department of Energy’s vehicle to help empower consumers with information on proper and prudent use of energy. It focuses on adopting strategies and providing consumers with knowledge not only on the proper use of energy, but also in helping the country become energy resilient.

THE Philippines is seeking additional loans from the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank for other big-ticket infrastructure projects under the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said during the Asian Infrastructure Forum seminar held in Mumbai, India this week that there was an urgency of developing both the physical and digital infrastructure of the Philippines and other emerging economies in Asia to hasten the development of a common market across the region and transform Southeast Asia into a strong base for trade.

“A dynamic regional common market will provide our economies a strong base to build competitive industries and profitably trade with the rest of the world. An emergent Southeast Asia will complement the mature economies of East Asia and the rapidly growing Indian subcontinent,” he said.

Dominguez said the Philippines’ massive infrastructure buildup was made possible by the expanded support

of its friends in the region and multilateral agencies such as the AIIB. The AIIB so far committed to cofinance with the World Bank the first phase of the Metro Manila Flood Management Project, which will be built to improve flood forecasting, reduce longterm flooding, modernize pumping stations and build new ones.

Among the projects that the Philippines pitched to the AIIB for possible financing support are the Metro Manila Bus Rapid Transit System (Phase 3 from Bonifacio Global City to Ninoy Aquino International Airport), the Pasacao-Balatan Tourism Coastal Highway in Camarines Sur and the Camarines Sur Expressway Project (San FernandoPili Section).

“We are hopeful that with the approval of the funding for this project, the AIIB would find it feasible to invest in other big-ticket infrastructure projects under the Duterte administration’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ program,” Dominguez said. Julito G. Rada

B2

Business

THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks surge; JG Summit, BPI up

T

HE stock market rallied Wednesday on sustained bargainhunting, with blue chips most battered by the recent slump posting gains.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index jumped 169.22 points, or 2.4 percent, to 7,176.43 on a value turnover of P6.5 billion. Gainers beat losers, 102 to 95, with 43 issues unchanged.

JG Summit Holdings Inc. of industrialist John Gokongwei advanced 5.2 percent to P51.25, while Bank of the Philippine Islands, the third-biggest lender in terms of assets, rose 4.6 percent to P90.

SM Prime Holdings Inc. of retail tycoon Henry Sy Sr. climbed 5.3 percent to P35.50, while parent firm SM Investments Corp. surged 4.5 percent to P875.

The rest of Asian markets, meanwhile, struggled to maintain early momentum and extended their recent losses as trade war fears torment investors.

Both main crude contracts piled higher after the State Department warned US allies they would be hit with sanctions if they did not halt Iran oil purchases by November 4.

Analysts said that while the announcement was not unexpected, the mere confirmation of the fact was enough to push investors into buying mode.

The commodity has enjoyed a healthy run since the weekend, when Opec and Russia agreed to a moderate lift in their 18-month-old output ceiling.

Unrest in producer Libya was also providing support.

The higher oil prices—Brent added more than two percent and WTI more than three percent Tuesday—lifted energy

firms. CNOOC soared more than three percent in Hong Kong while PetroChina added 0.4 percent. Woodside Petroleum in Sydney added 1.4 percent, while Tokyo-listed Inpex climbed 1.5 percent and JXTG soared more than six percent.

However, trade tensions continue to loom large, with investors on edge awaiting the next developments.

Tokyo ended 0.3 percent lower. Hong Kong lost 1.8 percent and Shanghai closed 1.1 percent down, with the mainland Chinese index now in bear market territory— down 20 percent from its recent highs.

Seoul edged 0.4 percent down, while Singapore shed 0.1 percent and Sydney was marginally lower. Taipei and Mumbai fell but Wellington, Bangkok and Jakarta were up.

Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trading at OANDA, said Donald Trump’s attack on Harley-Davidson indicated he

is not ready to back down on his hardline protectionist America first agenda.

The president on Tuesday hit out at the motorbike maker after it said it was planning to shift some manufacturing overseas because of European Union tariffs put in place as retaliation for US duties.

He said the bikes should “never” be built outside the United States, and tweeted: “Harley must know that they won’t be able to sell back into US without paying a big tax!”

In a commentary, Innes said: “The only thing I can think of that is more iconic Americana than apple pie is Harley-Davidson.

“So, after the president’s recent Twitter tirade directed at the iconic motorcycle manufacturer, it cements the view that, friend or foe, no one is safe from the wrath of the US administration’s America First trade policy.” With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2018

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

59.5 86 2.74 123.3 1.6 33.75 16.48 14.6 3.54 8.65 1.47 0.54 71.7 1.06 12 20 48.5 197 111 86.6 27.95 200.6 1,900 87

59.5 90.1 2.79 125.3 1.6 33.75 16.6 14.7 3.58 8.65 1.47 0.54 72.5 1.06 12 20 48.5 200 111 86.6 28.4 201.8 1,900 88

57.35 85.25 2.73 122.9 1.51 33 16.48 14.58 3.47 8.65 1.46 0.52 71.3 1.04 11.9 20 47.95 197 105.4 86.4 27.95 196.6 1,845 86

FINANCIALS 59.5 8,030 90 2,296,960 2.73 22,000 124 3,599,590 1.51 13,000 33.55 41,800 16.6 59,100 14.58 883,900 3.58 68,000 8.65 300 1.46 31,000 0.53 450,000 71.35 2,371,970 1.06 402,000 11.9 24,300 20 3,000 48 64,100 200 60 105.4 230 86.4 300 28 240,100 200 1,674,480 1,850 290 87.4 7,040

477,156.50 204,927,023.50 60,400 446,093,288 20,620 1,397,345 979,204 12,934,494 239,670 2,595 45,310 235,120 170,020,927.50 419,110 291,400 60,000 3,077,320 11,940 24,300 25,940 6,731,015 334,921,682 542,275 613,006

226,000 -48,716,469.50 75,364,922 248,535 1,976,090 -96,215,652 -9,595 -5,285,235 4,908,809 199,450 38,356

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

34.5 14.98 0.56 1.2 23.85 0.237 100 2.98 16.4 48 22.25 59 58 1.89 8.06 10 15.88 10.5 7.2 5.2 1.7 14.48 61.5 20.5 7.3 14.86 2.16 270.8 5.35 3.28 27 11.3 19.84 326.4 0.176 6.83 2.25 4.11 8.74 7.79 1.22 12.2 51 5.81 4.55 2.66 3.5 1.81 12.8 60 4.88 0.126 117 2.45 1.58

35.95 15.16 0.58 1.2 24.1 0.249 100 3.07 16.4 48.95 22.25 59 58 1.89 8.5 10.16 15.94 11 7.21 5.3 1.7 14.88 62 21.35 7.36 14.86 2.24 273 5.35 3.28 27.25 11.3 20.5 344.8 0.177 7.19 2.25 4.25 8.8 7.79 1.25 12.2 51.4 5.81 4.56 2.72 3.5 1.86 12.8 60 5 0.126 119 2.59 1.67

34.5 14.8 0.56 1.08 23 0.231 100 2.95 16 48 21.3 57.05 57.85 1.89 7.8 9.97 15.68 10.5 7.17 5.2 1.7 14.1 61.3 20.5 7.3 14.5 2.15 269 5.16 3.07 26.5 11.06 19.8 326.4 0.176 6.83 2.2 4.11 8.66 7.79 1.21 11.92 51 5.81 4.55 2.5 3.4 1.81 12.4 57.75 4.88 0.126 116.4 2.4 1.46

INDUSTRIAL 35.65 2,000,600 15.16 1,136,500 0.58 952,000 1.17 130,000 23.9 116,400 0.243 19,930,000 100 170 3 2,668,000 16 520,400 48.8 410,300 21.85 37,900 57.1 100 58 610 1.89 6,000 8 30,800 10 1,575,400 15.94 218,800 10.98 22,800 7.21 91,500 5.22 1,716,000 1.7 10,000 14.88 745,000 61.3 60,110 21.3 9,200 7.3 193,700 14.5 757,800 2.24 590,000 271 529,860 5.16 41,400 3.08 11,000 27.05 1,179,500 11.12 133,400 20.3 733,900 344.8 428,970 0.177 380,000 7.19 11,500 2.22 1,875,000 4.13 126,000 8.8 1,165,300 7.79 500 1.25 230,000 12 56,200 51.35 73,940 5.81 2,500 4.56 117,000 2.66 1,342,000 3.4 7,000 1.86 56,000 12.5 1,904,500 58.9 501,710 4.95 19,000 0.126 360,000 119 616,570 2.59 32,343,000 1.47 29,978,000

71,316,790 17,041,278 541,510 152,220 2,764,565 4,830,380 17,000 8,027,560 8,338,230 20,040,290 819,470 5,726.50 35,366.50 11,340 244,658 15,787,077 3,477,342 240,614 658,028 8,940,629 17,000 10,672,270 3,692,572.50 194,105 1,414,535 11,113,718 1,299,540 143,539,410 215,645 33,990 31,403,740 1,484,012 14,941,579 145,707,766 67,010 79,507 4,144,870 531,280 10,197,343 3,895 283,460 676,572 3,792,633.50 14,525 532,370 3,569,680 24,100 102,830 23,805,742 29,671,161 94,100 45,360 72,597,347 80,354,220 47,228,570

7,358,240 9,417,886 -109,700 11,000 -3,570,590 -7,796,610.00 -4,800 11,340 -61,942 649,008 -195,816 1,098 -381,269 1,538,467 -7,111,264 -1,854,851 -957,760 1,282,228 -137,250 -36,086,000 -30,910 -744,000 -149,770.00 -855,246 46,923,522 23,010 -345,090 -4,654,965.00 3,437,236 -2,905 523,250 -22,130 23,715,270 -1,225,578 -18,700,241 -50,845,570 -101,130

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

0.24 54 11.64 0.99 6 0.61 0.63 886 6.2 10.26 7.02 4.96 0.196 909 6 48.75 5.3 0.55 3.57 18.4 0.59 4.54 0.037 1.16 2.61 137 2.55 839 1.58 510 253.2 0.275 0.206

0.247 55.7 11.8 0.99 6 0.62 0.64 910 6.2 10.9 7.29 4.96 0.196 909 6 51.25 5.3 0.57 3.78 18.8 0.6 4.68 0.039 1.2 2.68 138 2.55 881 1.58 535 255 0.275 0.216

0.235 54 11.54 0.99 5.95 0.61 0.63 871 6.09 10.06 7 4.5 0.196 882.5 6 47.6 5.3 0.53 3.56 18.4 0.56 4.5 0.037 1.15 2.61 135.7 2.55 837 1.57 510 252 0.247 0.204

HOLDING FIRMS 0.235 2,470,000 55.5 923,940 11.62 21,581,200 0.99 52,000 5.95 2,100 0.62 3,171,000 0.63 256,000 910 125,790 6.2 2,710,300 10.9 8,688,000 7.2 147,200 4.5 32,000 0.196 90,000 885 192,450 6 70,100 51.25 2,726,700 5.3 2,100 0.54 2,721,000 3.75 44,000 18.7 2,317,500 0.59 1,283,000 4.64 19,827,000 0.039 7,100,000 1.19 410,000 2.66 229,000 138 346,160 2.55 10,000 875 294,350 1.57 115,000 535 350 252 2,510 0.25 34,290,000 0.204 1,680,000

588,360 51,106,403 251,270,882 51,480 12,531 1,942,140 161,620 113,371,160 16,784,516 92,632,910 1,032,682 153,520 17,640 170,571,070 420,600 136,798,015 11,130 1,454,820 158,250 43,012,672 750,050 91,549,550 269,300 481,210 603,600 47,573,971 25,500 256,590,265 181,400 181,550 634,890 8,795,570 345,300

118,000 -30,137,429.50 16,716,410 -2,984,355 372,985 10,075,042 700 -87,822,330 420,000 -10,874,560 158,920 -41,254,894.00 -10,233,550 -4,252,695 1,616,470 -48,102 -128,450 -

1,631,784 3,833,830 33,292 193,050 770,063,180 546,010 1,427,680 211,960 2,908,950 74,230 164,800 702,670 182,950 18,952,540 4,270 8,070 9,232,480 238,240 43,027,370 50,082,950 33,085,550 1,747,700 537,650

-42,706 49,500 -8,237,225 19,120 -155,040 -354,150 18,180 -82,950 -4,192,020 -7,168,550 -32,760 -10,667,820 -51,830.00 -

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

7.16 1 14.4 0.76 36.7 3.2 4.62 5.6 0.42 0.98 0.9 0.205 0.395 23.8 0.61 0.115 1.42 1.17 1.35 4.32 0.56 0.44 0.47

7.25 1.01 14.4 0.78 37.95 3.2 4.65 5.6 0.435 1.01 0.94 0.21 0.4 24.85 0.61 0.116 1.46 1.22 1.49 4.45 0.6 0.45 0.485

7.16 0.99 13.48 0.76 36.7 3.11 4.59 5.56 0.42 0.98 0.9 0.205 0.395 23.75 0.61 0.115 1.42 1.17 1.32 4.31 0.55 0.43 0.46

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

NAME

NAME

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

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

2.96 18.58 2.02 3.17 33.8 1.1 7.2 0.76 6.21

2.98 19.32 2.04 3.19 35.5 1.1 9.15 0.76 6.36

2.89 18.22 2 3.16 33.5 1.09 7.1 0.75 6.13

2.98 19.32 2.03 3.19 35.5 1.1 7.21 0.75 6.25

1,747,000 2,322,700 259,000 239,000 9,606,900 771,000 9,426,700 191,000 3,271,200

5,113,990 44,623,800 523,530 757,730 333,542,805 846,200 76,366,261 143,320 20,438,633

20,810 19,841,502.00 62,000 259,120 18,692,745 466,176 -9,157,726

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

15 25.05 0.44 0.044 13 9.54 0.053 75.4 7.22 20.55 940 1,505 5.38 285.6 11.32 3.23 2.1 78 12.98 8 0.14 2.35 5.36 15 3.95 1.02 24.4 3.85 5.2 2.61 2.55 2.3 18.94 10 11.58 8.65 3.75 122 5.21 1,195 0.88 0.34 46.1 77.5 8.3 1.83 1.13 0.415 4.85 0.79 11.58

15.2 25.6 0.45 0.044 13 9.85 0.054 76 7.34 22 940 1,579 5.4 287 11.32 3.32 2.12 80 12.98 8.15 0.14 2.63 5.62 15 4 1.03 24.6 4.13 5.3 2.61 2.9 2.86 18.94 10.56 11.58 9.17 3.91 123 5.28 1,225 0.88 0.34 47.45 79.5 8.48 1.87 1.14 0.43 4.89 0.79 11.7

15 25.05 0.44 0.042 12.8 9.53 0.053 75 7.01 19.6 940 1,505 5.38 255 11.32 3.2 2.1 77 12.9 7.9 0.133 2.35 5.18 15 3.93 1.02 24.2 3.85 5.15 2.54 2.42 2.3 17.04 9.71 11.1 8.65 3.6 122 5.13 1,180 0.85 0.34 46.1 77 8.1 1.81 1.12 0.41 4.84 0.75 11.54

SERVICES 15.2 25.4 0.45 0.043 13 9.7 0.054 75.2 7.21 20.35 940 1,545 5.4 274 11.32 3.32 2.12 78 12.9 8 0.139 2.4 5.24 15 3.98 1.03 24.25 4.1 5.16 2.57 2.8 2.82 17.96 9.71 11.1 8.65 3.77 123 5.19 1,214 0.87 0.34 47 79.5 8.35 1.82 1.13 0.42 4.85 0.78 11.58

3,300 39,300 1,090,000 2,200,000 2,700 5,824,200 2,060,000 91,570 1,001,500 454,400 10 38,595 168,400 75,310 100 318,000 25,000 3,274,910 1,000 51,300 26,720,000 19,061,000 1,711,900 1,500 614,000 218,000 89,500 4,531,000 14,218,200 1,186,000 3,015,000 134,000 2,300 25,298,200 96,500 1,700 933,000 49,710 865,400 96,415 3,385,000 180,000 809,900 920,620 39,300 2,384,000 270,000 7,870,000 1,795,000 2,448,000 600,000

49,870 999,420 481,050 94,200 34,940 56,454,579 109,310 6,889,292.50 7,202,017 9,315,942 9,400 59,997,110 909,238 20,216,118 1,132 1,042,360 52,870 256,893,814 12,908 409,030 3,631,550 47,249,780 9,229,496 22,500 2,442,250 223,060 2,172,160 17,447,420 73,478,993 3,045,250 7,991,030 336,040 40,102 256,078,403 1,077,472 15,140 3,518,280 6,070,110 4,485,652 116,777,415 2,917,920 61,200 38,057,130 73,022,566.50 322,345 4,372,040 305,050 3,294,350 8,706,880 1,859,400 6,952,678

34,400 10,240 -30,600,817 -5,374,703.50 1,449,846 -9,400 -7,758,695 -1,675,608 -79,361,350 117,520 -220,380 -91,414 159,500 -498,100 6,816,545 7,710.00 -2,840 282,459 2,312 -11,700 9,760 104,248 39,942,905 -1,417,590 -15,669,070 -32,529,147.50 -1,431,350 -113,000 -4,250 -6,756,050.00 -2,773,658

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

0.0025 1.45 4.11 20.95 1.69 0.3 7.12 2.14 0.185 0.13 0.127 0.0082 1.65 4.65 1.08 0.52 1.04 0.012 0.012 2 4.51 10.62 29.7

0.0027 1.47 4.11 21 1.72 0.3 7.39 2.19 0.189 0.13 0.128 0.0082 1.65 4.66 1.1 0.52 1.3 0.013 0.012 2.2 4.55 11 30.3

0.0025 1.43 4.07 19.3 1.69 0.295 7.1 2.13 0.185 0.129 0.127 0.008 1.56 4.6 1.08 0.5 1 0.011 0.011 2 4.5 10.6 29.5

MINING & OIL 0.0026 25,000,000 1.46 1,054,000 4.1 48,000 20.5 17,500 1.71 488,000 0.295 380,000 7.39 3,300 2.18 2,184,000 0.189 60,000 0.129 4,090,000 0.128 1,540,000 0.008 26,000,000 1.64 478,000 4.63 1,412,000 1.1 2,000 0.51 1,890,000 1.3 25,007,000 0.011 8,200,000 0.011 25,000,000 2.2 30,000 4.5 362,000 10.66 1,289,300 30.1 1,854,700

65,100 1,532,020 196,620 351,169 835,280 112,150 23,842 4,711,230 11,150 528,110 197,110 210,400 771,020 6,540,940 2,180 963,980 29,131,850 97,700 283,400 64,200 1,630,830 13,796,046 55,824,330

33,550 -40,300 -70,110 -21,800 3,528,730.00 -161,700.00 -9,040 236,314 -15,879,760

AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 DD PREF FGEN PREF F GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A LR PREF MWIDE PREF PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC FB PREF 2 SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

495 505 101.3 103 5.2 990 99.9 1.04 103 102.8 108.5 980 76.3 79 75 76 76.5

498 505 101.6 103 5.29 990 99.9 1.04 103 102.8 108.5 999.5 76.3 79 75 76.55 76.5

495 505 101.3 102.5 5.14 990 98.65 1.04 103 102.8 108.5 980 76.3 78.5 75 76 76.5

PREFERRED 498 7,000 505 10 101.6 32,720 102.5 200 5.15 36,800 990 180 99.9 20,610 1.04 1,000 103 1,000 102.8 200 108.5 20 999.5 5,600 76.3 20 78.5 20,700 75 40 76 30,100 76.5 12,000

3,476,880 5,050 3,318,377 20,550 194,038 178,200 2,040,314 1,040 103,000 20,560 2,170 5,549,000 1,526 1,634,845 3,000 2,290,900 918,000

-7,766 -

LR WARRANT

2.25

2.29

2.21

WARRANTS 2.27 281,000

629,900

40,940

ITALPINAS XURPAS

5.04 3.12

5.14 3.15

4.95 3

5.12 3.14

3,655,710 3,106,810

-42,483 1,577,530

FIRST METRO ETF

105.8

107.8

105.2

1,256,587

156,627

USD DMPL A1

10

10.1

10

MS

PROPERTY 7.19 1 13.48 0.77 37.6 3.18 4.65 5.6 0.43 1.01 0.94 0.208 0.395 24.45 0.61 0.115 1.44 1.19 1.38 4.41 0.58 0.43 0.485

226,500 3,853,000 2,400 252,000 20,511,900 172,000 310,000 37,900 6,810,000 74,000 182,000 3,400,000 460,000 778,700 7,000 70,000 6,416,000 201,000 30,159,000 11,399,000 56,483,000 3,990,000 1,130,000

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

OPEN

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

12,947,645

INDUSTRIAL

108,173,873

HOLDING FIRMS

114,643,012

PROPERTY

174,846,681

SERVICES

136,614,766

MINING & OIL

126,556,999

GRAND TOTAL

675,525,022

SME

728,400 1,000,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 107.5 11,770 10.1

DDS

6,500

65,250

-

VALUE 1,771.2 (up) 20.53 1,254,482,106.89 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,395.36 (up) 43.08 816,073,242.21 HOLDING FIRMS 7,082.59 (up) 209.52 1,762,417,676.29 PROPERTY 3,533.88 (up) 127.13 1,377.1 (up) 5.47 1,426,686,766.075 SERVICES MINING & OIL 9,621.69 (up) 65.12 1,117,285,205.21 PSEI 7,176.43 (up) 169.22 117,902,112.826 All Shares Index 4,379.3 (up) 69.99 6,502,872,219.9 Gainers: 102; Losers: 95; Unchanged: 43; Total: 240

San Carlos allots P200m to clean up its ethanol plant

By Alena Mae S. Flores SAN Carlos Bioenergy Inc. is investing P200 million to ensure compliance to environment standards and eliminate odor coming from its facility in Negros Occidental province.

San Carlos, one of two ethanol plants of Roxas Holdings Inc., is the first fuel bioethanol and co-geneation facility in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

Located at the San Carlos AgroIndustrial Economic Zone in Negros Occidental, it is now in its 10th year of operations this year.

San Carlos said in a statement it faced the challenge of managing distillery slops, also known as spent wash, like any other ethanol plant.

Roxas environment head Roselle Recreo said the spent wash was the resulting water colored brown from the production of ethanol from molasses.

“Theoretically, for every one liter of ethanol, we produce 10 to 12 liters of spent wash. Its characteristic color, acidity and very high level of organic matter make it one of the most challenging types of wastewater to manage,” Recreo said.

San Carlos said it was committed to protect and preserve the environment and address concerns on the odor emanating from the distillery slops by putting up two additional units of anaerobic digesters worth P200 million.

The ADs will handle 1,000 cubic meters of spent wash generated from ethanol production.

Work on the two ADs began in March last year and was expected to be completed in September 2018. The commissioning and biological process start-up will follow after the completion of the ADs. The ADs are designed to generate about 52,000 cubic meters of biogas per day at full capacity.

Recreo said the biogass would be utilized in combination with other biomass as fuel to produce the power requirement of the plant. The biogas is expected to replace an equivalent of 100 tons of bagasse per day.

San Carlos executive vice president for ethanol Luis Villa-Abrille and assistant vice president for operations Damado Agudelo reassured the city government and residents of the company’s commitment to protect the health of the people and preserve the environment.

8990 Holdings says Urban Deca sales to hit P4b URBAN Deca Homes owned by 8990 Holding Inc., which is fast becoming a leader in the affordable home market in Metro Manila, is expected to generate P4 billion in sales this year.

The company marked another milestone Wednesday during the groundbreaking ceremony of its largest urban home project in Metro Manila.

“This project is very exciting for us since it is our first large scale development located very close to the city’s central business districts,” 8990 president and chief executive officer Willie Uy said in a statement.

Urban Deca Homes Ortigas will bring in affordable home-buying opportunities, especially to young professionals and those starting their families.

The development is located within a 13-hectare property along Ortigas Avenue Extension. It will roll out 22 buildings offering a little over 19,000 homes upon completion.

The project is expected to attract buyers who currently rent or work in areas such as Pasig City, the Ortigas Central Business District, Libis, Antipolo and Taytay, Rizal.

“What is unique about Urban Deca Homes Ortigas is that we will be providing larger units, more open spaces, and wider road at this prime location.

For our buyers, this will truly offer greater value for money,” Uy said.

8990 owns three projects in Metro Manila. Its first high-rise building in Metro Manila, the 42-stoey Urban Deca Tower Edsa, was fully sold and completed in just 21 months after it was launched. It is also completing 1,024 units at Urban Deca Homes Campville in Muntinlupa City.

The company, meanwhile, will spend P8 billion through 2020 on Urban Deca Homes Manila in Tondo, Manila.

Upon completion, the Tondo project will deliver some 13,000 units with an estimated value of P20 billion. Alena Mae S. Flores

World

B3

THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Treasure worth $273m seized from former PM

YOUNG LEADERS AWARDS. From left, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and former Prime Minister John Major pose for a group photo during the Queen’s Young Leaders Awards Ceremony on June 26 at Buckingham Palace. AFP

KUALA LUMPUR―A vast trove of valuables seized in the raids on properties linked to Malaysia’s scandal-mired former leader, including cash, jewelry and luxury handbags, are worth up to $273 million, police said Wednesday.

The searches, part of the investigations into the scandal-hit sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, netted 12,000 pieces of jewelry, bags containing almost $30 million in cash across 26 different currencies, more than 400 watches worth $19.3 million, and other high-end designer goods.

“I think this is the biggest seizure in Malaysian history,” said Amar Singh, the police’s head of commercial crime investigations, after officials completed the mammoth task of valuing all the items they uncovered in raids around Kuala Lumpur last month.

He said the items were worth between 910 million ringgit ($225 million) and 1.1 billion ringgit ($273 million).

The official salary of Najib Razak, the former premier, while in office was 22,827 ringgit ($5,670) a month.

Allegations of massive corruption were a major factor behind last month’s shock election loss of Najib’s long-ruling coalition to a reformist alliance headed by Mahathir Mohamad.

Najib and his cronies were accused of plundering billions of dollars from 1MDB to buy everything from US real estate to artworks. Najib and the fund deny any wrongdoing.

His luxury-loving wife Rosmah Mansor became a lightning rod for public anger due to her vast collection of handbags and jewels, and her reported love of overseas shopping trips. AFP

US judge orders families reunited L OS ANGELES―A US judge has ordered that the migrant families separated at the border with Mexico under President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy be reunited within 30 days.

For children under five, reunification must take place within two weeks of the order issued Tuesday by US District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego.

Sabraw made the sternly worded decision in response to a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a seven-year-old girl who was separated from her Congolese mother and a 14-yearold boy who was separated from his Brazilian mother.

The judge also issued an injunction against any more family separations, which was part of a policy under which anyone crossing the border illegally is detained

and referred for criminal prosecution.

US federal authorities have 10 days to allow parents to call their children if they are not already in touch with them, the judge said.

Trump last week signed an executive order halting his government’s practice of taking children away from parents who cross the border without papers, even to seek asylum. Many are destitute people fleeing gang violence and other turmoil in Central America.

It was a rare retreat for Trump, who has made fighting immigration―both illegal and legal―one of the most sacred mantras of his fiercely US-centered policy agenda.

But the order made no specific provisions for families already separated under the policy, which sparked heated criticism in America and worldwide as inhumane and even a form of child abuse.

More than 2,000 children taken from their families remain under the care of federal authorities. Some are just toddlers, or even infants.

The ACLU argued that the administration has no real plan for reuniting families.

Every night small children “are crying themselves to sleep wondering if they will ever see their parents again,” said ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt.

Now, the policy of detaining parents who cross illegally with children has been suspended, with authorities saying that among other factors they do not have space for all the families coming over from Mexico.

Judge Sabraw was scathing in his criticism of the Trump policy of taking children away from their parents.

“The facts set forth before the court portray reactive governance―responses to address a chaotic circumstance of the government’s own making,” Sabraw wrote in the 24-page ruling.

“They belie measured and ordered governance, which is central to the concept of due process enshrined in our Constitution,” the judge added. AFP

Fruit pickers claim they were exploited MALAGA―Ten women who left their children at home in Morocco to earn money picking strawberries in southern Spain have said they were lied to, exploited and even sexually harassed.

They told AFP how their seasonal jobs turned into a nightmare, with punishing work schedules, “free” accommodation they had to pay for, and in one case attempted rape by a manager.

The claims have prompted fears that such exploitation may be more common across the industry in Spain’s south, which is Europe’s top fruit and vegetable exporter.

The women are currently living in the southern region of Andalusia, housed by the local SAT union which is supporting them, in an area they asked not be made public. Five have filed official complaints and the others are planning to do so.

They are all mothers―having children is a condition to get the job, a guarantee they will return to Morocco at the end of the February-June picking season.

“What is in the contract has nothing to do with reality,” says Layla, 31, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, as was those of the others who spoke to AFP. Layla is one of 16,000 Moroccan women who came to Andalusia to pick strawberries earlier this year, compelled by poverty back home.

Like the other nine women, Layla worked in the province of Huelva in Andalusia for the large Donana 1998 company, which categorically denied the allegations and had accused the women of creating a scandal to try to stay in Spain.

Adiba, 35, says the contract she signed in Morocco offered a salary of 39 to 40 euros ($46 to $47) a day for six-and-a-half hours of work, with one day off every week.

But instead, she says “we were told it was the second harvest” and they would be paid for how much they picked―75 cents for every fivekilogram (11-pound) crate.

And they had to “pick strawberries very, very quickly” or they were banned from working for several days, she adds. AFP

ON TRIAL.

Vietnamese national Doan Thi Huong is escorted by Malaysian police after a court session for her trial at the Shah Alam High Court in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur, on June 27, 2018 for her alleged role in the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. AFP

Kim Jong Nam investigation slammed as trial resumes SHA ALAM, Malaysia―The investigation into the assassination of the North Korean leader’s halfbrother was “shoddy” and “lopsided”, a Malaysian court heard Wednesday as the trial resumed of two women accused of the murder.

Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong allegedly killed Kim Jong Nam by smearing a toxic nerve agent on his face at Kuala Lumpur International Airport last year in a Cold War-style hit that shocked the world.

Defense lawyers have argued that the women were recruited to take part in what they thought were prank TV shows

but were instead tricked into becoming inadvertent assassins, in an elaborate plot by a group of North Korean agents.

The women, in their 20s, have denied murdering Kim Jong Un’s estranged half-brother as he waited for a flight to Macau. They face death by hanging if found guilty.

The trial, which began last year, resumed Wednesday after a break since early April, with the women escorted into court handcuffed and wearing bullet-proof vests.

Aisyah’s lawyer Gooi Soon Seng made his final submission, telling the Shah Alam High Court, outside Kuala Lumpur, that “the investigation was not

only shoddy but was lopsided”.

The charge was “vague” and the prosecution “has failed to make out a prima facie case against the accused (Aisyah)”, he said.

Gooi argued prosecutors had not proven his client applied the VX nerve agent on Kim’s face and questioned why -- if she really were the assassin -- she had told friends and family so readily about the supposed TV pranks that she was involved in.

He also said it was unusual that Aisyah did not suffer any symptoms due to contact with VX, which the United Nations classifies as a weapon of mass destruction. AFP

IN BRIEF ‘N. Korea still building at nuclear site’ SEOUL―North Korea is carrying out rapid improvements to its nuclear research facility, a monitor said on Wednesday, despite declaring a commitment to denuclearization of the peninsula at the Singapore summit.

The nuclear-armed North’s leader Kim Jong Un promised to “work toward” the goal at a landmark summit in the citystate earlier this month with US President Donald Trump.

But the Singapore meeting failed to clearly define denuclearization or produce a specific time line towards dismantling the North’s atomic weapons arsenal.

Trump claimed the process would start quickly, saying last week that “It will be a total denuclearization, which is already taking place.”

But recent satellite imagery showed that not only were operations continuing at the North’s main Yongbyon nuclear site, it was also carrying out infrastructure works, said the respected 38 North website.

“Commercial satellite imagery from June 21 indicates that improvements to the infrastructure at... Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center are continuing at a rapid pace,” it said.

It noted “continued operations” at the North’s uranium enrichment plant and several new installations at the site―including an engineering office and a driveway to a building housing a nuclear reactor.

But continued operations at the site “should not be seen as having any relationship with North Korea’s pledge to denuclearize”, it added. AFP

Rain hampers rescue of trapped children MAE SAI, Thailand―Rescuers struggled Wednesday to drain a flooded cave in Thailand where 12 children and their football coach have been trapped for days, as monks chanted prayers for the boys.

The young football team, aged between 11 and 16, have been stuck in the Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand since Saturday night after monsoon rain blocked the main entrance.

Hundreds of rescue workers worked overnight to install high-pressure water pumps to reduce flooding in the cave, but it was a losing battle as rains continued to fall in the area near the Laos and Myanmar borders in northern Chiang Rai province.

“Today’s work is much harder, we are trying hard to drain water by pumping out but the water level is still rising,” provincial governor Narongsak Osottanakorn told reporters.

Conditions in the cave also proved tough for the 200 rescuers dispatched into the tunnels to find the boys.

“The water inside the cave is very murky, and there’s not much oxygen,” Narongsak said.

The governor said three foreign cavediving experts would arrive Wednesday evening to aid the harrowing search that pressed into its fifth day Wednesday.

Around 1,000 people had been mobilized for the rescue efforts, including air and ground teams and divers. The Army also dispatched special operation troops to aid the rescue. AFP

Amnesty: Myanmar military leaders oversaw attack against Rohingya NEW YORK―Myanmar’s military chief and other top brass have been accused by Amnesty International of crimes against humanity for overseeing a “systematic” attack against Rohingya Muslims, according to a report by the rights group Wednesday calling for prosecution at the International Criminal Court.

More than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims were forced to flee Rakhine state after a military crackdown that the United Nations has said amounts to

“ethnic cleansing”.

Myanmar’s military has denied targeting the stateless minority and said it was defending itself against Muslim militants who attacked police posts in August 2017.

But a new report from Amnesty said army commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing and 12 other senior military and security officials oversaw an orchestrated campaign of violence in the restive state where the Rohingya have been historically marginalized.

It is the first time senior military officials have been named and implicated in the violence.

“The ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya population was achieved by a relentless and systematic campaign in which the Myanmar security forces unlawfully killed thousands of Rohingya, including young children,” said the report.

“The bulk of these crimes were not the actions of rogue or out-of-control soldiers or units,” it added, rejecting previous claims by the military that

some soldiers may have broken the rules of engagement.

It also accused security forces of sexual violence, torture, forced displacement and burning markets and farmland that starved communities and forced them to flee.

“These crimes amount to crimes against humanity under international law, as they were perpetrated as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the Rohingya population,” the report said. AFP

LGUs

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

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thursday, june 28, 2018

LocaL government units

GUINNESS ATTEMPT. A crowd led by Sorsogon City Mayor Sally Lee waits for a huge plate of pili nut conserva, a type of candy, to cool before sharing it with the public on Tuesday. To

celebrate its weeklong Pili Festival, Sorsogon attempted to set a Guinness World Record for the biggest pili nut conserva, using at least 200 kilos of the local delicacy, and managed to cook a conserva with a diameter of 4.88 meters. The record attempt, believed to be the first such try, will be sent to Guinness for validation. Teddy Pelaez

Makati hails college scholars QC renews pact with OVP for Boracay Mansion

By Rio N. Araja thE 37-member Quezon City Council has given Mayor herbert Bautista the green light to renew the city government’s contract with the Office of the Vice President to use its 5,000-square meter property located in New Manila.

District 1 Councilor Alexis herrera authored City Resolution 7406 to ratify the contract between the mayor and the office of Vice President Leni Robredo for the lease of the Quezon City Reception house, or the so-called Boracay Mansion.

Located in Barangay Marianas, the property was earlier identified by the OVP as its potential office in Metro Manila. “the Office of the Vice President has expressed interest in holding its National Capital Region Office in Quezon City where many national government agencies are strategically located,” the resolution read. the OVP, through the bids and awards committee, determined that the renewal of the contract of lease remained to be advantageous to the government. the 5,000-sq. m. Quezon City Reception house was originally built as a satellite office of the city mayor where ceremonial and diplomatic functions should be hosted.

Meanwhile, the council also passed a resolution urging the City Engineering Department to repair and restore all open manholes along city roads.

City Resolution 7371-2018, introduced by Councilor Elizabeth A. Delarmente, is in response to the complaints against open manholes that have become repositories of trash that cause flooding.

By Joel E. Zurbano

M

AyOR Abigail Binay on Wednesday hailed five scholars of the Makati City government who finished college with honors, including a magna cum laude graduate from the University of the Philippines and four cum laude graduates from the Philippine Normal University.

“Congratulations to our outstanding scholars! your parents must be very proud of you, as we are. the city government salutes you for matching the support given to you with excellence,” said Binay.

She also urged them to continue being a positive influence on other young Makatizens in their families, communities and even in their respective workplaces. “As you begin your respective careers, i urge you to sustain your passion to excel and be a shining example for the younger gen-

erations to emulate.”

Norma tumambing, head of the city’s department of education, named Diana Oblino as the Makati scholar in UP Diliman who took up Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication and graduated magna cum laude this June. the scholars who graduated cum laude in PNU were Mary Bernadette Dela Cruz and Divine Grace Ellana, both with a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education; Sarah Cabbuag, Bachelor in English Education with Certificate in teaching Junior

Secondary high School; and Patricia Marquez, Bachelor in Social Science Education with Certificate in teaching Senior Secondary high School.

Another Makati scholar in PNU, Wilma Gabrielle Galutera, earned her Bachelor in Early Education degree this year.

Besides the full payment of their tuition and miscellaneous fees as applicable, Makati scholars in UP and PNU receive P4,000 monthly stipend each, and a P5,000 and P4,000 book allowance per semester, respectively.

Last year, the city started extending its college scholarship program to qualified students at the city-run University of Makati (UMak), where each scholar receives P2,000 monthly stipend and P2,000 book allowance.

For school year 2017-2018, the city has a total of nine scholars in PNU, five in UP, and six in UMak.

MS. MANILA WINNER.

Newly-crowned Ms. Manila 2018 Kathleen Joy Paton (second from right) poses with (from right) Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, celebrity host Vice Ganda, and Ms. Manila 2017 Ma. Gail Tobes during the grand coronation night on Tuesday at the PICC Plenary Hall in Pasay City. Paton also bagged the Best in Swimsuit award ahead of 1st runner-up Malka Shaver, 2nd runner-up Paulina Labayo, 3rd runner-up Kristi Banks, and 4th runner-up Agatha Lei Romero.

RP Energy hands out solar lamps for Subic pupils

By Butch Gunio SUBiC BAy FREEPORt—Redondo Peninsula Energy, in partnership with One Meralco Foundation, provided 100 solar lamps to the grade school pupils of Kinabuksan integrated School on Friday. the school is in an off-grid community within the Freeport Zone, in Barangay Cawag, Subic, Zambales.

“Light Up Our Future is our way of helping create better futures for these students and their families. the solar lamps will encourage them in doing their homework which leads to better academic performance,” said Jason Gavina, RP Energy’s Corporate Social Responsibility Officer. the solar lamp distribution forms part of RP Energy’s CSR program on

education. Previously, the company donated a school boat, generator set, and computers to the school. the company works closely with the General Parent-teacher-Community Association and the school faculty for these activities that benefit the school community.

RP Energy is the developer of a 2x300 MW coal-fired power plant in the Freeport Zone.

Atienza waits for signal to run for mayor With barely four months before the filing of candidacies for next year’s elections, Buhay Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza said he will only join the mayoralty race of Manila if city hall “fails to act on its promises.” “if the government does not change in Manila and ignores what we talk about here, when City hall does not [act], what will we do? When the time to decide comes, i will ask you: ‘Are you going to be happy with this government?’ When you answer ‘no’, i will run,” Atienza said at the recent tapatan sa Aristocrat forum in Malate, Manila.

Atienza was a three-term Manila mayor from 1998 to 2007. Barred by law from seeking a fourth consecutive term, he was instead named environment secretary by then-President Gloria Arroyo after his tenure as mayor. however, the lawmaker would be going up against incumbent mayor and former President Joseph Estrada, who has declared he will run for a third and final term.

Atienza’s youngest son Ali ran for mayor in 2007 but lost to then-senator Alfredo Lim. Lito Atienza was Lim’s vice mayor for three terms as well before 1998. the elder Atienza reiterated that anything can still happen within the next four months, and that only God knows what road he’ll take in politics. the tapatan sa Aristocrat forum where he spoke was dedicated to Manila’s 447th anniversary of its cityhood, where issues prominent in the city such as improper garbage disposal, the Manila Bay Restoration, and the war on drugs were discussed.

“Maynila: Matapos ang 447 taong Pagkakatatag (Naganap, Nagaganap at Magaganap)” was moderated by Melo M. Acuña. Atienza’s co-speakers were newspaper columnist Wilson Lee Flores, Sister Nenet Daño, RGS; Engineer Elmerito Pineda, dean of the College of Engineering of the Universidad de Manila; and UDM scholar Karen Papilleras. Bianca Grajo

Navotas starts preparations for 11th year thE Navotas City government has inaugurated various facilities in celebration of its 11th cityhood anniversary.

Mayor John Rey tiangco, Vice Mayor Clint Geronimo and other city and barangay officials led the inauguration among those were Building 2 of NavotaAs homes tanza ii at Barangay tanza 2:; the office of the Commission on Audit at the Navotas City hall,; the Matangbaka Linear Park and the Navotas Recovery Center at Barangay North Bay Boulevard, South Dagat-dagatan.

Building 2 has 51 units that will serve as new homes for Navoteño families currently living along waterways. Once completed, NavotaAs homes tanza ii will be able to shelter 408 families. the CoA office underwent improvements using minimalist design to make efficient use of space. the renovation formed part of a series of improvements of offices in the city hall. the Matangbaka Linear Park will provide a safe space for kids in the area to play or for families to bond. the Navotas Recovery Center will house the office of the Navotas Anti-Drug Abuse Council and serve as venue for the counseling of participants of Bidahan, the city’s community-based treatment and rehabilitation program.

Navotas became a city in 2007 through the efforts of then mayor and now Lone Rep. toby tiangco.

Jun David

Malabon mayor is also a foodie-influencer vlogger (Continued from yesterday)

MOSt days, Malabon Mayor Antolin “Lenlen” Oreta iii chooses to visit restaurants and food hubs unannounced, to the delight of their owners. “i enjoy going there without prior plans. Most of the time, these establishments would refuse payment for those i ordered, but of course i would make sure that i do pay,” he says.

An unexpected social-media influencer for his candid food reviews that has led to more than 100,000 followers on Facebook and a million views for his online videos, Mayor Oreta says his city has so much more to offer than just its famed pancit Malabon and pichi-pichi.

“We have what we like to call Kalye Masarap in [Barangay] Concepcion, because that short strip has so much to offer when it comes to the best unusual yet delicious food. if you visit the Concepcion Market, you’ll find delicacies native like okoy ng Malabon [shrimp cakes], tapang kabayo [horse

jerky], and my favorite, the Malabon kikiam.” the mayor also encourages his viewers from Malabon and its surrounding cities to try out some of his favorite food spots. his top choices include Chitis for the chicken and pancakes and Ompong’s Kitchen for the sinigang na lechon. “it’s located in a place that’s not usually known for food, so it’s a surprising discovery,” says Oreta, whose wife Melissa is a popular chef as well. the mayor’s third choice is Pizza hub; next is Judy Ann’s for the popular crispy pata. Lastly, for good old home-cooked Malabon delicacies, the mayor suggests Betsy’s.

Aside from promoting Malabon as a culinary destination, Oreta also hopes to grow his online reach so he could easily disseminate important information regarding ongoing projects such as the city’s nutrition drive. to see more of Mayor Oreta’s food vlogs and city updates, check out his official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ LenLenOreta.

A screen grab shows Malabon Mayor Antolin ‘Lenlen’ Oreta sampling dishes from one of his city’s notable restaurants.

Life

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

household

@MstandardLIFe thursday, june 28, 2018

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FOOD MADE WITH LOVE.

Sending children off to school with home-cooked meals ensure that what they eat is filling and healthy.

How to prepare healthy packed meals

T

he beginning of another school year means, for most parents, mornings spent preparing packed meals for their kids.

Meal planning is best done on the weekend. Start by making an inventory of everything in your refrigerator and pantry. By knowing what you currently have, you can determine what meals to make or what additional ingredients to buy. Interactive tools like meal planning apps and websites can help make this task easier to manage by helping you create grocery lists, choose recipes, and track your children’s calorie intake.

It’s best to pick recipes based on common ingredients or things you can easily get from the store. Choose balanced recipes with a good mix of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins

While sending children off to school with home-cooked meals instead of letting them buy their own food is the healthier, more cost-effective option, doing so could be time-consuming and inconvenient.

But it is possible to prepare healthy packed meals for children without it taking much of your time. Appliance brand electrolux Philippines shares Be creative with veggies some “baon-making” tips that can help Most kids are not fond of their greens. parent navigate their way through anOne way to make them eat vegetables is other school year. by using creative preparation and presentation, like making vegetarian sushi.

Plan the meals Although it may seem tedious at first, Combine all kinds of vegetables with rice meal planning is one of the best ways and seasoning to create tasty sushi rolls.

Another way to serve veggies is to to save money and be more efficient in turn them into kebabs. Marinating and preparing packed grub.

grilling vegetables with herbs, garlic, and balsamic glaze, give them a deliciously tangy taste. Put them on skewers with some chicken or shrimp for a healthy, filling lunch.

Cook various vegetable recipes using electrolux Tabletop Microwave Oven with Grill and Convection, a 4-in-1 appliance that combines the convenience of a microwave and the performance of an oven.

Switch to healthier alternatives

The simplest way to make any meal healthier is by opting for the “better” alternatives. Instead of sending children off to school with packaged sweets and chips, give them peanut butter sandwich with sliced fruits or grilled chicken sandwich with baked potatoes instead. Not only are “better” alternatives healthier, they are more filling and nourishing as well.

Save more time using electrolux Built-In Induction hob to cook meals.

Induction is faster and uses much less

energy than other cooking technologies because it heats the cookware directly while the cooktop remains cool in the process.

As for drinks, pick homemade juice or smoothies over packaged beverages. This way, you will be sure what goes in your child’s drinks. Better still, have a juicer or blender and let the kids pick out the fruit they want to drink for the day.

Let nothing go to waste

Cooking or preparing meals in big batches helps you save a lot of time.

Bake, grill, and roast food in your electrolux Built-In Oven, which comes in a 68-liter capacity that can be extended to 74 liters to give you plenty of room to cook multiple dishes in one go.

Make sure to store extra servings in the refrigerator or freezer to preserve their freshness, and just heat them up when needed.

‘One pot’ meals are made using leftover ingredients that complement each other.

The electrolux NutriFresh Inverter refrigerator is equipped with technology that stabilizes temperature, deodorizes, and minimizes water loss, ensuring fruits and vegetables stay fresh for up to a week.

Meanwhile, to make use of leftover ingredients, try making “one pot meals” such as stews or pasta that can be made by putting together all ingredients in one pot.

The great thing about these meals is that you can be as creative as you like as long as the ingredients complement each other.

Report reveals what kids ‘google’ the most eNSurING that children are safe from inappropriate content that they might see online is one of the challenges parents face.

To give adult guardians a better idea what kids are searching online, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab released its latest report on the online activities of children. using anonymized statistics from its flagship solutions and modules with child protection features, namely Parental Control and Safe Kids, Kaspersky Lab discovered video and audio category is the most regularly “googled” by children, accounting for 17 percent of searches over the last six months. under the video and audio category are requests related to any video content, streaming services, video bloggers, television series, and movies.

The second and third most searched online are translation (14 percent) and communication (10 percent) websites, respectively. Interestingly, games websites sit in fourth place, generating only 9 percent of the total search requests.

The cybersecurity firm also found out a clear language difference for search requests. For instance, video and music websites are typically searched in english.

Spanish-speaking kids, on the other hand, carry out more requests for translation sites, while communication services are mostly searched by russians.

More than any other nationalities, Chinese-speaking children look for education services, while French-speaking kids are more interested in sports and games websites. In turn, German-

Data from Kaspersky Lab show that children online search for video and audio content the most.

speaking requests dominate in the “shopping” category. The leading number of search requests for porn are in Arabic, and for anime are in Japanese.

“Kids in different countries have different interests and online behaviors,

but what links them all is their need to be protected online from potentially harmful content. Children looking for animated content could accidentally open a porn video. Or they could start searching for innocent videos and un-

intentionally end up on websites containing violent content, both of which could have a long-term impact on their impressionable and vulnerable minds,” says Anna Larkina, web-content analysis expert at Kaspersky Lab.

As well as analyzing searches, the report also looked into which websites children visit or attempt to visit that contain potentially harmful content, which falls under one of the 14 preset categories that can be blocked by the Parental Control module.

The data show that communication sites (such as social media, messengers, or emails) were the most popular pages visited by computers with parental controls switched on—with users visiting these sites in 60 percent of cases over the previous 12 months.

The second most popular category of websites visited by these users is “software, audio, and video” (22 percent). Alcohol, tobacco, and websites about narcotics (6 percent) is the third most searched on computers with child protection features.

“While it is important to trust your children and educate them about how to behave safely online, even your good advice cannot protect them from something unexpectedly showing up on the screen,” opines Larkina. “That’s why advanced security solutions are key to ensuring children have positive online experiences, rather than harmful ones.”

The Kaspersky Total Security and Kaspersky Internet Security consumer solutions include a Parental Control module to help adults protect their children against online threats and block sites or apps containing inappropriate content. Meanwhile, the Kaspersky Safe Kids solution allows parents to monitor what their children do, see, or search for online across all devices, including mobile devices.

Life

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thursday, june 28, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Remittance firm honors 12 OFW families

By Gabbie Parlade

A giveaway that can be used daily, like a pen, helps reinforce brand recall.

Making a good impression through giveaways

Money transfer company MoneyGram, recognized the hard work of 12 overseas Filipino workers at the second annual MoneyGram Idol Awards held recently at the Solaire Resort and Casino. yogesh Sangle, MoneyGram’s head of Asia-Pacific, Middle east, and South Asia, said the award aims to pay tribute to 12 million oFWs working abroad and to the everyday struggles of their families back home.

Alex Lim, country manager of MoneyGram Philippines, said that one of the main reasons people go abroad is to give their families the financial support that they need.

“We [MoneyGram] realized that the main reason people travel abroad is to provide their loved ones with good education,” said Lim. The winning oFWs received P30,000 in cash and an all-expense paid trip to Manila where they will

spend three days and two nights with their loved ones at the Solaire Resort. In addition, 30 winners also won P5,000 in cash.

The awards were handed over to the families of winners during the ceremony attended by MoneyGram’s key regional leaders and brand ambassador Robin Padilla.

This year’s winners are Michelle Gomez and emilia Moncada of Cavite, Remie Magkalas and Rose Cabilen of Laguna, Jade Colaljo of Iligan City, Aldrich Pablo of Cabanatuan City, Cecille Acantalicio of Camarines Sur, Ryan Deyto of Caloocan City, Jophil Cabahug of Cebu, and Marilyn Ayson, Merline Faigmanio, and Mary Jane Toling of Quezon City.

“This celebration is all about families and bringing our customers closer, and [we] are happy to be here [and] share all these memorable experiences with you,” said Sabrina Chan, marketing lead in Asia-Pacific of MoneyGram International.

I

n A highly competitive market, there are strategic ways small and medium enterprises (SMes) and startups can reach out to more potential customers without spending too much.

“They don’t have the same budget for traditional advertising like big companies, so they need to go direct and corporate gifts are the exact way to do it,” says Raquel Romero, president and general manager of Worldexco.

She adds, “SMes need corporate giveaways because it’s a way for them to market directly to their target audience.”

Gifts are always highly appreciated by recipients especially if they can be used daily. Some of the most popular giveaways today are mobile phone or tech-related gadgets, travel accessories, and desktop items.

Such materials usually carry a business’ logo or a brand’s message. This way, potential customers’ interest is gained and brand recall is reinforced.

Based on international studies, a majority of consumers recall a business name or logo for up to two years after receiving the items. Most of those consumers also end up doing business with the company days, weeks, or months after receipt of the giveaways.

Romero further explains the three reasons why small business owners should consider promotional marketing through corporate giveaways.

Cost-effective marketing

Through practical promotional items, a small business’ marketing goals can be easily achieved. An SMe need not spend too much on giveaways. “It doesn’t have to be costly as there’s such a wide range of items that are available.

What’s important is you know how much your budget is and you know who you’re giving it to,” says Romero.

Getting attention and loyalty

Trade shows and exhibits like the Corporate Giveaways Buyers’ Show

Muji Greenbelt 3 launches its Innerwear line for men and women

MoneyGram executives and brand ambassador Robin Padilla at the MoneyGram Idol Awards 2018 awarding ceremony

Sweet at 60 The celebrations for the 60th anniversary of SM continue with the “Sweet 60” weekend party held recently at the SM Mega Fashion hall.

The “Sweet 60” activity area featured interactive play experiences, where shoppers immersed themselves in a fantastic wonderland of colors and desserts. In partnership with Boysen, Fruits In Ice Cream, The Dessert Museum, and The Lost Bread, SM Megamall’s #AweSM Weekend Party was an Instagram wonderland where everyone splurged on dessert

M16 from Visiontech

provide ideas on the best kinds of giveaways. “Let the suppliers help you. This is their business so they know what’s on trend, and what gifts actually work.

Sometimes, even if they don’t have the item that you want, they will source it for you,” she advises.

Worldexco staged the Corporate Giveaways Buyers’ Show 2018 on June 29-28 at the SM Convention Center in Pasay City.

treats and freebies, and snapped photos at the different activity stations.

Delighting further the guests were performances by national University pep squad, Frenchie Dy, Radha, Bituin escalante, Ramonne Rodriguez of The Voice, and SM Little Star Annastacia Penny.

SM Supermalls chief operating officer Steven Tan, senior vice president for marketing Jonjon San Agustin, and SM Megamall assistant vice president for operations Christian Mathay were present to welcome guests to the event.

Swiss Card from Victorinox

Strong brand recognition

Romero emphasizes that giving away promotional items is effective for getting exposure because if you give something that people use, your brand will always be with them. Whether it is a passport holder or a pen, it is good to know that clients will always think of you whenever they use or see the items. however, be sure to give away items that are useful and functional. “Whatever it is, whether a power bank or an umbrella, it needs to work. If you gave away something that’s broken or defective they’ll tie that to your brand, which is not what you want” ends Romero.

Tumbler from Contigo

SM Woman’s Radha, Bituin Escalante, and Frenchie Dy

Muji reopens Greenbelt 3 store LIFeSTyLe brand Muji, known for its home, personal care, and electronics items that reflect the Japanese minimalist way of living, reopens its store at Greenbelt 3 on June 29 after three months of intensive renovation.

The new interiors of the Greenbelt 3 branch draw inspiration from nature by incorporating wood, stone, sand, and metal to its design.

To mark the reopening, Muji Greenbelt 3 will highlight a “What is Muji?” display inside the store to introduce the brand’s products and concept to Filipino consumers. It aims to educate more Filipinos about Muji’s vision by eliminating language barriers between Japan and the Philippines.

Muji essential Products such as health and beauty, stationery, travel, kitchenware, housewares, furniture, and electronics items, as well as men’s and women’s apparel, bags, shoes, and accessories are housed in the 406-square-meter store.

Latest products offered at the store are the Aging Skin Care Series and Innerwear for men and women.

exclusive opening giveaways and promotions await customers. on opening weekend, customers will get the chance to receive special limited giveaways such as P200 Muji gift certificates, Sensitive Skin Care samples, and an exclu-

Aging Skin Care series

sive Muji Greenbelt 3 My Bag, with a minimum purchase. In addition, select Muji essentials will be at 20 percent off, while the new Aging Skin Care and Innerwear lines will be offered with an introductory promo of 10 percent off.

World Class Medical Facilities & Services in the PH (Special Feature)

THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018

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At a glance: PH’s top medical facilities

By MJ Blancaflor and Patricia Cabela

A

SIDE from highly skilled and Englishspeaking physicians, the Philippines also boasts of state-of-the-art medical facilities, making it a rising giant in medical tourism.

Manila Standard listed the top five world-class hospitals in the country that attract medical tourists across the globe.

1. St. Luke’s Medical Center—Considered as one of the leading healthcare institutions in the country, SLMC are at par with the most advanced hospitals worldwide. St. Luke’s did many firsts in the medical history of the Philippines: pediatric robotic sur-

body. Its facility in Taguig got its first JCI accreditation in 2012 just two years after its opening. Both hospitals are also recognized by Temos, a Germany-based accreditation body for its excellence in medical tourism and quality in international patient care.

2. Makati Medical Center— For over 45 years, Makati Med has continuously proven its commitment to deliver quality health-

St. Luke’s Medical Center

gery, robotic lung resection, left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implant, and mismatch stem cell transplant.

It is the sole facility in the country that offers a new technology called hybrid fractional laser resurfacing that treats a variety of skin concerns. It also acquired the CryoConsole System that allows performing a procedure preventing abnormal electrical signals moving through the heart.

SLMC is also recognized and affiliated with prominent international organizations. In 2003, St. Luke’s in Quezon City was the first hospital in the country accredited by the Joint Commission International the world’s most prestigious certification

care practices and excellent patient care. Through its renowned Cellular Therapeutics Center, it is one of only four hospitals that received accreditation from the DOH as a hospital-based facility engaged in cell-based therapy.

In 2011, Makati Medical Center was certified by JCI. MakatiMed is also recognized by DOH and PhilHealth’s Benchbook of standards as a Center of Excellence. Moreover, in 2015, it was regarded by DOH, United Nations Children’s Fund, and the World Health Organization as a mother-baby friendly hospital due to its dedication in compassionate maternal services and efficient breastfeeding practices.

MakatiMed has relentlessly

PH as a Medical Tourism haven

By Bianca Grajo, Paola Navarette and Dexter Tilo IT’S more fun and healthy in the Philippines!

By being located in one of the most strategic spots in Southeast Asia, the Philippines has also positioned itself on a pedestal in the field of medical tourism in the world.

The country’s tropical climate encourages healing and relaxation after medical procedures. Tourists can enjoy a good view of the country’s rich natural resources after a long medical, dental, or cosmetic procedure.

Filipino hospitality and compassion have also become an effective asset in welcoming medical visitors, especially when a lot of healthcare providers in the country are also proficient in English.

Moreover, the country puts itself at par with other rising medical tourism nations with its competitive pricing in health and wellness services, while at the same time offering cutting-edge facilities.

As a matter of fact, the Philippines made it to the list of medical tourist destinations compiled by the International Healthcare Research Center and Medical Tourism Association, peaking at number eight back in 2015.

Medical tourism is a phenomenon where people who live in a certain country travel to another to receive a greater or equal service due to affordability, availability or to seek more advanced treatments.

The World Health Organization describes medical tourists as people who elect to travel across international borders to receive some form of medical treatment whereas the most common services are dental care, cosmetic surgery, elective surgery, and fertility treatment.

In a released statement, the Department of Tourism, Department of Health and the Department of Trade and Industry – Board of Investments identified five segments in the international medical travel sectors: tourists, those who come for spa and other wellness services; medical tourists, the ones who avail of low-acuity medical procedures; medical travelers, the ones who specifically avail of more complex procedures; international patients, including overseas Filipino workers, expats, and retirees; and accompanying guests, the guests or immediate kin of travelers.

The Philippines caters 80,000 to 250,000 patients annually, with clients coming from East Asia, Sri Lanka, the Pacific Islands, Australia, North and South America, Europe and the UK, and the Gulf States.

In the years 2006 through 2010, it was stated in a study released by the HealthCORE Research Communications & Management Inc. called Philippine Medical Tourism Compendium 2011: Facts, Figures & Strategies that the country earned an estimated $1.3 billion through medical tourism and is expected to go even higher in the following years.

Medical tourism in the Philippines highlights the country’s world-class facilities which consist of high-tech equipment, state-of-the-art hospitals and intensive care facilities as cited in a research by the Balikbayan Media Center.

To improve the country’s medical tourism, Department of Tourism, according to CNN Philippines, has initiated a six-month medical as the agency will advertise the country as medical wellness and travel destination.

The agency is also working with the Department of Health for the Philippine Medical Tourism Program to promote Philippines’ medical tourism.

According to the website of DOH, the program plans to “contribute a noticeable and quantifiable amount to the Philippine economy and improvement in the quality of life.” Its other objectives include an increase of the generation of jobs, institutions with advanced medical utilities, and an increase in visitors.

Moreover, the Quezon City government aspires to strengthen the city’s global standing as a preferred medical tourism destination. In fact, last June 2017, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista signed the “QC Medical Tourism Vision 2020 Commitment” which targets the city to become an international medical and wellness tourism destination in a span of three years.

Indeed, starting from high-end facilities and equipment, the Philippines has the key ingredients to be the next medical tourism haven in the world as Filipinos are known for their inherent skills, uniquely Filipino brand of caring and compassion, and their ability to integrate medical services with wellness and tourism.

Makati Medical Center

excelled in clinical research initiatives and training new batch of healthcare providers which led them to receive numerous awards such as the Silver Anvil Award in 2016. It also received recognition from DOH for its invaluable support and contribution in the mobilization of health emergency response teams during the ASEAN meeting and activities last year.

3. Medical City—This hospital has taken its brand into the global arena through its ownership and operation of Guam Regional Medical City, the first and only private hospital in Guam, and the establishment of ambulatory clinics in Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The Medical City Main, located along Ortigas Avenue, has also been conferred accreditation by the JCI for attaining and maintaining the highest standards of quality for healthcare organizations.

The Center for Wellness and Aesthetics, Cardiovascular Program, Cancer Program and the Regenerative Medicine Program of Medical City is a go-to for integrated and encompassing noninvasive diagnostics. For 50 years, it has been committed ian serving around 50,000 inpatients and 500,000 outpatients a year.

4. Asian Hospital and Medical Center—With tertiary care facilities, it is the first major private

Medical City

hospital in the south of Manila.

Hailed as the Most Outstanding Modern Hospital by the Philippine Marketing Excellence Awards, it is a multi-specialty medical center that offers several packages for international patients. It includes executive health screening and cosmetic surgery procedures. Asian Hospital could also arrange hotel accommodation and spa services to medical tourists. To further promote medical tourism in the country, Asian Hospital has partnered with DOH and DOT. 5. VRP Medical Center—It dedicates itself to provide the highest quality of healthcare services that are appropriate, accu-

Asian Hospital and Medical Center

VRP Medical Center

rate, affordable and humane. For its efforts, VRP Medical Center received its first ISO certification from Anglo Japanese American Registrars, Inc. in June 2001. It has also received certification for Environmental Management System and Occupational Health and Safety in June of 2009, as well as the distinguished recognition of being a PhilHealth Center of Excellence last 2010.

These topnotch medical facilities boost the country’s reputation in the healthcare industry. With the perseverance and genius of our experts and physicians, it will not take long for the Philippines to be the world’s medical hub.

Entertainment

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

C4

THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018

ABS-CBN YouTube channel receives Diamond Creator Award LEADING media and entertainment company, ABSCBN, continues to break new ground in the online world as its entertainment channel on YouTube has recently surpassed ten million subscribers, becoming the first-ever channel to do so in the country.

The channel is also one of the only three channels in Southeast Asia to have reached the milestone on the popular video-sharing platform, after Thai TV network Workpoint and Thai entertainment company GMM Grammy.

ABS-CBN Entertainment joined the eight-digit club on June 3 after five years of streaming program teasers and highlights, exclusive celebrity interviews and performances, updates about the network’s stars, and full episodes of Kapamilya teleseryes.

To recognize this milestone, ABS-CBN has been awarded

by YouTube with the Diamond Creator Award, a silver-plated metal in the shape of the YouTube logo with a piece of crystal in the middle as the play button. It is given by YouTube to channels that pass ten million subscribers.

“Ten million is not just a number to us, it is testament to the fact that our content transcends platforms, and our partnership with YouTube allows us to reach our Kapamilyas and give them access to the content that they want,” said Elaine Uy-Casipit, OIC-head of ABS-CBN’s digital media division.

“This is a historic milestone not only for ABS-CBN, but for the whole YouTube ecosystem in the Philippines. It is a testament to the strong partnership we have with ABS-CBN in supporting homegrown content and showcasing local talents to our platform’s global and engaged audiences,” said Gautam Anand, YouTube Asia Pacific managing director.

ABS-CBN’s leadership on YouTube boosts ABS-CBN’s transition into being an agile digital company with the biggest online presence among all media companies, and a growing list of digital properties that appeal to a wide array of audiences.

ABS-CBN Entertainment is also the most viewed local YouTube channel with over 15 billion lifetime views. As this writing, the ABS-CBN Entertainment channel on YouTube has 10.4 million subscribers.

“ABS-CBN has long recognized the shifting landscape of digital media as well as the viewing behavior of the Filipino.

With YouTube as our partner we have kept up with the evolving needs of our audience, especially of the elusive millennial market.

And conversely, we as content producers gather as much insights for us to create and calibrate our multimedia offerings, and optimize as well the potential of YouTube’s dynamic video platform,” said ABS-CBN digital content publishing head Richard Reynante.

Apart from ABS-CBN Entertainment, ABS-CBN also manages the country’s fifth most subscribed channel, ABS-CBN News, which has four million subscribers and recently passed three billion views. ABS-CBN’s top channels also include Star Cinema and Star Music, the most viewed and subscribed movie and music channels in the country.

ABS-CBN Christmas Station ID 2015 "Thank You For The Love" Music Video featuring the country's top love teams, JaDinne, KathNiel and LizQuen is one of most viewed content on ABS-CBN YouTube channel with more than 28 million views.

YUGEL LOSORATA

Mark of a strong song Rachel Alejandro as Paula and Joanna Ampil as Candida in Ang Larawan, which is the first film to be screened at the newly-opened microcinema, CBRC Dream Theater.

Microcinema Indie films’ new lease on life

By Nickie Wang

M

AJORITY of the viewing public may not be familiar with the term microcinema, but soon, it will be part of every moviegoer’s vocabulary.

Although the term microcinema, which refers to small theaters, was coined only around 25 years ago, film hubs that operated in order to show small-gauge filmmaking, have been in existence for more than 120 years. In fact, the commercial public screening of ten of Lumiere brothers’ (regarded as the first filmmakers in history) short films in Paris on Dec. 28, 1895 was done in a microcinema.

In present day, microcinemas feed the appetite for alternative and independent films. Paraphrasing the words of film enthusiast and educator Carl E. Balita, who is also the president of Carl E. Balita Review Center (CBRC), microcinemas are such a blessing to both filmmakers and film enthusiasts.

He said that there may be a number of cinemas in the country yet they seem to be limited to blockbuster and mainstream film outputs. More often than not, independent films go unnoticed after their festival run even if they win countless awards locally and internationally. The audience is then left to wonder where to catch these films especially that video releases are hard to come by these days. Thus, the need for microcinema arises.

“Profit is the main motivation of commercial theatres. Now microcinema is an alternative avenue that gives small proFROM thousands of auditionees, who graced the nationwide search for the next solo singing superstar, GMA 7’s The Clash finally narrows down the list to the Top 62 Clashers who will compete in intense one-onone battles in the network’s much awaited singing competition.

Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez-Alcasid expressed her excitement for the commencement of the program since it will showcase the talent and star power of the aspirants who were meticulously selected from all around the country.

“We have a good set of singers na maglalaban-laban. I’m sure na sa una, kakalabanin talaga ng mga singers na ito yung sarili nila kasi siyempre, kakabahan sila. But ako, my only advice to them is to use this nervousness to empower them,” she said.

The Top 62 clashers who will compete for the judges votes throughout the competition are the following: Hopefuls from Metro Manila are Anthony Rosaldo, Chin Valdes, Darryl Jiandani, Dior Bronia, Henry Abode, Jordan Abina, Joselito Casimiro, Miguel Aguila, Niña Espinosa, Noel Eneria, Nolo Lopez, Princess Culala, Psalms David, and Tristan Perfecto.

Meanwhile, aspirants Alliyah Cadeliña, Angela Noveno, Bea Sacramento, George Estepa, Rain Tirol, Ron Michael Tumaneng, and Samantha Aganon represent Northern Luzon.

The show also introduces Angel Lapuz, Anne Raz, Bryan Chong, Fatima Espiritu, Garrett Bolden, Melbelline Caluag, Mirriam

duction a place to be seen my more audience,” Balita said on Friday during the opening of CBRC Dream Theater, a microcinema located in the heart of Manila.

He further said that the new space will not only provide a venue for filmmakers to showcase their works but also to support theater artists thus extending CBRC Dream Theater for rehearsals and theater performances. He also wishes to discover untapped talents and hone their skills for growth and development. CBRC Dream Theater will soon be home to original plays and theater thespians.

Located in España, it is at the center of the University Belt, catering to artists and students hungry for a cinema that connects them to society, providing insight on matters they may seem to overlook.

“This microcinema can seat 200 up to 250 attendees. It is equipped with a 4k projection unit, and 5.1 Surround Sound Stereo, capable of giving audience a cinematic experience at par with other modern microcinemas. Entrance fee is affordable, too. It’s P150, ” said Archie del Mundo, director of CBRC Dream Theater.

Film distribution though remains to be one of the biggest challenges independent filmmakers face until today.

The availability of microcinemas is

a new lease on life given to independent films. The viewing public is given access to locally-produced indie films. Something that the industry has long sought for.

And in his effort to help small filmmakers, Balita made a promise that he can convert all other branches of his review center into microcinemas.

“Name a city anywhere in the Philippines and I can assure you that our review center is present in that city. We have a facility like this in every center and at the soonest time possible we can convert them into something like this that is capable to screen films. Just a little investment on projector and on the good sound system,” Balita said.

Meanwhile during the opening, audiences were treated with Loy Arcenas’ musical blockbuster Ang Larawan. Top billed

by Joanna Ampil, Rachel Alejandro and Paulo Avelino with a talented ensemble of actors from both film and the theatre.

Ang Larawan is a thought-provoking crowd-pleaser that won several awards in the recent Metro Manila Film Festival and received multiple nominations in different award-giving bodies. Based on the musicale that was adapted from Nick Joaquin’s Palanca Award-winning three-act play Portrait of the Artist as a Filipino, Ang Larawan questions certain notions in culture and the arts as newer, more modern forms come to take over.

“We have already committed about 40,000 pairs of eyes (the number of students currently enrolled in Carl E. Balita Review Center) which will watch and appreciate the masterpiece Ang Larawan because it will go side by side with another masterpiece that we have crafted, Maestra in our passion to help the industry,” Balita said before Ang Larawan was screened.

Mark Carpio is the streaming star behind the new song ‘Ako Na Lang Sana.’

IN THIS age of short attention span, it’s more of a necessity to come up with a melodically strong chorus, preferably arriving within the first minute.

Two male Filipino solo acts are sonically trying to execute that in their songwriting effort, one banking his falsetto on timeless hugot lines, the other incorporating electronics to sound he’s here now.

Mark Carpio, a gold record awardee for combined single streams, is boasting his fresh single “Ako Na Lang Sana” released on all digital platforms last June 22. You will hear the infectious chorus right on the 53rd second mark.

“Here’s my chance to add a new song about unrequited love, which admittedly, is a timeless theme,” related the voice behind the smash hit “Hiling,” which has garnered a staggering 28 million streams and counting.

The new single, one whose sentimentality is anchored on piano and heartfelt singing, solidifies Mark’s talent as singer-songwriter. Another of his previous cuts, “Kay Tagal” (not bad with nearly two million streams) follows that chorus is king and repetitive formula.

Christened as New Generation Balladeer, Mark did covers of Ric Segreto’s “Don’t Know What To Do (Don’t Know What To Say)” and Rey Valera’s “Naalala Ka” to good reception. Somehow he is pressured to revive the classics!

For “Ako Na Lang Sana,” he only needed to be inspired by something relatable to pull it off. He noted, “I won’t exactly say that it’s about me, but I’ve seen it enough to know how that situation feels.”

The new song released by Warner Music can now be streamed through Spotify and Apple Music and downloaded on iTunes and all other digital music platforms as Mark continues working on songs for his next album Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal.

The other guy is also a Mark man, but with a Q: Marq Dollentes.

Marq Dollentes is a rising indie pop act behind the new digital album ‘First 1: Kathang Puso.’

The Clashers from Luzon and Metro Manila have started their intensive training and workshop ahead of the show's debut on national TV next month.

‘The Clash’ reveals top singing hopefuls Manalo, Regielyn Fernandez, RJ Buena, Robert Cozma, and Ruth Gomez from Central Luzon.

Ace Yabut, Frederick Gallaron, JL Toreliza, Kim Flores, Patricia Hernandez, Willy Cordovales, and Zyra San Diego are hailed as Southern Luzon candidates.

From Visayas are Abegail Sellote, Angel Paylado, Angel Pielago, Danielle Ozaraga, Esterlina Olmedo, Golden Cañedo, Joana Sy, Kyryll Ugdiman, and Sixto Tolitol.

On the other hand, contestants from Mindanao are Ace Tenajora, C-Jay Garcia, Charline Fiel, Chemp Raña, Dom Alviola, Jong Madaliday, Josh Adornado, Lowell Jumalon, Lyra

Micolob, and Muriel Lomadilla.

Lastly, four international challengers named Cleo Lagunilla, Jasmine Fitzgerald, Mika Gorospe, and Rachel Bergado also have the chance to be hailed as the first The Clash champion.

The Clash’s screening panel composed of iconic OPM songwriter Vehnee Saturno, singer-composer and record producer Jay Durias, and director Bert de Leon helped Regine in the nationwide search.

The Clash is under the helm of director Louie Ignacio.

Who will stand out among the rest and survive the most intense singing search in the country this year? Catch The Clash on GMA this July.

A two-time Aliw Award nominee, he independently released in digital format a carefully treated 12 track-pop stretch of 49 minutes bannered by Stars Align, with its catchy intro and well-placed vocal effects.

He titled the package First 1: Kathang Puso because he intends to do a second one.

“It has always been a lifelong dream to do an album that I myself wrote, produced, did the vocal arrangements, and performed in,” expressed Marq.

He said of his single. “Stars Align is a love song in which I imagined finding that certain person for a moment and then you don’t know if you’re ever gonna meet again.”

The song has a remixed version orchestrated by his brother DJ Brownmeister who is from Bacolod.

Marq is likewise very much in touch with the visuals accompanying his music.

In fact videos for his previous songs “Tonight,” “Disenyo,” “Gabay,” “Bagong Pilipino,” and “Christmas Lights” have all enjoyed circulation in MYX Music Channel.

He also penned “Dear World,” a track created in the aftermath of the devastatingly historic typhoon Yolanda wherein he was vocally joined by the seasoned Kuh Ledesma, Isabella, Jona Viray, Guji Lorenzana, Jane Joseph, Cristina Gonzalez, among others.