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VOL. XXXII • NO. 103 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2018 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

LOUD AND CLEAR. Different labor groups march in front of the House of Representatives Monday calling on the government to implement the P750 minimum wage—while the country’s biggest labor federation Associated Labor UnionsTrade Union Congress of the Philippines says it is seeking an increase in the minimum wage to P1,200 a day—and throw into the dustbin the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law, which coincides with the filing by the Makabayan Bloc of a bill proposing a P750 across-the-board wage increase to help the Filipino people cope with the rising cost of living. Manny Palmero

Coke’s ‘alcopops’ launched in Japan TOKYO—Coca-Cola launched its first ever alcoholic drink on Monday in Japan—a fizzy, lemon-flavored concoction laced with spirits that seeks to capitalize on the growing popularity of “chuhai” alcopops enjoyed especially by young women. Next page

Du30 sacks another exec NEWS A2

Big labor group seeks P1,200 daily basic pay Oil prices up anew, gas as much as P.65/l By Alena Mae S. Flores and Julito G. Rada PUMP prices went up by as much as P0.65 per liter effective 7 am Tuesday to reflect the movement of world oil prices, the third increase in as many weeks. Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Seaoil Philippines, and Flying V raised the price of gasoline by P0.65 per liter, diesel by P0.35 per liter and kerosene by P0.45 per liter. Eastern Petroleum implemented a lower increase of P0.60 per liter for gasoline and P0.30 per liter for diesel. As part of a marketing promotion, Phoenix announced that it would sell gas and diesel at a P5 and P2 per liter discount from May 29 to 30 from 6 am to 10 pm. “At Phoenix Petroleum, we put our customers’ needs first, which is why we are offering this promo to cushion the impact of price increases,” said Phoenix Petroleum chief operating officer Henry Albert Fadullon. Next page

Duterte dared to oust Calida

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Vito Barcelo SAYING that firing public officials accused of corruption is not enough, opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday challenged President Rodrigo Duterte to sack Solicitor General Jose Calida and file the appropriate charges against him. “I challenge President Duterte to prove his anti-corruption rhetoric. I challenge him to not only fire Mr. Calida but also to file the necessary charges against him,” Hontiversos aid. Hontiveros issued the statement following reports that Calida’s family-owned security agency bagged P150 million worth of government contracts. The removal of Calida and the filing of cases against him, Hontiveros said, are important steps Next page

By Vito Barcelo and Maricel V. Cruz

HE country’s biggest labor federation said Monday it will seek an increase in the minimum wage to P1,200 a day, more than double the existing rate, saying this is the amount needed for a family to cope with rapidly rising prices caused by the government’s tax reform program. “Let us not wait for the perfect storm to Union Congress of the Philippines. happen,” said Alan Tanjusay, spokesman “Government must now mitigate the for the Associated Labor Unions-Trade worsening plight of workers and their

families by providing a safety net while employers… must immediately provide a substantial wage increase and save workers from falling into deeper destitution.” While some labor groups have called for an P800 daily rate, P1,200 is what a family needs to live above the poverty line, Tanjusay said. Prices for goods and services have risen steadily since the government implemented its Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law, which slaps higher excise taxes

Rudolf Philip Jurado

Govt lists 3,377 ‘endo’ violators By Vito Barcelo

JOLLIBEE, Dole Philippines and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company were among the top 3,377 companies found to be continuing to violate the illegal labor-only contracting arrangements, the Labor department said Monday. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said they had already submitted the list of establishments that violated President Rodrigo Duterte’s order that he signed on May 1 Next page

China calls US out over ships foray into SCS CHINA has voiced “strong dissatisfaction” after two US warships sailed by an island claimed by Beijing in the disputed South China Sea, adding to simmering tensions in the strategic waterway. The foreign ministry issued a statement expressing “resolute opposition” to the US sail-by of the territory in the disputed Paracel Island chain on Sunday. The US military conducts what it calls “freedom of navigation” voyages in the South China Sea to contest Beijing’s assertion of territorial rights in the area, although the US has no claims of its own in the disputed region. Next page

MARCOS ARRIVES. Former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrives at the Supreme Court Monday to file his comment on the 50 percent shading threshold and to mark the 100th week of his election protest against the Vice President. (Story on A2) Ey Acasio

HIGH-STAKES FINISH. LeBron James (right), of the Cleveland Cavaliers, reacts in the second half against the Boston Celtics during Game Seven of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 27 in Boston, Massachusetts. Today’s Game 7 tussle between the Houston Rockets, led by James Harden (top left) and the Golden State Warriors, led by Stephen Curry (left below) will determine who will face James during the NBA Finals. AFP

NBA Finals: LeBron vs Harden or Curry? LOS ANGELES—Who will stand in the way of The King? His fellow Most Valuable Player candidate James Harden or former MVP Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors? The advantage seems to be with Harden and the Rockets, whose 65

regular-season wins had earned them home-court edge throughout the NBA playoffs, including their Game 7 tussle with the Warriors today, an edge they aim to take advantage of. The Rockets and Harden host the reigning champion Golden State Warriors in a decisive game seven of the

Western Conference ﬁnal with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line against LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers, who put away the Boston Celtics in their own Game 7 duel, 87-79. “There’s no pressure,” Harden said after the Rockets failed to close out the series in game six on Saturday. Next page

News

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

House to pass 'constitutional' BBL By Maricel V. Cruz

HE House of Representatives will pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law before Congress adjourns sine die on June 1, an ofﬁcial said Monday. Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said the House will pass a “constitutionally compliant” BBL even as House majority leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas expressed hope that the contentious provisions in the proposed BBL will be resolved once meet with President Rodrigo Duterte late afternoon on Monday. “There are counter proposals [on the

Duterte sacks OGCC head for 75-yr casino lease PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has fired Government Corporate Counsel Rudolf Philip Jurado for allegedly allowing a 75-year lease agreement to a casino operator within the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone. “May I call the government corporate counsel now? Are you here? Because if you are here, come out you son of a whore. You are fired,” Duterte said in a speech in Malacañang. “There are many lawyers there. There are thousands of lawyers waiting,” Duterte added. The President last week said he intends to fire five more government officials over corruption issues, including Jurado. Jurado reportedly issued a legal opinion that allowed Apeco to approve a gambling permit and a 75-year lease agreement to a foreign corporation to build a casino-hotel at the rate of P150 per sq.m without public bidding. Jurado has denied the allegation against him. He said his office “imposed at least 12 conditions that should be complied prior to the execution of the proposed contract of lease to ensure that said contract would not be disadvantageous to the government and compliant to all existing laws and regulations.” Duterte has been on a firing spree this month as he lamented members of his official family who were found to be involved in graft and corruption. Duterte earlier sacked Transportation assistant secretary Mark Tolentino and asked Justice Assistant Secretary Moslemen Macarambon Sr. and Public Works Assistant Secretary Tingagun Umpa to resign or be fired. The President also accepted the resignations of Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo and Tourism Promotions Board chief operating officer Cesar Montano. The Commission on Audit released a report that Teo appropriated P60 million for commercial spots in her brother’s TV show in a government-owned station, while the TPB’s P80-million Buhay Carinderia project under Montano was found to have failed to undergo proper bidding. Tolentino was fired for initiating deals with the President’s sister for the Mindanao Railway Project, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said. “The President said no one in the government should entertain any relatives of the President in connection with any matters that has to do with the government. If you speak to any of the President’s relatives, that’s a basis for you to be fired,” Roque said. In a previous speech, the President lamented that the officials he had to fire were his own appointees whom he believed could help him effect positive changes in government. “If you notice, most of those I had to let go are those who are close to me. I’m very sad that they are the very first to go,” he said. “All those whom I have fired are my people. As I have said, I am not perfect. There is no way of telling that the people who are close to you will do this, that you might ever fall into the trap of believing that you are with a crowd for change,” the President said.

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that clamped down on illegal contracting and ensuring worker rights to security of tenure. He told reporters the list was culled from the result of the inspections of 99,526 establishments from June 2016 to April 2018. “We are now providing you the top 20 non-compliant companies according to the number of workers that need to be regularized from a list of 3,377 non-compliant establishments involving 224,852 workers from various parts of the country,” Bello said. Among the top violators were Jollibee Food Corp. with 14,960 affected workers,

proposed BBL], and we would want to hear directly from the President what is his final position [on the matter],” Fariñas said. He made the statement after House leaders held a second meeting with the Bangsamoro Transition Commission or BTC to a come up with a compromise with the House committee-approved House Bill 6475 that was principally authored by Alvarez. Fariñas said they had yet to reach a compromise for at least two major proposed amendments to the bill: The “optin” clause and the “fiscal autonomy” issue for the Bangsamoro. “These are issues we still need to discuss. We have not agreed on these matters yet,” Fariñas said.

Section 4 of HB 6475 provides that the cities and provinces sharing a common border with the Bangsamoro will be allowed to join the plebiscite through a petition signed by at least 10 percent of the registered voters. This will be done every five years for a period of 25 years after the creation of the Bangsamoro. HB 6475 also grants fiscal autonomy to the Bangsamoro, which some lawmakers perceive to be unconstitutional as such power could only be granted by the Constitution and could not be superseded by a law. Anak Mindanao Party-list Rep. Amihilda Sangcopan appealed to Congress not to pass a watered-down version of the BBL. “What we have right now is the BBL on the table. If we could do something about

this and pass it, then so be it,” Sangcopan said. “Let’s do our best [to pass it], not a watered-down BBL but a BBL that really brings in the aspiration of the Bangsamoro people.” During the BTC meeting with lawmakers, Fariñas said, the BTC accepted the proposed amendments of lawmakers to take out the provisions creating the Bangsamoro’s own uniformed service “They agreed that the defense, police, coast guard will be retained by the national government,” Fariñas said, adding there would be a police region in the Bangsamoro under the National Police. Duterte earlier set a June 2 deadline for senators and congressmen to pass the BBL.

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wage as he had previously promised. Duterte has ordered he Labor Department to convene the regional wage boards to study the grant of salary increases in the face of sharp inflation. “The order to convene the regional wage boards falls short of a firm presidential response to the inflationary crisis,” said PM national chairman Rene Magtubo. “For the past three decades, wage orders by the regional boards are so low that at present it cannot offset the impact of the rising cost of living brought about by the TRAIN law and profiteering by unscrupulous employers.” The leftist Makabayan bloc, meanwhile, filed a bill proposing a P750 national minimum wage. “The minimum wage must be reverted back to a national wage standard. Almost all prices of basic goods and services being traded in all regions are similar nationwide,” said Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate, in filing House Bill 7787. Some are even higher in regions outside of NCR because of the transportation cost. It is gravely wrong to peg as lower the standard of living of regions outside Metro Manila because it is not reflective of the real situation,” Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate said in filing House Bill 7787, along with other members of the left-leaning group on Monday. Zarate said a P750 national minimum wage is what workers need now to cope with the surging prices of goods and services brought about by the harsh effects of the TRAIN law. “Truth be told, the wages of our work-

ers have long been stunted and [their] purchasing power gravely diminished. This amount is still short of the P1,168 needed daily to support a family of six as of March this year based on a study by the think tank IBON Foundation,” Zarate said. Citing the same IBON study, Zarate said the current minimum wage has not kept up with the rising cost of living. “The NCR nominal minimum wage of P512 is just 43.8 percent of the P1,168 family living wage [FLW]. This translates to a significant wage gap of P656 or 56.2 percent, said the group. For a family of five, the gap was nearly half (47.4percent) of the FLW. These wage gaps grew despite the regional wage board’s approval of a P21 minimum wage increase from P491 to P512 last October 2017,” IBON said. While some lawmakers have called for a review of the TRAIN law, Reps. Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte and Carlos Uy-Barreta of the 1-Care party-list asked the public to give the tax reform program a chance. “Let us not rush in judging the TRAIN law. The successive increases in prices of fuel constitute a lot of factors beyond our control. The Train law was passed with the safety nets on it,”Uy-Barreta said. Barbers shared a similar view. “We should give this TRAIN law the chance to take off,” he said. Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves called for the automatic lifting of the excise tax on fuel once the world oil price hits $80 a barrel, as provided by the TRAIN law.

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on fuel, the price of which has shot up sharply as a result of developments in world oil markets. The ALU-TUCP reiterated its call to President Rodrigo Duterte to approve the proposed P500 cash voucher subsidy for workers submitted in April 2017, targeting an initial 4 million minimum wage workers. These vouchers would be used to buy rice and other basic needs as a form of government safety net for workers and would be separate from the conditional cash transfer program for the poor. The labor federation also lauded the President for urging the 17 regional tripartite productivity boards to convene emergency meetings to discuss a uniform across-theboard increase in the daily minimum wage for all workers nationwide. “The [increase in] wages should now be uniform because the poverty in Luzon is the same poverty felt by workers in Visayas and Mindanao. The prices of commodities are the same in every region so the salary should also be uniform,” he said. The ALU-TUCP expects the world price of oil to reach $115 a barrel beginning in June due to a number of factors in the Middle East and South America. “Because of these forces, the value of the P512 daily minimum wage fell by P186... The buying power of P512 is now only P326 a day,” Tanjusay said. Meanwhile, the militant labor group Partido Manggagawa called on the President to implement a national minimum

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BURNING BUILDING. Fire engulfs the office of the Land Management Bureau in Binondo, Manila. Norman Cruz

in “rebuilding the country’s damaged institutions.” After the removal of Vitaliano Aguirre from the Department of Justice, she said, Calida’s dismissal is most appropriate. “We cannot tolerate public officials who coddle and give special treatment to drug lords and high-profile criminals, or in Mr. Calida’s case, a solicitor general who lawyers for plunderers like pork barrel mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles and the Marcoses, and a Solicitor General whose personal businesses profit from the government “ Hontiveros said. Hontiveros also slammed Duterte’s “fire and recycle policy” in which he reappoints people he fired after accusing them of anomalies. She said recycling corrupt public officials is recycling corruption. “Corrupt public officers, who have been shielded from calls of transparency and accountability, are non-recyclable,”

Hontiveros said. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, however, said it was not illegal for Calida to own shares of Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Inc., which bagged lucrative government contracts. While the solicitor general owned at least 60 percent share of VISAI, Calida was not the approving authority of those contracts, Roque said. “A conflict of interest only arises if the solicitor general is the approving authority of the multi-million peso contracts,” Roque said. He added that allies of ousted chief justice Maria Lourde Sereno could be behind the attacks on Calida, who had filed a quo warranto case against her before the Supreme Court that eventually unseated her. A complaint against Calida was filed by a Sereno supporter before the Office of the Ombudsman, accusing him of a conflict of interest. The complaint also cited an alleged extramarital affair and a bias for the Marcos family.

Dole Philippines Inc. with 10,521, and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company with 8,310. The other companies engaged in laboronly contracting were Philsaga Mining Corp. with 6,624 affected workers; General Tuna Corp. with 5,216; Sumi Phils Wiring System Corp. with 4,305; Franklin Baker Inc. with 3,400; Pilipinas Kyohritsu with 3,161; Furukawa Automotive System Phil. Inc. with 2,863; and Magnolia Inc. with 2,248 affected workers. Also, KCC Property Holdings Inc. with 1,802 affected workers, Sumifru Philippines Corp. with 1,687; Hinatuan Mining Corp. with 1,673; KCC Mall De Zamboanga with 1,598; Brother Industries (Philippines) Inc. with 1,582; Philippine

Airlines and PAL Express with 1,483; Nidec Precision Philippines Corp. with 1,400; Peter Paul Phil. Corp. with 1,362; Dolefil Upper Valley Corp. with 1,183; and SOLE-Stanfilco with 1,131 affected workers. These were all included in the preliminary list submitted to Malacañang on May 25, 2018. “We submitted a list of violators to the President not to put them in a bad light,” Bello said. “It is just to emphasize the concern not only of the President but also of our department to respect the security of tenure of our workers. We are not doing this to fight management because we look at business as a partnership between labor and management.”

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Chevron Philippines, for its part, said it will continue its fuel discounts for public utility vehicles amid the high oil prices. “Chevron Philippines Inc., through its Caltex retail sites, provides discount lanes to public utility vehicles [PUVs] across the country up to as high as P4 per liter,” said Raissa Romina Bautista, manager for policy government and public affairs. A consumer group, Laban Konsumer Inc., said the huge discounts suggested that the oil price increases are bloated. LKI urged the Energy department to look into the almost uniform weekly price adjustments and the wide variance in retail prices in areas such as Baguio City versus La Union. Energy department Director Rino Abad warned last week that oil prices may continue to go up in the short-term or up to six months if the ongoing global oil situation persists. In some retail outlets, gasoline prices reached P60 per liter while diesel reached a high of P57 per liter. The Finance department, meanwhile, said the government has an array of measures to mitigate the effect of rising oil prices, but said it would not immediately suspend the excise tax on fuel because it is not authorized to do so under the TRAIN law. “Should the price of Dubai crude keep going up and the three-month average in the last quarter of this year hits $80 per barrel, we will be ready to activate the suspension mechanism for the next increase in January 2019,” he said. With Vito Barcelo

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The US Navy’s Higgins and Antietam warships, a destroyer and cruiser, respectively, entered China’s territorial waters without permission and were met by the Chinese Navy, which “conducted verification and identification of US ships according to law and warned them to leave,” the ministry said. State-run news agency Xinhua said the two vessels were “expelled” from the waters. The operation was conducted just over a week after Beijing flew nuclearcapable bombers to a disputed island in a bold power play to show its military might and boost its territorial claims in the area. The move prompted immediate criticism from the US, which last week pulled its invitation to China to join maritime exercises in the Pacific because of Beijing’s “continued militarization” of the South China Sea. Rey E. Requejo with AFP

Marcos asks PET to sustain 50% shade threshold By Rey E. Requejo and Rio N. Araja FORMER senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday urged the Supreme Court, acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, to sustain its earlier ruling mandating a 50-percent threshold for the ongoing revision of the votes pertinent to his election protest against Vice President Leni Robredo. Marcos claims he was cheated in the vice presidential race in 2016 that Robredo won, and has asked for a recount of the votes. In an 11-page comment, Marcos opposed Robredo’s renewed bid to lower the threshold to 25 percent, saying the PET should affirm its ruling on April 10 that considered only the votes that were at least 50-percent shaded as valid votes in the manual recount. He made his statement even as Robredo’s camp on Monday denied the Commission on Elections had set a 50-percent threshold for the national and local elections in 2016. “I cannot believe what I just heard. Mr. Marcos is insisting that the Presidential Electoral Tribunal should only validate the ballots with 50 percent threshold shading. This will mean disenfranchisement of millions of voters in the 2016 polls, including those who voted for him,” said Robredo’s legal counsel Romulo Macalintal. “It is not true that the Comelec set a 50-percent threshold for the 2016 national and local elections. What the Comelec set was a 25-percent threshold shading as stated in the Sept. 6, 2016 Comelec en banc resolution adopting the recommendation of Commissioner Luie Guia.” Marcos, who personally filed the pleading, asked the PET to dump the motion for reconsideration filed by Robredo last month in which she reiterated her plea to the PET to lower the limit and instead apply the 25-percent threshold supposedly set by the Comelec during the canvassing of the votes in the last automated polls. He said granting Robredo’s plea would be tantamount to giving her special treatment since the PET had applied the 50-percent threshold under its rules promulgated in 2010 for the automated elections in the country. “Protestee Robredo should not be allowed to change the rules of the game this late in the day,” Marcos said. “What makes her case so special that she can demand a lower threshold of 25 percent? To repeat, the 50-percent shading threshold in determining valid ballots is being applied not only in the PET but also in the SET [Senate Electoral Tribunal].” Marcos said Robredo was already prohibited from seeking an amendment of the rules for the case that had moved since 2016. “If protestee Robredo was confident that she has a legal basis to apply a 25-percent sharing threshold, she has two years from the time of the filing of this election protest to move for the amendment of Rule 43 (I) of the 2010 PET Rules,” Marcos said.

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Harden scored 32 points and handed out nine assists but also coughed up nine turnovers as the Rockets surrendered an early 17-point lead and fell 109-99 in Oakland. “It’s an opportunity, though, an opportunity that we all are excited to be a part of,” he added. “Game seven at our house. That’s what we worked the entire regular season for, is home-court advantage. “We’re going to come out and we’re going to be ready.Nothing changes for us. We know what we have to do. We’re still confident. We’re a confident group. We’ve just got one chance.” The Rockets expect to be buoyed by fans eager to see the club back in the title series for the first time since they won back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995. But coach Mike D’Antoni said he had “no idea” whether star point guard Chris Paul would be able to play after suffering a hamstring strain in game five. AFP

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Although the US firm dabbled in the wine business in the 1970s, the experiment in Japan is “unique” in the company’s 125-year history, said Coca-Cola Japan president Jorge Garduno. From Monday, three new “LemonDo” drinks—containing three, five and 7 percent alcohol—will be available in the southern Kyushu region of Japan. A 350-milliliter can will set you back 150 yen ($1.40). “This is a pilot project in the region which has a sizable market,” Masaki Iida, spokesman for Coca-Cola’s Japanese unit, told AFP. AFP

News Legarda warns vs corruption on P1.16-b vaccine refund

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2018 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

FLAG DAY. Local government officials lead the flag raising ceremony in celebration of the National Flag Day in Alapan II-B, Imus City, Cavite yesterday. Norman Cruz

By Macon Ramos Araneta SENATOR Loren Legarda on Monday warned against any “inch of corruption” in the P1.16-billion refund from Sanofi Pasteur for unused Dengvaxia vials to be used by victims of the controversial anti-dengue vaccine. “Let us not make a double jeopardy since the Dengvaxia vaccine funds were wrongly used and then the funds for medical assistance,” said Legarda, adding that she will personally oversee the funds to ensure that it will be used properly and efficiently. “We will not tolerate any single centavo whiff of corruption and even, set aside corruption, the slow process and the wrong monitoring of victims who might be victimized again,” she assured. Legarda, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, held a public hearing to discuss bills proposing to fund the medical needs of children who were given the Dengvaxia vaccine. She presided over the hearing on the proposal to appropriate P1,161,710,000 as supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2018. The government, Legarda said, can monitor the victims as there is a list of children who were vaccinated with Dengvaxia. “So know that, there’s a list, pilot regions, pilot provinces, and who are the families, the parents so the local government and the provincial offices will help in monitoring. The senator said “she wants the fund to be used within a year but they have to reconcile that provision with the House which wants the budget to be available until it is fully spent.”

DENR says land records safe despite fire at LMB By Rio N. Araja THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Monday assured the public on the safety of all land records with the Land Management Bureau, following a fire that engulfed the LMB building in Binondo, Manila. While land records in the building had been damaged, these only served as backup of documents in the regional offices. In turn, regional offices have also been computerizing records in their respective areas. Secretary Roy Cimatu already formed a committee, headed by Undersecretary Ernesto Adobo Jr., to assess damage to the bureau’s other important documents. The fire in the area was still ongoing with the LMB awaiting a report from fire investigators as to its cause. DENR reported that all LMB employees have been accounted for as safe and free from fire-related injuries. Initial cost of damage was estimated at P100 million due to high-tech gadgets the LMB had recently purchased for the digitization of land records. The public could proceed to the agency’s Help Desk at the central office in Quezon City for their land concerns and inquiries.

National ID system needed for CCT program—Palace By Vito Barcelo

ALACAÑANG on Monday assured that the passage of the National ID System will help the government administer the unconditional cash transfer, because it would be easier now to determine which of the people are really the beneﬁciaries.

In a press briefing in Malacañang, Finance Assistant Secretary Paola Alvarez said that without proper identification, the government could not easily identify and reach poor families in the rural areas to implement the conditional and unconditional cash transfers. “Families living the provinces, particularly those in the far-flung rural areas, not all of them have IDs and it

would be difﬁcult to determine who are really covered by the conditional and unconditional cash transfers,” she said. The Palace said that the implementation of the national identiﬁcation system will be the key to ensure that every Filipino and resident can have access to public services and development opportunities. Earlier, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said while

there are numerous ID cards issued by the government, 14 percent of Filipinos are denied of government and other financial services due to a lack of proper identification documents. Alvarez said with the National ID, the government, especially the Department of Social Welfare and Declopment or DSWD, can identify poor families and give the exact number of beneficiaries. She said no matter how good the program is, the government will fail if it cannot gain access to the people because they don’t have any ID. “Since the National ID have already passed congress, then it will be easier for us to implement that. So, our buffers like conditional cash transfer, unconditional cash transfers and other subsidies, talaga pong ngayon po niro-roll out na rin po natin. DWSD also can give you figures on that,” she added.

New Grab P80 minimum fare illegal—Nograles By Maricel V. Cruz A PARTY-LIST lawmaker on Monday revealed that Grab Philippines has recently implemented a new minimum fare without the appropriate authorization of the Land Transportation and Regulatory Board. “Without any public hearing, Grab Philippines again unilaterally imposed a new illegal fare condition,” Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Party-list Rep. Jericho Nograles said. “Previously, during the April 17 LTFRB hearing, Grab Philippines denied to the Board that they imposed an P80 minimum fare. Now, no less than the Grab App publicly declares that the company charges the same minimum fare. This brazen act shows not only disrespect to the regulators, but proof that Grab Philippines has no intention to follow Philippine laws,” Nograles added. The lawmaker advised Grab that instead of spending so much money on propaganda to create the illusion that it is conducting its business fairly and squarely, it should just abide by

the rules set by the LTFRB to avoid any problems such as hefty ﬁnes and possible revocation of its franchise to operate a TNVS. “Grab would not have a problem if they only follow the law. If they continue disregard the authority of the LTFRB, then they don’t have any legal standing to do business in the land transport sector,” he said. Nograles earlier exposed Grab’s illegal P2 per minute extra charge on their fares and its additional P40 base fare, both of which were initially denied by Grab management. Based on its fare matrix, Grab has admitted that it is charging P80 as minimum fare (base fare) instead of P40, which is the approved rate of the LTFRB, the sole regulator of the country’s public transport sector. “Who is lying now? Earlier Grab denied that they are charging P2 per minute extra charge on their fares. When we showed them their own breakdown, they suddenly try to divert the issue by claiming that they just wanted to help their driver partners.” Nograles said. “And when we exposed their jacked

up minimum fare, Bryan Cu was again denying but it turns out that they have been charging P80 instead of P40 for a very long time now. That’s high-tech swindling and I guess LTFRB should really allow this company to continue defrauding the riding public,” Nograles added. Grab’s overpriced minimum base fare was discovered by Nograles upon conducting his own experiments which showed that even if you have the same pick-up point and destination, the minimum charge would be P80 instead of P40. Based on the Dec. 27, 2016 Order of the LTFRB, Grab is only allowed to charge P40 base fare, P10-P14 per kilometer, and a surge of up to 2x only on the per kilometer charges. This minimum fare is applied not only on Transport Network Vehicles Service providers but also on all regular taxi services. Nograles said that under the approved fare structure, if a rider takes a 500 meter ride at two times surge rate, the maximum charge should only be P58 [P40 + (P14 x2)].

AMLC helped indict money launderer By Julito G. Rada THE Anti-Money Laundering Council, the country’s financial intelligence unit, has secured 55 convictions for money laundering against a liaison officer and secretary to the president of a chemical trader-distributor. In a 56-page decision promulgated on April 18, 2018, presiding judge Caridad Walse-Lutero of the Regional Trial Court in Quezon City found Annabella Ylagan guilty beyond reasonable doubt for 55 counts of money laundering, and sentenced her to seven-year imprisonment for each count. The AMLC, also the enforcer of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001, as amended, proved that Ylagan transferred funds from her employer’s accounts in three banks to a bank account she opened under fictitious bank accounts under the name “Lourdes

R. Liu” and a company purportedly created by Ylagan. Investigations showed that Ylagan’s modus operandi involved routing and faxing of forged letters of authority, instructing banks to transfer funds from her employer’s accounts to her own fictitious accounts. Ylagan amassed P12 million over a four-year period. Ylagan’s illicit scheme was exposed when an account officer of the bank where her company maintained accounts phoned the company to verify a fund transfer in favor of one of her companies. Because Ylagan was not at the office at the time, one of her colleagues took the call. Eventually, it was discovered that the company never approved the transfers: there were no documents to back up the transfers. The company president was alerted, and investigations into Ylagan’s transactions were conducted.

LAUNCHED. Department of Education launched the 2018 Brigada Eskwela

nationwide with the theme ‘Pagkakaisa Para sa Handa, Ligtas at Matatag na Paaralan Tungo sa Magandang Kinabukasan.’ The DepEd said other NGO’s and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines are welcome to join the said event. Shown in photo are members of BJMP as they fix and arrange the school chairs at Magsaysay Elementary School in Quezon City. Manny Palmero

More erring motorists arrested—I-ACT THERE is a 100 percent increase in the number of apprehended erring motorists in the first five months of this year compared to the fourth quarter of the preceding one. The Interagency Council for Traffic, which was reactivated last September 2017, noted that the increase in apprehensions were the specific result of its intensified campaign against colorum and dilapidated vehicles. The campaign dubbed Tanggal Bulok, Tanggal Usok was conducted in the National Capital Region, in the towns of Boracay and Caticlan, Aklan; and the provinces of Rizal, Cavite, Pampanga, Laguna, Davao, Cebu, and Pangasinan. The twin operations were done in cooperation with I-ACT member agencies—Metro Manila Development Authority, Department of Transportation, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and the Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group. Joel E. Zurbano

Korean held for operating prostitution den BUREAU of Immigration officers nabbed a Korean fugitive who operates a prostitution den in the Philippines that caters to Korean tourists at the Clark International Airport in Pampanga. Arrested was Hong Yong who tried to board an Asiana Airlines flight to Seoul, according to Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente. The 44-year Korean was immediately brought to the BI Detention Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City pending his deportation. BI Deputy Commissioner and Ports Operations Division chief Marc Marinas said the Korean was arrested after the Immigration Officer noticed that his name appeared in the BI Watchlist of wanted alien fugitives. Vito Barcelo

CA upholds suspension of PDEA exec THE Court of Appeals has upheld the decision of the Office of the Ombudsman to place under preventive suspension the head of the intelligence and investigation unit of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency pending investigation for alleged violation of the anti-graft and procurement laws. In a 10-page decision, the CA Associate Justice Priscilla BaltazarPadilla ruled that no grave abuse of discretion can be imputed on the Office of the Ombudsman in ordering the suspension of PDEA Director for Intelligence and Investigation Service Randy Pedroso last July 19, 2017. Pedroso was preventively suspended together with five other PDEA officials following the filing of a complaint by the Field Investigation Bureau of the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices for malversation through falsification, violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 or Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for giving undue preference to a private party in awarding a government contract, violation of Section10 of Republic Act 9184 which requires all procurement be subject to competitive bidding, grave misconduct and serious dishonesty. Rey E. Requejo

Opinion

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Scrap the JBC

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

sadors-at-large were appointed. Ambassadors without any jurisdiction or host country? To me, this is an abuse of the Foreign Service Act. There is no appropriation in the national budget for such special envoys. And yet they carry ONE of the biggest changes in the 1987 diplomatic passports and are accorded Constitution was the creation of the Ju- special attention by foreign embassies. dicial and Bar Council. This was the I think this is an insult on the foreign brainchild of the late Justice JBL Reyes, service itself. Such envoys often interone of the framers of the charter. The fere with the functions of political and idea was to remove political influence career ambassadors. in the selection of judges and justices. President Duterte should really stop Before this, members of the judiciary this practice. had to go through the wringer of the *** Commission on Appointments, which As of latest count, there must now be was made up of politicians. at least 30 members of the Cabinet, apAs it turned out, the JBC itself be- pointed as secretary of this or that, but came an anomaly. It was not beyond without portfolios. Even the spokesinfluence and corruption. Some incom- man, Harry Roque, enjoys Cabinet petent and corrupt judges and justices rank and is addressed as Mr. Secretary! were appointed! The most anomalous is the innocuThis is why the consultative com- ous Climate Change Commission, mission now tasked to propose amend- composed of its chairman as secretary ments to the charter is looking at abol- and the members all designated as unishing the JBC and returning the task dersecretaries, with the corresponding of appointing members of the judiciary ranks and salaries! to the CA. President DuWhy abolish terte himself the CA? The best frowns on excesargument would sive government be what happened Return the function spending. This is in the appointan abuse of govto the Commission on ment of former ernment funds. Supreme Court Appointments. *** Chief Justice MaOne of the most ria Lourdes Serdisgraceful things eno. The JBC put that can happen her in its shortlist to a person is be for the top judiciary post despite her labelled a hypocrite, a sanctimonious, failure to complete the requirements holier-than-thou individual who goes to for such. great lengths to appear righteous—but The JBC knew that Sereno had failed who is actually rotten to the core. The to submit a complete set of Statement most popular examples of this kind are of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth. the Pharisees, whose way of life was so And yet it forwarded her name to then- far from what they preach. President Benigno Aquino III. Why? Unfortunately, there are still modernIt knew Aquino would choose Sereno day Pharisees. They live among us. Take over the others on the list! the case of this controversial pastor from I know all too well how the JBC has a well-known Christian Church based been corrupted. When I was pushing south of the Pasig River. Before going for the judgeship of a relative (by affin- into the details of his current notoriety ity) in Cagayan de Oro City, he com- in legal circles, let’s start with the obviplained to me that the JBC required ous contradictions in his life. him to get the endorsement of the proFirst, both he and his Church are vincial governor and city mayor. Why, vehemently opposed to homosexuality. I asked. Wouldn’t that make the judge Oddly enough, the pastor’s own brother beholden to politicians? In any case, is openly gay, and was involved in this relative was finally appointed by a same-sex, live-in relationship for then-President Fidel V. Ramos. 10 years. Even while this pastor was *** bashing gays in his homilies, he would Another anomaly is the appointment enjoy the company of his brother and his of certain “special envoys” for this or brother’s lover without any objections. that concern. Talk about double standards! There was even a time when ambasTurn to A5

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

A matter of perception

CCORDING to middle and upper managers from various corporations and institutions worldwide, the Philippines became less competitive, slipping nine places to 50th among 63 countries.

The survey, conducted by the Switzerland-based Institute for Management Development in partnership with the Asian Institute of Management, found that the Philippines was perceived to be less competitive in all four measures: economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure. This was the steepest drop among Asia Pacific countries. It also placed the Philippines in last place among the five Asean founding members. Singapore was third, Malaysia 22nd, Thailand 30th and Indonesia 43rd. Employment played a significant part in perception on economic performance, with a slight increase in unemployment and a slight de-

crease in the number of employed Filipinos, the report said. Other countries generally saw improvements in this area. Infrastructure, too, is a cause for concern, as the government appears to only work on physical infrastructure through its Build Build Build program. Basic, scientific and educational infrastructure should also be improved, because these will promote human capital formation. As expected, administration officials tried to put a positive spin on the survey results. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the administration was already addressing these issues. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the country’s rank was the result of a mis-observation. Even the co-chairman of the National Competitiveness Council, Bill Luz, said it was a mere snapshot for 2017, and that the effects of government investments cannot be felt immediately anyway. It is true that the survey findings were a result of the respondents’ perception. These respondents, however, are not random people on the street who may or may not be knowl-

edgeable of the conditions in other countries. Instead they are managers who are informed and who routinely make business decisions based on this kind of information. Perception, too, should not be dismissed as “mere” perception. Investment decisions are made on a combination of hard data and perception. If others perceive business conditions in the Philippines to be slipping, it cannot be all fiction. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez’s statement on accelerating strategic reforms so that we could be at par with other countries is heartening, but then again the proof is how this would translate to actual statistics that would become basis for educated perception. Economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure are not quite as exciting to read about as President’s provocative statements, or appointments and resignations, or the simplistic battle between good guys and bad guys in government. Still, these are the foundations that determine whether we progress as a nation—or whether we just appear to be getting there.

False doomsday scenarios licitor general” by way of quo warranto. Taking her cue from that statement, and seizing the opportunity for political publicity for herself, the purported vice president of the country, Leni Robredo, announced that after the ouster of Ser(Part 1) eno, she will be the next to be removed. Robredo also shared the doomsday preA FEW days before the Supreme Court dictions of Sereno and their common granted the petition for quo warranto benefactor, President Aquino III. filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida Their doomsday-scenario predicagainst Chief Justice Maria Lourdes tions are groundless and speculative. Sereno, a ruling which caused the oust- They are calculated to trigger disorder er of Sereno from office, Sereno and and disenchantment with the adminisher allies had been predicting several tration of President Rodrigo Duterte, doomsday scenarios for the country, in and nothing more. the event that Sereno is removed from First, the decision against Sereno is office in a process other than impeach- certainly not a betrayal of democracy. ment by Congress. The Constitution itself states that a jusThe doomsday predictions include “a tice of the Supreme Court “may” be betrayal of democracy,” “the triumph of removed from office through impeachone-man rule” and ment. As pointed “a threat to judicial out by the Supreme independence.” Court, the modal E x- P r e s i d e n t “may” clearly indiWhat one-man rule Benigno Aquino cates that a justice III, who appointed were Sereno’s allies of the Supreme Sereno chief jusCourt may be retice in 2012, and talking about? moved from ofa host of anti-adfice through other ministration or pomeans, including litically flip-flopquo warranto, if ping senators, said the appointment that the decision will have “a crippling of the justice concerned is void from the effect” on the nation. A few of them beginning, like that of Sereno’s. added that the decision will adversely When it was revealed in the affect the economy. proceedings of the justice committee Some senators said that the decision of the House of Representatives that diluted the impeachment power of both Sereno failed to comply with some of houses of Congress. A prominent sena- the requirements for a valid appointment tor even erroneously opined that the as chief justice, Solicitor General Jose submission of one’s Statements of As- Calida filed a petition for quo warranto sets, Liabilities and Net Worth is not a against Sereno before the Supreme Court. constitutional requirement for appoint- For the record, the procedure taken by ment as chief justice. Calida is allowed under Rule 66 of the One of the six justices who dissented rules promulgated by the Supreme Court. from the ruling of the majority publicly The one-year period mentioned in declared that “all appointees,” including Rule 66 must be construed in the proper those appointed by previous administra- context. Quo warranto is a remedy for tions, are “now open targets for the soTurn to A5

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

Truth, politics, and ethics the elements of his moral philosophy, describing aspects of the moral dimension (such as action, freedom, universality, and obligation), reflecting on conscience, the personal nature and dignity of man, and natural law as THIS is the final column in a series norms of morality. He ended the book based on my Ramon C. Reyes memorial lecture entitled “Listening through philosophy: An ethical lens for the discourse on truth and politics.” We should move In his textbook, Ground and Norm of Morality: Ethics for College Students, forward even if our Doc Reyes provides students with a politics are radically comprehensive overview of how phidifferent and opposed. losophers from Plato to the Utilitarians like Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill grappled with moral issues. In that book, he also systematically articulated

elaborating on the ultimate foundation of morality and applying the elements he has identified to arrive at a method by which to determine the morality of our action in a given situation. As he did in 1984 reflecting on the Aquino assassination and as he used in his doctoral dissertation on Eric Weil, Doc Reyes relies again on dialectic thinking. Again I quote from our master ethicist: “Thus in a first moment, man in his very being as openness to the good finds himself claimed by the final end, which expresses itself in syndresis (or the innate capacity to discern what is good and evil) and the universal principles of morality; in a second moment, man in his concrete Turn to A5

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Opinion

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2018

A monetary remedy for a fiscal problem

Choo-choo TRAIN FORMATION GARY OLIVAR THAT’S a sound I fondly remember from my childhood, when I used to play with a toy train set that my oldest brother brought back with him from his own childhood in the States. It made real train sounds and emitted smoke from handy smoke tablets, and of course my favorite pastime was speeding the train up until it flew off the toy tracks. There’s no such danger of overspeeding or derailment with our own version of TRAIN today, not when the usual crowd of dumb-and-dumber populists think they’ve become economic wizards overnight and want to suspend or outright cancel the tax reforms that Duterte introduced in order to fund his ambitious infrastructure and social services programs. Before our TRAIN grinds to a halt under the sheer weight of all that populist garbage, let’s look at the facts from our bright boys at the Department of Finance: how the first package (TRAIN 1) has done since its promulgation at the start of this year, and what we can expect from its follow-on (TRAIN 2) now wending its way through Congress. *** TRAIN 1 reduced or eliminated personal income taxes for 99 percent of wage-earners, while levying or raising excise taxes on carefully selected commodities mostly in the “sin” and luxury categories, as well as oil products at a time when the world was enjoying historically low oil prices. Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez has told Congress that income taxes came down by about P12 billion a month, while collection targets for BIR and Customs were exceeded in the first quarter. That is clearly a feat worth noting. (But if you think all those collections aren’t showing up quickly enough in terms of new infrastructure projects, that’s something you should take up with the infrastructure guys, not the Finance guys.) These days, however, it’s become all the fashion to blame TRAIN for higher inflation, provoking the unions to demand subsidies as well as huge minimum wage hikes. But what do the facts tell us? Monthly inflation increased from 3.8 percent in March to 4.5 percent in April. But out of that 4.5 percent, according to the input-output model of the Philippine Statistics Authority, only 0.4 percent can be blamed on TRAIN. Three percent was the original inflation target,

Truth,... From A4

situation reflects and comes to a practical judgment of conscience, and acts accordingly in view of the good; in a third moment, man, in acting and subsequently after acting, finds himself vis-à-vis a historical reality other than himself, with its own proper structure and tendencies which go beyond his own intention and direct control.” Doc Reyes then describes the constant possibility of an erroneous conscience, which he defines as “a conscience decided to act according to what man perceives to be the good, but due to misinterpretation of the principles or misinformation regarding the facts, comes to the wrong judgement regarding the good he ought to do.” Indeed, it is entirely possible that by a judgment of conscience, a human being might sometimes find that what he has done with all good will and intention was wrong and or was inadequate. Certainly, this happens in politics all the time. But this should not destroy or disappoint. This historical reality, which to Reyes is properly the locus of action and of the concrete good, “leads man from time to time toward an ever wider openness, an ever keener or broader perception of the good.” There is no other area more urgent to apply ethical thinking, too, than that of human rights. Unfortunately, its derogation or utter disregard is justified by societal aspirations and exigencies. I pointed this out in a lecture on Thomas More’s Utopia in 2016, citing the moral crusades that characterized the presidencies of Presidents Marcos, Noynoy Aquino, and now Duterte. Whether it was the war against oligarchs and communist for Marcos, corruption for Aquino, and illegal drugs for

Scrap... From A4

Next, Pastor Pharisee often speaks to business owners about uncompromising integrity and righteousness in the workplace. How ironic—he reportedly owns a store at a high-end mall that sells smuggled luxury items on the sly, and without any receipts. Finally, this is what takes the cake for me.

based on assumptions about oil prices, exchange rate, and higher overall demand due to economic and population growth. The rest of the excess over 3 percent was caused by better tobacco tax compliance passed on to smokers (0.2 percent), higher-than-expected oil prices (0.2 percent), and other factors like price profiteering (0.7 percent). In the event that oil prices start going up again, as they are now due to Middle East uncertainties, TRAIN includes a self-correcting mechanism that will suspend a scheduled increase in fuel excise taxes (next one is in January next year) if average Dubai crude prices exceed US$80 per barrel for three months preceding. Both self-rated poverty and the hunger index regularly tracked by SWS have fallen despite the recent price increases. There are other measures available to blunt inflation and especially its impact on the poor: conditional cash transfers to the poor; opening up the market to much cheaper (and tariffable)

There’s no such danger of overspeeding or derailment with our own version of TRAIN today.

Amend or repeal the current total of 123 laws granting special incentives and consolidate them into one omnibus investment code guided by a strategic investment priorities plan. Incentives will also be “performance-based, tightly targeted, time-bound and transparent.” Amend the tax code to improve compliance and harmonize all incentives through a Fiscal Incentives Review Board. Treat VAT purely as a consumption tax and never as an incentive. Whenever you buy, you pay VAT; whenever you export, you claim a refund afterward. [The speediness with which government grants those refunds is of course an outstanding issue that the exporters will be watching closely.] Stop undercutting local taxation for the sake of incentives, which are often handed out to beneficiaries “in lieu of local taxes.” [Strengthening local taxing powers becomes even more important after a changeover to a federal system, when the different states or regions will have to be fiscally empowered.] *** We close by congratulating SM Cares, the flagship philanthropy of the SM Group, whose pioneering housing project for Typhoon “Yolanda” survivors has garnered the Albert Sussman Int’l Community Support Award of the Int’l Council of Shopping Centers Foundation, the global trade association of the shopping center industry. The award was handed out in Las Vegas earlier this month, where we hope our friend and former Malacañang colleague, Len Bautista-Horn, was able to join the company retinue. A total of 1,000 shelter units has so far been donated by SM, in Bogo, Cebu; Concepcion, Iloilo; and Tacloban and Ormoc, Leyte. SM Prime’s chief honcho Hans Sy says his people are proud to show the world “how people can bounce back after tragedy, and how communities of strangers can thrive and grow together with the help of wellmeaning groups and advocates.” On a different note, but just as sublime, let me greet my father, Atty. George R. Olivar, on the occasion of his centennial birth anniversary last May 25. A veteran of the Philippine Army (like his own dad Rafael) and the National Bureau of Investigation, he has always been the lodestar to his six children. Up there in heaven where he waits for the rest of us with our mother and two of my brothers, I know he will hear our thanks, our greetings, and our prayers.

imported rice; and, at the macro level, hiking local interest rates (which the Bangko Sentral has already done) and rolling out all those infrastructure projects in order to reduce logistics costs, which comprise nearly half of local retail prices. *** Now that TRAIN 1 has taken care of the personal side of income taxes, the second package pending in Congress is targeted at the corporate side of the fiscal picture. According to Secretary Dominguez, it aims to build “a more competitive and transparent business environment” by bringing down corporate income tax rates; rationalizing a hodge-podge of over a hundred different fiscal incentives; and introducing administrative reforms like simplifying tax collection. Among the important features of TRAIN 2: Gradually bring down the corporate income tax rate from its current levels of up to 30 pct, the highest in the Asean Readers can write me at gboliregion. var1952@yahoo.com. Duterte, all these presidents, in my view, justified violations of human rights of individuals in the pursuit of the big national goals they have appropriated. The scale of course is different. The numbers of the Marcos-era human rights violations and numbers of casualties we are seeing now in the war against drugs cannot be compared to the corruption prosecutions launched during the Aquino administration. We know that the zeal with which President Aquino went after former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo did not end up with her assassination in the hospital or elsewhere and certainly, eventually, due process did work with Arroyo’s acquittal. But that had to wait until the end of the Aquino term. Politics, no matter how noble, should not be the basis of how we treat people. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo should not have been detained. Senator Leila de Lima should be released from prison. President Aquino should not have unleashed all the powers of presidency against Chief Justice Corona. President Duterte should not have done the same against Chief Justice Sereno. In all these cases, I have no doubt what the categorical imperative is, and that is to follow scrupulously due process of law. I emphasize to my constitutional law students why due process is the most fundamental of rights and why criminal due process is the most essential of rights. Without due process, government becomes a monster. Without criminal due process, we can all be targeted and become victims. In my last conversations with Doc Reyes, including when I visited him in the hospital. I told him that the more experience I had in politics, the more Kantian I had become. When I was younger, I was very much attracted to Marx and even Hegel, as contradictory as that His Church, which is strongly closed to any form if marital dissolution (divorce, annulment, etc) appointed him marriage counselor. There were more than a few raised eyebrows because his own sister is currently on her third marriage. It goes deeper. Sources say the pastor and his sister ostensibly run a marriage scam. Sister hooks a rich and eligible bachelor, and after some time charges him in court for a number of

seems, but dialectic thinking was powerful as a framework for social analysis and as political action. But it falls short, steeply at times, in guiding us to make ethical decisions. That is why Eric Weil, and I suspect Doc Reyes as well, in the end acknowledged that he was more Kantian than Hegelian. I ended my Ramon C. Reyes memorial lecture with these three final points: First, on the philosophy of Doc Reyes. To borrow words from Martin Luther King, Doc Reyes is a drum major for constant reflection on praxis so we can continually transform our society and country for the better, for the nobility of politics, for the categorical imperative and universal principles of morality, for doing the right thing at all times regardless of circumstances, for learning from one’s mistakes and accepting responsibility for them, and yes for personal conscience. Second, we do not need to despair over the state of the country and of our politics. Dialectic thinking, in the way Doc Reyes practiced it, following Weil, Hegel, and Marx never surrenders to pessimism. There is always a synthesis that follows a negation. We have been here before, this moment of anti-thesis. It does pass. It always does. What is important is to prepare for that moment of a new synthesis, for still another opportunity to renew this country and yes this world which is also in a moment of negation. Third, and last, I reiterated an urgent appeal: We must begin to listen to each other again, create physical and online spaces for conversations, agree on processes that will bring us nearer to the truth, and find consensus in shared values and aspirations so we can move forward even if our politics are radically different and opposed. Facebook: tonylavs

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outrageous offenses. Pastor Pharisee then uses his connections to make sure that the ex-husbands are legally pressured and eventually give in to conjugal demands. Just how good are the pastor’s connections? When his sister tried the same modus on husband number three, the case was dismissed. Undaunted, she filed the case again and it was dismissed a second time. This was when the pastor worked his magic in another city, and refiled the case there.

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effect, culminating in the Philippine Statistics Authority announcement that the inflation rate rose to a target-busting 4.5 percent in April. UnderstandRUDY ably, the Monetary Board did not want ROMERO to be seen as being inactive in the face WHEN government economists and of an apparent sustained inflationary private-sector financial analysts are movement, so it lost no time assuming asked to describe the state of the Phil- an anti-inflation posture. Of the numerippine economy, they always recite the ous weapons in its armory, it chose to mantra “The Philippine economy’s deploy interest-rate policy. Interest-rate changes are resorted to macro-economic fundamentals are sound.” The stability of a country’s by monetary authorities to influence interest-rate structure is one of its producers’ and consumers’ decisions macro-economic fundamentals, and to borrow and spend money. They seek the fact that the key interest rates of the to discourage lending (by banks) and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas have been borrowing (by producers and consumunchanged since September 2014 has ers) when they sense that an economy been cited in support of the position is at or is nearing overheating point; that the Philippines is a country with conversely, they encourage lending sound macro-economic fundamentals. and borrowing when they sense that With the decision taken by the Mon- an economy is displaying deflationary etary Board on May 10, this country’s tendencies, with unused productive camacro-economic fundamentals are pacities—including labor-building up. And what were the sources of the “inno longer as sound as they used to be. During its regular meeting on that day flationary pressures” that the Monetary the policymaking body of the BSP Board cited in its May 10 statement? The raised the monetary authority’s key same statement provided the answers. interest rate—its overnight rate—by “(P)rice pressures (have been) emanating from possible ad25 basis points, to justments in trans3.25 percent. The port fares, utility Monetary Board rates and wages.” explained its notThese adjustments That can’t be right. unexpected achave been directly tion: “In deciding attributable to the to raise the policy increases in peinterest rate, the troleum-products Monetary Board noted that the latest (inflation) fore- excise taxes that TRAIN put into effect casts had further shifted higher, indi- on Jan. 1, 2018. Raise fuel prices and you cating that inflationary pressures could raise the prices of goods and services that become more broad-based over the use fuel in their production. The last time I checked, there were policy horizon.” From this statement it is clear that no indications of overheating in the the Monetary Board had “inflationary economy. On the one hand, there are no pressures” very much in mind when it shortages of raw materials and semiapproved the increase in the BSP’s key processed products; on the other hand, interest rate—the rate that it charges unemployment and underemployment on loans to banks—by 25 basis points. remain at unacceptably high levels. With their borrowings from the BSP Indeed, the BSP loses no opportunity now more costly, the institutions that to reassure the nation that there is no compose the Philippine banking sys- economic overheating. Thus, what we have here is a case of a tem adjust their loans to producers and fiscal problem being addressed with monconsumers correspondingly. Did the Monetary Board do the right etary policy. A checking of my economthing when it took its May 10 policy ics notes yielded the rule that fiscal probaction? Was a BSP rate-increasing ex- lems should be solved with fiscal policy ercise the appropriate way to deal with tools and monetary problems should be the “inflationary pressures” it cited in solved with monetary weaponry. The fiscal problem created by explaining its action? To place things in perspective, the TRAIN—upward “adjustments in May 10 Monetary Board action came transport fares, utility rates and wages” close on the heels of the steady upward —should be solved with adjustments in movement of consumer prices since TRAIN, not interest rate charges. A fiscal problem being solved with a Jan. 1, 2018, when the TRAIN (Tax Reform and Inclusion) law went into monetary tool: That ain’t right.

BUSINESS CLASS

False... correcting void appointments in order to protect public interest. Because void acts do not ripen into valid acts by the mere passage of time, the one-year period must not be strictly construed against the state, represented by the solicitor general. Since Sereno and the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), which Sereno eventually chaired as chief justice, did not disclose to the public Sereno’s failure to submit her SALN as required by the JBC from all candidates for chief justice, it is absurd to reckon the one-year period from the time of Sereno’s appointment as chief justice in 2012. Under the premises, the one-year period ought to be reckoned from the discovery of the grounds for quo warranto, especially in this case where the JBC concealed the reason from the public. An illustrative example will be demonstrative. Suppose it was discovered that a justice of the Supreme Court who was appointed in 2012 turned out to be an alien whose Philippine citizenship papers were falsified by the justice’s parents at the time of his birth some 60 years earlier, without the knowledge and participation of the justice. Even if the justice innocently relied on his falsified citizenship papers, that justice is still disqualified from membership in the Supreme Court. Strictly speaking, that justice cannot be removed by impeachment because he did not commit any culpable violation of the Constitution, inasmuch as he had no knowledge of the anomaly committed by his parents. He cannot be removed by quo warranto either, if the one-year period is strictly

reckoned from 2012—the year of his appointment to the Supreme Court. Therefore, unless a practical interpretation of the one-year period in quo warranto cases is allowed for the state, the nation will be unable to unseat that illegally appointed justice. That will be an anomaly, and jurisprudence dictates that laws and rules cannot be interpreted to lead to an anomaly. Contrary to the opinion of a prominent senator, the SALN is a requirement for appointment as chief justice. It is required of all public officers, justices of the Supreme Court included, under Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. The six justices whom Sereno wanted to inhibit from the case for their alleged bias need not inhibit. As discussed in last week’s column, the general rule on inhibition of justices does not apply to proceedings involving transcendental issues concerning the Constitution, and issues that affect the state and the government. This is particularly true when whatever private interest there may be in the case is far outweighed by the paramount public interest involved. Sereno’s case is outside the general rule on inhibition. There is no “triumph of one-man rule,” either. While the insinuation of one-man rule is obviously directed against President Rodrigo Duterte, that insinuation is unwarranted, even if Duterte actually dislikes Sereno. Despite the ouster of Sereno, the Supreme Court remains intact. Congress still functions despite the presence of several pro-Aquino III politicians there. The media remain free to criticize the government. The sitting ombudsman does not see eye to eye with the President, and the human rights commission in the Philippines remains open and functioning. What one-man rule are they talking about? (Continued Saturday)

My gulay, the twice-dismissed case was miraculously accepted! A number of concerned members of the pastor’s Church has brought the activities of the pastor before the leadership, complete with evidence. Strangely, the Church has chosen to treat the matter with kid gloves by conducting a half-hearted “internal investigation.” They may not realize it, but the feudaltype protectionism, which I hope does not

lead to a cover-up, has been the downfall of many organizations both sacred and secular. *** Haven’t you noticed that many tycoons now sport the title “Doctor” affixed to their name? This is so because they have been conferred an honoris causa degree by some university. I, too have been conferred an honorary doctorate many years ago by the Angeles University Foundation, but I do not use it. It is just awkward.

From A4

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

News

TUESDAY, TODAY MAY 29, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Robes, wife face murder raps By Rio N. Araja SAN Jose del Monte, Bulacan Mayor Arthur Robes and his wife, Rep. Florida Robes, are facing multiple counts of murder complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the explosion of a water tank that killed four people in October 2017. In a 20-page complaint, Councilor Irene del Rosario filed four counts of murder as well as 43 counts of frustrated murder against the Robes couple. She alleged the mayor hired two witnesses to identify her as behind the water tank explosion, saying Noli and Rex Barcelona received P8,000 in exchange for an affidavit implicating her as the principal suspect in the incident. A private secretary to the mayor, Perfecto Tagalog, paid the witnesses. The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption accompanied Del Rosario in the filing of the cases. Included in the complaint sheet were San Jose del Monte Water District general manager Loreto Limcolioc; board chairman Enrique delos Santos; secretary Felipe Policarpio Jr.; board members Victoria Camua and Jovita Vizmonte-Mateo; assistant general manager Victor Canita Jr.; Tagalog, and one Gil Gayosa.

Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation LAND TRANSPORTATION OFFICE Region I InvItatIon to BId for the Procurement of Brand neW motor vehIcLeS Reference No: LTOR1-2018B-001 1. The Land Transportation Office - Region I, through the CY 2018 Government Appropriations Act (RA 10964) intends to apply the sum of Ten Million Seven Hundred Thousand Pesos (P10,700,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the procurement of brand new motor vehicles. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. 2. The Land Transportation Office - Region I now invites bids for two (2) units pick-up compact truck and six (6) units patrol vehicles with the following specifications: SPECIFICATIONS

PICK-UP COMPACT TRUCKS

PATROL VEHICLES

Pick-up

Asian Utility Vehicle (AUV) or Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV)

Transmission Type:

Manual Transmission

Power Train:

Four Wheel Drive (4WD)

Rear Wheel Drive

Diesel/Common-Rail Injection

Gasoline/Electronic Fuel Injection or Diesel/ Common-Rail Injection

Displacement:

2.2 to 3.0 Liters

1.5 to 2.0 Liters (for Gasoline) or 2.0 to 2.5 Liters (for Diesel)

Fuel Capacity:

Number of Units Required: Body Type:

Fuel Type/System:

60 Liters (Minimum)

50 Liters (Minimum)

Seating Capacity:

7 to 10

Doors:

Color:

White

Three (3) years or 100,000 kilometers, whichever comes first

Airconditioned, Power Steering, Power Windows, Power Door Locks, Central Locking, Keyless Entry, Alarm, Airbags (Driver and Front Passenger), Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), 17”-18” Alloy Wheels

Airconditioned, Power Steering with Audio, Tel and MID Switch, Power Windows, Power Door Locks, Central Locking, Keyless Entry, Airbags (Driver and Front Passenger), Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), 2-DIN CD/Tuner/MP3 with USB and Auxiliary, 6 Speakers, Fog Lamps, 16”-17” Alloy Wheels

Inclusions:

3 years LTO Registration, Bed Liner, Full Tint, Undercoat, Matting, Seat Cover, Emergency Warning Device and tools

3 years LTO Registration, Full Tint, Undercoat, Matting, Seat Cover, Emergency Warning Device and tools

Delivery Period:

One Hundred Fifty (150) calendar days after receipt of the approved Purchase Order/ Notice to Proceed

One Hundred Fifty (150) calendar days after receipt of the approved Purchase Order/Notice to Proceed

Warranty (Minimum):

Features (Minimum):

Supplier shall guarantee the availability of the vehicle, (including their parts, accessories, and other components) which are all original, brand-new and free from any manufacturing defects. Replacement of the defective vehicle or its part/accessory shall be performed within the specified period. The supplier shall likewise ensure the year-round availability of consumable and replacement parts of the vehicle. Supplier must be able to provide preventive/maintenance/repair services for the vehicle in any of its branches or service centers within the province of La Union.

Delivery of the Goods is required one hundred fifty (150) calendar days after receipt of the approved Purchase Order/Notice to Proceed. Bidders should have completed, within two (2) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from Land Transportation Office - Region I and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on May 24, 2018 until June 13, 2018 from the address below and upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Twenty Five Thousand Pesos (P25,000.00) It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

The Land Transportation Office - Region I will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on June 1, 2018, 10:00 AM at the Office of the Assistant Regional Director, which shall be open to prospective bidders.

Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before 9:00 AM of June 13, 2018. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bid opening shall be on 10:00 AM of June 13, 2018 at the Office of the Assistant Regional Director. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The Land Transportation Office - Region I reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. For further information, please refer to: Kathleen Deanna G. Salayog LTO-R1 Bid and Awards Committee Chairperson Land Transportation Office - Region I Aguila Road, Brgy. Sevilla, City of San Fernando, La Union 2500 (072) 607-1826 / (072) 607-3249 ltoregion1@yahoo.com

(MAY 29, 2018)

(SGD) KATHLEEN DEANNA G. SALAYOG OIC-ARD/BAC CHAIRPERSON

DoJ to probe prosecutor who handled Okada case By Rey E. Requejo

HE Department of Justice will investigate the Parañaque City prosecutor handling the estafa case against Japanese tycoon Kazuo Okada for allegedly prematurely disclosing his resolution to the businessman’s “close companion” who posted it on her Facebook and Instagram accounts last May 18. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he would inquire into the allegation made by Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment Inc., operator of Okada Manila, accusing Parañaque City Prosecutor Amerhassan Paudac of bias and gross partiality. Guevarra asked him to inhibit himself from the case after a resolution, which has yet to be released officially by his office, was posted last May 18 in the Instagram and Facebook accounts of Chloe Kim, known to be Okada’s Korean lover.

“I will look into this matter asap, premature disclosure of orders and resolutions prior to official release is not allowed unless there are compelling reasons that would sufficiently justify the same,” Guevarra said in a text message sent to reporters on Monday. In its motion for inhibition filed against Paudac, TRLEI accused the fiscal of bias and gross partiality by the family of Kazuo Okada after a resolution, yet to be officially released by Paudac’s office, was posted Kim’s two social media

SCN FORM NO. 1 (R.A. NO. 9139)

001 189

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON NATURALIZATION

SCN CASE NO. x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

PETITION Pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No. 9139, petitioner hereby submits a petition for naturalization to become a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines and respectfully declares: 1. My full name is PRATIK HARISH ABICHANDANI, but I have also been known since childhood as N/A, or I have been N/A . judicially authorized to use the alias name(s) 2. My present place of residence is 1 JORDAN ST., MULTINATIONAL VILLAGE, BRGY. MOONWALK City/ Municipality of PARAÑAQUE Province of METRO MANILA ,and all my former places of residence are (please indicate periods of residence): UNIT P144 Cityland 5, Makati City (1991-1993) 12 Hamburg St., Merville, Parañaque City (1993-2004) Scarlet Homes Brgy. Moonwalk, Parañaque City (2005-2006 29 Giorgio St., Camella Homes, Parañaque City (2007-2015) 3. I was born on FEB. 7, 1991, in MAKATI MEDICAL CENTER MAKATI, Philippines. I have been a resident of the Philippines since birth. At present, I am a citizen or subject of INDIAN. 4. My father's name is HARISH KUMAR ABICHANDANI and he was born on 12 JANUARY 1958, in NEW DELHI, INDIA. He is a citizen or subject of INDIA. My mother's name is MANJU H. ABINVHANDANI and she was born on 14 DECEMBER 1964 in PUNE, INDIA. She is a citizen or subject of INDIA. 5. My trade, business, profession or lawful occupation is PURCHASING OFFICER IN CHARGE and from which I derive an average annual income of P180,000, inclusive of bonuses, commissions and allowances. My wife's/husband's trade, business, profession or lawful occupation is N/A and from which she derives an average annual income of P N/A . (Where the above does not apply): I am exempt from the requirement of lucrative trade or occupation and from submitting income tax returns for the past three (3) years because I am a college degree holder [please state (1) degree obtained:N/A, (2) name of school: N/A and (3) years graduated: N/A who cannot practice my profession (the practice of which requires a government licensure examination) by reason of my citizenship. 6. My civil status is SINGLE, I was married on N/A in N/A. My wife's/husband's name is N/A and she/he was born on N/A in N/A. She/he is a citizen or subject of N/A and presently resides N/A 7. I am legally separated from my spouse; my marriage was annulled, per decree of legal separation/annulment dated N/A granted by N/A. (please indicate the particular court which granted the same). I am a widower/widow and my spouse died on N/A in N/A. 8. I have N/A child/children, whose names, dates and places of birth and residences are as follows: Date of Birth

N/A

Place of Birth N/A

teach doctrines opposing all organized governments. I am not defending or teaching the necessity or propriety of violence, personal assault or assassination for the success and predominance of one's ideas. I am not a polygamist nor a believer in the practice of polygamy. I have not been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude. I am not suffering from mental alienation or from any incurable contagious disease. The country of which I am a citizen or subject is not at war with the Philippines and grants to Filipinos the right to be naturalized citizens or subjects thereof. 13. It is my true and honest intention to become a citizen of the Philippines and to renounce absolutely and forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, and, particularly, to INDIA of which at this time I am a citizen or subject. I will reside continuously in the Philippines from the date of the filing of this petition up to the time of my admission to Philippine citizenship.

IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION OF PRATIK HARISH ABICHANDANI to be naturalized as Filipino citizen pursuant to Republic Act No. 9139.

Name

accounts last week. Okada is facing multiple counts of estafa before the Parañaque Prosecutor’s Ofﬁce for embezzling more than $10 million of Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment Inc. funds between early 2016 and June 2017. TRLEI is the owner and operator of the posh Okada Manila in Entertainment City, Parañaque, where Okada was its former chief executive officer before majority shareholders composed of his wife and children booted him out. TRLEI demanded that Paudac inhibit himself from the cases being handled by his office due to the impression created by the release of advance copies to Okada that said release must have been for substantial monetary consideration considering the amounts in the estafa cases and the personalities involved.

14. My character witnesses are JOHN MATTHEW ANGELES and RAY MAR ROSARIO both Filipino citizens, of legal age, and residing at MAKATI CITY and MAKATI CITY respectively, who have executed sworn statements attached hereto in support of my instant petition, together with: (a) brief biographical data about themselves; (b) detailed statements on the dates they first came to know me, the circumstances of our initial acquaintance and the reasons and extent of our continuing familiarity; and (c) the number of times they have acted as character witnesses in other petitions for naturalization. 15. Attached hereto as annexes and made part of this petition are the duplicate originals or certified photocopies of the following documents (please check the appropriate box): [ ] a. Petitioner's birth certificate [ ] b. Petitioner's alien certificate of registration (ACR) [ ] c. Petitioner's native-born certificate of residence (NBCR) [ ] d. Petitioner's marriage certificate, if married [ ] e. Death certificate of his/her spouse, if widowed [ ] f. Court decree annulling his/her marriage or granting legal separation, if such was the fact [ ] g. Birth certificates of petitioner's minor children [ ] h. ACRs of petitioner's minor children [ ] i. NBCRs of petitioner's minor children [ ] j. Affidavits of financial capacity by the petitioner, duly supported by bank certifications, passbooks, stock certificates, or proof of ownership of other properties [ ] k. Affidavits of at least two (2) credible witnesses who must be Filipino citizens of good reputation in petitioner's place of residence [ ] l. Medical certificate from a government hospital stating that petitioner is not suffering from mental alienation or a user of prohibited drugs or otherwise a drug dependent and that he/she is not afflicted with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), or any incurable contagious disease. [ ] m. School diploma and transcript of records of the petitioner from the school/s he or she attended in the Philippines [ ] n. Certifications stating that petitioner's minor children are enrolled in public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the DECS, where Philippine history, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or nationality [ ] o. Petitioner's income tax returns for the past three years [ ] p. Petitioner's receipts of payment of income tax for the past three years

9. I received my primary and secondary education from the following public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), where Philippine history, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or nationality:

Place of Dates of Highest Grade School Study Completed D O N B O S C O MAKATI 1997-2004 ELEMENTARY TECHNICAL INSTITUTE D O N B O S C O MAKATI 2004-2008 HIGHSCHOOL TECHNICAL INSTITUTE D E L A S A L L E MANILA 2008-2011 COLLEGE UNIVERSITY

11. I have enrolled my minor children of school age in the following public schools or private educational institutions duly recognized by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), where Philipine History, government and civics are taught and prescribed as part of the school curriculum and where enrollment is not limited to any race or nationality:

Name of Child

Name and Place of School

Date of Enrollment

N/A

12. I shall never be a public charge. I am of good moral character. I believe in the principles underlying the Philippine Constitution. I have conducted myself in a proper and irreproachable manner during the entire period of my residence in the Philippines in my relations with the constituted government as well as with the community in which I am living. I mingled socially with Filipinos and have evinced a sincere desire to learn and embrace the customs, traditions and ideals of the Filipino people. I have all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications under Republic Act No. 9139. I am not opposed to organized government or affiliated with any association or group of persons who uphold and

THE Ombudsman has filed charges against Cotabato Rep. Nancy Catamco and former Poro, Cebu mayor Edgar Rama owing to their alleged involvement in the fertilizer fund scam in 2004. Ombudsman prosecutors filed at the Sandiganbayan one count of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and two counts of malversation against Catamco, Rama, and Catamco’s former husband Pompey Reyes. But the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed five graft charges against former National Food Authority administrator and now Bohol 3rd District Rep. Arthur Yap. Yap was charged in connection with procurement of fertilizers under the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani Rice Program in 2003. In a statement and copy of the order released by Yap’s office, his motion for partial reconsideration was granted in an order signed by Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer Millicent Reyes and approved by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.

House takes up beverage disposal By Maricel V. Cruz A PANEL in the House of Representatives has created a technical working group that will ﬁnetune House Bill 4922 which seeks to require brand owners of beverages to implement management plans to refund values of beverage containers to prevent them from becoming environmental pollutants. The House committee on ecology, chaired by Rep. Estrellita Suansing of Nueva Ecija, named Rep. Enrico Pineda head of the TWG that will ﬁnalize the bill authored by Rep. Ramon Rocamora of Siquijor. The proposed “Beverage Container Disposal Act” mandates each beverage brand owner to implement an effective redemption, transportation, processing, marketing, and reporting system for the reuse and recycling of used beverage containers of the brand owner. A 2015 annual report of the International Coastal Cleanup of Ocean Conservancy cited that a total of 18,062,911 pounds of trash were collected from beaches and waterways around the world. Some 665,294 pounds of this trash came from the Philippines alone. Waste related to beverage containers (bottles and caps) amounted to 60,584 individual pieces that were recovered around the country.

CLEARANCE: NBI, BARANGAY, POLICE, RTC, MTC & OFFICE OF THE PROSECUTOR PRAYER WHEREFORE, it is respectfully prayed that petitioner be conferred Philippine citizenship pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No, 9139. Dated at Makati City, Metro Manila, this day of ________

PRATIK HARISH ABICHANDANI Name and Signature of Petitioner Address: 1 JORDAN ST., MULTINATIONAL, PARAÑAQUE CITY Telephone Number: 8239671/09228719548

Right Thumbmark of Petitioner

Name of School

10. I am able to read, write and speak Filipino and/or any of the following dialects of the Philippines: TAGALOG.

By Maricel V. Cruz

16. Other documents submitted by the petitioner in support of his/her petition:

Residence N/A

Catamco, Rama charged in scam

Petitioner's signature and right thumbmark

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) CITY/MUNICIPALITY OF MANILA) S.S. I, PRATIK HARISH ABICHANDANI of legal age and a resident of 1 JORDAN MULTINATIONAL VILL., PARAÑAQUE CITY after being duly sworn, depose and say that I am the petitioner herein, that I have read the foregoing petition and know the foregoing petition and known the contents thereof, and that the same is true of my own knowledge. PRATIK HARISH ABICHANDANI Name and Signature of Petitioner SUBCRIBED AND SWORN to before me at CITY OF MAKATI this 22 day of MARCH, 2018.

Doc. No. 463 Page No. 94 Book No. 716 Series of 2018 (MS-MAY 29, JUN 5 & 12, 2018)

SUSPECTS NABBED. Director General

Aaron Aquino of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency present at a news conference Monday in Quezon City the confiscated illegal drugs and suspects identified as Rajiv Gidwani, an Indian national, and Jeremiah Alero Carillo, in a buy-bust operation in Alabang Hills Village, Muntinlupa City on May 25. Manny Palmero

PNP to go after Parojinog’s coddlers THE Philippine National Police is looking into ﬁling criminal charges against people who may have coddled and helped Ozamiz City Councilor Ricardo “Ardot” Parojinog to escape from his homeland. Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Director Roel Obusan said they already have the information and identities of Parojinog’s coddlers. But he refused to name them as they were building a case against them. Parojinog, brother of the late Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr., was arrested last week by the Taiwan police where he remains under custody. PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said he would be sending Obusan and PNP Drug Enforcement Group director Chief Supt. Albert Ignatius Ferro to Taiwan this week to coordinate with the Taiwan police to arrange Parojinog’s deportation. CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2018

New imports for 3 teams AS THE resumption of the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup looms, two struggling teams are looking to turn their fortunes around, while another one is aiming to sustain its own with new reinforcements. The Gin Kings, despite their firepower, are surprisingly near the bottom with their 1-3 card partly because of their ineffective import. Charles Garcia was hardly a factor for Ginebra in the four games that he played, forcing management, with encouragement from the fans, to bring in a trusted and popular name. Resident import Justin Brownlee, who has led the Gin Kings to two titles and is still fresh from his championship run with Alab Pilipinas in the Asean Basketball League, is back in tow to try to resurrect his beloved squad. For the Elite, who have yet to win a game (0-6), they are bringing in resident import in Henry Walker, who will finish the tournament for Blackwater and also serve as the Elite’s import next conference, just like Brownlee for Ginebra. Winners of three in a row, the Hotshots were forced to find a replacement for the solid Vernon Macklin as he opted to play in China with a guaranteed contract. In his place, the Hotshots are hoping to have the same success with the incoming Curtis Kelly, a former NBA hopeful in 2011. Jeric Lopez

Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko reacts during her women's singles first round tennis match against Ukraine's Kateryna Kozlova, on day one of The Roland Garros 2018 French Open tennis tournament in Paris. AFP

Vising netters dominate Cebuana tilt

ALL-STAR WEEK DELIVERS GOODS. Members of the PBA Visayas team are shown having a good time during the PBA All-Star Week festivities in Iloilo. From Digos, Davao del Sur, where the sons of the South made their compatriots proud with a 144-130 victory over the Smart All-Stars; to Batangas City, where the Luzon All-Stars did all it could and fought until the end before falling, 152-149; all the way to Iloilo, where the Visayans scored a dominant 157-141 win, the PBA delegation left nothing but smiles on the people’s faces.

Terrible day at office for champ Ostapenko P

ARIS—Jelena Ostapenko was left fuming after a “terrible day at the office” on Sunday, when she became only the second woman in the Open era to see a Roland Garros title defence end in the first round.

The Latvian served 13 double faults and made 48 unforced errors in an error-strewn display as she slumped to a shock 7-5, 6-3 loss to little-known Ukrainian Kateryna Kozlova on Philippe Chatrier Court. The 20-year-old’s performance was the total opposite of the scintillating attacking tennis that took her to the title 12 months ago. “I think it was a terrible day at the office today for me,” Ostapenko said. “I mean, in general I played maybe like 20 percent of what I can play. Made like 50 unforced errors and so many double faults. Like couldn’t serve today. “Everything together just brought

me a really bad result.” The fifth seed is only the sixth woman in the Open era to lose in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament as defending champion, after Steffi Graf at Wimbledon in 1994, Jennifer Capriati (2003 Australian Open), Anastasia Myskina (2005 French Open), Svetlana Kuznetsova (2005 US Open) and Angelique Kerber (2017 US Open). Ostapenko said that she was hampered by a leg injury suffered during her quarter-final defeat by Maria Sharapova in Rome last week, and by a personal matter earlier on Sunday. “It’s more personal, but, just in general... Just woke up, you’re like, your mood was not amazing, you

just woke up and kind of some things went wrong, and then you are kind of pissed off, in the practice you’re pissed off,” she said. “And then you go to the match and try to be positive, but everything goes not your way, and you still try to be positive, but then you lose the match and of course you cannot be positive anymore.” The French Open is the only Grand Slam event that begins on a Sunday, and Ostapenko felt that a later start would have helped her regain full fitness in time. “I think if I was scheduled on Tuesday, I think Monday or Tuesday, at least one extra day would help me a lot, but unfortunately yesterday I didn’t feel that I was in a great form.” It was a third defeat in as many meetings with world number 66 Kozlova for Ostapenko, after previous losses at S-Hertogenbosch in 2016 and at an ITF event in Italy two years before. But she insisted that her form was so poor that she would have lost no matter who she played. AFP

Oakley lends hand to jungolfers INTERNATIONAL sports accessories brand Oakley proudly hosted the recent 6th Golf Cup at Pradera Verde in Lubao, Pampanga for the benefit of the young aspiring golfers of The Junior Golfers League, the development league of the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines. With intense competition and weather condition, participants swung their golf clubs towards victory during the 18-hole system 36 game with divisions consisting of Men’s Division Classes A, B, and C; Women’s Division, as well as Boy’s Division and Girl’s Division for junior golfers. In the Men’s Division Class A, Raymund Lacdao emerged as Champion with 71-04 = 67; Mike Besa settling for 1st runner up with 75-06 = 69 and Allan Umali bagging the 2nd runner up, 82-13=69. In the Men’s Division Class B, James Roy Linao came out on top with a 9725 = 72, followed by Marlon Dizon as 1st Runner Up, scoring 98-26 = 72 and Lorenzo dela Paz as 2nd Runner up with 95-22 = 73. In the Men’s Division Class C, Eric dela Rosa emerged champion with a score of 101-

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

26 = 75, with Mathew Lean Mendoza coming in as 1st Runner Up scoring, 102-26= 76, and Mark Fowler as 2nd Runner up with 103-27=76. In the Ladies’ Division, Vangie Omlang took home the champion’s trophy scoring 89-17= 72, followed by Grace Montilla winning 1st and Cora Aguinaldo winning 2nd Runner up scoring 89-16 = 73 and 95-88 = 73 respectively. The Junior Golfers also showcased their excellent skills during the 6th Oakley Golf Cup. Under Boys Division, Josh Jorge was named champion with a score of 68-02 = 66, while in the Girls’ Division, Mariel Tee came in first with 73-04 = 69. Hosted by motoring journalist James Deakin, the 6th Oakley Golf Cup played up more fun and exciting golfing experience with its theme “Rock n Roll Music + Golf” where thematic activities were set per hole for extra challenge among participants such as loud rock music, spotlight, sprinklers, and many more. Oakley donated P100,000 to TJGL after the awarding of winners in commitment to

Ledama, Bayking dominate PPS Leyte tennis tournament TOP seed Nilo Ledama and unranked Bliss Bayking knocked down two victories each in their respective sides to clinch the MVP honors in the PPS-PEPP Maasin regional age-group tennis tournament at the Capitol Tennis Courts in Leyte recently. Ledama, from Pagadian City, thwarted Sai Lago, 6-4, 6-4, in the boys’ 16-andunder finals then routed Tyrone Ybañez, 6-0, 6-0, to claim the 18-U diadem in the Group 2 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala and presented by Dunlop. Bayking, one of the rising stars from San Carlos City, matched that two-title feat in her side of the finals, crushing top seed Pherl Coderos, 6-1, 6-1, in the 16-U championship then repulsing No. 2 Elizabeth Abarquez, 6-4, 6-3, for the 18-U crown. Other winners in the ranking event backed by Asiatraders Corp. and sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines, made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg were Corazon Lambonao and Lago in the 14-U division, local bets Elna Beronio and Ruzzel Manlimos in the 12-U play and Christian Estrada in the 10-unisex section. Lambonao, from Ormoc City, lived up to her top billing and whipped Mae Macasuot while Lago, from Sogod, Leyte, bounced back from his loss to Ledama with a 6-1, 6-2 romp over Nicholas Ocat; No. 3 Beronio upset top seed Riza Coderos, 6-0, 6-1, while Manlimos overpowered the young Estrada, 6-3, 6-1.

Junior Golfers League members, with their trophies, receive the P100,000 donation from Oakley Philippines at the Oakley 6th Golf Cup in Pampanga.

their continued support for the young golfers of the country to help them grow their athletic skills. “We’re grateful for Oakley because every year, they support and hold this charity event for TJGL. Out of this tournament, we are able to help kids who are financially incapable but talented,” said TJGL President Chonadela Paz. “We will utilize the money

for partially funding the needed resources of the junior golfers to encourage them more in honing their skills.” Chona also mentioned that this pledge by Oakley will help TJGL golfers Josh Jorge and Sean Granada who will soon represent the country to International Management Group Junior Golf 2018 in San Diego, California this July.

Legends to grace full Ironman LOCAL triathlon fans get a chance to see and mingle with IRONMAN legends Dave Scott of the US and Craig Alexander in a rare appearance of two of the sport’s most recognizable figures at the Shangri-La at The Fort on Thursday. Scott and Alexander will be on hand to share their exploits, including highlights of their illustrious careers and at the same time give tips and pointers to the wannabes, enthusiasts, weekend runners and regular triathlon campaigners in a two-hour meet-and-greet session from 4 p.m. Scott, who earned the moniker “The Man” for his record six Ironman World Championship title in Kona, Hawaii, was the first to be inducted into the Ironman Hall of Fame while Alexander was a three-time world champion and the course record holder for the IRONMAN World Championship. Both are now into coaching, guiding

a number of future triathlon champions. They hope to inspire the athletes in what has long been considered as the triathlon capital in Asia with the two legends’ presence likewise to generate interest in the run-up to the first Century Tuna full IRONMAN slated Sunday (Sunday) in Subic. In fact, Scott and Alexander will also head to the race site this weekend to be with the participants, numbering to 1,278 triathletes, all hoping to complete the first-ever full triathlon in the country.. At the forefront of the inaugural full IRONMAN is Century Tuna, which after successfully hosting three 5150 and three 70. 3 events is now putting up the ultimate test in endurance racing in partnership with the country’s producer and organizer of triathlon – Sunrise Events, Inc., which incidentally is celebrating a decade of IRONMAN staging here.

VISITING players from adjoining provinces, including the Visayas, dominated the recent Cebuana Lhuillier AgeGroup Tennis Championship Series leg in Mambajao, Camiguin, with only one local bet holding ground by winning the boys’ 16-under. Tiffany Claire Nocos, Janus Matthew Rosales, Vaugh Spencer Codilla and Nash Agustines posted double wins in the tournament that attracted 134 entries and backed by Dunlop as the official ball. Nocos, from Llapu-Lapu City in Cebu, maintained her stranglehold on the girls’ 14-under and 16- under age groups, though she was extended to three sets in both finals matches. She beat Jonamil Prado from Mati City, Davao Oriental, 6-2, 3-6, 10-6 in the championship match in the 14-under before coming from behind in the finals of the 16-under against Jonamil Prado, also from Mati, for a 3-6, 6-3, 10-6 win. Rosales, however, emerged with the most number of wins as he took both the 10-under unisex and the 12-under boys’ titles aside from sharing the 10-under unisex doubles’ crown. He swept aside Mories Mesiona Jr. from Bais City, Negros Occidental, 4-2, 4-1 for the unisex title and defeated Jolimar Prado, 6-3,6-4 in the finals of the boys’ 12-under, before teaming up with Troy Joshua Lapara for a 4-2, 4-1 win over the duo of Dyeinah Olalo and Bryzen Sanchez for the 10-under unisex doubles’ title. “It is the likes of Rosales that we are hoping to discover in this series, now the country’s longest-running grassroots tennis program as they will be the ones at the forefront of Philippine tennis in the future,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, President/CEO of the sponsoring Cebuana Lhuillier Group. Familiar name Nash Agustines from Oroquieta City beat local bet Prince Boy Jaculan, 6-2, 6-4, in the finals of the boys’ 14-under and partnered with John Christopher Sonsona to share the boys’ 14-under doubles’ title.

Gleeson targets 2nd PGTA crown DAVID Gleeson hopes to cash in on his good form and challenge for another crown on the second Philippine Golf Tour Asia, which holds its second leg at Riviera’s Langer layout beginning tomorrow (Wednesday, May 30). Gleeson snapped a seven-year title drought with a victory in the PGT Asia’s kickoff leg at Luisita last month, outlasting local bet Erwin Arcillas on the third playoff hole. But the veteran Aussie campaigner will be facing a tougher cast of rivals in the $100,000 ICTSI Riviera Classic, including the local top guns and a slew of aces from Thailand, Korea, the US, England, New Zealand and Japan. That should make the 72-hole championship worth watching with the battle for the $17,500 purse tipped to go the way it was at Luisita. The local bets, for one, are out to redeem themselves from that failed bid at Luisita where an heralded player in Arcillas needed to step up and provide the challenge against Gleeson. Multi-titled Tony Lascuña was the next best Filipino finisher at joint fifth with another Aussie Tim Stewart. “This is going to be tough. The field is strong with 68 foreigners out to challenge us again,” said Lascuña, who with newly crowned Masters champion Jerson Balasabas and surging Jobim Carlos will be at the forefront of the locals’ charge in the blue-ribbon event sponsored by ICTSI. Balasabas’ playoff victory over Dutch Guido Van der Valk in last week’s Masters at Villamor should bolster his confidence this week although the same could not be said of defending champion Clyde Mondilla, who continued to grope for form after five tournaments in the young season.

LOTTO RESULTS

6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M+ 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

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

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2018

Sports

By Peter Atencio SANCTIONS await basketball star Kiefer Ravena for reportedly failing a random drug test. That’s after he was said to have tested positive for a performanceenhancing drug after Team Pilipinas played in Melbourne and lost to the Boomers, 84-68, last February 22. Suspension from playing for Gilas in international competitions looms as the likeliest sanction that could be handed down by SBP officials. Though, no official word yet on how Ravena, who plays for the NLEX Road Warriors in the Philippine Basketball Association, will be penalized. Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas officials appealed for another test before the Fiba medical board. Ravena, 24, was one of the silver linings for Gilas in that loss, scoring six points to go with two assists and two rebounds in 17 minutes of play. Unconfirmed reports said the second test also came out positive.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after controlling the ball during their Eastern Conference finals game against the Boston Celtics which the Cavaliers eventually won 87-79. AFP

Ravena faces possible suspension

LeBron, Cavs advance to NBA Finals

OS ANGELES— LeBron James booked his eighth straight NBA Finals appearance, delivering another epic game-seven performance on the road as the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied to beat the Boston Celtics 87-79 on Sunday.

for the Cavaliers who are in the league championship for the fourth consecutive year. “This is the last chapter for our team this season,” said James. “It’s been a whirlwind. It has been roses. There have been thorns in the roses. This is one of the most challenging seasons I have had.” The Cavaliers will face either the Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors or the James Harden-led Houston Rockets. The two teams play Game 7 at 9 a.m. today for the right to represent the Western The 33-year-old James played Conference in the NBA Finals. all 48 minutes and ﬁnished with 35 Cleveland became the ﬁrst team to win points, 15 rebounds and nine assists

on the road in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference championship series and the ﬁrst to beat the Celtics at home in the postseason. “Win, loss or draw, at end of my career you are never going to get someone to say I didn’t leave it out on ﬂoor,” the four-time league MVP James said. The Cavaliers will take on either the reigning champion Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets in the championship series. The Warriors dominated the Rockets 115-86 on Saturday to force a decisive game seven which will take place Monday in Houston. James believes that they can outhustle,

outsmart and out coach whoever they face in the ﬁnal. “We have an opportunity to win a championship. No matter whether we are picked to win or not, we have a great game plan. We are going to try to get better throughout the series,” he said. James led the Cavaliers in the ﬁrst half with 17 points and 10 rebounds but they trailed for much of the half in front of a crowd of 18,600 at the Boston Garden. It wasn’t until the second half that his supporting cast came to life and the Cavaliers were able to wrestle control back from the Celtics in the low-scoring contest. “He’s unbelievable,” said Celtics

coach Brad Stevens. “I thought it was an outstanding defensive game. And again he still had 35, 15 and nine. It’s ridiculous and he does it with the pressure and scrutiny.” James said he knew ahead of time he was going to have to play 48 minutes. “It was asked of me tonight to play the whole game, and I just tried to ﬁgure out how I could get through it,” said James, who played 48 minutes for the ﬁrst time in a playoff game since 2006 as a 21-year-old against the Detroit Pistons. “Throughout the timeouts, I was able to catch my breath. At halftime, I didn’t come out and warm up. That was my time to recalibrate and catch my wind

Stocks slip; PLDT, Bloomberry fall B2

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2018

Lopez Group expands into education By Alena Mae S. Flores

HE Lopez Group is diversifying into new businesses, including healthcare and education, top executives said Monday.

First Philippine Holdings Corp., an investment company under the Lopez Group, acquired a 68-percent stake in Asian Eye Institute and set up a senior high school program that offers vocational training, according to FPHC president Francis Giles Puno. “We have also acquired majority stake in Asian Eye Institute and are developing new strategies to reimagine healthcare and wellness beyond current investments,” Puno said after the stockholders’ meeting. FPHC chairman and chief executive Federico Lopez said the company was investing in healthcare as a part of its transition. “We felt we needed a new platform to address the new ways of healthcare practices. The Asian Eye will be a very good base for us to be able to do that,” Lopez said. The company is spending about P100 million in Asian Eye Institute and between P100 and P200 million in education this year, executives said. FPHC has interests in key industries such as energy, property, construction and energy services. It recently took over Asian Eye Institute, a world-class eye care center and the only ambulatory health facility in the Philippines with international health care accreditation. It was established in 2001 and currently serves 60,000 patients annually. It provides a full range of specialized eye services using some of the most advanced technologies in the world. “As a company anchored on wellness in all its forms, we are excited about developing a healthcare platform and creating impact in that space,” Puno said. FPHC senior vice president Joaquin Quintos said eye care was largely an unserved area. He said with Asia Eye Institute now controlled by FPHC, expansion in the sector would be accelerated. “There’s a huge case of blindness in the country, particularly in cataract, nonreversible…With FPH backing, it will accelerate expansion. We’re in various malls in Metro Manila. We just set up our new surgical center in Batangas,” Quintos said. FPHC also recently launched First School, a senior high school program that offers vocational training to complement the needs of the locators at the First Philippine Industrial Park. “First School has a unique model of eduction through a dual experimental system, where students are trained and equipped with the latest technologies and be given the opportunity to work with leading industrial companies located in our industrial park after they graduate,” Puno said. Quintos said locators at the industrial park were looking at employing the graduates of the program. “The intent as a technical vocational school is right after they graduate Grade 12, they are ready to be employed by the locators,” Quintos said. Puno said graduates from the program would serve the needs of the industrial parks.

THE FILIPINO, CONNECTING MEGA ECONOMIES TO GLOBAL MARKETS Yantai International Container Terminal is a key trading gateway in northern China. Shandong province, YICT’s immediate hinterland, is an agro-industrial base rich in agricultural and marine resources, and established food manufacturing and processing industries. ICTSI is at the forefront in bringing northern China products to the rest of the world.

YICT belongs to a global network of 30 marine and inland terminals successfully operated by ports specialist International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI). Backed by three decades of experience, ICTSI is the largest multinational and transnational Philippine company with operations in 18 countries worldwide.

YICT

CHINA

www.ictsi.com

PCC says Grab-Uber merger led to higher fares Alliance Global unit ready to start By Othel V. Campos THE Philippine Competition Commission ﬂagged competition concerns in the ride-hailing market following Grab’s takeover of the Southeast Asian unit of Uber, saying the merger led to price increases and service deterioration. The PCC said in a statement its Mergers and Acquisitions Ofﬁce found that the acquisition by Grab Holdings Inc. and MyTaxi.PH Inc. of Uber B.V. and Uber Systems Inc. on March 25 had resulted in a “substantial lessening of competition” in the ride-hailing market. The statement of concerns noted that Uber would receive shares equivalent to 27.5 percent of the ownership in Grab’s entire operations. It noted that during the public hearing on April 5, Uber admitted that given the merger, it would no longer compete with its erstwhile rival in the Southeast Asian market, including the Philippines. The PCC said it found compelling grounds to take Grab to task for its virtual monopoly of both the driver and

customer base after the merger. It said with the migration of Uber drivers to Grab, Grab now had 93 percent of registered vehicles under the transport network vehicle service sector. It also absorbed most of the customer demand previously served by Uber. Results of the commissioned surveys indicated that ride-hailing passengers were a “captive market” as more than a majority of them were not likely to shift to other modes of public transportation but would continue to choose TNVS even when faced with price increase. Despite the increase in Grab’s supply of drivers, price monitoring data before and after Uber’s app shutdown on April 16, 2018 showed an upward trend in Grab fares and frequency of surgepricing after the shutdown. Passenger surveys and interviews pointed to more driver cancellations, forced cancellation of rides, and longer waiting times. The PCC said these harms to passengers were a result of the loss of competition previously posed by Uber on Grab.

The PCC said while it assessed the possibility of other transportation network corporations entering the market to provide competition to Grab, the entry of competitors would not be “timely, likely, and sufficient” because it would take a significant amount of time and cost to build a driver and rider base sufficient to contest the incumbent. It said the business model of TNCs relied on being able to match successfully the supply of drivers with the demand of riders. The commission said with no constraint from a potential entrant, the ability and incentive of Grab to exercise its market power to the detriment of ridehailing passengers was even stronger. The issuance of the SOC is part of the motu propio review launched on April 3, 2018 that scrutinized the deal for the effects of Grab’s newly acquired market status arising from the merger. Under the rules, Grab and Uber were given time to file their comment on the SOC. The review will culminate in either the decision of approval or blocking of the deal.

construction of Bonifacio Skytrain By Jenniffer B. Austria INFRACORP Development Inc., the infrastructure company of Alliance Global Group Inc., said it expects to start the construction of the P3-billion Skytrain monorail this year, after it obtained an ‘original proponent status’ from the Transportation Department. Infracorp president Kevin Tan, the eldest son of AGI chairman Andrew Tan, said the construction of the 2-kilometer Skytrain monorail project would start this year and would be completed by 2021. Tan in a statement welcomed the government’s “remarkable speed” in reviewing the proposal, which was submitted in October 2017. “We laud the government’s quick action to the proposal. This is another clear indication of the government’s serious commitment and focus on infrastructure developments,” Tan said. The P3-billion Skytrain monorail project will utilize the automated cablepropelled monorail technology. It is expected to reduce travel time between Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City and MRT

Station in Guadalupe, Makati City to only five minutes. The project will also make provisions to interconnect with other transport hubs. It is expected to benefit around 60,000 to 100,000 passengers daily going to and from the bustling business districts of Makati and Taguig. “We envision to connect Makati to Taguig and vice versa. These two largest business districts in the country need an efficient and fast transport system that is at par with what the other business districts in cosmopolitan cities like Tokyo and Sydney have,” Tan said. Under the proposed agreement, Infracorp will build the Skytrain and transfer its ownership title to the government. Infracorp, however, will have the sole right to operate the Skytrain. Following the Transportation Department’s endorsement of the project, the proposal will go through a review by the National Economic Development Authority Board’s Investment Coordination Committee. AGI formed Infracorp last year to participate in the public-private partnership projects.

Business

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2018 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks slip; PLDT, Bloomberry fall T HE stock market closed again nearly unchanged Monday, with investors waiting for catalysts that could inspire a rally.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index slipped 4.61 points, or 0.1 percent, to 7,642.90 on a value turnover of P5.4 billion. Losers beat gainers, 129 to 74, with 38 issues unchanged. PLDT Inc., the biggest telecommunications ﬁrm, slumped 6.2 percent to P1,295, while casino operator Bloomberry Resorts Corp. tumbled 4.2 percent to P11.30. JG Summit Holdings Inc. of industrialist John Gokongwei fell 2.6 percent to P58.75, while Manila Electric Co., the biggest electricity retailer, lost 0.4 percent to P333.80.

Oil prices, meanwhile, extended losses in Asia Monday after Saudi Arabia and Russia signaled they could raise output, but indications that Donald Trump’s summit with Kim Jong Un could be back on supported equity markets. Both main contracts tanked on Friday after Saudi oil minister Khaled al-Faleh said his country could open the taps wider in the second half of the year to insure against any supply shocks. His Russian counterpart Alexander Novak said they had talked about a two-year-old deal capping production, adding that Opec and other members of the pact would discuss raising limits next month. The comments come as supply worries increase, with major producer Venezuela hit by economic uncertainty, Iran facing painful export sanctions and demand seen picking up. Tokyo ﬁnished 0.1 percent higher,

Hong Kong added 0.6 percent in the afternoon and Singapore put on 0.4 percent, while Seoul rallied 0.7 percent. Wellington, Jakarta and Taipei were also up but Sydney slipped 0.5 percent and Shanghai closed 0.2 percent off. On Friday Brent sank three percent and WTI fell four percent, and the two contracts fell more than one percent further in Asia. The losses come after crude earlier this month hit levels not seen since November 2014, and led to sharp selling in Asian energy firms. Sydney-listed Woodside Petroleum ended 3.5 percent down and Inpex dived 2.6 percent in Tokyo. CNOOC lost 1.2 percent in Hong Kong, but Sinopec rebounded in the afternoon and PetroChina surged more than five percent, boosted by news that Chinese authorities had given firms freedom to raise and lower gas

prices based on supply and demand. PetroChina is the country’s biggest gas supplier. Broader markets were mostly up on renewed hopes for the Trump-Kim summit after the US president appeared Friday to do a U-turn 24 hours after cancelling the meeting. Markets fell in Asia Friday after Trump said he had pulled out of the June 12 gathering, citing “open hostility” from Pyongyang. However, a ﬂurry of diplomacy–led by South Korea, whose President Moon Jae-in met Kim Saturday—has put it back on track. And on Sunday Trump tweeted that a US team “has arrived in North Korea to make arrangements for the summit.” He added: “I truly believe North Korea has brilliant potential and will be a great economic and ﬁnancial Nation one day. Kim Jong Un agrees with me on this. It will happen!” With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW MONDAY, MAY 28, 2018

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 58 9,070 99.4 512,420 130.8 710,490 1.52 121,000 33.75 150,700 6.72 2,300 16.7 500 15 754,800 3.74 43,000 8.35 600 1.51 1,000 0.53 1,150,000 81.65 12,883,350 1.07 795,000 51.4 37,630 205 1,990 105.2 130 86.7 90 38 100,800 193 138,860 1,930 625 89.05 110,000

523,340.50 50,776,434 92,631,899 180,450 5,099,775 16,018 8,350 11,361,902 154,370 5,063 1,510 594,120 1,052,990,179 844,650 1,946,980.50 408,608 14,252 7,803 3,797,345 26,781,471 1,218,550 9,828,853

-1,160 4,230,884 -29,757,954 192,890 -477,078 -104,000 -4,097,101.50 -25,220 -561,559 -418,000 -4,261,779 -50,798

37.75 14.26 0.58 1.25 19.62 0.225 114.2 3 16.86 235.2 49.9 23.55 55 63.2 80.05 1.93 5 9.38 10.78 15.5 11.64 7.17 5.2 14.6 63 19 8.83 15.68 2.05 280 5.03 26.4 26.55 12.5 22 330.6 0.185 6.5 2.36 4.17 9.23 5.96 1.4 12.4 50.6 6.2 4.7 2.51 3.7 1.74 12.52 67.25 5.47 0.137 0.97 133.1 2.51 3.01 0.78

INDUSTRIAL 38 287,800 14.44 512,900 0.59 582,000 1.34 8,382,000 19.62 67,500 0.225 860,000 114.2 430 3.01 1,383,000 16.96 114,000 235.2 230 49.9 869,400 24 4,500 55 171,330 63.2 2,090 80.05 10 1.94 241,000 5 5,700 9.7 167,700 10.88 2,489,500 16 656,600 11.88 48,800 7.18 85,000 5.23 2,504,700 14.62 1,497,100 63.6 24,650 19.56 30,200 8.83 6,300 15.88 767,600 2.15 1,030,000 280.4 338,540 5.1 50,600 26.4 100 26.7 2,198,200 12.78 183,900 22.75 3,902,800 333.8 211,570 0.185 470,000 6.51 8,700 2.39 1,016,000 4.21 45,000 9.42 155,300 6 1,842,800 1.4 44,000 12.64 82,200 50.85 546,890 6.2 1,800 4.7 1,000 2.85 2,887,000 3.7 219,000 1.77 215,000 12.68 555,000 69.9 341,400 5.48 324,700 0.137 10,000 0.97 2,000 135.5 454,760 2.51 90,000 3.07 20,185,000 0.8 2,006,000

10,936,565 7,380,884 337,710 11,087,620 1,336,981 195,090 49,224 4,175,020 1,932,432 54,096 43,901,090 107,145 9,423,947 132,337 800.5 467,300 28,500 1,625,562 26,992,718 10,384,010 574,106 610,345 13,079,739 21,994,562 1,554,956 585,944 55,876 12,145,826 2,158,840 94,926,180 255,829 2,640 58,971,685 2,366,020 87,856,015 70,720,930 86,950 57,277 2,428,360 188,440 1,455,147 11,307,162 61,600 1,037,026 27,830,497.50 11,160 4,700 7,946,290 827,940 376,970 7,061,064 23,741,503 1,781,324 1,370 1,940 61,787,878 226,050 62,581,120 1,588,380

-6,076,980.00 1,320,386 60,240 -277,660 1,181,708 -5,979,574 -21,230 -2,850 -3,563,942 780,000 -16,490 -323,152 -167,667 -12,865,640 -450,296.50 -42,595 3,385,900 -542,640 10,318,814 394,085 614,442 6,346,745 30,826,900 9,560 -426,709 1,354,754 56,000 -9,212,823 3,720 86,040 189,500 17,200 -436,268 20,488,582 -4,162,844 50,200.00 -63,350 -

0.235 65 13.3 0.9 6.37 0.72 0.73 941 6.36 10.88 7.68 0.208 1,010 6.5 60.35 5.83 0.61 4.2 21.5 0.6 4.82 0.039 1.16 3.19 2.9 144.3 2.55 882 1.58 264.6 0.227 0.209

0.22 63.4 13.02 0.9 6.2 0.69 0.7 935 6.28 10.7 7.65 0.208 993 6.5 58.75 5.83 0.58 4.11 21.3 0.57 4.71 0.037 1.09 3.16 2.9 142 2.55 857 1.57 260 0.21 0.193

HOLDING FIRMS 0.222 4,180,000 63.4 218,300 13.02 3,444,300 0.9 38,000 6.2 40,100 0.7 9,543,000 0.72 1,414,000 938.5 81,250 6.31 206,500 10.84 5,071,700 7.65 600 0.208 130,000 1,010 44,870 6.5 1,500 58.75 1,570,470 5.83 100 0.61 54,000 4.12 11,108,000 21.4 3,642,600 0.57 1,060,000 4.74 20,919,000 0.038 22,000,000 1.14 486,000 3.16 1,028,000 2.9 1,000 144 433,040 2.55 58,000 882 189,800 1.58 74,000 264.6 1,370 0.224 1,320,000 0.2 560,000

945,710 13,885,668.50 45,013,804 34,200 249,747 6,730,990 1,013,600 76,191,945 1,303,955 54,777,994 4,599 27,040 45,033,845 9,750 93,187,806 583 31,680 46,096,720 77,848,915 606,920 99,651,060 818,400 541,240 3,256,480 2,900 62,047,777 147,900 165,419,125 116,910 358,276 282,560 111,560

14,040 -7,826,111.50 -5,959,648 3,000 10,850,075 142,435 -2,440,342 1,533 -12,941,145 -16,899,505.50 2,253,470 -34,255,260 -26,367,810 -229,400 -101,510 17,611,271 -33,018,680 -

7.39 1.03 13.52 2.02 0.81 41.35 3.46 4.89 5.93 6.01 0.44 1.09 0.97 0.23 0.43 30.6 0.64 0.118 1.58 1.27 1.12 4.75

7.2 1 13.36 2.02 0.78 41 3.45 4.8 5.93 6.01 0.435 1.08 0.96 0.225 0.43 30.3 0.62 0.118 1.56 1.25 1.07 4.66

22,829,264 3,426,950 18,720 78,780 777,010 304,803,730 269,660 1,281,190 593 601 1,202,300 41,320 94,250 737,670 47,300 6,130,055 162,370 25,960 32,537,320 1,568,530 896,220 11,149,520

-12,917,819 7,000 -76,440 -57,826,015 110,720 -128,060 -156,600 -205,575 -4,952,170 -6,300 81,500 -1,842,220

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

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

58 97.05 130.4 1.51 34.1 7 16.7 14.78 3.74 8.88 1.51 0.52 82.1 1.04 52 205 110 86.7 38 192 1,950 89

58 99.5 130.8 1.54 34.1 7 16.7 15.18 3.74 8.88 1.51 0.53 82.1 1.08 52.8 208.8 110 86.7 38 194.9 1,950 89.5

57.65 96.5 126.6 1.46 33.75 6.72 16.7 14.78 3.57 8.35 1.51 0.51 80.9 1.04 51.2 204.4 105.2 86.7 37.5 191.3 1,930 88.9

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

38.3 14.56 0.58 1.26 20.2 0.23 114.2 3.05 16.96 235.2 50.95 23.55 56.9 63.4 80.05 1.95 5 9.98 10.92 15.8 11.8 7.18 5.25 15 63 19.2 8.9 16 2.18 281.2 5.04 26.4 27.1 12.78 22.65 334 0.185 6.5 2.36 4.24 9.42 5.99 1.4 12.62 50.6 6.2 4.7 2.52 3.79 1.74 12.9 68.5 5.48 0.137 0.97 137.3 2.52 3.15 0.81

38.3 14.56 0.59 1.35 20.7 0.23 114.8 3.05 16.98 235.2 50.95 24 56.9 63.5 80.05 1.95 5 9.98 10.96 16 11.88 7.21 5.28 15 63.85 19.56 8.9 16 2.18 281.2 5.1 26.4 27.1 13.06 22.95 335 0.185 6.65 2.4 4.24 9.42 6.35 1.4 12.64 51.1 6.2 4.7 2.85 3.8 1.78 12.9 69.9 5.5 0.137 0.97 137.3 2.52 3.17 0.81

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ANSCOR ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B AYALA CORP COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV 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 REPUBLIC GLASS SAN MIGUEL CORP SEAFRONT RES SM INVESTMENTS SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.231 65 13.3 0.9 6.3 0.7 0.7 935 6.36 10.82 7.68 0.208 996 6.5 60.35 5.83 0.59 4.2 21.3 0.6 4.82 0.038 1.09 3.19 2.9 144 2.55 879 1.57 261 0.211 0.193

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

7.25 1.02 13.36 2.02 0.81 41.25 3.46 4.85 5.93 6.01 0.435 1.09 0.97 0.225 0.43 30.5 0.64 0.118 1.57 1.26 1.1 4.72

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP PTFC REDEV CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND STARMALLS SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

0.7 0.42 0.52 2.58 29.2 20.2 2.05 3.31 38 1.13 9.35 0.8 6.5

0.7 0.425 0.52 2.64 29.2 20.2 2.07 3.32 38 1.13 9.4 0.8 6.51

0.67 0.41 0.5 2.5 29 19.9 2.02 3.25 37.7 1.1 9.21 0.76 6.33

0.67 0.42 0.51 2.59 29 20.1 2.07 3.32 38 1.12 9.4 0.8 6.45

37,541,000 2,000,000 2,900,000 3,630,000 2,100 1,758,200 561,000 22,000 8,996,200 1,125,000 102,800 47,000 1,550,100

25,541,920 836,200 1,478,770 9,315,870 60,945 35,187,166 1,146,470 72,610 341,538,235 1,260,380 961,785 36,200 9,962,253

-208,760 -490,240 -320,480 -3,540,374 -12,060 106,224,035 -26,192 -7,718,785

2GO GROUP ABS CBN APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL ASIAN TERMINALS BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CEBU AIR CHELSEA DFNN INC DISCOVERY WORLD EASYCALL FAR EASTERN U GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN BRIA HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL INTL CONTAINER ISLAND INFO ISM COMM JACKSTONES LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES LORENZO SHIPPNG MACROASIA MANILA BULLETIN MANILA JOCKEY MELCO RESORTS METRO RETAIL MLA BRDCASTING NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG 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

15.6 26.7 0.45 0.045 13 11.8 0.054 88.65 7.55 7.84 2.11 20.15 910 1,540 5.63 301 4.17 2.04 83 0.115 1.36 3.6 15.78 4.35 1.05 26.85 0.465 4.09 6 3.03 18 11 11.7 9.78 130 5.8 1,380 1.02 0.375 47 88.6 7.15 2.2 1.19 0.49 4.75 0.82 11.32

15.84 27 0.45 0.046 13 11.8 0.054 89 7.98 7.84 2.27 20.15 910 1,550 5.69 306 4.17 2.04 84.5 0.115 1.41 3.77 15.78 4.37 1.07 26.85 0.5 4.18 6 3.1 18 11.96 11.7 9.8 130 5.8 1,382 1.04 0.375 47.5 89.6 7.16 2.25 1.19 0.49 4.8 0.84 11.32

15.1 26.5 0.44 0.044 12.98 11.18 0.054 87.65 7.55 7.84 2.11 18.8 910 1,528 5.6 299.8 3.99 2.04 83 0.112 1.36 3.58 15.06 4.26 1.03 25.9 0.465 4.05 5.85 3 18 10.9 11.7 9.2 128 5.67 1,295 1 0.36 46.95 86.2 7.15 2.2 1.15 0.465 4.75 0.8 11.1

SERVICES 15.2 26.5 0.45 0.046 12.98 11.3 0.054 88.95 7.6 7.84 2.27 19 910 1,528 5.68 306 4.01 2.04 83 0.112 1.41 3.75 15.06 4.37 1.06 26.4 0.5 4.08 5.88 3.04 18 11.64 11.7 9.2 129.7 5.75 1,295 1.01 0.36 47.5 89.6 7.16 2.21 1.18 0.47 4.8 0.83 11.14

45,100 59,900 1,400,000 7,200,000 300 15,395,300 4,890,000 47,940 3,478,000 300 9,000 69,900 130 30,440 260,200 4,640 1,483,000 3,000 1,838,410 530,000 619,000 162,000 1,500 1,666,000 711,000 543,300 88,000 105,000 475,800 156,000 500 45,565,200 200 28,000 11,170 137,900 209,040 7,232,000 1,910,000 135,600 723,370 55,000 272,000 310,000 41,450,000 963,000 1,613,000 323,900

684,538 1,594,980 623,100 320,000 3,896 176,129,486 264,060 4,242,845 26,977,965 2,352 20,110 1,346,365 118,300 46,664,715 1,473,696 1,410,668 6,014,470 6,120 152,862,034 59,460 850,530 600,140 22,734 7,180,210 754,680 14,428,210 43,880 428,300 2,803,758 478,160 9,000 529,750,462 2,340 258,560 1,441,101 785,561 273,369,250 7,309,290 689,200 6,426,770 64,532,452.50 393,590 601,970 363,390 19,732,250 4,604,240 1,314,500 3,614,056

-80,100 -43,315,352 -820,494 -1,959,527 1,900 -36,971,670 20,100.00 -20,964,018.50 -313,720 9,706,885 -126,480 80,609 -43,070 1,992,514.00 -236,536 -1,180,173 -1,776,455 116,130 -664,415 -5,124,872 -166,708 5,630 -17,950 500 -2,015,510 790 60,264

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

0.0028 1.58 4.27 1.7 0.295 7.35 2.39 0.18 0.135 0.137 1.42 4.84 1.17 0.5 0.87 0.012 0.012 5.12 12.2 28.2

0.0029 1.62 4.27 1.7 0.305 7.45 2.39 0.183 0.138 0.137 1.43 4.84 1.2 0.52 0.88 0.013 0.012 5.17 12.46 28.45

0.0027 1.58 4.27 1.66 0.295 7.35 2.34 0.18 0.134 0.137 1.42 4.8 1.07 0.5 0.87 0.012 0.012 5.09 11.98 28

MINING & OIL 0.0028 48,000,000 1.61 1,763,000 4.27 1,000 1.68 82,000 0.305 210,000 7.45 1,000 2.38 2,010,000 0.181 160,000 0.135 1,140,000 0.137 10,000 1.43 26,000 4.8 1,909,000 1.1 44,000 0.52 202,000 0.88 65,000 0.013 7,700,000 0.012 4,100,000 5.12 628,500 11.98 784,200 28.4 633,800

134,900 2,803,710 4,270 137,400 62,300 7,360 4,759,420 28,840 154,040 1,370 37,150 9,176,360 49,520 102,290 56,560 92,900 49,200 3,226,080 9,508,492 17,964,450

-67,200 1,630 -6,338,930 -68,272 -556,332 -9,805,650

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 DD PREF FGEN PREF F FGEN PREF G FPH PREF C GLO PREF P GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2A PCOR PREF 2B PNX PREF 3A SMC FB PREF 2 SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H

25.75 500 503.5 100.5 107 107.1 505 504.5 987 97.7 105 1,022 1,025 103 970 77.1 79 75.9 76.6 77

25.75 500 513 101 107 107.1 505 504.5 987 99.95 105 1,022 1,025 103 975 77.1 79 75.9 76.6 77

25.55 500 503.5 100.5 107 107 505 504.5 985 97.7 103.5 1,022 1,025 103 969 77.1 79 75.9 76.6 77

PREFERRED 25.55 1,150,800 500 3,970 513 10,410 100.5 2,580 107 10 107 10,000 505 13,200 504.5 4,000 985 1,000 99.45 900 103.5 25,850 1,022 1,000 1,025 1,030 103 10 970 550 77.1 150 79 101,890 75.9 520 76.6 30,600 77 2,100

29,524,550 1,985,000 5,241,530 259,295 1,070 1,070,007 6,666,000 2,018,000 985,020 88,730 2,675,638 1,022,000 1,055,750 1,030 533,180 11,565 8,049,310 39,468 2,343,960 161,700

-1,504,880 -7,700

2.52

WARRANTS 2.59 186,000

475,060

4,067,000 36,068,660

-24,350 -1,690

386,603

-73,838

56,851.20

PROPERTY 7.35 1 13.52 2.02 0.8 41.2 3.46 4.87 5.93 6.01 0.435 1.08 0.96 0.229 0.43 30.35 0.62 0.118 1.56 1.25 1.09 4.75

3,123,800 3,396,000 1,400 39,000 986,000 7,396,900 78,000 263,000 100 100 2,760,000 38,000 98,000 3,250,000 110,000 201,700 261,000 220,000 20,720,000 1,249,000 820,000 2,364,000

LR WARRANT

2.55

2.6

ITALPINAS XURPAS

4.95 3.16

4.96 3.33

4.85 3.13

FIRST METRO ETF

117.9

118

117

USD DMPL A2

10.26

10.28

10.26

TRADING SUMMARY FINANCIAL

18,525,076

INDUSTRIAL

61,245,846

HOLDING FIRMS

89,181,460

PROPERTY

107,627,549

SERVICES

143,623,998

MINING & OIL GRAND TOTAL

69,497,766 501,899,834

4.9 3.33

SME

834,000 11,352,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 117.6 3,290 DDS 10.28

5,540

VALUE 1,897.43 (UP) 14.92 1,463,232,007.60 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,948.99 (DOWN) 25.37 726,857,431.45 HOLDING FIRMS 7,509.79 (UP) 3.63 895,325,645.72 PROPERTY 3,815.27 (DOWN) 5.19 1,482.83 (DOWN) 29.33 815,870,201.18 SERVICES MINING & OIL 9,782.31 (UP) 38.16 1,395,718,987.50 PSEI 7,642.90 (DOWN) 4.61 48,374,353.974 All Shares Index 4,648.11 (DOWN) 6.56 5,385,938,021.96 Gainers: 74; Losers: 129; Unchanged: 38; Total: 241

First Gen open to San Miguel as gas partner By Alena Mae S. Flores FIRST Gen Corp. is open to teaming up with San Miguel Corp. for a $1.2-billion liquefied natural gas terminal with an annual capacity of 5 metric tons in Batangas province. “We’re very open to, especially because they’re one of the big users of gas, Ilijan. Their participation in the LNG import scheme will be very, very welcome,” First Gen chairman and chief executive officer Federico Lopez said after stockholders’ meeting of parent First Philippine Holdings Corp. San Miguel president Ramon Ang earlier said his company might team up with First Gen. “We can build or partner with First Gen... We have quite a lot of options. SMC and First Gen are quite close,” he said. Ang said San Miguel could expand the capacity of the 1,200-megawatt Ilijan natural gas power plant by another 1,800 MW later on, once LNG became available in the country. “In fact, the LNG terminal is very subject to economies of scale, so the more that use it, the cheaper it becomes for everybody and the easier it is to bring power costs down,” Lopez said. First Gen president Francis Giles Puno said San Miguel and the company had a good relationship. “We also feel we have good relationship with San Miguel. As we have said before, the discussions have been ongoing with a number of parties. San Miguel, obviously, is a discussion we would welcome as well, principally because of the Ilijan assets,” Puno said. The First Gen official said the Ilijan power power plant would run out of gas supply sooner than the Sta. Rita and San Lorenzo natural gas stations of the company. “Since it is running out of gas sooner, it is in a position where it needs the gas sooner than our projects,” he said. Puno said discussions would be firmed up within the year.

IN BRIEF

SMC says elevated skyway done by 2020 THE tollway unit of San Miguel Corp. plans to complete an elevated expressway linking South Luzon Expressway and North Luzon Expressway by 2020. SMC Tollways president and chief executive Manuel Bonoan said the company aimed to complete the P26.7-billion Skyway Stage 3 project by 2020, one year behind the original target of 2019. Bonoan blamed the delay to the slow delivery of right-of-way solutions to the project. The project is 33-percent completed. “It would take about two years to complete the project,” he said. Skyway Stage 3 is a 14.82-kilometer, six-lane elevated expressway that will extend the elevated skyway from Buendia to Balintawak and link the SLEx and NLEx. The project aims to decongest major thoroughfares, including Edsa, while creating new transport routes. Darwin G. Amojelar

CLI building Lyceum complex in Davao CEBU Landmasters Inc. has teamed up with Lyceum of the Philippine University to develop the latter’s 17-hectare property into a mixed-use with a world university town development. CLI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the agreement with Lyceum called for the development of the LPU Town Davao set to begin construction by the fourth quarter of 2018. The 17-hectare mixed-use development is envisioned to have an academic, residential, commercial, ofﬁce, hotel and convention components. A 5.2-hectare lot has also been allotted for LPU Davao campus, including an academic resource center, a pool, dormitories, maritime center and a football ﬁeld in Buhangin, Davao City. Jenniffer B. Austria

Robinsons Retail set to spend P3.5b in ‘18 ROBINSONS Retail Holdings Inc., the retail holding company of the Gokongwei Group, plans to spend P3.5 billion in 2018, up 13 percent from P3.1 billion last year, as it plans to roll out more stores and launch more retail formats. RRHI president Robina Gokongwei-Pe said during the annual stockholders’ meeting the group would open 100 to 120 new stores across its retail brands this year. RRHI will open 13 supermarkets, three department stores, 10 to 15 Do-It-Yourself stores, 20-30 convenience outlets, 3035 specialty stores and 25-50 South Star Drug units. It also plans to open 100 The Generics Pharmacy franchise stores this year. Gokongwei-Pe said the same store sales growth was expected to increase by 3 percent to 5 percent this year from a 2.7-percent expansion in 2017. Jenniffer B. Austria

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

World

Manila

Standard

TODAY

IN BRIEF New Zealand orders mass culling of cattle WELLINGTON—New Zealand Monday ordered the culling of 126,000 cattle in an attempt to eradicate the painful Mycoplasma bovis disease, which causes udder infections, pneumonia and arthritis. The decision was taken to “protect the base of our economy—the farming sector,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “This is a tough call—no one ever wants to see mass culls. But the alternative is the spread of the disease across our national herd.” Mycoplasma bovis does not affect milk and meat for human consumption, and most governments are content to control outbreaks. However, Ardern said New Zealand—which relies heavily on livestock farming for its export earnings—would aim to eradicate the disease completely. AFP

Trump sees potential in N. Korea W ASHINGTON—US and North Korean ofﬁcials met Sunday at a border truce village as preparations resumed for a high-stakes, highdrama summit that President Donald Trump suggests could help the North realize its “brilliant potential.

“I truly believe North Korea has brilliant potential and will be a great economic and ﬁnancial Nation one day,” Trump said on Twitter. “Kim Jong Un agrees with me on this. It will happen!,” the president said, conﬁrming that a US team “has arrived in North Korea to make arrangements for the summit” between himself and North Korean leader Kim.

His upbeat language contrasted sharply to that of only three days earlier, when Trump canceled the planned summit, citing “open hostility” from the North. An extraordinary ﬂurry of diplomacy since then―much of it led by South Korea― appears to have put the meeting back on track. Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met Saturday at the Pan-

VISIT. EU Chief negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier (R) welcomes Scotland’s Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the European Commission in Brussels on May 28, 2018 AFP NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

Philippine Airlines

munjom border truce village, in a surprise bid to salvage the June 12 summit planned for Singapore. Announcing the lower-level talks held Sunday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, “We continue to prepare for a meeting between the President and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.” The Washington Post reported that the US delegation to the Panmunjom meeting―in the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea―was led by Sung Kim, a former US ambassador to South Korea and former nuclear negotiator with the North. It said the Americans met with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui. Tokyo stocks opened higher Monday

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES, INC. GENERAL CONDITIONS OF CARRIAGE (GCC) (Passenger and Baggage)

8. 9. 10. 11.

(AS AMENDED) Article 5 RESERVATIONS Section 1. RESERVATION REQUIREMENTS (a) A reservation is not confirmed until: 1. It is entered on the appropriate Flight or Electronic Coupon, by PAL or its Authorized Agent; 2. You have paid for your Ticket; and 3. A Ticket has been duly issued to you, or in the case of an Electronic Ticket, when it has been duly created in PAL’s database. 4. A reservation that does not comply with any of these requirements may be cancelled by PAL at any time without notice. (b) As provided in PAL’s Tariffs, certain fares may be subject to conditions which limit or exclude your prerogative to change or cancel reservations.

12.

13. 14. 15.

SEOUL—The scandal engulfing the Korean Air dynasty widened Monday as 69-year-old matriarch Lee Myung-hee faced police questioning over allegations she assaulted employees―including household staff and construction workers renovating her home. Lee’s two daughters, who held management positions at South Korea’s top carrier, became viral sensations for their own temper tantrums that were dubbed the “nut rage” and “water rage” scandals online. “I am sorry for causing trouble,” a bespectacled Lee said with her head lowered as she walked past throngs of journalists before entering a Seoul police office. Lee is accused of assaulting drivers and housekeepers from her personal staff as well as construction workers renovating her home and building a Korean Airaffiliated hotel. The alleged abuses range from cursing and screaming at employees to kicking, slapping and even throwing a pair of scissors at them. A video that emerged last month showed a woman, reportedly Lee, shoving a female construction worker and throwing a pile of documents on the ground.

and drugs; When you tamper with the smoke detector or any other safety-related device on board the aircraft; When you fail to comply with safety regulations, including fastening seatbelts when required; When you use portable electronic device when such is prohibited; When you are not properly clothed; When you have a contagious disease which may be transmitted to others during the fight; When the Passenger who may have been required to present medical clearance in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and government regulations, failed to submit said medical certificate and where it appears that he/she cannot complete the flight without requiring medical assistance; When your conduct is disorderly, abusive, offensive or violent; When your conduct results or may result to a risk of annoyance, offense or disturbance to other Passengers; When you have made a hoax bomb or other security threat;

Sec. 2. CONSEQUENCES OF REFUSAL OF CARRIAGE AND OF REMOVAL OF PASSENGER If you commit any of the acts enumerated under Section 1(g) of this Article, and conduct yourself aboard the aircraft so as to endanger the aircraft or any person or property on board, PAL may take such measures reasonably necessary to prevent continuation of your conduct, including restraint. You may be disembarked and refused onward carriage at any point.

If you have not paid or made credit arrangements for the Ticket with PAL prior to the specified ticketing time limit as advised by PAL or its Authorized Agent, PAL will cancel your reservation without prior notice.

If, for the reasons enumerated under Section 1 of this Article, PAL has refused to carry you, or removed you en route, PAL may cancel the remaining unused portion of your Ticket and you will not be entitled to further carriage or to a refund either in respect of the sector subject of the refusal of carriage or removal, or any subsequent sectors covered by the Ticket. PAL reserves the right to prosecute offences committed. PAL will not be liable for any consequential loss or damage alleged due to any such refusal to carry or removal en route.

Sec. 3. PERSONAL DATA

Sec. 3. GENERAL INDEMNITY

You recognize that your personal data have been given to PAL for the purposes of: making a reservation, purchasing a Ticket,for obtaining ancillary services, facilitating immigration and entry requirements, complying with regulatory requirements of government authority and making available such data in connection with your travel. For these purposes, you agree and authorize PAL to retain and process or use such data and to transmit them to its own offices, Authorized Agents, government authorities, other carriers or the providers of the above-mentioned services. In booking your travel, you provide PAL your consent to be added to PAL’s email list that will be used to contact you occasionally with commercial electronic messages such as offers and promotions that PAL feels will be of interest to you.

If you conduct yourself in a manner described in Section 1 of this Article, you will indemnify PAL for all claims or losses, including, but not limited to, all costs arising from the diversion of the aircraft for the purpose of offloading you and all losses suffered or incurred by PAL, its Authorized Agents, employees, independent contractors, Passengers, and any third party in respect of death, injury, loss, damage or delay to other persons or to property, arising from such conduct.

Sec. 2. TICKETING TIME LIMIT

Sec. 4. OTHER LIMITATIONS ON CARRIAGE (a)

Acceptance for carriage of unaccompanied children, persons with disability, pregnant women or ailing persons may be subject to prior arrangements with PAL, in accordance with these Conditions of Carriage and any applicable laws, rules and government regulations.

(b)

Acceptance for carriage of persons requiring special assistance such as but not limited to medical oxygen for use on-board the aircraft, packaging of wheelchair and wheelchair batteries, stretchers and other similar assistance, may be subject to advance notice and prior arrangements with PAL, in accordance with these Conditions of Carriage, PAL’s Tariffs and any applicable laws, rules, and government regulations.

(c)

If PAL believes that the aircraft weight limitation or seating capacity would otherwise be exceeded, PAL will decide in its reasonable discretion which persons or articles shall be carried.

Sec. 4. SEATING PAL will endeavor to honor your advance seating requests. However, PAL does not guarantee to provide any particular seat in the aircraft and you agree to accept any seat that may be allotted on the flight in the class of service for which your Ticket has been issued. PAL reserves the right to assign or re-assign seats at any time, even after boarding of the aircraft. This may be necessary to comply with laws, rules, and government regulations, or for operational, safety, or security reasons. PAL reserves the right to charge for more than one seat in cases where the physical condition of the Passenger require additional seat. Sec. 5. RECONFIRMATION OF RESERVATIONS Your reservation may be subject to the requirement that it be reconfirmed not later than seventy-two (72) hours before flight departure. Your reservation with other carriers involved in your travel must be reconfirmed with the carrier whose Airline Designator Code appears on the Ticket, and in accordance with their respective reconfirmation requirements. Sec. 6. CANCELLATION OF RESERVATIONS If you do not use a reservation and fail to advise PAL, your reservation, including onward or return reservations, may be cancelled without prior notice. Article REFUSAL AND LIMITATION OF CARRIAGE Section 1. RIGHT TO REFUSE CARRIAGE PAL will not refuse carriage to any person based solely on race, sex, color, nationality or religion. Further, as a matter of policy, PAL will not refuse carriage to any person based solely on disability subject to exceptions that may be allowed by applicable laws, rules, and government regulations. PAL may refuse to carry you or your Baggage, or may remove you from the aircraft at any time, for any of the following reasons: (a)

You fail or refuse to comply with these Conditions of Carriage;

(b)

(i) The applicable fare or any charges or taxes payable have not been paid, or credit arrangements with PAL have not been complied with; (ii) the payment is done through fraudulent means; (iii) when the credit card used for payment could not be authenticated upon booking or is subsequently reported to be lost or stolen; or (iv) when the credit card used for payment is not presented for validation, if so required by PAL; The refusal to transport or removal from PAL’s aircraft is necessary to comply with any applicable laws, rules, and government regulations of any country to be flown from, to or over; Such action is necessary or advisable by reason of weather or other conditions beyond PAL’s control including, but not limited to: acts of God, force majeure, strikes, civil commotions, embargoes, wars, hostilities, terrorist activities, or disturbances, whether actual, threatened, or reported; (i) You appear to be improperly documented; (ii) you cannot prove, when so required that, you are the person named in the Ticket; (iii) the Ticket has been acquired or reported to have been acquired unlawfully or has been purchased or reported to have been purchased from an entity other than PAL or its Authorized Agent; (iv) your Ticket is acquired illegally, (v) if you’re Ticket is a counterfeit Ticket or has been altered, torn, damaged or tampered with; (vi) when the immigration authority of the country you are traveling to, or of a country in which you have a Stopover, informed PAL (either verbally or in writing) that it has decided not to allow you to enter that country, even if you have, or appear to have, valid travel documents; (vii) when you destroy your travel documents during the flight; (viii) when you have refused to allow PAL to photocopy your travel documents; (ix) when you have refused to give your travel documents to a member of the crew of the aircraft, when PAL asked you to do so; You are a person in the custody of law, unless you are sufficiently escorted; Such refusal or removal is reasonably necessary for the security, safety or comfort of other Passengers or PAL’s employees; or to prevent damage to the property of PAL or of its Passengers or crew or employees, including, but not limited to the following instances: When you assault, intimidate or threaten, whether physical or verbal, any of PAL’s ground staff, crew members or other Passengers; 1. When you create a disturbance which interferes with the duties of the ground staff, flight crew or when the disturbance necessitates the pilot-in-command or any member of the cockpit crew to leave the cockpit to attend to the same; 2. When you refuse to follow a lawful instruction given by the pilot-in-command, or on behalf of the pilot-in-command, or by a crew member for the purpose of ensuring the safety of the aircraft or of any person or property on board or for the purpose of maintaining good order and discipline on board; 3. When you commit an act of physical violence, sexual assault, or child molestation, against other persons; 4. When your conduct results or may result to a risk of harm or damage to the aircraft, or properties belonging to PAL, its Passengers, or employees; 5. When you refuse to submit to a security check; 6. When you refuse to follow PAL’s policy on smoking and use of alcoholic beverages

(e)

(f) (g)

on the news, although trading was thin. “Excessive worries receded as efforts resumed for a summit between the US and North Korea,” Okasan Online Securities strategist Yoshihiro Ito said in a commentary, which added that uncertainty remains. The United States currently has no ambassador to South Korea, even as it takes up one of the most delicate diplomatic challenges in years. It remains far from clear how Trump and Kim might be able to bridge what appear to be vast differences in their expectations for what would be a historic meeting. But analysts on Sunday expressed increasing conﬁdence that it will take place. AFP

Korean Air matriarch faces questioning over assaults

Iran, China and Russia to hold summit BEIJING—Iran’s president will attend a summit with his Chinese and Russian counterparts next month, officials in Beijing said Monday, as they try to salvage the nuclear deal thrown into upheaval by Donald Trump. China, Russia and the European powers, all of which signed the 2015 Iran nuclear accord, are scrambling to save the pact following the US president’s decision to quit the agreement and reinstate sanctions. China’s President Xi Jinping will meet Iran’s Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting on June 9-10 in Qingdao, said Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Russian President Vladimir Putin will also attend the summit, he added. Wang did not include the nuclear deal in a readout of the summit’s formal agenda. AFP

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2018 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Sec. 5. MEDICAL CLEARANCE REQUIRED Subject to applicable laws, rules, and government regulations, PAL may require a medical clearance when, in good faith and using its reasonable discretion, PAL determines there is reasonable doubt that a Passenger can complete the flight safely without requiring extraordinary medical assistance. Sec. 6. BANNING NOTICE In addition to its right to refuse carriage under any of the grounds in Section 1 of this Article, PAL reserves the right to ban any person from all its flights and from availing of any of its services for the following reasons: (a)

Such person is a serious or habitual offender under any of the instances enumerated in Section 1;

(b)

When records support that you habitually and in bad faith, filed unwarranted complaints against PAL and its employees.

Sec. 7. ATTENDANT’S REQUIRED For reasons of safety, Passengers in the following categories may be required to travel with a safety assistant: (a)

A Passenger with a mobility impairment so severe that the individual is unable to assist in his/ her own evacuation:

(b)

A Passenger with severe hearing and severe vision impairment who is unable to establish some means of communications with PAL’s personnel adequate to permit the Passenger to receive PAL’s safety briefing as may be required by the applicable law, rules, and government regulations;

(c)

A Passenger who is traveling on a stretcher or in an incubator or who requires administration of certain medical services during the flight (e.g. medical oxygen, respirator, intravenous injections, etc.) which he/she cannot administer on himself/herself;

(d)

A Passenger who because of a mental disability, is unable to comprehend or respond appropriately to safety instructions from PAL’s personnel, including safety briefing required by applicable laws, rules, and government regulations.

ARTICLE 9 SCHEDULES, CANCELLATION OF FLIGHTS Section 1. SCHEDULES The flight times shown in timetables may change between the date of publication and the date you actually travel, as shown in the Ticket. PAL does not guarantee these schedules and they do not form part of your Conditions of Carriage. Sec. 2. CANCELLATION, CHANGES OF SCHEDULE, ETC. (a) Subject to applicable laws, rules, or government regulations, PAL may, when circumstances so require, cancel, terminate, divert, postpone, delay any flight, alter or omit stopping places shown on the Ticket or in schedules and may without notice substitute alternate carriers or aircraft and PAL assumes no liability for making connections. (b) If due to circumstances beyond its control, PAL cancels or delays a flight, is unable to provide previously confirmed space, fails to stop at a Stopover or point of destination, or causes you to miss a connecting flight on which you hold a confirmed reservation, PAL shall not be liable for losses or damages including any indirect, special or consequential loss, expense or damage. ARTICLE10 REFUNDS Section 1. GENERAL Refund of a Ticket or any of its unused portion, including taxes, fees, or any other amount collected for or on behalf of any third party, shall be subject to these Conditions of Carriage and PAL’s Tariffs. Sec. 2. WHEN TO FILE FOR REFUND AND TO WHOM REFUND WILL BE MADE (a) Refund of a Ticket or any of its unused portion, including taxes, fees, and or any other amount collected for or on behalf of any third party, shall be applied with PAL within the period of the validity of the Ticket and thirty (30) days thereafter.

Only last week, Lee’s daughter Cho Hyun-ah was summoned before immigration authorities over allegations she hired 10 Filipino maids to work at her family home on false pretenses, by claiming they were working for Korean Air. It is illegal in South Korea to hire foreigners as domestic helpers. Cho Hyun-ah made global headlines in 2014 for kicking a cabin crew chief off a Korean Air plane in a fury over being served macadamia nuts in a bag rather than a bowl. She later served a short prison sentence. Earlier this year, her younger sister Cho Hyun-min was accused of throwing a drink at an advertising agency manager’s face in a fit of rage during a business meeting. Authorities have since launched a flurry of official probes into the family’s reported abuse of workers, as well as smuggling and immigration law violations. Their father, Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho, issued a public apology over the “immature” behavior of his offspring and removed his two daughters from their management roles. AFP

(b)

Except as provided in this Article, refund shall be made either to the Passenger, or to the person who has paid for the Ticket upon presentation of satisfactory proof of entitlement to the refund. (c) If a Ticket has been paid for by a person other than the Passenger, and PAL, upon instruction of such person, has so indicated on the Ticket that there is a restriction on refund, PAL shall make a refund only to that person paying for the Ticket or to that person’s order. (d) A refund made to anyone holding himself or herself out as a person to whom refund may be made in terms of (a) above shall be deemed a proper refund and shall discharge PAL from liability and any further claim for refund. (e) Refund due to Tickets, including taxes, fees, or any other amount collected for or on behalf of any third party, paid for with credit cards will only be charged back to the credit card accounts originally used for the Ticket purchase. The refundable amount to be charged back to the credit card account of the card owner may vary from the originally debited amount due to differences in the exchange rate. Such variances do not entitle the recipient of the refund to a claim against PAL. PAL shall not be held liable for any damages that may result from the ticket cancellation. (f) If the credit card used is not under Passenger’s account name, Passenger warrants that the he/she and the credit card holder both agreed that: 1) either the Passenger or credit card holder may apply for online refund; and 2) the refund will automatically be charged back to the credit card account originally used. Sec. 3. INVOLUNTARY REFUNDS If PAL cancels a flight, or fails to operate a flight reasonably according to schedule, or fails to stop at a point to which you are destined or ticketed to Stopover, or is unable to provide previously confirmed space, the amount of the refund shall be subject to these Conditions of Carriage, PAL’s Tariffs, and applicable laws, rules, and government regulations. Sec. 4. VOLUNTARY REFUNDS If you are entitled to a refund of your Ticket or any of its unused portion, including taxes, fees, or any other amount collected for or on behalf of any third party, for reasons other than those set out in Section 3 of this Article, the amount of the refund shall be in accordance with PAL’s Tariffs. Sec. 5. RIGHT TO REFUSE REFUND (a) PAL may refuse refund when your application is made thirty (30) days after the expiry of the validity of the Ticket. (b) PAL may refuse refund on a Ticket, including taxes, fees, or any other amount collected for or on behalf of any third party, which has been presented to PAL or other carriers or to government officials of a country as evidence of intention to depart from such country, unless you are able to establish to PAL’s satisfaction that you have permission from the government to remain in the country or that you will depart such country by another carrier or by another means of transport. (c) PAL may refuse refund in the circumstances covered by Article 7, Section 2 of these Conditions of Carriage. Sec. 6. CURRENCY All refunds will be subject to applicable laws, rules, and government regulations of the country in which the Ticket was originally purchased and of the country in which the refund is being made. Subject to the foregoing provision, refunds will normally be made in the currency in which the Ticket was paid but may be made in another currency in accordance with PAL’s Tariffs. Article 13 LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY Section 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS These Conditions of Carriage and applicable laws, rules, and government regulations govern PAL’s liability to you. Sec. 2. LIMITS ON LIABILITY ON INTERNATIONAL CARRIAGE Unless otherwise stated in these Conditions of Carriage, International Carriage, as defined in the Convention, is subject to the liability rules of the Convention. Sec. 3. LIABILITY FOR DAMAGE Where your carriage is not subject to the liability rules of the Convention, our liability provisions are as follows: (a) PAL will not be liable to you for any loss or expense incurred due to your failure to comply with any of the provisions of this Conditions of Carriage. (b) PAL is not liable if it proves that it or any of its agents have taken all necessary measures to avoid the damage or that it was impossible for it to take such measure. (c) In the carriage of Baggage, PAL is not liable if it proves that the damage was occasioned by negligence in the handling of the aircraft or in navigation and that, in all other respects, it has taken all necessary measures to avoid the damage. (d) PAL assumes no liability for pre-existing damage, and damageas a result of normal wear and tear, such as minor cuts, scratches, and broken zippers. (e) PAL is liable only for damage occurring on its own line or air services. When PAL issues a Ticket or Baggage Tag over the lines or air services of another carrier, PAL does so only as agent for such other carrier and assumes no responsibility for the acts or omissions of such other carrier. Nevertheless, with respect to Checked Baggage, you shall have a right of action against the first or last carrier. (f) PAL is not liable for damage to Unchecked Baggage unless such damage is caused by the negligence of PAL. If there has been contributory negligence on your part, PAL’s liability shall be subject to the applicable laws, rules, and government regulation relating to contributory negligence. (g) PAL is not liable for damage arising from its compliance with any laws, rules, and government regulations, orders or requirements, or from your failure to comply with the same. (h) If in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and government regulations, different limits of liability are applicable such different limits shall apply. If the weight of the Baggage is not recorded on the Baggage Tag, it is presumed that the total weight of the Checked Baggage does not exceed the applicable free baggage allowance for the class of service concerned. If in the case of Checked Baggage a higher value is declared pursuant to Article 8, Section 7, the liability of PAL shall be limited to such higher declared value. (i) PAL’s limit of liability shall not exceed the amount of proven damages. PAL shall furthermore not be liable for indirect or consequential damages. (j) PAL is not liable for injury to you or for damage to your Baggage caused by property contained in your Baggage. In the event that your property causes injury to another person or damage to another person’s property or to PAL’s property, you shall indemnify PAL for all losses and expenses incurred by PAL as its result. (k) PAL is not liable for loss or damage to fragile or perishable items, money, jewelry, precious metals, silverware, negotiable papers, securities, or other valuables, business documents, passports and other identification documents or samples. Carriage of the foregoing shall be allowed only under special arrangements with PAL. (l) PAL is not liable for any consequence resulting solely from your state of health. (m) The aggregate amount you may claim from PAL, including from Authorized Agents, employees, or representatives shall not exceed the limits of liability as prescribed in these Conditions of Carriage. (n) Unless so expressly provided nothing herein contained shall waive any exclusion or limitation of liability of PAL under the Convention or applicable laws, rules, and government regulations. (o) In the Domestic Carriage of persons, the limit of liability for death or injury of persons attributable solely to the act, omission or negligence of PAL and not due to any cause beyond its control, shall be governed by the relevant local law or regulation. (p) In the Domestic Carriage of Checked Baggage, the limit of liability for loss, damage or delay of the Checked Baggage or of any object contained in the Baggage, attributable solely to the act, omission or negligence of PAL and not by any cause beyond its control, shall be governed by the relevant local law or regulation. (MAY 29 & JUNE 5, 2018)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

LGUs

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

Ceza to be haven for blockchain, crypto exchange, fintech ventures

LocaL government units

tuesday, may 29, 2018

BONSAI EVENT. Manila Mayor Joseph

Estrada joins Bobby Gopiao of the Philippine Bonsai Society Inc. and Chen Tsang Hsing, founder of the National Bonsai Association of Taiwan, during the 45th Philippine Bonsai Society Annual Show and Competition at Mehan Garden in Manila on Monday. Earlier, Estrada signed a Memorandum of Understanding (inset) with the Manila Police District and the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Philippines reiterating their commitment to combat the threat of illicit drug production, trafficking and use in the city. With Estrada are MPD chief Chief Supt. Joel Napoleon Coronel and DARE Phils. officers Ramon Cardenas, Tony Lopa and lawyer Donna Gasgonia. Norman Cruz

Makati turns 348 with ‘Makisalo’ In BrIef ‘overlapping titles being cleansed’ BayOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya— the National commission on Indigenous People is in the process of its “lengthy cleansing” of overlapping titles to hasten the issuance of certificate of ancestral Domain titles. Greg Singangan, NcIP provincial director, said their agency is reconciling the overlapping of government issued titles within the ancestral domain areas of indigenous people in the province. these titles, he said are the certificate of Land Ownership award of the Department of agrarian reform and those tenurial instruments issued by the Department of environment and Natural resources. the overlapping of land ownership and stewardship instruments are concentrated in the towns of aritao, Kayapa, ambaguio, Sta. Fe, Dupax del Sur, alfonso castaneda, Solano, part of Dupax del Norte, Kasibu and Villaverde. Ben Moses Ebreo

By Joel E. Zurbano

He city of Makati will celebrate its 348th year with a 10day revelry beginning on June 1, Mayor abigail Binay announced on Monday.

Binay called on residents to join this year’s celebration dubbed as “Makati Makisalo” which aim to highlight the thrust of the city government to promote inclusive progress through increased community participation and stronger ties with development partners. “We have chosen ‘Makati Makisalo’ for this year’s araw ng Makati theme as it resonates with our vision of inclusivity leading towards equitable social progress and sustainable development,” said Binay. “We want to emphasize how our unity and willingness to share responsibility for our city’s growth have carried us this far—from being dismissed as a ‘worthless swampland’ during the Spanish era into a highly progressive

city which has blazed the trail in governance and public service,” she added. On June 1, the mayor will lead the installation of the ‘Makati Makisalo’ marker at the ayala triangle Gardens at 10 am to officially launch the 348th araw ng Makati celebration. Mobile art jeepneys and trikes will also be on display for the launching of the new Mobile art Hub Project of the city which aims to promote arts and crafts among young residents. Prior to the ceremony, the city government will host the traditional ‘almusalan’ for all city hall employees to promote camaraderie among neighboring offices and departments at 8 a.m. On Friday evening at 6 pm, the city will host the traditional vin d’honneur for the

SCIENCE LAB. Quezon

City Mayor Herbert Bautista examines some of the scientific equipment and laboratory tools acquired by the city government as an initiative to enrich the program offerings for senior high school at New Era High School. Manny Palmero

sm Bulacan malls in ‘Brigada eskwela’ JUSt in time for the opening of classes on June 4, SM Malls in Bulacan recently joined Department of education’s nationwide program “Brigada Eskwela.” Volunteers from each mall joined hands in preparing and cleaning classrooms of public schools in Marilao, Baliwag Pulilan, and San Jose Del Monte. Various activities ranging from carpentry work, paint jobs, repairs and replacements were assigned to volunteers to ensure school grounds are clean, safe, and conducive for learning. “the Brigada Eskwela is one of SM’s way of giving back to the communities we serve,” SM Human resources manager Prescila Salamat said. She also added that the activity is a perfect way of engaging employees in projects that drive change in society. Jun David

earthquake drill ordinance signed QUeZON city Mayor Herbert Bautista has signed an ordinance mandating all establishments in its area to conduct earthquake drills twice a year. He backed city Ordinance 26742018 or the “Mandatory earthquake Drill Ordinance of Quezon city,” mandates all owners and managers of establishments in Quezon city to conduct earthquake drills with their employees, students, tenants, and occupants for at least twice a year. the ordinance said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has identified 13 barangays in Quezon city traversing by the West Valley Fault. “Phivolcs has urged that the various locations where the West Valley Fault traverses should be a major basis for the people’s preparedness for earthquakes, as the very destructive ground shaking can cause and poses an immediate threat to people’s lives, buildings and infrastructures, and livelihood,” the ordinance read. Rio N. Araja

business community and diplomatic corps at the Peninsula Manila. this year, the city will give recognition to its valued development partners, which include selected organizations in the business, service and academic sectors, as well as private companies and enterprises. On June 2, Saturday, a parade will showcase Miss Makati 2018 candidates, caracol performers, delegations from the barangays, city hall offices, and national government agencies, and several marching bands. the parade will start at 3 pm from city hall grounds and end in Makati avenue, where participants will be welcomed with a Street Party which will start at 4:30 pm. Featuring various local bands (indie and mainstream) who will provide live entertainment to revelers, the street party will be open to the public until midnight. the performers will include adinkra, autotelic, Leanne and Naara, al James, ebe Dancel, the ransom collective, Gracenote, Moonstar 88, and Franco.

Belmonte calls for scrutiny of fare hike proposals By Rio N. Araja QUeZON city Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte on Monday called on the government and the petitioning transport operators to thoroughly study any move to increase the minimum fare for public utility vehicles, particularly jeepneys, citing its possible effects on the city’s poor. Belmonte made this call after the Land

transportation Franchising and regulatory Board started deliberating on the fare hike petitions filed by various transport groups in the wake of skyrocketing fuel prices. While admitting that petitions for fare adjustments is outside the jurisdiction of the city government, the vice mayor said she is only concerned with its effects on Qc’s indigent. “I would just like to encourage them

to make studies—make sure that there’s a proper basis for whatever decision they make, and it’s consulted with the people,” she said. Since it involves mass transit commonly patronized by the poor, she said such fare increase petitions should be scrutinized vis-à-vis the interests of the transport operators and PUV drivers, especially jeepney drivers.

Secretary raul Lambino has assured businesses the cagayan Special economic Zone and Freeport would be a haven for the first offshore companies to locate in this Northern Luzon enclave he is developing into a financial technology or “fintech” solutions and blockchain hub. Up to 21 offshore fintech firms engaged in blockchain and cryptocurrency operations have already signed up with the cagayan economic Zone authority, where Lambino is administrator and ceO, a week after the Fintech Summit in Bonifacio Global city. they could bring in fresh investments of up to P2 billion in the next two years, said Lambino in a statement, adding that he is eying the Freeport, the jewel of cagayan Valley, to become the “Fintech city” or the “Silicon Valley” of asia. Speaking earlier at the summit themed “New Venture in the Valley Unfolds,” Lambino sketched a “technological garden” nestled at the foot of the Sierra Madre mountain range, and within walking distance of the finest beaches in the 54,000-hectare cSeZFP. “We have a perfect setting for some of the young Filipino generation’s best minds and the world’s leading cryptocurrency companies to engage in the development of the next wave of technological innovations,” said Lambino. “the best of nature and of cuttingedge technology will combine to bring about a new hub in asia for the world’s leaders in the burgeoning global currency of the future,” he said. Since being named to his post in July last year, Lambino has made infra- “The best of structure build- nature and of up his priority cutting-edge technology in this economic zone dominated will combine by Port Irene, to bring about which is strategia new hub cally positioned in Asia for to become an the world’s i n t e r n a t i o n a l leaders in the gateway in the burgeoning Northern Paglobal cific. currency of the develop- the future,” ment of a new Lambino said. multi-lane expressway and possibly a railway that will link the gateway and the international airport in Lal-lo town would catalyze the economic zone’s development, Lambino said. the offshore Fintech and blockchain developers that have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ceza will operate virtual currency exchanges, engage in crypto-mining and blockchain production, and initial coin offerings, among others. their expected investments include US$1 million committed for physical infrastructure by each firm aside from the application fees, license fees, probity checks and integration fees in the sprawling facility. Lambino assured the locators of a steady stream of Filipino manpower they need for their business operations as the development of the first Fintech University is also in the pipeline. Xin Peng Group, changwei International co., Ltd., and State trust Union capital Holdings, all Hong Kong-based chinese offshore companies, led the first enrollees that had jampacked the launching of the cezaorganized Fintech summit. the others are Ultra Precise Investments Ltd., Hachiman technology Sdn. Bhd., MX exchange Ventures, Hybrid Block, IPe Global Pte. Ltd., Superieur tech. Pte. Ltd., coin Bundle, Northern Orient resources, Inc., asia Premier International Ltd., Hong Kong yuen Shing Hong Ltd., Mobile Pole Position Pte. Ltd., Madison Blockchain Strategy Investment company Ltd., asia Pacific Blockchain association, Pacificnet Strategic Investments Ltd., Super angels Ventures Ltd., aXN Holdings Ltd., Paradigm technologies Unlimited Solutions corp. and Stepwyze LLc.

‘‘

P137m for S. Leyte tourism sites By Darwin G. Amojelar tHe Department of Public Works and Highways said it has allocated P137 million to make tourism sites of Southern Leyte more accessible to both locals and tourists. DPWH said the fund was allocated for the 2018 tourism road Infrastructure Program, which involves the paving of roads leading to the province’s tourist destinations, including the construction of covered canals and slope protection structures. the road projects will provide easy access to the following tourist destinations in Southern Leyte: Mainit Hot Spring in the town of anahawan,

crater Lake in San Juan town, Monte cueva and Danao camp tree Park in Maasin city, Bitoon Beach in Liloan town, Buenavista Dive Site in Padre Burgos town, calag-itan Fish Sanctuary and Doña Marta and casa Isabel cave in Hinunangan town, and Hindag-an Falls in St. Bernard town. Paved roads would allow people to enjoy a pleasant travel experience and do fun-filled activities in Southern Leyte, such as diving, caving, extreme adventures, nature-tripping, river and crater lake trekking, rainforest tramping, scuba diving, whale shark interaction, and beach and island escapades, the department said in a statement.

DENTAL PACT. With the vision of caring and providing confident smiles, MetroDental, the country’s largest chain of dental clinics, has partnered with Philippine Airlines, the country’s first and only 4-Star airline, to give PAL employees special rates in any of MetroDental’s clinics nationwide. In photo at the PAL Medical Conference Room in Pasay City are (seated from left) MetroDental’s marketing consultant Maria Fe V. Acusar, PAL’s medical director Dr. Rene Chan, MetroDental’s chief operating officer Redeleen Chua and MetroDental’s clinical operations manager Dr. Gina Paredes. Standing are PAL manager of employee welfare and communications Chereque Navarro, assistant managers Rhodo Buca and Butch Ascano, PAL medical’s head dentist Dr. Cristina Santos, MetroDental’s sales manager Beverly Panganiban, assistant sales manager Ernesto De Rama, marketing manager Dr. Deejay Del Rio, assistant lifestyle marketing manager Joyce Ablang, and marketing associate Angela Berongoy.

‘‘

The majority of sicknesses that you endure today are diseases of lifestyle, not of destiny. – Dr. Jose ranilo Paule, head of Family Medicine at TMC-Clark

CCOrDINg to the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Office, ischemic heart disease, which is considered a lifestyle disease, is the leading cause of death among Filipinos, accounting for 12.7 percent of total. This is followed by cancerous tumors or neoplasms. As defined by Dr. Lourdes remedios Bituin, Wellness Doctor in-charge at The Medical City Clark, lifestyle diseases are illnesses brought about by a person’s daily behavior and routine. They are also heavily influenced by a person’s environment, most commonly their occupational environment. Aside from heart disease and cancer, other lifestyle diseases include Alzheimer’s disease, depression, anxiety, type II diabetes, and stroke. Lifestyle diseases, Dr. Bituin said, have become more common due to the demands of modern living. Our fast-paced lives compel

Life

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

health and environment

tuesday, may 29, 2018

How personal

choices

impact your

health

YOUR HEALTH, YOUR CHOICE. Indulging in the unhealthy habit of drinking alcohol excessively is one of the common causes of developing lifestyle diseases, according to medical experts.

Food items high in sugar are detrimental to one’s health.

coping mechanisms such as over or undereating, said Dr. Bituin.

Unhealthy eating habits

Eating too much or too little can lead to lifestyle diseases. According to Dr. Bituin, food high in salt, fat, and sugar are the most detrimental to one’s health, especially when combined with lack of exercise. This can result in high blood pres pressure. Not drinking enough water also leads to dehydra dehydration, which in the long run can cause damage in your body’s musculoskeletal system.

Excessive drinking and smoking

us to work late hours, sleep less, and overindulge in unhealthy habits such as drinking and smoking to cope with stress. Dr. Bituin also pointed out that young people are more affected by lifestyle diseases. “Lately we have been encountering patients as young as 25 years old, mostly young professionals,” said the medical expert. Dr. Bituin and other experts from TMC-Clark further explain how our personal choices affect our health by listing down five of the most common unhealthy lifestyle habits.

Minimal physical activity

A mostly sedentary lifestyle results in a buildup of fat and poor circulation of the blood, leading to hypertension or plaque formation, according to Dr.

For some people, these un unhealthy habits are correlated to Bistress, as they tend to drink or tuin. This can eventu eventusmoke to cope with any uncom uncomally develop into diabetes and cardio- fortable situation. Meanwhile, others vascular diseases. People with desk develop an addiction to these unhealthy jobs who work irregular hours like habits and find them hard to stop. Dr. call center agents are more prone to Bituin stated that our heart, lungs, and this since they spend most of their day liver are the most affected by excessive sitting in front of a computer, with lit- drinking and smoking. She advised to tle to no physical activity. “keep it in moderation, if unavoidable.”

Stress and fatigue

Chronic stress, constant fatigue, and lack of sleep may lead to complications such as heart palpitations, high blood pressure, chest pains, and hypertension. Stress is also a known contributor to pulmonary diseases, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. It also doesn’t help that stress often leads people into developing harmful

Poor posture

atica, which is a symptom for diseases like osteoporosis, varicosity, tendonitis, and synovitis.” While lifestyle diseases are harmful and could be fatal, there are many ways that these could be avoided. “The majority of sicknesses that you endure today are diseases of lifestyle, not of destiny. But that’s good news, because it means they are preventable and treatable,” says Dr. Jose ranilo Paule, head of Family Medicine at TMC-Clark. To help prevent the onset of lifestyle diseases or to treat them while its early, Dr. Bituin recommends getting a complete full body check-up at least annually.

For more information, call (045) 3008888 or 0916-4488046.

Eco-friendly bags Our nature gives us countless gifts, from food to shelter to other resources. These intricately woven handbags are just some of the gifts we are so lucky to receive from Mother Earth. Perfect for summer, these tote bags are made from materials indigenous to the

Excessive sitting and standing especially due to work arrangements create risks in developing osteoarthritis due to the over-expansion of the ligaments and cartilages. According to Dr. Lizbeth Sto. Tomas, a Wellness Doctor of the Internal Medicine at TMC-Clark, “Poor and sudden changes in posture and long periods of sitting down can cause sci-

From top: Banig tote bag, handpainted beach tote made of pandan leaves, and pink raffia summer bag People with desk jobs who spend most of their day sitting in front of a computer and have little to no physical activity are at risk of developing lifestyle diseases.

The Medical City Clark offers an Executive Check-up Program which is designed to be tailor-fit for each person—identifying one’s specific health concerns while being costefficient by addressing a person’s overall wellness, thus minimizing health risks and expenses. Their packages can be personalized based on age and gender; these can include evaluation and consultation ranging from physical examination to laboratory tests, as well as nutrition and diet consultations.

Philippines, such as rattan, abaca, tikog, pandan, and raffia. Fun and festive, these nature inspired bags are not only eco-friendly, but handcrafted by rural communities, supporting local artisans and giving sustainability to Filipino craftsmanship. The Gifts of Nature handbag colcol lection is available at Kultura in SM Makati, Megamall, Mall of Asia, SM Aura Premier, SM City Cebu, SM Seaside, SM Lanang Premier, The Podium, and at most SM Stores. It also has boutiques at Taal Vista Hotel, Pico de Loro, and Molo Mansion Iloilo.

Life

tuesday, may 29, 2018 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Moving boundaries with women in science By Danielle Macadangdang

Bea Agarao, National Programme Coordination officer of UNESCO Jakarta in the Philippines

limate change, sustainable energy, affordable healthcare, and security, among other issues are challenges science aims to resolve. Science is a big part in securing the win we needed; the more people—men and women—involve in it, the better. today, women account for only 30 percent of the world’s researchers, and with even lower percentages at higher decision-making levels. in a bid to increase the number of women in scientific research, l’Oreal Corporate Foundation and UNeSCO established For Women in Science, a program that highlights and encourages women’s participation in science. Since its establishment in 1998, it has recognized women whose research and achievements contributed to the advancement of scientific knowledge. more than 3,100 women scientists have been acknowledged in 53 national and regional fellowship programs established in 117 countries. Following great efforts made in helping and rebuilding communities ravaged by typhoon Haiyan, l’Oreal-UNeSCO has announced the reintroduction of the program in the Philippines with a new plan to help better empower female scientists. l’Oreal-UNeSCO recognizes women around the world with Pillar of awards. the l’Oreal-UNeSCO laureates or international awards is the most prestigious award given to five women researchers, one from each of the five regions, namely africa and the arab States, asia and the Pacific, europe, latin america, and North america. the five women scientists to be recognized this year are the following: Heather Zar (africa and the arab States) for establishing a cutting-edge research program in pneumonia, tuberculosis, and asthma, saving the lives of many children worldwide; mee-mann Chang

L’Oreal Philippines corporate manager Carmel Valencia

The World Heart Federation’s blood pressure measurement instructions

Beating hypertension with awareness and action

(asia and the Pacific) for her pioneering work on fossil records leading to insights on how aquatic vertebrates adapted to live on land; Dame Caroline Dean (europe) for her groundbreaking research on how plants adapt to their surroundings and climate change, leading to new ways of crop improvement; amy austin (latin america) for her remarkable contributions to understanding terrestrial ecosystem ecology in natural and human-modified landscapes; and Janet Rossant (North america) for her outstanding research that helped better

understand how tissues and organs are formed in the developing embryo. the international Rising talents award serves to encourage women scientists working in sciences at doctoral and post-doctoral levels. the National Fellowships, on the other hand, helps researchers pursue their scientific careers in their respective home country. the new addition, For Girls in Science, is a campaign created in several countries to inspire the next generation of girls about pursuing a scientific career.

HyPeRteNSiON is a silent killer. it remains a significant risk factor for development of congestive heart failures, according to a study published by the US National library of medicine, yet many people do not realize their blood pressure is high. according to the World Health Organization, nearly 23 percent of Filipino adults are hypertensive. “See your doctor to get your blood pressure checked,” advised Dr. David Wood, president of the World Heart Federation. He continued, “it’s quick and painless but it could save your life because high blood pressure can be treated and prevented—often by making a few changes to your diet, activity levels, and unhealthy habits.” two measurement assess blood pressure: systolic (maximum) and diastolic (minimum). Systolic is the highest level your blood pressure reaches when your heart beats. Diastolic is the lowest level your blood pressure reaches when your heart relaxes between beats. Normal blood pressure has a maximum of less than 120 and a minimum of less than 80. maximum of 120 to 139 or minimum of 80 to 89 is prehypertensive. maximum of over 140 and minimum of more than 90 is high. maximum of above 180 or minimum of above 110 requires immediate medical attention. Various factors contribute to the risk, but it affects anyone regardless of age, affluence, gender, or geography. Globally, about one in four adults has hypertension, and it is expected to affect more than 1.5 billion people by 2025, according to The Lancet medical journal.

Have your blood pressure checked regularly

the World Heart Federation and life insurer manulife share these four ways to help lower blood pressure. Stay active. aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate activity five times a week. Walk, dance, swim, do housework, or play a sport—they all count. Eat well. Cut down on salt, sugar, fat, and processed foods. eat at least five portions (handfuls) of fruits and vegetables every day. if you drink alcohol, reduce your consumption. Stop smoking. Quitting tobacco is the single best thing you can do to improve your heart health. Control your weight. Being overweight or obese raises your risk of high blood pressure.

L’Oreal-UNESCO’s For Women in Science is a program that highlights and encourages women’s participation in science.

Filipino dentists train with the world’s best HOW do you ensure your medical practitioners are equipped with the best knowledge vital in performing their jobs? you enlist them in extensive trainings. expert dentists of the Gan advanced Osseointegration Center participated in the prestigious 2018 annual meeting of the academy of Osseointegration in los angeles, California. World-renowned international speakers, specialists, leading general practitioners, lab technicians, and dental hygienists attended the conference, sharing knowledge and latest information in the expanding field of osseointegration. GaOC, founded by Dr. Steve mark Gan, continuously strives to raise the standards of dental practice in the Philippines. each year, GaOC makes sure that its dentists undergo extensive trainings here and abroad. For Dr. Gan, an active member of the american Society of Osseointegration and the american College of Oral implantology as well as a recognized trailblazer in dental implant surgery in the Philippines, participation in the aO annual meeting is part of GaOC’s commitment to continuous learning by keeping abreast of the latest global trends and technologies to raise the

The 3-room Barangay Health Center offers services for pregnant mothers, free doctor consultations, and other healthcare needs.

New healthcare facility opens in Cebu GAOC chief executive officer Dr. Steve Mark Gan (fourth from left) with GAOC’s Dr. Jacqueline Nicole Dos Santos, Dr. Maybelle Paige Lim, Dr. Keslynn Evangelista, Dr. Samantha Leonore Yago, Brian Michael Lam, and Dr. Katrina Rose Tan

standards in local dental practice. “at GaOC, we believe that the best way to enhance our dental services is by participating in international conferences such as the aO annual meeting,” says Dr. Gan. “By keeping up to date with current trends and international best practices, and through interactions with colleagues from around the world,

we aim to bring Philippine dentistry to world-class standards.” GaOC has 10 state-of-the-art clinics to date, run by a team of dental specialists and equipped with the most advanced diagnostic and treatment facilities available. Visit www.gaocdental.com for more information.

iN a bid to improve health and safety in the location where it operates, Cemex Holdings Philippines supported the construction of the new Barangay Health Center in Barangay tina-an in the City of Naga in Cebu. Barangay tina-an is the home of Cemex subsidiary aPO Cement Corporation. the Barangay Health Center serves as a lying-in facility for expectant mothers, it also offers services including pre-natal consultation, children’s

immunization, and anti-drug use counselling. the building materials company also hired a doctor that comes in weekly to monitor the health of local residents and provide free consultation and free medicine. Beneficiaries expressed gratitude for the health center. according to Jocelyn taray, head of the Barangay Health Workers, many patients are happy and thankful for the project that made healthcare more accessible to them in a spacious and clean environment.

Entertainment

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2018

nickie.standard@gmail.com

Metro Channel advocates marine conservation in benefit show Metro Channel hosts Marc Nelson, Maggie Wilson, Raul Manzano, Tim Yap, Joey Mead, and Anton Barretto with ABS-CBN Lifestyle Ecosystem head Paolo Pineda

CEBU’S A-listers such as Margie Lhuillier, renowned luxury designers Philip Rodriguez, Jun Escario, and OJ Hofer, and Miss Earth 2008 Karla HenryAmmann gathered in Summer Soul, a midsummer night filled with great food, cocktails, and music, for Metro’s launch as the country’s first multiplatform lifestyle superbrand available in print, online, and now on television. In the theme #KeepCLAMandSavetheSeas, the festivities were led by Metro Channel hosts Joey Mead King of Women of Style and Tim Yap of Tim’s Table as guests arrived in their best all-white outfits at the Crimson Resort, Mactan. The benefit party kicked off with a luxurious sunset cruise overlooking the beautiful Cebu Skyline. Also in attendance were ABS-CBN Lifestyle Ecosystem head Paolo Pineda, Metro Channel head Lala Lazaro, Metro channel hosts Raul Manzano of EIC on the Move, Anton Barretto of Metro Home, Tricia Centenera of Driven, and Maggie Wilson and Marc Nelson of

Beached. Aside from launching the local programming of Metro Channel, the event also served as a beneﬁt gathering as generous guests adopted a total of 50 clams and managed to raise hundreds of thousands of funds to keep the local seas alive for future generations. In Dec 2016, 100 tridacna or giant clam juveniles were brought to Crimson’s marine reserve for a safe and protected area to grow and develop. As part of the protected reserve, the giant clams are monitored monthly by the resort’s marine biologist to ensure optimal environment for growth and eventual reproduction. Metro opened these clams for adoption during the Summer Soul party to help sustain the project. Catch the new shows of Metro Channel (SKYcable ch. 52 and ch. 174 on HD), now the home of chic living from the country’s authority in style, Metro. For updates, follow @abscbnpr on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit www.abscbnpr.com.

POLITICAL DRAMA. Lav Diaz's 'Ang Panahon ng Halimaw' (photo below) describes 'the darkest period of Philippine political history,' while Mike de Leon's comeback film 'Citizen Jake' (starring Atom Araullo with Max Collins, above photo) is a noir crime drama about a journalist and blogger, who is in conflict with his political family.

DEMOCRACY IS ALIVE…

Films thrashing martial rule and human rights violations allowed in cinemas

S Stephanie Dods (center) receiving the key to the luxurious UMLand apartment as part of her prize during the finale of 'The Apartment :Passion for Design.'

Fil-Kiwi designer wins Sony Channel’s ‘The Apartment: Passion for Design’ ONCE again, Filipino pride takes the limelight as Fil-Kiwi fashion designer Stephanie Dods bested 11 other designers in Sony Channel’s The Apartment: Passion for Design, to become Asia’s new interior design superstar. Dods was selected the winner of the regional reality tilt and walked away with the biggest prize in the series’ history - the deed to a luxurious UMLand apartment at D’Lagoon located in Iskandar, Malaysia. Declaring in the show that failure was not an option, the beauty queen-model fiercely proved her worth by out-performing competition from the US, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia in a series of grueling challenges that showcased her flair for innovative design, eventually conquering Asia’s biggest design reality series. Dods hurdled the weekly challenges with her style and confidence. It was no walk in the park, as she narrowly escaped elimination many times. Dods has now become the second

Filipino contestant to win the prestigious competition after Cebu-based interior designers and best friends Deankie Latonio and Tiara Sison won the third edition in 2013. In the semi-ﬁnals, Dods shared the spotlight with fellow Filipino contestants, Jesy Cruz and Eugene Del Rosario, who both performed strong but in the end just came just a bit short, paving the way for Dods. The season ﬁnale saw Dods going head-to-head with Malaysian make-up artist Rachel Lee in the ultimate challenge to design and furnish an apartment from scratch. The latest season featured a formidable panel of judges, which included worldrenowned interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen as the head judge, Filipino interior designer and media personality Cat Arambulo, and New York’s Tyler Wisler. Award-winning designer and author Jamie Durie returned as series host and mentor.

INTERNATIONAL

Pop princess Kylie Minogue turns 50 FROM teenage soap sensation to pop royalty, over Kylie Minogue’s three-decade career she has sold 80 million records, survived breast cancer and become a gay icon whose fanbase spans generations. The pint-sized Aussie superstar celebrates her 50th birthday on Monday, another milestone for the singer who is one of the few celebrities known simply by their ﬁrst name. To mark the occasion Kylie has said she is planning “an extravaganza” with friends in London, where she is based—and if her litany of hits including “I Should Be So Lucky” and “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” is anything to go by, she will have no trouble getting the party started. Born in Melbourne on May 28, 1968, Kylie has deﬁed critics who once wrote her off as a “singing budgie” to establish herself as one of Australia’s biggest cultural exports and an international sex symbol. AFP

Australian pop star Kylie Minogue celebrates her 50th birthday with the release of her 14th studio album aptly called 'Golden.'

O, YOU belong to the silent majority, as those opposed to the presidency of President Rodrigo Duterte and his gung-ho statements and startling foreign policies want to address themselves, and you warn Filipinos of an ascending authoritarian rule. How come you are not in detention yet, or why can your minions still mount protests anywhere they want?

In the movies, why has the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) not banned films like Citizen Jake (now screening in theaters nationwide) and Ang Panahon ng Halimaw (which opens tomorrow, naturally in limited number of screens because it runs for four hours)? Isn’t that a clear sign that democracy is still very much alive in this country? And why are these film actors (at the press conference) speaking like President Duterte has clipped everyone’s right to free speech and expression? If he has, would the Ayala Cinemas ever screen those two films? The latest Lav Diaz opus, Ang Panahon ng Halimaw (Season of the Devil), is finally showing in the Philippines. It has already won best film in the Gems section of the 58th Festival Internacional de Cine Cartagena de Indias held in Colombia in March 2018. The film stars Piolo Pascual, Shaina Magdayao, Pinky Amador, and Angel Aquino. It was also selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival. It is very much about the perils of arming civilians in remote villages to counter armed rebellion by groups associated with the Communist Party of the Philippines and secessionist Muslims, emboldening the armed citizens in the government created CHDF (Civil Home Defense Forces) to commit abuses among the citizens. The actors who were at the press conference like to think the film is a reflection of what’s happening in the country now. Of course, that’s what they think and I don’t agree with them. They are tad emotional about their experience while shooting the film that they embraced the reality created by Diaz in the film, and think it would make a good copy if they try to link the film’s subjective reality to the objective reality in the society these days. Yet, they are performers and I anticipated they’d be speaking and acting like they are resurrected activists. Meanwhile, Hollywood trade paper, Variety, praises the film and the direc-

tor for remaining “emphatically his own artist, whether to exhilarating or punishing effect,” saying the movie has some “raw, stirring interludes.” Other film critics hail Diaz for his stirring masterpiece. “It’s visually that Season of the Devil ranks among Diaz’s best work,” writes Clarence Tsui of The Hollywood Reporter. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian describes the director as a real auteur: “every millisecond of his film has been rigorously created.” Desistfilm writer Aldo Padilla says, “Lav is probably the freest famous filmmaker today.” Jonathan Romney of Screen Daily calls it “A film of boldness and considerable beauty.” After garnering such praise, it’s only fitting that the Filipino public be able to #PlayItRight and watch the movie in cinemas, supporting not just the movie, but the local film industry. Globe Studios Head Quark Henares, shares, “It is important that we all support our local directors and movies because they create works that are truly world-class and deserving of a local and international audience.” #PlayItRight is Globe Telecom’s continuing advocacy campaign in support of the entertainment industry by encouraging Filipinos to enjoy entertainment through legitimate means such as cinemas and legal streaming apps. The initiative encourages audiences to enjoy entertainment only through legitimate means, protecting the rights of the filmmakers, actors, and the crew who have dedicated their time and talent in making their movie projects. An awardwinning short film from Far Eastern University will be screened as part of the Diwa Filipino Film Showcase at Seattle Center Armory Loft 1 in the United States on June 2 and will compete at the ShanghaiPRIDE Film Festival in

China from June 9 to 17. Pua Iyam (Coming Out), a film about a Filipino-Chinese student (Rowi Du) who discovers his true identity and feelings for his childhood friend (Raphael Cruz), further spreads its cinematic reach to other countries. This comes after it bagged the Best Screenplay and Best Actor in a Lead Role awards at the 9th Largabista Film Festival in Tacloban City, Leyte and a special citation on gender sensitivity from the first Palawan International Film Festival. Written and directed by Juan Pablo Pineda III, the film previously won several awards from different student film competitions starting from its home turf in FEU then moving on to De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, University of the Philippines-Diliman and Mapua University. “Pua Iyam is a film that is close to my heart. There are reasons why I should not give up—my goals and my brother, who’s in a comatose condition. As soon as he wakes up I would like to give these awards to him,” the writerfilmmaker said. *** Cesar Montano is out of Tourism Promotions Board (TPB). He resigned and President Duterte accepted his resignation, allowing the new Department of Tourism Secretary Berna RomuloPuyat to name an officer in charge. She appointed Arnold Gonzales, who has been with the TBP for 30 years, after he was unanimously chosen by the Board of Directors of TPB. The 56-year-old career executive has been assigned at various posts here and abroad. Prior to his designation, Gonzales was OIC of Domestic Promotions Department of the TPB. Will the new appointment be better than Montano? We will see.

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2018

26th Golden Dove Awards

KBP’s Golden Dove Awards soar to greater heights

HE Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas Golden Dove Awards is all set for the most prestigious awards night in Philippine broadcasting, and the KBP is surely geared up for a bigger, brighter, and bolder 26th edition later this evening.

The annual event brings together the top broadcast outlets in the country to fete outstanding individuals and entities in radio and TV as the 26th GDA rolls out 57 awards across 6 categories. Headed by GDA 2018 Committee Chairman Noel C. Galvez, the festivities begin at 7:00 p.m. today at the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Hotel in Pasay City. The highlight of the event, of course, will be the KBP Outstanding Individuals’ categories in which a Lifetime Achievement Award will be dolled out as well as the coveted Ka Doroy Broadcaster of the Year Award. The awardees are pillars of their respective fields with Ramon “RJ” Jacinto from the Rajah Broadcasting Network, Inc. bagging the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Broadcaster of the Year is none other than ABS-CBN Corporation’s resident “voice” Peter Musngi. In the other categories, however, the excitement is hitting fever pitch on who will go home with an iconic golden dove. Here are the categories to vie for:

BEST STATIONS

Best Television Station – Metro Manila • Best Television Station – Provincial • Best AM Radio Station – Metro Manila • Best AM Radio Station – Provincial • Best FM Radio Station – Metro Manila • Best FM Radio Station – Provincial

BEST PROGRAMS TELEVISION

Best Newscast Program – Metro Manila • Best Newscast Program – Provincial • Best Public Affairs Program – Metro Manila • Best Public Affairs Program – Provincial • Best Public Service Program • Best Variety Program • Best Comedy Program • Best Drama Program • Best Culture & Arts Program • Best Children’s Program • Best Documentary Program • Best Science and Technology Program • Best Magazine Program • Best Sports Program • Best Special Program

RADIO

Best Newscast Program – Metro Manila • Best Newscast Program – Provincial • Best Public Affairs Program – Metro Manila • Best Public Affairs Program – Provincial • Best Public Service Program • Best Variety Program • Best Comedy Program • Best Drama Program • Best Culture and Arts Program • Best Children’s Program • Best Documentary Program • Best Science and Technology Program • Best Magazine Program Best Sports Program • Best Special Program

BEST PERSONALITIES TELEVISION

Best Newscaster • Best Public Affairs Program Host • Best Public Service Host • Best Magazine Host • Best Actress for Drama Program • Best Actor for Drama Program • Best Actress for Comedy Program • Best Actor for Comedy Program

RADIO

Best Newscaster • Best Field Reporter • Best Public Affairs Program Host • Best Public Service Program Host • Best Variety Program Host • Best Music Radio Jock • Best Magazine Program Host • Best Science & Technology Journalist

BEST PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS (PSAs)

Best Television PSA • Best Radio PSA

BEST STATION PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

Best Television Station Promotional Material • Best Radio Station Promotional Material

2018 KBP BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

Ruperto S. Nicdao, Jr. Chairman

Roberto V. Barreiro VP for TV

Butch S. Canoy Vice Chairman

Noel C. Galvez VP for Radio

Atom L. Henares Director

Herman Z. Basbaño President

Francis L. Cardona EVP

Joselito G. Yabut Corporate Sec.

Fr. Manuel Bongayan Treasurer

Erwin V. Galang Director

George Salabao Director

Awards and Recognition Committee Members Chairman: Mr. Noel C. Galvez KBP Vice President for Radio Vanguard Radio Network

Members Mr. Ruperto S. Nicdao, Jr. KBP Chairman/President, MBC Mr. Joselito Yabut, KBP Corporate Secretary/CEO, Primax Bctg Network Ms. Brenda Locsin, President, PBN Bctg. Network Ms. Jenn Galvez, VP, Vanguard Radio Mr. Rikki Climaco, KBP SA Director/COO, Notre Dame Bctg. Corp. Mr. Nonoi Adle, Marketing, UMBN Ms. Lorlyn Velarde, VP for External Affairs, FUBC Ms. Rochen Francisco, Marketing, Aliw Bctg. Corp. Mr. Weng Dela Peña, Broadcaster, Vanguard Radio Network