Manila Standard - 2019 January 14 - Monday

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VOL. XXXII • NO. 333 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Unity walk: Calls mount for peaceful polls SOME 4,000 people on Sunday joined a unity walk and prayer rally to call for safe and peaceful elections this year as the election period officially opened.

Government workers, the religious, teachers and students, members of nongovernment organizations, soldiers and candidates joined the Inter-Faith Prayer Rally and Peace Covenant Signing for the 2019 Midterm Elections at the Quezon City Memorial Circle.

At 4 a.m. the attendees, together with electoral candidates, walked from the Quezon City Hall to the Quezon City Memorial Circle.

After the walk, the people gathered in front of the grandstand where different religious leaders interceded for unity and peace during the mid-term polls in May. In his speech, National Capital Region Police Office chief, Director Guillermo Eleazar said the activity emphasizes the importance of teamwork of different commissions, groups, organizations and candidates nationwide to achieve fair and peaceful elections.

“Let us offer the peaceful signing of

PEACE COVENANT. Thousands of people from all walks of life join the Unity Walk at the Quezon City Memorial Circle Sunday morning to call for peaceful midterm elecNext page tions in May 2019 and hold an Interfaith Prayer Rally and Peace Covenant, culminating in the release of white doves as a symbol of peace and unity. Manny Palmero

Oil price hike set at P4.50 New tax adds to rising cost of world fuel

Rody fires police chief of Bacolod over drug ties

By Alena Mae S. Flores

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By Nat Mariano

UMP prices may go up by as much as P4.50 a liter this week as a result of a double whammy of higher world oil prices and the imposition of higher excise taxes on fuel.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte announced Saturday that he has sacked the Bacolod City chief of police and four other officers for their alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade.

At a birthday celebration of a businessman in Bacolod City, Duterte said the city’s police chief, Francis Ebreo and four other officers were terminated because they were “in cahoots with [a] drug syndicate.”

“I’d like to know if the chief of police is here. If you are here kindly stand up because you are fired as of this moment,” the President said during the birthday Next page

WHOPPER! An attendant in Quezon City pours gasoline into the fuel tank. Two oil players have announced plans to raise pump prices by as much as P4.50 per liter, taking into account the world price trends and the second tranche of excise tax on fuel. Manny Palmero

Jetti Petroleum Inc. estimated that diesel would go up by P2.25 to P2.30 a liter while gasoline should rise by P1.40 to P1.50 a liter starting Jan. 14, given the Mean of Platts Singapore and the current exchange rate.

Unioil Philippines had a similar, though slightly lower assessment in its own advisory.

At the same time, gas stations are expected to carry out the second tranche of excise taxes under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law this week, which will add P2.24 per liter—including Next page

Passport data loss: Locsin vows to unmask culprits, hits contractor

By Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta Francis Ebreo

Budget main item in Congress session

By Rio N. Araja HOUSE Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Sunday reaffirmed her commitment to pass the proposed P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 when Congress resumes session today, Monday.

She said she had been consulting the senators and that Congress would just wait for the Senate to approve the budget.

“We do [talk with the senators], but we just let them do their own timetable.

We cannot nag them. We cannot nag them on [passing] any of our measures,” Arroyo said.

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FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teddy Locsin Jr. on Sunday said he will identify those behind the passport mess after revealing a day earlier that a private French contractor that produced the travel documents “took all the data” when the government terminated its contract in 2015.

“Those behind the passport mess will

launch a social media campaign against me. I will identify them,” Locsin said, in a Twitter post Sunday.

“Apparently the mess crosses partisan lines,” the country’s top diplomat added.

Locsin said he will not summon present and former DFA officials who may be involved in the controversy, and leave it to the Justice department and the Senate to investigate to determine the guilty parties.

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Cyber heist: 6 bankers’ turn to face raps

By Rey E. Requejo THE Justice department said Sunday the $81-million cyber heist in Bangladesh Bank in 2016 was not yet a closed case despite the conviction of former Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. bank manager Maia Deguito for money laundering last week by a Makati City court.

The department said the criminal charges for money laundering under the AntiMoney Laundering Act against six other RCBC officers had yet to be resolved.

Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon said the complaint filed by the AMLC against former RCBC treasurer Raul Victor Tan, national sales director for Next page

RUBBISH. Customs officials inspect a batch of illegal garbage exports from South Korean before the trash in 51 containers is shipped back to its sender. Story on A2

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Korean garbage returns to sender; watchdog elated THE waste and pollution watch group EcoWaste Coalition on Sunday extolled the departure of 51 containers of illegal garbage exports from South Korea as a “triumph for environmental justice, morality and the rule of law.”

Speaking at the ceremonial send-off at the Mindanao International Container Terminal, Aileen Lucero, the group’s national coordinator, said “the waste shipments violated Korean and Philippine customs and environmental laws, as well as the Basel Convention.

“Our resolute stance to get the garbage returned to its sender shows how much we, the Filipino people, want our fragile ecosystems to be protected against the adverse effects of waste trafficking, which is a serious threat to our people’s lives, their health and the environment,” Lucero said.

To emphasize their stance against waste trafficking, activists from the EcoWaste Coalition and various civil society groups from Davao City held a banner that read “stop exporting garbage to the Philippines.”

They also brandished placards saying “we are not a garbage can for Korean waste,” “Korean waste should be treated in Korea,” and “don’t transfer Korean waste to the Philippines.”

“By saying ‘no’ to garbage dumping from Korea and other countries, we say ‘no’ to the derogation of our country’s dignity and sovereignty, ‘no’ to the disrespect for national and international laws, and ‘no’ to the harm they will bring to our communities,” Lucero told the crowd.

“As a civil society group dedicated to promoting a zero waste and toxics-free Philippines, we promise to remain vigilant to ensure that our country does not become a dump for any country’s garbage.”

MICT Port Collector John Simon echoed Lucero’s stance.

“May our victory serve as a lesson to the big nations that small nations like the Philippines can rise and fight for their right to have a clean environment free from the hazardous waste of the most powerful and industrialized nations of the world,” Simon said.

Lucero was quick to point out “the struggle for environmental justice, morality and the rule of law is not yet over” as there were still 5,176.91 tons of bulk waste languishing on government land in Barangay Santa Cruz, Tagoloan, waiting to be sent home.

“For the sake of the Tagoloan people’s health and their environment, we call upon the Korean government to continue its fruitful cooperation with the Philippine government to ensure the rapid reexport of these wastes to Pyeongtaek City,” she said.

On Dec. 27 and 28, 2018, the governments of the Philippines and South Korea resolved to have the 6,500 tons of illegal garbage re-exported to the latter. Philippine authorities have determined the waste shipments as “misdeclared, heterogenous and injurious to public health.

Not forgetting about the 103 containers of reeking Canadian residual wastes disguised as plastic scrap for recycling, the EcoWaste Coalition said “the repatriation of the South Korean garbage to its source should rouse Canada into resolving the festering garbage dumping controversy.”

Illegal garbage exports from Canada entered the port of Manila in several batches from 2013 to 2014. In 2015, the waste from 26 of these 103 containers were illegally disposed of at a landfill in Tarlac.

Canada ’s indecisiveness to take their reeking garbage back violates the rule of law and is immoral, the EcoWaste Coalition said. Despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s assurance in 2017 that “it is now theoretically possible to get it back,” the Canadian garbage continues to fester with no end in sight, the group said.

The return of the dumped waste to South Korea shows doing the right thing is not just theoretical, the EcoWaste Coalition said, expressing its hope that Canada would finally comply with the Basel Convention.

Cyber heist:...

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retail banking Ismael Reyes, regional sales director for retail banking Brigitte Capiña, direct sales director Nestor Pineda, customer service head for Jupiter business center Romualdo Agarrado, and senior customer relations officer for the Jupiter business center Angela Ruth Torres had not yet been resolved.

“There is no resolution yet from the preliminary investigation earlier conducted on that case,” Fadullon said in a text message.

But Fadullon, head of the National Prosecution Service, could not say when the resolution on the charges filed in Nov. 2016 would be released, saying he would check with the prosecutors assigned to the case.

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House minority wants Diokno probed Oil price...

From A1

a value-added tax—to pump prices for both diesel and gasoline.

On Jan. 8, oil companies raised prices

by P0.80 per liter of gasoline, P0.70 per liter of diesel and P0.40 per liter of kerosene after Saudi Arabia said it would cut its oil production.

Oil prices also went up as demand is expected to increase in February.

Gasoline currently sells from P39.75 to P53.60 per liter, diesel from P33.45 to P40.93 per liter and kerosene from P38.42 to P48.50 per liter.

So far, the Department of Energy has

Rody...

From A1

celebration of businessman Leo Rey Yanson.

“In your involvement in drugs and making the people of Bacolod miserable, I am relieving and dismissing you from the service as of now, Senior Supt. Francis Ebreo,” he added.

He said the erring policemen were protecting a drug syndicate in Bacolod.

“Then you have Superintendent Tayuan... And Superintendent Yatar... And there is Victor Paulino, a police senior inspector... Macapagal, you are out,” he said.

He ordered the four to report to his office in Malacañang on Monday at 2 p.m.

Ebreo, Supt. Allan Macapagal, Senior Insp. Victor Paulino, and Supt. Ritchie Yatar were reassigned to Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit in

Passport...

From A1

“I want the problem fixed. [But] let the Senate investigate and DOJ prosecute if ever,” he said in a separate Twitter post.

Locsin disclosed the data loss on Twitter, after a user on the social media network asked him why he needed to present a birth certificate to renew his passport.

“Because previous contractor got pissed when terminated it made off with data,” Locsin replied in his post. “We did nothing about it or couldn’t because we were in the wrong. It won’t happen again. Passports pose national security issues and cannot be kept back by private entities. Data belongs to the state.”

Locsin said the DFA is now requiring holders of “older” or non-electronic passports for renewal to submit their birth certificates after the data was lost.

Assistant Secretary Elmer Cato immediately clarified that those renewing passports issued in 2010 or later need not submit birth certificates.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said charges should be filed against the former contractor which took all the user data.

“Charges should be filed if the former service contractor would not return [the records]. This is to compel that company to return the records. These are public records,” Drilon said.

Another member of the oppositin, Senator Risa Hontiveros urged the DFA to explain to the public how the data was lost.

Although she blamed the Duterte administration for “gross incompetence in protecting the people’s private data,” the French company’s contract was terminated in 2015 during the Aquino administration.

“Exactly what data were lost? When, how, and under whose watch did this happen? Where did the breakdown occur? Who exactly is the responsible firm? And why aren’t they being sued for running away with such vital information?” she asked.

She said the public needs to be reassured that the data will be retrieved completely and with the highest sense of urgency and priority.

“Apart from that, the people responsible for such a gross display of incompetence should be held fully responsible,” she said.

The senator also slammed the passport processing system.

“We will check on the status of the case first before we can give a timetable on when the resolution could be released,” he said.

The pendency of the case means a possibility of another trial on the Bangladesh Bank heist in court should the prosecutors find probable cause to indict Tan and the five other respondents.

Tan, brother of former national treasurer and now Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. president Roberto Tan, resigned in April 2016 “out of decency and honor” while Torres was reportedly dismissed after she and Deguito were found to have been involved in the money laundering scheme.

Bangladesh Ambassador Asad Alam Siam has called on the Justice department to resolve the separate case against other RCBC officers as he said their

monitored 444 retail stations that have imposed higher excise taxes as of Jan. 10 but there are a total of 8,006 retail stations nationwide.

DOE, through its Oil Industry Management Bureau, noted that 369 outlets are from Petron Corp., 46 from Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. and 29 from Flying V. “We are ensuring that our consumers do not become subjects of profiteering. We are issuing show-cause orders [SCOs] to the concerned retail outlets for them to explain their implementation of the second tranche of excise taxes,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said last week.

“In addition, we are also validating the prices of their fuel products whether they

have already imposed the second wave of excise taxes,” Cusi said.

DOE officials previously said they expect the entire 8,006 retail stations to implement the additional excise tax by February at the latest.

The DOE-OIMB said that a retail outlet’s imposition of excise tax depends upon how quickly they exhaust their 2018 inventory.

Only new inventories in 2019, directly imported or locally produced by refineries, are covered by the second tranche of excise tax.

The agency said the level of inventories varies depending on the status of individual depots and retail outlets and product turnover.

Iloilo over the weekend.

Supt. Nassrudin Tayuan, on the other hand, has not been assigned to Bacolod since June 2018.

Two months ago, Duterte announced that he would give P1 million to anyone who could pinpoint “narco-cops” or “ninja cops.”

In August 2018, Duterte confronted 100 erring police officers facing charges ranging from absence without leave to rape and kidnapping.

He said illegal activities of the police officers are tainting the image of the PNP, which carries out his flagship war on drugs.

Chief Supt. John Bulalacao, director of Police Regional Office-6, said he has designated Senior Supt. Henry Biñas as officer-in-charge of the Bacolod police effective Sunday.

Biñas, who is in Iloilo City, said in a telephone interview that he was preparing

to assume the top post of BCPO. Before his latest assignment, Biñas was chief of the Regional Personnel and Human Resource Development Division of PRO-6 based in Camp Martin Delgado in Iloilo City, and was previously director of Iloilo City Police Office and Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office.

The relief of Ebreo came 14 months after he assumed post as OIC city police director in November 2017.

In May last year, Ebreo and Paulino were awarded the PNP Medal of Merit for demonstrating exemplary competence and commendable performance during the operation against notorious drug leader Ramy Poja, the number one most wanted person of Police Station 3, who was killed after a hot pursuit operation in Sitio Sibucao, Barangay Banago.

In 2018, the BCPO seized more than P42.157 million worth of shabu in 432 operations. With PNA

“They say, ‘go out and see the world.’ But how can our people do that if our government can’t even provide efficient passport application and renewal services to the public?

Worse, it can’t be trusted to protect the citizens’ sensitive data,” Hontiveros said.

Senator Panfilo Lacson said it is difficult to understand why government agencies such as the DFA and the Land Transportation Office would enter into contracts with private entities without making sure that “Those data bases in the hands of private contractors will definitely compromise vital information of individuals who have dealt with those agencies, and the number runs into millions of people,” said Lacson.

Locsin, in a Twitter exchange Wednesday, revealed that the previous contractor has made inaccessible the data it was entrusted to after its printing contract was terminated.

Before the contract for the production of Philippine electronic passports was awarded to the APO Production Unit Inc., the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, through a French firm, had been printing passport booklets.

Following data privacy concerns raised by the public, the National Privacy Commission said it will conduct an independent investigation to determine the facts surrounding the case.

“Any form of non-availability of personal data, infringement of the rights of data subjects, and harms from processing that include inconveniencing the public, must be adequately explained to the satisfaction of the law,” said Privacy Commissioner Raymund Liboro.

Meanwhile, Locsin said the “crooked” passport deal in the past is to be blamed to the entire passport mess inherited by the current administration.

“The problem started under GMA’s [former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo] DFA and got worse under PNoy’s (former president Benigno Aquino III) DFA. It will be solved by President Rodrigo Duterte’s DFA under Locsin,” he said. With PNA “The yellow crowd who perpetrated the passport fraud are in panic because we are going to autopsy their crooked deal,” he added.

In August 2006, the BSP entered into a memorandum of agreement with DFA for the production of machine-readable electronic passports.

The central bank awarded through bidding the main part of the project to French company Francois-Charles Oberthur Fiduciare. With PNA government also plans to file a lawsuit in New York against the executives of RCBC. In its complaint, the AMLC accused Tan and the five other respondents of criminal liability over the laundering of the stolen money from Bangladesh Bank that shook the domestic financial system as well as the gaming industry.

The AMLC said “in consequence of his failure to order enhanced due diligence on the high-risk accounts and to continue the hold on the beneficiary accounts, Tan facilitated the commission of money laundering under Section 4(f) of the AMLA, as amended.”

Citing evidence gathered from RCBC, the AMLC said “there were suspicious indications of violations of the AMLA, as amended, or red flags, which deserved further investigations by RCBC.”

Budget...

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Senator Loren Legarda, head of the Senate’s finance committee, said the Senate will give priority to the passage of the national budget when the sessions resume today.

She said the Senate will continue to hold marathon sessions to ensure the budget’s immediate approval.

“We aim to have the budget signed by the President by the second week of February,” Legarda said.

Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu said he was also committed to pass the national budget to ensure the implementation of President Rodrigo Duterte’s priority programs.

“The house leadership is very keen on passing the 2019 annual budget when Congress resumes its session on Monday as there are lots of government programs and projects that are being tied or delayed due to the nonapproval of the new budget,” he said.

Arroyo promised to focus on the oversight function of the House of Representatives by checking the performances of various government agencies in the implementation of laws and the President’s priority programs.

“We have already finished the legislative agenda that President Duterte asked for in his [third] State of the Nation Address,” Arroyo said.

“Now we will spend more time on oversight because there are laws and the laws are good. Now they have to be implemented… oversight will be a lot of the work,” Abu has asked the Department of Public Works and Highways to assess the problem of road right of ways concerning various road projects of the government.

“We are also calling the attention of the DPWH to immediately respond to the queries and act double time to settle all issues surrounding the road right of ways acquisition,” he said.

The success of the project was dependent on the passage of the national budget and the road right of way acquisition, he said. With Macon Ramos-Araneta

“Tan was in a position to order enhanced due diligence based on the red flags. Tan could have convened the antimoney laundering committee to act on these red flags,” the AMLC said.

“Despite awareness of the suspicious circumstances concerning [four suspicious beneficiary] accounts, Tan willfully ignored them and failed to conduct a thorough investigation as required by law and regulations, and RCBC’s own money laundering and terrorist financing prevention program. This is knowledge that the funds transacted represented the proceeds of an unlawful activity.”

Only Deguito has been indicted in court in the case. Last week, the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 149 found Deguito guilty of money laundering and sentenced her to four to seven years in prison for each of the eight counts.

By Rio N. Araja

H

OUSE Minority Leader Danilo Suarez is urging Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. to summon Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno should he ignore the panel hearing on the alleged anomalous practices in the national budget this Tuesday.

He called on the House committee on rules led by Andaya to compel Diokno to attend the hearing and explain the supposed P75-billion insertions under the proposed 2019 P3.757-trillion national budget.

“We must [compel Diokno]. Definitely, if he fails to attend, he should be subpoenaed,” Suarez said.

Andaya invited Diokno and several others as resource persons to attend the resumption of the inquiry in the supposed budget insertions on Jan. 15.

Subpoenas were sent to senior officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways, Anti-Money Laundering Council, Bureau of Internal Revenue and Department of Budget and Management.

Also asked to appear in the inquiry was Francis Clemente, who allegedly acted as the liaison officer of C.T. Leoncio Construction, Diokno’s alleged favored contractor.

House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said President Rodrigo Duterte had never asked her to stop the House probe on Diokno.

In a recent meeting with the President, she said, only the important priority measures were discussed to ensure the delivery of his campaign promises to the public.

She said the President respected the legislative functions of Congress.

A week ago, Suarez said the supposed P10-billion pork barrel scam of businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles was just a small amount or a “petty cash” transaction compared to the alleged P332-billion flood control scam under Diokno’s leadership.

Diokno denied the P332-billion flood control projects scam being claimed by Andaya, who said Diokno inserted billions of funds to the flood control projects of Public Works without the knowledge of Secretary Mark Villar.

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Unity walk...

From A1

covenant to our God who is with us in our vision as we allow him to intervene in this quest,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

“The upcoming elections symbolizes the right of very Filipino to choose leaders and our united prayer is a way to inform our fellowmen that we are one in the aim to guard against who plan to stain and defraud the elections”, he added.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief-of-staff, Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr. said the participation of their personnel shows the military’s “unwavering commitment in keeping the integrity, sanctity and security of a fair and honest elections.”

“At this moment, AFP is affirming its commitment in assuring that our fellowmen are able to exercise their right to vote. AFP is the protector of the Filipino people and the state, intensifying our efforts to keep all electoral threats at bay, coordinating with everyone who attended here to uphold successful elections and the AFP shall remain apolitical and non-partisan as the President continues to remind us to be neutral,” he added.

Among the candidates who attended the event were reelectionis Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Chel Diokno and Rafael Alunan III. Also on Sunday. Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos called for the creation and accreditation of a new independent poll watchdog to ensure clean and honest elections in May. Marcos said the presence of technical experts in every polling precinct would help guarantee the integrity of the election and avoid a repeat of vote rigging and fraud that marred the 2016 automated polls.

“The new election watchdog should not only be keen on guarding forms of electoral fraud that we are all aware of even before we shifted to automated elections, but it must also have the technical expertise so we can be assured that the upcoming elections are free and fair,” said Marcos, who is running for senator under the Nacionalista Party.

PNA

News Palace credits efforts to tame inflation for lower self-rated poverty

By Nat Mariano MALACAÑANG on Sunday credited the decline in the number of Filipinos who consider themselves poor to efforts of the Duterte administration to rein in last year’s record-high inflation rate.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said self-rated poverty went down in consonance with the 5.1-percent drop of inflation in December.

“With the President’s tireless efforts in addressing and taming the inflationary effects of the prices of basic goods and commodities, we remain optimistic that many Filipino families would continue to feel more comfort this year,” Panelo said.

The Social Weather Stations showed the number of Filipinos who consider their families poor went down to 11.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2018.

According to the pollster, self-rated poverty in the country went down by two points to 50-percent from the previous 52-percent mark recorded in September.

The survey also found that the number of Filipinos who rated themselves as poor based on the food that they eat dropped to 34 percent or 7.9 million.

Panelo said the decline in the prices of goods and services is expected to continue, citing the forecast of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas that the inflation rate could slow down to below 4 percent this year.

However, despite the positive figures, Panelo said the country still needs to sustain its high economic growth to bring down the poverty rate.

“Even as we acknowledge such positive development, we note, however, that the poverty among Filipinos is still high.

In addressing it, we must sustain high economic growth that creates many jobs and reduce prices and inflation,” he said.

“Our economic managers are vigorously pursuing policies and programs geared towards reducing the poverty level and propelling the country’s economic development to a degree satisfactory to the administration’s goal of not only giving our countrymen comfortable lives but putting our country at par with our fastdeveloping industrialized Asian neighbors,” he added.

MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2019

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Pro-medical marijuana solons hit B

UHAY Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza has accused lawmakers supporting the legalization of medical marijuana as being “eager to go into the business of cultivating the illegal drug and running dispensaries.”

“There are politicians who want to profit from legalized medical marijuana.

This is clearly all about money—lots of money,” the House senior deputy minority leader said.

Atienza claimed a number of promedical marijuana legalization members of Congress have actually gone on “field trips” to Canada and America to look into the operations of dispensaries there.

Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo earlier said that President Rodrigo Duterte would sign into law any bill legalizing medical marijuana.

Atienza, however, insisted that no such bill would arrive at the Palace for the President to sign.

“The bill legalizing medical marijuana is already dead as far as this Congress is concerned,” Atienza said, adding the House minority prevented further floor

deliberation on the measure.

The current Congress has only 20 session days left, and most of these days are expected to be spent on passing the proposed 2019 national budget, he said.

Atienza warned the legalization of medical marijuana would open the floodgates to abuse and addiction and create an unwanted public health emergency in the country.

He said the susceptibility to abuse far outweighs any and all of the “unproven benefits” of allowing prescription marijuana.

“Marijuana is a poison. No amount of sugar-coating will make the illegal drug

less toxic,” Atienza said.

The Philippine Medical Association, the professional organization of Filipino physicians, has rejected the legalization of medical marijuana.

At present, marijuana is tagged as a prohibited substance, just like shabu, cocaine and heroin, under the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Under the law, mere possession of at least 500 grams of marijuana, or at least 10 grams of marijuana concentrate (resin or resin oil), is punishable by life in prison plus a fine of up to P10 million.

Carrying lesser quantities of the drug is punishable by 12 to 20 years in prison plus a fine of up to P500,000.

Clark airport operations remain normal despite employees’ strike

By Romeo Dizon

INAUGURATION. Former president and now Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo inaugurated four roads and a port in Daanbantayan, Cebu on Saturday. She was accompanied by Cebu lawmakers Benhur Salimbangon and Gwen Garcia.

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga—The operation of Clark International Airport remained unhampered despite the strike of 245 employees who were fighting for their inclusion in the privatization of the airport by the Northern Luzon Airport Consortium of Singapore.

“The operation of the airport is normal as all employees are manning their respective positions and designation,” said Jaime Melo, president and chief executive officer of the Clark International Airport Corp.

The CIAC chief also assured the striking employees that the consortium will protect their welfare and interest upon the implementation of the privatization contract covering the existing airport and new passenger terminal which will be completed in 2020.

“Under the transfer of authority from the government to the private agent, the employees will receive just, fair and lawful severance package of benefit due to them including retire and rehire job security scheme,” Melo said.

AUGMENTATION FORCE. Chief Supt. Eliseo Tam Rasco (inset), Director of Police Regional Office 12, sent off Thursday (Jan. 10, 2019) a total of 396 cops to help secure peace and order during the conduct of the Bangsamoro Organic Law plebiscite in Cotabato City slated on Jan. 21. (Photo by PRO-12)

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Opinion

MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2019

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Polls

PULSE asia released the results of its Ulat ng Bayan research done before Christmas last year, a week or so after Social Weather Stations did its own December measurement.

President Duterte is still riding high on the popularity wave. The few points he lost when inflation hit the economy and people’s pocketbooks hard in the second and third quarters have been amazingly corrected in the fourth.

The trust remains, despite “diarrhea” of the mouth, which then exiled Ninoy Aquino described to me in Boston in 1981 as an affliction of politicians, himself included.

But even the motormouth Ninoy of Tarlac could not out-mouth Rodrigo of Davao and Cebu. Did Ninoy ever attack the lord bishops of the Roman Catholic Church? Maybe in pri-

A communications strategy is the single most important consideration in a national campaign.

vate conversations, he mocked some. But not in public, as Duterte the candidate and now, Duterte the President, does.

Yet amazingly, and perhaps miraculously even (do I blaspheme?), his ratings hold high.

Very high.

But will this popularity rub off on the chances of his three favorite candidates for senator in the forthcoming elections, namely Bong Go, Bato de la Rosa, and Francis Tolentino?

In fine, will a Duterte endorsement ensure the victory of the three?

To begin with, there is a plethora of sena-

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

torial candidacies claiming the support of the president or his daughter Mayor Inday Sara.

Who’s for real and who’s not, we have yet to know at this point in time. There are the “sure” winners among them the reelectionists, with the exception of senators Grace and Nancy. There is returning Pia Cayetano, by all measures a sure winner. In short, this senatorial contest is “masikip.”

Depending on who you are talking to, there are only nine or 10 Duterte senatorial candidates, 14 (kuno) Inday Sara endorsees, and splinter PDP-Laban candidates claiming the same support, again kuno.

What is clear is the President’s expressed support for Bong, Bato and ‘Tol. There are three important considerations: The organization (some call it machinery), the message, and the resources needed to run the organization and disseminate the message.

The resources are a function of winnability, unless the candidate has ample personal resources and is willing to expend these. Senatorial candidates are not winner-take-all positions, like presidents, where the betting goes quite high.

Which is why the well-known names, especially the reeelectionists, have a built-in advantage. Their awareness levels are quite high, and the conversion to votes is all they have to worry about, which can be difficult if you are a non-performer, or have “baggage,” as in dirty linen, that would weigh you down.

Senatorial candidates have to build their own organization, because our political battlefield is party-less. Other than giving candidates their legal bona-fides with Comelec, meaning their Certicates of Nomination and Acceptance, the party has no real organization unlike the Democrats or Republicans, the Conservatives or Labor in the more functional democracies. Blame that on a dysfunctional Constitution.

That is where the president’s “bulong” matters. The local candidates, especially the so-called warlords and dynasts, have personal organizations in their fiefdoms. And a president who will be around for the next three years after the mid-term elections is one an LGU lord would not want to displease. Pakiusap could be interpreted as command.

The leading “brands” have their own personal organizations, mostly herencias from previous campaigns, or from parents. For instance, Sonny Angara could still call on the Turn to A5

Unravel the passport mess

F

ILIPINOS renewing their pre-2010 passports must now present their birth certificates as an extra requirement because the contractor that produced passports “took all the data” when the government terminated its contract, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said last week.

contractor that took the data, a reputable French company, was terminated because government officials at the time wanted to make kickbacks from a new deal.

“What I heard and there are so many stories in the affected department they sued us for wrongful termination. In fact it was the most respectable company, foreign, French even.

So why? Kaching, Kaching, Kaching, Kaching.”

"And by the way, why was the previous contractor terminated?

New technology? Then demand it to acquire the new technology but leave the job to it. Di ba? But that means no kickback. In short, people made money by changing contractor. Ano pa (What else)?

S**t," he said.

While Locsin did not name the French company, news reports say Oberthur Technologies of France won the contract to produce e-passports in 2008. The DFA transferred the production of the passports to APO Production Unit, one of the three government-authorized printers in October 2015.

Jumping to conclusions,

Locsin disclosed the data loss last week on Twitter, after a user on the social media network asked him why he needed to present a birth certificate to renew his passport.

“Because previous contractor got pissed when terminated it made off with data,” Locsin replied in his post. “We did nothing about it or couldn't because we were in the wrong. It won't happen again.

Passports pose national security issues and cannot be kept back by private entities. Data belongs to the state.”

Locsin’s post suggested that the

opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros wrongly pinned the blame for the data loss on the Duterte administration, ignoring the fact that the contract with the French contractor was terminated during the term of President Benigno Aquino III, with whom she is allied.

She is correct, however, in saying that the data must be retrieved “with the highest sense of urgency” and that the people responsible for such a gross display of incompetence should be held fully resonsible.

The loss of the data, after all, not only inconveniences the public, but represents a major violation of the privacy of the affected passport holders.

Locsin’s response so far has been inadequate.

“I just want it fixed and not repeated,” he tweeted.

“Redundancy of data was promised by previous contractor but not fulfilled or just denied us. We have no knowledge whatsoever if it has been corrected. Like a cuckolded husband, we are always the last to know.”

Transgender confusion RECENTLY, trans women (men who identify as women) have been allowed to join many sports and competitions originally limited to biological women. The result has been disastrous for biological women.

Hannah Mouncey used to play on the Australian men’s handball team. But, since transitioning, Mouncey has dominated at the women’s Asian championships and was awarded “John Marriott Sportsperson of the Year” in 2018.

Fallon Fox, a biological male mixed martial arts fighter, was allowed to fight as a woman simply because Fox identified as one.

Fallon left female fighter Tamikka Brents with a broken skull and concussion. The battered woman, a trained fighter herself, said of her match with Fox, “I’ve never felt so overpowered in my life.”

And it’s not just athletics.

Angela Ponce was the first biological male to compete for the title of the recently held Miss Universe, and was heavily hyped… for being trans. Ponce tweeted: “Having a vagina doesn’t make a woman.”

Today we are told that male and female are one and the same.

This denial of male-female differences has led to the astonishing belief that men and women are not born male or female; they are whatever gender they say they are. Facebook went so far as to offer its users over 50 genders to choose from. Know what a “cisgender woman” is? Neither do I. The idea that gender-identification is now a personal choice might sound enlightened to some, but it’s actually a very anti-scientific view of one of the essential facts of life: Men and women are inherently different. Their brains are different, their hormones are different, their chromosomes are different, and, of course, their bodies are different.

No amount of peer-reviewed papers from gender studies departments can change this.

But that won’t stop the progressive elites who run our universities, news media, many of our biggest companies, and even our high schools and elementary schools from trying.

For their efforts, women will pay an especially high price.

That’s because the men-and-women-arethe-same argument invariably leads women to be judged against a male standard. Or, to put it another way, to be more of a woman, a woman has to be more like a man.

She has to want to have casual sex like a man, to serve in combat like a man, to pursue a career with single-minded intensity like a man.

Of course, there are exceptions, but the overwhelming majority of women aren’t seeking

casual sex, don’t have the physical strength of men, and don’t share the same work-life priorities as men.

Ironically, this quest for sameness is occurring at a time when science is telling us, more emphatically than ever, that we are different.

So, what your grandmother took for granted— men and women are different—science now confirms.

But there is no room for science in, say, stores like Toys R Us, where toys are no longer divided into the boy section and the girl section. Or in a certain US school districts, where students can no longer be called “boys and girls” but only “students.” Or in US college dorms, where co-ed bathrooms and even co-ed bedrooms are increasingly common.

For the tiny percentage of people who experience gender dysphoria, we should have nothing but compassion. We should do

Male-female differences are among the most wonderful things in life.

everything we can to help them and protect their dignity, but we don’t need to overturn biologically defined sex differences to do so.

But that’s what’s happening. Using the wrong pronoun at an American office might get you fired. In Canada, it might land you in court.

In mixed martial arts, as we have seen, it can lead to getting your head bashed in. Apparently, this is a small price to pay in a world where we must all genuflect to political correctness or PC. Even after being hospitalized, Tamikka Brents knew she had to toe the PC line. When asked how she explained why she lost so badly to a man who said he was a woman, she said: “I can’t answer whether it’s because she was born a man or not, because I’m not a doctor.” Vice Magazine, writing about the incident, had no sympathy for Brents. Why should they? As they wrote, “…biological sex isn’t black and white.”

But in virtually every instance, it is. The longer we allow the obvious to go unstated and undefended, the worse it will be—for boys and girls, and for men and women. But especially for women.

The sexes are different.

Rather than trying to quash this reality, which can only lead to more needless confusion and suffering, not less, we should step back and marvel at it. And enjoy it. I certainly do. Male-female differences are among the most wonderful things in life. eric.jurado@gmail.com

Conscience voice in the House He’s looking over your shoulder.

IN THESE days of partisan politics, there is hardly a voice in the House of Representatives who speak for the people. Our congressmen, as a matter of self-interest, do not dare go against the powers-that-be, particularly from the Palace that controls the purse strings.

But Buhay Party-List Rep. Lito Atienza is a cut above the rest. He speaks up in the deafening silence of the majority to challenge flawed legislative measures and offensive statements even from President Rodrigo

Duterte himself.

Of late, Atienza could no longer hold back when DU 30 unleashed his vitriolic and violence-laced remarks. The latest of these insensitive statements was the President’s remark to torture and kill Commission on Audit officials in the wake of the controversy between Budget Secretary Benjamin

Diokno and Rep. Rolando Andaya.

A staunch pro-life and Church lawmaker, Atienza recalled President Duterte’s other senseless statements like calling on the peo people to stop praying to “that stupid god.” The clergy is also the target of the President’s other blasphemous remarks. To the extent that he himself would now be targeted, Atienza shrugged his shoulders.

“That may be so, but I answer to a higher authority,” Atienza said while pointing his index finger upward.

While he cannot blame the Church for not speaking out more vehemently against the President’s verbal attacks, Atienza said he understands the Catholic clergy’s mild response as meant not to further inflame the situation between the Palace and the Church.

Turn to A5

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Opinion

MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2019

Demolish the policy wall

Legal or otherwise A WEEK or so ago, retiring Justice Noel Tijam issued a reminder to the country’s lawyers and in particular to the organization they are mandated by law to belong—the Integrated Bar of the Philippines—regarding the latter’s role as the “promoter of the best interests of lawyers and the Courts.”

In his farewell remarks, Justice Tijam referred to the open and, might I add, antithetical position taken by the IBP through its incumbent President Abdiel Fajardo urging the High Tribunal to reverse its position on the quo warranto case lodged against then Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno which the majority upheld, and noted in effect that Fajardo should have been more circumspect in his public statements.

Said the retiring justice who was the ponente in this landmark case: “...I urge the IBP not to forget that it is an organization that should promote the best interest of the lawyers and the courts. They are not advocates or propagandists of causes but keepers of public faith in the courts’ capacity to render just decisions. They may rightfully express their concerns but should refrain from publicly criticizing decisions, more so from signing and publishing manifestos.

Indeed, they should be the first to promote obedience to and respect for the courts.”

Indeed, as the good justice said, the organization or any of its officers should do well to take this advice to heart, noting that “As they [IBP officers] speak for the legal community, they must be careful to reflect and represent only what the IBP membership, in its entirety or at least by its majority, intends to make known or advocate for.”

This admonition comes to mind as Fajardo has once again rued the decision of the Makati RTC Branch 150 upholding the petition of the Department of Justice to reopen the rebellion case against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. Insisting that this was unwise and illegal as it smacks of “double jeopardy,” Fajardo urged the court to withdraw its decision. Speaking for the government, Solicitor general Jose Calida chided Fajardo for his inordinate “rush to criticize” unduly using his position as a platform to advance what appears to be his personal opinion, not the organization’s or at least a majority of its members.

Said Calida: “For double jeopardy to apply in the rebellion case against Senator Trillanes, three elements must be present: (1) a first jeopardy must have attached prior to the second; (2) the first jeopardy must have been validly terminated; and (3) the second jeopardy must be for the same offense as that in the first. ....Now, legal jeopardy attaches only (a) upon a valid indictment; (b) before a competent court; (c) after the accused has been arraigned; (d) the accused having entered a valid plea; and (e) the case was dismissed or terminated without the express consent of the

CROSSROADS JONATHAN DE LA CRUZ accused.... in this case, the last element for legal jeopardy to attach is absent as it was Trillanes himself who filed a Motion to Dismiss thus it was done with his expressed consent so no legal jeopardy was attached to the first dismissal of the case against him. Hence, the reopening of the case is proper.”

Moreover, as the dismissal of the rebellion case in 2011 was predicated on an am-

The IBP president should be well served if he holds back his horses.

nesty granted to Senator Trillanes by then President Aquino which was later declared void by Proclamation No. 572 issued by President Duterte, that amnesty had no legal effect. It should be emphasized that the courts upheld the constitutionality and legality of that proclamation paving the way for the resumption of the proceedings in the rebellion case pending before Makati RTC Branch 150.

So there. By this time IBP President Fajardo should be well served if he holds back his horses and ensure that the reputation and goodwill of the organization he heads is upheld at all times.

Rehab and restoration Finally, the government is embarking on a serious effort to rehabilitate and restore Manila Bay to a healthy, environmentally livable condition. I dare not say pristine as that would be romanticizing the gargantuan and longer-term initiative needed to get what was once described as one of the cleanest and most beautiful bays in the world. Obviously heartened by the success of the Boracay cleanup which even the most strident critics have come to applaud as the “rehab and restoration” measures remain in force and effect as evidenced by the salutary reception with which those who stayed in the island greeted the new year, President Duterte and his crew, principally DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu and DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano, have vowed to do a Boracay within the next five years. It will truly be a huge challenge whose success has eluded past administrations.

But no matter. If there is anything which

this administration is known for, it is its penchant to take on such challenges which have festered for years—to the public’s dismay and universal ridicule. Why, even the SC mandamus ruling for the bay’s clean up has remained largely unimplemented for still unexplained reasons.

Last Friday, Secretary Cimatu and his crew did a walk through with various stakeholders and members of media at the most obvious sources of waste in the most, for want of a better term, visible and visited areas within the Manila Bay area—the Manila Yatch Club-BSP-Manila Zoo-Cultural Center-PICC quadrant—at theManila-Pasay boundary. The estero in this area—Estero de San Antonio Abad—which flows into an outfall just under the Manila Yatch Club has a coliform count hundreds of thousands abovem the acceptable levels. This is just one outfall and one estero. In due time, using the newest available technology, the Task Force congregating around the existing Manila Bay “Clean Up” Office created after the issuance of the mandamus, will have a real, honest-to-goodness map of the esteros and waterways in and around the bay area which, by the way, extends from Cavite in the south to Bataan in the north. In the meantime, the Task Force has divided the entire Manila Bay area into four quadrants to ensure the proper and responsible inventory of all establishments, big and small, housing, hotel or otherwise, esteros and waterways, sewage and water lines, solid waste facilities and all the other appurtenant installations and requirements of living and working in a huge (1994 square kilometer with a 190 kilometer coastline), heavily populated (about 30 to 35 percent of the entire population) bay area. That is just the start.

I have no doubt that, like Boracay, there will be a number of skeptics but there will be an even bigger number of well-wishers for this clean up to succeed. Which is why it is well that the Task Force has moderated public expectations by stating early on that it will be done in phases starting with the clean-up of the waterways and the establishments which directly dump their wastes into these. For the purpose, the Task Force should immediately order the MWSS and its two concessionaires, Manila Water and Maynilad, to come out with their long overdue plan to put in place a modern water and sewerage system in the entire MWSS concession area for which they have been collecting fees since. That injunction should later on involve the water districts servicing the other areas outside of the MWSS concession to ensure that all those tasked to provide the service and for which they have been and are being paid are up to their jobs. And then move from there. We will as we should monitor developments as the program unfolds.

An all-admin show IF THE results of the survey conducted by The Center proves accurate, then except maybe for one independent candidate, the 2019 senatorial race might be an all-administration show.

In a non-commissioned survey conducted from Jan. 4 to 8, 2019 among 1,200 respondents, The Center placed Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares leading the pack with a 63-percent preference among the voters, dislodging erstwhile leader Senator Cynthia Villar who got 62 percent.

Former senator and now Taguig Rep. Pia Cayetano remains strong in third position with 55 percent and Senator Nancy Binay remains at fourth with 49 percent, to complete an all-woman cast for the Top Four.

Senator Koko Pimentel hangs on to fifth with 44 percent while former Senators Lito Lapid and Jinggoy Estrada are tied for the sixth spot with 42 percent and 41 percent, respectively.

Aside from the seven, senatorial aspirants who emerged as the most likely to make it to the winner’s circle if the elections were to be held today are: Senator Sonny Angara at eighth position with 39 percent, former Presidential Adviser Francis Tolentino who remains strong in ninth position with 33 percent, Retired Gen. Bato dela Rosa at 10th place with 29 percent, Former Senator Serge Osmeña in 11th place with 27 percent, and Former Special Assistant to the President Bong Go rounding up the Top 12 with 24 percent.

While Osmeña could be the second independent candidate to spoil the almost alladmin show, his chances of securing a seat in the Senate is not at all secured as he is in a statistical tie with those in the 13th to 16thplace.

With the survey having a margin of error of +3.5 percent, it could still be probable for

Conscience...

From A4

“But we must not be cowed by the Palace powers lest government think it can do anything it wants to do even at the expense of our own conviction as Catholics,” said Atienza. His Buhay Party-List is supported by the Church, the El Shaddai religious group of Bro. Mike Velarde and civic groups which are against abortion and the return of the death penalty.

of the respondents said they would vote for whomever the President endorses.

Surprisingly, former president, now Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, whom other polling firms had placed as the least trusted public official, is still held in high esteem by the voters with an 17-percent endorsement value, higher than former President Fidel V. Ramos’ 11-percent endorsement value and former president, now Manila Mayor Erap Estrada’s 6 percent.

Former President Noynoy Aquino has the least endorsement value at 3 percent.

Some 39 percent said they don’t know or are undecided on whether their choices can be influenced by these officials.

This, according to Ed Malay, The Center director, might spell boon or bane for some of the candidates especially those in the rank of ninth to 16th place.

“It shows that most of the voters tend to be influenced by their local officials and or political leaders in their respective barangays. But it also shows that the three candidates endorsed by the President will be going into the 2019 polls with an advantage of 24 percent,” Malay said.

Based on the survey results, Malay said it may be all over but the shouting for the 2019 senatorial polls as it will be very difficult to dislodge those who are now in the Magic 12.

To a large degree, most voters are influenced primarily by (1) name recall and or the popularity of the candidates, (2) political machinery especially in the distribution of sample ballots, and (3) logistics which is required for the media campaign including a heavy bias in the use of social media.

Malay said the Philippine political landscape has changed a lot as there is more emphasis today in the use of social media and digital campaigns. While the Philippines still lags behind its modern Southeast Asian neighbors, much of the country including the countryside are now wired or equipped with digital connectivity that makes it easier now for political candidates to disseminate their campaign materials through the online platform.

He added that the 2019 polls will serve as a testing ground for the 2022 presidential elections as there will definitely be a revamp of this campaign model given the introduction of new technologies with the advent of more young voters whose mindsets are different from the character of Filipino voters some 30 years ago.

With the election period officially commencing yesterday, the next four months would surely be exciting.

From all indications, Atienza is going to be elected to his third term as Buhay Party -List representative, much to the dismay of those who want to control the House where silence is the preferred attitude.

He has also voted against the one-year extention of martial law in Mindanao, pointing out that it has not stopped lawlessness. He cited the recent fatal terrorist bombing in Cotabato. He also hailed the quick solution and arrest of the suspects in the Batocabe killing in Albay even without martial law being imposed in the Bicol region.

Atienza is also against the use of marijua-

na for medical purposes pointing out there is now medicine for almost every known ailment. Legalizing the use of marijuana is only a sniff away from more addictive drugs like shabu and cocaine. It would make President Duterte’s anti-drug campaign meaningless if we legalize marijuana use, Atienza added.

The former two-term Manila mayor and Environment Secretary’s other advocacy is the cleanup of Manila Bay. “Let’s stop blaming the informal settlers for turning Manila Bay into one big garbage receptacle. The main culprits are businessmen who dump their toxic industrial waste

Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, who has 22 percent, Senator JV Ejercito and former Senator Mar Roxas, both with 21 percent, and former Senator Bong Revilla with 20 percent to dislodge Osmeña and Go. However, Go’s precarious standing at 12th place could be negated by President Rodrigo Duterte’s endorsement value. According to The Center’s survey, 24 percent

The next four months will be exciting.

A5

with an average yield of 375,000 tonnes per annum of copper and 36,000 ounces per annum of gold in concentrate over a 17-year period. A simple computation based on prevailing copper and gold prices translates to some P126.6 billion and P24.2 billion in annual potential, respectively.

Tampakan is not an isolated case. Up NEARING the halfway mark into the Duterte administration’s tenure and much- north, Mindoro Nickel’s $2.5-billion projvaunted development agenda, a potentially ect is looking at reserves with some 2.9 milcritical cog remains missing—or blocked. lion tonnes or 6.6 billion pounds of nickel.

Executive Order 79, issued in 2012 by Philex Mining’s Silangan project in Surigao then-President Benigno Aquino, effectively del Norte projects an estimate of 4.94 bilforbids the approval of new mineral agree- lion pounds of copper and 9 million ounces ments until a legislation rationalizing exist- of gold, valued at P752 billion and P605 biling revenue sharing schemes and mecha- lion, respectively.

Other pending multi-billion-dollar investnisms have taken effect.

Almost seven years into its implementa- ments include Nadecor’s Kingking project tion, the measure clearly presents a restric- in Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental’s Asiattion in the growth of the beleaguered sector, icus project, Lepanto Mining’s FSE project which already suffers from a notoriously in Benguet, and Masbate’s Philsaga Mining uncertain policy environment. Industry contract, among others. From a 2016 list of and other stakeholders feel like they are up only 11 pending mining projects, the total against a policy wall, which continues to capital investments is already at USD 23 frustrate much-needed quality investments billion. Note that according to data from the American Chamber of Commerce of in the mining industry.

While the rationale of trying to make the Philippines, our total Foreign Direct Inmining revenues equitable across the board vestments in 2017 was only US$ 10 billion. is understandable, doing so via exorbitant Very interesting.

Bear in mind that these figures, staggertaxation is counterproductive. In a study, UP School of Economics professor Ramon ing as they are, are just quick estimates of the direct value of Clarete argued that mineral resources. high taxes will not They don’t even inamount to anyclude the multiplier thing if the mining effect that they bring tax base remains A glimmer of hope to the national and stagnant. local economies in He explained: comes with House Bill terms of taxes, infra“The state owns 8400. structure developthe minerals, but if ment, employment, I am the Secretary and linked indusof Finance, I need tries. Taken together, to have a good they can certainly base of that particular tax. The only way I can have a good make a serious dent in the government’s base is to encourage investors to find it for poverty alleviation agenda.

And even if these projects proceed as me. You can’t do that if you have onerous planned, the industry would have only starttaxation.”

Writing in the context of proposed ex- ed to scratch the surface of the country’s cise taxes on mining, Clarete said attracting vast mineral wealth, and even then the achigh-quality investments is the crucial first tual affected footprint would only constitute step in building and sustaining a competi- below 1 percent of the country’s total land tive mining sector; these companies, after mass. Thus, if the government is serious in all, possess the technical know-how and making the sector instrumental in economic capital necessary to harness these resourc- growth, the first step is to guarantee that we es in a way that is as cost-efficient as it is have the critical mass of mines with which mindful of the environment. Absent these to harvest the millions of tons of raw materiplayers, the country’s vast potential remains als under the ground.

Amid some enduring regulatory and literally untapped.

Such potential could turn the industry legal challenges, Department of Environinto a global powerhouse, a trillion-dollar ment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy sector that other countries in a similar stage Cimatu appears to be on the right track in of development could only envy. Other na- terms of disentangling the Gordian policy tions with a similar mineral profile such knot that has bogged down the sector. Conas many in South America, Australia, and tinuous consultations with industry experts even Indonesia have taken advantage of the and understanding the complex technical, wealth under their feet, while the Philippine social, and environmental issues affecting mining sector produces, relatively, trickles, all stakeholders will hopefully result in a long mired in regulatory and legal squab- more enlightened, pragmatic, and balanced bles. Because of its blanket nature, EO 79 policy environment.

A glimmer of hope comes with House did more harm than good in the slowdown of the sector, similar to the recent ban on Bill 8400, which seeks to rationalize and institute a single fiscal regime applicable to open-pit mining.

The issue has garnered renewed atten- all mineral agreements and was passed on tion in light of the government’s ambi- third and final reading at the lower house in tious stance toward inclusive economic November. If the Senate moves fast enough, growth, national industrialization and in- their next move can potentially blast the frastructure boom, and poverty reduction. stodgy policy wall that had long blocked the For example, the Tampakan copper-gold unleashing of the country’s enormous mindeposit in South Cotabato is said to be one eral potential.

We can only imagine the boundless of the largest undeveloped deposits in the world, with 2.94 billion tons of ore with benefits of multi-billion dollars’ worth 0.6 percent copper and some 18 million of investments on the many communities that had remained poor and isolated for ounces of gold.

But the $5.9-billion project has faced a decades. As the government’s economic number of setbacks over the past few years, managers scramble to build the foundaincluding the host province’s environment tions of prolonged and sustainable ecocode that bans open-pit mining. Once devel- nomic growth, energizing the mining secoped, the mine has the potential to be a key tor is that low-hanging fruit that is ripe for driver of both national and regional growth, the picking.

Polls From A4

web of organizations his father, the late SEDJA built during his political career. Ditto for Senadora Cynthia and other national brands.

But then again, the bulk of voters are not captive votes, or what some call “command” votes, which is becoming less and less relevant because of mainstream and social media.

The best example of the decreasing number of command votes is the amazing victory of Duterte over Roxas and Binay in the last electoral joust. Hardly any political figure supported the Davao mayor who quietly drew the attention of voters while everybody and his mother slept in the pancitan.

This is where the message becomes important. This is where a communications strategy is to me, the single most important consideration in a national campaign. In a local political milieu, organization or machinery, and the resources with which to oil it, may be all-im-

into the Pasig River, which flows onto the bay. The restaurants and hotels along Roxas Boulevard are just as guilty for Manila Bay’s deterioration because they do not properly do waste management of leftover food and other kitchen refuse,” said Atienza.

He asked the two major concessionaires— Maynilad and Manila Water—what they did to the millions of dollars from the World Bank meant for the implementation of waste water management that was stipulated in their contract they won in the bidding award.

Since the World Bank loan is under sovereign guarantee, meaning the WB loan was

portant, especially in feudal sttings.

Disseminated properly, through the prudent and calculated use of tri-media, and a wellhoned social media network, the right message will do the trick.

That message must fit the candidate’s personality or previous experience.

That message must appeal to the ordinary voter. That message can have sub-messages targeted to specific audiences or sectors. There are so many things to consider both in crafting and disseminating the “right” message.

Likewise, the communications strategy must be based on science. The surveys or public opinion polling is probably the best quantitative science one could utilize as tool for crafting and fine-tuning the communications strategy that would bring out the message one wants to be imprinted on the voters’ mind (and heart).

So read the opinion polls, not for ego-boosting, not for drawing bandwagons that could easily be destroyed by wise competition, but for crafting strategy and employing tactics.

This is my two cents’ worth from the confines of a foreign land. signed with government guarantee for payment, the Duterte administration might as well take over providing clean water for the people and scrap the contract of the two major concessionaires, said Atienza.

What Atienza said won’t probably sit well with business tycoons Manny Pangilinan and the Ayalas. But the Buhay Party-List congressman is not one for soft stance when it comes to the people’s welfare.

So to those who think they can get away with poor service and the destruction of the environment, think again. Someone named Atienza is looking over your shoulder.

News

A6

MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

BEFORE THE RUSH. An estimated crowd of 45,000 flocked to the Bulacan Sports Complex in Malolos to attend a free concert, thus creating a monstrous traffic jam around the venue. Impatient concertgoers breached an entrance door, triggering a stampede. Jun David

SMC opens P24-b water project

T

HE Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System has cited San Miguel Corp’s P24.4-Billion Bulacan Bulk Water Supply Project, a public-private partnership project of Luzon Clean Water Development Corp. and K-Water Resources Corp., as it starts commercial operations among selected and ready water districts under Stage 1 today, Jan. 14, 2018, following its milestone completion ahead of schedule.

MWSS Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco lauded SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang for the speedy completion of the flagship project, the first major water project to be completed and inaugurated under the Duterte administration.

“We congratulate SMC, K-Water and Mr. Ang for the landmark completion of the BBWPS last December 17, one month ahead of its contracted completion,” says Velasco. “This underscores the

good working relations between MWSS and Luzon Clean Water that will surely benefit the people of Bulacan. While the Bulacan Bulk water project was started by the Aquino administration in 2012, it is the first major water project to be completed during Duterte’s term.”

Luzon Clean Water President Ang says, “The BBWSP started its dry run operations last Dec. 17, initially giving free water

to four areas in Bulacan namely Obando,Meycauayan City, Marilao and Bocaue.”

Ang said the water project is aimed at providing millions of residents from 24 localities in Bulacan ready access to fresh, potable surface water while balancing the competing needs of a growing population, industry, agriculture, and the environment in the province.

“The Bulacan Bulacan Bulk Water is just one of the many projects that SMC has in store under the Duterte administration,” says Ang adding that “with our financial resources and technical capabilities, we promise to deliver several projects that support our fast economic growth.” One of SMC’s new projects is a new international airport to be constructed in Bulacan.

The BBWSP consists of three

stages. Stage 1 covers six water districts consisting of San Jose del Monte, Marilao, Meycauayan, Bocaue, Obando and Balagtas while Stage 2 covers seven water districts consisting of Guiguinto, Calumpit, Bulakan, Plaridel, Sta. Maria, Paombong and Malolos.

Meanwhile, the construction of Stage 3 which covers the remaining 11 municipalities of Baliuag, Plaridel, Pandi, Hagonoy, San Rafael, San Miguel, Norzagaray, Angat, Dona Remedios Trinidad, San Ildefonso, and Bustos, has not yet started.

Before the construction of the BBWSP, the province of Bulacan sources water from deep wells provided by the water districts, which are government-wwned and—controlled corporation . In recent years, however, the deep wells are slowly running out of water.

Necro service for Batocabe held today at House

By Rio N. Araja CONGRESS will hold a necrological service in honor of the late Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe today.

Girtie, Batocabe’s wife, and their two sons, lawyer Jhustine and Khiel, are attending the final tribute to the slain lawmaker.

“We celebrate his memory as an unyielding advocate of eradicating poverty through affordable quality education. He was also a proponent of legislative efforts to mitigate the occurrence of hazing and bullying in schools. A lawyer by profession, he took a firm stand in promoting social justice, women empowerment, environmental protection, renewable energy and universal access to health and education,” the program invitation read.

Rep. Paul Hernandez of Kabayan Party-list shall lead the invocation of the program to start at 10 a.m. after a requiem mass at the plenary hall of the House of Representatives.

Jhustine Batocabe would respond to the eulogies to be delivered by lawyer John Reyes; Justices Vicente Mendoza and Presbitero Jose Velasco Jr.; former Rep. Michael Angelo Rivera of 1-Care party-list; House Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez; Deputy Speaker and Rep. Sharon Garin of AAMBIS-OWWA Party-list, and Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

An offering of the legislative memorabilia shall follow.

BULACAN BULK WATER. San Miguel Corp’s P24.4 billion Bulacan Bulk Water Project which starts operations today is

featured in the cover page of the Water Environment Journal, the official publication of Philippine Water Works Association— the umbrella organization of the country’s water supply in tandem with Media Touchstone Ventures Inc.

Senator makes a pitch for proof-of-parking bill

By Macon Araneta

SENATOR Win Gatchalian on Sunday renewed his call for the immediate passage of the bill which would require prospective vehicle owners to present proof of ownership of a parking space before authorities allow them to acquire a new auto.

Gatchalian, author of Senate Bill No. 201, also known as the Proof-of-Parking Space Act, made the call as he threw his

support behind the initiative of the Metro Manila Development Authority to impose heftier fines on illegally parked vehicles.

“We are pushing for SBN 201 or Proof-of-Parking Space Act to make vehicle owners responsible. The proposed law aims to ensure that before we purchase a vehicle, we should have a parking area,” he added.

Under the bill, individuals and businesses based within Metro Manila would

only be allowed to purchase vehicles after the execution of an affidavit confirming that they have acquired, either through purchase or lease, a parking space for the vehicle sought to be purchased.

LTO records show that the number of registered motor vehicles from the year 2015 until 2017 reached 10,410,814.

There are an estimated 1,000 registrations each day, 600 of which are for newly purchased vehicles.

Marcos joins crowd of 45K in Malolos music jam

By Orlan Mauricio MALOLOS CITY—Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos joined thousands of Bulacan youths here yesterday evening in a concert dubbed KUYA (Kabataang Umiindak, Yes, Aprub!) at the Bulacan Sports Complex in Barangay Sta. Isabel here.

The concert, featuring main artist Parokya ni Edgar with Shanti Dope, December Avenue and local bands, was free admission as birthday gift of Rep. Jonathan Sy-Alvarado to his constituents in the towns of Pulilan, Calumpit, Paombong, Bulakan and residents of this capital city.

Gov. Imee, who spoke to the big crowd, estimated at some 45, 000, before crowd-favorite Shanti Dope performance, talked on how she intends to solve the present problem of households particularly the unstable prices of basis commodities like rice due to inflation.

She explained to the audience mostly highs school and college students that he will apply the economic formula that became successful in Ilocos Norte and had benefitted the entire Ilocos Region where the price of well-milled quality commercial rice is retailed at P27/kilo only.

She said they were able to do this in her province by buying palay at 25/kilo only and the provincial government shoulder all the cost of milling with only a P2 mark-up for hauling and transportation. The purpose is not to earn from buying palay and selling the grain but to help our provincemates buy quality rice for their daily meals at affordable price.

“All we need to do is equip our farmers nationwide with modern farm equipments and hybrid quality seeds, that produce abundant harvest, coupled with sustained irrigation year-round so that we can assured of continuous palay,” Marcos said.

Farmers' loans mere band-aid solution—Angara

THE government should go beyond giving loans to farmers as this is just a short-term solution, said Senator Sonny Angara as he called for help to farmers hit by huge losses due to oversupply and low prices of their produce.

The government should put in place long-term solutions to make farming sustainable, Angara stressed.

“What we need are solutions that are sustainable in the long-run such as providing them assistance in marketing their produce or facilities to process their harvest,” Angara said.

Farmers could easily go out of business if there is a glut in supply because prices can plummet below cost, he pointed out.

The government, particularly the

Agriculture department, he said, should heed the call of farmers for the building of more and bigger processing facilities to address oversupply.

He said that processing facilities, such as the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center, can prolong the shelf life of farm produce since they have dry and cold storage facilities.

Angara said there should be a great-

er government intervention regarding facilities and the use of technology to help farmers operate effectively.

He said the government could also help farmers find the best price for their crops by dealing directly with large buyers.

He said that agencies should focus on supporting farmers if it wants to lift the ailing agriculture sector. Macon Araneta

Sports

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MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2019 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Pringle crowned PBA’s new scoring king A NEW scoring king will be formally crowned on Jan. 21 when the PBA Press Corps holds the 25th silver anniversary of its traditional Awards Night at the Novotel Manila Araneta Center.

Stanley Pringle of NorthPort is set to be honored as the Scoring champion for being the league’s top gunner last season with an average of 21.0 points per outing.

Pringle’s ascendance ended the three-year reign of former teammate Terrence Romeo, now with San Miguel.

The 31-year-old Pringle, who made his national team debut also last season, leads the initial list of awardees to be feted by the men and women who regularly covers the PBA beat.

The Order of Merit and the All-Interview team will likewise be handed out during the special affair first held in 1993.

Recipients of the Order of Merit, given to individual who had the most number of Player of the Week honor by the PBAPC, are San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo, Paul Lee of Magnolia Pambansang Manok, and Vic Manuel of Alaska. This marks only the second time co-Order of Merits were cited since Arwind Santos and Jimmy Alapag did it during the 2008-09 season.

Meanwhile, Team Pilipinas and NLEX coach Yeng Guiao leads the All-Interview team composed of big men Christian Standhardinger and Joe Devance, along with guards Chris Ross, Mike Digregorio, and Chris Tiu. The award is meant to honor players and coaches who provided juicy quotes and always take time for media interviews. Except for Guiao, all five are first-time winners of the award.

The presentation of the Virgilio ‘Baby’ Dalupan Coach of the Year award serves as the highlight of the event, with Leo Austria, Chito Victolero, and Tim Cone vying as the top contenders for the honor named after the late great mentor who scored the league’s first ever grand slam in 1976 with the fabled Crispa Redmanizers.

Another traditional award to be given is the Danny Floro Executive of the Year named after the late amiable Crispa team owner, as well as the Defensive Player of the Year, All-Rookie team, Mr Quality Minutes, Game of the Season, and the Breakout Player of the Year.

Making the program a special one is the naming of the first ever Lifetime Achievement honor and the President’s Award.

TriAksyon age-group slated April 13, 14

Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives through the paint during the game against Dante Cunningham of the San Antonio Spurs at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Thunder avenge defeat to Spurs; Pistons prevail L OS ANGELES—Russell Westbrook tallied 24 points and 10 rebounds and reserve guard Dennis Schroder scored all 10 points in the second half as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 122-112 on Saturday.

The Thunder rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to seize control of the contest in the third quarter and avenge a 154-147 double-overtime loss to the Spurs two nights ago.

Paul George added 18 points and 11 rebounds for Oklahoma City, who outscored the Spurs 35-20 in the third.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Thunder. It was just San Antonio’s second loss in its last eight games.

“Schroder just sliced us and diced us, did a great job getting to the rim,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Defense let us down.”

Marco Belinelli scored 24 points and DeMar DeRozan added 18 points

for the Spurs.

LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored a career-high 56 points against the Thunder on Thursday, struggled with the extra coverage and finished with 17 points.

“They didn’t let me play,” Aldridge said. “They doubled me in every way.

They came from the baseline, from the top. They made sure that the ball wasn’t in my hands.”

Elsewhere, Blake Griffin made an turbulent return to the Staples Center, scoring 44 points as the Detroit Pistons toppled the Los Angeles Clippers 109-104.

It was an emotional day for Griffin as he snubbed Clippers owner Steve Ballmer before the game, was greeted

with a standing ovation during a first quarter video tribute, and then had a heated exchange on the floor with former teammate Patrick Beverley as the final horn sounded.

“There was a lot of hype coming into this game and I was looking forward to it, but I’m glad that it’s over,” said Griffin. “The next time I come it won’t be as crazy.”

The former first overall draft pick by the Clippers in 2009 was surprisingly traded to Detroit last January after signing a five-year extension worth $171 million.

Griffin averaged 21.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists in eight seasons in Los Angeles. He won the rookie-ofthe-year award and was a five-time allstar with the franchise.

Before the game, Clippers owner Ballmer waited on the sidelines and then extended his hand for a handshake, but Griffin ignored him, sprinting off to the locker room. AFP

Chua named Bowler of Year

FINAL TRAINING. Manny Pacquiao gets his final taste of training at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles before tapering off for his WBA (Regular) Welterweight title showdown against Adrien Broner. MP Promotions

Rams oust Cowboys, Chiefs down Colts to make playoffs LOS ANGELES—A record-setting rushing performance sparked the Los Angeles Rams over Dallas and into the NFL playoff semi-finals Saturday alongside with Kansas City Chiefs, whose defensive unit dominated in a lopsided victory over Indianapolis.

C.J. Anderson ran 23 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns while Todd Gurley added 115 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries as the host Rams ripped the Cowboys 30-22 in a National Conference playoff game.

“It was incredible what they did,” Rams quarterback Jared Goff said of his blockers and rushers. “We know this defense and we prepared for it well. We ran the ball well. It started with Todd. C.J. added to it. We did it really well.”

The Rams will face either top seed New Orleans or defending champion

Philadelphia next weekend in the conference final with a trip to Super Bowl 53 next month in Atlanta at stake.

At Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes threw for 278 yards and ran for a touchdown while Damien Williams ran for 129 yards and a touchdown to lead the Chiefs over Indianapolis 31-13, snapping a 25-year NFL home playoff win drought that saw Kansas City lose six straight.

“We played a great ‘team’ football game,” Mahomes said. “The defense did amazing and the offense did enough to get the win in the end.”

The Chiefs will host next week’s American Conference championship game against Sunday’s winner between the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots for a berth in the February 3 championship spectacle.

“There’s a lot of confidence, a lot of chemistry and a lot of guys playing their tails off for each other,” Chiefs co-captain Travis Kelce said.

The Rams ran 48 times for 273 yards, eclipsing their old post-season rushing mark from 1986 against Dallas by four yards, and inflicting the best rushing total of the campaign against the Cowboys.

Anderson and Gurley were the first two Rams rushers to crack 100 yards in the same playoff game.

Two crucial fourth-down plays by the Rams in the fourth quarter proved pivotal. LA stopped Dallas on downs to open the final period, then the Rams drove to the Cowboys goal-line, disdaining a point-blank field goal attempt to seek a touchdown, which Anderson obtained on a 1-yard run to give the Rams a 30-15 lead with 7:16 to play. AFP

KENNETH Chua bagged his fourth consecutive male bowler of the year title recently in the Team Prima Annual Awards Night at the V Corporate Centre in Makati City.

The 27-year-old national bowler was a strong contender for the award as he topped the 16th DATBI-CSI NBT Invitational Open in Dagupan, Pangasinan and Philippine Bowling Federation PAGCOR Philippine International Open last May. He also captured the 2018 MBA Open Masters last July and his recent was last week’s 1st PBF national Matchplay Championships. Those achievements were enough to snare his fourth overall Bowler of the Year award during the annual event organized by Team Prima chairman Alexander Lim. “Winning the Prima bowler of the year for the fourth consecutive time feels special. Hard work and persistence have helped me bring home the award,” said Chua. “I would like to thank the Lord for giving me strength to help me achieve my goals for 2018.”

Alexis Sy, meanwhile, regained the female bowler of the year crown after ruling the 2018 Bowling World Cup National Championship last October to qualify for the 54th International Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada last November, along with bowler Merwin Tan. Sy also represented the country as part of the women’s team in the 2018 Asian Games last August.

In the badminton class, Nephtali Pineda and Andre Abalos won the men and women of the year award while Zeth Quiambao and Ghiselle Bautista grabbed the junior male and female awards, respectively.

Other awardees were Clarence Tiu and Vivian Padawan (Bowler of the Year Cebu Male and Female), Art Barrientos, Dale Lazo (Junior Bowler of the Year Male and Female), Nicco Agujo and Pauline Sta. Ana (Most Improved Bowler of the Year Male and Female).

THE emerging economic and tourism hub of Roxas City in the province of Capiz is all set to host hundreds of triathletes from around the country as the muchawaited Capiz TriAksyon leg of the 2019 National Age-Group Triathlon season fires off on April 13 and 14.

The event has a Standard Distance (1.5 Km swim – 40 Km bike – 10 Km run) course for the seasoned triathletes as well relay participants. There is also a Sprint Distance (750 M swim – 20 Km bike – 5 Km run) course for those who want a lighter challenge and for Junior Elite participants.

At the same time, there will be Super TriKids (STK) contests for youths aged 6-below (50 M swim – 300 M bike – 50 M run), 7-8 years-old (50 M swim – 500 M bike – 100 M run), 9-10 years-old (100 M swim – 1 Km bike – 150 M run) and 11-12 years-old (150 M swim – 2 Km bike – 150 M run). Participants aged 13 to 15 will engage in a Super Sprint race of 400 M swim – 14 Km bike and 3 Km run.

At stake in the event sponsored by the Province of Capiz and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Capiz are cash prizes of P20,000, P15,000 and P10,000 for the Standard Category for Male and Female (overall) and the Open Elite Category for Male and Female; P12,000, P7,000 and P5,000 for Top 3 Relay Category winners; P12,000, P7,000 and P5,000 for Top 3 Sprint Male and Female; P10,000, P8,000 and P5,000 for the Top 3 Junior Elite Male and Female; P5,000, P3,000 and P2,000 for the Top 3 Super Sprint Male and Female. There also will be cash prizes for the Top 3 winners in the STK, Standard Distance agegroup and Sprint Distance agegroup.

Registration for the event sanctioned by the Triathlon Association of the Philippines is ongoing with entry fees set at P3,000 (for Standard and Sprint Distances), P5,000 for Relay, P2,000 for Super Sprint, P2,500 for Junior Elite and P1,500 for STK. Effective Jan. 19, the entry fees will adjust to P4,000 (Standard and Sprint), P6,000 (Relay), P3,000 (Super Sprint and Junior Elite) and P2,000 for STK. For inquiries, interested parties are encouraged to send email to capiztriaksyon@ gmail.com and visit https:// www.capiztriaksyon.com.

Kuchar extends Sony golf lead LOS ANGELES—Matt Kuchar was model of consistency, shooting a bogeyfree 66 Saturday in the third round of the PGA Tour’s Sony Open to stretch his lead to two strokes over Andrew Putnam Kuchar used a hot putter to roll in four birdies and missed just two greens in regulation on the Waialae Country Club course in Hawaii to move to 18-under 192 overall.

Kuchar has been one of the steadiest golfers on the tour this season and said the key for him is keeping the ball in play and limiting his mistakes.

“It was awfully steady and bogey free. It is the golf I like to play to stay out of trouble,” he said.

“I hit more drivers and three woods than most, but I feel comfortable about putting those on the fairways. There are so many dog legs and this rough is nasty.”

Putnam, who trailed by one stroke at the halfway stage, shot a three-under 67 to get to 16 under overall. He closed with a birdie Saturday to cut Kuchar’s lead to just two.

Keith Mitchell fired a seven-under 63 and is tied for third with Chez Reavie (66) on 196.

Veteran Kuchar has a career-best 54hole score in Hawaii as the American tries to win for the ninth time on the US PGA Tour.

The four-time Ryder Cup team member won a bronze medal for the USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics. AFP

Sports

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

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MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2019

Gleeson, Jordan seek second PGT Asia championship DAVID Gleeson and Damien Jordan set out for the ICTSI Pradera Verde Classic all psyched up, eager to cash in on their power for another crack at a PGT Asia crown when the $100,000 event is fired off Wednesday, Jan. 16 at the Pradera Verde Golf and Country Club.

The Aussies broke the Filipinos’ stranglehold of the region’s newest circuit with contrasting victories last year with Gleeson edging Erwin Arcillas on the third extra hole to claim the Luisita Championship and Jordan sustaining a brilliant start to beat Thai Namchok Tantipokhakul by four in the Aboitiz Invitational at the Orchard.

The Filipinos, on the other hand, ruled the other five events of the PGTA’s second season held through 2018-19, making the eighth stop this week in Lubao, Pampanga a virtual clash of a local crew out to reassert its might and a fired-up Aussie side seeking to impose their strength on a well-maintained course that puts premium on power and shotmaking.

But a slew of other foreign aces are also in the fold, firming up the elite cast that includes the title-hungry Thais, headed by Wisut Artjanawat, Pasavee Lertvilai, Poosit Supupramai and Thammanoon Sriroj along with Americans Sydney Chung, Dylan Jackson, Andy Kang and Lexus Keoninh, Englishmen Benjamin David, Joe Knox and George Twyman, Keisuke Takahashi of Japan, Korean Hwang Myung Chal, Spain’s Salvador Paya Vila and Peter Stojanovski of Macedonia, all chasing their first championship in the circuit put up by ICTSI.

Guevarra inherits Letran Knights coaching chores San Miguel Beer center June Mar Fajardo (center) defies the double teaming defense of Alaska Aces import Mike Harris (left) and Noy Baclao. Fajardo rewrote PBA history after winning an unprecedented fifth consecutive MVP award. PBA Media

Fajardo rewrites PBA history

By Jeric Lopez

T

HE 44th season of the Philippine Basketball Association opened at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan with the coronation of June Mar Fajardo as the best ever player in league history.

Starting the new season with the Leo Awards, top performers from the 43rd season were recognized and to no surprise, Fajardo was named Most Valuable Player for the fifth straight year.

The San Miguel Beer superstar bagged the title an unprecedented fifth time after dominating the competition last season, leading the Beermen to their fourth straight Philippine Cup championship.

Fajardo beat NorthPort top gun Stanley Pringle for the coveted individual plum.

With his fifth win, Fajardo surpassed legends Ramon Fernandez and Alvin Patrimonio as the player with the most number of MVPs in league history.

“Sino ba naman mag-aakala na yung dating pinagtatawanan lang, nag- five-time MVP? Hindi mo talaga alam ang takbo ng buhay ng tao. Magsikap lang talaga,” said Fajardo of

his fate. “Sana hindi pa ito yung last. Gusto ko pa mag-improve. Ayoko maging stagnant.”

Fajardo and Pringle were also part of the Mythical First Team along with Magnolia’s Paul Lee, Barangay Ginebra’s Japeth Aguilar and San Miguel’s Marcio Lassiter.

The Mythical Second Team was composed of Barangay Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson, Magnolia’s Mark Barroca, San Miguel’s Arwind Santos, NLEX’s JP Erram and Phoenix’s Matthew Wright.

Phoenix’s Jason Perkins bagged the Rookie of the Year Award after besting Alaska’s Jeron Teng in a tight battle.

“I just want to work harder and keep the process going,” said Perkins.

The All-Defensive Team was composed of Fajardo and teammate Chris Ross, Rain or Shine’s Gabe Norwood, Magnolia’s Rafi

Reavis and Rome Dela Rosa.

The Most Improved Player award likewise went to Thompson while Norwood also took home the Samboy Lim Sportsmanship Award once again for the third time.

“It feels good because my hard work and extra efforts last season paid off,” said Thompson of his recognition.

Following the awarding ceremonies, the league formally opened its 44th season with a booming opening ceremony.

The traditional parade of the 12 teams, along with their lovely muses, took place with familiar faces raring to go to action with new hopes and aspirations.

As of this report, the opening game of the Philippine Cup is being disputed by longtime rivals Barangay Ginebra and TNT KaTropa.

By Peter Atencio FOR now, former cager RJ Guevarra will handle the coaching chores of the Letran Knights as they prepare for the season 95 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament.

This is after school officials let go of their mentor for three years, Jeff Napa.

In a statement, school officials said that Napa will no longer coach the Knights after handling the team for the last three seasons.

“The community of Colegio de San Juan del Letran expresses its hearty and heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Jefferson Napa, head coach of the Letran men’s basketball team, for the past three NCAA seasons. With the expiration of his contract, Letran acknowledges his most valuable contributions to the team in forming our student-athletes and building our winning culture, especially according to the ideals of the Colegio,” said the school’s official statement.

With Napa out as the Knights’ coach, he will now be able to concentrate with his job as the mentor of the National University Bullpups in the junior division of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.

While with the Knights, Letran was able to reach the Final Four last season.

A search committee has been formed to find the next head coach of the Knights.

Junior Maroons subdue La Salle THE University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS) Junior Maroons took charge in the third period and subdued the La Salle Zobel Junior Archers, 64-56, and shook the standings yesterday for their first win in the 81st University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Junior Basketball tournament at the Arena in San Juan.

Rookie Allen Torres joined hands with veteran Ralph Labao as the Junior Maroons earned their first triumph in the second round, and improved their win-loss record to 1-7.

With their 3-5 card, the Junior Archers’ chance of reaching the Final Four semifinals is now in question.

They have slipped into fifth, behind the University of Santo Tomas Tiger Cubs, who drew 27 points from Mark Nonoy in crushing the University of the East Junior Warriors, 85-63.

The Far Eastern University Baby Tamaraws, with JB Sajonia shooting

21 points, prevailed over the Adamson Baby Falcons, 80-72, to improve their slate in second spot at 6-2.

Overall, it was UPIS’s first win in 11 games, and after the Junior Maroons, beat La Salle-Zobel, 7169, last year.

The 5-11 Torres shot 13 off 22 points in the third period, including a triple and two charities that put the Junior Maroons out of a 41-all deadlock in the last 1:22.

Forcing turnovers and taking control of the boards in the closing minutes of the third, the Junior Maroons moved out of range in the remaining 21 seconds off Labao’s attacks, 50-41.

Labao went on to make 11 of 18 points in the third canto.

“We had a good start especially on defense. La Salle Zobel has good players who can contribute in offense. But we were able to control the rebounds and extra possesions,” said Junior Maroons coach Paolo Mendoza. Peter Atencio

Sharks trip Lanterns, 69-68 ANGELES CITY—Cebu turned to Will McAloney and Patrick Cabahug who played solid on both ends of the court, but it was unheralded Kevin Villafranca’s dagger putback that sent the Sharks to a thrilling 69-68 victory over home team Pampanga Lanterns-ADG Construction in the MPBL Datu Cup at the Angeles University Foundation Arena.

Villafranca was at the right place at the right time as his follow-up off a Victor Nuñez’s missed layup allowed the Casino Ethyl Alcohol-backed Sharks to notch their ninth win in 20 games and into a tie for seventh to eighth spots with the Laguna Heroes-Krah in the southern division of this tournament put up

by Senator Manny Pacquiao with PBA

legend and former MVP Kenneth Duremdes serving as commissioner.

The 6-foot-4 forward Villafranca’s heroics came in the final two seconds, leaving the Lanterns one last chance of salvaging a win.

Ex-Ginebra player Jimbo Aquino had a chance to salvage a win for Pampanga, but his three-point attempt failed to hit the mark as the Lanterns absorbed their 12th loss in 19 games and dropped into a tie for ninth to 10th places with the Valenzuela Classic.

Prior to Villafranca’s cleaned up job, the AUF Arena was in a frenzy after Juneric Baloria put the Lanterns back in the lead with a triple with still 23 seconds left, allowing Pampanga to take a 68-67 lead.

Switzerland’s Roger Federer attends a practice session ahead of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 13, 2019. AFP

Seventh heaven beckons for Federer, Djokovic at Australia Open MELBOURNE, Australia—Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are both gunning for a record seventh Australian Open crown from Monday, but Andy Murray will make his last appearance in Melbourne as the era of the “Big Four” draws to a close.

Number one Djokovic and third seed Federer face a stern challenge from the likes of youthful force Alexander Zverev, seeded four, who is still looking for a first major to cement his place as

torch-bearer for the next generation.

But Murray dropped a pre-Grand Slam bombshell, breaking down during a tear-filled press conference as he revealed chronic hip pain means he will retire after Wimbledon – if he can carry on that long.

And question marks remain over the fitness of world number two Rafael Nadal who pulled out of his Brisbane warmup but arrived in Melbourne professing he was “fully fit” and promising to un-

leash a remodelled serve.

It all means the era of the “Big Four” is almost over after a season in which Federer – who opens his title defense against Denis Istomin on Monday – rolled back the years on Rod Laver Arena to lift an emotional 20th Grand Slam.

It put him on a par with other six-time Australian Open winners Djokovic and Roy Emerson – although the Australian great’s victories all came before the Open era. AFP

IN BRIEF

Business

Clark airport workers to get severance pay CLARK FREEPORT—Clark International Airport Corp. has assured employees of a just, fair and lawful severance package and a retire-rehire option in light of the takeover of the airport’s operation and maintenance this year,.

“No one will lose their job as those who will be affected will be absorbed and prioritized for hiring by the new (O&M) private consortium, said CIAC president Jaime Melo in a statement.

He said the CIAC management would work ensure job security or the option of an attractive severance package for all personnel who will be affected.

“We reiterate our empathy with the sentiments of airport workers. In fact, there is an ongoing labor mediation and negotiations facilitated by the National Conciliation and Mediation Board to peacefully iron out the differences and ensure a smooth transition,” Mealo said.

Members of Clark airport labor union, Samahan ng mga Manggagawa sa Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, are waiting for the final schedule of notice of strike shortly after getting a majority vote.

Jess Malabanan

Meralco, Aboitiz freeze coal power plant in Subic R

By Alena Mae S. Flores

EDONDO Peninsula Energy Inc. put on hold the development of a 660-megawatt coal-fired power project in Redondo Peninsula, Subic, Zambales because of construction and power supply agreement issues, a top executive said over the weekend.

Dominguez: TRAIN hikes spending power FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law was a hundred-percent success in the first three quarters of 2018 in terms of benefits to individuals through the reduction of personal income taxes.

Dominguez in an interview over the weekend urged the Filipino people to look at the success rate of the law not just in terms of revenue collection but its direct benefits to working individuals.

Data from the DoF showed that TRAIN revenues reached P41.9 billion in the first three quarters of 2018, or 94.7 percent of the target of P44.3 billion for the period. The total shortfall is P2.3 billion or 5.3 percent.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue exceeded its target by P6.2 billion while the Bureau of Customs was below the target by P8.5 billion.

“But I want to emphasize that the big number there is the reduction of personal income taxes. The reduction in PIT in the first nine months is P102.9 billion. That is close to P12 billion a month. That means to say that individuals had actually additional P12 billion a month spending power,” Dominguez said. Julito G. Rada

RP Energy is a joint venture among Meralco PowerGen Corp., Therma Power Inc. of the Aboitiz Group and Taiwan Cogeneration International Corp.

“RP Energy issued a limited notice to proceed to the EPC [engineering, procurement and construction], but we discovered we had problems with the slope, with the site and to mitigate, to fix the site, would require the site to be stable.

The board decided to hold development and with that the limited notice to proceed was also cancelled on the EPC,” Aboitiz Power chief operating officer Manny Rubio said.

“This was before. Now, we are looking for alternatives, and based on the deci-

sion, we will make a decision should we actually proceed. Again, conditional to the condition of the site. It’s a construction issue, something that was not foreseen by RP Energy,” Rubio said.

Rubio said the technical problem involved “instability in one of the slopes” which needed to be addressed.

“We really have to find a solution on that one. At the moment, it’s Meralco looking at a way to manage the movement. A number of [technologies are available], but given that the contracts are actually pending in court, I think we will make a decision also once we have clarity on the decision on the contract,” he said.

RP Energy earlier tapped Doosan

Heavy Industries & Construction Co., Ltd. as its EPC contractor.

RP Energy signed a power service agreement with Meralco for a contracted capacity of 225 MW within a 20-year term on April 20, 2016. The PSA was filed for approval with the Energy Regulatory Commission on April 29, 2016.

Public hearings were subsequently held and were concluded on Jan. 6, 2017, but the application was still pending with the ERC. RP Energy and Meralco agreed to extend the date of the PSA for a period of 12 months or from April 29, 2018 to April 29, 2019.

“If the ERC does not approve the PSA

by April 29, 2019, RP Energy would then have the option to terminate the PSA. To date, RP Energy is still awaiting the ERC’s approval of its PSA,” Aboitiz Power said in a previous disclosure to the stock exchange.

RP Energy’s construction was previously delayed by the issuance of a writ of Kalikasan against the project, which has since been resolved.

Aragorn to conduct geothermal study THE Department of Energy allowed of Aragorn Power and Energy Corp. to conduct a grid impact study for its proposed 120-megawatt Kalinga geothermal power project in Pasil, Kalinga province.

This is the first project allowed by the agency this year to conduct a study on the impact of the Kalinga project to the grid.

The DoE approved the conduct of the study on January 4. The agency earlier declared the Kalinga geothermal plant as an energy project of national significance.

The Energy Investment Coordinating Council through the DeE approved the application of APEC to declare the plant as an energy project of national significance.

APEC and partner Guidance Management Corp. owns the geothermal service contract in the province of Kalinga covering an area of around 26,000 hectares with an estimated power generation potential of between 120 MW and 200 MW. The APC Group has investments in energy, mining and manpower outsourcing businesses and telecommunications. Alena Mae S. Flores

LIZBUILT TAPS INSULAR. Housing provider Lizbuilt Inc. signs up for group term life insurance with Insular Life. Under the agreement, Insular Life will provide group term life insurance protection to Lizbuilt’s housing clients. Signing the agreement are (seated, from left) Insular Life executive chairman Nina Aguas, Lizbuilt president and chief executive Ma. Elizabeth Vazquez and Insular Life president and chief executive Mona Lisa de la Cruz. Witnessing the signing are (standing from left) Lizbuilt technical manager Ferdinand Patawaran, executive assistant Catherine Bautista, Insular Life trustee Marietta Gorrez, Lizbuilt corporate secretary Trina Relampagos, Insular Life customer care representative Princess Flormata, CAD Group Conservation unit head Mia Gonzales, vice president and CAD head Lorenzo Luis Gallardo II and Insular Life corporate technical department manager Doni Sta. Brigida.

A TOP executive of TV5 Network Inc. said there are no discussions for a possible merger with rival GMA Network Inc., after parent company PLDT Inc. signed a major deal with the Gozon-led broadcast network.

“For now, I can say honestly that there is no plan along the way,” TV5 president and chief executive Vincent Reyes said.

PLDT Group, the parent company of TV5, and GMA Network earlier signed a technology, content and distribution agreement that will involve game-changing innovations for the latter’s digital transformation.

“That discussion has been going for quite a while, two years already,” Reyes said.

“I don’t look at it as a competitive situation from where we are sitting,” he said.

The PLDT Group earlier expressed interest to acquire a controlling stake in GMA Network, but talks collapsed partly due to regulatory issues.

The Gozon, Jimenez and Duavit families

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2019

B1

Peza projects dipped 41% to P140.3b in ‘18

By Othel V. Campos INVESTMENT projects approved by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority plummeted 41 percent in 2018 to P140.24 billion from P237.57 billion in 2017.

Data culled from Peza showed that the number of investment projects declined 4.5 percent last year to 529 from 554 projects in 2017.

“The drop is for new investments caused by the uncertainties of change of policies [and] incentives. Investments dropped also because of the forthcoming elections where the next Congress might change again the policies,” said Peza director-general Charito Plaza.

Plaza said despite the drop in investments, economic zones’ exports and employment increased last year.

Exports receipts climbed 6.58 percent to $45.18 billion as of October 2018 from $42.38 billion a year ago, while employment expanded 7.33 percent to 1,499,577 from 1,397,040.

Plaza said the increase was due to efforts to maximize production before the expected enactment of the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-Quality Opportunities or Trabaho bill which would reform investment incentives in the country.

Data showed that despite the general lackluster performance of the ecozones last year, the information technology sector posted a 32-percent increase in investments to P20.56 billion from P15.56 billion in 2017. Employment in the sector also increased 8 percent to 733,479 from 678,799 while exports rose 9.33 percent to $9.8 billion from $8.97 billion.

Plaza said the IT sector had been continuously expanding ahead of the implementation of new laws and change of policies. “IT [companies] also can easily pull out and transfer if they’re unhappy of the new policies,” she said.

She said Peza continued to encourage industries to expand and “not to fear change of policies.” She said the agency was “doing its best to retain the benefits/ incentives that are working and even enhance the existing set of perks.”

Plaza said with the current set of incentives, the Philippines became very competitive with other countries in attracting investors.

Dominguez: Hanjin loan exposure to hurt banks

TV5 Network executive denies merger talks with rival GMA-7

By Darwin G. Amojelar

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

By Julito G. Rada

own a combined 79 percent of the network, which airs on Channel 7 on free TV. Majority shareholders of the broadcaster earlier agreed to sell about 30 percent of the company to businessman Ramon Ang, but the negotiation bogged down after more than a year of talks.

PLDT, partly owned by Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd. and Japan’s NTT group, earlier posted a net income of P16.48 billion in January to September last year, down from P21.87 billion in the same period last year.

PLDT said profit in the third quarter declined to P4.5 billion from P5.38 billion a year ago.

It said excluding foreign exchange gains and other non-recurring income, core profit without Voyager Inc. amounted to P19.07 billion in the nine-month period, up by 5 percent from last year’s P18.12 billion.

Revenues hit P111.88 billion in the first nine months, up 4 percent from last year’s P113.35 billion.

THE filing for corporate rehabilitation by shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Company Philippines will hurt local banks with exposure to the company and the banks involved should work together to address the problem, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said over the weekend.

“We have to address it. There are assets to be had. Well, this is a difficult problem to be worked through by the banks,” Dominguez said in an interview.

“It’s going to hurt, but it’s certainly not going to end up hampering them, but it’s going to hurt... But it’s still early days.

The banks have agreed to work together and see how we can move forward from here,” he said.

Dominguez said one thing the banks should consider is the prospects for the shipbuilding industry. “The real important thing is what are the prospects in that industry? Are there good prospects in the

industry?” he said.

When asked if the Finance Department was ready to mediate, Dominguez said: “We don’t know yet. We’re not the lead bank. The lead bank is RCBC [Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.].

We will work along with all the other banks.”

Dominguez is also the chairman of state-owned Land Bank of the Philippines which also has exposure to Hanjin.

LBP president and chief executive Alex Buenaventura said the bank had an $85-million exposure to Hanjin, contrary to earlier reports of $80 million.

“We’ll have to address the problem.

But the good news is we can recover the assets. The shipyard is worth $1.2 billion and the total exposure of the creditors is less than $400 million. Down the road, we hope to recover our exposure,” Buenaventura said.

Buenaventura expressed optimism on the shipping industry, saying shipbuilding supports global development.

“But the global economy is improving.

There’s a lot of moving goods through ships...,” he said.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo also downplayed any significant impact to the banking industry of the reported loan exposures of some banks to Hanjin that filed for corporate rehabilitation at the Olongapo Regional Trial Court.

Guinigundo said banks’ exposures were “very negligible.”

“We received report that Hanjin filed for corporate rehabilitation at the Olongapo Regional Trial Court on Jan.8, 2019. Beyond this, it would be most premature for the BSP to comment on a matter pending with the court,” Guinigundo said.

“Based on our initial assessment, some banks are exposed to Hanjin but relative to both total loans of the banking system and total FCDU [foreign currency deposit unit] loans of the banking system, their exposure is very negligible,” he said.

LandBank sees profit rising to P16.6b in 2019

By Julito G. Rada STATE-RUN Land Bank of the Philippines, the fourth-largest lender in terms of assets, expects a 7-percent growth in net income this year to P16.6 billion from P15.5 billion in 2018, on sustained credit demand from different industries, president and chief executive Alex Buenaventura said over the weekend.

“We expect strong credit demand from different sectors,” Buenaventura said in an interview with reporters.

“Credit demand will be strong especially for the ‘Build, Build, Build’ projects,” he said.

The P8.4-trillion infrastructure program of the Duterte administration aims to build more roads,

bridges, airports, seaports, railways, and water and irrigation projects to spur economic growth.

Included in the program is a subway in Metro Manila that is expected to decongest the metropolis of heavy traffic that has been causing around P3.5 billion in economic losses daily, according to a recent study of Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Buenaventura said the bank’s lending business would continue to grow by double-digit, like what was achieved in 2018 when net loan portfolio grew by 37 percent.

“This year will be better because of lower interest rates,” Buenaventura said, adding the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas might ease its policy stance because of the decelerating

inflation rate.

Inflation hit a nine-year high of 6.7 percent in October 2018 before easing to 6 percent in November and 5.1 percent in December as the government’s immediate measures to curb inflation took effect.

This brought the full-year average to 5.2 percent, albeit higher than the target range of 2 to 4 percent for the year.

LandBank hit a record net income of P15.5 billion in 2018, a 10-percent improvement from P14.1 billion a year ago.

Buenaventura said the bank achieved the exceptional performance last year with net loan portfolio expanding significantly by 37 percent or more than P220 billion to reach P840 billion.

BATANGAS RECLAMATION. Batangas Port Planners and Development Inc., a subsidiary of the Leviste Group of companies, teams up with Melekon Contractors Inc. to reclaim and develop a 40-hectare port and mixed-used facility project in Batangas City. Shown are (from left) Melekon engineers Jervy Sabino and Silvino Lambino Jr. vice president for operations Lib Palafox, Leviste Group chairman and former Batangas governor Antonio Leviste, Melekon vice president for marketing Bettina Yu Reyes and executive vice president Charles Fernandez.

B2

Business

MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market to test 8,000-point level T

By Jenniffer B. Austria

HE bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange Index is expected to test the 8,000-point level this week as foreign funds are expected to flow back to emerging markets, including the Philippines.

Analysts said the local market would also benefit from the rally of global equities, which is being fueled by s possible win-all pact deal on the US-China trade negotiations and Federal Reserve’s dovish view on interest rate hikes.

“PSEi at 7,904 signals the market still has the momentum to try the 8,000 levels. Look for another assault towards the 8,000 level,” BDO Unibank chief investment strategist Jonathan Ravelas said.

“However, failure to clear the 8,000 levels could trigger some profit taking back towards the 7,500/7,800 levels,” he added.

Other analysts said the Friday’s market decline would also provide investors a breather to help them reposition anew, especially on sectors that are expected to perform well this year.

The PSEi last week sustained its upward momentum closing at 7,904, up 1.84 percent from the previous week’s close, even after Friday’s decline as a result of the Hanjin debt issue that affected the banking sector.

The All Shares Index rose 1.7 percent to close to 4,730.

Except for the financials and the mining and oil index, which fell 2.28 percent and 1.46 percent, respectively all major counters ended in the green last week.

Overseas investors were net buyers for the week at P4.48 billion, while the average daily value traded stood at P8.6 billion, up from the previous week’s average of P6.5 billion.

Weekly top price gainers were Lopez Corp., which jumped 13.6 percent to P4.66; JG Summit Holdings Inc., which surged 8.6 percent to P64.50; and Alliance Global Group Inc., which advanced 8.3 percent to P12.78.

Weekly top price losers were Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., which declined 8.2 percent to P26.40; Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., which went dropped 7.8 percent to P77.95; and Filinvest Development Corp., which lost 4.9 percent to P12.80.

Stock markets in Europe and the United States, meanwhile, slipped on Friday after several days of gains as investors took a breather in the absence of fresh news on trade talks between Beijing and Washington.

Earlier, Asian markets ended the week mostly on a higher note.

Key European markets were as much as half a percent lower at the close, while Wall Street finished a sleepy session marginally lower.

“US stocks are lower for the first day this week, paring a third-consecutive weekly advance that has come from lingering trade optimism and cooled concerns regarding the Fed making a policy mistake,” said analysts at Charles Schwab.

“Equities are slipping amid likely caution ahead of the ramp up of earnings season that coincided with the Q4 market tumult,” they said.

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS WEEKLY STOCKS REVIEW STOCKS

JANUARY 7-11, 2019 Close Volume

Value

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

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

PB Bank Phil Bank of Comm Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities

59.5 131.30 90.00 2.21 1.45 27.85 7.58 16 12.56 4.65 7.40 0.61 1.47 790.00 0.470 77.95 0.97 12 18.98 44.60 58.75 180 26.4 175.3 1810.00 64.60 1.14

74,640 14,591,930 17,296,470 290,000 642,000 842,800 100 8,600 5,313,800 1,484,000 600 164,000 11,000 210 950,000 24,768,110 22,441,000 62,600 6,200 2,585,800 38,370 7,470 2,158,100 7,932,550 195 125,980 186,000

FINANCIAL 4,431,927.50 1,908,344,675.00 1,596,194,749.00 628,240.00 932,980.00 23,537,805.00 758.00 137,510.00 67,570,472.00 6,824,630.00 4,440.00 109,170.00 15,930.00 164,800.00 455,800.00 1,975,293,342.00 22,002,670.00 772,346.00 114,894.00 114,517,680.00 2,251,888.50 1,355,230.00 59,689,790.00 1,353,875,501.00 353,660.00 8,137,097.00 213,220.00

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Basic Energy Corp.

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

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

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

Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petroenergy Res. Corp.

Petron Corporation PH Resorts Group Phinma Corporation Phinma Energy Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

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

Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vivant Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

35.8 16.44 1.16 1.41 0.250 90 17.00 2.03 15.9 140 31.35 60 78 41 1.75 6.41 6.65 11.500 15.06 8.16 7.30 1.55 20.5 71 26.20 2.0700 5.99 12.22 1.880 316.60 45.00 4.38 3.2 10.40 27.3 11.26 18 0.185 387.00 5.70 1.47 3.76 7.89 5.61 9.10 1.35 11.00 48.45 6 4.70 1.9 2.87 1.54 13.2 84.3 6.28 0.128 0.89 136.3 2.42 2.08 17.00 1.59

7,839,100 2,919,300 57,204,000 9,271,000 12,710,000 6,740 4,500 127,789,000 1,824,100 16,750 906,700 420 10 7,000 380,000 365,900 179,900 19,759,300 943,400 2,384,800 1,704,000 3,000 11,076,300 548,940 188,600 14,460,000 6,819,300 8,805,000 3,090,000 4,780,230 200 124,000 28,000 57,400 2,599,600 2,972,200 30,387,600 2,050,000 1,275,690 28,100 93,276,000 3,357,000 17,625,900 779,700 47,400 326,476,000 633,600 2,434,400 2,668,300 13,492,000 3,956,000 46,000 1,466,000 1,297,700 2,547,050 2,943,400 4,170,000 299,000 13,141,240 4,000 74,969,000 500 20,676,000

INDUSTRIAL 279,844,785.00 48,773,906.00 65,373,180.00 12,685,410.00 3,160,320.00 617,501.50 76,562.00 265,265,980.00 28,843,722.00 2,688,003.00 28,161,080.00 25,138.50 780.00 279,185.00 674,590.00 2,393,499.00 1,167,580.00 224,517,060.00 14,236,954.00 19,720,335.00 12,678,467.00 4,770.00 228,145,010.00 38,349,782.50 4,782,150.00 29,738,820.00 40,115,441.00 104,146,432.00 5,923,930.00 1,520,884,216.00 9,000.00 532,850.00 89,260.00 591,912.00 71,112,285.00 33,275,926.00 552,896,992.00 367,720.00 495,359,238.00 161,631.00 139,603,970.00 12,610,320.00 137,173,163.00 4,461,205.00 439,706.00 449,450,710.00 6,944,596.00 116,896,840.00 16,004,896.00 63,924,430.00 7,605,050.00 129,730.00 2,236,540.00 16,439,886.00 213,087,658.50 18,370,803.00 533,030.00 263,140.00 1,738,531,537.00 9,680.00 148,306,500.00 8,500.00 33,386,470.00

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

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

Lopez Holdings Corp.

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

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

0.710 60.00 12.78 0.80 6.50 29.4 1.460 1.460 972 7.16 12.80 4.5 4.5 12.80 0.241 998.5 6.14 64.50 5.76 4.82 4.91 0.58 4.66 15.26 0.610 4.96 0.0390 1.220 2.560 2.58 149.50 985.00 1.46 0.74 241.200 500.00 0.2500 0.229

176,645,000 8,471,160 82,060,900 2,448,000 235,500 729,900 58,630,000 16,291,000 2,422,905 17,418,200 20,918,400 200 100 5,049,300 640,000 503,690 43,700 15,526,970 28,600 20,000 1,000 887,000 37,895,000 21,145,700 1,217,000 134,273,000 15,500,000 653,000 7,850,000 175,000 3,886,140 2,063,860 2,239,000 117,000 14,380 430 34,440,000 550,000

HOLDING FIRMS 129,239,690.00 510,078,174.00 1,011,786,992.00 1,986,100.00 1,525,630.00 20,745,425.00 83,848,010.00 23,112,970.00 2,395,046,010.00 124,594,184.00 265,497,790.00 852.00 450.00 66,177,322.00 153,410.00 504,716,937.50 258,608.00 966,270,857.00 162,866.00 96,400.00 4,910.00 522,570.00 172,053,460.00 333,005,020.00 727,420.00 646,399,380.00 589,300.00 778,940.00 20,247,860.00 448,200.00 572,469,535.00 2,013,419,385.00 3,116,450.00 87,940.00 3,516,572.00 213,500.00 8,814,730.00 123,350.00

4,113,900 13,966,000 31,100 1,616,000 32,062,000 87,638,700 9,821,000 1,554,000 129,300 27,680,000 226,000 636,000 28,370,000 5,570,000 2,234,200 9,602,800 20,115,000 820,000 88,453,000 8,434,000 175,969,700 148,370,000 21,649,000 12,230,000 8,940,000 700

PROPERTY 35,233,803.00 11,891,820.00 335,748.00 2,758,730.00 31,430,430.00 3,917,648,955.00 23,724,440.00 6,678,920.00 812,294.00 12,264,550.00 190,730.00 579,090.00 7,013,980.00 2,105,300.00 18,032,724.00 203,137,762.00 11,092,220.00 94,190.00 128,022,000.00 10,023,400.00 879,933,516.00 69,675,950.00 48,398,100.00 5,847,250.00 3,871,100.00 28,990.00

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

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

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

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

8.630 0.85 10.90 1.700 0.960 44.350 2.38 4.33 6.48 0.440 0.84 0.900 0.248 0.410 8.140 20.8 0.540 0.113 1.45 1.19 5 0.460 2.2500 0.4700 0.445 43.80

JANUARY 2-4, 2019 Close Volume Value 59.6 132.80 93.50 2.15 1.47 27.55 7.58 16 12.38 4.5 7.36 0.62 1.47 780.00 0.470 84.6 0.88 12.38 20.20 42.75 57.5 180 28.75 163.3 1850.00 64.40 1.13

41,840 5,913,620 5,796,040 474,000 391,000 399,800 200 12,300 2,181,300 1,340,000 300 227,000 17,000 40 850,000 7,792,210 1,346,000 7,000 100 252,600 112,270 2,310 411,500 2,385,650 45 22,170 4,000

2,485,608.50 764,951,353.00 546,863,005.50 1,006,980.00 567,530.00 10,919,245.00 1,516.00 198,472.00 26,746,490.00 6,021,480.00 2,208.00 157,640.00 24,820.00 31,200.00 405,450.00 646,902,459.00 1,193,710.00 86,844.00 2,020.00 10,789,335.00 6,591,309.00 414,522.00 11,748,645.00 382,281,638.00 83,220.00 1,420,786.00 4,520.00

35.7 16.94 1.07 1.29 0.255 92 17.20 1.97 15.72 106.8 31.8 60

2,178,700 1,824,600 33,190,000 184,000 6,110,000 3,460 4,100 65,771,000 704,500 2,000 598,400 410

77,544,175.00 30,888,186.00 36,119,470.00 237,170.00 1,544,710.00 319,343.00 71,562.00 129,707,360.00 11,003,968.00 267,600.00 18,638,180.00 24,372.00

39.95 1.78 6.48 6.46 11.200 15.36 8.20 7.16 1.67 21.35 66.05 25.70 2.0900 5.79 11.08 1.900 309.00

4,152,300 297,000 259,900 117,300 6,515,800 829,600 536,200 3,294,000 10,000 10,043,600 127,830 22,200 16,133,000 930,300 3,625,800 2,387,000 3,469,330

155,756,945.00 522,580.00 1,664,497.00 754,063.00 72,109,932.00 12,690,460.00 4,356,448.00 23,390,699.00 16,220.00 206,508,823.00 8,339,163.00 569,785.00 33,511,880.00 5,397,587.00 39,296,092.00 4,465,750.00 1,036,744,730.00

4.28 3.28 8.90 27.65 10.84 18.16 0.175 394.00 5.77 1.37 3.67 7.70 5.67 9.10 1.16 10.98 47.3 5.9 4.90 1.97 2.79 1.5 12 81.95 6.09 0.125 0.88 128.5 1.94

29,000 5,000 4,500 988,700 1,084,700 6,097,800 350,000 573,780 24,600 11,908,000 1,828,000 9,080,600 254,500 103,000 78,782,000 190,900 1,578,100 233,700 6,743,000 1,157,000 35,000 681,000 1,415,400 553,190 2,128,900 1,300,000 372,000 4,751,050 3,000 27,286,000

124,340.00 15,940.00 39,477.00 26,738,945.00 11,580,778.00 110,635,180.00 61,350.00 223,265,186.00 142,614.00 16,010,340.00 6,666,270.00 70,092,394.00 1,385,664.00 927,650.00 93,255,510.00 2,063,906.00 74,391,265.00 1,360,030.00 33,043,020.00 2,264,470.00 95,780.00 997,390.00 16,674,370.00 45,235,437.00 12,261,164.00 164,560.00 319,500.00 611,988,172.00 6,990.00 53,429,250.00

1.66

14,319,000

22,861,260.00

0.710 57.00 11.80

149,524,000 3,544,300 12,538,600

101,903,830.00 200,639,766.50 149,482,986.00

6.50 27.5 1.470 1.470 960 7 12.78

82,900 603,500 29,642,000 4,229,000 1,781,170 4,337,900 9,747,900 600

529,750.00 16,638,025.00 42,756,820.00 6,120,570.00 1,668,510,400.00 29,802,102.00 124,953,360.00 3,000.00

13.46 0.230 995 5.75 59.40 5.9

5,438,300 410,000 259,010 20,500 6,662,130 16,000

71,629,502.00 91,030.00 258,430,837.50 118,622.00 388,062,836.50 94,649.00

0.57 4.1 16.02 0.600 4.85 0.0380 1.220 2.450

263,000 3,527,000 7,587,100 1,568,000 84,526,000 15,300,000 239,000 1,214,000

148,370.00 14,436,010.00 124,449,874.00 902,890.00 403,012,590.00 573,500.00 289,340.00 2,976,570.00

145.30 946.00 1.33 0.74 249.800

1,534,340 1,445,770 171,000 31,000 370

226,090,460.00 1,368,483,835.00 223,560.00 22,940.00 92,382.00

0.2600 0.226

50,740,000 290,000

13,441,190.00 65,430.00

8.400 0.84 11.68 1.750 1.000 43.700 2.41 4.25 6.45 0.440 0.86 0.880 0.248 0.380 7.920 19.54 0.490 0.112 1.45 1.16 4.83 0.460 2.3000 0.4600 0.425 40.00

4,743,300 7,633,000 9,900 188,000 46,277,000 46,171,900 5,712,000 2,421,000 79,800 13,860,000 10,000 68,000 2,680,000 850,000 493,400 3,664,300 100,000 330,000 16,562,000 4,321,000 72,985,000 50,980,000 17,356,000 2,230,000 1,580,000 600

39,278,744.00 6,349,570.00 110,000.00 322,280.00 46,371,580.00 1,982,834,635.00 13,624,040.00 10,071,220.00 512,589.00 6,017,450.00 8,600.00 59,870.00 642,210.00 325,750.00 3,827,605.00 70,327,295.00 48,700.00 36,910.00 24,040,800.00 4,872,000.00 352,090,800.00 22,829,450.00 39,334,800.00 1,035,300.00 665,400.00 24,000.00

STOCKS

JANUARY 7-11, 2019 Close Volume

JANUARY 2-4, 2019 Close Volume Value

Value

Primex Corp.

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

3.6 22.30 2 3.12 39.00 1.33 6.02 0.720 5.900

4,532,000 14,553,800 2,019,000 464,000 61,311,900 33,220,000 5,913,000 2,133,000 35,578,600

16,216,760.00 317,499,330.00 4,075,820.00 1,448,150.00 2,384,194,405.00 45,063,230.00 36,133,735.00 1,613,030.00 206,214,221.00

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

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

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

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

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

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

SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers Trillionstars Waterfront Phils.

Wilcon Depot

14.5 21.5 1.45 0.415 0.040 15 3.39 10.68 80 7.75 6.78 7.39 2.15 17.00 890 2016 5.72 329.00 11.04 3.21 104.5 1.91 11.6 7.20 0.137 6.3100 3.21 14.78 3.60 0.88 18.00 17.48 0.345 5.28 2.64 2.26 2.45 3.880 9.85 8.90 3.55 9.46 120.00 3.59 1205.00 0.340 0.910 48.50 87.05 7.56 2.38 0.780 0.43 5.53 2.47 0.760 13.800

1,338,900 707,100 473,000 3,420,000 34,500,000 3,600 15,551,000 54,452,100 957,430 83,500 9,009,800 200,300 7,000 5,182,400 2,530 198,420 1,509,400 9,780 20,000 5,769,000 9,826,400 388,000 5,700 41,800 164,060,000 47,566,800 273,000 24,200 6,152,000 1,687,000 3,515,500 1,300 460,000 114,500 21,281,000 11,742,000 495,000 38,477,000 110,200 60,100 78,000 700 872,450 12,318,000 564,255 410,000 102,653,000 34,745,300 3,929,510 1,877,700 17,876,000 70,861,000 128,170,000 3,359,500 5,060,000 34,378,000 37,135,700

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

United Paragon

0.0022 1.64 2.62 15.60 1.2800 1.4900 2.09 0.300 7.61 1.680 0.211 0.119 0.127 0.007 1.2 2.38 1.06 0.6800 0.9600 0.0130 0.0130 3.99 15.54 0.0130 3.7000 24.30 0.0075

MINING & OIL 6,163,000,000 12,900,200.00 17,902,000 29,836,320.00 2,312,000 6,131,950.00 38,200 608,712.00 88,000 110,540.00 3,000 4,470.00 5,188,000 10,737,800.00 980,000 291,050.00 11,400 88,881.00 13,896,000 23,461,140.00 2,150,000 452,480.00 27,660,000 3,308,270.00 3,040,000 382,440.00 14,000,000 96,800.00 1,335,000 1,674,600.00 24,584,000 59,168,420.00 773,000 817,880.00 4,276,000 2,786,760.00 1,784,000 1,756,400.00 809,700,000 10,840,200.00 2,097,200,000 28,034,000.00 32,464,000 131,008,920.00 5,825,200 91,731,236.00 415,000,000 5,289,200.00 953,000 3,465,930.00 7,495,600 185,727,335.00 291,000,000 2,250,800.00

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

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

19.44 100.9 456 497.8 97 104.8 455 480 5.6 918 900 95 1.02 99 999.5 1000 1002 100 105 970 75.4 76.9 74.3 74.8 72.3 74.3 73.45 1.6

537,600 1,510 7,590 7,080 8,150 4,680 2,330 3,300 702,600 850 170 8,730 934,000 8,230 1,670 6,620 180 6,030 160 16,640 7,610 12,960 7,800 36,100 50 6,710 1,300 1,000

LR Warrant

2.120

974,000

SERVICES 19,791,902.00 15,062,760.00 640,090.00 1,433,050.00 1,362,500.00 53,058.00 52,058,920.00 556,888,470.00 76,383,807.50 637,058.00 62,338,795.00 1,485,889.00 15,080.00 97,469,383.00 2,276,600.00 383,577,580.00 8,552,632.00 3,177,156.00 220,800.00 18,593,300.00 1,011,751,434.00 769,360.00 61,268.00 306,882.00 22,919,880.00 303,159,981.00 881,630.00 357,306.00 21,864,410.00 1,458,160.00 64,169,104.00 22,162.00 161,250.00 584,440.00 57,548,330.00 28,608,760.00 1,099,780.00 154,265,970.00 1,076,354.00 531,697.00 274,340.00 5,502.00 105,158,269.00 44,020,380.00 677,196,990.00 135,900.00 90,838,510.00 1,701,347,990.00 341,848,226.00 14,353,159.00 43,906,520.00 55,283,210.00 56,793,950.00 18,214,802.00 12,539,240.00 27,093,000.00 513,946,108.00

PREFERRED 10,470,394.00 149,013.50 3,494,662.00 3,450,526.00 787,350.00 489,586.00 1,068,700.00 1,583,990.00 3,889,583.00 731,980.00 148,380.00 830,090.50 935,800.00 815,064.00 1,640,150.00 6,632,940.00 180,360.00 602,970.00 16,830.00 16,153,380.00 573,313.50 991,853.00 566,311.50 2,671,742.00 3,663.00 483,373.00 95,523.00 1,600.00 WARRANTS & BONDS 2,025,610.00 SME 51,300.00 30,651,742.00 82,010,230.00

3.55 21.70 2.02 3.12 38.50 1.36 5.61 0.720 5.600

752,000 5,029,000 1,103,000 449,000 31,824,000 17,390,000 981,700 80,000 14,392,100

2,670,340.00 108,486,540.00 2,240,370.00 1,396,970.00 1,197,820,140.00 22,654,590.00 5,322,210.00 58,190.00 78,792,199.00

14.34 20.35 1.34 0.420 0.039 15 3.34 9.70 78.5

1,068,200 213,300 348,000 1,030,000 51,500,000 514,900 42,174,000 16,311,800 637,880

15,385,948.00 4,304,995.00 473,860.00 426,850.00 2,021,100.00 7,216,288.00 154,543,510.00 160,114,952.00 49,013,738.00

6.92 7.45 2.16 15.26 900 1872 5.59 325.00 11.04 3.30 99 2.02 11.48 8.20 0.125 6.3200 3.39 14.88 3.40 0.83 18.26 16.38 0.370 5.33 2.56 2.01

4,916,900 47,900 12,000 198,900 10 49,035 733,900 960 800 6,640,000 2,908,280 31,000 200 2,000 24,690,000 22,695,400 18,000 87,300 3,230,000 1,003,000 3,215,600 1,200 500,000 85,500 6,119,000 439,000

32,999,454.00 342,257.00 25,920.00 3,047,528.00 9,000.00 92,624,570.00 4,101,184.00 310,396.00 8,286.00 21,231,900.00 289,719,622.00 61,490.00 2,296.00 16,400.00 3,080,050.00 139,110,028.00 58,240.00 1,238,464.00 10,528,590.00 812,260.00 57,252,802.00 19,622.00 190,900.00 442,469.00 15,403,620.00 876,440.00

3.720 9.82 8.90 3.43 120.00 3.45 1160.00 0.325 0.820 47.20 88.00 7.77 2.52 0.810 0.45 5.37

16,869,000 7,200 61,900 229,000 200 549,170 12,939,000 199,550 870,000 15,579,000 22,625,400 1,580,060 525,000 20,346,000 175,075,000 89,210,000 3,612,900

62,336,530.00 72,030.00 522,365.00 800,600.00 1,894.00 67,531,492.00 46,387,860.00 230,560,645.00 282,750.00 12,648,440.00 1,021,492,645.00 136,057,004.50 3,953,730.00 50,811,140.00 137,583,750.00 39,750,800.00 19,251,561.00

0.770 13.400

34,163,000 17,184,800

25,969,560.00 223,851,756.00

0.0021 1.69 2.68 16.50 1.3000

996,000,000 15,058,000 686,000 31,600 30,000

1,993,100.00 25,382,950.00 1,890,220.00 498,164.00 39,600.00

2.11 0.295 7.81 1.690 0.209 0.123 0.125 0.007 1.3 2.44 1.08 0.6500 1.0000 0.0130

12,034,000 530,000 59,600 2,287,000 490,000 37,780,000 6,680,000 46,000,000 1,641,000 14,807,000 159,000 1,760,000 2,689,000 36,700,000

25,592,400.00 159,600.00 450,086.00 3,848,900.00 101,140.00 4,439,100.00 818,410.00 328,700.00 2,050,800.00 34,927,520.00 169,740.00 1,117,070.00 2,680,800.00 465,000.00

3.80 16.20 0.0120 3.4000 24.70 0.0082

33,905,000 4,464,600 69,200,000 3,000 3,173,700 579,000,000

126,271,910.00 71,085,718.00 840,000.00 10,160.00 76,736,340.00 4,442,500.00

18.7 96.1 456 489 97.5 102.5

844,500 2,300 4,850 12,100 9,650 1,030

15,612,890.00 224,578.00 2,211,396.00 5,814,220.00 917,794.00 104,426.00

5.4

10 340,300

4,800.00 1,844,225.00

900 95 1.02 101 979.5 990

2,020 5,140 7,000 1,320 500 155

1,679,400.00 488,450.00 7,120.00 130,320.00 486,890.00 154,700.00

100

1,100

109,600.00

997 75 77.2 74.45 74.9 74.45

420 9,200 220 2,530 24,310 250

414,700.00 682,306.00 16,920.50 181,148.50 1,805,740.00 18,130.00

73.5 1.8

77,580 8,000

571,661.00 11,400.00

2.040

925,000

1,788,100.00

5.1 1.76

4,181,000 28,309,000

21,368,154.00 48,415,600.00 6,050,944.00

Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Xurpas

2.7 5.15 1.6

19,000 5,778,300 48,413,000

First Metro ETF

117.5

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 67,710 7,919,993.00

115.5

53,060

10.1

DOLLAR DENONIMATED SEC. 8,310 83,931.00

10.1

190

USD DMPL A1

1,919.00

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS Abra Mining Oriental Pet. `B’ Oriental Pet. `A’ Philodrill Corp. `A’ Phinma Energy United Paragon Abacus Cons. `A’ Megaworld Island Info MRC Allied Ind.

VOLUME 6,163,000,000 2,097,200,000 809,700,000 415,000,000 326,476,000 291,000,000 176,645,000 175,969,700 164,060,000 148,370,000

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

VALUE 3,917,648,955.00 2,395,046,010.00 2,384,194,405.00 2,013,419,385.00 1,975,293,342.00 1,908,344,675.00 1,738,531,537.00 1,701,347,990.00 1,596,194,749.00 1,520,884,216.00

Strong gaming revenues hike Okada Manila’s sales to P28.2b

By Jenniffer B. Austria OKADA Manila, the integrated resort and gaming complex owned by Japan’s Universal Entertainment Corp., posted revenues of P28.2 billion in 2018 on strong gaming sales.

Universal Entertainment said in a statement posted on its website that Tiger Resort Leisure & Entertainment Inc., the operating company of Okada Manila, registered gaming revenues of P27.2 billion in 2018 and non-gaming sales of contributed P1.74 billion.

The company did not provide comparative figures. Earlier, Universal Entertainment reported that Okada Manila booked sales of P7.91 billion (16.05 billion yen) in 2017.

Gaming revenues from VIP table games accounted for P12.6 billion of the total, while mass table games and gaming machines contributed P6.8 billion and P7.7 billion, respectively.

Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) stood at P2.14 billion in the full year of 2018.

The $2.4-billion Okada Manila, which opened in December 2016, is the third integrated resort and casino to open in government-sponsored Pagcor Entertainment City after Bloomberry Resort’s Solaire Resort & Casino and Melco Crown’s City of Dreams.

Okada Manila’s gross gaming revenues reached P8.11 billion in the fourth quarter, while non-gaming sales reached P622 million as hotel occupancy remained high.

Universal Entertainment through unit TRLEI earlier reported plans to list its shares in the Philippine Stock Exchange after acquiring Asiabest Group International Inc., a listed dormant company.

Okada Manila is currently in the midst of an intra-corporate dispute involving major shareholders of the company.

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

PH, Singapore eye derivatives in local bourse

By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. and Singapore Exchange Ltd. are working together to develop new Philippine equity index derivatives for listing in the local bourse.

The development follows an agreement signed in 2013 that paved the way for the listing of SGX-PSE MSCI Philippines Index Futures on SGX in November that year.

“We are laying the groundwork for development of derivative products to enable PSE to offer a more diverse product line to investors and help us catch up with peer exchanges. Our partnership with SGX will allow us to learn from their experience in operating a derivatives market,” said PSE president and chief executive Ramon Monzon.

The move is aimed to offer foreign investors greater variety in gaining access to the Philippine equity market, which is one of fastest-growing in Southeast Asia.

“We are pleased to broaden our cooperation with PSE to advance the Philippine derivatives market. As domestic and international markets are complementary, this enhances our role in increasing access into Asean and emerging Asia, as well as providing tools for clients to manage risk and allocate capital,” said SGX chief executive Loh Boon Chye.

Asean, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes some of the world’s best-performing emerging markets, presents immense opportunities for international investors. If taken as a single country, with a population of over than 600 million, the group would have a gross domestic of over $2 trillion, ranking it among the 10 largest economies globally.

The PSE said it would also work with the Securities and Exchange Commission and other stock market stakeholders to develop rules and regulations for listing and trading derivative products.

World

B3

MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2019 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Trump slams FBI counter investigation W

ASHINTON― President Donald Trump blasted the FBI on Saturday, insisting it acted “for no reason & with no proof” when it opened an investigation into whether he was acting on Russia’s behalf after he fired the agency’s director, James Comey, in May 2017.

WINTER WONDERLAND. People walk on the banks of Neva River in Saint Petersburg on January 12, 2018. AFP

US govt shutdown sends the economy into uncharted waters WASHINGTON―The US government shutdown on Saturday became the longest in history and is taking a growing bite out of the world’s largest economy with each passing day, economists say.

While most of the 21 “lapses” in government spending since 1976 left barely a scratch on economic growth, the length of this shutdown makes it harder to say just how bad the impact could get.

“It’s not a hard stretch to say that initially it’s smaller and then it expands, the pain starts to widen,” Beth Ann Bovino, chief US economist at S&P Global Ratings, told AFP. “Think of it as a butterfly effect.”

With about a quarter of the federal workforce affected, the shutdown is currently squeezing an estimated $1.2 billion a week out of the economy, Bovino said, but that figure could grow if it drags on.

At the current rate, within two weeks it will have cost America more than the $5.7 billion US President Donald Trump is demanding for a wall on the border with Mexico, the dispute with Congress that led to the failure to pass funding for government operations.

Following extended closures in 1995 and 2013, the US economy continued to grow while stock

markets mainly went sideways.

And GDP growth lost in one quarter can rebound in the next as the government springs back to life and workers recoup lost salaries. But some losses can never be recovered.

In myriad but often unseen ways, the $4 trillion federal budget is felt in the daily lives of all Americans, well beyond the 800,000 government workers now going without pay -- many of whom missed their first paychecks on Friday.

Switching off even a part of the government means that life force quickly begins to bleed away.AFP

IN BRIEF

Small is the new beautiful in weddings in Saudi Arabia

Abbas plans anti-Hamas measures RAMALLAH―The decade-long Palestinian split looks set to deepen in the coming months, with president Mahmud Abbas poised to take multiple measures against Gaza to squeeze its Islamist rulers Hamas.

The moves raise concerns of more suffering for Gaza’s two million residents, already under an Israeli blockade and facing severe electricity shortages, while a cornered Hamas could renew violence against Israel.

Analysts say the measures will also widen the gap between Hamasrun Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where Abbas’s government has limited self-rule.

Hamas and Abbas’s secular Fatah party have been at loggerheads since the Islamists seized control of Gaza from Abbas’s forces in a near civil war in 2007, a year after sweeping parliamentary elections.

Hamas has since fought three bloody wars with Israel and fears of a fourth remain.

Multiple reconciliation attempts between the Palestinian factions have failed but Egypt thought it had made a breakthrough in late 2017 when the two sides agreed to eventually share power. AFP

Search for German tourist called off SYDNEY―An extensive aerial search for a German tourist missing in the vast Australian outback for almost two weeks has been called off, police said.

Monika Billen, 62, was reported missing last week after leaving her resort in Alice Springs, a remote town near the geographical centre of Australia.

She is believed to have hitched and walked her way to the Emily Gap, a site popular with tourists in a remote nature park famed for its rocky ravines and gorges.

Police had launched land and aerial searches for Billen, including the use of drones.

They believe a motorist may have seen her looking dehydrated and a disorientated as early as January 2.

“Despite our efforts no further evidence has been found to indicate Monika is still out there,” Northern Territory Police Superintendent Pauline Vicary said in a statement on Saturday.

“Neither is there any evidence to indicate foul play. The last physical sighting we have for her is the Emily Gap and surrounding area, which we have thoroughly searched.” AFP

The New York Times reported that the FBI launched the previously undisclosed counterintelligence investigation to determine whether Trump posed a national security threat, at the same time that it opened a criminal probe into possible obstruction of justice by the president.

The FBI investigation was subsequently folded into the broader probe

by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election and possible collaboration by the Trump campaign.

No evidence has publicly emerged that Trump was secretly in contact with or took direction from Russian officials, the Times said.

“Wow, just learned in the Failing New York Times that the corrupt former leaders of the FBI, almost all fired or forced to leave the agency for some very bad reasons, opened up an investigation on me, for no reason & with no proof, after I fired Lyin’ James Comey, a total sleaze!”

Trump tweeted.

According to Trump, “the FBI was in complete turmoil... because of Comey’s poor leadership” and the way he handled the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server to send some government emails.

“My firing of James Comey was a great day for America,” Trump said, describing the former FBI director as “a Crooked Cop who is being totally protected by his best friend, Bob Mueller.”

Asked in a late Saturday interview with Fox News whether he had ever worked for Russia, Trump replied: “I think it’s the most insulting thing I’ve ever been asked... I think it the most insulting article I’ve ever had written and if you read the article, you’d see that they found absolutely nothing.” AFP

TRUE STORY. A handout made available by the Polish Institute and Sikorski museum shows the brown bear Wojtek carrying a tree trunk in Castrocaro, Italy, on March 22, 1945. - The unbelievable true story of the orphaned bear cub, who was found

by Polish troops in Persia and then traveled through Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Italy, and Scotland as a morale-booster, is now being turned into an animated movie. AFP

JEDDAH—It was a Saudi wedding like any other—clutching a decorative sword, the groom bobbed and swayed in a traditional dance. But there was one striking difference—a tiny guest list.

Weddings in the oil-rich kingdom are typically lavish affairs, with a bulging guest list which is seen both as a social obligation and a symbol of affluence.

Such expectations are often a source of economic strain for grooms, who foot most of the bill which includes renting out exorbitantly-priced marriage halls where nuptial celebrations are usually held.

But millennials like Basil Albani are increasingly hosting weddings at home, defying family traditions and social pressure and making huge savings instead.

Fewer than two dozen close relatives and friends were invited to the 26-yearold insurance executive’s recent wedding feast comprising kabsa -- a traditional rice and meat dish -- at his ancestral home in western Jeddah city.

It was a microscopic figure by Saudi standards.

“People go all crazy with weddings, inviting hundreds of guests and spending millions in one night to get the best singers, best bands, best thobes,” said Maan Albani, the 21-year-old brother of the groom, dressed in a gold-trimmed cloak.

“We wanted to do something different with a smaller celebration at home,

which can also be fun.”

Although prevalent for years, home weddings symbolise a war on excess by the country’s youth as much as they are a barometer of the lagging economy.

They appear to be gaining popularity in the petro-state in a new age of austerity amid low crude prices.

Saudi Arabia has one of the world’s highest concentrations of super rich households.

But with cuts to cradle-to-grave subsidies and a new value-added tax amid soaring youth unemployment, Saudi households are seeing stagnating disposable incomes and what experts call a lifestyle downgrade.

The change in fortunes in the once tax-free kingdom facing a youth bulge is a stress point that poses a challenge for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto leader.

And there are signs of an impact on the Saudi wedding market.

Annual spending on marriages in the kingdom exceeds two billion riyals ($533 million, 466 million euros), the highest in the Arab world, organisers of the Saudi international wedding fair said last year.

Statistics on frugal home marriages are hard to come by, but two wedding planners with a large Saudi clientele told AFP that average spending on marriages had dropped by 25 percent over the past year, with many trimming back the pomp and pageantry. AFP

Saudi teenager settles in Canada after being granted asylum

TORONTO―A “very, very happy” Saudi teenager who caused a sensation by defying her family and seeking asylum abroad was welcomed with open arms in Toronto Saturday at the end of a dramatic but exhausting international odyssey.

Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland greeted Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun after she landed in Toronto, wearing a skirt, a gray hoodie emblazoned in red with the word “CANADA” and a blue cap with the logo of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Smiling broadly, the 18-year-old posed for photographers with Freeland

at her side, but made no statement.

Later, she tweeted a video of her arrival, with the comment: “I love Canada I love you all.”

Freeland said Qunun “wanted Canadians to see that she’s here, that she’s well and that she is very, very happy to be in her new home.”

“She had a pretty long journey and is exhausted and prefers not to take questions for the moment,” the diplomatic chief added, with an arm around Qunun’s shoulder.

She was taken in by Toronto-based refugee group Costi, a spokeswoman said.

Shortly after her arrival, Qunun

went shopping for some warm clothes in central Ontario, according to the spokesman, noting the teenager knows several people there and contacted them.

In the coming days, Costi representatives will help her open a bank account and perform various administrative tasks before finding her a permanent home.

In the meantime, she is staying in a facility constantly under guard. Costi has recommended Qunun that she avoid sharing her address.

The arrival in Canada marks the epilogue of an international saga.

Qunun captured the world’s attention with a trail of Twitter posts that ignited a #SaveRahaf movement as she fled what she said was physical and psychological abuse from her family in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia.

Rights groups also said she had renounced Islam, risking prosecution in Saudi Arabia. Her family has denied the abuse allegations.

The publicity thwarted an attempt to deport her to Saudi Arabia after she arrived in Bangkok on a flight from Kuwait a week ago, with Thai authorities instead turning her over to the UN’s refugee agency. AFP

REMEMBERING RMB AS

A COOL, CARING BOSS

MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2019 advertise@manilastandard.net

Ako Bicol Rep. Rodel M. Batocabe shares a light moment with senior citizens during his routine activities with them during his term as solon. Pool Photo

Batocabe's personal life:

From simple Daraga boy to Congress titan

By Peter Paul Duran WHEN Gertrudes Batocabe visited her late husband Ako Bicol Party List Rep. Rodel M. Batocabe's office at the House of Representatives, it was the first time the staff recalled her being there.

It was on rare occasions as well that they saw him with his wife, whom he's been with for more than 30 years, during official proceedings.

"Actually kahapon lang pumunta ang wife niya sa office niya," said Llanah Bagalayos, 23, executive assistant to Batocabe when Manila Standard went to the slain Partylist Coalition President's office Wednesday.

His two children - Justin, a BS Economics (Cum laude) and Juris Doctor Graduate of the University of the Philippines, and Kiel, a Political Science graduate of De La Salle University, are now gainfully employed, but not for him, not even for his law firm.

"That's just how he is siguro, may clear difference for him ang personal life and public service," Bagalayos added noting that with the congressman's contemporaries, politics is usually a family affair.

But that doesn't mean RMB, as he is fondly called by his staff, wasn't a family man. He wasn't just that showy, says Bagalayos. "For him whenever he's here, work lang talaga," she added.

And that's the trait the late solon took with him to Congress from his humble life in Daraga, Albay, to his stint as a working student for the House of Representatives when he took up law at the University of the Philippines-Diliman and eventually, when he led a topnotch party list to three successive terms in Congress.

A public school teacher's son, Batocabe had known the importance of hard work from a young age. "Nung early life niya hindi siya well-off kaya nagtiyaga talaga siya," said Bendell Yamo, Batocabe's Legislative Officer. "Nagtitinda pa nga siya dati ng encyclopedia sabi niya sa akin."

Upon graduating as high school valedictorian from Aquinas University Science Oriented High School-Legazpi City in 1982, he entered the UP as a scholar and completed his Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1986 as a Dean’s Medalist. He then entered the UP College of Law as a working student to finance his studies, and graduated as Most Outstanding Law Intern.

He initially worked as a Researcher at Health Action Information Network and as Graduate Assistant at the UP-Graduate School and thereafter, Research Assistant at the UP College of Education. Rep. Batocabe had also been an active leader of Bicolano organizations since his student days at the University of the Philippines.

In his last two years at UP Law, he was employed at the House of Representatives as Legislative Staff Chief. Eighteen years after he left Congress in 1992, Rep. Batocabe "never imagined he'd be back again not as an employee but as a member of Congress."

In 1995 he established a firm together with former Presidential Spokesperson, Harry Roque, who was also his co-worker during his employ at the House, and Inquirer columnist Joel Ruiz Butuyan. Later, he formed his own law offices, the Batocabe & Associates Law Offices at the Ortigas Center, Pasig City of which he was managing partner until his election to Congress in 2010.

For all his accomplishments, Rep. Rodel M. Batocabe is the 2017 University of the Philippines’ Distinguished Alumnus Awardee for Public Service and Good Governance and Most Distinguished Rotarian in 2014 awarded by the Rotary Club.

By Peter Paul Duran

A

LITTLE refresher on history would tell you that the status symbol of a throne was the arbitrary choice for the highest-ranking officials of government and religions commonly understood to be the seat occupied to “elevate” the rulers from the commoners. The head honchos from the new recruits. The boss from their employees.

And some people take pride in showcasing their seats of power, especially politicians.

But when Manila Standard went to the office of the late AKO-Bicol AKO BICOL Party List Representative Rodel M. Batocabe, there was no proverbial “seat,” not even the engraved desk nameplates given to every Honorable were to be found anywhere near the spot he frequented.

Why? He just didn’t feel so.

“Yan, diyan lang siya,” said Llanah Bagalayos, Political Affairs Assistant III, who worked closely with the Congressman, while pointing to an office chair.

“Kapag nandito siya sa office at dito siya maglalunch, tinatawag niya kami tapos samasama naman kaming lahat dito sa table para kumain, mag-usap,” the executive assistant to Batocabe added. “Hindi naman siya mahilig mag-desk, kase rason niya parati din naman siyang nasa labas para um-attend ng meetings, at para makasama ‹yung constituents niya.”

Perhaps it was this openness to his staff that made “RMB” endeared so much by the people working with him. A kind of relationship that touched the essence of friendship, mentorship, and respect.

“Siguro he saw himself in me,” said Bendell Yamo, Legislative Officer for the solon. “Like me, he was also a working student when he took up law in UP, kaya siguro he saw something in me para kunin ako,” he added.

Yamo, 40, has been working with AKO Bicol since 2016 and recalled his very first meeting with the eclectic representative. “Dumating siya naka-polo shirt, simpleng-simple. Sa interview nalaman niya na I’m a working law student na may pamilya na. ‘Ganyan din ako noon’ sabi niya sa akin,” he said of Batocabe whom likewise started out as a staff in the House of Representatives while studying law, before leading a topnotch party to three successive terms in Congress.

“Since nu’ng una napansin ko na hardworking siya, at ‘yun ang gusto niya ma-imbibe namin. Iniemphasize niya talaga ang discipline at work ethics and ‘yung importance ng making yourself always available.”

The legislative officer, who was primarily involved in drafting Batocabe’s bills, resolutions, said that «boss RMB» had this belief that much potential deserved equal responsibility.

“The more the utos, the more the tiwala (laughs).

Sinasabi niya parati, ‘pasalamat ka binibigyan pa kita ng tatrabahuin kase alam kong kaya mo gawin. Kaya siguro sabi niya (working here) is your ticket para

Serving until the end: Rep. Rodel M. Batocabe WHEN a person's political career starts out with a genuine impulse to serve the people, you know he's on the right track.

So after seeing the devastation brought

by Bagyong Reming in his hometown in Albay, the late AKO BICOL Party List Representative Rodel M. Batocabe saw it fit to carry out relief operations for his fellow Bicolanos in need.

Perhaps, this spurred his innate passion for public service, so it was no surprise that he led a party which topped the 2010 and 2016 elections.

Batocabe showed admirable humilty when he decided to shelf his "Vanity Bill" in response to the pulse of the people.

But RMB, as he is called by the people around him, maybe best

remembered as a zealous lawyer and lawmaker, for which he was recognized as the most prolific party list lawmaker in the 16th Congress.

A perennial delegate and participant to various international conferences in Asia, Europe, Australia, United States and Latin America, he has also authored and co-authored various laws especially on education, health, good

governance and livelihood.

A fair mediator, Rep. Batocabe was the President and head of the Party List Coalition, a 50-member bloc in Congress, composed of party list representatives, and in his role he stressed the importance for partylists of having “one voice” to be recognized in the House.

In the 16th Congress, he pushed for the creation in the House of Represen-

makapagtapos ng pag-aaral, gusto ko after 5 years wala ka na sa congress, lawyer ka na, “ Yamo said, visibly moved as he recalled the confidence Batocabe had for him.

Batocabe, who would have only been 53 this coming April, was the epitome of hardwork. He was very hands-on with his priority bills, and very passionate when it comes to the concerns of his constituents, especially the PWDs and senior citizens, says Yamo.

“He would remind us frequently to always do our task beyond the call of duty. At hindi ka dapat magyabang kahit marunong ka na. Paniwala niya kapag willing ka matuto malayo mararating mo,” he added.

As a boss, Batocabe was very reasonable, says Bagalayos, 23, and understood his staff. “Simple siya. Parang hindi nga siya congressman,” she said in jest. “Nangunguha pa nga ng ulam minsan eh (laughs). Lalo na kapag isda ang ulam namin, magkakamay talaga siya kahit naka-amerikana.”

The EA, a direct hire by Batocabe in March of 2018, says that whenever RMB was around, the workplace was as boisterous as it could get.

"

He would remind us frequently to always do our task beyond the call of duty.

“Palabiro din siya. He’s a very jolly person,” she said while showing Manila Standard one of the many videos of Batocabe teasing his staff inside the Partylist Coalition Office, of which the Bicolano solon was President.

“Pero kapag work, work talaga. Seryoso siya sa trabaho niya. Lahat ng papagawin niya dapat may sense of urgency. Kaya minsan nagsusungit kapag may nawawala siyang papeles. Pero nagga-galit-galitan lang minsan ‘yun, pagkatapos wala na. Kahit may pagkakamali kami, pinapatawad niya,” she added.

When asked to describe their late boss in just one word, Bagalayos said Batocabe was one of the most “colorful” characters she has had the chance to work with, ever.

Yamo however, despite trying hard to pull out the right one, could not, saying RMB’s worth can’t be described by a solitary word. On hindsight, maybe that’s what RMB was in his life, think of any superlative and he’ll probably be miles better in any way, shape, or form.

Batocabe would always tease his staff “kapag nawala ako dito sa office na’to mami-miss niyo rin ako.”

Yes, RMB, you will be missed, but never forgotten.

tatives of the Committee on Climate Change for which he became its first Chairperson. He used to chair as well the Committee on Bicol Recovery and Economic Development.

And in the 17th Congress, he was a member of the prestigious House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal, the Joint Congressional Power Commission, Oversight Sub-Committee on Legislative Franchise, Vice Chairman of the Committee on Dangerous Drugs and Committee on Good Government

and Public Accountability.

He is likewise a deputized member of the Board of Trustees of Dr. Emilio B. Espinosa, Sr. Memorial State College of Agriculture and Technology (DEBESMSCAT).

Batocabe was doing what he loved, serving his people. And in that fateful day during a routine gift-giving activity for Senior Citizens and PWDs, his short but impactful political career came to a close. But one thing is for sure: He served until the very end.

Peter Paul Duran

Life

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

FOOD

MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2019

Wolfgang Zwiener

brings his steaks to BGC

W

OLFGANG’S Steakhouse is known to serve some of the best steaks in the world. Filipinos finally got to taste this for themselves when the restaurant’s first Philippine location in Newport Mall, Resorts World Manila opened in 2016. This was soon followed with the opening of its The Podium branch.

Two years and two Philippine locations later, Wolfgang Zwiener’s eponymous steakhouse finds its third home in Bonifacio Global City. It officially opened on Dec. 22, 2018.

President and managing partner Peter Zwiener said he highly sought out the restaurant’s third location.

“BGC is a beautiful, vibrant, and cosmopolitan area of Manila and was the initial place I spent time when I visited the Philippines for the first time six years ago,” he shares.

This expansion to the bustling city center of Taguig comes at the perfect time for Wolfgang’s Steakhouse to expand its clientele—reaching out to even more experienced diners and tapping into the tech-savvy millennial market.

“All our dishes are ‘Instagrammable’ due to the beauty, abundance, and size of our dishes—from the sizzling Porterhouse, to the seafood platters, to the thick slab of bacon, to our salads, especially the Wolfgang’s Salad or Beverly Hills Chopped Salad, as well as the scrumptious and decadent desserts including our homemade New York-Style Cheesecake or Apple Strudel a la Mode,” says Zwiener.

RECIPE F

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E

S

Quick, healthy meals for busy parents HOLIDAY’S over and this means most of us are back to the daily grind—kids at school and adults at work. Days are doubly challenging for parents who are always rushing from one thing to the next without any time to rest. On busy days when moms and dads can only spare a couple minutes to prepare healthy and filling meals, Turkish appliances brand Beko shares these recipes:

Peter Zwiener, president and managing partner of Wolfgang’s Steakhouse.

C1

Wolfgang Zwiener, founder of Wolfgang's Steakhouse.

Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad

Medallions of Filet Mignon Aux Poivre

USDA Prime Dry-Aged Rib Eye Steak

Fresh Oysters

Wolfgang Steakhouse BGC enthralls diners with its interiors featuring wooden planked floors, alabaster chandeliers, and abundant old-world, New Yorker charm.

Even more exciting is Wolfgang’s Steakhouse’s promise of an unparalleled dining experience. The restaurant offers strictly USDA Prime Black Angus beef, which is dry-aged on premise under an environment with a controlled temperature and humidity for an average of 28 days. This proprietary process of dry-aging, completed on site to perfection, results in luxurious, meltingly tender, and juicy steaks—served sizzling hot with a perfectly caramelized crust.

The restaurant said fresh cuts of meat, hand-picked by the steakhouse, are flown in (chilled, never frozen) each week.

Also well worth a try is Wolfgang’s Steakhouse lunch menu. Among its lunch specials are a variety of salads: the filling, garden-fresh Salad Nicoise; the sirloin-topped Steak Salad; and the refreshing Shrimp and Pomelo Salad which boasts of a distinct Asian flavor.

Some of the standout steaks on the lunch menu include the classic dryaged Rib Eye, the Medallions of Filet Mignon with Mushroom Sauce or Au Poivre, and the Wolfgang Lite, which is a quick lunchtime fix with small portions of filet mignon steak and Beverly Hills Chopped Salad.

Also on the menu is a mouth-watering selection of pasta, burgers, and sandwiches.

The steakhouse also offers guests a diverse, award-winning selection of fine wines from all over the globe.

Chicken and Spinach Wrap Cooking time: 15 min. | Serves: 1 Ingredients: 1 pc. wrap 1 pc. hard boiled egg 100g roast chicken 50g raw spinach ½ slice avocado 1 pc. tomato 50g rocket sesame seeds salt and cayenne Procedure: 1.

Take a large tortilla then flake the chicken inside the tortilla.

2.

Slice the avocado, hard boiled egg, and tomato.

3.

Cut the spinach leaves into pieces.

4.

Place all ingredients inside the wrap. Roll.

5.

Season with sesame seeds, salt, and cayenne as desired.

Seafood Platter

The third Wolfgang Steakhouse branch in the Philippines is located on the lower ground floor of One Bonifacio High Street at 28th Street cor. 5th Ave., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Veggie Nuggets

Cooking time: 25 min. | Serves: 2 Ingredients: 125g 225g 1 clove 2 pcs.

125g 100g 1g 1g 10g

shredded carrots broccoli florets garlic eggs breadcrumbs, divided shredded cheddar cheese onion powder salt canola oil seasoning (optional)

Procedure: 1.

Shred carrots. Stem broccoli until tender.

2.

Place shredded carrots, steamed broccoli, garlic, eggs, 1 cup of breadcrumbs, cheese, and onion powder in food processor and pulse for 15 seconds until well combined.

Mixture should easily form into a ball. If it’s too crumbly, add water, one teaspoon at a time, until you achieve the desired consistency.

3.

Form mixture into balls. Flatten slightly into round discs.

4.

Place remaining breadcrumbs on a shallow dish. Coat each nugget with breadcrumbs.

5.

Heat oil in a skillet on medium high heat.

Arrange nuggets in the skillet and cook about 3-4 minutes each side until golden brown and crispy.

6.

Serve with yogurt and mint dip.

Smoked Mackerel and Avocado Toast

Cooking time: 10 min. | Serves: 2 Ingredients: 4 pcs. thick slices of cereal bread 2 pcs. avocado 250g smoked mackerel 2 pcs.

Granny Smith apples 12 pcs. cherry tomatoes shelled walnuts fresh rosemary extra virgin olive oil salt Procedure: 1.

Toast the bread slices.

2.

Peel the avocados and spread them over the toast.

3.

Cut the apple into thin slices and place them on the avocado.

4.

Add the smoked mackerel, cherry tomatoes cut in half, walnuts, rosemary, and then season.

Life

C2

MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2019 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

A delicious beginning of the year T

HE feast continues this January as a premier hotel in Manila welcomes 2019 with an exciting lineup of special promos at its in-house dining establishments.

Assorted sushi, grilled salmon, and hotate teppan at Yurakuen.

Lobby Lounge offers Merienda Buffet at P588 nett per person.

Diamond Hotel shows how to start the year right with a sumptuous smorgasbord at Corniche. The buffet restaurant offers its newest buffet theme night featuring the Flavors of China at P2,880 nett per person.

Japanese favorites are served at Yurakuen, whose Power Lunch or Dinner is priced at P1,500 nett this January. Yurakuen guarantees diners the unique and authentic flavors of Japan.

Enjoy Filipino delicacies and snacks at the Lobby Lounge with its Merienda Buffet at P588 nett. Diners will be treated to the hotel’s version of local merienda favorites served with a cup of hot tea.

A drink with a view? The sky-high bar of the hotel, Bar27 serves a refreshing Manila Sunset cocktail, perfect while enjoying the view of the Manila Bay sunset.

Diamond Hotel’s bar treats imbibers who will order any signature cocktail to a 50 percent discount on their second glass.

Diamond Hotel Philippines is located at Roxas Boulevard cor. Dr. J. Quintos Street, Manila. Call (02) 528-3000 or email guestservices@diamondhotel.com for inquiries.

Bar27 serves the perfect drink to enjoy the view of the Manila Bay sunset--the Manila Sunset cocktail.

USDA Prime Dry-Aged Rib Eye Steak

GrabFood adds 12 restaurant-partners

Magnolia Ice Cream Best of the Philippines' Collection is made creamier with carabao's milk.

Ice cream made creamier with carabao’s milk

LOCAL ice cream label Magnolia Ice Cream gives its bestselling Best of the Philippines’ Collection a creamy twist with the addition of carabao’s milk.

The Best of the Philippines’ Collection made with carabao’s milk consists of eight unique flavors, namely Avocado Macchiato, Taro White Cheese, Tablea Yema,

Mango Dark Chocolate, Mango Salted Caramel, Ube Caramelized Sugar, and Ube Keso.

The crowd favorite Avocado Macchiato is a treat in every scoop. This indulgent flavor is made of freshly picked avocados churned smoothly with carabao’s milk—creating an impeccably creamy texture—and topped off with tablea bits and mac-

FOOD delivery service GrabFood further strengthens its position with the addition of 12 new international and homegrown restaurant-partners.

In just seven months after its beta testing, GrabFood has become the fastest growing food delivery service with the widest restaurant selection in the Philippines.

Joining the app’s wide roster of international restaurant chains are Bonchon Chicken, Yoshinoya, Wendy’s, and Dunkin’ Donuts. Homegrown restaurant chains Goldilocks Bakeshop, ArmyNavy Burger+Burrito, Chooks-togo, Tori Chizu, GoBento, The French Baker, and Lartizan are also added to offer more diverse offerings.

Grab’s food delivery service is now available in 12 cities and more than 4,000 active restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu.

“We’re happy to see GrabFood grow

to be the preferred food delivery service in the Philippines,” enthused Grab Philippines country marketing head Cindy Toh. “This 2019, our consumers can expect more food experiences and wider merchant reach that satisfies more cravings,” she added.

GrabFood announced its plans to expand its operations to more cities in the Philippines this year.

Go to www.grab.com/ph/food for more information.

Chooks-to-go

chiato ripple.

The decadent Tablea Yema, on the other hand, is perfectly balanced with the sweetness of yema and the bold flavor of chocolate.

The Magnolia Ice Cream Best of the Philippines’ Collection made with carabao’s milk is now available at supermarkets and groceries nationwide.

Bonchon

Dunkin Donuts

How to survive ‘Everyday Peligro’ with a full stomach

Jollibee, through its latest ad campaign, offers fun and creative ways to survive 'everyday peligro.'

EVERY employee has most likely experienced petsa de peligro—that nerve-wracking time when payday feels so near yet so far. However, due to the increasing prices of daily necessities, petsa de peligro now extends beyond the 14th and 29th of the month.

How does one survive “everyday peligro” with a tight budget?

The latest Jollibee ad offers creative and enjoyable ways to survive everyday peligro with the help of JolliSavers.

In the newest video featuring comedienne Eugene Domingo (playing the character of U.G.E. in the brand’s 14/29 JolliSerye series), Jollibee brings Dis-

karteng Savers to the table: hilariously fun yet practical tips to survive everyday peligro.

The video illustrates a common dilemma for young working Pinoys—wanting to get home as soon as the workday ends, but not willing to pay expensive fares and surge rates.

To this situation, Domingo recommends a great Diskarteng Savers tip that will definitely be enjoyable and budget-friendly: going on a fun run home with officemates.

“Diskarteng Savers tips were inspired by real-life diskarte moves that working Filipinos do to creatively and enjoyably survive today’s trying times,” said Cathleen Capati, Jollibee

assistant vice president and head for flagship category. “JolliSavers serves as the key solution to conquering everyday peligro with its delicious and affordable offerings.”

The fast food chain offers filling, affordable meals that help working Filipinos survive everyday peligro with a full stomach. Best-sellers include the beefy langhap-sarap Yumburger (P35), the cheesiest, meatiest, sweet-sarap Jolly Spaghetti (P50), and the beefy-saucy Burger Steak (P50).

JolliSavers is available for dine-in, take-out, delivery, and drive-thru transactions in all Jollibee stores nationwide.

Entertainment

MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2019

C3

nickie.standard@gmail.com

Catriona captivates The Big Apple surprise birthday party organized by her loving fans.

On the 2nd day of the media tour, she MISS Universe 2018 Catriona Gray took New York City by storm during her guested on AOL Build Series with Kerry media tour of popular US TV programs. Justich and was nearly got mobbed Wearing a yellow, long-sleeved dress, by paparazzi as she left the studio unmindful of the chilly 0°C weather, the establishing her ‘being famous’ celebrity ‘Most Beautiful Woman in the Universe’ status. She was also on Fox 5’s Good opened her Big Apple tour with a live Day New York with Rosanna Scotto interview on Good Morning America and Lori Stokes, wearing a blue dress, with host Ginger Zee on Jan. 7, which where she mentioned an upcoming visit happened to be her 25th birthday (Jan. 6 in Indonesia.

On the 3rd day, Gray, wearing a black in Manila).

On her 5-minute live interview, she and white checkered dress, was seen on said that she was open to the idea of Telemundo’s Suelta la Sopa, a top-rating performing in a benefit show where she celebrity Gossip and Entertainment News could sing for her fans. Zee described of the Latin entertainment world, where Gray “gorgeous inside and out” after she was asked to sample eating Latin she talked about her number one passion empanadas.

On her Instagram, Gray posted an of helping poor children receive free invitation to visit Screenbid.com. education.

Gray proceeded to Live With Kelly & which will have an ‘auction’ until Jan. Ryan show where she got a surprise from 18 for various items from the Miss a group of boisterous Filipinos cheering Universe 2018 competition including at the balcony area and was greeted by some national costumes of the hosts Ryan Seacrest and Kelly Ripa candidates. happy birthday. Gray also talked on her support to the children of Young Focus Foundation in Tondo, Manila. Gray was praised on her debut on US TV shows as being articulate, engaging, eloquent and a natural charmer.

Gray, who changed from yellow to a bodyhugging red dress, also dropped by in “Celebrity Page” with correspondent Stephen Walker who got an impromptu lesson from Gray on how to do her famed Miss Universe ‘Lava walk and ‘slomo turn’. Gray radiated a cheerful, sunny demeanor that made a mark with Walker while she talked about her winning Miss Universe and her continuing charitable work.

Gray also granted an interview with GMA’s Jessica Soho for Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho as well as Inside Edition and Don Tagala of ABS-CBN North America News, covering her at the Mondrian Park Avenue where Gray got a

By Eton Conception

Over 5,000 families from affected areas in Mindoro, Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon received food packs and relief goods ALKFI's Operation Sagip.

T

HE year 2018 may have ended in a sad note for thousands of families that were affected

by Typhoon Usman, but the love and support from Filipinos around the world gave them relief and hope as they ushered in the new year from the evacuation centers.

Through ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation Inc.’s (ALKFI) Operation Sagip, over 5,000 families from affected areas in Mindoro, Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon received food packs and relief goods in the past week following the typhoon and landslides that displaced them from their homes.

In a TV Patrol report, Tiwi, Albay resident Crisanta Dacir shared how her home was not able to withstand the rise of the river when the storm struck.

The river also washed away also their belongings. Meanwhile, Camarines Sur resident Charilyn Gonzalez recounted how her home was buried by landslides which also claimed the lives of three of her children.

“Noong natabunan ang bahay namin, nandito ako sa baba. Humingi ako ng tulong noong nakita kong may liwanag sa taas. Ang hinahanap pa ngayon ang tatlo ko pang anak na namatay na talaga. (When the landslide struck, I

Simply...

From C4

Queen Nation at Okada’s Cove Manila There is little doubt among rock fans that the legendary band Queen and lead vocalist Freddie Mercury are the most powerful and iconic names in rock history.

Queen a.k.a as kings of arena rock performed in packed stadiums around the globe for over two decades.

Freddie took showmanship by a rock front man to an unparalleled level and was undisputedly crowned the lord of arena rock. He mesmerized audiences with his charismatic energy and larger than life stage persona. Upon his death in 1991, a huge void was left in the rock concert world, which to this day has not yet been matched.

Queen Nation, one of the best tributes to Queen, was formed in 2004. Queen Nation consists of Joe Retta or Gregory Finsley on vocals and keyboards as Freddie Mercury, Mike McManus on guitar as Brian May, Pete Burke on drums as Roger Taylor, and Parker Combs on bass as John Deacon.

The mission of the show is to carry on the musical torch and pay homage to the golden age of vintage Queen concerts.

Queen Nation’s live 90-minute production of Queen’s greatest hits preserves the image, sound, and stage persona of vintage Queen. Audiences are amazed at the accuracy of Queen Nation’s live retrospective journey

Typhoon Usman survivors receive aid in time for the New Year went down with our house. I asked for help from people up on the hill but three of my children were already dead and are still being searched for),” said Charilyn.

Meanwhile, ALKFI continues to build projects to help rehabilitate provinces affected by Typhoon Yolanda. One of four legacy projects is a multi-purpose school building for Margen National High School in Ormoc City, which was inaugurated this December to serve as new classrooms for students and evacuation centers for residents in the area. The building also houses food service and hospitality training laboratories for senior high school students.

Among the students who will benefit from the new facilities is Julius Cabusas, a 17-year old eighth grader who works on weekends to support his education and dream of becoming a chef.

“Excited na ako pumasok dito. Kahit mas malayo ito sa bahay namin, dito ko piniling pumasok kasi mas madaming guro, at kumpleto ang mga gamit. (I’m excited to go to this school and finish my education. I chose to go to school here because the facilities are complete and we have more teachers),” said Julius.

Operation Sagip is the emergency humanitarian assistance program of ABSCBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc. founded in 2004 that provides food and non-food relief to affected communities of disasters, as well as engage in rehabilitation and disaster risk reduction projects across the country.

To know more about Operation Sagip’s relief operations and other projects, visit www.abs-cbnfoundation.com or its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ abscbnfoundationkapamilya.

through such Queen songs as “We Will Rock You,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Are the Champions,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “You’re My Best Friend,” “Another One Bites The Dust,” “Under Pressure,” and many more. They have performed before thousands of people at casinos, fairs, festivals and private affairs all around The United States.

On Jan. 30, Queen Nation will perform the greatest hits of Queen live at Cove Manila in Okada Manila with Part3 Band and DJ Owki.

Tickets at P4000 are available at all SM Ticket Outlets, SMTickets.com, and Platinumlist.ph. For ticket inquiries and reservations, contact SM Tickets at 470-2222 or call DMC Philippines at +639178962805. *** MMFF a big success, says MMDA Chair Danilo Lim thanks Curtains closed on the Metro Manila Film Festival 2018 on Jan.7. The Philippine cinema scene is back to its usual fare with English-language films return to the screens and will certainly dominate for the next 11 and-a-half months till the next MMFF on Dec. 25.

Lim, on behalf of the steering committee of the MMFF and Metro Manila Development Authority, thanks everyone who participated and supported what he said the biggest and longest-running local film festival in the country.

“Despite the incessant rain during the Holiday season, we braved and survived the storms and have created new records,” he

announced.

According to him, the 44th MMFF surpassed previous Christmas and New Year box office grosses; on Sunday, Jan. 6, the MMFF hit the P1 billion mark and exceeded 2017’s box office earnings; as the theaters closed on Jan. 7, last day of the festival, a new record was set as the highest grossing MMFF ever - earning over P1.060 Billion, P10 Million more than the 2015 record of P 1.050 Billion.

Lim makes special mention of the production and the public support during the Gabi Ng Parangal where all the films and major actors were represented and accepted what he believes the most credible results for the awards.

He said that most of the film entries are still on extended run in cinemas nationwide.

Everyone can still catch these films.

Next year is the 45th Anniversary of the MMFF coinciding with the celebration of the Centennial of Philippine Cinema.

In a statement he sent to all media entities, he said: “We want to continue the partnership and prepare for it early on.

We look forward to more significant and groundbreaking entries and activities that would further develop the audiences’ love for Filipino films, develop and discover new talents through the student short films, and maximize exposure and linkages with international festivals.” *** Visit www.isah.red for more stories. Follow me on Facebook (@isahvr), Twitter (@ isahvred) and Instagram (@isahvred). ΙR

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Monday, January 14, 2019

ACROSS 1 Keen enjoyment 5 Discontinue 10 Actress — Fontaine 14 OPEC country 15 Of the past 16 Having the means 17 Whetted the appetite 19 Vegetative state 20 — be an honor 21 Boy 22 Poker bets 24 Alpine refrain 26 Yeasty brew 27 Harley competitor 30 Circled the earth 34 Japanese port 35 Face-to-face exam 36 Dried up 38 Frat letter 39 Stung 42 Gypsy man 43 Chef Graham — 45 Toledo’s lake 46 Colloquialism 48 Type of twin 50 Drowsing off 51 Gross!

52 Courtroom

word 54 Hound 57 Chapeau 58 Hamlet’s oath 61 Rajah’s wife 62 Thrill upon thrill 65 Ocean flier 66 Flash flood 67 H — — ham 68 Swerve 69 Seeded 70 Singer — James DOWN 1 Type of pasta 2 Was, to Ovid 3 Hourglass contents 4 Cable network 5 Pina — 6 “Forget” a letter 7 Woodworking tool (var.)

8 Gets the picture 9 Lamp site (2 wds.)

10 Book covers 11 Woodwind 12 Mendicant’s cry 13 Educational org.

18 Oahu welcomes 23 Foreman foe 24 Chatter away 25 British trucks 27 Lancaster foe

28 What coals become 29 New Zealand language 31 Tempo 32 Spooky 33 Slouch 35 Boathouse items 37 Tube trophy 40 Humility 41 Open wide 44 Wetter 47 Berlin article 49 1101, to Ovid

50 In a chair 53 Egg part 54 Concern 55 “Green Gables” girl 56 Former Montreal MLBer 58 Celebration 59 — — for keeps 60 Mediterranean landmark 61 Race the engine 63 Harsh call 64 Daisy — Yokum

Miss Universe Catriona Gray strutting the streets of New York City.

Gawad Alternative 2019 call for entries THE CCP Film, Broadcast and New Media Division now accepts entries for the Ika-31 Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video.

Deadline for submission is on or before March 15, not later than 6:00 p.m. at the CCP FBNMD Office, located at the 4/F CCP Main Building.

Entries must include a duly accomplished entry form, which can be downloaded atwww.culturalcenter.gov. ph or www.cinemalaya.org; one digital data file of the entry in full resolution (saved on USB or burned on a DVD as data with file properly labelled or identified); and one (1) DVD or USB containing the synopsis, genre, running time, rating, production credits, two black and white photos from the film entry in jpeg format, and film entry poster (if available) in jpeg format.

Interested participants can submit a maximum of three (3) entries in each category, but an entry can only be submitted in one category. Categories include Short Feature/Narrative, Experimental, Documentary, and Animation.

The selected entries will be screened

during the Ika-31 Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video Festival on Aug. 3 to 5 as part of the 15th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, which is slated from Aug. 2 to 11 at the CCP theaters and various venues.

The best films will be awarded during the Awards Night on August 5, 2019 at the CCP Tanghalang Manuel Conde (Dream Theater). Winning entries in each category will receive P25,000.00 (1st Prize), P15,000.00 (2nd Prize), and P10,000.00 (3rd Prize). An Honorable Mention awardee will also get P5,000.00. This year, Special Awards include: Best Regional Entry and Best Entry On/For/By Children.

Now on its 31st year of annually citing the country’s most outstanding film and video artists, the Gawad Alternatibo (for short) is considered the longest-running independent film and video competition in Asia.

For entry forms and complete guidelines, visit www.cinemalaya.org, www. culturalcenter.gov.ph or call the CCP FBNMD Office at 832-1125, local 1705 & 1712.

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

C4

Entertainment

MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 2019

Gallman (rightmost) onstage with other delegates from Asia and Oceana during the media presentation held at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila

Hometown girl Karen Gallman shines at Miss Intercontinental media presentation

By Nickie Wang MISS Intercontinental-Philippines Karen Gallman is now too close to her dream to become the first Filipino beauty queen to win the title in the 47-year-old international pageant.

The 26-year-old Gallman was a standout during the Miss Intercontinental media presentation on Thursday where she wore a revealing version of the Philippine terno—a white mullet dress with a low neckline.

During the media presentation held at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila (the official residence of the 87 candidates until the finals), she won the first two special awards, namely H & H Standout Beauty and Media Favorite Awards. The H & H Standout Beauty Awards carried a $1000 cash prize.

Local and foreign media friends who covered the press presentation cast their votes after more than 80 candidates have put their best walk on the ramp which determined the Media Favorite Award.

Also during the press presentation,

Miss Intercontinental organizers unveiled the schedule of the ladies leading to the grand coronation on Jan. 26 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The pre-pageant proper kicks off on Jan. 16 with The Swimsuit and Philippine Designers’ Evening Gown Fashion Show at the Grand Ballroom of Okada followed by the Evening Gown Competition and Philippine Designers’ Filipiniana Fashion Show at the Grand Ballroom of Okada on Jan. 17.

The National Costume Competition will be held on Jan. 19 at the Garden of Okada.

“The new winner will be able to follow the same footsteps of someone successful,” Miss Intercontinental CEO Detlef Tursies told the press.

“Beauty can change the world. It is important for everyone, not just for young girls,” he added.

Tickets for the preliminary shows and the final pageant/coronation night are on sale.

Contact: missintercontinentalreserve@ gmail.com or the following numbers: +639398113096 +639182863432 +639668127487 for the tickets.

AksyonTV engages millennials as 5 Plus VERY WANG

TV5 President and CEO Vincent “Chot” Reyes

NICKIE WANG

O

N SUNDAY, TV5’s sister channel AksyonTV was relaunched as 5 Plus. It’s a move, which according to its President and CEO Vincent “Chot” Reyes, to expand its sports coverage and to engage younger audience.

“By having 5 Plus, it allows us to capture a younger audience. Our research shows that our audience for the PBA is very strong in the 35 to 44 years old segment and we’re not that strong in the younger segment. With 5 Plus, the target really is the audience between 18 to 25 years old, a much younger segment,” TV5’s head honcho told Manila Standard.

Reyes further said that 5 Plus acts as a secondary channel to 5, primarily serving atypical sports and sports-related content and showcasing action geared towards a younger, more adventurous audience.

“We are excited to start the new year with the launch of 5 Plus. The intent was to create a home for what we call atypical sports-titles with a highly engaged audience base that don’t typically receive visibility of this scale,” he said.

“The best way to describe it is like the X Games. You should be able to see

skateboarding, skiing, windsurfing and all those sport events that you don’t normally see on regular free-to-air television,” Reyes added.

The television executive explained that expanding their sports coverage also enables them to serve content that resonates with the pace of the active lifestyle of its target audience.

The rebrand also sees a complete overhaul of the channel’s look, aimed at visually communicating its new identity. A young, dynamic design language was developed to represent the new programming and target audience.

Music identity and sonic branding were also created to complement the visual changes of the channel.

“It’s not a big business move in a sense that it’s not something completely different but it’s really an extension.

The combination of both 5 and 5 Plus

allows us to cement and expand further our foothold in sports,” Reyes explained.

The channel will carry some of the biggest sporting events including the upcoming southeast Asian Games and some of the international eSports competition.

For extreme sports enthusiasts, 5 Plus will cover the X Games, featuring sports like freestyle BMX and skateboarding. For eSports buffs, 5 Plus will air some of the biggest international eSports tournaments, along with the highly-anticipated The Nationals, featuring games such as Dota 2, Mobile Legends, and weaken.

For college sports fans, 5 Plus will broadcast the National Basketball Training Center League (NBTC), the National Cheerleading Championship (NCC), and more. Meanwhile, the simulcast of Radyo5 news programs airing on AksyonTV will be transferred to its new home on CIGNAL. With its expanded repertoire, 5 Plus aims to complement 5’s main channel; as the latter will continue to promote more established sports like basketball, volleyball, and boxing, among others. A selection of 5 Plus’ atypical spoils coverage will also be made available online via www.tv5.com.ph and on 5’s various social media platforms.

Titos of Manila back in ‘Dirty Old Musical’

Karen Gallman, a Filipino-Australian beauty, who represented Bohol in the 2018 Binibining Pilipinas, aims to win the first Miss Intercontinental crown for the Philippines.

LET’S hear it once more for the titos of Manila!

What started out two years ago as a feel-good, tongue-in-cheek stage musical about the joys and pains of growing old has garnered acclaim from GenXers and millennials alike.

Slated for its third run in February and March at the Music Museum, Spotlight Artist Centre’s Dirty Old Musical (D.O.M.) features world-class stage performers Robert Seña, Bo Cerrudo, Nonie Buencamino, Carlo Orosa and Jett Pangan, with Kitkat, Tricia Amper-Jimenez, Ima Castro, Neo Rivera, Katherine Tiuseco, Anthony Castillo, Matel Patayon and Carlon Matobato.

D.O.M. tackles the wacky misadventures of tito-hood— always a trend- and meme-worthy topic on social media.

Playfully naughty and irreverent, the musical peeks into the personal struggles of five men dealing with middle age crisis and all its telltale signs.

Adding even more luster to the production is a tito-llating soundtrack of well-loved and timeless OPM hits that the audience can sing along to, including “Kastilyong Buhangin,” “Mag Exercise Tayo Tuwing Umaga,” “Nais Ko,” “Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika,” “Babae,” “Bikining Itim,” “Legs,” “Ang Himig Natin,” “Sana,” “Babaero,” “Pasumpasumpa Ka Pa,” “Kung Liligaya Ka,” “Ayoko na Sa’yo,” “Balatkayo,” “Hahanapin Ko,” “Farewell,” “Nosi Balasi,” and “Mr. Kenkoy.”

Spotlight Artist heads Robert and Isay Alvarez-Seña are excited about the continuing evolution of their very first original OPM musical.

Isay shares, “Based on our experience from the last two runs, the audience can relate to the comic real-life sketches, whether they be millennials or the so-called titos and titas of Manila. This time, we’re excited to have Jett Pangan (lead vocalist of The Dawn) as part of the cast, and we’re sure that his fans will see a different Jett this time, singing and dancing with the rest of the boys.”

The couple mounted their Mr. & Mrs. Seña concert series at

the CCP in September last year, and are likely to pursue their respective TV acting projects this year.

Dirty Old Musical playdates are February 22 and 23, March 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22 and 23, 8 p.m, ISAH V. RED with matinees on March 15 and 22, 3:00 p.m..

Produced by Spotlight Artists Centre, Dexter M. Santoa directs with musical direction by Myke Salomon from Rody Vera script. Mitoy Sta. Ana and John Batalla are in charge of the set and lighting design respectively.

For ticket inquiries, call Music Museum (721-6276), or Spotlight Artists Centre (776-0919/09199114444).

Continued on C3

TITOS OF MANILA. Stage performers Jett Pangan, Nonie Buencamino, Robert Seña, Carlo Orosa, and Bo Cerrudo join forces in a feel-good, tongue-in-cheek stage musical.