Manila Standard - 2019 February 21 - Thursday

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Palace junks NYC proposal

By Nat Mariano, Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Palace and the Justice department on Wednesday shot down a proposal from the National Youth Commission to strip students who are members of leftist organizations of their government-backed scholarships.

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VOL. XXXIII • NO. 11 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Health care law signed

Makati clears way for Catriona parade

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Makati City government will implement a traffic rerouting scheme in the city today (Feb. 21) to give way to the homecoming parade for Miss Universe 2018 Next page Catriona Gray

P257-b measure expands medical perks for Filipinos

By Nat Mariano and Macon Ramos-Araneta

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday signed into law a bill that will “guarantee equitable access to quality and affordable health care services for all Filipinos.”

Under the new law, Filipinos will be automatically enrolled in the National Health Insurance Program. Membership in the NHIP will be classified as “direct contributor,” or those who can pay health premiums, and “indirect contributor,” or those sponsored by the government such as indigents, senior citizens and people with disability.

The law also aims to expand the coverage of PhilHealth benefits, which included free consultation tests and other diagnostic services.

Filipinos can also avail themselves of

primary health care services even if they don’t have PhilHealth identification cards.

Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros said the Philippines’ goal of having “healthier Pinoys and Pinays” was now closer to reality as she hailed the signing into law of the Universal Health Care Act. Hontiveros, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography and co-sponsor of the law in the Senate, said the measure was a “key milestone in the efforts to make the country’s health services equally accessible, effective and Next page affordable for all Filipinos.”

Full-blown El Niño drought threatens, weathermen warn

By Maricel V. Cruz THE weather bureau warned the public Wednesday to brace for a full-blown El Niño this year, signaling a prolonged period of reduced rainfall, rising temperatures, dry spells and drought.

In a press briefing, the administrator of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration Vicente Malano said the agency had already monitored signs of the weather phenomenon in the Pacific as early as July last year, but expects the El Niño to become full-blown by the end of February or in March.

Climate monitoring chief Analiza Solis said that with El Niño, temperature during the summer could reach 40.7 degrees, particularly in Tuguegarao, Cagayan; while Metro Manila could experience temperatures as high as 38.2 degrees.

Earlier this year, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Bukidnon, Basilan, Maguindanao and Sulu were already experiencing a dry spell, while Ilocos Norte, Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur are coping with drought, Solis said.

By the end of March, Abra, Bataan, Palawan, Ilocos Sur and Zambales may also experience drought, she said.

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CHED bars poll bets from guesting in school grads CANDIDATES running in the May 2019 elections are not allowed as guest speakers in graduation ceremonies of public and private universities and colleges, an official of the Commission on Higher Education said Wednesday.

“We’re issuing a memorandum by next

Trump wants ‘Space Force’ WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump signed an order Tuesday outlining his vision for a new “Space Force” that could one day become a separate military branch on an equal footing to the Army and Navy.

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Solaire garners 3rd Forbes Travel award SOLAIRE Resort & Casino’s Sky Tower is awarded another Forbes Travel Guide 5 Star Award for 2019, its third accolade after its 2017 and 2018 distinction.

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week after the commission en banc, enjoining all the higher education institutions, not to invite candidates to speak in graduation exercises and for state universities and colleges to prohibit them,” CHED chairman J. Prospero de Vera III told reporters in an interview on the side-

lines of the launching of Shared Genomics Core Laboratory in Quezon City.

De Vera also encouraged all universities and colleges to do “aggressive” citizen and voter education by hosting debates—for both senatorial and local Next page

Duterte sets terms of peace talks revival; NDF man arrives in Manila

By Nat Mariano and Francisco Tuyay STALLED peace talks with communist rebels will resume only if the New People’s Army stops its extortion and attacks on police and government troops, the Palace said Wednesday, after President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday night that National Democratic Front chief negotiator Fidel Agcaoili is welcome to come home.

“I think attorney Agcaoili has sounded off. He was coming again to talk. And I

told the military and the police just allow him [to come home],” Duterte said in a speech Tuesday. “After all, we are on a waiting period about the appropriate time to talk about peace. I am not that cruel.”

Duterte also had words for Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison.

“I am not saying that I am now in agreement with Sison. I don’t like his style but I do not hate him. We are friends and we can be friends. Some other time Next page

Bishop: Mindanao needs martial law A MINDANAO bishop on Wednesday expressed support for the Supreme Court’s decision upholding the constitutionality of President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to extend martial law in Mindanao for the third time, or until the end of this year.

“Mindanao needs martial law,” Ozamis Archbishop Martin Jumoad said.

“This is good for us here. Others may not understand us but if you live in Mindanao, then you will know why.”

Jumoad made his statement even as senatorial candidate Samira Gutoc said Wednesday the Supreme Court decision supporting the extension of martial law in Mindanao was a sad day for Mindanao, for the justice system and the fight for peace.

Voting 9-4, the Supreme Court declared as valid the extension of martial law in Mindanao until Dec. 31, 2019.

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ROCKING ROOKIE. The Ateneo de Manila University-educated Pampangaborn Kelsey Alaine Merritt, a 22-year-old Filipino-American model best known for being the first Filipino woman to ever walk in Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2018, has been chosen and announced by the anticipated Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition 2019 as its newest rookie.

A2

News

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Trump...

From A1

Trump wants to create a space force to protect satellites, tackle vulnerabilities in space and assert US dominance in orbit.

“We have to be prepared,” Trump told reporters after signing the directive.

“My administration has made the creation of a space force a national security issue.”

Space Force would be the sixth branch of the military alongside the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard.

The order calls for Congress to draft legislation that would establish Space Force as a branch that falls under the Air Force, similar to how the Navy oversees the Marine Corps.

Defense Department spokesman Charlie Summers said the Pentagon would submit its legislative proposal within the coming weeks.

With the new directive, “Trump is posturing the United States to compete, deter, and win in a complex multi-domain environment characterized by great power competition,” Summers said in a statement.

The Air Force said a space force would work “to ensure unfettered access to, and freedom to operate in space, and to provide vital capabilities to joint and coalition forces.”

But the creation of Space Force is by no means a done deal, as it must be vetted and approved by Congress.

Lawmakers and defense officials have reacted with skepticism, wary of the cost and added bureaucracy.

Space plays a vital role in just about every aspect of modern warfare, with many military technologies reliant on a network of orbiting sensors and satellites, and the Pentagon has warned that countries such as Russia and China are working to build anti-satellite capabilities. AFP

Solaire...

From A1

Situated in Manila’s booming Entertainment City, Solaire stands as a maverick that has broken boundaries in its quest for greatness.

Its introduction signaled the dawn of a new age that transformed the Philippine entertainment landscape and elevated Filipino hospitality to a whole new playing field.

Known to be culturally rich and ethnically diverse, the Philippines is a melting pot of centuries-old traditions passed on from its native ancestors and even from its colonial past.

It has seen the rise and fall of powers that have altered the face of its capital but, on the other hand, also reformed the ways of everyday Manila.

Despite arguments that question the archipelago’s true identity, the diversity that runs through the nation’s bloodlines has been embraced as what makes the Filipino.

This very trait chisels and sharpens the edges of its future to manifest the motherland’s much desired dreams and fuel its people’s yearned ambitions.

Solaire Resort & Casino defines the essence of this elusive quality.

The integrated resort has managed to unify its complex yesterdays with today’s modern architecture.

Its pristine and clean aesthetic with its distinguished orange logo is perfectly drawn on the canvas that is Manila Bay. It commands attention, but always subtle and never kitsch.

The property’s splendor narrates its roots in an unprecedented manner, cementing its brand of excellence as the standard among its contemporaries.

With a myriad of elements, it has created a distinct kind of sophistication that has resulted in a masterpiece that transcends the ordinary.

Much so that the world’s most distinguished travel authority has taken notice and placed the homegrown property on the global map, awarding it as one of the most luxurious and verifying its highly coveted status.

The entirety of the Forbes Travel Guidedistinguished 17-story all-suite Sky Tower lets its impeccable style, elegant interiors and timeless persona speak only for itself.

CHED...

From A1 candidates—with the condition that all electoral bets are invited.

He said state and local universities and colleges need not request approval from CHED to host such events.

“They will need to get the approval of their board of regents because they have a public function and they are covered by Civil Service Commission [CSC] rules on political neutrality,” he said.

Public universities and colleges that violate the order would be served appropriate administrative sanctions under CSC rules and regulations, De Vera added.

“CSC encourages state and local universities and colleges to take part in the elections, express their views about candidates, but it doesn’t allow them to attend rallies, campaigns and hand out leaflets and put on shirts of political candidates,” he said.

He added that private universities and colleges are not covered by CSC administrative sanctions but are “urged not to invite political candidates in graduation ceremonies.”

The campaign period for senatorial and party-list candidates began on Feb. 12. The campaign period for local candidates begins on March 29.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education said it is awaiting the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte for a P50 million addition to its 2019 budget for expenses that will be incurred for the May elections.

In a press conference in Manila, the DepEd said the bicameral conference committee has approved a P50-million increase in its budget for 2019, earmarked for the elections. PNA

Rody shuns EDSA rites

By Nat Mariano

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will not attend the 33rd anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution on Feb. 25, the Palace said Wednesday.

But Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte will issue a statement to commemorate the event.

“He hasn’t said anything. He wasn’t there last time. He wasn’t even there for two years,” Panelo said.

“So most likely he will not attend. The

President has a lot to do. Just yesterday he was so eager to finish [what he was doing] for 30 minutes because he still had errands. He’s really hardworking.”

But even if Duterte was not attending the anniversary of the bloodless revolution, Panelo said, the event played an im-

portant part in boosting democracy in the Philippines.

“I remember [the President] issues a statement, right? It’s like he always issues a statement in support. So, it’s important,” Panelo said.

Last year top government officials gathered at the People Power Monument in Quezon City to commemorate the revolution that ended the Marcos dictatorship, and those included former president Fidel Ramos and Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Muslim rebels ‘cleared’ to join Bangsamoro the government.

The transition body is expected to take over governance of the old Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao the following week.

Murad acknowledged the pressure of governing a region long hobbled by poverty and violence.

“We are in another level of struggle that is to transform from the revolutionary organization to governance,” he said, recalling that some MILF leaders had gone to Malaysia and Turkey for some training.

According to Murad, the BTA would still be using the old P32-billion budget for ARMM to deliver on the promise of improved education, social services, and infrastructure this year.

Congress allocated an additional P30 billion for the new government’s operations, but Murad said the much bigger “block grant” would have to wait until next year.

The new region also stands to receive P50 billion in “special development fund” after 2019 to help rebuild areas devastated over years of armed conflict.

MUSLIM rebels who previously fought for secession from the Philippines have been cleared to help run a new self-governing region in the southern Philippines, Murad Ebrahim, chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said Wednesday.

Murad said Abdullah Macapaar, alias Commander Bravo, would also be appointed as one of 80 members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority.

Murad will be joined by fellow MILF central committee members and front commanders, whose eligibility earlier came under scrutiny because of criminal cases that might still be pending.

But he told ANC’s Early Edition beamed nationwide: “It is all cleared.”

Murad was expected to take the role of chief minister of the three-year transition government of the new Bangsamoro autonomous region.

Macapaar led deadly attacks in Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato in 2008 after the MILF and the government failed to sign a peace deal.

The Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain, under then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, raised fears that it would lead to the creation of a sub-state for Muslims in Mindanao.

Murad said Macapaar, leader of the MILF’s 102nd Base Command, “will be appointed,” noting that the National Bureau of Investigation had cleared him of any pending cases.

Macapaar is expected to initially serve as a member of parliament.

Depending on the capability and qualifications, members would be tapped for ministerial positions, Murad said.

The MILF is awaiting the amnesty proclamation of President Rodrigo Duterte within the year to facilitate the transition of combatants to civilian life under the “normalization phase” of the peace process.

Members of the BTA were supposed to take their oath in Malacañang on Wednesday but the ceremony was reset to Feb. 22, said Murad.

He added 41 of them were nominated by the MILF while the rest were handpicked by

Full-blown...

Health care...

Solis also said that El Niño, triggered by periodic warming in the eastern Pacific Ocean, could last for five months to two years, during which the affected areas will experience reduced rainfall.

El Niño also causes tropical cyclones to become erratic, pushing their track northwards and making them stronger, PAGASA said.

PAGASA weather division chief said the reduced rainfall as a result of El Niño could also cause water levels in dams to drop, reducing the amount of hydroelectric power that can be generated.

Malano noted that the provincial government of Bohol has already requested a cloud seeding operation due to the lack of water in its dam that supplies irrigation in rice fields.

Water supply in other provinces is also below normal, the PAGASA chief said.

Senator Nancy Binay said the Universal Health Coverage law was a massive win for every Filipino family.

Senator JV Ejercito, the principal author of the Senate version of the measure, has previously said that its passage will expand PhilHealth’s coverage to include free medical checkups, laboratory tests and other diagnostic services.

The new law also gives every Filipino “immediate eligibility” for access to the full coverage of health care, which includes either population-based or individual-based health services, granting them access to preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative treatment.

According to the Health department, about P257 billion will be required to ensure the full implementation of the UHC. Funds for the UHC program will then be sourced from the incremental sin tax collections, the charity fund from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, income from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., the premium contribution of members, the annual budget of the Health department and the government subsidy to PhilHealth.

Ejercito, with the endorsement of the President, is running for senator again in 2019. In the House of Representatives, former Kabayan Rep. Harry Roque was the principal sponsor of the bill.

Roque initially intended to run for senator but dropped out of the race before the campaign period began due to health complications.

From A1

Palace...

From A1

In a statement on Wednesday, the commission’s chairman, Ronald Cardema, called on President Rodrigo Duterte to issue an executive order to withdraw the state scholarships granted to “anti-government scholars.”

Cardema said these scholars were “fighting the majority of the Filipino people” by going against the government. “[They are] also not fulfilling their roles as the expected breadwinners who will uplift their families and as our hope in strengthening our country,” he added.

Cardema, who also chairs the so-called Duterte Youth Movement, said several scholars were recently caught as members of the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

He also asked officials of the Sangguniang Kabataan, Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, Citizen Army Training, and other youth leaders to “report to the National Youth Commission all government scholars who are known in your area as anti-government youth leaders allied with the leftist CPP-NPA-NDF.” At a press briefing at the Palace, however, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo described as reckless the proposal to withdraw scholarships based only on suspicion.

“We are a government of laws, not of speculations. If we are just speculating, that will not be possible. We need evidence [to support the claim] that they are really part of the groups that oppose the government,” Panelo said.

Under the law, he added, students have the right to join protest rallies.

From A1

“If they are participating in rallies, that’s their right. That’s their right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly... If you have grievances to the government, that’s a constitutional right,” he said.

“But if you use rallies to foment violence, to incite sedition, that’s a different story,” he added.

“Under the Revised Penal Code, we have sedition, rebellion, and conspiracies to commit sedition and rebellion. If you fit in those, the government cannot support you. Otherwise, the government will be killing itself,” Panelo said.

He said he doubted if Duterte would heed Cardema’s call.

“If you would only remove [the scholarships] on the basis of suspicion, I don’t think the President will sign that,” he said.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday also rejected Cardema’s proposal, saying this would be a violation of the students’ constitutional rights.

“With all due respect, such a proposal, if adopted would effectively restrain the youth’s constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression,” the Justice secretary said.

Guevarra said state universities and colleges should be proud of their students who speak out on national issues.

“Our state universities and colleges, instead of taking it against the militant students by dropping them from the roll, should be proud that they are producing young people who are socially aware and concerned not only about themselves but also about the nation,” Guevarra said.

Senator Francis Escudero said if anyone was to lose a position, it should be Cardema,

not the students.

Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on education, arts and culture, said Cardema was bringing shame to the administration for his “ignorance” and doing a disservice to the President and the government.

“That is clearly not part of their [NYC] mandate and in violation of the Constitution and the Bill of Rghts that guarantees freedom of speech, of expression and of the press, the right of the people to peaceably assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances, and due process and equal protection of the laws.”

“The government is the government of those who agree with it and disagree with it... and the President is the President of those who voted for him and did not vote for him,” Escudero added.

“Both the President and the government should serve every Filipino without distinction and regardless of political beliefs. Dissent, in a democracy should never be frowned upon, much less penalized in any way,” said Escudero, who was a former student leader at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

Senator Francis Pangilinan, another former student leader at UP Diliman, said it is not illegal to join leftist organizations nor it is illegal to protest or join rallies.

Senator Panfilo Lacson added that showing dissent and joining anti-government rallies was an exercise of a basic right available to any citizen of the country.

Former solicitor general Florin Hilbay argued that Cardema’s proposal was contrary to the mandate of the youth commission. He said scholarships should be based on merit, not politics.

RITM attends to Mers-CoV patient A PATIENT with suspected Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus was brought to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa on Wednesday, an oficial said.

The patient, who works abroad, was first taken to the Laguna Doctors Hospital and immediately transferred to RITM, said DOH-Calabarzon director Edgardo Janairo.

“The situation is under control in such a way that the lone patient is already on the way to RITM for isolation,” Janairo told dzMM radio.

Rumors earlier claimed that a patient had died of severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS that Janairo denied.

Both SARS and MERS-CoV are contagious respiratory diseases, with the former originating in Hong Kong and China, and the latter in the Middle East, Janairo said.

“We are monitoring the diseases. We don’t have SARS or MERS-CoV cases in the Philippines. Those would be difficult to control if they spread.”

The Laguna Doctors Hospital’s emergency room, where the suspected MERS-CoV patient was first taken, was temporarily closed for decontamination, Janairo said.

The emergency room is away from the main entrance, so those visiting the hospital should not be wary, he said.

Those who interacted with the patient were required to undergo isolation in their houses. They will be brought to the RITM if they experience symptoms in 21 to 28 days, Janairo said.

MERS-CoV symptoms include fever with cough, sore throat, nasal congestion or breathing difficulty accompanied by fatigue, headache, chills, vomiting or diarrhea.

Janairo advised the public to wear face masks to avoid catching respiratory diseases.

Makati...

From A1

“Please be advised that there will be a Grand Motorcade and Ticker Tape Parade for the recently crowned Miss Universe 2018 on Thursday along Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue (from Taft Avenue) and Ayala Avenue (from Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue to EDSA),” said Makati City Information and Community Relations Department chief Romulo Salgado Jr. Salgado said the parade will start at around 4 p.m., moving towards the Freedom Park located near Ayala Avenue and Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue intersection, before proceeding to the Central Business District through Ayala Avenue.

The parade will end at Glorietta Shopping Center.

According to the Makati Public Safety Department, all affected eastbound vehicles at Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue heading towards Ayala Avenue can make a right turn to Washington Street, left turn to Dela Rosa Street, pass through Pasong Tamo Avenue, right turn to Amorsolo Street, left turn to V.A. Rufino Street, then right turn to Dela Rosa Street towards Makati Avenue or Mandaluyong City.

“Intersections will be on a stop and go mode. Traffic enforcers will be deployed to assist the motorists and the public,” said Salgado.

The Metro Manila Development Authority earlier announced that it will enforce stop-and-go scheme where vehicles carrying the Filipino beauty queen will traverse.

To guide motorists, more than 200 traffic enforcers will be deployed along the route of the parade to assist.

Illegally parked vehicles and obstructions along the route will also be cleared ahead of the parade.

The MMDA said that the parade will kick off at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila at 2 p.m. and pass through streets of cities of Pasay, Manila and Makati.

The affected roads are J.W. Diokno Boulevard, Atang Dela Rama, Vicente Sotto Street, Roxas Boulevard, T. M. Kalaw, Taft Avenue, Buendia and Ayala Avenue.

Bishop:...

From A1

Duterte...

From A1 they say I would kill for money. But since Sison is my professor, I will kill him for nothing. Except that before he goes to the blue yonder, kindly find time to talk sensible peace,” the President said.

The President said the communist rebellion has been going on for 53 years without succeeding.

“It’s a lost cause. I suggest that we do not make any demands. We go to the table and talk about it. And if he proposes something which is not acceptable and I would say, ‘No, I cannot accept that’,” Duterte said.

“And if I propose something and he does not relish it, then maybe he can go back to Netherlands. If there’s no peace, there is no way that he can come back.”

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo on Wednesday reiterated the President’s conditions for a return to the negotiating table.

“We will return to the peace talks, one, if they stop extortion. Two, if they stop attacking our police forces,” Panelo said in a Palace press briefing.

In November last year, Agcaoili, NDF consultant Luis Jalandoni and panel member Coni Ledesma were supposed to return to Manila to conduct informal talks with the President.

They canceled their trip after Agcaoili claimed that the govern-

ment’s peace panel advised them not to push through with the resumption of peace talks.

But Panelo said the NDF consultants’ apprehension about returning to the Philippines was “misplaced.”

“The President has been telling them that they are welcome to come if they want to talk. They will not be arrested. However, they expressed apprehension that they will be arrested. I already told them that their apprehension was misplaced, they’re welcome,” he said.

The Palace official said the communist group may even set conditions for the government to consider. Such conditions, however, must be “reasonable.”

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, meanwhile, said Agcaoili was already in the country but his whereabouts were unknown.

“He was already here since last week,” Lorenzana said Tuesday night.

Agcaoili and Ledesma have no pending criminal case in the country while Jalandoni has a pending murder case.

Duterte terminated the peace talks with the communists in 2017 amid a series of rebel attacks on military and civilian targets. He later declared the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army, as terrorist organizations.

Lorenzana said the government remains open to the resumption of peace talks with the communists, provided that the rebels would cease their attacks, extortion, and burning of equipment.

Gutoc said she was not surprised by the decision, but she condemned it. She said martial law has resulted in the disenfranchisement of the poor and powerless in Mindanao.

“A lot of us are fearful to even speak up in protest of martial law and we know there have been unresolved human rights violations,” she said.

Jumoad said the Mindanaoans trusted the members of the military and described them as professional in performing their tasks.

“We trust our men in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. We witness how professional they are in performing their work as peace keepers,” Jumoad said.

“Our role now is to pray for the conversion of terrorists, and may the people of Mindanao, Muslims, Lumads and Christians work for peace and harmony. Let us respect one another regardless of conviction.” PNA with Macon Ramos-Araneta

Manila

Standard

TODAY

A4

Opinion

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Inanities from the Palace INANITIES have been coming out of Malacañang. It is as if President Duterte and the people around him have nothing else to do.

There is the silly idea of changing the name of our country to Maharlika.

It was the late President Ferdinand Marcos who first suggested it. He was, as we all know, infatuated with the word “Maharlika.” This was how he called his guerilla unit during the Japanese occupation. He even wanted to name the highway extending to Mindanao Maharlika, but it became Marcos Highway.

Do they have nothing else to do?

The fact that Marcos abandoned the idea of renaming the Philippines should convince Duterte that it is not a good idea to begin with.

Can you imagine what would happen if we were suddenly known as Maharlika? Our Philippine banknotes would be demonitized and our agencies and buildings would be renamed.

If we changed our name to Maharlika, I wonder if I would have to change

my surname as well. “Jurado” is Spanish, meaning “judge.”

There is also that plan of the Presidential Communications Operations Office to have a caravan all over Europe to explain why Maria Ressa was arrested for cyber libel, and to insist that the Duterte administration did not violate press freedom.

Does Secretary Martin Andanar want another junket?

This will cost us taxpayers a lot of money. This is ridiculous. If the EU countries continue to believe that press freedom was violated, then that is their problem.

This is not the change we are clamoring for!

As far as I am concerned, the greater tragedy is the deterioration of the moral fabric of our society. And now it’s nearing election time again, and all we can see are candidates with the lowest regard for moral standards. *** Republic Act 9006 or the Fair Elections Act mandates candidates for national office, like the Senate, to spend no more than P3 per voter. Since there are 61.8 million registered voters, the most that candidates can spend is P185.4 million for their campaign.

But according to the findings of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, and confirmed by the Commission on Elections, close to 20 senatorial candidates have already spent a combined P2.4 billion to prop up their respective campaigns.

Sadly, the Comelec has neither power nor means to determine where these candidates are getting their funding.

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Bridal remorse

A

19-YEAR-OLD British teenager who joined the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group when she was 15 has just given birth in Syria and wants to return to her home country, but will likely be stripped of her citizenship.

Shamima Begum was just 15 when she left London along with two other classmates to join ISIS. Earlier this month, however, a Times journalist found her in a refugee camp. She was then nine months pregnant and told the reporter that she simply wanted to have her baby at home. Her husband, a Dutch convert to Islam, is believed to have surrendered to Syrian troops two weeks earlier.

Begum said that as a housewife in Syria, she had had two other babies who had died of malnutrition and sickness.

Begum's lawyer said the Home Office had written to her mother informing the family of the order. And, while the family may appeal the decision, Home Secretary Sajid Javid said he would not hesitate to prevent the return of those who joined or supported terrorist groups such as ISIS. While Begum said she had no regrets about going to Syria, she said the caliphate was over. "They're just getting smaller and smaller and there's so much oppression and corruption going on that I don't really think they deserve victory," she said.

She also admitted that before she left the UK, she was already aware of ISIS' beheadings and other forms of brutality and said she “was okay with it.”

"When I saw my first severed head in a bin it didn't faze me at all. It was

from a captured fighter seized on the battlefield, an enemy of Islam," she told the Times.

While in Syria, however, she said she never did anything dangerous, or participated in any propaganda efforts to gain more recruits.

The issue has heated up. On national television, the daughter of two victims of the Manchester bombing expressed anger that Begum would even express a desire to go back to the UK. Security minister Ben Wallace told BBC Radio that "actions have consequences” and that UK nationals choosing to come back after traveling to ISIS territory should expect to be questioned, investigated and potentially prosecuted for committed terrorist offenses.

"People who went out there often as amateurs are now professional terrorists or professional supporters of terrorism, and we have to make sure we mitigate that threat should they come back," he said.

But a lawyer for the families of the teenagers said they “should be treated as victims, so long as they hadn't committed any further offenses while they are out there," reported CNN. Meanwhile, an analyst at the Tony Blair Institute said the UK should not only take responsibility in investigating and prosecuting its nationals under the law, but that it needs to provide proper support structures to facilitate

their rehabilitation.

Begum's case is not isolated. In the US, two women wish to return home, regretting their decision to join ISIS. Hoda Mothana says that when she was 20, she fooled her parents by telling them she was going on a college trip but actually flew to Turkey. Gwen Polman first studied in Canada before joining the caliphate. Both women now wish to have their passports renewed and win the sympathy of the country they had abandoned, reported the New York Times.

Authorities will decide the best course of action for former terror sympathizers wanting to return, but equally important is ensuring that fewer young people—not only in the UK or US but across the globe including the Philippines—find themselves lured to the extremists' cause.

It is likely terrorist recruiters perform their missions thoroughly and methodically, employing psychological means to attract impressionable young people to join their cause. They can take advantage of technology to amplify their message, social networking to simulate emotional connections, or economic rewards to gain these young people's trust and, eventually, radicalization.

Parents, teachers and other guardians must take steps to ensure that their wards do not come close to such temptations. As Begum's case illustrates, one decision can have irreversible consequences no matter how much one wants to restore things to the way they were.

Turn to A5

A country by any other name POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE THE main argument in favor of changing our country’s name is that “Philippines” is a reminder of our colonial past, and altering it will further the decolonization process. Who needs to be reminded every day that as Filipinos, we literally call ourselves after Philip II, scion of our conquerors?

The late dictator Ferdinand Marcos proposed the name “Maharlika.” He claimed it meant “nobility?—but this idea stems from a Spanish mistranslation perpetuated by historians Blair and Robertson in their book ‘The Philippine Islands 1493 to 1898.’ “Maharlika” actually means “vassal” to the ruling class (kadatuan).

“Since the Maharlika episode,” wrote Nathan Gilbert Quimpo in ‘Colonial Name, Colonial Mentality and Ethnocentrism’ (2003) “there have been several attempts to have the country´s name changed…Almost each time, the main argument presented for the name change was that Philippines is of colonial origin. The new proposals have all been shot down, and Philippines has prevailed.”

Quimpo related the arguments against a name change, ones that we are hearing again. He cited Remigio Agpalo who had said in 1980 that “Philippines” is “a symbol of a saga of nation-building, a struggle for freedom, a history written in the blood and sweat of Rizal, Bonifacio, and many other national heroes and in the sweat and tears of ordinary citizens.”

Some argued that many have fought and died for the “Philippines,” and others like columnist Ricardo Malay in 1996 opined that “There is no real stigma to the name Philippines any more than there is to America, named after the Italian Amerigo Vespucci.”

This is the same argument raised last week by Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. In 2013, the Komisyon ng Wikang

Filipino passed a resolution changing “Pilipinas” to “Filipinas” as being more historically accurate. The idea was shot down by the public, who said the alteration of just one letter did not justify the immense cost of having stationery and signage changed.

As I wrote at the time, “But if we are going to change our country’s name, why stop with one letter and still perpetuate the memory of the colonizers, whose yoke our forebears threw off with blood, sword, and fire?”

“Philippines and Filipino are both tarnished terms,” wrote Quimpo.

“There is more to their being colonial than historians and other social scientists have perceived or cared to admit.”

Perhaps the idea for a name change has not gained much support because there haven’t been any catchy names suggested.

“They in fact represent what Frantz Fanon referred to as the internalization or ‘epidermalization’ of inferiority among peoples subjected to colonization or prolonged oppression.

Moreover, in different stages of the country´s history—and not just during the Spanish period—‘Philippines’ and ‘Filipino’ have been associated with racial, class, ethnic/national and religious discrimination.”

To illustrate, “filipina” is used by Japanese and some other nationalities to refer to domestic helpers, the price we pay for exporting workers abroad.

“Filipinos” are the brand name of a snack sold in Spain, Portugal, and other European countries. They are white cookies covered with milk or dark chocolate. Cookies that are white

Turn to A5

'I obeyed like a robot': Abuse survivor tells of predator priest

By Lucie Peytermann

DENISE Buchanan was 17 when she was raped by a seminarian who continued to abuse her when he became a priest in her native Jamaica. The Catholic Church, she says, has offered her nothing but their "prayers."

"I got pregnant and he arranged a clandestine abortion," Buchanan, still

shaking and close to tears 40 years after the ordeal, told AFP. Today aged 57, the academic is a leading member of a new international organization, Ending Clerical Abuse (ECA), which is bringing together victims in Rome this week to pressure Pope Francis to take a tougher line on

child abuse by clerics.

She has struggled in vain for years for the Church to officially recognize her as a victim—even writing to the pope himself—while the priest who abused her has escaped justice.

Buchanan's struggle underscores the Turn to A5

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Opinion

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

Dangerous driving THERE is not a single day that we do not read in the papers or watch on TV of people dying due to traffic accidents. The scary part is that it is happening with increasing frequency. This simply shows that driving in this country is getting to be very dangerous.

There are many reasons for this phenomenon. One is the changing patterns of the driving culture in this country, principally due to increasing motorization. The other is a road system that cannot keep pace with this rapid motorization both in terms of road length and engineering standards.

Many of our roads are simply substandard. In the Metropolitan area, motorists are force to compete for the limited road space.

Drivers have be more aggressive and we are beginning to see fewer and fewer drivers who are willing to give way to other motorists. Road courtesy appears to be disappearing. In 2015, which is the year that there is a reliable data, 10,767 people were killed in this country due to vehicular accidents.

This is a 45.76-percent increase from the 6,869 figure in 2006 and constitutes about 1.74 percent of the country’s total deaths. It also translates to about 11.82 people dying per 100,000 population.

Traffic deaths have been increasing since 2006. Beginning in 2010, traffic deaths have never been below 8,000.

It is therefore safe to assume that for 2018, the number of road deaths will be much higher. The most vulnerable group are those ages 15 to 64. It was about 82.17 percent of the road deaths or 8,227 of the total deaths.

Traffic accident is also the major cause of death of those belonging to the 20-to-29 age group. A sad part in this includes the death of 600 children.

It is worse among motorcycle riders.

Nationwide, 69 percent of all road deaths involved motorcycles which is hardly surprising because of the total 8.7 million motor vehicles registered nationwide, in 2015, 4.8M are motor-

‘I obeyed...

From A4

sense of isolation felt by many victims who see the institution as still in denial, particularly in poorer countries where the Church remains politically and socially influential.

She was living in Kingston when her sister introduced her and her family to the future priest, then known as Brother Paul, a theology student and a member of the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

"Brother Paul would talk at length with my father, and my mother would invite him to stay for dinner," she said.

"He told me he was very attracted to me. I felt awkward. He said that they [the Church] made rules that he didn't agree with, and he did what he needed to do to do the work of the Church," Buchanan said.

She claimed that Brother Paul forced himself on her, saying: "He pressed his lips on my lips, inserted his tongue...

His hands were touching my legs and breasts. I pulled away and told him to take me home."

Buchanan said she felt so ashamed that she decided not tell her parents, fearing their reaction.

Years of depression Over the following weeks, the clergyman called several times at her parents' home to take her to Sunday Mass or to the rectory.

One day, he invited Denise into the rectory and "showed (her) to his bedroom" where he sexually assaulted her,

Inanities...

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But, my gulay, the law is clear about the limits of campaign spending. In other words, some senatorial aspirants are already violating the law. To think that the findings were made before Feb. 13, the official start of the campaign period.

According to PCIJ, the P2.4 billion has gone to television, radio, print and outdoor advertising last year alone.

cycles. Motorcycle riders have been the top victims of road accidents in Metro Manila since 2010. The number reached 81.04% in 2015. This maybe because motorcycle riders seems to have the mistaken belief that all traffic regulations do not apply to them.

Motorcycles can be dangerous to car owners because of the constant weaving and overtaking on all sides. They also routinely get out of their lanes and drive against incoming traffic.

Among the major island groups, Luzon has the most traffic accidents and fatalities because most of the vehicles are in Luzon followed by the Visayas and Mindanao. For 2015, 51.6 percent of nationwide road deaths were in Luzon. To put our country’s traffic figures in better perspective, it might be educational to see how we compare with the United States. In the U.S., the latest data shows that there are 34,064 traffic deaths or 10.9 per 100,000 population. This is out of 263.6 million vehicles registered in 2015. Compare that figure to our 8.7 million registered vehicles and we can begin to understand the immensity of our traffic problems.

If we look at our road system and transport figures, it is clear that we are heading to a situation that will cause huge problems if our transport and highway authorities will not start addressing the problem. As Filipinos continue to motorize at a much faster rate because of increasing income, traffic accidents will also continue to increase. It is about time that there must be a corresponding improvement in driver education, traffic enforcement and road infrastructure. The country

has a total of 32,868 kilometers of roads or 20,423 miles. Only 21,181 kilometers of the roads are concrete. The greater Los Angeles Metropolitan area has more than 12,000 miles of roads which tells us that we have a lot of work to do.

We do not only need to lengthen our roads but also improve their quality to ensure that our road system meets international standards. When it comes to the length of our road system, we can compare favorably or even better than many of our neighbors. But in terms of quality, we are lagging.

Our road system translates to about a kilometer of road per one square kilometer which is respectable but has not hardly moved over the years. Let me say, however, that the road figures mentioned here do not include private roads. If we include private roads, then the length of our roads increases. There are no reliable figures for private roads but in the metro area, private roads come to a few thousand kilometers but are not all open to the public at large which contribute to the daily traffic gridlock. Most of the projects in the metro area consist of big road projects connecting major road systems. Not much is done to improve local roads. A major part of the government effort should also address this because this is where a major part of the problem is located. Most of the public roads in the metro suburbs and other major cities are not constructed to standards. The roads are narrow and are being used as parking areas for vehicle owners. It is therefore hardly surprising that many accidents occur.

Even in national highways such as the old Macarthur Highway in Luzon, it is regularly used for palay drying and many electrical posts have not been removed from the road.

The government is of course currently implementing its Build, Build, Build program and a major part of this is the construction of new freeways.

The government, however, should come up with a program requiring local government units to upgrade their existing road systems to meet international standards. Otherwise, road deaths will only continue to rise by leaps and bounds.

she said.

A few days after, he raped her after making her drink some wine, she said.

"I felt something died inside me that day," she whispered.

Several weeks afterwards, she discovered she was pregnant after fainting in a shop, leading Brother Paul to organize an illegal abortion for her. "All I could think of was the disgrace I was to my family," she said.

Later he was ordained as a priest, but still came by her university residence at least once a week for sex.

"He told me he loved me and I was his girl," she said, adding that she accepted seeing him because she felt worthless and alone.

"I obeyed like a robot. I didn't care much about anything at this point," she said.

At 21, she got pregnant again, and had another backroom abortion, Buchanan said, adding with a broken voice that she has been unable to have children since.

She managed to move to Canada at age 25 for her studies, and then to Los Angeles, where she now teaches at a university and works as a psychiatric neurologist.

She married in Canada, but divorced two years later.

"I did not resolve the anger and fear I had of the relationship with Father Paul," she said.

"I have carried this guilt and shame all my life and I have had many decades of therapy for depression," she added.

Pope's 'prayers' Seeking to overcome her mental anguish, she wrote a book about her experience, "Sins of the Fathers", in 2013 and sent a copy to the pope "every month for a year and a half."

In June 2016, she finally received a letter from the Los Angeles archdiocese saying the pope regularly prayed for "victims of abuse" and that he would pray for her.

But to see the priest defrocked she would have to "gather proof" of the abuse, she was told.

"I was furious when I got the letter as it seemed all I was being offered from the pope were prayers with no help to resolve the issue," she said.

In November 2017, she returned with a lawyer to Jamaica for a meeting with the local archbishop and Father Paul.

"At the meeting the priest confessed to having sex with me [not rape], he confessed that he got me pregnant but he did not admit to arranging the abortion," she said.

Buchanan fears the priest abused other victims over the years. "They moved him around from parish to parish because, from what I heard, he is a troublemaker."

Following the meeting with her, the priest went missing from his parish and "no one seems to know where he is," she added.

"I work at ECA so that what happened to me does not happen to any other child," Buchanan whispered. AFP

Top spenders were Bong Go (P422.5 million), Imee Marcos (P413.1 million) and Mar Roxas (P401 million).

Harry Roque had already spent P174 million before deciding to quit the race.

Several questions arise: The salary that a senator will receive for the entire six-year term will only total P18.7 million, or one-tenth of the allowable amount. So how does a lawmaker re-

cover the funds he or she has spent?

Of course we know that part of the campaign funds come from donors. The candidates can always claim that it was their contributors who sprung for the campaign.

But do we really think the Comelec can disqualify Bong Go, the President’s favorite candidate? ***

Local government units must be required to upgrade their existing road systems to meet international standards.

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Budget-making process urgently needs reform THE making of the annual national budget—the GAA (General Appropriation Act) is one of the most important activities of a democratic society, and the GAA is one the two documents that are of greatest significance for the development of a capitalist economy. Yet today the budget-making process and the people responsible for its making are under severe attack.

The attack is premised on four widely held beliefs, to wit (1) that legislations interfere in the making of the national budget, (2) that unworthy economic and social projects get included in the NEP (National Expenditures Program), (3) that many budget items are overpriced on inadequately documented, and (4) that insertions into the budget are made after the proposed GAA has been approved by the House of Representatives, from which money bills must emanate.

Because these beliefs have sufficient basis, the process of preparing the GAA needs thorough reform. To that end, a bill to reform to budgetmaking process needs to be filed, assuming that no move in that direction has yet been made.

Legislators are legitimate participants in the budget-making process. They have a right—nay, the responsibility—to pursue the needs of their constituents before the Executive branch of government, more specifically NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority) and DBM ( Department of Budget and Management).

They have the right, and they need, to point out to the NEDA planners and to the DBM managers the projects that are of greatest value to their constituents. But this involvement in the making of the national budget should take place while the document is being drafted and prior to its presentation to the Legislature. Once the budget is presented to Congress, the task of legislations is limited to ensuring that the expenditure items items embodied in

A country...

From A4

the budget are justified, correctly priced and adequately documented.

Scrutiny of the annual budget bill is clearly the legislative’s most important function, for the hopes and aspirations of the nation’s citizens for a life and embodied in the pages of the proposed bill. Legislators are at their best when, through hearings and other information-gathering means, they establish the soundness, legality cost-effectiveness of proposed expenditures.

It has become unbearable.

The expenditures presented to them for scrutiny are the only expenditures that are legitimately covered by congressional determinative proceedings: Subsequent additions—are not part of the deal.

In the distant past the objects of public opprobrium were the CDF (Countrywide Development Fund) pork barrel allotments to the members of Congress. In the more recent past public disdain has been directed at the pork barrel payments associated with the disgraced Janet Lim Napoles, i.e., the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) pork slabs. Today the object of public anger are the insertions made into the newly approved 2019 GAA. Criticism and adverse commentaries of this country’s budgetmaking process, no matter how trenchant and no matter how widespread, no longer suffice. The bad practices associated with the process are no longer bearable. Things have gotten out of control.

Total reform of the national-budgeting process is the order of the day. The Executive Department— NEDA and DBM—and Congress need to get together as soon as possible after the electoral exercise, which should result in the drafting of budget reform legislation.

names of indigenous or un-colonial derivation: Burkina Faso, Namibia, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, Vanuatu, and Zimbabwe.

Perhaps the idea for a name change has not gained much support because there haven’t been any catchy names suggested. “Maharlika” is tainted.

According to Quimpo, “Among the alternative names submitted to the Constitutional Commission of 1986 and to the Philippine Congress were Rizal, the name of the country´s national hero; Bayani, an indigenous Tagalog term which means “hero”; and Luzviminda, short for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the names—of preHispanic origins—of the three main island groups of the Philippine archipelago.”

As I wrote in 2013, “It seems our ideas of nationhood, of selfhood, are still fluid and we are as far as ever from coming up with an indigenous name, much less reaching a consensus on one.”

inside and dark outside well describe the colonial mentality many of us are afflicted with.

Politicians from both the administration and opposition have suggested a name change. President Rodrigo Duterte recently floated “Maharlika,” but for him it is not a matter of urgency. Of “Philippines,” he was quoted as saying “Pero okay na yan. Balang araw palitan natin.”

Two years ago, the opposition’s Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano filed House Bill No. 5867, proposing the creation of a commission to rename the country.

“If we want to be truly independent,” he said, “then we should throw away the bonds of colonialism by establishing our own national identity.

For our country to move forward, we should identify a name for our country that genuinely reflects our national aspirations, a name that signifies our values and self-determination.”

A rose by any other name might smell This was the direction taken by as sweet, but not a country. Find me some former colonies that adopted on FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO

President Duterte has warned local government units against using government resources in favor of any candidate. I think this is BS. Do you think that administration favorites like Go, Bato dela Rosa and Francis Tolentino pay their own way during sorties? Do they spring for the performers, lunches and dinners and the transportation of the people who attend

their rallies?

It’s customary for the LGUs to spend for everything. This is a distinct advantage of being allied with the administration. Ask anybody who has gone through a national campaign. This is also why some enterprising barangay leaders sell crowd support to candidates. www.emiljurado.weebly.com

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News

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

IN BRIEF Poe: Character more important than college degree THE character of a candidate for senator is more important than a college degree, said reelectionist Senator Grace Poe. Sought for her comment on proposal to require higher education for senators, Poe stressed that one’s character was more important than the education he or she achieved.

“In a democracy, you cannot say that only those college graduates can run because everybody should have representation,” Poe, an independent senatorial candidate, added.

Poe said the electorate should have a chance to check the credentials of the candidates.

“What is important, our people should have the opportunity to know and scrutinize each candidate,” said Poe, frontrunner in the senatorial race based on preelection surveys.

She also underscored the importance for the Senate to have independent senators especially during investigations in aid of legislation.

“This should not only come from one group. Don’t you think it is much better if the Senafe is balanced and fair?” said Poe in a separate radio interview.

“We are there not only to craft laws but also to ensure that its (sic) implementation is right and there wll be no corruption,” she said.

Poe was in the heritage town of Vigan to go “back to basics” as she spoke to students of the University of Northern Philippines and met with local officials of the first district of Ilo-

Finish projects on time, DPWH told S

By Maricel V. Cruz

PEAKER Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Tuesday told public works officials to finish their projects on time and not exceed the budget alloted for such projects.

During the meeting of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Works and Highways that Arroyo attended, she inquired from Department of Public Works Highways officials on the status of the implementation of the flood control master plan and other issues in the system in Passi, Iloilo.

Rep. Bayani Fernando of Marikina City, committee chairman, called the meeting with the public works officials to hear their briefing on the project.

DPWH Project Director Patrick Gatan explained that the Infrastructure Prepa-

ration and Innovation Facility Phase 2 (IPIF-2) shall provide infrastructure projects for the purpose of flood control and water resources management by reducing the risk of flood events and increasing preparedness in affected communities of six river basins in the Philippines, including Jalaur River in Iloilo.

The panel was pleased to find out that Phase 2 is already moving forward. Arroyo said Rep. Jerry Treñas of Iloilo City will be instructed to announce the good news to his constituents.

Gatan noted that the DPWH was not

able to complete the IPIF-Phase 2 due to several reasons, including the 3,000 squatters occupying the surrounding areas of the Jalaur River.

Because of the squatters, the department plans to construct a retarding pond upstream of the river to reduce the flood flow coming from there.

This would be included in DPWH’s 2019 master plan. Gatan told the legislators that they will begin with the procurement of the right of way, and subsequently the construction of the flood control system.

Meanwhile, Fernando recommended that the DPWH first build the canal along Jalaur River to create a boundary.

“If you reduced the flooding right away, they will encroach further and it will make the waterway narrower,” he said.

Fernando also advised the DPWH officials to use amphibious equipment to

dredge the lahar that is causing the riverbanks to constrict.

As mayor of Marikina, Fernando, an engineer, solved the locality’s flooding problem that had plagued it for more than 50 years.

Arroyo directed public works officials to confirm if they do not have the needed equipment for the project prompting Gatan to promise that he will confer with the Bureau of Equipment on the matter.

“You can begin immediately as soon as you find the amphibious equipment.

Congressman Treñas will give the good news to his constituents. You better make sure that [it] will happen,” Arroyo told Gatan.

Treñas expressed his gratitude to the Speaker as the flood control project will greatly help Iloilo.

The Committee will reconvene after March 8, 2019 to discuss updates on the IPIF-1.

House hearing on Tandang Sora flyover THE Metro Manila Development Authority on Wednesday backed the idea of the Quezon City Council’s proposal to postpone the closure of the Tandang Sora flyover and intersection beginning Feb. 23.

At a congressional hearing led by the House special committee on Metro Manila Development chaired by Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo, Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte said the city government came up with the proposal “to conduct more information drives on alternative routes,” citing that motorists were not yet aware of the said closure and the rerouting scheme.

“I think there should be a delay because we found out that many people are still uninformed of this. So we’re asking if one week postponement is okay. We want to assure that everything is ironed out,” said Belmonte.

“There is a lot more information drive [about alternative routes] that has to be done, and that three days may not be enough for the people to be well-informed about it. Should Transportation Secretary [Arthur] Tugade is not amenable to our proposal, we will still work with the time frame, we’ll work overtime to inform our people,” she added.

O B I T UA RY

Florencio Manalo He was called and he answered.

A good son, a loving brother to his siblings, an excellent provider for his children, and a loyal husband to his wife.

A devout Catholic and a true follower of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Florencio Manalo Jr. passed on peacefully and calmly on the 19th of February. In his last breaths, he was called by the virgin mother and her son, Jesus Christ in heaven. He accepted. Rest in peace tatay. Eternity awaits in paradise. September 30, 1932/February 19, 2019.

Visitation will be from 5 in the afternoon of February 20 until early morning of February 23. He will be laid to rest on February 23 at the Holy Garden Memorial Park in Angono, Rizal.

DRY RUN. Department Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar (left) together with Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. officials leads the dry run of the NLEX Harbor Link

Segment 10 from Karuhatan, Valenzuela City. The elevated expressway will serve as an alternative corridor for motorists from Central and North Luzon, Quezon City and Valenzuela to Manila. Andrew Rabulan

Du30 signs bill on protection, safety of children displaced by war

By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Philippines will be more compliant with international obligations on the safety and well-being of children, declaring them as special zones of peace following President Rodrigo Duterte’s signing of a measure that would provide special protection for children affected or displaced by armed conflict, said Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday.

Republic Act No. 11188, otherwise known as “The Special Protection of Children in Situations of Armed Conflict Act,” was signed on Tuesday by Duterte.

The law provides protection to children in situations of armed conflict from all forms of abuse, violence, neglect, cruelty, discrimination and other conditions prejudicial to their development.

“Children are one of the most vulnerable groups in places of conflict. Prolonged conflicts put their chances for education at risk. Many of them are also displaced and separated from their relatives and loved ones. Worse, they lose their families and suffer from serious human rights abuses,” said Hontiveros,

Puyat defends font, logo of tourism drive

By Maricel V. Cruz TOURISM Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat on Wednesday defended the country's refreshed tourism campaign after its new font and logo generated a few negative reactions from social media users. ‘‘The logo is inspired by woven textiles, the green is the rice terraces, the

blue is the water of the Philippines, even the yellow is the mango so it represents what is good with the Filipino culture,’’ Romulo-Puyat said in a television interview. ‘‘We want it to be more minimalist, the first campaign was seven years ago,’’ she added, pointing out that the materials went through a series of studies.

On Monday, the Department of Tourism unveiled a custom-made font called “Barabara”—for public use—drawing from the Filipino style of hand-painted lettering, which is often seen on jeepney signages.

The new logo, on the other hand, is inspired by local woven textiles in colors that best identify the Philippines.

Ilocos Sur mayor ordered arrested for illegal detention

By Rey E. Requejo and Maricel V. Cruz A REGIONAL trial court in Ilocos Sur has ordered the arrest of a town mayor charged with criminal cases over the padlocking of a local beach resort with its operator and four-year-old son trapped inside.

Judge Raphiel Alzate of RTC, Branch 24, issued a warrant of arrest

against Cabugao Mayor Josh Edward Cobangbang last Tuesday in connection with the non-bailable case of serious illegal detention and grave coercion recently filed by the Department of Justice.

In the two-page warrant, the lower court directed the Philippine National Police and National Bureau of Investigation to arrest the mayor and 18 other accused in the cases.

‘‘The Head of Office to whom this Warrant of Arrest is delivered for execution shall cause it to be executed within 10 days receipt thereof. Within 10 days after expiration of the period, the officer to whom it was assigned for execution shall make a return/report to the undersigned and in case of failure to execute the same, said officer shall state the reasons thereof,’’ stated the order obtained by reporters from the DOJ.

New elevated road along C3 set to open

By Vito Barcelo THE P10-billion 5.65 kilometer elevated expressway that connects C3 in Valenzuela to North Luzon Express Way will be opened to traffic next week, Department of Public Works and Highways announced Wednesday.

Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said the opening of the elevated road will lessen travel time between Valenzuela to NLEX to less than 10 minutes which usually takes more than hour of drive because of heavy traffic.

“We are glad that this much-awaited traffic decongestion project will soon be open to our motorists. With this new road, travel time between C3 and NLEX will only take 10 minutes,” Villar said.

“Aligned with the vision of the Duterte administration’s massive infrastructure plan,—the “Build Build Build” program, the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 is being anticipated to improve accessibility and connectivity between key areas of Metro Manila and the northern provinces of Luzon via the NLEX,” Villar said.

MANILA BAY REHAB. Manila City Administrator lawyer Jojo Alcovendaz (right), along with Jeric Sevilla of Manila Water and Jennifer Rufo of Maynilad were the featured guests in the Kapihan sa Manila Bay held at the Cafe Adriatico, Remedios Circle on Wednesday. The three officials discussed their roles in the government’s efforts to rehabilitate the Manila Bay. Lino Santos

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

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

Sports

Besides the grueling off-shore racing, there will also be a lot of in-shore racing that will happen in Subic Bay, which is part of the Subic Bay Cup Regatta.

PSC now into smart drug testing

By Peter Atencio STARTING this year, the Philippine Sports Commission will no longer conduct random drug testing on athletes participating in international meets in the country.

This includes the coming 2019 Southeast Asian Games later this year, some months after the PCSM has gone full blast with a new kind of procedure known as smart drug testing.

Dr. Alexander Pineda, head of the Philippine National Anti-Doping Organization (PHI-NADO), an independent body organized by the PSC, said this right before the start of the 2019 Southeast Asian Regional Antidoping Organization board meeting at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Manila.

“It’s targeted. The reason is, we would like to use whatever available resources we have. And we need to go full blast this year,” said Pineda.

In random testing, an individual athlete will be picked from a group who have joined a competition.He will have blood or urine sample tested for banned substances as listed by the World Anti Doping Agency.

In smart testing, specific individuals who have been performing well will be chosen for such tests and a certain substance as well.

As for the coming SEA Games, Pineda said they are coming up with plans and protocols to test all medallists of certain substances that have been put on the banned list by the SEA Region Antidoping Organization.

‘SEAG venues to be completed in time’ D

EVELOPERS and associates tasked to construct the modern sports complex inside the New Clark City assured that facilities will be ready for the Philippines’ hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

With nine months to go before the Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 biennial meet gets going, infrastructure developer MTD Philippines and project partner Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said construction of the complex is now halfway done or about 53 percent completed.

Both vowed to finish the construction

by August or about three months before the regional meet.

“Internally sa amin, Aug. 31 for everything, including the athletes’ housing and government residences. And ang deliverable natin sa BCDA ay October 30, so may safety net na two months,” said MTD Philippines President Engineer Patrick Nicholas David.

The MTD officer was with Arrey Perez, BCDA vice president for business development and Deputy Director General of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee, during the special Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum held at Mimosa, Clark on Tuesday to give updates on the construction of the modern sports complex that will served as the main hub of the SEA Games.

The 20,000-seater athletics stadium will be over by June or July at the latest, according to David, while the others will be finished even earlier.

The new sports facilities are part of Phase 1A of the New Clark City Government Administrative Center, and it includes the track and field stadium, the 2,000-seater aquatics center, and an Ath-

Petron, F2 shoots for 2nd straight wins Games today (FilOil Flying V Centre) 2:00 p.m. PLDT vs Cignal 4:15 p.m. F2 Logistics vs Sta. Lucia 7:00 p.m. Petron vs Generika-Ayala

POWERHOUSE Petron and F2 Logistics shoot for their second straight win as they collide with separate foes in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix today at the FilOil Flying V Centre.

The Blaze Spikers face Generika-Ayala at 7 p.m., while the Cargo Movers tangle

with Sta. Lucia in the 4:15 p.m. opening encounter of this exciting triple-header that has ESPN5 and 5Plus as broadcast partners.

With super imports Stephanie Niemer and Katherine Bell doing the damage, the Blaze Spikers were off to a good start as they crushed PLDT Home Fibr, 25-19, 25-9, 25-10, in their first game in this import-flavored conference backed

by Asics, Mikasa, Mueller, Senoh, Team Rebel Sports, Bizooku, UCPB Gen, Hotel Sogo and Data Project.

letes’ Village, while being surrounded by a 1.4-kilometer river park development with bikeways and jogging paths.

“Noong una parang drawing lang, pero ngayon hayan na, kitang-kita mo na, may katawan na,” said David during the session hosted by the BCDA and presented by San Miguel, Tapa King, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

“We’re very confident na matatapos ito and deliver a world-class facility for the Filipino people.”

Perez assured the country will be well

prepared to host the SEA Games, which was last staged in the Philippines in 2005.

“Sigurado ‘yan na makakapag-host po tayo ng SEA Games,” said the PHISGOC officer.

“Our vision to have a sports city at the New Clark City kasi napakalaki po niyan,” he added. “And gusto naming tumulong for the rebirth of Philippine sports.”

He also mentioned the role of the Philippine Sports Commission as a major partner in developing and maintaining the sports facilities being constructed by the BCDA located in Capas and Bamban, Tarlac.

There are 56 sports to be played by nearly 10,000 athletes from 11 countries.

The 11 countries are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

New Clark City Project Director Admiral Jose Miguel Rodriguez (right) and Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee Deputy Director General Arrey Perez promise the readiness of the Philippines to host the coming SEA Games.

Subic-Verde Island sailing race lures foreign cast SUBIC BAY—Around 13 local and international sailing teams will take part in the 2nd Standard Insurance Subic Bay around Verde Island Passage Race and the Subic Bay Cup Regatta slated Feb. 23 to March 2.

Germany, Australia, Hong Kong and the Philippines will be showcasing teams in the six-day sailing Grand Prix, organized by the Subic Sailing Team and held under the auspices of the Philippine Sailing Association and the Asian Yachting Grand Prix.

Besides the grueling off-shore racing, there will also be a lot of in-shore racing that will happen in Subic Bay, which is part of the Subic Bay Cup Regatta, said Zed Avecilla, Executive Director of the Subic Sailing Club.

“One of the most exciting part of the series is the Far East 28R OneDesign Match Racing and Fleet Racing which will be part of the 30th SEA Games this November in Clark, Pampanga,” Avecilla said.

“This will be a practice race for our Filipino athletes who will be competing in the SEAG.” In this year’s regatta event, the racing classes I and II (IRC I and II) will be competing together in the 200 nautical-mile SBVIP, led by veteran campaigner 75-footer and powerhouse Centennial III, skippered by Judes Echauz, the co-recipient of the Executive of the Year award from the Philippine Sportswriters Association during its annual PSA Awards Night last year.

Centennial III will again encounter last year’s SBVIP inaugural race champion Geoff Hill’s Smith 72 Antipodes. Centennial came second over the line two minutes later in corrected time, while Ray Ordeveza’s Excel 53 Karakoa placed third.

Other Centennial III challengers include Albert Altura’s Hurricane Hunter, Mills 43 Custom Misty Mountain of George Hacket, veteran local campaigner Selma Star of Jun Avecilla, Germany’s Emocean I helmed by Michael Raueber, another local entry Sabad of Bobby Benares, and Karakoa.

For two consecutive years, Centennial III’s perennial rival in the Subic Bay to Boracay Regatta Race, Hong Kong’s Jelik of steel magnate Frank Pong, failed again to participate this year for unknown reasons.

Avecilla explained that Standard Insurance, the title sponsor of this event, is the number one supporter of sailing in the Philippines.

“Their commitment to sailing goes beyond developing top sailor athletes and coaches. Protecting the environment is also at the heart and soul of the company,” said Avecilla.

All protagonists will still need to negotiate a 200-mile race, the same distance of the Subic Bay to Boracay tilt, sailing off from Subic Bay down to Verde Island Passage in Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro and back to Subic Bay on the same day.

The Verde Island Passage is a strait that separates the islands of Luzon and Mindoro, connecting the South China Sea with the Tayabas Bay in Quezon province and the Sibuyan Sea in Romblon.

Baby Tamaraw, Bullpups clash for football jrs crown Matches today (Moro Lorenzo Field) 9 a.m. – AdU vs UST (Men) 1 p.m. – UE vs Ateneo (Men) 3 p.m. – NU vs FEU (Jrs Final)

FAR Eastern University-Diliman and National University go for all the marbles in the one-game Final for the UAAP Season 81 juniors’ football championship Thursday (today) at the Moro Lorenzo Field.

Kick-off is at 3 p.m.

The Baby Tamaraws and the Bullpups

battled to a scoreless draw in their two elimination-round meetings this season.

FEU-Diliman is seeking to extend its dynastic rule to nine years, while NU is eyeing to claim a breakthrough championship right on its second year of participation.

In the men’s division, Ateneo makes it debut against University of the East at 1 p.m., while University of Santo Tomas seeks the solo lead as it tangles with Adamson University at 9 a.m.

Gio Pabualan and Orlan Togores may

have been gone after their successful sixyear high school run, but the Baby Tamaraws were able to claim the top of the table with 17 points.

FEU-Diliman has five wins and two draws -- its lone setback coming at the hands of Ateneo, 3-4, last Feb. 3 as it already sealed its place in the Final.

After a third-place finish during its debut last season, the Bullpups made huge strides with 16 points in second spot -- entering the one-game final undefeated with four wins and four draws.

Saso breaks away by 3 with 2nd 70 at PH Ladies’ Golf

PBA ALL-STARS. The Philippine Basketball Association announced members of its All-Star teams; L.A. Tenorio, Marcio Lassiter, Paul Lee, Calvin Abueva and Japeth Aguilar comprise the North All-Stars whileJames Yap, Mark Barroca, Scottie Thompson, June Mar Fajardo and Greg Slaughter banner the South Team.

YUKA Saso matched her opening day output of 70 and broke away from a three-way tie to a threestroke lead and closer to keeping the Champion Philippine Ladies Amateur Open crown at the Manila Golf and Country Club in Forbes Park yesterday.

Out to atone for her putting struggle late in the first round where she flubbed five birdie chances inside eight feet that enabled Yosita Khawnuna of Thailand and Mafy Singson to gain a share of the lead, Saso actually failed to hit her scoring target but succeeded to wrest control as her rivals faltered one after the other with

over-par scores.

“My putting was good enough but I know I can still be better,” said the reigning Asian Games gold medalist, who birdied the opening hole for the second straight day and added three more on Nos. 7 (10 feet), 9 (20 feet) and 18 (two feet).

She, however, failed to return a five-footer for par on No. 3 and bogeyed Nos. 4 and 8 on errant drives and missed two birdie opportunities.

But her second one-under card at the par-71 posh layout proved enough to net her the solo lead at 140 as Khawnuna, 16, cracked under pressure and hobbled with a

73 and slipped to solo second at 143.

Singson, on the other hand, turned from impressive to mediocre as she skied to an 80 and tumbled to joint fifth with Taiwanese Sung You-chuan (74) and Inagaki Nanako of Japan (72) at 150, now 10 strokes behind in the event presented by Champion and sponsored by Hana Shampoo, EVA Air, San Miguel Corp. and Diamond Motor Corp.

Thai Wannasaen Chanattee and Sofia Chabon matched Saso’s 70 to seize solo third at 144 and fourth at 145, respectively, but the deficit could be too big to overcome given the form and confidence of the most fancied player in the fold who took a step closer to retaining the crown she won by two of Mikha Fortuna at the Orchard last year.

IN BRIEF FDC files petition to recover P1.476b FDC Misamis Power Corp. filed a petition with the Energy Regulatory Commission to recover from Mindanao consumers P1.476 billion following the suspension of the Interim Mindanao Electricity Spot Market.

FDC Misamis filed a petition for recovery of unaccounted energy against the Independent Electricity Market Operator and the Philippine Electricity Market Corp.

PEMC was the operator of Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, the country’s trading floor for electricity before it was turned over to IEMOP. FDC Misamis, in its petition, wanted IEMOP as the IMEM operator to recover on behalf of the company as the independent power producer administrator of Mr. Apo 1 and Mt. Apo 2 geothermal power plants and the owner of the 2,700-megawatt Mindanao coal plant, the payment for electricity consumed by electric distribution utilities and end-users in Mindanao in February 2014. Alena Mae S. Flores

Business

Mobile number law boosts data privacy THE National Privacy Commission said Wednesday the enactment of the Mobile Number Portability Act will expand the digital space and boost data privacy in the Philippines.

The law allows all mobile postpaid or prepaid subscribers to retain an existing mobile number despite shifting from one mobile service provider to another.

NPC said the new law would give data subjects control over their data which is a basic tenet under the Data Privacy Act. The commission supports the proper implementation of the law to promote consumer welfare and fosters innovation and competition in the telecommunications industry.

“We likewise recognize this measure as an embodiment of the right to data portability provided under Section 18 of the Data Privacy Act of 2012,” the commission said.

“We shall continue to work with the National Telecommunications Commission and all concerned agencies tasked to implement this law and provide additional inputs in the crafting of the implementing rules and regulations and other policies, as may be necessary and appropriate,” the commission said. Othel V. Campos

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

B1

BPI’s net profit climbed 3% to P23.08b in 2018

By Julito G. Rada

SSS to support jobless members STATE-RUN pension fund Social Security System expects additional funding after President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law Republic Act No. 11199 or the Social Security Act of 2018 which increases the monthly contribution rate from 11 percent to 12 percent this year and 15 percent by 2025 and introduces unemployment insurance.

“This is a huge success for the pension fund. This new law will breathe in new life to SSS so that it can continue to serve its stakeholders, members, and pensioners. And we sincerely express our gratitude to President Duterte for acknowledging the long overdue need for this amendment and signing this into law,” SSS president and chief executive Emmanuel Dooc said in a statement.

RA 11199 repealed RA 1161 as amended by RA 8282 to strengthen the pension fund. It allows the gradual increase of monthly contributions from the current 11 percent to an additional 1 percentage point starting in the year of implementation until it reaches 15 percent by 2025.

Members will enjoy an additional benefit from the current six types with the introduction of unemployment insurance. Covered qualified employed individuals who may suffer from involuntary separation from work, will be protected from a sudden loss of income as the law has a provision for unemployment insurance. Julito G. Rada

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

P3 PROGRAM HOTLINE. The Small Business Corp., the financing arm of the Department of Trade and Industry, will boost its customer service to micro entrepreneurs as it teamed with ePLDT subsidiary Curo Teknika through a customer service hotline for the Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso program. Curo Teknika will provide SB Corp. with contact center solutions Mondays to Fridays except holidays. Small Business Corp. president and chief executive Ma. Luna Cacanando (right) and Curo Teknika chief operating officer Jeff Tinio seal the deal with a handshake.

Listed firms told to produce annual sustainability report

By Jenniffer B. Austria

T

HE Securities and Exchange Commission said Wednesday publicly-listed companies will be required to submit an annual sustainability report starting 2020.

Under the sustainability reporting guidelines issued by the corporate regulator, listed companies should report non-financial and sustainability issues like environmental, social and governance aspects of their businesses.

The SEC said the first sustainability report should be attached to the 2019 annual report of listed companies to be submitted in 2020.

It said the non-attachment of the sustainability report to the annual report

would be subject to a penalty for an incomplete annual report.

The guidelines will be adopted on a “comply or explain” approach for the first three years of implementation.

This means that while companies would be required to attach the template to their annual reports, they could provide an explanation for items where they still have no available data on.

It said that for companies that already have sustainability reports in accor-

dance with the recognized frameworks and standards, their reports will be considered as their compliance with the reporting template.

The SEC said an increased focus was placed on companies to provide greater disclosure and transparency not only on financial matters but also on non-financial and sustainability issues.

“Companies’ stakeholders now give a greater attention to how businesses impact the economy, environment and society and the way corporations respond to sustainability challenges, in addition to financial challenges, determines their long-term viability and competitiveness. Consequently, sustainability reporting has emerged as a common practice for companies globally,” it said.

BANK of the Philippine Islands, the fourth-largest lender in terms of assets, said Wednesday net income rose 3 percent in 2018 to P23.08 billion from the previous year, buoyed by the strength of core banking businesses.

The bank said it booked a net profit of P6.07 billion in the fourth quarter of 2018, up 13 percent from P5.37 billion in the same period in 2017. Revenues grew 20.4 percent, as net interest income rose 19.4 percent and non-interest income expanded 22.6 percent.

Comprehensive income for the whole year reached P21.88 billion. Total revenues increased 10.6 percent to P78.52 billion, driven by the 16.2-percent growth in net interest income to P55.84 billion.

“The increase in net interest income was a result of a 9-percent increase in average asset base and a 21-basispoint expansion in net interest margin.

The yield on interest-earning assets improved by 49 basis points, partially offset by a 34-basis-point increase in the cost of funds, owing to higher documentary stamp taxes, higher time deposit rates and an increase in other borrowings,” BPI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange.

Total loans grew 12.7 percent to P1.35 trillion, boosted by the strong growth in corporate loans and credit card loans at 13.3 percent and 23.8 percent, respectively.

Total deposits went up 1.5 percent to P1.59 trillion, with current and savings accounts growing 2.4 percent. The bank’s casa ratio stood at 71.9 percent, while the loan-to-deposit ratio was 85.4 percent.

The bank registered a higher fee income from transaction-based service charges, credit card and rental businesses. Lower trust and investment management fees, corporate finance fees and securities trading income tempered the overall non-interest income results, ending at P22.68 billion.

“The capital that we raised in 2018 allowed us to invest in our ongoing digitalization program, and in our high-yielding SME, consumer and microfinance businesses,” said BPI president and chief executive Cezar Consing.

“The returns from these investments will become apparent in the coming years. We’re quite excited by what 2019 offers,” Consing said.

Borromeo leaving DBP to become LandBank president

By Julito G. Rada DEVELOPMENT Bank of the Philippines president and chief executive Cecilia Borromeo was named the new head of Land Bank of the Philippines in place of Alex Buenaventura.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III on Wednesday confirmed the latest appointments in the two stateowned banks.

When asked if Borromeo would be

transferring from DBP to Land Bank effective March 1, Dominguez said, “Probably at a later date.”

Reports said Philippine Guarantee Corp. president and chief executive Emmanuel Herbosa would transfer to DBP in place of Borromeo.

It is not clear if Buenaventura would be assigned to another post after his stint in Land Bank.

Borromeo was previously an executive vice president for agriculture and

development lending sector at LandBank before her assignment at DBP. She also served as the treasurer of Victorias Milling Co. Inc. Herbosa is an experienced banker, with a solid 40 years of professional banking under his name. He held senior officer responsibilities handling corporate banking, consumer banking, branch and overseas banking in reputable local financial institutions such as the Bank of

the Philippine Islands and Bank of Commerce, where he served as the executive vice president.

Herbosa was also the chief operating officer of Ayala Insurance, a unit of Ayala Group.

He graduated with a baccalaureate degree in Industrial Management Engineering from the De La Salle University and a Master’s in Business Administration from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

B2

Business

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks rally; URC, Petron advance

T

HE stock market rose Wednesday on bargain hunting and growing optimism that China and the United States will reach a trade deal.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index advanced 105.49 points, or 1.4 percent, to 7,939.24 on a value turnover of P7.8 billion. Gainers beat losers, 122 to 88, with 42 issues unchanged.

Universal Robina Corp., the biggest snack food maker, climbed 4.3 percent to P146.50, while Petron Corp., the bigger of the two oil refineries, gained 4.1 percent to P7.10.

SM Prime Holdings Inc., the largest integrated property developer, increased 3.3 percent to P38.90, while Alliance Global Group Inc. of tycoon Andrew Tan rose 2.8 percent to P14.20.

Most Asian equities, meanwhile, climbed Wednesday while the posi-

tive sentiment provided support to regional currencies against the safebet dollar.

The yuan was among the big gainers following a report that the US has called on China to stabilize the unit as part of any agreement between the world’s top economic powers.

Wall Street returned from a long weekend to provide a healthy lead as US President Donald Trump said trade talks—which resumed in Washington Tuesday—were “going very well” but are “very complex.”

He also indicated he could put back the March 1 deadline for talks to be concluded—when US tariffs on Chinese goods are due to more than

double—saying it is “not a magical date.”

Observers say that while there are no details about the negotiations the fact they are still talking and China appeared responsive to the call for yuan stability was good news.

Hong Kong rose 0.9 percent while Shanghai ended up 0.2 percent and Tokyo closed 0.6 percent higher.

Seoul and Taipei each climbed more than one percent, Singapore put on 0.4 percent and Wellington 0.3 percent. But Sydney slipped 0.2 percent.

The upbeat mood on trading floors gave investors confidence to buy higher-risk currencies, pushing the South African rand around one percent higher and Australia’s dollar up 0.7 percent. The yuan also climbed 0.7 percent.

The pound held gains after strong

British jobs and wages data, while it was also getting support from hopes that Prime Minister Theresa May could win changes to her Brexit deal with the European Union as she heads to Brussels later in the day.

While EU leaders have said they are not willing to bend on the agreement, analysts say there could be some movement that would help her push it through parliament and avoid a messy divorce that could hammer the British economy.

“The EU is showing some possible concessions about the timing of the exit, as (European Commission chief) Jean-Claude Juncker has said a delay beyond the European parliamentary elections in May would not be opposed, but the UK has to request it, which they have not done,” said Alfonso Esparza, senior market analyst at OANDA.

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

59.25 89.55 2.23 128.5 27.65 17.6 12.74 4.49 1.49 800 0.465 81.5 1.2 13.98 47.65 185.2 59 26.8 170.4 1,800 63 1.14

59.35 89.95 2.28 130.2 27.7 17.9 12.74 4.5 1.5 800 0.465 82 1.21 14 48.4 185.2 59.1 26.8 174 1,800 63 1.14

58.2 89.55 2.23 128.3 27.65 17.6 12.5 4.42 1.49 800 0.465 80.6 1.15 13.98 47.1 185.2 58.55 26.6 170 1,800 61.5 1.14

59.35 89.75 2.28 129.5 27.65 17.88 12.64 4.49 1.5 800 0.465 81.9 1.15 13.98 47.1 185.2 58.9 26.75 173 1,800 61.8 1.14

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

35.1 16.6 1.02 1.54 0.25 2.22 15.62 127.8 28.55 17.68 41.05 1.88 6.41 6.4 11.52 15.84 8.1 7.61 1.75 20.4 73.1 26.75 3.23 9.45 12.24 1.7 311 50.05 3.69 11.74 27.1 12.9 18.64 359.4 0.201 6.15 1.39 3.78 6.86 8.91 1.3 11.7 47.65 6.13 4.71 1.88 2.81 1.39 12.6 97.95 6.35 0.13 1.18 140.5 2.71 1.7 16.02 1.37

36.3 16.76 1.04 1.56 0.255 2.27 16 128 30 17.68 41.05 1.92 6.45 6.5 11.56 15.98 8.1 7.7 1.75 20.9 73.2 27 3.26 9.6 12.6 1.78 313 59.25 3.69 13.32 27.15 12.9 19.26 373 0.226 6.15 1.39 3.78 7.1 8.95 1.33 12.14 48.35 6.13 4.74 1.91 2.81 1.4 12.7 100 6.37 0.137 1.18 147.9 2.73 1.72 16.02 1.39

35.1 16.32 1.02 1.52 0.242 2.19 15.62 127.8 28.3 16.8 40.2 1.87 6.41 6.4 11.5 15.84 8.03 7.61 1.75 20.25 72.65 26.75 3.17 9.38 12.24 1.66 309 50.05 3.51 11.52 26.9 12.7 18.58 359.2 0.201 6.15 1.35 3.78 6.86 8.84 1.3 11.7 47.5 6.13 4.7 1.83 2.78 1.37 12.6 97.95 6.31 0.13 1.07 140.5 2.66 1.68 16 1.36

35.9 16.76 1.04 1.54 0.245 2.25 15.88 128 30 16.82 40.9 1.88 6.45 6.5 11.56 15.88 8.1 7.62 1.75 20.9 72.65 27 3.25 9.5 12.58 1.77 310.4 59.25 3.68 12.14 27 12.7 19 372 0.204 6.15 1.37 3.78 7.1 8.84 1.32 11.8 48.1 6.13 4.74 1.88 2.78 1.4 12.7 99.45 6.31 0.137 1.1 146.5 2.73 1.69 16 1.38

12,100 1,763,870 34,000 4,292,250 126,200 31,800 488,900 80,000 14,000 130 10,000 2,596,810 804,000 40,900 90,600 10 6,690 91,100 174,850 670 7,600 98,000

713,897 158,300,326 75,920 555,870,820 3,494,565 567,472 6,179,244 355,590 20,960 104,000 4,650 211,175,914.50 941,860 572,368 4,317,455 1,852 394,467.50 2,434,580 30,224,392 1,206,000 468,764 111,720

589,238 -41,984,788 -187,687,515 177,360 183,964 -642,788 80,000 -41,140,292 29,000.00 -82,965 -100,901 -628,490 6,026,949 -

1,310,400 552,900 1,263,000 707,000 1,090,000 14,202,000 3,445,400 310 97,800 31,900 144,800 56,000 2,500 16,900 1,519,000 33,000 95,500 47,200 1,000 1,132,200 269,240 555,200 8,363,000 1,941,000 379,200 266,000 972,260 2,700 9,000 146,300 346,000 124,600 10,163,300 290,100 4,000,000 200 3,018,000 50,000 20,483,300 49,100 13,257,000 121,100 204,200 20,300 14,000 412,000 23,000 96,000 15,500 1,110,000 35,700 160,000 518,000 931,300 107,000 3,052,000 2,100 788,000

47,105,390 9,226,924 1,298,520 1,087,980 269,720 31,685,740 54,875,930 39,676 2,896,725 542,010 5,896,720 105,880 16,045 109,766 17,521,668 523,384 769,649 361,209 1,750 23,347,690 19,591,985 14,990,350 26,952,760 18,439,161 4,742,832 459,560 301,912,662 153,356.50 31,980 1,795,314 9,345,035 1,586,246 192,991,864 107,507,596 841,920 1,230 4,098,330 189,000 143,897,447 436,299 17,428,290 1,437,834 9,816,340 124,439 65,940 760,750 64,130 133,080 195,450 110,118,321 226,311 21,640 577,940 136,463,577 287,840 5,195,170 33,612 1,079,040

6,090,785 1,470,664 -154,030 -8,544,430 226,806 -529,770 -193,180 8,055 15,310 -12,674,434 258,511 151,725 5,996,235.00 -5,413,559 -695,870 9,944,801.00 815,592 -44,314,824 128,331.50 4,698 423,580 806,382 105,301,496 26,505,834 512,990 29,092,342 -2,554,290 9,808 3,720 99,540 30,121,866 4,100 200 30,246,488 1,667,590 88,400

13,980,000 862,880 10,395,700 182,000 8,000 55,500 3,755,000 88,000 469,450 2,517,500 7,383,500 292,500 100,000 83,140 11,400 1,777,630 30,000 472,900 2,958,300 97,000 13,683,000 23,500,000 264,000 4,657,000 74,000 842,140 16,000 208,590 56,000 1,000 160 22,600 1,560,000 15,850,000

9,690,020 55,413,494.50 147,026,434 147,110 52,050 1,283,615 5,173,540 122,910 442,835,360 19,311,006 93,508,996 4,049,256 24,490 84,534,070 69,764 118,381,971.50 18,170 2,447,003 45,266,946 55,640 65,283,580 969,800 308,880 13,626,080 214,970 147,313,240 37,760 203,898,800 43,680 1,380 74,400 6,369,772 394,700 5,056,850

203,000 7,408,323 14,574,674 19,500 -8,259,425 1,363,552 13,141,862 2,208,286 44,654,545 -7,794,850 -516,316 1,731,446 -5,999,590 354,220 -13,965,076 -25,487,525 -60,450 -4,187,228 -73,000

529,500 217,000 100 518,000 1,827,000 12,209,300 1,229,000 4,902,000 34,200 3,630,000 17,000 67,000 4,680,000 150,000 1,216,200 258,200 310,000 1,430,000 6,435,000 4,185,000 3,000 21,608,700 8,050,000 510,000 2,524,000 170,000

6,353,152 173,370 1,092 959,420 1,616,960 531,941,110 3,117,560 20,658,790 218,443 1,799,800 14,150 60,620 1,170,000 62,100 12,393,780 5,918,595 164,250 195,480 9,712,720 5,135,460 10,950 114,579,756 3,546,150 236,300 5,408,390 79,900

INDUSTRIAL

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

0.73 62.2 13.9 0.8 6.51 22.85 1.38 1.47 943 7.5 12.32 14.1 0.232 1,000 6.14 66.4 0.62 5.17 15.06 0.58 4.75 0.041 1.17 3 3 173.1 2.36 969 0.78 1.38 465 286.6 0.255 0.315

0.73 65.15 14.28 0.84 6.51 23.65 1.39 1.47 947.5 7.76 12.72 14.18 0.249 1,025 6.14 66.7 0.62 5.29 15.42 0.58 4.81 0.043 1.17 3.03 3.3 175.4 2.36 986 0.78 1.38 465 286.6 0.26 0.325

0.68 62.2 13.9 0.79 6.5 22.8 1.36 1.39 935 7.5 12.32 13.6 0.232 1,000 6.08 65.7 0.6 5.15 15.06 0.57 4.72 0.04 1.17 2.84 2.6 173.1 2.36 968 0.78 1.38 465 270.2 0.25 0.31

0.68 64.5 14.2 0.84 6.5 23.6 1.38 1.42 944 7.7 12.68 13.76 0.245 1,019 6.08 66.7 0.61 5.16 15.42 0.57 4.76 0.042 1.17 2.88 2.87 174.7 2.36 980 0.78 1.38 465 283.8 0.26 0.325

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

11.9 0.8 10.92 1.86 0.89 43.1 2.53 4.18 6.47 0.495 0.83 0.92 0.25 0.415 10.24 23 0.53 0.14 1.51 1.25 3.65 5.31 0.44 0.465 2.13 0.47

12.08 0.8 10.92 1.95 0.91 43.9 2.56 4.3 6.47 0.5 0.85 0.92 0.25 0.425 10.36 23.15 0.55 0.141 1.53 1.25 3.65 5.34 0.445 0.47 2.18 0.47

11.82 0.79 10.92 1.82 0.88 43.1 2.52 4.18 6.1 0.49 0.83 0.9 0.25 0.41 10.02 22.8 0.52 0.136 1.5 1.2 3.65 5.24 0.435 0.46 2.1 0.47

12 0.79 10.92 1.88 0.9 43.9 2.53 4.3 6.43 0.495 0.85 0.92 0.25 0.415 10.28 22.8 0.54 0.137 1.5 1.22 3.65 5.32 0.445 0.46 2.16 0.47

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

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

2.96 24 2.02 3.14 38.25 1.4 6.98 0.78 7.32

2.96 24 2.02 3.15 38.9 1.44 6.98 0.79 7.48

2.81 23.15 2 3.11 37.95 1.4 6.4 0.78 6.89

2.9 23.5 2.01 3.15 38.9 1.43 6.49 0.79 7.28

308,000 7,897,900 190,000 124,000 8,428,400 2,698,000 1,142,900 167,000 64,340,400

892,860 184,610,875 381,860 386,150 325,585,095 3,796,900 7,527,920 130,970 461,747,534

105,624,385 9,360 6,339,910 541,115 -139,024,993

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

13.1 22.55 1.3 0.44 0.045 15.76 3.05 12.56 0.066 84.5 6.12 7.21 15.38 891 1,860 5.74 360 11.04 2.82 2.03 116 10.88 7.2 0.13 5.98 3.13 15.14 3.25 0.92 19.98 0.69 4.73 2.95 2.06 2.09 3.02 10.9 3.23 5 131 3.05 1,107 0.94 1.32 48 86.75 8.94 2.17 0.75 0.445 5.52 0.71 14.6

13.1 22.8 1.3 0.45 0.046 15.76 3.05 12.56 0.067 84.7 6.28 7.35 15.4 891 1,905 5.75 360 11.04 2.97 2.03 121 10.9 7.2 0.131 6.1 3.31 16 3.28 0.92 20 0.78 4.84 3.04 2.1 2.09 3.06 11.64 3.3 5.19 134 3.14 1,140 0.97 1.43 48.15 88.95 8.94 2.24 0.75 0.45 5.56 0.72 14.6

12.8 22.1 1.3 0.435 0.045 15.22 2.94 12.4 0.065 84 6.09 7.21 15 891 1,855 5.72 350.6 10.2 2.81 1.99 116 10.88 7.15 0.128 5.96 3.1 15.12 3.24 0.89 19.6 0.69 4.73 2.85 2 2 3.02 10.9 3.23 4.96 129 3.04 1,070 0.93 1.3 47.05 86.75 8.56 2.16 0.72 0.44 5.52 0.7 14.24

12.84 22.3 1.3 0.45 0.045 15.22 3 12.4 0.065 84 6.2 7.35 15.2 891 1,866 5.73 360 10.4 2.97 1.99 119 10.88 7.15 0.131 6.03 3.26 15.9 3.27 0.91 19.64 0.74 4.84 3.01 2.06 2 3.03 11.5 3.3 5.17 134 3.09 1,070 0.94 1.42 48 88 8.56 2.24 0.72 0.44 5.56 0.71 14.24

135,400 181,700 3,000 1,210,000 20,400,000 19,300 277,000 4,255,300 9,370,000 60,650 437,800 300 92,900 10 68,195 270,000 260 10,500 3,835,000 105,000 4,166,690 26,200 800 7,480,000 2,145,800 83,000 20,700 263,000 118,000 157,100 24,999,000 101,000 1,878,000 444,000 34,000 639,000 137,800 13,000 139,400 67,350 421,000 322,095 7,876,000 48,793,000 3,543,300 833,370 6,300 5,789,000 4,096,000 8,060,000 186,800 1,471,000 2,985,500

1,751,074 4,068,250 3,900 535,650 919,400 302,926 821,280 52,991,102 614,270 5,111,236.50 2,701,978 2,177 1,398,596 8,910 128,366,560 1,548,526 93,026 110,246 11,237,840 210,820 498,653,682 285,092 5,745 960,610 12,878,705 259,300 323,602 857,480 105,650 3,100,988 18,575,290 477,840 5,524,540 901,690 69,500 1,937,930 1,563,104 42,200 709,249 8,960,898 1,301,910 353,866,420 7,481,340 67,504,090 169,748,995 73,394,992.50 54,750 12,778,890 3,003,790 3,581,650 1,036,030 1,036,340 42,759,438

20,770 61,600 -3,040 -3,328,056 -230,894 6,130 -3,096 4,160,340 -471,590 235,983,256 -116,100 -743,785 -110,900 35,760 133,622 -79,820 -118,410 -4,560 -32,300 399,355 9,180 -92,181,955 80,870 -2,278,750 86,638,190 32,076,947 1,712 2,732,880 205,400 262,550 -161,421 -22,583,360

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

0.002 1.54 2.96 13 1.3 2.23 0.3 8 1.54 0.28 0.13 0.132 0.009 0.009 1.15 2.73 1.13 0.7 1.03 0.012 0.012 3.5 4.22 14.5 22.5 0.008

0.002 1.61 3.06 13.6 1.3 2.23 0.3 8.1 1.54 0.29 0.133 0.132 0.009 0.009 1.15 2.82 1.13 0.7 1.03 0.013 0.013 3.5 4.35 14.76 22.95 0.008

0.002 1.53 2.95 13 1.3 2.17 0.3 7.95 1.48 0.28 0.13 0.13 0.009 0.009 1.1 2.72 1.08 0.65 1 0.012 0.012 3.25 4.22 14.24 22.5 0.008

0.002 1.57 3.01 13.4 1.3 2.17 0.3 8.1 1.48 0.285 0.133 0.13 0.009 0.009 1.14 2.79 1.12 0.67 1 0.013 0.013 3.4 4.32 14.72 22.6 0.008

819,000,000 3,945,000 100,000 1,600 1,000 360,000 210,000 1,400 4,578,000 1,680,000 2,650,000 190,000 4,000,000 13,000,000 35,000 2,903,000 4,000 572,000 273,000 8,600,000 2,700,000 17,000 4,584,000 1,374,300 628,000 3,000,000

1,722,600 6,215,380 297,020 21,290 1,300 785,010 63,000 11,195 6,885,440 475,650 348,780 24,720 36,800 120,900 39,750 8,109,650 4,410 377,620 278,370 109,700 33,300 55,890 19,737,430 20,049,778 14,238,395 24,600

361,200 6,320 88,800 12,040 2,329,320 640,680.00 -865,994 -3,219,975 -

PREFERRED ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 DD PREF FGEN PREF G FPH PREF C GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B LR PREF PNX PREF 3A SFI PREF SMC FB PREF 2 SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

20.55 475.2 97 103.5 450.2 5.8 900 1 101 1.8 990 75.05 76.5 73.9 75 74 73.95 73.45

20.55 475.2 97 103.5 450.2 5.8 900 1.01 101 1.8 990 75.05 76.5 73.9 75.05 74 73.95 73.45

20 475.2 97 103 450 5.79 899 1 101 1.76 990 75.05 76.15 73.85 75 74 73.95 73

20 475.2 97 103 450.2 5.79 900 1.01 101 1.76 990 75.05 76.5 73.85 75 74 73.95 73

119,900 10 1,360 20,530 120 14,000 2,010 91,000 100 27,000 10 160 21,720 2,510 88,400 600 65,000 14,140

2,424,525 4,752 131,920 2,120,960 54,016 81,064 1,808,970 91,100 10,100 47,760 9,900 12,008 1,657,361 185,488.50 6,630,055 44,400 4,806,750 1,036,642.50

-12,000 780,290 81,064 -10,800 -

WARRANTS LR WARRANT

1.96

1.97

1.96

1.96

82,000

160,750

SME ITALPINAS XURPAS

4.93 1.48

4.97 1.52

4.78 1.39

4.85 1.43

646,000 34,121,000

3,142,830 48,939,390

SERVICES

MS

HOLDING FIRMS

PROPERTY -1,985,144 44,000 -109,658,110 -677,880.00 -42,080 185,468 5,059,168 104,975 -5,233,510 740,460 52,057,353.00 -6,480 -23,500

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

NAME

19,500 -15,405,750

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS FIRST METRO ETF

117.2

118

117.2

118

4,330

508,542

-

DDS USD DMPL A1

10.02

10.02

10.02

10.02

500

5,010

-

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

12,700,740

INDUSTRIAL

98,119,184

HOLDING FIRMS

110,748,636

PROPERTY

165,821,573

SERVICES

169,542,291

MINING & OIL

876,193,504

GRAND TOTAL

1,467,898,231

VALUE 1,777.78 (up) 4.39 1,226,228.720.365 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,567.25 (up) 228.29 1,334,544,869.77 HOLDING FIRMS 7,999.22 (up) 115.35 1,577,454,127.877 PROPERTY 4,009.11 (up) 69.02 SERVICES 1,565.68 (down) -0.31 1,873,796,274.8 MINING & OIL 8,591.99 (up) 148.36 1,651,081,687.41 PSEI 7,939.24 (up) 105.49 80,098,608.114 All Shares Index 4,856.94 (up) 54.05 7,795,800,365.94 Gainers: 122; Losers: 88; Unchanged: 42; Total: 252

ABS-CBN says sales of TVplus sets hit 7m

By Darwin G Amojelar ABS-CBN Corp. said sales of TVplus continued to rise as it sold seven million units as of February this year— four years since its launch in 2015.

Sales have steadily increased in the past years as more and more Filipinos patronize the country’s pioneering digital terrestrial television product.

Based on Kantar Media’s Q4 2018 report of DTT households nationwide, ABS-CBN TVplus exclusive channels CineMo and YeY have kept their spot as the third and fourth most watched channels, respectively.

Meanwhile, after the launch of new exclusive TVplus channels last year, Jeepney TV claimed the fifth spot followed by Movie Central and Asianovela Channel on the sixth and eighth rank.

TVplus’ pay-per-view channel KBO, which is now open to all networks, meanwhile, has attracted 1.2M unique TVplus customers to register using the service.

ABS-CBN, which is rapidly transitioning into an agile digital company, is the first media and entertainment company in the country to make the historic switch from analog to digital terrestrial television to transform the TV viewing experience of Filipinos.

Based on the Kantar Media establishment survey in August 2018, 72 percent of non-cabled homes in Metro Manila had an ABS-CBN TVplus box against 55 percent in August 2017.

The number of non-cabled homes with a TVplus box also increased in Mega Manila to 65 percent from 44 percent, while those in the suburbs grew to 57 percent from 33 percent in the same period last year.

ABS-CBN TVplus also continues to expand its signal coverage areas as part of its mission to lead the country’s migration from analog to digital broadcast by 2023.

Batangas in November became the 16th signal coverage area of ABSCBN TVplus. Other coverage areas are Metro Manila, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Rizal, Laguna, Pampanga, Tarlac, Benguet, Cavite, Metro Cebu, Cagayan De Oro, Iloilo, Bacolod and Davao.

Phoenix LPG, Grainsmart sign partnership deal

By Alena Mae S. Flores PHOENIX LPG Philippines Inc. on Wednesday signed an agreement with Grainsmart Corp. as its exclusive marketer, distributor and seller of Phoenix Super LPG products and equipment.

Phoenix said the partnership with Grainsmart, the leading special rice grains retail chain store in the Philippines with over 300 stores nationwide, is expected to further amplify the availability and accessibility of Phoenix Super LPG in the country.

“Aside from our continuous aim to provide quality LPG products and services, I believe the best news about our partnership with Grainsmart is the convenience we will be able to provide for our customers. Our combined network will benefit the most those who are already using and those who would like to try our brand but does not have easy access to it yet. Through Grainsmart, we will now be able to bring Phoenix Super LPG closer to your homes,” said PLPI general manager for Luzon Julgin Anthony Villanueva.

For start-up businesses who are interested in adding complementary products in their portfolio, Grainsmart will also start offering a 4-in-1 package that includes Phoenix Super LPG and Posible—a digital transaction device—along with its rice and water product offerings.

“While Phoenix Petroleum has been relentless in its pursuit of being an indispensable partner in the journey of everyone whose life we touch through various expansion strategies, we have also opened plenty of business opportunities to entrepreneurs over the years,” said Phoenix Petroleum chief operating officer Henry Albert Fadullon.

“The partnership with Grainsmart will provide our business partners a new option on how they can grow their businesses, expand their reach, and provide Filipinos with complementary products at the best value,” he added.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

TODAY

extrastory2000@gmail.com

Business/World

B3

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS

Putin to give annual address as his approval ratings drop

M

OSCOW―Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver his annual state of the nation address on Wednesday as he faces an unprecedented fall in his approval ratings.

It will be the 66-year-old leader’s first address to both houses of parliament since he was elected to a fourth presidential term a year ago, extending his long rule until 2024.

Last year, Putin used the address to unveil

a new arsenal of weapons in a nearly twohour speech that stunned the West and many in Russia.

Speaking two weeks before his re-election, Putin promised Russians higher standards of living and hailed Moscow’s military might as relations with the West reached post-Cold War lows.

After the speech he enjoyed his highest approval rating since he came to power in 1999.

But a year on, Putin has seen his popularity slide against a backdrop of economic problems.

A hugely unpopular reform raising the retirement age that Putin signed into law in October led to a major dip in his support.

A survey by Russia’s independent Levada Cen-

It’s time for SEC to flex its muscles THE Securities and Exchange Commission, as the country’s corporate watchdog, must show its teeth to assure investors they can compete in a level playing field in the Philippines.

Fair competition and adherence to investment rules are what entice investors to do business in the Philippines.

Investor confidence, along with stable macro-economic policies, is critical in luring local and foreign capital. In the corporate world, businessmen must be assured that they are protected in the complex processes involved in the buying and selling of shares.

The SEC will be put to another test when it rules on the shareholder row hounding The Medical City. Speculation is now focused on the elements of the decision.

Having charged an investor group identified with Singapore-based firm Clermont with violations of key provisions of the country’s Securities Regulation Code (SRC), observers are now watching out for the possible penalties that may be imposed for these infractions.

The SEC now has the chance to further cement the respect of the business and investor communities–both local and international. Its ruling will impart a lesson that even big investors will never forget—never take Philippine investment laws and regulatory bodies for granted.

The SEC earlier charged Singapore-registered Viva Holdings Inc. and its local partner Fountel Inc. with fraud.

The body found that the group may have “misrepresented their independence from each other” as they went on a buying spree of Medical City shares.

The SEC charged that the misrepresentation prejudiced “the unsuspecting stockholders whose share value and voting power have declined” as a result of the fraud.

The SEC cited an alleged “funding scheme” employed by the group, in which foreign funds were channeled from the Singaporean company to several local firms either owned or identified with Jose Xavier “Eckie” Gonzales.

But the game plan shocked many, considering that Gonzales then was the trusted director–treasurer of the Medical City, and nephew of the hospital’s founder and chief executive officer Dr. Alfredo “Alran” Bengzon.

The SEC said the acts constituted violations of provisions of the Securities Regulation Code, which prohibit “fraudulent, manipulative and deceptive act or practice in connection with any tender offer.” The seriousness of the violations will likely deserve severe penalties.

With the SEC being the recognized expert and empowered authority on all laws regarding securities and investments, its decision will be respected and upheld by the courts.

A lawyer friends told this writer that the Philippine SEC’s mandate and structure is closely patterned after that of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (US SEC). The same is true for our laws covering investments and the capital markets contained in the country’s SRC. The Philippine SEC was established in 1936—two years after the creation of the US SEC. The US SEC has no compunctions about exercising its regulatory muscles, making it a highly respected agency and one of the most feared watchdogs in America.

Investors in the US know that you do not mess with the US SEC. Take the case of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. He had to pay the US SEC a $20-million settlement after the corporate watchdog charged him with a securities fraud due to a misleading statement he made on Twitter that he could take his company private. The US SEC action resulted in what is now dubbed as the “most expensive tweet in history.”

The Philippine SEC is gaining the same reputation as a fearless agency. On several occasions, the regulatory body slapped some of the richest businessmen in the country with hundreds of millions in fines for alleged violations of securities laws.

The country’s own SRC, meanwhile, is as rigorous and stringent as its US counterpart. The SRC, enacted in 2000, could not have come at a better time to finally replace the outdated Revised Securities Act of 1982. The SRC was in response to the biggest stock manipulation scandal in the Philippines involving BW Resources. The law designated the SEC as the primary enforcement agency.

The SRC enabled the SEC to crack down on pyramiding schemes, fraudulent investment contracts and defective share subscriptions. The SEC has shown that it is not afraid to use the power of that code. It is expected to act decisively on the The Medical City controversy.

E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or extrastory2000@ gmail.com or business@manilastandard.net

ter released in January found his approval rating at 64 percent, the lowest since before Moscow’s annexation of Crimea five years ago.

Another Levada poll in October found only 40 percent of Russians would vote for Putin if an election were held.

Political analyst Aleksey Mukhin predicts Putin’s speech this year will focus primarily on “internal politics and the economy,” which has suffered since it was hit with Western sanctions in 2014 over Moscow’s role in the Ukraine conflict.

According to a high-ranked source quoted

by Russian television channel Dozhd, the bulk of Putin’s speech will be dedicated to “positive topics” that “people can relate to”. AFP

Indonesian students flee violence in Papua provine JAKARTA―Hundreds of students have fled fighting in Indonesia’s restive Papua province, a local NGO said, amid unconfirmed reports of violent military reprisals after a massacre of civilian workers by separatist rebels.

The death of 16 governmentlinked employees at a remote jungle work camp, in early December, marked a dramatic escalation from decades of mostly sporadic skirmishes between poorly armed and disorganized guerrillas and a powerful Indonesian military.

Subsequent clashes prompted the Nduga district government to evacuate more than 400 students to Wamena, the capital of neighboring Jayawijaya district, according to Humanitarian Volunteers for Nduga and a local education agency official.

“Some of the students are suffering from trauma,” said Ence Geong, a coordinator at the NGO, told AFP. “When the military came to the school in uniforms, some of the students ran” in fear.

Scores of other residents are believed to have fled to neighboring districts or into the jungle amid allegations soldiers carried out arson, harassment and the killing of livestock and civilians, residents and activists said.

Local resident Sripona Nirigi told AFP her elderly father Gemin —a priest—was shot dead in December during a sweep of the area by the military.

His burned corpse was found by one of her siblings some two weeks later, she added. Her account could not be independently verified. AFP

‘Holocaust denier’ barred SYDNEY―Controversial British personality David Icke has been blocked from entering Australia, opposition parliamentarians said Wednesday, after the conspiracy theorist was blasted as a holocaust denier.

Icke, who denies anti-Semitism and believes the world is run by giant shape-shifting reptiles, was due to start a speaking tour in major Australian cities next month.

Opposition Labor MP Tim Watts on Wednesday warned that Icke “could be spouting his vitriol” in Melbourne, home to Australia’s largest Jewish community within weeks if he were allowed into the country.

“David Icke, a well-known British holocaust denier, should not be allowed entry into Australia to preach his toxic message,” he told parliament.

Watts posted an hour later on Facebook that the government had listened and “banned Icke from the country”, describing it as “an important blow against rising anti-Semitism in Australia”. AFP

NOTICE OF SELFADJUDICATION Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late Lorenzo Raymundo Arce, who died on June 26, 2016 without leaving any will, has been settled by way of self-adjudication by his sole legal heir and daughter, Trixia Joyce Arce Fu, as per Doc. No. 661, Page No. 7, Book No. 1, series of 2019 of Consul Vanessa G. Bago-Llona, Consul of the Republic of the Philippines for Northern California, in San Francisco.

Manila GUIDELINES FOR ACCREDITATION OF FILIPINO COMMUNITY, NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION (NGO), OR CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION AS PARTNERS OF THE COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONDUCT OF OVERSEAS VOTING UNDER REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9189, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS “THE OVERSEAS ABSENTEE VOTING ACT OF 2003”, AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10590 FOR PURPOSES OF THE MAY 13, 2019 NATIONAL AND LOCAL ELECTIONS x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x

Chairman Sheriff M. Abas Commissioner Al A. Parreño Commissioner Luie Tito F. Guia Commissioner Ma. Rowena Amelia V. Guanzon Commissioner Socorro B. Inting Commissioner Marlon S. Casquejo Commissioner Antonio T. Kho, Jr.

RESOLUTION No. 10499 Promulgation: February 19, 2019

WHEREAS, duly accredited Filipino Communities (FiIComs), Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs), and Civil Society Organizatiops (CSOs) are hereby recognized as partners of the Commission in implementing the overseas voting; WHEREAS, Section 35 of Republic Act No. 9189, as amended, provides that, in the interest of transparency, all necessary and practicable measures shall be adopted to allow representation of accredited citizens’ arms and nongovernment organizations to assist, and intervene in appropriate cases, in all stages of the electoral exercise and to prevent any and all forms of fraud and coercion.

WHEREAS, it is expected that the 2019 Automated National and Local Elections will generate higher voter interest and that a great number of FilComs, NGOs and CSOs may be accredited as partners of the Commission in voter education, information campaign, and other voting related activities; NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the powers vested in it by the Constitution, Republic Act No. 9189 as amended by Republic Act No. 10590, the Omnibus Election Code, and other election laws, the Commission on Elections has RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES, to promulgate the following guidelines: Section. 1. Definitions. - For purposes of this Resolution: (a)

FILIPINO COMMUNITY refers to a group of Filipinos of any size whose members reside in a specific locality organized due to their common regional, cultural and historical heritage, interests, occupation which are perceived to be or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists.

(b)

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION refers to a Philippine organization that is neither a part of the Philippine government nor a conventional business establishment. It is organized by ordinary citizens, and may be funded by Philippine government, foundations, businesses, or Filipino citizens.

(c)

CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION refers to the aggrupation of Filipino nongovernmental organizations and institutions that manifest the interests and will of the citizens of the Philippines and are independent of the Philippine government.

Sec. 2. General requirements for accreditation. - All parties requesting for accreditation shall be required to submit the following: 1. A duly accomplished Accreditation Application Form; 2. List of officers and members including their addresses and contact numbers; and 3. Photocopies of Valid IDs of officers and members.

Sec . 3. Application forms. - Application forms for accreditation shall be available at the Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) and at the Posts. Application forms may also be downloaded from the COMELEC website (http://www. comelec.gov.ph) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) website.

Sec. 4. Period for filing applications for accreditation. - The period for filing applications for accreditation shall be from 15 February 2019 to 31 March 2019. This period shall be non-extendible. Applications filed after the last day for filing shall not be entertained.

Sec. 5. Filing and approval of applications for accreditation. Applications for accreditation shall be filed at the Posts. Approval of applications for accreditation shall be issued by the Head of Post.

Sec. 6. Treatment of applications for accreditation. - Within seven (7) days from the end of the period for filing applications, the Head of Post shall immediately furnish copies of all applications, with attachments, including copies of Certificates of Accreditation, to the OFOV. Sec. 7. Certificate of Accreditation. - Upon accreditation, FilComs, NGOs or CSOs, shall be issued their Certificates of Accreditation duly signed by the Commissioner-in-Charge of OFOV or by the Head of Post. The Certificate of Accreditation shall be strictly non-transferable and is valid only for the purpose for which it was issued. Any abuse thereof shall result in revocation.

Sec. 8. Guidelines. - The duly accredited FilComs, NGOs and CSOs shall observe the following guidelines: a.

They shall be under the supervision and control of the COMELEC or the Posts;

b.

They shall assist in organizing, managing, or operating the Voting Centers including field and mobile voting;

c.

They shall coordinate the activities of all NGOs and private organizations that are interested in involving themselves in the elections for the purpose of ensuring free, clean, honest and fair conduct of the elections; .

d.

They shall deploy volunteers who may assist in the operations of the voting centers and who may also provide assistance to registered voters during the voting period;

e.

They shall assist the COMELEC or the Post by monitoring the conduct of voting and by being made a member of the Task Force that may be organized by the COMELEC or the Post for the purpose;

f.

They shall assist in the dissemination of information to educate and fully inform the public about election laws, procedures, decisions, and other matters relative to the work and duties of the COMELEC and the Posts and on the necessity of clean, free, orderly and honest electoral process;

Invitation to Bid for the SLF WATER TREATMENT FACILITIES AND DRAINAGES AT BGY. SAN ISIDRO

g.

They shall observe the voting to ensure free, honest and orderly voting process;

The City Government of Naga, through the LDF 2019-Environmental Management-Sanitary Landfill Project, intends to apply the sum of TWENTY FOUR MILLION EIGHT HUNDRED SIXTY SIX THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED (P 24,866,300.00) PESOS, being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) for the SLF Water Treatment Facilities and Drainages at Bgy. San Isidro, Naga City, with Contract Reference Number: 006253-2018-02.

h.

They shall be strictly non-partisan and impartial during the voting period;

i.

They shall undertake to police their ranks and prevent infiltration by persons or groups of persons who may, directly or indirectly, destroy its character of non-partisanship and impartiality;

j.

They shall commit to submit themselves to the direct and immediate control and supervision, and comply with the orders, of the COMELEC or the Post in the performance of their functions and activities provided by law, and such other functions and activities which the COMELEC or the Post may assign;

k.

They shall not be supported by or be under the influence of any foreign government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities, or any foreigner, whether natural or juridical person; and

I.

They shall not solicit or receive, directly or indirectly, any contribution or aid of whatever form or nature from any foreign government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities, or any foreigner, whether natural or juridical person.

(MS-FEB. 14,21 & 28, 2019)

Republic of the Philippines CITY OF NAGA BIDS & AWARDS COMMITTEE BIDS & AWARDS COMMITTEE

Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The City Government of Naga now invites bids for the SLF Water Treatment Facilities and Drainages at Bgy. San Isidro, Naga City, with Contract Reference Number: 0062532018-02. Completion of the Works is required within 210 calendar days. Equipment Required: plate compactor, plastic welding machine, 3-concrete mixer, 3-concrete vibrator. Bidders should have completed a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II, Instructions to Bidders.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the City Government of Naga and inspect the Bidding Documents at the Office of the BAC Secretariat at the City Planning & Development Office, 2nd Floor City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, J. Miranda Avenue, Concepcion Pequena, Naga City from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders starting on Thursday, February 21 to March 15, 2019, from the Office of the BAC Secretariat at the City Planning & Development Office, 2nd Floor City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, J. Miranda Avenue, Concepcion Pequena, Naga City, and upon payment of the applicable nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Twenty Five Thousand (P 25,000.00) PESOS, and an Annual Registration Fee of Three Thousand (P 3,000.00) Pesos if not yet registered with the Naga City BAC, and upon presentation of a Document Request List (DRL) from PhilGEPS showing your company name.

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Naga City Government (www.naga.gov.ph), provided that bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. Official receipts should be presented during dropping of bids and enclosed in the bid documents (first envelope).

The City Government of Naga will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on Friday, March 1, 2019, 3:00PM at the City Procurement Office, Ground Floor, City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, Naga City, which shall be open to prospective bidders.

Sec. 9. Effectivity. - This Resolution shall take effect on the seventh (7th) day after its publication in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.

Sec. 10. Dissemination and publication. - The OFOV shall furnish the Office of the President, the Office of the Press Secretary, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippine lnformation Agency, FilComs, NGOs, and CSOs copies of this Resolution.

The Department of Foreign Affairs shall furnish copies thereof to all foreign embassies and consulates.

The Education and Information Department shall cause the publication of this Resolution.

SO ORDERED.

Bids must be duly received to the BAC Secretariat at the City Procurement Office, Ground Floor, City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, Naga City on or before 3:00 PM on Friday, March 15, 2019. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security, either in the form of: cash or cashier’s/manager’s check issued by a universal or commercial bank (2% of ABC), or, Bid Securing Declaration (BSD).

Bid opening shall be on Friday, March 15, 2019, 3:00PM. at City Procurement Office, City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, J. Miranda Avenue, Concepcion Pequena, Naga City. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The City Government of Naga reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to: MR. FLORENCIO T. MONGOSO, JR. Acting City Administrator, Office of the City Administrator 2nd Floor City Hall Building, City Hall Compound, J. Miranda Avenue Concepcion Pequena, Naga City 4400 bac@naga.gov.ph/junmongoso@naga.gov.ph, www.naga.gov.ph (SGD) FLORENCIO T. MONGOSO, JR. BAC Chairperson

(MS-FEB. 21, 2019)

(MS-FEB. 21, 2019)

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

B4

Binay lauds OsMak for passing ISO

LGUs

Manila

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

By Joel E. Zurbano

CEZA marks 24th anniversary

By Brenda Jocson

T

UGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan—The opening of its new satellite office in Tuguegarao City, sports competitions, and a job fair for Cagayanos are among activities scheduled this weekend in Santa Ana, Cagayan marking the 24th anniversary of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority.

In a statement, Secretary Raul L. Lambino, CEZA Administrator and CEO, said the Authority will mark several firsts in its history, one of them being the inauguration of CEZA’s new office that has a training center for job seekers at the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport.

Lambino said the ongoing construction of a sani-

tary landfill and several infrastructure projects will be inspected, and those in the pipeline will be unveiled, including groundbreaking of the Central Business District in Santa Ana during the anniversary celebrations on Feb. 25.

Groundbreaking for the Authority’s planned Corporate Center and Commercial Center will be held at an 11-hectare property newly acquired

by CEZA in Barangay Rapuli, site of the proposed facilities to be built, such as hotel and condominium buildings, duty-free shopping malls and entertainment plaza.

CCC No. 37 Tagaytay-Amadeo Road, Barangay Kaybagal Central The weeklong celebrations kick off Tagaytay City, Cavite Feb. 23 in Barangays Casambalangan, Rapuli, Diora Zinungan to San Vicente, INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO SUBMIT COMPARATIVE PROPOSALS (IAESP)

where Lambino will lead in the coastal cleanup and tree-planting activities.

Sports competitions among CEZA employees and locators at the Cagayan Freeport, and a medical and dental mission for residents of Santa Ana and nearby towns are scheduled Sunday. A job fair and a CEZA awards night to honor the Zone’s top performers will cap the first-day activities.

A CEZA Culinary Challenge featuring entries from Cagayan’s 28 municipalities and one city will be held Feb. 25 focusing on the food delicacies and rich marine products of the country’s No. 1 tourist destination in Northern Luzon.

Lambino said the rehabilitation and upgrading of Port San Vicente, just across from the scenic Palaui Island, are designed to allow the port to accommodate cruise vessels and RoRo ships.

Construction of three warehouses in Port Irene, he said, will start next month, the first step to expand the capacity of the cargo terminal.

Lambino said proponents of the most ambitious project, the proposed satellite city named City Polaris, will visit Santa Ana next month for pre-planning preparation and site inspection.

The Tagaytay CityWater District (TCWD), created pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 198, as amended, otherwise known as the Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973, received an unsolicited proposal from the Original Proponent for the FINANCING, DEVELOPMENT, IMPROVEMENT, REHABILITATION, EXPANSION, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE WATER SUPPLY AND SEPTAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS OF TAGAYTAY CITY WATER DISTRICT. Pursuant to the 2013 Guidelines issued by the National Economic Development Authority under Section 8 of Executive Order No. 423 dated 30 April 2005, negotiations ensued between TCWD and Original Proponent on the JV Proposal. Subsequently, an agreement was reached between TCWD and Original Proponent to form an unincorporated joint venture to undertake the JV Project.

In compliance with TCWD Board Resolution2019-02-013, TCWD, through its Joint Venture Selection Committee (JVSC), invites Interested Private Sector Participant/s (IPP’s) to challenge the JV Proposal by submitting comparative proposals for the following: Name of Project:

FINANCING, DEVELOPMENT, IMPROVEMENT, REHABILITATION, EXPANSION, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE WATER SUPPLY AND SEPTAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS OF TAGAYTAY CITY WATER DISTRICT

Location of Project:

Tagaytay City, Cavite,Philippines

Project Description:

The project involves a joint venture undertaking between TCWD and the Winning Private Sector Participant for the financing, development, improvement, rehabilitation, expansion, operation and maintenance of the water supply and septage management systems of Tagaytay City Water District.

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

An IPP shall be considered eligible upon compliance with the following minimum qualification requirements: 1.1.

2.

The IPP must be either of the following: a.

A duly licensed sole proprietorship owned by a Filipino citizen; or

b.

A partnership or corporation created pursuant to the Corporation Code of the Philippines and registered with the SEC.

c.

A Consortium of two or more entities with at least sixty percent (60%) of both voting and non-voting interest in the said Consortium being owned and held, by citizens of the Philippines and/or by Philippine registered corporations at least sixty percent (60%) of both the total number of outstanding shares of stock, whether or not entitled to vote in the election of directors are owned by Philippine nationals.

1.2.

The nationality of the IPP shall be determined via the Grandfather Rule.

1.3.

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

1.4.

The IPP or each Consortium member must execute Omnibus Sworn Statement.

DIGITAL LEARNING. Public schools in the remote barangays of Hugpa, Mahayahay, and Inaad in

Ormoc, Leyte were nominated by the Department of Education to receive a School-in-a-Bag digital learning kit each, donated by the PLDT-Smart Foundation. Each kit (as pictured, right) contains a teacher’s laptop, Smart pocket Wi-Fi, projector, DVD player, and tablets pre-loaded with interactive content, including mobile applications in Filipino, Cebuano and other local languages, developed in partnership with the DepEd and academic institutions. Since 2016, Smart and partner donors like PSF have donated 112 School-in-a-Bag units to various schools nationwide, benefitting over 30,000 students and 1,000 teachers.

Parañaque set to build Entertainment City office

Technical Eligibility 2.1.

3.

The IPP must have completed a similar or related project costing at least 50% of the cost of the JV Activity/Project within the last ten (10) years. For the avoidance of doubt, cost of the JV Activity/Project pertains to the present value of the amount of contribution of TCWD and the Original Proponent using a discount rate. For this project, the cost of the JV Activity/Project is equal to One Billion Four Hundred Seventy-Six Million, Four Hundred Twelve Thousand, Three Hundred One Pesos (PhP1,476,412,301.00).

Financial Eligibility

4.

3.1.

The IPP should have the capability to finance the completion of the entire project evidenced by financial documents to be submitted and will form as an integral part of the Financial Proposal.

3.2

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

Additional eligibility criteria are specified in the instructions to IPPs. Only those lPP’s that are deemed eligible shall be entitled to submit Comparative Proposals, which must be in accordance with instructions contained in the Request for Proposal Documents (RFP Documents).

The JVSC shall evaluate the proposals using the Quality Based Evaluation/Selection (QBE/ QBS) procedure. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of the proposals shall be provided in the Instructions to Interested Private Proponent/s (IIPPs).

The following procedures, schedules and instructions shall be strictly observed: SCHEDULE (using Philippine Standard Time)

ACTIVITY 1. Publication

February 21, 2019

2. Posting

February 21 to February 28, 2019

3. Purchase of Eligibility Documents for a nonrefundable fee of Five Hundred ThousandPesos (PhP 500,000.00)in cash or Managers Check made payable to Tagaytay City Water District 4. Submission of Eligibility Documents

5. Opening of Documents

Eligibility

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS

SEC Memorandum Circular No. 3 Series of 2019 SUBJECT :

PHILIPPINE INTERPRETATIONS COMMITTEE QUESTION AND ANSWER (PIC Q&A) NOS. 2018-12-H AND 2018-14

WHEREAS, on 15 August 2017, the Commission approved the adoption of Philippine Financial Reporting Standard (PFRS) No. 15, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2018, as part of its financial reporting rules.

WHEREAS, on 31 January 2018 and 27 June 2018, respectively, the PIC issued the following guidance on some implementation issues affecting the real estate industries brought about by the adoption of PFRS 15: 1. PIC Q&A 2018-12-H, Accounting for Common Usage Service Area (CUSA) Charges. (Approved by Financial Reporting Standards Council (FRSC) and Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and Board of Accountancy (BOA) on 14 February 2018 and 18 May 2018, respectively; 2. PIC Q&A 2018-14, Accounting For Cancellation of Real Estate Sales.

(Approved by FRSC on 10 October 2018. The pronouncement is still pending for approval by the PRC and BOA).

February 21 to March 4, 2019

The Eligibility Documents may be purchased ONLY from TCWDJVSC at the Tagaytay City Water District,Tagaytay-Amadeo Road, Barangay Kaybagal Central, Tagaytay City, Cavite

April 4, 2019 (until 10:00 am only)

Deadline of Submission of Eligibility Documents to TCWD-JVSC Office,Tagaytay City Water District, Tagaytay-Amadeo Road, Barangay Kaybagal Central, Tagaytay City, Cavite

April 4, 2019 @ 1:00 PM

JVSC will determine the completeness of the eligibility documents based on a pass or fail criteria. For those IPPs with incomplete, irregular or patently insufficient submission shall be considered failed. For those IPPs whose eligibility documents appear to be complete shall be further evaluated to determine its eligibility.

On or before April 22,2019

JVSC will evaluate the eligibility documents of the IPPs to determine if they are eligible or ineligible.

6.

Determination of Eligibility

7.

Purchase of Tender Documents by IPPs declared “eligible” for non-refundable fee of One Million Pesos (PhP 1,000,000.00), in cash or Managers Check made payable to Tagaytay City Water District

April 22 to April 29, 2019

Tender Documents may be purchased ONLY from TCWD-JVSC Secretariat at the Tagaytay City Water District,Tagaytay-Amadeo Road, Barangay Kaybagal Central, Tagaytay City, Cavite

8.

Pre-selection conference will thereafter be held.

July 29, 2019 ( 1:00 pm)

All Eligible IPPs are encouraged to attend the conference to be held at the Tagaytay City Water District, TagaytayAmadeo Road, Barangay Kaybagal Central, Tagaytay City, Cavite

9.

Submission and Opening of Comparative Proposal

August 29, 2019 (until 10:00am only)

Comparative Proposals shall be addressed to: Marie Stella P. Luna Chairperson - JVSC TAGAYTAY CITYWATER DISTRICT

For any queries and/or clarifications, please address your communication in writing to the Chairperson of TCWD-JVSC at the address indicated above or fax the same at (046)4131122 or email the same to tagaytaywaterdistrict@hotmail .com.

TCWD reserves the right to reject any or all submissions, waive any minor deviations, and award the contract for the JV Project to the IPP whose financial proposal is the best among the qualified interested private proponent/s whose technical proposals are complying.

WHEREAS, the real estate industry raised implementation issues and requested to defer the implementation of the above pronouncements pending the discussion and resolution by the PIC and FRSC of the said issues.

WHEREAS, upon further consultations and discussions with the real estate industry, the Commission took note of the significant impact and difficulties faced by the real estate industry in immediately implementing the guidance in PIC Q&A Nos. 2018-12 (H) and 2018-14.

NOW, THEREFORE, the Commission en banc, in its meeting held on 07 February 2019, decided to provide relief to the real estate industry by deferring the application of the provisions of the PIC Q&A Nos. 2018-12 (H) and 2018-14 for a period of three (3) years.

Effective January 01, 2021, real estate companies will adopt the subject pronouncements and any subsequent amendments thereof retrospectively or as the SEC will later prescribe.

(MS-FEB. 21, 2019)

THREE towers of commercial mixed-used buildings will be constructed this year within the Pagcor Entertainment City along Coastal Road by a private developer in partnership with the city government of Parañaque—one of which will serve as the city’s government satellite office.

This was after the city government and Anchor Land Holding Inc., which will finance and construct the complex as no cost to the city, recently signed a public-private partnership for the P2.7billion Special Investment District buildings.

Construction of the building is expected to start in two years or by mid-2021.

About 2,434 square meters of land will be devoted to the ninestory satellite office, which will have four floors with 4,884 square meters of space for the city government and five floors with 6,785 square meters of space for lease, according to Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez.

Olivarez said the two other buildings will be leased for office and bed-spacing use by ALHI, who shall return possession of the property including all improvements to the city after a certain period.

“The Satellite City Hall is basically an office building and the project will be a new landmark in this part of the city,” the mayor said.

Under the agreement, the PPP project will have a period of 50 years, renewable for another 25 years’ at ALHI’s option.

“The project will bring value to the city’s property. It will create jobs for city residents, who may be employed by the various businesses that will lease space at the commercial area,” the mayor pointed out.

Olivarez said the satellite office would include the extension offices of the city’s business permit and licensing office (BPLO) as well as the assessor’s office, where local and foreign investors can process their city permits.

A real estate company may opt not to avail of any of the relief provided above and instead comply in full with the requirements of PIC Q&A Nos. 2018-12 (H) and 2018-14.

Moreover, real estate companies which opted for the deferral shall be required to disclose in the Notes to the Financial Statements the accounting policies applied, a discussion of the deferral of the subject implementation issues in the PIC Q & A and a qualitative discussion of the impact in the financial statements had the concerned application guideline in the PIC Q & A been adopted.

However, should any of the deferral options result into an accounting policy change, such accounting change will have to be accounted for under Philippine Accounting Standard (PAS) 8, Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors, i.e., retrospectively, together with the corresponding required quantitative disclosures.

The above relief shall form part of the PFRS for the purpose of preparing and filing general-purpose financial statements with the Commission.

The FRSC, PIC and real estate industry, through its various associations are encouraged to have continuous dialogue to address any challenges in the implementation of PIC Q&A Nos. 2018-12(H) and 2018-14 and for any new developments in the implementation of PFRS 15 and its related PIC Q&As. Issued this 08 February 2019 at Pasay City, Philippines.

For the Commission:

All proposals must be accompanied by a Proposal Security in the form as required by the government entity which may be cash, certified check, manager’s check, letter of credit, or bank draft/guarantee issued by a reputable local/foreign bank, or surety bond callable on demand issued by GSIS or an entity duly registered and recognized by the office of the Insurance Commissioner, or a combination thereof payable to the Government Agency concerned equivalent to 2% of the estimated participation of the Original Proponent, amounting to Twenty Seven Million Six Hundred Forty Five Thousand Eight Hundred Ninety Three Pesos (PhP 27,645,893.00).

TCWD assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify any IPP for expenses incurred in the preparation of the comparative proposals.

MAYOR Abigail Binay on Wednesday praised Ospital ng Makati officials after the city-run medical facility met strict international standards on frontline services and processes.

The hospital situated along Sampaguita Street in Barangay Pembo earned the ISO 9001:2015 Certification for Quality Management System after passing the audit conducted by the certification body, International Organization for Standardization.

“Congratulations to the management and personnel of Ospital ng Makati for once again meeting the rigorous standards of the ISO. While we may be a small, city-run hospital, our processes and facilities are at par with international standards,” said Binay.

She said the city government was proud to share its latest achievement with the city residents.

“My dear Makatizens, we are proud to share this notable achievement with all of you. Our very own hospital is an internationally-certified health care facility capable of delivering premium quality medical services that you all deserve,” the mayor declared.

Binay noted that Osmak is living up to the vision of her father, former Vice President Jejomar Binay.

In 1988, then-Mayor Jojo Binay sought to improve the delivery of public health service to Makati residents. He wanted a premier medical facility that had high standards of service and professionalism comparable to private hospitals. More importantly, Makati city residents would receive medical treatment for free.

“More than 20 years after OsMak was established, we are harvesting the fruits of our continued hard work and dedication to serve our constituents. We continue to improve the delivery of health care services, procure more modern equipment, add more specialized services and train more doctors so we can treat more patients every day,” Abby Binay stressed.

OsMak medical director Dr. Vergel Binay said the 2019 audit was conducted from Feb. 5 to 8 and covered several areas, including patient admissions from the ER up to discharge of in-patient customers.

He added that Laboratory and Radiology services were also evaluated, as well as dispensing of medicine for the in-house pharmacy and the consultation process for out-patient at the Ambulatory Care Medicine Department.

EMILIO B. AQUINO Chairperson (MS-FEB. 21, 2019)

BRIEFING. Aklan Rep. Teodorico ‘Nonong’ Haresco explains a point to the media on Tuesday as he discusses the government’s plans for infrastructure, education, health and livelihood for his constituents and the Western Visayas region in a press conference in Quezon City.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

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Globally Recognized Standards/Frameworks in Reporting Sustainability

SEC MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 4 Series of 2019 TO

:

SUBJECT

:

PUBLICLY-LISTED COMPANIES

SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING GUIDELINES FOR PUBLICLY-LISTED COMPANIES _________________________________________________________ To promote sustainability reporting and make it relevant for Philippine publicly-listed companies (PLCs), the Commission, in its en banc meeting on 12 February 2019, resolved to issue the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines for Publicly-Listed Companies attached to this Memorandum Circular.

The Guidelines is intended to help PLCs assess and manage nonfinancial performance across Economic, Environmental and Social aspects of their organization and enable PLCs to measure and monitor their contributions towards achieving universal targets of sustainability, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as well as national policies and programs, such as AmBisyon Natin 2040, Submission with SEC Form 17-A The reporting template (Annex A of the Guidelines) shall be submitted together with the company’s Annual Report (SEC Form 17-A).

The first report shall be attached to the 2019 Annual Report to be submitted in 2020.

For companies who already have sustainability reports in accordance with internationally recognized frameworks and standards, their reports shall already be considered as their compliance with the reporting template.

Companies may choose to attach the whole sustainability report to their Annual Report or just include a statement providing a link to said report.

Comply or Explain Approach The Guidelines shall be adopted on a “comply or explain” approach for the first three years upon implementation. By “comply or explain”, it means that companies would be required to attach the template to their Annual Reports but they can provide explanations for items where they still have no available data on.

This Guidelines provides a Sustainability Reporting Framework for Philippine PLCs that builds upon four of the globally accepted frameworks, which companies use to report on sustainability and non-financial information the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Standards, the International Integrated Reporting Council’s (IIRC) Integrated Reporting (IR) Framework, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board’s (SASB) Sustainability Accounting Standards, and the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD).5 The GRI Standards has a comprehensive reporting requirement covering governance, economic, environmental, and social topics. It is also aligned with international standards and normative frameworks such as the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) Tripartite Declaration.

The <IR> Framework defines six capitals, seven guiding principles, and eight content elements of an integrated report but does not specify topic disclosures and measurement methods. It aims to monitor how the capitals are used and created by the business model and discloses the companies’ strategies in light of risks and outlook.

The SASB Standards provides industry-based sustainability standards for more than 77 specific industries. It has five general sustainability themes including environment, social capital, human capital, business model and innovation, and leadership and governance. To address sustainability issues, a minimum set of topics for consideration in each industry are also provided, together with quantitative and comparable accounting metrics.6

The TCFD – a private-sector task force created by the Financial Stability Board – issued its final recommendations on climate- related financial disclosure inJune 2017, focusingonclimate-relatedrisks, opportunities,and financial impacts, as well as scenario analysis.7 The Task Force’s recommendations

apply to non-financial companies and financial-sector organizations, including banks, insurance companies, asset managers and asset owners.

The table below distinguishes the reporting standards/frameworks and compares the guiding principles for defining report content and sustainability topics covered in each standard/framework. More information can be found in the full guidance documents for these reporting standards/frameworks that can be access via their websites.

Reporting Standards/Frameworks

Coverage

GRI G e n e r a l • Economic Sustainability Topics • Environmental

Penalty for Non-attachment of the Sustainability Report to the Annual Report

IR Framework Six Capitals: • Manufactured capital

• Social

• Financial capital

• Governance

• Intellectual capital • Human capital

Non-attachment of the Sustainability Report to the Annual Report shall be subject to the penalty for Incomplete Annual Report provided under SEC Memorandum Circular No. 6, Series of 2005 (Consolidated Scale of Fines).

• Social and relationship capital

This Memorandum Circular shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

SASB TCFD • Business model • Governance of and innovation climate-related issues • Leadership and governance • Impact of climaterelated issues • Human capital on strategy and financial planning • Social capital • Management of • Environment climate-related risks • Use of climaterelated metrics and targets

• Natural capital Eight Content Elements:

Pasay City, Philippines, 15 February 2019.

• Organizational overview and external environment

For the Commission:

• Business model

INTRODUCTION

• Strategy and resource allocation • Performance

In recent years, increased focus has been placed on companies to provide greater disclosure and transparency not only on financial matters but on nonfinancial and sustainability issues, as well. Companies’ stakeholders now give greater attention to how businesses impact the economy, environment and society and the way corporations respond to sustainability challenges, in addition to financial challenges, determines their long-term viability and competitiveness.

• Outlook • Basis of presentation • Strategic focus G u i d i n g For defining report and future Principles content: orientation • S t a k e h o l d e r inclusiveness • Connectivity of information • S u s t a i n a b i l i t y content • Stakeholder relationships • Materiality • Materiality • Completeness • Conciseness

Consequently, Sustainability Reporting has emerged as a common practice for companies globally. In fact, 93% of the world’s largest 250 companies and 75% of the top 100 companies in 49 countries report on sustainability.1 However, for the Philippines, less than 22% of publicly-listed companies have published a report on sustainability impacts and performances.2

For defining report • Reliability and quality: completeness • Accuracy • Consistency and • Balance comparability • Clarity

• Timeliness

•

Help PLCs to identify, evaluate and manage their material Economic, Environmental and Social (EES) risks and opportunities

•

Help PLCs to assess and improvetheir non-financial performance across EES aspects of their organization to optimize business operations, improve competitiveness, and long-term success

•

Provide a mechanism that would allow PLCs to communicate with its stakeholders, including investors or its potential investors

•

Enable PLCs to measure and monitor its contributions towards achieving universal targets of sustainability, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG), as well as national policies and programs, such as AmBisyon Natin 2040

The Guidelines recognizes that sustainability reporting is a journey and that the PLCs would be at different levels in this journey; while some may already be advanced, most are just beginning. As such, this Guidelines may be seen as an introductory tool for those companies who are just starting on their journey. Please note that companies are not required to disclose on all topics provided in the Reporting Template (Annex A of the Guidelines).

Rather, disclosure should only be on topics determined by companies as material after an assessment of materiality, which is discussed in more detail in the Materiality Assessment section. Nevertheless, companies are encouraged to move at any time beyond and disclose more information than that required under this Guidelines, especially other initiatives which the company considers as contributing to the UNSDG. For other companies already reporting in accordance with internationally recognized sustainability frameworks or standards, their sustainability reports shall be considered as their compliance. However, they are encouraged to use this as a guide, particularly for climate-related disclosures.

SUSTAINABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING Sustainability is defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.3 It focuses on how a company manages its economic, environmental and social impacts, risks and opportunities. Disclosure on these nonfinancial matters are done through sustainability reporting (also known as EESG (economic, environmental, social and governance) reporting, non-financial reporting, or triple bottom line accounting), which is a central element of modern corporate reporting that includes strategy, governance and performance.

Sustainability reporting is an organization’s practice of reporting publicly on its significant economic, environmental and/or social impacts, in accordance with globally accepted standards. Such disclosures enable organizations to measure, understand and communicate their EESG performance and then set goals, and manage change more effectively.4 Often, they go hand in hand with the setting of performance targets related to EESG impacts.

Sustainability reporting also benefits stakeholders interested in an organization’s ability to create value over time, including employees, customers, suppliers, investors, business partners, local communities, legislators, regulators, and policy makers. This promotes transparency and

3. Stakeholder engagement The process of sustainability reporting provides companies with opportunities for stronger engagement with their stakeholders, which in turn can result in better relationships with them. Stakeholders would feel empowered while the companies can gain valuable insights beneficial to their sustainability journey.

4. Competitive advantage Awareness on sustainability reporting is still quite low for most Philippine companies. As such, having a sustainability report may provide companies with a competitive advantage. This competitive advantage may be in any of the abovementioned internal and external benefits.

Sustainability Reporting Principles The Reporting Principles for defining report quality guide choices on ensuring the quality of information in a sustainability report, including its proper presentation. The quality of information is important for enabling stakeholders to make sound and reasonable assessments of an organization, and to take appropriate actions. For more information read GRI 101: Foundation.

1. Materiality An organization is faced with a wide range of topics on which it can report. Relevant topics, which potentially merit inclusion in the report, are those that can reasonably be considered important for reflecting the organization’s economic, environmental, and social impacts, or influencing the decisions of stakeholders. In this context, ‘impact’ refers to the effect an organization has on the economy, the environment, and/or society (positive or negative). A topic can be relevant – and so potentially material – based on only one of these dimensions.

For purposes of this Guidelines, and as defined in the GRI Standards, ‘impact’ shall refer to the effect an organization has on the economy, the environment, and/or society, which in turn can indicate its contribution (positive or negative) to sustainable development. Reporting organizations are also expected to report on their impacts that are directly linked to their activities, products, or services through a business relationship. It should be noted that ‘impact” does not refer to an effect upon an organization, such as a change to its reputation.

•

be specific and complete

•

• Relevant across an industry

be clear, balanced, and understandable

•

be consistent over time

• Actionable by companies

•

be comparable among companies within a sector, industry, or portfolio

• Reflective of stakeholder consensus •

be reliable, verifiable, and objective

•

be provided on a timely basis

Reporting must have no bias in the selection or presentation of information. The reported information shall reflect positive and negative aspects of the reporting organization’s performance to enable a reasoned assessment of overall performance. Reporting may also be compared against previously reported targets, projections, and expectations.

4. Completeness The reporting organization should consider the extent of information disclosed and its level of specificity or preciseness, which might involve considering potential concerns regarding cost/benefit, competitive advantage, and future-oriented information.

5. Reliability The reporting organization should gather, record, compile, analyze, and report information and processes used in the preparation of the report (similar to maintaining an audit trail) in a way that they can be subjected to examination, and that establishes the quality and materiality of the information.

• Applicable

6. Accuracy

• Comparable

The reported information should be sufficiently accurate and detailed for stakeholders to assess the reporting organization’s performance.

Reports should include proper citation of information sources, including estimated data and methodology for estimation.

• Complete • Verifiable • Aligned • Neutral

7. Consistency and Comparability

• Distributive Materiality

Make sustainability reporting relevant and value adding for Philippine PLCs

•

Disclosures should: • represent relevant information

• Useful

“The board should have a clear and focused policy on the disclosure of non-financial information, with emphasis on the management of economic, environmental, social and governance (EESG) issues of its business, which underpin sustainability.

Companies should adopt a globally recognized standard/framework in reporting sustainability and non-financial issues.”

To further increase awareness among Philippine PLCs on sustainability reporting, the SEC is releasing this Guidelines on Sustainability Reporting.

This Guidelines is crafted with the following objectives:

For topic selection: • Financial materiality, based on (i) potential to affect corporate value or (ii) interest of investors

For accounting metrics: • Fair representation

• Reliability

Institutional investors are now looking at the ESG practices of companies and makes this a key element in their investment analysis and decisions. In the CFA Institute Survey conductedin 2017, 73% of the survey respondents answered that they take into account ESG issues in their investment analysis and decisions.9 Sustainability reporting, thus, provides institutional investors easy access to ESG information of companies. At the same time, it allows companies to discuss their sustainability performance in a clear and concise manner.

3. Balance

• Comparability

The need to promote sustainability reporting to Philippine companies served as the impetus for the SEC to include Principle 10 in the Code of Corporate Governance for Publicly-Listed Companies (PLCs) stating that companies should ensure that material and reportable non-financial and sustainability issues are disclosed. Recommendation 10.1 of the same Code further provides as follow:

2. Investor attractiveness

The reporting organization should provide insight into the nature and quality of the organization’s relationships with its key stakeholders, including how and to what extent the organization understands, takes into account and responds to their legitimate needs and interests.

Stakeholders provide useful insights about matters that are important to them, including economic, environmental and social issues that also affect the ability of the organization to create value.

• Risks and opportunities

Sustainability Reporting Guidelines for Publicly Listed Companies

full transparency and accurate and complete reporting on both positive and negative news. Moreover, it shows the companies’ efforts towards sustainability. This improves the company’s image and builds trust and respect for the company. Thereby, improving company reputation and brand value.

2. Stakeholder Inclusiveness

• Governance

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“Material aspects” are those that reflect the organization’s significant economic, environmental and social impacts; or that substantively influence the assessments and decisions of stakeholders

A matter is material if it could substantively affect the organization’s ability to create value in the short, medium, or long term

Financially material issues that are reasonable likely to impact the financial condition or operating performance of the typical company within an industry and therefore are most important to investors

Public companies’ legal obligation to disclose material information in their financial filings— including material climate-related information

The information in the report should be presented on a basis that is consistent over time and in a way that enables analysis of any changes in the organization’s performance over time. It must also be presented in a way that enables comparison withother organizations to the extent it is material to the organization’s own ability to create value over time.

SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING FRAMEWORK FOR PHILIPPINE PLCS The over-all sustainability reporting framework for Philippine PLCs follows this structure:

These standards and frameworks can complement each other and can be used in a single document. For example, a report can be published which uses the <IR> framework and discloses information in accordance with the GRI Standards.

In addition to these four frameworks, the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, has developed a Toolkit for Disclosure and Transparency with guidance for companies in emerging markets. This toolkit aims to help companies begin the process of sustainability reporting and move toward integrated reporting, with guidance on how to development disclosure over time

We conduct our businesses in an ETHICAL and RESPONSIBLE manner

Corporate Governance

We manage our KEY IMPACTS

Environmental

OUR COMPANY is a Sustainable Business

Economic

Social

Benefits of Sustainability Reporting Our products and services create VALUE TO SOCIETY

Internal Benefits

Contribution to Sustainable Development

With this framework in mind, this sustainability reporting guidelines is crafted for PLCs operating in the Philippines with a goal of making sustainability reporting relevant and value-adding for companies. The Guidelines focuses on economic, environmental and social disclosures since governance disclosures are made in the Integrated Annual Corporate Governance Report (I-ACGR) submitted separately to SEC.

1.

Effective management of sustainability risks and opportunities The process involved in sustainability reporting allows companies to know and better understand their sustainability risks and opportunities. This would in turn result to a more effective assessment and management of said risks and opportunities.

2.

Sustainable Vision, Strategy and Business Plans Sustainability reporting encourages companies to assess, and if necessary to update, their visions, strategies and business plans to ensure that sustainability is embedded in their organizations. It gives companies the opportunity to determine the necessary changes in their vision, strategies and performance goals/targets for more sustainable operations.

3.

Improved management systems Sustainability reporting involves tracking and gathering data which when evaluated can identify the areas that need improvement. In addition, public reporting on performance motivates companies to improve in succeeding reporting periods, thus, resulting to improvement in management systems, such as streamlining of processes, reduction of costs and over-all improvement in efficiency and productivity.

4.

Motivated workforce Creating a sustainability report requires a concerted effort from companies’ employees, exposing them to the companies’ commitment to sustainability.

Research have shown that there is a significant positive relationship between perceived environmental performance and employee satisfaction.8 Knowing that the company is environmentally and socially conscious increases morale and motivates the workforce to work hard for the company.

External Benefits 1.

Improved company reputation and brand value

Having a sustainability report indicates the companies’ commitment to

Beyond the purpose of transparency, it is designed to help PLCs assess their non-financial performance across environment, economic, and social aspects of their organization to optimize business operations, improve competitiveness, and long-term success. Disclosures contained in this guidelines are those that contribute to describing and measuring the company’s sustainability performance. Broadly, sustainability performance is measured in the way the corporation conducts its business, and how it manages its key economic, environmental and social impacts. It builds on the principles and metrics provided by the GRI Standards, SASB Standards, TCFD Recommendationand other internationally accepted standards for non-financial reporting.

The terms economic, environmental and social are defined as follows:10 Economic

Environmental

Social

An organization’s impact on the economic conditions of its stakeholders and on economic systems at local, national and global levels.

It does not focus only on the financial condition of the organization.

An organization’s impact on living and non-living natural systems, including land, air, water and ecosystems.

An organization’s internal and external impact/s on the social systems within which it operates.

Disclosure Topics Disclosures should reflect the organization’s significant economic, environmental, and social impacts and should consider the reasonable expectations and interests of key stakeholders. Disclosures should also address the organization’s climate-related risks and opportunities (climate-related issues). Whenever applicable, these disclosures should be quantifiable and measurable, effectively providing a snapshot of an organization’s non-financial performance for the reporting period. The quality and content of the disclosures should also be aligned with widely recognized reporting principles.

The Disclosures shall be made using the Annex A: Reporting Template.

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Again, for companies already reporting in accordance with internationally recognized sustainability frameworks or standards, their sustainability reports shall be considered as their compliance.

For additional guidance on the disclosure topics, you may refer to Annex B: Topic Guide.

1.

Manila

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Economic

TODAY

Suggested Materiality Assessment Process

f.

In general, a disclosure is considered material if it reflects the significant economic, environmental, and social impacts of the organization of the stakeholders, and the capacity of the stakeholders to influence the economic, environmental and social impacts or activities of the organization. Please see below the suggested materiality assessment process adopted from the Bursa Malaysia Sustainability Reporting Guide:

Economic disclosures relate to how the company directly increases the pool of economic resources that flows in the local and national economy.

Included in the disclosures are the risks and opportunities due to climate change, procurement practices with respect to local suppliers and anticorruption.

Investments to community (e.g. donations, CSR)

PhP

What is the impact and Which where does it occur? stakeholders are What is the organization’s affected? involvement in the impact?

Management Approach

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain)

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach

(e.g. employees, community, suppliers, government, vulnerable groups)

Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship) What are the Risk/s Identified?

Which stakeholders are affected?

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ Which ies Identified? stakeholders are affected?

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization Climate-related risks and opportunities15

Management Approach

2.

Environment Environmental disclosures relate to how the company manages the natural resources it needs for its business, as well as how it minimizes its negative impacts to the environment, including biodiversity. The company’s ability to access materials needed for its operations is critical to company’s long-term success.

Disclosures should also be accompanied by a management approach which describes the management of material sustainability issues.

This includes explaining how the organization (1) avoids, mitigates, or remediates negative impacts to the economy, environment, and society, and enhances positive ones, and (2) addresses its climate-related issues.

The management approach also includes an assessment of material risks and opportunities associated with sustainability, management and oversight of such opportunities and risks at the highest level of the organization and performance assessment, using key performance indicators. These approaches can be in the form of organization policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms as well as processes, projects, programs, and initiatives. See GRI 103 for more guidance on the management approach.

Reporting organization should report on the management approach for each material issue with the following information: a. An explanation on the materiality of the topic; b. The boundary for the material topic, which includes a description of where the impacts occur, and the organization’s involvement with the impacts. c. An explanation of how the organization manages the topic and the objectives.

Management Approach Components

1

. International Union for the Conservation of Nature 2 . Key Biodiversity Areas 3.

Social Disclosures on social topics relate to how the organization manages its relationship with its stakeholders such as employees, customers, suppliers, communities, the public and the government. It includes disclosures on issues related to human rights, access to and quality of products and services, responsible business practices in marketing, customer privacy and data security.

When reporting on the management approach for a material topic, the reporting organization should ideally include a description of the following components, when applicable: i.

Management Approach

Policies Summary or link to the publicly available policies relevant to the topic.

ii. Commitments Intent of the organization to manage the impacts related to the topic (e.g., for regulatory compliance, compliance with international standards). iii. Goals and targets Highlights of the following: (i) baseline and context; (ii) expected result (quantitative or qualitative); and (iii) expected timeline for achieving each goal and target.

Governance Disclose the organization’s governance around climate-related risks and opportunities

Strategy Disclose the actual and potential impacts2 of climaterelated risks and opportunities on the organization’s businesses, strategy, and financial planning where such information is material Recommended Disclosures a) Describe a) Describe the the board’s climate-related oversight of risks and climate-related opportunities risks and the organization opportunities has identified over the short, medium and long term b) Describe management’s role in assessing and managing climate-related risks and opportunities

Risk Management Disclose how the organization identifies, assesses, and manages climaterelated risks

Metrics and Targets Disclose the metrics and targets used to assess and manage relevant climaterelated risks and opportunities where such information is material

a) Describe the organization’s processes for identifying and assessing climaterelated risks

a) Disclose the metrics used by the organization to assess climaterelated risks and opportunities in line with its strategy and risk management process b) Describe the targets used by the organization to manage climaterelated risks and opportunities and performance against targets

b) Describe the b) Describe the impact of climate- organization’s related risks and processes for opportunities on managing climatethe organization’s related risks businesses, strategy and financial planning. c) Describe the c) Describe how resilience of the processes for organization`s identifying, strategy, taking assessing, and into consideration managing climatedifferent climaterelated risks are related scenarios integrated into including a 2°C the organization’s or lower scenario overall risk management

Procurement Practices Proportion of spending on local suppliers Disclosure Percentage of procurement budget used for significant locations of operations that is spent on local suppliers

Quantity

What is the impact and where does it occur? What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/ or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

Which stakeholders are affected?

Management Approach

(e.g. employees, community, suppliers, government, vulnerable groups)

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Which stakeholders are affected?

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach

Which stakeholders are affected?

Management Approach

iv. Responsibilities Assigned responsibility for managing the topic and whether the responsibility is linked to performance assessments or incentive mechanisms. v. Resources 4.

Sustainable Development Goals The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action, to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity and includes seventeen (17) goals seen below. Disclosure would be required on how companies are able to contribute to the SDGs through their products and services.

Financial, human, or technological resources allocated for managing the topic.

Highlights of the following: (i) purpose of the mechanism; (ii) activities covered by the mechanism; (iii) how the mechanism is managed; (iv) process to address and resolve grievances, including how decisions are made; and (v) effectiveness criteria used.

May include actions that aim to avoid, mitigate, or remediate the negative impacts relative to chosen topic; and whether actions take international norms/standards into account.

Annex A: Reporting Template (For additional guidance on how to answer the Topics, organizations may refer to Annex B: Topic Guide)

In sustainability reporting, materiality is the principle that determines which relevant topics are sufficiently important that it is essential to report on them.

The global standards/frameworks for reporting sustainability presented in the introduction (GRI, SASB, IIRC and TCFD) propose different but related definitions of materiality, which focus on the following elements:  Significant economic, environmental, and social impacts of the organization  Information that substantively influence the assessments and decisions of stakeholders, including investors  Matters that substantively affect the organization’s ability to create value over the short, medium and long term A topic may be considered material if it falls into any of the following: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

It is a KEY CAPITAL/ RISK/ OPPORTUNITY that impacts value creation Your KEY BUSINESS ACTIVITIES impact the topic Your SUBSIDIARIES/ CONTRACTORS/ SUPPLY CHAIN contribute significant impacts to this topic Your PRODUCTS/ SERVICES contribute impacts to this topic There is a TREND that points to a future where this topic will become material to you

Contextual Information Company Details Name of Organization Location of Headquarters Location of Operations Report Boundary: Legal entities (e.g. subsidiaries) included in this report* Business Model, including Primary Activities, Brands, Products, and Services Reporting Period Highest Ranking Person responsible for this report

Materiality Process Explain how you applied the materiality principle (or the materiality process) in identifying your material topics.

ECONOMIC Economic Performance Direct Economic Value Generated and Distributed

Direct economic value generated (revenue)

Amount

Units PhP

Direct economic value distributed: a. b.

Operating costs Employee wages and benefits

PhP PhP

c.

Payments to suppliers, other operating costs

Php

d.

Dividends given to stockholders and interest payments to loan providers Taxes given to government

PhP

e.

For guidance on possible material topics for your sector/industry, you may refer to the SASB Materiality Map at https://materiality.sasb.org/.

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Quantity

Units % % % %

What is the impact and where does it occur? What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/ or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

Which stakeholders are affected?

Management Approach

(e.g. employees, community, suppliers, government, vulnerable groups)

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Which stakeholders are affected?

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach Management Approach

Incidents of Corruption

*If you are a holding company, you could have an option whether to report on the holding company only or include the subsidiaries. However, please consider the principle of materiality when defining your report boundary.

Disclosure

Disclosure Percentage of employees to whom the organization’s anti-corruption policies and procedures have been communicated to Percentage of business partners to whom the organization’s anti-corruption policies and procedures have been communicated to Percentage of directors and management that have received anti-corruption training Percentage of employees that have received anticorruption training

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Which stakeholders are Identified? affected?

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization

The assessment of materiality associated with sustainability issues should take into account their influence on the stakeholders assessments and decisions and the significance of the company’s economic, social and environmental impacts. This can be analyzed and reported using a materiality matrix (shown below) that ranks the importance of sustainability issues based on the impact on the company and its stakeholders.

Materiality Matrix for Sustainability Issues (Illustrative)

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Identified?

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization

Anti-corruption Training on Anti-corruption Policies and Procedures

vi. Grievance mechanisms

vii. Specific actions, such as processes, projects, programs and initiatives

Materiality Assessment

Units %

PhP

Disclosure Quantity Number of incidents in which directors were removed or disciplined for corruption Number of incidents in which employees were dismissed or disciplined for corruption Number of incidents when contracts with business partners were terminated due to incidents of corruption

Units # # #

What is the impact and where does it occur? What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

Which stakeholders are affected?

Management Approach

(e.g. employees, community, suppliers, government, vulnerable groups)

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Which stakeholders are affected?

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Which stakeholders Identified? are affected?

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization

Management Approach

ENVIRONMENT Resource Management Energy consumption within the organization: Disclosure Quantity Energy consumption (renewable sources) Energy consumption (gasoline) Energy consumption (LPG) Energy consumption (diesel) Energy consumption (electricity)

Units GJ GJ GJ GJ kWh

Reduction of energy consumption Disclosure Energy reduction (gasoline) Energy reduction (LPG) Energy reduction (diesel) Energy reduction (electricity) Energy reduction (gasoline)

Quantity

Units GJ GJ GJ kWh GJ

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What is the impact and where does it occur? What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

Which stakeholders are affected?

Management Approach

(e.g. employees, community, suppliers, government, vulnerable groups)

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Which stakeholders are affected?

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach

Management Approach

Water consumption within the organization Disclosure Quantity Water withdrawal Water consumption Water recycled and reused

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Identified?

Units Cubic meters Cubic meters Cubic meters

Which Management stakeholders Approach are affected? (e.g. employees, community, suppliers, government, vulnerable groups)

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Which Management stakeholders Approach are affected?

Which Management stakeholders Approach are affected?

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization Materials used by the organization Disclosure Quantity Materials used by weight or volume • renewable • non-renewable Percentage of recycled input materials used to manufacture the organization’s primary products and services What is the impact and where does it occur? What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Identified?

Units kg/liters kg/liters %

Which Management stakeholders are Approach affected? (e.g. employees, community, suppliers, government, vulnerable groups)

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Which Management stakeholders are Approach affected?

Which Management stakeholders are Approach affected?

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization Ecosystems and biodiversity (whether in upland/watershed or coastal/ marine) Disclosure Quantity Units Operational sites owned, leased, managed in, (identify all sites) or adjacent to, protected areas and areas of high biodiversity value outside protected areas Habitats protected or restored ha IUCN3 Red List species and national (list) conservation list species with habitats in areas affected by operations What is the impact and where does it occur?

What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

Which stakeholders are affected?

Management Approach

(e.g. employees, community, suppliers, government, vulnerable groups)

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Which stakeholders are affected?

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Which Identified? stakeholders are affected?

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization Environmental impact management Air Emissions GHG Disclosure

Management Approach

Quantity

Direct (Scope 1) GHG Emissions Energy indirect (Scope 2) GHG Emissions Emissions of ozone-depleting substances (ODS)

Units Tonnes CO2e Tonnes CO2e Tonnes

What is the impact and where does it occur? What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

Which stakeholders are affected?

Management Approach

(e.g. employees, community, suppliers, government, vulnerable groups)

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Which stakeholders are affected?

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Which Identified? stakeholders are affected?

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization

Management Approach

Management Approach

(e.g. employees, community, suppliers, government, vulnerable groups)

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Which stakeholders are affected?

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach

What are the Opportunity/ies Which Identified? stakeholders are affected?

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization

Solid and Hazardous Wastes Solid Waste Disclosure Total solid waste generated Reusable Recyclable Composted Incinerated Residuals/Landfilled What is the impact and where does it occur?

What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship) What are the Risk/s Identified?

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ ies Identified?

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization

Management Approach

Quantity

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Which stakeholders Management are affected?

Approach

Which stakeholders Management are affected?

Approach

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Quantity

Units kg

Which stakeholders are affected?

Management Approach

(e.g. employees, community, suppliers, government, vulnerable groups)

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach

Effluents Disclosure Total volume of water discharges Percent of wastewater recycled

Quantity

Management Approach

Units Cubic meters %

Which Management Approach stakeholders are affected?

(e.g. employees, community, suppliers, government, vulnerable groups)

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/ or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Which Management Approach stakeholders are affected?

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Which Management Approach Opportunity/ies stakeholders are Identified? affected?

Identify the opportunity/ ies related to material topic of the organization Environmental compliance Non-compliance with Environmental Laws and Regulations Disclosure Quantity Total amount of monetary fines for non-compliance with environmental laws and/or regulations No. of non-monetary sanctions for non-compliance with environmental laws and/or regulations No. of cases resolved through dispute resolution mechanism

Units PhP # #

Which stakeholders Management are affected?

Approach (e.g. employees, community, suppliers, government, vulnerable groups)

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Which stakeholders Management are affected?

Approach

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ Which stakeholders Management ies Identified? are affected?

Approach Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization

NOx

Quantity

Units kg

SOx Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)

kg kg

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Employee Management Employee Hiring and Benefits Employee data Disclosure Total number of employees

Quantity

% of male employees who availed for the year

SSS PhilHealth Pag-ibig Parental leaves Vacation leaves Sick leaves Medical benefits (aside from PhilHealth)) Housing assistance (aside from Pag-ibig) Retirement fund (aside from SSS) Further education support

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Identified?

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization Employee Training and Development Disclosure Total training hours provided to employees a. Female employees b. Male employees Average training hours provided to employees a. Female employees b. Male employees

Management Approach What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach Management Approach

Quantity

Units

Units hours hours hours/employee hours/employee

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ Which stakeholders ies Identified? are affected?

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization

What are the Risk/s Identified?

% of female employees who availed for the year

What is the impact and where does it occur?

What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

kg

Which stakeholders are affected?

What is the impact and where does it occur?

What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

Y/N

What is the impact and where does it occur?

What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

(e.g. employees, community, suppliers, government, vulnerable groups)

What is the impact and where does it occur?

What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

What is the impact and where does it occur? What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship) What are the Risk/s Identified?

Units kg kg kg kg kg kg

Which stakeholders Management are affected?

Approach

Hazardous Waste Disclosure Total weight of hazardous waste generated Total weight of hazardous waste transported

Employee benefits List of Benefits

Company stock options Telecommuting Flexible-working Hours (Others)

SOCIAL

Air pollutants Disclosure

Which stakeholders are affected?

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Which Identified? stakeholders are affected?

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization

What is the impact and where does it occur? What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

What is the impact and where does it occur? What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

C3

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Identified?

Management Approach What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach Management Approach

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization Labor-Management Relations Disclosure % of employees covered with Collective Bargaining Agreements Number of consultations conducted with employees concerning employee-related policies What is the impact and where does it occur? What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

Quantity

Units % #

Management Approach What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/ or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Identified? Management Approach Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization Diversity and Equal Opportunity Disclosure % of female workers in the workforce % of male workers in the workforce Number of employees from indigenous communities and/or vulnerable sector*

Quantity

Units % % #

*Vulnerable sector includes, elderly, persons with disabilities, vulnerable women, refugees, migrants, internally displaced persons, people living with HIV and other diseases, solo parents, and the poor or the base of the pyramid (BOP; Class D and E).

What is the impact and where does it occur?

What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Identified?

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization

Management Approach What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach Management Approach

Workplace Conditions, Labor Standards, and Human Rights Occupational Health and Safety Disclosure Quantity Safe Man-Hours No. of work-related injuries No. of work-related fatalities No. of work related ill-health No. of safety drills What is the impact and where does it occur?

What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Identified?

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization

Units Man-hours # # # #

Management Approach What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach Management Approach

Labor Laws and Human Rights Disclosure Quantity Units No. of legal actions or employee grievances involving # forced or child labor Do you have policies that explicitly disallows violations of labor laws and human rights (e.g. harassment, bullying) in the workplace?

Topic Y/N If Yes, cite reference in the company policy Forced labor Child labor

a.

Number of female employees

#

kg

b.

Number of male employees

#

Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs)

kg

Attrition rate5

rate

Particulate matter (PM)

kg

Ratio of lowest paid employee against minimum wage

ratio

Human Rights What is the impact and where does it occur? Management Approach What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

C4

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

Manila

Standard

TODAY

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Identified?

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach

Management Approach

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization Supply Chain Management Do you have a supplier accreditation policy? If yes, please attach the policy or link to the policy: _________________________ Do you consider the following sustainability topics when accrediting suppliers?

Topic

Y/N

complaints that were lodged to and acted upon by government agencies.

What is the impact and where does it occur? What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Management Approach

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/ or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Management Approach

Resource Management

Disclosure on activities that show how an organization protects, conserves, or rehabilitates ecosystems and biodiversity therein such as in watersheds and coastal and marine areas gives an idea of how that organization appreciates the ecosystem and the services it gives that make business thrive. Ecosystems and Biodiversity is vital to human existence. Companies have the responsibility and clear business case for ensuring ecosystems and biodiversity around its sites are protected and restored. See GRI 303,GRI 304and SASB Standards General Issue Category: Ecological Impactsfor more guidance on the disclosures.

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Identified?

Management Approach

Environmental Impact Management

If Yes, cite reference in the supplier policy

Customer privacy Disclosure

Forced labor Child labor Human rights Bribery and corruption

What is the impact and where does it occur?

What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Identified?

Management Approach

Quantity Units

No. of substantiated complaints on customer privacy* No. of complaints addressed

# #

No. of customers, users and account holders whose information is used for secondary purposes

#

*Substantiated complaints include complaints from customers that went through the organization’s formal communication channels and grievance mechanisms as well as complaints that were lodged to and acted upon by government agencies.

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach

What is the impact and where does it occur?

What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Identified?

Relationship with Community Significant Impacts on Local Communities

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization

Operations Location Vulnerable with groups (if significant applicable)* (positive or negative) impacts on local communities (exclude CSR projects; this has to be business operations)

Does the particular operation have impacts on indigenous people (Y/N)?

Management Approach

Collective or individual rights that have been identified that or particular concern for the community

Mitigating measures (if negative) or enhancement measures (if positive)

Data Security Disclosure No. of data breaches, including leaks, thefts and losses of data

What is the impact and where does it occur?

What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

For operations that are affecting IPs, indicate the total number of Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) undergoing consultations and Certification Preconditions (CPs) secured and still operational and provide a copy or link to the certificates if available: _____________ Certificates Quantity Units FPIC process is still undergoing # CP secured # What are the Risk/s Identified?

Management Approach Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Identified? Management Approach Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization

Score

Customer satisfaction

Did a third party conduct the customer satisfaction study (Y/N)?

What is the impact and where does it occur?

What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Identified?

Management Approach

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization Health and Safety

Quantity Units # #

*Substantiated complaints include complaints from customers that went through the organization’s formal communication channels and grievance mechanisms as well as complaints that were lodged to and acted upon by government agencies.

What is the impact and where does it occur?

What is the organization’s involvement in the impact?

Identify the impact and where it occurs (i.e., primary business operations and/or supply chain) Indicate involvement in the impact (i.e., caused by the organization or linked to impacts through its business relationship)

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Identified?

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach

Management Approach What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach Management Approach

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization

Disclosing on employee management indicates of how good an employer the organization is in engaging its employees. It also provides a sense on how the organization develops its employees and gives equal opportunity for all, such as indigenous people and those coming from vulnerable groups which include elderly, persons with disabilities, vulnerable women, refugees, migrants, internally displaced persons, people living with HIV and other diseases, solo parents, and the poor or the base of the pyramid (BOP; Class D and E). See GRI 401, GRI 402, GRI 404, GRI 405, GRI 406, GRI 407, GRI 102-8, GRI 102-41andSASB Standards General Issue Categories: Labor Practices; Employee, Engagement Diversity & Inclusion for more guidance on the disclosures.

Workplace Conditions,Labor Standards and Human Rights Disclosures on workplace conditions and labor standards show how an organization gives importance to occupational health and safety and how it upholds labor standards and human rights in the workplace. See GRI 403, GRI 408, GRI 409,GRI 412andSASB Standards General Issue Category: Employee Health & Safetyfor more guidance on the disclosures.

Supply Chain Management Disclosures on supply chain management is most relevant for companies with a significant portion of value creation carried out by suppliers. Organizations can report on how the reporting company ensures that supplier upholds with sustainability standards and practices including compliance to Philippine laws. The reporting company may also disclose how it influences its suppliers to be sustainable through supplier accreditation processes, among other approaches. See GRI 308,GRI 414andSASB Standards General Issue Category: Supply Chain Managementfor more guidance on the disclosures.

Relationship with Community

UNSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS Product or Service Contribution to UN SDGs Key products and services and its contribution to sustainable development.

Value / Key Products and Societal Contribution to Services UN SDGs

Potential Negative Impact of Contribution

Management Approach to Negative Impact

* None/Not Applicable is not an acceptable answer. For holding companies, the services and products of its subsidiaries may be disclosed.

In line with the Disclosure Topic and Management Approach discussion above, this Annex will provide a guide on what to disclose in the Topics provided in the Reporting Template. The guide is based on the GRI Standards, SASB Standards and Recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

These disclosures show how an organization meaningfully engages the community around their sites and how it aims to create a net positive impact to its host or neighbors. These also includes how the company contributes in addressing issues of indigenous people and those coming from vulnerable groups [youth, elderly, persons with disabilities, vulnerable women, refugees, migrants, internally displaced persons, people living with HIV and other diseases, solo parents, and the poor or the base of the pyramid (BOP; Class D and E)] in its business operations. See GRI 411, GRI 412,GRI 413 and SASB Standards General Issue Category: Human Rights & Community Relations for more guidance on the disclosures.

Customer Management Disclosing on customer management shows how well an organization upholds the rights of its customers to privacy, safety, and security from probable negative impacts of its products and services. See GRI 416, GRI 417, GRI 418and SASB Standards General Issue Categories: Product Quality & Safety; Customer Welfare; Selling Practices & Product Licensing for more guidance on the disclosures.

Data Security Reporting on the number of data breaches, including leaks, thefts and losses of data shows how much importance an organization places on keeping data secure. Organizations can indicate how they manage risks related to the collection, retention and use of sensitive information. See SASB Standards General Issue Category: Data Security for more guidance on the disclosure.

ECONOMIC Economic disclosures relate to how the company directly increases the pool of economic resources that flows in the local and national economy. Included in the disclosures are the risks and opportunities due to climate change, procurement practices with respect to local suppliers and anti-corruption.

Economic Performance

This disclosure answers the questions: • How much direct economic value (revenue) did you generate?

• How much of this flowed back to society (costs disaggregated according to stakeholders)?

• How much of this was retained in the company for liquidity and to fund future investments?

UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS The SDG Compass can be used as guidance for companies on how they can align their strategies as well as measure and manage their contribution to the realization of the SDGs. The SDG Compass can be accessed at https://sdgcompass.org/ Moreover, a recent publication with the title: Integrating the SDGs into Corporate Reporting: A Practical Guide, helps companies of all sizes to prioritize SDG targets to act and report on, set related business objectives, and measure and report on progress. This is a co-production between GRI and UN Global Compact (UNGC).

Companies may also use the following framework to determine which area of sustainable development its company is contributing to improve people’s quality of life.

For more information on how private sector can contribute to sustainable development, companies may visit www.sdgsbiz.ph.

Disclosure of an organization’s climate-related issues helps stakeholders make sound and reasonable assessments of the impact climate change may have on the organization. Companies should disclose the climaterelated risks and opportunities they have identified and how they assess and manage those issues.See GRI 201-2 and the Recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures for more guidance on the disclosure.

Procurement Practices Disclosure on the proportion of spending on local suppliers show’s an organization’s support for local groups, including those owned by women or members of vulnerable sectors. Supporting local suppliers can indirectly attract additional investments to the local economy. The disclosure describes the policies and practices used to select locally-based suppliers and to promote economic inclusion when selecting suppliers. See GRI 204 for more guidance on disclosures

Units #

Disclosures on training on anti-corruption policies and procedures show how the company ensures that it has the necessary capability to fight against corruption through proper training and awareness building for its directors, management, employees and business partners. Disclosures on incidents of corruption and how the company responded on the incidents show how serious an organization is on combatting corruption. See GRI 205and SASB Standards General Issue Category: Business Ethicsfor more guidance on the disclosures.

#

ENVIRONMENT

*Substantiated complaints include complaints from customers that went through the organization’s formal communication channels and grievance mechanisms as well as

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Units #

Anti-corruption

Management Approach

Quantity

Employee Management

See GRI 201-1 for more guidance on the disclosure.

Management Approach

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization Marketing and labelling Disclosure No. of substantiated complaints on marketing and labelling* No. of complaints addressed

Management Approach

Measuring the direct economic value generated, measured as revenue and distributed (costs) shows that an organization does not just create economic value for itself but also ensures that this value flows back to its various stakeholders such as stockholders, suppliers, employees, government, and the community. This also discloses the remaining value that is retained in the company for liquidity and for future investments. Figures for this disclosure can be derived using the audited financial statement with the revenue as the economic value generated for the reporting period.

Management Approach

SOCIAL Disclosures on social topics relate to how the organization relates and manages its relationship with its stakeholders such as employees, communities, customers, and suppliers.

Annex B: Topic Guide

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

Management Approach

Disclosure No. of substantiated complaints on product or service health and safety* No. of complaints addressed

Identify risk/s related to material topic of the organization What are the Opportunity/ies Identified?

Disclosure on an organization’s compliance with environmental laws and/or regulations shows an organization’s ability to conform to certain performance parameters. The strength of an organization’s compliance indicates its concern for environmental protection. See GRI 307andSASB Standards General Issue Categories: Ecological Impacts; Air Quality; Water & Wastewater Management; Waste and Hazardous Materials Managementfor more guidance on the disclosures.

Management Approach

Quantity

What are the Risk/s Identified? *Vulnerable sector includes children and youth, elderly, persons with disabilities, vulnerable women, refugees, migrants, internally displaced persons, people living with HIV and other diseases, solo parents, and the poor or the base of the pyramid (BOP; Class D and E)

Reporting on an organization’s impact on air, soil, and water through emissions, wastes, and effluents provides basis for companies to manage these impacts. Responsible companies take an effort to minimize such impacts through cleaner production and pollution prevention measures.

Companies should disclose on their performance on these topics including how well the organization mitigates, reduces, and/or prevents these impacts to the environment in compliance to Philippine Environmental Laws or on efforts beyond compliance. See GRI 305, GRI 306andSASB Standards General Issue Categories: GHG Emissions; Air Quality; Water & Wastewater Management; Waste & Hazardous Materials Managementfor more guidance on the disclosures.

Environmental Compliance

What policies, commitments, goals and targets, responsibilities, resources, grievance mechanisms, and/or projects, programs, and initiatives do you have to manage the material topic?

What are the Risk/s Identified?

Management Approach

Disclosures on resource management such as energy consumption, water consumption, and materials use show how efficiently an organization uses scarce natural resources, which has implications on reduction of environmental impacts from extraction and processing of these resources. The efficiency of managing resources relates to profitability of the organization. See GRI 301, GRI 302, GRI 303and SASB Standards General Issue Categories: Energy Management; Water and Wastewater Management; Material Sourcing and Efficiencyfor more guidance on the disclosures.

Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Identify the opportunity/ies related to material topic of the organization

Environmental performance

Customer Management Customer Satisfaction Disclosure

impacts to the environment, including biodiversity. The company’s ability to access materials needed for its operations is critical to company’s long-term success.

Environmental disclosures relate to how the company manages the natural resources it needs for its business, as well as how it minimizes its negative

1

The Road Ahead. The KPMG Survey of Corporate Responsibility Reporting 2017. https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/xx/ pdf/2017/10/kpmg-survey-of-corporate-responsibility-reporting-2017.pdf Based on disclosures made by publicly-listed companies on their Integrated Annual Corporate Governance Report (I-ACGR), 58 companies out of 270 have published a Sustainability Report 3 Brundtland, G. “Our Common Future”, Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987).

4 Global Reporting Initiative, “About Sustainability Reporting”, https://www.globalreporting.org/information/sustainability-reporting/ Pages/default.aspx accessed on 05 December 2018 5 The TCFD Recommendations is focused on climate-related issues.

6 The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board Conceptual Framework (2017) 7 Adopted by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD, 2017).

8 Walsh, Cassandra & Sulkowski, Adam. (2009). A Greener Company Makes for Happier Employees More so than Does a More Valuable One: A Regression Analysis of Employee Satisfaction, Perceived Environmental Performance and Firm Financial Value. Interdisciplinary Environmental Review. 11. 10.2139/ssrn.1521745.

9 CFA Institute, “Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Survey” (2018). https://www.cfainstitute.org/-/media/documents/survey/ esg-survey-report-2017.ashx 10 Adopted from Definitions found in the GRI Standards 11 See GRI Standards 101: Foundation 2016 12 This material references GRI Disclosure 103-1 “Explanation of the Material Topic and its Boundary” from GRI 103: Management Approach 2016 (GRI, 2016).

13 This material references GRI Disclosure 103-2 “The management approach and its components” from GRI 103: Management Approach 2016 (GRI, 2016).

14 See GRI 102-46 (2016) for more guidance.

15 Adopted from the Recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures. The TCFD Recommendations apply to non-financial companies and financial-sector organizations, including banks, insurance companies, asset managers and asset owners.

16 For this disclosure, impact refers to the impact of climate-related issues on the company.

17 International Union for Conservation of Nature 18 Employees are individuals who are in an employment relationship with the organization, according to national law or its application (GRI Standards 2016 Glossary) 19 Attrition are = (no. of new hires – no. of turnover)/(average of total no. of employees of previous year and total no. of employees of current year) 20 This publication may be accessed at https://www.globalreporting.org/resourcelibrary/GRI_UNGC_Reporting-on-SDGs_Practical_ Guide.pdf (MS-FEB. 21, 2019) 2