Manila Standard - 2019 February 22 - Friday

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Maternity perks expanded Duterte signs law granting working moms extra benefits

By Nat Mariano, Maricel V. Cruz, Macon Ramos-Araneta, Vito Barcelo and Joel E. Zurbano

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VOL. XXXIII • NO. 12 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a measure providing additional leave benefits for employed mothers, Malacañang said Thursday.

Though the Palace has yet to release a signed copy of the measure, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea confirmed to Palace reporters that the President has signed the law, beating the 30-day deadline for the proposed measure to lapse into law.

Under the Expanded Maternity Leave Act, all working mothers in government and private sector will be granted 105 days of paid maternity leave credits, providing them an option to extend their leaves for another 30 days without pay.

They will also be given with seven days leave transferrable to fathers. It also doubles the allowed paternity leave to 14 days.

An additional 15 days will be granted to single mothers. The law applies to all instances of pregnancies, removing the four-pregnancy cap.

With the passage of the law, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo allayed concerns that its implementation would lead companies to hire fewer female workers.

“I don’t think so. The additional number of days in maternity leave, as well as the benefits, will only lessen the profits. The profits of employers are already large enough. It’s like, it would be their social service,” Panelo said in a Palace press briefing.

Next page

PRESIDENTIAL SIGNATURE. President Rodrigo Duterte signs the Revised Corporation Code and the Universal Health Care Act at Malacañang on Wednesday, with Speaker Gloria Arroyo among the witnesses. Presidential Press Office

349 officials aiding Reds?

Interior draws up watchlist

By Francisco Tuyay

HONOR FOR THE COUNTRY. Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Elisa Magnayon Gray, the Filipino-Australian model, stage actress, singer, visual artist whose mother hails from Oas, Albay, charms Filipinos Thursday as they go out of their respective work sites during her homecoming parade from Sofitel to Ayala Avenue in Makati City. Lino Santos

Confetti rain on Catriona’s parade THE beauty pageant-mad Philippines welcomed home freshly crowned Miss Universe Catriona Gray on Thursday with a parade through the capital that drew thousands of screeching fans held back by police.

The 25-year-old danced, smiled and waved a tiny Philippine flag from atop a float, shielded from the pounding tropical sun by attendants holding pink umbrellas as some in the crowd scaled utility poles to catch a glimpse.

In other developments: •”Once you label a child as a child in conflict with the law, how will you bring them up to see themselves or the community to see them?”

This was the question raised by Gray, a children’s rights advocate, when asked about her position on the measure that seeks to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility.

She said the Philippines should focus Next page

Sara rising star in politics—Gloria

By Maricel V. Cruz SPEAKER Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said Thursday that Davao Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is a “rising star” in Philippine politics, but quickly added: “Let us take it one election at a time… and let us talk about 2022 later on.”

Arroyo’s remarks came a few days after the President’s daughter hinted at run-

ning for president in May 2022.

Earlier, Sara Duterte, who chairs the Hugpong ng Pagbabago, said she will decide on her plans to run for president by 2021.

Arroyo, daughter of the late President Diosdado Macapagal and who also rose to the presidency, said it was likely that the mayor would run, since “historically, children of presidents do rise.” Next page

Mañosa legacy lives on, says Palace THE influence and legacy of National Artist for Architecture Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa will continue to live on despite his passing, the Palace said on Thursday, as it joined the country in mourning his death. Next page

Vaccines fund audit pressed

INTERIOR Secretary Eduardo Año on Thursday said 349 government officials are providing support to the Communist Party of the Philippines and its military arm, the New People’s Army by paying “permit to campaign fees” in areas where the guerrillas are active.

Of the 349 officials, 11 are provincial governors; five are vice governors; 10 are provincial board members; 55 are mayors; 21 are vice mayors and 41 are councilors, Año said.

They also include 11 former local government executives, 10 incumbent congressmen and a former lawmaker.

“We now have a watchlist, we know

you. So if you are supporting communist rebels, in any way, you ascertain yourself as a supporter of terrorism and an enemy of the state, [and] you establish yourself as an accomplice to their cause,” he said.

“We cannot win the war against terrorism if these local officials continue funding the very source of terrorism in the first place,” he added.

Also on the list are 126 barangay captains, 50 barangay councilors, and eight other barangay officials.

“This number is not alarming as compared to the total number of barangays in the country, but it sends a message that extortion starts at the community level, down in the grassroots,” Año said.

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By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz PROTESTERS converged on the Department of Health office in Sta. Cruz, Manila on Thursday and blasted officials for failing to administer vaccines to millions of Filipino children despite the P7.43-billion budget for its immunization program in 2018.

Carrying their babies, the protestors took turns assailing the DOH for being remiss in its mandated task, a failure that has led to outbreaks of measles in several parts of the country.

They said Health officials should be held accountable for the measles outbreak that affected mostly children, saying that it the victims were immunized, the outbreaks would have been avoided.

Next page

Pope eyes measures against sex abuse VATICAN CITY—Pope Francis opened Thursday a landmark summit at the Vatican on fighting child sex abuse, saying that the world expected “concrete measures” on tackling pedophilia in Next page the Catholic Church.

QUAKE DRILL. Graders at the Corazon Aquino Elementary School at the Batasan District in Quezon City join Thursday the nationwide ‘Duck, Cover and Hold’ shock drill in preparation for a possible major temblor named by geophysicists as ‘The Big One’.

Manny Palmero

US backs Rody’s ‘harsher’ drug war

By Nat Mariano and Rio N. Araja ONE day after President Rodrigo Duterte announced his unrelenting war on drugs would become “harsher” in the coming days,” Malacañang on Thursday bared the United States had vowed to support the government’s controversial crackdown against illegal drugs.

According to Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo, US Ambassador to the Philippine Sung Kim extended Washing-

ton’s support during a courtesy call on the President in Malacañang on Wednesday evening.

Panelo said the meeting gave the President a chance to back his controversial drug war before the US official.

“The conversation centered on the President’s narrative telling them how the drug war affected him and this country, that he had to declare war on drugs.

And he had to do it because he wants to protect and preserve this nation,” Panelo said in a Palace press briefing. Next page

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News

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Church critic no devil’s pal, Palace says PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte did not feel alluded to by the remarks of Pope Francis who said people who denounce the Catholic Church are friends with the devil, Malacañang said Thursday.

In a speech during a conference he convened to guide senior bishops on how to address the widespread abuse staining the Church’s integrity, the Bishop of Rome stressed the need to face the moment of truth and denounce the defects of the Church. But he linked to the devil those who condemn without love.

“One cannot live a whole life accusing, accusing, accusing the church,” the Pope said. Those who constantly do, he said, are “the friends, cousins and relatives of the devil.”

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said he does not think that Duterte, who frequently criticizes the Cathlic Church and its teachings, is among those who were alluded to by the Pope as the devil’s friend.

“One of the better critics of the Church is the Pope himself. He criticizes the members of the Church who are engaged in what he perceives to be immorality, which is outside the teachings of Christ or the internal discipline of the Church,” Panelo told reporters.

“If I will agree with that, then the Pope will be referring to himself also because he is a critic.”

Duterte has often viewed the Catholic Church as the “most hypocritical institution” for criticizing his war on drugs despite the involvement of some members of the clergy in sexual-abuse cases. Nat Mariano

349...

From A1 “These 349 officials are giving money to the terrorists, which is why they can continue to operate.

Can you just imagine that? Our own government officials giving funds to the enemy,” Año said in a mix of Filipino and English.

DILG spokesman and Assistant Secretary Jonathan E. Malaya said the officials come from different regions of the country, with Region V talling the most cases, with 154.

“Extortion money comes from everywhere, all across the nation. Whether these officials gave their support voluntarily or involuntarily isimmaterial. Politicians and local leaders should shun any connection with these communist rebels. Do not harbor, support terrorists,” Malaya said.

He encouraged local officials to report and work with the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines if they are being harassed by the rebels.

Año also urged the public not to vote for candidates who support or who have links to communist terrorist groups.

Año said the communist rebels accumulated P195.5 million from their various extortion activities nationwide during the 2016 and 2018 polls.

He said all candidates should stop paying “permit to campaign fees” to the NPA, which collects P300,000 to P650,000 from governors and vice governors and P200,000 to P500,000 from mayors.

Paying the terrorists, he said, was a crime.

“You do not need them to win nor to campaign. What you need is a robust platform and a desire to serve the people within your jurisdiction,” he said.

The Army said the NPA rebels are struggling to recover their former strongholds in Leyte province because of a lack of support.

Of the 1,393 villages in Leyte, only 178 are still affected by operations of the NPALeyte front committee. Seventeen had been categorized as influenced, 50 of these are less influenced, and 111 others are considered threatened.

“They are trying to beef up manpower by looking for potential recruits, but they’re not that successful as people report to us their sightings,” said Lt. Col. Roberto Beatisula, commander of the Philippine Army’s 93rd Infantry Battalion, during the provincial peace and order council meeting in Tacloban on Wednesday. With PNA

Sara...

From A1 Arroyo’s successor, President Benigno Aquino III, is the son of the late President Corazon Aquino and the late senator Benigno Aquino Jr.

Rody to join China infra forum

By Nat Mariano

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is looking forward to attending the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in China in April this year, the Palace said Thursday.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte had already expressed his willingness to attend the second forum on Beijing’s global infrastructure plan.

Duterte’s affirmation came after Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua reminded him about the invitation extended by Chinese President Xi Jinping in November last year.

“We wish to inform the public that Chinese Ambassador Zhao had a courtesy call yesterday. It was a long courtesy call. It

took us one hour and a half,” Panelo told reporters.

“He [Zhao] extended an invitation to the President, giving the greeting from the President of China to attend the Belt and Road Forum in late April of this year.”

“He [Duterte] looks forward to attending that. I think it’s possible [that he will attend].”

Zhao said he would coordinate with the Philippine agencies concerned in preparation for the President’s looming visit to Beijing, expecting Duterte’s at-

tendance in the forum.

Zhao said Duterte’s attendance in the forum would attach a “great importance” to it, stressing that his mere presence would boost the Belt and Road cooperation and the development of bilateral relations.

The Belt and Road Initiative is Beijing’s ambitious effort to enhance regional cooperation and connectivity. It also seeks to strengthen infrastructure, trade and investments and people-to-people linkages between China and some 65 countries.

In May 2017, Duterte and some 28 heads of state and government leaders attended the first forum in Beijing.

Meanwhile, according to the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, Zhao and the President tackled “a wide array of discussions and exchanged views on

Task force created to speed up Manila Bay rehab

the latest development in China-Philippines relations.”

The two officials even “spoke highly of the good momentum of the development of bilateral ties,” recognizing the importance of fulfilling the signed agreements and important consensus reached during Xi’s state visit. “[It] highlighted the pragmatic cooperation of the two countries in areas such as security, trade and people-to-people exchanges, as well as coordination on international and regional issues in order to bring about more tangible benefits to the two peoples,” the embassy said.

Present during the courtesy call were Panelo, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo of the Philippines.

Mañosa...

From A1

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the creation of the Manila Bay Task Force to speed up the rehabilitation and conservation efforts of the iconic waterway, a document from Malacañang revealed Thursday.

Under Administrative Order No. 16, which he signed on Feb. 19, the President stressed the need to expedite the rehabilitation and restoration of the coastal and marine ecosystem of the polluted bay.

“The convergence of national agencies and local government units in the Manila Bay Region, and the active participation of private and public stakeholders are necessary to facilitate the robust and integrated implementation of all rehabilitation and restoration efforts at the Manila Bay,” Duterte said.

According to the President, the Task Force will be headed by the Environment secretary as its chairperson. The Interior and Tourism secretaries will be its vice chairpersons.

Duterte also sought the support of 13 government agencies to ensure the full implementation of his directive, which include the departments of Public Works and Highways, Agriculture, Health, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, the Metro Manila Development Authority, Pasig River

Rehabilitation Commission, Local Water Utilities Administration, Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System, Philippine National Police Maritime Group, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Ports Authority, Manila Water, and Maynilad Water Services.

Upon his order, the Task Force can “undertake remedial measures using engineering and technological interventions to improve the water quality of the Manila Bay, such as sustained and targeted reduction in the coliform level in all major river systems and tributaries within the Manila Bay Region.”

Duterte then gave specific directives to all the mentioned agencies, reminding them of their respective mandates as prescribed in the Writ of Continuing Mandamus issued by the Supreme Court.

“All heads of government departments, bureaus, and offices, including governmentowned -or -controlled corporations and state universities and colleges, are hereby enjoined to extend full support to the Task Force in the performance of its mandates under this order,” the President said.

The departments of Social Welfare and Development, Labor and Employment, and Trade and Industry are likewise ordered to

provide “immediate social welfare assistance to individuals and families affected by the cleanup and rehabilitation effort,” which may include provisions for social safety nets, emergency employment assistance, training, livelihood assistance, and job facilitation services.

Duterte also called on all the mayors of the cities and municipalities in the National Capital Region and the governors of Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, and Cavite to ensure the implementation of critical environmental laws.

They are mandated to monitor the water quality in the region, implement measures to prevent and control water pollution, allocate necessary lands for sewage treatment facilities, and impose administrative sanctions on those who would violate environmental laws.

“The Task Force shall submit a quarterly report on the implementation of this order to the Office of the President... Such report shall include the actions taken by the LGUs and recommendations on the amendment of existing laws,” he said.

For the funding of the Task Force, Duterte said the budget would be sourced from the existing appropriations of its memberagencies. Nat Mariano

Mañosa succumbed to a lingering illness on Wednesday, just eight days after his 88th birthday celebration.

“The Palace expresses its deep condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Architect Mañosa,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

The Palace official recalled that President Rodrigo Duterte named Mañosa a National Artist last year for his works in the field of architecture and being a nationalist, who had been quoted as saying, “I design Filipino, nothing else.”

“Indeed, the so-called Father of Philippine Neo-Vernacular Architecture devoted his lifetime work championing the extensive use of indigenous Filipino materials in his design,” Panelo said.

Mañosa popularized the “Bahay Kubo” and the “Bahay na Bato,” which became motifs in contemporary Filipino architecture.

His most famous work is the iconic Coconut Palace, which became the Office of the Vice President of the Philippines until lately.

“Architect Mañosa will be missed but his influence and legacy will continue to live on. May perpetual light shine upon him as we pray for the repose of his soul,” Panelo added. Nat Mariano

Maternity...

From A1

“We should remain steadfast in fighting discrimination against women, especially [as] our Constitution recognizes the role of women in nation-building and promotes equality for them,” said Romualdez, one of the authors of the bill.

Romualdez also congratulated her colleagues in the House for approving the measure.

Bagong Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy, a co-author of the measure, urged local governments to implement the law to the fullest as “they can exercise their powers on business permit renewal to make sure all enterprises in their jurisdictions comply with properly implement this new law.”

“Many women loyal, hardworking employees and some even hold key posts at our workplaces. Keeping them is good for business,” Herrera-Dy said.

Akbayan party-list Rep. Tom Villarin called the new law “a decisive win for women workers and social justice.”

“After 26 years of labor and birthing pains, women workers have successfully given life

to a landmark legislation that upholds the rights, wealth, and health of our country’s workforce,” said Villarin.

“We look forward to the law’s immediate and full implementation so more Filipino families can avail of law’s health and economic benefits, as a matter of right,” Villarin added.

The country’s biggest labor group, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines also welcomed the signing of the 105-day Expanded Maternity Leave Law. “By expanding the paid maternity leave benefits to 105 days, we have a win-win situation for both working mothers and their babies and for businesses. With the faithful enforcement of the law, the TUCP expects the next generation of Filipino workers to be healthier and more productive with the measure ensuring more protection for their working mothers who nurture them. We also envisage that these babies who will become the next generation of workers will, at the same time, being healthier translate into higher profits for employers and businesses,” the TUCP said.

Associated Labor Unions executive vice president Gerard Seno said the effectivity of the law will encourage other countries in neighboring Asian countries to ratify and enforce an expanded maternity convention in their own setting.

“This would create a domino effect and compel other countries in the region to replicate and do the same to improve working and economic conditions for their own women workers. Ours will help convince employers to invest in the next generation of workers,” he added.

Taguig City Rep. Pia Cayetano also hailed the new law.

“This measure is an acknowledgement of the dual role of women in society: as members of the work force and as mothers,” she said.

The principal author and sponsor of the expanded maternity bill in the House of Representatives, Cayetano also led the passage of the original version of the measure in the Senate back when she chaired the committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality in the 16th Congress.

Anakalusugan nominee Darlo Ginete said it was impossible for the Health department to have missed the increasing number of measles cases.

“In 2018, DOH reported a total number of 18,407 measles cases. Compared to only 2,428 cases in 2017, last year’s figure represents a nearly 800 percent increase in measles cases,” he said.

“How could they have not seen that trend?

Why are they scrambling only now to raise awareness on the importance of the vaccination program when the numbers were glaringly clear as early as 2018?” Ginete added.

Of the total number of deaths recorded this year, 40 percent or about 54 deaths were children aged four years old and below.

Measles, which is a vaccine-preventable disease, may cause complications such as pneumonia and diarrhea and can lead to death if left untreated.

Immunization and Vitamin A supplementation for nine-month-old children remain the best defenses against measles.

The World Health Organization has warned that if the low immunization rate is not addressed, the Philippines is also in danger of seeing a reemergence of diseases such as polio.

“We are very concerned about the situation because there are many cases of measles that

could have been avoided if we had achieved higher vaccination coverage,” said WHO country representative Gundo Weiler.

Meanwhile, a lawmaker said barangay health workers are proving to be a potent weapon in the campaign against measles.

In Iloilo, local officials gave the barangay health workers due recognition to their effort and dedication to duty despite the low pay.

A total of 1,183 barangay health workers from Iloilo and Antique were the recipients of assorted grocery items distributed by Deputy Speaker Sharon Garin, along with Vice Governor Christine Garin of Iloilo, during a series of events from Feb. 1 to 13.

Neoly Mendoza, a barangay health worker who has been serving at Valderama, Antique for 39 years, described the rigorous routine that she and her fellow workers in the town have been doing since he measles outbreak was declared.

“Six of us go to each barangay to assist midwives in the vaccination everyday,” she said.

The latest figures from the DOH–Region 6 shows that Negros Occidental still has the highest number of cases with 196, followed by Antique, 122, Bacolod City, 64, Iloilo Province, 39, Capiz, 18, Aklan, 22, and Iloilo City, 15.

“Discrimination is prohibited to us. [If they discriminate against women] they will be accountable to that,” he said. “[Besides], Filipinos are family-oriented. These businessmen will understand.”

Senator Risa Hontiveros, a proponent of the measure, welcomed the development as a “massive victory” for women and their families.

“The law squarely addresses our lack of maternity leave days and puts us on a par with international standards. It also supports the best available evidence and practice which are consistent with improving maternity leave policy,” Hontiveros added.

Tingog party-list group first nomine and Leyte Rep. Yedda Marie Kittilstvedt-Romualdez on Thursday said the new law should not be used as an excuse to discriminate women in the workplace as he praised President Duterte’s enactment of the measure.

Vaccines...

From A1 The DOH had earlier declared last month measles outbreaks in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Western Visayas, and Central Visayas.

Based on the DOH data, measles cases have reached 8,443 from Jan. 1 until Feb. 16 with 136 deaths.

The Anakalusugan party-list group challenged the DOH to account for how it spent its P7.43-billion budget for its immunization program last year.

“The DOH spent all of its budget last year for immunization. But by its own admission, its immunization rate in 2018 was only at 39 percent. This means more than two-million children did not get measles vaccinations,” Anakalusugan party-list nominee Mike Defensor said.

“DOH also had an advertising budget of P634 million last year. They cannot keep on invoking the vaccination scare brought about by the Dengvaxia mess. They should have used the budget to mount a massive information campaign to encourage parents to have their kids vaccinated. Their shortcomings are very clear,” he added.

Confetti...

From A1 on addressing the “external factors” that push children to commit crimes instead of purposely lowering the age of criminal liability.

• Malacañang on Thursday said it agreed with Gray’s statement that the government should “readjust” its focus to why children commit crimes.

“You’re right, let’s focus on the problem,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo told reporters.

“We are precisely focusing on the problem because the problem is they’re engaged in crimes.”

Manila’s already notorious gridlock was brought to a complete stop by a police motorcycle escort that blocked roads as confetti canons sprayed the crowd, which was pushed back by officers.

“I was overwhelmed when I saw her and she looked at me!” said Ednor Yaunbaes, 22, as he waved a pink flag.

“At least I can say that before I die, I already saw a Miss Universe.”

Beauty pageants are must-view spectacles in the nation of

106-million people, and winners of global titles are treated like heroines.

Gray―a student of music theory―beat more than 90 contestants from around the world in the 67th installment of Miss Universe, which was held in the Thai capital in December.

Social media exploded with clips of fans jumping for joy and hugging each other as the Filipina went through each successive round and eventually won.

Gray works at a non-government outfit that provides free education for children at a Manila slum and has lent her voice to her country’s most controversial issues, including legalizing medicines that contain marijuana.

Recent pageant success by Filipinas has given a lift to a nation mired in crushing poverty, debilitating corruption and an annual deluge of typhoons, quakes, floods and other natural disasters.

Gray, whose father is Australian, was the fourth Filipina to win the prestigious beauty pageant, and the second since Pia Wurtzbach in 2015.

“To come back here as Miss Universe 2018, it was such a fast journey. I want to scream!” Gray told reporters on Wednesday.

“It brings me so much pride and honor to be able to bring so much joy to my country of the Philippines.” AFP with Nat Mariano and PNA

Pope...

From A1

The pontiff will dedicate the next three and a half days to discussing the Church’s response to child abuse by members of the clergy with bishops from around the world.

“The Holy people of God are watching and waiting not for simple and obvious condemnations but concrete and efficient measures,” he said as the summit opened, the first of its kind.

“Let us listen to the cry of the young ones who ask us for justice,” he said.

The pope is aiming to tackle the continuing scandal, which again hit the Church in 2018 in countries across the globe, including Chile, Germany and the United States.

The 82-year-old hopes to raise awareness about abuse through prayers, speeches, working groups and testimonies from victims.

“I ask the Holy Spirit to support us in the following days and help us to transform this evil into an opportunity for awareness and purification,” Francis said.

“May the Virgin Mary enlighten us to try to cure the serious wounds caused by the scandal of pedophilia both in children and in believers,” he added.AFP

US...

From A1 As recalled by Panelo, Duterte told Kim that roughly three-million Filipinos had been enslaved by the illegal drug industry, which brought many crimes and created dysfunctional families.

“The President also told them that he will not stop until the end of his term to end this illegal traffic of prohibited drugs,” he said.

“In response, the US Ambassador said the US government supported the fight against drugs,” Panelo added.

In a related development: • The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency on Thursday launched an advocacy program aimed at promoting a drug-free workplace inside hotels, bars, restaurants, condominiums, subdivisions and warehouses.

Director General Aaron Aquino said the program shall engage the management of private establishments, including security agencies, through the implementation of their own drug-free workplace program, educate employees on the ill-effects of dangerous drugs, and enforce a random drug test for all their officers and employees.

He said the project was also designed to educate hotels, bars, restaurants, condominiums, subdivisions and warehouses’ owners to identify potential drug laboratories, drug dens and drug warehouses.

Quezon City was chosen as the pilot site, he said, adding the program would be replicated in all cities and municipalities of the National Capital Region, and even in the provinces.

Panelo said it was the President who raised the issue about the drug war during the one-and-a-half hour meeting with the US-Philippine Society.

“That’s how he started it. Telling the group about it. Perhaps, that is the hottest issue,” he said. “It’s the President who started talking. In fact, he was talking for more than half an hour.”

Aside from the drug war, the President also talked about the return of the historic Balangiga bells and the corruption in the government.

“Balangiga... He also said that this country will not go forward unless we can stop the drug war and corruption. And not even succeeding presidents will succeed in improving the situation of this country unless we stop these twin evils,” Panelo said.

News

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

T. Sora flyover closure moved to March 2

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Metro Manila Development Authority on Thursday decided to move the date of the closure of Tandang Sora Flyover and intersection to March 2 following the request of the Quezon City government.

The MMDA initially set the date of the closure on Saturday (Feb. 23) to give way for the ongoing construction of Metro Railway Transit line 7.

MMDA general manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. said the six day postponement would give them ample period to inform stakeholders of the impending closure that would affect more than 100,000 motorists traversing Commonwealth Avenue and 3,000 motorists using the Tandang Sora intersection.

“This morning, barangay leaders have started informing the residents of the closure,” said Garcia in a news briefing held Thusday at MMDA headquarters in Makati City.

Quezon City Second District Rep. Winston Castelo and Quezon City Vice Mayor Ma. Josefina Belmonte also joined the briefing.

Garcia said the MMDA was also given until Sunday, Feb. 24, to remove obstructions, including illegally-parked vehicles and illegal vendors, on Luzon Av-

enue, Visayas Avenue, Congressional Avenue and other identified alternate roads.

“I have instructed the Task Force Special Operations to clear all obstructions in the vicinity of Tandang Sora. Parking, terminals and vending will be prohibited to maximize the roads,” said Garcia.

Castelo said he was thankful to the MMDA for heeding swiftly the request of the Quezon City local government and the Committee on Metro Manila Development, House of Representatives, and the clamor of the public.

“We will not relax but conduct massive information campaign and clearing operations,” said Castelo.

Signage of U-turn slots and alternative roads where motorists will be diverted will be installed as part of the concerted effort to minimize the expected traffic condition the project would cause, Castelo added.

Motorists will be diverted to two temporary U-turns to be opened: One across Microtel at UP Techno Hub and another in front of CW Home Depot.

For her part, Belmonte said they have asked affected barangay leaders to coordinate with the private contractor EEI Corp. and MMDA in conducting “massive and exhaustive information drive.”

PAO files 3 more Dengvaxia complaints

By Rey E. Requejo THREE more criminal complaints have been filed against former Health Secretary Janette Garin and 39 others in connection with deaths allegedly linked to the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

Through the Public Attorney’s Office, parents of the victims from Las Piñas, Bulacan, and Manila accused Garin and other respondents of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and violations of the anti-torture law and of the Consumer Act before the Department of Justice.

The latest complaints bring the number of similar cases to 35, the first half of which are now deemed submitted for resolution

by DOJ prosecutors.

Citing autopsy findings of the PAO forensic team, the complainants alleged that 11-yearold Aldrid Aberia, 12-year-old Annaliza Silverio, and 18-yearold Micaella Kayla Mainit died of Dengvaxia-related symptoms in April and May last year.

The complaint stated that Aberia and Mainit were allegedly vaccinated with Dengvaxia once, while Silverio supposedly received three doses.

PAO said victims’ death certificates showed they died of lymphoma, cardiogenic shock (with congenital heart disease as an antecedent cause), and tonsillar herniation (with lupus as an underlying cause),

respectively, according to the PAO complaints.

Besides Garin, the PAO also named as respondents several former and incumbent DOH officials and directors and officers of Dengvaxia maker Sanofi Pasteur and its local distributor, Zuellig Pharma.

The respondents were accused of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide under Article 365 of the Revised Penal Code; torture resulting in the death of a person and torture committed against children under Republic Act 9745, the Anti-Torture Act of 2009; and for violating RA 7394, the Consumer Act of the Philippines, particularly, the mislabeling of drugs and devices, liability for defective products, and liability for product and service imperfection.

Also named respondents were Department of Health officials Dr. Vicente Belizario Jr., Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go, Dr. Gerardo Bayugo, Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, Dr. Irma Asuncion, Dr. Julius Lecciones, Dr. Joyce Ducusin, Rosalind Viianzon, and Mario Baquilod.

The complainants also want to hold criminal liable officials of Food and Drug Administration, namely: Dr. Maria Lourdes Santiago and Melody Zamudio; and officials of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, namely, Drs. Socorro Lupisan and Maria Rosario Capeding.

Enrile raps deregulation

By Macon Ramos-Araneta FORMER Senate President and senatorial candidate Juan Ponce Enrile assailed the deregulation of sugar importation proposed by the country’s economic managers and warned the government that thousands of sugar farmers and workers “will go hungry” if that was implemented, “I urge the government to avoid the inordinate importation of commodities like sugar to protect our sugar farmers and worker and their families who will go hungry if the government will not protect them,” said Enrile, who is vying for a Senate comeback in the upcoming 2019 midterm elections.

Enrile noted that the sugar industry contributed about P120 billion annually to the national economy through the sale of raw and refined sugar, molasses, bioethanol, and biopower.

The industry also employs about 84,000 farmers and 720,000 workers in 28 sugar-producing provinces in the countries, providing the primary source of livelihood for five-million Filipinos.

Aside from the loss of income for sugar labor force and their families, Enrile also warned against economic losses.

“Hundreds of billions of pesos have been invested in dozens of raw sugar mills, refineries, bioethanol distilleries, and biopower generating plants. The government must aid the industry so that these will not just become billions down the drain in case liberalization of imports is pursued,” the veteran lawmaker said.

Enrile clarified that while he supported measures that “could reduce the cost of sugar for ordinary Filipinos,” this must be balanced with a desire to protect the interest of local farmers.

“We have to focus on long-term solutions rather than short-term steps. For the sugar industry, as with the rice industry, we must focus on investing in the capability of our local farmers. Ang kailangan diyan dagdag na pondo para sa research at development para tumaas ang productivity,” the four-term senator said.

PROTEST RALLY. Anakalusugan party-list and its supporters stage a rally at the main headquarters of the Department of Health in Manila’s Sta. Cruz district to denounce the agency’s failure to give measles vaccine to some 2.4-million children last year despite spending all its P7.43-billion budget for its immunization program in 2018 as the measles death toll reached 163 since January. Lino Santos

2 Abu Sayyaf killed, 2 hurt in clash with troops in Sulu

By Francisco Tuyay

T

WO members of the Abu Sayyaf Group identified by authorities as terrorists were slain while two others were wounded in a clash with troops Thursday in a barangay in Patikul, Sulu.

Military officials said the terrorists were hit by artillery fire while security forces wewre hunting down remnants of a militant group linked to the attacks at the Catholic Cathedral in Muslim-dominated capital town of Jolo.

Col. Gerry Besana, spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command , said the battle occurred after troops from the 41st Infantry Battalion led by one Maj. Oloan who were pursuing terrorists chanced upon eight ban-

dits in Sitio Tubig.

Overwhelmed by the gun bursts from ground troops, the bandit group scampered and fled towards a hilly portion of the village.

To disrupt their escape, artillery battalion fired several rounds of 105mm projectiles and 81 mm mortar against the ASG members in Luba Hill in Tanum village where the bandits were believed to have withdrawn.

Besana said the troops that engaged the

Abu Sayyaf were still scouring the battle site while soldiers nearby were alerted to pursue and intercept the fleeing bandits.

Troops have had four encounters with the ASG following the Mt. Carmel bombing which left 23 people dead and 123 others wounded, the deadliest terror attack this year.

So far, the relentless hunt against the Abu Sayyaf led by its notorious and radical chieftain Hatib Sawadjaan had resulted in the death of seven ASG members and five soldiers—all taking place in the hinterlands of Patikul, Sulu.

Sawadjaan reportedly ascended to the ASG leadership and becoming acting Islamic State emir in the Philippines and Southeast Asia replacing Isnilon Hapilon who was killed in the five months battle in Marawi City in 2016.

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Opinion

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019

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One of my favorite alternative investment funds—the Stonegate Diversified Digital Asset Master Fund—announced 2018 results, continuing its record of significant outperformance of both the cryptocurrency market specifically and overall asset markets generally. The fund launched October 2017, and has generated inception to date returns of 638 percent! For 2018, the fund generated 8.56 percent, versus the average crypto related hedge fund which have had average losses of approximately—70 percent during the year.

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The company is headquartered in the United States in Atlanta, GA, with satellite offices and staff in numerous cities including New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Macau, Hong Kong, and Manila. The firm’s founder, CEO, and my friend, John McCorvey III, has over 25 years of experience in the institutional and alternative investments space, and is an alumni of the Harvard Business School’s executive education program.

The firm’s senior management team all have between 15 and 25 years of industry experience as well.

The organization’s investment management arm, Stonegate Digital Capital Group, is a private equity firm that holds an interest in numerous alterna alternative investment fund products includ including hedge funds, venture capital funds, real estate, cannabis funds (yes, you read that right, and highly profitable too!), as well as various Blockchain technology and digital assets funds.

The Stonegate Diversified fund’s inception to date performance from Oc October 2017 through December 2018 is over 638 percent, whereas the overall market was down approximately—12 percent during this same time period.

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A

Full-blown El Niño

FULL-BLOWN El Niño this year, as predicted by the weather bureau, is something that the government must prepare for to minimize the impact on the agriculture sector.

Sur are coping with drought.

PAG-ASA added Abra, Bataan, Palawan, Ilocos Sur and Zambales may also experience drought by the end of March.

El Niño, which is triggered by periodic warming in the eastern Pacific Ocean, could last for five months to two years and lead to reduced rainfall in the affected areas.

The little rainfall is expected to wreak havoc on agriculture, especially rice and corn farms, and reduce the country's fruit production and exports. The water levels of rivers, dams, lakes and other channels will recede and reduce their flows to the country's irrigation system.

Hydro-electric plants, meanwhile, will generate less

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration has warned the public to brace for the severe El Niño, a prolonged period of reduced rainfall, rising temperatures, dry spells and drought.

PAG-ASA has already monitored signs of the weather phenomenon in the Pacific as early as July last year and expects it to become full-blown by the end of February or in March.

The dry spell that will induce drought is widespread this time. Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Bukidnon, Basilan, Maguindanao and Sulu provinces have already started to experience the dry spell, while Ilocos Norte, Lanao del Norte and Lanao del

output because of the water shortage. This, in turn, will increase electricity rates to consumers and cause outages in some parts of the country if no base-load power plants are available.

The Department of Agriculture should be one of the lead agencies on top of the El Niño situation. Farmers will soon suffer the consequences of the dry spell as farmlands become unproductive. The National Irrigation Administration should also initiate the construction of more water-impounding structures as an effective solution to future El Niños.

The government must release emergency funds to affected farmers to ease their plight, and take measures to mitigate the inflationary impact of the drought. It should also plan rice imports ahead to prevent last year's shortage that sent prices surging to a nine-year high.

Turn to A5

EvEryman

BLACKPINK in Your Area

By Alex Alcasid YOU may have heard the iconic line already, blasted through the airwaves on the radio while the music video made the rounds online. “BLACKPINK in your area,” originating from the song Boombayah by the Kpop girl group BLACKPINK, has been on Kpop fans’ lips for ages before the group’s first Philippine concert last Feb. 2, 2019. Known for their songs Boombayah, As if it’s Your Last, and their most recent single Ddu-Du DduDu, the four member girl group under YG Entertainment has taken the world by storm. The music video of Ddu-Du Ddu-Du became the most viewed online video and second most watched video of all time within 24 hours of its release back in June 15, 2018.

Imagine the excitement that Filipino BLINKS (the name for fans of BLACKPINK) experienced when their first Philippine concert was announced.

Undeterred by the high prices of concert tickets, fans of the group flocked to the Mall of Asia Arena to watch their favorite Kpop group.

But before the girls of BLACKPINK arrived at the concert venue, they were already treated to quite an up-close and personal experience with their Filipino fans. Unfortunately, the entourage that received the girls at the airport could have been a lot more behaved.

Greeting celebrities and idols at the airport is not a new occurrence. Often once the celebrity has been whisked away to their hotel, they are barricaded behind security and it is very difficult for fans to meet them or take pictures of them. One way that Kpop fans all across the world found to circumvent this problem is to go to the airport itself and wait for their favorite idols’ flight to land.

Last Feb. 1, 2019, the day before the BLACKPINK concert, the group themselves arrived on Philippine soil at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport around 10 p.m. The scene

that greeted them would not be out of place in a horror movie: A stampede of excited fans mobbing the arrivals area. Crazed fans stood on top of an Airport Police Department’s vehicle to get a better look. Fans and security were shoved in the mad dash to catch a glimpse of the Kpop idols. There were screams of frustration from disappointed fans in vain hope that they could persuade their fellow BLINKS to behave. There were chants yelled at the top of their lungs for two of the members of BLACKPINK: Jennie and Lisa. The ensuing chaos forced the Kpop group’s entourage to use the VIP ramp exit to escape the crowd.

It is disappointing and disheartening, to say the least, to see such undisciplined behavior from fellow Filipinos.

On Twitter, other BLINKS were expressing their disappointment and frustration at the airport stampede, decrying the fact that this incident would be the first impression of the Philippines and Filipinos to BLACKPINK. It is understandable to get excited over seeing your favorite musicians, but there is a time and place for everything, and the safety of the celebrities, and of the fans coming to greet them and the staff simply doing their jobs, should be prioritized first.

Hopefully in future Kpop concert events, Filipino fans would be more disciplined and level-headed. Stampedes only serve to put the people in the area in danger, and get fans no closer to seeing their beloved celebrities. If anything, it raises the risk involved with bringing the celebrities to a foreign country, and could complicate having concerts of the same nature in the future. These celebrities are people too, and as excited as we can get over seeing our favorite musicians, actors, etc., they deserve space and respect too.

Alex Alcasid usually writes fantasy and spec-fic, and tweets whatever comes to mind at @alex_alcasid

JPE takes a stand on key issues AT 95 YEARS OLD, former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile doesn’t want to ride off into the sunset just yet.

In fact, he’s seeking another term in the Upper Chamber of Congress in the May 13 midterm elections. This after spending time under detention in Camp Crame on plunder charges for alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam during the previous administration. The

against him when the trial of his case begins. Meantime, he is preparing to launch a nationwide political campaign in March and April under the banner of There’s no country the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino and the in the world that United Nationalist Alliance. developed without To find out what else he wants to do opening itself to in the Senate if elected, we contacted a fraternity brother of JPE to help us get foreign investments, him as guest in our Saturday Forum he says. at Annabel’s. He readily obliged, and here’s the highlights of our conversa conversation on his key advocacies.

Supreme Court allowed him to post bail On the economy: There’s no counon humanitarian grounds, and he says try in the world that developed without Turn to A5 he would answer all the accusations Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher

ManilaStandard

Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www. manilastandard.net

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Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Opinion Two landmark laws banking system should be 21 times bigger than Singapore’s or 1.5 times bigger than Thailand’s.

Here are the highlights of the Rice Tariffication Law, per the NGO GRAINS: • The Minimum Access Volume PRESIDENT Duterte has signed two will revert to the 2012 level of 350,000 landmark laws.

The first has to do with the produc- tons from the current 805,200 tons. tion and importation of the Filipino people’s basic food—rice.

Since rice is 15 percent of household spending and food is 50 percent of total household spending, the rice On rice and tariffication law is supposed to bring corporations down inflation and bring down the price of rice. Initially and instantly, imported rice will flood the market and rice speculators and greedy traders will go out of business since big corporations will now engage in rice • In-quota Most Favored Nation production, importation and direct rates will remain at 35 percent. selling.

The MFN tariff for out-quota imThe second measure has to do with rules on how to put up corporations or ports is raised from 50 percent to 180 businesses and how they should be- percent.

• In- and out-quota imports from have. Forming corporations will now be much easier. One person, you, can ASEAN countries will be levied a uniform a corporation by yourself. You form 35 percent duty.

• A Rice Competitiveness Enhanceneeded five people to do that before.

The Revised Corporation Code of ment Fund will be created consisting the Philippines is supposed to spur of an annual P10 billion ($192.3 milnew businesses, with easier rules. It lion) appropriation through the next six years. does not follow. Why? • The Fund shall consist of all duThe problem of small businessmen is not how to form a corporation. ties collected from the importation of You can always hire a lawyer from agricultural products, except rice, unPadre Faura to do that for you. It is der the MAV mechanism, including how to raise money or capital. There unused balances and collections from should be a new law that will force repayments from loan beneficiaries greedy banks to open up their lending including interests, if any.

• A special rice safeguard duty shall windows to small businessmen and entrepreneurs. The lending rules are be imposed for the industry’s protection from extreme or sudden price stacked against the small man.

Did you know that only four fami- fluctuations.

• The NFA’s role is confined to lolies own the entire Philippine banking system? There is a fifth owner—the cal paddy procurement and buffergovernment. State-owned Land Bank stocks management.

• In the interest of the Philippine and DBP have the same strict lending rules as the big private commercial rice industry and Philippine consumbanks. The banking system is one big ers, and upon the recommendation of cartel. To its eternal credit, the Bangko the NEDA and the Department of AgSentral ng Pilipinas helps perpetuate riculture, the President may enter into trade negotiations or renegotiations this cartel.

The Philippine banking system of the Philippine international trade used to be the largest in Southeast commitments on rice.

• The NFA shall, in accordance with Asia. Today, it is the smallest—thanks to the small-minded thinking of our the rules, regulations and procedures banks and the BSP. Only one bank in to be promulgated, maintain sufficient Bangkok or one bank in Singapore is rice buffer stock to be sourced solely equal in size to the size of the entire from local farmers.

• Any and all laws, rules, regulaPhilippine banking system.

Yet, the Philippine population is tions, guidelines, and other issuances 21 times that of Singapore, and 1.55 imposing quantitative export restrictimes that of Thailand. Meaning, our tions on rice are repealed. The expor-

JPE takes...

From A4

opening itself to foreign investments.

That is our problem today: We have restricted the growth of foreign investments into the country on the assumption that we have to protect our people from foreign capital. Today we live in a globalized system. We cannot live alone; we have to deal with the entire planet to market our products. We do not have enough domestic capital. We cannot really develop this country without capital. We need to industrialize the country to create the quantum of jobs to address poverty.

The restrictions in the 1987 Constitution on foreign ownership of certain businesses in the country serve to protect only the rich, not those who need protection from the government. We have reached a point where we have to reverse the constitutional provision that blocks the entry of foreign money into the country. We need energy, but we do not have the money nor the technical know-how to explore Benham Rise or the West Philippine Sea. We have to open up, what are we afraid of? That is the question that I pose to the political leaders and the elite of the country. Who do we want to help, the rich or the poor? The government must give preference to protecting the poor people. Let us open up the economy to as much as 100 percent ownership by foreigners.

On federalism: I am not against federalism, but I have a problem with

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it. First is the money. Can we afford a federal system? Second, the proposed division of powers will loosen the cohesion of our country. Third, the transition. Since the proposed new Constitution cannot be implemented yet, what Constitution will be in force during the transition? I talked to some of the delegates in the Consultative Commission and they could not answer my question.

On term limits: I am for the lifting of term limits. We limit the president’s term to six years. What can be done in six years? Can he improve the lives of the people within six years? After six years, the new president will change what has been started. It’s good if he will continue the policies of his predecessor. If we must have continuity of policies in this country, instead of federalizing, let’s shift from a presidential to a parliamentary system of government. We elect a president to represent the state, and we elect a prime minister to head the government and be the center of the political life of the nation. You can change him for as long or a short a time as he is effective in running the affairs of the country and the government. That is the system in Singapore and Malaysia.

On political dynasties: My position here is that since power emanates from the people according to the Constitution, from the consent of the governed, let the people deal with that problem.

If they want a family to govern in that province, city or town, who are we to deny them that right?

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tation of rice shall be allowed in accordance with the established rules, regulations and guidelines.”

• No immediate changes to 20182019 imports are expected. It is, however, expected to encourage more imports from ASEAN countries, and less from non-ASEAN sources. The potential for import growth in the medium to long term will depend mainly on the performance of Philippine domestic production.

Here are the main features of the new Corporation Code, per my friend, the London School of Economicstrained lawyer Mike Toledo: 1. INCORPORATORS: Removal of the minimum number of incorporators.

2. MINIMUM CAPITAL STOCK: mini Imposition of a P1,000,000.00 minimum capital stock on stock corporations. This effectively increases the minimum paid-up capital to P62,500.00.

3. CORPORATE TERM: Removal of the 50-year corporate term. This means that unless there is a provision in the Articles of Incorporation with regard to the term of corporate existence, the corporation will exist perpetually unless sooner dissolved.

4. ONE PERSON CORPORATION: Allowance for a single person—whether natural or juridical—to organize and put up a corporation.

However, this is subject to the requirement of a minimum capital stock of P1million to be paid up in a lump sum at the time of incorporation.

5. CORPORATE OFFICERS: Chief Executive Officer is made the alternative title to President and Chief Financial Officer is made the alternative title to Treasurer. Also, the inclusion of Compliance Officer as a mandatory corporate officer on top of the president/CEO, treasurer/CFO, and corporate secretary.

6. BOARD MEETINGS: Allowance of remote communication methods in attending board meetings subject to provisions of the corporate by-laws.

7. NATIONALITY OF A CORPORATION: Formalization of the test in determining the nationality of a corporation, i.e. the control test.

8. REMOVAL OF A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OR TRUSTEES: Empowering the SEC to remove disqualified members of the Board of Directors or Trustees. biznewsasia@gmail.com

On the Bangsamoro Organic Law: I hope that will eventually settle the problem of conflict in Mindanao. But from my own experience, the passing of a law is not enough. There are seven ethnic groups in Mindanao with different languages, customs and traditions.

The only binding and unifying element among them is Islam. Even that is problematic as there are two divisions of Islam, the Suffis and the Shiites. How can you expect them to unify? Lanao del Norte and Isabela in Basilan did not agree to join the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. Apart from the latent disunity in Mindanao, the lack of unifying element, there’s also the separate concerns of the Christians and the various indigenous peoples like the Tirurays and the Bagobos.

On peace talks with CPP-NPANDF: While every administration has the duty to defend the Constitution, enforce the laws and contain any rebellion, the government must be benevolent and wise enough to open the doors to peaceful resolution of conflict and violence in our society. It cannot be all-out war. You cannot shut off people with grievances.

On the war on drugs: It’s a matter of law enforcement. If people commit a crime they have to answer for it and they have to go through the process.

The executive branch must enforce the law. After all, drug trafficking and drug usage are defined as crimes under the law. ernhil@yahoo.com

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019

A5

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EvEryman

EDSA: A call to action

By Val Abelgas AS FILIPINOS prepare to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, the recent arrest of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa reminds us that the fight to restore democracy in the country is far from over.

On those fateful days—from Feb. 22 to 25, 1986—hundreds of thousands of Filipinos gathered on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) to call for an end to the Marcos dictatorship, regain their freedom, and restore democracy in the country that was for decades the bastion of democracy in the region.

Ferdinand Marcos and his family fled to Hawaii at the end of those four historic days, ending almost 14 years of strong man rule and giving Filipinos hope of a new dawn of freedom. Every year since, thousands of Filipinos gather again at the EDSA Shrine, built to make sure we remember those four crucial days, to celebrate the event.

But this year’s commemoration, as in the previous two years, will serve more as another call to action – to defend democracy and make sure that the freedom gained 33 years ago will not be lost again.

The continued harassment of critics of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, the repression of press freedom, the rampant disrespect for the rule of law, and the reemergence of strong man rule reminiscent of the iron-fist leadership enforced by Marcos remind us more forcefully that the spirit of EDSA must live on.

One must be blind not to look at Ressa’s arrest as an assault on press freedom. We cannot look at it as a simple cyber libel case but consider it in the context of the pattern of harassment the Duterte administration has imposed on the progressive news site.

The President must have been so peeved by the articles critical of his administration published constantly

by Rappler that he had to make special mention of the news organization in his State of the Nation Address in July 2017, accusing it of being owned by Americans and that it was being funded by the Central Intelligence Agency, a wild accusation that critics and the opposition are used to hearing from the President. Remember that he has also accused the Liberal Party of plotting to oust him with the help of the CIA and some prominent FilipinoAmericans.

It was during the same SONA that Duterte also made allegations against the Philippine Daily Inquirer and ABS-CBN, which he claimed were putting out fake news and were biased against him. He accused the owners of the Inquirer of non-payment of taxes and holding on to government land beyond the terms of the contract. The Inquirer owners eventually gave up the lease on the questioned land. In fairness, the Inquirer editorial staff has continued to defy Duterte in its commitment to truth.

Duterte, on the other hand, accused ABS-CBN of pocketing his money during the 2016 elections without airing his campaign advertisement, a claim for which he never presented any evidence. He said Congress is certain to remember these when it decides whether or not to renew the network’s franchise, which expires next year.

Shortly after the denunciation at the SONA, the Securities and Exchange Commission ordered Rappler’s closure. Although the closure order was made by the SEC through the revocation of the website’s certificates of incorporation and registration, it was obvious that the SEC acted under pressure from the administration.

The Rappler eventually re-

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opened while awaiting adjudication of the case and continued its search for the truth, but Rappler and Ressa were later on slapped with tax evasion cases.

While the Duterte administration continued its persecution of Rappler and Ressa, international organizations recognized the veteran journalist’s commitment to press freedom. TIME Magazine named her one of its Persons of the Year last year as one of a selection of journalists combatting fake news all over the world. She was also presented the 2017 Democracy Award by the National Democratic Institute in Washington DC, the Golden Pen of Freedom Award in June last year by the World Association of Newspapers, and on November 20 last year, the Committee to Protect Journalists bestowed her its 2018 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award at its annual International Press Freedom Award ceremony held in New York City.

These awards must have peeved Duterte because shortly thereafter, the Department of Justice gave the go-signal to the filing of cyberlibel case against Ressa. While Malacañang and Duterte’s defenders insist Duterte had nothing to do with it, that government entities like the DOJ and the NBI were instrumental in the revival of a case that happened almost seven years ago and four months before the law on cybercrimes was passed show with certainty that this government would do anything to harass its critics.

One only needs to see the pattern of harassment on Duterte’s fiercest critics to realize that Ressa’s arrest is not just an assault on press freedom but on democracy as well.

This month marks the second year of the arrest and detention of Sen. Leila de Lima, who investigated the alleged Davao Death Squad while she was chairman of the Commission on Human Rights and justice secretary and who became the President’s harshest critics when she became senator. Last year, Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who dared criticized his war on drugs, was ousted by her peers using a petition for quo warranto filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida, which questioned Sereno's integrity over the alleged non-filing of some mandatory asset declarations.

In July last year, warrants of arrest were issued against four former members of the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives—former Representatives Satur Ocampo and Teddy Casiño (Bayan Muna), Liza Maza (Gabriela), and Rafael Mariano (Anakpawis) for the alleged murder of two Bayan Muna critics in Palayan, Nueva Ecija in December 2003 and May 2004, respectively.

Also last year, libel charges were filed against another fierce Duterte critic, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, in Davao City.

All these moves show a nontolerance for criticism by this increasingly repressive regime. They are obviously made not just to harass the harshest critics, but to send a chilling message to those who would dare defy Duterte that they could be next.

As the people gather on EDSA to celebrate the four days that marked the end of strongman rule and restored democracy in the country, let us not lose sight of the fact that democracy and freedom are again under threat and that we must remain vigilant and willing to defend them.

Val Abelgas is a former managing editor of Manila Standard and now lives in the US. He may be reached at valabelgas@aol.com

please email me to receive and review the fund’s performance information and information deck, the company brochure, as well as the organization’s corporate deck. eric.jurado@gmail.com

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

A6

Republic of the Philippines ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR AUTHORITY TO IMPLEMENT THE SAN FERNANDO 1X10/12.5 MVA TR SUBSTATION AND RELATED PROJECTS, WITH PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY ERC CASE NO. 2018-125 RC VISAYAN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INC. (VECO), Applicant.

X------------------------------------------------X NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: Notice is hereby given that on 28 December 2018, the Visayan Electric Company, Inc. (VECO) filed an Application dated 06 December 2018 (Application), seeking the Commission’s approval of its authority to implement the San Fernando 1X10/12.5 MVA TR Substation and related projects, with prayer for provisional authority.

In the said Application, VECO alleged the following, among others:

6.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

1.

VECO is a private corporation existing under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with business address at J. Panis Street, Banilad, Cebu City. It is a duly authorized distribution utility of electric power in the cities of Naga, Talisay, Cebu and Mandaue, and in the municipalities of San Fernando, Minglanilla, Consolacion and Lilo-an, Province of Cebu pursuant to its franchise under Republic Act. No. 9339.

2.

It may be served with notices and other processes of this Commission through its undersigned counsel at the address indicated below.

3.

VECO’s 3rd Regulatory Period (3rd RP) covers 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2018. However VECO still has to undergo the reset process and is currently awaiting the final rules to be released by the Honorable Commission to govern the filing of its 3rd RP reset application.

4.

This notwithstanding, Republic Act No. 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (“EPIRA”), under Section 23, obligates VECO, as well as other distribution utilities, to provide distribution services and connections to its system for any enduser within its franchise area consistent with the distribution code.

5.

In line with its obligation under the EPIRA and pursuant to Section 20 (b) of Commonwealth Act No. 146, as amended, VECO hereby applies for the approval of the Honorable Commission to implement the San Fernando 1X10/12.5 MVA TR Substation and related projects: a.

San Fernando 1X10/12.5 MVA TR Substation, which involves the construction of a substation to be located in Panadtaran, San Fernando, in lieu of the Mabuhay Filcement Switching Station project included in VECO’s 2014-2015 CAPEX application docketed as ERC Case No. 2013-207 RC;

b.

San Fernando Lot Acquisition, which involves the acquisition of a lot where the San Fernando 1X10/12.5 MVA TR Substation will be erected;

c.

69 kV Line projects consisting of: i

69 kV VECO Naga Substation to CEMEX 69 kV Line, which involves the installation of poles, 69 kV lines and associated equipment from VECO’s Naga Substation to CEMEX and will serve as a supplementary line interconnecting with the CEMEX - Mabuhay Filcement 69 kV interconnection line that is part of ERC Case No. 2013-207 RC;

ii.

69 kV Mabuhay Filcement Inc. to San Fernando Substation Line, which involves the installation of poles, 69 kV lines and associated equipment and is also a supplementary line interconnecting with the CEMEX - Mabuhay Filcement 69 kV interconnection line that is part of ERC Case No. 2013-207 RC;

iii.

69 kV San Fernando Substation to Mabuhay Filcement Inc. Line, which involves the installation of poles, extension of a power service line and associated equipment from the San Fernando 1X10/12.5 MV A TR Substation to Mabuhay Filcement Inc.; and

iv.

69 kV San Fernando Substation to Taiheiyo 69 kV Line, which involves the installation of poles, extension of a power service line and associated equipment from the San Fernando 1X10/12.5 MVA TR Substation to the 69kV customer Taiheiyo Cement Philippines, Inc.

Binay eyes more social programs for Makati

By Joel E. Zurbano

F

ORMER Vice President Jejomar Binay on Wednesday said if he would win as congressman in the first district of Makati this coming midterm elections, he will push for various social programs like what he started when he was a local executive in the city.

These projects, according to Binay, include college scholarships, livelihood programs, and medical assistance in state-run specialized health care institutions and hospitals.

Binay, who served as Makati mayor for over two decades prior to being elected Vice President in 2010, is running under the United Nationalist Alliance of incumbent Makati Mayor Abigail Binay.

“If I were asked what motivates me to continue pursuing a career in public service, I would give a simple answer: I believe much

still needs to be done in order to restore the dignity of the people,” Binay said during the Good Governance Forum organized by the YMCA of Makati.

Binay said if elected, he will also initiate tie-ups with the Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Labor and Employment, and other agencies to develop residents into highly competent, skilled and employable workers, and successful entrepreneurs.

He stated his intent to institute

a medical assistance program with the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, and various state-run hospitals, to expand residents’ access to specialized health care and tertiary health services outside the city.

Binay added that his congressional office will also allocate funds for the provision of additional equipment for the city-run Ospital ng Makati, including incubators and ventilators, among others.

Binay, the first local appointee of then President Corazon Aquino after the 1986 EDSA Revolution, lamented that while the nation achieved political freedom then, the fight for freedom remained, 33 years later.

“Poverty in the midst of plenty is our greatest shame. It is also our greatest challenge,” he said.

The total estimated cost of these projects is Php 88,916,420.00 broken down as follows: Project San Fernando 1X10(12.5 MVA TR Substation San Fernando Lot Acquisition 69 kV VECO Naga Substation to CEMEX 69 kV Line 69 kV Mabuhay Filcernent Inc. to San Fernando Substation Line 69 kV San Fernando Substation to Mabuhay Filcernent Inc. Line 69 kV San Fernando Substation to Taiheiyo 69 kV Line TOTAL

Cost (PhP) 33,599,934.00 9,200,000.00 18,215,560.00 10,905,646.00 12,796,377.00 4,198,903.00 88,916,420.00

7.

The detailed explanation, description, justification, alternatives considered and other information on the foregoing projects are discussed in detail in a document entitled “VECO Project Justification”. The document is attached as Annex “A” of this Application. A detailed economic analysis is provided in a document entitled “VECO Project economic analysis”. It is attached as Annex “B”.

8.

Applicant undertakes to comply with the pre-filing requirements under Section 4(e) of the EPIRA IRR, as amended,

President Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Manny Pacquiao, chairman of the Senate committee on Sports, and Abono Rep. Conrado Estrella III, chairman of the House committee on Youth and Sports Development, are shown after the ceremonial signing of Republic Act 11214 or the Act Establishing a Philippine Sports Training Center in Malacañang on Wednesday, Feb. 20.

Republic of the Philippines METROPOLITAN NAGA WATER DISTRICT 40 J. Miranda Avenue, Naga City

ALLEGATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY 9.

News

VECO’s southern cluster involving the 1x33 MVA Naga, 2x33 MVA Talisay, 1x33 MVA Pardo and 2X33 MVA Don Gil Garcia substation is projected to exceed 70% its inter-cluster loading.

10. Paragraph 3, Section 1.2, of the ERC’s Investor-owned Electricity Distribution Utility Planning Manual provides that: “Substations must provide a reserve capacity margin for outage contingency. Additional power transformer capacity will be triggered in the year a substation is forecasted to be loaded above 70% of its maximum rated capacity where it is not possible to offload the substation by reconfiguring the distribution voltage network. Where substations are interconnected by the distribution voltage network, and load transfers at distribution voltage level are possible, additional capacity will be triggered in the year that the total load on all interconnected substations exceeds 70% of the total interconnected transformer capacity. In cases where load transfer is not feasible, the 70% limit shall apply to the individual power transformer.” (Emphasis supplied.)

11. As the total inter-cluster loading of the foregoing interconnected substations is projected to exceed 70%, there is an immediate need for VECO to provide a reserve capacity margin in order to serve its customers by avoiding any power interruption in case of an outage contingency. Thus the proposed San Fernando 1X10/12.5 MVA TR Substation, which is strategically located to provide an addition 12.5 MV A of capacity within the southern cluster.

12. In turn, the proposed 69 kV Line projects will facilitate the interconnection of the San Fernando 1X10/12.5 MVA TR Substation VECO’s 69 kV network, which will ultimately redound to the benefit of the consumers in terms of continuous, reliable and efficient supply of power.

13. Thus, pending final approval, there is a need for a provisional authority for VECO to immediately implement the foregoing projects. Attached as Annex “C” of the application is the Judicial Affidavit of Noel S. Modesto in support of the application and prayer for the grant of provisional authority.

PRAYER WHEREFORE, in view of the foregoing, it is respectfully prayed that the Honorable Commission: 1.

Pending trial on the merits, immediately ISSUE a PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY authorizing VECO to implement the foregoing San Fernando 1X10/12.5 MVA TR Substation, San Fernando Lot Acquisition, and 69 kV Line projects; and

2.

After due hearing, ISSUE a DECISION APPROVING the foregoing San Fernando 1X10/12.5 MVA TR Substation, San Fernando Lot Acquisition, and 69 kV Line projects.

Other relief just and equitable under the premises are likewise prayed for.

The Commission has set the Application for determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, pre-trial conference, and presentation of evidence on 14 March 2019 (Thursday) at two o’clock in the afternoon (02:00 P.M.), at ERC Visayas Field Office, St. Mary’s Drive, Banilad, Cebu City.

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the instant case may become a party by filing with the Commission a verified Petition to Intervene at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, indicating therein the docket number and title of the case and stating the following: 1)

The petitioner’s name and address;

2)

The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and

3)

A statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file their Opposition or Comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before Applicant rests its case, subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure.

No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following: 1) The name and address of such person; 2) A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and 3) The grounds relied upon.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from Applicant that they be furnished with the same prior to the date of the initial hearing.

Applicant is hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours.

WITNESS, the Honorable Chairperson and CEO AGNES VST DEVANADERA, and the Honorable Commissioner CATHERINE P. MACEDA, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 22nd day of January 2019 in Pasig City.

InvItatIon to BId for SUPPLY, BUILd, InStaLLatIon, CoMMISSIonInG and ProCESS ProvInG of 60CMd SEPtaGE trEatMEnt PLant 1. The METROPOLITAN NAGA WATER DISTRICT, through its approved Corporate Budget,intends to apply the sum of ONE HUNDRED NINE MILLION NINE HUNDRED NINETY FIVE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED PESOS ONLY(Php 109,995,600.00) only, being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the SUPPLY, BUILD, INSTALLATION, COMMISSIONING AND PROCESS PROVING OF 60CMD SEPTAGE TREATMENT PLANT CONTRACT REFERENCE NO INFRA 2019-002 Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2. The MNWD now invites bids for the SUPPLY, BUILD, INSTALLATION, COMMISSIONING AND PROCESS PROVING OF 60CMD SEPTAGE TREATMENT PLANT Completion of the Works is required within Three Hundred Sixty (360)Calendar Days. 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.

3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

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

4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from the MNWD and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below starting from 8:00 AM – 12:00 NN and 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM. 5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders starting on FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22 TO MARCH 13, 2019, from the address below and upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS (Php 50,000.00) only.

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS), provided that bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

6. The MNWD will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on MARCH 1, 2019 at 1:30 PM at 2nd Floor, Board Room, MNWD Building, 40 J. Miranda Avenue, Naga City,which shall be open to prospective bidders.

7. Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before MARCH 13, 2019; 1:30 pm. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid Opening shall be open on MARCH 13, 2019; 1:30 pm. at 2nd Floor, Board Room, MNWD Building, 40 J. Miranda Avenue, 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.

9. The MNWD 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.

9. For further information, please refer to: ENGR. GILBERT V. ELEAZAR Water Division and Restoration Division MNWD Compound, 40 J. Miranda Avenue, Naga City Tel No.: (054) 473-7813 local 105 Fax No.: (054) 473-9288 E-mail Address:mnwdbac@yahoo.com Website Address: mnwd.gov.ph (SGD) ENGR. GILBERT V. ELEAZAR Chairperson Bids and Awards Committee

JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE - ASIRIT Oversight Commissioner for Legal (MS-FEB. 22 & MAR. 1, 2019)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

(MS-FEB. 22, 2019)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

IN BRIEF Enrile hits proposal to deregulate sugar FORMER Senate President and senatorial candidate Juan Ponce Enrile assailed the deregulation of sugar importation proposed by the country’s economic managers as he warned government that thousands of sugar farmers and workers “will go hungry” if it is implemented.

“I urge the government to avoid the inordinate importation of commodities like sugar to protect our sugar farmers and workers and their families who will go hungry if the government will not protect them,” said Enrile, who is vying for a Senate comeback in the upcoming 2019 midterm elections.

Enrile noted that the sugar industry contributes about P120 billion annually to the national economy through the sale of raw and refined sugar, molasses, bioethanol, and biopower.

The industry also employs about 84,000 farmers and 720,000 workers in 28 sugar-producing provinces in the countries, all in all providing the primary source of livelihood for five million Filipinos.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

‘Pag-IBIG members saved over P40m’ PAG-IBIG Fund members saved over P40 billion in the state-run fund in 2018 setting a new record for the highest amount saved by members in a single year.

Members’ savings in 2018 reached P40.27 billion, 11 percent higher than the P36.27 billion collected in 2017. The double-digit increase is attributed to Pag-IBIG’s sustained membership growth and members saving more than the P100 monthly mandatory savings. Members’ upgraded savings amounted to more than P1 billion in 2018 while MP2 Savings reached a record-high of P4.47 billion.

“Pag-IBIG Fund members showed a great deal of trust in the Fund in 2018. As a result of their trust, Members’ Savings collections breached the P40-billion mark. This shall allow the Fund to grow even stronger and have funds to utilize for its home financing programs, in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s drive to provide social services to more Filipinos,” said Secretary Eduardo D. del Rosario, chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and the Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees.

Du30 signs bill creating national sports center

By Rey E. Requejo FILIPINO athletes will soon have a state-of-the-art training facility after President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law establishing a highly scientific sports complex to be known as the Philippine Sports Training Center.

“The signing of the measure into law is very significant because the last time the government constructed a sports training center was in 1934 when it built the Rizal Sports Coliseum which had been used since by national athletes for their training,” said Abono party-list Rep. Conrado Estrella III, chairman of the House committee on Youth and Sports Development.

Estrella, who shepherded the passage in the House of Representatives of the bill that the President has signed into law as Republic Act 11214, or the Act Establishing a Philippine Sports Training Center, added: “We really need to upgrade our national sports

training center to hone the skills of our Filipino athletes. The construction of the PSTC will introduce modern-day training facilities, methods and techniques that will improve the standing and quality of our athletes who participate in global competitions.”

Estrella expressed his profound gratitude to the members of the House Committee on Youth and Sports Development for their active participation in the crafting of the measure and the leadership of Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for their unwavering support for the passage of PSTC bill.

“We also extend our sincerest thanks to Sen. Manny Pacquio, Chairman of the Senate committee on Sports, for successfully steering the approval of the counterpart PSTC bill in the Senate and senators led by Senate President Vicente Sotto and Senator Sonny Angara because, without their all-out support, the enactment of this bill into law would not be possible,” the lawmaker said.

FVR leads launching of book on SAF, EDSA

AHEAD of the commemoration of the 33rd year of the EDSA Revolution on Feb. 25, 2019, former President Fidel V. Ramos, the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation, Inc, and Media Touchstone Ventures Inc. will launch “Silver Linings: The Continuing Saga of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution” on Feb. 22, 2019 at the Kalayaan Hall at Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan City from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Silver Linings is a book on the PNP’s Special Action Force done as a living tribute to the heroism, bravery and dedication of Tagaligtas troopers, as well as the founders who made this historical book possible.

“This updated edition of Silver Linings seeks to instill in the Filipinos that as we go about our daily tasks, we must do our best in whatever we think, say and do; that our greatest duty is to rise to life’s challenges as responsible citizens; and that we must strive always to see justice done, the rule of law upheld, civic responsibility performed, and national teamwork enhanced,” says former President Ramos, who, along with then-Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile, led the revolt in 1986 that brought down a dictator.

Authored by the Ramos family biographer Melandrew T. Velasco, together with former DILG Secretary Rafael Alunan and the 1st SAF Director and PDDG Reynaldo V. Velasco (ret.), Silver Linings follows through where the first edition ended in May 2012 under former President Benigno S. Aquino III until the first three years of the Duterte presidency.

Sponsors of this book include Manila Water Company headed by president and CEO Ferdinand dela Cruz; Maynilad Water Services led by president and CEO Ramoncito S. Fernandez; San Miguel Corp. headed by COO Ramon Ang; Meralco president and chief executive officer Oscar S. Reyes; Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Chairperson Anselmo Simeon P. Pinili, vice-chairperson and general manager Alexander Balutan; Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo, president and COO Alfredo Lim; ITP Construction led by president Isidro T. Pajarillaga.

Sports

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Zambo bets boost PPS tennis cast FOUR aces from Zamboanga seek to steal the show from the locals as action in the PPS-PEPP national age group tennis circuit shifts to Kidapawan City today (Friday) at the Kidapawan City Tennis Club in Cotabato.

Multi-titled Sydney Enriquez, Rica Labrador and Marlyn Mesiona banner the Zambo squad’s title drive in girls’ singles play while Eric Tangub braces for a fierce challenge in the boys’ 16and 18-and-under divisions where he is the top seed in the Group 2 tournament dubbed as the President Ronald Barrios Cup presented by Dunlop.

Enriquez and Labrador also topbill the main two categories while Mesiona vies in the 10-unisex and 12-U sides of the five-day event serving as the fourth of the six-leg Mindanao swing of the nationwide circuit put up by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala headed by president/CEO Bobby Castro.

Zkyla Cervantes, meanwhile, hopes to ride the momentum of her two victories in last week’s PPS-PEPP stop in Kabacan, joining Labrador and Enriquez in the title hunt along with Ysay Ysulat, Zhela Zaldivar, Princess Haro, Sheloh Ripdos and Pauline Binoya.

Cervantes, from Alamada, leads the locals’ bid charge along with Reyman Saldivar Jr., Ben Flores, Yusuf Maldo, Cian Ramirez and Ysulat from Kabacan, Jeanne Rayray from Midsayap, Rey Napala from Gen. Santos, Herald Aton from Kidapawan and Pete Mateo from Tupi.

Meanwhile, Digos City will host the fifth leg on Feb. 28-March 4 with the Mindanao circuit winding up in Tagum City on March 7-11. For details and listup, call PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.

Senate, PNP eye UNTV Cup finals Game Sunday (Pasig City Sports Center) 4:30 p.m. – Senate vs PNP

DEFENDING champion Senate and Philippine National Police dispute the second finals berth when they clash in the rubber match of their semis series in the 7th UNTV Cup on Sunday at the Pasig City Sports Center.

The Senate Defenders of coach Mike Fermin forced a deciding Game 3 following their 74-69 Game 2 win over the Responders two weeks ago.

Former University of the East player Ollan Omiping hopes the league’s long break will help the Responders recover from that defeat which ended their impressive seven-game winning streak dating back in the elims.

The winner in the 4:30 p.m. showdown will face two-time champion Armed Forces of the Philippines in a best-of-three title series with the chosen charity of the winning team earning a tax-free P4 million prize.

The Cavaliers advanced to the finals by sweeping past the National Housing Authority Builders in their own series capped by an 86-78 win also two weeks back.

The deciding Game 3 was pushed by a week in support of UNTV’s other project—the Return of the PBA Rivals which turned out be a blockbuster affair.

With the success of the project, UNTV president and CEO Dr. Daniel Razon donated P3 million to the PBA Legends Foundation.

Expected to lead the Responders are James Ryan Mangaran, Rey Malaga and former PBA player Jeff Sanders.

Omiping was held to just 12 points the last time—a far cry from his 27-point show in the team’s 79-74 win in the opener of their best-of-three title series.

Mangaran led Senate with 17 points while Rey Malaga, Jr. contributed six of his 12 points in the fourth that helped change the complexion of the game.

Creation of PH Sports Training Center lauded

Members of the TNC Predator Pro Team for DOTA display their championship trophy in the DOTA2. Photo below shows (from left) Alan Chiang, Managing Director of Acer Thailand; Andrew Hou, Acer PAP President and Manuel Wong, Managing Director of Acer Philippines.

PH to host ‘20 Predator League eSports tourney

A

CER confirmed at the closing ceremony of this year’s Asia-Pacific Predator League eSports Tournament in Bangkok that the 2020 edition will be held in the Philippines.

The league’s second successful year concluded on Feb. 17 after three grueling days of PUBG and DOTA2 championship rounds before fans of over 10,000 that gathered at the Nimibutr National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

“Especially in the Pan Asia-Pacific Region, Acer provides a stage for young eSports athletes to display their gaming talents not only through exceptional hardware but also through the eco-system and industry,” said Andrew Hou, President of Pan Asia Pacific Regional Operations, Acer Inc. “We hope that the athletes this year keep on as active members of the eSports community, and we will be glad to play with them again in 2020 in the Philippines.”

AfreecaFreecs Fatal for PUBG and TNC Predator for DOTA2 emerged as the winners out of the 26 grand final teams that bested a whopping total of 3,530 eSports teams across Asia-Pacific to battle it out for the Predator League throne.

The winner of the Asia Pacific Predator League 2019 for PUBG is AfreecaFreecs

Fatal from The Republic of Korea, winning $75,000 prize money and Predator Helios Notebooks for each of the team members, with Purple Mood from Thailand taking the $30,000 prize money as runner-up and Team Immunity from Australia, pocketing $15,000 prize money as second runner-up.

TNC Predator from Philippines emerged as DOTA2 champion, taking the $75,000 prize money and Predator Helios Notebooks for each of the team members.

BOOM ID from Indonesia placed second and took home the $30,000 prize money, while GeekFam from Malaysia ranked third with a purse of $15,000.

For more information on the Asia-Pa-

cific Predator League, visit www.predator-league.com.

Founded in 1976, today Acer is one of the world’s top ICT companies and has a presence in over 160 countries. As Acer looks into the future, it is focused on enabling a world where hardware, software and services will fuse with one another to open up new possibilities for consumers and businesses alike. From service-oriented technologies to the Internet of Things to gaming and virtual reality, Acer’s 7,000+ employees are dedicated to the research, design, marketing, sale, and support of products and solutions that break barriers between people and technology.

Please visit www.acer.com for more information.

AXA recently unveiled a motivational video on what it really means to be an All-Star, featuring a set of individuals who never stop pushing the limits as they engage in basketball, dance, a triathlon, and even a corporate career.

1 PAC M A N party-list REP. Mikee Romero yesterday thanked President Duterte for signing the law that will greatly help national athletes realize their dreams of winning the Romero ultimate prize —an Olympic gold.

In the presence of several sports top brass, Duterte allocated P3.5 billion for the establishment of a modern sports complex for national athletes, otherwise known as the Philippine Sports Training Center.

“It’s a dream come for our national athletes because in two years time, they will have a modern sports facility that is at par with some of the best in the world,” said Romero. “Certainly, this is one of the landmark sports projects under the administration of President Duterte.”

The construction of the stateof-the-art sports complex is line with the government’s policy ‘to promote and develop sports in the country.’

“Everything about this PSTC must be a labor of love, graft and corruption free and must meet world-class standards,” said Romero, who was joined by Philippine Olympic Committee Chairman and Tagaytay Rep. Bambol Tolentino and Manila Rep. Manny Lopez.

It will cater to athletes in archery, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, bowling, taekwondo, karate, judo, wrestling, cycling (velodrome), dance sport, football, gymnastics, handball, lawn tennis, sepak takraw, shooting, softball, squash, swimming, table tennis, volleyball, wall climbing water polo and weightlifting.

Though the P3.5 billion is a small amount relative to how much other Southeast Asian neighbors have spent in building their own sports training centers, Romero believes the indomitable Filipino spirit will come to the fore in the athletes’ bids to reach their full potential.

The PBA team owner who is also chairman of the United Polo Players Association said their next target is to ensure that the Philippine Sports Commission will have sufficient funding.

“That is high in our priority list,” Romero added. “PSC should not only have sufficient funding but also powers to advance the welfare of national athletes through compensations and rewards.

Health and livelihood support should also be given not only to national athletes but also to the coaches who have done great service to the country in the past.

On his part, PSC chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez labeled the passing of the law as a ‘tremendous motivator’ for a sports leader.

He said it’s going to be tough but it will certainly help the national athletes in the future.

“It’s not easy. But we are given this opportunity to shape the Philippine sports training center,” said Ramirez.

Take charge, be an all-Star, have a game plan with AXA WHAT does it take to be an All-Star?

You don’t have to be a basketball superstar to be one—according to one of the country’s leading insurance companies, AXA Philippines. All you have to do is #TakeCharge of your life by creating your own game plan.

AXA recently unveiled a motivational

video on what it really means to be an All-Star, featuring a set of individuals who never stop pushing the limits as they engage in basketball, dance, a triathlon, and even a corporate career.

According to AXA, “An All-Star takes charge; one that takes the bull by the horns; one that bounces back from any

—and all—challenges. They’re the ones who aren’t afraid to take the shot; ones who surpass limits no matter the distance.

An All-Star strives for greatness.”

The insurer highlights how preparation is key: All-Stars are always equipped with a game plan not just on the playing field but also in life. AXA

has always encouraged its customers to live better lives by being prepared for unforeseen setbacks.

Check out the video on AXA Philippines’ official YouTube channel www. youtube.com/user/AXAPHofficial and Facebook page www.facebook.com/AXA. Philippines.

Baguio, Bataan crowned champions of PVF-Tanduay Athletics’ spikefest

Lucio ‘Bong’ Tan Jr.

THE PVF-Tanduay Athletics Under-18 Boys and Girls Volleyball Championships proved to be another resounding success, with the University of the Cordilleras of Baguio City and Balanga Volleyball Club of Bataan emerging champions at the newly named Tanduay Athletics Volleyball Center (formerly known as Cantada Center) in Taguig City.

The Cordilleras spikers downed La Salle Antipolo to bag the girls’ division title, while Bataan stamped its class over Muntinlupa Volleyball Club in the boys’ division of the one-day tournament held as part of the grassroots’ development program of the Philippine Volleyball Federation under PVF president Edgardo ‘Tito Boy’ Cantada

and PVF chairman Mikey Arroyo. with the support of Tanduay Athletics and sportsman Lucio ‘Bong’ Tan, Jr. The more than 200 participants and officials enjoyed the first-class facilities of the Center. Some of the participants came all the way from Lucban and Infanta, Quezon; Baguio Cty; Balanga, Bataan; San Jose del Monte, Bulacan; Santa Rosa, Laguna; Dasmaiiñas, Bacoor, GMA, Cavite; Muntinlupa, Antipolo; Mandaluyong; Parañaque; and Pasig.

PVF officials came from Pangasinan, Quezon, Nueva Ecija, Bataan and Taguig.

“It certainly gives me and my family an immense

sense of fulfillment. At the end of the day, we went home very tired but yet, ready, once more, for the next one,” said Cantada.

“This is volleyball grassroots development at its very best. Sports authorities and others like DepEd continue to ignore what we do. I give balls and nets to the marginalized school children in DepEd schools and not to DepEd, which could not provide these. If the sports authorities continue to ignore us for political and other reasons, I will also ignore them and just continue the advocacy I have long started with the PVF and in my lifetime,” added Cantada.

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019

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

Catch the live broadcast from El Nido via Red Bull TV on April 13. Viewers in the Philippines may also watch the full event, along with the remaining six stops of the 2019 World Series, on FOX Sports, FOX Sports GO, FOX+ app, and online at http://www.foxsports.ph.

Bullpups shoot for 7 crown th

Cignal sweeps PLDT IMPORT Erica Wilson and local star Mylene Paat delivered the goods as Cignal swept PLDT Home Fibr, 25-22, 27-25, 25-19, to earn its first win in the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix yesterday at the FilOil Flying V Centre.

Wilson shone bright, finishing with 21 points off 15 kills, five service aces and a block for the HD Spikers, who bounced back from a sluggish start in this prestigious women’s club tournament that has ESPN5 and 5Plus as broadcast partners.

Paat, a national team mainstay, chipped in 12 spikes, five blocks and a pair of aces for 19 points while Rachel Anne Daquis and Anastasia Artemeva delivered nine and five markers, respectively.

“We adjusted Ana‘s position. At first she was hesitant, but she was very professional and did her best and followed my instructions,” said Cignal head coach Edgar Barroga, who moved his Azerbaijani guest player to the middle spot to give Paat a bigger room to operate at the opposite.

“For Erica, I don’t have any problem because she will always do what she has to for the team.”

The HD Spikers erased a 7-11 deficit in the third set as they unloaded six straight points for a 13-11 turn around before PLDT kept them within three, 22-19.

Ateneo Blue Eaglets’ twin towers Kai Sotto and Geo Chiu for a 70-58 NU win.

The 6’7” Tamayo and the 6’6” Quiambao HE Nazareth School-National made their presence felt in the final period to University Bullpups need to help lift the Bullpups, creating openings for top play a more composed game gunners Terrence Fortea and Cyril Gonzales to score in the last three minutes. in Game 2 of the 81st University On the other hand, the Blue Eaglets will Athletic Association of the make an effort to bounce back and force a Philippines junior basketball finals.

Game 3.

“You can see this at the Staying consistent, calm number of times they got Game Today (The Arena in San Juan) and composed will help the 3 p.m. NU vs Ateneo the rebound and the 50-50 Bullpups clinch their seventh balls. We played good decrown in 45 years. fense. But we were not able to close it out “Magandang experience ito (Game 1) for with our defensive rebounds,” said Ateneo the team in knowing what to do and preparing coach Regie Varilla. for the championship,” said Bullpups’ coach Meanwhile, there are six individual players Goldwin Monteverde. chosen for the Mythical Team in Season 81.

The Bullpups meet the defending champion Sotto, the season MVP, leads the cast, joined Ateneo Blue Eaglets today at 3 p.m. in Game 2 by Mark Nonoy of University of Sto. Tomas. of their best-of-three finals at the FilOil-Flying Then, there’s Ateneo cager Forthsky Padrigao V Sports Center in San Juan. and Nonoy’s teammate Bismarck Lina, together Last Monday, the two big men of the Naza- with Far Eastern University-Diliman playmaker reth School-National University Bullpups, Carl RJ Abarrientos and Adamson High-School allTamayo and Kevin Quiambao, outworked the around threat Joem Sabandal.

By Peter Atencio

T

Saso caps golf romp with a 67

Saso

YUKA Saso took the best dished out by the young, talented Thais and Sofia Chabon and proved again she’s better, keeping the Champion Philippine Ladies Amateur Open crown in runaway fashion at the Manila Golf and Country Club in Forbes Park yesterday.

Saso never let her rivals get no closer than three strokes with superb driving and near-impeccable iron shots, producing five birdies against a bogey then settling for routine pars in the last three holes to cruise to a five-shot victory over Yosita Khawnuna at six-under 207 in the 54-hole championship presented by Champion.

“There’s nothing special with my win. I just played steady and I’m happy I made it for the second straight time,” said the reigning Asian Games gold medalist, who surged ahead by three with back-to-back 70s Wednesday.

Khawnuna turned in a decent 69 but just couldn’t keep pace with the unflappable Fil-Japanese, who birdied Nos. 4 and 6 then added three more at the back against a bogey. The Thai, who tied Saso and Mafy Singson after 18 holes but fell behind by three in the second round, wound up with a 212.

Eala, Quizon named top jr athletes TWO budding protégés in the field of tennis and chess have been chosen as the MILO Junior Male and Female Athlete of the Year in the coming SMC-PSA (Philippine Sportswriters Association) Annual Awards Night at the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel.

Netter Alexandra Eala and chess player Daniel Quizon are the latest recipients of the award traditionally handed out by MILO in partnership with the country’s oldest media organization.

Eala is 13 years old and formerly from Colegio de San Agustin. She earned a full-time scholarship at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Spain, where she continues her eight-grade studies.

Highlight of her 2018 campaign came in France after winning the Les Petits As final, earning for her a wildcard in the Roland Garros Junior French Championships.

Quizon is 14 years old from Dasmarinas, Cavite. He earned an International Master title after ruling the Eastern Asian Juniors Open Championships in South Korea.

Although he finished only second to compatriot John Marvin Miciano in the Asian Youth Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Quizon made a ripple in the tournament

after he stunned top seed Tran Tuan Minh of Vietnam in the second round.

Both Eala and Quizon’s personal feats were earned through hard work and discipline and at the same time, are living proofs that great things start from small beginnings.

As MILO Junior Male and Female Athletes of the Year, both will be receiving a year’s supply of MILO products.

At the same time, PSA President’s Awardee National University Lady Bulldogs will receive the first ever ‘MILO NUTRI UP ‘Up Your Galing Recognition’ during the Feb. 26 event also presented by MILO, the Philippine Sports Commission, and Cignal TV. The unbeaten Lady Bulldogs will be cited for their excellence in displaying adult level energy to ensure claiming their fifth straight UAAP women’s basketball championship. For their own feat, the entire team will also receive a month’s supply of MILO NUTRI UP for adults.

“Para sa career at passion na kina-career, kailangan may Adult Level Energy para kayanin mo. Try MILO NUTRI UP, the MILO for adults. May adult level calcium, protein, and B-vitamins to give you Adult Level Energy to #UpYourGaling.”

PH’s El Nido hosts Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series THE biggest event of the season, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, makes its highly anticipated debut in the Philippines, kicking off its 11th season in El Nido, Palawan, on April 12 and 13.

This year, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series makes its regional debut in three brand new locations on its seven-stop global tour, namely April 13 in El Nido, Palawan, Philippines (new), May 12 in Dublin, Ireland (new), June 2 in Polignano a Mare, Italy, June 22 in São Miguel, Azores, Portugal, July 14 in Beirut, Lebanon (new), August 24 in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina and September 14 in Bilbao, Spain.

Twenty-four professional male and female cliff divers from 18 nationalities take off for the clear emerald waters of the Small and Big Lagoon in Miniloc Island, including record champions Rhiannan Iffland from Australia and Gary Hunt of Great Britain. However, each stop will feature four wildcard divers seeking to earn their way up the ranks.

The divers will soar from heights of up to 27m at speeds in excess of 86km/h with nothing else but their concentration, skill, and physical control. Divers will be scored by an international jury who will grade each dive on the following metrics-take off, position in the air and entry in the water.

Cliff Diving & Palawan’s Conservation Just a 40-minute boat ride away from El Nido, Palawan, Miniloc Island provides divers and judges alike with a magnificent backdrop to the opening contests of the World Series’ 11th season. To raise additional awareness for El Nido’s conservation efforts, the Clean Cliffs Project will run a number of educational and clean-up workshops on the island.

IN BRIEF

New law to boost telco competition

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology said Thursday it expects a more vibrant competition between telecommunication service providers with the implementation of the Mobile Number Portability Act. Under Republic Act No. 11202, consumers will be able to keep their mobile number even if they switch service providers or change their subscription to postpaid to prepaid, and vice versa –free of charge.

“We hail the passage of this gamechanging policy, which shifts the telecommunication services paradigm to be more consumer-centric,” acting DICT Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. said.

“The law will cultivate a sense of urgency for telcos to deliver only the best service since subscribers now won’t hesitate to choose what’s best for their money’s worth,” Rio said.

Aside from keeping their numbers, consumers would also not be charged any interconnection fees for domestic calls and texts. Darwin G. Amojelar

Business

PH backs Malpass as World Bank head THE Philippines supported the nomination of United States Treasury Undersecretary David Malpass as the new president of the World Bank, saying his leadership will be a good opportunity for the multilateral institution to work closely with the Asian Development Bank.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said with Malpass leading reforms at the World Bank, the close collaboration with ADB would be the best answer to respond to the global financial reform agenda in the Asia-Pacific region. This will also allow both institutions to build on each other’s strengths.

Dominguez said that the center of gravity had shifted decisively to Asia whose economies emerged as the principal engines of growth in the global economy.

He said the World Bank and ADB have a good opportunity to collaborate closely in the Asia-Pacific region given ADB’s “operational efficiencies and strong balance sheet, its in-depth knowledge and understanding of the region and the culture of its people because of its proximity, its sensitivity to the unique development needs of the region, and as a trusted brand in infrastructure finance.” Julito G. Rada

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019

B1

By Othel V. Campos

LOVE BUS. Personnel at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 give a ‘hearty’ welcome to the 5th Airbus A350-900 of Philippine Airlines after its arrival from Toulouse on Feb. 20. The once familiar kiss mark logo on the brand-new A350 Love Bus celebrates the PAL-Airbus partnership spanning 40 years. The first PAL Love Bus—an Airbus A300B4 aircraft that started flying in December 1979—was then a revolutionary wide-body jet with just two engines.

Govt set to start digging Metro subway next week

By Darwin G. Amojelar

T

HE Department of Transportation said Thursday it is set to break ground for the P355.6-billion Metro Manila Subway Project, one of the big-ticket infrastructure projects of the Duterte administration, next week.

“The Metro Manila Subway is the Philippines’ first-ever underground railway system. Before, people cast doubts and said it is all but a dream. But on Feb. 27, we will show them that this is real,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade

said.

Officials of the DOTr went to Osaka, Japan on Feb. 19 to inspect the tunnel boring machines manufactured by Hitachi Zosen in Sakai City.

The factory of Hitachi Zosen’s Sakai Works already manufactured 1,300 tunneling machines and has a track record of 130 tunnels overseas.

HZSW showed during the site inspection its Neo Rirse technology ― a no engine power and no human operation rising sea wall that automatically rises to protect any structure from incoming floodwater, which is being considered for installation at the entrances of the Metro Manila Subway stations.

A tunnel boring machine is used to excavate tunnels using a circular crosssection mechanism. It utilizes sophisticated technology that minimizes the vibration above the ground and ground subsidence or surface sinking. It is a

requisite in building subway systems.

The 6.9-meter diameter tunnel boring machine being considered for the Metro Manila Subway weighs more than 600 tons. In the process of procurement, the machine has to be assembled in Japan for a test run. Upon passing the tests, the machine has to be disassembled, shipped to the Philippines in parts, where it will be assembled again for construction use.

The Metro Manila Subway is expected to start partial operations by 2022 with three stations at North Ave., Mindanao Ave. and Tandang Sora in Quezon City.

Full operations of the Metro Manila Subway are expected by 2025.

The first phase of the project is a 25-kilometer underground railway, costing P355.6 billion with a total of 14 stations from Mindanao Ave. to Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

New SSS law to add 13 more years to fund life

By Julito G. Rada STATE-RUN pension fund Social Security System said the enactment of Republic Act No. 11199, or the Social Security Act of 2018, will add 13 more years to its fund life or until 2045.

SSS president and chief executive Emmanuel Dooc said Thursday fund life’s extension would be driven by the implementation of the contribution increase and the adjustment in minimum and maximum salary credits under the newly-signed law.

RA 11199 aims to strengthen the pension fund through the implementation of the gradual increase on monthly contributions from the current 11 percent to an addition of 1 percentage point starting in the year of implementation until it reaches 15 percent by 2025 and the gradual adjustment of the minimum and maximum monthly salary credit.

SSS said that based on an actuarial and risk management group’s study, there would be an additional P31 billion in contribution collections of the pension fund in 2019 if the 12-percent contribution rate with adjustments in the minimum and maximum MSC would be implemented.

SSS’ fund life in 2016 was 26 years or until 2042. This was reduced by 10 years when the P1,000 additional benefit for pensioners was implemented in 2017. SSS shelled out an extra P33.26 billion in 2017 for the implementation of the P1,000 additional benefit for more than 2.3 million qualified pensioners.

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

Anti-trust body increases M&A notification level

Duterte asked to sign energy efficiency law THE Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance on Thursday urged for the immediate signing into law of the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Act pending with the Office of the President.

The group said every month of delay was depriving the economy from the P37.8 trillion worth of energy savings expected until 2040.

“This means that households, small businesses, buildings, industries, public facilities and other energy end-use sectors stand to collectively save less than P37.8 trillion in avoided energy purchases between now and 2040 if the passage of the EE&C Act slips beyond this first quarter of 2019,” PE2 president Alexander Ablaza said.

The bicameral conference committee already approved the EE&C Act and is in the process of transmitting the measure for the approval of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The committee convened to reconcile the provisions of Senate Bill 1531 and House Bill 8629 and approved the EE&C Act in January. Alena Mae S. Flores

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

NEW BSP CHARTER. President Rodrigo Duterte (fourth from left) presents to Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor Maria Almasara Cyd Tuaño-Amador (fifth and sixth from left) the newly signed Republic Act No. 11211, or An Act Amending Republic Act No. 7653, also known as the ‘New Central Bank Act,’ on Feb. 20 in Malacañang Palace.

The amended BSP Charter, which the president signed into law on Feb. 14, strengthens the capability of the BSP to promote the stability of prices and the financial system as well as the efficiency of local payment systems. With them are Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles (left), Senate President Vicente Sotto III, House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Reps. Ben Evardone, Henry Ong, Estrellita Suansing, Dakila Carlo Cua and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

Holcim completes expansion project of La Union plant

By Jenniffer B. Austria CEMENT maker Holcim Philippines Inc. said it completed the expansion of its La Union facility, increasing the plant’s annual production output by 80 percent to 1.8 million tons.

HPI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it finished the installation of the new grinding equipment and storage facilities in its plant in Bacnotan, La Union two months ahead of schedule.

HPI president and chief executive John Stull said the increased capacity of the La Union plant would enable the company to better support the development of the fast-growing North Luzon market.

“This project is proof of our commitment to support our customers as construction activity picks up with the government’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ program. With our expansion and efficiency initiatives, we can better provide a reliable supply of high-quality cement to help our partners advance the region’s development,” said Stull.

Latest government data showed that two of the three regions in North Luzon outpaced the national economic growth rate in 2017, led by the Cordillera Administrative Region which topped the other 16 regions and whose construction industry surged 23.6 percent.

The La Union plant upgrade is a part

of the first phase of the cement firm’s expansion program.

The second phase involves the improvement to its Bulacan and Misamis Oriental plants amounting to $300 million to raise the company’s annual cement production capacity by 30 percent to 13 million tons by 2020.

HPI is a member of the LafargeHolcim Group, the world leader in the building materials industry which is present in 80 countries with more than 80,000 employees.

HPI reported a net income of P1.74 billion in the first three quarters of 2018, down 24.3 percent from P2.3 billion recorded a year ago because of higher production costs.

THE Philippine Competition Commission, the government’s antitrust body, increased again the threshold for compulsory notification of mergers and acquisitions from P2 billion to P2.2 billion for the size of the transaction beginning March 1.

It also raised the notification level for the size of person, or the value of assets or revenues of the ultimate parent entity of at least one of the parties, from P5 billion to P5.6 billion.

This was the second threshold adjustment since the Philippine Competition Act was passed in 2015 from a baseline threshold of P1 billion for both SoP and SoT. The latter refers to the value of assets or revenues of the acquired entity.

The SoP and SoT thresholds, when met together, are considered triggers for entities to notify the commission of their transactions.

PCC issued Memorandum Circular No. 18-001 in 2018 to establish the automatic annual adjustment of the thresholds based on the nominal gross domestic product growth of the previous year rounded up to the nearest hundred million.

Based on official estimates from the Philippine Statistics Authority, nominal GDP growth in 2018 reached 10.23 percent.

“The PCC observes that the appetite for mergers and acquisitions within a rapidly growing economy remains high. The adjustment based on nominal GDP growth ensures that the thresholds maintain their real value over time and relative to the size of the economy,” said PCC chairman Arsenio Balisacan.

“A well-designed threshold must be reflective of the country’s economic condition, such that the scope of merger control remains faithful to the intent of the law. The rationale for setting a notification threshold is to ensure that M&As that are more likely to substantially lessen competition are subject to compulsory notification and review, and to exclude those that are less likely to pose competition concerns,” he said.

Car importers report 25% drop in January sales A GROUP of car importers reported a 25-percent drop in sales in January from a year ago but expects demand to rebound in the coming months.

The Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors said members sold 6,493 vehicles in January, down from 8,696 units in the same month last year.

“Avid opened the year with 6,493 units sold. Despite the paltry performance, Avid expects the industry to pick up as it tries to invigorate the market with new and innovative products in the pipeline for 2019,” said Avid president Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, who is also the president and chief executive of Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. Avid consists of 17 leading auto companies, representing 26 global brands, including Hyundai, Ford, Chevrolet, Suzuki, Chrysler, Dodge, Subaru, Audi, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Jeep, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Faw, Lotus, Mini, Volvo, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Foton, Jaguar, Geely, Land Rover and King Long.

Two other industry groups―the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and the Truck Manufacturers Association Inc.―said earlier combined sales of their members dropped 15 percent in January to 26,888 vehicles from 31,645 units delivered in the same month in 2018.

Avid said sales of passenger cars declined 29 percent in the first month of 2019 to 2,254 units. Hyundai accounted for more than half of the total passenger car sales to lead the segment with 1,443 units sold.

Sales of light commercial vehicles fell 23 percent in January to 4,154 units from 5,407 units a year ago. With 1,749 units sold, Ford remained as the market leader in the segment.

Othel V. Campos

B2

Business

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market ends flat; Jollibee declines T HE stock market closed almost flat Thursday in mixed trading, with some investors trading cautiously ahead of the release of 2018 corporate earnings.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index slipped 7.94 points, or 0.1 percent, to 7,931.30 on a value turnover of nearly P7 billion. Gainers, however, beat losers, 106 to 90, with 56 issues unchanged.

Jollibee Foods Corp., the biggest fastfood chain, fell 1 percent to P307.20, while SM Prime Holdings Inc., the largest integrated property company, also dropped 1 percent to P38.50.

GT Capital Holdings Inc. of the Ty Group rose 1.6 percent to P1,035, while Puregold Price Club Inc. of

retail tycoon Lucio Co gained 1.5 percent to P48.70.

The rest of Asian markets mostly rose Thursday on growing optimism that China and the US will finally resolve their long-running trade war, with a report saying the two sides were working on an outline for a deal.

Equities have enjoyed a stellar start to the year on hopes for the negotiations and expectations the Federal Reserve will ease up on its pace of monetary tightening as growth at home and globally slows.

The upbeat mood across the region was enhanced Thursday as Bloomberg News said negotiators were sketching out a number of memorandums of understanding on key issues including intellectual property and technology transfer.

Without naming sources, the report said no final agreement was expected in

Washington this week but that China’s top negotiator Liu He would meet Donald Trump Friday.

After a cautious start, markets were up across Asia Thursday.

Hong Kong rose 0.3 percent but Shanghai dipped 0.3 percent after fluctuating through the day. The yuan was sitting around its strongest level against the dollar since July, with support also coming from other reports that the US is calling in China not to weaken it to offset the impact of tariffs.

Tokyo ended up 0.2 percent, while Sydney rose 0.7 percent, Wellington added 0.6 percent and Taipei 0.5 percent.

There were also gains in Mumbai, Bangkok and Jakarta, while Singapore was flat though Seoul dipped.

While there has been no concrete sign of progress, Trump has insisted the talks are going “very well” and has indicated he could push back a deadline for a deal

to be done.

However, observers warned of turmoil if expectations were not met.

“There’s a lot of optimism baked into global markets on the outcome of the negotiations and precisely zero detail on the actual result,” said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at OANDA. “A suboptimal outcome could make for a potentially ugly correction in equities and currencies in particular.”

On Wednesday, minutes from the Fed’s latest policy meeting showed its board was concerned about the global outlook and trade tensions, and said US growth would “step down” from last year’s rapid pace.

It also said it expects to continue to wind down its balance sheet of securities and other assets—which helps keep borrowing costs down—but added “it was not yet clear” what rate moves “may be appropriate later this year.”

With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 59 750 88.95 1,888,450 2.24 6,000 129 2,335,000 1.47 58,000 27 298,300 17.88 2,700 12.52 585,000 4.58 89,000 7.78 600 0.66 44,000 1.54 1,000 800 220 0.48 200,000 82.5 1,348,670 1.08 3,220,000 14 88,700 48 247,500 186.3 40 59.1 1,650 26.5 106,800 173 203,270 1,800 1,060 62 1,140 1.16 14,000

44,250 168,052,274.50 13,430 301,953,979 84,370 8,122,620 48,276 7,358,860 401,410 4,668 28,820 1,540 176,000 93,800 110,963,762.50 3,507,570 1,241,900 11,879,670 7,456 97,382 2,839,400 34,917,414 1,908,520 70,680 15,980

44,250 -62,985,307.50 -156,681,086 -775,900 14,304 -2,921,210 -16,000 24,879,160 465,910 -420,100 -1,080,830 -5,589 -30,717 1,028,125 -5,775,278 -

36 16.1 1.02 1.54 0.246 2.27 15.8 128 29.2 16.8 40 1.83 6.16 6.42 11.4 15.88 8.06 7.56 1.65 20.7 72.8 27 3.2 9.45 12.58 1.72 306.4 58.9 4.36 3.6 11.5 26.95 12.44 18.78 371 0.202 6.1 1.35 3.75 6.95 1.31 11.32 47.85 6.05 4.74 1.88 2.65 1.38 12.72 98.1 6.35 1.08 144.8 2.73 1.67 1.36

INDUSTRIAL 36.95 772,100 16.68 513,600 1.07 5,581,000 1.55 870,000 0.25 140,000 2.4 12,980,000 15.8 83,500 128 230 29.9 78,800 16.8 4,100 40 103,500 1.93 552,000 6.32 2,100 6.42 9,800 11.4 1,208,400 16.08 8,028,400 8.1 293,200 7.64 420,600 1.68 5,000 21.3 5,028,900 73 295,490 27 50,300 3.25 5,650,000 9.5 1,527,400 12.8 559,100 1.76 140,000 307.2 980,260 59.25 1,640 4.4 62,000 3.6 6,000 11.54 68,600 27 551,000 12.48 600,700 19 2,937,500 374 198,970 0.207 470,000 6.15 600 1.38 3,246,000 3.75 416,000 6.98 10,959,000 1.33 3,927,000 11.68 922,100 48 1,249,300 6.05 8,700 4.74 3,000 1.88 103,000 2.78 69,000 1.4 26,000 12.76 23,900 99 1,297,970 6.35 32,800 1.17 1,375,000 149 732,410 2.73 101,000 1.71 6,004,000 1.36 751,000

28,339,020 8,540,708 5,908,980 1,347,910 35,110 30,505,560 1,319,618 29,440 2,352,775 68,892 4,236,585 1,048,750 13,133 63,189 13,841,982 128,761,812 2,374,070 3,184,517 8,460 106,713,770 21,565,456 1,358,100 18,289,770 14,503,975 7,132,102 245,120 302,073,718 96,817.50 270,400 21,800 797,926 14,877,975 7,554,816 55,538,972 74,138,894 96,620 3,665 4,444,970 1,572,660 76,589,581 5,190,860 10,739,740 60,116,660 52,655 14,220 195,970 185,970 36,060 304,280 129,199,886.50 208,280 1,604,170 107,904,591 275,730 10,160,060 1,028,940

3,479,820 3,810,754 -66,850 -5,425,470 -674,820 -541,930 -113,340 26,030 -9,227,228 4,660,668 -863,545.00 -2,800,799 71,169,090 -654,174 1,567,360 5,646,854 1,426,680 -92,547,016 -7,104 2,972,710 1,490,092 11,073,314 42,474,116 1,648,280 51,804,700 -13,735,840 -18,150 0 -11,116,748 22,676,949 -80,920 -

0.73 64.4 14.3 0.84 6.6 23.75 1.39 1.42 950 7.88 12.78 13.86 0.244 1,035 6.13 66.95 0.62 5.47 15.6 0.57 4.84 0.042 3.04 2.83 175 984 0.8 460 285 0.26 0.335

0.68 62.6 14.08 0.8 6.59 22.8 1.36 1.4 940 7.71 12.46 13.3 0.235 1,007 6.13 65.45 0.59 5.13 15.34 0.56 4.76 0.041 2.89 2.61 173.6 967.5 0.8 460 275.4 0.25 0.31

HOLDING FIRMS 0.72 22,530,000 63 1,005,770 14.3 7,725,300 0.83 136,000 6.6 5,200 22.95 44,800 1.38 1,403,000 1.42 499,000 950 276,190 7.82 1,802,000 12.46 3,454,100 13.64 2,226,300 0.235 1,220,000 1,035 120,825 6.13 8,500 66.5 2,055,830 0.61 288,000 5.24 3,067,200 15.6 1,716,300 0.57 814,000 4.76 16,850,000 0.042 19,600,000 3 4,236,000 2.83 16,000 174.5 952,160 972 189,180 0.8 1,000 460 470 285 2,070 0.26 1,090,000 0.325 39,680,000

16,105,090 63,393,890.50 109,739,282 111,090 34,270 1,036,665 1,930,910 703,580 261,240,570 14,033,803 43,646,974 30,571,584 287,010 123,412,365 52,105 136,179,303.50 170,340 16,642,789 26,608,152 456,980 80,415,740 815,200 12,607,440 42,730 166,088,689 184,056,010 800 216,200 582,736 273,150 12,982,650

867,760.00 11,580,752.50 -26,469,156 695,060 37,939,205 2,833,130 12,224,982 541,316 40,178,895 21,455 -9,826,777 -694,716 -10,804,230 230,160 -20,484,200 -75,000 10,635,154 -56,517,755 31,304 1,669,000

12.46 0.81 10.9 1.93 0.9 44.05 2.57 4.29 6.5 0.51 0.88 0.92 0.255 0.415 10.6 22.8 0.55 0.135 1.54 1.24 5.34 0.445 2.19 0.485 2.92 23.95 2.02 3.15

11.6 0.8 10.4 1.83 0.88 43.6 2.52 4.22 6.07 0.495 0.83 0.9 0.25 0.41 10.26 22.35 0.52 0.134 1.5 1.22 5.27 0.43 2.14 0.46 2.81 23.2 2 3.15

30,520,390 782,370 99,488 231,070 817,080 752,844,960 5,879,150 3,992,980 864,890 5,326,450 168,250 39,900 603,200 53,450 33,813,146 8,816,260 265,110 48,440 12,030,390 1,422,850 69,152,886 5,597,000 3,771,270 200,600 1,132,820 40,181,235 124,680 872,550

-1,866,872 32,400 1,090 8,800 -8,153,095 -10,020 -102,960 730,861 -250,000 -92,270 -768,980 1,672,300 -1,230 13,863,098 8,680 -157,290 6,187,420 -

NAME

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ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK BRIGHT KINDLE CHINABANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK FERRONOUX HLDG FILIPINO FUND FIRST ABACUS 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 89.75 2.23 129.8 1.42 27.65 17.88 12.7 4.48 7.78 0.62 1.54 800 0.465 81.8 1.15 14 47.05 186.7 58.9 26.9 173 1,805 62 1.14

59 89.75 2.24 130.5 1.47 27.7 17.88 12.7 4.64 7.78 0.66 1.54 800 0.48 82.5 1.15 14.02 48.45 186.7 59.1 26.9 173 1,805 62 1.16

59 88.7 2.23 129 1.41 27 17.88 12.52 4.45 7.78 0.62 1.54 800 0.465 81.65 1.07 14 47 186.3 58.8 26.5 170.9 1,800 62 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 LMG CHEMICALS MABUHAY VINYL MACAY HLDG MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETROENERGY PETRON PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP RFM CORP ROXAS AND CO ROXAS HLDG SFA SEMICON SHAKEYS PIZZA SMC FOODANDBEV SPC POWER TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VICTORIAS VITARICH VULCAN INDL

36.25 16.76 1.04 1.54 0.255 2.27 15.9 128 29.2 16.82 40.95 1.85 6.16 6.5 11.56 15.88 8.06 7.62 1.74 20.9 72.9 27 3.24 9.5 12.58 1.77 310 59 4.36 3.8 11.6 27 12.72 19.06 374.4 0.204 6.1 1.36 3.78 7.12 1.31 11.32 48.2 6.05 4.74 1.9 2.75 1.38 12.76 99.45 6.35 1.13 146.5 2.73 1.69 1.36

36.95 16.76 1.08 1.57 0.255 2.41 16 128 30 16.82 40.95 1.94 6.33 6.5 11.56 16.14 8.17 7.64 1.74 21.35 73.15 27 3.28 9.52 12.86 1.77 310.6 59.25 4.4 3.8 12.14 27.05 12.74 19.24 374.4 0.207 6.15 1.38 3.79 7.12 1.33 11.8 48.25 6.06 4.74 1.92 2.78 1.4 12.76 101.9 6.35 1.22 149 2.73 1.72 1.38

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 ORION REPUBLIC GLASS SAN MIGUEL CORP SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SYNERGY GRID TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.69 63.15 14.24 0.84 6.59 23.7 1.39 1.42 944 7.72 12.7 13.7 0.237 1,020 6.13 66.7 0.62 5.13 15.34 0.56 4.8 0.042 2.94 2.67 174.5 980 0.8 460 275.4 0.25 0.32

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 MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL INFRADEV PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP

11.92 0.8 10.9 1.88 0.89 43.9 2.54 4.22 6.07 0.495 0.83 0.92 0.25 0.415 10.28 22.8 0.54 0.135 1.5 1.23 5.34 0.44 2.15 0.47 2.85 23.6 2.02 3.15

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND STARMALLS SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

38.95 1.41 6.63 0.78 7.02

38.95 1.43 6.74 0.79 7.29

38.2 1.36 6.41 0.76 6.96

38.5 1.42 6.7 0.79 7.29

7,595,600 2,278,000 417,400 308,000 35,897,400

292,387,285 3,125,140 2,736,576 238,130 258,014,549

-42,555,325 142,000 349,607 -88,547,147

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

12.88 22 1.3 0.45 0.046 15.7 2.94 12.4 0.066 84.1 6.28 7.4 2.1 15.2 900 1,899 5.71 358.6 3 2 119.5 11.1 0.135 6 3.15 15.26 3.27 0.89 19.64 0.74 4.85 2.99 2.1 2.01 17.4 3.05 9.26 11.5 5.17 131 3.09 1,096 0.95 1.43 48.2 86.25 8.5 2.25 0.75 0.445 5.6 0.71 14.22

12.88 22.4 1.3 0.45 0.048 15.7 3.02 12.6 0.068 86 6.28 7.49 2.15 15.26 900 1,899 5.74 360 3.1 2.15 120 11.1 0.135 6.05 3.23 15.26 3.34 0.92 19.8 0.74 5 3.08 2.13 2.01 17.4 3.2 9.26 11.62 5.17 133.8 3.14 1,100 0.97 1.48 49 88.4 8.97 2.25 0.75 0.455 5.6 0.72 14.8

12.66 22 1.3 0.445 0.045 15.7 2.94 12.16 0.066 83.5 6.1 7.4 2.1 14.98 900 1,871 5.71 351.8 2.97 2 118.6 10.96 0.13 5.9 3.15 15.22 3.27 0.89 19.6 0.69 4.85 2.95 2.03 2 17.4 3.03 9.25 11.24 5.05 131 3.09 1,070 0.95 1.41 47.5 86.25 8.5 2.2 0.73 0.445 5.54 0.7 14.22

SERVICES 12.7 22.2 1.3 0.445 0.047 15.7 2.96 12.6 0.068 84.3 6.25 7.49 2.15 15.2 900 1,890 5.73 360 2.99 2.13 119 10.96 0.135 5.98 3.23 15.24 3.34 0.92 19.6 0.71 5 3.05 2.08 2 17.4 3.12 9.25 11.56 5.15 133.8 3.13 1,080 0.96 1.41 48.7 87 8.93 2.23 0.74 0.445 5.57 0.72 14.32

68,900 109,400 66,000 1,250,000 48,800,000 100 270,000 6,396,400 22,670,000 85,150 557,400 3,000 7,000 146,400 20 61,780 239,400 820 3,556,000 40,000 3,988,990 200 1,890,000 1,437,200 24,000 9,500 439,000 394,000 71,900 3,165,000 20,000 399,000 55,000 65,000 100 3,513,000 27,800 24,100 309,400 970 246,000 176,520 3,710,000 52,756,000 5,988,700 1,307,530 56,900 1,958,000 3,778,000 3,770,000 16,700 488,000 3,047,700

878,710 2,421,430 85,800 556,400 2,268,200 1,570 799,410 79,157,186 1,514,680 7,219,466.50 3,439,282 22,344 14,840 2,206,772 18,000 116,747,080 1,371,813 292,400 10,725,700 84,890 475,184,854 2,206 249,170 8,612,503 75,680 144,822 1,453,010 350,690 1,413,478 2,239,990 98,300 1,211,750 114,370 130,100 1,740 11,003,640 257,203 276,078 1,580,988 128,177 767,940 191,245,035 3,551,350 76,200,890 291,295,090 113,790,941.50 499,365 4,347,880 2,807,830 1,688,950 92,809 343,960 43,903,052

-18,000 -16,432,722 3,282,733.50 46,310 1,500 22,564,390 150,000 313,090,884 -247,043 3,340 -287,672 131,470 -130,100.00 -499,620 -25,650 128,177 -87,400 -19,735,085 -311,720 -1,964,400 175,142,615 -691,147.50 148,764 1,832,920 374,790 283,800 -38,809 -1,991,740

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

0.0021 1.57 3.04 13.4 1.3 2.17 0.3 7.95 1.47 0.285 0.129 0.13 0.0092 0.0093 1.12 2.79 1.11 0.69 1 0.012 0.012 3.5 4.35 14.72 22.8 0.0083

0.0021 1.57 3.09 13.4 1.3 2.2 0.3 8.13 1.53 0.3 0.13 0.136 0.0092 0.0093 1.12 2.87 1.12 0.69 1.01 0.013 0.013 3.5 4.35 14.86 22.85 0.0083

0.002 1.52 2.97 13.1 1.3 2.17 0.3 7.9 1.47 0.275 0.129 0.13 0.0089 0.0093 1.09 2.79 1.06 0.65 1 0.012 0.012 3.5 4.21 14.5 22.6 0.0081

MINING & OIL 0.0021 101,000,000 1.52 1,256,000 2.99 23,000 13.4 800 1.3 6,000 2.19 371,000 0.3 10,000 8.13 6,700 1.5 4,813,000 0.29 5,050,000 0.13 260,000 0.136 570,000 0.0091 15,000,000 0.0093 6,000,000 1.12 173,000 2.85 6,744,000 1.09 94,000 0.68 289,000 1 63,000 0.012 39,400,000 0.013 15,600,000 3.5 6,000 4.23 732,000 14.72 461,800 22.75 875,000 0.0081 13,000,000

212,000 1,923,140 69,440 10,630 7,800 813,650 3,000 53,136 7,219,370 1,435,350 33,700 75,630 137,100 55,800 190,460 19,136,890 101,480 190,060 63,090 484,700 188,100 21,000 3,100,850 6,790,314 19,889,370 105,800

-837,650 100 -57,000 -14,000 9,275,580 -156,480 -830,648 -13,538,735 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 ALCO PREF B DD PREF FGEN PREF G GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2A PNX PREF 3A SMC FB PREF 2 SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

20 470 100 97 103 484 5.78 910 900 95 1 100 985 102 989 75.5 76.2 73.8 73 74.9 74 72.2 73

20.4 475 100 97 103 484 5.8 910 900 95 1 100 985 102 990 75.5 76.2 73.85 73 74.9 74 72.2 73

20 462.2 100 97 103 484 5.78 910 900 90 1 100 985 98.75 980 75.05 76 73.8 73 74.3 74 72.2 72.95

PREFERRED 20.1 22,600 475 9,980 100 12,000 97 60 103 970 484 10 5.8 73,400 910 1,570 900 100 90 20,000 1 19,000 100 2,000 985 30 98.75 2,030 980 5,670 75.05 20,630 76.1 60,000 73.8 8,950 73 15,100 74.5 47,500 74 500,000 72.2 2,000 72.95 529,950

453,650 4,655,796 1,200,000 5,820 99,910 4,840 425,225 1,428,700 90,000 1,804,962 19,000 200,000 29,550 201,626.50 5,588,700 1,548,715.50 4,561,650 660,610 1,102,300 3,544,520 37,000,000 144,400 38,685,152.50

285,446 14,590

LR WARRANT

1.96

1.96

1.96

WARRANTS 1.96 5,000

9,800

-

ITALPINAS XURPAS

4.89 1.53

4.9 1.58

4.76 1.47

4.9 1.48

1,882,290 73,533,080

-14,400 1,362,190

FIRST METRO ETF

118.5

118.5

117.7

1,188,608

-

USD DMPL A2

10

10.2

10

59,980

-

MS

PROPERTY 12.44 0.81 10.4 1.9 0.88 44 2.54 4.27 6.49 0.495 0.87 0.92 0.255 0.415 10.6 22.35 0.54 0.134 1.52 1.24 5.31 0.43 2.14 0.485 2.92 23.7 2.01 3.15

2,555,200 974,000 9,500 124,000 922,000 17,149,000 2,318,000 937,000 134,100 10,680,000 194,000 44,000 2,400,000 130,000 3,211,500 391,200 494,000 360,000 7,886,000 1,157,000 13,029,400 12,850,000 1,748,000 430,000 395,000 1,697,600 62,000 277,000

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

11,105,322

INDUSTRIAL

82,312,592

HOLDING FIRMS

134,645,146

PROPERTY

136,413,613

SERVICES

177,841,438

MINING & OIL

213,211,937

GRAND TOTAL

804,060,577

SME

390,000 48,125,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 117.8 10,070 10.2

DDS

5,900

VALUE 1,772.17 (down) 5.61 683,097,283.65 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,623.92 (up) 56.67 1,315,262,753.81 HOLDING FIRMS 7,972.77 (down) 26.45 1,500,349,188.87 PROPERTY 4,000.82 (down) 8.29 1,574.38 (up) 8.70 1,854,163,980.255 SERVICES MINING & OIL 8,626.12 (up) 34.13 1,507,653,588.074 PSEI 7,931.30 (down) 7.94 62,351,579.7849 All Shares Index 4,857.00 (up) 0.06 6,999,497,480.24 Gainers: 106; Losers: 90; Unchanged: 56; Total: 252

Puregold set to hike capital base to P5b

By Jenniffer B. Austria SUPERMARKET operator Puregold Price Club Inc. is increasing its authorized capital stock to P5 billion from P3 billion in preparation for possible investment opportunities in the future.

Puregold said in a disclosure to the stock exchange its board approved the proposed capital hike in a meeting held on Feb 20.

The company will submit the proposed higher capital to shareholders for their approval during the annual meeting in May. Puregold said the company was left with just around 100 million shares in the unissued portion in its capital stock after a recent top-up placement.

The increase in the authorized capital stock will prepare the company in case there is a need or opportunity to raise funds in the future.

“The company is just getting ready if there are good opportunity in the future.

We are very near our maximum already for authorized capital. So far we have no plans for equity capital raising,” said Puregold investor relations head John Hao. Puregold in January raised P4.69 billion through an overnight placement of shares. The transaction involved the sale of approximately 104 million Puregold shares at P45 apiece.

The sale share represents 3.8 percent of Puregold’s total issued and outstanding capital stock.

Puregold chairman Lucio Co, who was the sole selling shareholder, also signed a subscription agreement to purchase the same number of shares at the same price.

The company plans to use the net proceeds from the fund raising activity to fund capital expenditures related to store expansion and other general corporate purposes.

The grocery chain operator this year plans to open 25 Puregold stores and four S&R Membership warehouse outlets.

The Puregold Group had 397 stores nationwide as of end September 2018, comprising of 345 Puregold outlets, 16 S&R membership shopping warehouses and 36 S&R New York Style restaurant stores.

Puregold, one of the country’s biggest retailers, has been opening 25 Puregold stores annually and successfully put up outlets in areas outside Metro Manila.

Allianz PNB Life upbeat on 2019 growth prospects

By Julito G. Rada ALLIANZ PNB Life Insurance Inc., the partnership between global insurer Allianz and Philippine National Bank of airline and tobacco tycoon Lucio Tan, expects growth prospects to remain strong this year after posting a remarkable performance in the first three years of the business.

The two leading financial institutions signed a 15-year bancassurance partnership in 2016, which led to the establishment of Allianz PNB Life Insurance Inc. Allianz PNB Life president and chief executive Olaf Kliesow said in a speech during a private dinner celebration at the Century Park Hotel in Pasay City Wednesday evening the company’s annualized premium income for 2018 stood at a historic high.

“It has quadrupled compared to when we started in 2016,” he said, although not mentioning specific numbers.

Kliesow attributed the success to the “incomparable and uncompromising support from the LT Group... ” and the “thousands of PhilNaBankers who supported our Bancassurance goals over the years.”

“The basic assumption of our partnership has worked out well: the local reach of the bank, its strong reputation, and its wide network coupled with the global know how of Allianz on products and digital assets that was the backbone of our success,” he said.

Kliesow, who has been recently reelected president of the Philippine Life Insurance Association, lauded the company’s consistent efforts in following the plans to expand the business in the Philippines.

“I have seen many business plans and joint ventures kicking off but I have seen none that managed to stick or even exceed the plan to the extent our collaboration has managed to do,” he said.

World IN BRIEF Singapore Airlines denies snooping SINGAPORE―Singapore Airlines insisted Thursday that cameras on its planes’ entertainment systems had been disabled after an outcry online from worried passengers who spotted the tiny lenses peering at them.

Travelers took to Twitter and other social media to raise the alarm over the cameras at the bottom of seat-back screens on a number of the Singapore flag carrier’s newer aircraft.

“Just found this interesting sensor looking at me from the seat back on board of Singapore Airlines. Any expert opinion of whether is a camera?” passenger Vitaly Kamluk tweeted.

His tweet was accompanied by photos of the monitor with the embedded camera.

Another passenger urged the airline in a tweet to “notify all your passengers and get their consent, particularly EU residents, that you are doing this, why, what are you doing with the data and how long you keep it”.

The airline confirmed that some of its latest inflight entertainment systems did have fixed cameras―but assured passengers that they had been disabled. AFP

Manila

Standard FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019

B3

TODAY CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Oscars chef set for the big night LOS ANGELES―They will nibble on Oscar-shaped flatbreads topped with smoked salmon and caviar, sip French champagne and sink their teeth into tiny chocolate Oscar statuettes.

Nothing is good enough for Hollywood’s elite who will be wined and dined after the Academy Awards on Sunday by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck.

Puck has catered the extravagant post-Oscars party―the Governors Ball―for decades, preparing thousands of dishes for the 1,500 guests, including the night’s winners, who attend the bash.

“We have been doing the Oscars for 25 years, which is really amazing,” the 69-year-old chef told AFP on Thursday during a tour of his kitchen where he was prepping for the extravaganza.

“I remember the first time we did it, it was in downtown LA, at the Shrine Auditorium,” he added. “We built the kitchen in the parking lot, it was raining and windy, it was so difficult. Now we have two state-of-the art kitchens, so it makes it much easier.”

Sunday’s menu, he said, will feature some classics that are always hits with partygoers, including wood-fired crispy flatbreads—6,500 of them—with creme fraiche, smoked salmon and caviar. AFP

WINTER WONDERLAND. Afghan children walk along a street as snow falls in Kabul on February 21, 2019.

AFP

Inferno in Dhaka kills at least 70 people D HAKA―At least 70 people were killed when fire tore through crumbling apartment blocks in a historic part of Dhaka, setting off a chain of explosions and a wall of flames down nearby streets, officials said Thursday.

It started in one building where chemicals for deodorants and other household uses were illegally stored and spread at lightning speed to four nearby buildings, the fire service said.

People became trapped by the flames at a nearby bridal party and a restaurant.

TV images showed the gates to one building were chained up so residents were unable to escape.

Traffic jams in the clogged narrow streets held up the rescue operation.

Bangladesh fire chief Ali Ahmed said at least 70 people were killed but that the toll would likely rise.

“The number of bodies may increase.

The search is still going on,” he told AFP.

Doctors said at least 10 of the scores of injured were in critical condition.

Firefighters who took almost 12 hours to bring the fire under control, went through the blackened floors of the building, littered with spray cans, looking for bodies.

The fire started at about 10.40pm (1640 GMT) on Wednesday at Chawkbazar in the old Mughal part of the capital.

Ahmed said it may have been started by a gas cylinder and quickly spread through the building where chemicals were stored in rooms alongside the apartments.

Chemicals used for household prod-

ucts were also stored in the nearby buildings. They exploded as the fire spread, witnesses said.

“There was a traffic jam when the fire broke out. It spread so quickly that people could not escape,” the fire chief said.

Another fire official told reporters the blaze was under control but was not extinguished despite the efforts of more than 200 firefighters.

“It will take time. This is not like any other fire,” he said, adding that the inferno had been made more devastating by the “highly combustible” chemicals.

Fire trucks had struggled in the narrow streets to reach the scene and there was also a lack of water for the battle, officials said.

The main gate of one five storey building was chained up, trapping residents inside, according to images shown on Bangladesh television.

Members of a bridal party in a nearby community centre were also caught in the fire and many were injured. Others

were caught in small restaurants.

Dhaka deputy police commissioner Ibrahim Khan said at least two cars and 10 cycle rickshaws were burned in the fire.

“The victims included passersby, some people who were eating food at a restaurants and some members of the bridal party,” he told AFP. “I saw the charred body of a woman who was holding her daughter in her lap as their rickshaw was caught in the fire,” said one witness.

Haji Abdul Kader, whose shop was destroyed, said he only survived the blaze as as he had left to go to a pharmacy.

“When I was at the pharmacy, I heard a big bang. I turned back and saw the whole street, which was jam packed with cars and rickshaws, in flames. Flames were everywhere,” he told AFP. “I got burned and rushed to hospital,” he said.

Doctors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital said at least 55 people were

injured, including 10 in a critical condition.

Hundreds of people rushed to the hospital looking for missing relatives.

However, most of the bodies of the dead were charred beyond recognition.

Sohag Hossain, one of the injured, told the Daily Star that he and two friends were working at a plastic factory in one of the buildings at the time of the fire.

They heard an explosion and could not escape the flames.

A similar blaze in 2010 in an old Dhaka building, which was also used as a chemical warehouse, killed more than 120 people in one of the worst fire disasters in the city of 20 million people.

Dhaka authorities launched a crackdown on chemical warehouses in residential areas following the blaze, but efforts to rein in the practice have waned.

Many buildings in Bangladesh lack adequate fire safety measures and the enforcement of fire regulations in factories and apartment buildings is lax. AFP

Haiti’s tourism industry hit hard by widespread protests

CHILD PROTECTION SUMMIT. Pope Francis prays during the opening of a global child protection summit for reflections on the sex abuse crisis within the Catholic Church on February 21, 2019, at the Vatican. Francis has set aside three and a half days to convince Catholic bishops to tackle pedophilia in a bid to contain a scandal that hit an already beleaguered Church again in 2018. AFP

Ghost of North Korea propaganda still haunts NIIGATA, Japan―Harunori Kojima still remembers the hot tears of joy that warmed his face against the sleet as he watched two Soviet ships set sail in December 1959 from Japan’s Niigata port.

Destination: North Korea, which lured nearly 100,000 Koreans from Japan with fantastical propaganda promising returnees a “Paradise on Earth.”

Now 88, Kojima recalls how a brass band parped out patriotic tunes lauding then North Korean leader Kim Il Sung as some 1,000 people boarded the ships for a new life.

They were part of a grand repatriation program that continued on and off until 1984, carried out by the Red Cross Societies in Japan and North Korea and paid for by Pyongyang.

In all, 93,340 people―mainly Koreans but also Japanese spouses―enthusiastically moved to North Korea, blissfully unaware it was a land of no return.

Initially reluctant, the Japanese government also backed the scheme, with media touting it as a humanitarian campaign for Koreans struggling to build a

life in Japan.

But Kojima, who was a communist at the time and helped oversee the repatriation, now looks back on the scheme with bitterness.

“I was actively involved in the project, believing it was something positive.

But as a result, I led people into Hell,” he told AFP. During Tokyo’s 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean peninsula, millions of Koreans moved to Japan, either voluntarily or against their will.

When Japan surrendered, hundreds of thousands of ethnic Koreans remained, reluctant to return to their devastated homeland. They were stripped of their Japanese nationality and became stateless.

According to journalist and expert Yoshiaki Kikuchi, Kim’s North―economically better off than the South after the 1950-53 Korean war―wanted to use the mass repatriation to emphasize Socialism’s “superiority” over the USpuppet South.

Most Koreans in Japan hailed from

south of the 38th parallel but then South Korean President Syngman Rhee cut them adrift and former colonial ruler Japan offered no help to alleviate their poverty and discrimination.

For these reasons, many believed propaganda films portraying an idyllic life in North Korea and submitted to the agents of the General Association of Korean Residents or Chongryon―the de facto embassy of the North in Japan―as they went door-to-door.

But the reality in “Paradise” was a far cry from the propaganda.

Eiko Kawasaki, now 76, was shocked to see the locals gathered to welcome them in the northeastern port of Chongjin.

“The way the local people looked was heartbreaking. Both the men and the women had lifeless faces with darkened, dry skin. All wearing the same humble working clothes,” Kawasaki recalled.

She was 17 and had traveled alone, with her family set to follow, convinced

by Chongryon propaganda. AFP

PORT-AU-PRINCE―With flaming Tourism Association.

“This is going to affect everyday peobarricades and widespread looting, 10 days of street violence in Haiti have all ple because these are direct jobs that are but buried a tourism industry that man- going to be lost and supply chains will aged to resurrect itself after a devastat- be threatened: farming, fishing, crafts, transport,” Nadal-Mevs said. ing earthquake in 2010.

With the opposition planning more Ugly, violent footage beamed around the world has again sent the message demonstrations to seek the resignation that this impoverished Caribbean coun- of President Jovenel Moise, the sectry is politically unstable and no place tor got yet more bad news with word that Carnival celebrations have been to go on vacation.

The final straw was the helicopter called off in the evacuation last week of 100-odd Cana- Haitian capital, Notice of Dissolution dian tourists trapped as angry protesters Port-au-Prince.

City Hall said it Notice is hereby given demanded the resignation of the presithat the Amended dent, whom they accuse of corruption. could not guaran- Articles of Incorporation of CLIPSAL “We have been through 12 days of tee revelers’ safety.

PHILIPPINES, INC. The festivities, (the hell. We managed the crisis but today “Corporation”) we are suffering from the aftershocks,” which this year shortening the corporate term of its existence said Tourism Minister Marie-Christine were planned for and thereby dissolving March 3-5, usu- the Corporation as Stephenson. of 2 November 2019 Beside the direct effects of the dem- ally draw many was approved by the onstrations, the United States delivered Haitians living Board of Directors and stockholders of another crushing blow on February 14 abroad and flee- the Corporation on 13 when it urged its citizens not to travel ing the winter December 2018. All parties having claims to Haiti, which thus joined a no-go list cold in Canada against the Corporation with war-torn countries like Syria, Ye- and the eastern are requested to present the same at its office US. men and Afghanistan. at 24F Fort Legend 3, 3rd Another major Tower, Block 7 Lot The minister said the US travel alert Avenue, cor. 31st Street, for Haiti was too harsh, calling the riots Carnival celebra- Fort Bonifacio, Taguig something that flared up unexpectedly tion is scheduled City. to take place in This and are now over. announcement as notice to all “OK, they lasted 12 days but I am the city of Gona- serves parties concerned with not sure that other Caribbean countries, ives, but the gov- the legal dissolution of which have had riots of their own, have ernment has not the Corporation. been punished as severely and quickly said if it will go Ferdinand M. Hidalgo Corporate Secretary ahead. AFP as we have,” said Stephenson.

Overnight, the decision by the US State Department hit the tourRepublic of the Philippines ism industry hard. Travel web sites REGIONAL TRIAL COURT National Capital Judicial Region simply stopped offering flights to Office of the Clerk of Court & Ex-Officio Sheriff Haiti’s two international airports.

Mandaluyong City Hotels are reporting cancellation NOTICE OF HEARING of reservations and many empty Notice is hereby given that a summary hearing rooms. on the petition for Notarial Commission of ATTY. Officials in the industry have yet JESSEHAN P. PIA-PERILLO will be held on February to tally up the damage but say that 26, 2019, at 1:00 o’clock in the afternoon at the Executive Judge, Session for the second time in less than a office of the Honorable Hall of Branch 208, 2nd Floor, New Hall of Justice year, they will have to lay off Building. workers.

Any person who has any valid reason or cause to In July of last year, three days of object to the grant of the petition may file with the riots over a government attempt to undersigned before the date of the summary hearing a raise fuel prices ruined the summer verified written opposition thereto.

Witness the Hon. Esteban A. Tacla, Jr., Executive vacation season for Haiti’s tourism Judge, this 18th day of February 2019 at Mandaluyong industry.

City.

(Sgd.) ATTY. ERWIN N. BARATA It is not just hotels that will sufClerk of Court VI fer again, said Beatrice NadalMevs, president of the Haitian (MStandard-Feb. 22, 2019) (MS-FEB. 8,15 & 22, 2019)

LGUs

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

B4

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019

Sulong Dignidad bats for informal settlers’ housing SULONG Dignidad Party-list welcomes the creation of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and called on the government to urgently implement a comprehensive shelter plan for all informal settler families and improve access to housing finance, especially for low to middle-income families.

“Sulong Dignidad believes having access to affordable and decent housing is a right,” said group president Atty. Rico Paolo Quicho.

“With the creation of the new housing department, we are confident that the housing department can now implement innovative programs and relocate Informal Settler Families living in danger zones.”

Quicho said one of the main provisions of the creation of DHSUD is the identification of idle government lands that can be used as in-city housing sites.

“We need to maximize use of government lands so we can provide Filipino families with housing that are close to their sources of livelihood,” Quicho said.

Sulong Dignidad is optimistic that the creation of a housing department will lead to streamlining of government functions and help address the country’s housing gap.

“Our housing sector is saddled with a huge backlog, estimated somewhere between 168,000 and 190,000 units a year. By 2021, housing need is projected to reach around 6.7 million,” he said.

“Sulong Dignidad hopes the new department “will help us address the housing need more efficiently and effectively by merging the functions of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council ( HUDCC) and Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB),” Quicho added.

Republic Act No. 11201 was signed

by President Rodrigo Duterte on Feb. 14, creating the DHSUD. According to the law, the new department will act as the primary national government entity responsible for the management of housing, human settlement and urban development.

MODEL COP. Police Officer 1 William Cristobal, who stood out recently for having ‘taho’ or soy pudding poured on him by an irate Chinese woman at an LRT station in Manila, received a plaque of appreciation from the Manila Police District for his model behavior at the MPD’s 2019 Recognition Night on Wednesday. Looking on are National Capital Region police chief Guillermo Eleazar (second from right) and other MPD officials. Lino Santos

SBMA, Gordon push for freeport expansion S

By Butch Gunio

UBIC BAY FREEPORT—The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority is pressing for the expansion of Subic Bay Freeport boundaries with vigorous legislative help from its first chief executive, Senator Richard Gordon.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said that Gordon, who was SBMA chairman from 1992 to 1998, had filed Senate Bill 2207 to expand the area of the Subic Bay Freeport, as well as that of the neighboring Clark Freeport.

Under the proposed measure, some parts of Zambales and Bataan provinces, along with areas in Olongapo City, will be made an adjunct of the Subic Bay Freeport under a phased expansion program.

Eisma said that in consultation with

neighboring local government units last year, the SBMA has received pledges of about 21,000 hectares of expansion areas for future investment projects.

These included 9,000 hectares in San Antonio; 10,000 hectares in San Marcelino; 600 hectares in Subic; 500 hectares in Castillejos; and 900 hectares in Olongapo City, all in Zambales; as well as 505 hectares in Hermosa, Bataan.

“We want these areas to be utilized as economic zones because we’re already running out of space in the Subic Bay

QC to install solar LED lights for street lamp posts TO MAKE streets and communities safer, the Quezon City Council has passed a resolution urging Mayor Herbert Bautista to include in the priority projects the installation of solar LED lights in street lamp posts.

City Resolution 7667-2018, introduced

by Councilors Hero Clarence M. Bautista and Allan Butch Francisco, emphasized the savings from using LED lights will benefit other programs and services of

the city government.

“The move to adopt an integrated solar LED light is more advantageous to private consumers and to the government in terms of costs and savings,” the resolution reads.

The integrated solar lights have a charging time of six hours with eight hours of full power and 40 hours of power saving mode. They can last up 20 years with a lifetime of 50,000 hours.

Meanwhile, to promote local land

ownership, the Quezon City government through the City Council approved two subdivision plans in Barangay Bagong Silangan and Barangay Payatas.

City Ordinance 2732-2018, introduced

by Councilors Precious Hipolito-Castelo and Franz Pumaren, authorizes the subdivision plan of Meadow Heights Residences for 90 saleable lots located along J. P. Rizal Street in Barangay Bagong Silangan. Rio N. Araja

TREES FOR TROOPS. Isa Cojuangco Suntay (left), Tarlac Heritage Foundation co-Founder, and Social Welfare Secretary Rolando

Freeport,” Eisma said.

The proposed expansion, she added, “will sustain the growth of the Subic Freeport, attract more investments, and generate jobs for residents from nearby communities and other areas.”

In filing the bill, Gordon said that there was a need to update Republic Act 7227 or the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992, to further strengthen the free ports.

He said that once enacted, the proposed measure will also give the expanded territories the same tax incentives as those in Subic Freeport and Clark Freeport so that they can attract investments projects.

Senate Bill 2207 also seeks to increase the area of the Clark Special Economic Zone from the current 4,400 hectares to 35,400 hectares, and mandates Subic and Clark authorities to frame a master plan for the phased expansion.

Navotas boosts PWD services via rehab center

By Jun David TO STRENGTHEN its rehabilitation services for persons with disability, Navotas City entered into a partnership agreement to establish the San Lorenzo Ruiz Community-Based Rehabilitation Center at Barangay North Bay Boulevard South-Kaunlaran.

Mayor John Rey Tiangco on Tuesday signed the agreement with Rev. Fr. Franklin F. Beltran, OP, parish priest of San Lorenzo Ruiz and Companion Martyrs Parish, and Dr. Isaias P. Alipio Jr., president of Philippine Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine-Rehabilitation Advocacy Research and Education Foundation, Inc. (PARM-RARE).

Vice Mayor Clint Geronimo, Councilor Ethel Joy Arriola, and City Health Officer Dr. Christia S. Padolina, FPOGS also bore witness to the event.

Under the agreement, San Lorenzo Parish committed a portion of the church compound as temporary location for the community-based rehabilitation and physical therapy clinic for three years. The usufruct can be extended for another three years upon agreement of the parties involved.

Tingog praises Universal Health Care law signing TINGOG Party-list has lauded President Rodrigo Duterte for signing into law the Universal Health Care Act, saying that this is concrete proof of his malasakit (compassion) for ordinary Filipinos as well as his pro-people development agenda.

“Thanks to this new law, millions of Filipinos will now have access to quality and affordable health care services especially in rural communities,” said Tiingog party-list second nominee Philip Jude Acidre.

“The Universal Health Care Act is clearly a giant step in ensuring quality health care services for the Filipino people. But so much more has yet to be done. We must ensure that affordable healthcare facilities are available, and that preventive and primary health care interventions are given the attention and resources that they need,” Acidre added.

As part of its legislative agenda, the Tingog nominee reiterated that they will move for a “wider health care services through the institutionalization of private-public partnerships in the health care sector and the closer integration of both government and private healthcare institutions into a single healthcare delivery system.”

Acidre said they will push for this plan once they will secure seats in Congress.

“We will also champion the establishment of more government hospitals including the Samar Island Medical Center, a proposed government tertiary hospital that will cater to patients in the Samar provinces,” he added.

Joselito D. Bautista (right) flank a sapling as they lead the ceremonial planting during the launching of ‘Hardin ng Lunas: Food, Wood, and rd Income Project’ at the rolling hills of the 3 Mechanized (Makatarungan) Infantry Battalion area in San Jose, Tarlac on Tuesday. Joining them nd (from left) are Brig. Gen. Henry Robinson, commander of the 702 BDE in Manaoag; Tony Cortes of Corvill Agricom; Belinda Robinson; Lt. Col. Ramon Antonio Bello, commander of the 3Mech Bn; Mrs. Faith Bello; and Brig. Gen. Bismarck D. Soliva, Acting Commander, Mech Division of the Philippine Army.

NV to create eco-park from scouting site

By Ben Moses Ebreo BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—The scouting site in Barangay Masoc here is being considered for the development of another eco-tourism park by the provincial government.

Engineer Jerry Tan, chief of the Provincial Engineering Office’s construction

division, said the proposed 20-hectare ecotourism park plan will be built and funded by the provincial government.

He made the presentation during the recent Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of the Philippines’ Local Council Executive Board (LCEB).

“Planned initial structures will be a large swimming pool and Tagaytay-inspired

huts, view decks, a tree-hopping line, a zipline, and para-gliding facilities,” he said.

LCEB officials also proposed setting up a larger stage for the scouting site.

The stage and the full enhancement of the scouting site will accommodate scouting jamborees, shows and concerts for regional, provincial and municipal scouting chapters.

OFW REPORT. Levinson Alcantara, director II, Marketing Branch of the Philippine

Overseas Employment Administration, helps explain the 2018 Overseas Jobs and Salary r eport of WorkAbroad.Ph, the nation’s leading jobs board that offers overseas employment opportunities to Filipinos. Joining him was Paola Savillo, WorkAbroad.Ph Marketing Lead (above), in the event Tuesday in Makati City. Diana Noche

Life

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

CULTURE AND MEDIA

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019

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Ballet Manila ends Tour De Force

with ‘Deux’

By Paola Navarette

A

TWO FOR THE ROAD. Ballet

FTER opening its 23rd season last year with with a one-night-only gala featuring fastrising stars of Asian and American dance theater, Ballet Manila this time is set to close its curtains with Deux, a double header that elegantly fuses classical and contemporary ballet.

Manila ends its 23rd season, Tour de Force, with 'Deux,' a double header featuring classical and contemporary ballet.

The closing show, which is also the company’s post-Valentine presentation, will premiere on March 2 at 6:00 p.m. at the Aliw Theater, CCP Complex in Pasay City. Other performances are set on March 3, 9, and 10.

Deux will feature romantic dreamy ballet “Les Sylphides”—also known as “Chopiniana” in Russia—and Martine Lawrance’s “The Winding Road.”

Featuring the music of Polish composer Frederic Chopin and the lyrical choreography of Russian choreographer Michael Fokine, “Les Sylphides” is a dreamy romantic ballet that depicts a tale between a wood nymph and a young poet.

The title role will be played by Ballet Manila’s principal ballerina Joan Emery Sia, partnered by Elpidio Magat as the poet.

“Winding Road” will feature ballet dances choreographed by Lawrance to the tune of some of the popular tracks of The Beatles namely “She’s Leaving Home” and “Girl.” It aims to combine fast movements and defined showmanship to articulate the powerful image of the iconic rock band.

“She’s Leaving Home” will be headlined by ballerinas Nanami Hasegawa, Pearl Dames, Joan Sia, Shaira Comeros, and ballerino Rudy de Dios.

Meanwhile, an equally stellar lineup awaits “Girl” audiences, led by Hasegawa and Rissa Camaclang; together with ballerinos De Dios, Romeo Peralta, Jamil Montilbon, Sean Pelegrine, Gerardo Francisco, and Mark Sumaylo.

“It has been a very exciting and rewarding 23rd season for Ballet Manila. It kicked off with electrifying productions that formed part of our “Tour de Force” and now we’re poised to close it with Deux,” says Ballet Manila chief executive officer and artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde.

She added, “We thank our audiences for their continued patronage and support and we hope to see you all again when the curtains rise for our 24th season.”

Deux is presented by Ballet Manila and Aliw Theater, with the support of Ticketworld.

For tickets to the March 3 and March 9 shows, call Ticketworld at (02) 891-9999 or visit ticketworld.com. ph. Call Ballet Manila at (02) 525-5967 or 400-0292; or 'The Winding Road' features ballet dances to the tune of songs by visit www.balletmanila for inquiries and more details. iconic rock band The Beatles.

Ballet Manila's principal ballerina Joan Emery Sia and Elpidio Magat play the title roles in 'Les Sylphides.'

EXHIBIT ANNOUNCEMENT

44th Int’l Bamboo Organ Festival presents Bach’s ‘Magnificat’ THIS year’s staging of the annual International Bamboo Organ Festival premiered on Feb. 21 with a gala concert for the sustaining member of the Bamboo Organ Foundation and major sponsors of the festival.

'Magnificat' is happening at the 200-year-old St. Joseph Parish Church in Las Piñas.

The Las Piñas Bamboo Organ was declared National Cultural Treasure of the Philippines in 2003.

Organizers busy preparing for this year's International Bamboo Organ Festival.

A repeat show is happening tonight at the 200-year-old St. Joseph Parish Church in Las Piñas City.

On the program in tonight’s show is “Magnificat” by Johann Sebastian Bach and other works of the baroque period (Georg Philipp Telemann, Marc-

Antoine Charpentier, Dieterich Buxtehude) performed by Johann Trummer (organ, Austria), Manu Mellaerts (trumpet, Belgium), soloists Stefanie Quintin, Sherla Najera, Michelle Mariposa, James Conde, Ervin Lumauag, Christopher Arceo, Mark Abesia, the Villancico Vocal Ensemble, and the Manila Baroque Ensemble. It is conducted by Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng.

Other events during the week-long festival are the open air concert with organist Mauro Goia (Italy) together with trumpeter Manu Mellaerts on Feb. 23 with OPM artists Klarisse de Guzman and Nyoy Volante; the organ recital by Viviane Loriaut (France) on Feb. 25; the Philippine-Korean Friendship Night with organists Dong-ill Shin and Yanghee Yun, Hyo-young Kim (saenghwang), and Rachel Gerodias-Park (soprano) on Feb. 26; and the closing concert on Feb. 27 with the Las Piñas Boys Choir celebrating its 50th anniversary, to be held at the San Ezekiel Moreno Oratory (Villar Sipag Compound along C-5 Extension).

Tickets are priced at P600, P400, and P200 for Feb. 22, 24, 25, and 26. Tickets for Feb. 23 are at P600 and P400, and for Feb. 27 tickets are at P200. Tickets are available at SM Tickets and TicketNet Online. Call the office of the Bamboo Organ Foundation at (02) 825-7190 or 820-0795 for inquiries and reservations.

'Anagama,' fired stoneware vessels by Jon Pettyjohn

Ceramic show features local and foreign artists THE University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts stages a fundraising exhibition featuring the ceramic works of local and international master potters and emerging artists. The show runs until Feb. 28 at Gallery 2, Arts and Design West Building, UPCFA. Dubbed SANBUKLURAN, it recreates the Filipino practice of coming

together as one community. It is an amalgamation of two Filipino terms which refers to “isa” as one, and “buklod” as bonded together.

The exhibition presents the outputs of artists who came together to enrich their common language in clay. The works on display were donated in support of the programs of the UPCFA Ceramic Studio.

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Entertainment

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019

nickie.standard@gmail.com

COCO’S Ang Probinsyano defeats Kara Mia’s premiere telecast THE action-packed scenes of FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano continued to grip more Filipinos nationwide as the show scored a double-digit lead against its new rival show last Monday (Feb. 19).

The Kapamilya series registered a national TV rating of 41 percent, or 23.1 points higher compared to Kara Mia that only got 17.9 percent, according to data from Kantar Media.

The Coco Martin starrer was also a hit online as its official hashtag #FPJAP3Pasakit joined the list of trending topics online.

Viewers were kept on the edge of their seats as Alakdan (Jhong Hilario) and General Hipolito (John Arcilla) busted Diana (Angel Aquino) and Bubbles’ (Bianca Manalo) attempt to escape from being held captive, putting their lives in great danger. Meanwhile, after the tragic death of Romulo (Lito Lapid), Cardo and the rest of Vendetta found refuge in a family living in the mountains, which will be their temporary hideout as they plan for their troupe’s attack to take down their enemies.

But Don Emilio will not let Cardo and Vendetta win in their battle as he plots to take down the vigilante group.

Will Cardo successfully beat their enemies and save their remaining allies?

For three years, viewers have welcomed Cardo into their homes as the wellloved character delivered action-packed battles and memorable lessons. Since it started airing, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano has remained the most-watched program in the country.

Don’t miss the action and lessons in FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, weeknights on ABSCBN and ABSCBN HD (SkyCable ch 167).

CATRIONA

is home

Catriona Gray’s grand homecoming parade happened yesterday at the Manila-Pasay area. Another one will take place tomorrow, Feb. 23, at the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City.

Sonny Espiritu

By Eton Concepcion

T

HE euphoria over Catriona Gray’s crowning as Miss Universe 2018 heats up once again as the “most beautiful woman in the universe’ returns to Manila for her postponed traditional grand homecoming.

All roads lead to Gray’s itinerary that includes the much anticipated motorcade and ticker-tape parades and thanksgiving event, among others.

Coming from snowy New York where she recently graced the New York Fashion Week event, Gray sneaked into the country without fanfare accompanied by the staff of the Miss Universe Organization.

She waved to the people who saw her at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport upon arrival at around 9 in the evening.

Gray’s homecoming festivities kicks off today via a victory parade following her one-on-one interview with major television networks and press conference at the Novotel Function Room yesterday.

Gray’s grand homecoming motorcade/parade happened yesterday with its starting point at parking grounds in Pasay City at 2:00 p.m. and ended on Ayala Avenue, Makati at 6:00 p.m.. A second parade will take the reigning Miss Universe around the Araneta Center in Cubao from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. tomorrow, Feb. 23. On Feb. 24, Gray will grace the Pasasalamat (thanksgiving) event to be held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum at 7:00 p.m..

The rest of her schedules include a courtesy call to high government officials. On Day 8 of itenerary, Gray will have a whole day charity affair with Smile Train, then she will visit a charity organization in Quezon City. Gray will also meet with the Tondo Youth of Young Focus organization and also the LoveYourself.PH, Incorporated in Mandaluyong City. Gray will come to these organizations to be accompanied

by Bb. Pilipinas chairperson Stella Marquez-Araneta.

The National Capital Region (NCRPO), Eastern Police District (EPD), Southern Police District (SPD), Quezon City Police District (QCPD) and the Manila Police District (MPD) have provided detailed security plan for Gray’s activities from Feb. 20 to 28.

Fly high with ‘How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’ IMAX at SM Cinema takes moviegoers to greater heights as it brings the immersive movie experience to the audience to witness the epic conclusion of one of the most beloved animated franchises, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.

Now the new chief of Berk, Hiccup has created a safe haven for humans and dragons alike. Meanwhile, his adorable dragon, Toothless, discovers that he is not the only one of his kind left in the world when he meets a lady Night Fury, and both are quickly enchanted with each other. But all this is put to a stop when an infamous dragon hunter threatens to destroy their home. Now Hiccup and Toothless must go on a journey to find the Hidden World in order to save their tribe and everything they treasure.

Produced by Dreamworks Animation and directed by Dean DeBlois, the film features the voices of Jay Baruchel as Hiccup, America Ferrera as Astrid, F.

Murray Abraham as Grimmel, Cate Blanchett as Valka, and Gerard Butler as Stoick the Vast.

The adventure of Hiccup and Toothless becomes even bigger and better in SM Cinema’s IMAX theatres as How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is digitally remastered for The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. With topnotch equipment and highquality audio visuals, movie goers can feel like they are part of the dragon riding and fighting scenes.

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World premiered in IMAX theatres, Director’s Club and SM Cinema branches nationwide on Feb. 20. Book your tickets through the website, www. smcinema.com or download the SM Cinema mobile app. You may also follow /SMCinema on Facebook and @ SM_Cinema on Instagram for updates.

The third and final film in Dreamworks’ ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ series, ‘The Hidden World,’ opened Feb. 20 nationwide.

Are you ready for the Tamiya Asia Challenge?

CREATE and be ready to have fun, as Leg 5 of the Tamiya Asia Challenge Contest kicks off at the Glorietta 2 Activity Center in Makat City on Feb. 23 to 24.

Ferdie Kahn, organizer for the Tamiya Asia Challenge 2019 and The Brickyard owner, said that Leg 6 of the challenge will take place in the same venue on March 16 to 17.

Then the semifinalists of all Legs (there are six Legs) will move on to compete in the Asia Challenge on June 20 to 23, he said.

“Just bring yourself, your creation and be ready to have fun. We follow the international rules for the races and it is in our Facebook page @brickyardlhc and in our website (lilshobbycenter.com.ph.). Be ready to be amazed and to experience a race and a race track like no other,” added Kahn.

The Tamiya event is an opportunity to showcase the Philippines once again because our country manufactures these plastic model kits, radio controlled cars, and other related products.

“As for the event, we want this to be the best Tamiya Asia Challenge event ever. We hope our local racers will do very well and we hope they get good support. The Philippines has not hosted this large event before and hosting it will introduce this wonderful and wholesome hobby to more people,” he said.

Founded by Yoshio Tamiya in Japan in 1946, Tamiya products continue to be a favorite among hobbyists, not only in the Philippines but around the world.

Tamiya fans in the Philippines have also converged at the Brickyard located on the 3rd floor of Glorietta 2. The venue, which opened in June 2018, serves as the venue for Tamiya fans where they can meet and have fun with Mini4WD, Model Kit and Remote Control.

Kahn said, “Mini 4WD is a very social activity and that is the primary reason we decided to setup this

destination, The Brickyard.

We are all social beings, we like to spend time doing stuff that we like. Introduce a venue and a platform for people with similar interests and you create a social exchange that is addicting.”

Asked about the longevity of Tamiya products among fans, he said: “I think the experience of creating something that you can call your own, something unique, and something that is essentially a reflection of yourself, is just so powerful and it is the essence of the hobby and experiencing it with others; that I think explains the longevity of Tamiya.”

Kahn revealed plans for the company to expand in other parts of the country and introduce more products.

“We really want to continue to branch out and take it to every corner of the country. We want to get our friends outside of Metro Manila to experience this phenomenon. Tamiya will continue to introduce new products and we expect improvements with new technology. We also want to continue providing enthusiasts with this platform and hopefully,

we can expand to other areas. Of course, more races! How about, Philippine Mini 4WD Open?

That sounds like it will be a huge event!” he said.

Despite the presence of mobile games, Tamiya products are still selling, he added.

“Tamiya provides something different. Its tactile, its experiential, it never virtual. There is always a need or a desire to experience something that is physical. This activity provides you with hours of fun and challenges. And there is always some new challenge and obstacle to climb. Most importantly, it is a family experience as this hobby really know no boundaries and is enjoyed by everyone in the family.” Kahn said. *** 44th International Bamboo Organ Festival The 44th International Bamboo Organ Festival opened yesterday with a concert for the sustaining members of the Bamboo Organ Foundation and major sponsors of the Festival. The public can enjoy the same today and on Sunday (Feb. 24).

The concert will be at the 200-year-old parish church of St. Joseph in Las Piñas that was

constructed by Fr. Diego Cera and completed in 1819. The church has been restored and renovated between 1972 and 1974 by National Artist Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa, and is one of his earliest projects making use of native Filipino material.

To be performed are Magnificat by J.S. Bach and other works of the baroque period (Telemann, Charpentier, and Buxtehude), performed by Johann Trummer (organ, Austria), Manu Mellaerts (trumpet, Belgium), soloists Stefanie Quintin, Sherla Najera, Michelle Mariposa, James Conde, Ervin Lumauag, Christopher Arceo, Mark Abesia, the Villancico Vocal Ensemble, and the Manila Baroque Ensemble, conducted by Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng.

Other events in the program include the open air concert with organist Mauro Goia (Italy) together with trumpeter Manu Mellaerts (Belgium) on Saturday (Feb. 23) with OPM artists Klarisse de Guzman and Nyoy Volante; the organ recital by Viviane Loriaut (France) on Monday (Feb. 25), the Philippine-Korean Friendship Night with organists Dong-ill Shin and Yang-hee Yun, Hyo-young Kim (saenghwang), and Rachel Gerodias-Park (soprano) on Tuesday (Feb.26), and the closing concert on Feb. 27 with the Las Piñas Boys Choir celebrating its 50th anniversary, to be held at the San Ezekiel Moreno Oratory (Villar Sipag Compound along C-5 Extension).

Tickets are at P600, P400, and P200 for Feb. 22, 24, 25, and 26. Tickets for Febr. 23 are at P600 and P400, and for Feb. 27 tickets are at P200 available at SM Tickets and TicketNet Online. You can also call the office of the Bamboo Organ Foundation *** Visit www.isah.red for more stories. Follow me on Facebook (@isahvr), Twitter (@isahvred) and Instagram (@isahvred). ΙR

Motoring

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019

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GOODYEAR CENTENNIAL

Iconic tire brand marks a legacy of innovation G OODYEAR Philippines is celebrating its centenary in the country this year.

With the theme of “100 Years of Driving Filipino Innovation Forward,” Goodyear Philippines will be mounting exciting year-long activities for Filipino drivers and families to commemorate this milestone occasion, continuing to deliver its promise of providing high-quality tires for a safer driving experience for everyone.

100 Years of Safety Innovation Established in 1919, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio started the operations in the country that later innovated the motoring landscape by providing superior quality tires in the market. As the company grew to become a leading tire manufacturing company worldwide, the company expanded to the Philippines, which served as the central warehouse facility for China, Japan, Indonesia, and other Eastern territories.

In 1956, another milestone was achieved when Goodyear Philippines invested in building a $12-million plant in Las Piñas. The same year also marks the first tire produced in the country, the 6.0016 6PR that was developed for the iconic

Philippine jeepneys – a product that was proudly presented to the former President Ramon Magsaysay.

After 30 years, Goodyear Philippines celebrated a manufacturing breakthrough together with the launch of Wide Grip 65, a highly acclaimed passenger tire, the first and only 65 aspect ratio tire in the country. Goodyear Philippines continued to launch numerous product innovations that would help revolutionize the tire industry. During these years, the Goodyear brand continued to dominate the tire industry with its best-in-class tire patterns and sizes suitable for the local needs of the market.

In order to complement its innovative products, Goodyear decided to rebrand and relaunch a modern retail format for its service centers. In 2016, the Goodyear Autocare service center was introduced to the public and to date, serves as the after-warranty, quick-service center for discerning customers who value quality tires and quality service.

During the same year, the Wrangler TripleMax was released and impressed

mid-sized SUV enthusiasts with its superior wet braking performance offering peace of mind and safer driving experience for all weather conditions, including wet roads.

2017 was an eventful year for Goodyear Philippines as it released the EfficientGrip Performance SUV, which was dubbed as the quietest SUV tire. With its QuietTred Technology, road noise and vibrations are minimized, giving the driver superior comfort and grip experience. Additionally, it also introduced to the market the Wrangler All-terrain range imported from North America. The Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar, Wrangler Duratrac and Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure which boast of off-road and onroad capabilities that’s best suitable to the adventurous off-roader.

One of the highlights of 2017 was the launch of the first and most comprehensive warranty coverage of Goodyear Philippines, the Worry-Free Assurance program. It features free 24/7 emergency roadside assistance service for any vehicular inconvenience, personal accident insurance and road hazard warranty.

And last year, Goodyear Philippines launched Assurance TripleMax 2, Goodyear’s latest product innovation. It is equipped with the new HydroTred Technology, which is optimized for excellent

Eco-Marathon Asia returns to Malaysia MALAYSIA will host Shell Eco-marathon Asia in 2019 as part of its global Make the Future Live programme. Held at Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur, the Asia competition comes back to where it was first held in 2010, and celebrates its 10th year of challenging bright young student minds to design and

build ultra-energy-efficient cars, and then take them out on the track in competition.

From April 29 to May 2 over 100 teams from all over Asia and the Middle East will test their self-built energy-efficient cars in the Shell Eco-marathon Mileage Challenge, to see who can go the farthest using the least amount of energy. In

2018 Singapore hosted the event, where the winning team was efficient enough to travel 2,341 kilometres—about the distance from Malaysia to Yangon, Myanmar—on just one litre of fuel!

“Shell Malaysia is proud to host the 10th Shell Eco-marathon Asia at our home ground. It is an inspiring event that

Philippine delegates pose with their futuristic cars as Pilipinas Shell sends them off to the Shell Eco-Marathon 2018.

FASTLANE FOR 20 years, the Shell Captain Albert Aguilar branch has been the go-to gasoline station in the South of Metro Manila.

Its service has been fast and impeccable, and its workers are hard-working and reliable.

The success of the CAA branch may be attributed largely to the man who has been tasked to oversee its operations—someone fondly referred to by the station’s customers simply as “Kuya Benny,” their very own Fix-it Felix in the flesh.

Kuya Benny, whose real name is Benigno Cruz, is the head mechanic for Shell Helix Oil Change Plus (SHOC+) center in the CAA branch. At 60, he is still spearheading the service center, wherein he was also entrusted to train their new employees.

“This industry will let you meet a lot of people, of different personalities, and that’s what I want to instill in our new generation of mechanics and employees—that they should know how to handle picky, prudish customers,” Kuya Benny said.

For his customers, Kuya Benny is someone trust-worthy and reliable.

Whenever there’s an emergency with their cars, he is always just a phone call away—anytime, anywhere.

“Every time I have a problem with my car or during an emergency, even if he is not available he would still make an effort to extend a helping hand and assist me over the phone,” Francisco ‘Koko’ Santiago, Air Asia Airline pilot, and a loyal customer of Shell CAA SHOC+ said. “What I like most about his attitude is that he will always give you options, depending on your budget,” Santiago added.

SHOC+ Don Bosco Training It wasn’t Kuya Benny’s first choice

Goodyear promises to usher in a new benchmark in tire safety and innovation.

grip performance with short braking distance under wet road conditions. This allows drivers to stop faster and drive safer, especially on wet roads.

The Future of Goodyear Philippines is Now With 100 years of driving tire innovation and safety in the Philippines, Goodyear has had a positive impact on the Filipino driving experience, both on and off the road, and is looking forward to celebrating its 100th anniversary in the country.

“From 1919 up to the present, Goodyear has delivered products that have raised the bar when it comes to mobility and tire technology, making the driving experience safer and more comfortable for Filipino families. We have witnessed not only the growth of the tire and car industry, but also how driving has helped Filipino families move forward – from the everyday drive to off-road adventures, to road trips that allow families to create their own milestones,” said Alex Ng, Market Director of Goodyear Philippines.

“This 2019, we plan to give back the loyalty and support to our beloved customers and to our Goodyear associates by celebrating this achievement together. At the same time, we also want to invite new drivers to discover what Goodyear has to offer. We have a lot in store for everyone, as we plan to offer a variety of promotions that will highlight our 100th year,” Ng shared.

Goodyear Philippines looks forward to launching new products that will usher a new benchmark in tire safety and innovation during this turning point. To serve its customers, Goodyear Philippines continues to have the largest network of tire retailers and Goodyear Autocare outlets nationwide and is committed to the expansion of its retail footprint with more than 100 Goodyear Autocare outlets to date.

Goodyear is also focused on further improving its after-sales service through continuous certification programs to its technicians, state-of-the-art facilities, and enhanced overall customer experience.

supports Shell’s vision of sustainable mobility - more energy efficient vehicles and cleaner road transport. It’s really impressive to see student teams pitting their skills against their cohorts from different countries to see who can design and build the most fuel-efficient vehicle,” explained Iain Lo, Chairman of Shell Malaysia.

“Shell has been in Malaysia for over 125 years, and we will continue to power Malaysia’s future with cleaner, innovative and competitive energy solutions, some of which will be showcased at the event,” he further added.

Student teams will also have the opportunity to qualify for the Shell Ecomarathon Drivers’ World Championship.

Introduced to the Shell Eco-marathon programme in 2016, Drivers’ World Championship challenges the best UrbanConcept teams to combine the proven energy efficiency of their car with the speed and skill of their driver, in a race to see who can cross the finish line first on the least amount of fuel. Qualified teams will go to London for a chance to compete with teams from Europe and the Americas. In 2018, ITS Team 2 from Indonesia’s Insti-

tut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember Surabaya was crowned the ultimate global winner of the Drivers’ World Championship, the second Asian team to win in the three years the competition has been running.

The Philippines will again participate in the 2019 Shell Eco-marathon Asia, with a contingent of 16 futuristic cars from 14 universities from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao competing to be the most energy efficient.

The Philippine team, which has the second biggest contingent after Indonesia’s 29 teams, are composed of student teams mostly from the college of Engineering representing their schools—Adamson University, Ateneo de Davao University, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle Dasmarinas, De La Salle University-Manila, Mapua University, Institute of Technology, National University, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Polytechnic University of the Philippines—Manila, University of Mindanao, University Of Perpetual Help System-Dalta, University of San Carlos, University of Santo Tomas, and University of the Philippines—Diliman.

Kuya Benny: From loyal customer to well-loved mentor to become a mechanic, but his parents pushed him to take that course which turned out for the best. With all his experience and knowledge, Kuya Benny was entrusted to train fresh graduates in dealing with customers.

Kuya Benny also believes that there’s a big difference between sit-down trainings and the actual trainings. This is why Kuya Benny is thankful for the partnership between Shell and Don Bosco, in which trainees undergo actual Special Modern Engines and Lubrication Services training which will help them hone their craft and make sure they provide the best possible service to their customers.

Kuya Benny used to be a customer

of SHOC+ himself. This was why he doesn’t just recommend SHOC+ service because he works for Shell but because of his personal experience with it. He attests to the fact that Shell uses the best-inclass lubrication technology which goes a long way in taking care of a vehicle’s engine.

“At Shell, we recommend the best oil based on the vehicle and driving needs of each customer,” Kuya Benny said.

Values: what Shell and Kuya Benny have in common “Shell values will bring you back to the basics of dealing with relationships,” Hernan ‘Butch’ Escober, Shell CAA branch owner begins. “When I talk about

MR. FIX IT: Benigno ‘Benny” Cruz tinkers under the hood of a car owned by a loyal customer.

relationships, these are the ones that can go long term. As to what our loyal customers have said, it’s all about honing the next generation of mechanics to satisfy the next generation of customers.”

TRUST. Shell is one of the most trusted fuel brands not only in the country but globally. The brand is trustworthy--just like Kuya Benny--because the company believes that trust is what matters the most in any kind of service. According to CAA branch owner Escober, entrusting the car to a service center is like going to a barbershop--if the customer trusts his barber, he could sleep soundly and relax.

And this is what Shell SHOC+ is all about--a service center that offers customers a wide-range of car-care products and services.

MONEY. Shell CAA was established in 1996 with the aim of providing quality service to its customers. For its branch owner, it is not about earning a profit but earning your customers’ loyalty, which is why he is very thankful for Kuya Benny’s unwavering service and commitment. Without him, the branch wouldn’t be successful at all.

SERVICE. Kuya Benny’s wealth of experience is living proof of Shell’s commitment to provide quality service to their customers. “We will continue to provide our personnel with knowledge, trainings and experience that they can use even if they’re no longer working for Shell,” Kuya Benny said.

Pilipinas Shell has been dedicated to helping empower Filipinos everywhere for over a decade now. Their drive for innovation and desire for nation-building has constantly guided their actions in using energy for the good of the country.

May there be more people like Kuya Benny who will continue Shell’s commitment to its loyal customers.

Prestone partners with Rapide GET free labor on your change oil when you bring a minimum of 4-liter G-Tech or 6-liter D-Tech specially marked Prestone Motor Oils at select Rapide outlets. Cost of oil filter and other incidentals is not included.

G-Tech Full Synthetic, which is made for gasoline-powered engines, is Prestone’s mineral and synthetic blend.

It uses hydrocracked base oil with a core additive for better engine performance.

G-Tech Advance also improves piston cleanliness, delivers better fuel efficiency and lowers oil consumption.

D-Tech 500 Full Synthetic is universal heavy-duty diesel engine oil that brings American and European standards to meet the requirements of API, CI-4, ACEA E7, MB 228.3 and the stringent Global DHD-1 specifications.

Promo runs until March 15, 2019.

For more details, visit Prestone Philippines Facebook page.

RAMON L. TOMELDAN Editor

C4 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2019

By Lester Dizon

T

HE world had its eyes focused on the Philippines last February 18 as Toyota Motor Corporation held the world premiere for its newest Hiace model, designed for overseas markets.

Motoring Hiace debuts, world watches

By hosting the new Hiace’s worldwide launch in the country, Toyota Motor Philippines asserted the Philippines’ position as a primary market for Toyota’s range of iconic vans.

Aside from being the preferred family van of the Filipino people, previous generations of the Hiace have also become a common fixture in providing mobility services to both public and private sectors, helping promote education, tourism, healthcare, and more.

“We, at Toyota Motor Philippines, are honored to host the World Premiere of the All-New Toyota Hiace. For the first time, the world’s eyes are on the Philippines, to witness the unveiling of the Full Model Change Hiace, never before exhibited elsewhere,” said Satoru Suzuki, TMP president.

The Hiace has been one of Toyota’s representative global vehicles since it first launched in 1967, selling more than 6.24 million units in over 150 countries.

This new Hiace, built upon a special revised platform that placed great care on enhancing comfort and safety, is designed to perform with extreme durability and excellent basic performance, making it suitable for both daily life and business use; from family drives out of town to heavy weight deliveries straight from the factory, the Hiace can conquer all sorts of jobs.

Over the last decade, demand has risen for passenger transportation, such as tourist minibuses and logistics vehicles.

Toyota, noticing this, created a model that could be relied upon in many markets, and in doing so allowed customers and partners to enjoy a vehicle that responds flexibly to the diverse needs of everyone who should sit behind its wheel.

“The Hiace was developed using the key words of “Hiace Pride,” and from the concept of being a faithful partner that makes people feel safe, satisfied, and proud.” said Chief Engineer Takuo Ishikawa, the man responsible for the Hiace’s development,

TMP president Toru Suzuki delivers a message that echoes worldwide during the global premiere of Toyota Hiace aptly held at the Bonifacio Global City.

“Owners, drivers, and passengers know they are in good hands when they own, drive, and ride in a Hiace.”

Continuing the Legacy Empowering the local population throughout its 25-year presence, the Hiace was first introduced on Philippine shores in 1994 and has since then sold more than 135,650 units. Known and

trusted by many Filipinos, the Toyota Hiace is the leading model of the utility van segment with a 55.6% total market share last 2018.

In the Philippines, the Toyota Hiace is a transportation staple that ferries people, moves cargo, and shuttles clients over great distances whether in urban centers or rural countrysides. Apart from bringing families

together through precious memories and experiences on the road, the Hiace is also often the platform by which goods and services are built upon. It connects providers to consumers, such in the case of school and company daily shuttles, hotel and airport complimentary transport, as well as local travel and tours for big groups. The flexibility and versatility of the Hiace’s interior space also allow owners to customize it for business purposes.

Toyota aims to offer a modern and practical solution with the new generation Hiace—functionality made even better. Guided by these principles, it is with utmost pride that TMP pushed to uphold its current status as the number one distributor of the Toyota Hiace model outside Japan, out of 150 countries where the model is present.

TMC and TMP officially introduced three variants of the new Hiace: the GL Grandia Tourer, the GL Grandia, and the Commuter Deluxe. Both the Commuter Deluxe and the GL Grandia will be available for retail in all Toyota dealerships nationwide starting March 5, 2019. The GL Grandia Tourer will be available in early April.

Main features Exterior Two body types are available: Normal/ Standard Roof and Long/High Roof. Leveraging the semi-bonnet package, the Hiace’s most important features―its reliability, toughness, and functional beauty―are evolved and enhanced, creating an external style that suggests a comfortable and sophisticated space.

Interior Layouts with multiple rows of seats or increased storage space are available to suit various uses. Up to 17 people can be carried in the “Commuter” versions― the most in its class―for private bus use.

A specialized interior and functions for comfort are adorned in the new “Tourism” versions. The “Van” versions feature storage space sufficiently large for pallets from any country or region.

The comfortable interior design provides peace of mind while functionality for driver and passenger needs is upgraded, as demonstrated by large door pockets and generous under-seat stowage.

Driving performance The new Hiace offers greatly improved ride comfort, quietness, and safety via an all-new body based on the design ideas of TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture), such as high-level body rigidity achieved through ring-shaped frame structures. The comfortable interior reduces driver fatigue even over long distances, and high durability delivers safety and peace of mind whatever the road conditions.

Formula 1: Fierce rivalry at Ferrari shaping up SEBASTIAN Vettel considers new Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc a “full rival” as the German prepares for his latest tilt at a fifth Formula One world title.

Monegasque Leclerc was the quickest driver on the second day of pre-season testing in Barcelona, clocking within 0.1 seconds of Vettel’s leading time 24 hours earlier.

Vettel is heading into his fifth season with Ferrari since leaving Red Bull in 2014, having finished second to Lewis Hamilton in each of the last two years.

The 21-year-old Leclerc replaced Kimi Raikkonen at the Italian manufacturer after an impressive 10 points finishes in his

rookie season with Sauber.

“Of course (Leclerc is) a full rival,” said Vettel. “I think he is in the seat for a reason and I have to take it very seriously.

“But I think you always have close rivalry with your teammate and priority number one is for sure trying to bring the team forward.

“I have been around for a bit longer compared to him, so it is different things maybe that he will have on his plate in the beginning... I am very certain he will be quick enough and put me under pressure so we’ll see how it goes.”

Vettel made a strong start to his 2018

campaign, before a series of individual and team errors saw him lose the race with Mercedes’ Hamilton to become a five-time world champion by 88 points.

But he remains confident that Ferrari can clinch their first drivers’ crown since Raikkonen’s dramatic triumph in 2007.

“Obviously we’ve had better years and years we were further away,” said the 31-year-old Vettel, who won four successive world championships at Red Bull from 2010-2013.

“But overall though the progression is there, the team is developing.

“So I hope that this year we get to have

Charles Leclerc was the quickest driver on the second day of pre-testing at Barcelona.

a lot of fun. Fun is to win a lot of races this point it is very far away.” and then ultimately you are fighting for The 2019 Formula One season gets unthe championship. derway with the Australian Grand Prix at “That’s obviously what we want but at Melbourne on March 17. AFP