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Rody admin’s rating soars—SWS By Nat Mariano MORE Filipinos were satisﬁed with the performance of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, the latest Social Weather Stations revealed on Monday night. SWS said 76 percent of the adult Filipinos it polled expressed satisfaction

with the work of the administration, 15 percent were undecided and nine percent were dissatisfied. The latest figures recorded a +66 net satisfaction rating at “very good,” marking an increase of 16 points from the previous +50 in September 2018. “Out of the 17 specific performance Next page

VOL. XXXIII • NO. 31 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

El Niño destroys P464-m rice, corn Amid tight supply, water containers get costlier By Othel V. Campos, Rio N. Araja and Macon Ramos-Araneta

HE early onset of El Niño has damaged 22,298 metric tons of rice and corn crops, with losses amounting to P464.27 million, as of March 8, 2019.

DAMAGE, DEFICIENT. Crops in a cornfield are damaged by the El Niño-induced drought in Mindanao, with the dry spell reducing the country’s water supply. Meanwhile, people in Barangay Barangka in Mandaluyong City (top and below) queue up for water ration from the concessionaire Manila Water even as retailers jack up the price of purified water. Ey Acasio

Retailers, according to a dzMM radio report, have already jacked up prices of water drums and pails by as much as P20, now ranging from P90 to P100 each. Puriﬁed water, which previously cost P95 per seven liters, is sold at P100 to P105. A report from the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center shows the weather phenomenon, marked by high temperatures and low rainfall, has damaged 13,679 hectares of farm land, affecting 16,034 farmers. Affected regions include MIMAROPA, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccksargen and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Rice farms sustained the biggest loss at P377.85 million from 9,860 hectares of destroyed rice lands. This affected 7,851 farmers from the provinces of Occidental Mindoro, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Misamis Oriental, Davao del Sur, Cotabato and Maguindanao. Damage to corn crops due to the early dry spell amounted to P86.42 million, with 5,686 MT of standing corn destroyed on 3,819 hectares of farm land. About 8,183 corn farmers from the provinces of Occidental Mindoro, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, Cotabato and Maguindanao were affected. The Agriculture department said it has coordinated with local government units to carry out mitigating measures to help farmers. It has also suggested repositioning pumps and engine sets for water distribution, and alerted the Bureau of Soils and Water Management and the Air Force on the need for cloud seeding from March 14 to May 21. Next page

Duterte holds last-ditch meet to save budget By Nat Mariano, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Palace on Tuesday expressed optimism that the impasse over the 2019 national budget would be broken as congressional leaders meet with President Rodrigo Duterte Tuesday night to thresh out their differences. In a Palace brieﬁng, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the President would act as a “moderator” between the

Palace accepts Balutan’s dare

22 IS-linked rebels killed in 2-day raids

By Nat Mariano

ISLAMIC State-inspired terror groups suffered a major blow as the military launched massive air strikes and ground attacks that killed 22 terrorists in two separate battles in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur. In Maguindanao, two days of air raids, artillery shelling and a ground assault on a terrorist stronghold in the hinterlands of Shariff Saydona Mustapha killed 20 ﬁghters, inncluding some high-value targets, said Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana.

MALACAÑANG on Tuesday accepted the challenge of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Alexander Baluan to conduct a “full and impartial” probe on the corruption charges against him. The palace made the decision after Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo issued a clarification on Monday night that Balutan had stepped down and was not terminated by President Rodrigo Duterte. In the House, the chairman of the committee on games and amusement said Tuesday Balutan’s resignation was a step toward implementing reforms in the agency. “Whether he [Balutan] resigned, was asked to resign or was fired, right now I think this is one step forward in trying to [fix] the PCSO of its problems in management,” Parañaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting told reporters. Panelo said he and Balutan met on Tuesday to talk when Balutan handed him his letter of resignation. “Well, of course he was defending himself,” Panelo told reporters. Next page

By Francisco Tuyay and Nat Mariano

Pinays in top 20 porn site viewers

Senate and the House of Representatives, after both sides took to media to attack the other over their differences on the proposed P3.8-trillion budget for 2019. “I understand they will be having a meeting tonight, maybe that’s the agenda where they have to thresh out whatever differences they have,” Panelo said. “Right now, there is a controversy between the House and the Senate—the Senate claims that the itemization of the P79-billion funds is unconstitutional, but the House claims that it is not. So, let us

see,” he said. He said the President would listen and “let the protagonists settle among themselves.” “As I said, he will become a moderator, he will just listen. I’m just speculating, he may have brought the two together just so they can talk and discuss,” he said. Although he will not be present during the meeting, Panelo said the President will make sure that leaders of the Congress will iron out the conﬂict over the budget. Next page

Sobejana could not yet ascertain whether Singaporean Jihadist Muhamad Ali Abdul Rahiman, alias Mauwiyah and Salahudin Hassan, both leaders of the Daulah Islamiya, were among those killed. During the campaign, Sobejana said assaulting ground troops met stiff resistance but the terrorists were overwhelmed by a bomb run that forced them to retreat. One soldier died from enemy ﬁre. In Lanao del Sur ﬁghting, two members of the IS-linked Maute group and two soldiers were killed in a battle that lasted Next page

Computers making inroads in music

RIFLE SHELLS. Soldiers find empty rifle bullet shells in an erstwhile flaming site in Barangay Tuka, Mamasapano, Maguindanao where the military says the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters launched an attack against troops. Two 60-mm mortar explosives (inset) were handed by a civilian to the Army in Guindulungan, Maguindanao. 6th ID PA Photo

SC mum on pullout from ICC DESPITE strong government request that Internet service providers block access to porn sites, a review published Tuesday and seen in Manila suggests Filipino women are among the top 20 female visitors of Next page PornHub worldwide

AUSTIN, United States—They may never be able to fill a stadium for a rock concert, but computers are making inroads in the music industry, capable of producing songs—and convincingly so—as illustrated at the South by Southwest festival in Texas. Next page

By Rey E. Requejo THE Philippines’ withdrawal from the International Criminal Court will take effect on March 17 due to the lack of an injunction from the Supreme Court as sought by opposition lawmakers. This became apparent after the 15-member bench failed to resolve the

consolidated petitions ﬁled by six opposition senators and the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court led by former Commission on Human Rights chairman Loretta Rosales. Court insiders said the high court’s justices did not tackle the case in their regular session on Tuesday. Next page

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

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Rody: I have right to joke about women By Nat Mariano

ECAUSE he was always drawing flak from rights groups for making misogynistic and sexist remarks, President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night defended his right to joke about women, saying women had been depriving him of his right to freedom of expression. In a speech to honor the outstanding women in law enforcement and national security, Duterte said women could not take away his right to free speech and expression. “You know, you women are depriving me of my freedom of expression. You criticize every sentence or word I say. That is my freedom to express myself,” Duterte said in Malacañang. “Even if I am just a President, do not take it. Do not take me away from the crowd of being a Filipino citizen. “That’s why you bastards, just don’t. It’s the freedom of expression. That’s why I’m intentionally saying it like this because I’m trying to bring you to the limits of despair.” The President’s remarks came after he warned women to stay away from Catholic priests as the priests could desire them. “The women should refrain from going near the priest because when you are near him, he will just smell the scent of your body. And if he corners you in the church, you’re dead, he will court you. Do you know why? It’s because he is a man,” Duterte said in a speech last Friday.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte shares a light moment with Major Nancy Dacanay of the Philippine Air Force’s 15th Strike Wing, who is one of the Outstanding Women in Law Enforcement and National Security of the Philippines awardees, during the awarding ceremony at the Malacañan Palace on March 11, 2019. Presidential Photo

In the same speech on Monday, Duterte poked fun at the women for objecting to his previous remarks. “You rejects of priests complaining about me, that’s not my fault. Can you believe it, you were rejected by a priest?” he said.

Even before his presidency, Duterte had drawn flak for saying he should have the first one to take advantage of an Australian woman who was raped in Davao City in 1989. Just last year, he was also heavily criticized for threatening to shoot female

fighters in the genitals and attributing the high number of rape cases in Davao City because of its many beautiful women. The Palace had previously maintained that the President respected women and did not put the standard of women way too low.

Palace...

First batch of national IDs out by Sept.—PhilSys

“He said he really wants an investigation and I told him I will write a memo to the President and request the President to grant your request for an investigation. He’s okay with it.” Panelo said Balutan resigned “out of delicadeza because of the serious allegations of corruption” against him. “Whether he was fired on that basis and he resigned on that basis, the basis is still the same―there is a serious allegation of corruption,” Panelo said. “On his side, he wants to have an investigation on that and he would not want to be viewed as clinging to a position when there are serious allegations of corruption against him.” Panelo said Duterte had accepted Balutan’s “irrevocable resignation.” He said Balutan was supposed to resign on Friday, but he stepped down on Saturday. “[There will be] no apologies because the announcement was made in good faith. I didn’t know he resigned,” Panelo said. He said the Office of the Ombudsman or the Office of the President might initiate an investigation into Balutan’s case. With Maricel V. Cruz

By Maricel V. Cruz

From A1

SC... From A1

Meanwhile, the conviction of three police officers in the killing of teenager Kian delos Santos is not enough to stop the International Criminal Court’s own investigation on the suspected extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, a lawyer said Tuesday. Gilbert Andres, one of the counsels of the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court, said all alleged extrajudicial killings must be investigated and prosecuted by the government for the ICC’s own investigation on the Philippine war on drugs not to prosper. “One will not suffice. The Kian Delos Santos case will not suffice,” Andres told ANC’s Early Edition. “It should be all the recognized EJKs by the government as well as those which were not recognized by the government.” Opposition Senators Francis Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, Leila de Lima, Bam Aquino, Antonio Trillanes IV and Risa Hontiveros and the PCICC had sought the issuance of a writ of mandamus compelling the executive department to take back the withdrawal of its ratification of the Rome Statute, a United Nations treaty creating the ICC. A high court insider said the absence of any restraining order or injunction from the high court meant the withdrawal of the Philippine government from the ICC could take effect as scheduled. “The withdrawal from ICC takes effect without prejudice to the Supreme Court resolving the petitions later on and ruling on the prayer for issuance of a writ of mandamus,” the source said.

SPEAKER Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Tuesday welcomed the developments in the implementation of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys). This, after officials of the National Statistics Office, told the House Oversight Committee on Population and Family Relations that they were ready to conduct the first batch of registration and issue the first IDs this coming September 2019. “I am happy that it’s all systems go for the National ID system based on the timeline

El Niño... From A1

The department has released an initial P18.3 million to regional field offices and the Air Force for the cloud seeding. Also on Tuesday, the Manila Water Co. said it has no choice but to “severely reduce” water distribution to its over 6 million customers, in view of the low water level at La Mesa Dam as a result of a dry spell. Geodino Carpio, chief operating officer for MWCI operations, said because of a shortage of raw water supply at La Mesa Dam, the water company has no choice but to implement service interruptions in several parts of its service areas in the east zone of Metro Manila and Rizal as well. “We have to find ways to severely reducing pressure at a single time,” he said. The water level at Manila Water’s La Mesa Dam plunged to below critical level over the weekend. But the online news site Rappler said hydrologists from the weather bureau are puzzled by Manila Water’s claim,

they have presented to us this morning,” she told reporters after the Oversight hearing in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. Arroyo convened the House Oversight Committee hearing at the Bethel Guest House in Dumaguete City since its principal author Rep. Arnie Teves is from Negros Oriental. Also in attendance were Deputy Speaker Prospero Pichay of Surigao del Sur, Teves, Reps. Lourdes Aggabao of Isabela, Jocelyn Limchaikong of Negros Oriental and Dumaguete Mayor Felipe Remollo. Arroyo said the Oversight Committee

hearing was in furtherance of the other function of the House of Representatives to determine if the laws passed by Congress are properly implemented. During the hearing, lawyer Lourdines dela Cruz, Deputy National Statistician of the PSA, said that in account with RA 11055 or the Philippine Identification System Act, they would start the registration for the PhilSys this September targetting about 6 million individuals. Those that are eligible to register are Filipinos and resident aliens at least five years old.

because La Mesa Dam is only a reserve source of water, as the water concessionaires are supposed to draw water from the Angat Dam, which has not reached its critical level. Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Administrator Reynaldo Velasco told CNN Philippines, meanwhile, that he believes Manila Water has always been drawing some water from La Mesa Dam. “I told them that’s supposed to be reserve, but they have been drawing water. That’s why it’s now on its low,” Velasco told CNN. Manila Water’s West Zone counterpart, Maynilad, has not reported a supply problem and has even agreed to help Manila Water. Senator Nancy Binay pointed out that the conflicting statements about a water shortage in Metro Manila have only increased public confusion. Meanwhile, Senator Juan Edgardo Angara said the government should roll out its action plan in food-growing areas before the drought is in full swing. “A man-made disaster over a natural disaster is a double whammy that will leave

less food on the table for families and less income for farmers,” Angara said. “There are threats to agriculture in multiple fronts. Government should help farmers battle the many crises they are facing,” he added. Angara, chairman of the Senate committee on ways and means and vice chairman of the Senate committee on finance, identified four sources of government funds which can be merged to fund El Niño mitigation measures. These are the Calamity Fund, or what is officially called as the National Disaster Risk Management and Mitigation Fund; the budget of agriculture agencies like the National Irrigation Administration; the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund under the recently passed Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law; and the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s funds to aid distressed families. The P20-billion NDRMM fund can finance preparatory activities in anticipation of an imminent disaster while the P36billion NIA fund can be used for watersaving measures in government-managed irrigation systems, he said. With PNA

Rody... From A1

subjects rated, the Duterte administration’s net satisfaction ratings were excellent on two subjects, very good on six subjects, good on seven subjects and moderate on two subjects,” SWS said. The pollster said the net satisfaction rating of the Duterte administration was “excellent” in promoting women’s rights (+71) and in the building and maintenance of public works (+70). It was also “very good” at helping the poor (+68), protecting human rights (+62), reconstructing Marawi City (+60), fighting terrorism (+55), transparency in government activities (+54) and deciding quickly (+50).

Computers... From A1

Already, an album featuring eight tracks has been produced entirely with artificial intelligence, an unprecedented feat. “I Am AI” was released last fall by YouTube star Taryn Southern, who doesn’t know how to play any instruments. “For my first music video in 2017, I had a lot of friction as a non-musician,” the young artist told a panel discussion on Sunday at the festival running from

The respondents also believed the government did “good on fighting crime (+44), reconciling with Muslim rebels (+43), eradicating graft and corruption (+42), defending Philippine sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea (+40), reconciling with the communist rebels (+39), fulfilling its commitments to international treaties (+39) and foreign relations (+38). The administration was moderate in ensuring that no family would ever be hungry (+28) and in fighting inflation (+14). SWS said the Duterte administration’s net satisfaction rating rose by one grade in all areas. “It rose from very good to excellent in Mindanao, up by 8 points from +67 in September 2018 to +75 in December 2018,” the pollster said. March 8-17. “I wrote lyrics, I had a melodic line but it was difficult to compose and record the actual music.” The pop artist said she began experimenting with AI two years ago, working with Amper, an artificial intelligence music composition software. “In two days, I had composed a song that I could actually feel was mine,” Southern said. “It means that I don’t necessarily have to rely on other people.” Founded in 2014 in New York by a group of engineers and musicians, Amper is part of about a dozen start-ups using artificial intelligence to break with the traditional way of making music. AFP

Duterte... From A1

“Yes, of course. The goal of all branches of government is to unite [for] the welfare of the people,” he said. Bickering over the budget has already delayed its passage, forcing the government to operate on a re-enacted budget. The latest impasse threatened to extend the delay up to August. Asked if the budget could be signed into law soon, Panelo said: “We hope for the best.” The meeting with the lawmakers was set after the President said he would not sign “anything illegal” in the proposed budget. In his speech in Malacañang on Monday evening, Duterte talked about the misunderstanding between the House and Senate leadership. “They are debating right now on the budget. I told them, ‘I said my piece: I will not sign anything that would be an illegal document’,” Duterte said during the awarding ceremony of 10 outstanding women in the field of country’s law enforcement and national security. “We will have a slide in the GDP [gross domestic product] if we are going to reenact the budget. And everybody will suffer including law enforcement. It will decrease our GDP,” he said. “You all know I don’t have any money to move on. It’s an everyday income that we expect. That’s why they are debating about it,” he added. Senate President Vicente Sotto III said it was the President, through Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, who called for a meeting to discuss the budget. Medialdea had previously said the President was “dismayed” over the lawmakers’ inability to pass the 2019 national budget. The government is operating under a reenacted budget after lawmakers failed to approve the P3.7trillion spending plan before their Christmas break due to supposed insertions. The Palace had already hoped that the government will not run on a reenacted budget until August this year, citing its negative effects on the country.

22 IS-linked... From A1

hours in Barangay Padas in Pagayawan town Monday afternoon. Col. Romeo Brawner, commander of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade, said the two dead terrorists wereAbu Jihad and Abu Tahir who were part of the 24-man contingent under Maute chieftain Abu Dar. The Palace on Tuesday said it would take measures to prevent ISIS from turning the Philippines into a base for its operations. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the Palace remains “definitely concerned” about the terrorist group’s activities in the country, especially those involving establishing a foothold in Mindanao. Panelo’s remark came after the New York Times reported that the Islamic State group is “rising” in the Philippines as its fortunes dwindle in the Middle East. “Across the islands of the southern Philippines, the black flag of the Islamic State is flying over what the group considers as its East Asia province,” the New York Times’ article released on Saturday said. “Men in the jungle, two oceans away from the arid birthplace of the Islamic State, are taking the terrorist brand name into new battles,” it added. The report also pointed out the recent terrorist attacks that rocked several parts of Mindanao in early 2019.

Pinays... From A1

Pornhub, a Canadian pornographic video sharing and pornography site on the Internet, was launched in Montreal in 2007, providing professional and amateur photography. Pornhub also has offices and servers in San Francisco, Houston, New Orleans and London. In March 2010, Pornhub was bought by Manwin (now known as MindGeek), which owns numerous other pornographic websites. In a PornHub study that summarized the viewing patterns of female visitors worldwide, Filipinas landed in the top 20 viewers of the the adult video streaming site. The study did not suggest any profile of the viewers. For the “Most Viewed Categories By Women,” Filipinas mostly view Japanese porn, and outrank other viewers in the “Romantic” category with 233 percent of viewership. Filipinas also prefer “Behind The Scenes” with a rate of 204 percent and “Verified Couples”—or real couples copulating—with 160 percent. No other Southeast Asian country landed in the top 10 list of time spent on the site. Following the Philippines is South Africa, the United States, Ukraine, and Canada.

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DOJ ends probe on raps vs. Lapeña over multi-billion shabu shipment THE Department of Justice on Tuesday ended its preliminary investigation on criminal charges against former Bureau of Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña over the drug shipments that slipped past the BOC under his watch last year. The DOJ’s panel of prosecutors led by Assistant State Prosecutor Mary Jane Sytat held its clarificatory hearing following the inspection last week of the magnetic lifters in Cavite and Manila International Container Port that allegedly carried the multibillion-peso shabu shipments. With the conclusion of the hearings, the criminal and administrative complaint filed by the NBI against Lapeña and other respondents last January are now deemed submitted for resolution. Lapeña, now director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, was charged with violation of Republic Act No. 3019 or Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, dereliction of duty and grave misconduct over his failure to act on the drug shipments and personally submit his counter-affidavit. In its complaint, the NBI has accused Lapeña of criminal and administrative liabilities for his failure to file complaints against the consignees, importers and brokers of the two magnetic lifters discovered with shabu at the Port of Manila and the four magnetic lifters that slipped past BOC and were found empty in Cavite. This is the first time Lapeña was found criminally and administratively liable over the shabu shipments after he was previously cleared in the fact-finding investigation by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. In a hearing last Feb. 21, Lapeña denied the allegations and sought the dismissal of the complaint. However, he did not give copy of his counter-affidavit to the media. Rey E. Requejo

Batangas vice mayor faces graft charges A VICE mayor from San Pascual, Batangas is now facing graft charges before the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged failure to pass the municipal government’s 2019 budget. In a complaint-affidavit, Roanna Conti accused her vice mayor, Antonio Dimayuga, of violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and commission of gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. Also included in the complaint were municipal councilors Roumel Aguila, Dennis Panopio, Lanifel Manalo, Juanito Chavez, Ramel Fernandez and Reyshanne Joy Marquez. Conti blamed the respondents for the delay in the passage of the 2019 budget for San Pascual municipality. “The 2019 budget should have been approved last December 2018. The town is in a sorry state since we are already in the month of March, yet there is still no budget for this year. How do we go about our public service to respond to the needs of our people? What about our scholars, the sick, the persons with disability, the youth, the senior citizens, the women and others that depend on our public funds,” she said in a statement. Two days ago, Dimayuga filed an administrative complaint against Conti, along with human resources management officer Ronaldo Gonzalez Jr., with the Ombudsman over four Facebook posts of her Christmas vacation in the United States of America in December last year to January this year. Rio N. Araja

BI agents arrest 3 Korean fugitives THE Bureau of Immigration arrested three foreigners, two of them fugitives in their own country while another was apprehended for possessing fake travel documents. Arrested were two Koreans, identiﬁed as Oh Gwangrok and Park Seungjae, and Salman Khan, a Pakistani. The two Koreans fugitives were nabbed in Manila and Mandaluyong in separate operations by operatives from the bureau’s fugitive search unit. “We are sending them back to Korea where they are wanted by authorities for serious offenses. The Philippines is not a sanctuary for foreign criminals,” Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said. FSU operatives headed by BI intelligence ofﬁcer Bobby Raquepo arrested Oh in the vicinity of Remedios Circle in Malate, Manila, who is wanted for fraud involving US$48,000 and embezzling a victim’s car worth US$41,000. Vito Barcelo

Gov’t to stop NPA efforts from accessing funds overseas

ROAD CRASH. A 16-wheeler truck lies almost sideways after crashing into a center island along Abad Santos corner Tecson in Manila on Monday night. The double trailer truck was carrying concrete pilotes or colum on the way to a construction site in Pasay City. No one was reported hurt in the incident. Norman Cruz

US ‘Pacific Partnership’ launched in Tacloban City By Rey E. Requejo

HE United States launched on Tuesday its so-called Pacific Partnership 2019 in a ceremony held in Tacloban City where an annual maritime operation will be conducted intended to improve disaster response preparedness, resiliency, and capacity building while enhancing partnerships between participating nations and civilian humanitarian organizations throughout the IndoPacific region. In a statement, the US Embassy in Manila said Pacific Partnership 2019 includes more than 800 military and civilian personnel from the United States, Philippines, Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Peru, South Korea, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Romualdez, Department of National Defense Office of Civil Defense Undersecretary Ricardo B. Jalad, and US Embassy in the Philippines Deputy Chief of Mission John C. Law delivered their remarks during the ceremony. “This year’s mission is focused on emergency and disaster preparedness, improving capacity of the local

government, enhancing regional partnerships, and increasing multilateral operations,” Romualdez said, as she reﬂected on Tacloban City’s recovery from Typhoon Haiyan. “Resilience is learning from the past and making learned and informed decisions as we move forward. And today we welcome Paciﬁc Partnership, our partner in disaster preparedness,” she added. At the ceremony, Law told participants: “The work that you are doing here today and over the next two weeks is extraordinarily important because you will help make people’s lives better, and we thank

you for that.” According to the US Embassy, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multilateral disaster response preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific region. This year’s mission is led by US Navy Capt. Randy Van Rossum, Commander of Destroyer Squadron 1, and his staff aboard expeditionary fast transport ships USNS Brunswick (T-EPF 6) and USNS Fall River (T-EPF 4). Experts in the fields of engineering, medicine, and disaster response will partner with each host country to conduct civic action projects, community health exchanges, medical symposiums, and disaster response training activities. After this phase in the Philippines, the Pacific Partnership mission teams will make additional stops in Malaysia, Timor-Leste, Thailand, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Vietnam. Pacific Partnership was started in response to one of the world’s most catastrophic natural disasters, the December 2004 tsunami that devastated parts of South and Southeast Asia. “The mission has evolved over the years from emphasis on direct care to an operation focused on enhancing partnerships through host nation subject matter expert and civil-military exchanges,” the US Embassy statement said.

EFFORTS are now underway to restrict New People’s Army rebels from accessing funds they have acquired abroad. This was disclosed by Armed Forces of the Philippines public affairs office chief Col. Noel Detoyato when asked on whether the government is doing something to stop the rebels from receiving funding abroad. “Yes, including foreign funds they are receiving by deceiving the [foreign] donors and diverting the money to further their terroristic activities with the ultimate aim of toppling down the government and changing our way of life,” he said in a message to the Philippine News Agency late Monday. The military official earlier said only a unified and whole-of-government approach will defeat the NPA, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. “We have identified so many factors to eradicate the communist terrorists [and these are] prevent them from accessing funds, counter their mass base recruitment and front organizations,” Detoyato said. And they can only be neutralized effectively if the government will synchronize its efforts to counter them and the threats they pose. “We can only do this effectively if the whole government will synchronize their efforts towards a common goal [which is aimed at containing these factors that are responsible for the continued operation of the NPA movement],” the AFP official added. Once this is done, Detoyato expressed confidence that the ideology espoused by Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison and his “blind followers” will be defeated once and for all. As this developed, joint military and police forces preempted another arson attempt by the New People’s Army in Sitio Salok, Barangay Magsaysay in Infanta, Quezon province. Brig. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., commander of the 202nd Infantry “Unifier” Brigade said government forces encountered an undetermined number of rebels at 8 a.m. Friday. Burgos said the 30 minute firefight took place some 3 km. away from the compound of Northern Builders, the Kaliwa Dam project contractor whose equipment were torched by suspected NPA members last Feb. 7. Kaliwa Dam is one of the 76 ongoing flagship and developmental projects in Region 4-A (Calabarzon). PNA

DEPED condemns murder of Cebu student By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Department of Education strongly condemns the barbaric murder of a Grade 9 learner found on a vacant lot in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu on March 11, and urges the proper authorities to hasten the arrest of the perpetrators. The victim, identiﬁed as Cristine Silawan, a 16-year-old student of Maribago High School, was reported missing by her mother Sunday when she failed to return home from serving as a tithe collector in church. Her lifeless body, reportedly raped and skinned to the skull, was discovered the following morning by passersby. DepEd Schools Division Ofﬁce of Lapu-Lapu City has issued a memorandum reminding all public and private elementary and secondary schools to strengthen their existing rules and policies on school safety. It further enumerated security measures such as: Restricting practices for school presentations and other schoolrelated activities until 5 p.m. only; instructing school heads to advise learners to bring packed lunch or snacks instead of buying food outside school premises; ensuring that fully functional CCTV cameras are installed in strategic areas; requesting additional presence of police or barangay tanod in the area; and advising students to always go in groups when out on the streets, especially when it is already dark. As the Department calls on the local government unit and the

police to swiftly bring to justice the cold-blooded criminals, it likewise enjoins the public in the shared responsibility of protecting children from all forms of abuse, violence, exploitation, and threat. The Department extends its deepest condolences to the grieving family and requests the DepEd community for voluntary contribution to provide the bereaved with adequate financial assistance. Meanwhile, Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros likewise condemned the rape-murder of Silawan. “I condemn the brutal rape and murder of 16-year-old Cristine Silawan. My sincerest condolences go out to Cristine’s family, friends, the people of Cebu, and the community and church she served,” said Hontiveros. She said the horrible treatment of her and the terrible state of her body are an affront to all women. “This is a gruesome and inhuman act. I exhort the authorities to swiftly act on this case, find those responsible for this horrific crime and bring them to justice,” Hontiveros said. Silawan was reportedly found dead on Monday morning. Reports say that she went to Church on Sunday but did not come home. Authorities found her throat slit, with several stab wounds on her body. The authorities also said that Silawan was raped before her face was skinned to the bones, exposing her skull. The police is now hunting down three alleged suspects in the brutal crime.

FINAL RITES. Former Leyte congressman and Upsilon Sigma Phi Alumni Association president lawyer Martin Romualdez (right) honors the cremated ashes of his senior ‘brod’ from Batch ‘57, Dion dela Serna, 78, during a final necrological rites at the theater of Central Colleges of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa Manila Monday night. Romualdez remembered Dela Serna as a true Upsilonian, a brother loyal to fraternity, excellence in service, a man of integrity, a kind and generous leader. Ver Noveno

House upbeat on ‘moto’-for-hire bill’s passage By Maricel V. Cruz THE House of Representatives led by Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is optimistic that a bill which regulates the use of motorcycles as public utility vehicle will be enacted soon. South Cotabato Rep. Pedro Acharon Jr., principal author of House Bill 8959, seeks to provide convenience and ease of commute in urban and rural areas by allowing and regulating the use of motorcycles as an alternative mode of public transportation. The bill, also known as the proposed “Motorcycles-for-Hire Act,” proposes to amend for the purpose Republic Act (RA) 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code. Speaker Arroyo co-authored HB 8959 that has already been approved on third and final reading at the Lower House. One of the amendments to the Land Transportation and Traffic Code is the insertion of the term “motorcycles-for-hire.”

The bill defines “motorcycles-for-hire” as “any two-wheeled motor vehicle that may be registered with the Land Transportation Office as for hire and may be used as a commercial vehicle to transport passengers and goods. The bill also proposed that motorcycles for transporting passengers shall have a minimum engine displacement of 125 cubic centimeters and a backbone type build. It also amends RA 4136 including the “motorcycles-for-hire” in the classification of vehicles. Application for registration under the said classifications shall be accompanied by a certificate of public convenience or a special permit issued by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and these motor vehicles shall be subject to the Public Service Laws, rules and regulations including the provisions of the Act.

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

A formula for corruption THE Securities and Exchange Commission has delayed the implementation of its Memorandum Circular no. 17 series of 2018 which would have required corporations to disclose their ultimate beneficial owners in their General Information Sheets. A beneficial owner is defined as a natural person who ultimately or effectively owns a corporation. The said circular is a flagrant attempt to violate our right to privacy. It should not only be delayed. It must be scrapped!

Privacy is as precious as the air we breathe.

The right to privacy, as defined by US Justice Louis Brandeis, is the right to be left alone. It is described by Republic Act 10173 as a fundamental human right, equal to the other fundamental rights of freedom of the press, free expression, equality, religion, the right against exploitation and the right to constitutional remedies. Santa Banana, so sacred is our right to privacy that the 1987 Constitution prohibited the state from violating it! It's an essential part of freedom which ever individual should protect. It's as precious as the air we breathe. The SEC, a government agency, however, wants us to give away our right privacy by requiring companies to disclose information which does not need to be disclosed under the Corporation Code. The SEC is not a lawmaking body! It is simply tasked to execute our laws. Clearly it has no authority to require such a disclosure. I actually have my doubts on whether Congress would pass such a legislation. Even if it does, I am sure the Supreme Court will strike it down.

This memo is a formula for corruption. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez who has administrative control over the SEC should look into this. *** Speaking of rights, President Rodrigo Duterte and Local Governments Secretary Eduardo Año plan to make the narco-list of 83 politicians available to the public before the midterm elections. But this is a violation of the presumption of innocence. Malacañang, which has many lawyers, does not seem to care about individual rights. My gulay, the Palace even invokes the State's right to be protected because the list of alleged narco-politicians endangers the security of the state. So what right should be supreme —the right of the individual or that of the State? Without human and individual rights, there is no society to speak of. And when there is no society, there can only be anarchy. What Malacañang and the DILG can do is to validate the list and then file cases in court. Otherwise, multiple suits will be filed against those behind the list—I am sure of it. Santa Banana, even Aaron Aquino of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency is wary about the list being made public. *** Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo must lie from time to time to protect the credibility of the President. This was exactly what happened recently—and Panelo is being made to look like a clown. Recall that he claimed that the government has been receiving wiretaps from various governments on people involved in the drug war, including so-called narco-politicians. And when he was told that these wiretaps were illegally acquired and not admissible as evidence, he backtracked. He also said PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan was sacked over allegations of corruption. And then he reversed himself, saying that Balutan in fact resigned. The question is, was Balutan pres-

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Time to end the bickering

FESTERING dispute between the Senate and the House of Representatives has delayed the passage of the 2019 national budget and threatens to force the government to keep operating on a reenacted budget, which would stall key infrastructure projects. Despite the ratification of the P3.8-trillion budget by the bicameral conference committee, the Senate has refused to sign the bill and send it to the President for signing, saying the House has introduced changes to the budget after it was approved by the bicameral conference committee. The House, on the other hand, says it merely itemized lump sum funds that were already in the budget approved by the bicameral conference committee, and insists that both Senate and House members of the committee had agreed to this arrangement. In fact, it says, the Senate has done the same thing with funding for its own projects, but has not been transparent about which individual senators pushed for them.

The accusations and finger pointing have helped no one. How difficult, we are compelled to ask, is it to verify claims on either side and come to a final agreement? How is it that matters have degenerated into open bickering and debating through the media, after both sides had signed off on a “final” version of the budget in the bicameral conference committee? Why, too, has the chairperson of the Senate committee on finance, who announced the breakthrough at the bicameral committee, now fallen silent over the new round of disagreements? On Monday, a member of the House accused a senator of holding the budget hostage, saying he had a personal axe to grind against the Speaker of the House.

The Senate president, meanwhile, has shown no sense of urgency to pass the spending plan, warning again of a reenacted budget that will last at least until August, if the House does not back down. The Palace, understandably, has publicly taken a hands-off policy toward the dispute, observing correctly that Congress is an independent and co-equal branch of government. On the other hand, it must realize that the continued public bickering over such a crucial piece of legislation as the national budget will hurt the economy and ultimately, people’s lives. On various occasions, the Palace has emphasized the strong mandate that President Duterte earned by way of his election. Perhaps now is an opportune time for the President to spend some of his political capital, and persuade both chambers of Congress to come together on the budget, for the sake of the people who put all of them in office.

Turn to A5

DFA consular office in good hands that every Pinoy who cannot go home to renew or replace his passport is attended to. On the issue of requiring the presentation of the hard-to-get birth certificate, Ferrer clarified that it is not needed for those only renewing their passports. I WATCHED and listened to DFA As- He reiterated his boss Foreign Secresistant Secretary for Consular Affairs tary Teodoro Locsin, Jr.’s statement Neil Frank Ferrer being interviewed live on television. This is a man who knows his job as he fielded questions posed by TV veteran anchor Rey LanFerrer has a hands-on, git. Without hesitation and with much clarity, Ferrer showed his knowledge no-respite, seven-days-aof the job considered by many in the week job. Department of Foreign Affairs as the most difficult and demanding. As the official in charge of the Department’s consular office which handles thousands of passport applicants that obviously the person applying for daily, his job is a hands-on, no-respite, renewal is still the same person in the seven-days-a-week requirement. I old passport. First-time applicants and can’t give the exact figures of Philip- those who claim to have lost the vital pine passports being processed by the document , however, must present their consular office on Macapagal Avenue birth certificates from the Philippine but seeing the people packed inside the Statistics Authority to preclude fraud. building with many more lined up out- This is a ploy of some OFWs particuside, I can tell this is probably the busi- larly those working in Japan and the est government office in the country. Middle East where the salary is high. After all, Filipinos are not known for In order to return to their high-paying paying their taxes on time at the Bureau jobs, OFWs attempt to secure a new of Internal Revenue except at crunch passport under a different name so they time when the BIR warns them of the can return to these jobs that stipulate a deadline and the penalty for not doing certain period, often only of one or two so. On the other hand, Pinoys have a years in their contract. penchant for traveling while those who To cope with the never-ending work can’t afford to still need passports to of issuing passports, Ferrer, like his seek jobs overseas. Hence, there is a predecessor, also named Frank (Cimadaily beeline at the DFA consular of- franca), continues the consular policy fice for passport application, renewal of application appointment on line and and replacement of lost ones. through a number coding scheme the The only time Asec Ferrer would applicant need not queue for a long probably get time off is when he heads time and just wait for his number to be a consular outreach to Filipino Over- called. The consular office has a special seas Workers in Hong Kong, Singa- skeleton crew that processes applicapore, Malaysia and Thailand of which tions even on Saturdays. there are thousands. And this is not The consular office reminds applireally a break but still work as Ferrer cants to always check the expiration still had to supervise his staff to ensure Turn to A5

The wealthy Forbes Magazine has come up with its latest list of Filipino billionaires. They are: 1. Manuel Villar $5.5 billion; 2. John Gokongwei Jr. $5.1 billion; 3. Enrique Razon Jr. $4.8 billion; 4. Lucio Tan $4.4 billion; 5. Tony Tan Caktiong $3.9 billion; 6. Ramon Ang $2.9 billion; 7. Andrew Tan $2.7 billion; 8. Hans Sy $2.4 billion; 9. Herbert Sy $2.4 billion; 10. Harley Sy $2.2 billion; 11. Henry Sy Jr. $2.2 billion; 12. Tessie Sy $2.2

billion; 13. Elizabeth Sy $1.9 billion; 14. Eduardo Cojuangco $1.4 bilion; 15. Robert Coyiuto Jr. $1.4 billion; 16. Ricardo Po Sr. and family $1.2 billion; and 17. Roberto Ongpin $1.1 billion. Forbes desegregated the $18-billion wealth of the family of the late Henry Sy Sr. The result is that instead of being the richest family, the Sy children are now ranked below No. 7 with the fourth child and the second son, Hans Sy, being the richest Sy, with wealth of $2.4 billion. Next richest is the fifth child and the third son, No. 9 Herbert Sy $2.4 billion; followed by the youngest child and youngest son, No. 10 Harley Sy $2.2 billion. No. 11 is the third child and eldest son Henry

Rodrigo Duterte, an unabashedly pro-poor President and the most anti-elite President ever, is good for the very rich Filipinos. Sy Jr. $2.2 billion; No. 12 the eldest bilchild and daughter Tessie Sy $2.2 bil lion; and No. 13 is the second eldest child, Elizabeth Sy $1.9 billion. Still, I reckon the Sy family as the wealthiest in the Philippines. The Turn to A5

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

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Opinion Mail Matters

Airstrikes story has no basis

GREETINGS of Peace! This is in reference to the news article dated March 11, 2019 written by Francisco Tuyay in your prestigious outlet the “Manila Standard.” It has come to our attention the lead line of the story regarding the ongoing Focused Military Operation in Maguindanao, “Airstrikes vs BIFF rebels mistakenly kill soldier.”

The story has no basis and there is no report with that lead line, even in our statements. This news will create negative quotations on our effectives in addressing the local terrorist group. In line with this, may we request to correct and clarify the lead line on the article posted in manilastandard.net and so as to the printed news being released.

Hoping for your understanding and immediate action on this regard. ARVIN G. ENCINAS MAJ (INF) PA Chief, DPAO 6th Infantry (Kampilan Division), Philippine Army Office of the Division Public Affairs Camp Siongco, Awang, DOS, Maguindanao

Honesty in politics POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE IF I had a voice half as good as Billy Joel’s, I’d serenade our politicians with this song: “Honesty is such a lonely word / Everyone is so untrue…” What is honesty? The encyclopedia definition: “A facet of moral character that connotes positive and virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, straightforwardness, including straightforwardness of conduct, along with the absence of lying, cheating, theft, etc. “Honesty also involves being trustworthy, loyal, fair, and sincere.” Is this not a quality that we should expect from our public servants, particularly the highest in the land, such as senators? The State takes from us our hard-earned money as taxes and other fees in order to run the country. As taxpayers and citizens we have the right to expect the truth from our senators, representatives, and other government officials, that they not lie, cheat, and steal the money we entrusted to them. That public officials should be of good moral character is required by the highest law of the land. The Constitution demands honesty and integrity from public servants: Article II, Section 27: “The State shall maintain honesty and integrity in the public service and take positive and effective measures against graft and corruption.”

A formula... From A4

sured to resign, and by whom? This calls for a probe. The PCSO is prone to corruption, especially in the granting of permits and licenses in small-town lottery. We the people have the right to know. *** The water crisis affecting Metro Manila is the result of typical government inaction. It really only acts when a problem has already occurred.

DFA... From A4

date of their passports and not renew them only near the date they are supposed to travel. Most receiving countries require a six-month passport validity when these documents are presented at the port of entry.

The... From A4

wealth is compact, intact, and growing every second, with collegial and well-structured leadership. The wealth is broad-based, from cash (banking) to casinos, from property to hospitality, from schools to logistics (a new business). Here is my own ranking of the wealthiest Filipinos and my estimate of their wealth, based on BizNewsAsia Research (figures are in million US dollars): 1. Henry Sy Family 14,511; 2. Manuel Villar 5,242; 3. Iñigo Zobel and sister 5,099; 4. John Gokongwei 4,984; 5. Enrique Razon Jr. 4,182; 6. Tony Tan Caktiong 4,141; 7. Lucio Tan 4,139; 8. Erramon Aboitiz 3,801; 9. Ramon Ang 3,209; 10. Arthur Ty (2,245); 11. Isidro Consunji 1,938; 12. Lucio Co 1,877; 13. Andrew Tan 1,778; 14. Roberto Ongpin 1,541; 15. Eduardo Cojuangco

Article XI, Section 1: “Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.” For this to even be an issue is ludicrous and a sign of how skewed our country’s moral compass has become. To say that one’s adversaries are liars because of one thing or another could be considered a campaign tactic, albeit a dirty one, and mudslinging often boomerangs.

We must demand that our public officials be the best of our nation’s people.

are still swayed by the vaudeville acts that characterize the typical election campaign. So instead of having healthy debates where candidates from opposing parties and ideologies can explain their platforms and describe their plans for a better Philippines, we have muckraking, intimidation, black propaganda complete with paid trolls, and other dastardly tactics, as well as comedy bar jokes, dance numbers, and karaoke. A candidate’s character, in addition to their skill, knowledge, and other attainments, is an excellent predictor of what kind of service they will render, how they will perform in office. Knowing where they stand on values and morals tells us much about their personalities, and allow us to judge accordingly. We must demand that our public officials be the best of our nation’s people. We must require from them uprightness and human decency, as well as duly earned qualifications that will equip them to do their job efficiently and intelligently with honesty, integrity, and accountability. Let me sing some more Billy Joel. To my fellow voters, remember, “We don’t want some pretty face / To tell us pretty lies /All we want is someone to believe…” And to the political candidates and politicians: “Honesty is hardly ever heard / And mostly what I need from you…” ***

But to say that because honesty is not explicitly stated in the require requirements for senator, it is therefore not an election matter—that’s being unethical and dishonorable. It is normalizing bad behavior. Lying cannot be excused; it is a betrayal of trust. And lying by public officials is a betrayal of public trust. The Filipino people are sick of the incompetence, theft, corruption, and disrespect of its leadership, and this sorry state of affairs has been going for generations. Yet the same dynas*** There are good reasons why tic personalities are voted into power the traditional wisdom ‘Honesty is the time and again. The unfortunate reality, however, best policy’ was passed on for generais that the majority of our kababayan tions. / FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Work/study woes conditions of the Filipino students and has pledged to refund their expenses. It also offered to provide assistance to the affected students should they wish to transfer to other schools offering the same program. Taiwan authorities have likewise THREE Filipinos recently surfaced endorsed the incident to prosecutors in a Taipei press conference to reveal for possible filing of criminal cases. their sad ordeal after being admitted Just before we wrapped up last into a work/study program in a uni- week with this positive development, versity in Taiwan. another controversy sprung from In all, there were about 50 Filipi- public pronouncements made by the nos recruited by a manpower agency newly-elected Mayor Han Kuo-yu of to participate in the program at Yu Da Kaohsiung City, rejecting proposiUniversity of Science and Technol- tions to hire English teachers from the ogy in Miaoli. Philippines. They alleged that they were made The charismatic mayor, whom I to work long hours which prevented had the chance to meet shortly after them from effectively preparing for his astounding electoral victory last the classroom aspect of the program. November, was also quoted as referThe complainants also accused ring to Filipinos as “Marias,” a term supervisors in the tile manufacturing that has gained negative undertones company where they were made to when used to refer to overseas workwork of subjecters. ing them to verbal In a letter subabuse. sequent to the stir Potential participants created by the Their contracts also contained should be wary. mayor’s public onerous provistatements, I exsions requiring pressed our deep them to reimburse regret upon the all expenses and imposing stiff penalpenal- impetuous and undeserved remarks, ties if they expose their conditions or reminding him of the fact the Philattempt to break their contracts. ippines is actually the fourth largDuring the past two years, Taiwan est English-speaking country in the authorities have encountered similar world, with more than 92 percent of allegations from work/study program its citizens able to speak it as a second participants who came from Sri Lan- language. ka and Indonesia. Even local peoples’ groups cried It is a program that seems to have foul over the mayor’s statements, been taken advantage of by manpow- prompting him to issue a public apoler agencies who collect as much as ogy last Saturday. NT$2,000 or about P3,400 per recruit During the past months, MECO per month, given that the lure of being has been initiating programs, small as able to work and study as well, sounds they may be, to train and create opbetter to aspiring overseas workers. portunities for our blue collar workers Although Taiwan authorities are in the island to land English teaching pro-active in ensuring the welfare of jobs. These programs are part of efits foreign labor work force, it cannot forts to improve the quality of our possibly check all contracts entered workers in Taiwan. into by overseas workers, especially Taiwan upon the other hand also if it circumvents established proce- wants to develop a bilingual work dures on hiring nationals from other force, with English as the second countries. language. The potential for English The work/study programs of Tai- teachers is there, just as there is an wan universities is a noble undertak- opportunity for Filipino students to ing if not for these incidents of abuse. learn applied mathematics, engineerIt creates unique educational opportu- ing, agriculture, marine sciences, and nities for our kababayans, which also so many other fields of higher learnenable them to independently support ing in Taiwan. themselves during their stay in the is*** land. The work week was capped on an Potential participants, however, exhilarating note, with the Manila should be wary and are advised to Concert Choir performing a very imverify with the Manila Economic and pressive repertoire of songs for the Cultural Office in Manila, or any of Filipino community at the Red House its offices in Taipei, Taichung and building in Taipei. Kaohsiung, to ensure the legitimacy The 26-member choir earlier in of the programs they want to avail the week performed at the Tzu Chi themselves of. University in Hualien, and then at the Our education and development Alethea University in New Taipei, becooperation officers have achieved a fore regaling the leaders of the Filigood level of cooperation and means pino community in Taipei with their of communication with the Taiwan mix of popular English and Filipino Ministry of Education that could pos- songs. sibly help avert unfortunate incidents The serenade soothed our nerves of abuse and exploitation. and uplifted our spirits, but above all, In fairness, the university manage- while evoking nostalgia about home, ment has since apologized for failing the concert also made everybody in to immediately detect the adverse the audience proud to be Filipino.

Now government is exploring the possibility of tapping deep water wells and even rivers. Similar problems have occurred before. Soon enough, when the rains come, the problem will be forgotten again. But this is the reason we have agencies responsible for supplying a steady supply of water at any time of the year. I wonder, too—what are the geniuses in Maynilad and Manila Water doing?

*** It was a good thing that the Commission on Elections did not go through the planned debate among senatorial candidates of the administration and opposition. All of them are saying the same thing, anyway. They are all for the alleviation of poverty, provision of jobs and healthcare, improvement of agriculture. You cannot tell one from the other.

Ferrer replaced Cimafranca who has been posted as Philippine ambassador to Greece. Ferrer’s foreign assignments before his Home assignment was Consul General in Vancouver and in Geneva, Switzerland. A lawyer, Ferrer is versed in international maritime affairs and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This is a subject

where the DFA can also harness Ferrer’s expertise considering Manila’s territorial dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea. Resigned or fired? Philippine Charity Sweepstakes managing director Alexander Balutan claimed he resigned and was not fired by President Rodrigo Duterte. Whether

he quit or was sacked does not matter anymore. Clearly, the PCSO official was ousted from his job through the instigation of office rival Sandra Cam who initially blew the lid on Balutan’s P6-million office Christmas party last December. As they say, never pick a fight with a feisty woman like Sandra Cam who has

connections with certain congressmen and senators. The lesson learned by Alexander is “alsa balutan.” A senator said Balutan should have been given his walking papers earlier for the expensive PCSO shindig. The Palace should not have waited for PCSO Lotto revenues to decline under his watch.

Jr. 1,000; 16. Jaime Zobel Ayala siblings 839; 17. Helen Yuchengco Dee 613; 18. Oscar Lopez 580; 19. Andrew Gotianun Sr. 469; Edgar Sia II 20. 360. The world has 2,696 dollar billionaires (in a population of 7.3 billion). At least 15 of them are in the Philippines. I suspect the Philippines has at least 50 dollar billionaires but I cannot prove it. If you think hard times are coming, think again. The Philippines will register the world’s second-highest growth rate in number of millionaires over the next five years, according to the Knight Frank Wealth Report 2019, 38 percent. The fastest growing is India, 39 percent. Eight of the Top Ten Growing Wealth Populations are in Asia. The Philippines is one of them. The Wealth Report covers 59 countries. In the Philippines, the same report counts 32,363 dollar millionaires and only 215 with wealth of $30 million or more. Over the next five years, or by 2023, the num-

ber of Filipino dollar millionaires will grow by 34 percent, and the $30 Million Club by 38 percent. Their wealth will grow six times faster than the rate of expansion of the Philippine economy. One may conclude thus: Rodrigo Duterte, an unabashedly pro-poor President and the most anti-elite President ever, is good for the very rich Filipinos. Ironically, if you listen to the voices and texts of the wealthy elite, they are pro-Robredo and pro-Otso Diretso senatorial candidates. No wonder Dutere wants Otso Diretso to go direct to Hell. Truth to tell, Duterte’s senatorial ticket is very egalitarian—a blend of the very rich (Cynthia Villar) and the very poor (Bato dela Rosa, a son of market vendors), the unknown (Bong Go), an advocate against pasaway kids (Freddie Aguilar of “Anak’), and old and new dynasties. – Villar (again), Pia Cayetano, and Imee Marcos (the Yellows hate her not

finishing her courses and not attending proper graduation ceremonies). Ironically again, Duterte’s economic policies are more pro-rich than pro-poor. The inflation rate rose to its highest in 11 years in 2018. That didn’t affect the rich at all. Why? Because when the rich buy, they don’t ask “how much” but how many they can buy. Besides, inflation inflates the value of the properties of the rich. Duterte’s economic managers have also lowered the corporate income tax from 35 percent, to 30 percent (although the 30 remains the highest in ASEAN). Best of all, Duterte has lowered the inheritance or estate tax, to an unheard of 6 percent (from 20 to 40 percent before). A 6-percent estate tax means the children of the rich, even while sitting on their asses, bumming around or sniffing something, will inherit their parents’ wealth practically intact (assuming inflation rate of 6 percent).

It also means all the hidden wealth stashed in cash, bank vaults, property, vessels, art, and other assets here and abroad can now come out of hiding. The penalty for going legit is only a princely 6 percent or $6 for every $100. Someone asked me—how do you make things equal in the Philippines where the rich get richer and the poor poorer? I told him about how China (Great Leap Forward), Indonesia (The Purge), and Cambodia (The Genocide) did it. These countries massacred their elite, by the hundreds of thousands, even millions. But then, a new kind of elite rose to the top. In recent years, China, Indonesia, and Cambodia have been growing faster than the Philippines. There must be a lesson there. One is that the new generation of leaders do better, in governance, at least.

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CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

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TODAY

herewith the following data and documents, which are being made integral parts hereof, to wit:

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

Annex IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF ADJUSTMENT IN RATES ON THE FIRST TO THIRD REGULATORY YEARS OF THE SECOND REGULATORY PERIOD FOR THE THIRD ENTRANT GROUP PURSUANT TO THE TARIFF GLIDE PATH RULES (TGP), WITH PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY,

Nature of Document Proposed TGP Calculation and supporting documents using the prescribed templates: Index “I” Calculation

ERC CASE NO. 2018-084 RC LEYTE IV ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC, (LEYECO IV) Applicant. x----------------------------------------------------x

A-1

Efficiency Factor “X” Calculation

A-2

Performance Incentive “S” Calculation Monthly Financial and Statistical Report (MFSR) Sections B and E (2014-2017) Billing Determinants Template (kWh Sales, Number of Customer, kW) (2014-2017) Sample Bills (per customer type) (2014-2017) Regional CPI (2014-2017) RFSC/Reinvestment Fund Utilization (2015-2017) Consumer Complaints (Summary or Tracking Form) (2015-2017) Audited Financial Statements (2015-2017)

B C D E F G H

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: On 05 December 2018, Leyte IV Electric Cooperative, Inc. (LEYECO IV) filed an Amended Application dated 21 November 2018, seeking the Commission’s approval of its adjustment in rates on the First to Third Regulatory years of the Second Regulatory Period for the Third Entrant Group pursuant to the Tariff Glide Path Rules (TGP), with prayer for provisional authority (Amended Application). The pertinent provisions of the Amended Application are hereunder quoted as follows: 1.

LEYECO IV is a non-stock, non-profit electric cooperative, duly organized and existing under and by virtue of Philippine laws, with principal office at Brgy. Lamak, Hilongos, Leyte;

It holds an exclusive franchise issued by the National Electrification Commission to operate an electric light and power distribution service in the City of Baybay and five (5) municipalities in the Province of Leyte, namely, Inopacan, Hindang, Hilongos, Bato and Matalom;

ALLEGATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY 17. Applicant repleads the foregoing allegations as may be material herein; 18. Applicant’s current DSM rates which were granted by the Honorable Commission provisionally, were implemented in three -year tranches starting way back January 2010, with the rate caps or initial tariffs being implemented only starting at the end of the three-year transition period; 19. Applicant respectfully prays that it be allowed to implement the proposed rate adjustment effective January 1, 2019, considering that it is expressly prescribed under the TGP Rules provision on Regulatory Period and Process, which provides in part, as follows: “ 2. Regulatory Period and Process 2.1 On or before each Fourth month of the Third and Sixth regulatory year of their respective Regulatory Periods, the electric cooperative may file before the Commission an application for a rate adjustment reflecting the values for the “I”, “X” and “S” as determined in accordance with these rules. The initial tariff caps of the respective ECs shall be adjusted by the “I, ‘X” and “S” effective at the start of the Fourth Regulatory Year of the First Regulatory Period x xx” (Emphasis ours)

NATURE OF THE APPLlCATION 3.

The instant Application is being filed for the approval of Applicant’s proposed adjustment in its Distribution, Supply and Metering (DSM) Rates covering the First to Third Regulatory Years of the Second Regulatory Period for Electric Cooperatives belonging to the Third Entrant Group under Tariff Glide Path Rules (TGP Rules) and pursuant to said Rules, as well as other pertinent laws and rules. THE ANTECEDENT FACTS

Sometime in June 2015, the Applicant filed with the Honorable Commission an application for approval of proposed adjustment in its DSM Rates pursuant to the TGP Rules, docketed as ERC Case No. 2015-143 RC.

In the said application, Applicant prayed for approval of either of the following two (2) proposed alternative new rates for Distribution, Supply and Metering (DSM) Charges, to wit:

A. WITH PERPORMANCE INCENTIVE “S” AND UNDER NORMAL OPERATIONS UNITS Distribution Charges Demand Charge Distribution System Charge Supply Charges: Retail Customer Charge Supply System Charge Metering Charges: Retail Customer Charge Metering System Charge

Residential

PhP/kW PhP/kWh

0.8873

PhP/ Customer/ Mo. PhP/ kWh

0.8120

PhP/ Meter/ Mo. PhP/ kWh

5.25 0.4798

CUSTOMER TYPE Low Higher Voltage Voltage 281.33 0.9723

20. Further, based on the provisions of the TGP Rules, the regulatory period is six (6) years for each entry Group. For the Third Entrant Group, the first regulatory period is from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2018 and the start of the Fourth Regulatory Year is January 1, 2016. Applicant belongs to the Third Entrant Group, accordingly, its initial DSM Rates under the TGP Rules should be adjusted through the proposed TGP B Rates starting January 1, 2019; 21. Over the years, the cost of its operations has significantly increased, not only as a logical effect of inflation as well as certain governmental requirements, but likewise due to the inevitable expansion of its distribution network brought about by the extension of its services to remote areas. More significantly, the cooperative has been implementing the Sitio Energization Program (SEP) and National Intensification of Household Electrification Program (NIHE) of the government, such that the massive expansion of its distribution lines up to the remotest areas has considerably increased its operational and maintenance costs, not to mention the increased system loss which the cooperative is likely to absorb. All these operational and maintenance costs were not duly provided for in its current rates and the general funds being generated from its DSM revenues as granted under the RSEC-WR are no longer sufficient to cover these inevitable costs;

42.16

22. Thus, the cooperative urgently needs additional funds to be able to cope with the rising costs of its operations;

30.16

23. Considering the foregoing, applicant respectfully prays that while the instant application is pending, it be granted a provisional authority to implement either of the two (2) proposed rates effective January 1, 2019.

B. EXCLUDING PERFORMANCE INCENTIVE “S” AND UNDER NORMAL OPERATIONS UNITS Distribution Charges Demand Charge Distribution System Charge Supply Charges: Retail Customer Charge Supply System Charge Metering Charges: Retail Customer Charge Metering System Charge

CUSTOMER TYPE Residential Low Higher Voltage Voltage

PhP/kW PhP/kWh

0.8442

PhP/ Customer/ Mo. PhP/ kWh

0.7725

PhP/ Meter/ Mo. PhP/ kWh

5.00 0.4565

267.67

Annex I

40.12

J to J-1

28.70

K and series

0.9251

Foregoing application was Applicant’s initial application for DSM rate adjustment pursuant to the TGP Rules, under which electric cooperatives are given an opportunity to adjust their rates once every three (3) years, which may occur at the start of the fourth year of the First Regulatory Period and every three years thereafter. Applicant belongs to the Third Entrant Group whose first regulatory period is from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2018. Having filed its initial application for DSM rate adjustment in 2015 which is the third regulatory year of the First Regulatory Period, the cooperative is filing the instant application for the proposed adjustment of its DSM rates covering the first to third regulatory years of tile Second Regulatory Period for the Third Entrant electric cooperatives under the TGP Rules; LEGAL BASES FOR THE A PPLICATION

On May 2, 2011, the Honorable Commission promulgated the Tariff Glide Path (TGP) Rules pursuant to Article 7 of the RSEC-WR;

The TGP is a rate adjustment mechanism which provides an opportunity for the ECs to adjust their rates once every three (3) years. The rate adjustments may occur at the start of the fourth year of the first Regulatory Period and every three years thereafter;

10. Under the TGP, the regulatory period is six (6) years for each entry group. For the Third Entrant Group, the second regulatory period is from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018. LEYECO IV belongs to the Third Entrant Group; 11. It is provided under Article 7 of the RSEC-WR that during the regulatory period, the rate of the ECs per group shall be adjusted using the following formula, to wit: Tariff x (1+ index “I” -Efficiency Factor “X” + Performance Incentive “S”)

TGPA= TGPn + TGPn+1 +TGPn+2 where TGPn=In--Xn+Sn

The TGP calculated for each of the three years will be summed to determine the possible rate adjustment starting on the First Year of the current Regulatory Period. THE PROPOSED RATE ADJUSTMENT 13. Applying the methodology embodied in the TGP Rules, herein Applicant calculated the values of the “I”, “X” and “S” and came up with the following results, to wit: “X”

“S”

TGP B

0.00% 0.00% 1.58%

0.00% 0.00% 1.33%

2.10% 1.70% 0.90%

2.10% 1.70% 1.15% 4.94%

TGP B (excluding S) 0.00% 0.00% 0.25% 0.25%

14. Utilizing the above values will result an adjustment in the cooperative’s DSM Rates covering the first to third years of the Second Regulatory Period for electric cooperatives belonging to the Third Entrant Group, as follows:

UNITS Distribution Charges Demand Charge Distribution System Charge Supply Charges: Retail Customer Charge Supply System Charge Metering Charges: Retail Customer Charge Metering System Charge

Distribution Charges Demand Charge Distribution System Charge Supply Charges: Retail Customer Charge Supply System Charge Metering Charges: Retail Customer Charge Metering System Charge

PhP/kW PhP/kWh

295.24 0.9311

PhP/ Customer/ Mo. PhP/ kWh

0.8521

PhP/ Meter/ Mo. PhP/ kWh

5.51 0.5035

1.0204 44.25

44.25

31.65

B. EXCLUDING PERFORMANCE INCENTIVE “S” CUSTOMER TYPE UNITS Distribution Charges Demand Charge Distribution System Charge Supply Charges: Retail Customer Charge Supply System Charge Metering Charges: Retail Customer Charge Metering System Charge

Residential

PhP/kW PhP/kWh

0.8462

PhP/ Customer/ Mo. PhP/ kWh

0.7744

PhP/ Meter/ Mo. PhP/ kWh

5.01 0.4576

Low Voltage

Higher Voltage

268.32 0.9274 40.21

40.21

28.77

PhP/kW PhP/kWh

0.9311

Street, left at Camia Street to JP Rizal to destination. “In preparation, roads in the vicinity of Estrella Bridge will be cleared of illegally parked vehicles and other obstructions,” said Garcia. Roadside clearing operations will be conducted on identiﬁed alternative roads, including streets of Camia, Gumamela, and Progreso. “Starting Monday, we are going to clear all alternate routes. We want to utilize all roads in the vicinity,” said Garcia. The rehabilitation of EstrellaPantaleon Bridge aims to widen the bridge to four lanes from its present two lanes. Based on the DPWH timeline, the project will be completed in 2021.

PhP/ Customer/ Mo. PhP/ kWh

0.8521

PhP/ Meter/ Mo. PhP/ kWh

5.51 0.5035

295.24 1.0204 44.25

44.25

31.65

UNITS Distribution Charges Demand Charge Distribution System Charge Supply Charges: Retail Customer Charge Supply System Charge Metering Charges: Retail Customer Charge Metering System Charge

CUSTOMER TYPE Residential Low Voltage Higher Voltage

PhP/kW PhP/kWh

0.8462

PhP/ Customer/ Mo. PhP/ kWh

0.7744

PhP/ Meter/ Mo. PhP/ kWh

5.01 0.4576

268.32 0.9274 40.21

40.21

28.77

Having found the said Application to be sufficient in form and in substance, with the required fees having been paid, the Commission issued an Order and a corresponding Notice of Public Hearing dated 01 August 2018 setting the Application for hearing on 15 November 2018 at LEYECO IV’s principal office located at Brgy. Lamak, Hilongos, Leyte. However, on 23 October 2018, LEYECO IV filed a Motion to Cancel and Reset the November 15, 2018 Schedule dated 18 October 2018 (Motion) requesting the Commission to reset the initial hearing as it was in the process of amending the Application.

Finding the said Motion and the Motion for Leave to File and Admit Amended Application to be meritorious, the Commission hereby grants the same. Thus, the hearing for the determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, pre-trial conference, and presentation of evidence, is hereby reset on 28 March 2019 (Thursday) at ten o’clock in the morning (10:00 A.M.) at LEYECO IV’s Principal Office located at Brgy. Lamak, Hilongos, Leyte All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the instant Application 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;

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

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 LEYECO IV rest 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;

A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and

The grounds relied upon.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from LEYECO IV that they be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing. LEYECO IV is hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursemenl 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 Commissioners ALEXIS M. LUMBATAN, CATHERINE P. MACEDA, and PAUL CHRISTIAN M. CERVANTES, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 12 February 2019 in Pasig City.

15. Consequently, applicant respectfully prays of the Honorable Commission for the approval of either of the foregoing calculated DSM rates SUPPORTING DATA AND DOCUMENTS

MMDA General Manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. said closure of Estrella Service Road—from Gumamela Street to JP Rizal direction—would take effect on March 23, Saturday, at 11 p.m. At least 500 vehicles per hour are traversing per direction. The other direction going to Rockwell area will remain open to motorists. The closure, in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways and the local government of Makati City, will last up to two years until the completion of the bridge. Motorists are advised to take the following alternate routes: All vehicles coming from EDSA/ Rockwell must turn at Gumamela

CUSTOMER TYPE Residential Low Voltage Higher Voltage

3) A statement of the relief desired.

CUSTOMER TYPE Residential Low Voltage Higher Voltage

HE Metro Manila Development Authority announced Tuesday it would partially close next week the Estrella Service Road in Makati City to give way to the ongoing rehabilitation of Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge.

B. EXCLUDING PERFORMANCE INCENTIVE “S”

A. WlTH PERFORMANCE INCENTIVE “S” UNITS

By Joel E. Zurbano

A. WITH PERFORMANCE INCENTIVE “S”

On 04 December 2018, LEYECO IV underwent the mandatory pre filing requirement for its Amended Application. Finally, on 05 December 2018, LEYECO IV filed the Amendecl Application dated 21 November 2018. Simultaneous with the filing of the said Amended Application, LEYECO IV filed Motion for Leave to File and Admit Amended Application dated 10 October 2018.

n = the fourth year of their Regulatory Period and succeeding Regulatory Periods

Makati City’s Estrella Road partially closed next week

“WHEREFORE, premises considered, it is most respectfully prayed of this Honorable Commission that pending evaluation of the instant application or after due notice and hearing, as the case may be, LEYECO IV be allowed to implement effective January 1, 2019 either of the following two (2) alternative proposed new rates for Distribution, Supply and Metering (DSM) Charges, to wit:

Respectfully submitted. Matalom, Leyte, November 21, 2018.

12. Further under the TGP Rules, the concerned EC shall use the following formula in determining the TGP for the first to third years of the Regulatory Period, to wit;

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

PRAYER

It must be noted that on 26 July 2018, LEYECO IV filed an Application dated 11 July 2018 seeking the Commission’s approval or its adjustment in rates on the First to Third Regulatory years of the Second Regulatory Period for the Third Entrant Group pursuant to the Tariff Glide Path Rules (TGP), with prayer for provisional authority (Application).

The TGP is intended as a cap and the EC may move up to the cap, if it is a positive adjustment. If the cap is lower than the current average tariff, a reduction may be implemented.

“I”

Nature of Document Judicial Affidavit in Support of the Prayer for Provisional Authority Proof of furnishing copies of the Application to the Sanggumiang Bayan of Hilongos and Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Leyte Proof of publication of the Application in a newspaper of general circulation in LEYECO IV`s franchise area or where it principally operates, with Affidavit of Publication

Other reliefs, just and equitable in the premises are likewise prayed for.

The Index “I”, shall be an escalation factor to be used in adjusting the rates to reflect the combined impact of inflation and load factor. There shall be an efficiency factor “X” to account for the operational efficiency of the ECs in setting their rates. There shall be a performance incentive “S” which shall reward or penalize the EC for above or below standard performance, respectively.

YEAR 2016 YEAR 2017 YEAR 2018 TOTAL

COMPLIANCE WITH PRE-FlLING REQUIREMENT 24. Finally, in compliance with the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, applicant is likewise submitting herewith the following documents, which are being made integral parts hereof, to wit:

News

JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGGPALE-ASIRIT Oversight Commissioner Legal Service

16. In support of the foregoing computations, the cooperative is submitting (MS-MAR. 6 & 13, 2019)

RABIES RECOGNITION. The Caloocan City Veterinary Office starts Tuesday giving free vaccines for pets in celebration of March as the National Rabies Awareness Month in the Philippines. Supporting the government initiative, many local government units are doing free rabies vaccination drives and alert the human population on the dangers and risks of rabies. Andrew Rabulan

Cebu Pacific to launch 3 new domestic routes THE Cebu Pacific Air has announced it is gearing up to expand its route network from its hubs in Cebu and Clark this year. In a statement, CEB chief operations officer Michael Ivan Shau said they are set to launch three new domestic routes from the Clark International Airport. He announced that the airline will operate daily flight service between its hubs in Clark and Iloilo; as well as between Clark and Bacolod, starting Aug. 9, 2019. Beginning Oct. 9, 2019, CEB will mount daily flights between Clark and Puerto Princesa in Palawan. “There’s still a lot of opportunity for expansion within the Philippines—inter-island connections from key cities like Clark and Cebu. We believe that there is a significant untapped market in northern provinces in the Philippines. Creating

direct links between domestic destinations and our other hubs will spur tourism and movement of goods and investments, whilst doing away with having to pass through the main hub in Manila,” Shau noted. The Clark International Airport has served as the hub for North and Central Luzon of Cebu Paciﬁc for the past 10 years. It has emerged as one of Asia’s fastest-growing airports, with passenger volume breaching 2.5 million in 2018. Over the past six months, CEB has boosted frequency in Clark by over 75 percent, with direct connections to Cebu, Caticlan, Tagbilaran, Davao, Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong. “We are also in the ﬁnal stages of launching a new route between Cebu and mainland China. We’ll have more details on that soon,” added Shau. Joel Zurbano

MIAA warns vs Salisi Gang THE Manila International Airport Authority on Tuesday urged the people to be aware of the presence of unscrupulous individuals at airport terminals, specially this coming summer vacation when the number of passengers would increase. The MIAA management came up with the warning following the arrest of Rey John Manglay, 27, a notorious member of Salisi Gang, operating at Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals. Manglay, who uses an alias Arjhay Valdez, was arrested after Harija Panayaman Hamsa, an overseas Filipino worker from Kuwait, ﬁled a complaint against him. “He [suspect] approached and befriended me when I arrived at the NAIA Terminal 1 last Feb. 27, 2019, and he convinced me to go with him at the NAIA Terminal 3 for my connecting ﬂight to General Santos City,” Hamsa said. Hamsa said Manglay was able to convince her when he told her he was also an OFW from Saudi Arabia. She added the suspect took away her baggage, containing her money worth P150,000, jewelry and mobile gadgets, when she entered the comfort room. Investigation showed that Manglay had victimized a total of 20 OFWs and a German tourist on various occasions at the airport. Joel E. Zurbano CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Sexton scores 28 as Cavs rout Raptors L

OS ANGELES—Collin Sexton scored 28 points and Kevin Love tallied 16 points and 18 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers used a balanced attack to upset the Toronto Raptors 126-101 on Monday. Cedi Osman scored 19 points and Ante Zizic had 17 for Cleveland, who had a half dozen players in double figure scoring. “That was a great win for us,” Love said. “Especially against a real good team at home. It was fun.” Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard returned from a one game absence to score 25 points on 11 of 19 shooting from the field for Toronto who have the second best record in the NBA. Kyle Lowry scored 14 points for the Raptors, who dropped to 48-20 on the season and trail Milwaukee by 2 1/2 games for the best record.

“They did a great job, they played well, and they made open shots,” Leonard said. “That’s pretty much the way the game played out.” The Raptors said they wanted to rest Leonard in the last game because of the long season but they looked like a tired team against the Cavaliers and led only briefly in the first half. Leonard hasn’t appeared in more than two consecutive games since finishing up five straight in early February. Cleveland led by as much as 27 points late in the game after seizing command early in the fourth.

Two ejected Toronto’s Serge Ibaka and Cleveland’s Marquese Chriss were ejected for a heated scuffle in the third quarter. Ibaka fell down and got up and immediately went after Chriss. Ibaka shoved Chriss from behind and grabbed his throat. A shoving match ensued and at one stage Ibaka tried to throw a punch but missed wildly. At that point Chriss was trying to break free and eventually did. One or both players could face a suspension. Love said the fight didn’t last long. “I saw it out of the corner of my eye,” Love said. “It happened so fast. Everybody almost wants to run out there and check what’s going on. It was broken up quick. That’s usually how it goes.” In Los Angeles, Lou Williams made history by becoming the most prolific scoring substitute in NBA history by passing Dell

Curry in the Los Angeles Clippers 140-115 win over the Boston Celtics. Williams finished with 34 points as the Clippers continued their push towards the playoffs. Williams now leads the NBA in points for a player coming off the bench with 11,154 in his career. Curry had 11,148 points as a reserve. It was Williams’ eighth game of the season with at least 30 points. Also, James Harden scored 28 points and Eric Gordon had 22 as the Houston Rockets overcame Kemba Walkers’s 40 point performance with a 118-106 win. Clint Capela tallied 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Rockets who won their ninth straight game. Chris Paul had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Harden had 10 assists and six rebounds. Walker also had 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Hornets lost their second in a row. AFP

Novis keeps PPS win run; Alga shines MA. Angelica Novis bucked a scare from the Carvajal siblings and annexed another two-title sweep while Ryan Alga pulled off a shock win in the boys’ singles of the PPS-PEPP Tagum City national age-group tennis tournament in Davao del Norte yesterday. Novis, 16, thwarted Juliana Carvajal’s tough stand in the first set and went on to post a 6-4, 6-0 win in the semis then whipped Hanna Amazona, 6-0, 6-2, to rule her age bracket in the Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop. The rising Malita star also faced stiff resistance from Coleen Carvajal but recovered in time to eke out a 6-3, 4-6, 10-4 decision, also in the semis of the premier division before repeating over Amazona, 6-1, 6-1, at the Tagum City Tennis Club to duplicate her two-title romp in Digos last week. The fourth-ranked Alga, meanwhile, stunned top seed Reyman Saldivar Jr., 6-0, 6-1, in the semis then held off No. 3 Khobe Dumlao, 7-6(8), 6-4, to snare the 16-U diadem and spark a rash of reversals in the fiveday event hosted by Mayor Allan Rellon and sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala. Meanwhile, a huge field will slug it out in the Davao leg beginning tomorrow (Thursday), which will coincide with the Araw ng Davao celebrations. For details and listup, call PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464. Unseeded Kenneth Eufemiano, however, stopped Alga in the 18-U finals, scoring a convincing 6-2, 6-2 victory to share the spotlight with Tagum’s Chelsea Bernaldez, who also came away with two victories in the girls’ 12- and 14-U sides of the event sanctioned by the by Unified Tennis Philippines made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg. “Reversals have marked all legs of the PPS-PEPP circuit which has been emphasizing the need to discover fresh talents, especially in the countryside, thus paving the way for the level playing field,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

THE HOARSE WHISPERER JENNY ORTUOSTE THE Philippine Racing Commission Trainers Academy will be opening to a second batch for training this year, and invites all those who wish to become racehorse trainers to enroll. The Academy offers a two-year certificate course for trainers with three semesters of coursework and one of practical work. The second year is one of apprenticeship or hands-on learning with mentors, which is how the racing community traditionally imparts skills and knowledge about the sport. The Philracom Academy codifies and formalizes the training of racehorse trainers as veterinarian-educators and practicing vets team up with other industry personalities to teach subjects such as equine anatomy, conformation and lameness, and horse training and fitness development. Materials such as textbooks written for the Academy to be used in its training are soon going to be developed. One noted racehorse trainer who I hope can find time to write a trainers’ textbook is Dr. Antonio C. Alcasid Sr.

PSC Chairman William Ramirez (center) is joined by (from left) Korean Embassy Representative Consul Park Joong-Suk, Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-Man, United Korean Community Association in the Philippines President Byun Jae Heung and Youn Man Heong from the Korean Sports Association of the Philippines.

Korean Embassy joins hands with PSC THE ties of Korea and the Philippines continue to flourish from the start of its diplomatic relations 70 years ago. The Korean Embassy and the Philippine Sports Commission announced its partnership yesterday for the holding of the first-ever KoreaPhilippines Sports Festival. PSC Chairman William Ramirez announced this venture alongside Korean Ambassador Han Dong-Man, Consul Park Joong-Suk, Byun Jae Heung of the United Korean Community Association in the Philippines (UKCA) and Youn Man Heong from the Korean Sports Association of the Philippines (KSAP). “We at the PSC are grateful to partner with the Korean Embassy in this celebration, mainly because of the rich history both the Philippines and Korea have shared for a long time. The Korean Institute of Sports Science has been persistent in helping national team coaches and practitioners in lectures of sports science, sports psychology and sports policy,” said Ramirez. With the theme ‘March Together’, the embassy will launch the KoreaPhilippines Sports Festival on June 8 with football, soccer and baseball among the 12 sports to be played at PhilSports Complex in Pasig. “Sports is a vital component to connect people together, that is why we are inviting Filipino locals, especially the families of Korean War veterans to join the games with us,” said Ambassador Han, who also thanked the PSC for its support. Meanwhile, cultural performances will also be showcased on the second day of festivities together with the hosting of the ‘Tortoise Marathon’. Han said he is hopeful that this activity will be held regularly, clarifying that it depends majorly on the willingness of both parties as well as the success of the event. Korean Cultural Center First Secretary and Director Dr. Lee Jincheol, Consul General Kim Hong-Kon and Consul Park Joong-Suk initially made a courtesy call and meeting with Chairman Ramirez last March 5.

Girl Power: Young athletes win big in gymnastics, volleyball AN INSPIRING showcase of girl power was on display in two prestigious competitions as Club Gymnastica’s Philippine Cup and BEST Center’s Women’s Volleyball League each recognized a new roster of female champions in their respective tournaments. Supported by leading beverage brand MILO, both events saw hundreds of contingents nationwide vie for the highest stakes in gymnastics and volleyball. For over 30 years, MILO continues the tradition of supporting grassroots sports programs by working with esteemed institutions such as Club Gymnastica and BEST Center, to cultivate sports among young Filipinos. The Philippine Cup and WVL both have a longstanding history of championbuilding for women athletes, which resonates strongly with MILO’s commitment in getting children into sports. “MILO is steadfast in inspiring young Filipino athletes to discover their potential and strive for athletic excellence in the grassroots level,” said Lester P. Castillo, MILO Sports Executive. “We are delighted to continue our partnership with Club Gymnastica and BEST Center in celebrating the achievements of these talented young girls. Competitions such

as these will not only inspire more young athletes to play competitively, but also help them to develop the values of discipline, respect, and teamwork.” 130 athletes earn top ranks at Philippine Cup More than 100 athletes out of 300-plus contingents made the top ranks in the Philippine Cup. Twenty teams from different gymnastics clubs, schools, and universities went head-to-head for the Levels 1 to 6 of the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics. Among the standouts are the young athletes who have made herculean feats in the individual all-around, floor, beam, bars, and vault events. Jia Mae Cabatingan from Club Gymnastica Pasig, took home the gold after posting a total score of 38.6 in the Level 1 event. Wilhelmina Tan from Club Gymanstica Makati and Isis Aurora Alcudia from Club Gymnastica Pasig both secured first place with a total score of 38.35 (Level 2) and 37.8 (Level 3), respectively. Gael Santos from The Making of the Champions and Elyssia Phoebe Alicias from St. Paul College Pasig both earned a gold medal for scoring a total of 37.9 (Level 4) and 36.5 (Level 5), respectively. Meanwhile, Sabine Odulio

PhilracomTrainers Academy A veterinarian and alumnus of the University of the Philippines College of Veterinary Medicine, he is one of the winningest trainers of all time and an icon of the sport. Below I quote excerpts from an article he wrote in 2008 about the training methods he used for horses under his care that he turned into champions. On Little Morning and Gypsy Grey, winners of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Presidential Gold Cup in 1977 and 1978 respectively: “Little Morning was a chestnut mare by Zamazaan. She was a stayer and a puller. She had a mean finishing kick which she unleashed in the last three furlongs of the race. Her running style was off the pace. Her best performance came when she was allowed to loaf during the early part of the race on a slow gallop, letting her finish off the last three furlongs of the race. “She was a puller and that gave me some concern. I hit upon the idea of using on her the double rein, which is connected to the cinch of the saddle, passing through the bit towards the jockey’s hands. [Note: Dr Alcasid was the first trainer to develop and use the double rein in the Philippines; everyone else followed suit after.] “In the mornings, you could pick her out

from among the other horses doing their workouts with her beautiful chestnut coat shining and Jockey Esting Camba straining with all his might to hold her from taking off in a full gallop.” On Fair and Square, the first horse to win the PCSO Presidential Gold Cup back-toback (in 1981 and 1982): “Fair and Square was an easy horse to train. He required little fast work, keeping fit on slow long gallops. He had a wonderful temperament and could be exercised by almost any exercise rider. He had a tendency to crib-bite and colic was another of his problems brought about by his sucking in wind. It was probably because he got bored being confined to a small stall.” It’s insights such as these that are the hallmark of a thinking trainer who cares for the health and wellbeing of his horses. For those who would like to embark on this career, the deadline for applications to the Philracom Trainers Academy is on March 15. For inquiries, call 893-1453 and ask for Ms. Diding Estandian. The interview of applicants is on March 21 at San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite. *** Speak your mind—and ride a fast horse! FB: Gogirl Racing, Twitter: @ drhoarsewhsprr, @DrJennyO

Lester P. Castillo, MILO Sports Executive, and Mr. Nic Jorge, Founding President, BEST Center, with individual awardees from Colegio San Agustin, Jubilee Christian Academy, Holy Family School, and Poveda College.

from Club Gymnastica Pasig was dubbed the highest scorer for Level 6 with a total of 37.4 points. Overall, the Poveda Gymnastics Team soared to the top with two gold and four silver medals, totaling to 17 medals. Meanwhile, St. Paul College Pasig College Pasig came close with two gold medals, one silver medal, and a total of 18 medals. The

Making of the Champions, not far behind, secured third place with one gold medal and a total of four medals. Organized by renowned gymnastics organization Club Gymnastica, the Philippine Cup is a premier national competition which caters for experienced-beginner up to elite level for Women’s and Men’s Artistic Gymnastics.

Lady Maroons hope to recover fine form vs National University UNIVERSITY of the Philippines hopes to reignite the old form that installed the Lady Maroons as title favorites against National University at 4 p.m. today (Wednesday) in the UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Centre. Ateneo, meanwhile, stakes its hold on the top spot against Adamson University in the 2 p.m. curtain raiser. After an opening weekend defeat, the Lady Eagles soared to four consecutive victories to seize the solo lead. With its ace scorer Tots Carlos having an off-day, UP crashed out of the top four after dropping a 21-25, 15-25, 26-28 decision to Katipunan rival Ateneo last Sunday. “We tried, but things did not happen as planned. You could see we did not play our game. We lost focus, we were not in the game. Our minds were somewhere else. I think the result today told us many things,” said coach Godfrey Okumu, whose Lady Maroons currently sit in fifth place with a 3-2 record. “The only thing I can say as a coach, we don’t take any team for granted. I hoped that we would have fought the same way

Games today (Filoil Flying V Centre) 8 a.m. – AdU vs Ateneo (Men) 10 a.m. – UP vs NU (Men) 2 p.m. – AdU vs Ateneo (Women) 4 p.m. – UP vs NU (Women)

we fought against La Salle, but the fight wasn’t there in us today. So, I still believe we have a strong team,” he added. Whether it will be a surging Lady Eagles or the struggling Lady Bulldogs, Okumu simply wants his troops to play at a higher level in every match. “As I said, everybody wants to beat UP. I mean, after two off-season championships and the way we are playing, I think everybody wants to have the best out of us,” said Okumu. A win will definitely boost the Lady Maroons’ morale as the elimination round reaches the halfway mark. Despite its 1-4 record, NU has showed promise with its youth movement led by Princess Robles and Ivy Lacsina, while playing without pressure despite losing rookie setter Joyme Cagande to a seasonending knee injury.

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor sports@manilastandard.net sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

4 PBA teams try to stay alive Games Today (Araneta Coliseum) 4:30 p.m. Columbian Dyip vs Magnolia 7:00 p.m. Alaska vs NLEX

By Jeric Lopez

The AFP Cavaliers are shown with UNTV officials, led by president and CEO Dr. Daniel Razon and Gerry Panghulan, during the awarding ceremony. The Cavaliers swept the series following an 88-78 win over the Senate Defenders.

Fiba 3x3 BAGS P4M FOR BENEFICIARY offers P1M to champ A CASH prize of P1 million will be at stake for the champions when the Philippines hosts the first-ever AsiaPacific Super Quest 3x3 Basketball Tournament next month. Aside from this, two slots will given to the the top two placers to the FIBA 3X3 World Tour. These incentives are up for grabs now that the International Basketball Federation has elevated the Chooksto-Go Pilipinas 3x3 competitions to Quest level. “For the last three legs, all of you have showed the world what Filipino 3x3 basketball is all about,” said league owner Ronald Mascariñas as he addressed participants of the Chooks cagefest last Sunday. In the FIBA 3x3’s list of events, the Quest is a level seven (purple) event, while the Quest Finals are ranked at eight (brown). The cagefest will be known as the Chooks-to-Go 3x3 Asia-Pacific Super Quest, tentatively set on April 6 to 7. “The FIBA has been in awe with the action we have been bringing. That is why the FIBA has promoted our league to a Quest level,” added Mascarinas. The Quests are a multi-tournament qualification tour, which ends in a Quest final. The best teams in a Quest tournament will qualify to a pre-determined World Tour Masters. This means that each legs of the ongoing Chooks 3x3 tournament will now be ranked as purple in the FIBA 3X3 hierarchy, which is a level seven. As for the Grand Finals of the President’s Cup on March 31 at the SM Fairview Events Center, it will now be a level eight (brown) event. Peter Atencio

San Beda cage camp listup still underway REGISTRATION is still open for the San Beda Basketball Camp, now on its 14th season. Classes will commence this April at the Mendiola and Taytay campuses. Interested parties may contact Oliver Quiambao at 0929-1971071 or 735-6011, local 2104, or through camp organizer Edmundo Badolato at 0908-8624543. The camp, open for boys and girls, is handled by coaches from San Beda. Classes in the Mendiola campus will be from April 4 to May, 2019 and will be held every Monday and Thursday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sessions in the Taytay, Rizal campus will be from April 5 to May 3, 2019, and every Tuesday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Fees for the sessions of the camp is set at P4,000, while a package deal of P7,000 is offered for those who will enroll in both the April and May sessions. Enrollees will get a San Beda jersey at the start of the camp and a Molten ball at the end of the sessions. There will be a 3x3 tournament on the last day of the camp, which is supported by Molten balls and Gatorade.

AFP Cavaliers crowned UNTV champ a 3rd time A

RMED Forces of the Philippines arranged a date with history as it became the ﬁrst three-time champion of the UNTV Cup after sweeping Senate in their best-of-three title series Monday night before a huge crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Getting stellar performances from Jerry Lumongsod, Darwin Cordero and Boyet Bautista, the AFP Cavaliers ousteadied the Senate Defenders, 88-78, in Game 2 in a fitting finish to another year of dominant showing in the tournament for public service. Lumongsod erupted for 26 points, aside from posting three assists, three steals and a rebound to clinch the Finals MVP in the tournament now on its seventh season. He scored 14 points in the team’s 76-73 win in Game 1. Also shining for the Cavaliers were Darwin Cordero and former Letran star Boyet Bautista who contributed 19 and 18 points, respectively.

Jeffrey Quiambao added 11 points aside from making life miserable for the usually high-scoring Garri Sevilla, who struggled big time and finished with a paltry five points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field. AFP’s title win was worth P4 million to its beneficiary—the AFP’s Education Benefit Systems Office. The Cavaliers, who also triumphed in 2024 and 2016, did not go home emptyhanded as UNTV President and CEO Dr. Daniel Razon handed them their P500,000 prize, while the dethroned champions got P300,000. Kythe Foundation, Tahanang Mapagpala Immaculada Concepcion, Inc. and

Bahay Pangarap Foundation, Inc. – the chosen beneficiaries of the Defenders – will have to share equally the P2 million. “Everybody gave their all, but the Cavaliers just played much harder so I congratulate them for a job well done,” said Razon. “Ang paggawa ng mabuti ay hindi magbubunga ng masama. So to all the teams who took part in the tournament, congratulations.” Aside from Razon, also present during the game witnessed by close to 10,000 fans were UNTV executive Gerry Panghulan, Senators Joel Villanueva and Sonny Angara, Vice Admiral Gaudencio Collado, Jr., Major Gen. Ericksson Gloria, Brig. Gen. Arnold Fernandez, Col. Taharudin Piang Ampatuan, Col. Dennis Macalintal Senate Secretary Myra Marie Villarica. The Cavaliers trailed early, but got into the offensive groove in the second quarter that saw them take the lead 39-37 before controlling the tempo of the game to prevail to the delight of their officials and backers.

TWO critical tiffs can decide the fate of several teams as they continue to jockey for position in the homestretch of the elimination round of the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup. Columbian Dyip (4-5) looks to move closer to a quarterfinals berth as it goes toe-to-toe with Magnolia (2-4) today at 4:30 p.m., while hot-and-cold Alaska (3-3) goes up against hapless NLEX (2-5) at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Considering where these playing four teams are at the moment, the four teams are facing must-win situations as they all would want a better crack at making the top eight. After the Dyip, which is currently in seventh place, conquered a big fish in Rain or Shine in their last outing, 85-82, head coach Johnedel Cardel looks ahead as he wants his team to take care of business in their final assignments to earn a ticket in the next phase. “We won our last game and we have two more. We need both of our last games to make sure we’ll make the quarterfinals,” said Cardel. “We’ll take it one game at a time.” His team’s foe, Magnolia, which also earned a much-needed 103-86 win over the Aces in its last game, considers its remaining games as a do-or-die as it is still in ninth place. “From this point on, everything is a do-or-die game for us. We can’t lose anymore,” said Hotshots coach Chito Victolero. “We talked about that and it’s already the playoffs for us, practically.” Following its loss to the Hotshots, the Aces, who have been performing up and down thus far, hope to bounce back against the Road Warriors, who will be virtually fighting for dear life. Alaska currently sits at No. 6, while NLEX, which is on a two-game losing streak, is at No. 11. The Road Warriors need to sweep their remaining four games, more or less, to have a good shot at cracking the top eight. Only the top eight teams will advance to the quarters, while the bottom four will be booted right away right after the eliminations.

Dahlke carries PLDT past Generika

Kendra Dahlke of PLDT Home Fibr tries ro keep the ball allive.

KENDRA Dahlke unleashed the Power Hitters clawed back Games Tomorrow (Filoil Flying V Centre) her power, towing PLDT from a 17-23 cushion to turn the 2:00 p.m. – PLDT vs Foton Home Fibr to a thrilling 25-21, set into 27-26, Dahlke poured 4:15 p.m. – Cignal vs Generika-Ayala 20-25, 29-27, 13-25, 15-12 vicsix points in the deciding fifth 7:00 p.m. – United VC vs F2 Logistics tory over Generika-Ayala in set to essay the victory. the Philippine Superliga Grand “Kendra was tremendous, Prix yesterday at the Filoil Flying V Centre. especially in the third set. Her offense was truThe hard-hitting former Arizona star provided ly a big help for us,” said Gorayeb after pluckthe offensive muscles down the stretch as the ing their fourth win in this battle that also has Power Hitters opened the second round of this Asics, Mueller, Mikasa, Senoh, Team Rebel prestigious women’s club tourney that has ESPN5 Sports, Bizooku, UCPB Gen, Cocolife, Hotel and 5Plus as broadcast partners on a sizzling note. Sogo and Data Project as technical sponsors. Dahlke delivered 27 kills, two blocks and an “It’s what we need from her. Good thing she ace to finish with a conference-best 30 points on played well today. I think this is her best game top of 16 digs for the Power Hitters, who stepped so far.” back on winning column after finishing the first PLDT’s other import in Grace Lazard was also round with three wins in seven games. instrumental, delivering 18 points with 10 excelPLDT head coach Roger Gorayeb couldn’t lent receptions while Aiko Urdas and Shola Alhelp but praise the impressive performance of his varez chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively, ward, especially in the heart-stopping third set for PLDT. where they gamely matched the firepower and Setter Jasmine Nabor dished out 28 excellent defensive intensity of the Lifesavers. sets while libero Lizlee Pantone protected the After carrying the cudgels in the third where floor with 27 digs and 16 excellent receptions.

Mojdeh wins 6 golds in Japan SWIMMING internationalist Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh pulled off another sterling performance, winning six gold medals in another record-setting campaign in the recent 2019 Age-Group Champs Swim Meet in Tokyo, Japan. Mojdeh, the country’s newest swimming sensation in the girls’ 11-12 division, ruled the 100-meter breaststroke (1:18.34), 100m butterfly (1:04.72), 200m Individual Medley (2:30.77), 100m Individual Medley (1:10.19), 50m butterfly (39.70) and 200m freestyle (2:13.01), all in record time. But her performance in the 200m freestyle was the most impressive considering that the event is the least of her favorites. “Medyo mataas pa nga ang mga time niya dahil siguro pagod na dahil panglimang tournament na niya ito this year. Pero talagang marami siyang ginulat sa 200m freestyle. Hindi naman niya ito madalas languyin kaya nang matalo niya ‘yung mga lehitimong free stylers, nasabi na lang nila na very good strategy daw,” said Mojdeh’s mother Joan, who served as team

manager of the Philippine Swimming League Team sent here through the initiative of PSL president Susan Papa, with the help of the Filipino-Japanese community in Tokyo. Last month, the 12-year-old Immaculate Heart of Mary College-Paranaque standout bagged eight gold medals and set seven meet records in the Beijing All-Star Swimming Championships at the Water Cube – the pool where American Michael Phelps re-wrote history by winning eight gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Mojdeh, a medal prospect in the coming 30th Southeast Asian Games this November if given a chance to join the Philippine Team, set meet records in the girls’ 11-12 division in 200-meter fly (2:17.89), 200m individual medley (2:25.68), 200m breaststroke (2:43.51), 100mbutterfly (1:04.67), 100m IM (1:09.85), 50m butterfly (29.41) and 50m breast stroke (36:13). Her eighth gold came from the girls’ 11-12 division of the 100m breaststroke (1.17.77). “We are keeping our fingers crossed na sana po matuloy ‘yung nabalitaan namin na magpa-

Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh (center) displays her trophy. She is joined here by two Japanese competitors.

patawag ang POC (Philippine Olympic Committee) ng national tryouts para sa lahat ng swimmers regardless of affiliation,” said Joan. The Philippine Swimming Inc., which is embroiled in leadership dispute with the PSL, is the current swimming association both recognized by the POC and the International Swimming Federation. Mojdeh, the Palarong Pambansa most bemedalled athlete, also owns a Philippine national junior record in the 100m butterfly with a time of 1 minute and 4.71 seconds during the 152nd PSL National Series, shattering her own mark of 1:05.10 established during the SICC Swimming Championship last August in Singapore.

IN BRIEF URC inaugurates new sugar mill in Negros UNIVERSAL Robina Corp., the biggest snack food maker, said sugar and renewables unit Southern Negros Development Corp. inaugurated a new mill in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental province. URC said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the new sugar mill could crush up to 6,000 metric tons of canes daily, increasing Sonedco’s milling capacity to 14,000 tons of canes, and URC’s total milling capacity to 40,000 tons a day. The expansion project, which started in April 2017, will start commercial operations in time for the 2019-2020 crop year. “The inauguration of the new mill marks the high point of our 30 years in the sugar business. It fulﬁlls our commitment to serve sugar cane farmers with a mill that renders better sugar recovery from their canes and utilizes lower energy cost, so that the consumers will be provided with good-quality sugar at fair and reasonable prices,” said Renato Cabati, vice president and business unit general manager of URC’s Sugar and Renewables Group. Jenniffer B. Austria

Business

Moody’s impressed with high PH growth THE “high” economic growth of the Philippines is one of the major factors that continue to strengthen its credit profile which is currently rated investment grade, global debt watcher Moody’s Investors Service said Tuesday. Moody’s just completed a periodic review of the Philippines in which it reassessed the appropriateness of each outstanding rating in the context of the relevant principal methodologies, recent developments and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. The Philippines currently enjoys an investment-grade rating of “Baa2” from Moody’s with a stable outlook. “The credit profile of the Philippines is characterized by “high” economic strength, which balances robust economic growth and large size to peers against low GDP per capita,” Moody’s said. It said the country’s moderate institutional strength took into account a long track record of maintaining broad monetary and financial stability, as well as more recent progress in addressing longstanding weakness in revenue generation compared with peers. Julito G. Rada

THE trade deficit widened to $3.76 billion in January from $3.16 billion a year ago, as imports rebounded while exports continued to decline, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show. The government should step up efforts to strengthen relations with trade partners to further increase market access amid easing global demand, the National Economic and Development Authority said on the release of the trade figures for January. Merchandise trade rose 2.9 percent to $14.3 billion in the first month of the year, reversing the negative outturn in December 2018. January’s trade performance was largely due to a rebound in imports which grew 5.8 percent to $9 billion, supported by increases in the import values of consumer goods, capital goods and raw materials and intermediate goods. Exports recorded a 1.7-percent drop to $5.3 billion, as lower receipts from manufactures and minerals offset the gains in exports of forest and total agrobased products.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

By Jenniffer B. Austria

ASEANA CITY PROJECT. D.M.Wenceslao and Associates Inc., the developer of Aseana City, holds the groundbreaking ceremony for Parqal, the most modern and integrated mixed-use development project in Parañaque City. Leading the groundbreaking ceremony are (from left) DMWAI chief executive Delfin Angelo Weceslao, chairman Delfin Wenceslao Jr., vice president and treasurer Sylvia Wenceslao, chief operating officer Paolo Vincent Wenceslao and vice president for management Carlos Delfin Wenceslao. Manny Palmero

10 aerospace companies drop plans to invest in PH By Othel V. Campos

EN aerospace companies abandoned their plans to invest in the Philippines in favor of Vietnam amid concerns over tax incentives and the uncertainties generated by the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law. Aerospace Industry Association of the Philippines president Dennis Chan said those companies earlier made known their intention to have manufacturing and assembly operations in the Philippines. Most of them closed shop in China and were looking for alternative sites.

“We initially thought that the USChina trade war will beneﬁt us. The tax reform law was another hurdle for these companies and other companies who are eyeing the Philippines,” Chan said. An existing investor in the Philippines, Rockwell Collins Inc., temporarily shelved an expansion plan with a third plant in Batangas, because of the Train law. Rockwell Collins, formerly B/E Aerospace Inc., is a manufacturer and supplier of aviation and integrated solutions for both commercial and government applications. It produces and supplies aircraft cabin interior products, including cabin seating, lighting, oxygen systems, food and beverage preparation and storage equipment, galleys and lavatories to aircraft manufacturers. AIAP said despite these issues, it remained optimistic that it would achieve the 2022 export target of $2.5

billion. Exports in 2019 are expected to reach $2 billion, up 11 percent from $1.8 billion in 2018. AIAP will host the ﬁrst capability and capacity trade show on March 27 to 30 to feature the latest machines and aerospace equipment as well as the capacity of the Philippines as a site for aerospace ﬁrms and their investments. The Philippine Suppliers and Manufacturers 2019 is an international event that will focus on reverse trading where the country is expected to generate investments in exchange for buying machinery, equipment and aircraft. The event will also showcase the Philippines’ technological capabilities in aerospace procedures from machining, casting of parts, surface coating, plating, heat treatment metal stamping, sheet metal cutting, painting, plastic injection and packaging.

Trade deficit widened in January as exports declined 1.7% to $5.3b By Julito G. Rada

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

SMIC allots P98b for 2019 investments

Cusi opposes higher blend for biodiesel ENERGY Secretary Alfonso Cusi has called for more studies on increasing the biodiesel blend, saying it could have an impact on pump prices especially in the wake of recent successive oil price increases. “I opposed that, if we do that, the price of fuel will go up. How come the copra price is going down but the price of CME remains high? When the price of copra goes down, CME prices should also go down,” he said. Rafael Diaz Jr., a biodiesel consultant and expert, said the price assumptions of the Department of Energy was flawed. “With the current B2 pump price at P44 per liter and a CME price index of P51 per liter (as of March 1, 2019), the cost impact of B5 pump price over B2 pump price will only be P0.21 centavos or 0.48-percent increase, very negligible compared to the multi-benefits it provides specially in fuel cost savings from mileage gain and wellness of public health,” Diaz said. Diaz said Cusi may have been referring to the spot price of CME and not contracted price, which is fixed over a contract period. Alena Mae S. Flores

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

“The Department of Agriculture is currently in talks with Singapore, Russia and Monaco for possible arrangements to increase Philippine agricultural export products to these countries,” Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said. Pernia said exporters should explore opportunities in emerging sectors and to respond to increasing market demand for other non-traditional exports to broaden exports base. “Also, the likely conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement this year will be a welcome development,” Pernia said. The RCEP aims to achieve greater market access for goods, services and investments and provide business-friendly and tradefacilitative rules for businesses and investors among its 16 member economies. Nicholas Mapa, ING Bank Manila senior economist, said imports would likely continue to grow, albeit at a more subdued pace in 2019 with the fuel import bill seen to contract (given the dollar price of oil versus 2018) and with both the capital goods and raw materials account likely at or past peak.

VISTA LAND’S AWARDS. Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. receives its third award as Asia’s Outstanding Company on Corporate Governance during the Corporate Governance Asia Recognition Awards 2018 – The Best of Asia. Receiving the award is Vista Land chief financial officer Brian Edang (right). Vista Land president and chief executive Manuel Paolo Villar was also recognized as Asian corporate director awardee.

SM INVESTMENTS Corp., the holding company of the Sy family, earmarked P98 billion for 2019 capital expenditures to support the expansion of its real estate, banking and retail businesses. SMIC said in an investor presentation property unit SM Prime Holdings Inc. would get the lion’s share of the capital spending at P80 billion. It said of the amount, 55 percent or P44 billion would go to the development of new malls and expansion of existing ones. About 34 percent or P27 billion will be for the construction of high-rise and mid-rise residential projects and the remaining 11 percent or P8.8 billion will be for the completion of office and hotel projects. The conglomerate will allocate P9 billion to P12 billion for banking units BDO Unibank Inc. and China Banking Corp. for branch expansion and IT enhancements. SM Retail is spending P5 billion in 2019 to roll out new stores and renovate existing outlets. SM Retail had 2,328 stores as of end2018, including 63 department stores, 882 food retail outlets and 1,383 specialty stores with 2.89 million square meters of gross selling area. SM Prime is slated to open four new malls this year to end with a total of 83 malls, including 76 in the Philippines and 7 in China. These malls have an estimated combined gross floor area of almost 10 million square meters. SM Development plans to launch 15,000 to 18,000 residential condominium units while SM Prime is set to launch a campus-office building called NU Tower and the FourE-Com Center which are both located in the Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City in 2019 and 2020, respectively. SM Prime will open two new hotels, Park Inn by Radisson-Iloilo and Park Inn by Radisson.

RCBC files suit vs Bangladesh Bank for defamation RIZAL Commercial Banking Corp., the tenth-largest lender in terms of assets, said it filed a lawsuit against the Bank of Bangladesh in a local civil court for allegedly defaming the bank and its executives. RCBC sued Bank of Bangladesh for baseless allegations of complicity in the $81-million cyber heist in 2016. RCBC said in a statement it filed the complaint on March 6 with the Makati City Regional Trial Court. The Philippine bank said its reputation had come “under the vicious and public attack by Bangladesh Bank since 2016”. “It is public knowledge that Bangladesh Bank has embarked on a massive ploy and scheme to extort money from plaintiff RCBC by resorting to public defamation, harassment and threats geared towards destroying RCBC’s good name, reputation and image, all with the intention of getting RCBC to pay Bangladesh Bank money that RCBC does not have in its custody or possession and which it does not owe to Bangladesh Bank,” it said. The suit was served to Abu Hena Mohammad Razee Hasan, deputy governor and head of Bangladesh Bank Financial Intelligence Unit and the other members of Bangladesh Bank delegation that arrived in the Philippines for meetings with banking officials. Bangladesh Bank sued RCBC in January in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Julito G. Rada

Business

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks advance; ICTSI; PLDT rise T HE stock market rallied Tuesday in step with the rest of Asia following a positive lead from Wall Street overnight.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index rose 38.82 points, or 0.5 percent, to 7,747.54 on a value turnover of P5.7 billion. Losers, however, beat gainers, 108 to 83, with 56 issues unchanged. International Container Terminal Services Inc., the biggest port operator, advanced 4.4 percent to P119, while Aboitiz Power Corp. climbed 3.9 percent to P35. PLDT Inc., the biggest telecommunications ﬁrm, increased 3 percent to P1,107, but SM Prime Holdings Inc., the largest integrated property company, fell 3.4 percent to P36.70.

The pound, meanwhile, extended its rally in Asian trade after British Prime Minister Theresa May hammered out a revision to her controversial Brexit deal she hopes will be enough to push it through parliament. The surge in sterling came as regional equity markets pushed higher following a positive lead from Wall Street, with tech ﬁrms tracking an upbeat outlook for Apple, energy ﬁrms rising with oil prices and dealers cheered by improving US retail sales. With a key vote on her agreement due later in the day, May said she had secured “legally binding” guarantees with the EU over the main sticking point of the Irish border question. The news reinforced hopes the country will have some sort of deal in place once it exits the bloc. If her plan is still dismissed by MPs,

there will be a vote Wednesday on whether to continue to leave without a deal—considered economically catastrophic by many—and if that fails to pass then another will take place on extending the March 29 exit deadline. “From today for three days the market will be closely watching the UK lower house votes over Brexit,” Mizuho Securities said in a note. The main scenario is that the Tuesday vote will be denied, the Wednesday vote will approve avoiding a hard landing, and the Thursday vote will decide the extension until the end of June, it said. “If the extension is pushed back to December 2019 or later, that would be favored by the market with possibility of the second referendum that may deny Brexit,” it said. The pound has risen about 1.5 percent

against the dollar since late Friday, while it is up around two percent on the euro. The broadly upbeat mood has also lifted higher-yielding currencies against the greenback as investors return to riskier assets. On equity markets Tokyo’s Nikkei closed 1.8 percent higher, while Shanghai was up 1.1 percent and Hong Kong put on 1.2 percent in the afternoon. Singapore jumped 0.8 percent and Seoul and Taipei each added 0.9 percent. The gains follow last week’s sharp sell-off that was fueled by worries over the global economy, with the OECD lowering its 2019 forecasts, the European Central Bank sounding a negative note on the eurozone’s outlook and Chinese trade taking a hammering. However, OANDA senior market analyst Jeffrey Halley warned that things could still turn ugly. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2019

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 58.6 5,500 85.1 1,034,320 2.34 6,000 134 1,269,740 1.36 13,000 27.5 40,100 18.1 143,100 12.22 227,100 4.47 2,000 7.81 2,700 0.62 21,000 800 10 0.455 350,000 76 2,971,850 0.96 471,000 13.86 21,200 22.9 1,200 61.4 1,289,490 183 370 58.8 250 26.5 103,000 167 488,440 61 3,280 1.13 12,000

322,475 88,054,228.50 13,880 169,009,177 17,610 1,104,610 2,590,110 2,776,432 8,940 21,097 12,220 8,000 161,000 228,076,687 455,690 293,560 26,380 78,822,866.50 67,924 14,703 2,731,620 81,278,058 200,000 13,560

322,475 -11,136,603.50 65,810,422 -677,340 -1,378,876 -137,072,553 -106,700 -81,734 -25,925,490 -49,472 -1,548,630 -69,440,365 -182,965 -

33.8 14.9 1.01 1.42 0.236 89.5 2.53 14.94 120 29.4 15.82 41 71.05 1.85 5.97 5.96 11.26 15.72 8.71 7.52 1.65 20.4 73.7 26.5 2.65 9.57 12.68 1.64 311 4.2 3.5 11 26.3 12.06 19.84 370.6 0.197 6.16 1.36 3.77 6.66 1.32 11.74 48.95 5.85 4.67 1.85 2.68 1.3 12.28 107.8 6.4 1.01 138 2.65 1.62 1.36

INDUSTRIAL 35 3,548,600 14.9 549,900 1.03 931,000 1.42 2,004,000 0.243 130,000 97.95 510 2.65 16,033,000 15.7 168,300 120 100 29.5 50,100 16.2 3,700 41 50,000 71.05 100 1.91 7,000 5.97 109,000 6.1 11,100 11.32 173,400 15.72 43,600 8.8 611,500 7.52 99,100 1.65 12,000 20.7 6,345,900 73.9 66,840 27 564,900 2.65 30,544,000 9.6 2,732,200 12.72 499,400 1.69 299,000 317 139,630 4.2 101,000 3.59 17,000 11 9,400 26.6 140,900 12.06 140,500 19.9 1,099,800 376 125,820 0.197 1,490,000 6.16 300 1.37 4,124,000 3.77 148,000 6.75 6,663,400 1.33 8,836,000 12 148,100 49.3 392,000 5.87 6,000 4.67 3,000 1.85 117,000 2.68 1,000 1.3 313,000 12.28 11,100 109 2,051,410 6.4 85,600 1.01 378,000 141.2 315,810 2.65 52,000 1.63 3,941,000 1.37 5,490,000

122,474,550 8,316,678 954,430 2,880,060 31,200 45,736 42,643,760 2,554,022 12,000 1,476,440 58,968 2,050,000 7,105 13,130 652,002 67,731 1,960,854 686,226 5,411,393 746,983 19,800 133,087,815 4,931,448 15,251,245 85,966,830 26,230,259 6,397,820 493,890 44,132,774 426,760 60,130 107,312 3,748,735 1,701,464 21,950,331 47,007,126 296,010 1,848 5,670,790 558,030 44,779,426 11,764,710 1,769,282 19,346,700 35,120 14,020 216,500 2,680 410,020 136,504 224,431,351 548,640 384,000 44,263,911 137,960 6,426,370 7,675,740

5,497,040.00 -1,684,746 3,747,970 505,768 -176,990 0 5,730 -4,275 -1,063,726 1,640,783 -130,248 -45,090,750 -1,665,266.50 255,650 3,535,430 12,943,797 1,830,424 10,689,376 -812,465 284,516 3,009,202 -1,609,608 1,799,920 23,891,558 -4,207,150 -5,017,335 -29,250 -33,204 31,399,879 53,120 3,611,753 106,000 -249,460 371,540

0.77 57.1 14.96 0.74 6.5 20.25 1.41 1.42 925 7.46 11.16 14 0.24 965 6.13 64.55 0.55 5.03 16.12 0.56 4.87 0.04 2.99 2.56 171.4 925.5 0.78 1.36 450 275 0.24 0.355

HOLDING FIRMS 0.78 14,321,000 58 3,157,370 15 9,268,100 0.75 351,000 6.51 10,900 20.55 39,200 1.41 3,259,000 1.44 23,000 925 175,170 7.5 1,128,300 11.2 4,949,200 14.64 2,784,200 0.24 620,000 974.5 197,940 6.13 17,800 65 1,748,470 0.57 801,000 5.04 754,200 16.42 2,676,800 0.56 108,000 4.94 10,778,000 0.04 3,200,000 2.99 1,065,000 2.56 10,000 174 1,542,220 946 188,190 0.78 95,000 1.37 10,000 450 100 282.8 430 0.24 680,000 0.36 20,290,000

11,165,850 181,173,652.50 139,052,548 263,150 71,011 804,455 4,627,180 32,720 162,595,375 8,524,344 55,574,216 40,436,726 152,430 193,742,460 109,114 114,112,115.50 442,110 3,804,753 44,247,712 60,480 52,993,610 128,700 3,197,100 25,600 267,283,718 175,774,460 74,300 13,620 45,000 119,906 163,200 7,400,200

-405,600 6,285,903 84,613,306 650 -33,945,750 4,439,424 -14,724,350 -928,572 -4,800 3,927,045 -20,864,149 479,206.00 27,175,336 36,960 17,627,240 11,326,378 -28,343,740 47,780 -49,978 448,300

26,526,064 1,014,150 6,276 44,970 875,230 266,028,800 1,841,590 1,082,540 13,172 4,081,390 23,000 92,840 1,183,110 532,050 24,768,194 15,742,035 2,180,300 23,400 9,422,630 2,033,600 62,777,544 3,253,600 2,529,900 8,622,790 148,500

-169,974 -141,911,515.00 -182,470 -547,230 53,500 910 -20,350 16,650,600 -2,618,395 -832,380 1,585,710 -146,400 26,222,178 126,600 -

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

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

58.95 84.6 2.26 131.7 1.35 27.6 18.1 12.16 4.47 7.86 0.58 800 0.46 76.7 0.97 13.86 21.8 60.05 184.6 58.9 26.55 167 61 1.13

58.95 85.55 2.34 134 1.36 27.65 18.1 12.26 4.47 7.86 0.62 800 0.47 78.4 0.98 13.86 22.9 62.65 184.6 58.9 26.55 167 61 1.13

58.6 84.1 2.26 130.1 1.35 27.5 18.1 12.16 4.47 7.81 0.58 800 0.455 76 0.96 13.84 21.8 60.05 183 58.8 26.4 166 60.5 1.13

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS BASIC ENERGY BOGO MEDELLIN CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CHEMPHIL CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CONCRETE B 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 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

33.8 15.26 1.02 1.42 0.243 89.55 2.54 15.48 120 29.45 16 41 71.05 1.85 6 6 11.32 15.78 8.96 7.52 1.65 21.5 73.7 26.6 3.05 9.61 13.04 1.66 312 4.26 3.52 11.52 27 12.18 19.84 372 0.2 6.16 1.38 3.77 6.76 1.32 11.74 49 5.85 4.67 1.85 2.68 1.33 12.32 109 6.48 1.06 140.2 2.67 1.65 1.44

35.05 15.28 1.04 1.46 0.243 97.95 2.7 15.7 120 29.5 16.2 41 71.05 1.91 6 6.3 11.34 15.78 8.96 7.6 1.65 21.95 73.9 27.85 3.08 9.61 13.3 1.69 317 4.26 3.6 11.52 27 12.28 20.1 376 0.2 6.16 1.39 3.78 6.79 1.34 12 49.55 5.87 4.68 1.86 2.68 1.33 12.32 112.8 6.48 1.06 141.2 2.67 1.65 1.45

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 SOLID GROUP SYNERGY GRID TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.78 57.2 15 0.74 6.62 21 1.41 1.42 930 7.46 11.16 14 0.24 965 6.13 66.1 0.58 5.03 16.12 0.56 4.87 0.04 3.03 2.56 174.1 930 0.79 1.36 450 275.2 0.24 0.37

0.79 58.1 15.16 0.76 6.62 21 1.43 1.44 933 7.7 11.38 14.66 0.255 996 6.13 67.2 0.58 5.1 16.82 0.56 4.95 0.041 3.03 2.56 176.9 946 0.79 1.37 450 282.8 0.24 0.38

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 ESTATES PHIL INFRADEV PHIL REALTY

11.88 0.79 10.46 1.88 0.92 43.15 2.43 4.3 6.6 0.5 0.92 0.91 0.24 0.41 9.99 20.8 0.54 0.13 1.51 1.26 5.52 0.395 0.455 1.95 0.45

12.2 0.8 10.46 1.88 0.93 43.55 2.43 4.3 6.86 0.51 0.92 0.93 0.249 0.41 10.18 21.2 0.54 0.13 1.52 1.27 5.53 0.395 0.455 1.97 0.45

11.7 0.78 10.46 1.87 0.9 42.8 2.39 4.2 6.5 0.49 0.92 0.91 0.239 0.405 9.92 20.25 0.5 0.13 1.5 1.22 5.39 0.39 0.445 1.86 0.45

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

2.82 43.05 23.5 2.02 3.15 38 1.58 7.02 0.81 7.22

2.87 45.2 23.7 2.03 3.15 38.4 1.58 7.14 0.82 7.35

2.79 43.05 22.8 2.01 3.12 36.7 1.53 6.9 0.75 7.18

2.86 45.2 23.7 2.02 3.12 36.7 1.56 7 0.8 7.2

43,000 1,100 1,166,500 45,000 167,000 11,214,000 514,000 181,900 623,000 7,486,300

120,860 48,440 27,101,150 90,750 522,660 417,566,870 801,290 1,273,776 474,600 54,087,646

10,463,390 162,720 -267,720,840 -84,150 71,290 -26,524,448

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

11.88 21.3 1.28 0.435 0.045 2.86 11.72 0.073 83 5.62 7 2.25 14.72 1,890 5.73 376 2.95 114.9 11 7.1 0.128 5.44 3.29 15.5 3.28 0.9 19.6 0.6 4.7 3.07 1.98 1.95 2.89 9.21 10.38 3.08 5 135 2.8 1,090 0.91 1.28 48.7 85 8.34 2.38 0.71 0.435 5.62 0.66 15.5

12.16 21.4 1.28 0.435 0.046 2.88 11.94 0.077 84.5 5.88 7 2.26 14.9 1,910 5.73 381.6 3.09 120.4 11 7.1 0.131 5.44 3.29 15.5 3.34 0.91 20.3 0.63 4.91 3.07 1.98 1.95 2.9 9.21 10.48 3.4 5 135 2.8 1,113 0.91 1.3 48.7 86.5 8.34 2.41 0.72 0.44 5.62 0.68 16.08

11.84 21.2 1.28 0.43 0.044 2.79 11.66 0.072 81.5 5.62 7 2.11 14.56 1,865 5.71 371.2 2.94 114.3 11 7.07 0.127 5.23 3.29 15.24 3.27 0.89 19.6 0.6 4.7 2.99 1.9 1.95 2.82 9.21 10.38 3.08 4.9 134 2.76 1,089 0.9 1.22 47.5 85 8.34 2.36 0.7 0.43 5.6 0.66 15.5

SERVICES 12.16 21.3 1.28 0.43 0.046 2.88 11.8 0.075 81.5 5.83 7 2.15 14.58 1,878 5.71 380 2.94 119 11 7.07 0.131 5.28 3.29 15.26 3.3 0.91 19.94 0.62 4.9 3 1.96 1.95 2.84 9.21 10.44 3.4 4.99 135 2.79 1,107 0.9 1.22 47.7 86 8.34 2.39 0.71 0.43 5.6 0.67 15.7

22,800 141,000 13,000 120,000 11,200,000 461,000 5,626,400 253,480,000 126,940 763,900 50,500 22,000 178,400 35,130 94,700 3,240 8,025,000 3,774,330 6,100 7,500 2,350,000 5,924,900 1,000 4,400 266,000 39,000 1,200,400 2,193,000 105,000 1,974,000 98,000 1,000 1,405,000 200 36,000 6,000 106,000 23,500 1,095,000 114,980 1,831,000 32,878,000 169,500 240,720 32,400 14,388,000 1,119,000 3,890,000 162,100 675,000 10,193,600

273,582 3,002,570 16,640 51,700 503,900 1,300,540 66,247,164 18,928,680 10,537,971.50 4,423,661 353,500 48,010 2,614,380 65,981,975 541,906 1,220,456 24,151,430 448,794,606 67,100 53,130 300,060 31,544,595 3,290 67,136 877,830 34,910 23,836,095 1,346,430 495,740 5,983,490 188,650 1,950 4,001,980 1,842 375,244 18,800 525,730 3,171,887 3,043,570 127,088,055 1,657,480 41,006,070 8,090,905 20,574,010.50 270,216 34,234,340 786,220 1,676,550 907,830 450,910 160,446,204

1,216 -43,000 -62,660 -4,951,688 756,480 -6,047,076.50 543,059 -4,410 -23,900,795 367,610 126,008,874 -1,162,338 -60,960 6,590 4,249,274 -21,960 2,860 14,502 -12,000 161,417 -826,550 9,308,430 176,080 -409,250 -4,833,190 -10,998,464 -9,627,550 -173,260 8,600 -120,470 -14,060 49,384,880

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

0.0021 1.47 2.91 13.6 1.17 2.24 0.295 1.49 0.255 0.125 0.0081 1.09 2.68 1.08 0.6 0.94 0.012 0.012 0.012 3.16 4 14.34 20 0.0074

0.0021 1.48 2.95 13.6 1.17 2.26 0.295 1.49 0.255 0.126 0.0081 1.09 2.71 1.08 0.62 0.94 0.013 0.012 0.012 3.3 4.03 14.36 20.35 0.0076

0.002 1.44 2.91 13.6 1.15 2.24 0.295 1.48 0.247 0.121 0.0081 1.08 2.65 1.03 0.6 0.93 0.012 0.012 0.011 3.16 3.9 14 20 0.0073

1,924,600 4,875,150 327,520 2,720 139,100 1,850,750 29,500 3,508,330 274,180 487,340 24,300 35,850 7,933,560 27,940 52,840 93,250 349,300 81,600 39,200 88,820 4,907,080 32,561,168 24,072,630 228,200

74,070 103,410 -88,800 -2,621,990 12,000 -430,420.00 -4,180,984 -1,827,400 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 DD PREF FGEN PREF G GMA HLDG PDR LR PREF MWIDE PREF PNX PREF 3B SFI PREF SMC FB PREF 2 SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

20.2 470 497 98.35 102.5 5.58 0.99 101 103.5 1.8 980 75.45 76.85 72.6 75 72 72.4

20.2 470 497 98.35 102.5 5.59 0.99 101 103.5 1.8 980 75.45 76.95 72.6 75 72.05 72.4

20.1 470 497 98.35 102.5 5.58 0.98 101 103.5 1.8 980 75.45 76.7 71.4 75 71.9 72

PREFERRED 20.2 35,000 470 430 497 10 98.35 150 102.5 200 5.59 16,000 0.98 105,000 101 5,500 103.5 230 1.8 1,000 980 40 75.45 30 76.95 20,610 71.4 50,800 75 200 72 88,400 72 10,510

705,405 202,100 4,970 14,752.50 20,500 89,438 103,570 555,500 23,805 1,800 39,200 2,263.50 1,583,096 3,677,602 15,000 6,363,515 756,850

-459,965 19,600 23,805 15,370.00 3,549,600 -

LR WARRANT

1.88

1.85

WARRANTS 1.88 53,000

98,260

ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE XURPAS

4.91 2.69 1.37

5.07 2.69 1.41

4.91 2.69 1.36

5.06 2.69 1.38

2,673,400 8,070 7,030,040

-35,280 199,390

FIRST METRO ETF

115.5

115.3

508,938

225,075

USD DMPL A1 USD TECH B2

10.3 0.99

10.4 0.99

10.3 0.99

42,012 297

PROPERTY 11.98 0.78 10.46 1.87 0.91 42.9 2.4 4.23 6.86 0.495 0.92 0.93 0.245 0.405 10.08 20.25 0.52 0.13 1.52 1.24 5.49 0.395 0.45 1.87 0.45

2,212,100 1,292,000 600 24,000 957,000 6,182,100 767,000 256,000 2,000 8,216,000 25,000 102,000 4,920,000 1,310,000 2,476,100 761,200 4,204,000 180,000 6,223,000 1,647,000 11,519,700 8,280,000 5,620,000 4,560,000 330,000

TRADING SUMMARY

FINANCIAL

10,009,191

INDUSTRIAL

101,949,158

HOLDING FIRMS

90,485,045

PROPERTY

95,717,538

SERVICES

368,188,944

MINING & OIL

1,011,382,744

GRAND TOTAL

1,683,356,513

MINING AND OIL 0.0021 917,000,000 1.45 3,331,000 2.91 112,000 13.6 200 1.15 120,000 2.26 823,000 0.295 100,000 1.49 2,370,000 0.255 1,100,000 0.121 3,980,000 0.0081 3,000,000 1.09 33,000 2.65 2,976,000 1.07 27,000 0.62 88,000 0.93 100,000 0.013 29,100,000 0.012 6,800,000 0.011 3,500,000 3.3 28,000 3.92 1,240,000 14.06 2,303,700 20.1 1,196,200 0.0073 31,000,000

SME

531,000 3,000 5,084,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUN 115.3 4,410 10.4 0.99

DDS

4,040 300

VALUE 1,749.41 (up) 13.94 785,966,595.67 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,521.41 (up) 116.43 956,343,536.20 HOLDING FIRMS 7,750.16 (up) 69.44 1,572,481,046.861 PROPERTY 3,882.57 (down) 60.00 1,568.60 (up) 22.90 1,025,736,450.48 SERVICES MINING & OIL 7,950.47 (down) 52.46 1,267,797,804.31 PSEI 7,747.54 (up) 38.82 83,939,738.8955 All Shares Index 4,795.80 (up) 15.62 5,702,492,563.27 Gainers: 83; Losers: 108; Unchanged: 56; Total: 247

D.M. Consunji clinched P12b worth of new deals in 2018 By Jenniffer B. Austria D.M. CONSUNJI Inc., the construction arm of the Consunji Group, bagged P12 billion worth of new contracts in 2018, raising its order book by 12 percent to P27.9 billion from P24.8 billion in 2017. DMCI Holdings Inc. said in a disclosure to the stock exchange building and infrastructure contracts accounted for the bulk of the order book at P11.2 billion and P11.1 billion, respectively. Energy projects reached P2.7 billion, while the value of plant and utilities contracts totaled P2.9 billion. DMCI said among the significant construction projects won by company in 2018 included the first Ikea store in the Philippines and The Estate Makati, the ultra-luxury residential condominium project of SM Development Corp. and that of Federal Land Inc.. The Ikea outlet within the Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City once completed will be the biggest in the world at 65,000 square meters. The project is slated for completion by 2021. The Estate Makati, meanwhile, is the first residential building in the country to be constructed using double-slab technology, allowing owners to fully customize the layout of their units. “Building pioneering structures is at the core of our DNA. We are grateful and excited to be part of these projects,” said D.M. Consunji president and chief executive Jorge Consunji. The construction firm plans to secure more projects this year, with the current P27.9-billion order book good for the next two years. Marubeni Corp. of Japan and D.M Consunji last week secured an electric and mechanical contract (E&M) from the government for the two additional stations eastward of the LRT Line 2 East Extensions Project for $62 million Marubeni, as consortium leader, will be responsible for overall administration and the procurement of E&M railway systems. DMCI will be responsible for track-work procurement and construction and the installation of E&M systems.

Petron says net income reached P7.1b last year By Alena Mae S. Flores PETRON Corp. posted a 50-percent decline in full year net income in 2018 to P7.1 billion following a sustained decline in global crude prices that resulted in inventory losses of P10 billion in the last two months of the year. Petron said in a statement released Tuesday operating income for the year reached P18.9 billion, down 32 percent from P27.6 billion in 2017. The oil refiner said excluding the onetime item, profits would have ended 21 percent higher at P17 billion. “It was a challenging year, yet we captured majority of the market and remained the largest and fastest growing oil company in the country. While our long-term fundamentals remain attractive, we will continue to be prepared and responsive to market conditions,” said Petron president and chief executive officer Ramon Ang. Consolidated sales rose 28 percent to P557.4 billion from P434.6 billion in 2017. Petron registered a combined sales volume of 108.5 million barrels during the year, slightly higher than 107.8 million barrels sold in 2017. The company said strong local sales of gasoline, Jet-A1 and LPG, along with improved operating efficiency contributed to the increase. Petron retained its leadership in the retail, industrial and LPG trades, cornering majority of the market. Petron’s refinery in Bataan hit an annual utilization rate of 95 percent last year, the highest on record, as it further increased its production of high-value fuels and petrochemicals. Petrochemical and polypropylene sales increased 3 percent and 28 percent, respectively, driving the 7-percent increase in export volume. Petron Malaysia’s domestic sales delivered good results in 2018. Petron has over 640 stations in Malaysia. Petron captured a market share of 26.36 percent for 2018, besting the other oil companies. Petron captured 28.9 percent of the market for liquefied petroleum gas. Petron is the Philippines’ largest refiner, providing nearly 40 percent of the country’s fuel requirements through its 30 terminals and over 2,400 service stations nationwide.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

World

TODAY

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Improvements to Boeing jet ordered

ASHINGTON― US regulators have ordered Boeing to make urgent improvements to its popular 737 Max 8 aircraft after the second deadly accident in a few months prompted the grounding of ﬂeets around the world.

Singapore Tuesday banned the use of the high-tech jet in its airspace, becoming the latest in a growing list of jurisdictions worried about the safety of the ﬂagship plane. On Sunday an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 went down minutes into

a flight to Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board. It came after a Lion Air jet of the same model crashed in Indonesia in October, killing 189. Investigators have recovered the black box flight recorders from the Ethiopian Airlines plane, which went down near Addis Ababa, and was carrying passengers and crew from 35 countries, including some two dozen UN staff. The US Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it was ordering Boeing to improve the anti-stalling software and the model’s maneuvering system, giving the company until the end of April to make the updates. But the body ruled out grounding the fleet for now. It said investigations had “just begun” and so far no data had been provided to “draw any conclusions or take any actions.” “If we identify an issue that affects

safety, the FAA will take immediate and appropriate action,” it said in a statement. Singapore regulators’ announcement that all types of MAX aircraft were banned from its airspace comes after China ordered domestic airlines to suspend commercial operations of the MAX 8, and Indonesia grounded its entire fleet of the jets for inspections. Ethiopian Airlines has grounded its remaining MAX 8 jets, while airlines in South Africa, Brazil and Mexico have taken theirs out of service and pilots from Argentina’s Aerolineas Argentinas are refusing to fly them. The Malaysian government ordered an urgent review of orders for several MAX aircrafts by flag carrier Malaysia Airlines. Several airlines have said they are not canceling MAX 8 flights, however, while US carriers appear to retain confi-

dence in the manufacturer. Boeing has described the MAX series as its fastest-selling family of planes, with more than 5,000 orders placed to date from about 100 customers. But not since the 1970s -- when the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 had successive fatal incidents -- has a new model been involved in two deadly accidents in such a short period. The weekend crash sent Boeing shares nosediving as much as 12 percent on Monday. The plane involved in Sunday’s crash was less than four months old, with Ethiopian Airlines saying it was delivered on November 15. It went down near the village of Tulu Fara, some 60 kilometers east of Addis Ababa. Inhabitants of the remote area looked on from behind a security cordon as in-

spectors searched the crash site and excavated it with a mechanical digger. The single-aisle Boeing jet had left a deep, black crater. Ethiopian Airlines said the pilot was given clearance to turn around after indicating problems shortly before the plane disappeared from radar. The airline’s chief executive Tewolde GebreMariam said the plane had flown in from Johannesburg early Sunday, spent three hours in Addis and was “dispatched with no remark,” meaning no problems were flagged. The crash cast a pall over a gathering of the UN Environment Program as it opened in Nairobi -- at least 22 staff from several UN agencies were on board the doomed flight. Delegates hugged and comforted one another as they arrived at the meeting with the UN flag flying at half-mast. AFP

IN BRIEF

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 109, PASAY CITY

Tsai to visit Pacific allies

TAIPEI―Taiwan’s President Tsai Ingwen will visit three Pacific nations this month to shore up ties, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, as Beijing seeks to lure away Taipei’s dwindling number of allies. Tsai will visit Palau, Nauru and Marshall Islands between March 21 and March 28―her second official visit to the Pacific amid the growing concerns about China targeting countries in the region. Beijing has stepped up diplomatic pressure on Taiwan since Tsai took office in 2016, as she has refused to acknowledge its “one China” policy. The two sides split after a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still sees the self-ruling island as part of its territory to be brought back into the fold. Five countries have switched official recognition to Beijing since Tsai became president, leaving Taipei with only 17 diplomatic allies including six in the Pacific. Beijing has also made progress with the Vatican, Taiwan’s most powerful official ally and its only one in Europe, by signing a landmark agreement with the Holy See on the appointment of bishops last year. A growing list of international companies have been pressured to list Taiwan as part of China on their websites while Taipei has also been blocked from attending a string of international events. “Our allies in the Pacific have fully supported our participation in the international community,” deputy foreign minister Hsu Szu-chien told reporters. “We believe that this visit will increase the understanding of Taiwan among the people in these countries ... and for Taiwanese people to get familiar with our good friends.” Tsai, Taiwan’s first female leader, will also meet with Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine, the first female head of state in the Pacific islands and join a women leaders’ conference hosted by the country, Hsu added. He declined to give details about where Tsai will transit, saying it is “pending negotiation.” Taiwan is typically low-key in announcing its leader’s specific itineraries, fearing China’s use of its power to disrupt. Tsai’s last state visit was to Paraguay in August with US transits that prompted an official protest from Beijing after she gave a speech in Los Angeles -- the first time in 15 years that a Taiwanese leader spoke publicly on US soil. A Taiwanese bakery chain was pressured to declare its “firm support for the “one China” policy following boycott calls in China after serving Tsai at its shop in Los Angeles. AFP

Cannabis makes them better parents

MONTREAL―Smoking cannabis has made me “a better mother,” says Karine Cyr. The mother of two leads a group of like-minded Canadian women challenging norms and rejecting stigmas around parenting and pot since Ottawa legalized its recreational use last October. They are tired, she says, of having to hide their use of the mind-altering drug from family, neighbors and others, and have set out to educate their peers about its beneﬁts. “People are not informed. They still think that when we use cannabis, we sit in front of our television eating pizza like teenagers,” Cyr says. “When I consume cannabis, I do housework, I play with my children. I am more patient with my children, more present. It helps me to be a better mother, a better person.” Doctors disagree. But her message has resonated with hundreds of members of her Des ﬂeurs ma chere [Flowers my dear] Facebook group, which she created to share experiences and thoughts about pot. The group includes “entrepreneurs, psychologists, models, photographers ... they are women from all walks of life,” said “ganja yoga” instructor Cynthia Petrin, herself a member. Another similar Facebook group, “Mother Mary,” based in Montreal, has some 5,000 members. Sitting in her living room, the smell of marijuana lingering, Jordana Zabitsky, in her 30s, said she started “Mother Mary” in a bid to push back against “mommy shaming.” “I’m expected to work full time. I’m expected to be with my kids full time. I’m expected to have a clean house. I’m expected to have my bills paid on time. I’m expected to have my winter tires on on time,” she says. “I have so much on my shoulders―I am only one person. The cannabis allows me to accomplish my daily tasks so much better!” AFP

IN THE MATTER OF PETITION TO ESTABLISH LEGITIMATE AFFILIATION OF ROSALIE TAYONI a.k.a. ROSALIE TAYONI CAROLINO WITH HER BIOLOGICAL FATHER PABLITO AVESTRUZ CAROLINO ROSALIE TAYONI a.k.a. ROSALIE TAYONI-CAROLINO, Petitioner, -versus-

SP. PROC. NO. R-PSY-18-00962.SP

GLORIA ONG TAYONI-CAROLINO, JOSEPHINE TAYONI CAROLINO-KASU MORITA,GLOVILMA TAYONI CAROLINO-LAO PABLITO TAYONI CAROLINO, CENON TAYONI CAROLINO, LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF MANILA, PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY, Socarel Bldg., Ramon Magsaysay Blvd., Sta. Mesa, Manila and all Person Who have claim interest thereby, Respondents. x---------------------------------------------------------x

ORDER A verified petition having been filed by petitioner through counsel praying that after due notice, publication and hearing judgment be rendered granting this petition by declaring said petitioner is a legitimated child of the spouses Pablito A. Carolino and Gloria T. Carolino and directing the Local Civil Registrar of Manila and the Philippine Statistics Authority to enter/indicate in her Certificate of Live Birth under Registry No. 2519, the following: a) her complete name as ROSALIE TAYONI CAROLINO; (b) the date of the marriage of her parents which is December 31, 1970; and (c) her civil status as: LEGITIMATED CHILD. Finding the petition to be sufficient in form and substance, notice is hereby given that the hearing of the petition is set on May 2, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. at Room 302 Hall of Justice Building, F.B. Harisson St., Pasay City. All persons interested and may have opposition may appear and show cause why the said petition should not be granted. Let copy of this Order be published in the newspaper of general circulation once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks at the expense of the petitioner to be chosen by raffle. Likewise, let copy of this order together with the petition and its annexes be furnished to the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), the Public Prosecutor, the Local Civil Registrar of Manila and the Philippine Statistics Authority. Meanwhile, set the pre-trial on April 11, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. and preliminary conference before the Clerk of Court V on April 2, 2019 at 1:30 p.m. The Notice of Appearance of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) and its letter of delegation of authority to the Office of the City Prosecutor of Pasay City filed on February 1, 2019 is noted.

RITUAL. This handout photo taken and released by Japan’s Imperial Household Agency on March 12, 2019, shows Japan’s Emperor Akihito walking during a ritual at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Akihito started a series of rituals to report his planned abdication in late April to his ancestors. AFP

SO ORDERED. Pasay City, February 6, 2019. (Sgd.) JEHAN B. SAMPAO-HASSIMAN Assisting Judge (MStandard-Feb. 27, Mar. 6 & 13, 2019)

US to pull out all its envoys in Venezuela WASHINGTON―The United States will withdraw all remaining diplomatic personnel from its embassy in Caracas as the crisis in Venezuela deepens, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said late Monday. The move worsens the already tattered relations, with President Donald Trump having said he rules out no options including military intervention to oust President Nicolas Maduro as Washington monitors the rapidly unfolding events in the oil-rich but crippled South American nation supported by Russia and China. The US has already imposed sanctions designed to choke off Venezuelan oil sales, the lifeblood of the leftist government in Caracas. Much of Venezuela has been without electricity for going on ﬁve days now due to a power outage that the government blames on what it calls sabotage encouraged by the US. Venezuela is in the grips of an acute economic crisis that has fueled the rise of opposition leader Juan Guaido, the national assembly speaker who in late January declared himself to be the interim leader. More than 50 countries led by the US have endorsed him. “This decision reﬂects the deteriorating situation in #Venezuela as well as the conclusion that the presence of US diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on US policy,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter.

On January 24 the State Department ordered all non-emergency government employees to depart Venezuela and urged Americans living in the country to consider leaving. Earlier Monday Pompeo took aim at Cuba and Russia for their support of Maduro. He rejected Maduro’s assertion that the US was responsible for the blackout, instead pointing the ﬁnger at the socialist nature of the Venezuelan government. “Nicolas Maduro promised Venezuelans a better life and a socialist paradise. He delivered on the socialism part, which has proved, time and time again, is a recipe for economic ruin,” Pompeo told journalists. “The paradise part? Not so much.” Pompeo took aim at the “central role Cuba and Russia have played and continue to play in undermining the democratic dreams of the Venezuelan people and their welfare.” “Cuba is the true imperialist power in Venezuela,” Pompeo said, denouncing the “physical protection and other critical material and political support to Maduro and to those around him.” “When there is no electricity, thank the marvels of modern Cuban-led engineering,” he said. “When there is no water, thank the excellent hydrologists from Cuba. “When there is no food, thank the Cuban communist overlords.” AFP

NOTICE OF THE INITIATION OF A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION ON THE APPLICATION FOR SAFEGUARD MEASURES ON THE IMPORTATION OF CLEAR AND TINTED FLOAT GLASS FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES (SG CASE NO. SG01-2019) Notice is hereby given that the Department of Trade and Industry officially received a properly documented application from the Philippine float glass industry for the initiation of a preliminary investigation on the application of safeguard measures on the importation of clear and tinted float glass from various countries. The protest alleged that the increased imports have contributed significantly to the serious injury suffered by the local industry. The DTI acting under Section 6 of RA 8800, the Safeguard Measures Act, has made an evaluation of the protest and found the existence of a prima facie case that will justify the initiation of a preliminary safeguard measures investigation on importation of clear and tinted float glass from various countries classified under AHTN Codes 7005.29.90 (clear float glass), 7005.21.90 (tinted float glass) including 7005.10.90 (reflective glass). The period covered by the investigation (POI) are the years 2013 to 2017. Further, Rule 5.2 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA 8800 provides that “the Secretary when establishing that the application of a safeguard measure will be in the public interest shall take into consideration the following factors; among others: (i) whether the imposition of the provisional measure will result in political and economic crisis: and (ii) the extent to which such imposition will cause a shortage of a product under consideration in the domestic market”. WHEREFORE, IN VIEW THEREOF, interested parties are invited to submit their comments and position on the matter, including their views on whether the imposition of a safeguard measure is in the public interest. Submissions may be made to the Bureau of Import Services (BIS), Department of Trade and Industry, 3rd Floor, Tara Building, #389 Senator Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City, within five (5) days from the date of publication of this notice. The Non-Confidential Report on the Initiation of a Preliminary Investigation can be accessed at the DTI web page: https://www.dti.gov.ph/media/advisories/12627-dtinotice-of-initiation-of-a-preliminary-investigation-on-theapplication-of-safeguard-measures-on-imported-floatglass-from-various-countries

CABINET MEETING. Britain’s International Development Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities Penny Mordaunt arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London on March 12, 2019. Britain faces a moment of truth Tuesday when parliament votes on Prime Minister Theresa May’s ill-loved Brexit plan—a day after she said she secured last-minute changes to the deal from the EU. May huddled late Monday with EU leaders in Strasbourg in a bid to salvage the vision of Brexit she set out after coming to power nearly three years ago. AFP

19 February 2019

(MS-Mar. 13, 2019)

RAMON M. LOPEZ Secretary CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Non-teaching workers in QC get longevity pay

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

By Rio N. Araja

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

STAYING ALIVE. Officers of the Bureau of Fire Protection teach young children how to conduct CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) at the SM Marikina City grounds during the Fire Square Road Show 2019 as part of the mall’s events during the Fire Prevention Month of March. Norman Cruz

THE 37-member Quezon City council has passed on third and final reading a proposed ordinance granting a P400 longevity pay for non-teaching personnel in all public schools in the city’s six legislative districts every five years. In an interview, District 1 Councilor Victor Ferrer Jr. said the city government has expanded such benefit to cover Districts 1 to 6 and “to look after the welfare of the non-teaching personnel.” Apart from the teachers, those to benefit from the measure are “low key” personnel, such as gardeners, janitors, drivers and librarians, he said. “Before, I authored a measure granting a P400 longevity pay to non-teaching personnel only from District 1. The new measure shall now benefit all of them from the six districts,” the councilor told Manila Standard. “Just recently, I authored an ordinance to increase the longevity pay of public school teachers from P100 to P400,” Ferrer said. The measure passed on third and final reading was forwarded to the Office of the Mayor for approval “three weeks ago,” he said. However, Ferrer said city administrator Aldrin Cuña called his attention, asking him to include nonteaching personnel in the provision of the P400 longevity pay. “So I filed an amendatory ordinance,” he said. “You see, we have non-teaching employees under the city’s school division office who have been working for 30 years or more, and yet they do not get anything for their dedication and loyalty,” he said.

13 Makati high schools gain 39k emergency bags By Joel Zurbano

HE City Government of Makati, through Mayor Abigail Binay, has distributed a total of 38,929 individuallypacked Emergency Go Bags for students of 13 public high schools in the city. The mayor said the city government has provided the emergency kits (Go Bag 2) for free for the use of all public high school students in Makati, as part of its continuing efforts to build disaster resilient and sustainable communities. “We want our youth to learn the importance of self-help and preparedness. Through this project, we are able to inculcate a culture of preparedness among young Makatizens,” Binay said. Binay said that helping schoolchildren adopt disaster readiness as a mindset and way of life will make them much less vulnerable to the impact of any untoward incident. It will also enable them to influence their parents and other members of the family, she added. “Resilience must be inclusive and should be pursued through the collective effort of all our stakeholders. We hope that providing our students with

individually-packed go bags will motivate their parents to prepare their own go bags for the entire household,” said. Individually-packed go bags have been distributed to 38,929 Junior High School and Senior High School students, including 6,566 Higher School ng UMak (HSU) students. A “go bag” is a portable survival kit recommended by emergency response experts for every household or facility. It is meant to help an individual (Go Bag 2) or a family (Go Bag 1) survive, at least in the next 72 hours after a disaster, and contains essential needs such as food and drinking water, hygiene kit, first aid kit, flashlight, and other handy materials. The city government through the Makati Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office started distributing the life-saving kits during the first quarter of 2018, benefiting various pub-

lic elementary and high schools, city hall employees, and residents living along the five barangays transected by the West Valley Fault. This year, the city will widen the reach of its Go Bags to include all public elementary and high school students. Eventually, the goal is to provide one Go Bag 2 to each of the 90,000 public school students of Makati. The turnover ceremony of Go Bags for public high school students was held last March 7 at the 13 public high schools of Makati. In District 1 they are Bangkal High School, San Isidro National High School, San Antonio National High School, Maximo Estrella High School, Gen. Pio Del Pilar National High School, Makati High School. District 2 has Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino High School, Tibagan High School, Fort Bonifacio High School, Higher School ng UMak, Makati Science High School, and Pitogo High School. Previously, a total of 1,600 large go bags (Go Bag 1) were distributed to 21 elementary schools, six high schools, 31 barangays, various City Hall offices, and 553 families residing near the West Valley Fault Line.

Las Piñas City Mayor Imelda Aguilar (left) chats with the women members of Kalipi.

Kalipi Livelihood Fair marks Women’s Month in Las Piñas MAYOR Imelda “Mel” Aguilar recently graced the opening of Kalipi Livelihood Fair at the Las Piñas City Hall Grounds. The fair showcases the livelihood projects of Kalipi members from the different barangays of the city. Food, crafts, clothes, and household products can be bought at the booths up to March 29. Kalipi is a women’s organization based in the barangays of Las Piñas City with 400 chapters and 25,000

members. It provides livelihood training to empower women in the barangays. Aguilar is a strong advocate of Kalipi livelihood projects, whose members may avail of subsidies from the city government to start their own business. The livelihood caravan is a part of Kalipi’s program, in cooperation with the City Social Welfare and Development Office, to celebrate National Women’s Month this March.

Cebu cites Smart for 24/7 free Wi-Fi in library

THRICE ENDORSED. Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, as chairman of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago, raises the hand of Emilio Ramon Pelayo Ejercito III or E.R. Ejercito as the regional party’s official candidate for governor of Laguna during a recent campaign sortie in the province. Ejercito, also known by his screen name George Estregan Jr., hopes to return to the governor’s seat after getting the endorsement of not just the HNP, but also the Duterte administration and the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas. Roy Tomandao

Japan, FAO, ILO sign notes for infra, agricultural training in Bangsamoro JAPANESE Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda recently signed and exchanged notes with Food and Agriculture Organization Representative Jose Luis Fernandez and International Labor Organization Country Director Khalid Hassan for two projects in the Bangsamoro region, as witnessed by Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Carlito Galvez. The FAO project, which amounts to $1.765 million, aims to assist farmers and fisherfolk, including former combatants, women, and indigenous peoples, in gaining various agricultural vocational skills. These new knowledge and proficiencies will help them efficiently operate farms, gain employment, or set up their

own businesses, Haneda said. The ILO intervention, on the other hand, has a total budget of $2.66 million. It is seen to develop water infrastructure that will benefit an estimated 11,814 households. At least 1,800 workers from the target communities will be employed to help build the water supply facilities. Both projects are deemed to provide sustainable livelihood and build healthier communities, which are key milestones to achieving peace and development in Mindanao. These two undertakings form part of the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development, or J-BIRD to empower people and communities benefit from the dividends of peace.

PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. has been cited by the Cebu City local government as an “outstanding institution” for providing free Smart WiFi services at the Cebu City Public Library, the country’s first 24/7 public library. Smart received the Mayor’s Special Award for Outstanding Institution from Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña alongside 14 other individual and institution awardees honored during Cebu City’s 82nd Charter Day Anniversary celebrations. Last year, PLDT and Smart signed a Memorandum of Agreement to make carrier-grade Smart WiFi available to students, researchers and other visitors of the Cebu City Public Library and Information Center, which at the time had just started its 24/7 operations. “This award is in appreciation of Smart’s invaluable support to Cebu City by providing free Wi-Fi services in the Cebu City Public Library, the country’s first 24/7 public library that gives its clients access to online course materials and allows them to download research subjects and academic journals,” the citation read. “This is a night of recognition, it’s not about me, it’s about Cebu, and all the

Students access online course materials and other information resources on the Internet via the free Smart Wi-Fi available at the Cebu City Public Library.

people who make this possible,” Osmeña said, addressing the honorees. “By providing quality connectivity for Filipinos across the country, PLDT and Smart continue to lead the country’s digital transformation in an ever-evolving digital world,” said Juan Victor Hernandez, senior vice president and head of Enterprise for PLDT and Smart. “With the help of our partners and government, we continue to invest in ICT infrastructure to empower indi-

viduals, businesses and enterprises, and improve the quality of life of Filipinos all over country,” Hernandez added. “PLDT and Smart are proud to join forces with government partners like Mayor Osmeña and the Cebu City government, in helping build a nation of well-informed citizens across the country and making the wealth of knowledge available on the Internet accessible to more Filipinos,” said Ramon R. Isberto, PLDT-Smart Public Affairs head.

RENEWED VOWS. State

officers and their wives pose for posterity after attending the recent Knights of Columbus Renewal of Marriage Vows 2019 under the Luzon North Jurisdiction, led by Luzon North Deputy Justice Jose C. Reyes at the Manila Grand Opera Hotel.

Life

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

FASHION AND BEAUTY

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

Asymmetrical tops and bolder floral prints will dominate women’s wardrobes this summer.

Hot trends in summer 2019 Casual menswear revolves around boxy shorts and drawstring pants.

UN’S out, shorts out. As the temperature rises, clothes become shorter and looser according to a fashion expert.

Christine Benet, chairperson of De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde’s Fashion Design and Merchandising Program, revealed this season’s key items based on trend forecast website World Global Style Network. “This summer, everything will be shorter in length—both tops and bottoms and for both men and women,” spilled Benet. This, according to the fashion guru, is given considering the humid weather in the Philippines. “It demands for us to wear more cotton and free-breathing fabrics and styles.” Crop top continues to reign both on the runway and on the streets, but this year, thoughtful construction improves wearability, making the cut ideal for activewear, swimwear, and even evening looks paired with a matching bottom. “As compared with last year’s crop top which was more above the waist, this year’s would be a little higher and nearer to the empire cut or under the bust line—more of a midriff length,” Benet expounded. For texture, cropped shirts with ruching features are expected to be hot. Pull-cord details do not just make for a decorative approach to ‘90s basics but also allow the wearer to go for varying levels of crop. Meanwhile, twisted knot-front midriffs, especially crisp-white or checked ones, go for a more laid-back daywear. Dishevelled looks create a modern mixed-up look. This is the season to don asymmetric offthe-shoulder sleeves and geometric cut-outs, cut boring romantic blouses into frills, and exhibit romance with a panache of ditsy florals or vintage

buds in sharp pastels or primary brights. Lingering on the concept of dressing down, Benet said summer calls everyone to play with perfection. The year 2019 is indeed a celebration of individualism and character and it continues so these dog days. “There would still be a play of graphics this season, creating a ‘put-together chaotic’ look,” she Benet. Summer 2019 transforms boring florals into boisterous tropics. Resort shirts with vibrant prints and patterns continue to be the staple across markets; this time, with eye-catching surface updates. “In the past three years, different kinds of florals have been on trend, from surreal and dreamy to dainty. But this year is more about boldness and colors and very much reflective of tropical flora and fauna,” she explained. Men’s wardrobe likewise joins in the high-summer graphics trend with clashing bright tropical prints that explore classic nature as motif but embraces odd hue shifts, color gradient filters, and popping florals recolored on dark grounds for a dash of surrealism. Menswear also marked retro and vertical stripes as the resurgence of nautical trends. Considered as “the new checks,” these bold lines have become the latest classic pattern reigning in major fashion capitals such as Milan and New York. It exudes a smooth combination of commercial and cool especially when in pastels and sophisticated neutrals. It is high time for men to elevate casual shirts into oversized elegant silhouettes with a luxurious

Crop top becomes shorter

sheen of satin and silk. For a super casual vibe, boxy shorts that fall right above the knees are in. Reminiscent of the ‘90s street style, basketball culture, and US West Coast, this preppy pair features waistbands and subtle side entry pockets for comfort and style. Following the vibe, drawstring pants with a selection of fabrics exhibit a worldly feel as it can come as a smart piece or a true casual gem. For those who are more into mix and matching hues, the color of the year still stands as the mood for the season. “It is the most appropriate

Holistic beauty at Beautiqa VIZCARRA Pharmaceutical’s Beau- boasts of eight hyaluronic acids, all in tiqa skin spa at Edsa Shangri-La brings low-molecular weights, which pena new crop of next-level skin care and etrate into the inner layers of skin. specialty products from top international laboratories. The store and spa, which opened September 2018, carries an impressive lineup of brands which customers can also experience in Beautiqa’s facial treatment rooms. The facial treatments are basically non-invasive application of products with the help of high quality TDA (transdermal application) maFillerina’s 14-day chine that helps the serums Filler Treatment penetrate deeper into the skin. Beautiqa offers Swiss company Labo Cosprophar’s latest anti-aging Total Dermic has five core lines: brand. Total Dermic products were formulated using Transdermic Tech- Anti-Aging, Anti-Wrinkle, Cleansnology. It is a more intensive line that ing, Hypersensitive and Clarifying.

For today’s women on the go, Beautiqa recommends the 5 Actions Ultra Serum which contains all the active molecules found in Total Dermic’s various serums in the core lines. It also carries Fillerina skin care, also from Labo Cosprophar Suisse, which boasts six hyaluronic acids and key ingredients in low-molecular weights. There’s Fillerina’s 14-day Filler Treatment, a self-applied filler for deep wrinkles ad lines; Day and Night creams; Eye and Lip Contour Cream; Lip Plump; and Breast Filler and Breast Firming treatments. Korea’s top probiotic brand Boyan-I is also available at Beautiqa’s flagship store. The brand, suitable for hypersensitive skin and baby’s delicate skin, is composed of cleansers, creams, and lotions. The skin spa also offers Crescina treatments and shampoos that address

Dark shirt with tropical prints

color because Living Coral in itself is very earthy in the sense that it is an organic color of nature,” explained Benet. Adding to the intensity of the warm sunset palette are shades in elements of pink, evolving from the focus on oranges in spring/summer 2018, such as Emberglow, American Beauty, Java, Mango Mojito, and Tigerlily. For the feel of summer nights, new shades and contrasts with natural tones such as Aqua Haze, Oil Green, Garden Green, Aspen Gold, Blue Sapphire, and Windsor Wine, offer a different perspective.

falling and/or thinning hair. The formulations address the root of the matter by rejuvenating and strengthening the hair bulbs and follicles to foster regrowth and control hair fall.

Beautiqa is at 3/F Shangri-La Plaza Mall Main Wing. Call 0908-8868542 or email beautiqa@vizcarrapharma. com for inquiries and appointments. Bernadette Lunas

Total Dermic’s 5 Actions Ultra Serum and Boyan-I Cream

Life

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Summer essentials

at Summer Hardin pop-up store R

ESORT pop-up store Summer Hardin at SM Makati showcases Kultura’s latest products for summertime. A curated selling event open today until March 20, Summer Hardin offers resortwear, accessories, and personal care products, as well as juices and summer treats. The pop-up store sparkles with Micki Olaguer’s fine silver Emblem Jewelry dipped in gold and adorned with genuine gemstones and freshwater pearls; and Marilu Batchelor’s Maison Lourdes Handbags, a bespoke and limited edition handbag line specializing in snakeskin and leather clutch bags and totes. Also present at Summer Hardin are Island Girl’s hand-woven and hand-crafted bags made from indigenous materials found in the Philippines, as well as swimwear brand Sundae, which embodies the kind of beach loving spirit that combines style and comfort. Forest Magic’s first and original hair formulation made from gugo bark and blended with natural plant extracts for healthier hair, and allnatural no strip cold sugar wax from Bare Body are available at Summer Hardin. In addition to all-natural personal care brands is Tropical Shop which converts all fruit and herb extracts that would otherwise be disposed in manufacturing food and beverage into personal care products like tanning oil, body butter, balm, essential oils, and eau de toilette. CocoBody, on the other hand, creates natural earth-friendly handmade natural cosmetics from virgin coconut oil which soothes, moisturizes, cleanses, and heals from head to toe. Healthy Pinoy brings an array of favorite Filipino snacks, delicacies, and beverage that everyone loves to the summer pop-up store. Kultura’s Summer Hardin resort pop-up store at SM Makati Upper Ground Floor Concourse Area Summer Hardin pop-up store offers jewelry pieces from Micki Olaguer, handbags from was styled using lush greens by Tierra Plants and Island Girl, swimwear from Sundae, all-natural personal care products from Forest Magic, Bare Body, and Tropical Shop, and healthy juices from Healthy Pinoy. furniture from SM Home.

Rustan’s celebrates female designers IN CELEBRATION of women’s month, Rustan’s turns the spotlight on female designers, whose brands are built on something more than fabrics that are sewn together, but fashion pieces that are made to empower wearers. It was an entrepreneurial spirit and can-do attitude that has launched Carissa Cruz-Evangelista’s Beatriz brand to local and international attention. Her luxe and modern accessories have been featured in prestigious international fashion publications, and has won a Katha Award. But her biggest reward, she says, is being able to raise the livelihood levels of women in underprivileged communities who craft her items using local and recycled materials. Criselda Lontok’s designs have long been the go-to for women who want to express their individual style within the sphere of classic fashion pieces. She says that it is these women who have inspired her through the years. “I believe that my designs have given confidence to my female clients. They have become confident not only in themselves, but also in giving compliments to other women. Having them feel beautiful and elegant at all times is my personal mission.” Chiara Ferragni is the creative force behind the pop shoe brand Chiara Ferragni Collection. She started out as an Instagram personality who channelled her creativity towards building her footwear brand that carries her fun sense of style. Bari Jay, a bridal dress shop, pays homage to two sisters’ commitment to keep their father’s fashion legacy. Susan Parker and Erika Rosenfeld took over their father Bruce Cohen’s busi-

Carissa Cruz-Evangelista

ness when he passed away, keeping with them his lessons on hands-on hard work, and keeping up with trends in the bridal fashion industry. The Longchamp brand under Sophie Delafontaine offers the luxe urban staples that are beautifully crafted to suit the needs of today’s modern urban women. She took on the challenge of bringing the brand to greater heights, with the values that she has learned from her family, coupled with her own desire to set no limits to creativity which is inspired by observing the world around her. Karen Kane’s designs are all about timelessness and offering women the easier choice, guided by the unwavering belief that women should feel beautiful and comfortable, always. Jewelry brand Carolee is commit-

ted to help women love themselves. Its choice of former model and self-love advocate Phoebe Pojo of the “Models That Eat” movement on Instagram as the face of Carolee is a reflection of its dedication to lead others towards their own journeys to break free from the expectations of society. Cyd Beard of Finders Keepers brought her Aussie style to a global platform by believing in the power of women—80 percent of their employees are female, and they have made it their mission to celebrate women and the female form. Designing doyenne Josie Natori incorporates her Asian aesthetic and work ethics into her line. Growing up in a household where the women are trained to be entrepreneurial and to “never rely on a man,” her mantra today is “always evolve—never become complacent.” Nicole Miller drapes women with dramatic silhouettes combined with unique prints and creative use of color. As she evolved her fashion line into a global lifestyle brand, she tries to empower women with non-conformist choices. “I want women to feel confident when they are wearing my clothing. I think the most important thing, over feeling sexy or pretty, is that clothes should give you confidence,” she shares. Behind every Tali product is a special woman who creates it by hand, in the tradition of true craftsmanship. Its cofounders, Liza Morales Crespo and Marielle de Leon-Lazaro represent the new wave of social entrepreneurs that merge quality production and design with the principles of sustainability. Viajecito was born out of a common passion for traveling, and unique finds

Criselda Lontok

Phoebe Pojo

shared by three enterprising women. Marla Aquino-Batallones, Pia Ugarte Garcia-Morera, and Marta GarciaMorera, the women behind the brand, offer products that are made with the fashionable traveler in mind. “We believe women empowerment has a lot to do with the freedom of self-expression. Fashion choices are an extension of one’s personality, a form of self-expression.”

International designer Vivienne Tam has been recognized for her “culturebridging and east-meets-west” approach in her creations, making her land a spot on Forbes’ 25 Top Chinese-Americans in Business. Known for her evening gowns, she has formed a pool of celebrity clients from around the world, such as Lady Gaga, Jessica Alba, Paris Hilton, and First Daughters Ivanka Trump and Tiffany Trump, among others.

SPOTTED Alicia Keys in sequined Tommy Hilfiger tuxedo jacket.

Alicia Keys in Tommy tux

Karen Kane

Josie Natori

Chiara Ferragni

SINGER-songwriter Alicia Keys sparkled in a custom blue and silver sequined peak lapel tuxedo jacket from Hilfiger Collection she wore to the 2019 For The Love Of Our Children Gala at The Ziegfeld Ballroom, New York. Tommy Hilfiger is located at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street Central, Greenbelt 5, Kiss & Fly NAIA Terminal 3, Newport Mall, Rustan’s Makati, and Rustan’s Shangri-La.

Entertainment

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

nickie.standard@gmail.com

ODAY, in this fastpaced digital age, people can already binge-watch their favorite series and films in just one click and at their most convenient time. There is no need to jump into the traffic and pay hundreds to watch recently released films or to catch the airing time of tv shows. The continuous evolution of the digital scene has indeed transformed the lifestyle of the audience, which poses a question to the entertainment industry: Are television viewing and movie-going really dying? In a recent forum, key people behind the country’s leading livestreaming brands speak on the issue before a crowd of aspiring filmmakers held at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) School of Design and Arts (SDA) Cinema. “Livestreaming is different from streaming,” ABS-CBN iWant Digital Content Publishing Head Richard Reynante clarified. “Livestreaming is when you watch a live program from one platform that crosses to the digital platform while streaming per se is video on demand or VODs—shows you consume at your own time.” He also shared how ABS-CBN’s iWant originally launched as a site that replays the network’s shows, which can easily be accessed without the need for subscription. “However, the market is growing and most of the content that viewers look for are not only catch-ups – they started to look for originals,” he admitted. When iWant TV replayed ABS-CBN’s series Be Careful With My Heart, which aired for two years on broadcast at the noon timeslot when most are in school or at work, the team was surprised of the viewership that it received online. They realized that there is really a market for the digital platform. “What we got from Be Careful With My Heart was that we were actually answering a need. In broadcast viewing, the audience follows a specific time while on VOD, they can watch anytime and anywhere,” beamed ABS-CBN iWant Content Head Ginny Ocampo.

From left: Unitel Production and Straightshooters Media Inc. CEO and President Madonna Tarrayo, Cignal TV Chief Marketing Officer Guido Zaballero, ABS-CBN iWant Content Head Ginny Ocampo, ABS-CBN iWant Digital Content Publishing Head Richard Reynante, and director and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Digital Filmmaking (DFilm) Chairperson Jose Javier Reyes

Cinema in the advent of livestream and VOD entertainment

From then on, iWant TV evolved into iWant and expanded its library. Customers now have options between free viewing but with advertisements, advertisementfree viewing but with a cost, or a pay-perview set-up for new ﬁlms. Cignal TV Chief Marketing Ofﬁcer Guido Zaballero shared that despite the fact that nobody really knows exactly how well the streaming entertainment will do and how much money it will make, it is best to invest in originals and partner with local writers, directors, and producers, which Cignal Play is now exploring. Considering that the digital entertainment is at its infancy, ABSCBN’s Ocampo confessed they continue to explore its contents. “Whatever genre it is as long as the deep characterization is present, then it is something that is relatable to the audience,” she noted.

Five lessons... From C4

1. A support system is important They say that it takes a village to raise a child and this is an age-old saying for a reason. While it certainly can feel isolating and overwhelming being a single (and working) parent, there are places that you can ﬁnd help and support if you know where to look and who to ask. In Sam’s case, even if she no longer has a husband, she still has her mother to help with her kids and her best friend to listen to her problems and be emotionally present for her. 2. The best way to deal with things out of your control is to just accept them You won’t be able to control what happens at your kids’ school, what they pick up from their friends, or what they choose to think or believe. You can perhaps do your best to guide them, but at the end of the day, it’s out of your hands. Sam experienced this herself when the topic of religion came up at their household. While there was a clash, in the end, she learned to understand and move on. 3. You can’t always protect your kids—learn to have faith in them and treat them with trust. The truth is, it’s impossible to protect them from everything. However, the good news is that if you trust in your children to carve their own paths, even if it means getting hurt sometimes, there’s a great chance

it will help them grow and learn. Just like when Sam meets Max’ boyfriend. Initially, she disapproved and was proven right when Max gets her heartbroken after being dumped. It was difﬁcult, but in the end, it made Max grow. 4. There will be plenty of times that you’ll feel underappreciated In season two, Sam gets frustrated and disappointed at her children when she feels that they don’t appreciate all the work she does both as an actor and as a mother. She ends up asking her children to give her a eulogy to her because she doesn’t want to wait until she’s dead for her kids to appreciate her. This is a very common and valid feeling for any single parent to feel—after all, the world only sees a small percent of the effort and energy that is put into raising a family on your own, not to even mention the emotional and mental toll it takes. 5. Take care of yourself so you can take care of your family better Beyond “me-time” however, self-care extends to the way single parents emotionally handle their own selves. There is a lot of resentment, frustration, and guilt that single parents will feel on a day-to-day basis. They will often compare themselves to other families with two parents, will often feel frustrated at their own circumstances, and will often feel guilty for not giving their child a “complete” family. Be the ﬁrst to stream the second season of Better Things on FOX+.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Wednesday, March 13, 2019

ACROSS 1 Funny Rudner 5 Sear a steak 9 In a huff 14 Web habitue 15 Horne of jazz 16 Soprano — Callas 17 Wooden strip 18 Norse king 19 Makes a selection 20 Skirt’s bottom edge 22 Rapid — system 24 Roulette bets 26 Moon or eye 27 Turning point 30 Groveled 35 Roomy 36 Reebok rival 37 Item for sale 38 CPA’s sum 39 Melodious singer 42 Ltd. relative 43 Iceberg sites 45 Feel sure of 46 Wouldn’t hurt —— 48 Write a check for the future 50 Shamelessly bold 51 Playful bark 52 Campus buildings

54 Rock clingers 58 Straightens up 62 Unwritten tests 63 Minty Mexican plant 65 QED part 66 Loafer parts 67 Running wild 68 Prime-time hour 69 Vestibule 70 Weight units 71 Trash hauler

cutio 29 Specks 31 Word of assent 32 Mournful cries 33 Fish-eating birds 34 Dental woe 36 Ivan’s refusal 40 Strong brown paper 41 One’s history, in a way 44 Office gadget 47 Zips up DOWN 49 Somewhat 1 Convey in haste formal 2 Ait 3 Group of players 4 Unaffected 5 Genetic copies 6 — of Troy 7 Collected sayings 8 Inflatable item, maybe 9 Convey 10 Refracted light 11 Orbit segments 12 Polynesian carving 13 Toward sunup 21 Wall climbers 23 Oar puller 25 Adept 27 Grip with the hand 28 Friend of Mer-

Ocampo also added that since the platforms are free from Movie and Television Review and Classiﬁcation Board (MTRCB), it provides as a venue for the execution of more experimental productions. The birth of streaming and livestreaming was instantly associated to the death of television. We thought that it is going to drive eyeballs out of the television, but it did not. TV still retained its high viewership. ” ABS-CBN’s Reynante beamed. “The ratings in digital is so robust and I think it is because we were able to capture the viewers who were not watching TV anymore, but Filipinos are data sensitive. Perhaps there is a part of the crowd that uses data to watch online but the rest of the country watches TV.” Cignal TV’s Zaballero trusts that there is a lot of space to grow for digital.

50 Shatters 53 Pungent veggie 54 Mislay 55 Remove wrinkles 56 Ale ingredient 57 “Out, cat!” 59 Clapton of “Layla” 60 Metric prefix 61 Worry a lot 64 Insurance gp.

“The viewing public would always love to consume something that is free— that’s a given. However, in terms of telecommunications infrastructure, all these broadband businesses have not and will have a difﬁcult time to reach all of the islands in the Philippines.” “It really has a limit because if you do not have a broadband, you have to access through your phone and data is expensive and that is why we believe that there still has to be a market for linear television,” he added. While television continues to remain aﬂoat, it seems the cinema projects into a downward spiral that is still expected to get worse in the coming years. The ease of access, cheaper cost, and various selections that the digital space provides pose a threat to physical theaters. The theater is something that offers an

Simply... From C4

All her co-actors agree that they are blown away by Cristine’s performance. The actress concludes, “It’s one heck of an action film but also a terrific drama movie about a mother’s love for her child. It’s a movie for everyone.” Maria also stars Ivan Padilla, KC Montero, Guji Lorenzana, Jennifer Lee, Andrea del Rosario, Cindy Miranda, Freddie Webb, and Ronnie Lazaro. Opens in cinemas on March 27. From VIVA Films, BlackOps Studios Asia, and PsyOps. *** Biggest wedding fair, P500k at stake Themes & Motifs—The Special Events Co. launches its Half-A-Million Pesos In Cash Promo in 2019 in Asia’s biggest wedding wonderland, Wedding Expo Philippines on March 16 and 17 at the SMX Mall of Asia. Every P1,000 worth of purchase of brides and grooms in Wedding Expo Philippines shall entitle fair visitors to a raffle coupon for a chance to win P500,000.00 in cash. Now on its 34th edition, Wedding

experiential viewing and Reynante thinks that the challenge for the cinema is for that experience to change. “It has got to change in form and services to be able to keep up. Some malls started to offer 4D cinemas; and yes, that is something that livestreaming can never replicate, but it is also very pricey,” he noted. The panel states that the behavior of the consumers is based on the economics of entertainment. “We still believe that cinema will not die, it will just co-exist. We have to remember that cinema is technology-bound and it is bound to evolve,” Reynante reiterated. The forum was moderated by director and Digital Filmmaking (DFilm) Chairperson Jose Javier Reyes and Unitel Production and Straightshooters Media Inc. CEO and President Madonna Tarrayo.

Expo Philippines is the big event that the local wedding industry and soonto-weds await. Free e-tickets for all-day access to the exhibits and grand sale of wedding-related products and services are available to pre-registered soonto-weds on www.themesnmotifs.com. The entire SMX Convention Center ground floor will be converted to a 10,000-sqm wedding wonderland with the most creative and most popular wedding suppliers showcasing only the finest and the best wedding ideas for the upcoming nuptial season. More than 400 of the country’s top wedding professionals will be gathered in this two-day grand celebration with a comprehensive showcase of the latest trends and the newest ideas in wedding planning. Wedding related products and services professionals such as fashion designers, caterers, photographers, videographers, limousine providers, invitation makers, hotels, venues, florists, and others will offer new promos and great deals. There will be the usual five exciting sub-events putting the spotlight on the most popular supplier categories: Wedding Banquets Manila –The Philippines’ biggest food tasting festival dedicated to the weddings will feature the country’s top 3 wedding banquet providers in a free sampling session of wedding menus—Hizon’s Catering, Josiah’s Catering, & Richgold Weddings. City of Dreams Manila, the event Major Sponsor, will showcase wedding packages for those with a flair for the finest things in life. These wedding banquet experts will create an ambiance of wedding day grandeur and offer their wedding culinary styling delights in this exclusive subevent. Pre-register online to avail of free seat/s with your favorite caterer. KasaLitrato (House of Pictures or Wedding Photos), this photo and video festival features Asia’s widest selection of photographers and videographers. A special gallery of Celebrity Weddings plus free souvenir studio photo shoots await guests at the Nice Print Photography exhibit area. Visitors will be given the latest hard copy issue of Inspirations weddings magazine, the country’s most gorgeous wedding magazine for both the bride and the groom. *** Visit www.isah.red for more stories. Follow me on Facebook (@isahvr), Twitter (@isahvred) and Instagram (@isahvred). ΙR

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

Entertainment

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019

Cristine Reyes: local film’s newest female action star ISAH V. RED

A FIERCE-LOOKING Cristine Reyes with her hair colored fuchsia is what her fans see when they search the movie Maria online. Pedring A. Lopez , or Direk Pedring to his co-workers in the film, did an awesome transformation of Christine, form the sweet and sexy woman she has been playing in previous films and on TV series to a ruthless and unscrupulous woman who will make everything, even kill, to make sure her and family’s life is safe. Says direk Pedring, “Maria is the story of a former cartel assassin named Lily who fakes her own death after an unfulfilled mission earning her the wrath of the organization. She flees to a distant province where she completely transforms her life. Changing her name to Maria, she meets Bert, a respectable businessman, who becomes her husband. They have a daughter named Mina.” Maria’s peaceful life is cut short when the cartel learns of her whereabouts. Kaleb, the man whose orders she didn’t follow in the past, tracks her down right inside her home. Failing to protect her family, she returns to a life of violence with revenge on her mind. Reyes underwent rigorous training. She was even hurt while shooting a major fight scene, yet she remained undaunted. She even showed the numerous bruises on her arms and legs on her IG account. The internationally acclaimed Direk Pedring (Best Director at the Los Angeles Philippine Film Festival and Festival Internacional de Cine Fantastico de Torremolinos for Nilalang) posted on Twitter that Cristine “handles the fights with almost 90 percent of all her stunts without doubles”, expressing his “respect for her dedication to her craft.” Maria is Cristine’s big screen comeback after Abay Babes. In an interview found on Film Combat Syndicate.com, the actress says, “It’s definitely the most challenging thing I’ve done in my career. I’m super proud of it…” She also narrates how Viva gave her this project. “They felt strongly about the material and thought I’d be a good fit for the role. I guess they figured it would speak to me on many levels – as an actress, as a mother in real life, and as a martial arts enthusiast. And they were correct. I loved the script when I read it.” Being a fan of the ‘80s action, Direk Pedring says. “I wanted to bring it back, (but) put it in a modern setting, utilize Filipino martial arts seen in Hollywood movies like the Bourne franchise.” Reyes exalts the director for his vision, saying, “I like his style. He has a vision and he really wants that vision to really happen…You feel that he loves his project.” ” It’s about time to show the world that Filipino filmmakers can also do excellent action films. Even more exciting that these movies are being fronted by strong female characters. The world needs to know that Filipinas also kick butt,” she says. Continued on C3

Cinemalaya gem 'Kuya Wes,' an endearing tale of a seemingly average guy with a daily routine as predictable as the daily business in a remittance center , will be hitting theaters for a nationwide release beginning.

Oscar winner Brie Larson gets embroiled in galactic conflict in Marvel Studios' first female-led superhero movie 'Captain Marvel.'

‘Captain Marvel’ soars to rarefied heights in box office opening CAPTAIN Marvel, the first Marvel Studios/Disney superhero film with a female lead, has soared to rare heights in North American theaters, with whopping weekend ticket sales of $153 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported. Added to the $302 million taken in internationally, the film’s estimated total of $455 million for the threeday weekend would give it the sixth highest global debut ever, according to Variety, and the best domestic start for a superhero film since Disney and Marvel’s Black Panther opened last year with $202 million. The film stars Brie Larson, winner of a 2016 Best Actress Oscar for Room, as Carol Danvers, a former fighter pilot who gains superhuman powers in a fluke accident and finds herself in the middle of a galactic conflict. Also starring are Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Annette Bening, and Jude Law. The film, which opened on International Women’s Day, was codirected by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Trailing light-years behind in second place, at $14.7 million, was Universal’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, which had topped the North American box office for two straight weekends. The final installment in the Dragon trilogy, voiced by Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, and F. Murray Abraham, tells the story of young Hiccup and his dragon Toothless on their quest to find a reputed dragon utopia. In third, down one spot, was Lionsgate’s A Madea Family Funeral from actor/director Tyler Perry. The latest comic chapter about the irreverent but caring elderly title character (played by Perry) earned $12.1 million. Fourth spot went to Warner Bros.’ The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, at $3.8 million. Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, and Will Arnett voice the animated toys in a story of love and apocalypse in a plastic universe. And in fifth was Fox’s Alita: Battle Angel at $3.2 million. The sci-fi fantasy stars Rosa Salazar as a nearly human cyborg who has lost her memory. AFP

Ogie’s ‘KUYA WES’ gets nationwide release “I

COULD not let go of VERY the script, I was laughing WANG and crying deep inside NICKIE when I was reading the story. The WANG story is so appealing, ” singer and actor Ogie Alcasid told Manila Standard when he shared the good news that Kuya Wes, one of Cinemalaya’s gems, is finally having a nationwide commercial run. According to the 51-year-old Alcasid, apart from the script and the film’s superb cinematography, it’s the music and the combination of witty dialogue, and punchlines that really got him into starring in and partly producing the movie. “I really love the music. I don’t have anything to do about it. Everything was done by Spring Films. Also, one of the strengths of the film is the performance of the cast. It’s great that I was able to work with great and talented people,” he shared. Alcasid was raving about the cast especially his co-star Ina Raymundo who recently tied with another Filipino actress, Ai-ai de las Alas, for Best Actress in a film festival in Portugal. The movie, directed by James Robin Mayo (Kiko Boksingero), is about a remittance center worker (Wes, played by Ogie Alcasid) a seemingly average guy, whose daily routine is as predictable as the daily business in the center. But, things suddenly make a dramatic turn when one day Wes encounters a client who redeems the money sent to her by her OFW husband. Several transactions more and Wes finds himself smitten by Erika (Raymundo) who operates a small eatery somewhere. Alcasid is optimistic that the film will

do well at the tills. He knows for a fact that most of the films released this year have failed to woo the moviegoing public but he reiterated the strengths of the film, which he hopes people would notice. “I think Kuya Wes is going to be a slow burn. I hope magkaroon ng word of mouth. The film has an interesting story to offer and it features a brilliant cast,” he said. The singer and songwriter is obviously passionate about promoting the movie, which he co-produced with Paolo Pascual. But there was a point that he already wanted to drop Kuya Wes. He almost backed out in doing the movie but all the stars aligned to make the big screen project possible. “I would have to thank Piolo and Spring Films. I felt lucky, Kuya Wes got their interest. Otherwise, this would be just another story sitting on someone’s table waiting for someone’s approval and attention,” he concluded. Kuya Wes opens in cinemas nationwide today. From the same outfit that brought the blockbuster hit Kita Kita, Spring Films is screening the commercial cut of the indie movie. *** First broadcast journalist awardee

Mel Tiangco (center) receives the prestigious 2019 Rotary Annual Peace Award from the Rotary International District 3830.

Five lessons from Fox+’s ‘Better Things’ Cristine Reyes, known for her sexy drama roles, is adding a layer of challenge to her signature portrayal in her latest film, 'Maria.'

of Rotary Peace Award GMA News Pillar Mel C. Tiangco recently received the 2019 Rotary Annual Peace Award by the Rotary International District 3830, making her the ﬁrst awardee among journalists. She was also given a Paul Harris Fellow recognition during the organization’s 114th Anniversary. Tiangco was cited for embodying the Rotarian motto of ‘service above self’ who “excels not only in her professional career as a multi-awarded news anchor and as the program host of GMA’s Magpakailanman drama anthology but also in her inspiring humanitarian work as the Founder and Ambassador of GMA Kapuso Foundation (GMAKF).” During her stint as GMAKF’s Executive Vice President and COO for two decades, she conceptualized and implemented the foundation’s sustainable programs and projects where she led a team of passionate public servants. Instead of accepting her retirement in 2016, she continued to serve as GMAKF’s ambassador. “Hindi ko sukat akalain na ako ay magagawaran ng ganitong honor. Kung sasabihin nila na ako ay nakapaghandog ng sarili ko para sa kapayapaan ng ating bansa at ng ating mga kababayan, it is not the same as every other award that I have received,” Tiangco expressed. The Rotary Peace Award is given by the Rotary International to individuals who represent the ideals of peace, fellowship and world understanding. Some of the notable past recipients of the award were former Philippine Presidents Cory Aquino and Fidel Ramos.

CREATED by Pamela Adlon who also stars as the leading actress, the American comedy-drama Better Things revolves around a divorced, single mom raising three daughters on her own. It’s loosely based on Adlon’s own life, making it a semi-autobiographical series. Sam Fox (Adlon) along with her kids Max (Mikey Madison), Frankie (Hannah Alligood), and Duke (Olivia Edward) live in Los Angeles where Sam works as an actress. Not only is it enough to be raising three feisty daughters, but living next door is Sam’s mom, Phil (Celia Imrie) who has threatening mental and physical issues. The series has garnered incredible praise from critics and fans, scoring 96 out of 100 on Metacritic and a 95 percent approval rating on Rotten

Tomatoes for its second season. Adlon’s performance, in particular, has been applauded, earning her over ﬁve nominations, including an Emmy and a Golden Globe. The show itself has over won both the Critics’ Choice Television Award as well as the Peabody Award for Entertainment Programming. Better Things’ universal acclaim stems from the truthfulness and authenticity of the series, allowing it to pave its own path away from the standard sitcom. It so poignantly captures the day-to-day struggles and victories of being a single, working mother while still managing to churn out hilarious yet grounded dialogue. And just like many of the great television successes, audiences take so much more than just being entertained from the show. Better Things has done the difﬁcult job of giving us a glimpse inside the life of a single parent and has also taught us several things along the way. Here are just a few: Continued on C3

`Better Things' is a comedy drama about a single mother trying to raise her three children.