Manila Standard - 2019 April 15 - Monday

twitter.com/ MlaStandard

E K A T L EEK L ’ E W LY W M A HO AK FRO 1 BRE RIL18-2 AP

facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH

S

manilastandard.net

Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circ@manilastandardtoday.com

SCHOOL OPENING IN AUGUST FOR SUCS, CHED RULES THE Commission on Higher Education has directed a shift in the academic calendar for all government-run universities and colleges to begin the school year in August starting this year.

CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera III, in an April 5 memorandum, told state universities and colleges and local universities and colleges that they “are enjoined to synchronize its respective academic years to a fiscal year starting FY 2019 to ensure that starting FY 2020, Next page

VOL. XXXIII • NO. 64 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

DFA: Two teams to bring OFWs home from Libya THE Department of Foreign Affairs has deployed two augmentation teams to Libya to beef up the Philippine Embassy’s operations as fighting near Tripoli intensified.

The first team led by Executive Director Enrico Fos of the Office of Migrant Workers Affairs arrived in Tunis on Saturday where it will be stationed to assist Filipinos who will be evacuating from Tripoli.

The second team, led by Director Iric Arribas, arrived in Tripoli on Sunday to assist the Filipinos in the capital should the situation require mass evacuation of OFWs. “We still have not declared Level IV. The deployment of the augmentation teams is in anticipation of a possible surge in the number of Filipinos who may want to avail themselves of the repatriation program once fighting enters the capital itself,” Chargé d’Affaires Elmer Cato said in a text message.

According to the envoy, fighting is still confined to the capital’s outskirts as of Saturday, with combatants fielding heavy ground-based weapons as well as aerial bombardment.

To date, the embassy has already received 19 requests for repatriation.

Line veto best option on budget, Lacson says

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rio N. Araja

S

ENATOR Panfilo Lacson believes it would be better if President Rodrigo Duterte merely vetoes the “line items” in the 2019 budget instead of throwing out the entire spending plan, after the country’s economic managers warned that growth in gross domestic product would slow down with a re-enacted budget.

“We were informed by the economic managers there will be a 1.8-percent slide in the GDP by August in case of a reenacted budget,” Lacson said.

The President earlier said he would not hesitate to veto the entire budget if he found any irregularities in the spending plan, a move that would compel the government to run on the 2018 budget.

“So that will be bad for the economy because the biggest bulk of contribution to the growth rate of the country came from government spending. So if the budget will be vetoed and the reenacted budget will be for a year, that will be the negative impact,” Lacson said. Next page

Next page

Escudero faces disqualification

By Vito Barcelo and Macon Ramos-Araneta FORMER Senator Francis Escudero who is running for governor of Sorsogon and three other local candidates are facing disqualification after a causeoriented group filed a complaint with the Commission on Elections for alleged violation of election laws.

In its petition, the Bayan at Mamamayan group alleged that Escudero, who is the official candidate of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, donated P50,000 to the Our Lady of Peñafrancia Seminary for the use of its premises for a proclamation rally on March 31, 2019 or two days after the start of the 45-day campaign period for local candidates in violation of the Omnibus Election Code.

The three others were Escudero’s running mate Mayor Manuel Fortes, his mother Sorsogon First District Rep. Evelina Escudero, and NPC second district congressional candidate Ditas Ramos.

Next page

PNP pacifies US on kidnap risks

POLL TEST RUN. Comelec representative displays the voter’s receipt during a demonstration on how to use the PCOS machine on Sunday, ahead of the midterm elections on May 13. Norman Cruz

Rice-corn losses reach P5.7b; El Niño ‘survival fund’ sought THE damage to rice and corn crops due to El Niño has reached P5.7 billion, the Department of Agriculture said Sunday.

The losses had exceeded the agency’s initial forecast of P1.7 billion, Agriculture Undersecretary Ariel Cayanan said.

He made his statement even as Deputy Minority Leader and Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. urged the barangays and

non-governmental organizations to avail themselves of the people’s survival fund or PSF so they could put up functional rainwater collectors in their communities.

He underscored the importance of groups availing themselves of the PSF with 61 percent of the country, including Metro Manila, reeling from the drought brought on by El Niño.

Next page

Buddhist New Year arrives with a splash

HK farmer’s bare hands calm bees

BANGKOK—Water-spraying elephants, raves and boisterous, streetblocking water fights—Thailand’s Buddhist new year arrived with a splash Saturday, a once calm festival now celebrated with a more raucous edge.

HONG KONG—High up in the hills above Hong Kong, Yip Ki-hok uses nothing but his bare hands to remove a honey-filled nest of swarming bees—a remarkable skill he learned after the hardship of China’s famine years.

Next page

THE Philippine National Police has assured other countries, especially the United States, that the government is in full control of its security situation, after the US State Department named the Philippines as one of the countries with a high risk of kidnapping.

PNP chief Oscar Albayalde said it is the obligation of any state to warn its citizens of all the kinds of dangers in any part of the world, especially if the security assessment is valid.

“We cannot blame them. They are just Next page

Holy Week rush: Travellers, bus companies admonished THE Bureau of Immigration on Sunday urged overseas-bound travelers to check in at least three hours before their flight to avoid congestion this Lenten season.

NAIA-BI Port Operations Division Chief Grifton Medina said that while the queues in the immigration counters could not be avoided due to the surge in the

number of travelers during Holy Week, they “are prepared and expect queuing time to significantly decrease as compared to the previous years.”

He made his statement even as the National Capital Region Police Office advised the bus companies and their staff to show only wholesome films on board provincial

buses so as not to scandalize parents and children traveling this Holy Week.

It is common practice for the bus staff to play local and foreign movies to keep the passengers entertained during a long trip.

However, it has been observed that some of the movies played during these Next page

Next page

Catholic devotees wave their palm fronds during Palm Sunday celebrations at the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto church in Bulacan, north of Manila on April 14, while Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle (inset) blesses palm fronds in front of the Manila Cathedral on Sunday, April 14.

Palm Sunday for Roman Catholic devotees symbolizes the arrival of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem on the week He was crucified. AFP and Norman Cruz

A2

MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2019 twitter.com/ MlaStandard mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Rappler faces ‘tough luck’ with dreaded judge

By Rey E. Requejo MARIA Ressa and the other executives of the online news outfit Rappler face a very difficult legal battle on their antidummy case before a Pasig City court, according to lawyers.

They say they consider as “tough luck” the assignment of the criminal case against Ressa and company to Pasig City regional trial court branch 265 Judge Acerey Pacheco.

In a recent gathering of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, lawyers said Pacheco had a reputation as a “dreaded judge” because of his very high conviction rate of over 80 percent.

“We call him [Pacheco] ‘Judge Convict.’ If you’re a defense counsel handling a case in his sala, the probability of winning is less than 20 percent,” said one lawyer who requested anonymity.

A check with the judiciary showed that Pacheco, who issued the warrant of arrest against Ressa upon her arrival at the airport on March 29, had convicted 420 out of some 500 accused from 2015 to 2018 in his original court of jurisdiction, Marikina RTC branch 165.

Pacheco is only designated as an acting presiding judge of the Pasig RTC handling the anti-dummy case against Ressa because there are not enough judges in the courts.

Nonetheless, the lawyers said Ressa and her co-accused could expect a speedy trial and the immediate resolution of their anti-dummy case from Pacheco.

The judge issued the arrest warrant against Ressa on March 28, just a day after the case was raffled off to his branch on March 27 and just two days after it was filed by the Pasig Prosecutor’s Office on March 26.

Ressa was arrested in the early morning of March 29 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The other accused―managing editor Glenda Gloria and Rappler’s 2016 board members Manuel Ayala, James Bitanga, Nico Jose Nolledo, James Velasquez and Felicia Atienza―had posted bail to avoid arrest.

The separate case on the alleged violations of the Securities and Regulation Code was ordered by Pacheco for reraffling to a special commercial court in the Pasig RTC. As of December 2018, Pacheco had a caseload of only 324 cases with an average monthly output of 36 criminal and four civil cases. Only 16 cases were on appeal before his sala.

In Pacheco’s court, no case is left undecided or unresolved beyond the reglementary period.

A check with the Supreme Court also showed that there is not a single administrative complaint filed against him since he was appointed judge in September 2011.

His personal data sheet filed with the Judicial and Bar Council revealed that Pacheco was a recipient of the Presidential Plaque of Merit as commissioner of the IBP Commission on Bar Discipline from 2003 to 2011, when he recommended for disbarment of many lawyers.

DFA:...

From A1

While the conflict has yet to enter Tripoli, Cato said the embassy remains proactive and aggressive in calling upon Filipinos in the area to “seriously consider” the government’s repatriation offer while it still can.

Places affected by the conflict include Sawani, Azizia, Qasr Ben Ghashir, Khallet Forjan, Ain Zara and Wadi Al-Rabee.

Data from the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs showed a significant number of civilians remain stuck in these areas.

In its situational report dated April 12, the UN agency said low evacuation rates could be attributed to ongoing clashes, and reports of indiscriminate and deliberate targeting of ambulance vehicles. PNA

School...

From A1

all SUCs and LUCs have synchronized their academic year to a fiscal year.”

The directive was pursuant to provisions of Higher Education Act of 1994 or Republic Act 7722 and Commission En Banc Resolution No. 142-2019.

CHED, however, did not state its reason for the shift in the academic year.

The University of the Philippines System, De La Salle University, University of Santo Tomas and Ateneo de Manila University, previously changed their academic calendar from June to later months to integrate with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Rio N. Araja

facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH

S

News

manilastandard.net

Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circ@manilastandardtoday.com

‘DNA proves terror leader is dead’ M ARAWI CITY—An official of the Philippine Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade said the DNA samples tested last month from a dead extremist militant fighter confirmed that it was from Owayda Benito Marohomsar, also known as Abu Dar—the leader of Dawla Islamiya Lanao Group.

Col. Romeo Brawner, 103IB com- operation at the boundaries of Tubaran mander, confirmed this Sunday. and Pagayawan towns in Lanao del Sur. The confirmation came a month after Dar took over the leadership after top Abu Dar was killed in a military pursuit leaders of the Maute group, including

Isnilon Hapilon, were killed during and after the Marawi siege in 2017.

Brawner said the confirmed death of Abu Dar would also mean the end of the Dawlah Islamiya Lanao group.

“This group is leader-centric. If you remember, when the two leaders were neutralized in the last part of Marawi siege, President Duterte declared liberation of Marawi from the terrorist influence,” Brawner said in an earlier interview.

Hapilon and Omar Maute, together with Abu Dar, led the planning of the attack in Marawi City in May 2017.

Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros, on the other hand, said the prospect of a reenacted budget was proof of the President’s failure to rid his administration of the pork barrel system.

“We would have a reenacted budget for this year because the President failed to stand up against the return of the pork barrel,” she said.

House Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Sagip. Rep. Rodante Marcoleta on Sunday said he believed the President would not veto the entire 2019 P3.757trillion national budget after the leadership of Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo backed the priority projects and anti-corruption campaign of the Chief Executive under the national expenditure program.

Unlike the Senate that supposedly pushed the unconstitutional lump sum fund, Marcoleta said, Arroyo promoted transparency and accountability in the national budget when the House worked on the itemization of lawmakers’ projects through Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., chairman of the House committee on appropriations.

“I don’t think the President will veto the 2019 budget in its entirety. He knows only too well the downside of a reenacted budget. The posturing of a few senators cannot compromise his duty to decide for the greater good,” he said.

House Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danny Suarez and House Majority Leader and Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro agreed with Marcoleta.

“We maintain that the budget was drafted and passed by the House of Representatives according to long-established and duly constituted legislative processes. And we stand ready to address any concerns that the Palace may have in its review of the 2019 General Appropriations Bill,” Suarez said.

“The House of Representatives under Speaker [Arroyo’s] leadership has clearly defined its legislative agenda to be always in accord with and always in full support of President Duterte’s priority bills and programs,” Castro said.

He said Congress pushed for the itemization of projects to comply with the Supreme Court ruling against the use of pork barrel.

which is a prohibited act pursuant to Comelec Resolution 10429 and election offense in violation of Sec. 104 of the Omnibus Election Code,” the petitioner said.

Lasay said that before the March 31 rally, he had written Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes requesting that the church withdraw any agreement it may have entered into with Escudero or NPC as the event would undermine church independence and non-partisanship in relation to an earlier directive from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, but the rally pushed through anyway.

The petitioner also called the attention of the Comelec in a letter dated March 27, claiming that the Sorsogon-Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting has been put into a compromising position because it allowed its members to be part

of the political activity.

But Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle on Sunday had a political message of his own, urging the Catholic faithful to follow “leaders” who can strip off worldly possessions and power and be humble, as Jesus Christ did.

In his homily at the Manila Cathedral, Tagle said Palm Sunday was meant to commemorate the victorious entry of Jesus Christ to the city of Jerusalem a week before he was crucified.

He urged Catholics not to be fooled by other leaders who were haughty due to their power and wealth.

Meanwhile, as the month-long overseas absentee voting opened in 85 Philippine posts abroad, Senator Cynthia Villar reminded the almost two-million registered voters to exercise their right to vote.

because of the government’s relentless anti-crime program.

“A list is just a list. What we have are factual data pointing to the decreasing number of kidnapping cases in the Philippines. That’s what we are banking on,” Año said.

“We do not know yet how they came up with the list but with the strong stance of President Rodrigo Duterte against criminality in general, we see no basis for including us in this list. We will request from the US Embassy what were the parameters used since even Malaysia and Russia were included,” he said.

According to the data of the PNP, there were only 68 cases of kidnapping in the country in 2018, most of which were in

Mindanao, 11 cases lower than in 2017.

As of April 2019, there were only 10 cases of kidnapping.

The DILG chief also said the declaration of martial law in Mindanao has made it safer for visitors.

“While personal precaution is necessary, martial law has allowed the Philippine government to deploy more security forces to Mindanao to ensure the safety of the people and foreign guests,” he said.

He added that the inauguration of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao also marks another milestone in the government’s drive for lasting peace and order in Mindanao “where kidnapping cannot foster and security and development will be a priority.’’ PNA

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday urged the public not to believe that media organizations are clean, saying he will disclose information proving that members of the media are allegedly being paid to pursue fake news stories ahead of the May 2019 elections.

In a speech during the PDP-Laban campaign rally in Malaybalay City in Bukidnon, President Duterte again slammed anew the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism for its report on the Duterte family’s ballooning wealth, adding that the members of media organizations were “paid hacks.”

“Here in the Philippines, you don’t have investigative journalism... That PCIJ, don’t believe that. It’s a matter of money for them. I will show to you in the coming days why it boils down to money,” Duterte said.

He also called on the public not to believe in the critical reports of the news site Rappler against the administration.

“If there is no money, how will they survive? This Rappler, they are warikwarik,” Duterte said.

“Don’t say they are writers. How much do they earn as writers? Not enough to live.

They accept money from clients to attack.

“AC-DC. They are paid hacks. Don’t believe that they are clean.”

Duterte urged the public not to turn a blind eye on their cars and houses.

“They keep on asking for money ever since. Those well-known writers? Maybe they don’t line up, but most of them do. Women? They even ask for women.

Especially this one who is sick? That one keeps on asking,” he said.

“I will disclose these in the coming days. Just wait for it. Don’t believe these writers from Manila.”

He also said the TV network ABSCBN owed the government money.

“That ABS-CBN son of a b***h, they have such a huge debt from the government. The owner of ABS-CBN, after martial law, ABS-CBN was returned to the Lopezes,” Duterte said.

Duterte had previously accused the network of allegedly refusing to air his campaign advertisement even if he had already paid for it during the 2016 presidential elections.

He said he paid ABS-CBN Corp. chairman emeritus Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez II to air his campaign ad, but the network “never showed it.”

damage was worth P7.4 billion, but the agency had validated only P5.7 billion in losses.

The damage, however, would not result in a shortage of rice and corn, he said.

Meanwhile, the incidents of fish kills due to extreme heat and overuse of fish pens were also reported recently in some areas in Pangasinan, Cayanan said.

He said cloud seeding was “not the main solution to El Niño as this would have to

depend on the presence of “substantial” clouds that could spawn rain.

The department has instead encouraged the planting of drought-tolerant seeds, while longer term loans and insurance for farmers were also in place, Cayanan said.

He suggested changing the schedule of the planting season to make crops ready for harvest before the peak of the dry season.

Rio N. Araja

Line...

From A1

On the other hand, Lacson said, if the President approves the budget in its entirety, it would be tainted with pork barrel, which has been declared illegal by the Supreme Court.

Lacson has accused the House of inserting pork in the national budget after it was approved by the bicameral conference committee.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian agreed with Lacson that economic growth would slow down if the President vetoed the budget. He also said no winners would emerge in the process.

“Infrastructure projects, particularly those that are slated to start this year, will be put on hold—to the detriment of all Filipinos,” he said.

Reelectionist Senator Grace Poe said that state-funded programs for poor farmers and the newly created Bangsamoro autonomous region may be put on the back burner without a new budget.

Escudero...

From A1

BM lead convenor Revor Lasay said the donation violated Section 104 of the Omnibus Election Code and constituted as prohibited under Comelec Resolution 10429.

Fr. Philippe A.B. Gallanosa of the diocese of Sorsogon admitted that OLPS received a rental payment from the NPC for the venue even as he pointed out that the diocese has no business permit to rent out its premises for public use.

“Since OPLS did not have any business permit, and necessarily had no official receipt to issue whatsoever for the use of its premises, it is, by simple reasoning, that, the amount given by [Senator Escudero] or the NPC to OLPS is a form of donation,

PNP...

From A1

doing their job of protecting their citizens.

We will certainly do the same thing,” said Albayalde.

Albayalde said while it is true that there are kidnapping incidents especially in Mindanao, mostly perpetrated by the Abu Sayyaf Group and its affiliate syndicates, he said “there are only certain portions or parts in Mindanao that are quite critical because of presence of some threat groups.”

For his part, Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo M. Año said kidnapping cases in the country have been on a downward trend in recent years

Holy Week...

From A1

long trips are not for general patronage.

Medina recommended that passengers check in at least three hours before their flight and go straight to immigration for clearance.

He said travelers who check in early but delay immigration clearance until the last minute were adding to the congestion in the immigration area.

Medina urged foreign tourists who have stayed in the country for more than six months to secure and pay their clearance certificates in any of the bureau’s district, field, satellite and extension offices nationwide.

He said foreigners with ACR ICards permanently living, working or studying in the Philippines may secure their reentry permits in other BI Offices before going to the airports.

He said securing their required permits early “will decrease queuing time in half, because they will not have to line up at the cashier anymore”.

Medina also reminded Filipino government officials and employees to ensure they had the required authority to travel abroad from their respective department heads.

He also advised adults traveling abroad with minors unaccompanied by parents to make sure that the latter had the required clearance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Vito Barcelo with PNA

Rice-corn...

From A1

“The PSF is a special annual fund in the national treasury that provides subsidy to climate change adaptation and natural disaster resilience strategies, including the installation of practical rainwater harvesters,” Campos said.

Cayanan said there were reports that the

Brawner said Abu Dar escaped Marawi after he got wounded in the ensuing battle.

After the five-month battle ended in October 2017, Abu Dar started to recruit and train new fighters, targeting young ones and orphans of the Marawi siege.

“He also recruited and trained those whose family members and relatives died during the siege... But they will not be able to continue now because Abu Dar is dead and their remnants, followers and supporters have already surrendered to the military and they are with us now,” Brawner added. PNA

Duterte snipes at ‘paid hacks’ in media

By Nat Mariano

Buddhist...

HK...

From A1

From A1

Paying respects to elders and sprinkling water over figures of Buddha at local temples are some of the traditions of the three-day new year celebration—known as Songkran—but the holiday also has a rowdier side involving alcohol-fueled revelry among its youth.

Thais and foreigners sporting floral shirts arm themselves with colorful water pistols and protective goggles, engaging in water fights that bring entire streets to a standstill.

Authorities had issued warnings beforehand on modesty, saying that nudity and provocative clothing will be prohibited.

There are no such restrictions however on summary drenchings.

In the Bangkok tourist hotspot Khao San road, two young men dressed in school uniforms get doused by passersby wielding high-powered water pistols and buckets of water.

And in Ayutthaya, elephants painted in colorful floral designs lift their trunks and spray water on delighted tourists, with the town’s ancient temples serving as a backdrop.

As the sun sets, tens of thousands of ravers from across Asia are expected to dance into Saturday night under massive water cannons and spectacular pyrotechnics, as Bangkok’s S2O Songkran festival gets underway.

Some of the world’s best known—and paid—DJs, including Tiesto, Steve Aoki and UK veteran Fatboy Slim are performing across the three-day dance music event—Asia’s largest. AFP

While most new beekeepers buy insects from those with already established colonies, Yip prefers a more organic method, trekking into the hills and catching wild bees using skills he developed through trial and error from the age of seven.

The 62-year-old effortlessly moves through bush and dense thickets, far from the official hiking trails, and pauses at a hole in the hillside he knows will contain a bee colony.

Lighting five incense sticks to placate the bees, he waits for the smoke to take effect and then reaches into the hole, removing chunks of the hive along with handfuls of bees.

Remarkably he is only stung twice. The trick, he explains, is to remove as much of the hive as possible without killing or losing the vital queen.

“If you wear gloves, then you don’t know how much strength you’re using,” he tells AFP. “If you use too much strength and accidentally kill the queen, it’s very troublesome, it’ll be very hard to take the hive back.”

Moving slowly and carefully, he blows on the hive to herd the bees into a wire cage covered with a white drawstring bag.

He searches for the queen as stragglers buzz around him—a crucial part of the operation as the other bees in the hive are fiercely attracted to her.

“Without the queen, they will get angry and go looking for her everywhere. If they can’t find her they will fly right back out of the cage. They’ll fly around everywhere to find her and start stinging like crazy,” he said. AFP

News

A3

MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

A4

Opinion

MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2019

Victimhood’s power

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

corruption?”

In 2014, the Ateneo also drew flak when Imelda Marcos was invited as a guest of honor at a scholarship fund anniversary, which she originally helped fund from the proceeds of a concert in the 1970s, that has STUDENTS of the illustrious Ateneo de helped countless Ateneo scholars through Manila University, the intellectual home the decades. of “men and women for others,” recently The Areté director has since resigned condemned the attendance of Irene Marcos- and the university president issued Araneta, an alumna, and daughter of the late a public apology over the incident, and former President Ferdinand Marcos, acknowledging that it had cast doubt on at the opening of the Ateneo Areté’s the school’s solidarity with martial law Amphitheater. victims.

In a statement, the Sanggunian ng mga A friend immediately called me to Paaralang Loyola ng Ateneo de Manila or celebrate. She bragged that she was the Sanggu (Boy, that’s a mouthful!) said it reason for the director’s resignation, spoke with the university administration the university’s apology, and public and Areté’s director, who confirmed that humiliation of an alumna and guest. It’s Marcos-Araneta, important for again an alumna you to know her and art patron, was and her immense at the event. power. Her name She was born of an The statement is Victimhood. read: “The Loyola illicit liaison between She was born Schools student of an illicit liaison Justice and Need. body condemns between Justice the invitation and Need. and participation When it came of Irene Marcos to victims, her in Areté’s father—Justice— Amphitheater launch. It is nothing but defended them. But, her mother— ironic that a Marcos participated in the Need—fabricated and glorified them. event of the institution.”

As a child, she found that the louder Plays depicting abuses committed she cried, the more attention she received. under Ferdinand Marcos were staged at And she loved the attention.

Areté in 2018. “[Irene Marcos’ presence] But, what she really wanted was is a grave insult and vehement mockery power. And she set out to find it. to martial law survivors and martyrs,” the At first, she hunted tragedy. Tragedy Sanggu statement read. that struck victims without warning— A separate petition signed by various poverty, death, disease, earthquakes, students of the university also demanded typhoons, floods, war, etc. the university to issue a formal apology Some victims stayed with her, decayed for the incident. The petition read, “Are with her, and made tragedy the great we not aware by now how the Marcoses central drama of their lives. systematically use art as a tool to blind Others left her.

Turn to A5 the people from their violence and

M

Enough is enough

ETRO Manila residents are being crucified this summer on the twin planks of a severe water shortage and recurring power outages, all amid sweltering record-high temperatures brought about by the El Niño phenomenon.

There is precious little that we can do about the weather, but it is now clear that the government agencies and private corporations that were tasked to ensure we have a stable supply of water and power—bare necessities for civilized living—have failed us miserably.

Manila Water, the concessionaire for Metro Manila’s east zone, has apologized for this failure, but that apology is hardly sufficient to compensate the millions of its customers who suffered, many of them for days or weeks without water service. The belated apology from the Zobels— the billionaires who own the private water concessionaire—meant nothing to the thousands of small businesses that had to close shop because of they couldn’t continue operating without water. They may not realize it just yet, but the water service interruptions are not a mere incon-

venience, and the public disdain for their company will quickly turn to rage in the punishing summer heat.

Then, just when we thought we had seen it all, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines and the Manila Electric Co. began carrying out rotating power outages, depriving neighborhoods of power for as long as three hours a day. One of the reasons, they said, was the lack of supply from power generating plants, some of which had gone offline unexpectedly.

The Senate, as it should, has announced that it will evaluate the performance of all concerned corporations amid the water and electricity shortage.

The current sad state of affairs, we are told, is all the more reason that the New Public Service Act must be passed to review the franchises and performance of public utilities, including those involved in the transmission

and distribution of electricity, and waterworks and sewerage systems.

The legislation recognizes public utilities as natural monopolies that must be regulated and penalizes those that do not perform up to par.

But million-peso fines may be inconsequential to large corporations with billions of pesos in profit. More importantly, these fines do not go to the consumers who suffer the poor service.

President Rodrigo Duterte recently ranted—with good cause-against an agreement with Maynilad Water Services, one of the private water concessionaires, that barred the government from interfering in the operation of its water system. The private company took “interference” to mean delaying a scheduled rate increase and sued the government before an arbitration court in Singapore for P3.42 billion, a case that it recently won.

Enough is enough.

It is time that the government— and our legislature—put consumers ahead of the private corporations that put their profits ahead of the public good.

Fiduciary duty member as Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, and Jesus “Clint” Aranas who is president and general manager of the GSIS, the state pension fund for civil servants, and its sole insurer for assets.

There are very few places in the country where one can still savor original I HIED off to Bacolod last week, first Pilipino food, regional or provincial, the to inspect some schools which offered way our ancestors cooked their daily and short-term ESL or English as Second festive fare. Despite the garish presence Language courses to foreign students. of the usual fast-food outlets, one can still My staff had earlier gone to Cebu for the identify restaurants that have stood the same purpose, and later, we also went to test of time and the unwanted competition Iloilo City. from the purveyors of commercial These cities are still favorites of mine, and oft-execrable convenience food in though Cebu’s Cebu, Bacolod traffic gets me and Iloilo. You stressed out, find the same in especially when Pampanga, in I have this sinking I have to catch Ilocos, Cagayan a flight from a Valley, but quite feeling that the mainland hotel u n f o r t u n a t e l y, movement of the to the airport in in the Tagalog informal settlers from Mactan. provinces from Isla Puting Bato may be In Iloilo, Bulacan down traffic within to Laguna and part and parcel of the the city has also half of Batangas, planned reclamation of worsened, but still so close to the portions of Manila Bay. bearable.

And National Capital through Senator Region, the Frank Drilon’s holes in the wall efforts in the past serving real native administration, there is a wide boulevard delicacies have surrendered to high rent “peripherique” that is an alternative to and the McDos and Jollibees. the old route that goes from poblacion One of the “must-dos” in my bucket to the Sta-Barbara-Pavia international list is writing a culinary travelogue from airport through ever-busy Jaro.

North to South, identifying the best local Cebu, despite the traffic and its narrow cuisines and their purveyors, from San streets, still serves the best lechon in the Nicolas’ crispy dinuguan in Daoang’s to country. But that is digression, aside Digong’s favorite food haunts in Davao. from the fact that both Bacolod and Iloilo The digression has taken so much are culinary destinations always worth space. savoring. Bacolod’s chicken inasal is In my lengthy conversations with as good as it was 40 years ago when I the ever-voluble but always commonfirst tasted it, if you know where to get sensical Clint Aranas, the GSIS CEO, he it. Iloilo’s seafood fare is so good, and spoke of a problem he has with another it’s pancit molo and bachoy are always government agency, the Philippine Ports to die for.

Authority, over property owned by the All three, but for Cebu’s nightmarish GSIS. traffic, retain their bucolic, provincial Apparently, the PPA allocated a character. Citified without losing charm property titled to GSIS at the Manila and character, with all the conveniences North Harbor for “social housing of city living, plus the pace of provincial purposes” without the knowledge and life and the genuine smiles of people. consent of the real owner.

It was also an occasion for me to PPA executed a memorandum of bond with good friends from way understanding with the National Housing Turn to A5 back: Mike Dino who is now a cabinet

Why all these problems?

THERE are times when a columnist who’s supposed to write three times a week is at a loss thinking of his topic or subject matter. We are not making excuses of having what they say in the trade as a writer’s block . But this has been happening lately with me that I thought I might as well write about it.

For starters, I find myself repeating myself on the same matter bedeviling this benighted land. It’s like going through a revolving door and finding yourself in the same place where you started. It’s frustrating to say the least.

As we approach Holy Week, perhaps it’s time to reflect on why this country is confronted with so many challenges all at the same time.

Reflection and deliverance should be the undertone of our prayers.

Bear with me as I list this litany of problems again. These problems have come to bore those who have gotten used to them instead of being incensed that government has failed in providing even palliative solutions.

Take the case of drought that has wreaked havoc, to the tune of billions of pesos, on agricultural products.

This cannot simply be blamed on the El Niño phenomenon that has also put Metro Manila’s water supply at crisis levels. Unemployment is still in millions even as the Philippines

continues to deploy overseas Filipino workers to the Middle East where they are maltreated by their oil-rich employers. Yet we are allowing Chinese do the work Filipinos can in the online gaming industry. Our government justifies this anomalous situation because it claims we owe China billions of pesos in loans and grants for infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges to ease the monstrous traffic problem in Metro Manila.

There appears to be no solution in sight unless government sets up an effective public transport system as people mover of those who have found work but are in danger of losing their jobs because they are late in the daily commute.

The government is planning an ambitious underground or subway system. But its completion could Turn to A5

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

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Anita F. Grefal Baldwin R. Felipe Edgar M. Valmorida

Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Treasury Manager Head—Ad Solutions Circulation Manager

Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua

Managing Editor Associate Editors News Editor Opinion Editor

Emil P. Jurado

Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Jimbo Gulle City Editor Romel J. Mendez Art Director Roberto Cabrera Chief Photographer

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Opinion DJ takes over AS WE enter the last 30 days of the campaign, we see a mad scramble for the Senate seats still up for grab— the last four or five slots from eighth to twelfth place. Unfortunately, some candidates or their handler who feels they are fast losing their grip on the few remaining slots are now resorting to DJs or demolition jobs. The latest victim is former presidential adviser lawyer Francis “Tol” Tolentino.

In a post which is now going viral in the social media, the Tolentino camp is being accused of handling coupons which would entitle holders to a free bag of groceries and rice.

The coupon, which bears Tolentino’s face, states that the grocery and rice-giving was to take place last Saturday, April 13 in Marilao and San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan. According to eye witnesses, the coupons were being distributed by some motorcyle-riding men. The Tolentino camp fears perpetrators of this scheme might also be doing the same in other areas.

The Tolentino camp has all the reasons to be wary of this particular demolition job being waged against the former Cabinet secretary whom President Rodrigo Duterte is personally endorsing. This offense is one of the grounds for disqualification.

Unfortunately, for whoever is behind this malicious act, this won’t ever fly. Have they forgotten Tolentino is one damn good lawyer? For them to think he is that ignorant to commit such kind of violation reflects on their character—plain stupid.

Why...

From A4

happen only after President Rodrigo Duterte’s six-year term in 2022.

President Duterte’s relentless and ruthless war on illegal drugs, it seems, has not stemmed the proliferation of drugs. Most of those big-time traffickers and manufacturer of shabu are Chinese who are doing it here because the offense is punishable by death with a shot to the back of the head in their own country.

This and the grisly rape-murder of a 16-year-old girl in Lapu Lapu City, Cebu has again brought to the fore the cry for restoring the death penalty.

Those who favor capital punishment cite the Bible’s “an eye for an eye, an ear for an ear” retribution to those who commit hideous and unspeakable

Victimhood’s...

From A4

She had competition—her former friends, the so-called virtues: Optimism, Self-esteem, Pride, and, worst of all, Gratitude.

Those who followed them survived and thrived.

Worse were the advances of freemarket capitalism: scientific and medical breakthroughs; mass production of the basic necessities of life; and a rising standard of living for all.

She complained that tragedy became all too rare.

She needed a bigger market. A better plan.

That’s when she met the handsome Collectivism. They fell in love. And he told her about great thinkers like Karl Marx who grouped people into classes, pitting one against the other: rich and poor; exploiters and exploited; oppressors

Fiduciary....

From A4

Authority, the City of Manila, privately owned and publicly listed International Container Terminal Services Inc. and the Manila North Harbor Port Inc. covering an entire area of five (5) hectares as a resettlement site of informal settlers along Isla Puting Bato in Manila without indicating nor disclosing that GSIS owns 1.2 hectares of the property.

“We support the government’s social housing program, but it has to be done within the purview of law. The property is registered under the name of the pension fund. PPA cannot commit something it does not own,” Aranas said.

“GSIS is owned by civil servants,

“And I am sure whoever is behind this black propaganda is out to stop me from serving the people. I sincerely ask the people not to believe in this information and to avoid being used by unscrupulous people,” he adds.

It is not surprising the demolition job was executed right after the results of the latest Pulse Asia was made public showing Tolentino entering the Magic 12 in tenth place.

So why pick on Tolentino?

Because if you’re a staunch critic of the President, the best way to get back at him is through the candidates he is personally endorsing in the forthcoming elections. And there are three of them: former Special Assistant

crimes. Why not if it’s the only way to put the fear of God on these evil wrong doers?

The other major problems besetting the nation is the continued infringement into our sovereignty and territorial waters by the Chinese who have deployed their warships in Scarborough Shoal or Panatag. They have been depriving local fishermen of their livelihood. The Department of Foreign Affairs said it filed a diplomatic protest and President Duterte might bring up this violation in his next meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Will Xi just give Digong a pat on the back or lock him tighter in his embrace? The Filipino people are watching the outcome of this meeting. So far, only Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario are the most vocal in the

denunciation of China’s aggression and military buildup in the South China Sea. With all this myriad of problems, I am amazed that President Duterte continues to have a high approval rating in the public eye and the poll surveys conducted in the latest poll

by Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia. This President taunts God and the Church but we have yet to see the heavens inflict punishment for his defiance and disrespect. Or maybe we are—from the shower of problems Duterte is being drenched with and experiencing.

As I said at the outset of this piece, the advent of Holy Week should be a time for prayer for our country , the President and the new set of leaders in the coming midterm elections on May 13. Reflection and deliverance should be the undertone of our prayers.

and oppressed; victors and victims.

He gave her an idea. Turn grief into grievance! Find someone or some group to resent, to blame, and to pay.

She then gave them each a card—a victim card.

She gave them their identity, their map, their “IOU,” which was really a “They owe you.”

They can cash it in for all kinds of benefits: welfare, quotas, subsidies, free healthcare, free college, money…

Paid for by whom?

The rich, of course! The happy, productive achievers. The men and women of, well, ability. The same men and women who enroll their financially dependent, and supposedly independentlyminded, tolerant kids at the Ateneo.

The greater their ability, the greater their guilt and social justice obligation should be.

The irony is, they fell for it!

They gave Victimhood their permission

and their money.

But, there were a few individuals who did not agree. They fought back. They wrote books about persons of ability who refused to sacrifice themselves at her altar.

They pursued their own happiness and independence.

“So selfish of them, don’t you think?”

She asked. “And too much hard work!

All that writing. All that independent thinking.”

Instead, she offers a safe place— Entitlement—and the power to silence, ban, and publicly humiliate anyone they disagree with or don’t like.

“The great thing is, there’s more than one way to play the victim card,” she explained. “There are many grievances.

I’ll collect them all. What’s yours?”

If you want to bring down anyone, a university, or a nation, never be a victor.

But always be a victim.

and management has a fiduciary duty to the millions of civil servants who own it. We cannot dissipate assets even for “noble” purposes without legal cover, Clint added.

In a letter to PPA General Manager Jay Santiago, Aranas demanded that PPA rescind, modify or revise the MOU to exclude the portion of land owned by GSIS, otherwise he would be constrained to file the appropriate legal action to protect the GSIS and its members.

Replying to Aranas, PPA’s Santiago questioned the validity of the GSIS title.

“The title speaks for itself. And that title can only be questioned in a direct attack filed before a regular court. Even the National Housing Authority has confirmed in inter-agency committee

meetings the overlapping of properties based on its own ocular inspection,” Aranas said.

The GSIS property is covered by TCT No. 272972 with a land area of 109,212 square meters.

Clint has a long list of public and private corporations which have been violative of GSIS legal rights and claims for the longest time, but which have been un-acted upon by previous managers and trustees.

“I have a fiduciary responsibility to protect our members. These are not mine to give, nor even government itself, without the appropriate legal remedies”, Aranas told me.

I have this sinking feeling that the movement of the informal settlers from Isla Puting Bato may be part

Have they forgotten that this candidate happens to be a good lawyer?

A5

The wage stagnation paradox to the President Christopher “Bong” Go, former Philippine National Police Chief, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Tolentino. But with Go and Dela Rosa safely tucked in fourth and eight place respectively, it would be most logical for these critics, and most probably candidates languishing outside the winning circle, to pounce on the lowest ranking president’s preferred candidate in the survey—Tolentino.

And Tolentino is quite aware of that.

In a statement, Tolentino bared he expected demolition jobs to be part of dirty side of the election campaign.

“Unfortunately, black propaganda like this is part of the election campaign. Thus, I would like to clarify there is no truth to this coupon being distributed under my name and I strongly condemn whoever is behind this dirty politicking,” Tolentino says.

“And it is for this reason we have to be critical of whatever is being offered to us. If in the campaign period alone, they could only offer us dirty tactics just to gain our votes, what more could they give us when they are already in power?” he asks. Rightly said.

While the incident is already being investigated by the police, people should be more vigilant against these illegal acts being perpetrated most probably by candidates on the verge of losing and report them immediately to the Commission on Elections.

And this applies not only to demolition jobs against senatorial candidates but for all those illegal acts being committed against all those vying for the May 13 polls.

“I am a lawyer and I am well aware of what forms of campaigning are forbidden by the law during the election period,” Tolentino stresses.

MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2019

eric.jurado@gmail.com

do not even include other recent regulatory developments, such as the increase in SSS premium and expanded maternity leave benefits.

Instead, what must be prioritized are capital stock and equipment in increasing productivity.

IN ADDITION to curbing inflation Rene Almeda, Employers and creating jobs, consistently Confederation of the Philippines among the top concerns of Filipinos Governor, cited his company’s according to surveys is wages. The approach to boost labor productivity poor, in particular, often live from in relation to the findings of the paper. payday to payday, and any movement Yazaki-Torres Manufacturing Inc., he in their takehome pay can spell the said, makes use of a two-tiered wage difference between eating and hunger. system: setting a minimum wage Unfortunately, there is a widening higher than the poverty threshold divergence between the average basic and setting voluntary productivity daily wage and labor productivity incentives and bonuses based on trends. On one hand, the most apparent mutual agreements. explanation is exploitation: Why else Their incentive scheme, would Filipino labor continue to he explained, provides for a increase their productivity even as performance-based incentive pay, their wages stagnate? On the other productivity incentives, and a special hand, the usual computation of wages bonus based on the profitability target does not include so-called other forms of the year. of compensation, such as bonuses and Toti Chikiamco, President insurance, which are rising. of the Foundation on Economic Independent think tank Stratbase Freedom, said the onus of increasing Albert del productivity is Rosario (ADR) on government.

Institute held He explained: a roundtable “If the discussion on There is a widening government a special study really had a divergence between on this topic heart for the the average basic

by Dr. Vicente labor sector, daily wage and labor Pacqueo, one of they should its non-Resident productivity trends. focus on Fellows, and Dr. p r o d u c t i v i t y.

Michael Abrigo, a Productivity Research Fellow a l l o w s of the state-run [businesses] to think tank Philippine Institute for grow bigger and enable employers to Development Studies. share their employees the productivity In particular, Drs. Pacqueo and gains.”

Abrigo looked at labor productivity His company, he said, has a and the so-called wage stagnation “personalized” incentive and paradox, and in the discussion, they compensation scheme. Aided by highlighted the importance of raising technology, it gathers data to set productivity growth and opportunities productivity objects according to through things like technological the employee’s nature of work, catch up, building of complementary capabilities, and experience. capabilities, and instituting policy Otherwise, he said, any mandated reforms. policies that have no productivity Wage stagnation is a misleading direction will not make the country paradox, Dr Pacqueo said, because more globally competitive. As such, it does not reflect non-wage benefits. he stressed the need for greater foreign He disputed wage stagnation as an investment liberalization to increase indicator of worker exploitation competition in the local market and from a macro-level point of view at the same time facilitate technology “due to factors such as compensation transfer. He hopes that key legislation in schemes, acquisition of advanced this regard, such as the Public Services technology, and [that] wages don’t Act, are passed in the next session of take into consideration the labor congress. output.”

Mr. Coco Alcuaz, Executive There is a need to increase capital Director of the Makati Business Club, in order to raise compensation, he noted that the Philippines has a lot of insisted, while pointing out that catching up to do in terms of science government should temper down on and technology in industry. Forcing “unrealistic regulatory mandates” technological innovation to a labor that would not have sustainable and force not trained for it might take positive long-term impact on the time, some 20 to 30 years, before we labor sector and productivity. On a see its fruits. micro-economic or household-level, For now, what can be done, he meanwhile, he stressed the need said, is improving the skillset level of to boost regional productivity to the labor force. Key in this regard will improve basic wages. be improving education and training, Jose Roland Moya, Director boosting market competition, General of the Employer protecting job-generation investments Confederation of the Philippines, with smart incentives, and establishing agreed and said that the factors that a flexible labor market by focusing on lead to the disparity between labor quality jobs. productivity and real wages “do To sum up, Dindo Manhit, President not consider business realities and of Stratbase ADR Institute, pointed capabilities,” especially in relation to out for the country’s poorest and most technological advancement, changing vulnerable, employment and wages consumer preferences, and the represent critical factors in poverty changing minimum wage. reduction. The challenge then is how In particular, he said, the small and to promote increasing incomes while medium enterprises, which comprises at the same time generating jobs and the majority of local businesses, maintaining economic growth. This bear the brunt of these factors, will need a shifting to a more strategic compromising their expansion plans, mindset that focuses on long term technology acquisition targets, and competitiveness and sustainability overall innovation strategy. These instead of myopic political cycles. and parcel of the planned reclamation of portions of Manila Bay. Not that I agree that the informal settlers whose daily detritus dirties the bay should be allowed to live in the dangerous fringes of the “island” in perpetuity.

But I maintain that a plethora of reclamation projects from Manila to Cavite will only add to the congestion of the national capital region which is already reeling from quotidian problems of over-capacity, aside from worsening the environmental degradation of the bay.

Incidentally, last April 13, as mandated, the three offices of MECO in Taiwan opened to conduct overseas balloting. In our main office in Neihu District in Taipei, 78 registered voters cast their ballot. In our Central Taiwan office in Taichung, 45

cast their vote, and in the southern district in Kaohsiung, 33 voted.

Our offices are open to those who would cast their votes for our midterm elections every day until May 13, including Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, as requested by Comelec for all foreign posts.

It will also be the first time that Taiwan OFWs will be using the automated machines supplied by Comelec.

Common complaints center on choosing the candidates’ names from a long list of 60, some of whom are totally unknown to the voters, and the number of party list “parties,” which is 100.

But generally, the average time used up by a voter was five minutes, much faster than when they had to write their choices by longhand.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

News

Standard

A6

TODAY MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2018

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

SMC mega projects hailed

SC launches Justice Zone in Luzon

F

ORMER President Fidel V. Ramos has cited San Miguel Corp. President Ramon S. Ang for his various big-ticket projects, describing the tycoon as a patriotic visionary and strategic thinker.

By Rey E. Requejo SUPREME Court Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin and the Justice Sector Coordinating Council have launched the Justice Zone project in Angeles City in Pampanga, which is a key program to speed up the resolution of cases in courts.

The launching of the Justice Zone project last Thursday, April 12, in Luzon was the fourth venue in the country and first in Luzon. The first three were launched in Quezon City in 2014, in Cebu City last year and in Davao City just last month.

In his speech, Bersamin stressed that the opening of the fourth Justice Zone venue means that “vital justice’’ services will henceforth be rendered more effective by bringing together the coordinative capabilities of each agency of justice for the benefit of the public.”

“The Justice Zone is an area where local justice sector agencies such as the police, prosecutors, judges, public attorneys, and managers of detentions facilities identify problems and arrive at common solutions to address them,” the chief magistrate said.

The Justice Zone is a permanent meeting, advisory and decision-making structure that involves the most senior justice officials in a local area.

It is composed of the trial courts, the prosecution service of the Department of Justice, Public Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, provincial jails, barangay justice system, and the Parole and Probation Administration.

Backed by the Justice Sector Reform Programme Governance in Justice under a financial grant by the European Union, the program aims to enhance the full cooperation among workers in the criminal justice system for swift and fair administration of justice.

Besides expediting resolution of cases filed in courts, the project also hopes to decongest jails and implement other services like drug testing in coordination with concerned government agencies.

The tycoon’s projects include the $15-billion Bulacan International Airport, water and power ventures and the extension of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway all the way to Laoag, Ilocos Norte.

The former president made the statement during the tycoon’s courtesy call the other day at the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation in Makati in the presence of FVR’s first Special Action Force commander now MWSS Administrator Gen. Reynaldo V. Velasco, new National Tobacco Administration director Gen. Wilson Victorio, engineer

Alfredo Reyes, Freddie Jalasco and Ramos family biographer Melandrew T. Velasco.

“Continue with the noble task of nation building with the various flagship projects you are pushing for the country and our people. It’s seldom that we find a great Filipino and an alumnus of the Far Eastern University [FEU] like you,” Ramos told Ang. FVR reminded everyone that the first extension school of FEU was in his birthplace in Lingayen, Pangasinan where growing up as a young boy, he used to be in that school building that had bowling alley and billiards.

For his part, Ang told FVR that in his book, Ramos is a living Korean War and EDSA hero who fought Marcos and defended democracy from coups nine times during the Cory Aquino presidency and the milestone achievements he made in his six years as president are enduring that we all continue to enjoy today.

“Sir, you are one of kind who comes only once in our lifetime and we Filipinos are fortunate to have a leader and a statesman like you who continue to guide this nation,” Ang told FVR. In his briefing to Ramos, an upbeat Ang unveiled his grand plan on the Bulacan International Airport, an unsolicited public-private partnership proposal from the SMHC to construct, operate, and maintain the airport on a 2,500-hectare land in Bulakan, Bulacan.

“The airport project, estimated at $15 billion, will be undertaken over a period

Survivor benefits for officials’ kin vetoed

THUMBS UP FOR SMC. Former President Fidel V. Ramos and SMC president & CEO Ramon S. Ang (left) do the thumbs up sign

during a courtesy call and meeting with FVR at his RPDEV office in Makati. Ang briefed FVR about the various mega projects he has set to venture in the next five to 10 years including the Bulacan International Airport, the extension of TPLEX initially to Luna, La Union and all the way to Laoag, among others. With them are Gen. Rey Velasco, Gen. Wilson Victorio, engineer Fred Reyes, sportsman Freddie Jalasco and FVR family biographer Melandrew T. Velasco.

Otso Diretso senatorial bets left out of Magic 12 INVITATION TO RE-BID FOR THE PROCUREMENT OF VARIOUS ICT EQUIPMENT AND CONSUMABLES WITH AN ABC OF FOUR MILLION ONE HUNDRED NINETY ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED PESOS (Php 4,191,500.00) 1. The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), through the PCSO Corporate Budgetintends to apply the sum Four Million One Hundred Ninety One Thousand Five Hundred Pesos (Php 4,191,500.00)being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payment under the contract for the Procurement of Various ICT Equipment and Consumables.

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

2. PCSO now invites bids for the Procurement ofVarious ICT Equipment and Consumables.Delivery of Goods shall not exceed thirty (30) calendar days upon winning bidder’s receipt of the Notice to Proceed.

Bidders should have completed within the last ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

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

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183.

4. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested bidders on April 15, 2019 (Monday) up to 9:00 a.m. of May 6, 2019 (Monday) from the address below and upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Five Thousand Pesos(Php 5,000.00).

It may also be downloaded free of charge fromthe following websites: www.pcso.gov.ph and www.philgeps.gov.ph, provided that bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

5. The schedule of activities is listed, as follows: ACTIVITIES Issuance of the Bidding Documents Pre-Bid Conference Deadline of Submission of Bids Opening of Bids

SCHEDULE April 15, 2019 (Monday) to 9:00 a.m. of May 6, 2019 (Monday) April 23, 2019 (Monday), 1:30 p.m.

May 6, 2019 (Monday), 9:30 a.m.

May 6, 2019 (Monday), 10:00 a.m.

VENUE BAC Room, 3/F Conservatory Building, 605 Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City

6. The Pre-Bid Conference is open to prospective bidders.

7. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Late bids shall not be accepted.

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

9. For further information, please refer to: The Bids and Awards Committee c/o The Secretariat PCSO BAC Room 3/F Conservatory Building 605 Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City (02) 997-0247 (Telefax) www.pcso.gov.ph email: bac@pcso.gov.ph

By Macon Araneta MIDWAY to the elections in May, “Otso Diretso” senatorial candidates have yet to make a headway based on the latest survey conducted by the oppositionist Magdalo group.

Even Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano failed to clinch a spot in the “Winning Circle” or Magic 12 as gleaned from the survey which the group commissioned.

Alejano is at dismal number 20, followed by former Assemblywoman Samira Gutoc at number 21.

Election lawyer Romy Macalintal advanced s to number 24 from number 27 in the last survey.

Former Quezon Rep. Erin Tañada posted at number 25, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, 28; and former Supreme Court Associate Justice Pilo Hilbay, rose from number 35 to number 31, but that was hardly an improvement.

Magdalo chairman, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said the ratings of the other

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 115, PASAY CITY IN THE MATTER OF PETITION FOR RECOGNITION OF FOREIGN JUDGMENT OF JOYCE PEREZ CASTANARES, Petitioner, -versus-

CIVIL CASE NO. R-PSY-19-00415-CV FOR: Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgment

DAIYU IKEDA and PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY, Respondent.

x-----------------------------------------x

ORDER

A verified petition for “Recognition of Foreign Judgment between Joyce Perez Castanares and Daiyu Ikeda” filed by petitioner, through counsel, praying that an Order be issued granting the petition and recognize the Foreign Judgment of Divorce between Joyce Perez Castanares and Daiyu Ikeda, a Japanese National and directing the Philippine Statistics Office (PSA) to annotate the Recognition of Divorce on the National Indices of Marriages or in the Certificate of Marriage between the parties if the same was registered in the PSA. In her petition, petitioner alleges that she is a Filipino and with resident address at #71 St. Joseph, Barangay 201, Pasay City; that on January 22, 2013, she was married to Daiyu Ikeda in Ota Ku, Japan; that their union was not blessed with any children; that on June 14, 2016, Ikeda obtained a decree of divorce which was approved and certified by the City Government of Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan; that the report of divorce Ikeda obtained effectively rendered their marriage terminated and capacitating Ikeda to remarry; thus, petitioner prays for that, the foreign divorce validly obtained by Daiyu Ikeda be judicially recognized in the Philippines, petitioner can remarry under Article 26, 2nd paragraph of the Family Code.

Finding the petition sufficient in form and substance, notice is hereby given that the hearing of the petition is on May 16, 2019 at 2 p.m. All parties interested may appear and show cause why the said petition should not be granted. Let the copy of this Order be published in a newspaper of general circulation once a week for three consecutive weeks at the expense of the petitioner.

Likewise, let copy of this Order be furnished the Office of the Solicitor General, the trial prosecutor of this court, and the Civil Registrar, National Statistics Office.

SO ORDERED. Pasay City, Metro Manila, March 27, 2019.

(SGD) Atty. LAURO A. PATIAG BAC Chairperson (MS-APR. 15, 2019)

of five to seven years to full completion,” said Ang. He added that the Bulacan airport will have four parallel runways (expandable to six), and will be equipped with modern and world-class facilities.

Ang told FVR that the new airport will create some one million jobs once construction starts, and by the time it’s completed, millions more of new tourism jobs will be created, “Travel will be much easier and more comfortable for our air passengers, for overseas Filipino workers, and foreign tourists. Access will also be very easy with multiple expressways that will bring the airport within 30 minutes or shorter from anywhere in Metro Manila,” he added.

According to Ang, the airport is expected to accommodate 100-million passengers a year—a huge improvement compared to NAIA’s current capacity of just about 31 million passengers annually.

(Sgd.) FRANCISCO G. MENDIOLA

Otso Diretso candidates are continuously improving.

The survey showed that Senators Grace Poe and Cynthia Villar have remained frontrunning senatorial candidates.

Poe garnered 60.4 percent, with Villar at second with 50.8 percent, according to the survey conducted April 2 to 4, 2019.

Administration candidates like Bong Go surged to number three with 47.8 percent, followed by Lito Lapid at number four with 42.3 percent, and Pia Cayetano at number five with 40.4 percent.

The Magdalo in-house survey employed a multi-stage probability sampling design with face-to-face interviews of 3,000 respondents, equitably representing the voting population across the different regions of the country, and has a margin of error of 1.8 percent.

The respondents were given a list of all the senatorial candidates and were asked the question: “Kung ngayon gagawin ang eleksyon sa pagka-senador, sino sa mga sumusunod na kandidato ang inyong iboboto?

Pumili hanggang 12 na kandidato.”

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has rejected a proposal which sought to grant survivorship benefits to the dependent children or parents of deceased officials of constitutional offices.

Mr. Duterte threw away the plan which sought to amend an existinglaw, according to Senate President Vicente Sotto III. Under the law RA 10084, benefits are only given to legitimate spouses of the deceased retired officials of government offices such as the Commission on Audit , Civil Service Commission, Commission on Elections, and the Ombudsman.

The vetoed proposal aimed to extend the benefits to children, the surviving parents, or up to two nominated persons of the deceased retiree.

“He vetoed it,” Sotto said.

“Duterte said it would have disrupted the salary standardization and the other pension programs of the government,” Sotto told radio station dwIZ. The proposed measure last January was approved by the Senate on third and final reading.

Senate Bill No. 1917, known as “Granting Survivorship Benefits,” was sent to the Office of the President last March 14.

Senator Loren Legarda, one of the proponents, said the measure was needed to ensure that “qualified beneficiaries are rightfully provided with benefits and entitlements as allowed by law.”

New law boosts startup businesses CAMARINES Sur Rep. Luis Ray Villafuerte on Sunday said three Cabinet-level departments may soon work on a fresh package of incentives for the development of innovative startup businesses in support of President Rodrigo Duterte’s agenda for sustained high growth and financial inclusion.

Under the proposed Innovative Startup Act Villafuerte had authored, he said the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Information and Communications Technology and Department of Trade and Industry shall be tapped as the lead agencies to assess, monitor, develop and expand the proposed Philippine startup development program.

The proposed law, which was ratified by both houses of the Congress before the Feb. 9 to May 19 recess for this summer’s balloting, is now up for the President’s signature, he said.

He said the program is tasked under his proposal to develop and unify programs as well as the benefits and incentives for startups and startup enablers.

The DOST, DICT and DTI would

each be provided with a startup grant fund for initial and supplemental grantsin-aid to startups and startup enablers, Villafuerte said.

A startup is defined under the proposed law as a registered business entity operating for no longer than 60 months in the country and whose core business function involves an innovative process, product or business model.

“The measure will benefit Filipinos with an innate talent for shaping contemporary ideas. It will also encourage the creation of new jobs and the exchange of technology, along with strengthening the entrepreneurial culture in the country,” Villafuerte said.

He lamented that the DTI and the newly formed and Anti-Red Tape Authority had failed to submit the EODB law’s implementing rules and eegulations to Malacañang the first time around in October last year.

He said this undue delay has set back efforts by the President to cut red tape and improve the Philippines’ competitiveness in attracting investors.

Rio N. Araja

(MStandard - Apr. 15, 22 & 29, 2019) Presiding Judge

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

Alas vows to give SMB tough time

By Lito Cinco DESPITE absorbing a disappointing 88-100 loss in Game 1 of their ongoing semifinal battle against defending champion San Miguel Beer, Phoenix and its head coach Louie Alas remain unfazed and are looking forward to today’s Game 2 to even up the series.

“We will give them championship jitters. Definitely, we were disappointed, our plan was to engage them in a shootout but we lost. We also focused too much on stopping Junemar Fajardo but San Miguel’s much deeper bench responded when Fajardo was limited by our defense. But bottom line, we lost on offense,” said Alas.

Saying he would have preferred a shorter series where he believes Phoenix will have a better chance in beating the Beermen, he conceded that the championship experience of their opponents spells a lot of difference.

“But still, I told the boys that was just Game 1 and we still have a Game 2 to play after. We need to work on the mental preparation after this loss,” said Alas.

A big factor for Alas, too, was the fact that he extended the playing time of Calvin Abueva.

“He is not used to playing that long and he got tired, but I felt I had to make use of him more in Game 1. We also got affected by the physicality of the game in the early stages, even as we’re prepared for that kind of game. San Miguel used that kind of game against TNT and won so I expected them to do it again,” added Alas.

Meanwhile, SMB mentor Leo Austria gave a credit to his boys’ composure in the game.

“I told them we have been in this kind of situation before and that they just need to sustain it. We were also prepared for anything that Phoenix will do but a big factor was that we were finally complete as a team. I know that Phoenix will try to come back but we will be prepared, it will not matter to me whether it will be a short or long series, I will just take it one game at a time,” Austria said.

Busy PPS circuit up in Mindoro THE Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala age group tennis circuit gets busy with two tournaments held simultaneously in Pangasinan and Oriential Mindoro with both events drawing huge casts seeking top honors and ranking points.

Joshua Molina, Marc Jarata, Charles Torres and Brian Oliveros along with Eric Bajet, Prince Lim and Thomas Gabuat headline the boys’ 18- and 16-and-under categories with Anna De Myer and Renee Esteban together with Franchezca Malaki, Tristen Kitong and Angeline Atos the players to watch in the premier divisions in the distaff side of the Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop which got under way Saturday.

Jarata, Lim and Gabuat are also vying in the 14-U play with Alexi Jarata, Bernie Egipto, Adriana Cabahug and Kitong leading the cast in the girls’ section of the event put up by PPS-PEPP headed by president/CEO Bobby Castro and sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg as part of their nationwide, year-long talent search.

Also up for grabs are the 12-U titles in both categories and the 10-unisex diadem along with the Legends men’s doubles at the Urdaneta Tennis Club where a free clinic will also be held.

For details, call PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464 Keen competition is also seen in the PPS-PEPP Gov. Alfonso Umali Cup with the likes of Allen Rombawa, Martin Buenaventura, Drixcyn Guillano and Leyton Portin along with Althea Martirez and Lorin Idjao headlining the centerpiece 18-U division in the boys and girls’ sides.

Rombawa and Guillano are also entered in the 16-U play which also topbills Jeremian Macias IV and Benedict Santiago with Martinez and Idjao also tipped to clash for the crown in the Group I tournament sponsored by Gov. Alfonso Umali and the provincial government of Oriental Mindoro at the Bahaghari Tennis Club.

A7

MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2019 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

3-way logjam for Masters’ lead

A

UGUSTA—Long-driving Tony Finau, 2012 US Open champion Webb Simpson and fellow American Patrick Cantlay all fired eight-under par 64s in Saturday’s third round of the Masters at rain-softened Augusta National.

“The ball was going the right distance, the wind wasn’t blowing too much, greens were soft and the hole locations were much easier than the last few days,” Cantlay said.

“So it was kind of the perfect storm for a good round.”

While climbing up the leaderboard to contend for the green jacket in Sunday’s final round, they all fell one shot short of matching Augusta National’s course re-

cord of 63.

That remains shared only by Zimbabwe’s Nick Price from the third round of the 1986 Masters and Australian Greg Norman from the first round of the 1996 Masters.

Finau stood with 14-time major winner Tiger Woods on 11-under 205, two back of Italian leader Francesco Molinari, the reigning British Open champion.

Simpson was four adrift in fifth with

England’s Ian Poulter while Cantlay, who opened with back-to-back 73s, shared 14th on 210.

Finau, who leads the Masters in driving distance at 318.8 yards through 54 holes, opened with three consecutive birdies, added another at the par-3 sixth, eagled the par-5 eighth and birdied the par-5 13th and 15th -- making him 10-under this week on par-5 holes.

“I’m driving the ball nicely, and I can attack the golf course if I’m hitting my driver well,” Finau said. “I felt calm and comfortable, and I think my score showed that.

“I got off to a nice start. I kind of got in that zone. And looked up at the leader-

board, and I knew I needed to keep making birdies.”

Finau had his lowest career 18-hole major round and his front-nine 30 matched an Augusta National record.

“I was happy to post the number I did, but more than anything, just keep my foot on the gas pedal and not let off,” Finau said.

Finau is of Tongan and Samoan heritage and sees that as a help in keeping calm when major pressure is on.

“My heritage is a huge part of who I am, my culture being Tongan and Samoan,” he said. “A lot of very faithful people and very driven people. We’re also very relaxed and we enjoy ourselves. AFP

Tiger on verge of amazing comeback tale

Webb Simpson of the United States lines up a putt on the 18th green during the third round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 13, 2019 in Augusta, Georgia. Andrew Redington/Getty Images/AFP

Chase on for PGT Asia Luisita crown THE country’s top guns and a slew of foreign aces slug it out in what promises to be a fiery duel of power and precision as the rich ICTSI Luisita Championship unwraps today (Monday, April 15) at the Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed course in Tarlac.

While the locals have dominated the last five legs of the just concluded 2018 PGT Asia season, the foreign bidders from at least 18 nations are coming into the $100,000 championship upbeat of their chances, particularly the top finishers in the PGT Asia Qualifying Tournament last week, also held at the tight, hazard-laden layout somewhat softened by afternoon rain the past two days.

That should make the kickoff leg of the third season of the region’s emerging circuit worth watching with David Gleeson of Australia hard-pressed to duplicate his breakthrough victory here last year when he nipped local bet Erwin Arcillas on the third playoff hole.

“The course is tough, the fairways and greens are softer with the rain. If it continues for the rest of the week, a 12-un-

der total could win it,” said Gleeson. “I can play well and I like the course but the field is tough.”

But this week’s 113-player roster is deep in talent, guaranteeing fierce action right on the first shot up to the last putt on Thursday with the locals vowing to extend their domination after James Ryan Lam, Joenard Rates, Jhonnel Ababa, Juvic Pagunsan and Clyde Mondilla reigned in the last five legs of the just-concluded season in the CAT Open, Summit Point, Pradera Verde, Riviera and Solaire Philippine Open, respectively.

Mondilla, for sure, will be the marked man in all four days after the Del Monte ace held off a horde of pursuers to nail his first Phl Open title and clinch the PGT Asia Order of Merit crown.

“I’m confident and ready for back-toback. I really prepared well this week but with a different approach since Luisita is tight and long. You have to hit the fairways to get a good shot at the greens and birdies,” said Mondilla, who also took notice of the depth of the field, particularly the foreign bets.

Like Mondilla and the rest of the locals, the foreign bidders from at least 18 nations are also coming into the event upbeat of their chances, particularly the top finishers in the PGT Asia Qualifying Tournament last week, also held here.

But Mondilla will be as much tested as the rest of the cast with a number of Filipino aces seeking redemption following their missed cut stints in the country’s premier championship at The Country Club two weeks ago.

Japan PGA Tour campaigner Pagunsan, for one, has opted to skip the Token Homemate Cup in Nagoya also slated this week to atone for his failed bid in Asia’s oldest National Open where he was one of the pre-tournament favorites following an emphatic victory at PGTA Riviera the previous week.

So do Jobim Carlos, the 2018 PGT OOM winner who cut short his Open bid after sustaining an injury in the first round, four-time PGT Asia leg winner Ababa, multi-titled Tony Lascuña and veteran Elmer Salvador, Rates and Gleeson.

Ejercito believes PH can repeat ‘05 SEAG feat SENATOR JV Ejercito believes that the magical performance of the Team Philippines during that 2005 Southeast Asian Games here can be duplicated when the country stages again the biennial meet later this year.

The 49-year-old legislator believes on the capabilities of every Filipino athlete despite tremendous pressure to win again the overall title in the Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 event.

However, playing in front of the hometown crowd is a big advantage.

“As host, there’s pressure that we have to perform,” said Ejercito, a member of the senate committee on games amusement and sports, in a briefing at the Limbaga 77 Cafe Restaurant in Quezon City.

“It’s different when you’re playing in front of your countrymen. You’re totally inspired because you get cheered. So for me, I hope for the best to our athletes,” added Ejercito.

Ejercito said the country’s host-

will be watching the event.

“It’s always an honor to host, especially the SEA Games. Of course, that will be good for us, for tourism and for the country’s image if they are able to host big events like this,” he said.

Ejercito, a strong supporter of safety driving among motorcycle drivers, who recently asked President Duterte to review the law requiring bigger license plate, said that organizers should come together to ensure a successful hosting of the SEA Games.

In the history of the biennial event, this will only be the fourth time that the Philippines will stage the SEA Games and the Philippines SEA Games Organizing Committee is fast tracking with its preparation, particularly on the different venues.

JV Ejercito The meet will be staged in various ing of the 30th SEA Games is also places, including Subic, Tagaytay an opportunity to boost the tourism, and in different facilities in Metro as spectators from 10 other countries Manila.

AUGUSTA—Tiger Woods finds himself on the brink of completing one of sport’s greatest comeback tales, having played his way into Sunday’s last group for the final round of the Masters.

The 43-year-old American superstar, who once feared nagging back injuries would keep him from a normal life, fired a five-under par 67 Saturday to share second on 11-under 205 after 54 holes at Augusta National.

“I’m just thankful to be able to come back here and play again,” Woods said.

Woods, a 14-time major winner who has not won a major title since the 2008 US Open, is level with countryman Tony Finau, both two strokes behind Italy’s Francesco Molinari, the reigning British Open champion.

The lead trio tee off at 9:20 a.m. (1320 GMT) Sunday after Masters officials moved up the start to try and finish before expected afternoon thunderstorms.

“It’s an early start,” Woods said. “I’ll get the mind and body ready for tomorrow and get after it a little bit earlier than we’re used to.”

And Woods admits there is tension as he tries to snap an 11-year major trophy drought.

“I always feel pressure,” he said.

“The day I don’t feel pressure is the day I quit. If you care about something, obviously you’re going to feel pressure.”

Years of nagging knee and back injuries knocked the former world number one into the ranks of the also-rans, failed comeback bids bringing heartache. At one stage simple acts were painful. A return to golf form seemed an impossible dream.

Four-time Masters champion Woods, who hasn’t won a green jacket since 2005, underwent a last chance spinal fusion surgery in April 2017 that has revived the career of golf’s dominant player from 20 years ago. AFP

Malaysia bags gold at close of squash tourney MALAYSIA reasserted its mastery over Singapore, 3-1, last Saturday to bag the mixed team event title at the close of the 5th Southeast Asian Cup Squash Championships at the Kerry Sports courts inside the Shangri-la at The Fort Hotel in Taguig City.

Noor Ainaa Amanti Binti Ampandi slipped past Sneha Sivakumar, 9-11, 11-5, 5-11, 5-11, 11-5, 11-7, in securing the fourth match of the best-of-5 tie as the Malaysians took the last gold at stake in the tournament organized by the Philippine Squash Academy.

Jessica Jia Hui Keng topped Au Yeong Wai Yhann, 11-8, 12-10, 4-11, and Muhammad Amir Amirul Bin Azhar clobbered Timothy Leung 11-8, 11-5, 11-2, for Malaysia’s other winners in the series winding up the tourney backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee.

The lone consolation for Singapore was Benedict Chan, who prevailed over Muhammad Hafiz Zhafri Sharif, 11-7, 11-7, 11-5, in the event also backed by the MVP Sports Foundation, Meralco, Smart, PLDT, Salming and Dunlop, the official ball.

Host Philippines wound up with a gold in the men’s singles from Reymark Begornia and a pair of bronze medals in the women’s singles courtesy of Yvonne Alisa Dalida and the mixed team singles in the tournament serving as a test event for the 30th Southeast Asian Games the country is hosting in December.

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

A8

MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2019

Sports

SBP may tap Chooks-to-Go 3x3 winners

By Peter Atencio PLAYERS who topped the recent Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 will be made available to the national team.

League officials said this after the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas began scouting for players to field in international 3x3 competitions.

“We are publicly offering the field for SBP,” said Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. president Ronald Mascariñas during Friday’s sendoff for the Filipino teams competing in the coming 2019 FIBA 3x3 World Tour.

Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 is the first-ever 3x3 basketball league in the country which features 12 club teams.

It was immediately promoted as a Quest-level event by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) after the first of five legs.

The Grand Finals of the President’s Cup was a Quest Finals-level event in the FIBA 3X3 hierarchy, and served as qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters Doha, which the pinnacle of FIBA 3x3 club competition.

The Pasig Grindhouse Kings and the 1Bataan Risers qualified for the global meet that is set to take place from April 18 to 19.

With these activities, the Philippines has shot up from 49th in the world to 32nd in the FIBA 3x3 rankings Among the players who can be tapped by SBP are Joshua Munzon, Taylor Statham, Troy Rike, Alvin Pasaol, and Leonard Santillan.

The others are Jaypee Belencion and Arvin Tolentino of Pasay; Sean Manganti and Anton Asistio of 1Bataan; Karl Dehesa of Vigan; Ron Lastimosa of Pasay; Dylan Ababou of Pasig; John Wilson and Larry Muyang of Go for Gold-San Juan; Roosevelt Adams of Pasay; Leo De Vera of Pasig; Paulo Hubalde of Carga Valenzuela; Jojo Cunanan of Vigan; Chris de Chavez and Jan Jamon of Carga Valenzuela; and Rey Suerte of Cebu-Max 4.

Doroy, Young and Aquino tied for first WOMAN FIDE MASTER (WFM) Allaney Jia Doroy, the top player of National University chess team defeated former solo leader, 8-time Illinois USA champion International Master Angelo Young in the last round to create a threeway tie for first in the inaugural Open Kitchen rapid chess last weekend.

Doroy whose stint here is being supported by team manager Samson Go of National University collected four points in five outings, the same output of Young and United States chess master Jose “Jojo” Aquino Jr. Aquino winner over former Istanbul World Chess Olympiad International Master (IM) Ronald Bancod in the opening round needed to beat 2000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Asian Inter-Collegiate Champion National Master (NM) Romeo Alcodia in the final canto to share the top honors with Doroy and Young. “ I would like to thank the management of Open Kitchen for inviting me to participate in this one-day rapid event and also to my parents, coach (Jose Aquino Jr.) Jojo and NU Team Manager Samson Go who always beside me in my professional chess career.” said the 17-years-old Doroy, a grade 11 pupil of Nazareth School of National University.

Doroy lost to Fide Master (FM) Christopher Castellano in the first round but bounced back after beating 2017 Pahang, Malaysia Asean age group chess triple gold medal winner Al-Basher “Basty” Buto in the second round, seven-time Philippine Executive grand prix champion Dr. Jenny Mayor in the third round, MVP Olympics PLDT Team Manager Martin “Binky” Gaticales in the fourth round and Young.

The three receive their cash prizes and trophies for their efforts during the awarding ceremonies led by China Aurelio and John Gomez of Open Kitchen, National Chess Federation of the Philippines directors lawyer Cliburn Anthony Orbe and Gaticales and US based engineer Florentino Inumerable Jr. in the one-day chess affair organized by tournament director Jeff Dimalanta in close cooperation with Barangay Kaunlaran chairman Christopher “Dong” Cheng, International Billiards/Snooker Champion Marlon Manalo of Patrol Party list and councilor Irene Belmonte.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) explodes past Los Angeles Clippers defender Lou Williams (23) during their game won by the Warriors. AFP

Warriors win but 76ers, Raptors lose openers L

OS ANGELES, United States—The Golden State Warriors began their quest for a three-peat by clobbering the Los Angeles Clippers, while the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic delivered a pair of upset victories as the NBA playoffs began Saturday.

Stephen Curry drained eight three-pointers to give him the most in league playoff history as the two-time defending champion Warriors dominated the Clippers 121104.

“We imposed our will for 48 minutes,” said Curry. “We have been working for the last month on our collective mindset, raising our intensity and focus. It might not be flashy but we all got to do our jobs.”

Elsewhere, D’Angelo Russell scored 26 points as sixth-seeded Brooklyn jolted third-seeded Philadelphia 111-102 at the Wells Fargo Center to give the Nets a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The Nets were also reliant on a big per-

formance from their bench, with three players delivering double-digit displays to boost their offense.

Caris LeVert had 23 points while Spencer Dinwiddie added 18 and Ed Davis 12 as the Nets silenced the Sixers’ home Wells Fargo Center crowd.

In the day’s other Eastern Conference match-up, the second-seeded Raptors were left ruing missed chances after crashing to a 104-101 loss to Orlando at the Scotiabank Arena.

D.J. Augustin was the hero for Orlando, draining a three-pointer with 4.2 seconds to play to seal a famous win for the seventhseeded Magic, who finished the regular

season with 16 fewer wins than Toronto.

Curry finished with 38 points, shooting eight of 12 from beyond the arc to pass Ray Allen (385) for career postseason threes with 386.

One of his three-pointers was from a distance of about 30 feet. “Shout out to the contacts,” said Curry.

Curry also tallied a playoff career-high 15 rebounds and seven assists.

“Curry has destroyed us all year,” said Clippers coach Doc Rivers.

Game two is Monday at the Warriors’ Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.

The Clippers and Golden State are meeting for just the second time in the playoffs after the Clippers took a sevengame series in 2014.

Draymond Green, who made all five of his shots in the opening quarter, finished with 17 points and seven assists and Kevin Durant scored 23 points for Golden State who have won seven consecutive playoff games. AFP

Basketball Power Camp launched in Baguio

By Reuel Vidal

Alaska Basketball Power Camp Director Jeff Cariaso talks to a camp participant.

BAGUIO—Alaska Sports continued to teach the youth the fundamentals of basketball and proper values with the launch of the Alaska Basketball Power Camp 2019 here last Saturday.

Power Camp Director, Philippine Basketball Association legend and Alaska Aces Assistant Coach Jeffrey Cariaso said the program – also with camps in Manila and Bacolod – inspires children to achieve their dreams and aspirations.

“I take pride in what we do at our Alaska Power Camp. There’s emphasis and focus on skills, but on both ends of the court. We really work on offense, which is what a lot of other people do.

But we also spend the same amount of time on defense. And kids feel that and they understand that it’s equally important to be able to play both sides of the court,” said Cariaso.

Alaska teaches children that playing a sport is not just about winning the game.

It is more important to learn the values of determination, hard work, teamwork, discipline and sportsmanship.

“A big part of what we do with our Power Camp is that kids understand, and we teach them the core values that

we believe in. Not only to become good athletes but also to become good people,” said Cariaso.

The camp does not only drill children on the fundamentals of basketball the coaches regularly teach and impart valuable life lessons as well.

“Examples of core values that we talk about each and every day are hard work, determination, discipline, respect. We take up one value daily. So every session there’s a core value word that we stress upon. And as the sessions go on we don’t forget those words and we keep adding. And we really stress that to each and every student,” said Cariaso.

Alaska promotes affordable nutrition and an active lifestyle, especially for children. It hopes to teach a new generation of children become better at sport through the Alaska Power Camp.

Cariaso said he was happy to be back in Baguio to meet the enthusiastic children who joined the camp.

“What we like about the kids out here is that they are really passionate and they are really willing to learn. We like it that when there’s a place where we go to and kids are excited. They’re passionate about basketball,” said Cariaso.

Beermen gun for 2-0 edge over Phoenix

By Jeric Lopez SAN MIGUEL BEERMEN try to post a commanding advantage over Phoenix as they shoot for a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven semifinals series in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup. The Beermen can go for a more significant edge while the Fuel Masters look to equalize as they meet again in Game 2 at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Fully in their element, the Beermen already showed the top seed Fuel Masters why they are the four-time defending champions.

San Miguel totally outclassed Phoenix, 100-88, in Game 1 Saturday night to take a 1-0 lead and remind everyone why it is still the heavy favorite to keep the crown.

San Miguel coach Leo Austria loved what he saw from his wards and would certainly love a repeat from them.

“I was worried at first since we did not have enough time to prepare but the players were focused and prepared,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria. “I wish we can keep going in Game 2.”

In Game 1, whoever Austria fielded in contributed heavily in the rout that San Miguel dished out.

Using their strength inside and outside, the Beermen were able to do what they wanted at will to run Phoenix out of the building emphatically.

Alex Cabagnot was at the forefront of San Miguel’s attack, playing a complete game with 26 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

The Fuel Masters played from behind for most part and need to regroup to make sure they don’t fall into a deeper 0-2 hole.

Meanwhile, Rain or Shine is shooting for a 2-0 lead as of press time in its own best-of-seven affair against Magnolia over at the other side of the fence.

Volunteers sign up for SEAG duty VOLUNTEERS have started trickling in and signing up to help organizers prepare for the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

Around 350 individuals have registered during the launch of the SEA Games Volunteers Program last Friday at the Lakeshore Hall in Taguig City.

The activity seeks to mobilize youth volunteers for the region’s premiere multi-sport event.

“We want to give opportunities to Filipinos to be part of the biggest SEA games in its history, not just as spectators but as working volunteers,” said Philippine SEA Games Organiz-

ing Committee chairman Alan Peter Cayetano during the launch.

The PHISGOC chairman was joined at the launch by House Deputy Speaker and sports advocate Congressman Pia S. Cayetano, along with volleyball stars Alyssa Valdez and Fille Cainglet-Cayetano.

Organizers are targeting 12,000 volunteers who can be mobilized to go to event venues in Clark Field, Subic, Metro Manila and other areas in Southern Luzon.

Around P100 million to P150 million will be set aside for the program which will come from the P5 billion budget from the national government.

PHISGOC executive director Ramon Suzara said the volunteers will be given uniforms, transportation, allowance and meals for an 8-hour shift.

Game venues will also have a dining and resting area for the volunteer workforce.

Recruitment of volunteers in venues at Manila, Clark, Subic, Tarlac, La Union, Tagaytay and Batangas have already begun and will go on until July.

Online registration will commence on May 15 while training of the volunteers will be held from August to October. Peter Atencio

SLUGFEST! Max Holloway (right) winces in pain after getting hit on the face by opponent Dustin Poirier during UFC 236 at State Farm Arena on April 13 (April 14 Manila time). Poirier prevailed to snap Holloway’s 13-fight win streak and grab the UFC interim lightweight title. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

IN BRIEF

Standard

TODAY

Zamcelco ordered to solve power woes STATE-RUN National Electrification Administration directed Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative Inc. (Zamcelco) to explore all possibilities to address its power supply problem caused by a dispute with one of its suppliers.

The directive came after Zamcelco asked the Energy Regulatory Commission to approve its request to withdraw from the power sale agreement with Western Mindanao Power Corp. and order the latter to refund alleged overbilled power accounts.

NEA administrator Edgardo Masongsong said in a statement it was urgent for Zamcelco to adopt a necessary measure other than installing modular generator sets to provide continuous and stable power supply to consumers, especially during the May 13 mid-term elections. Alena Mae S. Flores

Salceda: Internet ills need urgent solutions ALBAY Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda has filed a bill in the Lower House declaring the sorry state of internet connectivity in the country as a national emergency and granting President Duterte emergency powers for two years to address the problem.

House Bill 9161 titled “Internet Speed and Connectivity Emergency Act of 2019” aims to allow the President to use all government resources, perform executive actions unhampered by existing laws, regulations and procedures to solve the poor situation of internet communications in the country.”

Salceda said with emergency powers, the President should be able to streamline regulatory procedures related to the development and improvement of internet infrastructures, including construction of cell sites or cell towers and installation of related facilities to achieve optimum cell site density relative to an area’s population size and geographical configurations.

Business

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

Razon eyes investments in Palawan power sector

DA asks small farmers to export bananas to Russia

By Alena Mae S. Flores

P

ORT and gaming tycoon Enrique Razon Jr. is looking at investment opportunities in Palawan province, particularly in the power sector.

“We’re looking also at Palawan. The problem with Palawan is you have great distances between. We’re still studying how most efficient to expand into Palawan. But definitely, Palawan needs more efficient [power],” Razon, the majority shareholder in More Electric and Power Corp. through his holding firms, said.

Razon did not specify the planned investment in Palawan and denied any talks with Palawan Electric Co., the electric cooperative in Palawan.

“We haven’t been talking to Paleco,” the executive said, amid reports that More was interested in taking over the operations of Paleco after it successfully took over the franchise for Iloilo City.

More is currently in a legal battle with Panay Electric Co. which refused the expropriation of its distribution assets in favor of the Razon firm. More’s franchise as the new power distributor of Iloilo City took effect on March 6, 2019 under Republic Act 11212.

“We have the Iloilo project, and the possible Chico dam hydroelectric.

That’s 200 MW [megawatts] to 240 MW,” Razon said when asked about his current power investments.

Razon, through Prime Metro Power Holdings Corp., earlier signed a joint venture agreement with San Lorenzo Ruiz PIAT Energy and Water Inc. Inc. for the 245-MW Chico River Hydro

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2019

Project in Tabuk, Kalinga province.

The Philippine Competition Commission approved the Chico River hydro project. Razon said he would continue to look at “certain opportunities that look feasible.”

Razon’s Monte Oro Grid Resources Corp. previously owned a 30-percent stake in National Grid Corp. of the Philippines which operates the country’s transmission highway.

OneTaipan Holdings, a company controlled by Henry Sy Jr., acquired the entire stake of Monte Oro from Razon in 2010.

Forbes Magazine listed Razon as the country’s third richest billionaire with a net worth of $4.8 billion in 2019. Razon improved his ranking worldwide to 379th place from last year’s 404th place.

Razon owns container terminal operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. and gaming firm Bloomberry Resorts Corp. which operates Solaire Resort & Casino in Parañaque City.

PLDT bullish on home broadband business PLDT Inc. said it is optimistic about its home broadband business this year due to an aggressive network expansion.

“As we look to 2019, we will continue to blaze the trail for data and digital services in the Philippines and raise the bar in delivering unparalleled customer experiences,” said PLDT-Smart senior vice president and consumer business market development head Oscar Reyes Jr. Revenues of PLDT’s Home Business Group rose 10 percent to P36.4 billion in 2018, powered by rising customer demand for its fiber-powered broadband services. Darwin G. Amojelar

Group slams local FDA for ‘erroneous’ view on e-cigarettes THE Philippine Food and Drug Administration is seeking to severely restrict the availability of electronic cigarette products to adults based on outdated and scientifically flawed opinions that disregard the scientific evidence supporting the reduced harm of such products.

This was the scathing criticism leveled against the FDA in a position paper released by the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates, an alliance of consumer organizations from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines and Thailand.

CAPHRA released the position paper to support the stand of The Vapers Philippines and the Philippine E-Cigarette Industry Association which are advocating for fair and reasonable regulation of e-cigarettes or “vapes” in the country.

The FDA expressed concern that safer nicotine products such as e-cigarettes may serve as a “gateway” to smoking among the youth and that e-cigarette use damages cardiovascular health. The agency also claimed that the harm caused by secondhand e-cigarette vapor is the same as that from secondhand combustible tobacco smoke, nicotine is detrimental to the developing brain and e-cigarettes should have an age restriction of 25 or older while the combustible tobacco age restriction remains at 18 or older.

CAPHRA in its position paper addressed the issues raised by the FDA by presenting peer-reviewed scientific evidence that justifies the rationale for risk-proportionate regulation of ecigarette products in the Philippines: “The data do not show that there is an ‘epidemic’ of vaping among young people. What the data reveal is that youth who vape are smokers who have switched to vaping, not the other way around,” said Dr. Linda Bauld, lead researcher for the Cancer Research Council and Public Health England on the use of e-cigarettes in youth and by pregnant women.

LANDBANK WINS ASIAN AWARD. Land Bank of the Philippines’ Volunteerific Program is recognized as an outstanding development project under the corporate social responsibility category of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific Awards 2019. LandBank president and chief executive Cecilia Borromeo (second from left) receives the award from Nahlaa AlHammadi (left), director general of the Oman Ministry of Commerce and Industry. With them are ADFIAP chairman Phub Dorji (second from right) and Oman Development Bank chief executive Abdulaziz Mohammed Al-Hinai.

B1

By Othel V. Campos THE Agriculture Department announced plans to engage small banana farmers cooperatives and associations to export Cavendish bananas to Russia and other Eastern European countries.

Trade Secretary Manuel Piñol said in a meeting with officials of banana farmers cooperatives of Compostela Valley in Davao City that the Eastern European market has 180 million consumers who have a large need for tropical fruits.

The Russian Federation market alone needs 150,000 boxes of fresh bananas every week, according to an executive of the Magnit Supermarket, one of the biggest supermarket chains in Russia with 12,500 outlets.

A group of European investors participated in the talks and conveyed their plan to establish a 7,000-hectare banana farm in the Bangsamoro Area.

The group said that while waiting for updates on the banana plantation project, the group was willing to buy Cavendish bananas from small independent farmers to supply the requirements of Easter European nations.

The Russian market alone has an annual expenditure of $5 billion for tropical fruits, mostly bananas.

Ecuador has a monopoly of the Russian banana market even if the Philippines enjoys a distinct advantage of shorter shipping time, according to the Agriculture Department.

Small banana farmers received an assurance from the department of support not only in terms of consolidating banana produce but also in shipping.

The department also assured the farmers that it would provide production support like solar irrigation facilities and fertilizers.

Farmers are expected to benefit from a long-term marketing agreement with Russia which would assure them of a large market with a fixed price for their produce.

Consumers ask govt to investigate electricity market abuse

By Alena Mae S. Flores CONSUMER advocacy group CitizenWatch Philippines called for an investigation on the possible market abuse and anti-competitive behaviour that led to power outages in Luzon last week.

“Accountability and transparency for power interruptions and outages should be in force. This especially holds true on the part of the generation companies as their generation charges comprise a large chunk of what the consumers pay for in their electricity bills,” CitizenWatch Philippines convenor Hannah Viola said in a statement.

Viola said the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 identified the obligation of power producers in ensuring that “generation of electric power shall be competitive and open.”

“This provision entails that abuse of market power should be avoided and its anti-competitive behavior should always be observed,” Viola said.

“This obligation is underscored now more than ever as electricity rates are set to increase this month. This price hike is attributable to higher charges from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market from the tight sup-

ply in the Luzon grid and the weakening of the peso “All our member generators, especially those against US dollar,” Viola said. who are encountering technical difficulties, are CitizenWatch Philippines said the allegations of fully transparent and in constant coordination with collusion by power generators should be thoroughly the lead agencies with the submission of real-time investigated as historical data showed that there was data and updates in order for these agencies to prea correlation between the decrease of supply and in- dict and come up with adequate energy supply and crease of electricity prices. reserve,” PIPPA said.

“Having a stable supply of power is a matter that is “PIPPA members are prepared to answer any and all imbued with public interest and general welfare. As inquiries as to the status of their plants. In the meanthe confidence of the electricity consumers and the time, we would like to request for the public’s patience integrity of the electricity market largely depend on and trust that these technical difficulties will be fixed the transparency of data, measures should be made to in the soonest possible time,” PIPPA said. ensure transparency through an energy platform,” said Viola.

The Philippine Independent Power Producers Inc. said it was cognizant of the recent difficulties the public was encountering due to the increase of deFILIPINO FUND, INC. Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders mand in relation to the current availability of energy.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual Meeting of the Stockholders of Filipino Fund, Inc. (“FFI”) will be held at The City Club Alphaland Makati Place, 7232 Ayala PIPPA assured consumers that its Avenue Extension, 1209 Makati City on Tuesday, May 14, 2019, at 10:00 in the member generators were working doumorning with the following agenda: bly hard and exerting their best efforts 1. Calling of meeting to order to supply and produce enough electricity.

2. Certification of notice 3.

4.

Determination and declaration of quorum Reading and approval of the minutes of the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting held on May 8, 2018 5. Presentation and approval of the Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2018 6. Approval and confirmation of all acts, proceedings and resolutions of the Board of Directors, Officers, and the Fund Manager during the past year 7. Amendment of the Third Article of the 5th Amended Articles of Incorporation by changing the principal office to Units 1911- 1912, 19th Floor, PSE Tower, 5th Avenue corner 28th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City 8. Appointment of External Auditors for calendar year 2019 9. Election of the Board of Directors 10. Other Business 11. Adjournment

Only stockholders of record at the close of business on April 10, 2019, the record date and time fixed by the Board of Directors, are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, said meeting.

Admission to the meeting will be by Stockholder’s Identification Card only. If you are a stockholder of record and plan to attend, please bring the Stockholder’s Identification Card, attached to the Proxy Form/Voting Ticket, which will admit you to the meeting. If you are a stockholder whose shares are held through an intermediary such as a bank or a broker and you plan to attend, you may request a Stockholder’s Identification Card by writing to the Office of the Secretary, Units 1911 - 1912, 19th Floor, PSE Tower, 5th Avenue corner 28th Street., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.

Evidence/certification of your ownership, which you can obtain from your bank, broker, etc., must accompany your letter.

In order that your stock may be represented at the meeting in case you are not personally present, please complete, sign and date the enclosed Proxy Form/Voting Ticket and return it promptly using the accompanying addressed envelope on or before May 3, 2019.

FRANCHISE SHOW. The Philippine franchising industry has been continuously growing and

testament to its robust development are the 23 new franchise brands under the stewardship of Francorp.

Philippines which made their debut during the Franchise Asia 2019, the biggest franchise show at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. Participating in the event are (seated from left) Francorp Philippines board member Sam Gregory Lim, chief marketing officer Sam Christopher Lim, chief executive Ma. Alegria Sibal, Department of Agriculture deputy executive director Annray Rivera, Francorp Philippines chairman Samie Lim, managing director Manuel Siggaoat Jr. and assistant vice president of operations Joselito Samson.

Cebu City, Philippines, April 3, 2019.

For the Board of Directors,

ATTY. VINCENT E. TOMANENG Corporate Secretary (MS-APR. 15, 2019)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

B2

Business

MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market likely to pause this week

By Jenniffer B. Austria

L

OCAL stocks are expected to trade weak as many investors shy away from the market during this shortened trading week.

Philippine markets will be closed on Thursday and Friday in observance the Lenten Season.

“Sessions might stay limited during a three-date trading week given the Lenten pause,” online brokerage firm 2TradeAsia.com said.

“Moving forward, attention could switch to upcoming shareholders’ meeting, where preliminary indications might be given on first quarter earnings results. The latter would help validate the strength of corporate earnings growth—an integral component to justify valuations,” it added.

Analysts said the further delay in the

national budget approval as well as the negative effects of El Niño were affecting market sentiments. The two factors could lead to a lower economic growth for the Philippines this year.

Developments overseas, especially global trade concerns and uncertainties surrounding the United Kingdom’s move to exit the European Union, will likewise influence the market over the short term period.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index last week closed flat at 7,880.82 points, while the broader All Shares Index inched up 0.3 percent to 4,863.15.

Six sectoral indices ended mix with

the financials, holding firms and mining and oil sectors posting week-onweek declines, while the industrial, property and services registered weekon-week increases.

Foreign investors were net buyers for the week by P2.8 billion, while the average daily value traded stood at P7.3 billion from the previous week’s P5.5 billion.

Weekly top price gainers were Semirara Mining and Power Corp., which climbed 6.8 percent to P23.35; San Miguel Food and Beverage Inc., which rose 6.6 percent to P112; and Ayala Land Inc., which advanced 3.5 percent to P46.

Weekly top price losers, meanwhile, were PXP Energy Corp., which declined 19.6 percent to P7.62; Megawide Construction Corp., which dropped 4.9 percent to P21; and 8990 Holdings Inc., which dipped 4.5 percent to P12.96.

Stock markets on both sides of the Atlantic, meanwhile, pushed higher

on Friday following strong earnings from JPMorgan Chase and the launch of a new Disney streaming service that wowed Wall Street.

Wrong-footing financial sector watchers who had warned of a “not that great” earnings season for banks, JP Morgan reported higher first-quarter profits on Friday, pointing to a still-solid US economy reflected in more lending and better profit margins on loans.

JPMorgan Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said a derailment of the US-China trade talks remained the biggest nearterm risk but offered an upbeat appraisal of the US economy as a whole.

“If you look at the American economy, the consumer’s in good shape, the balance sheet is in good shape, people are going back to the workforce. Companies have plenty of capital and capital expenditure is still up year-over-year,” Dimon said. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS WEEKLY STOCKS REVIEW STOCKS

APRIL 8-12, 2019 Close Volume

Value

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

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

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

58.65 132.00 81.50 2.26 1.30 26.6 7.57 18.5 12.1 4.56 0.61 1.39 800.00 0.465 77.9 0.92 13.72 21.40 56.65 57.8 110.1 184 25.85 176 1800.00 60.90 1.13

137,530 5,670,620 10,924,260 346,000 144,000 710,900 300 1,834,100 666,100 368,000 331,000 262,000 350 60,000 13,079,950 482,000 384,800 9,700 1,259,760 3,990 80 18,180 97,600 792,460 565 14,770 222,000

FINANCIAL 8,039,463.50 743,713,630.00 897,697,385.50 759,390.00 187,060.00 19,146,480.00 2,271.00 35,197,988.00 8,087,662.00 1,630,870.00 196,810.00 372,330.00 280,000.00 27,350.00 1,025,221,746.50 441,460.00 5,285,616.00 207,675.00 71,738,994.00 229,578.50 8,808.00 3,389,245.00 2,544,265.00 142,525,664.00 1,017,000.00 904,869.50 250,860.00

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cement Corp.

Alsons Cons.

Basic Energy Corp.

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

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

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

Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petroenergy Res. Corp.

Petron Corporation Phinma Corporation Phinma Energy Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

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

Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vivant Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

36.3 16.1 0.97 1.43 1.43 0.244 97.35 15.94 1.94 15.7 108.1 29.4 74.3 87 46.25 1.95 5.25 6 11.600 15.96 9.78 7.28 1.59 21.8 82.25 29.80 2.8100 11.00 13.06 1.800 310.00 51.00 3.85 3.7 10.28 23.25 15.02 21 0.190 378.40 6.30 1.4 4.40 6.42 9.03 1.62 11.98 45.95 5.2 4.70 1.69 2.26 1.3 12.8 112 7.5 0.130 1.03 157 2.5 1.75 16.98 1.21

6,515,500 1,705,200 6,250,000 856,000 1,559,000 7,630,000 140 14,600 90,333,000 5,569,900 40 212,600 10 1,000 237,000 3,961,000 103,700 137,300 9,550,100 1,199,600 1,829,700 4,436,000 55,000 3,103,700 325,540 345,700 36,187,000 9,251,100 1,419,000 1,555,000 3,290,980 7,650 509,000 67,000 25,400 11,053,500 6,092,700 29,099,000 880,000 987,760 2,211,200 11,821,000 3,020,000 5,771,400 42,900 85,474,000 369,600 1,132,000 351,600 5,524,000 189,000 277,000 116,000 2,342,500 1,664,560 1,296,300 230,000 2,654,000 4,931,980 65,000 9,322,000 1,000 15,712,000

INDUSTRIAL 237,026,510.00 27,918,554.00 5,999,330.00 1,192,760.00 2,205,080.00 1,871,040.00 12,576.00 226,836.00 182,637,570.00 88,145,220.00 4,324.00 6,215,225.00 743.00 87,000.00 10,681,610.00 7,858,130.00 543,545.00 818,777.00 110,907,934.00 19,130,362.00 17,634,897.00 32,165,562.00 88,030.00 67,697,455.00 26,361,532.50 10,304,045.00 98,901,230.00 100,794,784.00 18,496,732.00 2,743,090.00 1,045,413,754.00 393,996.00 1,972,780.00 243,980.00 262,726.00 259,947,070.00 92,876,434.00 622,360,280.00 169,080.00 375,904,794.00 15,385,285.00 16,448,200.00 12,698,220.00 37,101,900.00 398,333.00 137,801,840.00 4,350,312.00 52,248,830.00 1,853,469.00 24,892,280.00 320,350.00 647,170.00 149,100.00 30,934,730.00 180,928,008.00 9,733,118.00 29,860.00 2,784,190.00 775,110,919.00 164,030.00 16,054,780.00 16,980.00 19,374,940.00

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

Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Jolliville Holdings Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

Lopez Holdings Corp.

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

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

0.540 59.00 15.40 0.79 6.50 19.6 1.440 1.460 913 7.67 12.08 15.08 0.242 870 6.95 62.35 5.07 0.52 5.25 16.3 0.550 4.6 0.0390 1.120 2.930 181.40 2.39 943.00 1.36 0.93 268.000 569.00 0.2450 0.365

37,248,000 2,014,700 69,673,300 2,155,000 713,200 126,300 24,478,000 1,668,000 1,193,060 6,806,800 22,231,900 1,649,700 980,000 533,290 189,500 5,206,810 6,700 1,777,000 1,537,300 5,969,500 933,000 68,902,000 40,400,000 75,000 6,638,000 3,120,750 14,000 844,940 1,378,000 12,494,000 18,800 8,310 4,370,000 37,110,000

HOLDING FIRMS 20,420,790.00 121,215,524.00 1,121,955,658.00 1,695,340.00 4,633,305.00 2,521,245.00 34,890,290.00 2,362,450.00 1,091,191,015.00 52,425,458.00 269,000,756.00 25,010,916.00 227,820.00 473,218,400.00 1,316,150.00 338,454,559.50 34,108.00 892,480.00 8,000,633.00 99,281,614.00 532,540.00 321,933,440.00 1,577,300.00 84,180.00 19,917,680.00 559,063,290.00 34,020.00 809,186,110.00 1,821,570.00 12,153,070.00 5,061,902.00 4,192,242.00 1,051,810.00 13,690,350.00

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

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

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

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

12.960 0.78 11.80 1.920 0.780 46.600 2.47 4.31 6.5 0.530 0.85 0.900 0.241 0.395 11.700 23.25 0.520 0.124 1.53 1.38 4.82 5.77 0.360 1.8000 0.5300 0.420 45.30

3,723,400 2,031,000 120,400 331,000 3,084,000 73,205,220 31,981,000 3,769,000 103,900 40,483,000 145,000 1,396,000 7,630,000 2,750,000 2,454,600 2,553,900 10,853,000 430,000 44,876,000 8,859,000 100,000 83,247,600 28,500,000 8,709,000 30,088,000 620,000 5,550

PROPERTY 48,571,376.00 1,576,600.00 1,401,598.00 637,770.00 2,356,930.00 3,992,785,755.00 77,394,510.00 15,952,670.00 670,865.00 21,586,220.00 123,250.00 1,244,020.00 1,833,710.00 1,081,050.00 28,203,704.00 59,898,480.00 5,563,330.00 53,720.00 68,419,490.00 12,318,470.00 482,290.00 480,490,123.00 10,306,000.00 15,619,250.00 15,761,415.00 262,550.00 252,261.00

APRIL 1-5, 2019 Close Volume

Value

58.6 131.30 81.05 2.26 1.30 27.1

49,390 8,666,930 8,685,470 47,000 316,000 501,800

2,888,757.50 1,137,766,240.00 715,514,313.00 105,380.00 416,840.00 13,459,735.00

19.14 12.2 4.4 0.67 1.48 800.00 0.440 79.9 0.94 13.8 21.40 58.00 58 111.1 196.8 26.1 178.3 1800.00 61.00 1.13

95,400 2,208,000 631,000 5,000 345,000 880 390,000 8,085,180 1,232,000 39,600 34,500 3,024,370 7,030 150 19,690 179,800 2,631,560 20 31,100 20,000

1,827,348.00 22,071,856.00 2,714,370.00 3,390.00 498,450.00 706,600.00 173,450.00 634,236,432.00 1,143,730.00 556,210.00 735,815.00 173,969,104.00 404,247.00 18,118.00 3,871,325.00 4,752,660.00 463,252,565.00 36,000.00 1,900,757.50 22,660.00

36 16.5 0.95

3,327,900 3,394,800 11,279,000

117,944,940.00 52,684,882.00 10,723,450.00

1.43 0.240 97.45 15.00 2.02 15.6 108 28.8 72.95

3,385,000 1,690,000 740 13,000 329,225,000 7,101,200 9,330 378,200 120

4,750,720.00 397,920.00 72,148.00 191,340.00 721,258,830.00 110,165,048.00 1,026,180.00 11,029,350.00 8,451.50

43.1 1.91 5.87 6.19 11.500 15.94 9.79 7.25 1.63 21.45 79.4 29.00 2.6700 11.10 12.8 1.770 320.00 53.00 3.93 3.52 10.30 23.65 15.38 22.1 0.190 378.80 6.78 1.4 4.34 6.37 9.25 1.64 12.06 46 5.48 4.67 1.7 2.42 1.33 13.3 105 7.2 0.130 1.10 151.6 2.5 1.7 16.98 1.20

11,100 2,539,000 234,500 118,300 5,497,900 481,600 5,362,000 649,200 55,000 3,044,600 934,320 660,700 57,316,000 18,599,600 3,422,900 2,851,000 3,431,750 2,920 351,000 168,000 77,900 7,986,800 14,443,000 12,211,000 3,000,000 941,820 189,800 41,961,000 778,000 6,253,200 135,400 224,311,000 670,900 2,777,200 1,388,100 1,503,000 1,113,000 691,000 688,000 52,886,100 1,857,020 2,634,500 770,000 19,547,000 3,730,820 262,000 11,040,000 3,000 30,714,000

479,505.00 4,827,730.00 1,241,474.00 712,630.00 62,613,546.00 7,622,832.00 51,553,728.00 4,720,247.00 89,770.00 64,974,990.00 74,855,353.00 18,686,890.00 145,158,210.00 202,490,424.00 43,290,684.00 5,146,010.00 1,092,124,198.00 154,124.00 1,407,980.00 586,450.00 831,228.00 189,875,380.00 211,282,802.00 265,988,395.00 599,200.00 357,983,600.00 1,231,259.00 59,686,250.00 3,329,310.00 40,076,328.00 1,220,743.00 348,646,360.00 8,068,396.00 130,825,335.00 7,640,659.00 7,026,970.00 1,910,740.00 1,674,460.00 889,880.00 124,203,966.00 194,556,055.00 18,669,938.00 99,970.00 22,054,730.00 568,805,621.00 655,000.00 18,709,020.00 50,940.00 34,111,120.00

0.560 59.95 15.96 0.82 6.35 20.3 1.380 1.390 922 7.64 11.74 15.14 0.244 896 6.90 64.65 5.08 0.52 5.22 16.5 0.550 4.58 0.0390 1.130 2.910 176.00 2.39 944.00 1.35 1.04 273.000 419.80 0.2400 0.365

60,768,000 8,438,840 24,425,600 12,028,000 638,700 235,900 26,883,000 3,248,000 928,930 8,110,900 19,124,200 5,048,300 1,770,000 611,600 468,500 4,332,440 3,200 4,833,000 6,872,300 26,907,500 1,401,000 111,441,000 355,000,000 34,000 6,377,000 1,093,300 1,000 840,040 411,000 45,362,000 8,140 5,050 21,090,000 176,130,000

35,418,780.00 503,645,247.50 387,436,996.00 9,872,120.00 4,145,480.00 4,684,469.00 37,011,060.00 4,491,480.00 854,763,125.00 61,996,161.00 226,304,156.00 76,478,400.00 425,820.00 551,163,115.00 3,268,816.00 277,873,585.50 16,692.00 2,470,345.00 36,627,713.00 431,662,614.00 777,660.00 706,048,610.00 14,283,100.00 38,440.00 18,539,410.00 189,993,233.00 2,390.00 788,046,720.00 546,530.00 50,730,610.00 2,189,264.00 1,922,528.00 5,113,820.00 68,345,500.00

13.580 0.80 10.92 2.000 0.790 45.000 2.36 4.14 6.5 0.530 0.87 0.940 0.241 0.410 11.460 22.4 0.510 0.130 1.50 1.34

14,995,700 2,687,000 18,800 39,000 5,187,000 51,483,300 2,164,000 3,630,000 134,300 74,306,000 232,000 658,000 16,000,000 870,000 13,491,500 4,763,600 19,694,000 40,000 68,800,000 8,135,000

196,823,380.00 2,105,300.00 192,932.00 75,790.00 4,114,570.00 2,307,619,120.00 5,058,100.00 15,179,350.00 852,360.00 39,939,300.00 192,800.00 608,930.00 3,857,880.00 349,850.00 161,465,328.00 110,510,820.00 10,030,185.00 5,300.00 104,184,700.00 10,787,740.00

5.68 0.355 1.6700 0.4900 0.420 50.00

76,746,500 45,110,000 16,402,000 73,588,000 1,510,000 8,390

437,525,054.00 16,591,700.00 26,838,760.00 38,267,225.00 633,100.00 427,449.50

STOCKS

APRIL 8-12, 2019 Close Volume

APRIL 1-5, 2019 Close Volume

Value

Primex Corp.

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

2.5 23.70 1.99 3 39.00 1.66 6.85 0.730 7.250

3,242,000 5,558,200 419,000 602,000 25,751,600 4,420,000 1,449,600 252,000 18,924,000

2GO Group’ ABS-CBN Acesite Hotel APC Group, Inc. Apollo Global Asian Terminals Inc. Berjaya Phils. Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Chelsea DFNN Inc. Discovery World Easy Call “Common” FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Golden Haven Grand Plaza Hotel Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. `A’ IPeople Inc. `A’ IPM Holdings Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones LBC Express Leisure & Resorts Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp.

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

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

PAL Holdings Inc. Paxys Inc. PH Resorts Group Phil. Racing Club Phil. Seven Corp.

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

SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers Waterfront Phils.

Wilcon Depot

12.7 19.98 1.35 0.425 0.041 16.66 2.41 12.42 0.0710 84 5.31 6.80 2.13 10.36 890 1890 5.80 399.60 9.92 2.94 127.3 1.90 11.04 7.06 0.130 5.0200 2.98 15.78 3.70 0.91 22.00 16.98 0.670 4.78 3.50 1.75 1.70 2.420 4.46 10.14 3.19 4.50 7.11 119.60 2.95 1179.00 1.020 0.860 47.70 79.90 8.70 2.51 0.690 0.385 5.66 0.710 16.000

119,600 657,500 37,000 3,050,000 24,500,000 4,900 707,000 57,777,900 120,200,000 2,433,480 1,479,700 156,200 3,000 556,400 440 101,440 13,642,300 5,510 100 3,802,000 9,829,730 63,000 186,700 47,000 4,570,000 7,504,100 218,000 53,500 11,816,000 5,129,000 3,428,800 400 29,374,000 122,000 14,309,000 143,000 19,000 3,739,000 275,000 70,300 21,000 93,000 17,300 105,190 3,925,000 807,565 217,275,000 19,494,000 9,523,100 1,710,940 298,300 18,716,000 10,560,000 24,460,000 8,002,900 5,916,000 12,147,900

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

United Paragon

0.0020 1.30 2.87 12.88 1.2900 1.3000 2.69 0.290 8.17 1.490 0.270 0.117 0.124 0.008 0.0083 1.09 2.42 1.04 0.6200 0.9000 0.0120 0.0130 3.35 7.62 0.0110 3.1300 23.35 0.0070

MINING & OIL 1,725,000,000 3,447,900.00 9,261,000 12,143,100.00 1,522,000 4,446,620.00 28,200 362,364.00 196,000 255,970.00 81,000 106,470.00 2,979,000 8,031,660.00 1,300,000 384,250.00 23,700 193,574.00 34,031,000 54,026,290.00 18,250,000 4,790,900.00 4,310,000 505,670.00 1,110,000 134,820.00 26,000,000 215,600.00 13,000,000 107,900.00 644,000 698,980.00 13,711,000 34,976,480.00 546,000 551,020.00 346,000 204,870.00 1,077,000 974,600.00 6,400,000 79,600.00 2,900,000 35,800.00 5,268,000 18,029,050.00 27,805,700 227,359,873.00 148,300,000 1,633,400.00 24,000 72,650.00 7,910,900 179,688,975.00 74,000,000 526,300.00

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

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

19 97 467 497 98 103 451 494 5.68 880 925 91 1.01 100 990 1040 104 980 75.9 75.8 72.5 72.65 74 73.5 72.25 73.9

1,037,500 10,000 1,370 7,210 10,960 46,020 1,940 20 2,599,700 2,830 4,130 2,860 703,000 20,030 760 5 530 330 28,990 90,580 101,490 11,230 41,640 23,730 10,700 9,260

LR Warrant

1.900

WARRANTS & BONDS 1,491,000 2,971,800.00

Italpinas Xurpas

4.72 1.2

942,000 86,723,000

First Metro ETF

117.6 10.02 10

USD DMPL A1 USD DMPL A2

8,276,730.00 134,310,780.00 834,090.00 1,809,470.00 1,017,202,030.00 7,266,750.00 10,177,634.00 187,770.00 136,857,472.00

Value

2.5 24.25 2 3.06 38.95 1.63 6.85 0.750 7.240

1,490,000 10,514,000 1,028,000 711,000 22,205,400 3,572,000 1,117,300 938,000 20,481,700

3,804,850.00 255,735,205.00 2,062,430.00 2,137,210.00 874,045,335.00 5,648,530.00 7,593,574.00 702,250.00 147,537,678.00

12.7 19.8 1.25 0.440 0.043 16 2.5 12.84 0.0710 86 5.36 6.80 2.22 10.50 895 1908 5.80 399.80 9.83 3.01 123.5 1.87 10.8 7.08 0.129 4.9100 3.15 15.8 3.91 0.97 22.80 17.30 0.650 4.81 3.27 1.77 1.88 2.540 4.5 10.20 3.13 4.73 8.48 121.00 2.74 1145.00 0.960 0.850 48.20 80.00 8.99 2.45 0.680 0.39 5.64 0.710 15.320

123,800 1,699,300 22,000 2,310,000 58,900,000 104,400 3,592,000 39,047,900 244,110,000 973,460 5,551,700 446,700 17,000 423,600 50 105,390 4,281,400 17,550 500 4,607,000 6,008,790 62,000 17,800 64,000 13,270,000 42,062,800 715,000 44,000 12,606,000 15,659,000 9,504,700 900 35,444,000 51,000 17,101,000 762,000 119,000 4,307,000 559,000 96,500 12,000 190,000 300 350,800 5,618,000 404,320 504,303,000 17,971,000 4,795,200 3,561,360 756,500 27,281,000 13,049,000 32,570,000 6,317,700 17,351,000 18,979,900

1,548,816.00 33,694,047.00 27,500.00 989,700.00 2,410,100.00 1,655,446.00 9,400,880.00 483,415,604.00 17,189,320.00 80,997,256.50 29,783,161.00 2,960,309.00 36,300.00 4,712,210.00 44,615.00 202,217,140.00 25,017,870.00 6,823,492.00 5,118.00 13,742,650.00 764,218,284.00 115,680.00 188,900.00 453,845.00 1,731,910.00 203,125,886.00 2,317,870.00 689,622.00 48,408,410.00 15,338,290.00 102,431,775.00 15,314.00 22,836,780.00 234,110.00 55,906,360.00 1,375,220.00 214,550.00 10,933,700.00 2,483,520.00 993,108.00 37,280.00 878,300.00 2,545.00 42,879,274.00 15,319,460.00 459,011,605.00 496,690,110.00 15,295,190.00 230,636,270.00 283,770,716.00 6,796,591.00 66,301,050.00 8,969,200.00 13,030,550.00 35,583,831.00 12,190,200.00 293,964,742.00

0.0020 1.37 2.94 12.92 1.4400 1.4000 2.69 0.300 8.26 1.610 0.260 0.118 0.130 0.009 0.0085 1.06 2.56 1.04 0.6100 0.9000 0.0130 0.0120 3.37 9.48 0.0110 3.1600 21.85 0.0070

402,887,000,000 6,573,300.00 6,927,000 9,609,500.00 912,000 2,732,430.00 20,000 250,180.00 1,110,000 1,761,650.00 760,000 1,212,190.00 4,028,000 10,679,530.00 2,850,000 855,200.00 98,200 791,135.00 24,831,000 39,579,910.00 36,080,000 9,524,500.00 7,570,000 876,610.00 680,000 80,730.00 70,000,000 576,200.00 34,000,000 295,500.00 278,000 300,750.00 6,908,000 17,657,080.00 806,000 814,850.00 523,000 316,100.00 2,143,000 1,927,180.00 24,100,000 125,600.00 101,900,000 1,223,600.00 3,281,000 11,097,310.00 22,313,400 215,308,814.00 50,700,000 560,000.00 386,000 1,162,870.00 2,812,500 61,564,990.00 44,000,000 308,500.00

19.56 99.5 465.6 485 98.5 104.3 450.6 494.8 5.61 900 925 95.75 1 102.7 1000

664,400 36,000 3,040 1,510 35,200 10,110 730 80 555,800 12,080 14,650 2,590 1,883,000 1,000 30

12,673,824.00 3,593,660.00 1,415,960.00 729,870.00 3,442,091.00 1,018,363.00 328,938.00 39,584.00 3,140,319.00 10,872,000.00 13,082,790.00 241,730.00 1,876,300.00 102,015.00 29,410.00

106 971 74.8 75.75 73.8 74.25 74.5 74.35 72.9 72.15

80 1,170 125,580 129,840 12,890 14,770 141,080 7,080 106,670 68,800

8,480.00 1,135,730.00 9,389,488.00 9,808,601.50 935,232.50 1,067,180.50 10,528,280.50 525,898.00 7,776,680.00 5,034,112.00

1.960

1,015,000

1,956,080.00

4.86 1.19

539,000 27,727,000

2,633,820.00 30,380,370.00

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 47,430 5,614,893.00

117.6

18,530

2,178,538.00

DOLLAR DENONIMATED SEC. 18,420 185,032.00 22,630 224,808.80

10 10.16

56,490 18,220

565,970.00 185,225.20

SERVICES 1,489,390.00 13,167,628.00 49,560.00 1,308,650.00 1,017,100.00 79,756.00 1,742,260.00 740,269,466.00 8,552,880.00 211,783,720.50 7,960,402.00 1,032,227.00 6,360.00 5,855,820.00 392,030.00 193,498,505.00 79,194,993.00 2,195,890.00 992.00 11,444,250.00 1,283,768,785.00 115,440.00 2,118,638.00 333,120.00 585,150.00 38,198,692.00 663,060.00 825,676.00 45,810,480.00 4,753,070.00 77,133,200.00 6,336.00 20,401,380.00 547,940.00 49,299,360.00 245,490.00 32,400.00 9,230,120.00 1,213,160.00 716,234.00 67,450.00 425,270.00 132,094.00 12,608,009.00 11,416,640.00 938,114,675.00 220,141,680.00 16,621,330.00 467,181,650.00 136,928,044.50 2,667,770.00 46,480,080.00 7,098,530.00 9,695,350.00 45,033,258.00 4,196,960.00 190,007,152.00

PREFERRED 20,018,844.00 973,630.00 643,456.00 3,570,006.00 1,059,696.00 4,739,640.00 874,540.00 9,880.00 14,641,932.00 2,529,000.00 3,819,930.00 269,214.50 708,230.00 2,005,370.00 748,160.00 5,200.00 55,180.00 323,500.00 2,175,329.00 6,876,689.50 7,360,505.00 815,384.50 3,090,787.00 1,736,621.50 788,842.50 671,227.00

SME 4,513,360.00 110,303,420.00

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS Abra Mining PremiereHorizon Philodrill Corp. `A’ Boulevard Holdings Cemex Holdings Xurpas Phinma Energy Megaworld United Paragon Ayala Land `B’

VOLUME 1,725,000,000 217,275,000 148,300,000 120,200,000 90,333,000 86,723,000 85,474,000 83,247,600 74,000,000 73,205,220

STOCKS Ayala Land `B’ I.C.T.S.I. Alliance Global Inc. Ayala Corp `A’ Jollibee Foods Corp.

Metrobank SM Prime Holdings PLDT Common Bank of PI SM Investments Inc.

VALUE 3,992,785,755.00 1,283,768,785.00 1,121,955,658.00 1,091,191,015.00 1,045,413,754.00 1,025,221,746.50 1,017,202,030.00 938,114,675.00 897,697,385.50 809,186,110.00

PSE plans share sale to cut holdings of brokers THE Philippine Stock Exchange will need to sell at least P5 billion worth of new shares to dilute brokers’ ownership in the local bourse to 20 percent.

PSE president and chief executive Ramon Monzon said in an interview at the sidelines of a recent forum the exchange remained committed to complying with the ownership limit even with the failed acquisition of Philippine Dealing System and Holdings Corp., the operator of the fixed income market.

The PSE said it might have to resort to issuing new shares to dilute the ownership of brokers in the exchange, noting that brokers were not willing to sell out.

“My computation is that we need to raise another P5 billion of new money in order to dilute the brokers,” Monzon said.

“We have tried to convince many brokers to sell but they don’t want to sell. So the only way to achieve that objective is to again dilute the shareholders, which means issuing more shares,” he said.

Monzon said the economic climate should be attractive before the sale of new PSE shares.

“If we are going to issue new shares, the economic climate has to be correct because we want new investors to invest. Right now we are not yet at that point,” Monzon said.

The PSE is set to seek shareholders’ approval on the sale of preferred shares during the annual stockholders’ meeting to trim brokers’ ownership in the exchange.

The PSE plans to sell preferred shares by reclassifying 14 million unissued common shares with a par value of P1 apiece.

The Securities Regulation Code states that “no person may beneficially own or control, directly or indirectly, more than five percent of the voting rights of the exchange and no industry or business group may beneficially own or control, directly or indirectly, more than 20 percent of the voting rights of the Exchange.”

Monzon, meanwhile, said the PSE remained keen on integrating fixed income with the equities exchange with the acquisition of PDSHC.

Jenniffer B. Austria

PAL Holdings registered lower losses of P2.8b

By Darwin G. Amojelar PAL Holdings Inc. reported a 38-percent drop in net losses last year on higher passenger and cargo revenues.

The parent firm of Philippine Airlines posted a comprehensive net loss of P2.8 billion last year from P4.6 billion in losses in 2017.

The airline’s consolidated revenues rose 16 percent to P150.4 billion from the previous year’s P129.5 billion.

Passenger revenues, which contributed the biggest share of 85.4 percent of the total revenues, reached P128.41 billion last year from P110.63 billion in 2017.

PAL Holdings attributed the growth in revenues to the increase in the volume of passengers carried and number of flights operated.

PAL operated 112,072 flights and carried 15.9 million passengers in 2018 from 103,362 flights and 14.5 million passengers in 2017.

Cargo revenues increased 21.7 percent to P10.21 billion last year from P8.39 billion in 2017 due to volume and improvement in yields.

Ancillary revenues also increased by 14.8 percent to P11.56 billion last year from P8.39 billion in 2017 as a result of the growth in volume of passengers.

PAL Holding’s consolidated expenses increased 17.8 percent to P155.7 billion last year from P132.2 billion in 2017.

“The increase in expenses was attributable to higher flying operations, aircraft and traffic servicing, maintenance and reservation and sales expenses,” the company said.

PAL Holdings added the increase in flying operations expenses was attributable to fuel costs and lease charges.

Fuel consumption reached P52.3 billion lat year from P38.4 billion in 2017.

Business/World IAN BENEDICT R. MIA

GREEN LIGHT

Now is the time for social entrepreneurship

10 days to hand over his tax returns W ASHINGTON―Democratic lawmakers on Saturday gave tax authorities a final deadline of April 23 to hand over President Donald Trump’s tax returns, which Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the administration was considering.

Democrats have seized on the issue of Trump’s undisclosed taxes since taking control of the House of Representatives—citing a little-known law that allows Congress to review anyone’s returns to conduct an investigation.

“I am aware that concerns have been raised regarding my request and the authority of the Committee,” House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal said in a letter to Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Charles Rettig after an initial April 10 deadline lapsed. “Those concerns lack merit.”

On Wednesday, Mnuchin said the Treasury was handling the request and that a deadline

set for that date would be missed, citing possible constitutional issues.

But on Saturday, he said the administration would respond by the revised deadline.

“I’m sure we’ll respond by that deadline, not going to make a commitment prematurely whether we’ll be able to conclude a legal review by that deadline,” Mnuchin said. “We have people working on it diligently.”

Calling Neal’s new deadline an “arbitrary” date, Mnuchin said the Democrats’ request could set “enormous precedent in potentially weaponizing the IRS.” Trump argues that he cannot release his

IF YOU’RE looking for a sign to get into social entrepreneurship, this might be it.

What is there, however, in social entrepreneurship that makes it one of the buzzwords in different sectors today?

For one, social entrepreneurship is not a new concept.

The term was first mentioned in a 1953 book by Howard Bowen titled “Social Responsibilities of the Businessman.” Since then, various movements and definitions of the concept arose. What was consistent through all those years, however, is social entrepreneurship’s goal of solving social and environmental issues through innovative business solutions.

Simply put, social entrepreneurship is all about doing business for social good.

In the country, British Council PhilRepublic of the Philippines ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION ippines reports that there are around San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City 164,000 social enterprises operating.

IN THE MATTER OF THE These social enterprises have contribAPPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF CAPITAL EXPENDITURE PROGRAM FOR uted P1.2 million to the economy and YEARS 2015 TO 2017, WITH MOTION FOR employed around 17,000 full-time staff.

PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY ERC CASE NO. 2019-007 RC Majority of these social enterprises are ISABELA I ELECTRIC agriculture-based, comprising around COOPERATIVE, INC. 19 percent of the entire social enterprise (ISELCO I), sector. With these statistics, there’s no Applicant. doubt that the local social enterprise secx----------------------------------------------------------x tor is developing at a fast pace.

What other reasons are there to join the social entrepreneurship bandwagon? Here TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: are my observations so far: Notice is hereby given that on 01 February 2019, Isabela I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ISELCO I)

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The support ecosystem is growing

From the business, development, government and academe sectors, there are plenty of initiatives being launched to support the growth of the local social enterprise sector.

Many are buying into the positive social impact that social entrepreneurship entails.

Like any other form of ecosystem, this is good, because regardless of their functions, each sector has a role to play.

Whether it be from partnering with a local community to create an innovative product or service, creating a sustainable initiative in a marginalized sector, drafting legislations that support social enterprises, or conducting research to better understand the field—you name it, different sectors are already doing that.

Various organizations have also begun to take it a step further by converging these different sectors through multi-sectoral forums, round table discussions, and what not. These convergences are meant to ignite collaborations and streamline the different efforts in the sector. The fact of the matter is that the local social enterprise sector is growing, and there’s nothing that can stop it at this point in time.

filed an Application dated 10 October 2018 (Application), seeking the Commission’s approval of its capital expenditure program for years 2015 to 2017, with motion for provisional authority.

In the said Application, ISELCO I alleged the following, among others: 1. ISELCO I is a non-stock, non-profit electric cooperative, duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with principal office at Brgy. Victoria, Alicia, Isabela; 2. It holds an exclusive franchise from the National Electrification Commission to operate an electric light and power distribution service in the cities of Santiago and Cauayan and municipalities of Alicia, Angadanan, Cabatuan, Cordon, Echague, Jones, Luna, Ramon, Reina Mercedes, San Agustin, San Guillermo, San Isidro and San Mateo, all in the province of Isabela; LEGAL BASIS FOR THE APPLICATION 3. Pursuant to Republic Act No. 9136, ERC Resolution 26, Series of 2009 and other laws and rules, and in line with its mandate to provide safe, quality, efficient and reliable electric service to its consumers, ISELCO I seeks approval, confirmation and authority from this Honorable Commission to implement its Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) Program for Years 2015 to 2017; THE PROPOSED PROJECTS 4. ISELCO I’s proposed CAPEX Projects subject of the instant Application are summarized hereunder, as follows: PROPOSED NETWORK PROJECTS No. 1 2 3 4 5

Everyone can be a ‘social entrepreneur’

It’s important to note that a ‘social entrepreneur’ is not merely a person doing good business acts—it’s also a lifestyle and mindset. Everyone can be a social entrepreneur regardless of where they come from. If I were to describe social entrepreneurship in its simplest form, it’s basically doing what’s humanely good in any organization.

When we say “good,” it’s something that we think is right based on our knowledge, gut feeling and past experiences. When you’re a doctor, you’re considered good when you provide your patients the best healthcare they can possibly have. In this simple manner, you’re already being a social entrepreneur.

Hence, more than being a good business act, social entrepreneurship is a lifestyle and mindset.

There are more issues than ever

In the Philippines alone, we have a ton of social, environmental and economic issues to deal with. The most important thing, however, is on learning how to deal with these issues as opportunities.

One of the things I’m consistently taught of is to look beyond the issues and identify what steps can be taken to solve them. This requires a systemic form of thinking that integrates various aspects of the issue— from how it started down to the specific people you’re going to partner with to craft your solution. One more important thing is to keep asking yourself why you’re solving that issue, and why it matters.

Needless to say, anyone can be a social entrepreneur, and there’s nowhere to go but up for the local social enterprise sector.

Ian Benedict R. Mia is a research and technical assistant from the De La Salle University Center for Business Research and Development–Social Enterprise Research Network. He advocates for social entrepreneurship through volunteer work in Alexa Mira Society Inc. and MakeSense Philippines. He welcomes comments at ianbrmia@protonmail.com.

The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty and its administrators.

6 7 8 9

10

11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20

21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

B3

MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2019 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Project Title

Project Cost 2015

2016

2017

Total

Upgrading of over extended service drop wire into Primary 8,651,931.88 8,872,856.68 7,477,714.37 25,002,502.93 and Secondary Lines Replacement of rotten pole/cross-arm and poles 7,323,559.60 9,245,324.00 9,200,627.10 25,769,510.70 insertion Relocation of Line Affected

by Road Widening Project 409,512.99 4,283,454.40 1,198,029.77 5,890,997.16 of DPWH Relocation of 1.0 Km Three Phase Line at Dalibubun, 384,016.83 384,016.83 Jones Replacement of defective substation equipment -protection 1. Replacement of 3 units Defective Current 960,000.00 960,000.00 Transformer 2. Replacement of 4 Units defective and 4 units 1,951,073.00 1,327,382.00 2,051,073.00 5,329,528.00 dilapidated Circuit Recloser 3. Replacement of 3 units Defective Protection 360,000.00 360,000.00 Relay 4. Replacement of 1 unit Defective 69 KV Breaker 3,800,000.00 3,800,000.00 of Cauayan Substation Installation of New 20 MVA San Fermin Cauayan - 56,995,960.00 - 56,995,960.00 Substation Uprating of 10 MVA Cordon - 29,083,500.00 29,083,500.00 Substation into 20MVA Installation of 10 MVA Garit - 50,759,300.00 50,759,300.00 Substation, Construction 1.52kms 3 Phase line using 336 ACSR 1,326,765.99 1,326,765.99 conductor from Pequeno to Tagaran Construction of 5.8 kms three phase line at Minante, Cauayan City, Installa5,779,395.75 5,779,395.75 tion of Electronics Circuit Recloser a Reconductoring of 3-Phase Line fromt Research to 1,419,396.75 1,419,396.75 Nagrumbuan Reconductoring of Feeder 3,015,631.11 3,015,631.11 2 Cordon Conversion of line at 1,016,422.79 1,016,422.79 Kaquilingan Cordon Conversion of line at La 97,748.82 97,748.82 Salette Conversion of line at Patul 607,773.48 607,773.48 Conversion of line from Vee-phase to three phase 1,219,890.02 1,219,890.02 and installation of capacitor at San Isidro Conversion of line from Silawan to Anafunan and 854,216.06 854,216.06 installation of capacitor Conversion of line from 445,500.46 445,500.46 Malini to Nabuan Conversion of line from Vee phase to three phase at 433,112.63 433,112.63 Buenavista, Santiago City Conversion of line from single phase to three phase 726,151.48 726,151.48 at Burgos Conversion of line from single phase to three phase 1,690,327.94 1,690,327.94 and installation of capacitor at San Pablo Conversion of line from single phase to three phase 137,239.67 137,239.67 at Centro, Cabatuan Installation of capacitor 356,139.96 356,139.96 Expansion of Distribution 22,545,434.52 - 34,866,460.91 57,411,895.43 Line at Far Flung areas New Member Consumer’s Kwhr Meters and Connec1,760,214.72 2,895,606.00 3,336,360.48 7,992,181.20 tion Accessories Distribution Transformer 20,664,313.06 13,857,547.44 12,955,583.74 47,477,444.23 Requirements Expansion of Primary 945,724.21 11,461,515.67 7,030,588.69 19,437,828.57 Distribution Lines Expansion of Secondary 597,617.53 175,911.03 773,528.55 Distribution Lines Replacement of Old and Defective Kilowatt-hour 8,633,139.80 7,435,333.68 9,692,548.60 25,761,022.08 Meters Total Network Project 94,839,004.35 118,722,984.47 168,752,939.76 382,314,928.58

5.

tax returns because they are being audited, but the IRS has said this is no impediment to their release.

“It is not the proper function of the IRS, Treasury or Justice to question or second guess the motivations of the Committee or its reasonable determinations regarding its need for the requested tax returns and return information,” Neal said.

“Concerns about what the Committee may do with the tax returns and return information are baseless.”

Neal gave the government until 5:00 pm (2100 GMT) on April 23 to hand over the tax records.

“Please know that, if you fail to comply, your failure will be interpreted as a denial of my request,” Neal wrote.

The request looks set to trigger a protracted legal showdown. AFP

CAPEX EXPENDITURE PLAN The proposed projects together with justifications are discussed in detail in ISELCO I’s CAPEX Plan for Years 2015 to 2017, with technical and financial analysis and supporting data presented in ERC-specified templates; FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC EVALUATION [5.] Financing Plan. The proposed projects will be financed partly with funds to be acquired through loans from the National Electrification Administration (NEA), Rural Electrification Financing Corporation (REFC) and banks, and partly with its Reinvestment Fund for Sustainable Capital Expenditure (RFSC). Presented in the Table below are the CAPEX plan financiers to be pursued, to wit:

SOURCE OF FUNDS

PROJECT COST TO BE FINANCED

2015

2016

2017

RFSC

169,327,728.65

47,172,205.31

53,944,094.49

68,211,428.85

Bank Loans

92,326,645.83

29,250,629.79

22,242,933.04

40,833,083.00

REFC

105,661,827.94

6,113,000.00

27,979,527.94

71,569,300.00

NEA

124,660,534.56

32,798,113.65

56,995,960.00

34,866,460.91

491,976,736.98

115,333,948.75

161,162,515.47

215,480,272.76

[6.] Cash Flow and Rate Impact. As shown in the following table, ISELCO I’s cash flow shows that it is able to pursue and implement the 3-year CAPEX Plan without causing a significant increase in its electricity rates. For years 2015, 2016 and 2017, there is a minimal indicative additional rate requirement to cover the cost of the projects, new loan amortizations and permit fee, as follows, to wit: Indicative Rate Impact of the Project 2015 Forecasted energy sales, kWh

321,424,479

Cash balance beginning, PhP, excess/(shortfall)

2016

2017

340,119,224

Total

376,368,193 1,037,911,896

(19,200,037.61) (105,121,830.32) (124,321,868)

CASH INFLOWS

-

current year collection @ PhP0.2178/kWh

70,006,251.61

annual income on leased properties

1,730,237.82

74,077,966.89

81,972,992.44

226,057,211 1,730,238

loan proceeds from financial institutions (SEP), PhP

23,000,000.00

-

34,000,000.00

57,000,000

loan proceeds from financial institutions REFC, PhP

25,000,000.00

2,601,080.00

8,551,781.00

36,152,861

loan proceeds from financial institutions (hilux), PhP

1,938,000.00

loan proceeds from financial institutions (Fleet), PhP

1,938,000 27,319,200.00

loan proceeds from financial institutions (SS), PhP

27,319,200 67,387,781.00

67,387,781

Total Cash Inflows, PhP

121,674,489.43

103,998,246.89

191,912,554.44

417,585,291

Available cash for disbursment

121,674,489.43

84,798,209.29

86,790,724.11

293,263,423

115,333,948.75

161,162,515.47

215,042,147.67

491,538,612

CAPEX debt service (old amortization)

19,608,656.72

17,863,880.72

13,604,836.72

51,077,374

CAPEX debt service (new amortization)

4,919,852.03

9,550,945.45

20,825,943.38

35,296,741

1,714,852.38

4,069,620

CASH OUTFLOWS CAPEX requirement

ERC Permit Fee, PhP Total Cash Outflows, PhP Cash balance ending, PhP, excess/(shortfall) Excess/(shortfall) on RFSC, PhP/kWh

-

1,012,069.54

1,342,697.97

140,874,527.03

189,920,039.61

251,187,780.14 581,982,346.8

(19,200,037.61) (105,121,830.32) (164,397,056.03) (288,718,924) (0.0597)

(0.3091)

(0.4368)

(0.1584)

ALLEGATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY [7.] Applicant repleads the foregoing allegations as may be material herein; [8.] Due to unforeseen situations or occurrences coupled with delays attributable to the filing of CAPEX applications, the cooperative has been constrained to implement the foregoing projects pending the filing of the instant application; [9.] In view thereof, Applicant respectfully moves of the Honorable Commission to permit the implementation of those projects pending approval of the instant application, said implementation having enabled the cooperative to deliver a safe, efficient and more reliable electric service to its consumers; SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTARY AND PRE-FILING REQUIREMENTS [10.] Finally, in compliance with the documentary requirements under ERC Resolution 26, Series of 2009 and pre-filing requirements under the ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, ISELCO I is submitting herewith the following documents which are being made as integral parts hereof, to wit: Annex Nature of Document Markings A Capital Expenditure Plan for Years 2015 to 2017 with supporting data in ERC-specified templates B Affidavit of Posting B-1 Notice on the Proposed Projects C Affidavit of Undertaking that the corresponding application for approval of concerned agencies shall be filed, when required D Judicial Affidavit in Support of the Motion for Provisional Authority E and Proof of furnishing copies of the application to the Sangguniang Bayan of Alicia and series Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Isabela F and Publication of the Application in a newspaper of general circulation in ISELCO I’s franseries chise area or where it principally operates PRAYER WHEREFORE, premises considered, ISELCO I respectfully prays of this Honorable Commission that the cooperative’s implementation of the proposed projects pending evaluation thereof be permitted and after due notice and hearing, the proposed projects be approved accordingly.

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

The Commission has set the Application for determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, pre-trial conference, and presentation of evidence on 9 May 2019 (Thursday) at ten o’clock in the morning (10:00 A.M.), at ISELCO I’s Principal Office, Brgy. Victoria, Alicia, Isabela.

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the instant case may become a party by filing with the Commission a verified Petition to Intervene at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, indicating therein the docket number and title of the case and stating the following: 1) The petitioner’s name and address; 2) The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and 3) A statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file their Opposition or Comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before Applicant rests its case, subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure. No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following: 1) The name and address of such person; 2) A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and 3) The grounds relied upon.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from Applicant that they be furnished with the same prior to the date of the initial hearing. Applicant is hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours.

WITNESS, the Honorable Chairperson and CEO AGNES VST DEVANADERA, and the Honorable Commissioners CATHERINE P. MACEDA and PAUL CHRISTIAN M. CERVANTES, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 18th day of February 2019 in Pasig City.

JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT Oversight Commissioner for Legal M-Standard- April 15 & 22, 2019

Rebuilding hope in Marawi via ‘Tibayanihan’

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

B4

MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2019

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

A year after the Marawi siege, the Philippine Business for Social Progress went back to Marawi City’s ground zero during the last day of ‘kambisita’ (‘visiting’ in Maranao), where residents were allowed to visit their homes and other properties. Owners mark their properties with their names and contact details (as pictured) so they could be notified if ever their properties needed to be torn down to give way to road widening.

Control Tubao, mayoralty bet asks Comelec A MAYORALTY candidate has asked the Commission on Elections to place the town of Tubao, La Union under its control for the May polls amid the presence of private armies and a series of “threats, harassment, and coercion by incumbent officials” against voters there.

Eliseo dela Paz, a retired police general who is running for Tubao mayor, wrote to Comelec Region 1 regional election director Atty. Ederlino U. Tabilas on April 5 to formally request for the agency’s help in ensuring fair and peaceful elections in the municipality.

“I come to your good office to convey the plea of my constituents for a fair and peaceful election. An election free from harassment and coercion, where the people of Tubao, La Union can freely cast their vote without any fear of reprisal. Thus, it is the fervent hope of the people of Tubao, La Union that our municipality be placed under Comelec control,” Dela Paz said.

“The political atmosphere in our municipality can only be characterized as volatile at best. There is a current intense rivalry between our team and the team of Dante S. Garcia, the incumbent mayor of Tubao, La Union, who is also currently running as congressman for the 2nd District of La Union,” Dela Paz said.

He said there were enough grounds to declare Tubao under Comelec control as provided for under Section 3 of Comelec Resolution No. 1048., including a history of or current intense rivalry among the contending parties, and that the area has been previously declared under Comelec control.

It means violence maybe facilitated by the employment of private armed groups, and where unqualified individuals use loose firearms, Dela Paz said.

Dengue cases double in Zamboanga, Basilan Z

AMBOANGA CITY—The Department of Health in Region 9 has recorded a high number of cases of dengue with 20 deaths in the Zamboanga peninsula, and in Basilan since January this year.

Neo Walter Ted Folgo, Aedes vector-borne diseases regional program coordinator, told the Philippine News Agency DOH-9 recorded 2,577 cases of dengue since January, double last year’s 1,113 registered cases.

Folgo said in Zamboanga alone, DOH9 recorded 986 dengue cases -- the highest in the region, followed by Zamboanga del Norte with 663 cases; Zamboanga del Sur, 425; Zamboanga Sibugay, 382; and, Isabela City, Basilan, 121.

Of the 20 deaths, Folgo said the province of Zamboanga del Sur has the most

deaths at 10. Zamboanga del Norte has six, Zamboanga Sibugay two, and Isabela City with two.

Eleven of the 20 deaths recorded in this region this year were males, Folgo said.

Last year, there were 55 recorded deaths.

One of the contributory factors to the dengue outbreak is the El Niño weather phenomenon, he said.

There are two possible causes of death of dengue patients, the DOH-9 official said. First, the patient did not seek early consultation and second, they have other health problems apart from dengue.

Dengue fever is a viral disease usually affecting infants and young children. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which lay eggs on clear and stagnant water, spread the disease.

The signs and symptoms of dengue fever include sudden high fever, joint and muscle pains, skin rashes, nose bleeding, vomiting of coffee-colored matter, and dark-colored stool.

Folgo said the management of dengue is symptomatic, as there is no medicine for dengue fever alone.

He said the public should practice the “4S” strategy to minimize, if not eradicate, cases of dengue: search and destroy; self-protection measures; seek early consultation; and support fogging in times of increasing cases of dengue. PNA

THE Philippine Business for Social Progress has inked a partnership with Republic Cement for Project “Marawi Tibayanihan: Rebuilding Homes for a Stronger Marawi.”

The project aims to provide an alternate livelihood source for Marawi City residents and to support the recovery of the affected families and the rehabilitation of their houses in the war-torn metropolis.

“From our experience after several missions in Marawi City, we have developed a more responsive framework to guide our member companies and partner donors towards a more holistic and collective response, supportive of the needs of internally displaced people [IDPs] and local plans,” PBSP Executive Director Reynaldo Laguda said.

The goal is to form the Marawi Tibayanihan Crew—a group of workers skilled in carpentry, masonry, electrical wiring, welding, plumbing, and painting, among others.

The project targets three communities: Barangays Raya Saduc and Bubonga, and Area 1 Transitional Community. Households from the two barangays, or 44 families, and 102 shelters will benefit from the recovery and rehabilitation assistance.

Families who do not have the capacity to pay for labor and materials were the ones prioritized. Under the program, the Tibayanihan Crew will provide labor services to each beneficiary-family. Each family will also benefit from a grant for the needed construction materials, after an assessment of the condition of their homes and the required repairs.

The workers will be trained further with the assistance of the Department of Trade and Industry and and TESDA. At the end of the training, they would be self-reliant and could be tapped for construction services by the government, private sector, and other groups in the future.

The project would also help strengthen the brotherhood among Maranaos by enabling other Maranaos to help their people after the siege.

“There is an immense need that had to be filled, and we are grateful for the flow of assistance and we are excited about Republic Cement sharing the vision of rebuilding towards a stronger Marawi,” Laguda added.

“This is an important project for us.

The development of Mindanao is in line with Republic Cement’s thrust in nation-building. As much as this project is about constructing stronger homes and buildings, it is also about strengthening the people’s hope that tomorrow can be better,” said Nabil Francis, Republic Cement Services, Inc. president.

Camarines Sur Provincial Administrator Fortunato Peña and LandBank First Vice President Lou Villafranca lead the turnover of water filtration kits to Usman-hit areas in Albay (left photo) and Camarines Sur (right photo). Joining them are LandBank Tabaco branch manager Emmanuel Hizola, Iriga branch manager Emmanuel Avengoza, Sipocot branch manager Ma. Cristina Jusi, and Pili branch manager Marivic Oliva.

Estrada vows LandBank water filtration units to benefit 6k in Albay, CamSur to expand CAP indigent tack MANILA Mayor Joseph Estrada on Sunday vowed to continue expanding the city’s Capital Assistance Program to its indigent families as part of his commitment to uplift their lives.

Estrada, who is running for his third and last term as Manila chief executive, said the CAP is a fund for small-scale businesses of poor families in the city.

The mayor wants to help microbusinesses and small enterprises in the city experience continuous financial growth, pointing out that micro, small and medium enterprises are the backbone of the city government’s rapid progress.

“We will give these small entrepreneurs a chance to grow their businesses, after all, they complement Manila’s economic growth,” Estrada said.

Since 2013 when the mayor put up CAP, thousands of indigenous Manileños have been provided with start-up capital of P5,000 to P10,000. The program has produced standalone stores, food kiosks, and other backyard businesses that provided extra income to the beneficiaries and helped with their day-to-day expenses. Vito Barcelo

OVER 6,000 residents from Albay and Camarines Sur were given access to clean drinking water through LandBank’s Gawad KATUBIGAN (KAakibat na TUlong sa Bayan sa Inumung KailanGAN).

Last March, LandBank successfully turned over 60 water filtration units to Bicolanos devastated by Typhoon “Usman,” which hit the country late last

year. Albay and Camarines Sur were among the areas heavily affected.

Marilou Villafranca, LANDBANK First Vice President for Southeast Luzon Branches Group, also turned over LandBank’s donation of P1.215 million to the provinces of Camarines Sur and Albay. This will benefit 16 cities and municipalities in both areas.

Gawad KATUBIGAN is the Bank’s

way to reach out to more Filipinos in remote areas who do not have access or have limited access to potable water.

Accredited by the Department of Health, the water filtration systems have the ability to remove 99.99 percent of bacteria that cause water-borne diseases such as cholera, salmonella, E. coli, and other bacterial illnesses.

Each water filtration system, which

can filter one million gallons of water, can provide clean drinking water for 100 people a day and can last for five to 10 years, if properly maintained.

Implemented in partnership with W4W Philippines, Gawad KATUBIGAN is one of the Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility Programs, which started as a small disaster response project in 2015.

San Juan City cites Best EnviroKid

SIKHAY AWARDS. The Ayala-led Affordable Private Education Center Inc. Schools has

launched the Sikhay 2019 Community Service Awards, which aims to recognize young Filipino students who have pioneered outstanding community service programs and projects that have contributed to community’s development. At the launch at the QC Experience hall at the Quezon Memorial Circle are (from left) Monotte Sabio, APEC Director for Teaching, Mara de Guzman of Bata PH, Dexter Galvan of SDG Youth Force PH, Lei Motilla of ASEAN Youth Community, CPD officer Mary-Ann Barcelon, and Francis Pinon, Marketing Communication Officer of APEC. Manny Palmero

SAN JUAN City Mayor Guia Gomez led the recent awarding rites of the city’s search for the School Year 20182019 Best EnviroKid, Enviroteen, and Enviro Teacher Coordinator during the flag-raising ceremony last April 8.

Bagging the Best Enviro Kid award was Grade 6 student Curby R. Francisco of N. Ibuna Elementary School, while the Best Enviro Teacher Coordinator award went to Rowena Sanchez also of the same school.

Graduating high school student Kathleen Mae Marcos, herself a former EnviroKid at the Pinaglabanan Elementary School, won the Best EnviroTeen award.

Assisting Mayor Gomez were Councilors Ariel Atad (SK), Herbert Chua

(Bgy.), Allen Silvano, and Boyet Aquino.

Former City Councilor and now City Environment and Natural Resources Office Head Dante Santiago presided over the event.

Criteria for the contest included unannounced home visitations, school activities, examination results and final interview. The home visitations revealed how the winners were actually applying the proper solid waste management techniques taught to them by CENRO personnel throughout the year.

Ten EnviroTeen finalists each received a medal and P2,000 cash award from Mayor Gomez.

Winners Marcos, Francisco, and Sanchez each received a P5,000 cash award.

C1

MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2019 advertise@manilastandard.net

ANDREW TAN:

Power of hard work

By Laica Bagnes

A

NDREW Tan, one of the most inspiring ‘ragsto-riches’ billionaires in Southeast Asia, was born to lead.

He might not have realized it early on in his life, but this simple boy living in the cramped tenements of Hong Kong, found his way to the Philippines and built an empire from the ground up.

Humble Beginnings Tan is a son of poor immigrant from Fujian Province. He was born in China, but his family migrated to Hong Kong when he was four years old. In Hong Kong, he and his family used to share a tenement apartment with four other families with only one bathroom and one concrete table for all the families’ cooking stove.

Due to the high demand of living, at the age of 16 he came to the Philippines to join his father who was then working in a transistor radio factory.

Together, they rented a cramped 20-square meter apartment in Sta. Cruz, Manila. And from his home all the way to C.M. Recto, the young Andrew preferred to walk than ride a jeepney in order to save money when he was studying accountancy at the University of the East.

He also often ate ‘banana cue’ (fried bananas) during lunch. This is one of young Andrew’s difficult periods but it didn’t defeat his dreams.

Continued on C2

C2

Andrew...

From C1

Through his determination, he eventually graduated as Magna Cum Laude.

Brick by Brick Tan’s dream was just to own a small grocery store, but he achieved so much more.

Now one of the richest in the Philippines, he engaged in real estate developing condominiums (Megaworld), the world’s biggest brandy producer (Emperador Distillers, Inc.) and the nationwide Philippine franchise of fast food chain, McDonald’s.

Tan built his conglomerate brick by brick. He is now rated 10th on the Philippines 50 Richest Men by Forbes Magazine’s 2018 rankings.

His Megaworld Corporation, voted as Best-Managed Philippine Company by Finance Asia (1999, 2001, 2004 and 2007—Ranked 1st), is one of Tan’s greatest feats in the business industry.

He has been the company CEO and president, having McKinley Hill as one of its primary projects.

Knowing that any business firm could face failures and setbacks, Tan recalled his mindset during the time he opened his Megaworld business.

“Business was tough when I started my first company. When you don’t have much capital, it is paramount that you exercise your nose a lot, much like a dog that never ceases to sniff out for food. You cannot afford to fail and lose vital resources. That is how you develop an instinct for success,” Tan said.

Seeing the silver lining The Asian financial crisis in 1997 also tested Mega-

T

Born to Lead Special Feature

MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2019 advertise@manilastandard.net

world and Tan himself. The crisis threatened the real estate industry as banks were very averse in lending. But Tan was able to overcome this and became a stronger and more innovative businessman.

Back in 1990, Megaworld launched the Eastwood City, the Philippines’ first integrated township project with the livework-play mantra. The Eastwood City Cyber Park has been named as the No. 1 IT Park, and Tan now considers it as the “epitome of a successful development.”

It was clear that Tan built his career in the business industry through “hard work and brand building.”

Aside from Megaworld, he has also engaged in the Emperador Brand, having ‘success’ as the theme of its TV ads, where advertisers wear formal representations of businessmen.

Also, at present, his publicly listed holding company Alliance Global Group, is one of the Philippines’ largest clusters with interest in gaming (Resorts World Manila), food and beverage industry (Emperador Distillers, Inc.), real estate development (Megaworld, Empire East Land Holdings, Inc., Golden Arches Development Corp., Travelers International Hotel Group, Inc., and Suntrust Properties, Inc.) quick service restaurants (McDonald’s) and hospitality (Richmond, Marriott and Sheraton Hotels).

As one of Southeast Asia’s most successful business tycoons, Tan himself and his companies reaped numerous awards.

In the 2008 ASEAN Business Awards held at Bangkok, Thailand, he received for AGI the No. 1 Most Admired ASEAN Enterprise Award.

The “Strongest Adherence to Corporate Governance” was also given to Megaworld during the 2011 Southeast Asia’s Institutional Corporate Awards.

Tan also received the Order of Lakandula, Rank of Bayani, one of the highest awards awarded to any individual by the Republic of the Philippines.

Tan, who continues to loom large in the field of real estate and development, proves the power of hard work and determination in achieving one’s dreams, especially those who were born to lead.

Megaworld opens New Hotel in Manila’s Chinatown just around 40 minutes away from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Resorts World Manila, and the Makati Central Business District, and just 30 minutes away from the bustling Entertainment City and Manila Bay area.

To date, Megaworld has already opened seven (7) local homegrown hotels around the country, which include: Richmonde Hotel Ortigas in Pasig City, Eastwood Richmonde Hotel in Quezon City, and Richmonde Hotel Iloilo in Iloilo City; Belmont Hotel Manila in Newport City; Savoy Hotel Manila in Newport City and Savoy Hotel Boracay in Boracay Island, Aklan; and Twin Lakes Hotel in Laurel, Batangas near Tagaytay.

HE 93-room Hotel Lucky Chinatown is Megaworld’s 8th hotel property to open, and considered to be Binondo’s modern contemporary hotel with a unique ‘Chinatown vibe’ After successfully opening seven hotel developments under four brands that include Richmonde, Belmont, Savoy and Twin Lakes, property giant Megaworld is introducing a new homegrown hotel brand in Binondo, Manila.

The P750-million Hotel Lucky Chinatown, which will be directly connected to Lucky Chinatown Mall via footbridge, is Megaworld’s 8th hotel property in its portfolio, offering 93 rooms and suites ranging from Standard Queen, Standard Twin, Junior Suite and Executive Suite.

The hotel along Reina Regente Street has its own all-day dining restaurant, the Café de Chinatown, to be managed and operated by the Raintree Group of Companies, the company that owns and operates Museum Café and Terraz in Makati, and Chelsea Kitchen.

It will also feature its own Zabana Bar, Spa, Sauna, Jacuzzi, and Fitness Center. The hotel will also have a spacious, high-ceiling Grand Ballroom that can accommodate up to 350 guests in banquet setting, and can be divided into three smaller ballrooms. It also has a Boardroom and three (3) meeting rooms for smaller groups.

At the hotel’s Atrium is an indoor Zen garden with its own sunroof that is surrounded by select guest rooms.

“We take great pride in continuing to bring more excitement here in the ‘world’s oldest Chinatown’ with the opening of Hotel Lucky Chinatown. With the hotel directly connected to Manila Chinatown’s biggest mall, guests will be able to savor the distinct, dynamic vibe of the Chinatown culture as they enjoy the sights and sounds of this bustling hub,” says Jeremy Russell S. Go, resi- Hotel Lucky Chinatown Facade dent manager, Hotel Lucky Chinatown.

Generally, the hotel takes pride of its modern contemporary design, a glaring contrast to the old, charming vibe of Binondo.

“Our idea is to blend modernity with Binondo’s heritage. While Hotel Lucky Chinatown features a modern contemporary design, the moment our guests get out of the hotel, they will feel the culture that is truly Chinatown. We want to provide that distinction so the experience becomes richer,” ex- Executive Suite bedroom plains Go. With the opening of Hotel Lucky Chinatown, members of Club Access, a membership privilege program for Megaworld Hotels, will already enjoy the perks, privileges, and discounts in this new hotel.

Hotel Lucky Chinatown is strategically located near Manila’s historic and cultural sites such as Intramuros, Manila City Hall and the National Museum. It is also Cafe de Chinatown

Executive Suites Living and Dining Room

Hotel Lobby

Born to Lead Special Feature

By Laica Bagnes

A

NDREW Lim Tan’s booming career in the business industry proves that success and growth only come through continuous hard work and determination.

As one of Southeast Asia’s richest businessmen, Tan continues to loom large in real estate and development sectors. The tycoon’s desire to establish the Megaworld Corporation has created a whole paradigm in business, providing a blueprint on how to become a dominant leader in the industry.

Aside from his stint as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Megaworld Corporation, Tan also showcases professionalism in various sectors of the business industry, bagging several awards in the process.

Here are 10 fast facts about Andrew Tan. 1. He is the CEO of AGI for 12 years Mr. Tan served as the Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Global Group Inc. from September 2006 to June 4, 2018. Alliance Global Group Inc. is a holding company that has interest in food and beverage, real estate, and gaming. AGI also recorded a 14 percent increase in revenue last year, from P141.3 billion to P160.7 billion under Tan’s leadership.

2. He is Chairman as well as President of seven real estate firms Megaworld Land, Megaworld Globus Asia, Richmonde Hotel Group International Limited, Megaworld Newport Property Holdings, Mactan Oceanview Properties & Holdings and Yorkshire Holding are the corporations where Mr. Tan serves as Chairman and President.

C3

MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2019 advertise@manilastandard.net

10 FACTS

proving Andrew Tan’s imprint in business industry 3. He serves on the boards of 11 corporations Mr. Tan is a member of the board of directors of Eastwood Cyber One Corp., Megaworld Cayman Islands, Forbes Town Properties & Holdings, Gilmore Property Marketing Associates, Eastwood Cyber One Corp., Megaworld Central Properties, Raffles and Company, the Andresons Group, and Consolidated Distillers of the Far East, Townsquare Development and The Bar Beverage.

4. He also serves as the Chairman and treasurer of three firms Golden Arches Development Corp. operates in the quick-service restaurant business, particularly as a McDonald’s GADC exclusive franchise owner in the Philippines, where Mr. Tan serves as its Chairman and Treasurer. He is also Chairman/Treasurer of Golden Arches Realty Corp., while also serving as the Director and Treasurer of

Andersons Global.

5. He was named “Businessman of the Year” In 2004, the Quezon City government named Mr. Tan as “Businessman of the Year” in recognition of his visionary leadership as he was able to transform Eastwood City into a “magnet of investments,” making it a dynamic growth center in Quezon City.

6. A recipient of the Global Excellence Award The International Chamber of Commerce Philippines also bestowed on the tycoon the Global Excellence Award during the 42nd Philippine Business Conference in 2016. The award recognized Tan for raising the bar of Philippine business to compete locally and internationally, helping the nation to achieve growth and development.

7. He led the 2016 Tourism Person-

ality Awardees In 2016, the Alliance Global Group, Inc. Chairman was also named as the year’s leader in Integrated Tourism enterprise—the highest recognition given

by SKAL International Makati during its 26th Tourism Personality Awards.

8. He was awarded Spain’s highest civil honor Tan’s numerous personal investments in Emperador have also led to his strengthened relationship with Spain.

The Spanish Government awarded Mr. Tan the highest civil honor in Spain and welcomed him as the newest member of the Orden del Mérito Civil and was given the title Ilustrísimo or Honorable.

9. He was named as first Property Guru Icon Award recipient Mr. Tan was named the Philippine Real Estate Personality of the Year award in 2014. Tan and his team earned

three consecutive Best Developer titles from 2016 to 2018. He was also cited for being a champion of corporate social responsibility programs through the Megaworld Foundation and Empire East Cares. He also won the Special Recognition in CSR at the 2018 Property Guru Philippines Property Awards, labelling him as the “Filipino-Chinese billionaire who is a champion in smart townships and CS.” 10. Most Outstanding Alumnus of UE Mr. Tan was selected by his alma mater University of the East, C.M. Recto Campus as its Most Outstanding Alumnus, citing his outstanding achievements in business and social responsibility. The university also cited Megaworld Foundation, which he established, for its initiatives, as the corporation supports over 400 outstanding but underprivileged scholars in 21 universities.

Megaworld Lifestyle Malls

lets you choose your next adventure this summer

T

3.5 million AirAsia Big Points at stake with every P2,000 worth of purchase

RAVEL junkies and families looking for their next big adventure are in for their biggest surprise yet this summer at Megaworld Lifestyle Malls.

Over 3.5 million AirAsia Big Point are up for grabs in Megaworld Lifestyle Malls’ Choose Your Next Adventure summer promo, which runs from April 1 to May 31, 2019.

Seven winners will win half a million AirAsia Big Points, which will allow them to choose their next big adventure and make their dream vacation come true with 10 domestic and 15 international destinations to choose from.

Winners can choose and spend their points on flight tickets going to top Philippine tourist destinations including Cebu, Kalibo, Caticlan, Davao, Iloio, Manila, Puerto Princesa, Clark, Bohol and Tacloban. They can also plan their next trip and spend points on trips going to top Asian destinations including Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Indonesia and New Zealand.

To earn raffle entries, customers can shop, dine, and spend P2,000 in single or accumulated transactions at Megaworld Lifestyle Malls during the promo period.

Customers may redeem their raffle entries at designated booths at Eastwood City, Lucky Chinatown, Venice Grand Canal in McKinley Hill, Uptown Bonifacio, Newport Mall at Resorts World Manila, Forbes Town and Southwoods Mall in Binan, Laguna.

Raffle draw is on June 14, 2019. Per DTI-FTEB SPD Permit No. 5207, Series of 2019.

C4

MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2019 advertise@manilastandard.net

Resorts World Manila

opens its doors to more Thrillmakers on its first decade s the Department of Tourism (DOT) sets its tourist arrival targets at 8.2M in 2019, projected from the 7.7% increase or an all-time high of 7.1M visitors last year, the pioneering integrated resort (IR) in the country Resorts World Manila (RWM) opens up more employment opportunities as it continues its Phase Three expansion projects and prepare for the increase in tourist arrivals. The DOT reports that visitors in the country mainly come from South Korea, China, USA, and Japan, a large percentage of which are drawn to the Philippines’ booming IR industry.

In anticipation of the tourist influx, RWM is currently undergoing expansions for its gaming and hotel segments with the opening of the RWM Grand Wing and additional hotel brands Hilton Manila and Sheraton Manila Hotel which opened early in the year. RWM is also set to celebrate its first decade in the industry with more offerings for its guests.

With the continued expansions, RWM is looking to fill up 400 active vacancies, and a total of around 1,500 employment opportunities for 2019. RWM’s talent acquisition teams are set to hold provincial job fairs on April 24 and 25 in Iloilo, and April 26 in Bacolod.

“What makes RWM unique is that the management listens to the voice of every Thrillmaker and try to enhance benefits according to their suggestions and needs,” said RWM Chief Human Resources Officer Theresa Llamas.

“Also, we are aware that RWM has a diverse workforce which spans across different generations, demographics, and psychographics. We strive to keep up with the trends and offer benefits that are flexible and will suit whatever their needs, age, interest, or lifestyle are,” she added.

This year, RWM employees or ‘Thrillmakers’ have been granted enhanced HMO benefits and bereavement leave policy— improvements that have been voiced out by the employees themselves and heard by the RWM management.

“We are proud to say that among the integrated resorts in the country, we employ the least number of foreign employees.

We strive to give employment opportunities to Filipinos not only in Metro Manila but also those in the provinces. We’ve held recruitments caravans in Bacolod, Bohol, Davao, Iloilo, Ozamis, Pangasinan and other provinces,” said Llamas.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the

What makes RWM unique is that the management listens to the voice of every Thrillmaker and try to enhance benefits according to their suggestions and needs.

— Theresa Llamas Chief Human Resources Officer Resorts World Manila employment rate in the country at the beginning of the year registered an estimated high of 94.8%. With a thriving IR industry, more positive news are in store for the country’s workforce.

For RWM’s newly opened Grand Wing, an estimated 1,000 employees will be deployed for operation of the additional 14,000 square meters of gaming space. This calls for monthly hirings of close to 200 new employees.

The newly hired employees are then set to undergo on-thejob training to learn job basics and develop their know-how on RWM’s gaming operations while securing the mandatory Gaming E m p l oy m e n t License from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

RWM currently employs

approximately 5,000 employees in its fold however thousands of job opportunities are in the pipeline as RWM continues with more expansions in its Newport City property in Pasay, and plans for a second property, Resorts World West Side City at the Entertainment City in Paranaque.

For more job openings at RWM, email careers@ rwmanila.com or search rwmanilacareers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Visit www.rwmanila.com or download the RWM Mobile App for more on Resorts World Manila.

RWM Chief Operating Officer Stephen Reilly addresses the hopefuls during one of the recent job fairs at the Newport Mall.