Issuu

SC orders to protect WPS

Writ compels gov’t to stop marine foray

Ateneo grad leads 1,800 Bar passers

By Rey E. Requejo

MID Chinese incursions on the country’s islands in the West Philippine Sea, the Supreme Court issued a writ of Kalikasan Friday compelling concerned government agencies to protect, preserve, rehabilitate, and restore the marine environment in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, Ayungin Shoal, and Panganiban Reef. During its special en banc session, the Court resolved to grant the prayer for the issuance of a writ of Kalikasan ﬁled by the members of the Kalayaan Palawan Farmers and Fisherfolk Association and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

By Rey E. Requejo VOL. XXXIII • NO. 79 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

A GRADUATE from Ateneo de Manila University led the 1,800 new lawyers who passed the 2018 Bar Examinations, the Supreme Court said Friday. Next page

The petitioners had sought the same relief that the Court issued in 2008 when it ordered all concerned Next page

SUBMITTED, YOUR HONORS. 2018 bar examinees try to get a good elbow space, anxiety on their faces, to look for their names on the screen at the Supreme Court building Friday, with some (inset) in a joyful outburst of uncontrolled passion, with the top 10 (left) headed by a graduate of the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University. Lino Santos, Norman Cruz

Tears of joy, sadness cap the long wait THE local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual community has a new champion in 2018 Bar Examinations topnotcher Sean James Borja. Bullied as a kid for being gay, Borja persevered to become the valedictorian of the Ateneo de Manila University Law School, and now believes topping the exams gives him a

platform to push for LGBT rights. “Other than the mundane, I think what I would really want to show is to keep pushing my limits to show that people like me, people from my community can achieve so much if people will just listen and look out for us,” Borja told ANC on Friday. Next page

El Niño brings havoc to agri areas ‘Bikoy’ uploader tags LP supporters behind videos SOME P8 billion worth of agricultural damage due to El Niño, which forced 43 local government units to declare a state of calamity, has been registered, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. The NDRRMC’s report, released on Friday, estimated that agricultural damages went up to P7.962 billion. The affected areas include Regions CAR, I, II, III, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, V, Vl, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region—or 14 of the country’s 17 regions.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

A total of 78,691 families or 393,455 persons were affected by the drought or dry spell in Regions XI (Davao Region) and XII (Soccsksargen), the report added. Also, a total of 247,610 farmers were affected in all regions except National Capital Region and Region IV, it added. To compensate for the lack of water, a total of 10 cloud-seeding operations have been undertaken since March 26, it added. Nearly three weeks ago, the Department of Agriculture said damage to

THE uploader of the “Bikoy” videos that accused President Rodrigo Duterte’s family of involvement in the illegal drug trade on Friday said to supporters of the opposition Liberal Party had tapped him to create a website to share them. Next page

CHASING AFTERTHOUGHT.

Rodel Jayme, the self-confessed administrator of the Metrobalita.net, used to upload the controversial and criticized ‘Ang Totoong Narcolist’ video says he wants to turn into a state witness and help the National Bureau of Investigation in uncovering the plot against the government. Norman Cruz

Namfrel nixes as Comelec citizens’ arm DEPTHS OF DISTRESS. A farmer stands by his lonesome while studying his future

from damaged corn crops caused by El Niño in his Barangay Magbato in Lambunao in Iloilo Thursday. Local agriculturists say losses in agri products have climbed up to P1.026 billion due to the dry spell. Norman Cruz

THE Commission on Elections has yet to take a position on the National Citizens Movement for Free Elections decision to decline its accreditation as a citizens’ arm in the May 13 elections, a spokesman for the poll body said Friday. Namfrel had earlier said it would decline accreditation because the Comelec has denied it access to information Next page

‘Star Wars’ actor Peter Mayhew, 74 LOS ANGELES—Actor Peter Mayhew, who won over fans worldwide as the Wookiee warrior Chewbacca in the blockbuster “Star Wars” movies, has died at the age of 74, his Next page

Palawan resort fun: $100k per night CAN it really be more fun in the Philippines? BANWA Private Island, a new resort in Palawan in this Land of the Morning, has toppled Musha Cay in the Bahamas, owned by David Next page

News

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Gov’t assures Pinoy press freedom By Nat Mariano

HE Duterte administration will continue to put press freedom in high regard amid the allegations the government restrains dissent from journalists, an ofﬁcial said Friday.

As journalists around the globe celebrate World Press Freedom Day, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar said the government respects freedom of the press. “The public can expect that the Duterte administration will continue to respect press freedom in the country contrary to the allegations of some,” Andanar said in a statement. In other developments: • On the eve of World Press Freedom

Day, the National Press Club of the Philippines criticized media outfits and organizations for allegedly receiving foreign funding. “We are referring to the fact that for many years now, other media organizations are directly receiving from foreign sources to fund their activities, particularly from front organizations identified with the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency and from non-government organizations based in Europe,” the NPC

said in a statement on Thursday. • On World Press Freedom Day, veteran journalists slammed the Duterte administration for allegedly applying double standards on the issue of foreign funding―hitting media organizations for receiving foreign funds without acknowledging that it does the same. The government has been using grants from other nations and institutions, most recently those from China, the journalists said. “They are demonizing foreign funding. They should study what foreign funding is, because there’s nothing wrong [with] accepting assistance from foreign organizations,” Vera Files president Ellen Tordesillas said in a mix of English and Filipino during the panel discussion on

the media freedom forum organized by the Freedom for Media, Freedom for All network on Friday. “The government itself [accepts foreign aid]. Look at the press release of Malacañang last week. The President came from China bringing in billions worth of grants and loans,” Tordesillas said. • Twelve killings are among the 128 cases of attacks against members of the media that the Freedom for Media, Freedom for All Network recorded since President Rodrigo Duterte came to power in 2016. At a forum held on World Press Freedom Day, Freedom for Media, Freedom for All Network said almost half of the attacks and threats were allegedly perpetrated by state agents.

Economy ‘likely’ Palace mocks ex-NZ premier’s drug war advice grew slightly higher than 6%

US Dengvaxia OK means PH made ‘blunder’ By Maricel V. Cruz THE approval by the US Food and Drug Administration of Dengvaxia for use only on previous victims of the disease proves that the mass inoculation of children during the administration of President Benigno Aquino III was a major blunder, a congressman said on Friday. Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel said “after going over the US FDA’s official press statement announcing the approval of Dengvaxia, it is clear that they approved the vaccine for use only in children previously infected with dengue.” “The US FDA disapproved the vaccine for use in children who never had dengue infection,” Pimentel said. “But in our case, children were vaccinated wholesale, regardless whether they had or did not have prior dengue infection.” Pimentel is a former chairman of the House committee on Good Government and accountability committee, which conducted a joint inquiry with the House health panel into the Philippines’ controversial anti-dengue vaccination program using Dengvaxia. Dengvaxia, which was developed by Sanofi Pasteur of France, is the only vaccine against dengue. Some 730,000 school children received Dengvaxia shots under the program that was launched in April 2016 but eventually abandoned in December 2017.

United Nations Development Program, said the Philippines should tackle a human rights-based strategy in dealing with illegal drugs. “Whenever you criminalize a behavior of human beings, you drive that behavior underground and that can have very serious health consequences. I am very much for an approach based on the decriminalization and the legal regularization of available drugs,” Clark said. “I hope the Philippines will look for an approach to drugs which is firmly

based on human rights, the right to life and the right to health.” But Panelo rejected her suggestion, saying it was “similar to the proposal by the European Union made two years ago that had already been turned down by President Rodrigo Duterte. “Decriminalizing the use of drugs in the Philippines will not only aggravate but multiply the problem,” Panelo said. He said the Philippines was a country where the proliferation of illegal drug had become “a billion-peso industry.”

government agencies to coordinate for the cleanup, restoration, and preservation of the Manila Bay. The SC ruling dovetails with the arbitration case won by the Philippines against China over the islands in the International Criminal Court during the previous Aquino administration, and with a separate communication lodged recently against Chinese President Xi Jinping before the ICC filed by former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales. Citing evidence in the country’s arbitration victory, the Filipino fisher’s group said Chinese fishermen and vessels have harvested endangered species and used cyanide and dynamite in Scarborough and Ayungin Shoals, violating the Philippine Fisheries Code. They also assailed Chinese construction activities in Panganiban Reef. Malacañang itself said last month that the persistent presence of Chinese vessels near islands occupied by the Philippines in the WPS is “an assault

on our sovereignty.” The Palace also took exception to China’s extraction of giant clams at Scarborough as first reported by ABSCBN, calling it an “affront” to the country’s sovereignty. In 2016, the ICC—a tribunal based in The Hague—invalidated China’s excessive historic claims over almost the entire South China Sea and upheld the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the same waters. Named respondents were the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, represented by Secretary Roy A. Cimatu; Department of Agriculture, represented by Secretary Emmanuel Piñol; Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, represented by National Director Eduardo B. Gongona; The Philippine Navy, represented by Flag Officer in Command Robert Empedrad; Philippine Coast Guard, represented by Commandant Admiral Elson E. Hermogino; Philippine National Police, represented by PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde; PNP Maritime Group, represented by Chief Supt. Rodelio B. Jocson; and Department of Justice, represented by Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra. Panatag Shoal is located in the Municipality of Masinloc, Province of

Zambales, while Ayungin Shoal and Panganiban Reef, also known as Mischief Reef are located in the Municipality of Kalayaan, Province of Palawan. In their petition, the groups cited as basis the documents submitted by the Philippine government in the inter-state arbitration proceedings under Annex VII to the 1982 United National Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as well as the 2016 award by the tribunal in the South China Sea Arbitration, which established that foreign poachers, foreign construction and land reclamation entities have caused massive environmental damage in Philippine waters and the Philippine exclusive economic zone. The Philippines won the arbitration on July 12, 2016, but the government under President Rodrigo Duterte “has failed or refuses to enforce the ruling in a manner that is beneficial to Filipinos,” the petitioners said. The petitioner noted that the SCS Arbitral ruling has upheld the Philippine government’s claim that Ayungin Shoal, Panganiban Reef and Panatag Shoal are well within the Philippine EEZ, so the country’s environmental laws must be enforced in these areas.

Associate Justice Mariano C. del Castillo, chairman of the 2018 SC Committee on the Bar Examinations, said Sean James B. Borja is the topnother of last year’s Bar exams with a 89.3-percent score. Del Castillo announced the results of the 2018 Bar exams shortly after the Court held its special en banc session yesterday.

Marcley Augustus D. Natu-el and Mark Lawrence C. Badayos, both of University of San Carlos, took the second and third places, with a rating of 87.53 percent and 85.84 percent, respectively. Daniel John A. Fordan of Ateneo De Manila University grabbed the fourth place with 85.44 percent followed by Katrina Monica C. Gaw, also from Ateneo, with a rating of 85.42 percent. Nadaine P. Tongco and Patricia O. Sevilla, both from the University of Philippines, took the sixth and seventh

place, with 85.03 percent and 84.859 percent, respectively. Katherine T. Ting of De La Salle University—Manila landed in eighth place with an average of 84.857 percent, while Jebb Lynus Q. Cane and Alen Joel R. Pita, both from University of San Carlos, settled for ninth and 10th, with 84.80 percent and 84.6 percent, respectively. Borja, who is working at the Gulapa and Quicho Law Firm, admitted that taxation was the most difficult subject in the last Bar exams.

“Taxation, yes, was so difficult. After the exam a lot of examinees cried,” he said. “My advise [to future Bar examinees] is to have pure dedication, hard work and to stick to their goals. Don’t let insecurities get the best of you,” Borja said. Speaking at the quadrangle of the SC New Building, Del Castillo said that a total of 1,800 out of the 8,155 examinees who took the 2018 Bar examinations passed. With Nat Mariano

Tears... From A1

El Niño... From A1

In a Facebook post in 2017, he said: “For a long time, I was made to believe that members of the LGBT community could never be anything beyond mere providers of entertainment. The moment we come out, we will never make CEO, president, or senior partner. After all, society itself has charted our destiny to become marginalized, second-class citizens.” “There were a lot of times I doubted myself… I did overcome those doubts, those insecurities. I’m just happy to be myself,” Borja then told ANC yesterday. He said he hopes to “provide a voice for people who don’t necessarily have that” and “cause ripples in our society.” His achievement capped a day of victories for the 1,800 bar passers— and a flood of tears and regrets from those of the 8,154 applicants who tried but failed arguably the toughest government career examination. Nats Magbalon, Angelo Liaño, Kirk Reboroso and Mark Navarro, all graduates of the University of Santo Tomas, jumped for joy as they saw their names included on the list of successful examinees displayed outside the Supreme Court building along Padre Faura in Manila, where hundreds had gathered to await the results. Jed Flores and Regine Reyes

rice and corn crops due to El Niño had reached P5.7 billion. The losses had exceeded the agency’s initial forecast of P1.7 billion, Agriculture Undersecretary Ariel Cayanan said. In a situation overview, NDRRMC Executive Director Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad said recent climate monitoring and analyses by the state weather bureau PAGASA indicate that the unusually warm

Sea Surface Temperatures in the Central and Eastern Equatorial Pacific, which started since November 2018, “is expected to become a full-blown El Niño.” “During the past three months, rainfall analyses showed that impacts of below normal rainfall conditions in provinces of Western Mindanao and Ilocos Norte were already experienced and are expected to continue,” Jalad said in the report. The El Niño is anticipated to be weak and will likely result to below normal rainfall conditions in different parts of the country in the coming months, he added.

“Impacts also include slightly warmer surface temperatures in varying degrees from place to place and from time to time. With this development, the El Niño Watch issued since July 2018 is upgraded to El Niño Advisory on 20 February 2019,” the council chief said. Cayanan said there were reports that the 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. With Rio N. Araja

Banwa Private Island, by available statistics, has become the world’s most expensive island resort in the world, which costs $100,000 a night, with a two-night minimum stay,according to CNBC, in a report carried by Yahoo. So, what do you get for a six-figure stay? The 6-hectare island resort in Pala-

wan is a two-hour helicopter or seaplane ride from Manila. On the secluded island, there are six beachfront villas (ranging from one to four bedrooms) all with a private infinity pool and Jacuzzi. There are also 12 garden rooms and a top-level residential suite. The island can accommodate up to 48 people.

family announced on Thursday. Mayhew died on Tuesday at his home in Texas, surrounded by loved ones, the family said in a statement released on the actor’s Twitter account. “He put his heart and soul into the role of Chewbacca and it showed in every frame of the films from his knock-kneed running, firing his bowcaster from the hip, his bright blue eyes, down to each subtle movement of his head and mouth,” the statement said. “But, to him, the Star Wars family meant so much more than a role in a film. The relationships that began then grew into the friends and family that he would love for decades to come.” AFP

Jimenez said in a mix of English and Filipino. “Both sides would have to reach out to each other.” “If you think about it, the main points of an automated election are that the results come out very quick and it is coming from a singular source,” Jimenez told reporters. “Perhaps one of the concerns is that, what happens when you have two competing sources of information?” Jimenez also said the poll body expects a voter turnout of at least 80 per-

cent in the May 13 midterm elections. Jimenez said the expected high voter turnount for the May 2019 polls was due to the participation of some private groups, such as Grab Philippines, to educate voters. “The One Destination campaign, a project where voter education materials detailing the process of casting and counting the votes would be made available for Grab passengers and stickers encouraging people to vote will be plastered on Grab fleet, is expected to make a dif-

ference, considering that a lot of political conversations happen inside Grab’s vehicles,” Jimenez said during the launch of the One Destination project. The Comelec said there are 61 million registered voters for the May 2019 polls, higher by more than 2 million than the 2016 national elections. Jimenez also said voting will take longer due to the new Voter Registration Verification System (VRVS) as voters may need an additional two to 15 minutes to cast their votes.

By Nat Mariano

THE economy likely grew “slightly higher” than 6 percent from January to March this year, aided by poll spending, construction, investments and manufacturing, central bank Governor Benjamin Diokno said Friday. Inflation in April would be “right there at 3 percent,” taking into account the central bank’s own 2.7 percent to 3.5-percent forecast, Diokno said in an exclusive interview with ANC. Asked about the possibility of first quarter gross domestic product growth at around 6 percent, Diokno said, “probably slightly higher.” The economy grew 6.3 percent in the previous quarter and 6.2 percent in the whole of 2018. Diokno also told ANC that a reduction in the benchmark interest rate and the reserve ratio requirement for banks was “inevitable.” A pause from the Federal Reserve “gives us some opportunity for easing,” Diokno said on the sidelines of an Asian Development Bank meeting. Banks had also been “complaining” about tight liquidity conditions, he said. The Monetary Board will meet on interest rates in the afternoon of May 9. It will be Diokno’s second policy meeting since assuming the governorship. Diokno said he was “not worried about the supply of foreign exchange.” Gross international reserves were enough to cover 7.3 months worth of imports, he said.

Ateneo... From A1

THE suggestion to decriminalize the use of illegal drugs in the country was “unwise if not cerebrally challenged,” Malacañang said on Thursday. In a statement, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo shot down the advice of former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark to decriminalize the use of drugs as an alternative to the drug war. Clark, former administrator of the

SC... From A1

Palawan... From A1 Copperfield, which costs $42,000 a night, and Necker Island, Richard Branson’s private island resort in the British Virgin Islands, which means $77,500 a night.

Namfrel... From A1 and data, which would cast doubts on its participation in the random manual audit. “Obviously, it is not an easy matter for the Comelec to be in this position of a partner pulling out, but we will address the situation,” Jimenez said. “They’ve already done a lot of work. This is not a case of take it or leave it,”

‘Bikoy’... From A1 At a news conference at the National Bureau of Investigation, Robert Jayme, 27, said he was approached by the supporters identified as “Maru Nguyen” and “Maru Xie.” Since they were his friends, he agreed to put up the website, Jayme said. He also said the two assured him that the website would just be used to share articles highlighting the achievements of the previous administration. He said he felt that he was betrayed because they were his friends. He added that he had nothing to do with the actual content of the videos. “I am not Bikoy. I did not upload anything,” Jayme said after the NBI confirmed he was the administrator and registrant of the website. “I did not upload the videos. I was just making a living.” He said he received P2,500 for web hosting and the domain of the website. “I am not guilty so that I did not go into hiding. I voluntarily went with the NBI because I have nothing to do with the uploaded videos,” Jayme said. The NBI has accused Jayme of inciting to sedition. NBI spokesperson Ferdinand Lavin said Jayme may be considered as a state witness if he continues to cooperate and identifies people who might have a hand in creating the videos. NBI Cybercrime Division chief Vic Lorenzo said that aside from inciting to sedition, Jayme might still be facing other charges.

‘Star Wars’... From A1

News

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

SC issues writs of habeas data, amparo for NUPL lawyers By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court on Friday issued a writ of amparo and habeas data in favor of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers who accused government authorities of violating their rights to life, liberty and security. In its special en banc session, the SC remanded the petition of NUPL and several others to the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals, who was directed to cause the immediate raffle of the case among the CA justices. The appellate court was also ordered to hear the petition on May 14, 2019 and to decide the case within 10 days after submission of the case for decision. The high court also directed respondents President Rodrigo Duterte, who was impleaded in his capacity as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, National Security Adviser (Ret.) Gen. Hermogenes C. Esperon, Jr. and several others to make a verified return of the writ of amparo and habeas data on or before May 8, 2019, and to comment on the petition. In its petition, the lawyers’ group sought for the issuance of the writ of amparo and habeas data for their protection, claiming that their rights to life, liberty and security have been violated and continue to be violated through the persistent threats and harassment and red tagging allegedly done to vilify and intimidate them and prevent them from pursuing their profession as members of the Bar and from practicing their advocacy as peoples’ lawyers serving the poor and the marginalized. The writ of amparo is a remedy available to any person whose right to life, liberty and security is threatened or violated by public officials or private persons. The writ covers extralegal killings and enforced disappearances and threats of such. The writ of habeas data covers similar threats or violations, but by persons who are gathering, collecting, or storing data or personal information of the aggrieved party. The NUPL earlier asked the Court to order government officials to disclose and destroy information they have on its member-attorneys. The petitioners claimed that some NUPL members have died in the line of duty. The petitioners also asked the SC to compel the respondents, under the writ of habeas data, to provide them with copies of all the facts, information, statements, records, photographs, and other evidence, documentary or otherwise, pertaining to each of them in the respondents’ files and records.

PRESS FREEDOM DAY. A group of activists staged a protest action in front of Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City in commemoration of the World Press Freedom Day to decry the alleged abuses against the people’s freedom of expression and their right to information. Manny Palmero

Palace did not backtrack on matrix, says Panelo By Nat Mariano and Macon Ramos-Araneta

ALACAÑANG did not backtrack or flipflopped, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said on Friday, adding that he did not withdraw any statement about a diagram that purportedly linked journalists to a plot to oust President Rodrigo Duterte. In a Palace press briefing last April 22, Panelo said the source of the so-called matrix was the Office of the President. However, Panelo said on Thursday, May 2, that the information about the said matrix came from an anonymous source. This prompted the Palace official to issue a clarification. “It is extremely ludicrous that some members of the media tweaked my statements made in the course of the press briefing yesterday, May 2, putting the impression that there was backtracking of my original announcement that the source of the matrix is President Rodrigo Roa

Duterte,” Panelo said in a statement. “The subject matrix was released during the press briefing last April 22. During this briefing, I categorically said: ‘The source of that is from the Office of the President, from the President himself.’ I stand by this,” he added. However, the Palace official argued that, “I never mentioned that the matrix was handed to me in person by the President during the press briefing on April 22. And that is only what I affirmatively confirmed during the press briefing yesterday. I did not backtrack or flip-flop,” he added, noting that the transcripts for both the

CHR lambasts ‘senseless killing’ of BARMM exec in Cotabato

Consumer group blames ‘tariffication’ for falling farmgate prices of palay A CONSUMERS watch group on Friday blamed the falling farmgate prices of palay to the “bankruptcy” of millions of local rice farmers due to rice tariffication. Bantay Bigas, along with the National Federation of Peasant Women [Amihan], said “we are facing the destructive first phase of rice liberalization.” Cathy Estavillo, spokesperson and Anakpawis party-list nominee, hit Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piňol’s downplaying of the situation for putting the blame on speculation and manipulation by private traders, and not due to Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Liberalization Law, and that it is only “temporary.” “We are being swindled again and again, that the law will not impact the Filipino rice farmers, and yet at present, we are hearing this again from the Duterte government,” she said. She raised the alarm that the continuing decline of farmgate prices of palay was the first phase of the destructive impact of Republic Act No. 11203, or the Rice Liberalization Law, after its enactment in February. “We have been warning against this prior to the enactment of the law, and now we are now facing the destruction of the rice farmers, the primary productive force of our national rice industry. Their bankruptcy will certainly throw them into indebtedness, and eventual displacement from production, and then into landlessness,” she said. Citing government’s report, she said the average farmgate price in April fell to P18.70 per kilo from its P20.55 per kilo level in 2018. Rio N. Araja

briefings mentioned in the given dates are available for public scrutiny. Panelo, the President’s chief legal counsel, explained that “once and for all,” that the source of the matrix is the President, who called him with “the instruction to touch and discuss it” during the April 22 briefing. “A matrix was thereafter forwarded to my phone, obviously upon the instruction of the President. The number of the sender of the diagram is not listed in my phone directory. Regardless from whatever number it was sent, I can assure that the matrix sent to me came from the President,” Panelo said. “The sender must be one of the staff in the Office of the President. Considering, as well, the fact that the President did not correct or rectify what was released only means that it was the matrix being referred to by the President,” he added. Panelo also allayed concerns about the matrix copies of the Manila Times and his office, saying such concerns are “trivial as the matrix published therein and the one sent to me is one and the same.”

By Rio N. Araja

ONE DESTINATION. Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez and Grab Philippines president Brian Cu led the launch of the One Destination campaign on Friday, May 3. The Comelec and Grab will forge a partnership on voter education campaign using Grab’s platform and technology. The main goals of the campaign are to reintroduce the citizen’s responsibility to take part in the midterm election and provide socially-efficient access to the polls on Election Day. Norman Cruz

Manicad vows to fight corruption if elected AFTER over two decades of experience covering the plight of Filipinos in all regions of the country, broadcast journalist and independent senatorial candidate Jiggy Manicad has vowed to ﬁght corruption if elected, citing that corruption hits the poor the hardest. “My job as a reporter was to give a voice to the voiceless, and that consisted of telling the stories of the poorest Filipinos. You’ll really see the effect of corruption anywhere you go, whether it’s lack of equipment in schools, lack of medicines in supposed health centers, and ghost projects,” Manicad said. The journalist, who himself grew up from a poor family in a house along the railtracks in Laguna, lamented that there is a “score of issues” that have yet to be documented and addressed. “For example, one of the problems that we should ﬁnd a solution was the issue of the farm-to-market roads na magandang

tingnan sa papel, pero pag pumunta ka na roon, papunta lang pala siya sa bahay ng pulitiko,” he said. According to Manicad, his exposure to the impact of corruption pushed him to seek a “higher level of public service”. “As a reporter, the best you could do is to call for action, but as a legislator, you could create that action. You could institutionalize it,” he said. “In the case of corruption, we run after those who have stolen millions, billions, but we also need to look at the crimes done at the barangay level, the barrio level. Kailangan may hustisya sa taas at sa baba,” he added. Manicad has also proposed to include the drive against corruption as one of the core themes in values education in the national curriculum. This, he said, would inculcate in the young the importance of honesty, transparency, and empathy for others. Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE Commission on Human Rights on Friday slammed the “senseless killing” of human rights investigator Archad Ayao from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Lawyer-spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia said the increasing number of killings “is a testament that violent rhetoric and vilification of human rights concepts is deadly.” “This will only result to the already ongoing climate of fear and will weaken the works and influence of human rights defenders in the country who continue to challenge all forms of injustices and hold people in authority to account,” she said. Ayao, a former broadcast journalist turned human rights advocate, was riding a habal-habal for hire when an unidentified gunman shot him to death in May in Cotabato City. The habal-habal driver also sustained gunshots wounds on his head. The CHR said threats to the public “will weaken the works and influence of human defenders... who continue to challenge all forms of injustices and hold people in authority to account.” The Commission called on the government to dig deeper into Ayao’s death. Meanwhile, the CHR called on the Philippine National Police to respect human dignity under any circumstance. Lawyer-spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia reacted to a closed-circuit television footage that went viral showing policemen beating up several drug suspects which she said was “another addition to the growing reports of torture and brutality involving the police force.”

Senate to remain independent—Pimentel THE Senate will remain independent even with the possibility that allies of President Rodrigo Duterte would secure the majority of seats in the chamber after the May 13 midterm elections, reelectionist Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said on Friday. Pimentel, president of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), gave the assurance amid concerns that the Senate will be a rubber stamp of the Duterte administration should more allies―and less opposition members―win the 2019 senatorial race. “Yes, [the Senate will still be independent] after this election, [even with] the [new] composition. Ganoon naman po kami [We have been like that ever since],” Pimentel said and stressed that President has not meddled with the work of the legislative branch, particularly the Senate. “In the ﬁrst place, under the Duterte administration, he [President Duterte] does not interfere with our work,” the former Senate chief said. “So even if we don’t want to be independent, we are actually independent because he does not interfere,” he added.

‘Implement survival fund for climate change’ WITH an estimated P8-billion damage in agriculture due to the ongoing El Niño phenomenon, former Senate President and lead proponent of the People’s Survival Fund Juan Ponce Enrile has called for the government to enhance the implementation of the program to ﬁnance the adaptation of the country to the worsening effects of climate change. The PSF bill, which Enrile authored in 2010, is the government’s ﬁnance program aimed at funding climate change adaptation projects proposed by local government units and organizations. Signed into law as Republic Act 10174 in 2012, the fund has an annual minimum budget of P1 billion. “When I authored this law in 2010, the country was not yet reeling from the effects of climate change as it is now. What we are experiencing this year—the El Niño and the shortage in water supply, irrigation, and power produced by it—is alarming,” the former senator lamented as he visited farming areas in Zambales and Bataan this week.

Artist group conducts ‘writeshop’ for teachers THE Artist-Production Accessories and Resources Services (Artist-Pars) Association Inc. will conduct the Likmuan National Writeshop for the Development of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)based Learning Resources on May 6-10, 2019. The event will be held at Artist Inc. Center, Los Baños, Laguna, in partnership with the Arts Research and Training Institute in Southern Tagalog, Inc. and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts through the assistance of the Department of Education. Artist-Pars Association Inc. has long been engaged with teachers’ trainings through National Trainings for SPA Teachers from 2012 to 2016 while the ARTIST Inc. has been launching annually the Malikhaing Guro International Conference on Culturebased Education.

Opinion

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Kaliwa and Chico will damn us RECENTLY, the media has reported about how Chinese loans that will finance the Kaliwa Dam and Chico River Projects are controversial. The focus has been on Chinese involvement, including that of Chinese workers being deployed to build these big projects. But as my colleague Joy Reyes (who just passed the bar exams) and I have written in an article published by Rappler, these projects should not only be seen through the prism of whether the Chinese loans are

This is development aggression at its worst. onerous or not, but more from a perspec perspective of these projects being development aggression at its worst. Indeed, the Kaliwa and Chico river projects are bad from an environmental and social justice point of view, likely resulting in an intensified insurgency in the Sierra Madre and Cordillera. Because of this, they are likely also not to be built and the probability is that future administrations will have to cancel these loans. These in turn will result in defaulting on the loans and in arbitration proceedings that have been designed to favor China. As Reyes and I wrote, both the Kaliwa and Chico contracts are onerous and detrimental to the national interest. We agree with Associate Jusice Antonio Carpio’s critique of the loan agreements, among others warning regarding the possibility of default which in turn will compromise our patrimonial assets. We took note that should disputes as to management, payment, and subsequent issues arise in Chico River and the Kaliwa Dam, Beijing and Hong Kong will have the juris-

diction over the same respectively, and their arbitration rules will be followed, provisions which have garnered backlash from many Filipinos because of the belief that such provisions essentially mean that the Philippines is waiving its sovereign immunity. Beyond the provisions of the loan agreements and contentions on patrimonial property lies the reality on the ground, and the problems that creating dams might create. The Dumagat, the indigenous people who live in the areas that will largely be affected by the construction of the Kaliwa Dam, claim that the $12-billion project will displace them and leave them homeless. Moreover, a part of the area where the Kaliwa Dam will be erected is considered sacred land and is a burial ground for the departed Dumagat, which has given reason for the Dumagat to double efforts in ensur ensuring that the construction does not take place. Even church leaders, particularly the Catholic Church, are staunch advocates of the movement against the con construction of the Kaliwa Dam. Environmentalists have also ex expressed their opposition to the building of the dam, as the Sierra Madre is not just home to a wide array of indigenous groups, but also of rich biodiversity. Even the already critically endangered Philippine Eagle might be facing extinction because of the alterations in the landscape that creating a dam would entail. Right now, the Kaliwa Dam still lacks the environmental compliance certificate which is necessary for the construction to take place. With the backlash this project is facing, it might be a while before actual construction occurs, if it even does. In the meantime, the months continue to progress and the fear of delay in payment may actually turn into fruition. The arguments against the Kaliwa Dam equally apply to the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project (CRPIP) currently being built in Kalinga. Preparatory work has already begun which is illegal given that the project has not yet obtained an environmental compliance certificate

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Let the press do its job RIDAY’S celebration of World Press Freedom Day could not have come at a time more apt for the Philippine press.

Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1993, World Press Freedom Day is ideally an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, assess its state around the world, defend the media from attacks on their independence, and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty. This year’s theme, “Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation,” sounds as though it were written especially for the Philippine context. These days Philippine media are under attack on several fronts. From within, they are weakened by those who blur the line between journalism and propaganda. Journalists are no less human than other professionals, and some give in to—or seek out— the temptations of fame, power

pointed observations and contrarian opinion to make sure they are doing their jobs well. A financially independent media is an impossibility, at least in this context. Media organizations are owned by individuals with political or business interests. Some are given funding support by external organizations. Journalists are given scholarships or fellowship grants to broaden their knowledge. But these do not automatically entail subservience to the agenda of the interests behind them. Journalism has never been a lucrative career. Its rewards come in other forms: the knowledge that journalists have a role in nation building by reporting without omission or embellishment, by praising when praise is due without the promise of reward, and by calling out excesses as warranted without the fear of retaliation. This is what it means to be truly free. May the Philippine press be truly free.

and money. Some represent themselves as truth seekers but deliberately peddle lies to malign their rivals or confuse the public. From outside, the press finds itself having to work doubly hard to counter the effects of disinformation, which is compounded by technology’s ability to spread lies in real time. Here at home, being critical of the power-that-be can make a journalist’s or a media organization’s life difficult. Even a wellresearched, fair and balanced piece is immediately branded as fake, even subversive. Where these officials gravely err is in thinking that a critical press is a hostile press. But criticism and dissent are healthy components of a democracy. When both government officials and the media desire only what is best for the country, not themselves, they would welcome

Turn to A5

Go OPPOSITION THERE are just a few more days to go before the elections and if the latest Pulse Asia survey is accurate, it does not look good for candidates of the opposition. In fact, it does not look good for the country and the people. Let us look at scenarios relative to the coming senate using the results of the most recent survey. The incumbent senators based on the Senate website are: Franklin Drilon, Joel Villanueva, Tito Sotto, Ping Lacson, Richard Gordon, Migz Zubiri, Manny Pacquiao, Kiko Pangilinan, Risa Hontiversos, Win Gatchalian, Ralph Recto, Leila de Lima, Antonio Trillanes, Loren Legarda, Alan Peter Cayetano, Chiz Escudero, Gregorio Honasan, Sonny Angara, Bam Aquino, Nancy Binay, JV Ejercito, Koko Pimentel, Cynthia Villar, and Grace Poe. The last seven on this list are running for reelection while Trillanes, Legarda, Cayetano, Escudero, and Honasan are either not running at all, or gunning for other posts. Of the present crop of senators, only six belong to the opposition: Drilon, Pangilinan, Hontiveros, De Lima, Aquino, and Trillanes. Trillanes is already out and Aquino may or may not make it. Only four will be left and De Lima remains detained, thanks to this administration. Thus, she is unable to fully perform as a senator. Thus, there will only be three from the present senators. Of the remaining incumbents, two (Lacson and Binay) are independentminded and occasionally speak up depending on the issue at hand. Sotto, Gordon, Pacquiao, and Pimentel are rabidly pro-Duterte while the others usually play it safe, or are really more pro-Duterte than not. This means that based on their performance in the last three years, the people will hardly be able to rely upon them to actively take the opposition side when needed. Twelve seats are up for grabs and as earlier said, the following are running for reelection: Angara, Aquino, Binay,

Ejercito Estrada, Pimentel, Poe, and Villar. Based on the surveys, only two of them, Aquino and Ejercito, are not in the magic 12 but are within striking distance as they are ranked 13th and 14th respectively. Of those topping the survey, only Binay can be considered as an independent. The rest of those who are in the winning circle are: Lito Lapid, Pia Cayetano, Bong Go, Bong Revilla, Bato de la Rosa, Imee Marcos, and Jinggoy Estrada. ALL of them are administration bets or close to Duterte and, therefore, if they actually win, Duterte will have a very powerful majority in the Senate.

We run the risk of having a stamp-pad Senate. Three of these probable winners, Revilla, Marcos, and Estrada, have a history, or presently facing corruption charges. Marcos is the daughter of one of the world’s most corrupt leaders, and herself facing charges as governor of Ilocos Norte. Additionally, Lapid’s wife admitted guilt to cash smuggling involving tens of thousands of US dollars, and conspiracy to structure money transactions in the USA. Lapid himself was a former senator who did NOTHING in the Senate. Meanwhile, Bato was Duterte’s executioner of his war on drugs when the former was chief PNP. Thousands of poor people died on mere suspicion of being small-time drug pushers under Bato’s leadership. Go was Duterte’s assistant and remains very close to him. Of late, he was implicated by “Bikoy” as a big time drug lord. Cayetano is a known Duterte supporter. Hovering in the 13th to 16th places are Aquino, Ejercito, Serge Osmeña, and Mar Roxas. The other oppositionists do not figure near the magic 12. If the survey is accurate and IF people surveyed were telling the truth about Turn to A5

The next Speaker WHILE the elections are still nine days away, the jockeying for the next leader of the House has already begun as all top three presumptive contenders for the Speakership—Taguig’s Alan Peter Cayetano, Marinduque’s Lord Allan Velasco and Leyte’s Ferdinand Martin Romualdez—are almost sure of landing seats in Congress. The race for the House top post, of

Who’s the early favorite? course was made possible with incumincum bent Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo serving her third and final term. Of the three, Cayetano seems to be the least favored among veteran lawmakers who are also almost assured of reclaiming their seats in the 18th Con-

gress. They are too wary of the former senator’s presidential ambition. To support Cayetano’s Speakership bid would remight later run in conflict with the re lawmakspective political parties of the lawmak ers who might be fielding or supporting their own candidates in 2022. Thus, the most likely toss-up might be between Velasco and Romualdez. However, one thing that might be going against Velasco, aside from his young age, is his being a newbie in an arena composed mostly of seasoned politicians. Compared to Romualdez who is a returning congressman after serving three terms from 2007 to 2016, the 41-yearTurn to A5

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

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

ONLINE

can be accessed at: 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 Roberto Cabrera Chief Photographer

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Opinion Wanted: Acierto alias ‘Bikoy’ AFTER this crooked cop had gotten away with crimes, the law is finally catching up with him. Just a few weeks ago, Eduardo Acierto savored his 15 minutes of fame, baiting the media with his fake exposé against administration officials, as well as close associates of President Rodrigo Duterte. He turned out to be a dismissed police colonel who wanted to bail out of a string of foul-ups with the law by covering them up. The police scalawag was involved in the illegal procurement and licensing of over 1000 AK47 assault rifles that ended up in the hands of the New People’s Army, which the communist guerrillas eventually use to kill policemen and soldiers. Isn’t that horribly sick? It transpired during the Aquino administration and Acierto managed to remain in the service and even headed the

The next... From A4

old Velasco has barely served six years in Congress, defeated in 2013 by Regina Reyes for Marinduque’s lone congressional representation. Velasco might not even be able to seek refuge in his new political party PDP-Laban in his Speakership bid to drum up support from administration allies as no less than Presidential daughter Sara Duterte declared that PDP-Laban is not the President’s party but that of the Pimentels. Hence, no one among the administration allies should be beholden to PDP-Laban. Which now brings us to the early favorite—the lawmaker from Leyte who was deprived of the Minority Leadership post in 2013 when then President Noynoy Aquino, in his obsession to annihilate the Romualdez—Marcos clan in the field of politics, willingly lent administration congressmen to another ally, San Juan Congressman Ronaldo Zamora, who eventually bagged the Minority Leadership after having garnered the second highest vote for the Speakership, next to Quezon City Congressman Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte. And what exactly would make Romualdez the most logical choice among his peers when they decide who will lead them come July? His impeccable background. Romualdez earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and studied law at the University of Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. He holds a Certificate for Special Studies in Administration and Management from Harvard University

Go... From A4

their preferences, it appears that we are headed toward a stamp-pad Senate that will approve every measure that Duterte wants. This means that Charter change can be rammed down our throats and federalism, the Duterte type, can very well be a reality soon. The absence of a real opposition will kill our democracy. Abuses of this administration, not just of Duterte himself but of the other officials will go unchecked. Repression of press freedom and other human rights will not only continue but will be stronger. The war on drugs that kills will continue to kill more and more poor people, but drugs will continue to proliferate as drug lords freely operate their “business.” Worst of all, more and more of the country’s territories may be occupied by China, our rich natural resources stolen right under our noses, and our sovereignty will continue to be disrespected by China with nary a whimper from this administration. We might as well be a province of China. If this administration goes unchecked, the corrupt will not be put to justice. It is

Kaliwa... From A4

as required by law, as well as the free and prior informed consent of the indigenous peoples that will be affected. The latter is a requirement of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act and an international norm established by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. According to the Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance (CPA): “The CRPIP is an outright violation of our right to Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), right to our

Philippine National Police anti-drugs illegal drugs special task force based in Camp Crame. That was when his group perpetrated the abduction-extortion of Korean businessman Jee-ick Joo, whom his group supposedly cold-bloodedly murdered inside Camp Crame in 2017. And then, Acierto figured in the smuggling of several magnetic metal lifters containing over PHP11 billion worth of crystal meth through the Bureau of Customs. How did Acierto managed to remain in PNP for so long if his superiors did not tolerate his criminal activities? Like what Manong Digong said, “Why is this criminal still alive?” And, the trouble with our justice system is there are many loopholes that allow law offenders to get around it and get away with their crimes. After being fired from PNP eventually, this Acierto even had the temerity to fabricate stories. Now, he is on the run with a P10-million bounty on his head. He and his cohorts must be made to pay for their horrible crimes. Police are also after “Bikoy” after the

arrest of a man who uploaded a series of videos accusing the Duterte family of getting millions of pesos in kickbacks from the narcotics trade. I will not be surprised if Bikoy turns out to be Acierto himself. The YouTube clips titled "Totoong Narco-list" claim drug money was funneled into the bank accounts of Duterte's son, former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, his son-in-law Atty. Manases Carpio and former aide Christopher "Bong" Go. The suspect, who was served with a search warrant from a Metro Manila court, will be charge "for cyber libel." Bikoy earlier said Paolo Duterte and Go had on their backs tattoos of a dragon-like figure and the alpha-numeric code of their supposed drug-tainted bank accounts. Go, a strong contender for senator in the upcoming May 13 polls, recently took off his shirt to show he has no tattoo. The younger Duterte, meanwhile, is building up suspense until he decides to bare his back. I wonder if Bikoy, who I said could be Acierto, has the controversial dragon tattoo himself.

in Cambridge, Mass, USA. He is a lawyer and the current president of the most prestigious association of defenders of the Philippine Constitution Association. He served for three consecutive terms as the representative of the 1st District of Leyte. During his stint as congressman of his district in Leyte, he supported the massive investments in infrastructure that spurred progress and development. He championed small businesses and industries in his district and the plight of disadvantaged and vulnerable sectors of society, PWDs, senior citizens, the sickly and the poor. One of his benchmark legislations during the 16th Congress was the passage of House Bill 1039, a law exempting persons with disabilities from paying value-added tax on certain goods and services. This bill was signed into law last March 23, 2016 and is now known as Republic Act 10754 or an act on expanding the benefits and privileges of people with disabilities. Moreover, he principally authored House Bill 1036, which seeks to promote the establishment of micro-business enterprises by providing incentives and benefits to barangay initiatives. His legislative record from the 14th-16thcongress proved testament to his compassion for public service and exemplified his malasakit for the marginalized. He is also well respected in the private sector for his exemplary contribution and sterling accomplishments serving in several boards in the business and banking industries. His experience and relationships in the private sector have served him well not only in his

legislative work in Congress but he has turned to his own corporate and private network for the invaluable help, support and assistance that flooded into the Yolanda super typhoon stricken areas across Central and Eastern Visayas. As a public official, he considers the “Yolanda” super typhoon disaster as his most challenging and trying experience and has taken a special interest in working towards reforms and legislative measures to ensure that no one else has to ever experience and live through the tragedy that they experienced. A champion of local government empowerment for the effective and indiscriminate delivery of basic social services to the public, he advocates for the alleviation of poverty and suffering of Filipinos and truly believes that every Filipino family should enjoy a decent quality of life. He continues to be inspired by simple displays of malasakit and determined to give back to others after having witnessed and been on the receiving end of this monumental display of generosity and charity during the devastation and desolation from Yolanda. Culling from their Yolanda story, he espouses the virtue of malasakit not only in times of disaster or tragedy but in our day to day lives, as part of the Filipino branding to exercise malasakit in relationships with others and in everything that we do. And that malasakit has earned him the respect of people close to him but also of his political opponents. And that could well served him as his greatest weapon when he guns for the Speakership before President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his fourth State of the Nation in July.

quite possible that government agencies tasked to deliver services to the people will go complacent and will NOT do their jobs effectively and efficiently. So brace for more traffic, crises in water and power, and do not expect the country to be any more ready in the face of calamities. Our quality of life will be worse. This is how important the opposition is. While I am dismayed at the results of the Pulse Asia survey, I am still hopeful that some of the opposition candidates will still make it. Particularly, Pilo Hilbay, Chel Diokno, Erin Tañada, and Samira Gutoc will be very good addition to the Senate. Pilo Hilbay knows how it is to be poor. The boy from Tondo soared to become a bar topnotcher and the youngest Solicitor General. He was instrumental in the country’s monumental victory over China on the West Philippine Sea case, in the defense of the RH law in front of the Supreme Court, and in the success of the coconut farmers over the Coco Levy Fund. Chel Diokno and Erin Tañada have always been staunch human rights defenders. The first as a lawyer defending victims of human rights abuses, and the second as a former member of the House

of Representatives. Samira Gutoc vows to be a defender of women’s rights. She is also a true-blue Mindanaoan who will be the voice of Muslims in the Senate. These four will bring in the much needed progressive, pro-country, pro-people perspectives to the Senate. If they win together with Bam Aquino, Serge Osmeña, and Mar Roxas (because these three are within striking distance), there will be eleven oppositionists (including De Lima), and two independentminded senators (Lacson and Binay). This will be a good Senate, one that will stand up for the country and people, and will go against abuses of this administration. There are many things that the survey cannot capture. For one, the groundswell of discontent against Duterte’s kind of leadership cannot be measured. The people’s ongoing campaign for the opposition despite the acute lack of funds and collaterals is unseen by the surveys. I remain hopeful that the electorate will go opposition for our country’s, our people’s, and our children’s sake.

ancestral lands including the Chico River, and right to self determination. The project falls within the ancestral domain of the indigenous peoples in Kalinga but no FPIC from the communities was secured for the project before the loan agreement was signed on April 10, 2018. The indigenous communities affected by the project and the local government units (LGUs) in Kalinga have not been consulted and were totally unaware of the project until after the loan agreement. LGUs were not provided with any documents pertaining to the project.” The CPA also points out that the

CRPIP will fail because it did not take into account the overall “development plan” in the Chico River and the province of Kalinga, such as the building of many hydropower, geothermal and mining projects. There are even claims that the irrigation project is a grand deception and is intended to reintroduce the infamous Chico river dam project that the Marcos government wanted to build in the 1970s and 80s, a plan that did not materialize because of opposition from the Kalinga and other Cordillera peoples and at a cost of many lives, including the hero Macling

@bethangsioco on Twitter Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Negotiate peacefully on a bilateral basis Witness Account: “…why would the Philippine navy blatantly provoke China at Huangyan Dao (Panatag) and take such extreme actions against Chinese fishermen? And, why would it want to challenge China? Such actions were all but incomprehensible, but one could IT WAS the US that placed the Philip- not help but wonder what kind of drivpines in a juggernaut position with China ing force was behind the Philippine bein the Panatag Shoal. But the basic ques- havior x x x.” “From May 30 to June 2, I was attendtion is, can we proceed to drive away China in some of the islets we insist are ing an international forum in Virginia x ours? We can negotiate peacefully on a x x Campbell came to see me x x x in bilateral basis as our honorable way out. June 1. He was visibly upset that the ChiIt may not be our best choice, but it is our nese fishermen had blocked the entrance only way to escape from the US-created to the lagoon with a rope to prevent the logjam purposely intended to perpetually Philippine warship from entering, x x x. After hearing him out patiently, I asked place us in state of war with China. To be clear, it was through Kurt Camp- him a question that had troubled me for bell, US Assistant Secretary of State, quite a while: why did the Philippines boldly provoked who principally inChina by harass harassstigated the issue by ing the fishermen purposely informing in the first place? Philippine ambassaThe Filipinos dor to the US, Jose It’s the honorable said that the warCuisia, that accordships were sent ingly, he (Campbell) way out. to monitor misalready reached an siles launched by understanding with the DPRK, how howthe former Chinese ever, this could ambassador to the country, Fu Ying, that there would be a not explain their behavior. Specifically I simultaneous withdrawal of warships asked, “What role did the US play in the after an almost 10 week stand-off in the Huangyan Dao incident?” I also added, “Of course, if you are not in a position Panatag Shoal. To my mind, it is no longer important to answer, I absolutely understand. But if whether China reneged to comply with you are, please tell me the truth.” “Campbell agreed with me (Fu Ying) that unverified claim of Campbell for a simultaneous withdrawal from Panatag that the Philippine government vesShoal. What we need is to clarity the facts sels should leave the lagoon, and hoped thoroughly. First, we never lost a terri- that China would do the same, which tory as some jingoists are now saying. would be a reasonable way out. I said I The Panatag Shoal is not a territory or an did not have the authorization to promisland which resulted in a diminution to ise anything, but as the Chinese law enour territory. We merely lost a rich fishing forcement boats went into the lagoon to ground for our fishermen. Second, we be- protect Chinese fisherman from the Philgan to consider Panatag Shoal as part of ippine armed vessels, if the Philippines our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) only did withdraw, then, I thought there would in 1978 after the United Nations Conven- be no need for the Chinese law enforcetion on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) ment boats to stay on the lagoon. In any was ratified. Before that, Panatag Shoal case, before the incident, Chinese law enhas never been considered as within the forcement boats rarely entered the lagoon territorial boundary of the Philippines and mostly stayed in the waters outside archipelago demarcated in the Treaty of the entrance.” “Campbell told me that the US was Paris on Dec.10, 1898. For the fact that China is a signatory of going to explicitly request the Philippines the UNCLOS, she now adheres to the new to “handle the issue with great caution,” principle demarcated as 200-mile EEZ. and expressed the hope that China would This perhaps explains why China remains withdraw its law enforcement boats once conciliatory. While there is no such thing the Philippine vessels leave. Campbell as estoppel in international law, somehow and the Philippine Foreign Secretary RoChina has refrained from openly raising the sario are good friends, and he managed to issue of ownership over the shoal, for pos- quickly persuade Rosario to remove their sibly, the Philippines could also raise that vessels from the lagoon…” “In the Philippines, the DFA publicly Panatag Shoal is 170 miles from the nearest shoreline of Zambales province or well confirmed that the government vessels from both sides had withdrawn from the within the EEZ. The US knew that Panatag Shoal Huangyan Dao lagoon by June 5. x x x could serve as flashpoint in the relations After the incident, President Aquino sent between the Philippines and China. It is his friends Antonio F. Trillanes IV and for this why many suspected that Camp- Li Yongnian as special envoys to visit bell took the initiative of fabricating his China in the hope of turning the page and version of his meeting with Foreign Af- put bilateral relations back on track. x x fairs Vice Minister Fu Ying to tell Cuisia x The Philippine Foreign Secretary Rothat he allegedly reached an understand- sario soon started to “spin” the story. He ing that Chinese coast guard vessels will claimed that China persuading the US to withdraw from the area. Campbell an- put pressure on the Philippines to withticipated that Ambassador Cuisia would draw and itself now had occupied the Scarborough (Huangyan Dao). Clearly, convey the message to Del Rosario. In that, it is clear that the US wanted Rosario was trying to create controversy, to create a situation where there would be and to challenge the right of the Chinese a flashpoint between the Philippines and surveillance ships to remain in the area China. The country would always be on to “watch over Huangyan Dao.” As we the alert, because at any time a conflict know later, he was already preparing to could erupt without our policy-makers bring the matter to international arbitrataking a second look that the tension was tion. Rosario’s key working assumption carefully maneuvered by Kurt Camp- was that the Philippines had been in bell. What he did was a classic case of rightful possession of Huangyan Dao, Machiavellian duplicity. It was to the US which was now lost to China.” Be that as it may, despite the brink interest that a perpetual tension exists between the China and the Philippines of war we almost had with China over a hoping ASEAN would rally to support us fishing ground, it remains open to bilatwith the US taking a standby position of eral negotiations to resolve the dispute. China is offering the usual win-win foracting as big brother. While there is no direct evidence how mula, which is far better than a lose— the US orchestrated the tension with Sec- lose formula for there is no way we can retary of Foreign Affairs Del Rosario win except to unnecessarily sacrifice the playing as conduit, it is clear that the US lives of our people in a war premeditathas been monitoring what transpired in edly laid down for us by the US. The ofthe lagoon. The information relayed by fer of bilateral talks is a positive signal Campbell to Cuisia is a false narrative that China is still willing to settle its difthat allegedly, the Chinese coast guard ferences with us without the US playing would also withdraw. As expected, Cui- the role “big brother” to justify its presence and meddling in the internal affairs sia conveyed this to Del Rosario. As Vice Minister Fu Ying wrote in of countries littoral to South China Sea. pamphlet titled, Huangyan Dao (Panatag), and What happened in 2012, A rpkapunan@gmail.com

Dulag. The Kaliwa and Chico river projects should be reviewed not only because its loan conditionalities are unfair and onerous for the Philippines. They must also be evaluated from an environmental perspective as well as its impact on people, especially the communities directly affected by the dams. Once this is done, it is obvious that these projects are, as I said at the beginning of this column, development aggression at its worst. They are bad for nature and for our people, and will result in social conflict. They will damn our environment and peoples.

Both the Kaliwa and Chico projects are also bad for the economy. Because they are controversial, they are likely not to be built. We predict that future administrations will have to cancel these projects and default on the Chinese loans, which will result in the Philippines being sued by China in arbitration proceedings that have been designed to favor the creditor. Let us not be foolish. Just cut our losses now and do right with nature, our people, and the Philippine economy. Facebook Page: Professor Tony La Viña Twitter: tonylavs

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

News

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Makati expands health services THE Makati City government and Community Medicine. has expanded its health services “Through the PHCP, we will with the inclusion of a special provide a support system for both program for patients with seri- the patients and their family to ous and chronic illness, and help them cope with multiple buralso provide psychosocial and dens they are carrying. We hope spiritual support to their family to make them feel they are not members. alone in facing a most difficult “We want to ease the suffering time in their lives,” Binay said. of residents with life-threatening The city chief executive exand chronic diseases. Knowing pressed confidence in DFCM’s how prolonged illness can take ability to effectively implement a toll on the well-being of family the program, being an accredmembers, too, we have given pri- ited training program of the ority to establishing palliative and Philippine Academy of Family hospice care as part of the city’s Physicians. expanded health services,” said She assured the PHCP team Mayor Abigail Binay. that the city government would Binay announced the re- continue to support them through cent launch of the first phase palliative and end-of-life-care edof the Palliative and Hospice ucation and training in the form Care Program at the Ospital ng of seminars, workshops, home Makati which was spearheaded visit kits, and sensitizing sessions, by the Department of Family among YELLOW others. JoelBLACK Zurbano CYAN MAGENTA

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES TARIFF COMMISSION IN THE MATTER OF THE FORMAL INVESTIGATION ON THE IMPOSITION OF SAFEGUARD MEASURE AGAINST IMPORTATIONS OF CEMENT FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES AHTN 2017 Subheading Nos. 2523.29.90 and 2523.90.00

3 incumbent female officials possible winners for mayor By Joel E. Zurbano

HREE incumbent female local ofﬁcials—a mayor, a vice mayor and a lawmaker—are leading in the list of possible winners for mayor in Metro Manila in the May 2019 midterm elections.

In the latest RP-Mission and Development Foundation Inc. survey report released Friday, Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay, Quezon City Vice Mayor Ma. Joseﬁna Belmonte, and Pasay City Rep. Imelda Calixto-Rubiano continued to enjoy the top spot in the mayoralty race in their respective cities. The independent survey, conducted from April 27 to May 1 covering 8,000 registered voters in Metro Manila, showed that Binay, seeking another term, got a strong lead with 64 percent against her younger brother and former Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr. who posted a 34-percent rating. In Quezon City, Belmonte is leading the mayoralty race with 60 percent as against her rivals Vincent “Bingbong” Crisologo, who posted

a 32-percent rating, and former Rep. Chuck Mathay, who received only 4 percent. Belmonte is the daughter of former House speaker Feliciano Belmonte. Calixto-Rubiano, younger sister of incumbent Pasay City Mayor Antonino Calixto, on the other hand, was also leading with 74-percent voters preference while her rival Chet Cuneta, brother of megatar Sharon Cuneta, only got 15 percent. The survey results also showed that voters in the National Capital Region picked former congressman and film/television director Lino Cayetano; and former Vice Mayor Isko Moreno to be their next leaders in Taguig and Manila, respectively. Cayetano, who wants to replace her sister-

in-law Laarni Cayetano as mayor of Taguig, garnered 67 percent against Taguig-Pateros Rep. Arnel Ceraﬁca who got 30 percent. In the capital City of Manila, Moreno (Francisco Domagoso in real life), a former actor, is leading at 50 percent while incumbent Mayor Joseph Estrada has 33 percent and former mayor Alfredo Lim posted a voter preference of 15 percent. Moreno served as vice mayor to the administration of both Estrada and Lim in Manila. Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco, who is also running for mayor, is up by 76 percent against Dan Ang’s 20 percent while incumbent Pasig City Mayor Roberto Eusebio is way ahead at 66 percent compared to Vico Sotto, son of comedian and television host Vic Sotto, who scored 33 percent. In San Juan City, former Vice Mayor Francis Zamora, son of former House speaker Ronaldo Zamora, got 53 percent, ahead by only six points against the incumbent Vice Mayor Janella Estrada, daughter of former mayor and Senator Jinggoy Estrada.

Coseteng blames steel manufacturer in collapse

FOR: SAFEGUARD MEASURE (Republic Act (RA) No. 8800) Investigation No. SG-2019-OC___________________________________ Cement NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Pursuant to Section 712 of RA 10863 (Customs Modernization and Tariff Act) which adopts RA 8800 (Safeguard Measures Act), notice is hereby given that marathon public hearings on the determination of the merits of the imposition of a definitive safeguard duty against importations of cement (AHTN 2017 Subheading Nos. 2523.29.90 and 2523.90.00) from various countries (Investigation No. SG2019-OC-Cement) will be held at the Conference Room of the Tariff Commission, 4F West Insula Condominium, No. 135 West Avenue, Quezon City, on the following dates and time: DATE 20 May 2019 21 May 2019 22 May 2019 23 May 2019 24 May 2019

By Jess Malabanan

TIME 2:00 p.m. 9:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m.

All interested parties are directed to attend the first day of the public hearing. Should a party desire to submit additional issues, other than the issues on product comparability and volume of increased imports, for public hearing, the party shall submit the same on 9 May 2019. Parties are likewise required to submit affidavits of their witnesses on the same date, copy furnished the other parties. For inquiries and other details, Ms. Ma. Lourdes M. Saluta, Director II, Head of the Task Force on Cement, may be reached at Telephone numbers 926 7476 and 928 8419 or at email address info@tariffcommission.gov.ph. Issued this 2nd day of May 2019 in Quezon City, Metro Manila.

LGUS SUPPORT TINGOG.

MARILOU P. MENDOZA Chairperson (MS-MAY. 4, 2019)

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC Please be informed that the following accountable forms of INVESTORS ASSURANCE CORPORATION (IAC) have been lost: TYPE OF POLICY

SERIES FROM

JCR(2)200-Personal Bail Bond (200 Max) 21575 21698 21721 21852 22082 22716 23040 23117 23120 23136 23213 23215 23217 23243 23258 23274

SERIES TO 21575 21698 21721 21852 22082 22716 23040 23117 23120 23136 23213 23215 23219 23244 23258 23276

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 1 3

JCR(2)-Personal Bail Bond (OPEN) 13171 13829 14450 16435 16528 16987

13171 13829 14450 16435 16528 16987

1 1 1 1 1 1 1

ORHOAOR-OFFICIAL RECEIPT (AOR) 221441 221483 221558 221655 221722 221792 221972 222060 222071 222081 222122 222143 222161

221442 221532 221558 221655 221726 221793 221972 222060 222071 222081 222122 222143 222161

1 2 50 1 1 5 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

ORHO-Official Receipt (for General Use) 137176 245351 248452 248469 248471 248474

137176 245400 248466 248469 248471 248494

1 1 50 15 1 1 21

ORHO-OLD-Official Receipt (for General Use) 140018 143026 143028 143040 146391 149752

140019 143026 143029 143040 146392 149800

1 2 1 2 1 2 49

Leyte First District Rep. and Tingog Party-List 1st Nominee Yedda Marie Romualdez (second left) secures support from Dulag Leyte Mayor Timmy Sano, Tunga Leyte Mayor Adelina Agda (second right) and Jaro Leyte Mayor Rolando Celebra (right) during their short meeting and consultation in Tacloban City. At right, she shakes hands with more than 300 leaders and members of BISDAK, a Visayan community group living in Mabalacat City Pampanga during consultation with BISDAK president Servillano Sullo with more than 10,000 members who pledged support to Tingog Party-List. Ver Noveno

Zarate calls for probe on airline woes By Maricel V. Cruz A MILITANT lawmaker on Friday sought an investigation into the massive cancellation of flights by budget airline Cebu Pacific that is owned by the Gokongwei family. Rep. Carlos Zarate at the same time pushed for the passage of the proposed Passengers Bill of Rights which is currently pending in Congress even as he lamented the inconvenience caused by the cancellation of the flights suffered by thousands of travellers, tourists and especially overseas Filipino workers. “An investigation must be launched to the airline delays and cancellations especially since we

have received reports that Cebu Pacific has long been over extending their aircraft usage per day that even the maintenance window is being sacrificed,” Zarate said. Zarate also slammed the practice of Cebu Pacific of flying to more destinations without expanding its fleet of aircraft and hiring more pilots. “We have also received reports that Cebu Pacific flight cancellations is due to union busting moves of the management to harass and fire their organized workers,” Zarate added. Zarate’s group filed the Air Passengers Bill of Rights in the past Congresses, up to the present 17th Congress. The bill provides that air pas-

VILLAR WOOS CALAMBA. Senator Cynthia Villar asks Calamba voters to support her reelection bid as she committed to continue crafting and pushing legislative measures that would improve the lives of poor Filipinos. During the political rally in Calamba led by Mayor Timmy Chipeco, she vowed to give more jobs and livelihood programs to spur economic growth.

Should you have any of the foregoing IAC forms in your possession, please coordinate with our office immediately and bring the said form/s to our office within thirty (30) days from the date of this publication, for possible replacement of the form/s or reimbursement of payments, if warranted. IAC reserves the right to require presentation of other adequate proof of issuance and/or payment in addition to the presentation of the original form/s. INVESTORS ASSURANCE CORPORATION Unit 1/20th Floor, BDO Plaza, Paseo de Roxas near cor. Makati Avenue, Makati City 1200 Tel Nos.: (632) 822-4000 / 822-5000 / 891-0994 / 891-0996 / 891-0976

(MS-MAY 4, 2019)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

sengers shall be protected and compensated with P10,000 when airline delays and cancellations occur. “We are calling on House leaders to fast-track House Bill 6191 and call a motu propio oversight hearing on this issue,” Zarate said, hoping that the House leadership under Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will be able prioritize the bill’s passage before the 17th Congress ended on June 30. Meanwhile, Zarate urged the Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure that the rights of electric consumers are not violated. He also asked the agency to investigate the simultaneous shutdown of several power plants that have resulted in blackouts in some areas, particularly Metro Manila.

PORAC, Pampanga—Former Senator Nikki Coseteng blamed steel manufacturer as the culprit in the April 22 collapse of the four-storey Chuzon Supermarket here after the magnitude 6.1 earthquake that shook the province and other parts of Central Luzon. “Steel bars manufactured in the country are not reliable,” said Coseteng shortly before her visit to Chuzon at Barangay Cangatba here Thursday, adding the Bureau of Products Standards of the Department of Trade and Industry must also be questioned for the proliferation of sub-standard materials in the market. Coseteng reiterated her previous calls to steel manufacturers in the country to take full responsibility in the event of similar disaster. “The main issue here is the safety and lives of people...everyone and do not focus on proﬁt.” “What we need to know is the quality of steel being used in the construction sector because at stake here are the safety and lives of people,” Coseteng pointed out. She said the steel bars being sold in the market were “quelchtempered steel” not suitable for bending, welding and threaded so as not to affect the itegrity of the steel. “When I saw the photos of the collapsed Chuzon Supermarket,” Coseteng said she was worried as there were indications of clear violations in the National Structure Code of the Philippines. She said some irregularities and practices of steel manufacturers could be noticed in sizes which was a deception to the public. At least ﬁve persons died after being pinned under the rubble of collapsed structure of Chuzon Supermarket.

STUDENTS BACK ESTRADA. Former Senator Jinggoy Estrada is welcomed by Gapan City Mayor Emerson Pascual during a meeting with students/participants of Gapan City College and NEUST, Special Program for the Employment of Students. Estrada has provided assistance and benefits for the welfare of the youth nationwide.

Sports

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Anasta seeks top finish as PPS Escudero netfest unfolds DAVIS Cupper Vicente Anasta braces for a spirited battle against fellow veteran campaigners and a slew of rising stars as they slug it out in the PPS-PEPP Escudero Cup 2019 beginning today (Saturday, May 4) at the Aera Tennis Club in San Pablo City. Mark Alcoseba, Noel Damian Jr., Deo Talatayod, Emmanuel Fuelas, Edgardo Angara, Keno Enriquez and siblings Aldrin and Elvin Geluz toughen up the cast in the 32-player draw of what used to serve as one of the country’s premier tournaments making its comeback after a 13-year absence. Though some of the top guns have begged off to honor previous commitments, the depth of the competing field remains as talent-laden as ever with Anasta, from Himaymaylan, Negros Occidental, expecting a fierce challenge from the rest of the bidders in the week-long event presented by Royal Air and backed by Rep. Sol Aragones and Villa Escudero. “The event’s revival comes at a time when tennis is enjoying a tremendous boom with tournaments held every week particularly this summer,” said Bobby Castro, president/CEO of Palawan Pawnshop, whose year-long, nationwide Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala circuit has continued to provide the sport a wide base of talents, especially from the countryside. Meanwhile, listup is ongoing for the PPS-PEPP Brookside Hills Open on May 13-19 in Cainta, Rizal while the two-weekend PPS-PEPP UP National Student Open (Valenzuela) will be played on May 18-19 and on May 25-26. For details, call PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464. Others vying in the Escudero Cup are Stefano Gurria, Marco Macalintal, Jude Ceniza, Harvey Gilbuena, MJ Occio, RJ Virey, Samuel Nillasca, Cesar Mestiola and Emo Adarmeo, all ready to spring a surprise or two over the fancied bets and earn a crack for the top P10,000 purse.

Best Center clinics for May under way THE Best Center’s clinics for the month of May started early Friday at the Starmall Alabang and Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary with two more venues set to open today (Saturday). Sessions at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary will be from 8 to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays for basketball students in Preparatory Level and Levels 1 and 2. Volleyball sessions will be from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Starmall Alabang will hold sessions from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon for Preparatory Level and Levels 1 and 2 (9-11 years old) and from 1 50 4:30 p.m. for Levels 1 and 2 (12-years old and above) and Levels 3 and 4. Starting today (May 4), Wednesday and Saturday sessions from 8 to 11 a.m. will be held for students in Preparatory Level and in Levels 1, 2 and 3. Another batch of Level 1 students will have sessions from 1 to 4 p.m. Nic Jorge, Best Center founder and president said basketball and volleyball clinics sponsored by Milo and backed by Chris Sports, Rain or Shine and SKLZ will also be held at the St. Patrick School, the Malate Catholic School and the Ateneo College covered courts.

14th Asean Taekwondo tourney starts today

Steph Neimer (right) of Petron scores against F2’s Majoy Baron and Lindsay Stalzer in a game where the Blaze Spikers won, 23-25, 2523, 25-14, 25-19 victory, to set the stage for a kill-or-be-killed, winner-take-all Game 3.

Petron, F2 clash in Finals’ Game 3 for Superliga title

NLY the strongest and bravest of heart will remain standing when two of the best club teams in the country—Petron and F2 Logistics—clash in Game 3 of their Philippine Superliga Grand Prix best-of-three ﬁnals series today at the Filoil Flying V Centre. Opening serve is set Bell, Petron stormed back with at 7 p.m. with both the a 23-25, 25-23, 25-14, 25-19 Game Today (Filoil Flying V Centre) Blaze Spikers and Cargo victory in Game 2 to set the 7 p.m. – Petron vs F2 Logistics Movers tipped to put evstage for a kill-or-be-killed, erything behind and fight winner-take-all Game 3 battle. tooth and nail to chase the most prestiThe hard-hitting Bell delivered 25 gious and glamorous crown in Philippine points and 24 digs while Niemer chipped volleyball in this tourney that has ESPN5 in 23 hits for the Blaze Spikers, who fiand 5Plus as broadcast partners. nally drew impressive numbers from The Cargo Movers drew the first blood their local crew of Mika Reyes, Rhea Diin the sixth chapter of their storied rivalry maculangan and Aiza Maizo-Pontillas. in this league that also has Asics, MuelReyes, the comely former De La Salle ler, Mikasa, Senoh, Team Rebel Sports, University star, had seven kills, four blocks Bizooku, UCPB Gen, Cocolife, Hotel and a pair of aces for 13 points while vetSogo and Data Project as major backers. eran Maizo-Pontillas knocked down seven F2 Logistics posted an impressive 25- markers to compliment the 29 excellent sets 20, 16-25, 25-23, 25-23, in Game 1 late tallied by her former University of Santo Tuesday, snapping Petron’s 17-game Tomas teammate in Dimaculangan. winning streak and stepping a win away Petron coach Shaq Delos Santos said from winning the title. their inspired performance in Game 2 was But the Blaze Spikers refused to call it quits. sparked by an open-forum, where they Behind another powerful performance from blurted out their feelings and made a comAmericans Stephanie Niemer and Katherine mitment to go all out to finish the job and

win the crown no matter what it takes. “We accepted Game 1 as a challenge. It was a wakeup call,” said Delos Santos, whose bid to sweep the tournament was doomed by that sorry Game 1 loss. “After losing in Game 1, we had an open forum where we allowed everybody to express their feelings. “We had an open forum where we allowed everybody to express their feelings. We have to release all of those so we can feel the presence of each other. I’m glad that everybody stepped up and was on the same page all throughout the match.” In both Games 1 and 2, Petron yielded the first set, allowing the F2 Logistics to build an early momentum and dictate the tempo. Fortunately for the Blaze Spikers, they managed to crawl out of trouble in Game 2 as Bell and Niemer spewed fire from the attack zone to gain control. Delos Santos said they have to address their slow start if they want to lift the championship trophy again. “We have to check our consistency, especially at the start of the match,” said Delos Santos, who is also the head coach of the national women’s volleyball team headed for the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

TAEKWONDO takes the spotlight today and tomorrow with the Phlippines’ hosting of the 14th ASEAN Taekwondo Championships at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall in Pasay City. Three hundred and 50 athletes from eight countries— Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia, Mya n m a r, Singapore, Ti m o rLeste, Vietnam and the Philippines— will vie Del Rosario for honors in Poomsae (Forms) and Kyorugi (Free Sparring) for both male and female categories. Competition today will be conducted in Poomsae (individual, pair and team) from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and Kyorugi (Cadet and Junior divisions) from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. but the hour-long opening ceremony will be held at 12 noon. The guests of honor will be led by newly elected ASEAN Taekwondo Federation president , Makati City Congressman Manuel Monsour Del Rosario. The ATF general assembly held a meeting yesterday at the 101 Hotel participated by different officials of the eight Asean countries. The other guests are Victorico P. Vargas, Philippine Olympic Committee president; Vincent Santos, Program Director of the MVP Sports Foundation; Ms Sherly C. Chan, Marketing Manager, Special Events of SM Supermalls; and a Nestle Philippines official. Kyorugi’s senior male and female participants will take centerstage tomorrow starting at 9 a.m. with the awarding ceremony set at 8 p.m. Competition in the two-day event supported by MVPSF, Smart, Philippine Sports Commission, POC, Meralco, PLDT, SM Mall of Asia and Milo is expected to be keen.

Sepak takraw gives Philippines 2 bronzes in Arafura Games

BLIND PARATRIATHLETES ARE F2 FANS. Blind twins Joshua and Jerome Nelmida, both members of the national training pool for paratriathletes of the Triathlon Association of the Philippines, joined the F2 volleyball team at the dugout after the Cargo Movers beat PLDT in the semis to arrange a finals match up with Petron. The twins, who are F2 fans, were guests of F2 President Efren Uy, who has been extending support to the paratriathletes for their training needs as they prepare for the ASEAN Paragames in 2020. Photo shows the twins with the entire F2 team, together with officials and team owner Uy.

DARWIN, Australia—The Philippines added two bronze medals Thursday, courtesy of sepak takraw in the 2019 Arafura Games, which is set to formally close Saturday here. Dominic James Sagosoy, Aljon Yipon, and Jundy Puton defeated India in the men’s doubles, and Allyssa Bandoy, Josefina Maat, and Gelyn Ebora won over Sabah, Malaysia in the women’s doubles, both in straight sets, in the bronze-medal match in sepak takraw. That brings the medal output of the Philippines to 30 golds, 48 silvers, and 30 bronzes heading into the final day of competitions as well as the closing ceremonies Saturday at the Darwin Waterfront. The Philippine sepak takraw salvaged a bronze medal after the men’s team lost to University Putra Malaysia and the women’s squad bowing to Indonesia in the semifinal round.

The Philippines has already surpassed the 27 gold medals the country took home in 2011, but will look to add more medals after athletes from the remaining sports advanced into the knockout stage of their respective competitions. In men’s boxing, Jhon Christian Noces won over Francis Mark Flordeliza of Northern Territory via split decision to advance into welterweight semifinals to take home at least a bronze medal. Hachaliah Gilbuena and Johnrel Amora beat Vanuatu, 2523, 21-15, to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals of the men’s beach volleyball tournament. The men’s basketball team lost to Northern Territory Top End, 95-85, Thursday morning, but was aiming to enter the gold medal match Saturday with its game against WA Indigenous being played at press time.

Top professionals, amateurs brace for Delimondo golf duel Tonlits Asistio (left) will be banking on old pal Jude Eustaquio as they seek for a second pro-am crown in three years.

THE men of the Philippine Golf Tour test their mettle in team play, hoping to draw the best from their amateur partners in the Delimondo National Pro-Am firing off May 9 at Splendido Taal Golf Club in Laurel, Batangas. Jobim Carlos, hobbled by injury the last six weeks, won’t be around to defend the title he won with DJ Padilla last year to take a muchneeded rest, but 104 teams are all geared up for three days of battle in alternate shot format at the challenging wind-raked, hazard-laden layout. Tonton Asistio and Jude Eustaquio, for one, are going all out to reclaim the crown they snared in 2017 via sudden death over Jelbert Gamolo and Jolo Magcalayo but the rest have also toughened up in time for the event spon-

sored by Delimondo, the premier corned beef, and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. in recognition of the amateurs’ role in boosting Phl golf and at the same time to provide them the exposure they need as they hone up for the pros. A total of P2.7 million will be up for grabs in the 54-hole championship with only the top 40 teams after 36 holes of stroke play disputing the top purse of P500,000. For details, call Jocelyn Duque at 0918-9515308 or at jocelynduque@pgt.ph. The field features a mix of long-time partners and new team-ups with last year’s fourth placers Richard Abaring renewing his ties with Juan Alba, so do Jerson Balasabas and Ernesto Lim, Zanieboy Gialon and Ian Dagatan, Richard Sinfuego and Lorna Tabuena,

Elmer Salvador and Oliver Gan, Ferdie Aunzo and George Punasen, and Artemio Murakami and Takuya Kawamura. But some top pros are coming into the event hopeful of a strong finish with new amateur partners, including Jhonnel Ababa with Bobby Iñigo, Tony Lascuña with Moulay Rhounimi, Jay Bayron with Mon Salazar, Marvin Dumandan with Dan Cruz, Jet Mathay with Ryan Monsalve, Joenard Rates with Ian Maceda, and Dutch Guido Van der Valk with Kim Wan Soo. The National Pro-Am serves as the second leg of the PGT’s milestone 10th season after The Country Club Invitational two weeks ago with action heating up next month with the four-leg Visayas swing of the nationwide circuit put up by ICTSI.

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor

sports@manilastandard.net

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019

Sports

Ancajas defends world crown LOS ANGELES, United States— World super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas of the Philippines defends his crown for the seventh time Saturday (Sunday Manila time) against Japan’s Ryuichi Funai, who will fight outside his homeland for the first time. The International Boxing Federation title showdown is on a card at Stockton, California, that also finds unbeaten IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev of Russia defending against American Radivoje Kalajdzic. Ancajas, a 27-year-old southpaw, is 30-1 with two drawn and 20 knockouts but comes into the fight off a disappointing draw last September in Oakland against Mexico’s Alejandro Santiago Barrios. “I was hard at work three weeks after my last fight with Santiago,” Ancajas said. “I am going to be in the best shape in my upcoming fight with Funai. Coming off my last fight, I really want to give a great performance and defend my world title in style.” Ancajas, unbeaten in 18 fights dating to 2012, won the crown in 2016 by unanimous decision from Puerto Rico’s McJoe Arroyo and has defended three times in each of the past two years. Funai, 33, gets his first world title bout after seven wins in a row over the past three years. He’s 31-7 with 22 knockouts. “I am excited for this opportunity to challenge for a world title and to make my professional debut in America,” Funai said. “I know I have the experience and the skills to become the new IBF champion of the world. Jerwin and I respect one another, but this is boxing, and I’m going to fight my heart out.” Beterbiev, 13-0 with every win by knockout, won his crown over German Enrico Koelling in November 2017 and kept it by stopping Britain’s Callum Johnson last October. The 34-year-old Russian, seven years older than his rival, won a 2009 world title and two European titles as an amateur. “This will be a great fight,” Beterbiev said. “I can’t wait to get in the ring and show once again why I’m the best 175-pound boxer in the world.” Serbian-heritage fighter Kalajdzic, 24-1 with 17 knockouts, has won three in a row since losing a split decision to a highly controversial split decision loss to American Marcus Browne. AFP

Philadelphie 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts after scoring a basket against the Toronto Raptors during Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on May 2, 2019 (May 3 Manila time) at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. AFP

Calabarzon’s Tom wins by fraction of a second By Peter Atencio

AVAO CITY—Aubrey Tom upset favored Alexie Cabayaran by the smallest margin possible in the elementary girls 50-meter freestyle on a cloudy and rainy morning on the ﬁnal day of the weeklong meet.

Tom, a sixth grader from International Learning Academy in Cainta, Rizal, tapped the touch pad practically at the same time with Cabayaran for a handtimed 28.76 second clocking. Cabayaran’s time was 1/100ths of a second (28.77 seconds) slower than Tom. She was in tears after her loss and was inconsolable for hours afterwards. Their times were measured manually after the electronic timer malfunctioned because of light rains at the University of the Philippines-Davao City pool in Mintal. The 12-year-old Tom, who made a splash last month in the Luzon leg of the Batang Pinoy, gave Calabarzon three gold medals with her efforts.

Tom’s upset of Cabayaran helped Southern Tagalog Region break free from a tie at second place Western Visayas Region. “I always followed what coach said, which was to go all out,” said Cabayaran, a sixth grader from Mambulac Elementary School. NCR ended the day by formally taking the overall championships with 76 golds, 67 silvers and 47 bronzes. On the other hand, Southern Tagalog had a 51-42-67 gold-silver bronze haul, with Western Visayas dropping to third (46-25-47). Socsargen and Bicol Region are in fourth and fifth. Still, Cabayaran had the most medals

Tiger to receive Medal of Freedom from Trump WASHINGTON, United States—Tiger Woods, who made a stunning comeback from injury to win the Masters last month, is to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump on Monday (Tuesday Manila time). White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump will bestow the award, the nation’s highest civilian honor, on the golfing great in the White House Rose Garden.

Blu Girls drop group phase game to Taipei THE Philippine Blu Girls bowed to Chinese Taipei, 4-6, at the end of the group phase on Friday in the 2019 Asia Cup Women’s Softball Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Filipina softballers, ranked 13th in the world, played feebly in the first two innings, giving up four walks and six runs to the No.6 ranked Chinese Taipei. They tried to rally in the next four innings and even scored a homerun courtesy of Angeline Ursabia but Taiwan held on to win the game. The Blu Girls finished Group B at second place with a 3-1 record. They will face Korea in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday. Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL) president Jean Henri Lhuillier, however, believes the Philippine team will bounce back and still hit its target of reaching the WBSC Softball Asia/Oceania 2019 Qualifying Event for 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The top six teams in the Asia Cup aside from Olympic Games host Japan will advance to the Olympic qualifier to be played in Shanghai, China in September. The winner of that tournament will earn the right to compete in the Olympics when softball is played for the first time since 2008.

in the elementary girls’ division with five golds, a silver and a bronze. A heartbroken Cabayaran still wound up as one of the two most bemedalled athletes of the 2019 Palarong Pambansa here. The 13-year-old Cabayaran got the most medals along with Xiandi Chua. Cabayaran claimed the gold in the 100-meter freestyle, the 100-meter backstroke, the 100-meter butterfly and the 4x50-meter freestyle relay. A gold in the 200-meter freestyle was a record-breaker. The daughter of a couple who sells eggs for a living in Silay City, Cabayaran also had a bronze after Region 6 finished third place in the 4x100-meter relays. Chua, a 12th grader from Immaculate Conception Academy in San Juan, handed the National Capital Region five golds and silver. She got her last two following a record-breaker in the 200-meter freestyle and while with Team NCR in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.

Tiger Woods celebrates after sinking his putt on the 18th green to win the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia in this file photo. AFP

The 43-year-old Woods won the Masters in April for his 15th major title, his first since the 2008 US Open. Trump, an avid golfer and owner of several courses around the world, tweeted his congratulations following the epic win at Augusta. “Spoke to @TigerWoods to congratulate him on the great victory he had in yesterday’s @TheMasters, & to inform him that because of his incredible Success & Comeback in Sports (Golf) and more importantly, LIFE, I will be presenting him with the PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM,” Trump said. Established by John F. Kennedy in 1963, the honor is bestowed upon those who have made an “especially meritorious” contribution to US security or national interests, world peace, cultural pursuits or other non-specified endeavors. It has been awarded to nearly three dozen sports figures including American golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, who were honored by president George W. Bush. Barack Obama gave the award in 2014 to Charlie Sifford, the first African-American golfer to play on the PGA Tour. Woods has golfed with Trump on several occasions, most recently in February at the president’s course in Jupiter, Florida. Teeing off alongside them was the 79-year-old Nicklaus and Trump tweeted a picture of the three together on the course. Woods was asked last year about his relationship with Trump, who has been engaged in an ongoing feud with a number of African-American basketball and football stars. “Well, I’ve known Donald for a number of years,” Woods said. “We’ve played golf together. We’ve had dinner together. I’ve known him pre-presidency and obviously during his presidency. AFP

Sixers post 2-1 lead over Raptors PHILADELPHIA, United States—Joel Embiid finished with 33 points as the Philadelphia 76ers routed the Toronto Raptors 116-95 on Thursday (Friday Manila time) to seize a 2-1 lead in their NBA second-round playoff series. Embiid also had 10 rebounds and five blocked shots for his 12th double-double in 15 career playoff games. “I was trying not to force anything and if I didn’t have it I just moved it to my teammates,” he said. “We wanted to put our foot down in the fourth and we did that by making stops.” Jimmy Butler added 22 points, nine assists and nine rebounds while JJ Redick delivered 15 points for the Sixers, who have won two straight including a gritty 94-89 victory in game two three nights ago. Game four will be played in Philadelphia on Sunday. Kawhi Leonard paced the Raptors’ attack with 33 points while Pascal Siakam added 20. Leonard has scored at least 30 points in five of Toronto’s eight playoff games this season, including all three games against Philadelphia. Embiid was at his theatrical best, jiggling his shoulders and rocking a mock baby after scoring baskets. “I need it. When I have fun, my game just changes,” he said. “I have always been told that if I don’t smile during the game that I’m either having a bad game or I’m not into it. “I know that to get my game going, I have to have fun on the court.” Philadelphia led 64-53 at halftime thanks in large part to Embiid’s 18 points. The Sixers also shot eight of 14 from three-point range in the opening half. Leonard powered the Raptors with 17 points in the first half, and continued his fine play in the third quarter with another 14 points to keep Toronto within eight (89-81) heading into the fourth. “We’ve got to help him,” Kyle Lowry said. “Myself especially, I’ve got to help him score more. I’ve got to help him on the floor. We’ve all got to help him. He’s playing unbelievable right now. “We’re not giving him any help.” Embiid drained his third three-pointer and the 76ers charged to a 94-82 lead early in the fourth. AFP

Ginebra’s Brownlee leads returning imports By Jeric Lopez DEFENDING champion Barangay Ginebra brings back resident import Justin Brownlee, last season’s Best Import awardee, to lead its defense of the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup crown. The 2019 PBA Philippine Cup is not yet done but teams are already looking forward to the coming Commissioner’s Cup. Familiar faces are back in town as most squads already locked in imports heading to the mid-season conference. More familiar faces are back as

well with San Miguel Beer tapping former Best import Charles Rhodes, Rain or Shine getting its own former Best import in Denzel Bowles, Phoenix getting another former Best import awardee in Rob Dozier, NLEX going with Tony Mitchell and Blackwater taking Alex Stepheson. All of those reinforcements have already made their mark in their previous tour of duties in the league. Columbian, Meralco and NorthPort decided to acquire fresh faces. The Dyip took former ASEAN Basketball League import Kyle Barone, the Bolts got Gani Lawal from the European leagues, while the Batang Pier shored up its frontcourt

by getting bruiser Prince Ibeh, formerly of the Texas Longhorns in the NBA G-League. Most of the mentioned reinforcements are already in town and practicing with their respective teams. Teams are allowed to tap an import with no more than the height of 6’10’’. As of this report, Meralco, Alaska, Magnolia and TNT KaTropa have yet to make final decisions regarding their imports. Meanwhile, the Hotshots are currently gunning for a 2-0 lead against defending champion San Miguel in the best-of-seven finals of the Philippine Cup as of press time.

Barangay Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee glides to the hoop during a game last season when he helped Ginebra win a crown.

Business

CAB vows to resolve Cebu Pacific’s flight woes

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019

By Darwin G. Amojelar

Zamboanga co-op, Alsons sign deal By Alena Mae S. Flores

ESTERN Mindanao Power Corp. and Crowninvestments Holdings Inc., the investormanager of the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative, on Friday signed a compromise agreement that will put an end to the power outages in Zamboanga City. The deal was Crown’s third offer of a partial payment to cover the operational and fuel costs of WMPC, owned by the Alson Group. Crown ﬁrst offered to pay P150 million in February before raising its proposal to P220 million in April 3. WMPC rejected both offers. Under the compromise, Crown will give a partial payment of P220 million to WMPC. WMPC will then run its power plant for 60 days after receiving the full payment. “We have been trying to settle with WMPC for three months now.

We are glad that WMPC ﬁnally accepted this compromise. With this, we can stop rotational brownouts and stabilize electricity in the city,” said Crown representative Jomar Castillo in a statement. The resumption of the WMPC’s operations provides immediate relief to residents and businesses that have been reeling from the effects of power outages reaching up to six hours. “We are glad to restore power and normalcy to Zamboanga City,” said Joseph Nocos, vice president for

business development of WMPC and the Alsons Power Group. The compromise, proposed by Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, is a temporary measure to address the power outages in Zamboanga City pending the legal dispute ﬁled with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). “By signing the compromise agreement, we reafﬁrm our commitment to be Zamboanga’s partner for growth in the long term,” Nocos added. WMPC’s commitment to resume operations comes days before the May 13 elections, which will need stable and consistent power to ensure the integrity of the results. Meanwhile, the Zamcelco manager said the compromise agreement was without prejudice to the respective claims of both parties before the ERC. Crown discovered through a

Manila

Standard

THE Civil Aeronautics Board said Friday it expects to resolve the flight cancellations of Cebu Pacific by the end of the month. “Hopefully the problem will be resolved by the end of the month. We are validating all the technical issues presented by Cebu Pacific to the CAB Board,” said CAB executive director Carmelo Arcilla. Arcilla said Cebu Pacific cited traffic congestion in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the depleting reserved crew as the reasons for the declining on-time performance of the airline. “We will validate these allegations of Cebu Pacific. We will have another meeting on May 6,” he added In an earlier advisory, Cebu Pacific and Cebgo said they were canceling 58 round-trip flights until May 10, 2019. This was on top to the more than 40 roundtrip flights that had been cancelled from April 28 to April 30 this year. The airline said flight cancellations from April 27 to May 10 affected over 22,000 passengers. The cancellation of flights was part of the ongoing effort to improve Cebu Pacific’s OTP and reduce inconvenience to passengers. The airport congestion has contributed to the late arrivals of Cebu Pacific flights. In a statement, Juan Wing Association of the Philippines, Cebu Pacific’s labor union, in a statement denied any labor issues with the airline’s management. “Lately there seems to be misinformation and disinformation dragging the union to create disparity and confusion. JWAP is working side by side with Cebu Pacific Management and we stand firm with JWAP’s Mission-Vision: strengthening the bond between MGT and crew through a harmonious relationship for mutual growth and benefit,” JWAP said.

ﬁnancial audit in late January that WMPC allegedly over-billed the co-op in the amount of P441 million from 2015 to 2018. Zamcelco claimed WMPC billed the coop for capacity recovery fee, and operations and management without basis, citing that the power supply agreement with the co-op was not yet in effect. WMPC also allegedly billed the co-op for a contracted capacity of 50 megawatts, when Zamcelco nominated a daily average of 25 megawatts, or 50 percent less than the amount the cooperative paid for. Crown-Zamcelco sought a refund of the overpayments with the ERC. “As the new investor-manager, we are looking out for Zamboangueños after years of mismanagement of the city’s power co-op. Zamboangueños were made to pay more than what they should have. We want to return their money to them,” Castillo said.

PRU LIFE UK AWARD. British life insurer Pru Life UK, a unit of international financial services group Prudential plc, once again ranked first among all insurance companies in the Philippines in the 2018 Asean Corporate Governance Scorecard, an industry evaluation benchmarked against international best practices in corporate governance. Pru Life UK president and chief executive Antonio De Rosas (left) receives the recognition from Insurance Commissioner Dennis Funa.

TODAY

040608 (Bank Code)

METRO SOUTH COOPERATIVE BANK

IDC Centre, Zapote Street cor. Kalayaan Avenue, Brgy. Sta. Cruz, Makati City

BALANCE SHEET As of MARCH 31, 2019 ASSETS

China Bank’s income climbs 24% to P1.9b By Julito G. Rada CHINA Banking Corp., the seventhlargest lender in terms of assets, said net income in the first quarter jumped 24 percent to P1.9 billion year-on-year, driven by the continued robust growth of its core businesses. The bank said in a statement Friday said the January-to-March performance translated into a return on equity of 8.42 percent and return on assets of 0.86 percent. “We are gratified that our firstquarter results reflect the sustained growth in our businesses and the result of various initiatives,” said China Bank president William Whang. Net interest income in the first quarter rose 12 percent to P5.9 billion, boosted by the 41-percent jump in interest revenues from loans. This was complemented by the 52-percent increase in non-interest income to P1.3 billion. Higher interest expense, however, compressed the net interest margin to 2.94 percent. Total operating income increased18 percent to P7.2 billion, while total operating expense climbed 13 percent to P4.8 billion as the bank continued to strengthen and expand its operations. Cost-toincome ratio improved to 66 percent from 69 percent year-on-year. China Bank maintained its balance sheet strength, expanding in all areas of operation. Total assets expanded 23 percent to P889 billion in tandem with the growth of the bank’s core businesses. Gross loans rose 13 percent to P515 billion, driven by strong demand from all customer segments. Deposits improved 17 percent to P720 billion, underpinned by a 20-percent increase in checking and savings accounts.

IN BRIEF Swiss-Belhotel plans to expand services SWISS-BELHOTEL Philippines on Friday unveiled plans to expand services to Mindanao and to the north after recently signing a professional management service agreement to operate the P10-billion Swiss-BelHotel Resort and Villas in Davao and seven more in a span of three years. Swiss-Belhotel International president and chairman Gavin Faull said the expansion aimed to make the brand well known and prepare it for the surge in tourists led by the Chinese. “We realized that we’re not developing here as fast as we like. China tourism will start to further thrive in the Philippines. We hope to capture this market. We are here to make a difference,” he said in a brieﬁng. Swiss-Belhotel managed the Linden Suites in Ortigas, Mandaluyong City 24 years ago before it left the country in 2002. The Davao expansion is a 190-room resort and 100-unit villa within Island Gardens of the city of Samal. “This is a 24-hectare development that will be built via french architecture using eco-friendly materials. There will be no plastic inside the resort and villas,” said Swiss BelHotel International executive vice president James K.C. Ram. Othel V. Campos

Rizal wind project, DMCI’s hydro get priority THE Energy Investment Coordinating Council declared four energy projects of national significance in April. The EICC, led by the Department of Energy, issued the latest certificate of energy project of national significance to DMCI Power Corp.’s 15 megawatt, coal-fired power plant in Palawan. It issued CEPNS to Rizal Wind Energy Corp.’s 600-MW Rizal wind project which is under pre-development stage. Rio Norte Hydro Corp. received a CEPNS for its 19.7-MW Ilaguen 3A hydro project in Isabela, also under pre-development stage. EICC also granted CEPNS to two projects of SN Aboitiz Power Group, namely the 240-MW Alimit pumped storage hydro under predevelopment and the 10-MW Ollicon hydro project in Ifugao. The EICC was created to streamline the regulatory procedures of energy projects as part of the Ease of Doing Business Program of the Duterte administration. Alena Mae S. Flores

CDC remitting P816m to National Treasury CLARK Development Corp. has declared as much as P2 billion in remittances in the last three years, or about half of the total it paid to the National Treasury in 25 years. The company remitted P500 million in 2016 and P700 million in 2017. It is set to remit P816 million from its 2018 income to the National Treasury on May 14, 2019 CDC president and chief executive Noel Manankil said in his report to the CDC board that with the latest remittance of P816 million, the total CDC cash dividends remitted was P4.07 billion covering 1996 to 2018. The payment is in compliance with the “Dividend Law” requiring all state-owned companies to declare and remit at least 50 percent of their annual net earnings to the national government. Manankil said CDC performed well above expectations with a 31-percent growth in net income in 2018 to P1.35 billion from P1.03 billion in 2017. Net income from 2016 to 2018 reached P3.17 billion, accounting for 51 percent of of accumulated earnings since 1996. Othel V. Campos

Cash and Cash Items Due from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Due from Other Banks Financial Assets at Fair Value through Profit or Loss Available-for-Sale Financial Assets-Net Held-to-Maturity (HTM) Financial Assets-Net Unquoted Debt Securities Classified as Loans-Net Investments in Non-Marketable Equity Security-Net Loans and Receivables - Net Loans to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Interbank Loans Receivable Loans and Receivables - Others Loans and Receivables Arising from RA/CA/PR/SLB General Loan Loss Provision Other Financial Assets Equity Investment in Subsidiaries, Associates and Joint Ventures-Net Bank Premises, Furniture, Fixture and Equipment-Net Real and Other Properties Acquired-Net Non-Current Assets Held for Sale Other Assets-Net Net Due from Head Office/Branches/Agencies, if any (Philippine branch of a foreign bank) TOTAL ASSETS LIABILITIES Financial Liabilities at Fair Value through Profit or Loss Deposit Liabilities Due to Other Banks Bills Payable a) BSP (Rediscounting and Other Advances) b) Interbank Loans Payable c) Other Deposit Substitute d) Others Bonds Payable-Net Unsecured Soubordlnated Debt-Net Redeemable Preferred Shares Special Time Deposrt Due to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Other Financial Liabilities Other Liabilities Net Due to Head Office/Branches/Agencies/(Philippine branch of a foreign bank) TOTAL LIABILITIES STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY Capital Stock Other Capital Accounts Retained Earnings Assigned Caprtal TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS Guarantees Issued Financial Standby Letters of Credit Performance Standby Letters of Credit Commercial Letters of Credit Trade Related Guarantees Commttments Spot Foreign Exchange Contracts Securities Held Under Custodianship by Bank Proper Trust Department Accounts a) Trust and Other Fiduciary Accounts b) Agency Accounts c) Advlsory/Consull Derivatives Others TOTAL CONTINGENT ACCOUNTS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Gross total loan portfolio (TLP) Specific allowance for credit losses on the TLP Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) a. Gross NPLs b. Ratio of gross NPLs to gross TLP (%) c. Net NPLs d. Ratio of Net NPLs to gross TLP (%) e. Ratio of total allowance for credit losses to gross NPLs (%) f. Ratio of specific allowance for credit losses on the gross TLP to gross NPLs (%) Classified Loans & Other Risk Assets, gross of allowance for credit losses DOSRI Loans and receivables, gross allowance of credit losses Ratio of DOSRI loans and receivables, gross of allowance for credit losses, to gross TLP (%) Gross non-performing DOSRI loans and receivables Ratio of gross non-performing DOSRI loans and receivables to TLP (%) Percent Compliance with Magna Carta (%) a. 8% for Micro and Small Enterprises b. 2% for Medium Enterprises Return on Equity (ROE) (%) Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) on Solo Basis, as prescribed under existing regulations a. Total CAR (%) b. Tier 1 Ratio (%) c. Common Tier 1 Ratio (%) 1/ Deferred Charges not yet Written Down Unbooked Allowance for Credit Losses on Financial Instruments Received

Amount Current Quarter Previous Quarter 52,270,952.65 3,722,415.88 65,787,010.61 65,787,010.61 712,545,522.19 835,533,980.18 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 15,000,000.00 15,000,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2,527,156,849.96 2,646,294,545.71 0.00 0.00 2,558,302,778.06 2,679,535,952.44 0.00 0.00 31,145,928.10 33,241,406.73 16,044.844.64 16,311 ,604.44 0.00 0.00 29,675,581.72 30,634,901 .50 244,526,062.32 245,592,993.78 0.00 3,939,385.74 3,808,100.08 0.00 0.00 3,666,946,209.83 3,862,685,552.18 0.00 1,816,654,529.05 0.00 1,018,000.000.00 0.00 1,018,000,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 11 ,005,235.26 36,667,584.41 0.00 2,882,327,348.72

0.00 1,913,856,551.11 0.00 1,118,000,000.00 0.00 1,118,000,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10,116,326.78 47,420,108.40 0.00 3,089,392,986.29

666,473,370.88 7,392,272.06 110,753,218.17 0.00 784,618,861.11 3,666,946,209.83

664,254,929.85 (1,002,593.00) 110,040,229.04 0.00 773,292,565.89 3,862,685,552.18

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12,996,658.47 12,996,658.47

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12,996,619.47 12,996,619.47

2,714,817,479.07 156,514,701.01

2,824,955,174.82 145,419,222.38

315,241,132.97 11.61% 158,726,431.96 5.85% 59.53% 49.65% 45.00 519,614,597.00 19.14% 0.00 0.00%

304,330,938.27 10.77% 158,911 ,715.89 5.63% 58.71% 47.78% 45.00 544,458,256.78 19.27% 0.00 0.00%

9.26% 43.18% 4.00%

8.35% 45.21% 8.00%

20.27 19.33 0.00 0.00 0.00

17.97 17.03 0.00 0.00 0.00

BOARD OF DIRECTORS FR. ANTONIO CECELIO T. PASCUAL Chairman ATTY. MICKEL M. BORIGAS Vice-Chairman DIRECTORS PATRIA T. CHIONG ROMEO A. DE JESUS DORIS R.DORIGO NORMA G. GUHITING EDITA S. LAURON GARIBALDI O. LEONARDO ROBERTO C. MASCARINA SERAFIN F. PERALTA PEDRO A. PLAZA DIVINA C. QUEMI PEDRO E. RIEZA, JR. NICOLAS H. VERONILLA EXECUTIVE OFFICER Renelia V. Estioko President

1/ Common Equity Tier 1 is only applicable to all Universal and Commercial Banks and their subsidiary banks.

Republic of the Philippines ) Makati City) s.s. I/We, RODA L. CRUZ and RENELIA V. ESTIOKO of the above-mentioned bank do solemnly swear that all matters set forth in the above balance sheet are true and correct to the best of my/our knowledge and belief.

RODA L. CRUZ Finance Head

RENELIA V. ESTIOKO President

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this April 16, 2019 at Makati City, affiant exhibiting his/her/their Passport No.P1057056A, issued at DFA NCR EAST on December 01, 2016 and Passport No. P1747134A, issued at Manila City on January 25, 2017.

Doc. No. 38 Page No. 09 Book No. 31 Series of 2019

Business

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market retreats; PLDT leads losers T HE stock market declined Friday on proﬁt-taking as traders monitor overseas developments to guide their investment decisions.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index fell 33.59 points, or 0.4 percent, to 7,967.98 on a value turnover of P8.2 billion. Gainers, however, edged losers, 102 to 100, with 50 issues unchanged. PLDT Inc., the biggest telecommunications ﬁrm, lost 1.6 percent to P1,220, while Security Bank Corp., the sixth-largest lender in terms of assets, dropped 1.8 percent to P181.20. JG Summit Holdings Inc. of industrialist John Gokongwei fell 1.8 percent to P64.40, but Cemex Holdings Philippines Inc. advanced 6 percent to P2.30.

The rest of Asian markets were mixed heading into the weekend Friday with energy ﬁrms again taking a hit from a plunge in oil prices, while investors look ahead to the release of key US jobs data later in the day. Observers said there may have been some caution setting in after a report suggesting the long-running trade talks between China and the United States had hit a snag. On broader stock markets, Hong Kong rose 0.3 percent in the afternoon, Taipei added 0.8 percent and Mumbai put on 0.3 percent. But Seoul sank 0.7 percent with Sydney, Wellington and Jakarta also lower. Singapore was barely moved. With optimism fueled by a broadly strong earnings season beginning to fade, dealers are taking their cash off the table after a strong start to the year, while analysts noted that May is a traditionally weak month for equities.

Energy firms were once again in the firing line, dropping in tandem with crude prices owing to worries about rising supplies and falling demand. Brent has tumbled around 6.5 percent and WTI is off more than seven percent from six-month highs touched just last week, taking another hit Thursday from data showing a surge in US stockpiles and output. The commodity had been rallying in recent weeks on the back of output cuts led by Opec and Russia (Opec+), unrest in Libya, the political crisis in Venezuela and hopes for the China-US trade talks. But analysts pointed out that a wouldbe coup in Caracas has fizzled, tensions in Libya have eased and the major producing countries appear to be rolling back on commitments to turn off the taps. “Expectations are dwindling that Opec+ will be able to deliver on any extension on production cuts,” said

Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA. “Even if they do show optimism at the next... meeting on May 17th, many will not expect an extended cut agreement to have the same effect as the first one. Right now the path of least resistance for oil remains to the downside.” Hong Kong-listed CNOOC dived more than two percent and PetroChina 0.4 percent, while Woodside Petroleum shed 0.9 percent in Sydney and Santos sank more than two percent. Attention is now on the release Friday of US non-farm payrolls data that will provide a fresh snapshot of the world’s top economy. The figures come after the head of the Federal Reserve disappointed markets by saying recent weak inflation was “transitory,” denting hopes the bank would consider an interest rate cut this year. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2019

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 58.9 19,000 85.65 4,108,040 2.17 19,000 139 3,266,900 1.25 29,000 27.5 259,800 18.96 5,300 11.62 377,500 4.78 126,000 1.37 20,000 0.49 400,000 74 7,542,560 0.93 72,000 13.4 17,800 53.55 867,050 183 1,210 110.4 50 58 580 26.4 6,400 181.2 603,920 1,800 120 60.4 549,320

1,115,800 352,825,310 42,120 456,478,371 36,310 7,071,210 100,482 4,427,024 576,610 27,400 193,600 562,011,394.50 65,940 240,240 46,583,038 219,360 5,520 33,725.50 168,055 112,256,053 216,125 32,963,471

941,800 59,024,957 123,322,656 -28,750 1,508,040 91,002 -1,461,364 -260,074,598 5,520 -28,646,957 -7,813,272 -89,448

35.9 15.4 0.82 1.4 0.24 2.17 15.3 110 27.9 16.42 45 66 1.93 5.5 5.8 11.14 15.9 9.35 7.45 21.7 78.3 29.7 2.61 13 10.62 1.7 300.8 3.89 3.41 22.45 15.6 22.6 385 0.191 6 1.27 4.51 6.33 9.09 1.65 11.84 45.6 4.82 4.85 1.6 2.12 1.26 12.96 113.2 6.8 0.13 0.95 164.1 2.5 1.34 16 1.18

INDUSTRIAL 35.9 780,000 15.7 327,300 0.85 3,596,000 1.44 634,000 0.246 760,000 2.3 69,638,000 15.36 766,500 118.9 200 27.9 32,100 16.98 3,900 45 162,600 66.3 450 1.95 318,000 5.5 11,100 5.82 12,100 11.3 1,433,400 16 1,704,800 9.35 73,200 7.53 2,898,800 21.7 532,800 78.3 181,460 30.3 331,200 2.71 7,913,000 13.42 11,792,200 10.88 673,500 1.8 335,000 301 1,643,160 4.2 8,000 3.43 29,000 22.45 1,824,200 15.88 1,504,300 22.6 244,500 385.6 267,390 0.191 680,000 6 21,400 1.27 1,884,000 4.6 96,000 6.4 1,773,500 9.09 2,600 1.7 30,734,000 12.08 56,300 45.8 145,800 4.88 97,000 4.85 4,000 1.68 14,000 2.12 14,000 1.31 72,000 13.3 1,090,900 115.8 183,250 6.9 221,400 0.13 230,000 0.96 563,000 167 3,584,910 2.51 513,000 1.37 20,366,000 16 700 1.18 952,000

28,401,390 5,123,960 2,994,200 905,630 185,780 156,958,660 11,765,434 23,691 895,730 65,626 7,317,000 29,888 617,800 61,050 71,878 16,146,572 27,318,710 691,545 21,846,361 11,632,760 14,268,991.50 9,938,500 21,134,010 158,217,910 7,325,106 576,800 496,095,818 32,390 99,100 41,183,935 23,902,666 5,556,455 104,045,602 130,100 129,800 2,419,220 438,910 11,377,688 23,634 52,576,460 679,180 6,682,725 469,850 19,400 22,670 29,680 91,600 14,272,208 21,013,866 1,527,095 29,980 536,040 600,847,208 1,284,500 28,129,200 11,290 1,127,920

828,515 341,622 82,000 123,000 26,631,000 -1,938,362 -19,530 4,500 91,650 -8,722 7,156,290 -6,860,300 28,230 1,516,167 -2,101,550 -10,547,988.50 -510,320 -53,254,740.00 756,140 6,880 -234,539,040 10,230 -19,056,855 -1,161,396 1,512,810 12,293,548 631,230 183,806 -460,340 291,410 -305,470 -4,850 3,591,456 6,791,912 15,180 187,946,683 892,500 139,620 -

0.65 52 15.32 0.73 6.5 17.02 1.36 1.4 900 7.47 11.28 14.8 0.25 877 6.23 64.05 5.33 0.51 4.55 16 0.56 4.35 2.76 0.038 1.11 2.83 177.5 2.38 960 0.87 1.34 485 265 0.239 0.315

HOLDING FIRMS 0.66 29,034,000 52 893,500 15.32 2,982,300 0.75 494,000 6.5 150,000 17.06 75,700 1.39 3,514,000 1.4 235,000 900 289,320 7.5 2,082,700 11.28 3,270,900 14.94 217,400 0.26 90,000 890 412,290 6.23 29,900 64.4 1,932,330 5.33 3,300 0.51 2,000 4.59 956,000 16.5 1,532,000 0.56 77,000 4.35 37,814,000 3.08 7,000 0.038 3,300,000 1.11 159,000 3 2,292,000 178.3 262,270 2.39 50,000 960 228,280 0.9 1,543,000 1.34 26,000 485 270 276 34,610 0.24 550,000 0.325 17,680,000

19,231,230 47,432,630 45,964,266 365,210 975,000 1,296,970 4,806,930 329,000 262,990,310 15,617,511 37,121,202 3,243,680 23,100 368,036,440 186,277 126,601,672 19,750 1,030 4,389,820 25,283,024 43,120 166,462,120 20,220 127,900 176,490 6,672,300 47,180,046 119,200 220,229,410 1,383,680 35,140 130,950 9,378,544 132,060 5,732,350

-192,740 -13,661,383 -19,069,996 650,000 261,800.00 29,080,905 -399,503 -10,499,270 777,806 -67,652,175 4,948,181 -205,600 13,039,066 -51,312,140 128,400 18,603,945 17,772,385 -922,178 650,000

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

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

58 85 2.2 136.6 1.26 26.85 18.94 11.86 4.7 1.37 0.485 75.25 0.91 13.5 54.4 182 110.4 58.85 26.1 184.6 1,805 60.7

58.9 86.25 2.24 141.5 1.26 27.5 18.96 11.86 4.79 1.37 0.49 76 0.94 13.5 54.5 183 110.4 58.85 26.4 187.5 1,805 60.7

58 84.85 2.17 136.5 1.25 26.85 18.94 11.6 4.54 1.37 0.475 74 0.91 13.4 53.55 179.5 110.4 58 26.1 181.2 1,800 60

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

36.6 15.86 0.85 1.4 0.247 2.17 15.34 118.9 28 16.42 45 66.5 1.95 5.5 5.94 11.16 15.9 9.54 7.48 22.3 80 29.7 2.71 13 11 1.74 301 3.9 3.41 22.55 15.9 23 387 0.192 6.1 1.31 4.51 6.33 9.09 1.66 12.1 45.95 4.82 4.85 1.61 2.12 1.26 13 114.2 6.9 0.134 0.97 165 2.51 1.43 16.9 1.19

37 15.88 0.85 1.44 0.247 2.37 15.36 118.9 28 17 45 67 1.95 5.5 5.98 11.34 16.2 9.54 7.57 22.3 80 30.4 2.74 13.74 11.1 1.8 303.6 4.2 3.48 22.7 15.96 23 390.2 0.192 6.1 1.32 4.6 6.44 9.09 1.76 12.1 45.95 4.88 4.85 1.68 2.12 1.31 13.3 116 7 0.134 0.97 170.5 2.53 1.44 16.9 1.2

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

0.69 54 15.56 0.76 6.5 17.04 1.37 1.4 909 7.49 11.4 14.94 0.265 878 6.23 65.85 6.27 0.52 4.58 16 0.56 4.43 2.76 0.039 1.11 2.87 177.5 2.39 960.5 0.94 1.36 485 266 0.239 0.315

0.69 54.95 15.56 0.76 6.5 17.36 1.4 1.4 915 7.5 11.46 14.94 0.265 898 6.23 66.5 6.27 0.52 4.68 16.62 0.56 4.51 3.08 0.039 1.11 3 182.5 2.39 977 0.94 1.36 485 276 0.245 0.33

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

14.24 0.77 2.03 0.78 48 2.41 4.72 6.4 0.53 0.82 0.91 0.235 0.385 11.5 26.65 0.485 0.125 1.62 1.35 4.85 5.62 0.34 0.5 1.72 0.425 2.61 39.1

14.8 0.77 2.17 0.78 48.05 2.44 4.72 6.45 0.56 0.82 0.91 0.245 0.385 11.52 27.3 0.49 0.126 1.64 1.38 4.85 5.84 0.35 0.52 1.72 0.43 2.83 49.95

14.04 0.75 2.01 0.76 47.4 2.4 4.62 6.4 0.51 0.79 0.9 0.235 0.38 11.2 26.6 0.485 0.125 1.62 1.35 4.85 5.61 0.335 0.5 1.69 0.425 2.6 39.1

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

24.3 2 3 41.8 1.79 7 0.76 7.37

24.5 2 3.02 41.9 1.79 7 0.76 7.44

24.2 1.99 3 40.9 1.76 6.8 0.76 7.1

24.5 1.99 3 40.9 1.79 6.83 0.76 7.1

2,420,500 71,000 204,000 4,073,000 919,000 134,700 1,000 8,758,300

59,243,825 141,520 612,220 168,508,840 1,630,790 923,221 760 62,865,295

-1,600,930 141,200.00 -17,059,640 -25,492,198

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

12.7 19.16 0.42 0.04 15.78 2.67 12.7 0.07 80.15 7.88 5.86 6.6 2.06 12.04 1,804 5.22 408 2.84 1.81 131.7 12.18 6.95 0.125 5.66 3.08 15.68 3.81 0.83 22.4 0.56 4.8 3.4 1.71 14.08 2.25 3.78 10 4.15 115 3.18 1,240 0.74 0.91 42.65 77.7 9 3.11 0.67 0.36 5.6 0.73 17.06

12.82 19.3 0.42 0.04 15.78 2.68 12.9 0.071 81 7.88 5.88 6.6 2.06 12.04 1,828 5.23 411.6 2.86 1.81 137.9 12.18 6.95 0.128 5.68 3.33 15.68 3.96 0.83 22.45 0.6 4.8 3.43 1.72 15.8 2.27 3.88 10 4.47 115 3.21 1,260 0.76 0.91 44.25 78 9.24 3.25 0.68 0.365 5.65 0.75 17.1

12.68 19.16 0.42 0.039 15.32 2.57 12.26 0.07 80.15 7.88 5.74 6.4 2.06 11 1,796 5.18 398.2 2.8 1.81 130.9 11.52 6.95 0.124 5.48 3.08 15.5 3.81 0.8 21.9 0.56 4.8 3.39 1.68 14.08 2.23 3.77 9.7 4.07 115 3.07 1,200 0.74 0.87 42.65 77.5 8.95 3.11 0.67 0.35 5.6 0.72 16.6

SERVICES 12.68 19.3 0.42 0.04 15.32 2.63 12.26 0.07 80.5 7.88 5.79 6.6 2.06 11.52 1,800 5.22 405 2.8 1.81 136.7 12 6.95 0.124 5.58 3.1 15.5 3.89 0.82 21.9 0.59 4.8 3.4 1.72 15.8 2.24 3.78 10 4.47 115 3.1 1,220 0.75 0.89 43.5 77.5 9.19 3.23 0.68 0.36 5.65 0.74 16.6

29,000 39,700 40,000 5,900,000 1,800 509,000 7,398,600 9,700,000 60,630 100 441,400 191,900 3,000 147,600 70,210 229,600 5,310 1,633,000 1,000 2,838,170 2,000 5,000 1,780,000 1,979,500 11,000 500 2,211,000 1,311,000 866,500 868,000 17,000 3,635,000 134,000 600 1,393,000 310,000 146,100 238,000 440 2,337,000 120,425 3,646,000 28,584,000 2,624,000 238,870 2,930,800 24,443,000 2,494,000 6,600,000 1,471,700 4,553,000 1,629,100

368,370 762,048 16,800 230,400 27,944 1,326,190 93,349,030 682,200 4,878,321.50 788 2,560,695 1,258,400 6,180 1,689,396 126,820,545 1,196,942 2,144,160 4,599,680 1,810 388,107,418 23,242 34,750 222,640 11,069,798 34,250 7,804 8,632,610 1,051,420 19,178,840 500,660 81,600 12,379,820 229,690 9,128 3,134,710 1,182,790 1,434,896 987,460 50,600 7,249,580 149,482,950 2,740,900 25,459,230 114,041,785 18,592,501 26,827,717 78,402,990 1,682,940 2,351,200 8,297,814 3,360,100 27,361,102

10,176 -7,800 -33,880 -12,125,544 231,967.50 30,952 -528,000 43,701,280 56,000 193,404,022 12,500 -175,336 -228,120 -2,488,685 -1,888,580 224,000 22,870 2,300 -217,000 45,457,480 -797,040 -1,266,990 -9,222,960.00 -1,865,482.50 -182,904.00 14,740,770 -622,370 512,150 -6,172,950 -44,956.00

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

0.0019 1.3 2.89 12.36 1.27 2.72 0.3 8.05 1.52 0.25 0.113 0.115 0.0079 0.0079 1.09 2.4 1.01 0.56 0.88 0.012 0.011 3.2 3.11 8.2 23.7 0.007

0.002 1.31 2.89 12.36 1.28 2.72 0.3 8.05 1.53 0.25 0.114 0.116 0.0079 0.0079 1.09 2.43 1.01 0.56 0.91 0.012 0.011 3.65 3.14 8.2 24.4 0.0075

0.0019 1.29 2.83 11.9 1.27 2.69 0.295 7.88 1.5 0.241 0.113 0.115 0.0079 0.0079 1.04 2.39 0.99 0.56 0.88 0.011 0.011 3.2 3.11 7.7 23.5 0.007

MINING & OIL 0.002 8,000,000 1.3 621,000 2.83 11,000 12.3 1,300 1.27 61,000 2.72 424,000 0.295 580,000 8.01 2,100 1.53 14,599,000 0.248 1,810,000 0.114 4,910,000 0.116 300,000 0.0079 36,000,000 0.0079 1,000,000 1.04 509,000 2.41 673,000 1.01 58,000 0.56 1,000 0.91 159,000 0.012 4,500,000 0.011 9,000,000 3.52 806,000 3.13 223,000 7.78 2,896,900 24 2,272,800 0.0075 11,000,000

15,700 805,570 31,730 15,778 77,590 1,146,090 173,800 16,708 22,174,010 441,270 554,840 34,700 284,400 7,900 534,420 1,626,040 58,560 560 140,930 53,800 99,000 2,818,230 697,950 22,736,043 54,591,820 81,900

-392,600 -2,830 -15,000 49,200 156,020 30,300 -74,890 -1,253,327 24,320,560 -

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

18.5 474.6 98.6 97.95 104.2 5.2 876 950 96 1 100.5 100 105 969.5 75.8 76.85 71.65 73.8 72.6

19.1 475 98.6 97.95 104.2 5.2 876 958 96.5 1 100.5 100 105 970 75.8 76.85 71.65 74 73.75

18.5 474.6 96.3 97 101 5.2 874 950 96 0.98 100 100 105 966 75.8 76 71.2 73.75 72.6

PREFERRED 19.1 48,100 474.8 2,000 96.3 6,350 97 18,050 101 10,230 5.2 179,100 874 2,000 958 2,360 96.5 24,680 0.98 354,000 100 3,050 100 120 105 100 966 3,220 75.8 20 76 79,510 71.2 27,000 74 29,700 73.75 11,530

889,910 949,624 624,225 1,756,065.50 1,063,854 931,320 1,748,320 2,259,280 2,373,990 347,420 305,668 12,000 10,500 3,118,565 1,516 6,050,561.50 1,925,125 2,196,735 838,467.50

0 49,250 62,920 846,348.50 -

LR WARRANT

1.96

1.99

1.92

WARRANTS 1.93 181,000

352,940

ITALPINAS XURPAS

5.34 1.12

5.55 1.13

5.25 1.1

5.5 1.12

13,655,887 5,347,580

-50,750 -

FIRST METRO ETF

119.7

120.3

118.8

2,394,509

197,802 9,900

NAME

PROPERTY 14.8 0.77 2.15 0.78 47.4 2.4 4.7 6.45 0.54 0.79 0.9 0.245 0.385 11.4 27.05 0.49 0.126 1.63 1.37 4.85 5.78 0.34 0.5 1.7 0.43 2.76 45.5

1,162,600 393,000 2,592,000 289,000 12,052,600 633,000 965,000 3,500 80,477,000 134,000 11,000 600,000 250,000 351,800 1,245,800 180,000 620,000 22,973,000 2,019,000 3,000 68,071,300 22,170,000 2,650,000 2,610,000 160,000 2,066,000 400

16,667,828 299,300 5,368,150 222,560 574,278,145 1,526,960 4,533,030 22,405 43,560,420 106,310 10,000 142,900 96,200 4,033,484 33,660,735 87,500 77,600 37,367,770 2,752,730 14,550 390,306,929 7,589,800 1,360,700 4,436,290 68,100 5,633,990 17,950

-305,530 -834,330.00 -54,332,790 -900,090 1,410,000 446,270 -4,800 17,353,410 490,880 -1,156,577 68,400 -187,200 -281,510 -24,630.00 -

USD DMPL A1 USD TECH B2

10.2 0.99

TRADING SUMMARY

FINANCIAL

18,291,994

INDUSTRIAL

174,735,524

HOLDING FIRMS

112,953,594

PROPERTY

244,639,589

SERVICES

129,465,785

MINING & OIL

100,666,609

GRAND TOTAL

788,072,842

10.1 0.99

SME

2,509,900 4,789,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 119.5 20,040 10.1 0.99

DDS

19,510 10,000

VALUE 1,774.46 (up) 15.83 1,577,683,210.60 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,832.10 (up) 32.47 2,101,482,838.55 HOLDING FIRMS 7,592.28 (down) 76.11 1,524,571,202.35 PROPERTY 4,273.31 (down) 44.91 1,614.45 (up) 5.91 1,526,691,295.69 SERVICES MINING & OIL 7,738.36 (up) 29.31 1,313,997,858.78 PSEI 7,967.98 (down) 33.59 109,235,592.194 All Shares Index 4,906.06 (down) 6.83 8,175,063,744.96 Gainers: 102; Losers: 100; Unchanged: 50; Total: 252

Phirst Park of Century sells over 3,000 units By Jenniffer B. Austria PHIRST Park Homes, the affordable housing brand of Century Properties Group Inc., has pre-sold over 3,000 housing units from its first three projects with a sales value of P4.4 billion. CPG said in a statement it had presold 95 percent of the over 3,400 units launched in the three projects to date. “The strong pre-sales of CPG’s affordable housing segment are expected to translate to sustained higher contribution to the company’s bottom line as more housing units are scheduled to be completed in the next quarters,” said CPG’s chief finance officer Ponciano Carreon. Contributing to the strong sales are CPG’s affordable housing projects under the PHirst Park Homes brand in Tanza, Cavite; Lipa, Batangas; and the most recently launched 18.5-hectare development in San Pablo, Laguna. The Tanza project, a 26-hectare horizontal community, has pre-sold 94 percent of the launched units valued at P2.6 billion. The 20-hectare Lipa project, meanwhile, has pre-sold 98 percent of the launched units, or P1.4 billion. Phirst has pre-sold 91 percent of its units launches or P597 million in the San Pablo property after unveiling it in March. “The success of PHirst Park Homes is proof positive of the demand for quality homes with the best value and competitive pricing. Developers have barely scratched the surface in addressing the country’s housing backlog, and PHirst is doing its share by focusing on the huge demand in the Calabarzon and Central Luzon regions,” said PHirst Park president Ricky Celis. After Tanza, Lipa and San Pablo, CPG is set to launch more communities in north and south Luzon, which the company has identified as growth areas with a high concentration of families dependent on overseas workers’ remittance, unmet demand for housing and where infrastructure projects are in place.

Ginebra’s profit jumped 141% to P615.9m in Q1 GINEBRA San Miguel Inc., the liquor unit of San Miguel Food and Beverage Inc., reported a net income of P615.9 million in the first quarter of the year, up 141 percent from P255.4 million recorded in the same period last year, on double-digit growth in sales. GSMI said in a filing with the Philippine Stock Exchange first-quarter revenues rose 28 percent to P8.26 billion from P6.44 billion a year ago. Cost of sales likewise increased 24 percent to P6 billion from P4.87 billion, resulting in a first-quarter gross profit of P2.22 billion, up 42 from P4.87 billion in 2018. After several years of losing ground to other brands, GSMI has managed to slowly recover on strong demand for its gin products in Luzon and the Vino Kulafu brand in Visayas and Mindanao. The company managed to post a turnaround by focusing on strengthening its brand equity, improving distribution and implementing cost containment measures. GSMI last year said it planned to build four new manufacturing facilities in the country to regain leadership in the domestic liquor market. The liquor company is finalizing the details of the expansion, including the sites and capacity. The proposed plants are expected to be completed over the next two to three years. Ginebra currently has liquor production facilities in Mandaue City, Cebu, Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan and Cabuyao, Laguna. GSMI was previously a majorityowned direct subsidiary of San Miguel Corp. The parent firm consolidated last year the food and beverage business under SMFB to rationalize its businesses. GSMI in 2018 booked a net income of P1.05 billion, up 75 percent from 2017, as revenues climbed 19 percent to P24.8 billion due to volume improvements of the flagship brand, coupled with sustained growth of other lines. Jenniffer B. Austria

World

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Vietnamese woman in Kim brother’s murder freed

IN BRIEF Pilot beats up clerk over ironing JAKARTA―A pilot for Indonesia’s Lion Air who beat a hotel clerk because he was unhappy with how his uniform was ironed has been grounded, the airline said Friday. CCTV footage posted to Facebook and since viewed over one million times shows the unhappy pilot walk behind the reception desk, where he appears to complain about his shirt before striking the employee in the head several times. He is eventually led away by another man. The budget airline said the pilot was suspended following the April 30 incident at a hotel in the city of Surabaya. “Currently Lion Air is gathering data and other information needed for an investigation,” company spokesman Danang Mandala Prihantoro said in a statement. “If the pilot is found guilty after the investigation, Lion Air will apply firm sanctions by dismissing him from the company.” The video is the latest piece of bad publicity for Southeast Asia’s biggest airline, which has long suffered from a spotty safety record and an avalanche of complaints over shoddy service. Last year, a nearly new Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX slammed into the sea shortly after takeoff from the capital Jakarta, killing all 189 people aboard. AFP

Mandela drawing sells for $112,575 NEW YORK―A drawing by the late South African president Nelson Mandela of the door of his prison cell on Robben Island―where he was held for 18 years―sold on Thursday in New York for $112,575. “The Cell Door, Robben Island”― completed in 2002 by the Nobel peace laureate―exceeded the top end of the estimated range provided by Bonhams, which put its value at $60,000 to $90,000. The wax pastel crayon drawing shows a few bars of the cell door and a key in the lock, sketched in purple. The work is one of the few that Mandela―who was jailed for 27 years in total and inspired the struggle against apartheid―kept until his death in 2013. Mandela’s daughter Pumla Makaziwe Mandela previously had the work in her possession. South Africa’s first black president did a total of 20 to 25 drawings, according to Giles Peppiatt, the auction house’s director of modern African art. Some were reproduced as lithographs to raise money for the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Mandela was jailed from 1962 to 1990. He was held at Robben Island off Cape Town from 1964 to 1982. Mandela served as South African president from 1994 to 1999. Mandela’s drawing was one of six works that surpassed $100,000 at the sale of African art on Thursday. Another South African artist, Irma Stern (1894-1966), earned the highest price of the auction―$312,575―for “Malay Girl,” a portrait from 1946. AFP

More attacks anticipated in Colombo COLOMBO―Islamist extremists in Sri Lanka are believed to be planning attacks on bridges in Colombo, authorities said, as they warned several conspirators in the Easter Sunday bombings that killed 257 people still at large. Police confirmed they had instructed stations around Colombo to deploy additional officers and asked the navy to deploy more vessels on rivers, following leaks of police intelligence reports warning bridges into the capital were at risk of attack. Sri Lanka’s military has also set up a special command centre to coordinate anti-jihadist operations, while the army said more troops have been deployed for search operations. Additional troops conducted searches overnight and seized explosives and weapons from several locations, although these were from criminal groups and not jihadists, official sources said. “Extensive cordon and search operations of the army and sister services across the country with assistance of the police are continuing in search of terrorists, hideouts, explosives, weapons and other warlike items... with the deployment of more and more troops as required,” the army said in a statement. Authorities had information about a small group of radicals who may be trying to stage more strikes, said health minister and government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne, who added that the crackdown on extremists after the Easter bombings had been largely successful. “You can’t say the threat is over, but the situation is well under control... better than what we expected.” AFP

CEREMONY. This handout from the Thai Royal Household Bureau taken and released on May 3, 2019, shows the ceremony in which the Royal Golden Plaque of the official title of His Majesty the King, the Royal Golden Plaque of His Majestyís horoscope, and the Royal Seal of State are transferred from the Temple of the Emerald Buddha to Baisal Daksin Throne Hall in Bangkok. AFP

Monster cyclone ‘Fani’ rips into eastern India F ANI, one of the biggest storms to come off the Indian Ocean in years, slammed into India on Friday, sending coconut trees flying, blowing away food stands and cutting off power and water.

The monster weather system, which threatened to bring a dangerous storm surge that could flood low-lying areas, was packing winds of up to 180 kilometers an hour as it ripped into the east coast. Forecasters say the area could see gusts of up to 200 kilometers per hour, equivalent in strength to a Category 3 to 4 hurricane. In recent days authorities in Odisha, where 10,000 people died in a 1999 cyclone, have evacuated more than a million people as they fret about a possible fivefoot storm surge sweeping far inland. Hundreds of thousands more people in West Bengal state have also been given orders to flee. Local airports have been shut, while train lines and roads were closed. “It just went dark and then suddenly we could barely see five meters in front of us,” said one resident in the holy town of Puri where the cyclone made landfall on Friday morning. “There were the roadside food carts, store signs all flying by in the air,” the man told AFP from a hotel where he took shelter. “The wind is deafening.” Another witness said he saw a small car being pushed along a street by the winds and then turned over. “We have been unable to make contact with our team in Puri for some time now to get the latest update about the situation

there,” H.R Biswas, Indian Meteorology Department director in state capital Bhubaneswar, told AFP. Fani was expected to barrel northeastwards into West Bengal state and towards Bangladesh, on a trajectory that will take it over the homes of 100 million people. Authorities in West Bengal have started evacuating thousands of people from coastal villages, disaster management minister Javed Ahmed Khan told AFP. “We are bracing for the worst on Saturday when the cyclone is forecast to batter the city of Kolkata,” said Bhattacharya. Narayan Chowdhury, who returned by packed train with no food or water from a coastal resort in Odisha, called the experience “harrowing.” “We are monitoring the situation 24x7 and doing all it takes... Be alert, take care and stay safe for the next two days,” West Bengal’s chief minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted. Meteorologists have warned of the “total destruction” of thatched houses, the uprooting of power and communication poles, the “flooding of escape routes” and damage to crops in some areas. Some 3,000 shelters in schools and government buildings were set up to accommodate more than a million people in Odisha, with families including women and babies huddled on the floor. Ports have been closed but the Indian Navy has sent six warships to the region

while India’s biggest oil and gas producer ONGC evacuated almost 500 workers from offshore rigs. Measures were also being taken to protect the eight-and-a-half-century old Jagannath temple in Puri, a Hindu holy town normally thronging with pilgrims. AFP correspondents in the resort said it was a near ghost town with trees already torn down and water levels rising even before Fani’s awesome arrival. Electricity and water supplies were already cut for much of the city of 200,000 people. Metal shutters covered store fronts and sand blew up the streets from the nearby beach. Only a few police vehicles and tractors trying to pull trees or push aside collapsed walls could be seen. Media reports said hundreds of trees were uprooted at the nearby Chilika Lake just south of Puri in the first violent winds. “We will just stay for the day until the cyclone has passed. We are not scared but we feel safer here,” said Krishna Chandra Sahu, 43, sheltering with seven members of his family in a hotel. In Bangladesh, disaster management chief Mohammad Hashim said that more than 4,000 cyclone shelters have been opened. Inland water transport activities were suspended. India’s east coast is vulnerable to destructive storms. In 2017 Cyclone Ockhi left nearly 250 people dead and more than 600 missing in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. AFP

KUALA LUMPUR―A Vietnamese woman who stood trial for the assassination of the North Korean leader’s half-brother was freed from prison Friday, bringing down the final legal curtain on a dramatic and often bizarre twoyear murder mystery. Kim Jong Nam, the estranged relative of Kim Jong Un and once seen as heir apparent to the North’s leadership, died in agony after having his face smeared with a banned nerve agent as he waited at Kuala Lumpur airport in February 2017. The sensational killing made headlines around the world, and sparked a furious diplomatic row as Seoul accused Pyongyang of an elaborate plot to murder a figure who had spent years in exile and been critical of his family’s rule. Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam and Indonesian Siti Aisyah were arrested after being spotted on CCTV approaching Kim but always denied murder. The women insisted they were tricked into carrying out the hit by North Korean agents who said it was a reality TV show prank and fled Malaysia after the killing. They went on trial, but in March prosecutors dropped the murder charge against Aisyah after diplomatic pressure and she flew home. Then last month they withdrew the murder charges against Huong, who pleaded guilty to a reduced count of “causing injury” and was told she would be released in May at the end of her sentence. More than two years after her arrest, the 30-year-old former hair salon worker was freed from prison outside the Malaysian capital at about 7:20 am (2320 GMT Thursday), her lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik told AFP. Journalists waiting outside the jail saw a van and a car with tinted windows race past, and a court official at the scene also confirmed Huong had been released. She was expected to head to an immigration office in administrative capital Putrajaya to sort out documentation, before flying to Vietnam in the evening. “She’s very happy,” Hisyam said. “She’s definitely looking forward to going home.” While there is relief for the women, no one else is in custody over the murder and those behind the plot are unlikely to ever be punished. “The assassins have not been brought to justice,” said Hisyam, adding the women’s legal teams consistently argued that four North Koreans who fled Malaysia after the killing, and were charged in absentia, were the real murderers. The women were arrested after they were captured on airport CCTV cameras walking up behind Kim as he waited for a flight, and one was seen clasping her hands over his face. Kim, who fell from grace in the North after a bizarre attempt to visit Tokyo Disneyland, died shortly afterwards, his face smeared with poison. AFP

Study: Modern breeding reduced horse diversity within centuries

IN NEW YORK. Model Kaia Jordan Gerber walks the runway during the Prada Resort 2020 Collection on May 02, 2019, in New York City. AFP

WASHINGTON―The horses that galloped the earth just a thousand years ago probably looked very different from their modern descendants, researchers said Thursday after compiling the most complete genetic history of any non-human species. But the biggest surprise of the vast study, which involved an international team of 121 scientists and was published Thursday in the journal Cell, was the staggering loss of genetic diversity in the past 200 to 300 years that accompanied modern breeding practices. The horse was one of the last animals that was domesticated by humans, long after dogs, cattle and pigs. But around 5,500 years ago, people began to ride, milk and lock horses in pens―and things would never be the same between the two species. “The horse has had a profound effect on human history,” said Ludovic Orlando, a research director with CNRS and the University of Toulouse, who coordinated the study. Thanks to the horse, “we were able to go faster, further, and to conquer new territories. We went to war differently. We were able to plough fields and do agriculture,” he said. “The horse of Alexander the Great was so remarkable that we know his name, Bucephalus.”

But scientists still don’t know the answer to a key question: what was the ancestor of the current domestic horse? To this end, the team analyzed the genomes of 278 specimens (mostly horses but also donkeys and mules discovered inadvertently), mostly from the past 5,000 years, across Europe and Asia. “This is the largest register of ancient genomes ever collected for a non-human species,” said Orlando. Ancient genetics research saw a major technological leap in 2010 that allowed the team, working in a Toulouse laboratory, to extract and analyze DNA from bones that was not accessible before. This led to a number of surprising discoveries: for one, an ancient line of horses were present in Iberia until at least 4,000 years ago―before mysteriously disappearing completely. On the other end of the Eurasian landmass, another lineage of horses roaming Siberia also completely disappeared around the third millennium BCE. “They are a sort of horse equivalent of what Neanderthals are to modern humans,” Orlando said. Today there remain but two lineages: the domestic horse and Przewalski’s horse, also called the Mongolian wild horse. AFP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019

Joel D. Lacsamana, Editor jdlacsamana@gmail.com

GO WITH THE FLOW

WITH YOUR OWN KOI POND

‘Kohaku, sanke and tancho’ at your doorstep

HE burdens of living in Nick Joaquin’s “noble and ever loyal city” are many. It takes residents admirable gumption combined with a profound faith in the divine to get by every day, what with the the lack of sane public transportation — something that millions of Filipinos struggle with every day—inadequate garbage collection, expensive utilities and ghastly trafﬁc conditions. Many dream of escape to less hostile environments; the rest have no choice, and choose, to stay. Which is why more and more urban denizens are choosing to create an oasis of peace and calm in their garden, by building a relaxing koi pond. EASY APPEAL Koi carp ponds are becoming a musthave for Filipinos as people see how beautiful they look in their friends’ gardens, and want to have one for themselves. The appeal is easy to understand. Koi carp can live to be 40 or older, and in the right environment, can grow impressively large. Originally bred in Japan from the common carp, they have been treasured for their beauty for centuries. They come in an amazing variety of colors, from purest silvery

white, to pale gold, through to yellow orange, coral, flame red, blue, and all the way to velvety black. They also come in many intricate pattern variations. As you sit in the late afternoon at your pond, watching the fish glitter and flash under the water as they swim between the stems of lilies and through forests of water plants, their cool and calm world is truly an antidote for the tired mind. A small fountain or waterfall serves to add oxygen to the pond and keep it healthy. It also adds the sound of moving water, which is soothing for the spirit. BRING IN THE PROFESSIONALS Anyone can have a pond dug in their garden, fill it with water, throw in a few fish and plants and hope for the best.

But there is no substitute for having a professionally designed pond. Ponds can be modern or traditional, raised or sunken, large or small. They can have bridges, waterfalls, be on more than one level or they can even be built so that they are partially in the garden and partially in the house. The surroundings of your pond are important too. Maybe you’d like marble paving edging the pond, or a low balustrade on which you can sit and enjoy the beauty of the water. Perhaps you want something that looks natural, as if you stumbled across this pond in the jungle. It could have overhanging plants and flowers, set in grass or incorporating a stream. Maybe you just have room for a tiny pond; you can have a perfect miniature koi pond which will give you hours of pleasure. BEAUTIFUL KOI, HIGH-MAINTENANCE PETS The quality and price of the koi tend to be determining factors in choosing the design and type of pond to be built. Koi prices range from 200 to 2 million pesos. But whether one is a casual keeper of koi who just wants a water feature for his home, or a passionate hobbyist, it is to his and his koi’s best interests to achieve the minimum factors for a koi pond. An efficient filter system is important to koi’s health and survival. While a koi pond and its filtration system may be structurally separate, the two are functionally one and can never be divorced. Some manufacturers claim to have filter systems requiring no maintenance, but the best systems are those which have the following components: • Bottom drains Partially covered pipes at the bottom of the koi pond where water from the pond exits and is moved to the filter system • Skimmers Placed about one centimeter beneath the pond surface, they suck in floating debris and deliver them to the filter system. Skimmers are indispensable in keeping the pond surface clean and glassy. • Mechanical filter

TOPNOTCH HOME IMPROVEMENT GOES TO ILOILO. Home improvement and construction supply retailer Wilcon Depot, recently opened its third branch in Iloilo province at Santa Barbara, its 53rd retail outlet nationwide. The one-stop-shop located at Brgy. Bolong is currently providing Ilonggos high-quality home products from from tiles, sanitarywares, plumbing, furniture, home interior, building materials, hardware, electrical, appliances and other do-it-yourself (DIY) items. At the opening were (L-R) United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) Commission on Governmental and External Affairs executive director Arch. Gil Japitana; UAP Immediate past president Arch. Guillermo Hisancha; UAP national president Arch. Benjamin Panganiban; Sta. Barbara mayor Dennis Superficial; Wilcon Depot CIO Rosemarie B. Ong; Sta. Barbara vice mayor Rema Somo; Sta. Barbara councilor Elizabeth Villaluna, and Lixil Philippines sales director Joralyn Ong.

The first in a series of filtering chambers is one where large debris like fallen leaves, fish waste and excess koi food are trapped by filter brushes or other suitable material • Biological filtration From the mechanical filter chamber, water is transferred to a biological filtration consisting of finer mesh where bacteria thrive. These microscopic organisms converting toxic metabolites to harmless, even beneficent compounds. ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT Submerged ultraviolet lamps clarify pond water by breaking down microscopic algae that would otherwise render a pond green. It also helps to control the proliferation of harmful bacteria. PUMP For water to move from the pond via the bottom drains to the series of chambers in the filter system, and then drive it back into the pond via a waterfall or a simple return pipe, a pump that works round the clock is used. AERATION Since fish breathe by extracting oxygen from the water, pumps that blow air into diffusers or porous stones at the bottom of the pond are a must. Aquatic plants do no thrive in koi ponds. Koi feed on plants and the water salinity required to treat koi skin problems could be harmful to most types of aquatic foliage. Best to separate your water lily pond from the koi pond. WATER A koi pond is not a static pool of

water but a dynamic, living habitat, governed by the laws of natural science. Koi are intolerant of the accumulation of toxic waste products, namely, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. When the concentration of these metabolites rise, koi growth is impeded, the brilliance of their colors begins to wane, their resistance to disease is compromised, and when allowed to further rise, may result in their death. Even with the most efficient filter systems, removing a percentage of water daily or weekly is mandatory— like flushing the toilet whenever there’s waste matter in it. Some hobbyists change 10 percent of pond water, while most change 30 percent once or twice weekly. VIEWING KOI Unlike other fish, koi are best viewed from above, rather than from the side, as in an aquarium. This is because their beautiful patterns are on the dorsal or upper side of the fish. When a koi pond is seamlessly integrated in a part of a house that is designed for relaxation, the koi’s vivid colors and graceful movements appear to have been created just for that purpose. KOI AND OTHER FISH A koi pond is designed with the intent of keeping just koi. Should the owner wish to have other kinds of fish, the larger goldfish like sabao and tamasaba can co-exist with koi. But carnivorous fish like arowana and arapaima may lead to the extinction of one’s koi collection.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE AT ARCA SOUTH. ArthaLand, a developer whose projects are recognized by both local and global organizations for their superior design, high quality standards and focus on sustainability, recently launched the Savya Financial Center (Savya). Located at the northeastern corner of Arca South, Savya is a grade A mid-rise office condominium, with a fully integrated retail component. Savya is part of ArthaLand’s portfolio of projects including Arya Residences and ArthaLand Century Pacific Tower in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, and the Cebu Exchange, the Company’s first green office building project in Cebu City, slated for completion in 2021. At the groundbreaking were are (from left): Ricardo Gabriel T. Po, vice chairman of ArthaLand; Rajan Uttamchandani, chairman and chief executive officer of Esquire Financing Inc.; Albert Uttamchandani, chairman emeritus of Esquire Financing Inc.; Leonardo Arthur T. Po, executive vice president and treasurer of ArthaLand; Jaime C. González, vice chairman and president of ArthaLand; Sheryll P. Verano, senior vice president for strategic funding; Gabriel I. Paulino, senior vice president for technical services; and Christopher G. Narciso, executive vice president for business and project development .

Life YOUNG LIFE

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MStandardLIFE SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019

steps

to raising future creators and designers

START THEM YOUNG. Filipina scientist

Janice Lao applies her experience as a STEM professional and a mother as she offers tips to raising children interested in math and science.

By Janice Lao (Editor’s note: Janice Lao, the only Filipina scientist featured in American children’s book “Everyday Superheroes: Women in STEM Careers,” shares these eight steps to raising lovers of science and math.)

PART from the colors of our eyes, hair, or skin, everything else in life is learned, earned, and gained.

There are many things we can teach our kids to help them live their best lives and adapt to the changing landscape of the world. Learning their inclinations or choosing a field they like does not have to wait until they’re about to enter college. If we begin to instill curiosity about the world and how it works, their love of learning will develop, especially if we help them start asking the right questions. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) get all the credit in university majors and the fields young professionals choose to work in. But if we want our children to take interest in them, we need to instill these subjects in our daily interactions and lessons learned, and early in their lives too.

Reflect

Think about how your life, job, and hobbies relate to science and math. Kids can tell when you truly love something and they feed off that energy. Once they see how much science and math

is in your daily life, they will see it in their own life as well. For example, if you love to cook, think about what you love about it—is it in the mixing of ingredients (chemistry) or following a recipe (math), or decorating (chemistry and physics) to create something that appeals to the five senses (your own invention!) Then share Janice Lao, named one of the world’s top female sustainability leaders in 2018 by Forbes and a recipient of the Global Sustainable that love and enthu- Leadership Award in 2015 (right), was included in the US-published book ‘Everyday Superheroes: Women in STEM Careers.’ siasm with your kids. (even if I myself knew nothing about cod- mation, instead encourage them through It teaches independence, decision making, Observe ing). Leverage the activities they love to your words, your questions, and your ac- patience, and perseverance. You may have a a science or math concept so it becomes tions. An encouraging mindset will stay child that loves to real and relatable to them. with them as much as a discouraging one Discover together dance, draw, or play does. Decide on a positive perspective My husband Mike and I do go on computer games. Choose and deduce and choose your words wisely. They stick. learning adventures with the kids eveEve r y t h i n g A friend introduced me to the concept ry weekend or while on holiday. Some has a con- of “growth mindset.” It is basically a “can Experiment are as simple as going to the park and nection to do” attitude to everything if we are willYou cannot be good at math or sci- playing on the swing which allows us science and ing to learn and put in the effort and time ence in one go. It takes constant practice to explain the idea of oscillation and math. My daughter required. It highlights the power of the and a willingness to embrace failure, to frequency, which is the foundation of loves the arts, so when I first started word “yet.” For example, instead of say- be excellent at something. energy and electricity. Physics! to introduce science or math to her, we ing “I cannot do addition,” it becomes “I Even grocery shopping can turn into While both concepts are quite comused colors and shapes. I would explain cannot do addition YET”—the yet shows practice time. When my son was learning plicated to explain at face value, we use to her the “magic of colors” (chemis- a willingness to learn. This not only re- how to add and subtract, when we would these experiments to show that if they try) by mixing yellow and blue to make lates to your kids, but also to you as a go out to a mall or a grocery and he wanted are willing to observe, complicated topgreen. And if she wanted to make it a parent. If you yourself are afraid of math, to buy candies or toys, I would ask him to ics actually start from something quite darker shade of green she could use and refuse to teach it to your kid, you compute the amount and ask, “I will give simple, instead of taking a car to the more of blue (math). need to overcome that fear too. You need you 100 pesos to buy candies, how many park, we walk by using the time and the When my kids, 9-year-old Esther and to encourage yourself, in the same way candies can you buy with that money? And effort to teach them how to use a com7-year-old Isaac, started to play computer you need to encourage your child. I usu- would you still have some left to buy your pass and learn how it works. games, I asked them, do you want to make ally suggest parents to learn about math toy? If not, how much money would you Bring your kids to explore museums your own game? And they were intrigued in their own way using apps like “Khan need to buy that toy? Would you have that and nature instead of malls, there is so Turn to C2 and this was how I got them into coding Academy.” Don’t spoon feed them infor- additional money needed by next week?”

Cinco de Mayo ala Jose Cuervo FILIPINOS love to party; and we love it more when the celebration has significance. Several parties are happening around the metro today in celebration of Cinco de Mayo. Often mistaken as Mexico’s Independence Day, Cinco de Mayo represents a pivotal moment in the country’s fight for independence. On May 5, 1862, Ignacio Zaragoza led the Mexican army to a successful defense against the French Empire. Today, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in virtually every corner of the world. Revelers mark the occasion with parades, parties, music, folk dancing, traditional food, and of course, tequila. Grab the gang as leading tequila brand Jose Cuervo is hosting street parties in Poblacion, Makati (select partner bars in Don Pedro and Alfonso Streets), Katipunan, Quezon City (Pop-up), and Bonifacio Global City, Taguig (The Island). Partygoers can enjoy five shots of Jose Cuervo tequila at partner bars for P300. Want to do pre-game before heading to the party? Create The Cuervo Squeeze while traditional and modern Latin music plays in the background. Procedure: Add ice in the glass. Add 40ml Jose Cuervo Especial Silver. Top with sparkling lemonade. Squeeze and drop a lime wedge in the glass.

CINCO DE MY-OH-MY.

Leading tequila brand Jose Cuervo is hosting several street parties around the metro today in celebration of Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo.

Life

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Youth orgs help pave the way for an accepting society

HE Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines, Inc. worked hand in hand with De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde’s Center for Inclusive Education and Best Buddies Benilde to raise the bar for a more accepting community for persons with Down Syndrome (DS).

DSAPI President Luis Harder explained the reality of the genetic disorder before a crowd of young studentadvocates. He highlighted the fact that anyone is vulnerable, as one out of 800 babies from all over the world is at risk of being born with DS. “While most of us have 46 chromosomes, 23 from the mother and 23 from the father, persons with DS have 47, which was caused by the third copy of the 21st chromosome,” he expounded. “Unfortunately, 50 percent of these babies are also born with heart diseases and other conditions such as hypotonia or poor muscle tone, epilepsy, hypothyroidism, blood disorder, vision problems, hearing loss, and infections that require medical intervention.” Harder, father to Adeline Lois, his 8-year-old girl with DS, observed that some of the early manifestations are learning disability and developmental delay. He shared, “Children, including my Adeline, need parents and families who are proud of them and love them unconditionally. Aside from people with DS, others with special needs such as autism also deserve to be given a chance to have a life and be a part of the population.” The doting dad noted it is best to remain patient when conversing with them. “Do not make fun of them. Talk to them slowly and they will be able to comprehend. They are sweet and they

Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines, Inc. President Luis Harder and his 8-year-old daughter with DS Adeline Lois (inset) with members of youth organizations Center for Inclusive Education and Best Buddies Benilde.

love to hug. When you engage them in a conversation, expect that they will respond affectionately.” He also added that it is important to listen to them carefully as they, when given a chance, can really communicate well. He reiterated that immersion is very important in improving their condition as it hones their comprehension, communication skills, and social relationships. Harder shared, 23-year-old Renz Alquiroz, a person with DS, who pres-

ently works at Harder’s company, Wings Technology Enterprise, Inc., began interacting with people and has since showed vast development. Currently, aside from WTEI, various companies from different industries have opened career opportunities for those who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. However, despite wider acceptance, Harder lamented that many still use offensive nicknames. He joined the cam-

Winners circle: Brandstorm 2019, Bato Balani name champions ANNIKA Bautista, Martin Cruz, and Guia Peralta of the team Into Your Genes have emerged victorious at the recently concluded L’Oréal Brandstorm’s 2019 Philippine National Finals. The University of the Philippines Diliman business students developed a skin patch called In Skin. The patch is an answer to issues such as acne and dry skin, and works by directly stimulating the user’s DNA. In Skin is directly applied to the skin and can be worn throughout the day. “There are so many factors inside your body that can actually create the problems you feel now,” said Peralta. “Our solution taps into that and brings out the best in you by healing you from within.” Over the course of six months, the team worked tirelessly on their Brandstorm pitch. “It’s just surreal,” shared Bautista. “It feels like an entire journey was encapsulated in that one moment when we were announced as champions.” Into Your Genes’ pitch impressed the L’Oréal jury panel, which included Thibault de Saint Victor (country man- L’Oreal Brandstorm’s 2019 Philippine National Finals Champion Into Your Genes team aging director), Supriya Singh (general with country managing director Thibault de Saint Victor and general manager for human manager of consumer products), Luis resources Tina Ampil. Yanga (general manager of professional products), Tina Ampil (general manager The team is heading to Paris, pete against over 65 countries for the of human resources), and Polly Malacad France for the Brandstorm Worldwide global championship. Should they bag (scientific director). Finals on May 22-23. They will com- the global championship, Into Your Genes will have the chance to work with L’Oréal experts to test the feasibility of In Skin as an actual product under the L’Oréal Active Cosmetics Division at Station F. Bohol Wisdom School of Tagbilaran City took the coveted top spot in the recently concluded Bato Balani Search for the Best Science Investigatory Project. BBSIP aims to recognize the creativity and ingenuity of Filipino junior high school students in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The team of Saimon Anino, Arthur Elman, and Dianne Lane Madaje bested other competitors with their project entitled “The Anti-parasitic Activity of Talisay (Terminalia catappa) Leaves Against Caligid (Lepeophtheirusspinifer) Parasites on Pompano (Trachinotusblochii) Fish.” Their research revealed promising findings for a natural solution to lessening the parasitic and mortality rates of the Pompano, a popular fish in the Bohol Wisdom School of Tagbilaran students (center) receive the top spot at the recent Bato Philippines known to be the country’s Balani Search for the Best Science Investigatory Project. local salmon.

paign initiated by CIE and BBB, “an organization that advocates one-toone friendships with kids with disabilities,” to invite the youth to sign a petition to end the “R” word, a pledge that aims to drop titles such as “retard.” “Such words are improper. What do we call them? People with Down Syndrome. They are cheerful, nice, loving, and they do not deserve this treatment,” he asserted.

Generous chocolate bar IN AN effort to alleviate children malnutrition, Mondelez Philippines has launched the Cadbury Dairy Milk Generosity Bar. With every purchase of the Cadbury Dairy Milk Generosity Bar, a glass of milk will be donated to a child in need with the help of Feed Philippines. Every Cadbury Dairy Milk Generosity Bar contains less milky goodness because it has been removed to share with a child in need of nourishment. It contains Cadbury’s dark milk chocolate. “We at Cadbury Dairy Milk believe that every child deserves to be provided with the right nutrition in order to grow up healthy and strong,” said Mondelez Philippines brand manager Arlene Amante. The Cadbury Dairy Milk Generosity Bar is available at Cadbury Generos- A glass of milk will be donated to child in ity pop-up located in Glorietta 2. It re- need with every purchase of Cadbury Dairy tails at P155 for 160g. Milk Generosity Bar. mysteries for our kids so they can truly appreciate the genius behind them and From C1 use them for good. One way to do this is by instilling to our kids an attitude much to learn around you and it usually to solving not only their problems, but others as well. We need the generation does not cost any money. of the future to develop critical thinking and create solutions. Nurture faith When I was nurturing my own love Give and take for science and math, I found that the We must give what we can and share greatest examples of it could be found in nature and in ourselves. You can’t our expertise in order to improve the help but ask, “Well, who made this? world and help others. Whether this And how did they even think of elegant- is through a business, a non-profit, or ly designing nature this way!” It con- daily action, we were given talents so nects you to a creator or a power greater we can all flourish no matter what age. When my kids were visiting the than yourself. I am Catholic and being a science and math fan, ultimately made streets of Manila for the first time, they me love nature more and become more were surprised to see so many children their age on the streets, some with no appreciative of my God’s creations. Appreciating nature does not cost clothes on. They asked me, “Why don’t money. Just go out in a park or a garden they have clothes on?” And it started a or look up in the sky and ask your kids: conversation about the complicated na“What are clouds made of?” or “Why ture of poverty. Instead of saying, “You are lucky, can a dog walk on his four legs, while we only have two?” Everyday is an op- and you should be grateful,” we would portunity to show them how awesome ask them, “How do you think you can nature is and learn about some of the help today and in the future?” and world’s most amazing inventions—na- you’ll be surprised at the things kids say. My favorite answer so far from my ture and even, ourselves. son is, “Mommy, one day I will invent something and I will teach their parents Raise problem solvers and how to make it and I will pay them well creators On their own, science and math are not so they can take care of their kids.” I want my kids to understand that we going to solve the problems of the world; all have a responsibility to take care of people doing something about it will. We should teach science math be- each other and that it starts with each yond just memorizing and passing ex- one of us. There is no us against them, ams. We need to unlock their uses and we are all in this world together.

8 steps...

Entertainment

Cool Pinoy culture

ARIAS ALWIN IGNACIO

F THE nightly news stresses you out and the primetime dramas bore you to tears, there is an alternative and refreshing program called Cooltura, which airs every Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., on IBC 13. Making sure that the episodes are hip and cool are its hosts Kevin Lapeña and Kris Tiffany Janson. The dynamic hosts are well-traveled� individuals. Kevin was a former MYX VJ, lifestyle writer, and travel media professional. Kris, on the other hand, was a former beauty queen, environmental advocate and print, ramp and commercial model. Janson shares, “As a former beauty queen and travel advocate, I had my fair share of going around the Philippines. My parents are from Mindanao and I grew up loving the beauty and bounty that can be found in that region.” She carries on, “With Cooltura, we promise our audiences that we will show how beautiful our country and people are.” Her top recommendation to adventurous travelers, “Well, I will entice to visit Mindanao and the Visayas. In these groups of islands, there are still many sandbars, vintage houses, of course, great food. For example, in Cebu, instead of just staying in Mactan, I will tell them to explore, Malaspascua and Bantayan.” Janson, who has a super model figure, shares that her staple Pinoy dishes are sisig, sinigang and lechon. She swears, “I will never get tired of eating lechon, never get

IBC President and CEO Kat de Castro (center) with 'Cooltura' hosts Kevin Lapeña and Kris Tiffany Janson.

tired of lechon.” Aside from our spectacular places and food, what Janson is most proud of as a Filipino are, “We were able to get best traits and practices of the many cultures that were in our country. I’m also proud of our close family ties. We are very communal. We are an embracing and welcoming culture and people.” For Lapeña, what he usually suggests to his foreigner comrades to visit are, “Palawan, it is a primary destination. Davao, which happens to be a personal favorite because of its unique biodiversity. And Ba-

tanes, for its bucolic charm, laid-back living, which most foreigners and even us, do not regularly get to experience.” For the Philippines’ national dish, Lapeña says, “I am trying my best to stay away from adobo because it is the common answer. Personally, it has to be sinigang, whether, pork, beef or fish, sinigang brings out so many lovely memories to most people. It is like an heirloom dish that always has a secret in the broth, in the choices of vegetables to put and how our lolas or moms make use of pampa-asim na tamangtama lang. I also like our grilled fishes and kinilaw.” Asked what is cool about Pinoy culture, Lapeña’s swift answer, “I suppose it is the mixture of different influences. They have affected our disposition, the manner we see things in a positive way.

We are optimistic, tenacious and resilient. Binabagyo na, kuha pa ring ngumiti. We are spiritual, we know how to communicate and respect forces that are bigger than us. We go the extra mile to extra mile to befriend and take care of visitors.” He promises, that Cooltura will highlight and zero in on, “Our cuisines. Beliefs and traditions, deﬁnitely. Our many festivals and peculiarities of the Pinoy. Kris and I immerse in the culture of a given culture community, experience their pamumuhay ﬁrst hand, appreciate and enjoy their many stories.” Kevin ends, “Cooltura is not the usual culture show that we are accustomed to, this is fun, dynamic, engaging and it will make the audiences proud of what we have, embrace what is our own, angat talaga ang kulturang Filipino.”

Sinulog Queen crowned Reyna ng Aliwan 2019 By Eton Concepcion

Reigning Reyna ng Aliwan Nicole Borromeo

ACROSS 1 Minor setback 5 Kind of flurry 9 — Major 13 Ms. McEntire of music 14 Sound loudly 15 First-quarter tide 16 See the sights 17 Hold, as attention 18 Bluesman — Redding 19 Chemist’s Sb 21 Elvis’ hometown 23 Overcharge 24 — noire 25 Procedure 28 Radioactive element 32 Before, to bards 33 Happen again 36 Hair rinse 37 Hang five 39 Inclines 41 Barnyard fowl 42 Tax time 44 Twangy-sounding 46 Ait, on the Seine 47 Mustiest 49 Wheel or bottle 51 Mouth 52 Milk preference 53 Come into view

56 Full of life 60 Zoo barrier 61 Scared-looking 63 Dr. Zhivago’s love 64 Pennsylvania port 65 Teenaged 66 Enthusiastic liveliness 67 Teen outcast 68 Exec, slangily 69 Office furnishing DOWN 1 Baja Ms. 2 Vegas sight 3 Border on 4 Excessively elaborate 5 Creep 6 Dark shade of blue 7 Metal source 8 Containing more moisture 9 Closed 10 Nerve network 11 Iceboat feature 12 Lhasa — 14 Having greater width 20 Secure a boat 22 Beehive State 24 Pats an infant 25 Oater backdrops

26 Blow, as a volcano 27 — incognita 29 Aleut language 30 Family member 31 Inventor 34 Tilts 35 Ms. Thurman 38 Deboned 40 Coarse fabric 43 Luke Skywalker’s sister 45 Place to hibernate 48 Flower arrangements

50 Grinned 52 Devoted, as time 53 Last word 54 Sponge feature 55 Two of a kind 56 Feng — 57 Fish story 58 Memorable periods of time 59 Moist and chilly 62 Old French coin

CEBUANA Nicole Borromeo, Sinulog Festival Queen 2019, bested 22 other festival queens from all over the country, to take the Reyna ng Aliwan 2019 title. Borromeo, the ninth Sinulog queen to win, was crowned by outgoing festival queen Chelsea Fernandez of Sangyaw Festival of Tacloban City, at the coronation on Friday night held in front of Aliw Theater, CCP Complex, Pasay City. Singkaban Festival queen Aubrhie Carpio was named ﬁrst runner-up while a triple tie for 2nd runner up honor was shared by Panagbenga Festival queen Roi Neve Comada, Agten Tuﬁ Festival queen Alayyza Izzabelle Tolimao, and Tanglawan Festival queen Leandrea Gabrielle Batingan. Borromeo, an 18-year-old senior high school graduate at Cebu Doctor’s University and native of Barangay Guadalupe, went home with almost all the special awards including Best in Festival Costume, Best in Evening Gown, Best in

Swimsuit, and Miss White Rose during a preliminary competition on the eve of the pageant ﬁnals. A former Miss Silka Cebu 2017, Borromeo wants to become an ambassador on proper solid waste management for The Wave Project advocate group of the Miss Mandaue Organization. The teen beauty will also represent Cebu in Eat Bulaga’s Miss Millennial Philippines 2019 contest and the Central Visayas in Miss Teen Philippines 2019 on May 8. Reyna ng Aliwan has produced national and international beauty queens like Miss Earth 2014 Jamie Herrell, Miss Tourism International 2014 Angeli Dione Gomez, Miss Tourism International 2012 Rizzini Alexis Gomez, Miss Eco International 2018 Cynthia Thomalla, and Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2014 Mary Jean Lastimosa. The Reyna ng Aliwan pageant is one of the highlights of the annual Aliwan Fiesta 2019, dubbed the Grand Festival of Champions, with the Street Dance and Float competitions.

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019

nickie.standard@gmail.com

People... From C4

Before embarking on a silently effective political career, he stood as a young leader of the Junior Chamber International Philippines. Clearly, this accomplished man who also represented his beloved city in the House of Representatives (2010-2013) has been poised to make a name for himself. Both his parents are currently city mayors — Erap in Manila, Guia in San Juan. Shining bright on a Senate seat is no doubt something to be proud of as a son of politician parents. Senator JV expressed, “Tayo naman tahimik lang and I let my actions speak louder. But if I’m given the chance to talk and the situation calls for, you can count on me.” That’s pretty much true as revealed in recent public debates. The lawmaker is likewise concerned about the plight of overseas Filipino workers and ensured that they are covered by the UHC or Republic Act 11223. He related, “Kapag umuwi silaafter their tour of duty, they will be covered by the National Health Insurance Program. You just have to prove na Pilipino ka.” Apart from health, Senator JV is also a strong voice for youth and education. He has pushed for “higher subsidy in the budget of State Universities and Colleges.” His mantra goes like “Isang college graduate sa bawat pamilya.” For the record, he completed his Political Science degree at the De La Salle University. He is studied and seriously sees the work of a politician as beyond the statistical push of popularity. He may have been fortunate to be the son of a highly charismatic public ﬁgure, but Senator JV technically worked his way to the top not mainly banking on that badge. Yes, it did push him up, but it was merely destiny’s way to help ensure he gets to actually serve the people.

Maggie... From C4

“So far, our website has garnered over 500,000 page views and counting. For a startup company with minimal marketing, launching our website helped increase our brand awareness and reach more customers from the Philippines and in other countries,” Maggie added. What started as a concept during her Bali trip in October 2017 gave birth to a collaboration with Maggie’s friends, Parul Shah, and Janela Cuaton. “I told my husband Victor just how inspired I was with the beautiful architecture and interiors of hotels, shops, and restaurants in Bali. Around the same time, he had asked if I’d be interested in interior decorating four model units he was building for his new development. He suggested that I open up a store because I knew where to source and ﬁnd unique pieces, and he could see this was becoming my passion. Casa Consunji was a natural progression. When I invited Parul and Janela on a sourcing trip, both of them instantly fell in love with the concept.” By October 2018, Casa Consunji opened its doors with the unique concept of being a furniture shop café where design, retail, and food meet, “a place where one can take their own time browsing furniture pieces while having a cup of coffee or a smoothie bowl at the same time.” A second store was born when they decided to create a website using GoDaddy’s easy to use and affordable integrated suite of online tools. “Working with GoDaddy has been really great. Their Website Builder tool was easy to use to get started. My website looks professional, is easily viewable on mobile devices, and includes an online store. GoDaddy offers 24/7 customer care support, and that has been an amazing help for me along the way,” Maggie enthused. As GoDaddy’s brand ambassador, Maggie has come to represent empowered women in business. To other aspiring businesswomen, she has this advice to give: “There’s no other way to do it but to take that leap. Opening Casa Consunji was extremely daunting especially because I’m putting my family’s name and staking my reputation. But I’ve always been a YES kind of woman. I always say, if it scares you, do it. Business is all about taking calculated risks and doing your market research. Be open to critique and ideas especially from people with experience. Take a class if you need to. But always remember, you have to be the one to make the ﬁrst move.”

Entertainment

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

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019

NICKIE WANG

OUTH Africanborn Australian singer Troye Sivan literally lit up the entire Mall of Asia Arena on Labor Day with his killer voice, infectious energy, genuine charm, and star power that left everyone, including those who are not queer, in awe.

His penultimate song “Youth” and ﬁnal number “My My My” made the concert venue appear to be a big house party hosted by the 23-year-old gay icon. “I want to come back here as soon as possible. Is that cool?” he asked the audience before closing the show, “We have one more song. For this particular show, we have like four more minutes left together, maybe. I want to see every single person losing their minds, singing along as loudly as you possibly can. Can you do that for me, Manila?” And he was like that throughout the show, connecting with the audience not with a monologue but with a real conversation. He always asked the crowd to dance and sing along with him, starting each number with “are you ready?” At one point, he asked the audience in front how to say thank you in Filipino and read the tongue twister “nakakapagbabagabag” written on a bond paper held up by a fan in the VIP area. “I want to say that but promise me that it’s nothing rude. Sorry for my pronunciation.” he said, to which a loud fan shouted, “Mind-boggling!” “Oh, that’s sweet,” he retorted. Troye opened his show singing right in the middle of the venue wearing a red turtleneck, black trousers, and black jacket. How the staff was able to sneak him in to sing in the middle of the crowd was still a puzzle though. He sang the pop ballad “Seventeen,” culled from his criticallyacclaimed sophomore album Bloom, from which the tour is named after. He then proceeded to the stage and ofﬁcially kicked off his 17-song Manila show with chart-topping singles like “Plum,” “Heaven,” “Wild,” and “I’m So Tired.” Troye also delighted thousands of his Filipino fans with his worldwide hits “Postcard,” “What a Heavenly Way To Die,” “Dance to This,” and “Animal.” Born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1995, Troye was a celebrated child star in his adopted hometown of Perth, Australia. Home-schooled, he began singing and acting at a young age, but his biggest break came when

Gay icon and Youtube sensation Troye Sivan stages a one-night concert in Manila at the Mall of Asia Arena.

TROYE SIVAN

savin’ the best for last

The 23-year-old South African-born Australian singer performed 17 songs culled from his global hit albums 'Blue Neighborhood' and 'Bloom.'

“Dahil sa UHC, abot-kaya na ng bulsa ang medical services mula sa checkup, piling laboratory tests, hanggang sa papaospital dahil katuwang ang gobyerno sa pagpasan ng gastos,” said the reelectionist senator in a recent chat with the press. Ejercito, who assured that all Filipinos will be “automatic members of Philhealth under UHC,” has, as of this writing, authored 75 laws and 572 bills since getting elected in the Senate back in 2013. He was ﬁrst elected Mayor of San Juan City and served for three consecutive terms wherein his constituents beneﬁted from both his health and housing programs. The Polytechnic University of the Philippines-San Juan Campus, built during his term, has now produced more than 10,000 scholars. Continued on C3

Thousands of fans flocked to the MoA Arena to see Troye Sivan's 'The Bloom Tour' which is presented by MMI Live and Smart.

he appeared as a young Wolverine in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. As a child of the digital age, Troye launched his YouTube channel with videos of musical performances, originals, and cover songs and later began to upload weekly video blogs documenting the minutia of his teenage life in Perth which quickly garnered a loyal international audience. He also showcases his acting talents in the 2018 ﬁlm, Boy Erased, alongside award-winning stars Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe. His debut album, 2015’s Blue Neighbourhood,

introduced him to the pop mainstream, landing in the Billboard Top 10 with the singles “Wild” and “Youth.” Troye’s The Bloom Tour Manila concert was presented by MMI Live and Live Nation, together with Smart. *** A.k.a. Mr. Heathcare His father Erap is counted as an iconic action hero of Philippine cinema and was even acknowledged as President of and for the masses during his term in Malacanang. Yet, JV Ejercito, whether he was aware or not, did not allow his old man’s legacy and fame to overshadow his

NatGeo to air thriller drama ‘The Hot Zone’ NATIONAL Geographic’s six-part limited series The Hot Zone, inspired by the true events detailed in Richard Preston’s international best-seller of the same name, tackles the harrowing tale of a global crisis that never was. Starring Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actress Julianna Margulies as Nancy Jaax, the six-hour, edge-of-your-seat thriller will premiere in Asia on May 28 at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. (Hong Kong time), same day as the U.S.. The limited series is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios, Lynda Obst Productions and Scott Free Productions. Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson serve as showrunners and executive producers, with Jeff Vintar as a co-executive producer. Joining Margulies in the cast are Noah Emmerich, as

Julianna Margulies in NatGeo's 'The Hot Zone'

Jaax’s husband, Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Jaax, who does not hesitate to risk his life during the operation to contain the Ebola virus; Topher Grace as Dr. Peter Jahrling, a virologist for the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, who butts heads with Nancy Jaax over the best way to contain the virus; Liam Cunningham as Dr. Wade Carter, Nancy’s vital ally in the race to prevent the virus from spreading; James D’Arcy as Travis Rhodes, a Center for Disease Control official and Carter’s former assistant and current nemesis; and Paul James as Ben Gellis, a lab tech at the pathology lab in Virginia, assisting Nancy and Dr. Jahrling. The Hot Zone begins with a terrifying look back to 1980, when an unsuspecting doctor in Kenya examines a patient with symptoms unlike anything seen before. Flashing forward to 1989, a colony of primates has become sick at a research facility in Virginia, just over 30 kilometers from the US Capitol, and sample tissues are sent to Nancy Jaax (Margulies), a lieutenant colonel with USAMRIID, the US Army’s main facility for defensive research into countermeasures against biological warfare. Jaax’s instincts and experience tell her she is seeing something far worse than a run-of-the-mill primate infection. Despite the skepticism of her colleagues Dr. Peter Jahrling (Grace) and Col. Vernon Tucker (Wisdom), but with the support of her husband, Lt. Col. Jerry Jaax (Emmerich), a US Army veterinarian, and her mentor Dr. Wade Carter (Cunningham), she pushes forward to find the truth. Through Nancy’s perseverance, scientific testing reveals the dire truth of the situation, forcing the Army into action to contain an outbreak. The series also flashes back to the late 1970s to see how Dr. Carter and Travis Rhodes (D’Arcy) first tracked, studied and attempted to contain Ebola in Africa. But will the lessons they learned help stop this disease from hitting the human population? A dramatic, high-stakes scientific thriller with a courageous and determined heroine at its core, The Hot Zone brings true science and human drama together for a gripping tale that still resonates today.

personal worth in the eyes of the public. Since becoming a politician in 2001, he has carved his own path and himself transformed into a hero in his own right, earning the nickname “Mr. Healthcare” for championing the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act in the Senate which is “now approved on Third and Final Reading.” The landmark bill will essentially provide accessible and affordable health services for all Filipinos. That’s synonymous to saying that poor families will be unburdened from ﬁnancial difﬁculties paying for these services.

JV Ejercito

Maggie Wilson fuels business growth by taking on the online marketplace MAGGIE Wilson-Consunji is creating yet another positive mark in society by promoting women entrepreneurs as one of the founders of her home interiors business, Casa Consunji. After launching her physical storefront in Acacia Estates, Taguig City, Maggie, in partnership with GoDaddy, launched her website www.CasaConsunji.com. Built using GoDaddy Website Builder, including an online store, Maggie’s website is designed to reach more customers across the Philippines and beyond. Half of the winning pair of AXN’s The Amazing Race Asia Season 5, Maggie has been pursuing her passion project as co-founder of Casa Consunji. She was recently appointed as a GoDaddy Brand Ambassador as part of AXN’s Asian partnership w i t h G o D a d d y. AXN also collaborated w i t h GoDaddy

to conceptualize and produce two beautifully styled GoDaddy branded vignettes featuring Maggie—The Start Up and Power Your Passion—which were ﬁlmed on location at Casa Consunji— to encourage more entrepreneurs to take the step forward to establish their online presence with GoDaddy. Two months since the website’s launch, Maggie has already seen the impact of taking her business online. “Casa Consunji has experienced an increase of 30 percent in sales since we launched our online store with GoDaddy. We now receive customer orders from the Philippines, U.S., Singapore, U.A.E., and Canada,” shared Maggie. Continued on C3 From left: GoDaddy's senior marketing manager for Asia Tina Sheih, brand ambassador Maggie WilsonConsunji and director for International Communications Pam Portin.