Manila Standard - 2019 May 21 - Tuesday by Manila Standard

Sinking cities facing ‘slow-motion disaster’ VOL. XXXIII • NO. 96 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

CHAPEL IN WATERS.

This photo, taken on Jan. 11, shows a chapel amid encoraching bay waters in Sitio Pariahan in Bulacan, a strong argument that areas north of Manila like Bulacan and Pampanga have sunk four to six centimeters according to satellite monitoring a year since 2003, not helped any by an average 21 typhoons that hit the Philippines every year. AFP

WHEN Mary Ann San Jose moved to Sitio Pariahan more than two decades ago, she could walk to the local chapel. Today, reaching it requires a swim. The main culprit is catastrophic subsidence caused by groundwater being pumped out from below, often via unregulated wells for homes, factories, and farms catering to a booming population and growing economy. The steady sinking of coastal towns and islets like Pariahan in the northern Philippines has caused Manila Bay’s brackish water to pour inland and displace thousands, posing a greater threat than rising sea levels due to climate change. “It was so beautiful here before... Children were playing in the streets,” San Jose said, adding: “Now we always need to use a boat.” Most of the former residents have scattered to other parts of the region. Just a handful of families remain in Pariahan, which had its own elementary school, a basketball court and a Next page

Winners up for Comelec OK By Vito Barcelo

HE Commission on Elections will proclaim the winning party-list groups today while the new senators will also be announced later on the same day as there are still 1.6-million votes to be tallied that could affect the 11th and 12th place.

In 11th place is Bong Revilla with Binay is just ahead of Ejercito by 14,279,625, while in the 12th place is 90,000 votes, while Revilla is ahead of Nancy Binay with 14,065,071 and in the son of former President Joseph Esthe 13th position is JV Ejercito with trada by 296,472 votes. 13,983,153. In a press conference, Comelec Spokes-

person James Jimenez assured the public that the proclamation of national winners in the concluded 2019 midterm elections will happen on Tuesday. “It’s a pretty sure bet that we’ll have a proclamation tomorrow [Tuesday],” Jimenez said. The winning party-lists will be proclaimed in the morning, while the new senators will be named in the afternoon. Still being tallied were certificates of canvass from Isabela, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the US, and Nigeria with a total

of over 1.68-million votes. As of press time, the Comelec, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers, was still processing the remaining five COCs before winners can be proclaimed in the senatorial and party-list races. “I’d like to point out we are not the ones hurrying the proclamation. In fact, some people are complaining that we’re taking too much time,” Jimenez said. With 97 percent of the COCs canvassed, the Comelec said the turnout Next page

PLDT allays fears on US ban vs. Huawei By Darwin G. Amojelar US INTERNET giant Google, whose Android mobile operating system powers most of the world’s smartphones, said Sunday it was beginning to cut ties with China’s Huawei, which Washington considers a national security threat. In the midst of a trade war with Beijing, President Donald Trump has barred US companies from engaging in telecommunications trade with foreign companies said to threaten American national security. The measure targets Huawei, a Chinese telecoms giant in Washington’s sights that is listed by the Commerce Department among firms with which American companies can only engage in trade after obtaining the green light from the authorities. In Manila, PLDT Inc. assured its subscribers that their Huawei handsets would continue to function normally despite the recent trade ban of the United States government on Huawei products. The ban includes technology sharing. “We are complying with the order and reviewing the implications,” a Next page

#2019PHVOTE: SENATORIAL RACE Partial, official tally from the NBOC as of May 20 1. Cynthia Villar -

24,757,642

2. Grace Poe -

21,563,558

3. Bong Go -

20,223,738

4. Pia Cayetano -

19,390,096

5. Bato dela Rosa -

18,639,583

6. Sonny Angara -

17,786740

7. Lito Lapid -

16,587,742

8. Imee Marcos -

15,362,702

9. Francis Tolentino - 15,196,397

BACK TO THE GRIND. The House of Representatives resumes its session Monday after a long break, with outgoing and reelected

senators (inset) in the May 2013 midterm elections sharing light moments and memories during a lull in Monday’s session—the last eight days of the regular session of the 17th congress at the Senate in Pasay City. Ver Noveno/Ey Acasio

10. Kiko Pimentel -

14,395,957

11. Bong Revilla -

14,279,625

12. Nancy Binay -

14,065,071

13. JV Ejercito -

13,983,153

14. Bam Aquino -

13,895,154

27 local pols in win circle drug suspects; senator pushes inquiry By Macon Ramos-Araneta TWENTY-SEVEN winners in the midterm elections for local positions have links to the illegal drug trade, the Philippine National Police said Monday. These narco-politicians include may-

ors and governors, said PNP chief Oscar Albayalde, who said some of the winners came from Central Luzon and the Southern Tagalog region. Of the 37 politicians with alleged links to illegal drugs who sought local government posts, 27 won, he said.

Police are still investigating these politicians, he added. Senator Richard Gordon, an administration ally, called on the government to investigate these victories, following reports of massive vote buying. The investigation should involve the

Commission on Elections, the Anti-Money Laundering Council, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the National Bureau of Investigation and the PNP, he said. The AMLC, he said, should examine large-scale withdrawals from banks just Next page

‘Like GMA, next Speaker should be workaholic’ By Maricel V. Cruz THE next Speaker of the House should emulate the example set by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who worked round the clock to ensure the passage of the President’s priority bills, a senior House official said Monday. “I hope the next speaker we pick as the leader of our Congress will be as industrious as Speaker Arroyo,” said Senior Deputy Majority Leader Rodante Marcoleta, a partylist legislator. “It may be difficult to duplicate Speaker Arroyo’s feat in the legislative mill, but we need a similar

leader… to ensure the enactment into laws the President’s reform agenda.” “It may be too early to discuss the race for the next Speaker but we, the incumbents, have the duty to remind incoming congressmen, particularly the freshmen, of the need to select a House leader worthy of the job,” he added. Going by Marcoleta’s statement, another lawmaker said the deputy majority leader’s description of the next Speaker fits Representativeelect Martin Romualdez of Leyte. The legislator, who requested anonymity because he did not want to displease at least four other

congressmen who are eyeing the speakership, said Romualdez is a hard worker who can push the President’s legislative agenda forward. Marcoleta said he and his fellow legislators in the Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc. were having a discussion on the issue and all agreed to back a House leader who is known for supporting advocacies for social reforms. “We, in the PCFI, have various advocacies. We need the next speaker who will help us push for the passage of laws related to these advocacies,” he said. Next page

CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES.

Incoming Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez (right) discusses with outgoing Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ideas, perceptions and insights regarding constitutional concerns affecting the public interest. Ver Noveno

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Senators agree on status quo By Macon Ramos-Araneta

T WILL be a status quo in the Senate leadership in the 18th Congress, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Monday after emerging from the Senate’s caucus before the start of the session following Congress’ break due to the midterm elections. Sotto said the senators agreed to retain him in his position despite the entry of three neophyte senators―former presidential aide Christopher Go, former PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa and former presidential consultant Francis Tolentino. In other developments: * Voting 17-0, the Senate approved on Monday a bill allowing Filipino employees to render services with a shorter workweek arrangement. Filed by Senator Joel Villanueva, the proposed measure allows employees to opt out of the usual eight-hour, fivedays-a-week schedule. Specifically, employees may prefer to work for fewer days in a week but with longer hours, provided they meet the required workweek load of 40 hours. * Senate Majority leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said despite being certified “urgent” by President Rodrigo Duterte, the sin tax tax bill to increase tobacco

taxes to finance the government’s Universal Health Care program is dead in the Senate. He said the proposed measure that would address the P62-billion funding gap for the first year of the UHC implementation will be tackled but will not be passed before the 17th Congress adjourns. In a separate interview, Sotto dismissed the sin tax bill was “good as dead.” On the workweek bill, employees may choose to enter into an agreement with the employers as long as it is a “mutually agreed voluntary work arrangement.” The measure, however, upholds the 48-hour work limit per week. Even with the a mutually agreed work schedule, employees will still be entitled to existing company benefits, Villanueva said in the measure. The bill is set for submission to the Office of the President for signing

into law. Sotto told reporters that the three new senators, known close allies of Duterte, wanted him to retain the leadership of the upper chamber. This information was given to him by Senator Manny Pacquiao. With this, he said, Zubiri and Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto will remain in their present positions. He also said nobody among the senators had expressed willingness to succeed him. Senator Panfilo Lacson earlier said there was no basis to replace Sotto as they were satisfied with his leadership. Meanwhile, Sotto said that while Recto was his personal choice to succeed Senator Loren Legarda as Senate Finance Committee chairman, Recto wanted to keep his current position. Legarda’s term will expire on June 30. She will assume the governorship of Antique after a landslide victory over her opponent. Sotto said he also preferred Lacson to head the Finance committee, but he had his reservation. “So our next choice, and I think it is a majority choice, is Senator Sonny Angara.” He said Angara, who won a fresh mandate in the midterm elections, will

let go of his chairmanship of the committees on ways and means and local government. Asked who would take over Angara’s post, Sotto said they still had to wait for the decision of the majority. But he said Lacson might replace “graduating” Senator Gringo Honasan as chairman of the Senate defense committee. He also said due to his “malasakit center,” Go wanted to head the Health and Demography committee led by Senator JV Ejercito who failed to make it to the Magic 12 based on the unofficial and partial count of the Comelec. Recto said he expected the “majority of 20 senators” to back Sotto’s leadership. He said even the incoming senators aired their support to the present leadership. “I don’t expect any changes,” said Recto, who was present in a dinner hosted over the weekend along with Go, Dela Rosa, Tolentino, Ramon Revilla Jr., Senators Koko Pimentel, Manny Pacquiao and Zubiri. Recto said no other names were floated as a possible replacement of Sotto. He also said there was nothing to be discussed about that because “we only have one leadership right now.”

Rody can keep Ex-MRT chief gets reprieve to quash graft raps mum on his health—DOJ By Maricel V. Cruz

By Rey E. Requejo JUSTICE Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Monday President Rodrigo Duterte is not compelled to reveal to the public the state of his health. He made the statement amid the growing calls for |Duterte to make public the state of his health and the persistent reports he is seriously ill. Meanwhile, the Palace said Monday the rumors about President Duterte’s health are not a “serious matter” and maintained that the Chief Executive had spent his five-day absence from the public eye to focus on his duties privately. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo told reporters he called Duterte on Sunday to inform him about the speculations on his health. He said Duterte would reveal the state of his health if it was a serious cause for public concern. He denied that Duterte was rushed to a private hospital on Sunday and said the President was only out of the public eye for a week to finish signing papers. Guevarra said that while the 1987 Constitution required the President to divulge any serious sickness, it only applied to cases when the President was no longer capable of performing his official functions. “The Constitution requires the President to divulge any serious illness on his part. If the illness is not serious enough to affect the discharge of his official functions, the President has no duty to inform anyone,” Guevarra said. He said that, since Duterte was not seriously ill and remained capable of performing his functions, the status of his health was still covered by his right to privacy. “Like any citizen, the President enjoys the right to privacy under the Constitution,” Guevarra said. He made the statement after rumors circulated online on Sunday that the President suffered a stroke and was rushed to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center. The Palace rejected the reports and released photos of the President with his former special assistant and presumptive senator Bong Go while in Bahay Pagbabago inside Malacañang. Guevarra said the sources of the rumors as well as those who were spreading them could not be held liable under the law. “During martial law era, there was a presidential decree that criminalized rumor-mongering, but it was already repealed,” Guevarra said. He said the absence of such law only proves the difference between the Duterte administration and the dictatorship during the martial law era. He said the rumors on the health of President Duterte were “political propaganda” that should not be dignified. Duterte’s week-long absence from the public eye had triggered fresh speculation about his health. Rumors swirled Sunday that Duterte was confined at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan, the same hospital where the President underwent an endoscopy last year. With Nat Mariano and PNA

THE Sandiganbayan has allowed the motion for leave of court to file demurrer to evidence of former Metro Rail Transit Line 3 general manager Al Vitangcol III in connection with the alleged irregularities of the interim maintenance of the MRT3. The anti-graft court’s Sixth Division resolved on May 17 to give Vitangcol 10 days to supplement or amend the demurrer attached in the motion. It also granted then-PH Trams incor-

27 local pols... From A1 before the elections and see if these tied in with the massive vote buying he said occurred. Gordon expressed concern that areas in which the narco-politicians won are conducing to drug smuggling and could become a base of operation for international drug cartels. Gordon also said some narco-politicians fielded family members to various positions to ensure protection from harassment.

PLDT... From A1 Google spokesperson said. The move could have dramatic implications since Google, like all tech companies, must collaborate with smart phone makers to ensure its systems are compatible with their devices. Google will have to halt business activities with Huawei that involve transfer of hardware, software and technical services that are not publicly available—meaning Huawei will only be able to use the open source version of Android, a source close to the matter told the Agence France-Presse. Huawei will no longer have access to

‘Like GMA,... From A1 “The 17th Congress has been supportive of the President’s reform agenda and we expect the speaker of the 18th Congress to work with us, possibly round the clock, to make the President’s vision for the country a reality,” he added. Marcoleta said party-list legislators also expect the next House leader to emulate Speaker Arroyo’s sense of fair-

Sinking cities... From A1 chapel before the water flowed in. These days just the flooded chapel, a cluster of shacks on bamboo stilts where San Jose lives with her family, and a few homes on a bump of land remain. The children that live there commute 20 minutes by boat to a school inland and most of the residents eke out a living by fishing. The provinces of Pampanga and Bulacan—where Pariahan is located— have sunk between four and six centimetres (1.5-2.4 inches) annually since 2003, according to satellite monitoring.

LRT-2 collision isolated case; system safe THE LRT-2 is safe, its management said Monday and described as “isolated” the collision of two coaches that injured 34 people on Saturday. One of the trains encountered a problem in its power supply on Saturday afternoon and was transferred to an emergency parking area between the Anonas and Katipunan stations. Hours later, the unmanned train started moving on its own and wound up on the eastbound track, where it crashed into another train. The Transport department said LRT Line 2 was a safe mode of transportation despite the collision of two trains between Cubao and Anonas on Saturday. “The collision was an isolated incident,” the department said in a statement. President Rodrigo Duterte is awaiting the results of the investigation into the collision of the two trains, the Palace said Monday. “Of course, the President is concerned, that’s why he’s waiting for the result of the investigation. The whys and the wherefores of the accident,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo told reporters. THE Lawyers for Commuter Safety and Protection on Monday said those hurt in the collision of the two trains may file a case against the Light Rail Transit Authority. Ariel Inton, the group’s founding president, said “I don’t believe they [the victims] could not file a case as a remedy. What assistance could they get if they do not?” The incident was a first in the LRT 2’s 15-year operation, said the railway management’s spokesman Hernando Cabrera. “This is an isolated incident. Generally, our trains are safe, our system is also safe,” Cabrera told ABS-CBN News. The LRT Authority was investigating if the unmanned train’s brakes were disengaged accidentally, and was determining its speed during the crash and the incline of the train tracks in the area, he said. “As Secretary [Arthur] Tugade said, this is a very serious issue. This involves the safety of our passengers. This should be investigated so we could know the truth about what happened with the train that moved on its own.” Cabrera also said the manned train could not not have moved backwards because it would have hit another train. It would also have been dangerous to unload the passengers while the unmanned train was barreling toward them. Darwin G. Amojelar, Nat Mariano and Rio N. Araja

porator Wilson de Vera’s same motion. Vitangcol and De Vera sought the outright dismissal of their graft charges due to weak evidence, but they are still allowed to submit defense evidence during the trial should the court denies the demurrer. Vitangcol, faces two counts of graft and one count of violation of the Procurement Law in connection with the allegedly anomalous PH Trams maintenance contract. The MRT maintenance contract awarded to PH Trams and its joint venture Comm Builders and Technology Philip-

pines Corp. (CB&T) in October 2012. The Sandiganbayan said: “The motions for leave to file demurrer in this case were filed not for the purpose of delaying the proceedings but appears to be based on accused’s sincere belief that the prosecution’s evidence failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that they are guilty.” Vitangcol faces a separate case at the Sandiganbayan owing to his alleged attempt to extort $30 million from representatives of the Czech firm Inekon Group.

They also forged alliances with local candidates who were also just as desperate to win to protect their graft and corrupt practices, he added. In the case of Zambales, a province with a 272 kilometer coastline which is right next to Scarborough Shoal and near China where lots of smuggled drugs originate, there was rampant vote buying from Subic to Sta. Cruz and Olongapo City, Gordon said. The Khonghuns, who were among those named by the President as narco-politicians, engaged in massive vote buying in Zambales to ensure their victory, bagging four positions,

Gordon said. “It is obviously an attempt by the narco-politicians to save themselves by getting positions. They now hold sway over these areas. Now, these people have proven that with just money, they can win, they can buy the Comelec, they can buy votes,” the senator said. “I have never seen anything like it in my life, and I blew the whistle on it, four days before the elections. It is dangerous for us now because Zambales is a coastline province right next to Scarborough Shoal. It would be so easy to bring in drugs,” he said.

Google’s proprietary apps and services, such as the Gmail e-mail service. Huawei did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Huawei is a rapidly expanding leader in 5G technology but remains dependent on foreign suppliers. It buys about $67 billion worth of components each year, including about $11 billion from US suppliers, according to The Nikkei business daily. Huawei is the target of an intense campaign by Washington, which has been trying to persuade allies not to allow China a role in building next-generation 5G mobile networks. US government agencies are already banned from buying equipment from Huawei. Huawei founder and CEO Ren

Zhengfei said Saturday that “We have not done anything which violates the law,” adding the US measures would have a limited impact. “PLDT and Smart will work closely with Huawei in addressing concerns regarding future firmware and software updates for phones, pocket Wi-Fi units, and other devices,” the company said in a statement. The US Department of Commerce last week barred Huawei from the US market and included it to a list which would restrict US sales to the Chinese company due to an escalating trade war with Beijing. In a statement, Huawei said it “is against the decision made by the Bureau of Industry and Security of the US Department of Commerce.” With AFP

ness and equity in dealing with their fellow congressmen. “Under her watch, party-list congressmen were given the opportunity to lead and help steer the enactment of our pet bills into laws,” Marcoleta said. In just seven months since Arroyo assumed the speakership, the House has approved all legislative measures on President Rodrigo Duterte’s legislative agenda. The House under Arroyo, in total, processed 1,361 bills, approved 492 meas-

ures of which 95 have been passed into law. In December alone, 39 bills were ready for the President’s signature; 27 with ratified bicameral reports; 25 in the bicameral conference committee; 22 approved on second reading and 38 resolutions approved. “We have processed an average of 33 measures a day. We hope the work ethic of Speaker Arroyo will rub [off] on her successor so we can all help realize the President’s vision for the country,” Marcoleta said.

in the 2019 midterm elections was 75 percent. This was lower than 2016’s turnout of 81.95 percent because participation is traditionally higher in a presidential election. COMELEC data showed that there were more than 61 million registered voters in 2019, 3 million more than the 58 million registered voters in the May 2016 elections. The poll watchdog National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections called for a congressional investigation into technical glitches that beset the elections, saying the Comelec should be held accountable for the preventable problems. Also on Monday, Ejercito said he would not concede defeat until the Comelec had finished counting all the votes. Asked if he would contest the vote, Ejercito said it was not in his personality to be obstructionist. “Whatever would be good, even if I have to sacrifice my own career. They just need to explain the seven-hour glitch [in the transmission of election results],” Ejercito said. With Macon Ramos-Araneta

“It’s really a disaster that is already height of door knobs on roadside buildings. At least 5,000 people have been happening... It’s a slow-onset disaster,” explained Narod Eco, who is part of a forced out of the mostly rural coastal argroup of scientists tracking the problem. eas north of Manila in recent decades as the bay water has moved further inland, Threat to lives regional disaster officials told AFP. By comparison, the UN estimates The sinking is very likely permanent average sea level rise globally is about because the ground in the hardest hit arthree millimetres per year. eas is mostly clay, which sticks together The creeping bay waters put people after the water is pulled out. and property at risk, while the threat is The fate of towns such as Pariahan amplified by high-tides and flooding provides a preview of the problems that brought by the roughly 20 storms that may await some of the capital’s 13 milpound the archipelago every year. lion people. Some areas have raised roads in an efSections of Manila along the shore fort to keep up with the sinking, creating of the bay are sinking too, with excess odd scenes where the street surface is at the groundwater pumping being the most

likely cause, Eco, the researcher, told AFP. The subsidence there though is at a slower rate than the northern coastal communities, potentially due to less pumping or differences in the soil, he added. A moratorium on new wells in the greater Manila area has been in place since 2004. But enforcing that ban as well as shuttering existing illegal wells, falls to the National Water Resource Board and its roughly 100 staffers who are responsible for policing the whole country. “We have insufficient manpower resources,” the board’s director Sevillo David told AFP. “It’s a very big challenge for us, but I think we are doing the best we can.” AFP

Winners... From A1

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Teachers slam DepEd’s Brigada Eskwela By Rio N. Araja TEACHERS belonging to the Alliance of Concerned Teachers Philippines on Monday slammed the Department of Education’s Brigada Eskwela as “a great burden and challenge” to them. In a statement, Joselyn Martinez, ACTS national president, said under the program, teachers “were pressed to raise funds and mobilize people for the maintenance works needed in preparation for the school opening in June.’’ “The teachers know very well the importance of having a conducive environment so that there will be an effective learning process in the classroom. Making this the teachers’ burden, however, is unfair,” she said. “They are even pressed to solicit for [sic] financial and material support which lay them vulnerable against criticisms and allegations of corruption,” she lamented. ACT Philippines said Brigada Eskwela “can never and will never effect qualitative improvement in the school’s learning environment,” adding it is just “a band-aid solution to (the) degenerating basic public education.” On Monday, teachers, students and parents trooped to public schools nationwide for the first day of Brigada Eskwela, also known as the National Schools Maintenance Week to help ensure that public schools were ecologically conscious, resilient, clean, safe and conducive to learning. “The concept of ‘bayanihan’ to promote community appreciation and sense of responsibility toward education could have been good if it is not depended on as the alternative to fill in the gaps which the government refuses to address,” Martinez said. With Joel Zurbano

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

BI urged to work with Pagcor to lace illegal foreign workers By Julito G. Rada and Macon Ramos-Araneta

INANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III urged the Bureau of Immigration to work closely with the state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and law enforcement agencies in weeding out illegal foreign workers in the country.

The Department of Labor and Employment reported last week that it had initially uncovered some 12,000 foreign nationals without the necessary work permits employed in various establishments, most of them Philippine online gaming operators. In a recent meeting with members of the interagency task force created to monitor and list down the number of foreign nationals working for POGOs, Dominguez learned from DoLE that out of 148 establishments employing around 37,000 workers inspected so far, 12,000 foreign nationals in 33 POGOs lacked the necessary permits

from the immigration and the labor department. In a related development: • To ensure the primordial protection and promotion of interests of the ordinary Filipino worker, Senator Win Gatchalian has ﬁled a bill to amend to Republic Act 8182, or the Ofﬁcial Development Assistance law, to require foreign bidders and contract awardees to hire local workers for manual and non-technical jobs. Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, noted that ordinary Filipino workers are deprived of the opportunity to work and

partake in the beneﬁts of the loans that Filipino taxpayers will be paying for under the existing ODA law. Senate Bill 2223 seeks to remedy this by requiring foreign bidders or contract awardees coming from ODA donor countries to employ or hire Filipino workers to perform manual, non-technical, or other analogous labor in carrying out these development projects. He said SBN 2223 in fact embeds in the ODA law the Bureau of Immigration’s supplemental guidelines for special and provisional work permits for foreign nationals, as enumerated in BI’s Operations Order No. JHM-2019-002 issued on Jan. 30, 2019. DoLE’s Bureau of Local Employment Director Dominique Tutay also reported during the same meeting that DoLE found 20 POGOs were not in PAGCOR’s list of registered service providers. Tutay said her report only covered the ﬁrst two batches of establishments inspected. The next batch will cover the special economic zones and even dining places employing foreign nationals.

5 youth groups petition Comelec to block Cardema’s bid By Vito Barcelo FIVE youth groups on Monday ﬁled a petition before the Commission on Elections to block National Youth Commission chairperson Ronald Cardema’s bid to replace a nominee of Duterte Youth party-list which clinched a congressional seat in the May 13 midterm elections. In the petition, the groups, led by The National Union of Students of the Philippines, College Editors Guild of the Philippines, Youth Act Now Against Tyranny, UP System, Tindig-University of Santo Tomas Senior High School and Kontra Daya also asked the poll body to junk the 11th hour withdrawal of Duterte Youth party-list’s three nominees for alleged violation of election and

Comelec rules. Comelec spokesperson said the poll en banc had yet to approve Cardema’s bid to be the substitute nominee for the Duterte Youth party-list, saying there are issues being discussed, such as the age and the timing of the withdrawal. Jimenez said Cardema’s qualiﬁcation, including his possibly being too old for the position, was something for the commission en banc to consider. “Cardema’s substitution bid, as well as the attempt of the three nominees of Duterte Youth party-list on May 12, or one day before the midterm elections, is a blatant mockery of law and regulation and the mandate of the Comelec because Cardema—at 33—is unqualiﬁed to be a party-list representative for the youth since the party-list requires that a youth

sector representative must be aged 25 to 30 years old,” according to the petitioners. Duterte Youth’s original nominees are Ducielle Marie Suarez, Joseph M. de Guzman and Benilda C. de Guzman and two others. However on May 12, a day before the May 13 elections, all five nominees of the group filed their notices of withdrawal and simultaneous with Cardema’s substitution as the party-list nominee. “Cardema and his cohorts in Duterte Youth Party-List sought to game the partylist elections from the beginning. A review of relevant laws on the qualifications of party-list nominees representing the youth sector would show that substitute nominee Cardema has no qualification to be a nominee, particularly by reason of his age,” the petitioners said. With Nat Mariano

Malacañang supports MoU between PH, Kuwait By Nat Mariano MALACAÑANG said on Monday it supported the call to review the memorandum of understanding between the Philippines and Kuwait following the recent death of an overseas Filipino worker in the Gulf State. In a Palace press brieﬁng, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said there was a need to review the agreement, aimed at protecting the welfare of migrant workers, with the Kuwaiti government. “I think we should because according to [Labor] Secretary Bello [III] there has been a breach in the agreement signed by the two countries,” Panelo told Palace reporters. Panelo made the remark after the Migrante-Philippines demanded a review of the MOU. According to the labor group, the brutal death of Constancia Lago Dayag at the hands of her employer in Kuwait last week prompted the appeal. “The incident just proves that the [MoU] between Kuwait and the Philippines is useless [in protecting overseas Filipino workers],” MigrantePhilippines said in a statement. “It only regularized the cheap export of our female workers to Kuwait.” Last year, the Philippine government imposed a ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait after several death reports and abuse cases reached Manila. Triggered by the death of Joanna Demafelis, whose body was found in a freezer of her employer’s home, President Rodrigo Duterte then ordered the deployment restriction. However, the said ban was lifted after the two countries signed a deal to better protect Filipino migrant workers in the Arab country. The said MoU, which was divided into six articles, discusses the responsibilities of each country in ensuring that OFWs in Kuwait are provided with basic human and labor rights.

Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Members of the House of Representatives mourn the passing of a former colleague

HONORABLE JOSE JOEL G. VIRADOR Representative, BAYAN MUNA Party-list 12th and 13th Congress (2003-2007) on 7 May 2019 at the age of 52. A memorial service in his honor will be held at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, 22 May 2019, after the 9:00 a.m. Requiem Mass at the Plenary Hall. We request the pious readers to pray for the eternal repose of his soul.

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Back to two parties IF THERE is one significant aspect to the 2019 midterm elections, it is the fact that the Senate has become a popularity contest. Voters also cannot distinguish what one candidate stands for from what the opponent advocates. The fact that the Otso Diretso candidates all lost in the senatorial race attests to the reality that our kind of elections has gone to the dogs. Look how Lito Lapid easily won without any radio and television commercials. When Lapid was a senator, he confessed that he did not know what was happening at the Senate sessions. He could not interpellate, much more engage in debate. He was a non-performing senator, and yet he is back!

We should also abolish that anomaly, the party-list system.

can It’s worse at the local level. Some candidates in President Duterte’s narco-list won. The worst thing that has happened to Filipino voters is that the main consideration they have in mind is that some candidates running for mayor, governor and congressman are easy to approach in times of need. It does not matter of they are corrupt or are drug lords. The bastardization of the party-list system is the best proof of the need to return to the two-party system, like the Nacionalista and the Liberal Party. This is so voters can choose wisely. The worst anomaly in the 1987 Constitution was the adoption of this system. Records showed it was a copy of the German Constitution, based on a parliamentary system of government. But here the

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

parliamentarians lost by one vote. History also tells us that Cory Aquino wanted a party-list system so she could accommodate friends of her late husband from the communist movement. This is why so-called militant groups became fronts of the communist movement and included themselves in the parliamentary struggle. And there are so many of them! Two things must be done to enable voters to choose the better candidate. One is to return to the two-party system. The second is to abolish the party-list system. *** The big question for the newly elected senators is this: Can the Senate ever be independent? This is with the President’s favorite candidates Bong Go, Bato dela Rosa and Francis Tolentino being part of the winning circle. I think the Senate has always been an independent institution and it should remain so. That is the challenge now. Despite the fact that there will only be four oppositionists, I am confident the Senate can still be independent. Once a senator gets elected, he or she should have in mind the greater good for the greatest number. He or she will swear to defend and protect the Constitution, no matter who is president. Will Bong Go continue to be an alalay of Duterte? Will Bato be dictated on by the President? Will Tolentino perform his duties according to conscience? *** Now that President Duterte has a clear majority in the Senate, will the Upper Chamber say yes to all his priority bills? The passage of the Death Penalty Law, for instance, is so controversial that seven out of 10 Filipinos reject it. Catholic bishops will surely oppose this measure. There is no empirical proof that this would stop criminals from doing their worst. *** The next thing after the elections is this: Who will be the next Speaker of the House? Rep. Gloria Arroyo is outgoing. There have been many names—former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, Lord Alan Velasco and Martin Romualdez. I don’t think anybody can match the credentials of Romualdez, who is also

Youth’s folly NATION pins its hopes on the youth, so goes an adage. But it may be argued that there is an exception to every rule. forthwith and turn over all official papers, documents, and properties in his possession to the Office of the President," he said. We would take the matter one step further and urge the Commission on Elections to junk the 33-year-old Cardema’s petition if only for his glaring failure to meet the requirement of the youth sector representative being no more than 30 years old on the day of the elections. What was this not-so-young man thinking? Cardema had been in the news in February after urging the President to issue an executive order removing the government scholarships of students critical of the government. In a statement, Cardema “reminded” the scholars that “the Filipino people formed the government to govern, to regulate, to discipline, to collect taxes and to allocate the Fili-

The erstwhile head of the National Youth Commission, Ronald Cardema, is a sterling example what we do not hope the youth to be. The Palace on Sunday said it deemed Cardema resigned from his post after he had filed a petition with the Commission on Elections to substitute for his wife in being first nominee for the party-list group Duterte Youth. We don’t usually agree with Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo, but on this we do: "Regardless of the outcome, we deem that Mr. Cardema has already abandoned his present position because his act of filing the petition absolutely reflects his intention to relinquish his office and exposes his desire to serve the government in a different capacity," he said. "The Palace therefore requires Mr. Cardema to vacate his office

pino people’s funds into government scholarships and programs. Fighting the government means fighting the majority of the Filipino people and also not fulfilling their roles as the expected breadwinners who will uplift their families and as our hope in strengthening our country.” He only qualified his statement when he received flak from the Palace and lawmakers alike. The Palace is correct to order Cardema to leave as soon as possible; such brazenness, opportunism and a sense of entitlement do little to advance the cause of the NYC and the “marginalized” group he seeks to represent in Congress. Cardema does a disservice to the millions of young Filipinos who love their country deeply, who find a way to contribute to their causes, who speak out against injustice, and who ignored the oppressive heat in last Monday’s election just to cast their votes. May his ilk never prosper.

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Election heartbreaks and joyful surprises IN MY last column, I described the election results as mixed: “Heartbreaking losses but exhilarating victories, too.” For sure, I grieve that none of the Otso candidates might win, and especially that Bam Aquino, a really good senator that should be reelected, might not be in the winner’s circle. I am disappointed that my colleagues Chel Diokno and Pilo Hilbay, fellow law professors and human rights advocates, nor Samira Gutoc and Erin Tañada, who would have been fresh voices in the Senate, did not even enter the top 16 candidates. I am very unhappy that Neri Colmenares has less now votes than in 2016, or Kabataan got less votes than Duterte Youth even as I think Sarah Elago, one of the best legislators I have ever seen, will be reelected, or that Akbayan might not even have a seat in the 18th Congress. I hope that the young leaders of Akbayan would be able to rebuild this great party, learning the lessons from its being part of the Aquino administration and why it did not result in a stronger political party. I am heartbroken also that people I wanted to win lost in these elections: Butch Abad in Batanes, Ted Baguilat in Ifugao, Jun Evasco in Bohol, John Fariñas in Laoag, and my brother Pompee in Cagayan de Oro. Like many others, I condemn the Comelec for the incompetence with which it has managed these elections. I do not know if widespread cheating happened but for sure the election day glitches, and especially the seven-hour transmission delay in the transparency server of the senatorial and party-list votes on election night, are unacceptable and has tainted the credibility of the elections. I support dumping the current automation technology and for considering restoring counting of votes at the precinct level while still using automation as the technology for canvassing votes. But while unhappy at some of the results and at the conduct of the 2019 elections, good things happened, too. Above all, there are the great victories of Kaka Bag-ao against the Ecleos in

Dinagat Islands, Vico Sotto against the Eusebios in Pasig, and of course Isko Moreno and Francis Zamora against the Estradas in Manila and San Juan. From these and other places where political dynasties were toppled, we can now discern a pattern and template against the terrible curse political families have inflicted in this country: above all, good alternatives must come forward to contest electoral positions. I am hopeful particularly of Kaka, Isko, and Vico. I know them to be the real thing—that is they are as advertised: committed to the poor, to good governance, to modernizing our politics, and to doing the right thing. But it does not mean that their electoral victories will right away result

I am actually hopeful for what lies ahead for the country. les in success in governance. There are lessons they must learn from the experiences of Among Ed Panlilio of Pampanga and Grace Padaca of Isabela, both of whom won against entrenched clans but were unable to govern effectively and subsequently lost in the next elections. The victories of these reformers will have an impact on national governance, including the likelihood of their eventually seeking national office. But first they must govern well the local government units they now head. They must bring in the best staff, find ways to bring into their fold the bureaucrats of their local governments, and engage civil society in their localities. Noteworthy also is the victory of Otol Odi, as mayor of Rizal, Palawan and Nancy Catamco of North Cotabato. Both belong to indigenous peoples in their areas and their campaigns also provide a template for native peoples to take control of their territories. On a personal note, I know many other great wins at the local level. There is Jason Joyce of Jose Abad Santos in Davao Occidental who I invested in with a scholarship in the Ateneo School of Government years Turn to A5

Tsinoys speak up on China issues ‘We are Filipinos even if our ancestors are Chinese.’ HOW does the Filipino-Chinese community view our enhanced economic cooperation with China? George Siy, a prominent businessman and chairman of the Trade and Industry cluster of the Federation of FilipinoChinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII), believes that “we are in a very unusual situation because our economic growth today is the fastest compared to the past five to six decades in our history. Interest rates are at the lowest levels than they have ever been.” He asked: “What should we do to take advantage of this situation? How can ordinary Filipinos benefit from our economic growth?” Siy, a graduate of the Wharton School

of Business of the University of Penn Pennsylvania, told media during our Saturday Forum@Annabel’s a week ago that the federation conducts trainings, creates access to jobs and livelihood opportunities, helps government in crafting legislation that would promote economic growth, and even assists in facilitating loan agreements if asked. “We are Filipinos even if our ancestors are Chinese. When we go abroad, we try to promote the country and protect the country as well.” Siy noted that while the US has asked its allies in Europe not to buy Chinese goods, Germany, Great Britain and Italy have said they would still buy from Chi-

na. “This is not really a trade war but a war for supremacy for the next genera generation of technology. These countries are making independent decisions and we should do so as well.” “Our trade with China is booming. They are buying many of our fruits. We have more than doubled the volume in the last two years. But we are not producing enough so we must encourage more people to invest in agriculture. While other countries have increased their trade with China from five to 10 times and earning billions of dollars from their exports, we are exporting just one-third or less of that,” Siy pointed out. The Tsinoy businessman said that with more Chinese tourists coming to the Philippines, then “we must build more tourism infrastructure. A hotel takes at least three years to build, for instance. But if we keep on attacking China in the newspapers every day, then our efforts will all go to waste.” Amid news reports of Chinese-only Turn to A5

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

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Opinion The week after AS OF last Friday evening, based on 88 percent of the certificates of canvass, the partial but official Comelec count confirms the total shutout of the Otso sa Nitso slate. The list of winning senatorial candidates corresponds 100 percent to the virtually completed unofficial count, as well as to the latest pre-election surveys conducted by both major survey groups. This full correspondence ought to seal the integrity of the election process at least for the senatorial posts. But for other races, we have a right to be less sanguine. The usual charges of Comelec-sponsored irregularities have again come up. And everywhere, the bane of vote buying recurred to a reportedly unprecedented degree. Clearly, much remains to be done in the area of electoral reform. In the proposed Bayanihan federal constitution, Comelec’s grassroots presence will be strengthened in every region in order to improve what should be its only job of running elections. But it will be stripped of its quasi-judicial powers, which will ultimately reside in a new Electoral High Court. And in the area of voter reeducation away from vote-selling, the core reform proposition is to strengthen political parties, e.g. by restricting partyswitching, retaining term limits and banning dynasties, subjecting campaign finances to COA audit, introducing the practice of proportional representation into both national and regional legislatures—perhaps even shifting to a parliamentary system that will force parties in Congress to step up to the plate as wielders of both legislative and executive authority. These are all ideas worth considering, once we abandon our fixation on individual politicians as being the instruments of our salvation. *** The complete ignominy suffered by the Otso sa Nitso crowd can be blamed on at least two reasons. One, they were foolish enough to make a widely popular President their only issue, instead of presenting themselves as a “critical but collaborative opposition,” which is what some victorious independents did. And two, they again ran on the usual yellow agenda, whose credibility has

slid as precipitately as Duterte’s has risen. In defeat, they are now either blaming electoral irregularities—despite the above noted full correspondence of senatorial victories from all sources—or else insulting voters as “bobo.” This is symptomatic of the arrogance and lawlessness that lies at the heart of yellow thinking—no different from PNoy’s threat during the 2010 campaign that he would relaunch people power if he lost. A widely circulated post from a former Jesuit priest lamented the senatorial outcome: “This is not who the Filipinos truly are.” Well. Perhaps he should share with us who he thinks were the millions of voters who turned down his slate. If we weren’t true Filipinos just because we disagreed with him, then what were we?

Call it a win-win for everybody.

many young new faces, especially in local government elections. Emblematic, again from the Manila mayoral race, was former movie actor Isko Moreno, joined by the new mayors of Taguig, Pateros, San Juan, Quezon City—just in the National Capital Region alone. As young local executives start taking the reins over, they deserve to have a career track upward on the executive— not legislative--side of politics, through the creation of 18 new regions and regional governorships for them to aspire to. A third change was the diminution of the leftist party-listers, whose support shrank by comparison to the 2016 and earlier elections. With the diminution of its yellow allies, the Akbayan party-list for the first time didn’t even make it. In the case of the hard-left groups comprising the NDF, this may be the key message from the elections for them: You have to give up either the armed struggle or the parliamentary struggle, but you can’t have both. It’s become clear to our people how disastrous it has been to the country for armed rebels to also enjoy the privileges and protections provided by comrades sitting in Congress. *** Today’s reading (Acts 14: 19-28) opens in the city of Lystra with the stoning of Paul by a crowd of irate Jews. Left for dead, Paul picks himself up and, together with his faithful companion Barnabas, continues his evangelizing in city after city of antiquity: Derbe, Iconium, Antioch, Pisidia, Pamphylia, Perga, Attalia. What accounts for the stubbornness of Paul and the other apostles? In the Gospel (John 14: 27-31), Jesus in His discourses during the Last Supper admonishes His disciples: “…The world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me. Get up, let us go.” The marching orders were pretty clear. Today also marks the martyrdom of St. Christopher Magallanes and some two dozen companions who were shot or hanged during an uprising against the anti-Catholic Mexican government in the 1920’s. That’s real stubbornness. And if any government systematically persecutes Christians and suppresses religious belief—as is happening today worldwide to an unprecedented degree—then yes indeed: “Get up. Let us go.”

The electoral rout of the yellows now opens the way for Duterte to move forfor ward aggressively with the rest of his reform agenda. On the political front, there is no reform more seminal than the constitutional change-over to a federal—and perhaps also parliamentary—system. Since it was Duterte himself who asked the framers of the Bayanihan constitution to absolutely rule out any possibility of his staying in office beyond 2022, perhaps the yellows may themselves also consider supporting constitutional reform, if only for that reason. Call it a win-win for everybody. *** Apart from reconfirming the strength of Duterte’s presidency, the recent elections also brought other noteworthy changes. One was the rejection by voters of many longstanding political dynasties. Emblematic of this was the near-total rout of the Estrada clan—the patriarch himself as Manila mayor, his two sons as senators, his granddaughter as San Juan mayor. Some of them were in fact well qualified, but they fell victim to the anti-dynasty sentiment that surely also represents popular support for antiReaders can write me at gbolivar1952@ dynasty constitutional reform. Another change was the victory of yahoo.com.

For heaven’s sake, move on! SOME people just cannot accept the reality and bear the pain of defeat in last election. They cannot accept the fact that the people want real change because past administrations have failed to bring the promised reforms and bring at least a semblance of economic prosperity to this country and its people. The poor performance of the Smartmatic automated election system (AES) is bad as it is, even as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is poised to proclaim officially the 12 winners in the midterm senatorial race as of this writing. True, the Comelec must come clean and explain the delays in transmission of unofficial counts to the transparency servers. But the sore losers, the Liberal Par-

Tsinoys... From A4

restaurants mushrooming in Metro Manila and in Boracay, Siy had this to say: “When we start a business, not all the papers or documents may be there. We have to understand that sometimes business establishments decide to open even without complete papers, but they have to follow the rules sooner or later.” For Siy, “it’s not politics that should be given priority, but economics. Even if we have political disagreements, we can take advantage of economic opportunities. We want market access, whether we are producing agricultural goods or selling services.” “Our relationship with China is very important because the Chinese can provide financing for our infrastructure requirements. We’re talking not just about physical infrastructure but also technological advances, including artificial intelligence and robotics, where China has already made significant progress,” he added. For Siy, “it’s not correct to say that

ty (LP) and the "traditional party-list" ranks, are in a state of denial, and are now resorting to exaggerations and the usual black propaganda and Yellow journalism to discredit what actually was a peaceful, orderly and clean elections despite the glitches. Unfortunately for the Yellows, the extremist leftist militant groups and other rabid critics of President Duterte and his administration, the results of the elections did not turn out according to their dictations. They are those who profess "propeople platforms," holier than thou attitudes, as if they have a monopoly of capability of rendering public service. There is no evidence of fraud or cheating like the massive irregularities in the past. Even some Opposition candidates like election lawyer Romy Macalintal acknowledged that. So no one can say that the Yellows just got “a dose of their own medicine,” rendering the Otso Diretso zero Senate seat in the incoming 18th Congress. I guess the people are just tired of

the Chinese are taking away jobs from Filipinos. They earn three times more in China than they do here. We shouldn’t drive them out. Let’s legitimize their employment, get them to pay the proper taxes to the government since they contribute to the Philippine economy with their expenditures in rentals, food and so on.” For his part, Wilson Lee Flores, a newspaper columnist and chairman of the Public Information Committee of the FFCCCII, concurred with Siy that Philippines-China economic relations have indeed become more pronounced in recent years. “With our independent foreign policy, we have started to become closer to all the big powers. The Duterte administration strives to establish closer ties with Japan, for instance. More foreign businessmen are coming to the Philippines, and this is good news.” Flores lamented that media in the Philippines and abroad are concentrating on the territorial dispute in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines.

empty promises by the liberals and those left-leaning party-list groups. Yet, all the troubles rooted in Smartmatic legacy of the Noynoy Aquino administration are the issues now used by critics and detractors of the Duterte government in their plea to nullify Monday’s exercise altogether. These desperados want no less than "a failure of election" declared. Such nonsense and irrelevant cries. The attack dogs are at it again but we know better. The May 13 polls, as it is said, is a referendum and the Duterte administration prevailed in a landslide win. The nation through the electorate has voted for real change, and we are midway through building and strengthening the foundations for a better life in the near future. So let’s all move on and work together to make this country a better place to live for our children. And to those who can’t accept defeat, there will always be an election every three years. Better luck next time.

“The bigger picture is that we should focus on the economic dimension of our longstanding ties, and take an active part in the Belt and Road project. We can bring in more Chinese tourists to the country provided we have adequate tourism infrastructure.” Apart from this, he said, the Philippine government should promote more exports, where right now we’re earning several hundred million dollars a year. “Our direct competitors are our next-door neighbors in ASEAN, such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. What’s important today is healthy economic competition.” Flores noted that most of the federation members are micro, small, and medium enterprises who stand to benefit with the normalization of our bilateral relations with China. “Our enhanced ties with China is good news for the Philippine economy. We should depoliticize our foreign policy and strive to foster economic cooperation with other countries.” ernhil@yahoo.com

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Insurance industry: Steady progress amid stability mance of the insurance industry—31 life insurance companies, 60 non-life insurance companies, 1 reinsurer and MBAs (mutual benefit associations), Insurance Commissioner Dennis B. Funa stated that the industry had, as of March 31, 2019, assets totalling P1577 billion, investments INSURANCE is a vital component of totalling P1327 billion, total. Net worth commerce, and a sound and thriving in- of P337 billion, premiums totaling P290 surance industry is essential to the success billion, total paid up capital and guaranty of a nation’s trade and finance. Insurance funds of P55 billion and a total quarterly makes possible the maintenance of a citi- net income of P37 billion. The number of industry players would zenry’s health and well-being and provides support for the construction and develop- have been higher in all three categories— life insurance companies, non-life insurment activities of a nation. Insurance as we know it today had its ance companies and MBAs—were it not beginnings in the middle ages, when the for the draconian capital augmentation trading countries and principalities of program that the Insurance Commission put into effect Western Europe— several years ago. especially England, The program reItaly and Spain— re sulted in the estabwanted to insure the estab It makes possible lishment of three protection of their tiers of paid-up trade against all the maintenance of capital. Though sorts of risks. By the the announced time the customers a citizenry’s health objectives—enof Eduard Lloyd’s and well-being and hancement of the 16th-century Loninsurance comdon coffeehouse provides support for panies’ ability to began to underwrite the construction and meet catastrophic risks—and to acclaims and imcept premiums—on development activities provement of their cargo ships sailing of a nation. capacity to cope into and out of Engwith foreign and land, the concept domestic comof insurance as we com petition—were know it today had laudable, the program resulted in the disbecome well-established. dis Phil- appearance from the scene of a number Not long after its colonization of the Phil ippines, the US introduced legislation to of venerable companies that were unable regulate the business of insurance. The leg- to comply with the Commission’s capital islation was largely based on Anglo-Saxon augmentation order. The Commission beprecepts; this was to be expected, consider- lieves that as a result of the program, the ing that it was in an Anglo-Saxon setting that Philippine insurance industry is now much the development of insurance as a commer- better placed to cope with the likely operational demands of the foreseeable future. cial activity reached full power. Commissioner Funa, a Commission By its very nature—the fact that its operations are based on calculations of the insider, realizes that while the companies’ occurrence and extent of losses from pos- balance-sheet and income-statement figsible but unforeseeable causes—the insur- ures are impressive, a lot of distance still ance industry has always been a heavily has to be traveled before the Insurance supervised part of the economy. This ex- Commission can be said to have fulfilled plains why the governance of the industry its statutory mandate. For one thing, the has hardly ever been touched by insinua- Filipino people remain under-insured: the tions of corruption and while it has been last figure I recall seeing had only around able to retain the trust and respect of its 1/3 of Filipinos having life insurance stakeholders. Attached to DOF (Depart- cover and most physical structures either ment of Finance), the Insurance Commis- inadequately protected against risks or not sion, formerly the Office of the Insurance protected at all. Knowing fully well that Commissioner, is a virtual oasis in the this state of affairs is largely attributable to dessert of distrust and disrespect that DOF financial incapacity. The Insurance Commission has initiated a Health Microinsurlargely is. If today the Insurance Commission ance (microhealth) Program to enable lowenjoys high stature not only in the DOF income Filipinos to have health insurance family but in the entire Executive Depart- cover. Then there is the issue of technological ment, credit must go to the individual who is arguably the best Secretary of Finance transformation. Commissioner Funa has that this country has ever had. I refer to Ce- expressed a desire for more speedy progsar E. A. Virata. During his incumbency, ress toward the full digitalization of the fiCesar Virata made everyone understand nancial operations of Philippine insurance that he considered the Insurance industry companies. The Commissioner believes a very important industry and gave the that the operational capabilities of PhilipInsurance Commission the status and sup- pine insurance companies need to become port—including first-rate commissioners comparable with those of insurance comthat he thought it deserved. The Commis- panies in the more developed East Asian sion thus gained the regulatory clout that countries. So it has done a good job of running the had long eluded it; the clout is still there. In the corridors of DOF the Insurance Com- Philippine insurance industry, the time for resting on laurels has not yet come for the missioner now has his full say. Although obviously smaller than the Insurance Commission. It still has lots of Insurance industries of the high-income things to do. But, as it goes about its uncountries of East Asia, the Philippine finished business, the Commission will Insurance Industry is far from inconse- be helped much by the knowledge that it quential. In his report to the Secretary of continues to enjoy the trust and goodwill Finance on the first-quarter 2019 perfor- of the Filipino people.

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president of the Philippine Constitution Association. As for the Senate, I believe Tito Sotto will continue to be Senate President since he is doing well. If his colleagues opt to replace him, their choices would be among Cynthia Villar, Ralph Recto, Son-

Election... From A4

ago because I believed in him. There is also Joy Belmonte, whom I voted for and endorsed, who I believe will be a great mayor of Quezon City. I also think Chiz Escudero will be a good governor of Sorsogon and come back to national politics in 2022 with fresh ideas. There is also the sweet victory of Grace Poe who placed second even as her detractors continued to attack and humiliate her, although she was the best chance for an independent Senate. I will support whatever her plans are for 2022. I watch with particular interest how Isko Moreno will govern Manila. So far, he has said the right thing—about keeping the Arroceros Forest Park as is, about not allowing reclamation projects in Manila, and above all a commitment to respect human rights while cooperating in the war against drugs. Isko’s story is compelling and he is well prepared for the job—having served three terms as councilor and vice mayor as well as social welfare undersecretary. As mayor of Manila, Isko will have a lot of resources at his command, including the intellectual resources of two great universities— Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and Universidad de Manila. He should deploy

ny Angara or even Dick Gordon. *** So have dynasties come to an end? I don’t believe so. I think they are just being replaced by other dynasties. But I don’t think there is anything wrong with dynasties so long as they are doing good for the people and the people want them. www.emiljurado.weebly.com

those resources to solve the problems of the grand old city, make it once again shine as the Pearl of the Orient. If Isko succeeds in Manila, he can then pursue his dream to become President of the Philippines. It will probably take more than a term but if he is focused and disciplined enough and produced great outcomes quickly, 2022 is not farfetched. That would be interesting to watch, a Sara Duterte vs Isko Moreno election battle, with Duterte, a lawyer, supported by almost all the political elite and Isko, a former scavenger, supported by the masses and social movements. Before this elections, it seemed that there is no one that stands in the way to a succession by the daughter but with Isko’s ascendance, there might be options in the next pwresidential elections. I am actually hopeful for what lies ahead for the country. To paraphrase the words of a favorite mentor, the local results were good and that matters more. My new mantras: heartbreaking losses, unacceptable election processes, but very big openings for the future in some of the joyful surprises and exhilarating victories; No energy for anger; no time for bitterness; organize, unite, fight; hope prevails. Facebook Page: Professor Tony La Viña Twitter: tonylavs

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

TODAY

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

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE EMERGENCY POWER SUPPLY AGREEMENT (EPSA) BETWEEN ISABELA I ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (ISELCO I) AND STRATEGIC POWER DEVT. CORP. (SPDC), WITH PRAYER FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF INFORMATION

as well as all other future taxes (except Corporate Income Tax and Local Business Tax), that may be imposed by the government and which may be legally passed on by the SELLER to the BUYER in connection with the SELLER’s performance of its obligation under the EPSA, including any increase or adjustments thereon, shall be for the account of the BUYER. 12.4.3 Other Charges. WESM Charges, transmission line loss, site specific loss adjustment, any interconnection charges, among others, shall be for the BUYER’s account. 12.5

a) PPD. The Buyer may avail of a PPD equivalent to one percent (1%) of the total of the generation charges, excluding the WESM charges and net of CED, if any, provided the same is paid in full on or before the 10th day of the calendar month following the current Billing Period; provided further that the BUYER has no outstanding obligation arising from previous power bills, including VAT, if any.

ERC CASE NO. 2019 - ___ RC

ISABELA I ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (ISELCO I) AND STRATEGIC POWER DEVT. CORP. (SPDC), Applicants.

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

The BUYER shall not automatically deduct the PPD from the payments for its current power bill. Discount for the current power bill will be made available to the BUYER in the succeeding power bill.

JOINT APPLICATION WITH PRAYER FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF INFORMATION Joint Applicants ISABELA I ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (“ISELCO I”) and STRATEGIC POWER DEVT. CORP. (“SPDC”), through their respective undersigned counsel, respectfully state that:

b) CED. The BUYER shall be entitled to the following CED provided that the BUYER has no outstanding obligation arising from previous power bills, including VAT, if any, and the BUYER shall submit a copy of its Monthly Financial and Statistical Report (“MPSR”) submitted to the National Electrification Administration (“NEA”)

1. ISELCO I is a non-stock, non-profit electric cooperative duly organized and existing under the Philippine Laws, with principal office at Victoria, Alicia, Isabela. It holds a franchise to operate light and power services in the Cities of Cauayan and Santiago, and in the Municipality of Alicia, Angandanan, Cabatuan, Cordon, Echague, Jones, Luna, Ramon, Reina Mercedes, San Agustin, San Guillermo, San Isidro, and San Mateo, all in the province of Isabela (Franchise Area). It shall also be herein referred to as the “BUYER”;

Collection Efficiency Discount, PhP/kWh Levels 96.00% and above 0.20 86.00% - 95.99% 0.15 76.00% - 85.99% 0.10 66.00% - 75.99% 0.05 65.99% and below None

2. SPDC is a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with office address at 2/F, 808 Bldg., Meralco Ave. cor. Gen. Lim St., San Antonio Village, Pasig City. It shall also be herein referred to as the “SELLER”; 3.

SPDC is the Independent Power Producer Administrator (“IPPA”) of the 345 MW San Roque Hydroelectric Power Plant in Barangay San Roque, San Miguel, Pangasinan (the “Plant”) by virtue of an IPP Administration Agreement it executed with the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (“PSALM”); The Joint Applicants may be served with the orders, notices and other processes of the Honorable Commission through their respective undersigned counsels at the addresses indicated herein;

Discounts. When warranted, the SELLER shall provide for both Prompt Payment Discount (“PPD”) and Collection Efficiency Discount (“CED”), as follows:

The formula to be used for the computation of the current Billing Period’s Collection Efficiency Level is as follows:

Collection Efficiency Level

The Joint Application for approval of the Emergency Power Supply Agreement (“EPSA”) dated 21 February 2019 entered into by and between ISELCO I and SPDC, is being submitted to the Honorable Commission for its review and approval pursuant to Sections 25 and 45(b) of Republic Act No. 9136, otherwise known as the “Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001”(EPIRA), Rules 5, Section 4(e) and 11, Section 5 of its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), Rule 20(B) of its Rules of Practice and Procedure, and other pertinent rules and regulations;

6. Pursuant to ERC Resolution No. 13, Series of 2015, entitled “A Resolution Directing All Distribution Utilities (DUs) to Conduct a Competitive Selection Process (CSP) in the Procurement of their Supply to the Captive Market” adopted on 20 October 2015, all DUs are mandated to undertake a transparent and competitive selection process before contracting for the supply of electricity in their franchise areas;

Collection for the Current Month ------------------------------------------------------Ending Accounts Receivable, previous month

Rate Impact on ISELCO I’s Overall Generation Rate

SUPPLIER I II III IV V VI

KWH Generated KWH PurchasedSMEC(forward) KWH PurchasedSMEC(extension) KWH Purchased-ISELCO-II KWH Purchased-WESM

In a Letter dated 28 February 2019, ISELCO I informed the Honorable Commission regarding the EPSA it executed with SPDC and submitted documents pertinent thereto, a copy of which is hereto attached as Annex “O-4”;

11. The immediate supply from SPDC was intended to prevent power shortage/rotating brownouts in ISELCO I’s Franchise Area and possible exposure of its member-consumers to the volatile prices of the WESM or to the higher prices of its current supplier/s or other generators. This emergency power supply from SPDC redounds to the benefit of ISELCO I’s member-consumers in terms of ensuring a stable, secure, continuous and reliable supply of electricity at a reasonable price; 12. The salient features of the EPSA are as follows: 12.1

Maximum Allowable Capacity (MAC). The SELLER shall make available to the BUYER the MAC of 19,000 kW energy requirement for the duration of the EPSA.

12.2

12.4

Contract Charges.

12.4.1 Fixed Energy Rate (FER). The SELLER shall bill the BUYER’s energy consumption at an energy rate of PhP5.90/ kWh, not subject to any adjustment. 12.4.2 Taxes. All applicable existing taxes, including Value Added Tax (VAT), Excise Tax and other taxes under the TRAIN Law,

“O-4” “P”

ISELCO I’s Letter to ERC dated 28 February 2019. EPSA dated 21 February 2019 entered into by and between ISELCO I and SPDC. Transmission Service Agreement between NGCP and SPDC.

“Q” “Q-1” “R” “S”

Transmission / Grid Connection Projects of SPDC Executive Summary of the ISELCO I and SPDC PSA. Cost-based Calculation of SPDC’s True Cost Generation Rate (“TCGR”) including all cost analysis related to the pricing provisions in the contract such as the operating expenses. (Confidential)

“S-1” “T”

The Strategic Power Devt. Corp. as an IPPA Project Schedule “I” of the IPPA Agreement between PSALM and SPDC. (Confidential) Rate Impact Analysis of ISELCO I. Explanation on the Non-applicability of Fuel Procurement Process of SPDC. Relevant technical and economic characteristics of the generation capacity, installed capacity, mode of operation, dependable capacity, scheduled outage allowance, major maintenance outage, and forced outage allowance of SPDC. Latest Audited Financial Statements (AFS), Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Statement of Cash Flows of SPDC.

“U” “V”

“X-1”

Certification on the Non-applicability of the Net Heat Rate in Liters per kWh from the engine manufacturer of SPDC.

Explanation of the non-applicability of the MEOT provision on the SPDC EPSA.

“X-4”

Water Permit from the National Water Resources Board issued to San Roque Hydroelectric Power Plant Proof of Service to the Sanggunian Pambayan of Alicia and the Sanggunian Panlalawigan of Isabela, of copies of the Joint Application including its annexes. Affidavit of Publication and complete issue of the newspaper where the Joint Application was published.

203,809,038

Generation w/o SPDC 203,809,038

(7,367,138.99) P (7,367,139)

3,683,569 (114,800)

“Y” and Series “Z” and Series “AA”

Proof of Service to the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Pasig City, of copies of the Joint Application including annexes. “BB” and Additional Documentary Requirements in relation to the 16 October Series 2018 letter of the ERC directing the Distribution Utilities to submit the following:

200,010,669 33,356,282

5.9962

19,675,020 33,356,282

“CC” 6.5860

BLENDED GENERATION COST WITH SPDC

“DD” SUPPLIER I

KWH PURCHASED

KWH Generated KWH PurchasedSMEC(forward) KWH PurchasedSMEC(extension)

II III

141,367

RATE/KWH

AMOUNT

4.3648 P 5.4800

26,542,581

5,134,248

7.4829

38,419,197

KWH Purchased-ISELCO-II

2,062

14.0700

29,012

KWH Purchased-WESM

10,467,090

4.0199

42,076,655

WITH SPDC

12,768,000

5.9000

75,331,200

TOTAL

33,356,282

Less: Prompt Payment Discount (PPD) PPD Availed by EC

(7,251,318)

Less: PPD Granted to Customers

3,625,659

Less: Recoveries from Pilferage for the month

(114,800)

P Over the total KWH purchased for the month Generation Rate for the Month (P / KWH) Total Generation VAT

179,275,226 33,356,282

Total Generation Rate for the Month (P / KWH)

10,399,807.39 33,356,282

20. By way of emphasis, Resolution No. 21, Series of 2005 of the Honorable Commission dated 19 October 2005 had directed all Distribution Utilities (DUs) “to enter into future bilateral power supply contract with power producers to be subjected to a review by the Commission.” (Underscoring supplied.) 21. The EPSA with SPDC was made to ensure the continuous supply of power to ISELCO I and due to the former’s competitive pricing structure and other favorable terms of its contract, which will redound to the benefit of the latter and its end-consumers in terms of reliable and affordable power supply;

5.6863

22. Rule 4 of the Honorable Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure provides that ISELCO I and SPDC may request that information may not be disclosed;

15. Board of Investments (BOI) Certificate. On26 January 2011, the Power Plant Project was registered with the BOI which issued Certificate of Registration No. 2011-025;

Compliance with the Pre-filing Requirements

“J”

“All distribution utilities must henceforth take cognizance and assume full responsibility to forecast, assure and contract for the supply of electric power in the respective franchise areas to meet their obligations as a distribution utility.” (Underscoring supplied.)

Allegations in Support of the Confidential Treatment of Annex “S” and Annex “T”

14. Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC). On 26 November 1985, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has issued an ECC in favor of SPDC;

“E-1” “F” “G” “H” “I”

19. The Joint Application is, likewise, consistent with Section 1 of the same Department Circular which declares as State policy, that:

0.3118

*The above rate impact computation shows that the proposed P5.9/kWh offer from SPDC will decrease the existing Average Generation Rate by P 0.8997 /kWh.

“E”

the authority of the authorized representatives of SPDC to appoint and designate representative to prosecute, defend, arbitrate, settle and/or collect in behalf of the company.

5.3746

Over the total KWH purchased for the month Generation VAT Rate for the Month (P / KWH)

Annex “A” “B” “C” “D”

“WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 23 of EPIRA, all distribution utilities, as defined in the law, SHALL HAVE THE OBLIGATION TO SUPPLY ELECTRICITY IN THE LEAST COST MANNER TO ITS CAPTIVE MARKET subject to the collection of retail rate duly approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission;” (fifth “whereas clause”, ibid. Underscoring supplied.)

183,015,685

(7,251,317.94) P

authorized personnel of SPDC to sign and deliver contracts, agreements, instruments and/or securities; and

“WHEREAS, Section 2 of Republic Act No. 9136, also known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 or EPIRA, declared as a policy of the State, among others, [to ensure the quality, reliability, security and affordability of the supply of electric power;” (first “whereas clause”, Department of Energy Circular No. 2003-12-11. Underscoring supplied.)

Generation w/ SPDC

Total cost of power purchased

18. Furthermore, the Joint Application is consistent and in accordance with the first (1st) and fifth (5th) “Whereas clauses” of the DOE Circular No. 2003-12-11 which are quoted hereunder:

183,015,685

Computation of Generation Rate:

Annual historical and forecasted demand-supply scenario from years 2009 to 2028.

Approved generation charges. Average daily load curve per month from January 2018 to September 2018. Board Resolution no. 050s.-2019 dated 21 March 2019, duly signed by Dir. Eduardo S. Bayani, Board Secretary of ISELCO I and attested by Dir. Presley C. De Jesus, Board President, on authorizing the filing of Emergency Power Supply Agreement between ISELCO I and SPDC before the Honorable Commission. Secretary Certificate on the:

617,039

4,843,515

List of power suppliers per month from January 2015 to September 2018.

0.5898

17. Copies of the following documents and/or information are attached to the Joint Application as annexes and made integral parts hereof:

Power Source. 345 MW San Roque Multipurpose Hydroelectric Power Plant or from other sources including the WESM.

ISELCO I Board Resolution No. 006, Series of 2019.

“X-3”

The BUYER shall furnish the SELLER with its monthly, weekly and binding day-ahead nominations of capacity in accordance with the Bilateral Contract Quantity (BCQ) Nomination Protocol.

12.3

“O-3”

Explanation on the non-applicability of Potential Cost of Ancillary Services to SPDC.

16. Certificate of Compliance (COC). On 11 August 2014, the Honorable Commission issued a COC with COC No. 14-08-GN 1-0064L to SPDC for its 345 MW San Roque Multipurpose Hydroelectric Power Plant, for a term of five (5) years or until 17 August 2019;

Contract Term. The supply of power under the EPSA shall commence on 26 February 2019 until 25 February 2020, or for a period of twelve (12) Billing Periods.

DOE Reply-letter to ISELCO I and Certification both dated 20 December 2018.

“X-2”

If the BUYER requires energy beyond the MAC, the BUYER shall inform the SELLER. The SELLER, on best efforts basis, will provide the said requirement and declare it to the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM). Any consumption of the BUYER beyond the MAC not declared by the SELLER in the WESM, shall be deemed a WESM purchase (imbalance) and shall be for the account of the BUYER.

The SELLER guarantees supply to the BUYER, with no Replacement Power Charges, throughout the duration of the EPSA even during outages (scheduled and forced outages) of the SELLER’s source power plants, except during Force Majeure Events.

“O-2”

29,012 80,856,774 -

Total Generation Rate for the Month (P / KWH)

Subsequently, ISELCO I negotiated with SPDC for the emergency supply of 19,000 kW starting 26 February 2019 until 25 February 2020; The Board of Directors of ISELCO I issued Board Resolution No. 006, Series of 2019 on 30 January 2019 approving the EPSA between ISELCO I and SPDC and authorizing the Board President and General Manager to enter into and be the official signatories in behalf of ISELCO I in the EPSA; and

ISELCO I’s Letter to the DOE dated 05 September 2018.

70,266,530

Total Generation VAT Over the total KWH purchased for the month Generation VAT Rate for the Month (P / KWH)

Meanwhile, the commercial operation of IPC Run-of-River Hydro Electric Power Plant has been moved from the expected date of 26 December 2018 to June 2020, thus, IPC would not be able to supply ISELCO I’s 19,000 kW energy requirement by 26 December 2018;

In a Reply-letter dated 20 December 2018, the DOE approved ISELCO I’s request for exemption and thus, issued a Certification that ISELCO I is exempted from the conduct of CSP and authorizing it to proceed with the negotiated procurement of emergency power supply for a cooperation period of one (1) year, copies of the DOE Reply-letter and Certification are hereto attached as Annexes “O-2” and “O-3”, respectively;

“O-1”

7.4829

A Joint Application for the approval of the said PSA was filed on 29 April 2016 by ISELCO I and IPC with the Honorable Commission, docketed as ERC Case No. 2016-070 RC;

ERC Letter to ISELCO I and IPC dated 22 December 2016.

“O”

14.0700 5.4918

33,356,282

ISELCO I entered into a PSA with Isabela Power Corporation (“IPC”) for the supply of 19,000 kW energy starting 26 December 2018;

In light of the foregoing, ISELCO I wrote the DOE on 05 September 2018 requesting for the issuance of a Certificate of Exemption from the conduct of CSP to cover the aforesaid demand and energy requirement from IPC, a copy of the said letter is hereto attached as Annex “O-1” and made an integral part hereof;

617,039 52,039,683

Over the total KWH purchased for the month Generation Rate for the Month (P / KWH)

10. The details leading to the execution of the EPSA are as follows:

Competitive Selection Process (CSP) Documents of ISELCO I:

AMOUNT

Less: Recoveries from Pilferage for the month

9. Pursuant to the aforesaid DOE CSP Circular, on 21 February 2019, ISELCO I and SPDC executed an Emergency Power Supply Agreement (“EPSA”), a copy of which is attached as Annex“P” and made an integral part hereof, which is the subject of the Joint Application;

ISELCO I would be compelled to source the 19,000 kW energy from other generating company to avoid exposure to the WESM where price of energy is volatile;

“N” and Series

2,062 14,723,090

Less: Prompt Payment Discount (PPD) PPD Availed by EC Less: PPD Granted to Customers

Statement of Facts

“L” “M”

9,390,248

Total cost of power purchased

8. One of the aforesaid instances is the Negotiated Procurement of Emergency Power Supply, where the cooperation period of the PSA shall not exceed one (1) year, the rate shall not be higher than the latest ERC approved generation tariff for same or similar technology in the area. The grant of a Certificate of Exemption authorizes the DU to immediately implement the PSA, without prejudice to the evaluation and final decision of the ERC;

In a Letter of the Honorable Commission to ISELCO I and IPC dated 22 December 2016, the Honorable Commission confirmed that with the grant of the provisional authority, the PSA may already be implemented and ISELCO I may already include in the computation of its generation charge the costs incurred for the supply coming from IPC, subject to the applicable Selling Rate of PhP5.90/kWh, a copy of the said Letter is hereto attached as Annex “O”;

Certification stating the Consistency/Inconsistency of the San Roque Multi-purpose Hydroelectric Power Plant with the DOE’s Philippine Development Plan (PDP) or Certificate of Endorsement (CoE). Demand Side Management (DSM) Program of ISELCO I. Explanation on the Non-Applicability of the National Power Corporation (NPC) Certification in relation to the Transition Supply Contract (TSC) by ISELCO I. Historical and Forecasted Supply and Demand Scenario, and Daily Load Curve of ISELCO I.

“X”

KWH RATE/KWH PURCHASED 141,367 4.3648 P 9,099,515 5.7190

TOTAL

However, under the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Department Circular No. DC2018-02-0003 (Adopting and Prescribing the Policy for the Competitive Selection Process in the Procurement by the Distribution Utilities of Power Supply Agreement for the Captive Market”) adopted on 01 February 2018 (“DOE CSP Circular”), all Power Supply Agreements (“PSAs”) shall be procured through CSP, except in some instances which warrant the issuance by the DOE of a Certificate of Exemption on the conduct of CSP;

The said PSA was provisionally approved by the Honorable Commission in an Order dated 08 July 2016;

“K-1”

“W”

BLENDED GENERATION COST WITHOUT SPDC

Computation of Generation Rate:

Certification on the Non-Applicability of a Renewable Energy Service/ Operating Contract and Certificate of Registration or Certificate of Commerciality by an RE Developer from the Department of Energy (DOE); and

13.The indicative rate impact on ISELCO I’s overall generation rate with and without the supply from SPDC is as follows:

Nature of the Application 5.

“K”

Documents/Information Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of ISELCO I. Board of Directors of ISELCO I. Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of SPDC. Certification Stating the Applicability or Non-applicability of a Shareholders’ Agreement of SPDC. Certificate of Incorporation issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Certificate of Filing of Amended By-Laws issued by SEC. Latest General Information Sheet (GIS) of SPDC. Corporate Structure of SMC Global Power and its subsidiaries. BOI Certificate of Registration of SPDC. ECC issued by the DENR to the 345 MW San Roque Multipurpose Hydroelectric Power Plant of SPDC. COC issued by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in favor of SPDC.

23. SPDC prays for the confidential treatment of the information contained in the following annexes, and not disclosed except to the officers and staff of the Honorable Commission: Annex “S” “T”

Documents and/or Information Cost-based calculation of SPDC’s True Cost Generation Rate (“TCGR”) including all cost analysis related to the pricing provisions in the contract such as the operating expenses. (Confidential) Schedule “I” of the IPPA Agreement between PSALM and SPDC. (Confidential)

24. Annex “S” and Annex “T” contains the details of the power rate calculations and financial model of SPDC as well as the manner by which these were derived. These information is proprietary in nature and should be protected as trade secrets as contemplated by law and jurisprudence. In the case of Air Philippines Corporation vs. Pennswell, Inc.1, the Supreme Court defined a trade secret, as follows: “A trade secret may consist of any formula, pattern, device, or compilation of information that: (1) is used in one’s business; and (2) gives the employer an opportunity to obtain an advantage over competitors who do not possess the information. Generally, a trade secret is a process or device intended for continuous use in the operation of the business, for example, a machine or formula, but can be a price list or catalogue or specialized customer list. It is indubitable that trade secrets constitute proprietary rights. The inventor, discoverer, or possessor of a trade secret or similar innovation has rights therein which may be treated as property, and ordinarily an injunction will be granted to prevent the disclosure of the trade secret by one who obtained the information “in confidence” or through a “confidential relationship”. American jurisprudence has utilized the following factors to determine if an information is a trade secret, to wit: (1) the extent to which the information is known outside of the employer’s business; (2) the extent to which the information is known by employees and others involved in the business; (3) the extent of measures taken by the employer to guard the

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK (4) the value of the information to the employer and to competitors; (5) the amount of effort or money expended by the company in developing the information; and (6) the extent to which the information could be easily or readily obtained through an independent source.” (citations omitted, emphasis supplied) 25. The interest of the consuming public is sufficiently protected by the review and evaluation of the rates under the PSA by the Honorable Commission, without the need to disclose the contents of Annex “S”. The reasonableness and transparency of the prices of electricity is to be assured by the Honorable Commission through its own review and verification of SPDC’s operating costs and expenses; 26. More importantly, competitors of SPDC, should they obtain the information in Annex “S” and Annex “T”, will gain undue advantage thereon and have the opportunity to use the same in their operations. The negotiating power of SPDC with parties it plans to contract with or who it is currently doing business with, will clearly be thwarted if it is compelled to disclose such information. 27. Accordingly, ISELCO I and SPDC submit one (1) copy of Annex “S” and Annex “T”, in a sealed envelope, with the said envelope and each page of the documents and/or information stamped with the word “Confidential”. Prayer WHEREFORE, the foregoing premises considered, the Joint Applicants ISABELA I ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (ISELCO I) and STRATEGIC POWER DEVT. CORP. (SPDC)most respectfully pray that after due notice and hearing, the Honorable Commission: 1.

ISSUE an Order treating Annex “S” and Annex “T” and all the information contained therein as CONFIDENTIAL, and in this regard, a) direct their non-disclosure to persons other than the Honorable Commission, its officers and staff; b) continuously protect the said information from public disclosure by maintaining the same separate and apart from the records of the case, and c) ensure that Annex “S” and Annex “T”and all the information contained therein are not divulged to unauthorized persons pursuant to Rule 4 of its Rules of Practice and Procedure; and

ISSUE a Decision approving the Joint Application and the EPSA between ISELCO I and SPDC, and authorizing ISELCO I to charge and collect the fees therein from its member-consumers; and

Other reliefs just and equitable under the premises are, likewise, prayed for. Mandaluyong City for Pasig City, 04 April 2019.

Manila

Standard

News

secrecy of the information;

TODAY TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

SC rules against UCPB on P1-b collection case

By Rey E. Requejo

HE United Coconut Planters Bank has lost its legal battle for the recovery of almost P1 billion from a rice trading family who allegedly failed to pay its loan obligations from the bank since 2006.

This after the Supreme Court’s Second Division through Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa upheld the decision of the Court of Appeals in 2012, which reversed and set aside the 2007 order issued by the Regional Trial Court of Makati City in favor of UCPB. In June 8, 2008, the Makati City RTC denied the respondents’ motion to dismiss the complaint for damages with prayer for the issuance of a writ of preliminary attachment ﬁled by UCPB. The UCPB named the National Granary Inc., spouses Alison Ang Sy and Guillermo Sy, Renato Ang, Nena Ang and Ricky Ang as

respondents in the complaint. Also included in the notice served by the court sheriff were Derick Chester Sy and National Petroleum Gas Inc., formerly National Petroleum Corp. Apart from denying the respondents’ motion to dismiss, the RTC also issued a writ of preliminary attachment preventing them from disposing of their assets and holdings pending resolution of the UCPB’s complaint. National Granary set up the Sariaya port by obtaining P1.6-billion loans from several banks, including UCPB. However, the SC ruled that the CA did not

commit any mistake in reversing the Makati RTC’s orders. The high court sided with the argument of the respondents that the trial court had failed to acquire jurisdiction over them for failure to properly serve the summons against them. “In the absence of summons or when the service of summons upon the person of the defendant is defective, the court acquires no jurisdiction over his person and the proceedings and any judgment rendered are null and void,” the SC ruled, in its March 27 resolution. Based on the records, the SC said the prerequisites for valid substituted service was not observed as there was only a single day effort to personally serve the summons upon the defendants. The SC noted that the sheriff’s report also failed to indicate that the person who received the summons was a person of suitable age and residing in the residence of the defendants.

Water service interruption in 20 villages

Isabela I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ISELCO I) By: DECHAVEZ LERIOS-AMBOY AND EVANGELISTA LAW OFFICES2 Unit 2008, Tycoon Centre Pearl Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1605 Tel. Nos. 9101587/6387806

JEREMIAH D. FRANCISCO Roll of Attorneys No. 62302 PTR No. 5241598, January 22, 2019, Pasig City IBP Lifetime Member Roll No. 018969, February 14, 2018 MCLE Compliance No. VI – 0017800 – February 13, 2019 1 2

G.R. No. 172835, December 13, 2007 Pursuant to Office of the Court Administrator Circular No. 56-2015, hereunder are the MCLE Compliance Numbers of the undersigned Firm’s name partners, to wit:

Partners Joseph Ferdinand M. Dechavez Ditas A. Lerios-Amboy Nelson V. Evangelista

MCLE Compliance No. Certification No. 000893 Certification No. VI-0022789 Certification on process

Date of Issuance Sept. 18 2018 March 29, 2019

Strategic Power Devt. Corp. (SPDC) By:

JUPITER M. CABAGUIO 23rd Floor, San Miguel Properties Centre, No. 7 St. Francis Street, Mandaluyong City Telephone No. (02) 702-4512 / jmcabaguio@gmail.com PTR No. 3823276 / 4 January 2019 / Mandaluyong City IBP No. 06372 / Lifetime / Makati City MCLE Compliance No. VI-0015891/ 13 December 2018 Roll No. 47112

DEADLY ACCIDENT. A motorcycle rider was killed after a passenger jeepney lost its brakes while it was about to stop at a traffic light at Ramon Magsaysay Blvd. cor. Pureza Street in Sta. Mesa Manila on Monday. Norman Cruz

Search and rescue on for crashed plane

AVELINO G. CEDO III 23rd Floor, San Miguel Properties Centre, No. 7 St. Francis Street, Mandaluyong City Telephone No. (02) 702-4509 / agcedo3@gmail.com PTR No. 3823277 / 4 January 2019 / Mandaluyong City IBP No. 010380 / Lifetime / PPLM MCLE Compliance No. VI-0011960 / 3 September 2018 Roll No. 54500

VERIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION OF NON-FORUM SHOPPING I, Elenita D. Go, of legal age, Filipino and with office address at the 19th Floor, San Miguel Properties Centre, No. 7 St. Francis Street, Mandaluyong City, after having been duly sworn to in accordance with law, hereby depose and state, that: 1.

I am the authorized representative and General Manager of Strategic Power Devt. Corp. (“SPDC”) and have caused the preparation and filing of this Joint Application;

I have read and understood the contents thereof and all the allegations contained therein which are true and correct to the best of my personal knowledge and based on authentic and official records; and

I further certify that I have not filed any action involving the same issues in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, or any other courts or tribunals. If ever there is a case pending before the said courts or tribunals involving the same issues, I undertake to inform the Honorable Commission of such fact within five (5) days from knowledge thereof.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto affixed my signature this APR 08, 2019 , at Mandaluyong City, Philippines

ELENITA D. GO Affiant

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this APR 08 2019 at Mandaluyong City. Affiant personally appeared and exhibited to me her Philippine Passport with No. EC7991445 issued on 10 June 2016 at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), NCR East as her competent proof of identity.

Republic of the Philippines) Province of Isabela ) S.S. VERIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION OF NON-FORUM SHOPPING I, ENGR. VIRGILIO L. MONTANO, of legal age, Filipino and with office address at the main office of the Isabela I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ISELCO I) Victoria, Alicia, Isabela, after having sworn to according to law, depose and state that: 2. I am the General Manager of the Isabela I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ISELCO I), duly authorized to represent the cooperative in filing the instant application, copy of the corresponding Board Resolution is attached hereto and made integral part hereof; 2. I cause the preparation and filing of the foregoing application; have read the allegations contained therein, and certify that the same are true and correct based on my personal knowledge and on authentic records; 3. ISELCO I has not heretofore commenced any other action or proceedings involving the same issues and parties before any court, tribunal or quasi-judicial agency; to the best of my knowledge no such action or proceeding is pending, and if I should learn that the same or similar action or proceeding has been filed or is pending, I undertake to report such fact to this Honorable Commission, within five (5) days therefrom. Further, affiant sayeth naught.

VIRGILIO L. MONTANO Affiant

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me in Echague, Isabela this 8th day of April 2019 affiant exhibiting to me his SSS I.D.. bearing No. 0104144037.

(MS-MAY 21, 2019)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

By Joel E. Zurbano GOVERNMENT rescue team and volunteers are searching for the missing pilot and student of a Beechcraft Baron 55 trainer aircraft that crashed after taking off Friday morning at San Jose Airport in Occidental Mindoro. On Monday, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines received reports that the wreckage of BE55 was located “43.52 km, south of Mindoro Straight.” The aircraft is owned and operated by Orient Aviation Corp. with registry number RP-C9078 and on board was a Filipino pilot-in-command and a Saudia Arabian national student. CAAP spokesman and chief in-

formation officer Eric Apolonio said the search and rescue team reported to the agency’s Operation Center that one of its aircraft, a Cessna Caravan seaplane, also found a bag with identification of the Pilot in command Capt. Jose Nelson Yapparcon around 11:28 a.m. Further search reveals that around six small and big debris of the aircraft were found floating at 12:06 p.m. “The whereabouts of the two passengers of the ill-fated aircraft, Capt. Yapparcon and student pilot Saudi national Abdullah Alsharif is still unascertained as of now,” said Apolonio. CAAP director general Jim Sydiongco sent investigators from

the Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board to the crash site to conduct investigation and determine the cause of the incident. Reports showed that the aircraft, after taking off at San Jose Airport around 8:13 a.m. of May 17, ofﬁcials did not receive any information or report from the ﬂight. At 8:23 a.m., authorities found out that the last known position of the aircraft is at 16NM south of San Jose as reviewed on the radar blip. Four groups are searching the area, as the Philippine Air Force sent its Angel 922 Helicopter, the Philippine Navy with a 310 Islander aircraft, a King Air private jet, and the Philippine Coast Guard searching the shoreline.

MANILA Water on Monday said that a seven-hour water service interruption will affect more than 242,000 residents in select areas in Quezon City on Friday. The East Zone concessionaire said the water service interruption is due to the relocation of major pipelines along the Elliptical Road. In its advisory, Manila Water said some 20 barangays will experience a service interruption from 11 p.m. on Friday, May 24, to 6 a.m. on Saturday, May 25. “More than 242,000 population in 20 barangays in Quezon City will experience water service interruption as Manila Water relocates its major pipeline at the corner of Elliptical Road and North Avenue to make way for the construction of the MRT 7,” it said. The affected barangays include the following: Alicia, Bagong Pag-asa, Bahay Toro, Central Culiat, Malaya, New Era, Old Capitol Site, Pasong Tamo, Pinyahan, Project 6, Ramon Magsaysay, San Vicente Santo Cristo, Sikatuna Village, Tandang Sora, Teachers Village East, Teachers Village West, UP Village and Vasra. The Metro Rail Transit Line 7 is a P69.30-billion, 23-kilometer railway system that will link North Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose del Monte in Bulacan.

Soldiers kill House okays bill reviving mandatory ROTC 18-year-old NPA, 3 others By Francisco Tuyay THREE suspected New People’s Army rebels, including a young combatant, were killed in a clash with army soldiers at the hinterlands of Carmen, Surigao del Sur Sunday afternoon. Capt. Francisco Garello Jr., Civil Military Operations Ofﬁcer Jr. of the Army’s 402nd Infantry Brigade, initially identiﬁed the young rebel as Gaelan Jimenez, 24, while the identities of the three others remain unknown. But moments later, Jimenez’s parents surfaced and said that the rebel’s real name was Dylan Ghem Padilla Jimenez, 18, who they said left his family on October 2018 when he was still 17 years old. Garello Jr. said that Jimenez was among the 10 CPP-NPA terrorists that soldiers from the 36th Infantry Battalion encountered in a 15-minute gunbattle in Brgy. Cancavan, Carmen town, which resulted to the wounding of the young rebel. Garello Jr. said that the other rebels escaped, leaving Jimenez at the encounter site. As the troops were clearing the battle site, they found Jimenez seriously wounded but still alive. “In the hope to save his life, around 6:15 in the evening, troops successfully extricated the wounded CPP-NPA terrorist along with his three dead comrades and was rushed immediately to Madrid District Hospital but unfortunately he was pronounced dead on arrival by attending physician, Dr. Mary Michelle Paganpan,” Garello Jr. said.

THE leadership of the House of Representatives led by Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Monday approved several bills and resolution during the resumption of session after the May 13 elections. One of them was the Palace-backed bill that would revive the mandatory Reserved Officers Training Corps embodied in House Bill 8961. The bill was passed on third and final reading by a 167-4 voted with no abstention. The bill, authored by Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu of Batangas, proposes to revive the ROTC for Grades 11 and 12 in both public and private schools in support of President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for a return of military science in schools. This developed as Abu welcomed the support of the House leadership to his bill. Once enacted, Abu said, Republic Act 7077 or the “Citizen Armed Forces of the Philippines Reservist Act” shall be amended to make ROTC mandatory. The bill covers the conduct of basic military and civic training of students who have to complete it in two years. Abu said the bill also contains a provision safeguarding minors from being unjustly included in active conflict and hostilities. Maricel V. Cruz

TOBACCO TAX. Health advocates from the youth, senior citizens, urban poor and civil society and medical profession gathered at the Senate to appeal to some senators to fullfill their promise of releasing a committee report on the tobacco tax increase. Ey Acasio

‘Ban on provincial buses at EDSA justified’ By Maricel V. Cruz THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority on Monday stood by its decision to ban provincial buses from plying along EDSA in a bid to reduce trafﬁc along one of the metro’s busiest thoroughfares. At a hearing conducted by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Transportation, MMDA EDSA trafﬁc chief Bong Nebrija said the intention of the ban is not to really remove the buses from EDSA but to crackdown 47 provincial bus terminal that have been blamed for the congestion.

“We believe that the terminal is a magnet for all other activities that create the congestion on EDSA,” he said. This developed as Representatives Lito Atienza and Johnny Pimentel supported the proposed provincial bus ban along EDSA, urging its critics to “give it a chance.” “Now that government is doing something about it, I’d like to caution my colleagues in government. Let’s take it slow. We would like to consider the plight of our provincial commuters. We would like to understand the points of the sponsor of this measure. But on the other hand, we must also go slow,” said Atienza,

senior deputy minority leader. “The government is trying to find a solution. Let’s give it a chance,” Atienza said. Pimentel said he believed that the MMDA has conducted feasibility studies to back up its proposal. “We are always barking at the government agencies on why we fail to come up with a solution to traffic. It has caused [a] great effect on the economy and other problems,” Pimentel said. “I believe, not the provincial buses, but the 47 bus terminals that are causing traffic along EDSA,” he added.

Sports

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

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

Retired 67-year-old lady cop one of SEA’s best athletes Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball against Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half in game three of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada. AFP

Laos in finals; PH remains in running for podium finish By Peter Atencio LAOS won a spot in the finals of the ASEAN Football Federation Under 15 Girls’ Championship 2019 after they repulsed the Philippines, 3-1, last Sunday at the Institute of Physical Education in Chonburi, Thailand. The Laotians booters struck in the 1st, 22nd and and 43rd minutes. In the second half, the Philippines scored in the 59th minute off Angely Alferez, who headed in from close range after Laos’ defense was caught off guard from the corner kick. More chances came to the Philippines, but Laos’ held on for the rest of the match to advance to the final. Despite the loss, the Philippines remained in the running for a podium finish. The Philippines will take on Vietnam in the battle for third place on Tuesday. The two teams met in the group stage with Vietnam winning 2-0.

Loaded PSA Forum today at Amelie Hotel IT’S going to be a loaded Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum today at the Amelie Hotel-Manila as ofﬁcials of the Philippine Racing Commission have been added to the guest list as they talk about the 1st leg of the local’s Triple Crown Series Philracom Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez and his commissioners will be on hand to talk about the special May 26 race to be held at San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite. Philracom joins ﬁve-time PBA Philippine Cup champion San Miguel Beer and leading stalwarts of the coming Premier Volleyball League Season 3 Reinforced Conference in the session presented by San Miguel Corp., Braska Hotel, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation. PVL idols Alyssa Valdez, Myla Pablo, Jovelyn Gonzaga, and Dzi Gervacio are coming over with league President Ricky Palou to promote the opener of the import-laden conference on May 26 at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan. The boys also get their turn in the session as the Beermen discuss about what’s next following their successful title retention bid of their Philippine Cup title. Coming over for the champion franchise are coach Leo Austria, Marcio Lassiter, Chris Ross, Von Pessumal, and import Charles Rhodes. PSA members are enjoined to attend the session which starts promptly at 10 a.m.

Leonard lifts Raptors to Game 3 triumph L

OS ANGELES—Kawhi Leonard scored eight of his 36 points in the second overtime period Sunday to lead the Toronto Raptors to a gritty 118-112 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Eastern Conference finals. The Raptors, who dropped the first two games of the bestof-seven series in Milwaukee, clawed their way back to 2-1 in front of home fans and will try to level the set when they host game four on Tuesday. Pascal Siakam scored 25 points and Spanish center Marc Gasol added 16 for the Raptors, who got off to a quick start and led much of the night but had to battle to put the Bucks away. “We just played a lot tougher,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “We were up guarding, we were physical. We were ready to play tonight.” Milwaukee’s Most Valuable Player finalist Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled to just 12 points on five-of-16 shooting. Antetokounmpo’s 23 rebounds helped the Bucks stay in touch, but he didn’t reach double figures in points until the middle of the fourth quarter and he produced eight of the Bucks’ 20 turnovers. Antetokounmpo fouled out in the first minute of the second overtime period.

Moments later the Bucks managed to edge ahead 105103—taking the lead for the first time since Antetokounmpo scored the game’s opening basket—but Leonard and the Raptors roared back. Leonard’s steal and dunk put Toronto ahead 112-109 and his driving bank shot gave Toronto a 114-110 lead with 32.4 seconds remaining. Leonard played a key role in limiting Antetokounmpo and Nurse said his defensive play was “probably the biggest key of the game.” “Not only did he just play good, but he made some huge plays with some steals and rip-aways and break aways,” Nurse said. “Offense was hard to come by there for both teams for a while and any time you can get a steal and a break out it’s a huge momentum play.” Toronto had a chance to win it in regulation, but they let a 96-91 lead slip away in the final 1:13 of the fourth quarter. Milwaukee guard Khris Middleton’s putback basket from his own miss with 2.2 seconds left in regulation forced overtime. The Raptors led 103-99 with 1:29 remaining in the first extra session. But Malcolm Brogdon floated in a shot and George Hill drained two free throws to tie it before Leonard’s jump shot fell short. AFP

Choking Koepka reboots to win PGA title BETHPAGE—Brooks Koepka took inspiration from the crowd turning on him as he nearly “choked away” the PGA Championship and battled through to recover for the most satisfying victory of his career. Koepka shook off four back-nine bogeys in a row to win his fourth major title Sunday at Bethpage Black taking a two-stroke victory over fast-closing Dustin Johnson. “This is definitely the most satisfying of all the ones I’ve won,” Koepka said. “Today was definitely the most satisfying for how stressful that round was, how stressful DJ made that. This was, by far, the most stressful.” Koepka began the final round with a PGA record seven-stroke lead and saw it shrink to a single shot. No man has led a major by so much so late and lost. But Koepka nearly did after bogeys on holes 11 through 14. “I don’t want to say it’s a panic, but it’s definitely a shock when you make a couple,” Koepka said. “I wasn’t nervous. I was just in shock of what was going on—

Brooks Koepka of the United States kisses girlfriend Jena Sims. AFP

13 was a bit disappointing and 14 was just a bit of a shock to go four in a row. “I can’t tell you the last time I’ve made four bogeys in a row. I don’t know if I ever have. But just had to reset. I think everybody chanting, ‘DJ’ kind of helped that.”

New York fans are notorious for turning on favorites when they falter and Koepka proved no exception, fans calling out ‘DJ’ to add tension to every blunder. “It’s New York. What do you expect when you’re half-choking it away?” Koepka said. “I kind of deserved it. “You’re going to rattle off four in a row and it looks like you’re going to lose it. I’ve been to sporting events in New York. I know how it goes.” What he didn’t anticipate is how the chants would give him something to focus upon, shake the shock and the bogeys and reboot. “I think it actually helped. It was at a perfect time because I was just thinking, ‘OK, all right. I’ve got everybody against me. Let’s go.’ It helped me refocus and hit a good one down 15. That was probably the best thing that could have happened. It was very stressful, the last hour and a half of that round. “You’ve got to right the ship eventually and try to stay mentally strong.” AFP

BAGUIO CITY—Age is never an issue for 67-year-old bemedalled athlete Erlinda Lavandia, who still competes in international sports meets. She brought home four gold medals from the Southeast Asia Athletics Championship held in Singapore from May 3 to May 6. Lavandia, a retired policewoman, said the determination to win is what keeps her going in giving glory to the country. For her Lavandia win, Lavandia was honored Monday morning during the flag-raising ceremony at the Baguio City Hall. She won gold medals in the javelin throw event, recording a distance of 25.6 meters; discus throw with a distance of 18.99 meters; shotput at 7.25 meters and hammer throw with a record of 20.8 meters. She bested athletes from several countries such as India, Malaysia, and Singapore. For winning gold medals in four events, she was proclaimed the best female athlete in field events in Southeast Asia by the organizers. While in the police service, she represented the Philippines in various international athletics competitions as a member of the Philippine team. After retirement in 2008 as police chief inspector, she went on to hone her athletics skills and continued to compete and serve the country through sports. “Thorough training. Kailangan mag-training ng maigi. Dapat may dedication at determination and discipline (You have to train well. You have to have dedication, determination, and discipline),” Lavandia said. Her secret for a healthy and fit body? She said she gets full sleep everyday and eats a balanced diet composed of lean meat, fruits, and vegetables. “Kailangan on time ka matulog, ‘yan ang sikreto ko doon (you need to sleep on time, that is my secret),” she said. Lavandia goes to sleep at 8 p.m. and wakes up at dawn to prepare for her 5 a.m. training that usually lasts for two to three hours. She said she would resume her rigid training by next week to ready for the Asian Masters competition in Malaysia later this year. “Relax muna ngayon, next week resume na preparation (I am now on a relaxed mode, I will resume my training next week),” she said. Preparation plays an important role in the result of a competition, she said. “Kung mag-training ka may chance ka manalo, kung hindi ka mag-training, kunwa-kunwari lang training na ginagawa mo, walang chance (If you train, you have the chance to win but if you do it halfhearted, you shorten your chance of winning),” Lavandia said. Lavandia will represent the country again in the Asian Masters Athletic Championships from Nov. 28 to Dec. 9 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The city government is giving cash incentives as the local government’s reward to Baguioans who bring honor to the city through sports. PNA

Patrombon, Capadocia keep Brookside crowns JESON Patrombon battled back from a set down and pounced on fellow Davis Cup veteran Johnny Arcilla’s poor condition in the decider to fashion out a 4-6, 7-5, 3-0(ret.) win while Marian Capadocia survived Clarice Patrimonio, 6-3, 7-6(5), as they kept their singles crowns in the PPS-PEPP Brookside Hills Open Tennis Championships at the Brookside Hills Tennis Club in Cainta, Rizal last Sunday. Patrombon blew a 4-1 lead in the second set but recovered in time to ﬁght back from 4-5 down and force a decider with a sweep of the last three games. The 26-year-old ace from Iligan City then took the ﬁrst three games of the third and eventually the match and the crown as Arcilla gave up due to dizziness. The victory, worth P50,000, came on the heels of Patrombon’s emphatic victory in the Gov. Umali Cup in Oriental Mindoro last month, also

against his long-time rival Arcilla. Capadocia, who dropped just two games to reach the women’s singles finals, sustained her form against Patrimonio, taking four of the first six games in the opening frame. But Patrimonio toughened up in the second, breaking Capadocia in the second to go 2-up. But the Antique City bet fought back to rack up the next two sets then broke Patrimonio in the seventh game and held serve twice to seize a 5-3 edge. Patrimonio, however, refused to give up, banking on her baseline game to force another tie at 5 before the duo traded breaks to reach the tiebreaker where Capadocia proved steadier to repeat over Patrimonio, whom she also edged in last year’s finals of the event sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala and hosted by Brookside Hills.

Jeson Patrombon and Marian Capadocia (second and third from left, respectively) hold their trophies as they pose with Cainta Mayor Kit Nieto (left) and Brookside Hills Tennis Club president Allan Del Castillo after retaining their singles crowns in the PPS-PEPP Brookside Hills Open Tennis Championships Sunday.

IN BRIEF

Pag-IBIG releases record home loans

PAG-IBIG Fund released P17.22 billion in home loans in the first quarter of 2019, up P3.12 billion from P14.1 billion year-onyear, the highest amount released by the agency in the first three months of a year. The amount financed the acquisition and construction of 19,696 homes for Pag-IBIG Fund members, also a recordhigh in the first quarter of a year, and up 13 percent from 17,398 homes on year. The fund said 5,789 units or 29 percent were for socialized housing units benefitting minimum-wage and low-income earners. “Pag-IBIG Fund’s performance in the first quarter of 2019 stands out as the best so far. Bigger loan releases and increasing number of borrowers mean that more and more Filipino workers are being helped by Pag-IBIG Fund achieve their dream of homeownership,” said Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, who heads the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and the Pag-IBIG Fund board.

Business PROCESSING AGREEMENT.

Nestlé Philippines and Republic Cement and Building Materials Inc. sign a memorandum of agreement on the co-processing of post-consumer plastic wastes, a major source of environmental pollution. Leading the signing ceremony are (from left) Republic Cement president Renato Sunico, Nestle Philippines chairman and chief executive Kais Marzouki, Republic Cement president and chief executive Nabil Francis and Nestle Philippines corporate affairs head Ernesto Mascenon.

MB orders closure of Samar rural bank

THE Monetary Board, the policy-making body of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, closed a financially-ailing rural bank based in Samar, the fifth lender shut down this year. The board said in a statement it prohibited Rural Bank of Basey (Samar) Inc. from doing business in the Philippines. It also directed Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. as receiver to proceed with the takeover and liquidation of Rural Bank of Basey. PDIC took over the bank on May 17, 2019. Rural Bankof Basey is a single-unit rural bank located on Serafin Marabut St., Loyo, Basey, Western Samar. Latest available records show that as of March 31, 2019, Rural Bank of Basey had 631 deposit accounts with total deposit liabilities of P41.4 million, of which 19.7 percent or P8.15 million are insured deposits. Julito G. Rada

Japan Tobacco warns against new tax hike

ANOTHER round of tax hike on tobacco products as proposed by the Department of Finance will not only negatively affect the lives of people who depend on the industry, but also result in further incidents of smuggling in the country, an executive of Japan Tobacco Inc. Philippines said Monday. JTI Philippines general manager Manos Koukourakis reminded that tobacco taxes had already been increased by the Congress in December 2017. These new taxes were implemented in 2018. “Currently in the Philippines, we have a quite balanced situation... When such a unique balance is stricken, why would anyone like to disrupt it?” Koukourakis asked. He said the balanced situation included the decline in number of smokers, from 26 million in 2013 to 16 million in 2018. Julito G. Rada

Manila Water reduces supply gap to 43 MLD

MANILA Water Co. Inc. has reduced its supply deﬁcit to 43 million liters per day from 150 MLD in March this year despite the steady increase in demand following a warmer and more humid climate. Manila Water group head for corporate strategic affairs Jeric Sevilla attributed the lower supply deﬁcit to the interim supply augmentation sources of the company. “Our Cardona Water Treatment Plant is now able to distribute more than 50 MLD to several towns in Rizal. This de-loads our central distribution system which is supplied by the Balara Treatment Plants and we are able to more equitably distribute water within the East Zone of Metro Manila,” said Sevilla.

Tutuban-Malolos rail construction proceeds J By Darwin G. Amojelar

APANESE and local contractors started the construction of train stations along the Tutuban-Malolos segment of PNR Clark Phase 1 following the signing of a contract, the Department of Transportation said Monday.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Taisei Corp. managing executive ofﬁcer Keiji Hirano signed the contract, with D.M. Consunji Inc. president and chief executive Jorge Consunji serving as a witness. Taisei and DMCI formed a joint venture to build the 37.6-kilometer PNR Clark Phase 1. PNR Clark Phase 1 will run from Tutuban, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan. The ﬁrst package consists of civil works for elevated structures, a depot in Valenzuela and the construction of six stations in Solis, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Mey-

cauayan, Marilao and Bocaue. Tugade said the construction works for the second package actually started in February and covered three stations in Balagtas, Guiginto and Malolos, while the development of six stations under the ﬁrst package began Monday. He said that once PNR Clark Phase 1 was completed and became operational by the fourth quarter of 2021, travel time from Manila to Malolos would be reduced from one hour and 30 minutes to just 35 minutes. The rail line once completed is expected to serve 300,000 passengers daily. “Last February, we started the actual construction of three stations, from Bocaue to Malolos. Now we are here to start the second phase of PNR Clark 1 from Tutuban to Bocaue...Today is a humble response to the president’s order to improve Filipino lives through enhanced mobility and connectivity,” Tugade said. PNR Clark Phase 1 forms part of the North-South Commuter Railway Project―a mega rail network that aims to seamlessly integrate the National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Calabarzon, through PNR Clark Phases 1 and

2 (Tutuban-Malolos and Malolos-Clark) and PNR Calamba (Manila-Laguna). Transportation Undersecretary Timothy Batan said the entire NSCR line aimed to serve 700,000 passengers daily once fully operational. “The North-South Commuter Railway System, or the combined and interoperable PNR Clark and PNR Calamba Projects, demonstrates the scale of what the DOTr, under the strong leadership of Secretary Tugade, is working triple, if not quadruple, time to deliver. It is indeed a most ambitious project that will usher in the Philippines’ ‘Golden Age of Infrastructure,’ and that will deliver our president’s promise of a more comfortable life to every Filipino,” Batan said. Tugade said the DOTr and the PNR were expediting the acquisition of right of way to complete the construction of the stations. “As I speak today, we have completed 90.1 percent of the right of way. We have 443,000 square meters ﬁnalized and clear. With the efforts of the PNR and the DOTr, in a matter of time, the properties will be delivered free and clear so that the Filipino people can ride and experience the rail system ahead of time,” Tugade said.

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

BoP swung to a surplus of $4.27b in four months By Julito G. Rada THE country’s balance of payments posted a surplus of $467 million in April, a reversal of the $270-million deficit recorded a year ago, buoyed by remittances, foreign direct investments and income from the investments of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas abroad. Data from the BSP showed the figure brought the cumulative BoP position in January to April to a surplus of $4.27 billion, a turnaround from the $1.5-billion deficit registered in the first four months of 2018. The BoP posted a surplus of $2.7 billion in January. The BSP said another factor that supported the overall BoP position was the net foreign currency deposits of the national government. “These were offset partially, however, by the payments made by the national government for its foreign exchange obligations during the month in review,” it said. It said the surplus could be attributed partly to remittance inflows from overseas Filipinos and net inflows of foreign portfolio investments [net BSP-registered transactions based on custodian banks’ reports] in the first quarter and net inflows of foreign direct investments in first two months of 2019. Cash remittances rose 4.2 percent in the first quarter to $7.3 billion from a year ago. Net inflows of FDIs reached $1.4 billion in the first two months while foreign portfolio investments yielded net inflows of $363 million in the first quarter. The BoP position reflected the final gross international reserves level of $83.88 billion as of end-April 2019. At this level, the GIR was equivalent to 7.4 months’ worth of imports of goods and paymentsofservicesandprimaryincome. It was also equivalent to five times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 3.5 times based on residual maturity. The BoP summarizes the country’s economic transactions with the rest of the world, with a surplus indicating that foreign exchange inflows exceeded foreign exchange payments. Persistent surpluses help build up the GIR, an ample supply of which helps prop up the peso against the US dollar and keep domestic inflation at bay. The country’s BoP position ended 2018 with a deficit of $2.31 billion, pulled down by the widening trade deficit.

Alliance Global profit up by 21% to P4.4b in Q1

Piñol asks DBM to release P10b for rice farmers

By Jenniffer B. Austria

By Othel V. Campos AGRICULTURE Secretary Manuel Piñol asked the Budget Department to immediately release the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund to help farmers affected by the El Niño dry spell. Piñol said while the DBM released P5 billion to support the rice program in December last year, it was not a part of the P10-billion RCEF, contrary to the claim of the National Economic and Development Authority. Piñol said acting Budget Secretary Janet Abuel assured him that the agency would release a part of RCEF this year. He said of the P10-billion budget for RCEF, only the P1-billion credit component was available with Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines. “There was an initial confusion on the total amount still to be released by DBM because on Dec. 28, 2018, DBM released P5 billion for ‘Support to the National Rice Program’,” said Piñol. He said this was different from RCEF which was mandated by law that became effective only in March 2019. He denied rumors accusing the Agriculture Department of mishandling RCEF which would be collected from rice import tariffs under the Rice Tarifﬁcation Law that opened rice importation in the country. Piñol said the money released in December was immediately downloaded by the rice-producing regions and disbursed according to programs approved by the Budget Department.

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

FINANCIAL EDUCATION. BDO Foundation, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Department of Education are expanding efforts to maximize the benefits of their financial education program for public school students through the K-12 curriculum. Leading the launch of the second batch of financial literacy learning resources in public schools are (from left) BDO Foundation president Mario Deriquito, Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones and BSP Center for Learning and Inclusion Advocacy managing director Pia Roman Tayag.

Lower reserve requirement ratio has minimal impact on inflation AN ECONOMIST said Monday the “telegraphed and measured” move of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to reduce the reserve requirement ratio of commercial banks from 18 percent to 16 percent will have a minimal impact on inﬂation and currency. ING Bank Manila senior economist Nicholas Mapa said the BSP learned from the previous RRR reductions in 2018 where “clandestine” non-policy meeting RRR cuts “caught market off guard.” “Learning from the previous episode of RRR cuts in 2018, the BSP opted to telegraph the series of ‘measured reductions’ bringing the 2019 edition of redux into the third quarter of the year,” Mapa said in a report. “This year, BSP opted to wait for inﬂation to be clearly on the downtrend before pulling the trigger. Meanwhile, Diokno decided to lay his cards on the table, telegraphing a series of measured adjustments [100 then two 50 bps cuts]

in order to minimize both the possible impact on inflation and the currency,” he said. Mapa said that as a result, there was a “positive market reception” while the effect on the peso was contained as the currency sat in the middle of the regional pack in terms of performance post easing. He said the inflation rate was expected to remain behaved both this year and next as supply conditions remained stable in the face of rising crude oil prices. Inflation eased to a 16-month low of 3 percent in April from 3.3 percent in March on more stable prices of food and other commodities. This brought inflation in the first four months to an average of 3.6 percent, within the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent. The policy-making Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas cut the reserve requirement ratio of banks by 200 basis points or 2 percent to 16

percent from 18 percent in a bid to free up additional liquidity to the financial market. BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said the reduction would happen in three stages: 100 basis points cut effective May 31; 50 bps cut on June 28; and 50 bps cut on July 26. “This new policy will apply to universal and commercial banks only. For the other types of banks, the cut in RRR will be considered in the next MB meeting,” Diokno said. Reserve requirement, also called cash reserve ratio, is a central bank regulation to set a minimum fraction of customer deposits and notes that each commercial bank should hold as reserves. Mapa earlier said this was the perfect opportunity for the BSP to cut both the policy rate and RRR as inflation was returning within the target range and GDP growth dropping to 5.6 percent in the first quarter. Julito G. Rada

ALLIANCE Global Group Inc., the holding company of billionaire Andrew Tan, said Monday net income jumped 21 percent in the first quarter to P4.4 billion from P3.6 billion in the same period last year boosted by the positive performance of its core real estate and liquor businesses. AGI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange first-quarter consolidated revenues climbed 19 percent to P41 billion from P34.4 billion. “Our much-improved performance is a testament to our strong brand equity across all our business segments. We will continue to offer our premium products and excellent services to the market as we remain optimistic of the opportunities that lie ahead,” said AGI chief executive Kevin Tan. “We are mindful of the challenges in the external environment, but we will strive to work harder to sustain such good results,” Tan said. Megaworld Corp., AGI’s property arm, reported attributable net income of P3.8 billion in the first quarter, reflecting a 16-percent growth from P3.3 billion a year ago. Consolidated revenues went up by 15 percent to P14.9 billion, on sustained growth in rental revenues and residential sales. Travellers International, the owner and operator of Resorts World Manila, reported a 45.2-percent decline in first-quarter net income to P243.4 million. Gross gaming revenues rose 54 percent while hotel revenues rose 63 percent with the recent opening of Hilton Manila Hotel and Sheraton Manila Hotel.

Business

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market rallies again; DMCI rises T HE stock market extended its rally for the second straight day Monday in thin trading after President Donald Trump showed signs of conciliation in his trade wars.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index rose 76.32 points, or 1 percent, to 7,660.14 on a value turnover of P4.9 billion. Gainers beat losers, 100 to 84, with 43 issues unchanged. DMCI Holdings Inc. of the Consunji Group advanced 6.8 percent to P10.42 after unit D.M. Consunji Inc. said order book had reached P25 billion as of end March 2019. Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. of the Aboitiz Group climbed 4.6 percent to P50.25.

GT Capital Holdings Inc. of the Ty Group gained 3.7 percent to P850, while unit Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., the second-biggest lender in terms of assets, rose 3.4 percent to P75.50. Most Asian markets, meanwhile, gained Monday but investors remain on edge over the China-US standoff with some concerns that talks between the two have stalled. Mumbai equities and the rupee soared on the back of exit polls suggesting business-friendly Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on course to be re-elected. Sydney stocks and the Australian dollar rallied after a shock win for the conservatives, while Japanese dealers were cheered by forecast-beating economic growth data. However, the pound is wallowing around four-month lows on growing fears Britain will leave the European Union without a divorce deal. Most equity markets were in positive

territory, with Sydney 1.7 percent higher following the surprise victory of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Liberal-National coalition in weekend elections. The Aussie dollar also enjoyed support, climbing 0.7 percent against the greenback. Tokyo ended 0.2 percent higher, with traders taking heart from news that the Japanese economy expanded more than expected in the ﬁrst quarter and improved slightly from the previous three months. Wellington added 0.5 percent and Taipei was 0.1 percent higher, with Jakarta one percent up. However, Hong Kong shed 0.6 percent and Shanghai was off 0.4 percent, with Seoul marginally down. Global markets have been in turmoil for two weeks since Trump threatened—and later delivered—a hike in tariffs on Chinese imports, to which Beijing retaliated and relit their debilitating trade battle.

The move also threw a spanner in the works for long-running negotiations between the economic superpowers that were thought to have been close to conclusion. That was compounded by Trump’s decision to bar Chinese telecoms ﬁrms from the US market and added Huawei to a blacklist restricting US sales to the ﬁrm. But there was a sliver of hope after Trump on Friday removed steel tariffs on Canada and Mexico and announced a six-month delay in imposing steep tariffs on auto imports as he seeks talks with Japan and the EU on the issue. Still, Michael Metcalfe, global head of macro strategy at State Street, said markets could be ready for a healthy bounce. “Right now, cash levels are at quite elevated levels and investors have money to put back into the market,” he told Bloomberg TV. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW MONDAY, MAY 20, 2019

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 58.8 20 81 1,825,310 2.15 3,000 130.9 930,950 26.1 130,100 18.88 11,300 11.58 265,300 4.58 32,000 0.54 150,000 755 130 0.47 50,000 75.5 955,290 0.95 668,000 13.5 200 21.65 600 56.1 495,150 184 4,160 57.45 550 26.2 13,200 178.5 730,630 1,780 30 61.1 10,490

1,176 148,049,837 6,450 121,545,037 3,427,600 212,444 3,051,068 141,970 82,550 100,610 22,900 71,154,559 638,790 2,700 12,690 27,672,988 762,154 31,627.50 349,415 127,792,216 53,450 637,191

-74,145,428 -52,055,479 -2,403,995 535,526 47,850 7,238,071.00 0 6,213,434.50 -3,662 -18,365 -12,709,082 -486,496.50

INDUSTRIAL 35.5 853,200 15.46 438,500 0.67 4,771,000 1.37 62,000 0.275 186,280,000 2.73 10,251,000 13.92 2,815,800 27 2,459,200 16.1 1,500 45 300 66 500 63.1 1,010 1.89 154,000 5.25 50,600 5.7 5,200 10.18 395,300 16 34,900 9.42 569,800 7.49 496,200 21.5 607,000 76.45 41,310 41.75 480,000 2.4 6,978,000 14.22 755,200 10 576,600 1.72 248,000 274.2 1,336,880 3.65 4,000 9.6 54,700 22 2,451,600 13.9 323,700 21.85 688,000 356.2 109,170 5.63 7,900 1.28 2,128,000 4.5 20,000 5.41 8,910,500 9.48 28,500 2.09 28,974,000 12.04 247,300 42.3 76,400 4.7 92,000 5 106,000 1.25 26,000 13.2 186,100 106 323,480 6.5 82,300 0.128 510,000 0.87 106,000 153.7 897,020 2.51 22,000 1.12 15,889,000 1.05 324,000

30,098,245 6,728,054 3,255,380 84,940 53,041,150 28,281,710 39,756,804 66,598,480 22,082 13,500 33,000 63,731 291,620 266,380 28,798 4,011,624 556,844 5,365,452 3,719,667 12,765,420 3,160,438 19,569,530 16,380,400 10,722,372 5,761,401 416,770 367,386,242 14,500 509,754 53,390,460 4,487,192 15,298,125 38,972,630 45,046 2,681,530 89,580 48,855,457 269,216 60,454,830 2,973,364 3,254,780 432,790 528,700 32,710 2,433,026 34,266,647 536,897 65,280 93,430 137,463,786 55,220 18,174,490 334,640

-5,219,405.00 38,380 5,480 -1,722,200.00 5,679,770 -110,106 -101,605 19,020 -2,065,000 355,100 124,383 -2,852,065 -3,275,335 -2,053,754.50 4,693,125 265,770 1,449,300 -1,396,767 -138,489,594 39,294,330 -1,735,450 -221,115 -13,838,878 1,400,750 7,830,482 -125,250.00 -2,377,290 -409,150 1,805,912 2,473,579 -77,235,578 -2,100,430 2,040

14,213,070 92,928,845 75,021,148 317,820 867,534 1,905,590 62,960 134,108,850 60,189,380 1,203,470 104,035,815 2,567,118 13,050 67,012,925 400,695 113,974,340 66,254 3,480 33,789,360 54,404,270 147,400 39,705,330 306,000 21,640 40,712,634 61,880 382,202,695 412,530 384,520 47,290 1,032,222 58,520 7,681,600

-276,660 7,311,655 -36,325,066 -30,440 -56,320,100 -755,190 -772,798 -54,098,393 -129,156 -13,122,540 61,200 -58,782,817 6,425,810 14,381,594.00 146,850 -15,690,610 -1,329,883 -205,247,620 -48,520 108,650

32,056,470 2,198,890 210,830 1,157,970 210,252,165 1,714,220 29,706,010 1,726,250 10,280 97,390 466,872 11,733,740 202,250 2,713,180 2,970,240 130,569,389 5,650,400 353,300 3,553,760

-187,060 -36,071,845 -1,130,210.00 -3,096,660 -9,288 1,332,935 94,000 -940,770 -52,876,585 461,900 106,000

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

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

58.8 80.85 2.15 130.1 26.85 18.8 11.42 4.59 0.56 818 0.45 73 0.96 13.5 20.65 54.5 182.9 57.45 26.5 175 1,785 60

58.8 81.7 2.15 131.4 26.9 18.88 11.58 4.59 0.56 818 0.47 75.5 1 13.5 21.65 56.65 184 57.55 26.5 179.1 1,785 61.5

58.8 80.8 2.15 128 26.1 18.78 11.4 4.41 0.54 755 0.45 72.9 0.94 13.5 20.65 54.2 182.9 57.45 26.2 172.1 1,780 58.1

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS BASIC ENERGY CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CONCRETE A CONCRETE B 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 MABUHAY VINYL MACAY HLDG MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETROENERGY PETRON PHINMA PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP RFM CORP SFA SEMICON SHAKEYS PIZZA SMC FOODANDBEV SPC POWER SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VICTORIAS VITARICH VULCAN INDL

35 15.46 0.72 1.37 0.265 2.71 14.24 27.95 14.62 45 66 63.1 1.92 5.3 5.75 10.32 15.86 9.39 7.59 21 76.5 39.05 2.34 14.38 10.06 1.69 277 3.75 10 22 14.2 21.65 360 5.69 1.24 4.45 5.56 9.42 2.04 11.7 42.6 4.75 4.95 1.27 13.24 109 6.5 0.128 0.85 152.6 2.51 1.25 1.05

35.55 15.5 0.73 1.37 0.305 2.78 14.24 27.95 16.1 45 66 63.1 1.92 5.3 5.75 10.4 16 9.42 7.59 21.5 76.6 42.45 2.4 14.72 10.14 1.74 278 3.75 10 22 14.2 22.3 360.2 5.79 1.28 4.5 5.59 9.48 2.16 12.08 42.8 4.75 5 1.27 13.24 109 6.69 0.128 0.93 155.8 2.51 1.25 1.05

34.6 15 0.66 1.37 0.265 2.71 13.76 26.85 14.62 45 66 63.1 1.89 5.25 5.4 10.06 15.86 9.39 7.49 20.8 76.45 39 2.29 13.9 9.94 1.66 272 3.4 9.07 21.5 13.7 21.65 356 5.63 1.22 4.45 5.4 9.42 1.97 11.68 42.3 4.7 4.95 1.25 12.9 105 6.4 0.128 0.85 151.2 2.51 1.1 1.02

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

0.62 48 13.9 0.74 15.22 1.28 1.28 851.5 3.35 7.15 9.84 14 0.26 838 6.1 57.55 5.98 0.51 4.79 16.92 0.55 4.25 0.039 1.12 180 2.38 888 0.81 1.36 431 270 0.24 0.3

0.64 50.35 13.9 0.75 15.52 1.28 1.32 863.5 3.51 7.2 10.42 14.48 0.265 850 6.15 58.75 5.98 0.51 4.85 16.92 0.55 4.33 0.04 1.16 186.7 2.38 898 0.83 1.36 431 274.8 0.24 0.3

0.58 48 13.5 0.73 14.56 1.23 1.28 851 3.34 7 9.82 13.98 0.26 820 6.1 56.35 5.86 0.48 4.73 16.2 0.55 4.25 0.039 1.12 178.6 2.38 877 0.79 1.32 429 266 0.233 0.27

8990 HLDG A BROWN ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEB LANDMASTERS CENTURY PROP CITY AND LAND CROWN EQUITIES DM WENCESLAO DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL INFRADEV

14.22 0.73 2.18 0.77 46.75 2.32 4.91 0.51 0.87 0.23 10.24 25.6 0.475 1.55 1.33 5.43 0.32 0.465 1.72

14.4 0.78 2.22 0.77 47.6 2.32 5.09 0.52 0.87 0.24 10.32 25.65 0.475 1.56 1.33 5.49 0.32 0.47 1.76

14.2 0.7 2.1 0.74 46.75 2.28 4.91 0.51 0.85 0.23 10.12 24.5 0.47 1.53 1.32 5.33 0.305 0.46 1.68

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

0.42 2.24 23.55 1.99 2.97 39.1 1.8 6.8 0.72 7.22

0.45 2.26 24.2 2.04 3.02 39.4 1.83 6.82 0.72 7.22

0.405 1.95 23.05 1.99 2.97 38.25 1.73 6.61 0.72 7.17

0.435 1.99 24.2 2.03 3.02 39.4 1.83 6.79 0.72 7.17

3,740,000 2,644,000 792,400 111,000 93,000 7,410,300 3,731,000 99,600 40,000 1,638,400

1,568,400 5,402,430 18,823,460 225,580 280,760 289,826,330 6,558,930 668,339 28,800 11,782,527

352,200 -2,223,010 -39.9999 -2,970 -45,158,110 -361,000 2,005,731

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

11.7 19.18 1.32 0.42 0.044 19.94 2.48 11.16 0.066 84.3 7.5 6.38 11.18 1,987 5.42 397.2 2.4 1.75 139.5 0.122 6.1 3.09 14.8 4.28 0.79 19.2 0.54 3.7 2.73 1.66 1.63 2.11 3.34 9.7 3.22 4.09 123 3.09 1,256 0.69 0.93 45.55 71.05 9 3.2 0.67 0.335 5.6 0.69 16.72

11.9 19.18 1.36 0.425 0.045 20 2.55 11.3 0.066 85 7.5 6.39 11.2 2,022 5.42 416 2.44 1.76 142.5 0.124 6.12 3.18 14.8 4.48 0.79 19.24 0.57 3.92 2.86 1.74 1.63 2.11 3.36 9.95 3.22 4.33 126 3.11 1,275 0.75 0.95 46.5 73 9.38 3.3 0.67 0.335 5.65 0.71 16.84

11.5 18.88 1.32 0.42 0.044 17.76 2.41 10.92 0.063 83.3 7.03 5.95 10.58 1,974 5.33 397.2 2.37 1.75 138 0.122 5.75 3.09 14.8 4.28 0.79 19.04 0.54 3.7 2.73 1.66 1.63 1.96 3.24 9.64 3.22 4.09 123 2.97 1,256 0.69 0.92 44.5 70.5 8.9 3.11 0.66 0.325 5.58 0.67 16.6

SERVICES 11.9 19 1.36 0.425 0.045 19.8 2.53 11.3 0.063 84.7 7.03 5.96 10.58 2,018 5.34 412.8 2.39 1.76 139.5 0.123 5.81 3.11 14.8 4.44 0.79 19.08 0.56 3.71 2.86 1.66 1.63 2.04 3.36 9.95 3.22 4.33 126 2.97 1,270 0.73 0.94 46.5 73 9.29 3.29 0.66 0.33 5.58 0.71 16.7

23,900 375,500 49,000 840,000 1,400,000 183,800 194,000 3,007,700 20,180,000 58,820 3,600 2,859,500 71,700 39,425 148,800 500 650,000 61,000 1,428,030 960,000 6,989,000 24,000 1,700 4,623,000 1,000 187,200 3,241,000 75,000 2,897,000 21,000 13,000 5,471,000 104,000 9,000 2,000 21,000 19,610 1,213,000 101,950 15,476,000 30,065,000 1,145,800 155,550 44,500 9,630,000 3,342,000 3,420,000 105,400 2,431,000 1,491,100

281,128 7,156,472 66,480 353,900 61,700 3,616,806 484,410 33,402,976 1,289,280 4,952,033 25,637 17,350,912 767,490 79,080,685 799,346 202,280 1,548,840 107,350 199,181,392 118,010 41,096,748 75,410 25,160 20,359,020 790 3,577,650 1,796,940 283,320 8,194,750 35,030 21,190 11,016,870 340,380 87,609 6,440 87,760 2,454,400 3,675,040 129,130,310 11,310,280 28,033,990 52,326,420 11,298,420 407,974 30,632,640 2,227,710 1,141,450 589,684 1,690,930 24,929,196

1,152 781,978 -11,989,862 1,117,033.50 9,842 55,870 19,133,510 59,820 -38,658,578 -12,300 2,241,606 1,445,190 1,004,132.00 348,680 -24,480 74,620 983,980 -475,990 56,511,485 -721,010 937,480 -7,428,925 -4,534,154 7,694,440 225,000 10,559,788

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 MARCVENTURES NICKEL ASIA NIHAO OMICO CORP ORNTL PENINSULA ORNTL PETROL A PHILODRILL PHINMA PETRO PX MINING PXP ENERGY SEMIRARA MINING

0.0019 1.2 2.76 11.9 1.15 2.76 0.29 7.8 1.53 0.234 0.106 0.112 0.0079 1 2.2 0.98 0.55 0.87 0.012 0.012 3.59 2.92 8.38 21.95

0.0019 1.2 2.76 12 1.15 2.8 0.295 7.83 1.57 0.234 0.107 0.112 0.0079 1.03 2.25 1.01 0.61 0.88 0.012 0.012 3.75 2.92 8.42 22.8

0.0018 1.18 2.75 11.04 1.12 2.75 0.28 7.76 1.53 0.224 0.099 0.112 0.0079 1 2.17 0.97 0.55 0.87 0.011 0.011 3.56 2.87 8.07 21.95

MINING & OIL 0.0019 25,000,000 1.19 1,465,000 2.75 97,000 11.94 4,700 1.12 46,000 2.76 563,000 0.295 910,000 7.8 4,900 1.54 18,454,000 0.233 1,590,000 0.099 6,470,000 0.112 10,000 0.0079 2,000,000 1.03 159,000 2.18 891,000 1 16,000 0.61 100,000 0.88 209,000 0.011 3,800,000 0.012 296,900,000 3.75 137,000 2.9 243,000 8.14 707,300 22 2,357,300

45,600 1,734,950 267,230 53,974 52,480 1,552,290 255,050 38,251 28,532,550 359,020 664,660 1,120 15,800 162,110 1,963,070 15,790 59,940 181,840 43,800 3,532,400 494,890 701,260 5,770,470 52,194,400

-297,500 5,540 20,000 -502,230 186,000 -63,260 32,864 43,971,710

ABS HLDG PDR DD PREF FGEN PREF G GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A LR PREF SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

19 98 102 5.35 940 95.1 0.98 76.5 73.85 73 73

19 98 102 5.35 940 95.1 0.99 76.9 73.85 73 73.5

17.64 97.8 102 5.35 920 95.1 0.98 76.5 73.85 73 73

PREFERRED 18.1 148,900 98 1,690 102 1,090 5.35 7,300 920 170 95.1 20,000 0.98 201,000 76.9 2,710 73.85 2,120 73 9,000 73.5 65,600

2,687,170 165,440 111,180 39,055 158,000 1,902,000 197,100 208,133 156,562 657,000 4,795,600

-1,562,370 -158,000 -

LR WARRANT

2.08

2.11

2.02

WARRANTS 2.06 392,000

809,810

ITALPINAS XURPAS

4.81 1.07

4.81 1.13

4.75 1.03

4.75 1.09

1,183,390 12,002,590

-1,684,670

FIRST METRO ETF

114.8

114

1,078,695

-1,145

USD TECH B2

53,300

HOLDING FIRMS 0.59 23,546,000 50.25 1,866,700 13.8 5,436,100 0.75 434,000 14.88 57,600 1.25 1,519,000 1.32 49,000 857 156,510 3.5 17,442,000 7.03 170,200 10.42 10,226,600 14.4 181,000 0.265 50,000 850 79,620 6.15 65,300 58.75 1,975,080 5.86 11,300 0.51 7,000 4.8 7,007,000 16.22 3,330,000 0.55 268,000 4.33 9,243,000 0.039 7,800,000 1.16 19,000 186.7 224,950 2.38 26,000 884.5 432,470 0.83 514,000 1.36 291,000 429 110 274.8 3,830 0.233 250,000 0.28 27,370,000 PROPERTY 14.34 0.78 2.2 0.75 47.5 2.28 5.05 0.52 0.85 0.231 10.22 24.5 0.47 1.55 1.33 5.37 0.305 0.47 1.71

2,242,000 2,884,000 98,000 1,552,000 4,448,100 746,000 5,917,000 3,378,000 12,000 420,000 45,500 472,300 430,000 1,760,000 2,238,000 24,277,800 18,380,000 760,000 2,075,000

TRADING SUMMARY FINANCIAL

SHARES 7,736,764

INDUSTRIAL

283,331,114

HOLDING FIRMS

120,232,091

PROPERTY

97,506,526

SERVICES

132,331,394

MINING & OIL

362,153,397

GRAND TOTAL

1,014,582,427

SME

248,000 11,027,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 114.8 9,430 1

DDS

53,300

VALUE 1,715.40 (up) 14.67 675,214,721.47 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,068.08 (up) 9.66 1,107,067,593.01 HOLDING FIRMS 7,161.30 (up) 91.40 1,292,019,937.02 PROPERTY 4,175.30 (up) 36.41 SERVICES 1,651.90 (up) 15.31 801,077,922.86 MINING & OIL 7,232.45 (down) 24.21 895,827,379.09 PSEI 7,660.14 (up) 76.32 98,706,138.91 All Shares Index 4,747.40 (up) 34.13 4,884,206,077.02 Gainers: 100; Losers: 846; Unchanged: 43; Total: 227

Emperador sees foreign liquor sales increasing By Jenniffer B. Austria EMPERADOR Inc., the liquor unit of tycoon Andrew Tan, expects international sales to eventually account for over half of the company’s revenues as the group focuses on pursuing global expansion. Emperador president Winston Co said in an interview Monday following the annual stockholders’ meeting the company would concentrate on expanding the presence of the whisky and brandy brands in the international arena. About 60 percent of the group’s total sales come from the Philippines against 40 percent from the international business. “Eventually that (will) happen because of our push for globalization,” Co said when asked if the share of Philippine business sales would fall below 50 percent with the foreign market expansion Co said the company was pushing for the malt line, which currently accounts for 65 percent to 70 percent of total branded business of Whyte and Mackay. Co said the company expects malts pver the next ﬁve years to account for 80 percent to 85 percent of the branded business. Emperador has ﬁve malts brands under Whyte and Mackay, namely Dalmore, Jura, Tamnavulin, Fettercairn and Shackleton. “The direction is clear. The direction is to go for high value and fast growing segment of the market and we are using global distribution strength behind this as well,” Co said. Emperador’s whiskey business in 2018 accounted for 22 percent of the total revenues while the brandy line contributed 78 percent. Co expects the share of the whiskey business to increase to 30 percent from the current 28 percent of total revenues. The company is poised to strengthen its brandy business further by introducing new products to the market. It is also in the process of developing locally produced brandy that can be exported overseas.

Meralco opens modern substation in Gen. Trias City MANILA Electric Co., in partnership with property developer Property Company of Friends Inc., inaugurated a new substation that will accommodate the increasing electricity requirements of Lancaster New City in General Trias, Cavite and nearby communities. “This new facility is a testament to Meralco’s relentless pursuit to continuously improve our service to customers through the use of innovative technology. Likewise, this project will improve the system reliability and will provide better flexibility during contingencies. We thank Pro-Friends for their partnership in this endeavor aimed to support residents of Lancaster New City, as well as Caviteños in nearby cities and municipalities,” said Meralco deputy chief executive Ray Espinosa. The 115kV-34.5kV outdoor substation in Lancaster New City is a state-of-the-art facility that can function unmanned. It is situated on a 5,400-square meter lot donated by Pro-Friends, and is equipped with supervisory control and data acquisition as well as devices and remotely-controlled distribution feeders and line re-closers. The new substation will also provide switching flexibility in case of outages, aside from addressing critical loading of Cavite power transformers. This will translate into fewer and shorter duration power interruptions, benefitting residential, commercial and industrial electricity customers, most especially those in Lancaster New City and the Cavite Economic Zone. “Meralco and Pro-friends are similar in the sense that service excellence is one of the key pillars that drive our enterprises to go the extra mile. This substation will fulfill energy requirements primarily of Lancaster New City and also cater to nearby communities surrounding LNC,” said Pro-Friends president Guillermo Choa. LNC is home to close to 65,000 residents and 66 commercial locators, including a business process outsourcing company, while Meralco is the biggest electricity retailer with over six million customers in its franchise area. Alena Mae S. Flores

World

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Day of Remembrance marks horrors of Cambodia genocide

PHOTOCALL. From left, French actress Luana Bajrami, French actress Noemie Merlant, French director Celine Sciamma, French actress Adele Haenel, and Italian actress and film director Valeria Golino pose during a photocall for the film ‘Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (Portrait de la Jeune Fille en Feu)’ at the 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 20, 2019. AFP

PHNOM PENH-Black-clad students reenacted the horrors of the Cambodian genocide at the “Killing Fields” on Monday to commemorate the two million people killed by the Khmer Rouge’s murderous, Maoist regime. Hundreds gathered at the notorious site in Phnom Penh to mark the annual Day of Remembrance with prayers and performances, including students wielding wooden riﬂes, knives and bamboo sticks in mock attacks. “We performed these scenes in order to remember the genocidal Pol Pot regime and the cruelty that the Cambodian people suffered,” Chhaem Khleuong, a ﬁne art teacher who played a Khmer Rouge cadre, told AFP. A quarter of Cambodia’s population died under Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime, culled in mass killings or of starvation, forced labor or torture. His brutal reign came to an end in 1979, and the Khmer Rouge atrocities are still remembered at museums and sites dedicated to the victims of the

genocide. The Day of Remembrance, more commonly called the “Day of Anger” in Cambodia, is held at the Choeung Ek “Killing Fields”, where some 15,000 people were conﬁned and sent to their deaths between 1975 and 1979. It was an emotional day for many attendees, some who cried as students pretended to slit victims’ throats, shoot them dead or subject them to waterboarding. “These views brought my feeling back to the Pol Pot era, the killing was heinous,” said 62-year-old Chan Ren, who lost more than 10 relatives under the regime. “Today, people attend the event to pray to the souls of people who were killed by the Khmer Rouge,” she added. Several of the genocide’s chief orchestrators have been tried by a UNbacked court, though critics say the prosecutions have been too slow and many of the accused have died before facing trial. AFP

Biden seen as best bet to defeat Trump P HILADELPHIA―The crowded 2020 presidential race features six women, three African-Americans and a dozen youthful contenders. But Denise Haley is going old school, supporting white male front runner Joe Biden as the Democrat best positioned to beat Donald Trump.

“He could lead the nation and bring us back together,” Haley, who is black, told AFP of the 76-year-old former vice president, reﬂecting what appears to be a solidifying sentiment amid the voters whose support has given Biden a commanding poll lead. Haley, a 60-year-old health care professional, was in the crowd Saturday when Biden came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to address the biggest,

most boisterous rally of his four-week-old White House campaign. Many attendees thrilled at Biden, essentially sidestepping the discussion of the grueling primary battle ahead and focusing on the general election face-off with Republican Trump, whom he often attacked with explicit condemnation. “Biden is Trump’s biggest rival and has the highest chance of kicking Trump out of ofﬁce,” highschooler Ankita Kalasabail, who is 16 but will be old enough to vote in 2020, said in explaining her support for a man 60 years her senior. “We need to beat Trump” and Biden has a stronger shot than the 22 other Democratic candidates, said Mickey Kirzecky, a consultant. Biden, a veteran Democrat who spent 36 year in the US Senate, boasts the thickest resume of any candidate seeking to deny Trump a second term. But crucially, said Kirzecky, he has a knack for connecting with all-important blue-collar voters. “I hate to use the word electability, but I think that’s part of what comes into play,” she added, stressing Biden’s more moderate politics and his

popularity with working-class Americans―a constituency that helped Trump win the White House in 2016. “I think he might be a healing candidate,” she added. The historically diverse race is cluttered with progressives vying for the votes of Democrats witnessing their party’s steady leftward shift. But Haley, the health professional, said her candidate criteria are based not on skin-color, age, or gender, but capacity to win and to get the job done. “I don’t think you have to be a woman or an African-American to do that,” she said. “I just think you have to be a strong leader and I think he [Biden] shows those qualities.” As for Biden being one of three septuagenarians in the race, along with Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders, Norda Lewis brushed it aside. “I don’t think that age matters,” said the 36-yearold teacher from the Philadelphia suburbs, describing Biden as “a man for the people” who can appeal to traditional Democrats, independents, and working-class Republicans.

John Lester, a graphic designer from Philadelphia, said Biden’s age could become a concern, although “he does seem like a healthy guy.” What draws him to Biden is the candidate’s “broader appeal” and moderate politics, Lester, 61, said. “I support the issues of diversity,” but moving too quickly toward a liberal agenda at a time of deep political divisions might backﬁre, he added. “I like that fact that he’s steady and I trust him,” added Lester’s wife Doreen. “I believe that he’s a good guy, and I think we need good again.” Biden spent eight years in the White House with president Barack Obama, and his close alliance with the nation’s ﬁrst black commander in chief has earned him strong support from the coveted African-American voting bloc. But Biden’s legislative record and past actions, such as his treatment of Anita Hill -- the woman at the center of emblematic sex harassment hearings in the Senate almost three decades ago -- or his support for a crime bill that led to mass incarcerations of black men, have come under scrutiny. AFP

Russia air strikes kill 10 Syrians

IN BRIEF Tajikistan prison riot leaves 32 dead

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan―A riot at a prison in Tajikistan has left 32 people dead, including 24 members of the Islamic State militant group and three guards, authorities said Monday. Five of the inmates and the three guards were killed by IS prisoners during the riot that erupted on Sunday evening, the justice ministry said in a statement. The prison in Vakhdat, 17 kilometers east of the capital Dushanbe, holds 1,500 inmates. It said the prisoners first stabbed to death three guards, and then five other inmates “in order to intimidate” the others. They then took other prisoners hostage before opening fire on the jail’s medical facilities. “Following a reprisal operation, 24 members of this group were killed and 25 others arrested. The hostages were freed” and calm restored to the prison, the statement said. Among the leaders of the riot, the Tajik authorities identified the 20-year-old son of the former head of Tajik special forces who became a member of the IS leadership in Syria, where he was killed in September 2017. In November 2018, another riot claimed by IS left 26 people dead in Khujand, a city of 700,000 people in the northeast of the country. The riot had been initiated by a former IS member seeking to spark a mass escape. Tajikistan, a country of 8.5 million people bordering Afghanistan, has suffered severe conflict since it gained independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.AFP

French drug smuggler sentenced to death

MATARAM, Indonesia―An Indonesian court sentenced Frenchman Felix Dorfin to death for drug smuggling on Monday, in a shock verdict after prosecutors asked for a 20-year jail term. Dorfin, 35, was arrested in September carrying a suitcase filled with about three kilograms of drugs including ecstasy and amphetamines at the airport in Lombok, a holiday island next to Bali where foreigners are routinely arrested on drugs charges. Indonesia has some of the world’s strictest drug laws―including death by firing squad for some drug traffickers and it has executed foreigners in the past. While the prosecutors had not asked for the death penalty, Indonesian courts have been known to go beyond their demands. “After finding Felix Dorfin legally and convincingly guilty of importing narcotics ... [he] is sentenced to the death penalty,” presiding judge Isnurul Syamsul Arif told the court. He cited Dorfin’s involvement in an international drug syndicate and the amount of drugs in his possession as aggravating factors. “The defendant’s actions could potentially do damage to the younger generation,” Arif added. The Frenchman made headlines in January when he escaped from a police detention center and spent nearly two weeks on the run before he was captured. AFP

BACK TO NATURE. This picture released by Kensington Palace on May 19, 2019 , shows Britain’s Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Britain’s Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, with their children Prince George (L), Princess Charlotte (C) and Prince Louis at the Adam White and Andree Davies co-designed ‘Back to Nature’ garden ahead of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London. AFP

Traumatized by conflict, animals find haven in Jordan

JERASH, Jordan—For more than a year after being moved to a Jordanian wildlife reserve from war-hit Syria, two bears, Loz and Sukkar, would cower whenever planes ﬂew by, traumatized by past bombardments. They are among dozens of animals that have been rescued from regional war zones, including the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, and brought to Jordan’s Al Ma’wa For Nature and Wildlife. The sanctuary located in Jerash province north of Amman was set up by the Princess Alia Foundation, named after the king’s sister, in cooperation with the international animal welfare organization Four Paws. Sukkar (sugar in Arabic) and Loz (almond) are Asian black bears, now aged nine, who were trapped by war in the Magic World Zoo outside Syria’s second city, Aleppo, before being rescued in the summer of 2017. “When they were brought here they were terriﬁed by the sounds of aircraft, especially helicopters and for more than a year they would hide in a room inside their pens each time they heard planes

go by,” said caretaker Khaled Ayasra. The black bears are among 26 animals-eight lions, 12 lionesses, two Bengal tigers and four bears―who live in the sprawling 1.4-square-kilometer sanctuary in a wooded mountainous region. Most were rescued from Syria, where the conﬂict has raged since 2011, as well as the conﬂict-riddled Gaza Strip where Israel has fought three wars since 2008 with the territory’s Islamist rulers, Hamas. Only one animal―a bear called Lula―was evacuated from Iraq. Martin Bauer, spokesman for the Vienna-based Four Paws, said most of the animals were in poor physical and psychological condition before being rescued and “often sensitive to loud noises”. “They are usually emaciated, their teeth are in bad condition and... also suffer from psychological trauma,” he told AFP. Before they reach the sanctuary, the animals are taken to the New Hope Centre, a veterinary clinic linked to the

Jerash reserve, where they are provided with medical care and undergo rehabilitation. Some are then sent back to their country of origin, while others are released into the wild or brought to the sanctuary to start a new life. “In our sanctuaries the animals have the chance to recover from the hardships of their past and very often their natural instincts come back after a while,” said Bauer. He said proper food and medical care is “extremely vital” for their well-being, but the animals must also be able to trust their carers and regain self-conﬁdence. Loz and Sukkar have made huge strides since coming to Jordan. “They are happier and love to play and meet visitors,” said Ayasra. Workers at the sanctuary use all sorts of means to help the animals recuperate after years of hardship. They are given a balanced diet, toys such as balls to play with and even an aromatherapy type of treatment—natural herbs and spices placed in pails inside their pens—to help them relax. AFP

KAFRANBEL, Syria―Air strikes by Syrian regime ally Russia have killed 10 civilians, including five children in a northwestern jihadist bastion, a monitor said Monday hours after Moscow announced a ceasefire there. Clashes between regime forces and jihadists raged Monday on the edge of the region held by Syria’s former AlQaeda affiliate, following the deadly air raids overnight, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Idlib region controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is supposed to be protected from a government offensive by a September buffer zone deal, but regime and Russian bombardment has increased there since late April. The Observatory said Russian air strikes overnight killed five children, four women, and one man in the town of Kafranbel in Idlib province. The air strikes hit near a hospital in the town, knocking it out of service, the Britain-based monitor said. An AFP correspondent saw five homes on the edges on the town that were destroyed or damaged after the strikes. Survivors picked through the debris to save the belongings they could, the reporter said, while a young man covered in dust from head to toe leant against a wall, shell-shocked after his father was killed. Umm Wasel narrowly missed the air strike on her home after relatives invited her over to break her daily fast of the Islamic month of Ramadan with them. “I came back at night to find my home devastated,” said the 72-yearold, dressed in a long red robe and a black scarf covering her hair. People “had thought I was under the rubble”, she said. The Observatory said six other civilians also died in bombardment by regime forces in other parts of the Idlib region on Sunday. The jihadist stronghold includes most of Idlib province as well as parts of neighboring Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces. Fighting raged in the north of Hama province between loyalists and jihadists from early Monday, the Observatory said, after relative respite in bombardment over the past three days. AFP

LGUs

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

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

TOPNOTCHER’s REWARD.

Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi recognizes 2018 Bar Examinations topnotcher lawyer Sean James Borja, a resident of the city’s Barangay Cupang, during the city’s flag raising rites on Monday. Through the Muntinlupa Scholarship Program, Borja is set to receive a P100,000 cash incentive from the city. A gay rights advocate, Borja also expressed his support in passing a localized anti-discrimination ordinance. The city government also recognized lawyer Patricia Sevilla, who was Top 7 in the 2018 Bar Examinations, and other local bar passers for their achievement.

Didipio mine gets new ISO certification By Ben Moses Ebreo KASIBU, Nueva Vizcaya—OceanaGold (Philippines), Inc. has renewed its ISO 50001:2011 Energy Management System certification, which is focused on achieving continual improvement of energy performance, including energy efficiency, energy use and consumption. This new certification is supplementary to the existing ISO certifications of the mine—both ISO 14001:2015 and OHSAS 18001:2007. The ISO certification was awarded through QSCert, an accredited certification body of the International Organization for Standardization. OGPI general manager David Way said the award came as a significant step in realizing their vision of improving its processes and to further ensure a quality environment management system. “This new achievement is a demonstration of our commitment not only to support the management and efficient use of energy in the Company for our business and processes but also support government efforts to reduce GHG emission,” he said. Didipio Mine’s EnMS certification also conforms to RA 11285 or Energy Efficiency and Conservation Law, which was recently signed by President Rodrigo Duterte. The law aims to institutionalize and implement plans that promote energy efficiency and the development and use of renewable energy. The EnMS certification, on top of the implemented Integrated Management System, is an effective management tool that promotes improved environmental and safety performance through proactive environmental compliance, prevention of pollution, as well as creation of excellent safety culture through its OHSAS 18001 certification. Prior to the certification, OceanaGold has executed programs on energy efficiency that contribute to solving climate change problems.

Vico: Leaders should have ‘fear, love of God’ P ASIG Mayor-elect Vico Sotto on Monday said leaders should have “fear and love of God” even as he outlined plans for the country’s third-richest city.

An evangelical Christian, Sotto told ANC in a studio interview that it’s “really important for us to have leaders with the fear and love of God.” “It doesn’t mean that policy-making will be based [on it],” added the 29-yearold erstwhile councilor, who unseated incumbent Mayor Bobby Eusebio, whose family had dominated the city’s politics for 27 years until the May 13 polls. “My grounding and the fact that I grew up in church with people who are watching me and making sure that I don’t do anything [wrong], I think that’s very important,” said Sotto, in reply to a question on how his administration would run. In a Facebook post on Sunday, the son

of actors Vic Sotto and Coney Reyes also called for unity among Pasiguenos as he advised residents to set aside politicking. “The people have spoken clearly, and it’s time for us to band together for the betterment of our city,” he said in Filipino. Sotto reminded his supporters that his term will start on July 1, so it is important that they continue to follow and respect outgoing mayor Eusebio, who has refused to concede despite losing by almost 80,000 votes. Partial unofficial results from the Commission on Elections’ transparency server showed the city councilor getting 209,370 votes to the 121,556 of the incumbent mayor, who was gunning for

a third consecutive and final term. In the ANC interview, Sotto promised to reduce the city’s infrastructure spending and allocate P2.4 billion to fully implement universal healthcare in Pasig. The mayor-elect also said he would also do away with the city’s “confusing” traffic scheme and remove the “quota” imposed on Pasig’s traffic enforcers. He also said he wanted to revitalize the city’s Ortigas business district by curbing corruption, and encourage civil society groups to be more involved with its governance. Sotto likewise told those who have plans “to disrupt the peace in the city” to think twice before doing so, and assured employees of the local government that as long as they do their jobs well, they will not be affected by the change in administration.

URBAN FARMING. Participants in SM Foundation’s Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Urban Farmers’Training Program Batch 194 look up for this photo as they completed their training recently in at SM Cherry Antipolo City. Partners for this endeavor are the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Agriculture, Macondray Phils., the Antipolo City government, SM Supermarket, and SM Cherry Antipolo.

40 Navoteño youths receive scholarships for school year 2019-20 By Jun David FORTY Navoteño students have received scholarships from the Navotas City Government following the signing of the memorandum of agreement for the NavotaAs scholarship program for school year 2019-2020. Of this number, 34 were NavotaAs academic scholars, and six were beneficiaries of the Ulirang Pamilyang Mangingisda

Scholarship. “Education opens doors to success. We want to provide our children with quality learning so that they will be equipped to face life’s challenges and be able to succeed in whatever field they choose,” said Navotas Mayor John Rey Tiangco. This year’s batch of academic scholars included 15 incoming high school freshmen, 12 incoming freshmen of Navotas

Flash powder causes Borongan blast By Ronald O. Reyes TACLOBAN CITY—The explosion inside the Seminario de Jesus Nazareno compound on Sunday evening was due to a plastic bag containing unused flash powder from a firecracker and not from an improvised explosive device, police in Borongan City have confirmed. In an investigation, police said the blast happened at the exit gate of the seminary in Barangay Campesao of Borongan. Eastern Samar-based ESTE News reported the explosion occurred at around 6:45 p.m. Sunday, quoting Fr. Edmel Raagas, spiritual director of

the seminary. “Traces of said explosion caused no damages or any traces that an Improvised Explosive Device was used, no traces of damages on the concrete pavement was seen,” said the Borongan City Police Station. They recovered one plastic bag containing flash powder and a stone at the scene. “No damage to properties has been done. We wait for further investigation as promised by the police to determine the motive and who was responsible for the said incident,” the seminary also posted on its Facebook page. Police are investigating the incident.

Polytechnic College, one incoming freshman of any college or university, and six teachers seeking higher education. Meanwhile, all fisherfolk scholars are incoming college freshmen. The city government gives high school scholars P18,000 per academic year for book, transportation and food allowance. NPC scholars get P22,000 per academic year for tuition, book, transportation and

food allowance. Scholars of other colleges or universities are given P262,000 for the same. Furthermore, teacher scholars receive P75,000 every academic year for their tuition; book, transportation and food allowance; and research grant. Fisherfolk scholars get P16,500 transportation and food allowance as well as P1,500 book stipend per academic year.

Albanos, Dys continue reign in Isabela polls By Jessica M. Bacud ILAGAN CITY, Isabela—Isabela 1st District Rep. Rodolfo “Rodito” T. Albano III has been proclaimed as the new governor, while his predecessor, Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III, was declared winner for vice governor at the Provincial Capitol Amphitheater here. Rodito Albano won his fourth straight election in the province since 2010 with a landslide victory of 582,032 votes, while his rival Tony Aliangan tallied just over 21,000. He will take over from Dy, who beat former Gov. Grace Padaca for the vice governorship by over 300,000 votes. The Albano-Dy victory extends the tandem’s nearly decade-long rule in the province since Padaca fell from the provincial seat of power after the administration of then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The Albano family has held the congressional seat of Isabela’s first district from the 8th Congress in 1987 to the current 17th Congress. The Provincial Board of Canvassers headed by Atty. Michael Camangeg of the Commission on Elections in Isabela proclaimed Albano and Dy on May 15 with the other winners of the 2019 midterm polls. Outgoing Vice Governor Tonypet Albano, brother of the incoming governor, will take Rodito’s place in Congress after bagging 153,514 votes against his rival Alfonso Singson’s 8,219. Incumbent Board Member Christopher Go was elected as 2nd district Representative, while Mayor Paul Ian Dy of Alicia was proclaimed congressman for the 3rd District and his cousin, San Manuel Mayor Faustino Michael Dy III, as the 5th district representative. Sheena Tan won the House seat in Isabela’s 4th district, and Governor Dy’s son Inno was named 6th District representative.

More road work for San Agustin, Mondala vows By Brenda Jocson SAN AGUSTIN, Isabela—Mayor Cesar Mondala has prioritized road infrastructure projects for this town, in particular concreting farm-to-market roads that cover the barangays of Calaocan, Rang-ay, Panang, Limmatan, Masaya Centro and Santo Niño. In an interview, Mondala told the Standard this was a means to rehabilitate the “postwar cart tracks” in the town under the national government’s financial assistance to disadvantaged municipalities. The Philippine Rural Development Program had previously doled out P35 million for the concreting of barangay roads in Masaya Centro to San Jose and Masaya Sur to Bergonisa, said the mayor, who won a new term in the May 13 elections. Box culverts were put up in the barangay roads of Santo Niño to Sitio Nursery to avoid the seasonal flooding from the adjacent Cagayan river, also funded from the PRDP fund sourced out by Mondala. The 3.5-kilometer road concreting was completed recently, he said. Despite being politically handicapped by a lawsuit at the Ombudsman pushed by former Deputy Speaker Giorgidi Aggabao over what Mondala said was “simple misconduct” that led to a 90day preventive suspension, the mayor said he managed to “implement (his) executive discretionary fund” wisely. This included completing the concrete fence of the municipal hall’s building, procure a 2.8-hectare lot for the local government, programed the construction of commercial slaughterhouse, built a new wet market at the market square, and completed the bleachers in the municipal auditorium, he said.

RECOVERED.

Laguna Police Provincial Director Col. Eleazar P. Matta (second from left) holds an M16 rifle among the 794 firearms confiscated during the midterm elections in the province in a presentation to the media on Monday at the Laguna Provincial Office Camp Hen. Paciano Rizal in Bagong Bayan, Sta. Cruz, Laguna. Also pictured are Police Lt. Col. Pastor P. Castillo (left), Lt. Col. Vincent C. Templo, (second from right) and Maj. JoJo Sabeniano. Roy Tomandao

Life

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

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

VERY cancer journey is difﬁcult, but not impossible to overcome, especially when the patient has a strong, reliable support group. In 2014, government employee Danny Dimabuyu had a bleeding, purplish mole on his back that he had surgically removed in a clinic near his residence in Pampanga. Biopsy of the mole revealed that he had skin cancer. When his condition did not improve and the mole reappeared after three months under his armpit, he immediately decided to go to University of Santo Tomas Hospital in Manila with his wife, Evelyn, for consultation. This is where he met the medical oncologist who will become one of his most trusted allies throughout his battle with cancer, and even after it. Dr. Eugenio Regala, training officer of the fellowship program of medical oncology at the Benavides Cancer Institute at UST Hospital, asked him to take the necessary diagnostic procedures such as a PET/CT scan and another biopsy of his tumor after it was surgically removed for the second time. Dimabuyu was diagnosed with stage four melanoma which had already spread to adjacent parts of his body. He and his wife were anxious and afraid due to the disease and inability to afford cancer treatments. “Mahirap tanggapin dahil na rin napakamahal ng pagpapagamot ng cancer. Hindi ko alam kung makukumpleto ko ang lahat ng treatment dahil sa sobrang kamahalan ng kahit isang session lang ng pagpapagamot (It was even harder to accept due to the financial burden of cancer treatments. I didn’t know if I’d be able to complete the recommended cycle because even just one session was very expensive),” said Dimabuyu. Dr. Regala then advised Danny to get tested for immunotherapy which is an innovative and breakthrough cancer treatment option. Recognizing the couple’s financial constraints, the doctor recommended that they sought financial assistance from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. Dimabuyu’s sister worked on getting support from the government agency, which in turn shouldered a substantial share of expenses. Dimabuyu was also able to get financial help from the Department of Social Welfare and Devel-

An important alliance

to beat cancer CANCER ADVOCATE.

The Hope From Within: Cancer Game Plan PH harnesses the voice of cancer survivors and patients, among others in boosting awareness of proper cancer care.

opment and local government offices of Pampanga, but most importantly, he received moral support from his caregivers and family members. “Makita ko lang ang mga anak ko at iba pang kapamilya, gumagaan ang pakiramdam ko. Para bang nagkakaroon ako ng pag-asa para sa panibagong buhay (Just seeing my children

Nutrilite launches its improved B Vitamins supplement with biotin and spirulina.

Vitamin B for busy adults NOT getting enough B vitamins may cause fatigue—the last thing a busy adult wants—and may lead to a myriad of problems, from a decrease in the quality of output to becoming prone to illnesses. In a bid to help fill dietary gaps to help block fatigue, direct selling company Amway recently launched its new Nutrilite B Vitamins formula. Perfect for busy adults, Nutrilite B Vitamins provides daily energy support with only one tablet. It is now packed with biotin for complete essential vitamins and a new hero ingredient, spirulina, a nutrient-rich, blue-green micro algae, found both in sea water and fresh water. It is rich in beta carotene, vitamin B12, and other B complex vitamins. “We go to great lengths to use Spirulina in our Vitamin B supplement. Our

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

ongoing partnership through our Nutricert certification program is just one more example of bringing forward the best of nature and the best of science to create our premium B Vitamins supplement,” said Amway Philippines country manager Maria Elenita Olmedo. Under the Nutricert certification program, spirulina is cultured and harvested at a partner facility located in the Sonoran Desert near the Salton Sea in Southern California. “Because spirulina is one of nature’s most impressive nutrient sources, we think it’s worth the effort,” said Olmedo. “Our farming partners are masters of aquatic agriculture as they look at environmental diversity, ecological balance, freedom from contamination, source traceability, and the surrounding social environment.”

and other family members cheered me up. It was like getting hope that I’d have new life soon),” related Dimabuyu. Fighting cancer through continuous immunotherapy treatment did not cause negative side effects for Dimabuyu. He recalled that he didn’t even have to shave his head which is commonly done when receiving conventional treatment like chemotherapy. “Noong unang araw ng aking immunotherapy session, akala ko manghihina ako at mahihilo. Pero nung paglabas ko ng hospital, walang pinagbago sa pakiramdam ko noong bago ako pumasok. Malakas ako. Parang walang nangyari (On the first day I received immunotherapy, I expected to come out feeling weak and nauseous. But when I came out of the hospital, I felt exactly the same as when I came in. I felt strong. It was like nothing happened).” Dr. Regala explained that immunotherapy is one of the promising cancer treatments today. It enhances patient’s immune system to fight cancer cells and has significantly milder side effects. Citing the Philippine Society of Medical Oncology, Dr. Regala further expounded in an interview that in a population of 100,000 Filipinos, 1.8 percent would be affected by skin cancer. ASIDE from claiming people’s lives, smoking causes more harm to people and the environment, according to the World Health Organization. This is the ugly truth that the WHO has been pushing to address through its World No Tobacco Day celebration every 31st of May, a global effort that seeks to increase the level of awareness about cigarette smoking by explaining its damaging effects to the public. To help in promoting this advocacy, Sante Philippines, provider of premier organic health and wellness products and services, lists the major reasons why it’s time to finally put out the cigarette.

Dr. Eugenio Regala

“Out of all skin cancer cases in the Philippines, melanoma comprises only a fraction because there are other skin cancer types—there’s basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and Merkel cell carcinoma. The incidence of melanoma is a lot lower in

Asia compared with Caucasian counterparts,” he stated. Nonetheless, melanoma is considered as the most deadly form of skin cancer, according to the World Health Organization. “We also warn against alternative or Turn to C2

It’s time to put out the cigarette

Smoking causes diseases

Cigarette and tobacco smoking is linked with a wide variety of cancers, commonly affecting the heart and lungs. The habit makes smokers vulnerable to diseases because of particles that weaken the immune system. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, a condition where mucus in the lungs causes difficult breathing, is a result of long-term smoking. It is usually found in people who have started cigarettes at an early age. Inhaling cigarette smoke also worsens asthma and tuberculosis.

Second-hand smoking harms innocents

Assistant brand category manager for wellness Pauline Batan (right) talks about fatigue blocking and the importance of B vitamins.

Danny Dimabuyu

Smoking also affects non-smokers. When smokers light cigarettes inside their houses, they endanger the health of family members, especially infants

ment, with tobacco plantations destroying the land. Further, tobacco production uses trees to create fire for drying tobacco leaves and for rolling and packing cigarettes. If not monitored, cigarettes may start forest fires, damaging the ozone layer further and destroying the homes of both animals and people. Additionally, the procedures in Smoking affects the making tobacco release toxic gases. These air pollutants, such as methane environment The production of cigarettes and to- and carbon dioxide, negatively affect bacco poses major harm to the environ- the ozone layer. and children. Animals are also not immune to the harmful effects of cigarette smoke. Dogs and cats, among other furry companions, are also victims. Felines, particularly, are prone to developing a type of cancer called malignant lymphoma if they are exposed to cigarette smoke for long.

Life

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Philippine Society of Hypertension president Dr. Leilani Mercado-Asis, Philippine Heart Association president Dr. Nanette Rey, and Omron Philippines country head Antoinette Gutierrez at the symbolic blood pressure monitoring activity during the May Measurement Month 2019 media launch.

PSH, PHA, and Omron Philippines officials reaffirm their commitment to help reduce hypertension prevalence in the Philippines.

Home BP monitoring to combat rising hypertension incidence in PH

ESPITE high awareness among Filipinos about hypertension and its complications, high blood pressure remains a leading cause of death locally, earning it the moniker “public enemy number 1.”

About 120,000 Filipinos die annually, directly and indirectly, due to hypertension-related complications. The data from May Measurement Month 2017 placed the hypertension prevalence rate in the country at 34 percent. In a bid to combat the steady increase in the number of hypertension cases in the country, Omron Healthcare Philippines joins the Philippine Society of Hypertension (PSH), the Philippine Heart Association (PHA), and other health partners in campaigning for Home Blood Pressure Monitoring (HBPM) as a key mitigation activity against hypertension and its complications. “Hypertension is a risk factor of heart and cardiovascular diseases. People of all age groups need to be made aware of hypertension dangers and its prevention, among others. Omron Healthcare Philippines continues to work diligently with various health organizations to help address the country’s worsening hypertension problem by offering reliable and easy-to-use healthcare equipment that help users monitor their health better,” said Omron Healthcare regional head Yoshiaki Nishiyabu. Nishiyabu added, “We are glad that we get to campaign for HBPM alongside PSH and PHA. We hope that together with our global Generation Zero campaign, which aims to eliminate cardiac events, we can look forward to a healthier future for everyone.” With hypertension being asymptomatic, many are not aware that they have hypertension. It is often called the

“silent killer” and one effective way to detect it early is through daily self-monitoring of blood pressure at home. Performing self-monitoring within the comfort of one’s home tremendously helps patients feel more relaxed as they are surrounded by familiar environment, thus leading to more accurate readings. Moreover, home blood pres-

Omron’s compact, fully-automatic automatic blood pressure monitor

sure monitoring allows detection of irregularity in blood pressure readings through efficient data tracking. The International Society of Hypertension (ISH) stresses the importance of regular screening to prevent the complications caused by hypertension. To further this cause, ISH launched the May Measurement Month (MMM) initiative. “May Measurement Month puts the spotlight on increasing access to blood

pressure screening as potentially the most effective way to reduce hypertension’s adverse effect on health,” says ISH president Alta E. Schutte. Locally, PSH leads the rollout of the campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the risks and issues posed by hypertension. The Philippines ranked first in terms of total screened individuals when the campaign was launched in the country in May 2017, with a total of 272,000 individuals screened or 22 percent of the global pooled data of 1.2 million for that year. “We aim to increase BP awareness to 80 percent, treatment rate to 60 percent, and a control rate of 30 percent by 2022. At such rates, we are optimistic that we can reduce BP-related deaths by 25 percent and save about 30,000 Filipinos yearly,” notes PSH president Dr. Leilani B. Mercado-Asis. This year, 20 government and non-government agencies will carry out the nationwide BP screening and counselling campaign. Dr. Alejandro F. Diaz, country lead of MMM 2019, is fervent on screening 300,000 Filipinos, with Omron Healthcare Philippines as its official equipment partner. The Omron digital BP monitoring devices are the only ones in the country to be clinically validated by PSH for accuracy and precision. Since its start in 2017, Omron Healthcare Philippines has donated a total of 4,500 digital BP monitoring devices, measuring the blood pressure of more than 400,000 Filipinos. In the 2019 rollout of MMM, the company is donating 1,000 state-of-the-art digital blood pressure monitoring devices. For more information on May Measurement Month, visit www.maymeasure.com.

Fresenius Medical Care clinics receive int’l accreditation FOR the first time in the country, four non-hospital based dialysis clinics are accredited by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards International (ACHSI), a renowned independent, non-profit organization for healthcare quality improvement. The standalone clinics are owned by Fresenius Medical Care, whose recent recognition affirms its leadership in the dialysis market. The four clinics in Metro Manila, namely Fresenius Kidney Care Alabang, Fresenius Kidney Care Shaw, Fresenius Kidney Care Fairview, and Fresenius Kidney Care North EDSA formally received the accreditation after meeting the requirements of the ACHSI Evaluation and Quality Improvement Program Haemodialysis Edition. It is a quality assessment and improvement program for organizations and health services that support excellence in patient care and services. To maintain ACHSI accreditation over the three-year program, each clinic must complete annual assessments. Data from the 2017 Philippine Renal Disease Registry show that 21,535 Filipino patients underwent dialysis treatment due to kidney failure in 2016, a huge jump from 9,716 cases recorded in 2010, with 8 to 18 percent increase per year. This figure does not include patients suffering from kidney failure but who were not able to undergo dialysis treatment due costs or inaccessibility especially in rural areas. In 2013, kidney disease was the sixth leading cause of death in the Philip-

pines. According to the National Kidney Institute, one Filipino develops chronic kidney failure every hour. Poorly controlled diabetes and hypertension are among the leading causes of chronic kidney failure. Fresenius Medical Care provides care to more than 336,000 patients through more than 3,900 dialysis clinics worldwide. It aim to continuously improve the quality of life of patients with kidney disease by offering innovative products and treatment concepts of high quality. “Beginning dialysis is a big step for patients with chronic kidney failure. Most of them will experience changes in their physical condition, diet, and lifestyle. The standardized high quality medical services in our dialysis clinics will help patients and provide support in their journeys while still leading a fulfilling life,” says Mabel Callera, general manager for provider’s business at Fresenius Dr. Lynn Gomez, medical director of Fresenius Kidney Care Alabang, believes that the recent recognition is a significant milestone in the local dialysis services. “Providing high-quality medical services has always been a priority for Fresenius Medical Care. Seeking the ACHSI accreditation demonstrates our commitment to transparency and proving high quality care to patients in the Philippines. This will enable us to address the healthcare needs arisen from the increasing number of Filipinos with chronic kidney failure, as shown in the PRDR data,” enthused Dr. Gomez.

iPhoto

Representatives of four ACHSI-accredited Fresenius Kidney Care clinics with executives of Fresenius Medical Care Philippines and Asia Pacific and ACHSI.

An important... From C1

Forum discusses importance of vaccination IN CELEBRATION of World Immunization Week, Pfizer, together with American Chamber of Commerce, held a forum on the importance of vaccinations. The forum discussed the different issues surrounding vaccinations in the Philippines and how to address the problems. From left: Donald Felbaum, chairman of Health and Wellness Committee, AmCham; Lulu Bravo, M.D., guest speaker, Professor of Pediatric Infections and Tropical Diseases at the College of Medicine of University of the Philippines Manila and president of the Immunization Partners in Asia Pacific: and Andreas Riedel,

chairman of the Pharmaceutical Committee of AmCham and Pfizer country manager. “Everybody must do their part in helping spread the correct information about vaccinations. With good vaccine coverage, we could prevent as many as 2.5 million deaths globally. By vaccinating your children, you could easily prevent diseases such as measles and polio,” said Dr. Bravo. In the past few years, the Philippines has experienced a dramatic drop in vaccine confidence, from 90 percent coverage in 2015, to only 35 percent coverage in 2018.

herbal treatments which are not backed by medical studies. Feedback on these medicines are anecdotal so it’s reasonable to not make generalizations. If say, this medicinal root can cure cancer, then it should be first studied extensively,” he added. Dr. Regala also emphasized the importance of early detection. “If you have a strong family history of cancer, exposed to high-risk or carcinogenic substances such as cigarette smoke, or not feeling well, it’s best to see a doctor. Cancer detected at its earlier stages is easier to treat.” Dimabuyu is currently free of the

disease but he nonetheless religiously follows regular screening procedures with Dr. Regala to ensure that his cancer hasn’t recurred. In addition, Dimabuyu is now a cancer patient advocate for the Hope From Within: Cancer Game Plan PH, a campaign that aims to put the patients at the heart of the fight against the dreaded disease. Using powerful voices from leaders, advocates, policymakers, survivors, support groups, and patients, it boosted awareness of proper cancer care, sparking conversations and actions on how to reduce the burden of cancer-related mortalities and other challenges, and spread information and increase access to new scientifically proven treatment options such as immunotherapy and targeted therapies.

Entertainment

JULIE ANNE’S SONG for the brokenhearted

Julie Anne San Jose drops a new single entitled, 'Regrets,' which according to the singer, doesn't have any connection with her current state of heart.

ANY would think that her latest single titled, “Regret” mirrors her recent break-up with boyfriend Benjamin Alves but Julie Ann San Jose says it has no connection at all. In a recent interview, the young singer revealed that she wrote the song two years. “It was based on pure imagination. It’s probably about someone but no one in particular. For the record, it wasn’t written for someone,” she avers. Fans are curious whether or not she feels any regret with what happened with her relationship with Benjamin. “I don’t feel any! I know that things happen for a reason. I have no regrets. There are really times in our life when we undergo this phase and it can’t be fixed in just a snap of a finger. As they say, time only knows when everything will be alright. It takes time to figure things out on your own. It takes time as well to introspect and eventually heal. But the good thing is right now, I’m happy,” was her straightforward answer. It’s been months since she and Benjamin broke up. If she will be asked as to what stage she’s in right now, the talented Kapuso songstress admits that she’s still on the healing part. “For the past years, I’ve given so much to people and it wasn’t an issue for me.

I’m like that basically. But then, you realize that you have to spare something for yourself. It’s for your well-being— physically, mentally and emotionally. At the end of the day, it’s important to take care of yourself,” she says. She also adds that the experience helped her mature. “Under this circumstance, you’ve got to make a decision. Happiness is a choice,” Julie Ann states. Since she’s free at this point, some ask if she is ready to jump into a new relationship. “I don’t think I can engage myself into something like that right now! I’m not looking for someone new. I want to focus with myself instead. There’s also my family and career which I’m very grateful for. I have an upcoming album and I have shows here and abroad. I simply want to be more productive this year.” Speaking of work, many notice her team-up with Rayver Cruz as they do production numbers for their musical program Studio 7. It’s simply gaining following. Isn’t she bothered considering that Rayver is romantically linked with

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Tuesday, May 21, 2019

ACROSS 1 Fix up 6 Like city real estate 11 Adherent 14 Steamed 15 Sarcasm 16 Scratch or dent 17 Thingamajig 18 Fabled 20 Mermaid’s domain 21 Texas town 23 Sponsorship 24 Scratchy 26 Seat separator 28 Snoop 30 Climber’s spike 31 Distant 32 Weight deductions 33 Sweater letter 36 Mumble 37 Memory units 38 Leading 39 Orders for dinner 40 Said in fun 41 Diver’s malady 42 Fisherman’s flies 43 Plush fabric 44 Folds 47 Scenery 48 Turned back on 49 Turnpike rumbler 50 Recite

53 Complex 56 Happen next 58 Mgmt. biggie 59 Not so many 60 Davis of “The Fly” 61 Russell or Olin 62 Canine cries 63 Third planet out DOWN 1 Oil drilling platforms 2 Ontario neighbor 3 Risky 4 PIN prompter 5 Grendel’s foe 6 Not even one 7 Sandwich cookie 8 Wassail alternative 9 Navigator’s dir. 10 Generators 11 Portrait 12 Bombay garments 13 Lovers’ meeting 19 “Coming Home” co-star 22 Sharpen a cheddar 25 Aroma 26 Talked about 27 Country addrs. 28 “Hot Lips”

series 29 Raines of 1940s films 30 Gourmet appetizers 32 Small fry 33 Vote solicitor 34 Take cover 35 Part of MIT 37 Tedious person 38 Thaw 40 Explain away 41 Attack 42 Hideout 43 Spirit 44 Neck annoy-

ance 45 Ms. Zellweger 46 “Crocodile Rock” composer — John 47 Turns sharply 49 Type of ladder 51 Close relative 52 Slangy OK 54 So-so grade 55 Belt-maker’s tool 57 Educational org.

another Kapuso gem Janine Gutierrez? “Well, first of all, I want to thank the viewers who like what we’re doing in Studio 7. For the fans of Janine and Rayver, I hope they won’t get mad at me. It’s just work. Besides, both of them are my friends. Rayver is like a big brother to me. Janine and I are good. So, there should be no cause for alarm. Some quarters ask if there’s a chance for her and Benjamin to become friends after their break-up. “I can’t answer it right now. I can’t tell,” ends Julie Ann. *** Ria Atayde considers fellow Kapamilya star JM de Guzman a good friend. “We’re good and happy. I think that’s what matters,” she states. It can be remembered that a few months ago, it was reported that JM as allegedly courting Ria. In fact, in one of his recent interviews, the good-looking actor, apart from admitting that they’re really good friends “I think it’s the same. It goes both ways. I can say that both of us found special places in each other’s lives as friends. Now, if it leads to something deeper, then why not, right?” But as now, the appealing star maintains that she and JM are still on the getting-toknow-each-other stage. There’s still so much I want to know or learn about him and vice-versa. Time will tell. As of now, work remains as my top priority,” says Ria.

Very Wang... From C4

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS 1. Pinky Amador (Ang Panahon ng Halimaw) 2. Max Collins (Citizen Jake) 3. Sunshine Dizon (Rainbow’s Sunset) 4. Cherie Gil (Citizen Jake) 5. Aiko Melendez (Rainbow’s Sunset) 6. Daria Ramirez (Signal Rock) 7. Nova Villa (Miss Granny) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR 1. Adrian Alandy (Citizen Jake) 2. Arjo Atayde (BuyBust) 3. Tirso Cruz III (Rainbow’s Sunset) 4. Ricky Davao (Kasal) 5. Joross Gamboa (Dalawang Mrs Reyes) 6. Tony Labrusca (ML) 7. Tony Mabesa (Rainbow’s Sunset) BEST SCREENPLAY 1. Zig Dulay (Liway) 2. Noel Pascual, Mike de Leon, and Atom Araullo (Citizen Jake) 3. Eric Ramos (Rainbow’s Sunset) 4. Jerrold Tarog, Rody Vera (Goyo) 5. Rody Vera (Signal Rock) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 1. Did Buhay (Citizen Jake) 2. Mycko David (Never Not Love You) 3. Neil Daza (Signal Rock) 4. Pong Ignacio (Goyo) 5. Yam Laranas (Aurora) 6. Pao Orendain (Sid & Aya) BEST VISUAL EFFECTS 1. Aurora 2. BuyBust 3. Goyo 4. Miss Granny 5. Signal Rock 6. Through Night and Day BEST MUSICAL SCORE 1. Arlene Florida Calvo (Exes Baggage) 2. Len Calvo (Sid & Aya) 3. Oscar Fogelstrom (Aurora) 4. Paulo Protacio (Bakwit Boys) 5. Jerrold Tarog (Goyo) 6. Emerzon Texon, (Meet Me In St. Gallen)

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

nickie.standard@gmail.com

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN 1. Mike Guison (Citizen Jake) 2. Roy Lachica (Goyo) 3. Ericsson Navarro, Danny Red (Aurora) 4. Mark Saab’s (Signal Rock) 5. Aped Santos (Liway) 6. Norico Santos (The Hows of Us) BEST EDITING 1. Mai Calapardo (Rainbow’s Sunset) 2. George Centeno, Tom Estrera (Citizen Jake) 3. Carlo Francisco Manatad (Signal Rock) 4. Carlo Francisco Manatad (Sid & Aya) 5. Chuck Gutierrez (Liway) 6. Jerrold Tarog (Goyo) BEST ORIGINAL THEME SONG 1. “Heartbeats” (Performed by Jem Cubil and Andrea Babierra, Sid & Aya) 2. “Isa Pang Araw” (Performed by Sarah Geronimo, Miss Granny) 3. “Ligtas Ka Na” (Sean Oliver, Bakwit Boys) 4. “Maybe the Night” (Ben & Ben, Exes Baggage) 5. “Sa’yo Na” (Performed by Ice Seguerra, Rainbow’s Sunset) 6. “Susi” (Ben & Ben, Goyo) BEST SOUND 1. Noong Buencamino (Citizen Jake) 2. Alan Carl, Pierre Marco, and Javier (Bakwit Boys) 3. Jason Conanan, Daryl Libongco, and Mikko Quizon (Meet Me in St. Gallen) 4. Albert Michael Idioma (Aurora) 5. Albert Michael Idioma (Signal Rock) 6. Alex Tomboc, Albert Michael Idioma (Rainbow’s Sunset) SPECIAL AWARDS: Joe Quirino Award, Cristy Fermin Manny Pichel Award, Ethel Ramos Producer of the Year, Star Cinema Rising Producers’ Circle, Spring Films and T-Rex Entertainment Lifetime Achievement Award, Elwood Perez Posthumous Award, Dolphy

Miss Teen Tourism winner Kira Eowyn Manansala (center) with her court Roberta Tamondong and Rose Ann Pangilinan (Photo by Lito Caleon)

Valenzuelan lass wins Miss Teen Tourism PH 2019 By Eton Concepcion STATUESQUE Kira Eowyn Manansala of Valenzuela City was crowned the first Miss Teen Tourism Philippines at the coronation night

held recently at RCBC Plaza Carlos P. Romulo Theater Manansala, a 15-year-old teen model of the Professional Models Association of the Philippines, who loves to sing and play the guitar, bested more than thirty teen candidates, to earn the right to represent the country at the inaugural Miss Teen Tourism International pageant on May 31 in Manila. The five-foot-eight Manansala is a dog lover and does oil painting. She dreams to become Miss Universe in the future. She has appeared in Mega Magazine for international fashion brand Gucci. Coming from an industrialized city, Manansala wants to have a platform on environmental issue, particularly, in controlling manufacture and use of plastic products. During the pageant night, the teen beauty queen also won the Best in Talent and Miss Nice Institute of Beauty special awards while Tamondong won Best in Sports Wear. Meanwhile, Roberta Tamondong, a 16-year-old native of San Pablo, Laguna, and Rose Ann Pangilinan, 18-year-old, from San Fernando, Pampanga finished as 1st and 2nd runners up, respectively. Ian Mendenueta of Tiwi, Albay, Christine Eds Enero of Candaba, Pampanga, Angela Beras of Muntinlupa City, and Noelle Rontas of Legazpi, Albay, rounded out the seven finalists. The maiden Miss Teen Tourism Philippines pageant is presented by Borgen Entertainment Ventures, headed by its President Dr. Jumel Bornilla and CEO Manuel Genabe.

Entertainment

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

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

Editors’ group unveils

3rd EDDYS NOMINEES

3RD EDDYS. This year's contenders for the best picture award are 'Citizen Jake,' 'Goyo: Ang Batong Heneral,' 'Liway,' 'Rainbow's Sunset,' and 'Signal Rock.'

HE nominations for the VERY 3rd edition of The Editors’ WANG Choice, or simply EDDYS, NICKIE are ﬁnally here. The Society of WANG Philippine Entertainment Editors (SPEEd), the group behind the annual awards, has revealed this year’s contenders and fans are ecstatic to see familiar names and titles included on the list.

In the awards night happening in July, five films racked up top nominations. LGBT-themed Rainbow’s Sunset leads with 12 nominations followed by crime drama Citizen Jake and indie film Signal Rock with 10 apiece, and historical film Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral with nine nods. Liway, which is based on true events, has six nominations. Seasoned filmmakers Chito Roño (Signal Rock), Jerrold Tarog (Goyo), Joel Lamangan (Rainbow’s Sunset), Kip Oebanda (Liway), and Mike de Leon (Citizen Jake) are vying for best

director plum. In the best actress race, senior actress Gloria Romero is nominated against young thespians Angelica Panganiban (Exes Baggage), Glaiza de Castro (Liway), Judy Ann Santos (Ang Dalawang Mrs Reyes), Kathryn Bernardo (The Hows of Us), Nadine Lustre (Never Not Love You) and Sarah Geronimo (Miss Granny). Meanwhile, it’s also a tight race among big screen stalwart Eddie Garcia (Rainbow’s Sunset) and A-list actors Piolo Pascual (Ang Panahon

ng Halimaw), Carlo Aquino (Exes Baggage), Christian Bables (Signal Rock), Daniel Padilla (The Hows of Us), Dingdong Dantes (Sid & Aya: Not A Love Story), and Paolo Contis (Through Night and Day) in the best actor category. Meanwhile, six special awards will be given out during the big night: The Joe Quirino Award will be handed to TV-radio host-columnist Cristy Fermin; Manny Pichel Award will be given to entertainment columnist and talent manager Ethel Ramos; Rising Producers’ Circle will be awarded to Spring Films and T-Rex Entertainment; Producer of the Year will go to Star Cinema; Lifetime Achievement Award for director Elwood Perez; and a recognition will be given posthumously to the late Comedy King, Dolphy. The EDDYS is considered a game changer in the history of movie awards in the Philippines. Since its inception in 2017, it has easily positioned itself as a signiﬁcant element of the ﬁlm industry. Relatively new in recognizing deserving

craftsmen, actors, writers, and directors, it instantly became one of the most distinguished ﬁlm awards due to its large diversity among the chosen titles. The SPEEd is made up of entertainment editors of newspapers and tabloids circulated daily nationwide. The non-proﬁt organization established in 2015 is led by Ian F. Farinas as president and Isah V. Red as chairman emeritus. Below is the full list of nominees in this year’s edition of EDDYS: BEST PICTURE 1. Citizen Jake (Cinema Artists Philippines) 2. Goyo: Ang Batong Heneral (TBA Studios, Artikulo Uno Productions & Globe Studios) 3. Liway (Alemberg Ang) 4. Rainbow’s Sunset (Heaven’s Best Entertainment) 5. Signal Rock (CSR Productions & Regal Entertainment) BEST DIRECTOR 1. Mike de Leon (Citizen Jake)

2. Joel Lamangan (Rainbow’s Sunset) 3. Kip Oebanda (Liway) 4. Chito Roño (Signal Rock) 5. Jerrold Tarog (Goyo) BEST ACTRESS 1. Kathryn Bernardo (The Hows of Us) 2. Glaiza de Castro (Liway) 3. Sarah Geronimo (Miss Granny) 4. Nadine Lustre (Never Not Love You) 5. Angelica Panganiban (Exes Baggage) 6. Gloria Romero (Rainbow’s Sunset) 7. Judy Ann Santos (Ang Dalawang Mrs Reyes) BEST ACTOR 1. Carlo Aquino (Exes Baggage) 2. Christian Bables (Signal Rock) 3. Paolo Contis (Through Night and Day) 4. Dingdong Dantes (Sid & Aya) 5. Eddie Garcia (Rainbow’s Sunset) 6. Daniel Padilla (The Hows of Us) 7.Piolo Pascual (Ang Panahon ng Halimaw) Continued on C3

In the top acting category, it's a tight competition among young and seasoned actresses.

Kathryn Bernardo ('The Hows of Us')

Glaiza de Castro ('Liway')

Sarah Geronimo ('Miss Granny')

Nadine Lustre ('Never Not Love You')

Gloria Romero ('Rainbow’s Sunset')

Angelica Panganiban ('Exes Baggage')

Judy Ann Santos ('Ang Dalawang Mrs Reyes')

Love, betrayal and vengeance take the spotlight in ‘Dahil sa Pag-ibig’ HOW far would you go for the one you love? That’s the question that Dahil sa Pag-ibig, a new afternoon series top billed by Benjamin Alves, Winwyn Marquez, Pancho Magno, and Sanya Lopez, would like answer. The gripping story about the sacrifices a wife would be willing to endure for the sake of her husband in Dahil sa Pag-ibig started to unfold yesterday, May 20 on GMA. It follows the story of Eldon (Benjamin), who works as an OFW in Saudi Arabia, commits a grave crime that eventually lands him in jail. His wife Mariel (Sanya), who is left in the Philippines, is desperate to earn the “Blood Money” that will bail out her husband. Portia (Winwyn), the wife of Eldon’s employer, is bent on putting him behind bars. Gary (Pancho), Mariel’s rich former lover, offers an indecent proposal that shakes her fidelity to Eldon. Driven by the fears and sacrifices of every wife who has an OFW for a husband, Dahil sa Pag-ibig tells the thought-provoking tale of the temptations and difficulties that a married couple confront when separated by distance. Witness in Dahil Sa Pag-ibig how a shocking revelation turned the once perfect lives of the characters of this soap into a nightmare. Joining the powerhouse cast are Sandy Andolong as Nanette, Mariel’s naïve mother; Dominic Roco as Roger, Eldon’s trusted

'Dahil sa Pag-ibig,' GMA newets afternoon drama, features a stellar cast led by Pancho Magno, Sanya Lopez, Benjamin Alves, and Winwyn Marquez.

friend and housemate in Saudi; Devon Seron as Chin-Chin, Mariel’s comical best friend; Kelley Day as Alison, Gary’s sophisticated girlfriend; Tep Tep Pineda as Justine, Mariel and Eldon’s lovable daughter; and Tetchie Agbayani as Clara, Eldon’s strict mother. Behind this drama is the creative team composed of creative director Aloy Adlawan; creative head RJ Nuevas; creative consultant Agnes Uligan; headwriter Christine Novicio; writers Wiro Michael Ladera and Marlon Miguel; and brainstormers Nehem Dallego and Angeli Delgado. The series is another original creation of the GMA Drama Group under the supervision of Senior Vice President for Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. Rasonable; Vice President for Drama Redgie Acuña-Magno; Assistant Vice President for Drama Cheryl ChingSy; Senior Program Manager Cathy Ochoa Perez, and Executive Producer Arlene Pilapil. Under the helm of esteemed director Ricky Davao with Lore Reyes as his associate director, Dahil sa Pag-ibig airs after Bihag on GMA Afternoon Prime. Kapuso viewers from across the globe can also catch their favorite Kapuso shows via GMA’s international channels GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV, and GMA News TV International. For the program guide, visit www.gmapinoytv.com.