Manila Standard - 2019 July 19 - Friday

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Antonio Trillanes IV

Paolo Benigno Aquino

VOL. XXXIII • NO. 155 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Peter Joemel alias Bikoy

Bishop Socrates Villegas

Leni, Leila, Bikoy face sedition raps

Leni Robredo

Bishop Teodoro Bacani Jr.

PNP also tags 3 bishops, 2 ex-senators in Project Sodoma

By Rey E. Requejo

Bishop Virgilio David

Robert Reyes

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HE Philippine National Police on Thursday filed inciting to sedition charges before the Department of Justice against Vice President Leni Robredo, Senators Leila de Lima and Risa Hontiveros, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, several bishops and priests, accusing them of involvement in the “Ang Totoong Narco-list” video that linked the family of President Rodrigo Duterte to the illegal drug trade.

In the letter-complaint, the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group asked the DOJ to prosecute the 38 respondents for inciting to sedition, cyber libel, libel estafa, harboring a

criminal, and obstruction of justice.

Robredo, through her spokesman Barry Gutierrez said the sedition charges filed against her and several other opposition sena-

tors and bishops were unfounded.

“If this is purely based on outrageous statement previously given

by Mr. [Peter Joemel alias Bikoy] Advincula, we can confidently say this is completely baseless and nothing more than plain and simple harassment,” Gutierrez said in a statement.

Senator Francis Pangilinan also said the move was political harassment.

“The accusations were fabrication, lies and unfounded,” Pangilinan said.

He said these were the acts of the enemies of democracy because it is only the vice president who has been blocking the government’s war on drugs and the Philippines’ sale to China.

Also named as respondents were “Otso Diretso” candidates

Gary C. Alejano, Florin T. Hilbay, Romulo B. Macalintal, Jose Manuel I. Diokno, former Senator Paolo Benigno A. Aquino, Samira Gutoc-Tomawis, and Lorenzo R. Tañada III. Included among the respondents and also named as witness is Peter Joemel Advincula, the selfconfessed “Bikoy”, the hooded man in the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos which tagged some family members of President Duterte in illegal drug activities.

Also impleaded as respondents were former Education Secretary and now La Salle president Armin Luistro, Jonnel Sangalang, a member of Trillanes’ Senate staff, Eduardo Acierto, former Integrated Bar of the Philippines president Abdiel Dan Fajardo, lawyers Minerva Next page

Armin Luistro

Teodoro Te

Endo: To veto or not to? Rody weighs options

Health workers in LGUs tapped for anti-dengue drive; toll rises

By MJ Blancaflor

ALL health workers, especially at the municipal, provincial and barangay levels, were urged Thursday to report all public health threats and emergencies to the Department of Health.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the move will ensure that the DOH can continuously promote the welfare of the people as mandated under newly signed Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will consider the call of major business groups to veto the Security of Tenure Bill which aims to protect workers from the end-of-contract (or “endo”) scheme, the Palace said Thursday.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the President is always “appreciative and considerate” of concerns raised by any sector about legislative measures which might affect them.

His statement came after major business groups urged the Chief Executive to veto the bill and instead modernize labor regulations to suit the needs of work-intensive industries.

In a joint statement, the groups claimed that the bill merely repeated the existing orders that protect workers from illegal contractualization, such as the Department of Labor and Employment’s Order No. 174 and Executive Order No. 51 from the Office of the President.

The groups also said that job contracting is an exercise of “management prerogative and business judgment,” Next page

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

CHEAPENED CABBAGES. Farmers in Atok, Benguet, a major producer of

highland vegetables, rush to harvest devalued cruciferous plants despite stormy and cold weather in a race against time to sell them in the market at a low price. Farm owner Pj Haight says they would rather sell the rain-soaked crops at a reduced price rather than lose them totally. Dave Leprozo

Robredo loses bid to stop poll protest

By Rio N. Araja THE Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, has junked the request of Vice President Leni Robredo “to resolve all pending incidents in the election protest” filed by former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos.

The PET said Robredo’s claim of victory is premature and called her premise

WEATHER ‘Falcon’ exits, LPA enters PAR MODERATE to heavy rains are expected to continue in most parts of Luzon Thursday even as tropical storm “Falcon” maintained its strength moving north and a low pressure area spotted off Sinait, Ilocos Sur, weathermen said.

In its 5 a.m. severe weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said “Falcon” might exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility

by Thursday evening, while the LPA Next page

as “fundamentally flawed,” further rebuking her claim that the Court will admit all her evidence notwithstanding that the figures on which they were based are purely speculative.

Robredo on Thursday expressed dismay over the denial of her motion for immediate resolution of the election protest filed against her by the son of the late president Ferdinand Marcos. Next page

Concern Act or RA No. 11332.

The new law aims to protect people from public health threats through the efficient and effective disease surveillance of diseases of public health concern.

It recognizes the disease surveillance and response systems of the DOH and its local counterparts as the first line of defense against epidemics or any events that may pose a health threats to the public.

With the new law, Duque said the DOH will be able to ensure timely and Next page

Sara opting out of 4th SONA

By MJ Blancaflor PRESIDENTIAL daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte will skip the fourth State of the Nation Address of her father, President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, as she is on special medical leave for 60 days.

“I am on special medical leave for 60 days. It’s a gyne condition,” Mayor Duterte said in a text message to reporters.

Sara, along with presidential son and Next page

Swiss wines get fresh boost WHEN foreigners think of Swiss specialities that might excite their taste buds, world-renowned chocolate and cheese likely come to mind. Swiss wine? Not so much.

But the global reputation of Switzerland’s winemakers may be set for a boost, backed Next page

‘El CHAPO’ GETS LIFE SENTENCE IN US JAIL WORLD B3

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News

FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Rape-murder of infant boy bolsters war on drugs—Du30

By Nat Mariano PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte was “extremely outraged” over the gruesome rape and murder of a one-year-old infant boy in Makati City, Malacañang said Thursday, as it ordered the police to bring justice to the families.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the Palace condemns in the strongest terms the barbaric rape and murder of the poor infant in Makati.

“The tragic news has reached the attention of the President and he, like all Filipinos, has been extremely outraged by this heinous criminal act,” Panelo said.

The Palace spokesman then commended the Philippine National Police for the immediate arrest of Gerald Reparip, the 28-year-old suspect, who admitted to the grisly crime.

Earlier, Malacañang said the case will strengthen the administration’s war on drugs once it is proven that the crime was committed by someone under the influence of illegal drugs.

In other developments: • The Presidential Communications Operations Office on Thursday released for the first time the government figures on arrested high-value targets under the Philippines’ campaign against illegal drugs.

From July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2019, PCOO Assistant Secretary Marie Rafael said, law enforcers nabbed some 7,054 high-value targets.

• A total of 5,526 drug users and pushers had been killed since the Duterte administration started its war on drugs on July 1, 2016 up to June 30.

According to data from #RealNumbersPH, the government’s official casualty count in relation to the war on drugs showed the number of people killed as of June 30 had increased by 151 as compared to the March 2019 figure of 5,375.

In addition, there were 193,086 people arrested in 134,583 anti-illegal drug operations in the same period.

Panelo said the boy’s death showed a “positive demonstration” on the activities committed by those involved in illegal drugs.

Incidents like this, according to Panelo, show why the President remains “focused” on preventing from happening.

“That’s a positive demonstration of the acts of those who are part of drug syndicates, that’s why the President is focused on that,’’ Panelo told reporters.

“That will happen in our country and it will continue until you end the [drug] syndicates. That’s what the President has been saying.’’

Asked what the President intended to do following the incident, Panelo said: “Of course, we will investigate that and we will intensify [the war on drugs] once we know that it was done again by those in the [illegal] drug [industry].”

On Wednesday, the one-year-old male infant was found dead lying on the 7th floor of an abandoned building along Yakal Street in San Antonio village.

Reparip admitted he choked the victim.

“If I was able to do that, I am sorry. I was just drunk,’’ Reparip told reporters.

Asked what he specifically did to the infant, the suspect said: ‘‘raped him.’’

While Reparip bared intoxication urged him to commit the crime, he denied being a user of illegal drugs. With Rio N. Araja and PNA

Sara...

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Davao solon Paolo Duterte, previously met the three House lawmakers vying for the speakership in the 18th Congress: Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez.

In one of those meetings, Sara Duterte said Cayetano made a “veiled threat” that the pro-Duterte coalition would unravel if she endorsed Velasco as Speaker.

She later endorsed Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab for Speaker to “unite” Congress, which was divided for months because of the speakership rivalry.

But the President stepped in to resolve the issue, saying that Cayetano and Velasco would share the three-year term for Speaker while Romualdez would become majority floor leader.

Cayetano said Ungab would lead the appropriations committee when Congress opens on July 22.

Davao City Vice Mayor Baste Duterte would also be absent for his father’s SONA because of a regular session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Davao.

“I’ll just stay here [in Davao City.] I’ll watch it on television,” he said in a press briefing on Wednesday.

Last year, members of the Duterte family were present during the SONA. Parts of Commonwealth Avenue will be partially closed during the 4th State of the Nation Address, the Quezon City Police District said Thursday. With PNA

Rody upbeat on keeping high rating

By MJ Blancaflor

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will maintain his high satisfaction and approval rating until the end of his term, the Palace said Thursday.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said Malacañang was confident Duterte would continue receiving high ratings because the “people keep expressing their support to awaken the critics and detractors from their sleep.”

“The President is a very transparent leader. His political will shows in every

measure and step he has undertaken,” Panelo said.

“It shows how sincere he is and the people are satisfied with his method of governance.”

Panelo was reacting to the Pulse Asia survey released Wednesday showing eight out of 10 Filipinos still trusted and approved

Leni, Leila,...

campaign to “spread false information against President Duterte and his family to agitate the general population into making mass protests with the possibility of bringing down the President and allow Vice President Robredo to succeed.”

The complaint said the respondents planned and funded the creation of the video and its distribution through social media.

Libel was committed when Advincula held a press conference last May at the IBP office in Ortigas where he reiterated his accusations against the alleged illegal drug activities of members of the President’s family, the police said.

The complaint said the respondents may also be held liable for harboring a criminal and obstruction of justice since they were aware of Advincula’s status as a fugitive from law.

The PNP-CIDG, however, said a “thorough investigation was still continuing and being conducted by the Office of the NCR-CIDG which initiated the request for CCTV readings and logbook copies of the different places and establishments, invitation and served subpoenas of the involved personalities.”

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he will form a panel of state prosecutors to hear the complaint and conduct the requisite preliminary investigation on the complaint.

Advincula later took back his claim and said his allegations in the “Ang Totoong Narco-list” videos were not true and that he was paid by Trillanes and the opposition as part of the plot to oust the President.

Apart from Trillanes, Advincula also tagged De Lima and Hontiveros as well as personalities from the Liberal Party in the alleged ouster plot.

Trillanes, De Lima, Hontiveros and the other opposition personalities Advincula tagged as part of the alleged plot have all denied his claim.

The police also had earlier discredited Advincula when he accused the President’s family of having ties to illegal drugs. With Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rio N. Araja

From A1

Ambrosio, Serafin Salvador, Philip Sawali and Egon Cayosa, former Supreme Court spokesperson Theodore Te, and clergy members, Bishops Teodoro Bacani Jr. and Honesto Ongtico, Archbishops Pablo Virgilio David and Socrates Villegas and Frs. Robert Reyes, Flaviano Villanueva and Albert Alejo.

The PNP-CIDG submitted the sworn statement of Advincula detailing his supposed meetings with the respondents and how they planned the so-called “Project Sodoma.”

Advincula alias “Bikoy” who initially identified former Davao City vice mayor and now congressman Paolo Duterte, lawyer Manases Carpio, husband of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio, and former presidential assistant and now Senator Christopher Go as among those involved in the narcotics trade was included as respondent, but he would later serve as the main witness against the respondents.

In filing the complaint, the PNP-CIDG cited the sworn statement of Advincula saying that he met with the respondents to plan the conduct of “Project Sodoma” aimed allegedly at topping Duterte.

“As averred by Mr. Advincula, he was engaged by the respondents to spread lies against the President, his family and close associates, making them to appear as illegal drug trade protectors and how they earned staggering amounts of money,” said the complaint signed by Police Lt. Colonel Arnold Thomas Ibay of the PNP-CIDG. Advincula earlier claimed that the Ang Totoong Narco-list videos formed part of Project Sodoma, which was also aimed at discrediting pro-administration candidates while propping up those from the opposition Otso Diretso.

Advincula said the respondents had met in the Jesuit Communication Building in the Ateneo de Manila University from February to May this year to plan a

Endo:...

From A1

protected by the constitutional right and freedom to contract and right to property.

The bill also failed to include contractual workers hired by government agencies due to potential fiscal challenge it may pose, the groups said.

“Therefore, it does not protect contractual workers hired by the government with tenure of up to 15 years already, under the so-called ‘job order‘ system,” the statement read.

Business groups have been claiming that the bill will hinder operations and slow down the growth of private employers.

They warned that the bill could lead to job losses, as businesses may choose to get rid of the low-skilled work who currently work under contract.

Joining the call for a veto of the anti-endo bill are the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines, Japanese Chamber of Commerce

and Industry of the Philippines, Inc., Korean Chamber of Commerce Philippines, Makati Business Club, Management Association of the Philippines, Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters Inc., Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Semiconductor & Electronics Industries in the Philippines Inc. and Foundation for Economic Freedom.

Labor groups also rejected the bill, saying that some provisions in the House version should have been adopted in the Senate-approved version bill.

The labor groups said that the penalities for those who violate the law were watered down in the Senate version.

The anti-endo bill is already on Duterte’s desk for signing.

It will lapse into a law if Duterte fails to act on it next week. The bicameral committee finalized the version of the bill on May 29.

Sought for comment as to why the President has yet to act on the bill, Panelo said “documents pile up and sometimes, he doesn’t see the others.”

“You know the problem is there are so many documents he has to sign. At the same time, he has so many activities that he has to attend to. He visits one place and another place,” Panelo said.

of Duterte’s performance despite the criticisms thrown against him following the Recto Bank incident.

Only 3 percent said they disapproved of the President’s performance while 11 percent were undecided.

“People keep expressing their support to awaken the critics and detractors from their sleep that all the criticisms against this President relative to drugs, the West Philippine Sea, and other issues of national interest are all wrong. No basis,” Panelo said.

Recently, Duterte came under scrutiny from the international community after the United Nations Human Rights Council approved a resolution seeking to probe

Guerrero blamed for BOC failings

By Maricel V. Cruz TWO legislators said Thursday Customs Commissioner Rey Guerrero should be held accountable for his failure to stop the corruption in the agency.

In separate interviews, Reps. Joy Tambunting of Parañaque City and Arlene Brosas of Gabriela said Guerrero should be held accountable under the principle of command responsibility.

Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday met with the 40 Customs employees who were relieved due to their alleged involvement in corrupt activities.

Photos sent to Palace reporters showed Duterte with the Customs employees along with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, and Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar.

A reliable source, who asked he not be named due to his lack of authority to speak on the matter, told Manila Standard the meeting started at 6 p.m.

Duterte previously aired his frustration with the bureau over allegations of corruption, and said that he will ask them

Health...

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accurate health information on notifiable diseases and other public health-related events to citizens and health providers.

“This law will greatly help inform preventive measures and epidemics response in the country,” Duque added.

The DOH statement came as the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that the death toll from dengue has reached 202 in five regions.

The NDRRMC said 38,804 dengue cases have been reported in Calabarzon and in Regions VI, VII, VIII and XII from Jan. 1 to July 13, with Region VI with the most number, at 15,813 cases and 90 deaths.

The death toll from dengue fever in the Eastern Visayas region rose to 21 this week with 5,577 others hospitalized from Jan. 1 to July 16, which is twice that of the same period last year, the DOH in the region said on Thursday.

From July 8 to July 16, two more deaths were recorded and 768 new cases were detected even as the local government rushed to contain the diseases. Most of the victims are children.

“The increase is unusual since this is the second successive year that cases are high.

Cases have been above the usual occurrence beyond the epidemic threshold since the start of the year,” said DOH regional information officer John Paul Roca.

There’s no dengue outbreak in Eastern Visayas, but the region has been included in the national dengue alert as clustering of cases has been reported in 105 villages, Roca said.

“We already asked village officials in areas with clustered cases to conduct assembly and regular clean-up drive to fight dengue,” Roca added.

Robredo...

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‘Falcon’...

Swiss...

might develop into a tropical depression within 48 hours.

The tropical cyclone wind signal no.

1 over the northern portion of Cagayan has been lifted.

But Cagayan’s Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said Thursday “Falcon” left two dead victims―one male in Gattaran and a female in Abulug towns.

Falcon moves north at 355 kilometers east of Calayan, Cagayan with sustained maximum winds of 65 kms. per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness up to 80 kph moving northwest at 20 kph.

PAGASA added the southwest monsoon (habagat) is affecting Luzon and western Visayas.

Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Ilocos and, Cordillera regions, Zambales and Bataan will experience rains brought about by the LPA and the southwest monsoon.PNA

by a new export promotion strategy that aims to see Swiss labels on menus at the world’s top restaurants.

In some ways, the Swiss Winegrowers’ Festival (Fete des Vignerons), which opened Thursday, mirrors the country’s appellations: both could be considered extraordinary, yet both are hardly known outside Switzerland.

The festival, hosted in the country’s wine making Lavaux region, is recognized on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.

First held in 1797, the festival has taken place roughly every quarter century since.

The main event, expected to draw 20,000 per night through Aug. 11, is a theatrical performance dramatizing a year in the life of a vineyard, from pruning to harvest.

Ahead of this year’s edition, industry experts agreed that the time had come for Swiss wine to spread its vines. AFP

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the human rights situation in the country, and following the drug-related deaths from police operations and vigilante-style murders.

Duterte also drew flak after he revealed he had entered into a verbal deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2016 allowing Chinese fishermen within the country’s exclusive economic zone, which should be enjoyed exclusively by Filipinos as stated in the 1987 Constitution.

“The detractors keep on saying that the rating will go down. But the more they say that, the more it goes up. If that is not a powerful language against them, I don’t know what is not,” Panelo said.

In a statement, Robredo’s lawyer, Bernadette Sardillo, said “we are extremely disappointed, but we fully respect the Presidential Electoral Tribunal’s decision to deny our motion for immediate resolution in connection with the election protest of losing candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr.” The vice president said they are still confident they would still win the case.

Robredo defeated Marcos in the 2016 vice presidential race by 263,473 votes.

“We are very pleased with this development,” said lawyer Vic Rodriguez, spokesperson of Marcos.

“The PET has finally put an end to Robredo’s fallacious claim of victory despite the fact that the entire process had not yet concluded. She should stop misleading the public with her impetuous pronouncements,” he added.

“Politics is perception. All these delaying tactics, spread of false information and fake news by Mrs. Robredo and her cabal only proves how desperate they are. Everyone knows who the real VP is,” the lawyer said.

“We are confident that in the end, it will

to get rid of water lilies in Pasig River.

The President also said that he relieved an entire administrative section of Customs.

The Palace has yet to release details on what transpired during the meeting and the names of Customs employees who were asked to report on the Palace.

Tambunting said Guerrero must face the accountability issue being the head of the agency, and after President Duterte made public his continuing displeasure and announced he would remove the employees of Customs’ administrative section over corruption.

“The BoC is an agency known for corruption. The government must take decisive action in rooting out corruption in this agency. Command responsibility should be observed, Tambunting said.

Brosas shared her view, saying Guerrero should be liable for the alleged corruption under his watch.

“We all know that corruption is deeply ingrained in many of the agencies in government, especially in the BoC.” Brosas said corrupt Customs personnel should be charged and prosecuted to ensure the success of the government’s anticorruption drive. With MJ Blancaflor Of the 21 dengue deaths, four were recorded in Guiuan, Eastern Samar and three in Tacloban City.

Each of the following areas reported at least one death from Jan. 1 up to this week— Quinapondan, General MacArthur, and Hernani in Eastern Samar; Baybay City, Burauen, Babatngon, Mahaplag, Merida, and Ormoc City in Leyte; Sogod and Macrohon in Southern Leyte; Kawayan in Biliran; and Calbayog City and Catbalogan City in Samar province.

Roca said the non-stop surge of cases since last year is alarming. Based on DOH records, in 2018 there were 11,000 people afflicted by the mosquito-borne disease with 61 deaths.

The Health department asked city and town mayors to organize cleanup campaigns focusing on the destruction of mosquito breeding places in their areas, and conduct community assembly in areas with dengue cases.

The official reiterated the DOH’s “4S” to fight dengue as an effective strategy to prevent cases and deaths.

These “4S” strategies are the search and destroy mosquito breeding places, seek early consultation, self-protection method, and support fogging and spraying only in hot spot areas, where an increase in cases is registered for two consecutive weeks, to prevent an impending outbreak.

“We have been informing the public to identify early symptoms of dengue fever for them to be able to bring victims to rural health units and hospitals for immediate treatment. Most of the victims who died were rushed to hospitals late, causing them to have severe complications,” Roca said.

Dengue fever is marked by an onset of sudden high fever, severe headache, and pain behind the eyes, muscles, and joints.

Some may develop rashes and varying degrees of bleeding in different parts of the body. be former Senator Marcos who will be proclaimed.”

Sardillo, however, lamented that the camp of Marcos has continued to spread misinformation to deceive teh public about the real results of election.

“We anchored our motion on the fact that Marcos’ camp hasn’t proven anything in its electoral protest against Vice President Leni Robredo. In fact, Vice President Leni has gained additional votes from the recount,” Sardillo said.

The Supreme Court said: “the Tribunal has yet to complete the proceedings following Rule 65 of the 2010 PET Rules, which entail judicial recount, revision and appreciation of the votes cast in the protestant’s pilot provinces.

“The figures submitted by protestee are merely speculative. In arriving at the figures, protestee presumes that all her claims will be admitted by the Tribunal,” it added.

This premise is fundamentally flawed, the PET said, as it is still “in the process of appreciation of the revised ballot and ruling on the respective objections and claims made by the parties thereon.”

“The Tribunal’s final tally of votes after recount and appreciation has yet to be completed and released,” it said.

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FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Bills renewing franchises of TV5, CBCP lapse into law

Judges reminded on TRO issuance and plea bargain

By MJ Blancaflor

HE Supreme Court has reminded all trial court judges to observe existing Court’s issuances directing them to exercise with utmost caution, prudence and judiciousness in issuing temporary restraining orders and writ of preliminary injunctions.

THE bills renewing the franchise of TV5 Network Inc. and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines have lapsed into laws as President Rodrigo Duterte did not act on them within the period set by the Charter.

Republic Act (R.A.) 11320 extends for another 25 years the broadcast franchise of TV5. Meanwhile, RA 11319 granted the CBCP a 25-year franchise extension “to construct, install, establish, operate and maintain radio and or television broadcasting stations in the Philippines for religious, cultural and commercial purposes.”

President Rodrigo Duterte’s signatures were missing on the measures. Instead, the copies bear a stamp stating that both bills had lapsed into laws on April 22.

Under the Constitution, any bill that is neither signed nor vetoed by the Chief Executive will automatically lapse into law 30 days after it was submitted by the Congress to the Office of President.

A president can either sign a law, veto it entirely or in part, or not act on it until it lapses into law.

Copies of the laws were sent to Palace reporters yesterday, July 18.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo defended Duterte for not acting on the bill.

“If he allowed it to lapse, that means it’s okay with him. It’s like he signed it.

That’s what happens when the President allows those bills to pass, that means he’s okay with it,” Panelo said.

Meanwhile, the Palace was quiet on the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN, leaving the matter to the 18th Congress.

“The ball is in the hands of the Congress. Not to the President,” Panelo said.

Duterte has threatened to block ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal for the network’s supposed “biased” reporting toward him.

He also claimed that the network did not air his political advertisements as 2016 presidential candidate when his campaign team had paid for them.

The network’s franchise will expire next year.

By Rey E. Requejo

T

Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin also enjoined judges to comply with En Banc Resolution in Administrative Matter No. 18-03-16-SC or theAdoption of the Plea Bargaining Framework in Drug Cases, which guides lower court judges on the offenses falling under acceptable plea bargain agreement.

The reiteration came following President Rodrigo Duterte’s statements questioning the purported issuances by courts of TROs on his administration’s infrastructure projects, as well as the approval of plea bargaining in drug cases.

SC spokesperson and Public Information Office Chief lawyer Brian Hosaka said that the Chief Justice has directed Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez to look into the matters mentioned by the President.

The top magistrate also encouraged anyone who may have been aggrieved by

questionable issuance of TROs to file a formal complaint before the Office of the Court Administrator.

“The SC is encouraging anyone who may have been affected or aggrieved by the alleged issuance of questionable TROs to immediately inform the Supreme Court and file a formal complaint before the Office of the Court Administrator,” Hosaka said.

“Also, considering that plea bargaining is not allowed in drug cases when the quantity of the dangerous drugs is one kilo, we ask the proper authorities to report to the SC the trial judge who approved the plea bargaining for possible administrative sanction. As always, the SC will not take this matter lightly. All trial judges must strictly adhere to all related issuances and circulars on plea bargaining framework in drugs cases,” Hosaka added.

Hosaka said the high court has been incessantly addressing these matters

with the issuance of pertinent circulars, the earliest one having been issued two decades ago, directing them “to exercise with utmost caution, prudence, and judiciousness” in issuing TRO and writs of preliminary injunctions.

Citing separate resolutions in A.M. No. 18-03-16-SC issued in 2018 and 2019, the SC held, among others, that plea bargaining in drugs cases is allowed and probation may be availed of only in the following instances: 1. When the accused is charged with possession of dangerous drugs under Section 11 of RA 9165 and the quantity of “shabu” is less than 5 grams or in case of marijuana, it is less than 300 grams; 2. When the accused is charged under Section 5 of RA 9165 with the sale of “shabu” and the quantity found in his/her possession is less than 1 gram; or if marijuana only, it is less than 10 grams; 3.When the accused is charged under Section 13 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs During Parties, Social Gatherings or Meetings) in relation to Section 11 of RA 9165 and the quantity of the dangerous drug in his/her possession is less than 5 grams; or in case it is marijuana, the quantity is less than 300 grams; 4. When the accused is an employee or a visitor of a drug den, dive or resort provided that he/she is charged solely under Section 7 of RA 9165, and there is no other person charged for maintaining the said drug den, dive, or resort.

Senate urged to invalidate Du30’s fishing deal with China SUPREME Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Thursday called on the Senate to repudiate President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration that he and China have agreed to allow Chinese fishermen to fish in the country’s exclusive economic zone, particularly in the West Philippine Sea. Since the President’s declaration effectively bound the country to his commitment, Carpio asked the Senate to immediately approve a resolution either repudiating the agreement outright or indicating that it needed concurrence from the Upper Chamber, a treaty-ratifying body under the 1987 Constitution.

President Duterte earlier admitted that he had a verbal agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping to allow Chinese to fish in Recto Bank in exchange for allowing Filipino fishermen to fish in Scarborough Shoal.

The SC justice noted that prior to Duterte’s pronouncement in his interview with Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, there was still a debate in the government on whether the verbal fishing deal was legally binding.

“But the President came out yesterday and said, ‘Yes, there was verbal agreement.’ Now the problem is, that binds us,” Carpio said, in an interview.

Carpio, who has been a strong advocate of Philippines’ sovereign interest in the South China Sea, particularly the WPS, said that the only way to stop the President’s verbal agreement is for the Senate to adopt a resolution disapproving it.

“The only way we can stop this is for the Senate as soon as they convene to pass a resolution repudiating it. That stops it,” he said.

“Or the Senate can, if they want to be diplomatic about it, say that a verbal agreement cannot take effect until we ratify it. That is our only defense now,” Carpio added. Rey E. Requejo

Lorenzana to search Europe for weapons SECRETARY Delfin Lorenzana will visit five European countries to look into military equipment and platforms being sold by these nations.

In a message to reporters Wednesday, the defense chief said he will be visiting France, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal this September.

“Mag-canvass lang muna. Window shop kung meron silang gamit na kailangan at gusto natin na kaya ng budget. (We will just window shop at first to determine if they have equipment we need and if we can afford it based on our budget),” he said.

When asked what particular equipment they will be checking, Lorenzana said they will be looking into diesel-electric submarines manufactured by France.

“In France, it is their submarines,” the DND chief said.

Using European-produced military equipment is not new for the Philippines as the country has acquired two AW-159s “Wildcat” anti-submarine helicopters and 13 AW-109 helicopters, 10 attack and three combat utility versions from Anglo-Italian manufacturer AgustaWestland (now Leonardo) and surface-to-air missiles from MBDA France, to name a few. PNA

Duterte signs law to help startups PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law an act meant to provide benefits and programs to further develop startups and startup enablers in the Philippines.

President Duterte signed the “Innovative Startup Act” (RA 11337) on April 26 but a copy of the document was released to reporters on Thursday (July 18).

Under the law, Duterte recognizes the importance of creating new jobs and opportunities, improve production, and advance innovation and trade in the country through startups.

A startup refers to “any person or registered entity in the Philippines which aims to develop an innovative product, process or business model.”

“The State shall provide incentives and remove constraints aimed at encouraging the establishment and operation of innovative new businesses, business crucial to their growth and expansion and to strengthen, promote and develop an ecosystem of business and government and non-government institutions that foster an innovative entrepreneurial culture in the Philippines,” the law read. PNA

Palace wishes Pacman luck in Las Vegas bout

OPERATION SMILE. Foreign Surgeon Nurses Volunteers of Operation Smile International conduct a five-day (July 15 to 19) free medical operation to 120 patients with cleft lip and cleft palete in Aborlan, Palawan. Photo shows doctors and nurses, medical staff volunteers from different country inside the recovery room of Aborlan Medicare Hospital in Aborlan, Palawan. Revoli Cortez

‘Iceland’s human rights resolution vs. PH a form of bullying’

By Nat Mariano and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Iceland-backed resolution which seeks to probe the Duterte administration’s war on drugs before the United Nations Human Rights Council is a form of “bullying,” an official from the Presidential Human Rights Committee said.

In a press briefing, PHRC Executive Director Undersecretary Severo Catura said the PHRC, the primary advisory body to the President in addressing the country’s human rights issues, viewed the resolution supported by 18 countries as “ineffective.”

“We do not see this as something that is effective. We see this as something that is a form of bullying. We cannot stand this sort of bullying,” he said.

Catura, who described the same

CATURA

resolution as divisive, said its passage nullifies other mechanisms in the international human rights body where Manila has been “very much involved.”

He also said that it “created an environment wherein certain states

out of caprice will just come out with a resolution that we need to look at it.”

“What is the need for a specific country resolution compelling the Philippines to undergo the same review mechanism?

So that totally disregards everything.

That’s what we are trying to say,” the PHRC official said.

Last week, the UNHRC has voted to adopt the Iceland REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES resolution, which will look into the COMMISSION ON APPOINTMENTS human rights situation, including ANNOUNCEMENT the drug-related killings, in the President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has submitted country. to the Commission on Appointments (C.A.) for With 18 countries voting in favor confirmation the ad interim appointments of the of the draft resolution, 14 voting following officials: against it, and 15 abstaining, the Cabinet Secretary resolution asked the UN High Mr. Gregorio Ballesteros Honasan II – Commissioner for Human Rights Secretary, Department of Information and Communications Technology Michelle Bachelet “to prepare a comprehensive written report” on To the rank of Lieutenant General: the matter.

Ramiro Manuel A. Rey

US to provide P234-m humanitarian assistance for Marawi victims THE United States government will provide an additional P234 million in humanitarian assistance to bolster relief and recovery efforts for individuals affected by the Marawi conflict.

The US Embassy in Manila said the new contribution to the Marawi humanitarian response brings the US’s total commitment to Marawi recovery to more than P3.4 billion or $63.6 million.

The additional funding from the US Agency for International Development will help approximately 50,000 internally displaced persons in Marawi

and 9,000 in Maguindanao.

“The US government remains committed to supporting the Philippine government in helping restore normalcy in the lives of the Filipinos affected by the Marawi conflict,” US Ambassador Sung Kim said, in a statement.

“This new assistance reflects the strong bond between the US and the Philippines as friends, partners, and allies,” he added.

The new US government resources will provide 2,600 individuals with emergency shelter assistance, in addition to the nearly 33,000 individuals who

THE Palace wished Senator Manny Pacquiao the “best of luck” in his fight against American boxer Keith Thurman in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Speaking to Palace reporters on Thursday, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said that Pacquiao, an eight-division world boxing champion, faces a good fight against Thurman, an unbeaten WBA welterweight champion.

“We wish him the best of luck in the world. He’s fighting someone… I’ve seen some of the fights of Thurman, he seems to be a good boxer, too,” Panelo said. “Thurman is young. He is good.

But our boxer is good as well.”

In January this year, Malacañang has previously hailed Pacquiao for uniting anew all Filipinos worldwide with his recent victory against Adrien Broner, an American professional boxer.

Panelo said the 40-year-old Filipino boxer displayed athleticism, power, and Filipino pride. Nat Mariano

have previously benefitted, the statement said.

USAID will deepen its existing efforts within Marawi City and Lanao del Sur province to expand water and sanitation services and enhance safe spaces to protect women and children from exploitation and violence.

“The new funds will augment ongoing US government support to the Philippine government in providing life-saving aid and improving economic and social conditions for vulnerable populations,” the embassy statement said. Rey E. Requejo

To the rank of Major General: Corleto S. Vinluan, Jr. To the rank of Brigadier General: Camilo F. Balutan, PN(M) (GSC) and Adonis R. Bajao, PA (GSC) The public may submit any information, written report, or sworn/notarized complaints or oppositions in forty (40) copies on the above appointments to the CA Secretariat, 6th Floor, PNB Financial Center, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City, Metro Manila.

For the schedule of the public hearings, the CA Secretariat can be reached through telephone numbers 834-2713, 831-1824, 831-0527, 8329830, 834-2706 and 551-1989.

18 July 2019.

HECTOR A. VILLACORTA Secretary (MS-JULY 19, 2019)

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Opinion

FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

An imperiled sports event investigated numerous corruption scams, in a bad light.

Cojuangco wants the public to forget that President Duterte has issued an order—Memorandum Circular No. 56—directing all government WILL Philippine sports ever recov- agencies, and even governmenter lost glory? Yes and no. owned-and-controlled corporations, Yes, if it is manages to pull off the to extend their full support to the country’s hosting of the 30th South- Philippine SEA Games Oganizaeast Asian Games scheduled in No- tional Committee Foundation Inc. vember this year with flying colors in the “preparation, organization and our athletes end up with a re- and holding of the 30th Southeast spectable finish.

Asian Games.”

And no, if politics again rears its The Memorandum Circular issued ugly head in Philippine sports. last Jan. 15 and signed by ExecuInsiders believe that Peping Co- tive Secretary Salvador Medialdea juangco, whose 13-year lackluster by authority of the President states performance as president of the that PHISGOC Inc., a “non-stock, Philippine Olympic Committee led non-profit organization” was “creto the decline of Philippine sports, ated to oversee the preparations just won’t stop and execution until he takes of the Philiptotal control of pines’ hosting the forthcomof the 30th Why not grow a ing Games.

SEA Games in He has found conscience?

2019.” an ally, forAren’t the mer Philippine President’s orSports Comders clear? mission chairWe should man Philip “Popoy” Juico, the also remember that President Ducurrent president of the Philippine terte approved the additional fundTrack and Field Association. Juico’s ing of P1 billion for the SEA Games name is familiar not only in the upon the request of Cayetano. field of sports, because he used to Cayetano presented before the be the late President Cory Aquino’s President during a Cabinet meetagrarian reform secretary who got ing last May the progress of the involved in the Garchitorena land preparations for the SEA Games, scam. including the construction of maThey have floated reports that jor infrastructure facilities where President Duterte supposedly with- the events will be held, such as the drew his support to the Philippine Athletics Stadium, Aquatics Center Southeast Asian Games Organiza- and the Athletics Village. Bases tional Committee chaired by Rep. Conversion Development AuthorAlan Peter Cayetano. ity president-CEO Vince Dizon Taking a phrase uttered by Presi- and Executive Board member and dent Duterte here, and inserting a PHISGOC chief operating officer word there, they made it appear that Ramon Suzara were also there to the Chief Executive said that PHIS- brief the President who, after the GOC is not authorized to oversee presentation, approved the P1 bilthe preparations for the hosting of lion funding. the 30thSEA Games.

“The President agreed to augBut the truth is that the misleading ment the current budget of the SEA reports appear to be part of one big, Games because he understood the well-funded demolition job against importance of the SEA games to Cayetano and PHISGOC. Filipino athletes and its long-term Four months before the start of the benefits to the tourism and economSEA Games here, Cojuangco et al. are ic sectors in the country,” Cayetano still trying in vain to regain control of said following the approval of the the POC, and in the process, get their P1 billion augmentation fund. hands on the billions of pesos allocatThis P1-billion fund will suppleed for the biennial sports event. ment the budget approved by ConCojuangco has been questioning, gress for the preparations for, and through his minions, the alleged conduct of, the SEA Games. The “overpricing” of uniforms and train- original budget proposed for the ing gear of athletes for this year’s international sports event was P7.5 event in an attempt to put Cayetano, billion, which the Congress trimmed who as lawmaker has exposed and to P5 billion.

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EDITORIAL

T

Economic agenda

HE Philippine economy, despite the blip in the first quarter of the year and the trade tension between the US and China, is generally performing well. The recent strong showing of the peso against the US dollar and the entry of local stock into the bull market territory suggest better economic prospects ahead.

The peso early this week climbed to an 18-month high of 50.90 against the US dollar to return within the 50-a-dollar level, drawing strength from foreign inflows as investors bet on the stock market’s rally. The stock market, meanwhile, is upbeat as investors cheered the central bank’s commitment to reduce interest rates further in the second half of the year.

A bullish stock market and a stronger peso are the harbingers of a more robust economic expansion in the latter part of 2019.

They reflect the confidence of

investors on the economy and an affirmation of the country’s strong economic fundamentals.

The executive department and lawmakers should take these as a cue to strengthen further the economy to achieve government’s objective of significantly reducing the poverty incidence in the country. President Rodrigo’s State of the Nation Address on July 22 will likely enumerate his social and economic programs for the remainder of his term to steer the Philippines toward the ranks of the more developed economies in Asia.

Lawmakers, meanwhile, should listen to the demands of the market and investors by approving economic reforms. For starters, they should work quickly on the proposed 2020 budget and move for its early approval to avoid the costly mistake early this year when they acted on the expenditure plan late. The late budget approval led to a slowdown in the economic expansion during the first quarter of 2019, as government expenditures were restricted.

Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez drove it home when he reminded his colleagues that it was the duty of the 18th Congress to help sustain the successes of the President’s programs and projects by acting favorably and swiftly on the proposed legislative agenda that Mr. Duterte was expected to outline in his SONA. Economic and social reforms will not succeed without the cooperation and support of the legislative branch.

Setting the record straight on Iceland

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte made jokes at Iceland’s expense in response to that country’s move related to the investigation of human rights issues in the Philippines—but is seems that his is not the last laugh.

Speaking at the 28th anniversary celebration of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology last July 12, the President commented on the resolution proposed

by Iceland and Who has adopted by the laugh now?

United Nations Human Rights Council on July 11, requiring UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet to report on the drug war killings in the Philippines for presentation to the council.

Iceland’s authorship of the resolution caught Duterte’s ire. He said, “Hindi maintindihan nitong mga p***** i**** ‘to na may problema tayo. Iceland? Ano ang problema ng Iceland? Ice lang. That’s your prob-

lem. You have too much ice and there is no clear day or night there.

Parang alas kwatro ng hapon ang araw pati gabi.

So you can understand why there is no crime, there is no policemen either and they just go about eating ice. Itong mga g***—they don’t understand the social, economic, political problems of the Philippines.”

Netizens were quick to point out that he must have confused Iceland for Greenland. It’s one of those weird naming peculiarities that trip up players of Trivial Pursuit and Jeopardy, because the actual geographical features of the two countries belie their names. the last Iceland has large patches of green and was once thickly forested, while 80 percent of Greenland’s surface is covered by a sheet of ice that traps a volume of the world’s water that is second only to Antarctica’s. If that sheet melted, global sea levels would rise by 7 meters.

Iceland does have a police force, a coast guard, and an intelligence Turn to A5

An international trial for Duterte We are now at the precipice.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is unfazed on talks of an international trial against him. He has called the suggestion of such a court proceeding as stupid.

“You must be stupid if you think I will submit myself to an international trial,” said the mercurial President, adding that the Philippines has its own justice system including courts of law to try erring officials.

May we point out to the Presi-

dent that this was also the same smug contention of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic before the succeeding government turned him over to The Hague criminal court to stand trial for crimes against humanity. Milosevic died in prison before the court could render a guilty verdict.

A hostile government that might succeed Duterte at the end of his

six-year term might just do that— turn him over to the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes of human rights violations in his brutal war against illegal drugs.

Milosevic cohorts—high-ranking military officials in his government who were accused in the massacre of thousands of Muslims in the bloody Balkan war—were also haled to the international court where they are still standing trial.

Once out of power, kings and presidents are no longer the masters of their fate. We have seen this in the history of the world where such tyrants like Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, Libya’s Moamer Turn to A5

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Opinion End the Endo bill EARLY this month, the country’s largest and most influential business organizations, local and foreign, sent an urgent petition to President Duterte urging him to either veto or at least suspend until further studies, the “Security of Tenure and End to Endo” bill.

Endo is end of contract—the practice of employers to subject employees, particularly temporary workers, to work contract of no longer than five months, because under the present Labor Code, anyone who has been employed for at least six months must be made permanent.

Permanent means the employee must be paid the legal minimum wage, be entitled to overtime and holiday pay, sick leave, vacation leave and other benefits.

The effect is that instead of paying an employee just 12 months salary in a year, the employer must pay the equivalent of up to 16 months—12 months of regular salary, one month of sick and vacation leave, 13th month pay, 14th month equivalent of holidays, regular and special; and 15th month—the employer’s bonus gratis. Add to that overtime pay, free rice pay, transportation allowance, and even lodging privileges (for BPO) workers. In effect—16 months of pay for 12 months of work, increasing labor cost by 30 percent, without the worker adding productivity.

It is very difficult to enforce a no-Endo rule given the 12-percent underemployment rate (equivalent to five-million jobs) and 5.7-percent unemployment rate (equivalent to 2.45-million jobs) or a total of 7.45 million people looking for work or working only part time.

The signatories included: Sergio Ortiz-Ruiz Jr., president, Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines and the Philippine Exporters Confederation; Alegria Sibal Limjoco, president, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines; Edgar O. Chua, chairman, Makati Business Club; Rizalina G. Mantaring, president, Management Association of the Philippines; Henry Lim Bon Liong, president of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; Rhoda Castro Caliwara, president

An imperiled...

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It was also agreed upon during the Cabinet meeting that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Procurement Service will be tapped to help facilitate the procurement process to allow the PSC conduct a faster and more efficient procurement of goods, supplies, sports equipment and service contractors that will cater to the needs of the

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service, though it has no standing army. They do have crime, but at very low rates that make them the safest country in the world. They enjoy a great degree of gender and social equality. In 2018, Iceland ranked just behind Norway to grab second spot in the Social Progress Index, which measures well-being and quality of life in 146 countries.

Anyone can Google this information in seconds.

But let’s say the President spoke off-the-cuff and made the remarks based on his stock knowledge. Actually far more egregious than his geography mistakes and global studies inaccuracies is his repudiation of Iceland’s concern for the human rights violations in the Philippines in connection with his drug war.

In that same speech at the BJMP, the President again justified the tokhang operations. “At the final tally,” he said, “we had one million six addicts, slaves to a drug called shabu. Inutil na ‘yan sila.” He spoke of the economic, social, and emotional toll on a family when a member is an addict. He admitted that the tide of inflowing drugs cannot be stemmed—“The distri-

Philippine Association of Legitimate Service Contractors; lawyer Danilo Patron, chairman, Philippine Society of Management Services; Rey Untal, president, IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines; Dr. Carol Enriquez, president, Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities; James Wilkins, president, American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; Daniel Alexander, president, Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce; Keiichi Matsunaga, president, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines; Arthur Lopez, president, Philippine Hotel Owners Association of the Philippines; Julian Payne, president, Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; Nabil Francis, president, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; HoIk Lee, president Korean Chamber

The rest of the world is now into more flexible work arrangements.

of Commerce of the Philippines, and Evelyn Ng, president, Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional.

“There is no need for a new law to end Endo,” the letter insisted “It [Endo] is now prohibited by your Executive Order No. 51 and by DOLE Department Order No. 174 series of 2017.”

“If passed into law, the bill will have adverse effects on the Philippines’ global competitiveness and its capability to create more and better quality jobs for Filipinos,” the business groups warned.

The problem with this last minute petition of Big Business is that end to Endo was a campaign promise of President Duterte.

Here is the letter of the business community rejecting End to Endo: The Security of Tenure and End to Endo Bill intends to strengthen workers’ security of tenure and to end Endo, an employment malpractice by some unscrupulous employers who hire workers for a period of less than six months at a time, to avoid making them regular employees after the six-month probationary period.

Both DOLE DO No. 174-17, which took effect in early 2017, and EO No.

51, which took effect in mid-2018, already prohibit Endo. If Endo is dead, therefore, the SOT Bill is superfluous.

Security of tenure is a constitutionally guaranteed right of workers and the Labor Code recognizes this. However, the workers’ right to security of tenure is not absolute. There is no such thing as perpetual employment especially if the employee is no longer performing.

The law provides that employers have the power to dismiss an employee based on just or authorized causes subject to observance of due process.

In protecting the rights of workers, the law authorizes neither oppression nor self-destruction of the employers.

Passing the SOT bill is counterproductive especially for businesses which are dealing with the changing world of work. The concept of dependent employment is steadily being eroded. Under the “future of work,” there will be unprecedented rise of independent contractors, telework, and a constellation of other Internet-enabled companies.

The rest of the world is now into more flexible work arrangements.

Prohibiting legitimate job contracting in the Philippines will, in the words of a respected labor law expert, “turn us back into the dark ages.” When this happens, the Philippines will become less globally competitive and investors might opt to locate their manufacturing, logistics, and other functional hubs in other countries with more investor-friendly policies.

The jobless growth we have been experiencing over the years could worsen.

In fact, the regulatory framework must be re-examined to make it more flexible to facilitate business and job creation instead of obstructing new forms of employment as what would be the consequence of the SOT bill in the event it is signed into law. Passing stringent laws that limit flexibility and encroaches on management prerogative may scare away local and foreign investors.

We have always supported laws and policies that will truly be beneficial to the economy as a whole—those that attract investment, generate productive employment, and preserve existing jobs. As the most representative sectoral organizations in the country, we commit to foster a culture of responsible and ethical business conduct—the key to industrial peace and harmonious labor-management relations.

FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019

Can snow cannons do the trick in the West Antarctic?

PARIS―Scientists seeking to avoid catastrophic sealevel rises from the melting West Antarctic ice sheet have come up with a “terrible” solution: Use snow cannons to pump trillions of tons of ice back on top.

The gargantuan ice sheet contains enough frozen water to raise global sea levels by 20 feet.

Just one meter of sea-level rise would be enough to displace around 190-million people, and a rise of three meters would imperil megacities across the world, including New York, Shanghai and Tokyo.

In particular, scientists are increasingly concerned that the Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers in Western Antarctica―which could potentially cause a sea-level rise of three meters―have reached a “tipping point” that could see irreversible melting irrespective of cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.

And as planet-warming emissions continue to rise despite the Paris agreement on climate change, awareness is growing that limiting temperature rises to under 2.0 degrees Celsius-the treaty’s cornerstone goal―may be insufficient to avert disaster.

Geo-engineering schemes―large-scale, deliberate intervention in Earth’s climate―have garnered much attention in recent years, such as injecting particles into space or storing CO2 in the ground.

But few have addressed the issue of sea-level rises, which is likely to cause more human misery than just about any other climate impact.

Experts at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research on Wednesday released their model for one such scheme: a massive displacement of seawater from melted ice, sucked from the sea and showered back on top of the West Antarctic glaciers to stop them disappearing.

“It’s a terrible thing to do, no doubt about it, and we are not suggesting this by any means,” said Anders Levermann, PIK physicist and lead study author of the study published in Science Advances.

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SEA Games.

This setup would ensure that with the DBM as procuring entity, every centavo of the government’s funds would be well accounted for and would go to where it should go: The preparations for the Games and its hosting, and not to private pockets.

The country has only four months to complete its preparations for the SEA Games and mount this grand event. Cayetano is right: muddling the issues, rather than working together to ensure that the Philip-

pines gets to host one of the most memorable SEA Games in history, will only tarnish the country’s image before the international sports community and leave our athletes in dire straits.

Cojuangco et al should finally face the fact that real change has come to Philippine sports. Why not grow a conscience and accept the reality that the old way of doing things at the POC just won’t work now?

bution of drugs, the contamination continues today. At hindi na natin mahabol.”

He said he would welcome the UNCHR representatives who would visit the Philippines to gather data for their report. “Even if there are— the human rights are coming. Good.

And I’ll tell them, how many millions are affected by drugs.”

But it was never disputed that the influx of illegal drugs continues and has even accelerated. It was never denied that something drastic needs to be done about it before we turn into a narco state. It was never challenged that there is a huge number of addicts, some of whom commit crimes and burden the law enforcement and justice systems.

What is being opposed by UNCHR and many others is the solution that Duterte and his administration have adopted, which has led to extra-judicial killings that practically amount to state-sanctioned mass murder.

We agree wholeheartedly that something needs to be done. But there has to be due process, with an aim to rehabilitate and reform addicts rather than summarily kill them.

The tokhang system is prone to abuse and is sloppily implemented.

Many innocents have been slain in the line of fire, the latest being a

three-year-old girl, Myca Ulpina, killed by bullets from a cop’s gun during a buy-bust operation gone horribly wrong. Senator Bato de la Rosa’s comment on baby Myca’s death? “Sh*t happens.” This is precisely why the world is aghast at the conduct of the drug war and why they want answers.

The audience at BJMP, according to the transcript of the President’s speech, laughed at his jabs at Iceland. Netizens laughed at Duterte’s factual mistakes about Iceland.

What’s not funny is that the Philippines is perceived by the world to be a killing ground, a situation alarming enough for a fact-finding resolution to be authored by a country far away and adopted by the global organization that harmonizes the actions of nations.

Meanwhile, in Iceland, their citizens suck on ice cubes while they enjoy their high standard of living, ultra-low crime rate, and egalitarian society. Who has the last laugh now?

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“But all physical modeling shows that if we keep to the Paris climate agreement, to 2C of global warming, we will eventually get 5 meters of sea-level rise and potentially more,” he told AFP. In the simulations, Levermann and the team determined that the glaciers could be saved by a massive artificial surge in annual snowfall.

In fact, the amount needed to stabilize the glaciers would be at least 7.4 trillion tons of snow―the equivalent in mass of 150,000 jumbo jets.

The operation would involve hundreds of snow cannons, powered by 12,000 wind turbines, spraying sea water which would fall as snow over an area the size of Costa Rica.

Levermann stressed that the plan was currently just a hypothesis, and that to succeed it would need to be coupled with radical emissions cuts to stand any chance of success.

Such a scheme has not been costed, and would require “something resembling an Antarctic moon station” with years of round-the-clock work, Levermann said.

Previous geo-engineering options to stave off West Antarctic melt have included constructing Eiffel Towersized columns on the seabed to prop up the ice shelf, and a 100-meter-tall, 100-kilometer-long berm to block warm water flowing underneath.

Levermann admitted the PIK project, if ever realized, would have “terrible” effects on Antarctica, but insisted that limiting global sea-level rises was a desirable tradeoff.

“It’s as big as North America from Mexico to Canada.

There’s no place on earth that’s protected on that scale,” he said.

“This endeavor would make Western Antarctica an industrialized compound.

But if we’ve destabilized [the ice shelf], everything will change dramatically anyway.

“So we either build our coastal protections as high as five meters worldwide, or do something crazy like this.” AFP

ernhil@yahoo.com

Senator Manny Pacquiao was once a drug user, and look at him now—world champion athlete, politician, and extremely wealthy person. Give addicts the chance to turn their lives around. //FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO

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Khaddafy, and Romania’s Nicolas Ceausescu met violent deaths after falling from power.

We don’t want the same violent end for President Duterte but we do want him to mend his ways and be more circumspect in handling domestic and international affairs. There is a lesson in history that has proven true—that if one does not observe history then he loses his currency and he himself becomes history. Often it is in a manner that is not worth his legacy.

As with other Filipinos. I wonder what the President will say in his forthcoming State of the Nation Address before a joint session of Congress. Will it be a mirror of the state of affairs or a litany of lies that will only wallpaper the problems that have proliferated in three years of his six-year term? The President still has three years left to make good some of his campaign promises. He is midway and now at a fork in the road. Which road will he take—the road to redemption or the road to ruin? The choice is the President’s. We pray he takes the right way for the deliverance of this benighted land and its people.

Our myriad problems of unemployment, high cost of living, monstrous road traffic, non-delivery of basic water services, the creeping occupation of China to make us its sub-province and the total control of the executive over the legislative and judiciary branches certainly need long term and not palliative solutions.

What this country needs too is the total education and revision of our voters’ mindset so they will stop electing popular candidates without any qualifications to hold public office. Our fate is not in the alignment of the stars but in the hands of voters who choose candidates wisely.

Remember that we get the public officials we deserve by electing the inept and the insecure.

I may sound like I am preaching but people normally repeat their prayers to receive deliverance from their problems and hardships. As things are, we are now at the precipice and could fall into the abyss.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019

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News

TODAY

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Gov’t to invest P10b in ‘vulnerable’ provinces DAVAO CITY—Some P10 billion worth of investments will be poured in provinces that are vulnerable to climate change, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu said here Wednesday.

Cimatu, also the chairperson of the Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction, was in the city for the pre-SONA (State of the Nation Address) forum.

Cimatu said the investments include agricultural and fisheries development, environmental protection and management, social welfare and livelihood development, water resources management, and infrastructure development.

“The government shall continue to pursue policy reforms that integrate climate and disaster risk considerations into development

policies, strategies, plans, and programs,” he added.

Cimatu underscored the importance for farmers to better understand the effects of Climate Change and they must learn to adapt and reduce their vulnerability.

Together with DENR, he said the Department of Agriculture will conduct “climate-smart” farm business training nationwide, while the Department of Agrarian Reform will scale-up assistance to agrarian reform beneficiaries to enhance their resiliency.

The Department of Budget and Management, meanwhile, will enhance access to financial resources, Cimatu said, while convergence programming and budgeting will also be pursued with national government agencies and local governments of climate-vulnerable provinces. PNA

# 12 J. dela Peña St., Brgy. 9, Amadeo, Cavite 4119 Tel. No.: (046) 4831508

Game now over for Japanese pachinko king Kazuo Okada I

By Rey E. Requejo

T’S GAME over for Japanese pachinko king Kazuo Okada following separate successive adverse court rulings in Japan and the Philippines.

In a 12-page decision on July 10, the Tokyo High Court dismissed an appeal seeking to nullify a district court decision that upheld the validity of a trust agreement executed by Okada’s daughter Hiromi in favor of her brother Tomohiro for the assignment of her voting rights and disposal of shares to her brother in Hong Kongbased Okada Holdings, the majority shareholder of Universal Entertainment Corp.

UEC, a publicly-listed company in Japan, owns 99.99 percent of Tiger Resort Leisure & Entertainment Inc., the Philippine firm that owns and operates the posh Okada Manila Resort in Parañaque.

In an earlier separate ruling on July 4, a Pa-

ranaque regional trial court threw out Kazuo’s plea to set aside warrants for his arrest over criminal charges of embezzlement of TRLEI funds worth over $3.1 million during his incumbency as chairman and chief executive officer of the hotel and gaming company.

With its July 10 decision, the Tokyo High Court wrote finis to attempts by the gaming tycoon to regain control of UEC and TRLEI by invalidating the trust agreement between Tomohiro and Hiromi, who holds nine percent voting shares in Okada Holdings.

Tomohiro has a combined 53 percent voting rights in Okada Holdings, which was used to oust the older Okada from both UEC and

TRLEI last year. Kazuo was a mere minority shareholder in Okada Holdings.

The High Court held that there was no legal basis to reverse the earlier decision of the district court against Hiromi.

“For the reasons above, the original judgment is reasonable and this appeal is groundless. Accordingly, this court renders its judgment… to dismiss this appeal,” the High Court said.

In January this year, the Tokyo district court ruled in favor of Tomohiro by throwing out the petition filed by Hiromi questioning the validity of the trust agreement of the siblings in the hope of reinstalling Okada to the corporate boards of UEC and TRLEI. She challenged the district court decision before Tokyo’s High Court.

By dismissing Hiromi’s appeal, the Tokyo High Court affirmed the validity of the trust agreement executed between Tomohiro and Hiromi.

INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO SUBMIT COMPARATIVE PROPOSALS (IAESP) The Amadeo Water District (AWD), created pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 198, as amended, otherwise known as the Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973, received an unsolicited proposal from the Original Proponent for the Joint Venture Agreement for the Financing, Development, Rehabilitation, Expansion, Improvement, Operation and Maintenance of the Water Supply and Septage System of the Amadeo Water District.

Pursuant to the 2013 Guidelines issued by the National Economic Development Authority under Section 8 of Executive Order No. 423 dated 30 April 2005, negotiations ensued between AWD and Original Proponent on the JV Proposal. Subsequently, an agreement was reached between AWD and Original Proponent to form a Contractual Joint Venture to undertake the JV Project.

In compliance with the AWD Board Resolution No. 21 Series of 2019, the AWD, through its Joint Venture Selection Committee (JVSC), invites Interested Private Proponent/s (IPPs) to challenge the JV Proposal by submitting comparative proposals for the following: NAME OF PROJECT:

FINANCING, DEVELOPMENT, REHABILITATION, EXPANSION, IMPROVEMENT, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE WATER SUPPLY AND SEPTAGE SYSTEM OF THE AMADEO WATER DISTRICT

LOCATION OF PROJECT: PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Amadeo, Cavite The project involves a joint venture between the AWD and the Winning Private Proponent to undertake the following: (i) to optimize existing water sources and to develop new/additional sustainable water sources to meet long-term water demand; (ii) to reduce and/ or maintain distribution losses (Non-Revenue Water) to national or industry acceptable levels; (iii) to expand service coverage to unserved barangays and improving AWD Facilities; (iv) to ensure, as far as possible, uninterrupted 24-hour water supply to connected Consumers; (v) to ensure that water supplied to consumers comply with PNSDW requirements; and (vi) to provide for an efficient and effective septage management program.

Applications for eligibility shall be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion. An IPP shall be considered eligible upon compliance with the following minimum qualification requirements: 1.

LEGAL ELIGIBILITY 1.1 The IPP must be either of the following: a.

A duly licensed sole proprietorship owned by a Filipino citizen; or

b.

A partnership or corporation created pursuant to the Corporation Code of the Philippines and registered with the SEC.

c.

A Consortium of two or more entities with at least sixty percent (60%) of both voting and non-voting interest in the said Consortium being owned and held, by citizens of the Philippines and/or by Philippine registered corporations at least sixty percent (60%) of both the total number of outstanding shares of stock, whether or not entitled to vote in the election of directors are owned by Philippine nationals.

1.2 The nationality of the IPP shall be determined via the Grandfather Rule.

1.3. If the IPP is a Consortium, each member of the Consortium must be disclosed during the pre-qualification stage and the Lead Member thereof must be specifically identified. For this purpose, the Lead member must have at least fifty-one percent (51%) equity interest in the Consortium, and the total percentage interest of all Consortium Members must be one hundred percent (100%).

1.4. The IPP or each Consortium member must execute Omnibus Sworn Statement.

2.

TECHNICAL ELIGIBILITY 2.1. The IPP must have completed a project similar or related to the JV activity whose value, adjusted to current prices using the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Consumer Price Index (CPI), must be at least fifty percent (50%) of the cost of the JV activity subject of the selection process within the relevant period as determined by the AWD. For the avoidance of doubt, cost of the JV Activity/Project pertains to the contribution of AWD and the Original Proponent representing the present value of capital expenditures amounting to Two Hundred Eighty Million Two Hundred Sixty Five Thousand Eight Hundred Fifty Eight Pesos (PhP280,265,858.00).

3.

FINANCIAL ELIGIBILITY 3.1. The IPP should have the capability to finance the completion of the entire JV Project evidenced by financial documents to be submitted and will form as an integral part of the Financial Proposal.

3.2 A letter from a domestic universal/commercial bank, or an international bank with a subsidiary/branch in the Philippines, or any international bank recognized by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), attesting that the IPP is one of its current clients, and is in good financial standing.

4.

ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA ARE SPECIFIED IN THE INSTRUCTIONS TO IPPS Only those lPP/s that are deemed eligible shall be entitled to submit Comparative Proposals, which must be in accordance with instructions contained in the Request for Proposal Documents (RFP Documents).

The JVSC shall evaluate the proposals using the Quality Based Evaluation/Selection (QBE/ QBS) procedure. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of the proposals shall be provided in the Instructions to Interested Private Proponent/s (IIPPs).

The following procedures, schedules and instructions shall be strictly observed:

1. Publication of the IAESP

SCHEDULE (using Philippine Standard Time) July 19, 2019

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS

2. Posting of the IAESP

July 19 to July 26, 2019

3.

Purchase of Eligibility Documents for a non-refundable fee of One Hundred Thousand Pesos (PhP100,000.00) in cash or Manager Check made payable to Amadeo Water District.

4. Submission of Eligibility Documents

July 19 to August 26, 2019 The Eligibility Documents may be (from 8:00AM to 10:00AM) purchased ONLY from the AWDJVSC at the AWD Office, #12 J. Dela Pena Street, Brgy. 9 Amadeo, Cavite

5.

Opening Documents

of

On or before August 26, 2019 (until 12:00 pm only)

Deadline of Submission of Eligibility Documents to the AWD Office, 012 J. Dela Pena Street, Brgy. 9 Amadeo, Cavite

Eligibility August 26, 2019 at 1:00 PM JVSC will determine the completeness of the eligibility documents based on a pass or fail criteria. For those IPPs with incomplete, irregular or patently insufficient submission shall be considered failed. For those IPPs whose eligibility documents appear to be complete shall be further evaluated to determine its eligibility.

6. Determination of Eligibility

On or before September 10, JVSC will evaluate the eligibility 2019 documents of the IPPs to determine if they are eligible or ineligible, and the IPPs will be notified of the result of the evaluation.

September 10 to September Tender Documents may be 25, 2019 purchased ONLY from the AWDJVSC Secretariat at the AWD Office, 012 J. Dela Pena Street, Brgy. 9 Amadeo, Cavite

7.

Purchase of Tender Documents by IPPs declared “eligible” for non-refundable fee of Two Hundred Thousand Pesos (PhP200,000.00), payable either in cash or Manager’s Check made payable to Amadeo Water District.

8. Pre-selection conference will December 24, 2019 (1:00 All Eligible IPPs are encouraged to thereafter be held. pm) attend the conference to be held at the AWD Office, 012 J. Dela Pena Street, Brgy. 9 Amadeo, Cavite 9. Submission and Opening of Comparative Proposal

January 24, 2020 10:00am only)

(until Comparative Proposals shall be addressed to: Janet B. Rocillo Chairperson - JVSC AMADEO WATER DISTRICT 012 J. Dela Pena Street, Brgy. 9 Amadeo, Cavite

For any queries and/or clarifications, please address your communication in writing to the Chairperson of the AWD-JVSC at the address indicated above or email the same to amadeowd@yahoo.com.

AWD reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, waive any minor defects therein and accept the offer it deems most advantageous to the government.

All proposals must be accompanied by a Proposal Security in the form as required by AWD which may be in cash, certified check, manager’s check, letter of credit, or bank draft/guarantee issued by a reputable local/foreign bank, or a surety bond callable on demand issued by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) or an entity duly registered and recognized by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner, or any combination thereof payable to AWD equivalent to 2% of the estimated participation of the Original Proponent for the entire cooperation period amounting PhP5,217,238.00 AWD assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify any IPP for expenses incurred in the preparation of the comparative proposals.

The IPP shall be solely responsible for having taken all the necessary steps to carefully examine and acquaint himself with the requirements and terms and conditions of the selection documents with respect to the cost, duration and execution/operation of the project as it affects the preparation and submission of its proposal. AWD shall not assume any responsibility regarding erroneous interpretations or conclusions by the IPP out of data furnished or indicated in the competitive selection documents.

(MS-JULY 19, 2019)

WORKERS PROTEST. Workers from Champion detergent company and banana corporation Sumfru rally in front of the Department of Labor and Employment in Intramuros, Manila to protest against what they describe as unfair labor practices like illegal dismissal of workers. Norman Cruz

Recto says gov’t should consider SWAs as top priority for hiring

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SINCE there is only one Social Welfare Attaché for every 623,561 overseas Filipinos—the smallest employee-to-clientele ratio in public service today—Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said the government should consider SWAs as “priority hires.”

Recto said there were only seven SWAs worldwide, who served a constituency of 4.365 million OFWs. If five more will be deployed this year, he said the SWA-to-OFW ratio would increase to about 1 to 364,000.

“Imagine having 1 doctor or dentist for this number of people.”

Recto is batting for the accelerated hiring of more SWAs following President Rodrigo Duterte’s signing of Republic Act 11299, which creates the Office of the SWA in diplomatic posts where there is a large concentration of Filipino contract workers.

He urged the Department of Social Welfare and Development, which oversees the SWAs, to include in its 2020 budget request funds for the creation of more SWA items.

He also asked the DSWD “to widen the re-

cruitment for Social Welfare Attachés to include OFWs living in the countries where they will be deployed for as long as they meet the criteria for hiring and pass the qualifying exams.”

“Instead of parachuting someone from Manila to an alien territory, why not get someone who has long been on the ground, speaks the language, knows the culture, is familiar with the terrain to be navigated, and who is or was an OFW himself ?” he said.

And for SWAs to effectively function as first responders to Filipinos in distress, a support staff is a must, and this must also be included in next year’s appropriations, Recto said.

He said the current funding of P90 million for the pay and operational expenses of all SWAs is insufficient “if taken against the backdrop of attended cases and the amount of money OFWs are remitting home.”

He noted that last year SWAs remitted P1.5 trillion.

The other factor is the “perennially high number of Filipinos in distress” who need to be repatriated, cared for, counseled, rescued, and shown acts of compassion - all of which have stretched the limited resources of our understaffed foreign posts, Recto said.

SSC okays hiring 3rd party service provider THE Social Security Commission has a approved the hiring of a third-party service provider to conduct a detailed nationwide survey that will help close the Social Security System’s coverage gaps, enhance social protection, and improve the social pension system.

The SSC, the governing body of SSS, said the initiative was designed towards the realization of the pension fund’s vision to provide universal and equitable social protection.

“The project’s purpose is to identify the segment of the population that should benefit from social security protection but are not yet receiving any,”

SSS president and chief executive officer and concurrent SSC vice chairperson Aurora Ignacio said in a statement.

“We need to know the socio-demographic profile and the level of vulnerability to life’s contingencies such as economic hardships or disasters of both those covered and not covered by SSS, especially those from the informal sector,” she added.

The survey will generate additional information unique to SSS operations which are not available in other agencies’ databases.

Specifically, these are other sources of income under the

income class, and socio-demographic characteristics of the untapped workforce in the provincial, city/municipality and barangay levels.

The survey will cover 4,000 respondents nationwide including those from last-mile or isolated communities with little access to government services.

The project is aligned with the goals indicated in the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 and the President’s 10-Point Socio-Economic Agenda to reduce vulnerability of individuals and families, and to improve social protection programs, respectively.

Clark mng’t commends honest Aeta airport worker

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Clark International Airport management on Thursday commended an Aeta airport utility worker who returned to authorities an envelope containing US$1,000.00 left behind by a departing passenger on July 14.

Grace Laxamana, 42, said she noticed an envelope left unattended on one of the gang chairs at the second floor of the international departure area while on duty at about 2:50 p.m.

The envelope contained ten pieces of $100 bills totaling $1,000.00.

“I thought it was just play money and immediately took the envelope and turned it over to airport operations officer Raymund Salazar who examined the contents. It turned out that the money was genuine,” Laxamana said.

A closer review of the CCTV footage of departing travelers on the afternoon of July 14 showed one of the passengers dropping a white envelope while about to board Cebu Pacific flight 5371 bound for Singapore.

“We’re proud of what Ms. Laxamana did. Her honesty is even more apparent since what she found was an untraceable envelope. Her good deed is truly worthy of emulation by all airport employees,” said Jaime Melo, Clark International Airport Corp. president.

As of press time, no one has claimed ownership of the money, the airport chief said.

Laxamana started working at Clark Airport in 2006 and part of her job as janitress is to report to operations staff things that are left unattended around the airport.

“We assure passengers of our strict policy to immediately turn over or return lost or abandoned items to their rightful owners,” Melo added.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports Stakeholders honored in National Road Championships THE PhilCycling will honor eight gentlemen and a lady for their valuable contribution to Philippine cycling during the 2019 National Road Championships next week in Tagaytay City.

Godfather of Philippine cycling Alberto Lina (Air21-Le Tour de Filipinas), Ernesto “Judes” Echauz (Standard Insurance) and Tagaytay City Mayor Agnes Tolentino lead the honorees who will receive plaques of appreciation during the awards ceremony for the road (massed start) events of the 2019 National Road Cycling Championships on Wednesday at the Praying Hands Monument on Aguinaldo Highway in Tagaytay City.

Sharing the stage are Jose Victor “Vic” Paterno (7-Eleven), Fernando “Dino” Araneta (LBC Ronda Pilipinas), Pablito “Bong” Sual (Roadbike Philippines) and Jeremy Randell Go (Go For Gold).

Paquito Rivas, the undisputed Eagle of the Mountain, will also be honored along with Singaporean Vincent Leow (Bike X), whose passion for the sport knows no boundaries or race.

PhilCycling President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino will lead the ceremony that will cap the two-day national championships that is calendared by the International Cycling Union or UCI, the world-governing body for the sport, as a points-qualifying event for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The championships co-presented by the MVP Sports Foundation kick off on Tuesday with the Men Elite and Under-23 and Women Elite and Under-23 individual time trial and Men Elite Team Time Trial races and will culminate with the road races on Wednesday.

The championships main hub will be at the Praying Hands (Tagaytay City International Convention Center) and the Road Races and time trial events will pass through Batangas’s First District— Agoncillo, Balayan, Calaca, Laurel, Lemery, Lian, Nasugbu, Talisay and Tuy.

San Juan wins CBA-Pilipinas national crown SAN Juan Knights–Exile added another feather to its cap by winning the firstever Community Basketball Association-Pilipinas National Championship.

The Knights brought down Bicol champion Naga Water Borne, 80-77, in their thrilling winner-take-all encounter to capture the title before an adoring crowd at the San Juan gym last Monday.

Judel Fuentes, Jhonard Clarito, Mike Ayonayon and Art Patrick Aquino provided the clutch baskets for the Randy Alcantara-mentored Knights Exile, who blew a 16-point lead but recovered in time to clinch the victory.

More importantly, the Joey Valencia-owned team bagged the whopping P1-million cash prize in this tournament organized by actor-director Carlo Maceda and sponsored by Globe Telecoms, Spalding and Arceegee Sports Wear.

Fuentes finished with a game-high 23 points, including six triples and four rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes of action.

Clarito, the hero in San Juan’s successful campaign in the recent MPBL Datu Cup, added 17 points and nine rebounds, while Ayonayon contributed 16 points, five rebounds and five assists.

“We’re very happy to win the CBA title. The boys worked very hard for it,” said Alcantara, who was ably assisted

by San Juan team governor Chris Conwi and coach Yong Garcia.

Aquino had 10 points and nine rebounds for San Juan, which earned the right to meet Naga for the national championship by beating the General Trias Braves.

Actually, San Juan led by five points 79-74, after a split by Ayonayon.

A triple by Norman Torreno of Naga cut the lead to 77-79 before Ayonayon made it 80-77 with another split from the line with 13 seconds left.

Torreno, however, missed a gametying three-pointer with only four seconds remaining.

Torreno finished with 20 points on 5-of-11 three-point shooting, while Jio Lopez added 13 markers and six boards in the losing effort of the Water Borne.

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FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

All eyes on Real Gold, Boss Emong A

SLAM-BANG showdown looms in the 3rd leg of the Philippine Racing Commission’s Triple Crown Series at the MetroTurf Racing Complex on Sunday as six of the country’s best three-year-old thoroughbreds, led by the series’ first two winners Real Gold and Boss Emong, clash for fame, fortune and glory.

First-leg winner Real Gold (jockey JP A Guce) of the C & H Enterprise and secondleg champ Boss Emong (jockey Dan Camanero) of owner Edward Vincent Diokno are the odds-on picks to run away with the third jewel of the Triple Crown series.

But don’t tell that to Diokno, who is wary of the tough competition expected from the rest of the chargers.

“It’s anybody’s race. I don’t think magiging fight lang ito between my horse Boss Emong and Real Gold, only God can tell kung sino ba ang nararapat para sa korona ng 3rd leg ng Triple Crown,”

said Diokno. “Ang kabayo ko ang pinakamura sa lahat ng tatakbo pero basta kami ng team ko, ibibigay namin lahat dito, pagpapala ng ‘Ina ng Laging Saklolo’ ang tanging kulang. Kung sino man po ang manalo, nararapat po ‘yun sa kanila or sa amin.”

The four others standing in their way and the top prize of P1.8-million from the guaranteed P3 million pot in the long 2,000-meter race are Moises Villasenor’s My Jopay (jockey Pat R. Dilema); Melanie Habla’s Shanghai Grey (jockey JB Hernandez); Juanito Tionloc’s Sir

Joaquin (JT Zarate) and Renato Virata’s My Dad Bogart (MP Laloma).

My Jopay, for one, has participated in the first two legs and could be ripe for a breakthrough win, while My Dad Bogart and Sir Joaquin could pull off a surprise.

“We are blessed that Real Gold is able to compete in all three legs of the triple crown.

Special thanks goes to the connections behind the conditioning of the horse. May the best horse win this coming Sunday,” said Butch Mamon, one of Real Gold’s owners.

Second-placer of the race pockets P675,000, with the third and fourth placers getting P375,000 and P150,000, respectively. A P100,000 prize is allotted for the breeder of winning horse. All prizes are put up by the Philracom.

In the accompanying third leg of the 2019 Philracom Hopeful Stakes Race, which will also be ran in 2,000 meters, a sevenhorse field, bannered by second leg run-

ner-up Two Timer (owner Melanie Habla, jockey JA Guce) and third placer The Accountant (Luis Aguila, Pat R Dilema), will be eyeing the P600,000 top prize, from the total P1-million purse offered.

Joining the Hopeful Stakes field are Best Regards (owner Peter Aguila, jockey CP Henson), My Shelltex (Antonio Tan, JB Guce), Phenomenal (Enrique Javier, JP A Guce), Tulos Express (Mario Alvarez, RM Garcia) and Westeros (Juan Miguel Yulo, AR Villegas).

Runner-up gets P225,000, while thirdand fourth-placers receive P125,000 and P50,000, respectively, with winning breeder taking P30,000.

The three-leg series is patterned after the United States’ Triple Crown, with its three legs comprised of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes, also with progressively longer distances.

46 of 47 sports associations okayed to vote in POC polls

F2’s Ara Galang scores against SLR’s Glaudine Trongcoso and Roselle Balitoin.

F2 massacres Sta. Lucia in Superliga tilt F2 Logistics brushed off a rusty start before catching fire in the second set to massacre Sta. Lucia Realty, 25-22, 25-3, 25-12, in the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference yesterday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

With Kalei Mau anchoring the offense, the Cargo Movers turned a 10-19 deficit in the first set into a rout to remain flawless in this prestigious women’s club tournament bankrolled by Team Rebel Sports, SOGO, Eurotel, PCSO, Cocolife, UCPB Gen, Mueller, Senoh, Asics, Bizooku and One Sport.

Mau finished with 13 points while Ara

Games Tomorrow

(Filoil Flying V Centre) 4:00 p.m. – Cignal vs Sta. Lucia 6:00 p.m. – Generika-Ayala vs Foton

Galang had 11 points and 15 digs and Majoy Baron asserted her might at the defensive end with five blocks for nine markers for the Cargo Movers, who have yet to lose in eight matches.

Dawn Macandili was also instrumental with 24 digs and seven excellent receptions for F2 Logistics, which committed only four errors in the entire ballgame.

After trailing by nine, 10-19, F2 Logistics stepped on the gas and captured the first set at 25-22.

Then, it was all Cargo Movers from there as they destroyed the sluggish Lady Realtors on both ends to finish the second set with 25-3 count – the biggest margin ever tallied in the six-year history of this tourney that also has ESPN5 and Kapatid TV5 as broadcast partners.

Sta. Lucia’s three points in the second set came from an ace by Andrea Marzan, a successful challenge by head coach Babes Castillo and an attack from skipper Pam Lastimosa.

Saclot, Lopez rule Rev Alcantara golf meet

DEMI Saclot and Ed Lopez emerged low gross champion and low net champion, respectively, at the recently concluded 4th Rev Alcantara Golf Tournament held at the Camp Aguinaldo Golf Club.

The tournament, backed by sportsman-businessman Alex Wang, aimed to raise funds to support golfing champion Rev Lizbeth Alcantara and enable her to join more tournaments in the United States where she is presently studying at the Alabama State University on a golf scholarship program.

Prior to that, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Bishop State Community College and is a recipient of a certificate of recognition (Outstanding Student Award for Women’s Golf).

Earlier this year, Alcantara was a low medalist champion in the NACC Girls’ Invitational Tournament and the Bishop State

Invitational Golf Tournament. This month, she showed her wares in the country by emerging as low gross champion in the US Embassy Club Independence Day Charity Golf Tournament at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club.

“Definitely, she has a great potential in the sport and we want to help her realize her dream of playing in the Ladies professional Golf Association series in the United States. I would like to thank all the golfers who joined to support Rev,” said Wang.

Class A champion was Rey Talatala with Noel Encarnacion and Mike Magpayo as runners-up.

Nong Madrid was Class B champion, followed by Leo de Castro and Nandy Lustre, while Mel Adriano ruled Class C with Bert Avelino and Lito Bantayan coming in 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

WITH only cycling chief Abraham Tolentino sure to run for president, 46 of 47 qualified national sports associations will be allowed to vote when elections for four vacant positions in the Philippine Olympic Committee are held on July 28.

Tolentino said his bid to run for the POC presidency is on after IOC observer Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra gave his seal of approval of the proceeding that took place yesterday in the POC Extraordinary General Assembly at the Manila Golf Club in Makati.

There are clamors for Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association chief Philip Ella Juico to run as well, but said he is still undecided as he is more focused on the ongoing preparation of national athletes who will being groomed to see action in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

While there are 10 candidates for board members under Tolentino’s ticket, Robert Aventajado of taekwondo will definitely be Tolentino’s choice for chairman.

“Marami sila. I will choose among 10 on who will be my candidate,” said Tolentino after the body excluded karatedo from the voters list.

Clint Aranas (archery) and Steve Hontiveros (handball) are also seen to make their respective bids from the vacant spots of chairman, president and two board member seats.

Accredited arbitrators Teodoro Kalaw IV and Salvador Panga of the Philippine Disputes Resolution Center will compose the three-man election panel with National Collegiate Athletic Association management committee member, Fr. Victor Calvo.

Veteran lawyer Rene Sarmiento backed out.

Karatedo is the only regular member which won’t be allowed to cast its ballot when polls are held on July 28 at the Sheraton Hotel in Vito Cruz, Manila.

That’s because there are two groups that are seeking recognition before the POC and the group of Gretchen Malalad has no recognition from the Interntional Federation. Peter Atencio

PSC wraps up Allianz brings Bayern Munich legend to inspire kids sports seminar WITH the goal of developing more coaches, PSC Oversight Commissioner for Women Celia Kiram plans to conduct a Women In Sports Conference next year, in partnership with Australiabased Filipino coach Patricia Puzon, as announced in the week-long women in sports conference which wraps up today.

“We want to reach and help more Filipina coaches. We at the Philippine Sports Commission are more than willing to do so,” shared Kiram on the third day of the on-going WIS Leadership and Coaching seminar at the Century Park Hotel, Manila yesterday.

“PSC Chairman William Ramirez and I envision a larger program for our women. Hence, we are starting to plan a conference for next year,” added Kiram, who is looking to partner with Puzon again.

Puzon, who is the current head coach of MAC’s CrankIt Tennis Academy in New South Wales, Australia, added that an initial proposal will be submitted to the PSC to push through the conference.

ALLIANZ Philippines recently brought football legend Giovane Elber for its football clinic in Tuloy Sa Don Bosco in Manila.

The Bayern Munich star player joined the children during their possession drills and led in the awarding of honors to the clinic’s top participants.

“Sports can change lives and sports can bring joy to kids,” Elber said during the media forum that followed the game and awarding ceremony.

He shared that he enjoyed meeting the children from Tuloy Sa Don Bosco as it reminded him of the time when he was still dreaming of becoming a professional football player in Brazil. Elber grew up in Londrina and took up the sport, which he calls his country’s “true love”, at a very young age.

“Everybody wants to be a footballer,” he said of the kids from his country.

Elber spent most of his career playing for FC Bayern Munich, the team that Allianz has partnered with since 2000.

He made 150 goals in the 266 games he played for the team. After his retirement, he worked as the team’s scout.

“Allianz has always been a staunch supporter of football. We believe that it’s

Top participants of the football clinic with Giovane Elber, former FC Bayern Munich player (standing, middle) with Coach Takemoto Suzuki, Head Coach and Program Director of Tuloy FC (standing, far right).

a sport that unites everyone, no matter what their background is. It also promotes sportsmanship and perseverance.

Like Giovane said, football greats like Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo did not achieve their dreams overnight.

They worked hard and learned to trust their teammates, and these are the values that we also want our Filipino children to learn,” said Allianz Philippines

Chief Marketing Officer Gae Martinez.

Apart from the Tuloy Sa Don Bosco football clinic, Allianz Philippines has supported the development of football in the country. It is the title sponsor of the National Youth Futsal Invitational, which sends young Filipino football players to train in the prestigious Allianz Explorer Camp Football Edition ran by FC Bayern Munich.

Sports

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

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FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019

Aces, Bolts in death match

By Jeric Lopez

Philippine boxer Manny Pacquiao (left) and US boxer Keith Thurman pose as they hold their final press conference at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, ahead of their July 20th WBA welterweight fight. Thurman vowed to retire Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao as the two fighters traded verbal jabs. AFP

No Floyd-Pacquiao rematch

L

OS ANGELES—Floyd Mayweather has “zero interest” in coming out of retirement for a rematch with Manny Pacquiao after their moneyspinning 2015 superfight, close confidante Leonard Ellerbe said Wednesday.

Ellerbe, the chief executive of Mayweather Promotions, told the boxingscene.com website that not even the prospect of another lucrative payday would tempt Mayweather back into the ring.

Mayweather is believed to have earned an estimated $300 million from the points victory over Pacquiao, which remains the most lucrative fight in his-

tory and generated more than $600 million revenue.

Pacquiao’s long-time trainer Freddie Roach said last week he would be keen for the Filipino icon to set up a rematch with Mayweather after a frustrating defeat in the first meeting.

However while Mayweather will be at ringside for Pacquiao’s world title

fight against Keith Thurman in Las Vegas on Saturday, Ellerbe says there is no chance of a rematch.

“Floyd has no interest,” Ellerbe told boxingscene. “He has zero interest. He’s been doing this all his life. And after a while, you get burned out. He’s given the sport everything.”

Ellerbe said Mayweather was instead happy in his retirement.

“He’s very content,” Ellerbe said.

“He’s living his best life. I just talked to him earlier today. We went over some business stuff. He’s travelling, spending time with his kids, spending time with his family.

“He’s doing all the things that he

never got a chance to do because boxing has consumed his life ever since he was 5 years old.”

Speaking to reporters last week, Roach said he was still bothered by Pacquiao’s loss to Mayweather, when the Filipino’s challenge was hampered by a shoulder problem.

“Hopefully we can get Mayweather to come to the table,” Roach said. “I would like us to have one more crack at him.”

“We didn’t fight a great fight that night. Manny’s shoulder didn’t help at all. He’s had surgery since then, he’s 100 percent now. I would like us to fight Mayweather again because I didn’t like the way we performed.” AFP

Furukawa nears golf crown JAPANESE Mayuna Furukawa came out virtually unscathed in wicked conditions, dispatching erstwhile co-leader Chonlada Chayanun of Thailand and Taiwanese Hsuan-Ping Chang with a gutsy finish to salvage a 71 and gain solo control after 36 holes of the ICTSI Pradera Ladies Classic at the Pradera Verde Golf and Country Club in Lubao, Pampanga yesterday.

Two birdies in the last six holes, including at the water-laced par-5 18th from long range, shoved Furukawa past a charging Thai Wanchana Poruangrong for the lead at four-under 140 as Chayanun and Chang, just a stroke off the joint first round leaders, faltered at the front trying to buck the rain, the heat and the wind in another challenging day in the $80,000 Ladies Philippine Golf Tour event sanctioned by the LPGA of Taiwan.

“I struggled with my short game but the wind not so strong unlike in the first round,” said Furukawa, who fired four birdies from as far as 20 feet against a bogey on No. 5 and a double bogey on the par-3 11th where she hit out-of-bounds.

But after surviving two days of battle with nature and the elite field and emerging on top with 18 holes to play at the allweather layout, the 22-year-old ace from Nagoya looks forward to hoisting the trophy tomorrow (today).

“But it depends on the weather condition. The course becomes difficult because of the rain and you have to play

extra cautious out there,” said Furukawa, who tied for 29th in the ICTSI Manila Golf Classic last April.

But with Poruangrong charging back from joint 13th to within one at 141 after a 69 and compatriot Chamchoi also moving from the same spot to third at 142 with a 70 in a tie with local bet Daniella Uy and steady Taiwanese amateur Hou Yu-Chiang, who both carded 72s, the title chase could go down to the last shot and putt and to the one with the poise and character in such demanding playing conditions.

Thai Jackie Chulya likewise put herself in contention after a 75 as she shot the tournament-best 68 to threaten at joint sixth at 143 with compatriot and Manila Golf leg winner Arpichaya Yubol, who carded a 71.

Unlike Furukawa, Poruangrong lost her momentum at the back after a solid start of four birdies in the first five holes, bogeying Nos. 10, 14 and 16 against birdies on Nos. 13 and 15, but struck a solid approach shot on the 18th to within four feet for birdie and the lead until Furukawa grabbed it late in the day.

“Strong wind caught me in the back nine,” said Poruangrong, still in pursuit of a maiden win on the local circuit backed

by Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT, Empire Golf and Sports and M.Y. Shokai Technology, Inc. “I’ve been campaigning her the past

Mayuna Furukawa hits a superb blast to save par on No. 14

two years but no success. Hopefully, I make it this time,” said the 25-year-old Poruangrong, hinting at a closing fiveunder card to realize a dream LPGT championship.

Despite her scrambling round that featured three birdies against the same number of bogeys, Uy also remained upbeat of her chances for a breakthrough win after finishing second to Pauline del Rosario at Royal Northwoods last April.

Princess Superal, who lived through

the first round ordeal with a 71, birdied Nos. 3 and 4 as the former LPGT Order of Merit winner, on a break from Japan LPGA Step Up Tour, pressed her title bid.

But after birdying No. 13 to negate her bogey on the sixth, the former US Girls Juniors champion dropped three strokes on the par-4 14th and failed to check her skid as weather conditions kept changing in a flash, bogeying Nos. 15 and 17 to end up with a 75. She fell to joint 11th at 145, now six strokes off Furukawa.

IT’S win or go home for Alaska and Meralco.

The Aces and the Bolts dispute the final ticket for the quarterfinals as they go all-out in their do-or-die playoff for No. 8 in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Commissioner’s Cup. The winner-take-all duel is slated at 7 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City today.

The victor advances to complete the cast of the quarterfinals and face top seed TNT KaTropa.

Alaska and Meralco, along with Phoenix, ended up tied for No. 8 at the end of the eliminations with their 4-7 marks.

Due to superior quotient, the Aces and the Bolts earned the right to face each other for the last playoffs berth while the Fuel Masters got the boot.

The Bolts shocked San Miguel Beer, 95-91, last Wednesday to earn this shot against the Aces.

Except for the No. 8 seed, everything else is settled for the quarterfinals.

TNT KaTropa (No. 1), NorthPort (No. 2), Blackwater (No. 3) Barangay Ginebra (No. 4), Magnolia (No. 5), Rain or Shine (No. 6), and San Miguel (No. 7) are the seven teams through to the quarters.

The Tropang Texters and the Batang Pier, being the top two seeds, earned themselves a twiceto-beat incentive against their lower-ranked foes in the next phase.

While TNT still awaits its opponent, NorthPort will take on San Miguel armed with its advantage.

In the two best-of-three affairs, the Elite will take on the Elasto Painters, while the Gin Kings and the Hotshots figure in a steamy match-up of their own.

Cubs crush Brigadiers RHAYYAN Amsali tallied a gamehigh 18 points for the San Beda Red Cubs as they upended home squad the Emilio Aguinaldo College-Immaculate Conception Academy Brigadiers, 9470, yesterday at the EAC Sports and Cultural Center in Manila.

Contributions from Amsali’s teammates Wilmer Oftana and Kent Pelipel in the second quarter allowed the Red Cubs to move away and post their third straight win for their best start in three years in the junior division of the 95th National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament.

Oftana and Pelipel combined for 14 points as the Red Cubs took a 13-point spread, 45-32, at halftime.

Amsali took over in the third period as the Manu Inigo-coached Red Cubs widened their lead, 73-50.

Joshua Dandoy and Adrian Balowa shot 14 points for the Brigadiers, who remained winless after three matches.

Meanwhile, the Letran Knights will seek their third win in four games when they play the University of Perpetual Help Altas at 12 noon today at the Arena in San Juan.

The Knights are coming off a 55-43 triumph over the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers last Tuesday.

On the other hand, the Altas are reeling from a 63-75 setback at the hands of the College of St. Benilde Blazers. Peter Atencio

Crowds flock to see McIlroy, Mighty Sports faces Indonesia, seeks 6-0 record Tiger as Open returns to Ireland PORTRUSH—Northern Ireland’s long wait to host the Open Championship comes to an end on Thursday as golf’s oldest tournament gets underway outside of Scotland and England for the first time since 1951 at Royal Portrush.

A local and former champion Darren Clarke will hit the first tee shot of the 148th Open at 6:35 am local time (0535 GMT) with the star attraction of Tiger Woods (1410 GMT) and home favourite Rory McIlroy (0909 GMT) to come later in the day for record crowds.

Organizers the R&A estimate that 237,750 spectators will take in the action before Sunday’s fourth and final round, making the return to Portrush the second-highest attended tournament in the championship’s history.

“Big-time sport needs big-time crowds and we certainly have that at Royal Portrush as we stage the biggest sporting event ever to be held in Northern Ireland,” said the R&A’s chief executive Martin Slumbers on Wednesday.

A return to Northern Ireland was ruled out for many years by “The Troubles”— a 30-year period of politically and religiously motivated violence.

However, The Good Friday agreement, a peace deal reached in 1998, paved the way for a brighter future for the region, and McIlroy hailed sport’s role as a unifying force.

“Sport has an unbelievable ability to bring people together. We all know that this country sometimes needs that,” said the world number three.

“To be able to have this tournament here again, I think it speaks volumes of where the country and where the people that live here are now.”

McIlroy ending his five-year wait to add to his four major titles would be the fairytale ending come Sunday afternoon.

He shot the course record of 61 at Portrush as a 16-year-old prior to a revamp for its return to the Open rota, with two new holes created. AFP

AFTER a much-needed two-day rest, Mighty Sports-Go For Gold Philippines resumes its impressive winning run today when it battles Indonesia in the Jones Cup in Changhua, Taiwan.

With a league-leading 5-0 record, the country’s representative to the annual tournament needs only to win two of three remaining matches to regain the title it won in its initial foray three years ago via a eight-game sweep.

Through the able leadership of the once volatile Renaldo Balkman and the brute strength of Eugene Phelps down low, Mighty-GFG has posted a whopping winning margin of 22.6 points—its 8982 decision over World Cupbound South Korea was the closest one so far.

The team’s 3 p.m. showdown with the Indons is another opportunity for coach Charles Tiu to give McKenzie Moore and Zach Graham more time to fully recover from mild injuries they suffered against the Japanese whom they bamboozled, 94-59.

Renaldo Balkman is once again expected to lead The team also backed by Mighty Sports-Go For Gold to its sixth straight win in the Jones Cup today.

HealthCube will also give the

Game Today

(Changhua County Gym in Changhua, Taiwan) 3 p.m. – Mighty Sports-PH vs Indonesia

coaching of the PH team to the SEA Games a great service as it try to expose the strengths and weaknesses of the Indons who are preparing for the biennial meet.

Given Indonesia’s small lineup, Tiu is likely to use Balkman, Phelps, Moore and Graham sparingly with Fil-American players like Jason Brickman, Mikey Williams, and Jeremiah Gray likely to be given the chance to shine along with Gab Banal, Angelo Wongchuking and former pro Joseph Yeo. After Indonesia, Mighty-GFG will be going for the clincher on Saturday when it battles Taiwan-A before capping its campaign with a showdown with Taiwan B on Sunday.

“It would be nice if we reclaim the title via a sweep,” said team owner Alexander Wongchuking. “It’s sweeter the second time around.”

IN BRIEF Dominguez defends rice tariffication law FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said Thursday there is no need to review the Rice Tariffication Law amid statements from some industry players that the drop in retail prices of the main staple was minimal despite the big volume of imports.

“No,” Dominguez said in response to a question whether the law should be reviewed. He cited data from the weekly survey of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas showing a marked improvement in the prices of rice compared to September 2018.

Data showed that well-milled rice in September 2018 cost P49.56 per kilo, which dropped to P45.09 a kilo in January 2019 and P42.92 a kilo in June, Dominguez said the rice liberalization law was one of the most important legislative achievements of the 17th Congress and the Duterte administration. He said prices fell by P5 to P10 a kilo in some areas since their peak in September last year. On average, the contribution of rice to inflation was negative in June 2019.

“We see this in the reduction in selfrated poverty during the first quarter of 2019, now at its historic low as reported by SWS,” he said. Julito G. Rada

7-Eleven eyes 300 new stores PHILIPPINE Seven Corp., the local licensee of 7-Eleven convenience stores, said it plans to open 300 new stores in 2019 as it aims to operate 3,000 stores by the end of the year.

PSC president Jose Victor Paterno said in an interview before the annual stockholders' meeting that the company budgeted P3.5 billion in capital expenditures this year, primarily to fund the roll-out of new stores, the renovation of existing outlets and product launches.

“Going forward we expect openings to accelerate as we improve execution and adopt a more aggressive stance as competition from the emerging minimart channel increases,” Paterno said.

He said while competition in the convenience store industry had lessened compared to three to four years ago, new stores formats like minimarts were now posing competition to the company.

Big retailers like Puregold and SM already have smaller store formats, he said.

Paterno expects high single-digit growth in same-store-sales this year.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Business Villar’s AllHome prepares P20.7-b IPO in September A

By Jenniffer B. Austria

LLHOME Corp., a retail chain of home furnishing and construction supplies owned by the country’s richest man, Manuel Villar, is raising up to P20.7 billion from an initial public offering in September this year.

AllHome said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission it planned to offer up to 1.12 billion primary and secondary shares with an over-allotment option for another 168.750 million shares at a price of P16 apiece.

The company plans to hold the maiden share offering in September.

Net proceeds from the offering will be used for capital expenditures and initial working capital to fund store expansion and debt repayment.

The company had 25 stores with a net selling space of 196,327 square meters across 20 cities and municipalities as of end-June 2019.

Its product offering spans seven key categories from more than 800 local and international brands, including 18 in-house brands. These product categories are furniture, hardware, appliances, tiles and sanitary wares, homewares, linens and construction materials.

AllHome plans to open 19 new

stores in the second half of the year and another 19 stores in 2020.

It is also expanding its Alabang branch to increase its net selling space from 5,845 sqm to 12,340 sqm.

The company tapped UBS, CLSA and Credit Suisse as the joint bookrunners and PNB Capital and Investments Corp. and China Bank Capital Corp. as local underwriters for the offering.

All Home saw its net income expand by 354.2 percent in 2018 to P511.4 million from P112.6 million in 2017 as revenues jumped 46.9 percent to 7.19 billion from P4.89 billion.

The company also booked a net income of P207.1 million in the first quarter of 2019, up 375 percent from P43.6 million recorded in the same period last year.

BDO named largest remittance partner THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas again recognized the role of BDO Unibank Inc. as a trusted partner of overseas Filipinos in sending their hard-earned money to their loved ones.

BDO received the “Commercial Bank that Generated the Largest Overseas Filipino Remittances” award during the 2019 BSP Stakeholders Awards.

The strong remittance service of BDO, through BDO Remit, is already a gold hall of fame awardee under the said category as the bank won the award for three straight years from 2013 to 2015.

The Gold Hall of Fame Award was conferred to BDO in 2016. BDO also went on to win the same award in 2017.

BDO will achieve the Diamond Hall of Fame recognition, a first-ever for a local bank if it wins the award again next year.

BDO was also adjudged the commercial bank that generated the largest overseas Filipino remittances from 2008 to 2010. Julito G. Rada

RCBC to undergo system maintenance RIZAL Commercial Banking Corp. and RCBC Savings Bank will undergo bankwide system maintenance from 10 p.m. on July 19 to 10 p.m. on July 20.

“During this time, the following local and international banking services will be temporarily unavailable: remittances, branch banking, online banking, as well as all debit and prepaid card-related transactions,” RCBC said.

RCBC advised its customers to do their bank transactions before the scheduled maintenance to avoid any inconvenience.

GCASH’S AWARD. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas recognizes G-Xchange Inc. as its Outstanding Partner for Digital Transformation and Outstanding Partner for Innovative Financial Services for 2019. On top of bagging the two awards, G-Xchange, the registered entity for GCash, is also a finalist for Outstanding Partner for Digital Excellence and Top Instapay Volume Contributor.

Attending the 16th Awards Ceremony and Appreciation Lunch for BSP Stakeholders are (from left) BSP Monetary Board member Victor Bruce Tolentino, GCash chief compliance officer Ian Camara, chief technology officer Greg Igaya, chief data officer JF Darre, chief marketing officer Chris Manguera and BSP Governor Benjamin Dioko.

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019

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Megaworld to open new Belmont Hotel in Boracay PROPERTY developer Megaworld Corp. is set to open the 442-room Belmont Hotel in Boracay Island, the country’s premier tourist destination.

Megaworld said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the P2.1-billion Belmont Hotel Boracay is a three-tower hotel located within the 150-hectare Boracay Newcoast township.

The hotel features choices of deluxe twin or queen, premiere deluxe and executive suites, with sizes ranging from 27 square meters to 52 sqm.

“Our second hotel under the Belmont brand will offer an exclusive nature experience in the paradise island of Boracay, as it allows guests to see the island’s panoramic natural scenery from one building to another—from the vast sea to the lush mountains and hills of the island and other nearby islands,” said Raymundo Melendrez, managing director of Luxury Global Hotels and Leisure Inc., the company operating Belmont Hotels under the Megaworld Hotels Group.

Belmont Hotel Boracay offers allday dining at Belmont Café, featuring cuisines with Asian and Mediterranean influences. Located within the ground level, the restaurant will utilize local fresh farm produce to support the farmers in Aklan and other nearby provinces.

The hotel also features a wide array of amenities and services that include a swimming pool and in-pool lounge, Aqua Spa, courtyard, landscaped gardens, fitness center with shower and changing rooms, business center, function halls, meeting rooms, a full-time concierge, 24-hour in-room dining service and complimentary shuttle services.

Belmont Hotel is the second homegrown hotel brand introduced under Megaworld Hotels. The first Belmont Hotel opened in Newport City in 2015.

Another Belmont Hotel is set to open in Iloilo Business Park by 2023.

Megaworld Hotels has already opened five homegrown brands: Richmonde Hotels, Belmont Hotels, Savoy Hotels, Twin Lakes Hotel and Hotel Lucky Chinatown with close to 3,000 hotel rooms.

The company will open new homegrown hotel brands in Parañaque, Bacolod, Iloilo, Boracay and Laguna over the next five years. Jenniffer B. Austria

ICTSI bags Brazil terminal contract

By Darwin G. Amojelar

PAL reviewing expansion plan to US, Europe PHILIPPINE Airlines said Thursday it is reviewing the expansion plan to new routes in the United States and Europe.

“While there is a market clamor for the opening of new routes to the US and Europe and these are under review, PAL remains focused on implementing a well-calibrated program centered on network expansion, fleet modernization and service innovation,” PAL said in a statement.

The Philippine flag carrier operates 57 weekly long-haul frequencies to North America, specifically to Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Vancouver, Honolulu and Toronto. It also operates five weekly flights between Manila and London Heathrow.

PAL is the only airline flying nonstop between the Philippines and the US mainland, Hawaii, Canada and London.

PAL uses the new Airbus A350-900 on its route between London and Manila—which is a better-sized aircraft offering an enhanced premium product.

“Improved passenger loads on the route can be attributed to the premium product supported by PAL’s more aggressive marketing campaign in the UK. The flag carrier’s non-stop US-Manila flights remain highly popular for business and leisure travelers and Filipino balikbayans,” PAL said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

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

ACCENTURE’S EXPANSION. Accenture expandes its operations in the Philippines with the opening of a new office in Alabang, Muntinlupa City its first facility in the southern part of Metro Manila. Leading the ribbon cutting ceremony for Accenture’s newest recruitment center at Northgate Plaza B are (front row, from left) Accenture Philippines country managing director Lito Tayag, country human resources lead Ira Reyes, advanced technology centers in the Philippines lead and global AI capability and delivery lead Ambe Tierro and human resources for technology lead Sheryll Quito. With them are other Accenture executives.

PORT operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. said Thursday wholly-owned subsidiary ICTSI Americas B.V. is taking over the operation, management and development of a container terminal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

ICTSI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it was declared the winning bidder to acquire 100 percent of the shares of Libra Terminal Rio S.A. (Libra Rio) from Boreal Empreendimentos e Participações SA. “The parties will work to sign a share purchase agreement in due course,” ICTSI said.

Libra Rio holds the concession rights to operate, manage and develop the container terminal Terminal de Contêineres 1 (T1Rio) in the port of Rio de Janeiro City.

The concession of T1Rio commenced in 1998 and was extended in 2011 to last until 2048.

ICTSI said it would assume the operational, development and other responsibilities under the current con-

cession contract.

“The transfer of the facilities to ICTSI management is expected to take place after all conditions precedent and required regulatory approvals have been obtained,” it said.

T1Rio had a throughput of about 135,000 TEUs and an estimated capacity of 530,000 TEUs in 2018. It has state-of-the-art container terminal assets, including five ship-to-shore gantry cranes and an extensive range of yard handling equipment including more than 16 rubber-tired-gantry cranes.

It has a total land area of 18.8 hectares and 715 meters of quay wall, with a design water depth of up to 16 meters and thus the capability to receive large container vessels of global shipping lines.

ICTSI in June won a 25-year contract to develop, operate and maintain the Multi-Purpose Terminal of the Port of Kribi in Cameroon.

The Port of Kribi is a newly-built port with a deep draft. The terminal consists of 265 meters of berth and 10 hectares of yard.

PLDT postpones roll-out of 5G services to 2020 as it still looks for vendors PLDT Inc. pushed back the commercial roll-out of fifth-generation (5G) services to early next year as the country’s largest telco is still selecting the vendors for 5G equipment network.

“I don’t think it will happen this year, but certainly sometime next year, early next year,” PLDT chairman and president Manuel Pangilinan said in a news briefing.

PLDT earlier announced that it was targeting to launch 5G services for home broadband and enterprises by the fourth quarter of 2019.

Rival Globe Telecom Inc. last month launched the country’s first commercial 5G fixed wireless broadband services, beating PLDT and other telecommunication companies in Southeast Asia.

“I think we need to determine the standards by which 5G will operate and of course we have to choose a vendor or vendors. I think we are testing with Huawei, we are testing Ericsson, Nokia and maybe one more,” Pangilinan said.

“So over the next few months we

will determine which vendors we’ll choose for 5G,” he said.

Pangilinan said PLDT planned to look at the cases in China, South Korea and the United States where certain elements of the 5G networks had been built or were being built.

PLDT, meanwhile, announced the Smart 5G Alliance which is composed of Cisco, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Huawei, Microsoft, Nokia, Palo Alto, SMS Global Technologies, Araneta Center, the Ateneo de Manila University and the Clark Development Corp.

Through such partnership, PLDT Enterprise aims to further fast-track 5G adoption across verticals, and in turn, throughout the nation.

“Our strategy of developing use cases across verticals aims to leverage on the capabilities of 5G―such as enhanced mobile broadband speeds, ultra-low latency and network intelligence―to further boost the capacity of local industries,” PLDT first vice president and head of enterprise core business solutions Jojo Gendrano said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

B2

Business

FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks gain; BPI, Security Bank up T HE stock market rose Thursday on bargain-hunting and in anticipation of better corporate earnings results in the second quarter of the year.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index gained 24.57 points, or 0.3 percent, to 8,258.05 on a value turnover of P5.6 billion. Gainers overwhelmed losers, 116 to 79, with 52 issues unchanged.

Bank of the Philippine Islands, the third-biggest lender in terms of assets, climbed 2.3 percent to P92, while Security Bank Corp., the sixth largest bank, advanced 2.9 percent to P187.40.

Globe Telecom Inc., the secondbiggest telecommunications firm, rose 2.3 percent to P2,230, while GT Capital Holdings Inc. of the Ty Group added 2.1 percent to P930.

The rest of Asian markets fell on Thursday, hit by concerns about the

uncertain global economic outlook, the China-US trade war and tepid corporate earnings reports.

With an expected Federal Reserve interest rate cut already priced in, having fueled a healthy rally, and few other catalysts to drive buying, analysts said investors are also cashing out.

The losses in Asia followed a negative lead from Wall Street, where bigname firms including Caterpillar and United Technology sank on weak corporate reports.

“Stocks’ strong gains are finally succumbing to profit-taking,” Alec Young at FTSE Russell told Bloomberg News.

“Earnings and guidance so far have been mixed and, given the big run-up,

it’s no surprise there’s little investor tolerance for even a hint of disappointment.”

Tokyo led losses, sinking two percent as it was hit by a stronger yen and data showing another drop in exports as Japan feels the impact of falling demand and global trade uncertainty.

Hong Kong ended down 0.5 percent and Shanghai shed one percent, while Sydney and Singapore each gave up 0.4 percent.

Seoul fell 0.3 percent, with traders unmoved by the Bank of Korea’s first interest rate cut in three years. The won edged up.

Taipei was off 0.3 percent and Mumbai eased 0.4 percent. However, Wellington, Jakarta and Bangkok eked out small gains.

Energy firms across Asia tracked their US counterparts following another steep drop in oil prices Wednesday that came after government data

showing a pick-up in US gasoline inventories. Oil was barely moved Thursday.

The figures represent the weakest demand in five years, analysts said.

“Gasoline consumption is painfully weak given US consumers are in peak driving season, which will be invariably seen as the Grim Reaper of sorts,” said Stephen Innes at Vanguard Markets.

“If we put this data set in the context of slowing China second-quarter GDP, where consumption was the most significant drag, the numbers do suggest that the global economic slowdown is being echoed through weaker global demand data. Definitely a bearish signal for oil demand.”

The dollar fell against its main peers and most high-yielding currencies, having enjoyed a recent rally, on concerns about the length and depth of expected Fed rate cuts. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2019

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 58.9 22,210 92 8,065,310 2.36 596,000 147.8 1,113,870 1.21 121,000 27.65 95,700 18.7 4,600 12.58 659,800 4.8 96,000 1.37 4,000 789.5 50 0.465 100,000 77.4 2,207,680 1.02 352,000 54 213,910 194 510 115 300 58.4 2,130 27.5 27,400 187.4 395,070 1,810 260 60 16,980

1,302,285 741,051,616 1,402,530 165,259,838 146,340 2,642,230 85,780 8,331,752 451,340 5,500 39,475 46,500 171,010,277.50 355,800 11,702,760 98,875 34,500 124,193.50 754,000 73,656,726 459,700 1,022,766

294,500 414,739,267 15,927,531 -161,775 -3,740 -2,083,100 19,290,158.50 -3,060 258,152.50 -9,745 -599,800 51,987,231 -762,762

37 14.24 0.82 1.33 0.265 2.78 14.72 108.1 17.3 16.48 41 83 93 2.02 5.32 6.26 10.3 15.2 11.1 7.5 1.71 25.75 90.1 59.1 2.32 13.9 9.5 1.68 279.4 9.06 24.5 14.1 18.5 378.6 0.186 5.76 1.72 4.81 5.81 9.2 2.52 11.8 39.4 4.9 1.45 2.11 1.1 14.46 102 6.5 0.129 1.15 168.8 2.53 1.28 16.1 1.38

INDUSTRIAL 37.2 2,596,200 14.32 564,200 0.82 1,133,000 1.33 16,000 0.275 2,600,000 2.81 2,362,000 14.8 728,400 115.8 1,400 17.5 1,729,800 16.7 3,800 41 58,800 83.2 5,640 94.4 990 2.04 76,000 5.32 74,400 6.26 27,200 10.34 1,072,600 15.2 488,900 11.1 161,600 7.54 45,500 1.71 1,000 26.5 2,261,300 90.1 151,670 60.5 340,380 2.35 5,510,000 14.34 166,600 9.61 156,800 1.7 278,000 280 330,400 9.28 1,400 24.6 1,771,100 14.2 279,600 18.58 647,000 379 99,270 0.196 940,000 5.76 63,000 1.73 7,162,000 4.81 37,000 5.81 1,384,700 9.2 5,600 2.55 8,363,000 12.06 58,300 39.5 137,800 5.09 208,000 1.47 740,000 2.3 284,000 1.14 99,000 14.46 97,300 104.9 266,040 6.51 140,300 0.129 50,000 1.18 259,000 169.1 344,490 2.53 14,000 1.31 7,369,000 16.1 400 1.39 1,899,000

96,566,630 8,148,828 934,040 21,290 695,500 6,625,870 10,832,280 162,057 31,151,478 63,330 2,410,800 469,800 93,157 154,520 399,329 170,728 11,112,744 7,444,218 1,795,766 341,529 1,710 59,451,070 13,689,935.50 20,457,789.50 13,025,250 2,347,636 1,507,518 468,310 92,683,352 12,718 43,515,260 3,982,188 12,015,644 37,626,574 182,510 362,880 12,548,230 178,250 8,099,881 51,520 21,381,270 ( 699,730 5,465,800 1,029,407 1,085,780 624,660 111,040 1,427,358 27,495,604 913,821 6,450 304,080 58,314,351 35,420 9,587,950 6,440 2,635,240

1,256,165 553,450 -2,544,020 -8,173,882 275,984 0 -26,980 6,688,584 -2,030,168 -5,610 96,708 3,477,150 -4,608,841.50 10,537,251.50 -214,850 -536,238 -281,079 -39,896,132 -4,039,055 2,081,424 -280,368 -17,430,198 -27,460 -4,591,870 -1,055,587 317,250.0002) -2,757,565 -122,770 -87,600 -179,966 -630,858 130,200 118,010 -8,633,420 8,950 -30,580

1.01 57.15 15.74 0.76 7.01 18.98 1.31 1.32 949.5 4.01 7.2 10.58 14.18 0.238 930 6.49 69.95 6.39 0.53 4.64 15.98 0.66 4.76 2.61 0.04 1.75 2.93 176.9 1,000 0.85 1.4 264.4 0.246 0.3

0.98 56.35 15.48 0.74 7 15.3 1.28 1.31 940 3.85 7.14 10.46 13.9 0.238 914 6.41 69.15 6.36 0.51 4.59 15.64 0.63 4.72 2.61 0.039 1.63 2.85 175.1 980 0.82 1.38 260.2 0.237 0.29

HOLDING FIRMS 1 11,038,000 56.5 963,450 15.58 3,069,300 0.74 65,000 7 156,900 17.7 1,079,900 1.29 709,000 1.32 146,000 948 240,180 3.97 2,600,000 7.18 4,356,000 10.5 1,017,100 14.18 41,200 0.238 10,000 930 120,300 6.49 403,200 69.9 814,500 6.39 6,700 0.52 132,000 4.6 830,000 15.64 1,597,000 0.65 712,000 4.75 10,601,000 2.61 2,000 0.039 33,700,000 1.68 4,472,000 2.93 67,000 175.1 539,920 985 72,860 0.84 230,000 1.38 25,000 263 3,460 0.245 2,930,000 0.3 1,750,000

10,944,370 54,671,706.50 47,741,554 48,130 1,098,336 18,288,408 914,040 191,310 227,220,575 10,247,950 31,247,239 10,686,754 579,154 2,380 111,572,210 2,609,329 56,750,804.50 42,759 68,130 3,819,490 25,250,726 453,390 50,332,650 5,220 1,324,700 7,563,950 192,080 94,800,883 71,785,910 191,620 34,900 903,214 711,340 510,900

-792,000 -25,262,486 2,675,062 -669,936 -295,476 79,610,745 271,610 655,071 -2,027,996 -129,316 26,646,450 -2,596,349 11,077,237 -694,440 -7,475,608 10,478,040 -35,590 -5,206,572 24,530,065 -6,900.00 -101,778 -

15.9 0.9 11.4 1.09 52.5 2.34 5.38 6.2 0.65 0.83 0.92 0.243 0.5 9.9 25.25 0.49 0.133 2.02 1.41 6.36 0.375 0.54 1.75 0.43 2.14

15.78 0.87 10.62 1.03 52.1 2.32 5.2 6.08 0.62 0.81 0.92 0.242 0.465 9.77 24.85 0.475 0.133 1.96 1.39 6.24 0.355 0.5 1.71 0.415 2.1

1,052,164 2,879,240 16,464 10,658,930 540,514,795.50 81,570 20,064,663 129,270 16,869,290 119,290 1,840 1,002,320 1,994,250 2,417,462 2,589,900 4,611,700 13,300 130,796,750 3,164,790 56,725,137 30,095,500 13,417,610 3,928,510 259,600 1,447,470

-190,426 -27,800 219,280 9,665,838.50 -51,350 470,052 -93,360 696,330 98,600 142,780 14,200 -637,919 911,415 -3,183,800 9,340,430 7,722,192 -192,100 -770,620 21,000 -

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

58.5 90 2.34 147.9 1.2 27.6 18.6 12.64 4.79 1.39 789.5 0.465 77 1.01 55 194.9 115 58.05 27.5 182.1 1,765 60.5

58.9 92.35 2.36 150 1.21 27.65 18.7 12.74 4.8 1.39 789.5 0.465 78.5 1.03 55.45 195 115 58.4 27.6 187.5 1,810 61.95

58.5 90 2.32 147.7 1.2 27.5 18.6 12.52 4.65 1.37 789.5 0.465 76.85 1 53.9 189.5 115 58.05 27.5 182.1 1,755 60

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

37.5 14.46 0.83 1.34 0.265 2.78 14.72 115.8 18.5 16.7 41 83.2 95 2.04 5.5 6.3 10.3 15.46 11.1 7.5 1.71 26.3 90.2 60.9 2.44 14.1 9.5 1.7 282 9.1 24.6 14.42 18.62 378.6 0.186 5.76 1.79 4.84 5.85 9.2 2.59 12 39.9 5.09 1.45 2.11 1.1 14.8 104 6.51 0.129 1.15 171 2.53 1.29 16.1 1.41

37.5 14.48 0.83 1.34 0.275 2.85 15.1 117.2 18.98 16.7 41 85 95 2.04 5.5 6.3 10.4 15.66 11.2 7.55 1.71 26.5 90.6 60.9 2.45 14.38 9.74 1.7 282 9.28 24.65 14.46 18.62 383 0.197 5.76 1.8 4.84 5.9 9.2 2.6 12.06 39.95 5.1 1.48 2.3 1.14 14.8 104.9 6.6 0.129 1.19 171.4 2.53 1.32 16.1 1.41

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ANSCOR 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 MJC INVESTMENTS PACIFICA PRIME MEDIA REPUBLIC GLASS SAN MIGUEL CORP SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.99 56.35 15.64 0.76 7 15.52 1.29 1.31 942 4 7.18 10.5 14.04 0.238 914 6.45 69.5 6.36 0.52 4.6 15.94 0.65 4.75 2.61 0.04 1.74 2.9 175.6 980 0.83 1.4 260.2 0.237 0.295

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

15.8 0.9 11 1.09 52.2 2.32 5.25 6.1 0.63 0.81 0.92 0.243 0.48 9.9 25.2 0.48 0.133 1.98 1.4 6.25 0.355 0.51 1.74 0.43 2.13

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

26.4 2.27 3.19 38.95 2.03 6.35 0.81 7.84

27.1 2.29 3.2 38.95 2.08 6.4 0.85 7.87

26.3 2.26 3.19 38.3 2.03 6.3 0.81 7.65

27 2.29 3.2 38.3 2.08 6.32 0.81 7.79

1,278,900 206,000 50,000 6,807,000 502,000 120,300 624,000 14,601,200

34,246,490 468,570 159,920 261,988,685 1,038,740 764,811 506,010 113,367,926

13,580,555 40,910.00 -29,105,135 -80,420 -31,600 -43,001

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

11.06 17.44 1.43 0.55 0.05 2.55 11.9 0.062 95.5 7.19 8 6 10.38 2,212 5.39 427.6 2.21 1.9 141.5 9.7 5.75 0.117 5.79 3.82 0.88 19.46 0.54 3.8 2.85 1.51 1.54 2.59 2.97 9.39 5.25 141 4.3 1,200 0.74 0.83 45.55 75.6 9.18 3.6 0.8 0.36 5.5 0.84 16.36

11.1 17.6 1.51 0.56 0.05 2.62 11.96 0.064 95.75 7.19 8.07 6.3 10.38 2,232 5.41 427.8 2.21 1.93 145 9.7 5.75 0.121 5.81 3.88 0.89 19.52 0.55 3.95 2.85 1.51 1.54 2.62 2.98 9.43 5.35 142 4.3 1,200 0.75 0.84 46 77.8 9.28 3.63 0.8 0.36 5.52 0.88 16.36

11.06 17.28 1.42 0.54 0.046 2.55 11.78 0.06 95.3 7.19 7.8 6 10 2,182 5.38 427 2.16 1.85 141.2 9.52 5.7 0.117 5.68 3.71 0.88 19.44 0.53 3.75 2.75 1.5 1.54 2.52 2.95 9.39 5.25 141 3.9 1,176 0.73 0.81 45.25 75.6 9.18 3.38 0.78 0.36 5.43 0.83 15.68

SERVICES 11.1 17.34 1.51 0.56 0.049 2.59 11.9 0.064 95.4 7.19 7.84 6.3 10.22 2,230 5.4 427.8 2.2 1.85 142.7 9.52 5.75 0.121 5.75 3.8 0.89 19.5 0.55 3.78 2.76 1.5 1.54 2.57 2.98 9.42 5.35 142 4.19 1,180 0.74 0.82 45.3 77 9.28 3.42 0.8 0.36 5.49 0.87 15.7

16,100 340,100 434,000 5,498,000 16,350,000 350,000 4,382,300 40,960,000 215,220 200 1,783,100 39,300 46,100 50,580 54,900 80 1,793,000 49,000 703,080 27,400 15,500 880,000 2,007,400 417,000 182,000 407,300 162,000 332,000 2,195,000 29,000 3,000 3,170,000 61,000 63,600 31,400 19,790 7,543,000 177,225 3,734,000 32,348,000 1,681,000 225,770 1,415,300 12,743,000 4,655,000 2,730,000 980,400 14,727,000 13,000,200

178,650 5,907,124 650,330 3,049,650 779,150 905,710 52,018,338 2,555,460 20,529,919.50 1,438 14,090,072 238,197 467,962 112,573,740 296,297 34,190 3,930,860 94,040 100,304,216 261,200 88,825 104,760 11,534,771 1,590,900 160,980 7,934,354 87,650 1,282,330 6,095,600 ( 43,750 4,620 8,203,000 181,020 598,537 164,880 2,802,530 31,056,930 209,434,355 2,757,890 26,629,620 76,223,330 17,365,232 4 13,133,964 44,120,590 3,679,140 982,800 5,399,129 12,639,010 206,037,754

1,110 -56,000 -25,526,954 -308,180 14,603,816 -227,360 -99,600 74,340,850 65,900 33,847,455 -209,766 -826,640 973,382 591,260.0001) -420,460 301,040 -3,356,920 -65,751,165 -243,300 453,830.00 -4,119,965 ,305,055.9996 -13,038,400 7,794,140 1,076,000 36,000 -2,388,884 86,000 -48,116,194

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

0.002 1.23 2.71 14.84 2.8 0.28 7.83 1.47 0.22 0.108 0.118 1.17 2.33 1.06 0.86 0.012 0.012 0.011 6.1 3.85 9.15 23.5 0.006

0.002 1.25 2.71 14.84 2.84 0.28 7.83 1.48 0.223 0.109 0.12 1.24 2.44 1.09 0.87 0.013 0.012 0.011 6.42 3.85 9.58 23.8 0.006

0.002 1.19 2.7 13.58 2.78 0.28 7.63 1.45 0.218 0.108 0.118 1.16 2.33 1.06 0.85 0.012 0.012 0.011 5.7 3.74 9.15 23.35 0.006

398,800 6,631,570 27,020 504,410 475,190 173,600 14,614 30,621,000 293,580 198,730 10,740 915,530 26,792,700 256,880 334,380 389,200 7,200 121,000 14,477,813 2,182,700 47,326,178 27,510,980 12,600

-1,138,460 28,000 -304,370 -2,175,430 2,540 750,196 1,274,545 -

LR PREF GMA HLDG PDR ABS HLDG PDR SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2C HOUSE PREF A DD PREF ALCO PREF C ALCO PREF B PNX PREF 3A FGEN PREF G PNX PREF 3B FPH PREF C AC PREF B2 GLO PREF P GTCAP PREF B SMC FB PREF 2 PCOR PREF 2A PCOR PREF 2B PCOR PREF 3A PCOR PREF 3B

0.99 5.37 16.8 73.85 74 74.45 75 76.9 97.5 99.5 100 101 101.2 105.5 107.5 449.8 493 498 940 988 993 1,000 1,011 1,012

0.99 5.37 16.8 73.85 75 75 75 76.9 99 99.5 100 101 101.2 105.5 107.5 450 493 498 945 990 993 1,000 1,011 1,014

0.99 5.37 16.72 73.5 73 74.45 75 76.5 97.5 99.1 100 101 100 102.1 107.5 449.8 492 498 940 988 993 1,000 1,010 1,012

PREFERRED 0.99 372,000 5.37 10,400 16.8 283,800 73.85 8,000 75 66,310 75 13,620 75 33,300 76.7 3,880 97.5 5,460 99.5 2,100 100 500 101 800 100 22,640 103 15,240 107.5 30 450 40 492 28,510 498 980 945 20 990 880 993 530 1,000 5 1,011 6,255 1,014 555

368,280 55,848 4,767,790 590,100 4,916,120 1,018,769.50 2,497,500 297,868.50 538,726 208,198 50,000 80,800 2,264,495 1,561,545 3,225 17,996 14,026,930 488,040 18,850 870,500 526,290 5,000 6,323,705 561,670

-99,000 -55,848 -4,767,790 83,030 -

LR WARRANT

1.86

1.87

1.81

WARRANTS 1.81 510,000

933,610

ITALPINAS XURPAS

5.4 1.13

5.4 1.13

5.17 1.1

5.37 1.11

FIRST METRO ETF

124

124

123.6

NAME

MS

PROPERTY 15.86 0.88 11.38 1.07 52.35 2.34 5.26 6.2 0.63 0.83 0.92 0.242 0.47 9.77 25.2 0.475 0.133 2.01 1.4 6.25 0.37 0.51 1.73 0.415 2.14

66,500 3,250,000 1,500 10,093,000 10,337,980 35,000 3,793,900 21,200 26,633,000 145,000 2,000 4,130,000 4,200,000 246,600 103,200 9,640,000 100,000 65,599,000 2,263,000 9,037,300 81,930,000 25,810,000 2,282,000 620,000 684,000

USD DMPL A1

10.28

TRADING SUMMARY

10.28

SHARES

FINANCIAL

15,745,069

INDUSTRIAL

57,912,123

HOLDING FIRMS

85,541,878

PROPERTY

285,293,729

SERVICES

185,794,978

MINING & OIL

342,344,786

GRAND TOTAL

975,571,364

10.28

MINING AND OIL 0.002 244,000,000 1.2 5,433,000 2.7 10,000 14 36,600 2.84 169,000 0.28 620,000 7.82 1,900 1.47 20,831,000 0.222 1,330,000 0.108 1,840,000 0.12 90,000 1.18 767,000 2.43 11,113,000 1.08 238,000 0.87 393,000 0.012 32,400,000 0.012 600,000 0.011 11,000,000 5.71 2,406,400 3.78 574,000 9.26 5,070,800 23.75 1,162,100 0.006 2,000,000

SME

495,800 2,437,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 123.8 3,260 DDS 10.28

2,460

18,200

2,616,978 2,709,910

-206,410

403,989

-1,236

25,288.80

-

-

VALUE 1,871.02 (up) 19.38 1,307,447,331.56 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,756.98 (down) 50.18 911,877,517.944 HOLDING FIRMS 7,934.25 (up) 22.65 921,707,118.595 PROPERTY 4,412.36 (up) 4.67 SERVICES 1,682.12 (up) 5.42 1,258,327,942.28 MINING & OIL 7,950.72 (up) 114.78 1,037,002,117.11 PSEI 8,258.05 (up) 24.57 159,697,678.724 All Shares Index 5,008.98 (up) 7.44 5,601,794,677.31 Gainers: 116; Losers: 79; Unchanged: 52; Total: 247

Meralco asks ERC to clear ‘20 spending plan of P15b

By Alena Mae S. Flores MANILA Electric Co., the biggest retailer of electricity, asked the Energy Regulatory Commission to approve a request to implement its emergency capital expenditure program for 2020 amounting to around P15 billion.

Meralco said it filed the application for projects under regulatory year 2020 covering the period July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020.

“Meralco’s very urgent RY 2020 capital expenditure application is intended to avert the foreseen emergency situations. Primarily, these capex projects are necessary to ensure the reliable operation of its distribution network and continuous distribution service and connection to meet the growing needs of its more than sixc million customers,” it said.

“Meralco’s very urgent RY 2020 capex progrma is geared towards providing reliable service to its customers by maintaining an adequate, safe, efficient and viable distribution network, while providing the needed capacity to address the forecasted load growth within its franchise area,” Meralco said.

It said capex was used to maintain and not to degrade network performance and customer performance.

“The distribution infrastructure must be sufficient to meet Meralco’s current and immediate requirements. Meralco forecasts its customer base to expand to 7 million and peak demand to grow to 7,750 MW by RY 2020,” it said.

The company said the increase in demand and customer base would require it to increase the capacity of the electric distribution system in order to continue accommodating customer connections, while maintaining the reliability and power quality of its distribution system.

Meralco added part of the capex would also be used to fund its automation and technology projects under its automated metering infrastructure, regulatory requirements for open access, spot market metering and support for government Build, Build, Build program.

The capex program includes 21 urgent major projects lined up for next year, such as the expansion of the prepaid retail electric service and meter data collection system (P879.52 million), development of Arca South substation (P596.6 million) and relocation of facilities affected by the government’s Public-Private Partnership project (P475.54 million).

Cirtek clinches contract from US chip maker

By Jenniffer B. Austria CIRTEK Electronics Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cirtek Holdings Philippines Corp., won a contract from a US-based chip maker and technology company to manufacture modules and chip sets that will go into 5G wireless systems.

Cirtek said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the project was expected to generate $3 million in revenues annually for the company starting 2020.

The company did not identify the Silicon Valley-based US company that specializes in telecommunications eband ceramic modules and chipsets.

“The 5G products, which will be used for data traffic control and for high bandwidth, high speed transmitters, are expected to generate revenues to Cirtek of up to US$3M per year starting 2020,” Cirtek said.

The unnamed US-based company will transfer its assembly, pre-cap test and RF (radio frequency) final test line from the US into CEC’s facility and consign assembly and RF test equipment to CEC. CEC, in turn ,will invest and upgrade its surface mount technology, or electronic board assembly, capabilities and capacity.

Meanwhile, Cirtek Advanced Technology and Solutions Inc. (CATSI), also a wholly-owned unit of Cirtek, expects to expand the revenue of its RF board Module Assembly manufacturing business in 2019 to $4 million, up 33 percent from the previous year.

“A major customer is consolidating its business and aims to capitalize on CATSI’s vast experience in RF, microwave, and millimeter wave manufacturing. CATSI provides high quality, cost efficient and reliable solutions for communication systems and wireless infrastructure equipment,” Cirtek said “These new business developments highlight the Cirtek Group’s continuing capability to deliver relevant, complex, full turnkey solutions, to the benefit of our customers,”it added.

Manila

Standard FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019

World

B3

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

Suspected arson attack kills 24 people TOKYO―A suspected arson attack on an animation production company in Japan killed 24 people and injured dozens more on Thursday, with the flames gutting the building in the city of Kyoto.

Police said the fierce blaze appeared to have been started deliberately but there was no immediate information on a possible motive.

There were fears the toll could rise further, with officials saying they believed several more people had failed to escape the fire.

“Twelve people were found in cardio-respiratory arrest on the ground and first floor,” a fire department official told AFP, using a phrase commonly employed in Japan to signify victims have died but their deaths have not yet been officially certified.

Officials had already confirmed one death earlier in the blaze.

“Also, several other people appeared to have failed to escape on the second floor,” he added.

Officials said 35 people had been injured in the fire, 10 of whom were in serious condition, and local media said around 70 people were believed to have been in the building when the fire started.

Footage of the blaze showed thick white smoke pouring from the windows of the three-storey building. Its facade was charred black on much of one side where the flames had shot out of the windows.

“Rescue operations are continuing, and we are trying to bring AFFIDAVIT OF SELFout several ADJUDICATION BY THE SOLE HEIR TO THE victims who ESTATE OF PATRICIO are trapped L. DE DIOS inside... inis hereby given cluding ones Notice that the estate of the late who may PATRICIO L. DE DIOS was by his sole not be able self-adjudicated heir as per Doc. No. 245; to move by Page 9; Book III; Series themselves,” of 2018 of the Notarial of Atty. Edgar V. a second fire Register Osting, Notary Public for d e p a r t m e n t and in Teresa, Morong, Tanay and Pililla, s p o k e s m a n Baras, Prov. of Rizal. said. AFP

PREVIEW NIGHT. The

2019 Comic-Con International Preview Night at the San Diego Convention Center on July 17, 2019, in San Diego, California. AFP

El Chapo sentenced to life in jail N

EW YORK―Once one of the world’s most powerful and notorious criminals, Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was sentenced to life imprisonment Wednesday―the mandatory punishment for a host of crimes spanning a quarter-century.

Guzman, the 62-year-old former co-leader of Mexico’s mighty Sinaloa drug cartel, was convicted in February in US federal court on a spate of charges, including smuggling hundreds of tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States.

The much-anticipated hearing in New York capped a dramatic legal saga and saw Guzman―wearing a

gray suit, lilac shirt, purple tie and trademark mustache―somberly take in his punishment.

“There was no justice here,” Guzman declared in Spanish, expressing no regret as he delivered what were likely his final public words before he is taken to a supermax federal prison to live out his days.

When entering and before leaving the courtroom, he touched his heart and

blew a kiss to his wife Emma Coronel, who was barred from all contact with him during more than two years of pre-trial detention.

The charges against Guzman, which include money laundering and weapons-related offenses, carried a mandatory life sentence.

US Federal Judge Brian Cogan tacked 30 years onto the sentence and ordered the drug lord to pay $12.6 billion in forfeiture―a sum based on a conservative estimate of revenues from his cartel’s sales in the United States.

So far, US authorities have not recovered a dime.

In the Brooklyn courtroom, Guz-

man said prayers from supporters had given him “strength to endure this great torture,” which he called “one of the most inhuman that I have ever experienced... a lack of respect for my human dignity.”

Complaining bitterly that he was unable to hug his twin daughters, who did not attend the hearing, Guzman said “the United States is no better than any other corrupt country that you do not respect.”

Guzman―whose moniker “El Chapo” translates to “Shorty”―is considered the most influential drug lord since Colombia’s Pablo Escobar, who was killed in a police shootout in 1993. AFP

(MS-JULY 5, 12 & 19, 2019)

Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT National Capital Judicial Region Branch 107, Quezon City

IN BRIEF Message found in a bottle SYDNEY—An Australian boy who discovered a message in a bottle on a remote beach may have a new pen pal after the Englishman who dropped it from an Australia-bound ship 50 years ago was tracked down.

But Jyah Elliott, aged nine, may have to wait some time as the message’s now 63-year-old author is once again at sea― this time on a cruise in the Baltic, the ABC reported.

Jyah discovered the decades-old treasure in sand dunes on a South Australian beach on Tuesday and by the next day the writer had been located.

Paul Gilmore was just 13 when on November 17, 1969 he dropped the bottle into the Indian Ocean hoping to reach a new friend.

The letter, which gave the ship’s location as “1,000 miles east of Fremantle, Western Australia, asked its recipient to “Please Reply”.

Although Jyah initially thought the letter was a fake, he was quick to post a reply on Wednesday.

“He was so excited,” his mother Carla Elliott told the ABC. Gilmore’s sister Annie Crossland told the ABC that her brother was currently cruising but would be sure to contact Jyah when he returns home.

“It’s amazing, absolutely incredible,” Crossland said. “He’ll be chuffed to bits.”

She said the family had long ago moved on from the reply address on the letter. AFP

Toxic cane toad found near Sydney SYDNEY—A toxic cane toad prevalent in Australia’s tropical north has been captured near Sydney, sparking fears the invasive species could be adapting to cooler weather and spreading southwards, further threatening the country’s unique wildlife.

A local family caught the adult male toad about 50 kilometers north of Sydney on Tuesday, the first time one of its kind had been found wild in the area, the Australian Reptile Park said.

The toad has a highly poisonous venom that kills predators that try to eat them, causing catastrophic declines in native wildlife populations in northeast Australia.

Conservationists are concerned that the tough and adaptable pest, introduced from Central America in 1935 to control beetles in sugarcane fields, may be adjusting to the climate in southeast Australia amid an unseasonably mild winter.

“If it’s warmer for extended periods of time, it’s obviously going to complement the toads,” Park manager Tim Faulkner told AFP. Faulkner said he was aware of just two others being found in the area over the past 15 years―both of which had “hitched a ride” with travelers or delivery trucks. AFP

MARIE FRANCES C. CHU-LEE Petitioner CIVIL CASE No. Q-96-28073 For: Declaration of Nullity of Marriage -versus LEE BOON OON Respondent x------------------------------------------------x

DECISION WHEREFORE, IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, judgment is hereby rendered to wit: 1. Declaring the marriage of the petitioner, Marie Frances C. Chu-Lee and respondent, Lee Boon Oon, which was celebrated on July 3, 1994 in Iloilo City null and void ab initio on the ground of the latter’s psychological incapacity under Article 36 of the Family Code and their absolute community of property dissolved. There being no evidence of properties involved, no pronouncement as to its liquidation / partition is therefore made.

2. Henceforth, plaintiff shall be known by her maiden name, Chu. 3. Considering that the petition was filed on July 10, 1996: that the Office of the City Prosecutor appeared for the State; that respondent failed to file his answer and appear to rebut petitioner’s allegations, this Court deemed it wise not to involve anymore the Office of the Solicitor General.

Let copies of this Decision be furnished to the Local Civil Registrars of Iloilo City and Quezon City and the National Statistics Office for record purposes. The said offices are hereby ordered to return the registry return cards of this Decision for record purposes of this Court.

Considering that summons was served on the respondent by extraterritorial service and by publication, let service of the decision to the respondent be served by the same process.

TAKING SHELTER. One-horned rhinoceros take

SO ORDERED.

shelter on higher ground in the flood-affected area of Kaziranga National Park in the northeastern Indian state of Assam on July 18, 2019. AFP

June 27, 1997 Quezon City, Metro Manila (Sgd.) Rosalina L. Luna Pison Presiding Judge (MStandard-July 19, 2019)

Taiwanese ‘graffiti village’ eases loneliness RUAN CHIAO, Taiwan―Nestled in the mist-covered foothills of Taiwan’s central mountain range, Ruan Chiao village is virtually devoid of young people, but artist Wu Tsun-hsien is coaxing the Instagram generation back by transforming local homes into a canvas of color.

Dipping his brush into a tin of beige emulsion, he carefully applies new layers of paint to his latest production―a vibrant rural scene depicting farmers in traditional weave hats tending to a flock of animals.

Behind him an elderly villager with a walking stick shuffles his way down the main street, which is plastered with Wu’s colorful paintings.

“This village is full of old people,” the 55-year-old laments, explaining how the vast majority of youngsters― including his own children―have moved to the city, leaving elderly residents listless and lonely.

But paintings have started to bring young visitors―always keen for a selfie in a photo-friendly location― back.

“These drawings attracted many

tourists to come visit. The old people who were left here are no longer so bored. This was my biggest gain,” he beams.

Wu is not alone in this adopting this strategy.

There are now some half a dozen socalled “graffiti villages” in Taiwan that have been festooned with artwork in a bid to inject some life into rural places that have been emptied of its young.

Like many industrialized places, Taiwan’s remarkable economic transformation over the past few decades has upended rural communities and unleashed huge demographic changes.

“It’s perhaps a more recent phenomenon than it would have been in some other places,” explains Shelley Rigger, an expert on Taiwan at Davidson College in North Carolina, who said much of Taiwan’s industrial manufacturing stayed in the villages.

“People sewed Barbie doll clothing in their houses and then carried it down to a packaging plant in the middle of a village,” she tells AFP, as an example.

Ruan Chiao village, for example, used to churn out paper temple of-

ferings.

But once much of the manufacturing shifted to mainland China in the late 1990s and Taiwan moved up the value chain, many of those jobs left.

“That’s when you see rural areas kind of emptying out,” Rigger adds.

Taiwan’s 23 million population is also rapidly ageing. The birth rate has plummeted -- only 180,000 children were born last year, an eight-year low.

The Wu family have experienced this flight first hand.

The ancestral home is occupied by his wife’s father, 81, and mother, 72, who still work a few plots of land in the hills above the village growing organic vegetables. But Wu’s own children both went to university and have left, one to Australia, the other to a nearby city.

Wu’s wife Fan Ai-hsiu explains their bid to draw Instagram-happy crowds of youngsters was less about economics and more about giving her parents something to look forward to.

“They want to have conversations with people, that’s what they miss, it’s not about money,” Fan says. AFP

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 217 - QUEZON CITY IN THE MATTER OF PETITION FOR CORRECTION OF ENTRIES IN THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE OF MINOR MARK ANTHON LUAR, MARK ANTHON LUAR AS REPRESENTED BY HIS PARENTS UNECIL LUAR y DUMAGHAN, and MARLOU LUAR y PANADERO, Petitioner.

-versus-

SP CASE NO. R-QZN-19-06675-SP

THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY (PSA) (and all persons who have or claim any rights under them), Respondents. x------------------------------------------------------------------------x

ORDER This is a verified amended petition for correction of entries in the Certificate of Live Birth of minor Mark Anthon Luar.

The amended petition alleges that petitioner Mark Anthon Luar as represented by his parents Unecil Luar y Dumaghan and Marlou Luar y Panadero was born on August 16, 2017 in Quezon City to his parents Unecil Luar y Dumaghan and Marlou Luar y Panadero; that there were no entries in the petitioner’s birth certificate in the following bracketed portions: 1) registered child’s middle name; 2) registered child’s father’s details, specifically the name, citizenship, religion/religious sect, occupation, age (at the time of this birth) and residence; and, 3) all details pertaining to the marriage of parents, specifically the date and place; that the biological parents of Mark Anthon Luar were married to each other before the child’s birth on July 17, 2008; that the mentioned entries were not made because Marlou Luar relied on his sister to complete the same but failed to do so; that the instant petition was filed in order to set the child’s birth certificate in accordance with the provision of the family code and other existing laws and to avoid confusion in the future.

Wherefore, the amended petition is hereby set for hearing on August 9, 2019 at 8:30 in the morning before this Court located at Room 228, Second Floor, Hall of Justice, Diliman, Quezon City at which place and on which date and time, all interested persons must appear and file their position/s to the amended petition.

Let a copy of this Order be published once a week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation throughout the Philippines.

Further, let a copy of an amended petition, and of this Order be served upon the office of the Solicitor General, Local Civil Registrar of Quezon City and the Philippine Statistics Authority who may file their opposition thereto within fifteen (15) days from notice of this amended petition.

SO ORDERED. Quezon City, Philippines, May 29, 2019. cc: THE PUBLIC ATTORNEY’S OFFICE Counsel for the Petitioner 6th Floor, Cecilia Muñoz Palma Hall, DOJ Building, Quezon City Marlou Luar and Unecil Luar #035 Diamond Hills, Molave Ext., Grp 1 B Payatas B. Quezon City Office of the Solicitor General Makati City

(Sgd.) SANTIAGO M. ARENAS Judge Office of the City Prosecutor Quezon City Office of the Local Civil Registrar Quezon City Philippine Statistics Authority Quezon City (MStandard - July 19, 26 & Aug. 2, 2019)

LGUs

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

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FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

Belmonte: QC ready to fight off dengue outbreak THE Quezon City government is ready for any eventuality of a dengue outbreak, even as it recorded fewer cases of the disease in the first seven months of 2019 compared to the previous two years.

In a report, the city’s health office said from January to July 13, the number of dengue cases was at 2,218, with 19 casualties.

In 2017, the city recorded 7,527 dengue cases with 75 deaths, while there were 8,158 cases with 74 deaths in 2018.

Despite the improvement, Mayor Joy Belmonte said the city government would not let its guard down and continue its aggressive campaign against dengue.

“We will do our best to lower the incidence of dengue cases, if not totally prevent it, especially during the peak months,” she said.

Last year, Belmonte noted the peak in dengue cases from Aug. 4 to Aug. 10 and Sept. 29 to Oct. 25.

As part of its efforts to combat dengue, the city has made sure that rapid diagnostics test kits or NS1 are always available in health centers to help doctors diagnose and assess dengue cases.

The mayor said the city government also has a referral mechanism in place for patients with warning signs of dengue and need hospitalization.

Moreover, the city government is also closely monitoring the 10 barangays with the highest number of dengue cases—Payatas A and B, Commonwealth, Batasan, Fairview, Kamuning, Tatalon, Pasong Tamo, Tandang Sora, Bagong Silangan and Bagbag.

Also, Belmonte allayed fears about the spread of leptospirosis, saying the city’s health centers have enough supply of medicine.

Meanwhile, the mayor led the distribution of financial assistance to 1,074 families who lost their homes to fires in Barangays Commonwealth, Culiat, North Fairview, Baesa, and San Antonio on Wednesday, 17 July.

Belmonte went straight from the airport to Quezon Memorial Covered Court to hand the financial aid to the fire victims.

House owners received 2,000 pesos while sharers/renters received 1,000 pesos.

BIKES FOR PEACE. Mayor Jaime Fresnedi (second from left) inspects 89 motorcycle units to be deployed for security personnel in Muntinlupa during the city’s flag raising ceremony on Monday. The mayor said the new vehicles will help improve safety, security and disaster response in the city. The motorcycle units will be given to offices under the Protective Service, Social Service, and Institutional Clusters.

Isko: I’m not anti-poor, just cleansing streets

By Vito Barcelo

M

ANILA Mayor Francisco Domagoso on Thursday denied that his drive to remove illegal vendors in Manila is anti-poor, saying he wants to bring back order in the city’s streets that have been occupied by vendors for almost two decades.

“I am balancing to run the government without depriving anyone. I want to respond to the problem in the most efficient, appropriate and economic manner,” Domagoso said over a radio interview.

The mayor, who came from a poor family, said he is also now a public servant and in charge in running the city.

A former scavenger himself, Domagoso defended his campaign to rid streets and sidewalks of vendors so that pedestrians and vehicles could use them.

“It’s not true that I am anti-poor. The vendors, at least the legal ones, were not removed but transferred to other areas,” the mayor said.

Domagoso even challenged anyone who could prove that there’s no longer street vendors.

“There’s vendors along Ilaya, Tabora, and Santo Cristo streets. They are there maintaining order. There is no more ‘tong pats’ (extortionists),” he said.

Domagoso said what he is doing is

nothing special, as he is just performing the “normal” duties of a sitting mayor.

“All I want to do is to bring back the mindset that there is a government in the city of Manila,” the mayor added.

Meanwhile, more than 500 kilograms of “hot meat” were seized by the Manila Veterinary Inspection Board during a surprise inspection in Divisoria market.

Domagoso said 532 kilos of beef meat and shank worth over P80,000 were seized from meat vendors on Elcano St. “Hot meat” means carcasses or parts of a carcass of animals that were slaughtered by unaccredited meat establishments and raises the possibility that the meat may be unsafe or spoiled, Moreno said.

The confiscated meat will be donated to Manila Zoo and fed to the animals.

MALL OPENING.

Bataan Gov. Albert Garcia (center) and Vice Gov. Cris Garcia (2nd from right) lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the opening of newest shopping mall in Balanga City on Tuesday. Also pictured is Balanga City Mayor Francis Garcia.

Butch Gunio

Puerto Galera shores up town’s marine ecology PUERTO Galera, one of the country’s top diving spots, can expect to have cleaner seas and a more balanced marine ecosystem with the recent partnership sealed by the municipal government and the Metro Pacific Investments Foundation Inc. The corporate social responsibility arm of the MVP Group of Companies, the Foundation has committed P1.5 million for three years under its Shore It Up program to provide local Bantay Dagat in the form of technical knowhow, monthly allowances, uniforms, and scuba diving courses and equipment to better protect and conserve the town’s aquatic resources.

To be called Marine Protection, Inspection and Conservation Guardians, the volunteers will also be empowered by the municipal government in their marine enforcement and monitoring activities.

The conglomerate made its initial foray into Puerto Galera in 2010 when it pioneered a comprehensive underwater and coastal cleanup drive, followed up in 2013 by another scuba cleanup and the Junior Environmental Scouts, an education component for public school children.

The recent Shore It Up drew 145 scuba volunteer divers, who collected 616 kilos of garbage from various dive spots, while residents conducted a parallel cleanup in the coastal barangays.

Incepted in 2009, the program has mustered over 85,000 volunteers from the Metro Pacific firms, national government agencies, local government units, law enforcement agencies, civil society groups, dive industry stakeholders, and public elementary schools.

A multi-awarded CSR program both here and abroad, Shore It Up has been held in key coastal areas such as Mabini (Batangas), Alaminos City (Pangasinan), Del Carmen (Surigao del Norte), Medina (Misamis Oriental), Panglao (Bohol), Cordova (Cebu), and Subic Bay.

Fratmen give aid to schools in Kayapa KAYAPA, Nueva Vizcaya—Elementary schoolers of two learning institutions in this town recently received free school materials and supplies from a fraternal organization and private business establishments.

The gift giving activity brought to the schoolers free books, bags filled with notebooks, pens, pencils, paper pads and crayons, among others.

The recipient schools were the Caritas Elementary School and Mapayao Elementary School, all of upland Kayapa town.

“This is part of our outreach gift giving program to help poor schoolers in upland communities. In this way, their parents will be spared from spending for their school supplies and materials,” said Reynald Tan, president of the Alpha Phi Omega Theta Epsilon Chapter Alumni Association.

The Bambang town-based APO– TECAA also partnered with Fuerte Lending Corp., Lafayette Riders and other donors to help realize the gift-giving activity.

Aside from the school supplies and materials, APO-TECAA members also donated paints and provided services in support of the schools’ Brigada Eskwela program.

Other donors of the gift giving activity were the Rural Bank of Bambang, Inc. and the Lagawe Cooperative.

Bataan board lauds Nickel miners plant 5.3 million trees in Caraga and Palawan vice gov’s League post BALANGA CITY, Bataan―Members of the Sangguiang Panlalawigan are happy over Vice Gov. Cris Garcia’s election as treasurer of the Leauge of Vice Governors of the Philippines.

At the end of their regular session on Monday, members of the provincial board applauded the vice governor for her new post.

“Congrats vice gov,” the members greeted in chorus, to which Garcia humbly replied, “Dagdag trabaho lang” (It’s just added work).

Officers of LVGP Executive Committee for 2019 to 2022 were elected last week.

Garcia started her stint in politics in 2016 when she substituted for her late uncle former governor and congresssman Tet Garcia for the vice gubernatorial post.

“Never in my wildest dream that I thought I would become vice governor,” she said in the early part of her political career.

Garcia was unopposed in her reelection in the last midterm elections.

Prior to her entry to politics, she worked for her uncle in Congress and later coordinator of the Iskolar ng Bataan program.

Many Bataan folks observe her being industrious and hardworking. Butch Gunio

THE Philippine Nickel Industry Association, “We are required to plant 100 trees for every ongoing TRP, we can provide short term vegthrough its seven member-companies, has once tree we cut down. Our industry has made con- etation growth that can control soil erosion and again boosted greening efforts as part of ongo- tinued efforts to rehabilitate the areas where assist communities during natural calamities,” ing rehabilitation and reforestation in their re- we mine since we started operations. With the Capili added. spective mining areas.

Ensuring environmental and ecological sustainability in areas where nickel is mined, members of the Philippine nickel industry have planted an estimated 5.3 million trees to date in the Caraga region and in Palawan as part of its Environmental Protection and Enhancement Program.

The number of trees planted has risen 27% since PNIA’s report of planting 4.2 million trees in June 2018.

“The nickel mining industry has real and continuing accomplishments in caring not only for our communities, but also of the environment.

We contribute at least 3 to 5% of our operating cost to EPEP programs. No other industry is mandated to do this,” says PNIA Executive Director Charmaine Olea-Capili.

On top of current reforestation efforts, mining companies are mandated to implement the Temporary Revegetation Program. PNIA member companies have planted over 284 hectares of various Employees of Marcventures Mining and Development Corp. work at the mine’s nursery, caring for seedlings of vegetation and spent P45 million, the group said. various species used in rehabilitation and reforestation program.

Life

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

CULTURE AND MEDIA

FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019

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Ballet Manila dances ‘On Pointé’ PRINCESS. Ballet Manila opens its 24th performance season with the re-staging of 'Snow White,' the first installment in Lisa Macuja-Elizalde's Princess Trilogy. It will run on Sept. 7-8 at the Aliw Theater.

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LASSICAL ballet company Ballet Manila highlights the most iconic element in a ballet performance—the pointe shoes on which a ballerina stands and dances—in its 24th performance season.

Aside from the dainty footwear, the theme “On Pointé” is a play on the phrase “on point” which defines something as excellent and perfect, which Ballet Manila aims to consistently give to their audience.

Further, Ballet Manila chief executive and artistic director Lisa MacujaElizalde said the decision to go with the theme is related to company’s Russian Vaganova style of training and dancing.

“It defines what classical ballet is— being able to dance on pointé,” she said.

This season, Ballet Manila will be staging a thoughtfully curated line-up of four shows.

The first one is the re-staging of Snow White, the first installment in MacujaElizalde’s Princess Trilogy, which will

The 'Sleeping Beauty,' which will be staged on Dec. 7-8, is the company's Christmas production.

run on Sept. 7-8. Giselle, a romantic ballet in two acts, will follow on Oct. 19-20. Sleeping Beauty, the last installment in the Princess Trilogy, will premiere on Dec. 7-8.

Lastly, the season’s finale will be Carmina Burana and La Traviata, a collaboration of opera, ballet, and orchestra, which will be staged next year, Feb. 29 and March 1.

“When I plan a season, I first program the full-length classical ballet that we need to present every year. My teacher and mentor Tatiana Udalenkova told me that I should always have a classical warhorse every season to strengthen the company,” Macuja-Elizalde spoke of their decision to perform Giselle.

The prima ballerina shared she wanted to revisit the earlier install-

ment of her Princess Trilogy and present Snow White before the premiere of The Sleeping Beauty, which will be the company’s Christmas production, to factor in continuity.

“I love the fact that we are opening our 24th season with Snow White because it captures the fun everyone needs to have when watching and dancing ballet,” she said.

After the first two installments of the trilogy, Macuja-Elizalde said the best is yet to come with the final production.

“I am saving the best for last. The Princess Trilogy is going to conclude with a bang!” she enthused.

Talking about the last show, Carmina Burana and La Traviata, Macuja-Elizalde said the back-to-back presentation is a fitting finale to their 24th season.

“I have always wanted to choreograph to the music of my favorite opera—La Traviata—and I am excited to collaborate with my long time “partner in crime,” Ballet Manila co-artistic director Osias Barroso,” she shared.

She continued, “Rudy De Dios, recently retired principal dancer of the company, will be making an auspicious choreographic debut in his first full-length evening work with Carmina Burana.”

All of Ballet Manila’s 24th performance season shows will be staged at the Aliw Theater in Pasay City.

To buy tickets, visit any Ticketworld outlets, call (02) 891-9999, or go to www.ticketworld.com.ph. For more information, visit balletmanila.com.ph or Ballet Manila Official on Facebook.

Conchitina Bernardo’s 36 artworks on display

The Newport Performing Arts Theater on July 17 presented a red carpet screeening of 'The Lion King.'

RWM presents 'The Lion King' INTEGRATED luxury resort Resorts World Manila transformed the Newport Performing Arts Theater into a movie-house like no other for a onenight, red carpet screening of Disney’s The Lion King on July 17.

During the Grand Cinema Night, viewers enjoyed the thrill of watching the live-action retelling of the beloved tale in the vast, luxurious theater with 1,500 of their fellow

fans. Guests were also treated to pre- and post-show entertainment featuring music from the movie played by a 10-piece orchestral ensemble at the NPAT vestibule.

Featuring state-of-the-art technology, RWM’s award-winning NPAT has been the home for numerous highly acclaimed musical productions, world-class concerts, beauty and talent competitions, and more.

ONCE a fashion model, now an artist, Conchitina Sevilla-Bernardo proves that it’s never too late to learn something new.

The septuagenarian mounts her first solo exhibition, featuring 36 of her paintings, at Sunshine Place—the senior recreation center where she learned how to paint and developed her talent.

Bernardo discovered her talent and passion for the arts when she started attending workshops at the Sunshine Place under Art Association of the Philippines president Fidel Sarmiento in February 2016.

“I can go from 10 in the morning to 6 in the evening just painting and I thank maestro Fidel Sarmiento for unselfishly teaching me from zero,” she shared.

Notwithstanding an ailment (extreme tachycardia or irregular heart rhythm) as well as a traumatic experience with an art teacher in Chinese painting who turned her down and asked her to look for another hobby, the etiquette and social grace

Conchitina Bernardo (right) with her mentor, Arts Association of the Philippines president Fidel Sarmiento.

instructress persevered and eventually amazed everyone with her work.

“Painting is like calisthenics,” she said. “It exercises your mind as you do your strokes and helps delay aging process. I find it very useful for me because it keeps me alert, helps me focus, and most of all, it makes me happy.”

Her first ever painting was “The Mare and Her Foal” in graphite, acrylic, and bronze leaf.

Some of her artworks that comprise her solo show “Gilded Graphite” include poignant portraits of endangered species of birds and deer, her “spirit animal,” as well as canvasses that bloom with hydrangea, her favorite flower.

Bernardo’s show runs from July 30 to August 8 at Sunshine Place. Proceeds from the sale of her paintings will be for the benefit of the San Lorenzo Ruiz Home for the Elderly.

Acrylic Painting Classes at Sunshine Place are held every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for beginners; and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. for intermediate/advanced and large canvass students.

Call (02) 856-4162 or 0917-5155656, or email seniorhubjupiter@ gmail.com for inquiries.

Some of Bernardo's artworks on display include (from left) 'Missing A Toe,' 'Whispered Pastel Hues,' 'Thumbergia Grandiflora and The Visayan Spotted Fawn,' and 'Day Break Over Pangil River.'

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Entertainment

FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019

nickie.standard@gmail.com

‘Dragon Lady’ airs finale this Saturday

Female Artist of the Year Moira dela Torre also won the Best Collaboration of the Year for the song “Kung ‘Di Rin Lang Ikaw’ with December Avenue.

OPM’s young blood dominated MOR

Pinoy Music Awards 2019 M OIRA dela Torre, Sam Mangubat, and juan karlos won big at the MOR Pinoy Music Awards 2019, the much-awaited recognition honoring OPM’s best held at the Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday, July 16.

Pinoy rock band, juan karlos, bagged the most coveted award—Song of the Year for the hit song “Buwan.”

Meanwhile, retaining her title this year is Idol Philippines judge Moira after being named Female Artist of the Year for the second time around. She also got the Best Collaboration of the Year for the song “Kung ‘Di Rin Lang Ikaw’ with December Avenue.

The MOR Pinoy Music Awards also hailed singer-songwriter Sam Mangubat as Male Artist of the Year for his single “Pagkat Nariyan Ka.” Apart from the awards, ABS-CBN’s FM station also decided to bring back its Band of the Year award by giving it to Ben & Ben for its famous song “Maybe the Night.”

MOR also recognized the contribution of Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez-Alcasid in the OPM industry by awarding her the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. Joining her in a special tribute were Jona, Bugoy Drilon, Daryl Ong, Michael Pangilinan, and Katrina Velarde.

Other notable awardees are Maymay Entrata with LSS Song of the Year, Shanti Dope with Best New Artist, This Band with Digital Artist of the Year, Janine Teñoso with OPM Revival Song of the Year, Cup of Joe with Regional Song of the Year, and Alex Gonzaga with Phenomenal Artist of the Year.

OPM legends Jaya, Randy Santiago, Jamie Rivera, Renz Verano, Bituin Escalante, and Wency Cornejo, also graced the MOR Pinoy Music Awards.

The 6th MOR Pinoy Music Awards was hosted by MOR 101. 9 DJs, Jhai Ho, Cha Cha, Ana Ramsey, Joco Loco, Eva Ronda, Maki Rena, Rico Romantiko, Biboy Buenas, Nikki Morena, Kinoy, Popoy, Jasmin, Digong Dantes, Kimbo, Kisses, Onse, Edu Cariño, and Reggie V.

Male Artist of the Year Sam Mangubat

CURSES are broken and secrets are out, will another stroke of luck favor the Dragon Lady until her very last fight?

Top-rating GMA Afternoon Prime series Dragon Lady is set to conclude its run tomorrow, July 20, after months of suspenseful antics and riveting rivalry between families of Filipino-Chinese descent.

Dragon Lady delved on the captivating tale of a young lady born with dragon-like features. Her physical traits and mystical power unleash the independent and fierce lady boss in her.

Bannering the show and their first team-up in a series, sought-after Kapuso stars Janine Gutierrez and Tom Rodriguez shared their unforgettable experiences on set and what they will miss the most while filming the drama series.

Janine, who portrays the role of Celestina/Scarlet, said she is mostly grateful for the memories that she and her co-stars shared during taping, “Thankful and happy. Masaya talaga ‘yungbonding namin dito sa set. Mostly girls kasi kami so puro chikahan and kainan. Kahit na mabigat ‘yung story line, ‘yung mga linyahan namin nakakatuwa. Very campy ‘yung show, kung saan-saan kami nagsasabunutan, sa freezer and supermarket. Kahit na ang intense ng mga eksena, enjoy kami kapag ginagawa namin kaya sa tingin ko marami rin ang nageenjoy na panoorin ‘yung mga sabunutan and one liner.”

Tom, who breathes life into the character of Michael, expressed his admiration towards his costars and their professionalism whenever on set, “I will miss the whole group.

Iba rin kasi ‘yung bonding namin kapag nasa set. Umaga pa lang kulitan na agad.

But the clamor we’ve received is really because of our group effort. Everyone’s just been doing an amazing job.”

Diana Zubiri, who plays Almira, shared the inseparable bond that blossomed between the cast while working together, “Lahat sila mami-miss ko kasi naging close talaga kami. Siyempre si Janine, ang aking anak-anakan sa show. Tuwing break, sabay-sabay kaming kumakain at nag-uusap.

Lahat kami dito positive lang, mababait silang katrabaho.”

Joyce Ching, who has con-

vincingly given justice to her kontrabida role as Astrid, expressed her sentiments over the viewers and netizens who have bombarded her social media accounts with hate comments, “Actually, napaka-refreshing. May mga nababasa akong masasakit na salita and para sa akin ang refreshing noon na puro hate comments. Noong nagkokontrabida kasi ako before, hindi pa naman uso ang social media. Minsan nahu-hurt pero nakakatuwa na ganoon sila ka-affected sa acting namin.”

Meanwhile, Edgar Allan Guzman, who plays Goldwyn, shared that working with Janine has helped him hone his craft even better, “Mami-miss ko si Janine kasi first time ko siyang nakatrabaho and at the same time, we became close kasi ‘yung mga eksena namin usually emotional. Tuwing may scenes kami together, bigayan talaga kami. Masarap siyang katrabaho.”

How else can Celestina prove her worth as the rightful heiress to the Chua clan? Will the elusive good fortune finally fall into the hands of the Dragon Lady this time around?

Under the helm of esteemed director Paul Sta. Ana, don’t miss the finale of Dragon Lady tomorrow after Eat Bulaga on GMA Afternoon Prime.

‘Dragon Lady’ lead cast Tom Rodriguez and Janine Gutierrez

Best New Artist Shanti Dope

LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE: Watch Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao take on undefeated American welterweight champion Keith Thurman at Hippodrome Bar & Lounge in Winford Manila Resort & Casino on July 21, 8:00 a.m. Admission is free with VIP seats available for P650.00 inclusive of food and drinks. Terms and conditions apply.

Digital Artist of the Year This Band

8th Miss Tourism Philippines search kicks off

By Eton Concepcion

Miss Tourism Philippines 2019 candidates pose for the photographers during a press presentation

THE Miss Tourism Philippines 2019 now on its eighth year, presented to the press thirty-one lovely, talented and intelligent candidates selected from across the country, held at Venue Hotel, Makati City early this month.

The girls, endorsed by the LGU executives, city mayors and local tourism officers, are vying for the three titles at stake, namely, Miss Tourism Queen Worldwide, Miss Tourism Universe and Miss Tourism World.

Miss Tourism Philippines (MTP) Inc., headed

by Amelia Sunio-Abarquez, president and CEO, partners with the local government to achieve its

objective to promote tourism thru beauty, arts and culture, in response to the government’s call for the promotion of tourism and the arts among Filipinos.

The candidates were paraded in swimsuits Voted Darling of the Press was Stephanie Mae Angelica Montes of Aurora province while Elena Marie Cabaltican of Isabela was named Miss Body Beautiful.

The MTP 2019, aside from looking for beautiful, talented and physically fit women, will also collaborate with a television travel show to be aired weekly featuring different tourist spots, favorite local delicacies, and celebrities.

The Grand Coronation Night will be held on July 28 in the province of Aurora.

Motoring

FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019

C3

Text and photo by Lester Dizon

I

AM A big fan of the Honda Jazz. Consider that when it was introduced in 2001, the firstgeneration Jazz (GD-series) or Fit, as it is labelled in other markets, immediately achieved international recognition by winning Japan Car of the Year for 2001-2002 and Japan Car of the Year 30th Anniversary Special Award “Best 3rd Decade Car;’’ RJC Car of the Year Award 2002; Top Gear Survey 2006 Best Small Car and Second Best overall; and IGN Best of 2006 Awards Killer B-Segment Award.

The second-generation Jazz/Fit (GEseries) debuted in 2007 and continued the winning streak by being in Car and Driver magazine’s Ten Best list from 2007-2013 as the Best Small Car; Greenercars.org‘s One of the Greenest Vehicles of 2007 and 2008; MotorWeek Drivers’ Choice Awards 2007 Best Small Car and Best of the Year; U.S. News & World Report Best Economy Car for 2008; Cars.com Top 10 Urban Vehicles for 2008; MotorWeek Drivers’ Choice Awards 2009 Best Small Car; Motor Trend magazine’s 2009 Car of the Year Finalist; U.S. News & World Report 2010 Best Hatchback for the Money; Consumer Reports’ Best Overall Value from 2010-2012 and Best Cars for Families Awards as the No. 1 in Affordable Small Cars. Such a huge list of awards for such a small car.

The 1st-generation Jazz (GD-series) was introduced in the Philippines in 2004 and received a minor facelift in 2006.

We test drove a 2nd-generation Jazz (GE-series) in 2009.

Ever since the Philippine debut of the Honda Jazz in 2004, I was enamored with the Japanese sub-compact. My admiration for it grew even more when Jeff Reyes and I finished second place as Team Philippine STAR in the 2007 Petron Xtra Mile Challenge Media Edition, and again

in the 2008 Petron Xtra Mile Challenge Championship Edition, where we drove 1,323.5 kilometers on a single full tank of fuel. When Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) deployed the Jazz 1.5 S MT to replace the Civic and City in the 2007 Honda Media Challenge gymkhana races, my admiration for it became even stronger.

I joined the celebration when Honda announced that more than 5 million Jazz/Fit units were sold around the world in 2012.

That’s why I’m such a huge fan.

When HCPI asked me if I’d like to test drive a third-generation Jazz (GK-series), their top-of-the-line 2019 Honda Jazz 1.5 RS Navi CVT, I immediately jumped at the chance. The RS Navi CVT, as the name implies, is the upmarket Rally Sport (RS) version of the Jazz equipped with a satellite navigation system, a continuously variable transmission (CVT), and body enhancements such as a special front grille, bumper and air-dam spoiler, side rocker panels, rear roof-mounted spoiler, rear bumper with lower air diffuser that are exclusive to the model. Our good friends at HCPI sent their Jazz 1.5 RS finished in a bright hue of Rally Red that contrasts with the gloss black 15-spoke 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels shod with 185/55R16 Bridgestone Turanza tires.

Just being around this “Hot Hatch/Boy

ALL THAT JAZZ! Racer” made us feel 20 years younger.

Our Rally Red Jazz RS shares a lot of mechanical features with the other variants of the Jazz GK-series, which was launched in 2014. The P868,000 Jazz 1.5 V MT with a 5-speed stick shift, the P918,000 Jazz 1.5 V CVT equipped with the Earth Dreams CVT, the P998,000 Jazz 1.5 VX Navi CVT, and our P1,088,000 Jazz 1.5 RS Navi CVT are all powered by a transverse-mounted 1,497cc inline 4-cylinder i-VTEC engine with a single overhead camshaft (SOHC) and 16 valves that chruns out 118 horsepower at 6,600 rpm. Acceleration is brisk, especially with 145 Newton-meters of torque moving a subcompact hatchback weighing just 1,043 kilograms. Like our RS,

the 1.5 VX rolls on 16-inch wheels while the 1.5 V MT and CVT variants roll on 15-inch wheels. Because of the exclusive bumpers, our Jazz 1.5 RS is a few millimeters longer (4,051 mm versus 3,989 mm) than the other variants.

As you would expect, the interior of our Jazz 1.5 RS is jazzed-up as much as the exterior. The leather portions of the seats, steering wheel, and shift knob feature red stitching, which matches the red finish of our car. The seats are ergonomically designed for long-distance comfort as well as for occasionally attacking the curves while the leather-wrapped 3-spoke steering wheel provides a firm grip for maneuvering the EPS electrically-assisted rack and pinion steering system. Remote

Isuzu turns over 24 modern PUVs to Alabang Transport Service Coop

Breaking of the mochi

• Nissan PH inaugurates new office NISSAN Philippines, Inc. held a traditional Japanese ceremony on July 16, 2019 to inaugurate their new offices at the Ecoprime Tower located at the corner of 32nd Avenue and 9th Street in the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig City.

NPI President and Managing Director Atsushi Najima was joined by Nissan Motor Co. Regional Senior Vice President and Nissan Asia and Oceania Management Committee Chairman Yutaka Sanada and Former Senate President and Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas Ng Bayan (PDPLaban) President Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III in performing Kagami Biraki, which literally translates to “Opening the Mirror” or “Breaking of the Mochi”.

NPI President and Managing Director Atsushi Najima toasts sake with Senator Koko Pimentel and Nissan Motor Co. Regional SVP Yutaka Sanada.

The ceremony refers to the opening of a Kagami mochi or the opening of a cask of sake (Japanese rice wine) at a party or a ceremony.

The fourth Tokugawa shōgun (war lord) started this tradition 300 years ago when he gathered his daimyō (feudal lords) in his castle to break open a sake cask before going into battle and after achieving victory. Nowadays, this traditional Japanese ceremony is performed at weddings, sporting events, and opening days at new companies, such as the inauguration of the new NPI offices.

During his speech, Sanada-san stated that the new NPI offices will enhance the productivity of the NPI associates in working towards their goal of promoting and marketing Nissan products in the Philippines and in ensuring customer satisfaction while doing so.

He commended the NPI management and staff for their valuable contribution in enlarging the market share of Nissan in the country and its current position in the local automotive industry. Sanada-san reiterated the commitment of NPI to introduce the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle (EV) to the Philippine market in 2020.

He added that while there’s still a lot of work needed to create the infrastructure to ensure the viability of EVs in the country, he feels confident that with the help of the government and with the hard work of the NPI associates, Filipino buyers will see the benefits of driving the Nissan Leaf.

Former Senate President and PDP-Laban President Senator Koko Pimentel Senator Koko Pimentel surprised everyone by starting his delivery with “Ohayō gozaimasu“, which is “Good morning” in Japanese.

He praised Nissan for their commitment in helping the Philippine economy and for their commitment in working towards a “Zero Impact” carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from their products by introducing the Nisan Leaf EV. The good senator, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, is also an active environmentalist.

“In all likelihood, I shall be retaining the Committee Chairmanship.

I will endeavor to ensure that new laws that are more supportive to the promotion and use of EVs shall be drafted and hopefully passed”, he promised. “I am most interested in the Nissan Leaf and its introduction into the Philippine automotive market next year. I look forward to NPI helping protect the environment for the benefit of the future generation.”

NPI President Atsushi Najima, Nissan Motor’s Regional Senior Vice President Yutaka Sanada and Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III perform the Kagami Biraki or the Breaking of the Mochi.

controls for the infotainment system and the cruise control reside at the steering wheel spokes while paddle shifters for the 7-speed CVT are found behind.

The touch screen infotainment system features USB and Bluetooth connectivity and satellite navigation while convenience features include smart key w/push start/stop button, automatic climate control, and center console with armrest. A green ECON button helps you drive with increased fuel economy while the sporty instrument panel illumination makes you want to go faster.

For safety, our Jazz 1.5 RS features hill start assist (HSA), vehicle stability assist (VSA), side mirrors with turning lights, emergency stop signal (ESS) and sidecurtain airbags. And of course, the Jazz is renowned for its innovative Magic Seating interior arrangement with its Utility, Long, Tall and Refresh modes. This is the feature that attracted me to the Jazz in the first place. I’m just glad that the Honda engineers and designers continued to incorporate this feature into the current version.

The trademark “Magic Seating” of the Jazz is adaptable to any cargo by simply folding the seats in various configurations.

The instructions for adjusting the interior to Utility, Long, Tall and Refresh modes are easy to follow.

With the seats up, the rear compartment can accommodate 384 liters of luggage and stuff.

Chevron Philippines Inc. celebrates Caltex’s record-breaking journey with a toast. In photo L-R: KC Montero; Brian Fisher, Caltex Brand Manager; Greg Engeler, Product Engineering Manager for Caltex; Louie Zhang, CPI Country Chairman, Natasha Chang and Dingdong Dantes, Caltex’s newest brand ambassador.

Caltex fuels world-record campaign

CALTEX, marketed by Chevron Philippines Inc. said that their latest campaign, World RecordBreaking Fuel, collaborating with a two-part series on National Geographic’s Record Rides to demonstrate how a world-class fuel could power record-breaking feats.

The automotive reality entertainment series pits adrenaline junkie and radio DJ, KC Montero, against Jamaican-Chinese professional rally race car driver, Natasha Chang, to break new grounds: the fastest ascent of Doi Chang Mountain Road using an everyday car boosted with Caltex fuel.

“As a leading visual storyteller, National Geographic’s programming pillars of exploration, education and science resonate well with the Caltex brand. Hence, we are proud to partner with the channel to create Record Rides for our viewers and motorists in Asia.”

“This show will demonstrate how Caltex with Techron fuels can power an engine towards achieving an extraordinary journey,” says Brian Fisher, Caltex Brand Manager.

Guinness World Records’ long standing 63-year history and credibility made them the obvious partner to demonstrate how a world-class fuel could power record-breaking feats.

“Caltex partnered with Guinness World Records and set a timing of 6 minutes 52.692 seconds with Natasha achieving the coveted title the fastest ascent of Doi Chang Mountain Road by using a 28-year old car,” added Fisher.

“With the world record powered

by Caltex with Techron our campaign encourages drivers to fuel up the same fuel that set a world record and experience its power in their everyday drive.”

To perform at maximized power, an engine requires unrestricted air and fuel delivery which cannot happen when deposits are on the intake valves and port fuel injectors. Techron’s unique chemistry is proven to remove and protect an engine from deposits in these critical areas. Caltex with Techron® also contains Clean & Glide technology, which further helps to reduce friction, helping maximize power.

“Caltex with Techron® is specially formulated to clean and protect engines. The GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title achievement helps demonstrate how a clean engine powered by Techron® can function at its most optimum, which includes delivering maximum power to your wheels. This is the same fuel that our customers can experience at their neighbourhood Caltex stations to power their everyday drive,” said Greg Engeler, Product Engineering Manager for Caltex.

The campaign rolls out in Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, and Hong Kong from July to October 2019.

Caltex Philippines introduces new brand ambassador Caltex also introduced their latest brand ambassador, Jose Sixto Gonzalez Dantes III, more commonly known as Dingdong Dantes. Among his many feats is being an award winning Filipino actor, film producer, television presenter and an effective endorser. He also co-owns a car dealership in Paranaque; manages his own film studio, AgostoDos Pictures, and serves as the founding chairman of the YesPinoy Foundation. Aside from these, Dingdong is also a husband and is a father to two kids.

ISUZU Philippines Corporation (IPC), the country’s leading manufacturer specializing in trucks and light commercial vehicles, announces its PUV turnover to Alabang Transport Service Cooperative.

IPC has turned over 24 units of Class 2 PUVs with bodies manufactured by Almazora and Centro, to Alabang Transport Service Cooperative (ATSC) last July 12, 2019 at Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway (MCX) attended by IPC Executives, ATSC Officers, and Municipal Officials, for their immediate deployment from Las Piñas and Paranaque to Alabang.

Alabang, part of the second district of Muntinlupa, has undergone tremendous growth mainly due to a development boom in the late 1990s. The development of high-end large scale commercial real estate projects changed its landscape which was once vast fields of cow pasture until the late 1980s into a district that houses new residential, business, industrial and commercial establishments. Some of the country’s premier business district which specializes in hosting information and technology industries, hotel buildings, and other business sectors are important places of interest and landmarks of the district.

“We are glad that there is a growing number of transport cooperatives like Alabang Trans-

port Service Cooperative who trust our brand and is confident that Isuzu will be able to serve their mission to the community.” said IPC President Hajime Koso.

Alabang Transport Service Cooperative is one of the oldest and biggest cooperative in Muntinlupa, and it is evident that the cooperative grows steadily since its founding on year 1975.

“As our cooperative grows, we are assured that through the newly acquired Isuzu PUVs, we are able to promote development of the transport service here in Alabang, improve the quality, and safety of the commuters, and to serve our mission to the community of Muntinlupa.” said ATSC Chairman Bienvenido Barra.

Isuzu PUVs are designed to deliver powerful driving performance, high durability, comfort, convenience, and good transport quality. Equipped with air-condition by Coolaire, CCTV and dashcam, GPS tracking system, and automated electronic fare collection system, all for the safety, comfort, and convenience of Filipino commuters.

Isuzu’s top priority is to give transport solution to Filipino Commuters by providing safer and more environment-friendly transport options. Isuzu PUVs are also equipped with PWDfriendly features for the convenience of commuters. Isuzu aims to improve the PUVs more for a better transport system.

Environment-friendly PUVs built by Isuzu

Motoring

RAMON L. TOMELDAN Editor

C4 FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019

Battle of the Volks

2019 Santana vs.

1974 Super Beetle: 45-Year Generation Gap

Text and photos by Lester Dizon

W

HILE test driving the 2019 Volkswagen Santana 1.4 MPI Trendline, we realized that there’s a 45 year gap between it and the other volks (people’s) wagen (car) in our garage—our recently-acquired 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle 1303 S.

Our test Santana is the base model with the 1.5 MPI Automatic Trendline and the 1.5 MPI Automatic Comfortline variants above it, while our 1974 Super Beetle was the mid-level model between the base model 1300 and the top-of-the-line 1303 LS variants.

Despite this model disparity, we couldn’t help but make a fun comparison between the two cars.

As you can see from the specs comparison above, there’s several similarities and differences between today’s wagen for the volks and the ones made 45 years ago. While both cars are sedans, the Santana has four doors while our Super Beetle has two. While both have 4-cylinder gasoline engines, the front-wheel-drive (FWD) Santana has a 90-metric horsepower liquid-cooled inline-four with multi-point electronic fuel injection (MPI) at the front while our rear-wheel-drive (RWD) Super Beetle has a 60-horsepower air-cooled flat-four with a single barrel carburetor at the back. While both have manual transmissions, the Santana has a 5-speed while our Super Beetle has a 4-speed. While both are European cars, the Santana was built in Anting, China by SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Volkswagen and Shanghai Automotive Industries Corporation (SAIC), while our Super Beetle was built in Wolfsburg, Germany by Volkswagenwerke AG, the original VW factory.

Our green 1974 Super Beetle has rear wheel drive while the black 2019 Santana has front wheel drive .

Millennial Mismatch Recent surveys have shown that today’s

younger generation, who are often called Millennials, are not as interested in owning or driving automobiles as the older generations. While many of these Millennials may not want to learn the art of driving cars, they’d be surprised to know that both the Santana and our Super Beetle have three pedals (accelerator, brake and clutch) with the Santana’s pedals hinged from the top while those on our Beetle are hinged from the bottom. Even though the Santana is easy to steer with its electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) system, the large-diameter steering wheel of our Super Beetle makes its manual rack and pinion system steer almost as light and almost as easy.

The base model Santana comes with standard cloth seats and headrests while our Super Beetle came with basket weave vinyl seats without headrests and a leatherette interior, which was the mid-level trim for European Super Beetles in the ’70s.

The seats in both Volkswagen models are comfortable but the Santana’s bolstered and padded seats feel like you’re cocooned in them while our Super Beetle’s front seats feel like you’re perched on softlysprung armchairs. Modern ergonomic science ensured everything’s within easy reach in the Santana while early anatomical studies used in car production means you need to reach for some of the control knobs in our Super Beetle.

Back to Basics The Santana and our Super Beetle both represent basic cars that are designed to serve a defined purpose – to transport people and their stuff from point A to point B safely, reliably, and economically. However, the definition of “basis transportation”

Rear wheel drive or front wheel drive? Volks populi.

Despite the generational disparity, both Santana and Super Beetle are lovable and fun to drive.

has evolved in the last 45 years and this evolution is manifested by the difference of the “basic” equipment fitted by the factory into each vehicle. But, as the saying goes, “The more things change, the more they remain the same”, some aspects of the wagen for the common volks tend to remain constant.

Today’s customer expectations, government safety regulations, corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards, and global environmental issues have influenced the design of the modern people’s car. Engineers and designers look to the past merely for inspiration when injecting character into modern vehicles but have to comply with current regulations and forecast future trends when designing modern

cars. While the principles of the internal combustion engine, self-propulsion and transportation is basically the same, the methods and efficiencies have far departed from the old, obsolete technology. Some features of the Santana retain the VW character that loyal owners will find familiar.

Updated for Modern Living As we delved further into our modern-versus-old Volkswagen people’s car comparison, we found some features and accessories in our two cars that are somewhat related to one another. We chuckled at how the technology of these features and accessories that we found inside these wagens has advanced to the point that today’s volks have taken them for granted.

Some of the features are commonly found

in all cars, old and new, like window risers and door pockets. It is how the design and function of these features have progressed that had us truly amazed.

Our particular Santana test unit came with the optional Blaupunkt Philadelphia 865 infotainment system with AM/FM radio, CD/MP3/DVD player, satellite navigation, AUX, USB, and Bluetooth connectivity while our Super Beetle came with an aftermarket AM/FM radio cassette tape player with PLL synthesizer tuner and auto reverse (!) and other additional accessories when we got it, such as a single-speed electric fan and a Carmate Zax compass and thermometer that were attached using double-sided tape. It was just fun to see how far car accessories have progressed!

Gear up for the rainy days, the Hella way IT’S that time of the year again when the season starts to change. From hot and dry to cold and wet, the rainy season is already starting to make its presence felt in the country. As we start to get more rain showers, it’s time for you to check on your car again and make sure that it’s ready to take on the force of a great typhoon.

HELLA, a European manufacturer of auto parts, presents a quick rundown of the parts that matter for safer travels, especially when you’re driving on a slippery road.

Tires. While it is common practice to have your tires checked regularly, it is also helpful to make sure that they are well-inflated in time for rainfall. Ensure that your car has enough tread depth and grooves left before you travel to avoid swerving or going off course.

Wipers. When the rain starts to pour, your first instinct is to turn on your wipers to have a clearer view of the road. If you’re doubting your wipers’ ability to clean, test them. If they leave a streak of water on your windshield then it’s probably time to change them.

HELLA offers different wipers that perform well under the rain that you can choose from. Featuring a nanotechnology graphite-coated rubber blade, HELLA’s wipers provide a smooth and

For a clear visibility at all points, wiper blades.

quiet operation delivering clear visibility at every point. These are the Premium Wiper Blade, Curvo Wiper Blade and Razor Wiper Blade.

HELLA’s wipers offer a smooth and quiet operation, delivering clear visibility at every point.

Horns. Car horns serve as another way

to ensure safe travels during heavy rainfall. With zero visibility, drivers can use their horns to signal the cars in front of them. Make sure your car’s horns are still producing loud and crisp sound because if it isn’t, then better consider having them replaced.

HELLA has horns with varying sounds

that are suitable for all weather conditions. Some of the horns include compact with optimal sound projection like the Compact Horn, soft timbre and mellow sound for a more harmonic tone like the Royal Twin Tone trumpet horn, and a strong penetrating tone that is ideal for

tough off-road use like Super Tone Horn.

They have twice the lifetime of original equipment (OE) specifications, corrosion resistant, and can be installed easily in tight and limited spaces.

From L to R: Compact Horn, Royal Twin Tone Horn and Super Tone Horn