Manila Standard - 2019 September 5 - Thursday

twitter.com/ MlaStandard

facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH

S

manilastandard.net

Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circulation@manilastandard.net

HK SHELVES EXTRADITION BILL IN BID TO END CRISIS HONG KONG’S embattled pro-Beijing leader announced Wednesday she will permanently shelve a loathed extradition bill that lit the fuse for three months of pro-democracy protests which have plunged the city into crisis.

“The government will formally withdraw the bill in order to fully allay public concerns,” chief executive Carrie Lam said in a video statement released via her office.

Lam, the city’s chief executive, earlier told a group of pro-Beijing lawmakers that she would withdraw the legislation, Felix Chung said.

Turn to A3

Carrie Lam

VOL. XXXIII • NO. 203 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Faeldon has to go—Duterte For disobeying Rody’s order not to release convicts

Panelo cleared of wrongdoing in Sanchez case

By MJ Blancaflor and Macon Ramos-Araneta

By MJ Blancaflor and Macon Ramos-Araneta

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday fired Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor Faeldon following a scandal over the early release of thousands of inmates for good behavior, including those convicted of heinous crimes.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte defended his spokesman and chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo who came under fire for referring the application for clemency of convicted rapist and murderer Antonio Sanchez to the Board of Pardons and Parole.

“It was not his fault. He referred it to the proper entity and that is the Board.

Panelo did not commit any infraction,” the President said.

Duterte said Panelo’s action was “a consequence” of his being a lawyer.

Panelo was one of the seven defense lawyers of Sanchez in his 1993 case where he was sentenced to seven counts of reclusion perpetua.

Duterte said there was no conflict of interest on Panelo’s part as he vouched for the character of his spokesman.

“I can vouch for his character. He did what is right. I have full faith in Panelo,” the President added.

Next page

Pinoy polevaults to Olympics

By Peter Atencio FILIPINO pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena is going to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, making him the first Filipino to qualify for the quadrennial athletic event.

Obiena, the 2019 Asian Athletics Championship pole vault gold medalist and Philippine record holder, cleared 5.81 meters during a pole vault meet in Chiara, Italy. Turn to A3

FUMING FIRE. President Rodrigo Duterte, his back against the wall Wednesday, fires Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor Faeldon (right) for ‘disobeying’ his order to stop the release of heinous crime convicts but defends his spokesman and chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo (left), former defense lawyer of convicted rapist-murderer Antonio Sanchez, who himself took hits for referring the application for clemency of Sanchez to the Board of Pardons and Parole.

SPORTS A8

Next page

Sarmenta family Rody ready to go to war in defense of Sulu Sea but ...

Joyce Pangco Pañares, to Sanchez kin: ByMaricel V. Cruz We don’t want and Rey E. Requejo your money THE family of Eileen Sarmenta, in an interview with ABS-CBN Wednesday, said it was no longer pursuing the payment of civil damages from convicted rapist-murderer Antonio Sanchez.

During the Senate hearing on Tuesday, Senator Franklin Drilon asked Sanchez’ camp whether civil damages had been settled with the families of victims, Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez, amounting to more than P12 million.

Elvira Sanchez, common-law-wife of the former Calauan, Laguna mayor, said they had no intentions of compensating the victims, claiming Sanchez was innocent of the crime.

Mrs. Clara Sarmenta said that Sanchez failed to prove that he was innocent of the crime in the course of the trial.

Next page

Harry Potter books banned Down and out of contention

“Faeldon has to go because Faeldon disobeyed my order,” Duterte said in a televised speech.

“He [Faeldon] said he was placing his destiny on my hands. Now here’s the time [for him to resign],” Duterte said.

The President said that he had ordered Faeldon—through his trusted aide and now Senator Christopher Go—to stop the release of inmates convicted of heinous crimes.

“He should have echoed my orders to him. No releases... What he did the following day was he tried to justify their computation which might be correct but the problem was there was a fire burning,” Duterte said.

When asked by reporters, he did not categorically state if he will reappoint Faeldon to another government position.

“Given his history, what will you do?”

Duterte asked reporters.

Faeldon used to be the Bureau of Customs chief but he stepped down after millions of pesos worth of shabu slipped through the ports. Duterte later reappointed him to BuCor. Duterte also refused to say if Faeldon still has his trust and confidence.

He ordered the almost 2,000 inmates

WASHINGTON—Exorcists advised a Nashville school priest to ban the Harry Potter books, over fears the popular children’s novels could be used to summon spirits.

Reverend Dan Reehil contacted Turn to A3

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said he is ready to go to war if any country should claim the Sulu Sea, but admitted he cannot do the same with China over maritime disputes in the West Philippine Sea. “I have plans also of my own. The Sulu Sea is ours. I will never budge also.

When the time comes, we will also pa-

trol that area to show that is mine. I will not compromise—we can go to war over that. Sulu Sea is ours. That will really be contentious because I am ready to form a blockade [if other countries claim Sulu Sea],” he said in a press briefing Wednesday evening.

President Duterte, however, acknowledged that going to war with Beijing is not an option despite the repeated incursions by Chinese vessels.

He said he raised the arbitral decision

that favored Manila against Beijing’s nine-dash-line claim over the entire South China Sea in his bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week.

“I told him, Mr. President I am here and the most important purpose of my visit is I am reiterating the arbitral award that was in our favor. I am here to reiterate it because your response in our previous meeting was we will do it peacefully.

Now I am asking you, how do we do it peacefully?”

Next page

NFA told to buy farmers’ palay harvest China bid to ban

By MJ Blancaflor PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday ordered the National Food Authority to buy all the rice harvest of local farmers following the steep drop of palay prices.

“We are not wasting money. We are making sure our industry does not go to waste,” President Duterte said.

“Don’t mind if we face bankruptcy. We

collect taxes to help people,” he added.

Duterte’s directive came amid reports that farmgate prices of palay dropped to as low as P7 to P11 in some provinces.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar said some millers and traders are using the implementation of the Rice Tarrification law, which eased policies on rice imports, as an excuse to hoard.

Next page

WEATHER ‘Liwayway’ exits PAR “LIWAYWAY” intensified into a typhoon as it continued to move out of the country.

In its 5 a.m. severe weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Turn to A3

POGOs unheeded

By Joyce Pangco Pañares PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations will continue despite an appeal by Chinese President Xi Jinping to stop online gambling in the country.

“Out of courtesy, I will listen to you [Xi] but I decide. And I decide that we need it because a lot of Filipinos will lose jobs if we shut down POGO operations. Anyway, these are government-controlled,” Duterte said in a press briefing Wednesday evening.

“If we only have enough jobs for our people, we do not need this stupid thing—gambling—but at this time, there is nothing I can do. A lot of Filipinos are hungry and need jobs,” he said.

Next page

A2

News

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

SC: Same-sex union petition fails

By Rey E. Requejo

T

HE Supreme Court has dismissed the petition seeking to allow same-sex marriages due to lack of substance, Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin said on Wednesday.

He said the high court ruling could not even be used as a precedent, referring to the decisions that could be used as a guide in resolving cases with similar issues or facts.

“Right now, that case did not re-

solve anything about same-sex marriage. The opinions that were expressed there will not be controlling,” Bersamin told reporters.

“We cannot call our decision as a precedent because all of these opin-

ions that they [ justices] submitted are merely dictum proprium [personal opinion].”

The petition filed by Jesus Nicardo Falcis III was to nullify Articles 1 and 2 of the Family Code as well as Articles 46 (4) and 55 (6) of the same law. Articles 1 and 2 limited marriages between a man and a woman while Articles 46(4) and 55 (6) mention lesbianism or homosexuality as grounds for annulment and legal separation.

However, the petition was dismissed for violating the principle of hierarchy of courts, failure to raise an actual justiciable controversy and Falcis had no legal standing.

Bersamin said Falcis should have tried applying for a marriage license.

“If his application was denied, he would have given more justiciability to his case,” he said.

“But then, we found out that he did not even bother to apply for that license.”

Fil-Am dad, 3 Online bullying affects half of kids aged 13-17 daughters die in US boat fire DALY CITY―A Filipino-American father and his three daughters were among the 34 people killed in a boat fire near Santa Cruz Island in Southern California on Labor Day, ABSCBN reported on Wednesday.

A relative identified the victims as Michael Quitasol and his daughters Evan, Nicole and Angela.

Michael’s wife Fern, who was his daughters’ stepmother, was also on board the Concepcion, a 75-foot boat that offered a scuba experience.

She was not of Filipino descent.

The scuba-diving vessel had embarked for California’s Channel Islands on Saturday morning with 39 people on board. It caught fire past 3 a.m. on Monday while it was moored just off the shore of Santa Cruz Island.

Five crew members who were above deck on the bridge escaped the fire as the passengers slept in the ship’s lower quarters.

The 34 others are presumed dead, according to the US Coast Guard, which called off the search on Tuesday morning.

The Concepcion was on a three-day excursion to the Channel Islands, and was due back in Santa Barbara at 5 p.m. Monday.

A Give InKind page was created to help the family, which has so far raised more than $4,375 of their $20,000 goal.

China...

From A1

The President, however, issued a stern warning to POGO operators not to be remiss in remitting proper taxes.

“Do not fool me. Do not fuck with me. If you do not remit, even just once, you better close down and we will talk,” he said.

“I will go to your house and we will talk. I don’t care whoever is the gambling lord involved. I will tell you, ‘You son of a bitch I already told you not to fool the government,’” Duterte added.

On Aug. 21, Beijing asked Manila to ban all forms of online gambling as it lauded the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation’s decision to suspend new applications for POGO amid concerns that Chinese workers in the country do not have valid work permits.

“We hope the Philippines will go further and ban all online gambling,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said.

Online gambling employs close to 130,000 Chinese nationals in the Philippines.

During their bilateral meeting in Beijing last week, Xi told Duterte that gambling is illegal in China, and that most POGO players are Chinese nationals who may be laundering money.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue has collected about P200 million in taxes from foreigners working for POGOs.

CYBERVIOLENCE affects almost half of the children aged 13 to 17 in the Philippines, where the prevalence of cyberviolence for males (44 percent) is almost the same for females (43 percent), according to a new poll released on Wednesday by the United Nations Children’s Fund.

The group’s new poll says one in three young people in 30 countries have been a victim of online bullying, with one in five saying they have skipped school due to cyberbullying and violence.

A third of the cyberviolence experienced by Filipino children are in the form of verbal abuse over the Internet or cellphone, while a fourth is through sexual messages.

More females received messages of a sexual nature or content than males.

However, twice as many males than females reported having their nude body or sexual activities, whether real or falsified, shown on the Internet or cellphone.

Violence against children, in all

forms including online bullying or cyberbullying, has devastating effects on the physical and emotional wellbeing of young people. This can create lasting emotional and psychological scars, even physical harm. It is particularly challenging to address since children are vulnerable and have easy access to the Internet, making them easy targets of online violence.

In the UNICEF U-Report poll conducted in June 2019, almost threequarters of young people from 30 countries said social networks including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter are the most common platforms for online bullying. Being connected online means that school no longer ends once a student leaves class, and neither does bullying.

The U-Report further revealed that 32 percent believe that the government is mainly responsible in addressing online bullying, 31 per cent said young people are responsible, while 29 percent

said Internet companies. These show that opinions are equally divided on who should be responsible for ending online bullying―highlighting the need to involve children and young people in the shared responsibility.

UNICEF is calling for urgent action to implement policies that will protect children and young people from bullying―both online and offline. Addressing the problem requires action from all of us.

Establishing and equipping national helplines to support children and young people in reporting violence is a concrete step. Training teachers and parents to respond to and prevent bullying will ensure the safety of children and young people, particularly the most vulnerable ones.

Gathering better data about the online behavior of children and young people, and how criminals are using the Internet, will guide policies and action plans.

Faeldon...

the law which revealed that three of seven convicts in the 1993 high-profile rape and murder of the Chiong sisters case were released due to the law.

“And all consequences connected with this decision will be mine and mine alone. I am ready to be investigated and I’m ready for an impeachment.

And I’m ready to resign if warranted.

But that is my decision and that is mine and mine alone,” he added.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra relayed to him that prisoners who were released based “on a wrongful interpretation or a faulty construction of the law” can be arrested anytime because the order is null and void.

Earlier, calls for Faeldon to resign snowballed in the Senate.

Senator Francis Pangilinan said Faeldon should either quit his post or be removed as BuCor chief as he is avoiding responsibility and accountability, especially in the controversial Sanchez case.

Pangilinan noted that Faeldon had made several excuses when confronted with several highly-contested acts.

In the end, Pangilinan said Faeldon admitted that he signed Sanchez’s release order. He also gave conflicting statements regarding his meetings with the Sanchez family before his scheduled release from the New Bilibid Prison.

“He admitted that he ordered the release despite the qbsence of approval from the DOJ [Department of Justice],” said Pangilinan while referring to Faeldon’s testimony during the hearing on the implementation of the GCTA. Pangilinan said Faeldon should own up to his mistakes and resign, recalling that his stint at Customs was also marred by controversies.

“He was a failure at the BOC, and a failure at BuCor. This government should be ashamed and fire Faeldon and

file a case against him,” Pangilinan said in Filipino.

“His stints in Customs and now in BuCor were associated with drug smuggling and corruption,” Senator Joel Villanueva said in a text message. He said he hoped Faeldon would have the decency to realize he is ineffective and slowly becoming the epitome of the government’s failure to address corruption.

“He should permanently be dumped and not recycled,” he added.

Senator Manny Pacquiao, on the other hand, said Faeldon can spare the President and this administration the embarrassment by taking a leave of absence.

On his Twitter account, Senator Panfilo Lacson said “neither cleansing nor detoxification can cure the Bureau of Corrections. Let’s try evisceration. It might work.”

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said they will see in Thursday’s hearing if they can uncover the truth about reports that millions of pesos changed hands in the release of inmates on good conduct.

“Yes, we have intelligence reports [about the millions involved], which I already shared with Senator Lacson,” Sotto told reporters in an ambush interview.

He also said he has asked the Justice department to suspend and change the implementing rules and regulations of the GCTA Law. Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri, meanwhile, suggested a special prison in the mold of Alcatraz, for inmates convicted of heinous crimes.

He said having an Alcatraz-like prison would keep the public safe.

The Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was a maximum security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, two kilometers off the coast of San Francisco, California, which operated from Aug. 11, 1934, until its closure on March 21, 1963.

he told Palace reporters.

The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry will inspect rice warehouses to ensure that traders and millers are “not managing” the harvest, he said.

House Committee on Ways and Means chairman Joey Salceda reminded the government there are available measures

that could be used to protect farmers from the plummeting prices of palay.

Salceda said the government could invoke Republic Act No. 8800 or the Safeguards Law to impose 30 to 80-percent tariff on imported rice outside the Minimum Access Volume of 350,000 metric tons amid the apparent “surge of rice imports and injury to domestic industry.”

From A1

convicted of heinous crimes released under the Republic Act 10592, a law that cuts prison time for good behavior, to surrender.

“All of those who were convicted and released under the law, 1,700 of you, you surrender and have yourself registered to BuCor. I will give you 15 days liberty provided you make yourself available anytime that you will called for investigation to have a recomputation or if there’s an investigation of corruption that you cooperate fully,” he said.

“If you do not, then beginning at this hour, you are a fugitive from justice.

And you will be treated as a criminal who is evading the law and well, you know things can go wrong. If I were you, I will surrender to the nearest police or military detachment wherever you are now,” he added.

He also said those who implemented the law will be investigated by the Ombudsman, including former BuCor chief and now Senator Ronald dela Rosa.

Under Dela Rosa’s leadership, 120 heinous crime convicts were also released due to Good Conduct Time Allowance, including a prisoner who was jailed because of illegal drugs.

“With Faeldon out, I am ordering all that has opportunity in BuCor to report to me and the secretary of Justice. In the meantime, I will not suspend them.

They will be investigated by the Ombudsman,” he said.

Duterte’s order came amid the public outrage over the possible release of convicted murderer and rapist Antonio Sanchez.

A Senate inquiry was also conducted on Monday and Tuesday to scrutinize

NFA...

From A1

“Even before the inaction of the Rice Tariffication law, isn’t it the palay prices have dropped? So, there are those who abuse it and we see to it that we will apply the full force of the law,”

Sarmenta...

Panelo...

Drilon called on the Department of Justice to push for a Writ of Execution demanding that Sanchez’ camp pay for damages, but Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra cited the prescriptive period for the case.

Sarmenta said the family was not aware of the prescriptive period, neither did they have the means to look for all possible properties of Sanchez for their civil claims.

The Sarmenta family members said they had to raise the issue on the non-payment of civil damages as a question to Sanchez’ release for allegedly “good conduct.”

The Sanchez family has since insisted that the former mayor is eligible for release under the Good Conduct Time Allowance law.

Panelo met with the family of Sanchez not once but twice, the security logbook at the New Executive Building in Malacañang showed.

The logbook showed Elvira Sanchez, the convict’s common-law wife, went to Malacañang on Feb. 7 at 10:33 a.m. The purpose of her visits, the logbook showed, was to a “follow-up” with Panelo.

On Feb 26., Marie Antonelvie (Antonio’s daughter) and Elvira were listed in the logbook for another follow-up with Panelo. The record showed they arrived at 10:12 a.m.

In Tuesday’s press briefing, Panelo defended his non-disclosure of his meetings with

From A1

From A1

Sanchez family.

“The question was in reference to Sanchez himself, if I talked to Mayor Sanchez himself. So I always answered no,” he said.

“Perhaps if the question was: Did the Sanchez family write you a letter? Then I can say, ‘Oh there’s a letter there, yes.’ But the question often is: Do you have a contact with Mayor Sanchez?

Mayor Sanchez himself,” he added.

But in his Aug. 28 briefing in Beijing, Panelo was asked if he had been in communication with the Sanchez family.

He replied: “Eh matagal na kasing nakakulong yun eh. Nung binisita ko siya, three years after the conviction. (He’s been in jail for so long.

When I last visited him, it was three years after the conviction.)”

Panelo was asked again if he no longer had

Six Chinese fugitives arrested

By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Immigration has arrested six high-profile fugitives from China who are wanted for economic crimes and for defrauding many of their compatriots of $100 million through an online lottery gaming scam.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the foreigners, three men and three women, were arrested in Makati and Pasay.

Five of them were arrested inside a condominium at the Circuit Shopping Complex in Carmona, Makati, while one was collared outside Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport as he was about to flee the country.

Those arrested were identified as Wang Yaru, Yu Ming Wei, Wei Chunxue, Li Zhi Cheng, Lin Huzi and Zhou Zhongyi. They are now detained at in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, pending their deportation.

“They will be deported for being undesirable aliens and for being undocumented,” Morente said.

“Their passports were all revoked by the Chinese government. Afterwards, they will be blacklisted and banned from reentering the Philippines.”

The operation was a joint effort of Immigration and the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission whose assistance in locating the fugitives was sought by the Chinese government.

“We will continue to strengthen our partnership with our counterparts abroad in going after foreign fugitives who hide in our country to evade prosecution and punishment for their crimes,” Morente said.

BI intelligence officer Bobby Raquepo said the aliens conspired to defraud their victims of nearly US$100 Million by operating a fraudulent mobile application called “fast 3 Lottery” via the Internet.

Rody...

From A1

“He said, ‘You know our statement was we will not budge.’ He said we do not want to talk because that property is ours—he said as much, but almost in a whisper.”

“I said it will remain a problem.

It will be a thorn, a sore thumb that sticks out painfully everyday,” Duterte said.

He, however, did not pursue the discussion, saying Xi was “under stress” due to the unrest in Hong Kong.

“He shifted [the discussion]. And out of courtesy, I said I will not insist on your answer now. I am not satisfied with your answer but I will not ask for any other answer. He has a problem so naturally he is irritated, so you have to time it—that’s the art of diplomacy,” he said.

Asked for his next step, Duterte said, “Quo vadis, Philippines? If I go to war, you must all agree with me that we will go to war. It will be the end of our civilization. If we go to war, we go to war. If we die, then we all die.”

“If I shoot down one of their [Chinese] vessels, their missiles will rain on us. If I go now to Spratly islands and tell the Navy, attack one of the Chinese coast guard vessels, and I ask the US if they are ready to send their missiles like rain to China—is America ready to help us?”

“They are claiming it as their historical right and they have control over the property. That is our problem. Have you heard of any other sane solution short of going to war?

So what is next? Seize the property?

With what means? On bended knees? ...Might is right. I cannot go to war because we will all get killed,” Duterte added.

connections with his client, to which he said, “Wala na. (Not anymore.)

BPP executive director Reynaldo Bayang on Tuesday confirmed that Panelo had sent him a letter dated Feb. 26, referring Sanchez’s application for clemency.

The revelation drew public outrage, since Panelo served as one of Sanchez’s defense lawyers during his trial for the 1993 rape and murder of Eileen Sarmenta and the killing of Allan Gomez, both UP Los Baños students.

Panelo never mentioned the referral until a copy of his letter surfaced during Senate hearings on the early release program for inmates— which had been spurred by reports that Sanchez might get out of prison early.

Panelo said that he had told the family that he will not intervene in Sanchez’s release.

News Don’t worry despite swine fever—Dar

By MJ Blancaflor

AGRICULTURE Secretary William Dar assured the public on Wednesday that there was nothing to worry about swine fever despite confirming last month that there were incidents of hog deaths in some provinces.

The findings of his department into the swine disease would be out on Friday, he said.

Last month, Dar ordered the conduct of laboratory tests following a two-percent hike in the deaths of pigs in backyard farms.

Dar said quarantine measures were in place.

“Even if it’s positive, but much better if it’s negative, we have quarantine and food safety measures in place all over the country,” he told Palace reporters.

Five areas have been placed under quarantine but the Department of Agriculture refused to identify these provinces.

Some areas in Luzon have recorded suspected cases of African swine fever which causes high fever, loss of appetite, hemorrhages, and death among domestic and wild pigs.

Dar also ordered earlier that all pigs within their one-kilometer radius be culled.

He has also created a crisis management team to address the threats.

Slain solon’s family fights for justice THE family of slain Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Rodel Batocabe says it will continue to fight for justice after the alleged mastermind in the murder, former Daraga, Albay mayor Carlwyn Baldo, has posted bail for his temporary liberty.

Justin Batocabe, son ofA the slain solon, said in a statement “Our only consolation at this point [is] that the charges against Carlwyn Baldo remain pending and alive, and that Baldo is no longer mayor of Daraga,” he added.

Baldo, charged with two counts of murder for allegedly masterminding the killing of the former lawmaker and his aide in December last year, has posted bail amounting to P8 million for his temporary liberty.

The court, which last week allowed Baldo to post bail, cited the prosecution’s failure to present enough evidence that could warrant the junking of his motion for bail.

The court was reported to have noted that Baldo was not physically present at the scene when Batocabe and his security escort were shot dead in December 2018.

It also said the empty shells found at the crime scene did not match Baldo’s registered firearms.

But Justin said Baldo was not yet totally free and they “must still see him in court.”

HK Shelves...

From A1 “It is confirmed that the bill will be withdrawn,” Chung told AFP as he recounted Lam’s comments in the meeting.

Withdrawing the bill is one of the five key demands of protesters, who have taken to the streets in their millions in the biggest challenge to China’s rule of Hong Kong since its handover from the British in 1997.

Initial reports in the local media raised hopes that giving in to the extradition demand could help end the crisis.

Hong Kong’s stock market climbed nearly 4 percent in afternoon trade after the reports emerged.

But those hopes were quickly tempered, with pro-democracy activists voicing anger and determination to press on with their

Harry...

From A1 exorcists in Rome and the US, who recommended removing the fantasy novels from St. Edward Catholic School’s library in Tennessee.

Launched in 1997, the series of books spins an epic tale of good and evil focused on the adventures of the eponymous bespectacled young wizard as he struggles against the dark wizard Lord Voldemort.

“The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading

A3

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Agri dept. eyes non-tariff measures

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

T

HE Department of Agriculture is considering nontariff measures on rice to help farmers cope with rising imports.

According to Agriculture Secretary William Dar, the department would inspect ports and implement stricter requirements for the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary clearances necessary for rice shipments.

Farmers earlier complained the price of palay or unmilled rice dropped to P7 to P11 a kilo due to a flood of cheap rice from abroad under the new tariff-based regime that replaced import quotas.

“We have to go through non-tariff measures that would manage the importation of rice [because there are too many,]” Dar told reporters.

Government offers loans to rice farmers as palay prices fall to P7 a kilo.

In the Senate, Senator Cynthia Villar

gave assurances the government was doing everything to help farmers like providing them zero-interest loan payable in eight years in the midst of reported low buying prices of palay.

During the Senate inquiry into the newly implemented Rice Tariffication Law, Villar said a P15,000 loan was being given to farmers affected by the liberation of rice import.

“They can avail of this amount without the usual collateral to secure a loan from a bank,” Villar told the farmers and stakeholders in the agricultural sector.

She said the loan was aside from the P10-Rice Competitive Enhancement Fund under the Rice Tariffication Law or Republic Act 11203, which removes

the quota on rice imports and imposes tariffs.

It allocates the collected revenue of P10 billion a year to RCEF which will be given to Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) for the procurement of farm equipment and machinery and Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) to buy inbred seeds.

She said the farm mechanization would lower the labor cost, resulting to increased yield and income for the farmers. The use of inbred seeds will produce six metric tons of rice from the current four metric tons.

“Mechanization of farm labor is our solution in reducing the cost of producing palay in the country, which is pegged at P12 per kilo compared to Vietnam, which produces a kilo of palay at P6 only,” Villar said.

Villar said experts had analyzed the cost difference between two countries and found out the biggest difference of P3.40 as labor cost.

PVAO to correct ‘erroneous Yamashita surrender’ story BAGUIO CITY—The Philippine Veterans Affairs Office wants erroneous entries on the supposed “surrender” of Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita corrected, using an original document from soldiers on the battlefield during World War II. “[General Tomoyuki] Yamashita did not surrender, he was captured by the operatives from the USAFIP-NL [United States Armed Forces in the Philippines-Northern Luzon],” retired Maj. Gen. Restituto Aguilar, chief of

the Veterans Memorial and Historical Division of the PVAO, said in an interview.

He said the PVAO was now in possession of copies of the original document from the United States National Archives and Records Administration in Virginia.

A PVAO team obtained the copies of the document submitted by the veterans to the Americans, for their recognition, Aguilar said.

Aguilar said out of the 80,000

Japanese troops who retreated to northern Luzon, about 50,000 were killed mostly by Filipino guerillas.

“There were only about 30,000 who surrendered. This is a fact that was never written really by our historians,” Aguilar said but noted that it was part of the document obtained from the US library.

Aguilar said right after the war, the documents of the guerillas were taken by the Americans for purposes of their recognition. PNA

PET says no foot-dragging in poll protest vs. Robredo

By Rey E. Requejo CHIEF Justice Lucas Bersamin on Wednesday assured the public the Supreme Court, acting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal, was not “footdragging” the resolution of the electoral protest filed by former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. against Vice President Leni Robredo.

The protest has been pending before the PET for three years now.

Bersamin stressed the PET members were aware “there is a very high public interest because it involves to an extent the stability of a government in the Philippines” and that they should resolve the case “in the earliest possible time.”

“We are aware that the public may be uneasy about our foot-dragging, but it is not really foot-dragging if you would know the effort that we have expended in the revision process. This is a combination of a protest as well as a variation of protest,” said Bersamin during his breakfast meeting with reporters covering the judiciary.

He added: “I know the impatience of the public about this case of the Vice President being protested but we should also be careful of what we do here because the credibility of our processes as well as the political system here is at stake so we are doing it slowly but we are doing it with sufficient speed.”

According to him, it might be slow in the public’s perception, but the PET was actually doing it fast already.

“Even if there is a perception is that there is delay, we are doing our share from within, reminding each other and not just the ponente of the need for results. We do not say that these results should come tomorrow or in the next month. It all depends on how we process the protest,” Bersamin said.

Pinoy...

From A1

TELECONFERENCING PUSH. Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin Jr. delivers his mes-

sage Wednesday to Justice reporters during a thanksgiving event at a hotel in Manila as he pushes for the use of teleconferencing in the justice department. Norman Cruz

broader democracy campaign.

“Too little, too late,” said Joshua Wong, a prominent activist who was arrested late last week as part of a police swoop of leading pro-democracy figures.

“We urge the world too to [be] alert this tactic and not to be deceived by HK and Beijing Govt. They have conceded nothing in fact, and a fullscale clampdown is on the way.”

The protests began as opposition to efforts by Lam’s government to introduce the legislation that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China.

After millions of people took to the streets, Lam suspended efforts to have the legislation passed but infuriated protesters by repeatedly refusing to formally withdraw it.

The movement also evolved into a much broader campaign to include demands for an independent inquiry

the text,” the reverend said in an e-mail obtained by local media.

Rebecca Hammel, the superintendent of schools for the Catholic Diocese of Nashville, told the newspaper The Tennessean that Reehil had “canonical authority to make such decisions.”

Although the school used to stock the books, it will not offer them to pupils in its newly opened library, Hammel said.

A global success, the Potter series

by British author J.K. Rowling has been repeatedly banned from schools in the US and Britain, mostly for allegedly promoting satanic values or black magic. AFP

into alleged police brutality against the protesters, and an amnesty for those arrested.

Another demand is for Hong Kongers to be able to directly elect their leaders—a major red line for Beijing that allows the city a limited degree of autonomy under a “one country, two systems” framework.

Protester anger

Online message forums used by the largely leaderless democracy movement were on Wednesday filled with angry comments saying a withdrawal of the bill would not end the protests.

“More than 1,000 people have been arrested, countless injured,” one widely shared message on the Telegram messaging app read.

“Five major demands, not one less.

Liberate HK, revolution now,” it added.

For much of the last three months Lam has struck a defiant tone,

Liwayway...

From A1 Services Administration said “Liwayway” was seen at 295 kilometers northeast of Basco, Batanes with maximum winds of 130 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kph.

Moving north at 10 kph, “Liwayway” was expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Thursday afternoon.

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 has been lifted over Batanes but the province, along with Babuyan Islands, will experience occasional gusty winds due to the southwest monsoon.

Between Wednesday and Thursday, the trough of “Liwayway” was expected to bring light to moderate with intermittent heavy rains over Batanes and Babuyan Islands.

appearing either unwilling or unable to make any concessions.

Then an audio recording emerged this week of her telling business leaders she wanted to quit but she was hamstrung

by Beijing, which now viewed the protests as a national security and sovereignty issue.

In the audio recording, obtained by the Reuters news agency, Lam said she wanted to take responsibility for triggering the unrest with the extradition plans.

“For a chief executive to have caused this huge havoc to Hong Kong is unforgivable,” an emotional Lam said in the audio recording.

“If I have a choice,” she said, speaking in English, “the first thing is to quit, having made a deep apology.”

But after the audio recording was released, Lam held a press conference on Tuesday to insist she had never contemplated resigning. AFP

Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon will also bring scattered light to moderate rains, with at times heavy rain showers during thunderstorms, over Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Central Luzon.

On Friday morning, the trough of “Liwayway” and the southwest monsoon will bring light to moderate with intermittent heavy rains over Batanes, Babuyan Islands and the Ilocos provinces.

Sea travel is risky over the seaboards of Luzon due to potentially rough conditions.

Metro Manila temperature ranges from 25-31 degrees Celsius; Tuguegarao City 24-30 degrees Celsius; Baguio City 17-19 degrees Celsius; SBMA 2429 degrees Celsius; Lipa City 24-34 degrees Celsius; Metro Cebu 25-32 degrees Celsius and; Metro Davao 24-32 degrees Celsius. PNA

The Olympic standard is 5.80 meters.

The 6’2” Obiena cleared the height on his third and last attempt as he bested five others for the gold medal.

Obiena later went for the Asian record by attempting to clear 5.9 meters, but he failed to clear the height.

Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association president Philip Ella Juico learned of Obiena’s feat following a phone conversation shortly after his victory, “Perhaps due to the adrenalin, I felt as if I was floating in the air as I let go of the pole and went over the bar,” Obiena told Juico.

Before going to Italy, Obiena cleared a height of 5.76 meters to clinch the gold medal at the World University Games on July 12, 2019 in Napoli, Italy. That feat was .04 meter short of the Olympic qualifying standard.

In earning his Olympic slot through the qualifying standard, Obiena avoided the perilous route of qualifying based on ranking.

“With hundreds of athletes competing for the limited spots in the Olympics, qualifying through the rankings, the system used in many sports without any qualifying standard, would mean a long wait.

Thismeans athletes will be waiting almost up to the last minute for the final rankings on whether they have qualified,” said Juico.

Juico added: “It is PATAFA’s honor to have the first Tokyo Olympics qualifier come from its ranks.

EJ’s feat comes at a time when the Philippines faces various daunting challenges in the international front, including the 30th Southeast Asian Games and this should inspire other athletes.”

It took Obiena five years of intense and dedicated training, and countless international competitions to make it to the Olympics.

“The most modern coaching techniques and support from the Philippine Sports Commission, Ayala Corp., private individuals and most recently, the Management Association of the Philippines, helped EJ get to where he is now and where he is headed,” Juico said.

Both Philippine Olympic Committee Chairman Steve Hontiveros and 2020 Tokyo Olympics chef de mission and Philippine Football Federation president, Mariano Araneta, confirmed that Obiena was the first Filipino athlete to qualify.

A4

Opinion

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Web of conspiracies THE other day, I was invited to the birthday party of a former classmate, Justice Jaime Lantin. His son held a dinner at Estancia.

It was a good surprise. I have not seen Jimmy for quite some time. I knew that he took up law at the University of Santo Tomas, became a regional trial court judge, justice of the Court of Appeals, and upon retirement became dean of the UST College of Law.

The BuCor mess makes a mockery of the President’s war on corruption.

When I asked Jimmy’s son who else from among our class was invited, he told me that it seemed Jimmy remembered only me. He was emphatic that I attend his birthday dinner.

I had hoped to see our other classmates like Tito Guingona and Ting Roxas. But no, I was told Jimmy remembered only me.

To my old friend Jimmy, thank you for your invitation and thank you for remembering me. *** Santa Banana, the continuing Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation, with its many twists and turns, certainly points to the Good Conduct Time Allowance issue as a

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

web of conspiracies.

With the revelation that Presidential Spokesman and legal counsel Salvador Panelo wrote a “referral” to the prison chief about the release of Mayor Antonio Sanchez, his former client, we see that the release of convicts guilty of heinous crimes needs to be addressed immediately.

No doubt about it, Panelo is guilty of conflict of interest. President Duterte just cannot ignore this.

And to think Panelo was bold enough to use the Palace letterhead!

Panelo should have been circumspect.

There can only be libel and cyber libel if three ingredients are present: Identification of the person allegedly libelled, imputation of crime that taints the reputation of the person, and malice—which is very difficult to prove.

What Rappler and the Inquirer reported was a statement of fact. *** The wife of Sanchez said she would not pay the P12.6 million in damages, insisting that her husband was innocent. It would be a miscarriage of justice if damages are not paid.

It is now incumbent on Secretary of Justice Menardo Guevarra to see to it that justice is served, and damages are paid.

I said in an earlier column that the accountability of Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor Faeldon and other prison officials will make President Duterte’s war on corruption mere lip service. This issue has challenged Duterte’s credibility. *** I am bothered why Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddyboy Locsin now says

F

Fawning machines

OX News is United States President Donald Trump’s favorite network. Or, it used to be.

In the past few weeks, the Twitter-happy Trump lashed out at the cable network, primarily for releasing a poll showing how poorly he is doing in his reelection campaign, and for featuring personalities who are critical of him, according to Vox. The symbiotic Trump-Fox relationship has been going on for years now. The network has traditionally reported favorably on Trump, highlighting positive developments with the hosts of some of its shows obviously enjoying access and familiarity with him. In return, Trump has praised Fox for its brand of journalism even as he attacked other news organizations—CNN, the New York

Times and the Washington Post, for instance—as peddlers of fake news.

“We have to start looking for a new News Outlet. Fox isn’t working for us anymore!” Trump said in one his tweets.

Some Fox hosts responded by reminding Trump that they did not work for him, even as this plain fact was lost on somebody with an inflated estimation of himself and his influence.

Unfortunately, it’s easy for politicians, especially those more preoccupied with ego than with actually creating impact, to fall into the trap of gravitating toward news organizations who present them in a favorable light.

Everybody else who does not agree with them is flawed.

Here at home, this tendency is apparent among our national leaders. Remember the former chief executive who derided the local press for not reporting more

favorably on his presidency? His successor also has a habit of lashing out at news organizations critical of his policies and statements.

But media organizations, even if you factor in real-world considerations like the political or business interests of their owners, in fact exist not to fawn over anybody, or attack them. They are there because it is their job to report what happens, to give praise where it is due, and to call out misdeeds or omissions by those tasked to put public welfare above all others.

This is, of course, the ideal situation and is not necessarily the prevailing mindset here, in the US, or anywhere else in the world. We however should keep reminding ourselves of it every day, lest we all become mere propagandists working for either side, and do not even realize we have lost our compass.

Turn to A5

Yay for Metro Manila elevated walkways POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE WALKING safely and conveniently from Monumento to Taft might soon be a reality.

The Senate conducted a hearing yesterday morning to discuss the feasibility of proposals to construct elevated walkways along EDSA. According to live tweets by DZMM Teleradyo’s Michael Delizo, the Senate Committee on Public Works is ready to appropriate P1 billion for the construction of the walkways.

In terms of feasibility, among those who spoke was Metropolitan Manila Development Authority General Manager Jojo Garcia, who said that the problem he foresees with some of the proposed locations, such as Makati-Bonifacio Global City, is the right-of-way issue.

Garcia said the construction of walkways is “doable,” specifically in the Guadalupe to Ortigas route “kasi wala masyadong challenge diyan.”

Also at the hearing, the Department of Transportation proposed the construction of “EDSA Greenways” from Monumento to Taft Avenue, in line with the concept of “transit-oriented development.”

Under the DoTr’s idea, pedestrian networks would be connected to the following light rail stations: Common Station, LRT 1 Balintawak Station, MRT 3 and LRT 2 Cubao Station, MRT 3 Guadalupe Station, and MRT 3 and LRT 1 Taft Station.

Senator Grace Poe already made a walkways proposal so I revisited her bills to get a handle on this very interesting matter that would positively impact in a massive way the lives of commuters in the metro.

Almost exactly three years ago, in the 17th Congress, Poe filed Senate Bill No. 1146, “Sustainable Elevated Walkways Act of 2016.” The act proposes the establishment of a “network of sustainable elevated pedestrian walkways along EDSA and pertinent

major public thoroughfares in highdensity urban areas.”

The explanatory note to that bill states in part that “A network of elevated walkways is an effective response to overcrowding and urban chaos. As in Hong Kong, aerial pedestrian walkways will portray dense urban areas in a new light.”

Poe added that such walkways are a boon for people moving about in highly congested areas, and can form part of “a larger, more comprehensive solution to the traffic and transport crisis of Metro Manila and affected urban areas.”

The sooner they are built, the better.

She filed the bill again last Aug. 20 as SB No. 930.

Similar measures were proposed

by Quezon City Rep. Allan Benedict Reyes, who authored House Bill 3125 or “An Act Creating a Magna Carta of Commuters,” and Senator Francis Pangilinan, who filed the counterpart bill in the Senate.

Reyes said last month that the bill would give pedestrians priority over cars and provide more options for commuters.

“Imagine a walkable EDSA,” he said. “Let’s say you want to go from Cubao to Ortigas. That’s just a short walk. But if we provide a nice walkable, tree-lined probably or elevated walkway why won’t you do that just like in Hong Kong.”

In a recent interview on ANC, Reyes said his bill promotes mobility not only for pedestrians but also cyclists and users of mobility devices such as power wheelchairs.

Both Poe and Reyes cited Hong Kong as an example of a working system of walkways, but to see one in action right here, there’s a short one in Makati that’s already serving the community. The elevated walkway that stretches from the Ayala North Exchange tower to Landmark shows Turn to A5

ManilaStandard

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

ONLINE

can be accessed at: manilastandard.net

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

Not a sight to behold THE 18th Congress is now a little over a one-month-old, but the House of Representatives has yet to wind up the organization of its 60 standing committees.

Last time I checked, at least eight committees have not been formed, meaning Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano is still dilly-dallying on the selection of the chairmen for these panels.

House records showed that the following committees are still wanting of leadership: Cooperatives Development, Dangerous Drugs, Good Government and Public Accountability, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development, Muslim Affairs, Public Accounts, and Public Information.

Recall that the House as a whole came under severe criticisms for compromising its independence as a coequal branch of government by giv-

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

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

The Speaker has incurred a lot of political debt. ing in to the intervention of President Duterte in the election –I prefer to call it selection—of its Speaker.

Reports had it that the President recommended power sharing between the two top contenders, namely Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco of Marinduque, and Cayetano.

As the risk of emphasizing the obvious, that arrangement is now a done deal with Cayetano batting first.

It now appears, however, that the setup is not without backlash.

I do not mean to denigrate Cayetano’s political savvy having been a member of both chambers of Congress plus a brief stint as secretary of Foreign Affairs. Still, serving at the pleasure of the Chief Executive even

as he now sits as Speaker and Parañaque representative by virtue of a popular vote leaves something to be desired.

Curious onlookers at the House’s state of affairs see that Cayetano is having a difficult time choosing the committee leaders because there is a lot of political debt, which he incurred on the road to the Speakership, to pay.

For one, there is the absence of total harmony among members of the rainbow coalition for which he was a chief architect, and the discord roundly manifested itself in the mad scramble for the committee chairmanships.

Unlike all other rainbows, this one does not qualify as a sight to behold.

As the top honcho in the House, Cayetano has to walk the tightrope in naming which colleague goes to which committee. He has to strike a balance between opposing quarters.

Choosing one over the protest of the others will win him one friend but will create multiple detractors.

This puts Cayetano in a political dilemma. But he has only himself to Turn to A5

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua

Managing Editor Associate Editors News Editor Opinion Editor

Emil P. Jurado

Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Jimbo Gulle City Editor Roberto Cabrera Chief Photographer

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Opinion Rice farmers water to rice fields. Our government is constrained to provide irrigation pumps and other facilities to make the land suitable and aid in the harvesting of palay. Also, our industry uses antiquated methods compared to Vietnam, SINCE the enactment of the Rice Thailand, and China. This makes rice Tariffication Act, the impact on lo- production expensive in our country. cal farmers has been a major area of concern. We are an agricultural country and many of our provinces are We need monitoring rice producers. Sadly, we failed to give timely support to our rice farm- mechanisms to ensure ers by way of modernization. In terms the economic viability of of industry growth, we are shadowed the current rice trade in

by Thailand and Vietnam, who are regional giants exporting their rice the country. products to the Philippines.

The Rice Tariffication Act was re signed into law in February 2019. The Now that there is an ease on the relaw was premised on an industry that strictions on the volume of rice that would be able to compete with our can be imported, it behooves our adSoutheast Asian neighbors. Competi- ministration to have a watchful eye tion is deemed a catalyst to innovation on the welfare of our farmers. To be in the rice industry and agriculture in fair, the law provides some cushion general. All factors considered, can via the Rice Competitiveness Enwe even compete? hancement Fund or the Rice Fund For one, we lack natural irriga- amounting to P10 billion. The fund tion systems, unlike in China with aims to provide rice machineries and the mighty Mekong river, and other equipment and seedlings; develop Southeast Asian countries, where nat- seed development and propagation; ural water sources can easily supply and extend credit assistance to farm-

ers. The administration needs to implement safeguard measures that will also serve as a check to the utilization and allocation of the Rice Fund to prevent its misuse.

With respect to over-importation, we need monitoring mechanisms to ensure the economic viability of the current rice trade in the country. The Department of Agriculture, in coordination with the Bureau of Customs, needs to establish a strict monitoring system to account for the entry of rice imports.

We also have to be extra vigilant in ensuring that there are no corrupt practices in the importation of rice. Rice is a staple in the Filipino diet. I am concerned that unscrupulous practices over-ship such as undervaluation and over-shipment might happen, given the massive demand for this commodity.

There are moves to revisit this law given its immediate impact on our local farmers. While I understand their plight, there is no gentle transition from our traditional farming methods to modernized farming in the context of globalization. I am hopeful that we will reach a point where we will be competitive globally and will rise as one of the most productive agricultural countries.

Closing Kennon Road WHEN Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong conducted a recent inspection of Kennon Road, he was briefed that the iconic road needs five years to rest. The translation of this is obvious—the road will be closed for five years.

That newspaper report mentioned a lot of reasons causing the frequent landslides during the rainy season.

According to these experts, the principal cause of the landslides was the big earthquake in 1990—a full 29 years ago. There were other reasons mentioned but unfortunately, not the most important one. Many mining tunnels have been dug on the mountains along the road. Because of this, the mountains are unable to hold water thereby weakening the mountain soil which in turn is the reason causing the frequent slides. This conclusion was the result of a study done many years ago.

The other cause is simply poor engineering road work. The drainage system of the road, for instance, is inadequate. The amount of rain received

by Baguio and environs is about 169 inches a year which should give our engineers food for thought when repairing the road.

Still another problem is the unrestricted construction of houses beside the road.

The problems on Kennon Road are well-known to most Baguio residents.

For instance, they are aware that when it rains continuously for a few days, landslides do occur. These require the DPWH to close the road for a few days but opens it again to the public when the rain stops and minor clearing operations are done.

During the dry season, the road is open most of the time.

Kennon Road has now been closed longer than when it was closed due to the 1990 earthquake. Only residents are allowed to use the road because,

according to the DPWH, it is not safe.

I fail to see, however, why it is safe for about 10,000 residents along the road but unsafe for non-residents. If the road is indeed unsafe to use, it should be unsafe for everyone.

Barangay officials have even established check points to ensure that nonresidents cannot use the road like the exclusive subdivisions of Metro Manila.

Considering the gridlock along the Ben Palispis or Marcos Highway especially towards the weekends, the DPWH should seriously consider providing a window wherein other motorists can use Kennon Road for a few hours during the day and on good weather for small vehicles like cars and SUVs to

This is how not to govern. provide relief along Marcos Highway.

The DPWH is already opening the road during special occasions like the Philippine Military Graduation, Holy Week and the Christmas holiday season. In spite of other access roads to the city, Kennon is still the preferred route to and from Baguio.

Sooner or later, the DPWH will have to provide a better reason for closing the road to all traffic except those living along the road. I hope that the reason for the prolonged closure is because of safety as stated by the DPWH and not because of other reasons that are only known to them. *** The other issue being frequently discussed about Baguio City is the need to save it. The discussion centers mostly on the dwindling number of pine trees, overdevelopment and the whole issue of livability.

If there is tremendous overcrowding, the quality of life inevitably suffers. With regard to the vanishing pine trees, there appears to be a plan by the new city government under Mayor Magalong to pass an

Yay...

From A4

how beneficial such structures are in urban areas.

It’s convenient, accessible, and functional. Because it’s covered, it provides shelter during rainstorms and hot days. I use it frequently for exercise, walking the whole length of it back and forth, and I am able to do my target daily 10,000 steps in a safe, convenient, and efficient way.

I’ve observed the users of the Ayala walkways and they range the gamut from students to professionals to seniors out for an amble. Pedestrians are held in safety above the fray of traffic and the haze of pollution. They make better time

walking on the walkways than on the street, where they have to pause to cross and wait for lights to change.

The only beef I see with walkways is the number of exits to street level. The stairs and escalators of the Ayala elevated walkway lead down only to major streets, so I can see why some people still walk on the ground—if you took the walkway, there would be instances where you’d have to double back or walk forward a bit more on the ground to get to your destination. Still, that’s a minor issue.

There should be no debate on whether elevated walkways are bane or boon, clap or crap, yay or nay.

Definitely they will count among the best solutions to Manila’s traffic

ordinance requiring every family to plant and take care of one pine tree.

There is also another proposal to severely restrict the cutting of pine trees. On overdevelopment, a plan is being hatched to ban the new construction of multi-story buildings to try to preserve whatever green space is left in the city.

What has happened to the city over the years is a classic example of how not to govern a city. The deterioration is so plain to see that one does not have to be an urban planner to see how bad the situation has become.

The talk about saving the city is well and good—but how exactly is it going to be done? There is a need for a professionally crafted road map to follow and not simply to point to some observable defects. Overpopulation for example is one problem. The area of Baguio is about 47 square kilometers with a population of about 350,000.

If the terrain were flat like the City of Manila whose area is about the same, 350,000 can be accommodated without many problems. But since Baguio is mountainous with very limited available spaces for safe residential and commercial areas, where will the city government pack the many people coming to the city to live?

And this is only one problem. How about the other problems? Mayor Magalong certainly has inherited a lot of challenges. The good thing is that the good mayor has the right attitude in that he realizes the tremendous challenges he is facing. For instance on the issue of preserving the remaining heritage structures in the city like the post office, he is the first mayor that I know of who issued a statement about the need to preserve the old city post office which is now being reconfigured due to the addition of unauthorized commercial establishments.

The post office is the only remaining American era public building still in use. Maybe what the mayor should do is to stop issuing business permits to these commercial establishments to force them to close shop. I wish him well and hope that he succeeds.

problem and as a feather in this administration’s cap if they get it built within the next three years.

Elevated walkways will decongest the streets. They will usher in enhanced mobility. They will promote exercise, another major plus that will hopefully also generate the long-term result of reducing the incidence of lifestyle diseases among the sedentary urban populace.

The need to pass a law on this is extremely urgent. The sooner we get those walkways built, the better.

TAGLINE: A walkable city will also mean more flâneurs—imagine the art that will be created when there are more opportunities to explore the nooks and crannies of the metro! /FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Speakership choice: A Parliament-type decision to be supportive of their leadership ambitions. In the end the choice of the Speaker usually became a tossup between the two leading contenders, who had assiduously courted the support of their peers.

THE Philippines has had the presiBut 2019 presented the Filipino dential form of government since people with a different kind of specits independence from Spain ex- tacle. On this occasion there were no cept for two periods—one during less than five credible contenders for the leadership of Emilio Aguinaldo the position of Speaker—of whom (1898-2001) and the other during two were allegedly parties to a sharthe dictatorship of Ferdinand Mar- ing arrangement—looking for succos (1972-1986), when this country cess not to the support of the majorfunctioned under the parliamentary ity of the Lower House membership form of government. But the man- but to a signal from Malacanang ner in which the recent contest for for the success of their respective the position of Speaker in the 18th quests.

Congress was resolved has made Eventually the signal came. Mr. many knowledgeable observers Duterte had long maintained an Iwonder whether the 18th Congress don’t-want-to-get involved posiis a de facto parliament rather than a tion, saying that the Speakership presidential-type legislature. tussle was something for the House The 18th Conmembership gress Speakerto resolve, but ship succession in the end he The members issue opened up did decide to with the retire- of the House of intervene, sayment from Conthat there Representatives should ing gress of former was a need to President Gloria have been left to resolve settle a conMacapagal-Ar- the chamber leadership test that had royo. Mrs. Ar- issue independently, by become highly royo served as divisive and themselves.

Speaker for one distractive. year, succeeding The Chief ExPantaleon Alvaecutive came rez, who was deposed on the very down on the side of the Cayetanoday of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Velasco arrangement. With Mr. delivery of his third State of the Na- Duterte’s blessing, Alan Peter Caytion Address (SONA). Four Rep- etano would serve as Speaker for the resentatives quickly made known first 24 months of the Speakership’s their intentions to seek the House 36-month term. of Representatives’ top post. They In the end members of the Lower were the Representatives of Taguig House of Congress were not able to (Alan Peter Cayetano), Marinduque exercise their Constitutional right (Lord Allan Velasco), Leyte (Martin to pick one of their own as head of Romualdez) and Pampanga (Amelio their chamber. That right was exerGonzales). Mr. Cayetano, who was cised—with their acquiescence, to Rodrigo Duterte’s running mate in be sure—by someone outside the the 2016 election, claimed that he legislative branch of government, and Mr. Velasco had entered into namely the head of the Executive an agreement to share the Speaker’s Department. In the parliamentary term of office. system of government there is no A fifth candidate for the Speak- need to speak of “outside the legisership emerged in due course. The lative branch” because the legislaHugpong ng Pagbabago ng Pilipinas tive and the Executive Department (HPP), the party founded by Presi- are fused in a single body, to wit, dential daughter Sara Duterte for parliament. the 2019 election, announced that The members of the House of Repit was fielding Isidro Ungab, one of resentatives should have been left to Davao City’s Representatives, in the resolve the chamber leadership isSpeakership contest. Subsequently, sue independently, by themselves.

Presidential son Paolo announced, That’s how the presidential system with something less than serious- of government operates. But they ness, that he too would contest the didn’t, and the issue was resolved Speakership because of his dissatis- with the participation of someone faction with the purported Cayeta- from the other political department no-Velasco sharing arrangement. of the government. The selection of In more normal circumstances Speaker Cayetano/Velasco was dethe selection of the Speaker of the cision-making of the parliamentary House of Representatives is a lively kind. and highly contentious affair, with The advocates of Constitutional two—or, at times, three—members revision really need to move for a standing out as likely future occu- shift to the parliamentary form of pants of the fourth highest office in government. Congressional subserthe land, backed by groups made up vience to the Chief Executive will of fellow-Representatives known accomplish that.

Not...

From A4

blame for his current woes.

Being a Speaker has its own unwritten rules and time-honored traditions. Cayetano might have breached some of the rules and traditions, observers said.

But the more serious consequence of his misdemeanors is to inadvertently or unwittingly throw a monkey

Web...

From A4

wrench into the legislative mill, resulting in the delay of passage of vital measures.

Expeditious deliberation and ratification of bills and resolutions is paramount for a dynamic and responsible legislative assembly.

At the end of the day, the voters will judge them by their performance as lawmakers. After all, their tenure is only for three years, subject to reelection if they come up short in their performance.

*** The plan to make EDSA one way from North to South and to make C5 one way from South to North is the most foolish suggestion to be proposed. People are really getting desperate!

EDSA gridlocks are caused by undisciplined drivers, lack of roads and weak enforcement of traffic rules.

A couple of decades ago, traffic in Bangkok was very bad. Now it is smooth and easy. The solution— more skyways and greater use of mass transit.

that President Duterte was not apologetic to Chinese President Xi Jinping when he raised the issue of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling on China’s claims of a nine-dash-line rule in the South China Sea. What is Locsin up to? Panelo already said Duterte was apologetic. Is Locsin saying that Panelo is a liar?

What should concern the Department of Foreign Affairs is why the President was even apologetic to Xi in the first place. This weakens our www.emiljurado.weebly.com position on the territorial dispute.

A6

News

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

PNP breaks trend as crime rates down in ‘ber’ months CRIME volume in the country decreased during the so-called “ber” months since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office, the Philippine National Police said Wednesday.

Data from the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management showed that the nationwide crime volume has steadily declined during the “ber” months (September to December) from 191,733 crime cases in 2016 to 154,925 in 2017 and 163,821 in 2018.

The figure also showed the decline of crime volume from 393,150 from January to August 2016 to 365,716 in 2017 and 326,572 in 2018.

This year, the PNP has recorded 307,091 cases from January to August this year.

PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde said this breaks the trend that crimes spike during the “ber” months.

“For now, we have broken this trend. The idea of increased crime volume during 'ber' months is slowly becoming a thing of the past,” Albayalde told reporters.

“People start shopping during these months. Once they have the money, they use this for shopping purposes or buying of gifts as early as September.

We prepare for gift-giving come Christmas Day in December.

This is also primarily the reason why some petty crimes rise during this season,” he explained.

The PNP attributed the lower crime rates to the intensified campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration against all forms of criminality, particularly against illegal drugs.

Earlier, Maj. Gen. Guillermo, National Capital Region Police Office chief, said the continuous drop in the crime rate is due to their intensified police intervention and campaign against illegal drugs and other crimes.

“Partly, this can be attributed to more active police interventions and increased vigilance of our citizens during this period brought about by strong public awareness through the media,” Eleazar said.

“It is now a myth in NCR. We have reversed that at least since 2016,” the Metro Manila top cop noted. PNA

DSWD gets bigger budget to sustain poverty reduction

By Maricel V. Cruz

T

he Duterte administration has allotted a significant budget for the Department of Social Welfare and Development for 2020 to sustain its poverty reduction programs.

At the budget hearing of the agency at the House of Representatives, Negros Oriental Rep. Jocelyn Sy Limkaichong said the P195-billion allocation for the DSWD under the proposed P4.1-trillion national government budget for next year “is truly a testament to the administration's strengthened commitment to empower and uplift the living condition of the poor, the vulnerable and the disadvantaged.”

Limkaichong, vice chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations, said the next year's budgetary allocation for the DSWD is 12.16 percent or P17.186 billion higher than its 2019 budget.

Given this, Limkaichong said the DSWD is the fourth government agency

with the highest budgetary allocation in the National Expenditure Program for 2020.

DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito Delizo Bautista said the 2020 DSWS budget is intended to free all Filipinos from hunger and poverty, and let them have equal access to opportunities, enabled by a fair, just, and peaceful society.

“Our mission is to lead the formulation, implementation, and coordination of social welfare and development policies and programs for and with the poor, the vulnerable, and the disadvantaged,” said Bautista.

Bautista said the vision, mission and core values of the DSWD are aligned with the Duterte administration’s “Ambisyon

Natin 2040” Program where by 2040 Filipinos shall enjoy a strongly rooted comfortable and secure life.

In line with this, the former Commander of the Philippine Army and leader of the Joint Task Force Marawi, said the long term vision of the DSWD is to make its contribution in accelerating human capital development and in reducing vulnerabilities of individuals and families.

He said the DSWD 2020 proposed budget has been formulated on a cash-based appropriation regime, a fiscal reform of the government aimed at accelerating government spending and promoting a disciplined management of budget.

Bautista said the Pantawid Pamilya Program, a human investment program for children through health and education provides grants to poor families with children zero to 18 years old and pregnant mothers.

Meanwhile, indigent senior citizens aged 60 and above are provided with a monthly stipend of P500 to augment their daily subsistence and other medical needs, he said.

IN BRIEF American lady caught hiding six-day-old baby AUTHORITIES arrested a female American traveler who was caught hiding a six-day-old baby in her bag at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport early Wednesday morning.

Immigration officials at NAIA Terminal 3 immediately turned over 42-yearold Jennifer Erin Talbot, of Ohio, USA, to the National Bureau of Investigation for proper investigation while the baby is now in the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The authorities said the baby was found hidden in the oversized belt bag of Talbot.

They said the foreigner also did not declare nor inform the inspector assigned at the Immigration departure area about the infant.

Employees of Delta Airlines initially discovered the baby inside Talbot’s belt bag while she was about to check in for her flight bound for the United States.

Talbot claimed she was the aunt of the child but Immigration officials said she had no documents, travel authority to bring, a ticket or any information to prove this, not even a passport of the baby. Joel Zurbano

SC vows to put up Manila Hall of Justice CHIEF Justice Lucas Bersamin on Wednesday said the Supreme Court remains committed to putting up a hall of justice for the City of Manila, a “jinxed” project which has haunted past administrations of both the executive and judiciary department.

“We are in earnest in constructing a hall of justice worthy of a former queen city,” Bersamin said in a press briefing, noting Manila was originally the first to have its own hall of justice to be put up but delays have since allowed it to be overtaken by halls of justice in other cities.

Bersamin said that “there is already a budget for the project” and the “design will preserve the facade” of the old Government Service Insurance System building in Arroceros. PNA

HPG to deploy female riders to man traffic

AS PART of efforts to uphold gender equality in all fields of social activity, the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group on Wednesday deployed a special unit composed of female motorcycle riders that will help their male counterparts in the flow of traffic along the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue.

Brig. Gen. Eliseo Cruz, HPG director, COA BUDGET. House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez (left) discusses with Comission on Audit Chairman Michael said the deployment of female HPG ofAguinaldo (right) the successful presentation of the 2020 Budget of the Commission on Audit during the Committee on Appropriaficers forms part of their gender equality tion briefing at the House of Representatives. Ver Noveno or women empowerment.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK “Pulis man na lalaki o babae dapat Manila Republic of the Philippines makaka-responde sa anumang krimen.

Standard Department of Education [Regardless if you are male or female TODAY REGION IV-A CALABARZON cop, you should be able to respond to any Gate 2, Karangalan Village crime incident],” Cruz told reporters on Cainta, Rizal Wednesday during the launch of its HPG AS THE demand for energy in the Philippines con- forefront of initiatives to continuously initiate public INVITATION TO BID All-Women Patrollers/Traffic Supervitinues to increase due to heightened infrastructure discourses in order to move government and privatesors’ Unit, along EDSA corner Boni SerBOARD AND LODGING FOR THE REGIONAL TRAINING ON ELLN PHASE 3 development and a growing population, the need sector decision-makers to beef up our energy rerano, near the Camp Crame, Quezon City.

1. The DepED Region IV-A CALABARZON, through the OSEC-4A-19-3206 fund to tap new sources of energy has become more serves,” noted PEIC chairman Dr. Tony La Viña. “We “If we can contribute in crime prevenintends to apply the sum of One Million Two Hundred Thousand Pesos Only (Php critical in order to avoid severe power outages in hope that these discussions can lead to concrete steps tion, in responding to any crime incidents 1,200,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments especially highway robbery and cartowards the goal of energy independence.” the near future. under the contract for the Procurement of Board & Lodging for the Regional jacking, we can help in improving the Training on ELLN Phase 3. Bids received in excess of the ABC per shall be Currently an Energy Collaboratory Director, a SeCognizant of this bleak possibility, a group of automatically rejected at bid opening. flow of traffic along EDSA so there is a energy advocates have banded together to form the nior Fellow in climate change of the Manila Observaneed for us to be on the streets because Lot I Philippine Energy Independence Council whose tory, and former dean of the Ateneo School of Law, that is our job,” he said. PNA

Energy Independence Council launched

Date of Activity

Estimated No. of Pax

Oct. 21 - 25, 2019

120

Approved Budget

Php1,200,000.00

The DepED Region IV-A CALABARZON now invites bids for the Procurement of Board & Lodging for the Regional Training on ELLN Phase 3. Delivery of the Services is expected for the Contract duration. Bidders should have completed, within five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

2.

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

3.

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

Interested bidders may obtain further information from DepED Region IV-A CALABARZON (BAC Secretariat) and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hour at 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on September 4, 2019 from the address below and upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Five Thousand Pesos (Php5,000.00) Only.

Note: (For lot procurement the maximum fee for the Bidding Documents for each lot shall be based on its ABC, in accordance with the Guidelines issued by the GPPB; provided that the total fees for the Bidding Documents of aIl lots shall not exceed the maximum fee prescribed in the Guidelines for the sum of the ABC of all lots).

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhiIGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

4.

The DepED Region IV-A CALABARZON will hold a Pre-Bid Conference2 on September 9, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. to be held at the Director’s Conference Room, DepEd IV-A, Cainta, Rizal which shall be open to prospective bidders.

5.

Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before September 23,2019 at 10:00 a.m .. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on September 23, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. at the Director’s Conference Room. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

6.

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

7.

For further information, please refer to: Ann Geralyn T. Pelias DepED Region IV-A CALABARZON Gate 2 Karangalan Drive, Cainta, Rizal 6477487 & 6474914 www.depedcalabarzon.ph (SGD) ANN GERALYN T. PELIAS BAC Chairman

2

May be deleted in case the ABC is less than One Million Pesos (PhP1,000,000) where the Procuring Entity may not hold a Pre-Bid Conference.

(MS-SEPT. 5, 2019)

main goal is to move the government and the private sector to explore new indigenous, renewable, and cleaner energy options for the country.

In line with this, the PEIC aims to initiate and sustain specific conversations on indigenous energy, renewable energy, energy security, energy independence, and other pertinent concepts with the youth, with rural communities, and with local and national government officials.

PEIC is the first formal association in the country committed mainly to achieving the Philippines’ energy independence. “Our council aims to be at the

La Viña stressed, “Every member of the PEIC shares the same vision of a more energy-independent Philippines that can produce its own fuel to meet the country’s demands—ultimately eliminating the Philippines’ dependence on other fuel-producing nations.”

PEIC was launched during Powertrends 2019, held last Sept. 3 at the SMX Convention Center in Manila. Powertrends, the longest-running energy exhibition in the country, brought together the major players in the energy sector who exchanged knowledge and opinions about current energy issues in the country.

ENERGY COUNCIL.

The Philippine Energy Independence Council was formally launched on Wednesday during the Powertrends event. Photo shows (from left) are PEIC officers Cynthia Arce, PEIC advisor; Amor Maclang, PEIC director; Dean Tony Laviña, PEIC chairman; Ms. Jasmine Curtis Smith, PEIC youth ambassador; Manila Bulletin's Myrna Velasco, PEIC advisor on capacity building and international relations; and Paulo Gavino, PEIC director.

SC penalized 21 judges in first six months

By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court has penalized 21 judges while 94 court employees have been admonished, fined, reprimanded or had their benefits suspended after they were found guilty of various administrative offenses for the six months of this year.

Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin said excluded from the data are judges that have been preventively suspended while facing investigation.

A separate statistic from the Office of the Bar Confidant showed that 83 lawyers have been sanctioned through disbarment, suspension from practice of law, suspension from notarial practice or both, fined, reprimanded and admonished.

“We found these actions that we did were es-

sential to obtaining confidence of the public in the Judiciary,” Bersamin told reporters.

“Statistics from the Office of the Court Administrator show from January to June of this year we fined, suspended, reprimanded or admonished 21 judges and 94 lower court employees were dismissed from the service, admonished, fined, reprimanded or had their benefits forfeited or suspended,” he said.

Bersamin, who was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as the 28th Chief Justice of the high court last Nov. 28, 2018, last December promised to purge the courts of misfits and scalawags as part of his four-point agenda during his 11-month tenure as head of the judiciary.

The Chief Magistrate said that disciplining the ranks is one of his four-point agenda.

Exclusive pay hike for teachers ‘distorted’—solon TWO lawmakers on Wednesday warned against possible wage distortion in government service if salary hikes are exclusively granted to public school teachers, instead of all civil service workers.

Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite said the salary adjustment should not only apply to school teachers but all state workers.

“Adjustment in salaries of state workers should be applied to all, instead of limiting such benefit to school teachers,” Gaite said.

Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, for his part, batted for an across-theboard salary adjustment to help government employees cope with the rising cost of living.

“Salary increases must apply to all state employees,” Rodriguez said. His position reflects a recent Pulse Asia survey which show that eight out of 10 Filipinos want new government salary hikes to cover all workers in the public sector, including teachers.

Conducted from June 24 to 30, the Pulse Asia survey showed that 77 percent of Filipinos aged 18 years old and above agreed that salary standardization should include all government workers. The same survey also showed that only 17 percent of the respondents were of the opinion that it should cover only teachers, a “negligible” 3 percent disagreed with the salary increase, and another 3 percent answered they “don’t know.” Survey respondents were from the National Capital Region, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones has welcomed the survey results. “It shows that while [Department of Education] is recognized as the biggest bureaucracy in the country with a vital function, it is still part of an entire government system with functions that are economically interdependent of each other. There are nurses, engineers, and other professionals who also play important roles in the delivery of quality, accessible, relevant, and liberating basic education for the Filipino learners.” Maricel V. Cruz

Sports Bowling World Cup finals set LED by legendary Paeng Nepomuceno, 80 men and 43 ladies begin the hunt for the Bowling World Cup national title and the right to represent the Philippines in the international finals in Palembang, Indonesia on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 7-8.at Coronado Lanes.

Nepomuceno, the only bowler who has won the BWC international crown four times, believes he’s still capable of adding another plum to his long list of achievements.

Nepomuceno and 79 other finalists play 12 games to determine the top 34 who will advance to the second round.

On Sept. 8, 43 ladies led by 2017 BWC international champion Krizziah Tabora and veteran Liza del Rosario, will open their bids by playing 10 games, with the top 34 gaining second-round slots.

With their scores carried over, the 34 men will play 12 more games on Sept. 10 while the 34 ladies roll 10 games on Sept. 11 at Superbowl. The top eight bowlers in both divisions will then bowl another eight game to determine the top four who will compete in the semifinal and final rounds on Sept. 13 at Paeng’s Eastwood Bowl.

Other favored entries are Kenneth Chua, Benshir Layoso, Raoul Miranda, Merwin Tan, Lara Posadas Wong, Mades Arles and Alexis Sy. The rest of the finalists are: Ladies—Rachelle Leon, Dyan Coronacion, Alyssa dela Rosa, Nancy Frianeza, Myls Creencia, Dhel Marquez, Leah Naorbe, Arlena Bucao, Aileen Roxas, Anne Ramirez, Jo Anne Bonifacio, Abby Lanuza, Cita Yumul, Nida Singson, Joanne Santos, Leanie Amparo, Mikee Creencia, Winifred Kilito, Norma Degawan, Gina Varilla, Farah Onasa, Rochelle Munsayac, Sherry Ann Cruz, Liza Pabico, Pure Anselmo, Abby Gan, Josefina Enriquez, Ivy Pagdanganan,Danielle Denise S, Lazo, Louie Santarin, Rjoy Daval Santos, Luzen Escoto, Yolly Floralde, Linda Afos, Corazon San Gil, Alice Cabazor, Lailani Galang and Cindy Edquilane.

Roger refuses to blame injury for exit Parañaque N

EW YORK—Roger Federer struggled to hide his disappointment after his bid for a first US Open title since 2008 ended abruptly Tuesday with a five-set loss to Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals.

The 38-year-old Swiss had defeated Dimitrov in all seven previous meetings but surrendered a two sets to one lead before sliding to a 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 defeat.

Federer, a five-time US Open champion, left the court for a private medical timeout to treat his upper back near his neck before the final set but refused to blame injury as the reason for his exit.

“I felt it the whole time. I was able to play with it. My bad not to win,” Federer said.

“This is Grigor’s moment and not my body’s moment, so it’s OK. “It’s how it goes. I tried my best. By far not too bad to give up or anything.

Grigor was able to put me away. I fought with what I had.”

Federer was denied on five break points in the 10th game of the fourth set and the 78th-ranked Dimitrov held to force a fifth set, before the Bulgarian broke his rival twice in succession to effectively seal victory.

SM Lifestyle, Inc., the lifestyle and entertainment arm of SM Prime Holdings, is now an official venue partner of the upcoming 30th SEA Games this Nov. 30 to Dec. 11. The Mall of Asia Arena was announced as the final venue for the 5-on-5 Basketball games; while for Ice Sports, the SM Skating Rink will be the official venue for the Ice Hockey competition, and the SM Megamall Rink will hold competitions for figure skating, and Short Track.

SM Tickets will likewise be providing its full-service online ticketing system and their dedicated customer care hotline for the games.

In photo, SM Lifestyle COO, Herman Medina-Cue shakes hands during the signing ceremony with Ramon Suzara, COO of PHISGOC to signify SM Lifestyle’s support for the upcoming 30th SEA Games

“Had moments that I was in the lead most of the time. Had a chance to come back in the fourth. Start of the fourth wasn’t ideal. Start of the fifth wasn’t ideal. That was running behind. That was tough,” Federer said.

“Just disappointed it’s over because I did feel like I was actually playing really well after a couple of rocky starts.

“It’s just a missed opportunity to some extent that you’re in the lead, you can get through, you have two days off after. It was looking good.

But got to take the losses. They’re part of the game.”

No crystal ball Federer’s most stinging loss came at the Wimbledon final in July, when he squandered two match points while serving for trophy against Novak Djokovic.

He was adamant he had moved on from that near-miss, insisting it had no bearing on his performance against Dimitrov, the lowest-ranked US Open

semi-finalist since Jimmy Connors (174th) in 1991.

“I know people read into it. They think, all that stuff. That is definitely not the reason why I lost tonight. I was ready to go, try my best. It wasn’t enough,” Federer said.

Asked whether he felt he would have further chances to add to his record haul of 20 men’s Grand Slam singles title, Federer replied: “I don’t have the crystal ball.”

“We never know. I hope so, of course. I think still it’s been a positive season. Disappointing now, but I’ll get back up, I’ll be all right,” he added.

Federer has already qualified for a record-extending 17th ATP Tour Finals appearance in London -- alongside Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev -- and has no immediate plans to scale back his endof-season commitments.

“I guess Laver Cup, Shanghai, Basel, maybe Paris, London. That’s the schedule for now,” he said.

“I don’t know if the team have other ideas or not. I’m happy to get a bit of a break now, go back to practice, reassess and attack from there.” AFP

Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria reacts to his win against Roger Federer (inset) of Switzerland in their Men’s Singles Quarter-finals tennis match during the 2019 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. Federer had defeated Dimitrov in all seven previous meetings but surrendered a two sets to one lead before sliding to a 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 defeat. AFP

IM Suede outlasts Diaz, joins 4-way logjam for chess lead WOMAN International Master Mikee Charlene Suede outlasted Natori Biazza Diaz in the longest match of the day to lead opening-day winners in the 2019 National Women’s Championship —Grand Finals at the Philippine Academy for Chess Excellence located at Mindanao Ave., in Project 6, Quezon City.

Suede, the 25-year-old campaigner from University of the Philippines, labored long and hard before squeezing out a victory over Diaz in a tenselyfought queen versus rook endgame that took more than four hours to finish.

Suede’s hard-earned triumph enabled her to join WFM Shania Mae Mendoza, WIM Marie Antoinette San Diego and WIM Kylen Mordido in the early lead of this 14-player, 13-round tournament organized by the National Chess Fed-

A7

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

eration of the Philippines, headed by President/Chairman Prospero “Buch” Pichay in cooperation with the Philippine Sports Commission, thru Chairman William ‘Butch” Ramirez.

Mendoza subdued WCM Mira Mirano, San Diego outclassed WFM Allaney Jia Doroy and Mordido humbled May Ann Alcantara.

Top seed WGM Janelle Mae Frayna and WIM Catherine Perena-Secopito battle dto a draw, asi did WIM JanJodiyln Fronda and WIM Bernadette Galas and Samantha Umayan and Rizalyn Jasmine Tejada.

At stake in the tournament are slots to the Philippine team to the World Chess Olympiad scheduled Aug. 1 to 15, 2020 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

Last Tuesday, Frayna crowned herself as the blitz tournament champion.

bounces back in Lakan tilt

BATANGAS CITY—Beaten black and blue last time around, Paranaque bounced back strong in a big way as it pulled off a king-sized upset 61-57 upset win over host Batangas City in the MPBL Lakan Season Tuesday night at the Batangas City Coliseum here.

Jemal Vizcarra knocked in 15 points, including crucial baskets in the last 40 seconds of the game that helped the Yabo Sports-backed Patriots get back on track after losing by 53 points against the Bacoor Strikers last time around.

This time, the Patriots caught a big fish in the Athletics, the inaugural staging champions, who saw their threegame winning streak snapped.

It was only the fourth win in 13 games for the Patriots, but for head coach Mike Saguiguit, who escaped a one game suspension after league officials lifted the penalty, the victory would serve as a big boost for the squad moving forward.

“Malaking bagay ito. ‘Yung mga players talagang motivated sila bumawi,” said Saguiguit also a multi-titled coach in the collegiate ranks while handling the Olivarez College Stallions.

“It’s a big confidence-builder for us.”

Vizcarra’s jumper before the 24-shot clock violation sounded, gave the Patriots a 60-55 lead fended off a late rally by the Athletics. He secured Paranaque’s win a few seconds later when he split his charities in the last four seconds for the final tally.

Earlier, Pasay continued its sizzling performance in the fastest growing regional amateur basketball league put up

by Senator Manny Pacquiao with PBA legend and former MVP Kenneth Duremdes serving as commissioner while Rizal also broke out of slump following victories over their respective rivals.

The Voyagers of Pasay picked up their fifth win in a row as they humbled the Nueva Ecija-MiGuards, 75-69, in the other game.

Jan Jamon led the way for the Voyagers, who improved to 8-5 win-loss slate, as the deadshot swingman finished with 13 points. Raymond Ilagan added 12 markers while Dhon Reverente ended up with another double-double performance of 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Ms. Cesafi winners advocate key issues SEASON 19 of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foudnation Inc. opened with a bang last Saturday 31 at the Cebu Coliseum in a program that included a parade of Cebu’s best student-athletes and the muchawaited coronation of Ms. Cesafi 2019.

Nora Veronique Culaba of the University of Southern Philippines Foundation was crowned Ms. Cesafi 2019-College Division.

A surprise winner in the competition traditionally dominated by taller contenders, the 5’2’’ Ms. Culaba proves that the title is all about the person’s entire personality, not just her physique.

On the other hand, Bianca Reine Co Alba, a Grade 12 student of the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu is this year’s Ms. Cesafi 2019-High School Division.

Ms. Co Alba, an advocate of mental health among the youth is excited over the possibility of using the Cesaf i win as a platform for her advocacy. Cesafi Media Bureau

Nora Veronique Culaba (second from left) of the University Southern Philippines Foundation was crowned Ms. Cesafi 2019-College Division. Lawrence Khian Lamis

SM Lifestyle Inc. venue partner of 30th Southeast Asian Games SM Lifestyle Inc., the lifestyle and entertainment arm of SM Prime Holdings, is now an official venue partner of the upcoming 30th SEA Games this Nov. 30 to Dec. 11.

“We’re excited to be part of the 30th SEA Games this year, and can’t wait to see all the athletes in action inside our venues,” says Mr. Herman Medina-Cue, Chief Operations Officer of SM Lifestyle, Inc. It is an honor for our group to contribute to the endeavors of PHISGOC in hosting the games in our country and bring Filipino pride by showcasing our world-class venues.”

The Mall of Asia Arena was announced as the final venue for the 5-on-5 Basketball games, one of the much-awaited events in the line-up of competitions. The games at the Arena will run from Dec. 4 to 10, with the Philippine team defending their title as champions for the Men’s Division.

For Ice Sports, SM Skating Mall of Asia will be the official venue for Ice Hockey happening on Dec. 1 to 8; and SM Skating Megamall will hold the competitions of Figure Skating from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 and Short Track on December 3 & 4. Despite being a

tropical country, the Philippines has proven to excel in these sports, with the Philippine Ice Hockey team defending their title as champions of the region, coming from their gold medal finish in Kuala Lumpur last 2017.

This will be the 4th time the Philippines will be hosting the SEA Games, with 2005 being the last year the country hosted the games. With over 56 sports to be played and more than 10,000 athletes participating, the 30thSEA Games this 2019 is set to be one of the biggest events in the region this year.

SM Tickets will be providing its full-service online ticketing system and their dedicated customer care hotline for the 30thSEA Games. As the largest ticketing service in the country, all tickets to the 30th SEA Games will be available across all SM Tickets outlets nationwide located at the Mall of Asia Arena Box Office, and SM Malls through its Business Centers inside The SM Store and ticket booths located at SM Bowling, SM Skating, and SM Cinemas. Tickets may also be purchased online through www.smtickets.com or through the on-site ticket booths at select games and events.

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

A8

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

Maroons edge FEU Tamaraws; Tigers prevail UNIVERSITY of the Philippines held off Far Eastern University, 61-55, for its first win in the UAAP Season 82 men’s basketball tournament Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Javi Gomez de Liano outshone his fancied new teammates as he registered 22 points, six rebounds, and three assists to guide the Fighting Maroons to the opening day victory.

The win, however, almost didn’t materialize with the Tamaraws crawling back from a 38-27 halftime and tying the game at 55 with 4:06 to play.

Bright Akhuetie converted on a hook shot with 1:35 on the clock to once again put UP up, 57-55, as Hubert Cani and Wendell Comboy all muffled their potential go-ahead buckets for FEU. Jun Manzo, then, iced the game from the charity stripe in the final 10.6 seconds to lock up the six-point win.

Manzo collected nine points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals, as reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player Akhuetie garnered seven points and 11 rebounds.

Coach Bo Perasol, however, knows that the triumph wouldn’t be possible if not for Gomez de Liano.

“There were a lot of times that Javi bailed us out,” he lamented. “I don’t think I would like to be happy with how we executed things, but the way Javi scored against FEU was what bailed us out.”

Kobe Paras missed the game for UP due to a sprained right ankle he sustained during UP’s practice last Monday.

Brandrey Bienes led FEU with nine points, three rebounds, two assists.

L-Jay Gonzales chimed in eight points, seven boards, six assists, and two steals, as Cameroonian bruiser Patrick Tchuente made eight points, 14 rebounds, and two rejections in his first game for the Tamaraws.

Rhenz Abando pumped 22 points as University of Santo Tomas clipped University of the East, 95-82, to open the UAAP Season 82 men’s basketball tournament Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Pangasinense rookie, who transferred from Philippine College of Science and Technology, immediately made his presence felt for the Growling Tigers as he shot 5-of-15 from outside, on top of his four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Beninese high-flyer Soulemane Chabi Yo also impressed in his UST debut with his double-double outing of 19 points, 12 rebounds, and one block, while Brent Paraiso and Sherwin Concepcion combined for 20 points.

PetroGazz clips Choco Mucho Games Saturday

4 p.m. – Chef’s Classic vs PacificTown Army 6 p.m. – BaliPure vs Creamline

UNABLE to finish off the Choco Mucho in three or four, PetroGazz used its superb blocking in the decider to finally clip the Flying Titans as the Angels carved out a 25-22, 25-15, 19-25, 20-25, 15-3 victory to enhance their drive in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan yesterday.

The Angels took the first four points off kill blocks, including three on Choco Mucho top hitter Kat Tolentino, in the fifth set and went to dominate their young rivals to turn what had appeared to be a down-to-the-wire finish into an anticlimactic ending.

Thanks to Jeanette Panaga, Cai Baloaloa, Cherry Nunag Paneng Mercado, Jovielyn Prado, who manned the net in the decider with authority, foiling Tolentino’s hit one after the other and racking up the next four points to go 8-0 on a Jonah Sabete left-handed hit at changeover.

The Flying Titans broke that spell not on their merit but on a Prade service miscue and the recently-crowned Reinforced Conference champions took seven of the next nine points to wrap it all up.

The victory extended PetroGazz win run to three for an overall 4-2 card in a tie with idle BanKo-Perlas while dealing Choco Mucho its third straight defeat after going 2-1 in its first three matches in its debut stint in the league organized by Sports Vision.

Five Angels finished in double figures with setter Djanel Cheng anchoring PetroGazz’s balanced scoring that saw Sabete finish with 15 markers with all but one coming off attacks.

Sports Jaymar Perez of the Philippines tries to work his way into the paint during the Basketball World Cup Group D game between Angola and Philippines in Foshan. The Filipinos lost, 81-84. AFP

Gilas PH drops winnable game

By Peter Atencio

G

ILAS Pilipinas missed three attempts at the three-point arc in the dying seconds, allowing Angola to escape with an 84-81 triumph in overtime yesterday at the GBA International Sports and Recreation Center.

Joaquin Valdelicio put in a game-high 20 points for the Angolans, who picked up their first win in three games in Group D of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in Foshan, China.

The Angolans will now be given a better seeding than Gilas Pilipinas when they enter the classification stage determining the 17th to 32nd places. The Philippines and Angola will move to Group N in the classification stage and most likely join Iran, one of the two lowest-placed teams in Group C. Andray Blatche tallied a game-high 12 rebounds and 23 points, including two charities in the last 1:54 to keep Gilas close at 78-80.

But Yanick Moreira, who drilled in12 points and 15 boards for the Angolans,

scored on a tip-in in the final 1:07 allowing them to gain a four-point edge, 82-78, which Gerson Domingos padded to five with a freebie, 83-78.

Gilas Pilipinas was still breathing after RR Pogoy’s trey in the ensuing play, 81-83, and a missed Carlos Morais free throw, 84-81.

But Keifer Ravena’s three-point shot bounced off the rim, allowing the Angolans to escape with the win and the Filipinos to drop their first winnable game in the 32team World Cup following a 46-point loss to the Italians Saturday and a 59-point setback to the Serbians on Monday.

“We had a chance to win this one,” said coach Yeng Guiao.

CJ Perez struck with 17 points, his triple in the last 33.3 seconds tying the count

at 73-all in regulation. He could have won it for Gilas after an Angola turnover, but he took too long to drive for a shot in the final 5.2 seconds as he was forced to take a three-point attempt as the buzzer sounded.

He also bungled one of three three-point attempts in the last 39 seconds.

Perez scored 17 points, while fellow rookie Robert Bolick was the only other Filipino in double figures with 10. Pogoy and Ravena had eight apiece.

For the third straight game, shooting was problem for the Filipinos, who shot only 10 of 46 attempts for a woeful 20 percent clip.

But after going 3-for-33 on threes through three-fourths of the way and 0-of-9 in the third alone, the Filipinos suddenly came alive in the final quarter where they sank five of 10 to wipe away an 12-point deficit.

Leading the Gilas’ assault were Japeth Aguilar and RR Pogoy.

Aguilar scored on a putback dunk to highlight a 13-4 run, which Pogoy capped with his first three-pointer of the tournament to give the Filipinos the lead at 67-65, with 3:45 left in regulation.

9 share lead in wild Aboitiz golf finish IRA Alido came out a bit better and straight birdies from No. 1 coming luckier than American Lexus Kehome, bogeyed the last three and oninh and Aussie Tim Stewart in a wound up with a 73 while Keoninh wild, stumbling finish in a virtual also bogeyed the last three at the day of survival at the dreaded Wack back and limped with a 74.

Wack’s East, salvaging a 72 despite a Those late mishaps enabled Alido double-bogey on the ninth and dropto emerge on top, along with 10 othping to a crowded 10-player leaderers, including seven who bucked board at the start of the Aboitiz Invihot, windy conditions in morning tational 2019 yesterday. play to get into the early mix in the Alido dumped his approach shot 72-hole championship serving as on the long par-4 No. 9, his closing the fourth leg of this year’s circuit hole, on the greenside bunker and organized by Piilpinas Golf Tournastruggled to get out off a bad lie, ments, Inc. ending up with a 6 that spoiled what “Yeah, it was tough but just got could’ve been a strong start for a to grind it out the whole week,” said player who had missed the cut in two Keoninh, who served notice of his of the first three of legs of the third title drive by topping the pro-am Philippine Golf Tour Asia. tournament Tuesday.

“Overall, I’m satisfied with my Keoninh carried a two-under card game as I was able to play the way after birdying the par-5 13th but boI planned it – hit the fairways and geyed the next and after parring No. greens since the East is not a birdie 15, he wavered and dropped strokes course,” said Alido, who failed to on the next three. advance at Luisita and Southwoods.

So did Stewart, runner-up in the “Just got a little bit unlucky on the last PGTA leg at Southwoods, who ninth where I had a bad lie and I had came out of a two-birdie, three-boto hit with my other foot outside of Aussie Damien Jordan finds the tight Wack Wack East gey round at the back smoking with the bunker.” three birdies in row at the turn, only not to his liking in a shaky title-retention drive Worst were Stewart and Keoninh, to yield the strokes on the last three who had looked forward to grabbing the first day honors in the that typified the field’s struggle on one of the country’s toughest $100,000 event organized by Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. with championship courses. a pair of under-par cards heading to the last three holes on op“The course is really difficult. It’s like you just have to finish it posite nines. But Stewart, who spiked his fine start with three whatever the results,” said Stewart.

Fil-foreign swimmers make waves CAPAS, Tarlac—Three Fil-foreign swimmers made waves on the final day of the first Philippine National Open Swimming Championships Tuesday at the New Clark City Aquatics Center here.

This was after Fil-Kiwi Luke Gebbie, and Fil-Americans James Deiparine and Remedy Rule came up with convincing performances on the final day of the meet and earned slots to the national team seeing action in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

Of the three, Rule took the most seats after he qualified in five of seven events where was was entered.

The 22-year-old Rule swept all of her seven events that she joined as she got slots in the 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle competitions, and the 100m and 200m butterfly seats as well.

But she was not able to clinch the top two positions in the 50-meter backstroke and butterfly events despite having finished first.

“It was good to win all my events.

I’d like my times to be a little bit faster from where I am with training. I’m pretty happy how the meet went,” said Rule, a marine biology graduate at the University of Texas.

On Day 4 of the three-day meet, Rule clocked 30.53 seconds to beat Mishka Sy (31.24), missing the best time of 29.79 seconds set by Chloe Isleta this year in the women’s 50-meter backstroke.

Coming close to Jasmine Alkhaldi’s 27.27-second performance in the 50-meter butterfly was also a struggle for Rule, who took the gold in 28.41 seconds, ahead of Regina Castrillo (28.86).

Last June, Rule finished second in her heat in the 18th FINA World Championships in Korea, with a new Philippine national record time of 1:00.42, resetting Alkhaldi’s 1:01.00 record set at the 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore in 2015.

Rule also eclipsed Erica Totten’s 2:15.76 women’s 200m butterfly national mark to 2:12.54, then trimmed it down in May to 2:12.02.

She again improved it last June to 2:11.56. Peter Atencio

Technical delegates laud SEAG venues, preparations THE technical delegates from various sports gathered on Wednesday during the 2nd Technical Delegates Meeting held at the Polkabal Ballroom of The Manila Hotel.

Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee Chief Operating Officer Ramon “Tats” Suzara hosted the event and presented the Technical Delegates to the media for the first time.

“I always give importance to all our technical delegates. We give importance mostly to the coaches the athletes, but of course let us not forget the technical delegates because they will play a crucial role for the success of the coming 30th SEA Games,” said Suzara.

Suzara pointed out that organizing the 11-nation meet won’t be possible without the help and expertise of these technical delegates.

Valson Cuddikotta, the technical delegate for athletics, commended Suzara for conducting the meeting and the press conference for the officials.

Cuddikotta has expressed high hopes that the biennial meet would be the best edition of the SEA Games in history due to the adequate preparations being done by the Philippines.

He cited the track and field stadium in New Clark City, Capas, Tarlac as a world-class facility where the Philippines can readily host a global-level tournament in the near future.

“We have never been invited for a press conference like this. PHISGOC has put a lot of effort to come up with such fantastic venues. I believe that the Philippines can now conduct any event of the highest magnitude,” said Cuddikotta.

Also present in the meeting were the Technical Delegates of Aquatics—Swimming Naddeh, Ibrahim Fadil, Aquatics—Water Polo Kuroda Katsumi, Sepak Takraw—Abdul Kader and Abdul Halim Bin, Agus Antares Mauro of Basketball, Sebastian Lau of Esports and Datu Low Beng Choo of Softball.

“I need guidance from them to run the SEA Games. It is just fitting to give them importance,” said Suzara.

Cemex eyes $250m from rights offering CEMENT manufacturer Cemex Holdings Philippines Inc. plans to raise up to $250 million from stock rights offering to fund expansion projects.

CHP said in a disclosure to the stock exchange its board of directors approved the rights offering which would come from the proposed increase in the company’s authorized capital stock to P18.31 billion from P5.19 billion.

The rights offering is subject to the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Philippine Stock Exchange.

The company authorized certain members of its senior management to set the terms and conditions of the rights offering, including the entitlement ratio, the offer price, the payment terms, the procedure for lodging the application to subscribe, the details and procedures for the various rounds of offer and the record date.

CHP failed in June to secure the required two-thirds of votes from shareholders to increase its authorized capital stock to P18.31 billion from P5.2 billion, which would have enabled the company to raise fresh funds to finance expansion and improve its capital structure.

CHP was looking to conduct an equity offering at that time.

CHO said to implement the proposed rights offering, it would hold another stockholders meeting on Oct 16. to approve the planned capital hike.

Proceeds from the planned fundraising activity will be used to finance the expansion of Solid Cement plant in Rizal, improve its capital structure and provide balance sheet flexibility.

CHP is currently constructing another cement line in Antipolo City that is capable of producing 1.5 million metric tons annually.

The $235-million expansion plan is expected to increase CHP’s cement capacity by 26 percent. The new line is seen to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2020.

CHP programmed P7.75 billion in 2019 capital expenditures primarily to fund the Solid Cement plant expansion. Jenniffer B. Austria

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

B1

MPIC hospital unit to raise P83b up to 381.271 common shares with an over-allotment option of up to 40.771 common shares at P182 apiece.

ETRO Pacific MPHHI will raise P6.5 billion from Hospital Holdings the sale of primary shares which will be used to invest in additional hospitals, Inc., the whollycancer centers, clinics and new healthowned hospital group of care businesses and fund the expansion conglomerate Metro Pacific of existing hospitals.

Meanwhile, the selling shareholders, Investments Corp., plans to including MPIC, will raise up to P75.1 raise up to P83.3 billion in billion, which the company plans to use what could be the country’s to fund the expansion of other businesses including toll roads, power generalargest initial public tion and water utility. offering.

Assuming MPIC will sell the entire 422 MPHHI, in a filing with the Securities million secondary shares, its ownership in and Exchange Commission, will sell up MPHHI will drop to 16.57 percent.

The filing showed that at least 70 perto 35.821 million primary shares and

By Jenniffer B. Austria

M

cent of the total offer shares would be sold to foreign institutional investors and the remaining 30 percent to domestic and retail investors.

The company hired UBS as the sole global coordinator and Bank of America, CLSA, UBS and J.P. Morgan as the joint international book-runners.

First Metro Investments Corp. is the lead domestic coordinator and joint domestic leader underwriter together with BDO Capital and Investments Corp. and BPI Capital Corp.

MPHHI tentatively set the offer period for the IPO from Nov. 18 to 22 while listing with the Philippine Stock Exchange was set on Dec. 2.

MPHHI is the fifth company to file an IPO application with the SEC this year.

Property firm Kepwealth Property Philippines Inc. successfully listed its shares with the Philippine Stock Exchange in August.

Two IPOs are in the pipeline in October, including the coconut product manufacturer Axelum Resources Corp. and home improvement retailer All Home Corp.

Consumer electronics producer CalComp Technology (Philippines) Inc., a unit of Taiwan-based New Kinpo Group (NKG), recently revived its IPO plan with the target to raise as much as P10.67 billion from its maiden offering in November.

The P83.3 billion IPO of MPHII could be the country’s biggest IPO, exceeding LT Group Inc.’s P37.72 billion re-IPO in 2013.

MetroPac Water bags P1.6-b deal to serve Dumaguete City

TOP SHOPPING CENTER. SM Center Las Piñas is named Shopping Center of the Year-Small Category during the 21st Outstanding Filipino Retailers and Shopping Centers of the Year Awards at the Rizal Ballroom of Shangri-La Manila. Since the 34,000square meter shopping center opened in 2009, it has grown into a community mall with strong partnerships with the city and neighboring areas. Attending the awarding ceremony are (from left) PRA vice chairman Mars Chua, PRA platinum awardee and Central Books president Ma. Alegria Limjoco, SM chief operating officer Steven Tan, SM Supermalls regional operations manager for Central 5 Region John Brian Tarnate, SM Supermalls senior assistant vice president for mall operations Johanna Melissa Rupisan and Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya.

METRO Pacific Investments Corp. said wholly-owned water utility firm signed a P1.62-billion water project with Dumaguete City Water District.

MPIC said in a disclosure to the stock exchange MetroPac Water Investments Corp. signed a joint venture agreement that will involve the rehabilitation, operation, maintenance and expansion of DCWD’s existing water distribution system and development of wastewater facilities.

“The project cost for the 25-year joint venture is estimated at P1.62 billion, with an initial equity investment of P700 million,” MPIC said.

DCWD currently supplies 38 million liters per day of potable water to more than 32,000 customers in Dumaguete City and parts of the towns of Valencia, Sibulan and Bacong in Negros Oriental.

The population in the service area of DCWD is estimated at 165,984 and is

expected to grow to more than 242,000 by 2044.

The deal with DCWD is the second major contracts bagged by MPW in just two months.

Metro Iloilo Water, a joint venture between MPW and Metro Iloilo Water District, took over the water distribution system in Iloilo City and the seven other municipalities in July.

Under the plan, the MIW will operate, rehabilitate and maintain the water distribution and wastewater management facilities of MIWD in Iloilo City and the municipalities of Pavia, Oton, Maasin, Cabatuan, Sta. Barbara, Leganes and San Miguel.

The joint venture aims to ensure water availability in the service areas, improve the level of service efficiency and reduce non-revenue water from 50 percent to 35 percent over the 25-year concession period. Jenniffer B. Austria

B2

Business

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market climbs; NIKL advances S TOCKS rose Wednesday, joining the rally in Hong Kong and the rest of Asian markets after dealers brushed off the latest China outburst from Donald Trump.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 36.15 points, or 0.5 percent, to 7,840.86 on a value turnover of P6.6 billion. Losers, however, edged gainers, 102 to 100, with 47 issues unchanged.

Nickel Asia Corp., the the nickel miner, advanced 8.9 percent to P4.90, while Phinma Energy Corp., a unit of conglomerate Ayala Corp., climbed 4 percent to P2.86.

Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. surged 8.3 percent to P2.08, while SM

Investments Corp. of the Sy Group gained 3.8 percent to P1,032.

The rest of Asian markets rose Wednesday led by a surge in Hong Kong after reports said the city’s leader was considering agreeing to a key demand of pro-democracy protesters, fueling hopes for an end to months of damaging protests in the financial hub.

Shares rallied across the board on the Hang Seng Index after the reports, with property and retail firms among the best performers, having taken a hiding over the past few weeks as the demonstrations were increasingly dogged by violence.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam and Beijing have refused to make any concessions to the protesters beyond agreeing to suspend a loathed extradition bill, a move that fell far short of demands to permanently shelve it.

But one pro-establishment lawmaker who asked to remain anonymous told AFP their camp was being

summoned to meet Lam on Wednesday afternoon ahead of an expected major announcement.

Multiple news organizations later said Lam would announce a full withdrawal of the bill later in the afternoon.

“The withdrawal is a sign of an inflection point in the 13-week-long crisis,” Justin Tang, head of Asian research at United First Partners, said.

“Retail and property stock investors are signaling their optimism and putting their money where it matters.”

Hong Kong—which has more than a tenth of its value over the past three months, partly because of the protests— soared 3.4 percent in afternoon trade, while Shanghai ended 0.9 percent higher.

Most other Asian equity markets also rose after two days of stuttering. Tokyo ended 0.1 percent higher, Singapore added 1.4 percent, Seoul climbed 1.4 percent and Taipei added 0.9 percent.

IN BRIEF

Wellington, Mumbai and Bangkok also posted strong gains.

President Trump threatened China that if it did not move quicker in negotiations it would get a worse trade deal from him if he won the 2020 election.

The tweet came as reports said the two sides were struggling to agree parameters for the next round of talks, which Trump had said would go ahead this month.

Beijing’s point man in the talks, Vice Premier Liu He, met two Republican senators Steve Daines and David Perdue on Tuesday in the Chinese capital and said he wanted a negotiated resolution based on “equality and mutual respect”, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The broad gains also came despite a shock drop in US factory activity into contraction—the first time since Trump came to power and raising concerns about the state of the world’s top economy. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

56 86.7 2.02 143.4 1.22 26 18.6 12 4.81 753 0.455 70.55 0.92 13.2 46 187 111.4 58.35 27.75 201 1,790 59.15 1.11

57.95 87.75 2.02 145.9 1.22 26.05 18.6 12 4.9 753 0.455 70.85 0.96 13.2 46.15 187 118 58.35 28 201.2 1,790 60 1.11

56 86.7 2 143.3 1.22 25.9 18.6 11.72 4.78 750 0.445 69.8 0.92 13.04 45.55 184.5 110 57.9 27.75 197.1 1,790 59.1 1.11

FINANCIALS 57.95 70 87.75 896,090 2 20,000 145 1,584,770 1.22 9,000 25.95 410,900 18.6 500 11.96 113,300 4.88 70,000 750 520 0.445 80,000 70.05 2,166,550 0.93 84,000 13.04 5,400 46 99,800 185 10,320 118 3,070 57.9 5,730 28 6,400 199.8 132,080 1,790 15 59.9 5,270 1.11 20,000

3,997 78,240,353 40,170 229,648,693 10,980 10,683,875 9,300 1,349,880 335,750 390,060 36,050 151,874,429 78,040 70,480 4,566,810 1,929,325 340,423 331,942.50 178,830 26,397,722 26,850 312,792 22,200

-1,197,363.50 609,472 -6,383,380 166,532 -66,143,655.50 -1,860 -34,565 -24,050 8,260 -304,554 -5,580 3,005,328 -

INDUSTRIAL 36.75 518,700 15.3 707,800 0.71 572,000 1.31 174,000 0.247 950,000 2.77 36,694,000 13.76 470,400 129 9,980 10.3 128,300 15 1,000 30.7 345,100 75.95 600 80.05 1,520 2.04 27,000 5.75 74,200 8.94 854,900 15 99,200 10 53,000 7.24 2,212,000 26.75 2,968,000 82.9 170,060 50.6 433,230 2.15 6,537,000 14.72 736,200 8.03 213,700 1.59 13,000 228 388,340 5.06 256,400 22.5 102,400 13.48 191,900 18.82 62,900 359.8 165,830 0.207 750,000 5.29 2,300 2.08 78,847,000 4.31 16,000 5.12 720,100 9.1 29,900 2.86 141,040,000 11 176,900 32.05 1,303,000 5.28 327,000 5.05 21,900 1.6 80,000 2.19 55,000 1.11 344,000 11.88 721,700 90 465,910 7.22 79,200 1.08 840,000 166.9 513,780 2.45 15,000 1.16 1,685,000 1.23 1,288,000

19,271,560 10,836,704 396,500 229,540 229,580 102,050,160 6,415,808 1,319,491 1,321,606 15,000 10,518,385 43,352.50 119,634 55,080 422,959 7,663,103 1,492,854 527,859 16,014,753 78,099,835 13,989,015 21,892,564.50 14,110,430 10,817,454 1,718,026 20,670 88,770,136 1,248,749 2,260,980 2,584,732 1,179,220 59,904,640 155,750 12,167 163,481,570 69,480 3,671,184 269,805 417,372,990 1,936,826 41,761,275 1,750,233 111,340 124,050 118,250 379,900 8,498,844 41,929,642.50 563,569 892,930 86,064,073 36,750 1,946,880 1,580,680

-6,810,005.00 1,020,364 -136,540 17,854,470 938,868 -50,040 66,988 -9,448,505 15,220.00 -411,615 -1,440,081 200,386 133,358 -15,203,838 24,344,955 5,053,907.50 18,000,496 41,230 -2,807,392 -1,036,733 -45,583,478 -474,575 1,164,748 779,482.00 -20,061,402 10,450 -11,639,560 710,989 -207,015 -2,532,770 -20,863,465 -50,088 -77,695 -6,492,402 -33,932,365 -41,552,289 397,320.00 -141,840

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 DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP EMPERADOR FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG GINEBRA GREENERGY HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LMG CHEMICALS MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETROENERGY PETRON PHINMA PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP RFM CORP ROXAS AND CO ROXAS HLDG SFA SEMICON SHAKEYS PIZZA SMC FOODANDBEV SPC POWER TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VICTORIAS VITARICH VULCAN INDL

37.2 15.2 0.68 1.34 0.245 2.9 13.5 110 10.42 15 30.5 72.25 76.15 2.04 5.7 9 15.18 9.9 7.29 26.45 82.2 50 2.2 14.7 8.06 1.59 232 4.86 22 13.42 18.94 362.4 0.208 5.29 1.92 4.4 5.07 9.02 2.75 10.84 32 5.1 5.1 1.55 2.12 1.1 12.38 90 7.18 1.05 167.4 2.45 1.17 1.22

37.75 15.4 0.72 1.34 0.247 2.9 13.84 150 10.46 15 31 75.95 80.05 2.04 5.75 9.1 15.18 10.16 7.29 27 83 50.8 2.21 14.8 8.08 1.59 232.8 5.06 22.5 13.94 18.94 363 0.211 5.29 2.14 4.4 5.12 9.1 3.06 11 32.3 5.6 5.1 1.6 2.19 1.13 12.38 90 7.22 1.08 169 2.45 1.17 1.25

36.75 15.1 0.68 1.31 0.24 2.7 13.5 110 10.2 15 30.45 72.05 76 2.04 5.66 8.92 15 9.85 7.23 26 82.05 50 2.12 14.58 8.03 1.59 227 4.85 21.85 13.42 18.66 359.8 0.191 5.29 1.9 4.31 5.06 9 2.75 10.8 31.95 5.1 5.05 1.55 2.12 1.08 11.1 89.6 7.1 1.03 166.9 2.45 1.15 1.22

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 GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG KEPPEL HLDG A KEPPEL HLDG B LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV PACIFICA PRIME MEDIA REPUBLIC GLASS SAN MIGUEL CORP SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.83 52.85 12.6 0.78 6.91 15.46 1.26 1.26 905 3.46 6.7 8.95 13.68 904.5 6 70 5.51 5.97 6.09 0.5 4.6 14.62 0.66 4.91 0.039 1.32 2.89 177.8 1,005 0.88 1.28 245 0.231 0.247

0.91 53.95 12.6 0.83 7.01 15.46 1.27 1.26 905 3.52 6.75 8.95 13.7 917 6 71.5 6.5 5.97 6.09 0.5 4.61 14.78 0.66 4.99 0.039 1.36 2.9 178 1,032 0.88 1.3 245 0.231 0.25

0.81 52 12.1 0.74 6.91 14.52 1.24 1.26 888 3.45 6.65 8.88 13.5 898 6 69.55 5.51 5.11 5.1 0.485 4.58 14.62 0.62 4.85 0.038 1.29 2.8 175 997 0.84 1.28 245 0.231 0.247

HOLDING FIRMS 0.9 42,893,000 52.7 1,074,600 12.24 5,334,100 0.81 5,590,000 7 102,600 14.52 15,700 1.25 908,000 1.26 238,000 892 638,730 3.49 2,099,000 6.73 296,800 8.89 9,246,100 13.64 13,500 915 109,470 6 100 70.3 1,434,050 6.5 2,300 5.28 75,800 5.32 28,100 0.495 163,000 4.59 2,220,000 14.76 3,388,400 0.65 309,000 4.99 16,576,000 0.039 12,500,000 1.36 338,000 2.8 31,000 178 184,560 1,032 223,630 0.84 492,000 1.3 102,000 245 30 0.231 350,000 0.249 580,000

37,849,090 56,653,333 65,290,286 4,448,540 717,903 230,538 1,131,850 299,880 569,112,665 7,323,240 1,990,612 82,294,285 183,778 99,996,165 600 101,347,026 14,385 396,888 146,902 79,395 10,190,830 49,985,070 193,020 81,602,450 484,200 443,340 89,150 32,533,711 228,318,480 415,200 131,430 7,350 80,850 144,510

2,584,730 -39,036,137 -29,370,036 699,880 25,200 -253,294,280 -154,740 1,314,771 -67,989,497 -44,996 13,776,885 -10,244,533 -648 -9,225,950 -11,639,826 975,960 11,400 1,471,021 118,088,670 -

8990 HLDG A BROWN ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEB LANDMASTERS CEBU HLDG CENTURY PROP CITY AND LAND CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DM WENCESLAO DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL INFRADEV PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND

15.32 0.83 1.88 0.9 47.7 2.19 4.64 6.1 0.56 0.74 0.85 0.233 0.43 9.22 20.9 0.465 1.65 1.26 5.1 0.325 0.48 1.37 0.405 2.35 24.55 2.31 3.29 34.5 2.45

15.38 0.83 1.88 0.92 47.8 2.19 4.66 6.1 0.56 0.75 0.88 0.233 0.435 9.22 21.8 0.465 1.65 1.27 5.1 0.325 0.48 1.43 0.405 2.35 25.4 2.4 3.35 34.5 2.45

15.3 0.81 1.86 0.86 47.05 2.16 4.64 6 0.55 0.74 0.85 0.231 0.42 8.99 20.9 0.465 1.6 1.26 4.9 0.315 0.46 1.36 0.39 2.1 24.55 2.31 3.29 34.05 2.42

PROPERTY 15.34 354,400 0.82 941,000 1.86 51,000 0.89 2,981,000 47.4 9,375,400 2.17 416,000 4.66 67,000 6 400 0.56 3,636,000 0.75 29,000 0.88 4,000 0.231 160,000 0.42 870,000 9.2 530,200 21.15 176,600 0.465 330,000 1.62 25,385,000 1.27 251,000 5.02 28,309,200 0.32 8,390,000 0.46 250,000 1.4 1,691,000 0.395 320,000 2.14 5,464,000 25.3 1,054,000 2.38 300,000 3.35 360,000 34.15 9,033,300 2.42 207,000

5,436,122 768,070 95,400 2,624,500 444,030,345 905,630 311,280 2,430 2,001,010 21,580 3,470 37,080 368,650 4,798,381 3,752,340 153,450 41,093,990 316,360 141,657,297 2,685,650 115,600 2,341,850 126,350 11,870,220 26,572,470 714,400 1,204,910 308,937,940 503,010

-102,776 -16,600 -26,131,785 -117,450 -526,350 -36,383 -550,955 -8,094,740 -38,544,663 12,800 43,840 -3,177,000 -24,000 -335,000 -167,269,520 -

NAME

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

STARMALLS SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

5.64 0.93 7.62

5.66 0.93 7.7

5.6 0.88 7.51

5.64 0.88 7.7

106,000 1,322,000 3,237,900

596,457 1,178,050 24,802,546

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

10.3 21 1.58 0.64 0.048 19.8 2.38 10.28 0.058 96 7.48 5.8 2.24 9.9 890 1,998 5.3 435 1.83 1.86 130 9.55 5.08 0.11 5.65 2.95 14.6 3.05 0.91 18.84 0.45 3.11 2.41 1.13 1.27 9.1 3.5 2.7 8.4 5.12 136.3 3.14 1,157 0.69 0.59 43.75 75.5 9.12 2.81 0.69 0.37 5.45 0.69 16.78

10.48 21.2 1.6 0.65 0.049 19.8 2.4 10.32 0.058 97.8 7.64 6.35 2.26 10.5 890 1,998 5.4 435 1.83 2 132.7 9.6 5.08 0.114 6.17 3.04 14.6 3.14 0.92 19.26 0.45 3.25 2.45 1.13 1.28 10.8 3.55 2.73 8.46 5.12 136.3 3.33 1,160 0.7 0.6 43.9 77.95 9.12 2.94 0.71 0.37 5.45 0.69 16.78

10.3 20.5 1.53 0.61 0.048 19.8 2.35 10.14 0.057 95.95 7.32 5.8 2.24 9.9 890 1,922 5.3 435 1.75 1.86 125.5 9.55 5.08 0.109 5.35 2.91 14 2.97 0.9 18.78 0.45 3.11 2.39 1.13 1.27 9.02 3.2 2.69 8.3 5.12 136.3 3.1 1,133 0.69 0.58 43.75 75.5 9.09 2.78 0.68 0.35 5.45 0.68 16.5

SERVICES 10.48 20.55 1.56 0.61 0.049 19.8 2.36 10.3 0.058 97.8 7.35 6.35 2.26 9.9 890 1,922 5.37 435 1.77 2 126 9.6 5.08 0.114 5.45 2.91 14 2.98 0.92 19 0.45 3.25 2.45 1.13 1.28 10.8 3.22 2.7 8.4 5.12 136.3 3.29 1,133 0.69 0.59 43.9 77 9.11 2.9 0.68 0.355 5.45 0.68 16.56

5,800 126,900 13,000 12,439,000 21,100,000 200 85,000 2,393,300 9,350,000 84,560 4,871,300 83,000 19,000 73,100 1,720 46,705 29,000 200 1,379,000 6,000 1,851,370 500 100 2,060,000 35,141,600 72,000 5,100 1,013,000 1,229,000 455,400 270,000 24,000 721,000 8,000 9,000 2,800 8,051,000 251,000 22,600 100 300 1,402,000 87,205 1,059,000 16,306,000 712,800 589,490 23,100 6,546,000 1,358,000 7,900,000 1,841,500 1,502,000 616,600

60,414 2,620,340 20,340 7,764,130 1,031,500 3,960 200,840 24,540,192 533,880 8,197,528 36,509,639 523,125 42,750 737,198 1,530,800 90,590,920 155,796 87,000 2,463,030 11,300 235,675,949 4,785 508 226,830 201,199,025 211,350 72,000 3,050,550 1,108,260 8,708,292 121,500 77,580 1,741,430 9,040 11,510 26,760 27,108,900 677,310 190,500 512 40,890 4,534,130 99,248,825 735,250 9,633,850 31,277,410 45,209,880.50 210,455 18,678,130 938,620 2,824,150 10,036,175 1,023,260 10,214,988

-20,373,564 1,368,169.50 -730,343 -63,231,210 -44,165,248 -1,879,895.00 -1,238,860.00 -1,012,008 -14,600 -418,320 5,400 846 -321,310 -32,661,295 -138,000 -1,172,330 -6,970,940 -189,012.50 3,334,440 -729,270 40,400 -136,250 -298,584

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

0.0017 1.25 2.56 11.5 1.25 2.74 0.285 7.88 1.92 0.221 0.112 0.115 0.0098 1.23 4.4 1.1 0.92 0.012 0.011 9.21 3.99 10.3 23.1 0.0069

0.0018 1.26 2.56 11.5 1.25 2.74 0.285 7.89 1.96 0.221 0.114 0.12 0.01 1.26 4.9 1.1 0.93 0.012 0.011 9.97 4.1 11 23.25 0.0069

0.0017 1.23 2.55 11.5 1.18 2.72 0.285 7.79 1.77 0.217 0.11 0.103 0.0098 1.16 4.15 1.06 0.87 0.012 0.011 8.7 3.97 10.2 22.8 0.0064

MINING & OIL 0.0018 229,000,000 1.24 2,326,000 2.55 76,000 11.5 1,000 1.18 2,000 2.72 188,000 0.285 20,000 7.79 5,600 1.88 58,580,000 0.217 2,860,000 0.112 3,690,000 0.115 4,090,000 0.01 17,800,000 1.26 2,158,000 4.9 102,341,000 1.09 414,000 0.9 1,882,000 0.012 17,500,000 0.011 3,000,000 8.9 9,573,300 4.07 1,509,000 10.7 3,272,700 23.05 240,000 0.0068 6,000,000

390,000 2,891,850 194,310 11,500 2,430 512,040 5,700 43,941 110,393,770 622,840 409,100 449,770 177,840 2,636,690 472,092,090 441,980 1,680,600 210,000 33,000 89,713,067 6,117,560 34,956,262 5,510,270 40,000

-85,000 -176,460 35,703,970 -188,500 177,345,300 1,839,661.00 164,600 1,642,832.00 602,045 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 ALCO PREF B DD PREF FGEN PREF G GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A LR PREF PCOR PREF 3A PCOR PREF 3B PNX PREF 3B SMC FB PREF 2 SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

19.2 498 500 102 101 107.5 5.2 990 99.85 0.99 1,030 1,035 108 990 78.9 75.4 75.4 77.5 76 75.6 77

19.2 498 504 102 101 107.5 5.2 990 99.9 1 1,030 1,042 108 990 79 75.7 75.4 77.95 76 75.6 77

18.3 498 500 102 101 107.5 5.2 990 99.85 0.99 1,030 1,035 108 990 78.9 75.4 75.4 77.5 75.4 75.6 76.5

PREFERRED 18.5 271,300 498 60 504 190 102 150 101 62,100 107.5 8,100 5.2 81,000 990 370 99.85 20,330 1 56,000 1,030 1,905 1,038 1,650 108 5,650 990 2,110 78.95 12,740 75.7 6,350 75.4 1,000 77.95 9,200 75.4 13,720 75.6 1,000 76.5 15,220

5,054,958 29,880 95,040 15,300 6,272,100 870,750 421,200 366,300 2,030,938.50 55,450 1,962,150 1,715,200 610,200 2,088,900 1,005,835.50 480,390 75,400 714,926 1,038,087.50 75,600 1,164,335

-4,414,348 -111,100 -421,200 -301,600 -

LR WARRANT

1.6

1.6

1.56

WARRANTS 1.6 76,000

119,880

MS ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH XURPAS

6.34 11.3 0.94

6.34 11.3 0.98

5.99 10.2 0.93

FIRST METRO ETF

117

117.6

117

USD DMPL A2 USD TECH B2

10.3 0.98

10.3 0.98

10.3 0.98

TRADING SUMMARY FINANCIAL

SHARES 5,724,233

INDUSTRIAL

285,805,648

HOLDING FIRMS

107,649,201

PROPERTY

135,077,164

SERVICES

143,789,708

MINING & OIL

467,390,089

GRAND TOTAL

1,150,875,393

6.01 10.5 0.97

SME

2,836,900 895,900 1,703,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 117.6 3,550 10.3 0.98

DDS

1,740 5,000

17,192,600 9,454,990 1,642,880

-10,300,236

-205,056 -37,460 97,310

416,364

-

17,922 4,900

-

VALUE 1,805.15 (UP) 10.17 506,900,617.05 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,872.88 (DOWN) 42.76 1,326,372,331.262 HOLDING FIRMS 7,840.94 (UP) 106.52 1,464,271,814.00 PROPERTY 3,951.32 (UP) 10.69 SERVICES 1,563.69 (DOWN) 24.22 1,610,405,704.67 MINING & OIL 9,733.87 (UP) 304.47 925,848,791.54 PSEI 7,840.86 (UP) 36.15 729,778,059.06 All Shares Index 4,753.77 (UP) 13.16 6,592,284,151.58 Gainers: 100; Losers: 102; Unchanged: 47; Total: 249

Maynilad investing P6b in sewerage

WEST zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. is investing more than P6 billion to install 30 kilometers of sewer lines in Las Piñas City in the fourth quarter.

“We are determined to do our part in ensuring the proper treatment and disposal of wastewater in our concession area. Our commitment is such that we have allotted the largest portion of this year’s capital expenditure budget to wastewater management for programs aimed to protect the health and sanitation of our customers and the environment,” said Maynilad president and chief executive Ramoncito Fernandez.

The 30-km sewer conveyance, which is part of the planned 80-km sewerage system project for Las Piñas City, will be implemented in the four quarter of 2019.

Maynilad will utilize trenchless methodology for the project to minimize the impact on traffic of the pipe diggings. Once completed in 2021, the sewerage system will enable Maynilad to catch wastewater generated by some 600,000 customers in 20 barangays in the city and convey it to the Las Piñas Water Reclamation Facility for proper treatment.

Othel V. Campos

RCBC to issue US dollar notes

RIZAL Commercial Banking Corp., the 10th largest lender in terms of assets, will issue on Sept. 11 benchmark-sized US dollar senior unsecured sustainability notes via a drawdown under its $2-billion medium-term note program.

RCBC, in a disclosure to the stock exchange, announced the terms of the notes that would mature in 2024. “The notes will be listed on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Ltd. The pricing is expected during European trading hours today,” the bank said.

The notes have fixed-rate coupon payable semi-annually and have a tenor of five years.

“The net proceeds from the issue of the notes will be applied by RCBC to support and finance and/or refinance RCBC loans to customers or its own operating activities in eligible green and social categories as defined in RCBC’s Sustainable Finance Framework,” RCBC said.

RCBC Citigroup Global Markets Ltd., ING Bank N.V. Singapore branch, Merrill Lynch (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. and SMBC Nikko Capital Markets Ltd. as the joint book-runners.

Julito G. Rada

30 provinces vow to help rice farmers

THIRTY provinces accepted the challenge of Agriculture Secretary William Dar to implement measures that will arrest low palay prices and cushion its impact on farmers.

“The League of Provinces of the Philippines is fully behind you in your projects and programs. For sure we want to make our farmers and agricultural growers and producers financially stable,” said LPP president and Marinduque Governor Presbitero Velasco Jr. said in a meeting with Dar. The governors of 13 rice-producing provinces initially responded to Dar’s request for the PLGUs to allot funds to bankroll palaybuying, drying, milling and rice marketing.

These include the governors of Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Cagayan and Bataan who collectively have allotted P3 billion.

Another 17 provinces expressed intent to partner with the department.

Othel V. Campos

BPI: Investors swarm on $300-m green bond issue

By Julito G. Rada BANK of the Philippine Islands, the third-largest lender in terms of assets, said Wednesday its offering of $300 million in senior unsecured fixed-rate Asean green bond was more than four times oversubscribed due to strong demand from investors.

BPI said in a statement the offering was a drawdown under its $2-billion medium-term note program.

“The bonds were priced at 99.641 with a re-offer yield of 2.577 percent.

The bonds will carry a coupon of 2.500 percent per annum, payable semiannually, and will have a final maturity date of Sept. 10, 2024,” it said.

“The offering was over four times over-subscribed, with the order book allocated predominantly to Asia, and the rest to Europe,” BPI said.

Over half of the offering was allocated to asset managers and fund managers, around one-third to banks, financial institutions and private banks, and the remainder to insurance companies, pension funds and other investors. The transaction is expected to settle on Sept. 10, 2019.

Upon issuance, the bonds will comprise the first US dollar-denominated Asean green bond issued by a Philippine bank, the lowest coupon and yield ever paid for a US dollar-denominated bond from the Philippines and the lowest credit spread ever paid by a Philippine bank.

“The net proceeds from the bonds will be used for the financing and/ or re-financing, in whole or in part, of “green” eligible projects, as further described in BPI’s Green Finance Framework,” it said.

The Securities and Exchange Commission earlier confirmed that the bonds complied with the requirements under the Asean Green Bonds Circular and as such are qualified to be issued under the Asean Green Bond label.

World

B3

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

UK’s Johnson faces new Brexit vote after his stinging defeat

ANNUAL PARADE. Students from Princess of Naradhiwas University hold various flags during the university’s annual parade in Thailand’s predominantly Muslim province of Narathiwat on September 4, 2019. AFP

Dumping duty shielded domestic flour millers ONE can argue that a dumping OUT IN duty on imports is a protectionist THE OPEN measure that just coddles an inefficient sector of the economy.

Or one can say that the import tax protects a local industry from unfair competition and allows it to develop and ultimately become globally competitive.

The dumping duty clearly benefitted Philippine flour millers and protected them from unfair competition. Consumers, too, reaped the benefits of the additional import levy through steady bread prices in the market.

The Philippine Association of Flour Millers said with the unfair competition brought about by dumped Turkish flour minimized, local businessmen were encouraged to invest in the wheat flour milling sector.

Seven new flour mills have been put up since 2015 and another two are being planned each in in Davao and Cebu provinces.

Philippine wheat flour millers, however, are not yet off the hook. They want another five years of dumping duty imposed on Turkish flour, claiming the dumped product remains a threat to the local industry still recuperating from losses caused by the import.

PAFMIL, in a recent letter to the Department of Agriculture, asked the agency to endorse to the Tariff Commission the request of local flour millers for the TC to initiate an expiry review of the anti-dumping duty on wheat flour from Turkey. The commission announced the initiation of an expiry review Aug. 29, with a preliminary conference scheduled on Sept. 9.

But before such extension could be granted, local flour millers must go through the tedious process of proving to the Tariff Commission that Turkey, the world’s biggest flour exporter, remains a threat to the local flour millers.

Turkey’s flour exports from 2018 to 2019, according to World Grain magazine, are expected reach five million metric tons. Its export market extends from the Near East (Iraq, Syria, and Yemen), Africa and Southeast Asia. Dumping occurs when a country exports its product at a price lower than the value in its domestic market.

The Tariff Commission in 2015 found Turkey dumping flour into the Philippines, prompting the agency to impose a dumping duty of 2.87 percent to 16.19 percent on flour imported from Turkey. This duty imposition is due to end on January next year, thus PAFMIL’s request for another five-year anti-dumping penalty.

Aggressive exporter Turkish figures show that there are 1,200 flour mills in Turkey with a combined milling capacity of 30 million metric tons. Some 707 of these flour mills are in active commercial production with an average capacity utilization of 45 percent, giving Turkey enough room to expand exports.

In contrast, the Philippines has 21 flour mills with a combined production capacity of 5.1 million metric tons in 2018. The capacity utilization, however, is less than 50 percent.

But what has transpired since the Tariff Commission imposed the punitive duty on Turkish flour? Did the imposition limit the supply of flour in the country? Did flour prices go up and cause the consumers to spend more for their favorite Pandesal?

With more competition in the market among local companies, flour prices have gone down benefitting the consumers. Bread prices have not moved up in recent years. With the stability in flour and bread prices, consumption of bread products have increased, while flour sales reached 83 million bags in 2018, up by 7.85 percent from just 77 million bags in 2014. Each bag of flour weighs 25 kg.

With the end of the five-year dumping duty imposition, local flour millers face the prospect of a more aggressive Turkish flour export regime and the recurrence of unfair trade and dumped flour products.

The Tariff Commission faces this daunting task of determining whether it is time to lift its dumping imposition on Turkish flour, or if the Goliath of the world’s flour industry remains a serious threat to the viability of the local wheat flour milling industry.

PAFMIL cited reports showing Turkey to be the world’s leading flour exporter, processing 18 million tons of flour for domestic and export market, while having a very high idle capacity.

According to PAFMIL, the Philippines is the third biggest export market for Turkish flour, behind Iraq and Syria. Turkey exported $68.5 million worth of wheat flour to the Philippines in 2012, representing eight percent of its total wheat flour shipments.

Iraq and Indonesia similarly imposed additional duties on Turkish flour.

E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or business@manilastandard.net or extrastory2000@gmail.com

LONDON―British Prime Minister Boris Johnson braced for another showdown in parliament on Wednesday after a humiliating defeat over his Brexit strategy, with MPs set to vote on a law aimed at blocking a no-deal departure.

Johnson has said he will seek an early general election if MPs vote against him again, intensifying a dramatic political crisis ahead of his October 31 Brexit deadline.

Johnson has vowed to take Britain out of the EU on October 31 whether or not a divorce deal with Brussels is in place, more than three years after the referendum vote to leave the European Union.

But his opponents warn that Brexit without a deal will have disastrous economic consequences and must be avoided.

In a sign of the government’s determination, finance minister Sajid Javid will also on Wednesday unveil another £2 billion (2.2 billion euros, $2.4 bil-

lion) of funding to deal with Brexit, including for new port infrastructure.

But Johnson’s Conservative government is in disarray.

It lost its working majority in parliament on Tuesday after one of its MPs switched to the anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats and, a few hours later, it expelled 21 MPs from the party for voting against the government.

“Humiliation for Johnson as Tory rebels turn against him,” read the frontpage of the left-wing Guardian newspaper, while The Independent wrote: “Johnson loses control”.

But the strongly euroskeptic Daily Express said rebel MPs had voted “to betray Brexit” and called Tuesday’s vote “another shameful day in our socalled democracy”.

The rebels included Conservative Party grandees such as Ken Clarke, the longest-serving member of parliament, and Nicholas Soames, Winston Churchill’s grandson. AFP

Vienna ‘most livable city’ for second year

V

IENNA―The Austrian capital Vienna has retained its ranking as the world’s most livable city, according to an annual report from the Economist.

Vienna once again came ahead of Melbourne―which had held the top ranking for seven years until losing it to Vienna in 2018―according to a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released Wednesday.

The top two were followed by Sydney, Osaka and Calgary.

Each year the EIU gives 140 cities scores out of 100 on a range of factors such as living standards, crime, transport infrastructure, access to education and health care, as well as political and economic stability.

Vienna―known for its convenient public transport, refreshing Alpine tap water and varied cultural life―scored 99.1 points out of 100, as it did last year.

“Western Europe and North America continue to be the most livable regions in the world,” the EIU said in a press release.

Europe claimed eight of the top 20 spots, with cities in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Canada making up the rest.

However, the City of Light, Paris, dropped six places to 25th due to the anti-government “yellow vest” protests―images of which went around the world.

For the first time, the index noted the effects of climate change on livability, with New Delhi and Cairo plunging in the rankings to 118th and 125th place respectively due to “poor air quality, undesirable average temperatures and inadequate water provision”.

“We expect problems relating to cli-

North Korean defector moms struggling in South Korea

MEETING.

Britain’s Minister of State for Housing Esther McVey arrives to attend a meeting of the Cabinet at 10 Downing Street in central London on September 4, 2019.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lost a crucial parliamentary vote on his Brexit strategy on Tuesday after members of his own Conservative Party voted against him, opening the way for possible early elections. AFP

20 bodies recovered after dive boat disaster off California coast LOS ANGELES―Search operations were suspended Tuesday for the survivors of a scuba-diving boat disaster off the California coast after divers recovered 20 bodies and spotted another four to six trapped in underwater wreckage.

The remains of 11 women and nine men were transferred to coroner offices after the 75-foot (23-meter) Conception caught fire and sank Monday, trapping below-deck passengers beneath the roaring blaze.

“Today we will begin the process of mapping DNA profiles of the 20 victims that we have recovered so far, so that they can be compared with family samples,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told a news conference.

The boat had been on a diving excursion around Santa Cruz Island, just west of Santa Barbara in southern California,

mate change to put increasing pressure on livability scores in the coming years and for the number of cities affected to grow,” Agathe Demarais of the EIU said.

Improvements in livability that had taken place in emerging markets’ cities in recent years―thanks to greater stability as well as better education and health care―”are under serious threat from an increasingly adverse climate,” she said.

London and New York rank 48th and 58th respectively as they continue to struggle under the perceptions of the risk of crime and terrorism and overstretched infrastructure.

The least livable cities were Karachi, Tripoli, Dhaka, Lagos and, at the very bottom, Damascus.

Vienna also won top place in another survey, the annual quality of living index by human resources consulting firm Mercer, for the 10th time in a row in 2019. AFP

when disaster struck early Monday.

Five crew members were awake and jumped into the water when flames burst out around 3:15 am. They were rescued by a nearby pleasure craft.

A total of 39 were on board, officials said, leaving 14 yet to be recovered and presumed dead.

Both a stairwell and an escape hatch leading down to the lower deck where passengers were sleeping appeared to have been blocked by the inferno, Brown said.

On Tuesday, emergency officials began attempts to stabilize the boat so that divers can safely enter it and retrieve remaining victims.

Mourners gathering at the Santa Barbara docks set up a makeshift memorial, attaching large, colorful bouquets of flowers and messages of condolences to a fence along the waterfront. AFP

SEOUL―When Lim reached South Korea, she thought she had left behind the miseries of poverty and an unwanted marriage for a better life with her daughter.

She is one of more than 33,000 North Koreans―the vast majority of them women―who have fled to the South from hardship and repression in their homeland, where the Kim dynasty has ruled with an iron fist for three generations and stands accused of widespread human rights abuses.

The transition to a radically different, democratic and capitalist society―while juggling work, school and motherhood―is not easy. “Life in South Korea was the complete opposite of what I had expected,” Lim said.

Nine years after arriving she still struggles to make ends meet, one of hundreds of North Korean single mothers in similar situations.

Their plight was highlighted by the case of Han Sung-ok, who had difficulties keeping jobs while caring for her epileptic six-year-old son. Their bodies were found in a Seoul flat two months after they are believed to have died from starvation.

News of the deaths sent shock waves across the country last month and triggered an unprecedented campaign by the defector community urging Seoul to overhaul its aid program for North Korean refugees.

“Han fled North Korea, where scores of people die from starvation, only to starve to death in South Korea,” said campaigner Heo Kwang-il.

The vast majority of North Korean migrants go first to neighboring China before making their way to the South.

As the oldest daughter, Lim-who asked to be identified by her surname only―left home at 24 to provide for her family, but like many others was trafficked and sold to an abusive Chinese man, with whom she had a child. AFP

LGUs

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

B4

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

LANDBANK employees distribute cash grants to UCT beneficiaries in Misamis Oriental.

Jobs waiting for 1k Makati kids

By Joel E. Zurbano

M

ORE than 1,000 public senior high school and special education students in Makati City await employment to become service crew of a popular fast food chain in line with the city government’s SHS work immersion program under the administration of Mayor Abigail Binay.

Binay said Wednesday she met with McDonald’s Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Yang and discussed the company’s interest in expanding the existing tieup between Makati and McDonald’s Philippines through the SHS work immersion program.

“The City of Makati welcomes this opportunity to enhance our partnership with McDonald’s Philippines through

the hiring of additional student-trainees under our work immersion program.

We are grateful for their readiness to help our students earn extra income while being trained and taught useful skills that would make them highly employable,” Binay said.

Based on the records of the city’s Education department, 83 SHS students in five public schools have undergone work immersion for McDon-

ald’s Philippines from October 2017 to August 2019.

These schools include Fort Bonifacio SHS, Makati SHS, Nemesio I. Yabut SHS, Maximo Estrella SHS, and Pitogo SHS. Binay urged the students who will qualify as beneficiaries of the project to do their best to learn and be of help to McDonald’s in serving its customers.

“I hope that our student-trainees will be eager to learn skills that will increase their competence and help them land gainful employment eventually,” she said.

The city chief executive also said Yang has vowed to prioritize the city’s SHS graduates in hiring personnel for their Makati stores to boost employment in the city.

“We are grateful for McDonald’s

Las Piñas City Mayor Imelda T. Aguilar (left) supervises the voluntary demolition of Police Community Precinct 6 in Barangay Talon IV with City Engineer Rosabella A. Bantog (center), who was instructed to relocate the station. Also in photo are Mark Anthony Santos, city chief of staff, and City Administrator Rey Balagulan.

Las Piñas clears roads ahead of Sept. 29 deadline LAS Piñas City have reported 100-percent completion of its road clearing operation, barely one month before the Sept. 29 deadline set for all local government units to clear roads and sidewalks of any obstruction.

Mayor Imelda T. Aguilar has directed the city’s Task Force Kaayusan and officials in the city’s 20 barangays to continue monitoring the cleared and demolished areas, even after the deadline at the end of September, to ensure no new obstructions or illegal structures would block the roadways and pedestrian lanes.

“We have finished clearing the major roads of any obstruction including illegally parked vehicles and vendors, even during the first month operation, although we did not immediately announced it since we have been doing this before President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive,” Aguilar said.

The mayor personally supervised the voluntary demolition of Police Community Precinct in Barangay Talon IV, which was partly occupying the sidewalk during the initial week of the clearing operation.

Several service utilities have also been warned and directed to hasten all their excavation works which contribute to sidewalk obstruction.

staunch support for the city’s efforts to promote employment for our constituents,” said Binay.

She acknowledged McDonald’s for being among the companies that have been regularly participating in the city’s biannual mega job fair every June and December.

Also present during the meeting were McDonald’s Philippines Senior Vice President for Human Capital Group Chona Torre, Yang’s wife, Cindy, and son Kevin.

Since 2017, the city government has been implementing a work immersion program for public SHS students with private companies. Students are deployed to different private offices for them to be exposed to a work environment that is related to their field.

LandBank UCT payouts for 5k MisOr indigent reach P12.9m THE Land Bank of the Philippines recently released cash payouts under the Unconditional Cash Transfer Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development amounting to P12.9 million to 5,386 beneficiaries in separate events in the province of Misamis Oriental.

The first cash pay-out was held last Aug. 10 in the Municipality of Initao, Misamis Oriental for 2,006 “Social Pension” and 1,328 “Listahanan” UCT beneficiaries from 11 barangays – Aluna, Andales, Calacapan, Gimangpang, Kanitoan, Pagahan, Poblacion, San Pedro, Sinalac, Tawantawan, and Tubigan.

This was followed by two more pay-out events on August 13 to 14 and August 20 for 1,436 “Social Pension” and 616 “Listahanan” UCT beneficiaries from 10 barangays in Naawan, Misamis Oriental, composed of Barangays Don Pedro, Linangkayan, Lubilan, Mapulog, Maputi, Mat-i, Patag, Poblacion, Tagbalogo, and Tuboran.

The beneficiaries, who each received P2,400 in cash, were mostly farmers, fishermen, and senior citizens.

The UCT Program is the tax subsidy provided under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law. It aims help the marginalized who will not directly benefit from the lowering of personal income tax but will be affected by the moderate increase in prices due to the higher oil excise tax, introduction of the sugar-sweetened beverage tax and the expansion of the value-added tax base.

Joy vows probe of extortion try inside city hall

By Rio N. Araja

QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Wednesday vowed to conduct a thorough probe on a city hall official’s relative caught extorting from a food establishment.

Belmonte said Enrico Morillo, brother-in-law of City Planning Office chief Pedro Rodriguez, was arrested allegedly in the act of receiving a bribe within city hall premises.

“We cannot tolerate anyone for that matter, even if one is a relative of a city hall employee. We know that there will be no room for corruption here,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Quezon City Police District on Wednesday ordered its 12 station commanders to intensify anticriminality operations as the “ber” months begin.

Chief Supt. Joselito Esquivel Jr., QCPD director, said based on past observations, the start of the “ber” months up to the holiday season showed a slight increase in crimes such us robbery, theft and physical injury.

The National Bureau of Investigation nabbed Morillo in an entrapment operation while receiving P175,000 from an establishment operator as an “amicable settlement” in exchange for the dismissal of a complaint regarding the presence of a cockroach in the complainant’s food.

“It has come to my attention that the Office of the City Planning has been recently involved in an entrapment operation by the NBI that led to the arrest of a kin of Mr. Rodriguez,” the mayor said.

Tiangco: Division of barangays made drug clearing easier

By Jun David THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency has declared two North Bay Boulevard South villages in Navotas drug-cleared.

NBBS Kaunlaran and NBBS Proper, led by Brgy. Captain Federico Natividad, Jr. and Brgy. Captain Elvis Desa-

bille, both received drug-cleared certification on Aug. 28.

NBBS Dagat-dagatan, on the other hand, was cleared of the drug menace in April this year.

In his speech during Monday’s flag ceremony, Mayor Toby Tiangco noted that the division of NBBS into three barangays has made drug-clearing more attainable.

FCF bares share in CagVal jobs, GRDP

By Ben Moses Ebreo

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—The FCF Minerals Corporation’s gold-molybdenum project in barangay Runruno in Quezon town has made a significant economic impact in Cagayan Valley.

Ian Moller, the firm’s general manager for sustainability, said their project contributed to the region’s Gross Regional Domestic Product, job generation and household income.

These economic impacts were highlighted through the firm’s 2018 Sustainability Report, particularly on their National Economic Impacts and Multiplier Effects, he said.

Moller said in 2015, their project generated “a range of P3.21 billion to P3.41 billion” of economic output in Cagayan Valley.

The 2018 Sustainability Report also showed that more than P500 million in

household income was produced in the region through the project, and additional jobs were estimated at a range of 2,894 to 3,146 due to the mining project’s induced employment effects.

“This translates to 5.94 to 6.46 percent reduction in the total number of unemployed persons in Cagayan Valley in 2015,” Moller said.

The 2018 SR showed that the recurring induced multiplier effects of consumption spending by workers produced ripple effects benefiting businesses in the food, educational services, fuel, light water, clothing, footwear, apparel and miscellaneous goods and services industries in Nueva Vizcaya and other provinces and cities.

According to Moller, the project also produced virtuous circles of output, employment and household income growth through its production activities.

“This goes to show that our decision to divide NBBS was right. It has made management of our barangays, including the intensification of our anti-drug campaign efforts, easier and more effective,” he said.

According to the 2015 census, NBBS was the most populous among the barangays in Navotas, with 70,934 residents or

28 percent of the city’s population.

In terms of size, NBBS was also the second biggest barangay with 254 hectares of land area.

It was Tiangco, during his term as Navotas representative, who pushed for the division of NBBS. His bill became law after President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 10933.

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS.

Security personnel and select employees of SM City Santa Rosa undergo rigorous training in emergency and rescue conducted by the Bureau of Fire Protection. Part of the training included rescue techniques during fires, proper administration of CPR, how to effectively put out a fire, and rapelling from tall buildings.

Roy Tomandao

Life

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

HOUSEHOLD

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

C1

MALL WITH A GARDEN WALL. The Podium’s new facade is wrapped in a garden wall composed of over 6,500 plants that help cool and purify the property’s environment.

Rediscover The Podium

S

EPTEMBER 10 marks the reopening of The Podium, the second phase of expansion which features a bigger and environment-friendly mall and a 48-story office tower.

Since its opening in 2002, The Podium has housed upmarket outlets and specialty restaurants. It has been a favorite venue for a variety of events in Ortigas business district.

Today, through the joint venture of BDO Unibank and Singapore’s Keppel Land Limited, the new Podium mall redefines comfort and luxury with its sleek, sophisticated design, and wide selection of retail, dining, wellness, and leisure offerings.

The P12-billion expansion gives birth to an architectural masterpiece dotting the Ortigas CBD skyline. Designed by Arquitectonica and Felix S. Lim and Associates, The Podium boasts a streamlined composition of spaces, volumes, colors, and light.

The exterior exudes visual lines that are designed to be eye-catching with lush garden walls that wrap the structure. The 2,000-square meter green wall is the largest in the country, with over 6,500 plants that help cool and purify the property’s environment.

By incorporating green initiatives and sustainability with its new design, the mall has received prestigious awards and citations, including the LEED Gold Mark (Core & Shell) precertification by the US Green Building Council, and the Green Mark Gold Award by Building and Construction Authority of Singapore.

The beauty extends to the top, too.

Designed as a large curvilinear pod with views over ADB Avenue, the mall’s roof deck complements the rectilinearity of The Podium façade. The 800-seat multifunctional The Podium Hall provides a great venue for shows, product launches, and corporate events.

Complementing the stunning design of the mall is a choice selection of dining establishments and retail outlets that occupy the larger retail space. Previous reports said the expansion will bring an addition of over 34,000-square meter of leasable retail space, bringing the total to 50,000 square meters.

Foodies can have a field day at the mall as it houses modern Spanish tapas bar Las Flores, New York City’s acclaimed Wolfgang Steakhouse, the first Salvatore Cuomo café named after the renowned Italian chef, Nikkei Japanese-American ceviche and sushi bar, Paradise Dynasty, and Niu by Vikings extravagant buffet spread.

Flagship shops of Japan’s Bake Cheese Tarts, Hong Kong’s Xing Fu Tang milk tea, and Ben’s Cookies offer delicious takeaways; while the Corner Market food hall features unique and hip dining options.

Shop at upscale multi-brand lifestyle shops such as Assembly, Cul de Sac, and @ Tokyo.

Luxury timepieces and accessories, on the other hand, can be found at Omega, Breitling, Swarovski, and soon

Complementing the sleek, sophisticated design of the five-story mall is a choice selection of retail outltes and dining establishments.

to open Rolex stores; while Dior, Estée Lauder, Kiehl’s, and Jo Malone lead the way in beauty and fragrance.

Wellness outlets include Electric Studio, Manila’s first indoor cycling boutique; Options Studio, Asia’s premier Pilates and movement center; Yoga+, a holistic wellness center and studio; Kinetix Lab, a premium strength and conditioning facility; and The Spa and Barre 3 which offers complete wellness services.

The new complex also features Cubi,

The Podium Complex features Cubi, a metal sculpture by National Artist Arturo Luz.

a metal sculpture by National Artist Arturo Luz. A prominent presence in the Ortigas district in the 1980s, it was originally commissioned for a modernist building designed by National Artist Leandro Locsin for Benguet Corporation. Today, it continues to be an attraction as a centerpiece that ties together the different elements of the complex.

The newly opened 48-story Podium West Tower, standing on top of the fivestory mall, offers complementing and contrasting features with the BDO Tower.

GONE are the days when luxury only meant living in a state of great comfort and extravagance. Today, real luxury lies in being able to live well while making as little impact as possible on the planet; living comfortably amid lush foliage and fresh air.

To cater to this new demand for sustainable opulence, Greenfield Development Corporation’s upscale brand Greenfield Deluxe is building an ultraluxe community called Trava at Greenfield City in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

“The vision for Trava is to let homebuyers invest in not just opulence, but even more importantly, in their health and land stewardship,” GDC said in a statement.

Trava, which means “grasslands,” lives up to its name with its sprawling parks and landscaped foliage.

According to GDC, over 45 percent of the 33-hectare community will be dedi- Upscale residential community Trava boasts nature-friendly features such as tree-lined roads, permeable road design, and underground utilities. cated to expansive, green spaces while the rest will be allotted to residential lots and commercial areas.

Each residential lot, spanning 550 to 750 square meters, is spacious enough to accommodate a garden or a private swimming pool beside a spacious ecohome. Whatever the residents’ preferences are, GDC said, there is enough space to do hobbies, have afternoon picnics with the family, or let children play outdoors with other kids in the village.

Outside their backyards, families can Each residential lot has enough space to accommodate a garden or a private swimming pool., complementing the neighborhood’s opulent create memories in one of the deluxe yet sustainable design.

Opulence sprawls in the grasslands

While the BDO Tower is straight, orthogonal, and very masculine in appearance, the new tower has chamfered, curved corners that create an hour-glass profile and evoke a harmonious structure. It is expected to offer over 89,000 square meters of premium office space for lease.

The Podium’s design team consists of Arquitectonica (mall designer), FSL & Associates (architect), Design Coordinates, Inc. (project manager), and DDT Konstract, Inc. (general contractor).

sports and leisure amenities. Another public space, the grand clubhouse is a visual masterpiece constructed with solar-powered areas, glass that reduces UV and infrared light, odorless paint, and engineered wood.

Other “nature-friendly” features in the neighborhood are its tree-lined roads, permeable road design that allows rainwater to drain naturally, and fully underground utilities that reduce transmission loss and eliminate unsightly lines crisscrossing streets.

Despite being close to nature, residents can easily avail everyday necessities and other conveniences because of Trava’s strategic location inside a master-planned township.

Residents can shop at Greenfield City’s Paseo Outlets, Arcadia, and Laguna Central. Also within the community is the Greenfield Auto Park, a 65-hectare eco-zone hosting the assembly plants of carmakers and factories.

For those with business in Metro Manila or Calabarzon, the township is easily accessible via Sta. Rosa Interchange and Eton-Greenfield Exit, and soon via Cavite-Laguna Expressway.

“The exciting addition of Trava in the 400-hectare G reenfield City underpins GDC’s commitment to build futureforward developments according to the highest standards of quality, using innovative and sustainable practices to create legacies for generation after generation of Filipino families,” the developer said.

Life

C2

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

A

N UPSCALE residential property in Filinvest City, Alabang proves that modern and luxury living can go hand in hand with environmental sustainability.

Sustainable luxury living

A signature residential “masterpiece” of real estate brand Filigree, Botanika Nature Residences holds a 4-star rating from BERDE (Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence) the green building rating scheme of the Philippine Green Building Council, a national nonprofit organization that promotes the sharing of knowledge on green practices with the property industry.

As one of Filigree’s pilot projects under BERDE certification system, Botanika has ensured the building’s environmental performance meets the standard, from planning and construction, down to delivery. In fact, it has surpassed its initial aim for a 3-star rating prior to project completion.

Its iconic leaf-shaped structure is an innovation in high-end condominium living. A collaboration between USbased Architecture International and Leandro V. Locsin Partners, it features an atrium at the core which allows natural light and ventilation that can reduce energy use and water consumption.

LUXURIOUSLY GREEN. Filigree’s Botanika Nature Residences boasts green features and a design that complements its surroundings.

Other green features include a 2.7-meter ceiling height for each unit, to ensure the living space has better cooling capacity, thus, consumes less energy; and tinted tempered glass balcony door and windows which provide cross ventilation and balcony overhangs to minimize heat.

Moreover, parking floors are underground and constructed to support the gardens and lawn areas—essentially a large green roof over the basement.

Botanika’s commitment to authentic green living goes beyond its interior as it harmoniously co-exists with its environs. With approximately 70 percent of its total land area allotted for gardens and open breathing spaces, the building itself was designed to respect and complement the natural rolling terrain of its location, while still clinging onto details like top-end finishes and lavish amenities.

“Botanika is a condo complex that is laid out in a big garden, where greens are integrated in the whole development,” said Filigree head Catherine Ilagan.

“But more than the literal greeneries, its core design is what really makes it an authentic green building.

This ensures the high quality of life for its residents, which is a luxury nowadays,” she added.

The project was also recognized as Best Apartment Philippines Award with a 5-star rating by the Asia Pacific Property Awards 2018.

The property, located in Filinvest City, allows residents to live more sustainably through its features such as high ceilings and tinted windows that help reduce energy consumption.

Breastfeeding event empowers nursing mothers THIS year’s Hakab Na!, held annually in celebration of National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, saw thousands of nursing mothers simultaneously breastfeeding their babies.

More than showcasing the power and importance of breastfeeding for babies, the event, organized by Breastfeeding Pinays in partnership with SM Cares, Department of Health, UNICEF, and World Vision, promoted the importance of providing proper support to nursing mothers.

“What started out as a group of friends asking each other about breastfeeding has evolved into a national movement whose goal is to promote the values of breastfeeding to Filipino mothers. I am ecstatic to see that we are growing bigger each year,” said Bing Guevara, organizer of Hakab Na! 2019 and co-founder of Breastfeeding Pinays.

Nursing moms and their families, breastfeeding support groups, advocates, government, and nongovernment organizations encourage a dynamic exchange of ideas on providing proper information and support to Filipino mothers and their families to enable them to breastfeed and practice good infant and young child feeding.

Anchored on the theme, “Lakas ng Magulang, Sigla ng Pagpapasuso – Kalusugan, Nutrisyon ng Kabataan para sa Kinabukasan,” it featured stories of breastfeeding moms, counseling, discussions on available tools and support for families, and breastfeeding laws to empower breastfeeding moms by assuring them that the act of breastfeeding is valuable as it gives their children the best start in life.

“We cannot undermine the importance of this simple yet critical act, as we strongly believe that children who are breastfed get a healthy start in life,” said Dr. Wigdan Madani of UNICEF Philippines.

Meanwhile, as its way of providing support to nursing mothers, SM ensures there are breastfeeding stations available across all SM Supermalls nationwide.

“We envision our community of mothers to consider SM as their second home. SM strives to be a mall for all and continues to support the mothers and women in communities where our malls are present,” said Berna Velasco, program director for SM Cares Program on Women and Breastfeeding.

SM Cares is the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Prime Holdings, Inc.

Nursing mothers simultaneously breastfeed their babies at Hakab Na! 2019.

Amenities made for families

Kahaya Place’s newly opened recreation area is composed of multipurpose pavilion, swimming pool, and basketball court.

IN CELEBRATION of Family Fun Month in August, NorthPine Land, Inc. invited families to the new recreation area of Kahaya Place, its modern Asian-inspired townhouse project in Dasmariñas City, Cavite.

Families seized the opportunity to bond and connect with one another. The kids were engaged in different games at the playpen and everyone enjoyed different treats.

Aside from celebrating the occasion, the event highlighted the new community features of the residential property.

Amenities include a multipurpose pavilion, ideal for any type of events; a swimming pool for recreation and relaxation; and a covered court where families and friends can play a game or two and sweat it out.

“In addition to accessibility, security, and affordability that Kahaya Place is known for, the community now boasts these stunning amenities where we can picture families spending good moments together and just doing what they love— the very essence of what we do here at NorthPine,” enthused NLI general manKids engage in different games at the playpen during the family event. ager Ferdinand Macabanti.

Entertainment

GMA dramas make waves in Southeast Asia A

NUMBER of GMA-produced series are currently being aired in Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, and Vietnam through successful partnerships between the network’s content distribution subsidiary, GMA Worldwide, Inc. (GWI), and prominent broadcasters and content aggregators across the region. \In Malaysia, the acclaimed GMA drama Legally Blind is gaining popularity through free TV channel TV3 Malaysia.

Starring Janine Gutierrez, the series is about a blind lawyer seeking justice after she became a victim of rape. The series premiered July 1 and took over the timeslot of another popular GMA drama, A Woman Scorned (Ika-6 Na Utos).

Legally Blind is also being aired in Vietnam through Vietnam Television’s cable division Saigon Tourist Cable Television Company Limited (SCTV) on SCTV17, as part of their line-up of dramas for August.

Another GMA series in Vietnam is the revenge drama Beautiful Strangers currently aired by Vietnam Cable TV’s Giải Trí TV. The top-rating series stars two of the Philippines’ most bankable dramatic actresses, Heart Evangelista and Lovi Poe as two women at odds with each other who later realize that their true enemy is yet to be revealed.

In Brunei, GWI brings romantic comedy series Poor Señorita, broadcast by the country’s oldest free-to-air terrestrial television channel, Radio Televisyen Brunei’s (RTB) Aneka. The series tells the story of a rich heiress who decides to give up her wealth after being mistakenly diagnosed with cancer.

Finally, in Thailand, GMA’s adaptation of the hit Korean drama My Love From The Star recently premiered through the cooperation between JKN Global Media and digital terrestrial television channel GMM 25. The Philippine version of the series stars Jennylyn Mercado as a movie star who falls in love with her neighbor, played by Gil Cuerva, who turns out to be an alien from another planet.

GMA’s top-rating dramas continue to be loved by viewers across Southeast Asia, and GWI remains to be the premier source of quality Filipino dramas known for stories that push the boundaries of the imagination while combining all the elements needed for capturing viewers.

DIGITAL MEDIA Smart teams up with KLOOK for travel fest READY to get mind-blown for your next trip? Smart and KLOOK got your travel musts covered! Enjoy awesome travel deals, data roaming discounts, and perks at the KLOOKTravel Fest on Sept. 7 to 8 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

With its award-winning app, KLOOK makes it so easy to book over 100,000 attractions and activities in 300+ destinations around the world, making it a seamless experience to do all that you’ve always dreamt of at this year’s KLOOK Travel Fest!

Other things waiting for you at the KLOOK Travel Fest are exciting raffle prizes and chances to win KLOOK vouchers’ for out of this world discounts; exclusive deals on top tourist attractions around the world; talks and tips from travel icons, good food, and a lot more! Smart subscribers can also get an exclusive voucher from KLOOK at the event.

Make the most of your travels with Smart’s fastest LTE network, which lets you share your precious moments on Instagram

International...

From C4

‘It’s a crime’ “But it’s a crime not without victims, and many of them are journalists. The reason the Panama Papers were exported out to the world was the work of journalists. People died because of this,” Streep said, referring to the Maltese columnist Daphne Anne Caruana Galizia, who was killed in a bomb attack in 2017 after taking part in the Panama Papers investigation.

Soderbergh, the maker of classics such as Sex, Lies and Videotape, Traffic, Erin

Klook Philippines Market Lead Michelle Cruz

and Facebook instantly, keep in touch with family and friends in real-time, and enjoy all your favorite apps seamlessly in the Philippines and beyond.

Learn more about how to make the most of your travels out of the country with Smart’s Roaming Services by visiting www.smart.com.ph/world and following Smart’s official accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Brockovich, and the Ocean’s trilogy, said he hoped the Netflix film would increase pressure for real change.

“Along with climate change, this kind of corruption is the defining issue of this moment.

In 2000 the top 1 percent controlled a third of the world’s wealth. They now control half.

“That does not seem sustainable and yet here we are. Transparency is the only solution,” he added.

In the film, Soderbergh admits that five companies he has been involved with have been registered in the low-tax US state of Delaware, where more than a quarter of a million shell companies are registered to a single address. AFP

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Thursday, September 5, 2019

ACROSS 1 Shrink back 6 Remote button 10 Columnist — Bombeck 14 Make pretty 15 Tee-hee cousin (hyph.)

16 Person, place or thing 17 Ignore a rule 18 Heron cousin 19 Far-flung 20 Novice 22 March 15, in Rome 23 Western alliance 24 Kind of poem 26 Tastes 30 Emulate Hulk Hogan 34 Dumbfounded 35 Bona fide 36 That ship 37 Took a taxi 38 Crude dwelling 40 Davenport 41 Previous 42 Squirrel hangouts 43 Isn’t free 44 Kidnappers’ demands 46 Game fish 48 CD predecessors 49 Flaky mineral

50 John Wayne sobriquet 53 Logos 59 Succulent plant 60 One, in Munich 61 Thin pancakes 62 Simple task 63 Make turbid 64 Orlando attraction 65 Inventor — Geiger 66 Command for a pooch 67 Cheers on DOWN 1 Blow gently 2 Lazing about 3 Midday 4 Gunk 5 Alliance 6 Loose-fitting dresses 7 Major no-no 8 Pittsburgh river 9 Bucolic 10 Begrudges 11 Paved way 12 Ruminate 13 Emmets 21 — Dawn Chong 25 Md. neighbor 26 Cook’s gadget 27 Greek forum 28 Fraught 29 Chimpanzee 30 Very little

31 Chooser’s word 32 Southpaw 33 Destroy data 35 Motor homes, for short 38 Mini-pets 39 Go-aheads 40 Sun, in Acapulco 42 Caveman from Moo 43 Climb up 45 Saws logs 46 Broadly 47 Poker card 49 Wild excite-

ment 50 Smash violently 51 Longest arm bone 52 Zen question 54 Rampage 55 Mighty Dog rival 56 Wealthy, in Madrid 57 No-frills hairdo 58 Watches the kids

'Beautiful Strangers' stars Heart Evangelista, Benjamin Alves, Rocco Nacino and Lovi Poe

'My Love From The Star' recently premiered in Thailand through the cooperation between JKN Global Media

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

C3

nickie.standard@gmail.com

In Brunei, 'Poor Señorita' is broadcast by the country’s oldest free-toair terrestrial television channel.

'Legally Blind' is gaining popularity through free TV channel TV3 Malaysia

Epic Abu Dhabi Showdown Week WITH only a handful of VIP and hotel package tickets left available for UFC 242, Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, organized by the Department of Culture and Tourism— Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has upped its own ante with an expansive series of lifestyle, retail and culinary promotions and an eye-catching schedule of parties and after-parties hosted by major international nightlife brands happening the entire week until Sept. 7.

Cementing Abu Dhabi’s growing status as an entertainment hotspot, the UAE capital comes alive during Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, with dedicated beach and pool parties by day, and headline concerts and highenergy after-parties by night.

Superstar rock group Red Hot Chili Peppers made its UAE debut with a spectacular concert yesterday followed by another world-class concert by a ‘mystery’ act today.

While both concerts took at The Arena, a new indoor venue being constructed on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island that will also stage UFC 242 on Sept. 7, the party vibe extends right across Yas Island and beyond all through the week.

With even more events due to be added in coming weeks, the current line-up of parties and nightlife events includes a fight night viewing party at the same venue on Sept.

7 and a week-long Abu Dhabi Showdown Week poolside brunch offering at The Edition. Things go up a gear with the official Red Hot Chili Peppers After Party, Bizarre

by Mad last night, and a second official postconcert After Party, Drais Las Vegas at the same venue following the Sept. 5 concert.

Tomorrow, Sept. 6, Drais Las Vegas will also host a pool party at the Fairmont and in the evening, following the UFC 242 weigh-in, domestic and international partygoers can enjoy the after party in The Edition Club, The Annex. Partygoers are also spoiled for choice on Sept. 7, as the inaugural Abu Dhabi Showdown Week gets not one but two options for a fitting finale, with The White Experience and Socialista at Cipriani both set to round off the week with a bang.

“We have assembled some of the world’s biggest leisure and nightlife brands to create Abu Dhabi Showdown Week’s wide-ranging schedule of beach, pool and after parties across a number of Abu Dhabi’s leading hotels, resorts and clubs. This holistic entertainment schedule will ensure that international visitors— and local residents alike—experience

a dynamic Abu Dhabi Showdown Week programme that lets all fans experience the emirate’s diverse entertainment and nightlife proposition,” said Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, Acting Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi.

“This diverse bill of concerts, lifestyle and nightlife events will elevate Abu Dhabi’s growing status as an entertainment capital, and significantly strengthen the emirate’s standing as an international, globally renowned leisure hub,” added Al Shaiba.

On the culinary front, residents and international visitors will be kept well-fed throughout Abu Dhabi Showdown Week with 25-plus restaurants, bars and cafes across the UAE capital participating in a city-wide

In addition, a series of in-mall activations running during the sevenday Abu Dhabi Showdown Week period will hand members of the public, money-can’tbuy chances for photo opportunities and meet-and-greets with UFC athletes, and pose for social media-friendly snaps with replica UFC belts.

“With many of Abu Dhabi’s leading malls and retail destinations supporting Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, local and international fans - including more than 4,000 foreign visitors descending on Abu Dhabi for UFC 242 - can take advantage of special discounts, promotions and bumper deals at unbeatable prices all across the emirate,” said Al Shaiba.

American rock legend Red Hot Chili Peppers plays first-ever concert in the Emirates.

‘Knockout Burgers’ campaign running until Sept. 7.

Elsewhere, hotels and dining destinations on Yas Island and Saadiyat Island will be preparing their own culinary offerings as part of a value-add culinary promotion exclusively for Abu Dhabi Showdown Week.

Shoppers can also weigh-in on Abu Dhabi Showdown Week courtesy of three major promotions in selected malls, including Abu Dhabi Mall, Bawabat Al Sharq Mall, Dalma Mall, Deerfields Mall, Madinat Zayed, Mazyad Mall, WTC Abu Dhabi and Yas Mall, as well as Al Ain Mall, Bawadi Mall and Hili Mall in Al Ain. Running from also until Septe. 7, ‘Knockout Deals’ will align with the traditional back-toschool period and offer shoppers discounts ranging from 25 percent upwards on health products, fitness apparel and activewear, while the mega ‘Shop & Win’ promotion will see any shopper spending AED200 or more entered into a unified city-wide raffle for a chance to win a brand-new Mercedes-Benz A Class or C Class.

“These eclectic offerings will accentuate Abu Dhabi’s credentials as a worldclass shopping destination and stimulate increased revenue across participating outlets, while our food and beverage partners have united to create a compelling menu of themed promotions that will ensure the spirit of Abu Dhabi Showdown Week extends well beyond its core concert and MMA components to stimulate business for restaurants, cafes, and bars.”

With UFC 242 serving as the mega Abu Dhabi Showdown Week headliner, fans and the general public will be able to experience the world’s fastest-growing sports franchise in various athlete-led activities across the UAE capital.

Across the week, there will be open workouts, autograph signings and meet-andgreet sessions at various locations. With the UFC 242 weigh-in at The Arena on Yas Island taking place on Sept. 6, further information on how to claim a free ticket to the weigh-in will be released in coming weeks.

“The UFC 242 weigh-in will give fans the opportunity to see their favorite athletes square off face-to-face during an amazing afternoon of drama,” added Al Shaiba.

Fans descending on Yas Island for the weigh-in can also soak up the activity-packed UFC Fan Experience, which allows fans of UFC to fully immerse themselves in the organization and its stars.

The Abu Dhabi Sports and Fitness Expo, managed by UAE-based Universal Music Fitness and Fashion (UMFF), will feature leading international exhibitors, competitions, fitness programs, activations, and international conferences during a three-day run at du Forum on Yas Island from Sept. 5 to 7. This expo is a premier event in the Middle East Region pertaining to wellness, fitness and healthy lifestyle.

Designed to complement the citywide Abu Dhabi Showdown Week program and promote health and fitness, the dedicated industry platform will welcome fitness celebrities such as four times Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler and Mr. Universe, Mike O’Hearn and feature live fitness shows for all ages.

Ticket prices range from AED50 for a oneday pass, to AED120 for a three-day pass. A single day VIP pass, which includes exclusive opportunities to get up-close to global fitness celebrities, is priced at AED100.

With the majority of ticket categories for UFC 242: KHABIB vs. POIRIER sold out, the last remaining hotel and ticket packages for the event are available at www.adshowdownweek. ae. VIP tickets can also be purchased via https:// ufcvipexperience.com/ufc-242

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

C4

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

Voices V YUGEL LOSORATA YOU can sense that a bunch of harmonizing singers is world-class and worth your time when members of The CompanY, long described as the country’s premier vocal group, come into the venue, occupy a table, and happily watch them.

That scenario happened last Aug. 23 at The Music Hall at Metrowalk as a capella group Acapellago held a victory concert. Seeing Moy Ortiz, Annie Quintos, and OJ Mariano at the venue and in awe of what they were witnessing should be a good reason to feel truly triumphant. Yet there was really a major one to celebrate after the group bagged the grand champion plum at the Asian Cup A Capella competition held in Kagawa, Japan on Aug. 9.

It seemed like even the alleged business-disrupting ghosts of August found Acapellago too good to even deprive them of a dream deal against others vying for the title. Thus, the quintet was also declared VoiceJam Awardee which in effect earns them the privilege to perform in next year’s festival of the same name to be staged in the US of A. “Pasensya na po ito lang op ang nakayanan namin,” mused beatboxsound provider Ricky Gavin Laderas on their latest trophy.

There is classic Pinoy humor in the way he said that. One can take more pride

knowing this talented combo of voices is bare and basic Filipino.

With rose among thorns in Michelle Pascual and a remarkably strong effeminate presence in the group, fans may conclude Acapellago as the country’s embodiment of Pentatonix.

But once they perform and their voices melt into each other like cheese to pizza, comparison proves immaterial and Acapellago simply transforms into an act on its own and delivering the goods at world standard level.

In a jaw-dropping showcase of classic and class, the furious five sang the Barbra StreisandDonna Summer duet “No More Tears (Enough is Enough).” It’s a song-and-dance display of wellorchestrated showmanship that should convince anyone still in doubt of the act.

This year alone proves that Acapellago is on a great run after likewise winning the top spot for medium vocal ensemble category in Moscow Spring Acapella last May. Named winner for Best Vocal Arrangement (for their song Peroplano) in last year’s Awit Awards, the group is once again a finalist for the same category, this time for their song Kariton.

Completing the rest of Acapellago are Almond Bolante, Joshua Cadeliña, and Ronnel Allen Laderas.

“With multiple trophies from competitions in various countries, no surprise people around the world are getting to know them more,” described a press release about them.

Safe to say those who saw them for the first time during last June’s Acapellago Live in Taiwan had become welcome addition to their growing fan base. It’s easy to like them as you can see they’re giving their all while performing. Simply put, that’s one reason they consistently win in the international stage. They have both talent and heart.

Singing group Acapellago

Panama Papers star Streep says rich playing ‘black joke’ on world

Meryl Streep, with British star Gary Oldman, noted that some journalists had paid with their lives for exposing corruption.

THE world’s richest people are playing a “black-hearted joke on all of us” Hollywood star Meryl Streep said Sunday as a new movie based on the Panama Papers scandal was premiered.

The American actress plays a cheated widow out to right financial chicanery in Laundromat, a deft satire on the maze of shell companies that criminals and the super-rich use to hide their billions.

“This movie is fun and it’s funny, but it’s really important,” Streep told reporters at the Venice film festival.

Director Steven Soderbergh shows how the massive 2016 leak of documents from the Panama law firm Mossack & Fonseca exposed the lengths the rich and powerful go to avoid paying tax—mostly legally.

It sent shock waves across the world when the off-shore dealings of leaders in a string of countries were exposed, leading to the resignation of the Icelandic prime minister Sigmundur Davio Gunnlaugsson.

But rather than casting the firm’s partners as shady baddies, Soderbergh lets the pair—played by British actor Gary Oldman and Spanish star Antonio Banderas—dig their own graves by telling it from their point of view.

“This is a funny way to tell a black-hearted joke, a joke that’s been played on all of us,” Streep told reporters in Venice. Continued on C3

The cast of 'G!' with Paolo Angeles, McCoy de Leon, Kira Ballinger, Jameson Blake, and Mark Oblea

Pista’s films for millennials, Gen Z

T

HE VERY Pista ng WANG Pelikulang NICKIE Pilipino is now a WANG major film event in the country. Now on its third year, the PPP2019 carries the theme “Pamilya, Pagkakaibigan, Pag-ibig,” which will serve as the mantra of the week-long celebration of exclusive quality and diverse films from Sept. 13 to 19.

While the films follow the same concept, it’s evident that most of the entries were made to woo the younger audience.

Take Sue Ramirez and RK Bagatsing starrer Cuddle Weather or the one top-billed Gabbi Garcia, Khalil Ramos, and Ben & Ben entitled LSS (Last Song Syndrome) for example. And we also have the “barkada” movie G! starring McCoy de Leon, Jameson Blake, Paulo Angeles, and Mark Oblea and I’m Ellenya L. with Maris Racal and Iñigo Pascual.

“This year’s PPP has a common theme but our film is not just the usual coming-of-age movie, we wanted to stay true to how the members of the young generation talk and react to things that surround them,” Director Dondon Santos told Manila Standard in an interview.

“It’s really the language, this is a seven-year-old concept but every year the language changes so we had updated the movie to fit the language the young people speak now,” Santos added.

According to the director, the film, which is under Cineko Productions, is a movie for the millennials and Gen Z. “It’s their bucket list. We interviewed people, young people to craft the story,” he affirmed.

It follows the story of a cancer-stricken guy determined to tick off all the items on his bucket list with a group of friends, including having sex for the first time.

“Sex is something very universal. And we wanted to play around the idea of how young people talk about it these days, or how they deal with it for the first time,” Santos shared.

Meanwhile, another young adult movie is making a lot of buzz of late. I’m Ellenya L., like what its stars say about the movie, “it’s very much now, it’s very relevant.”

“Everyone will get to enjoy the movie. This is not just for the millennials. It’s also for the younger and older generations, the Gen X and Gen Z. At its core, I’m Ellenya L. is a story about family, love, and embracing your real self,” Maris Racal told Manila Standard in an interview.

In the movie, Maris is Ellenya Lakampati is a simple 21-year-old girl. Just like any millennial, she exemplifies every stereotype of her generation.

“Her whole lifestyle revolves around social media and trying to be famous. She would do whatever it takes to be the next online sensation,” Maris said of her character.

Ellenya lives with her loving and supportive father, Daddy

Toots, who is a musician, and her conservative and traditional grandmother, Lola Madz. Ellenya’s best friend, Peng, lives next door. He’s a talented photographer, who is wary of the image she portrays online.

Produced by Spring Films, N2 Productions and Cobalt Entertainment, I’m Ellenya L. also marks the directorial debut of comedian Boy 2 Quizon.

Millennial movie 'I'm Ellenya L.' with Maris Racal playing the title role

SNAPSHOT

Liza Soberano joins IAM Worldwide

IAM Worldwide Corp. recently announced the joining of its latest endorser, TV actress and celebrity Liza Soberano.

The 21-year-old Kapamilya star is now included in the long list of IAM Worldwide Corp.’s believers and achievers.

“I want to choose the right healthy products for my fellow Pinoys. You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals.

IAM Worldwide Corp., is so unique. I give my all-out to support them,” said Soberano. “We should share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to who we think we can be most useful.”

Liza is joined by other well-known personalities (from left) Maritoni Fernandez, Ogie Diaz, IAM Worldwide’s Aika Lorraine Uy, Allen Marvin Eder, and Joanna Manego during the contract signing.