Manila Standard - 2019 October 17 - Thursday

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CAYETANO: SCUTTLING OF SPEAKERSHIP DEAL UP TO DUTERTE

By Maricel V. Cruz

RECORDED RAGE. The 6.3-magnitude shock which rumbled underneath Davao del Sur, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat has left indelible marks of its anger—in different buildings, including some schools, with officials warning of aftershocks although no tsunami alert has been issued thus far. Mark Navales

SPEAKER Alan Peter Cayetano said Tuesday he will let President Rodrigo Duterte decide if he stays in his post after his 15 months under a term-sharing agreement with Marinduque Rep. Lord Alan Velasco that the Chief Executive brokered.

“As of now, all of us are working very hard [to push the legislative agenda of the President]. I am working very well with everyone, especially [with] our Majority Leader Martin [Romualdez] and he has been producing for the House,” Cayetano said at the inspection of the of the P13billion New Clark City sports complex in Pampanga.

Cayetano said he will meet with President Duterte one or two months before his 15-month speakership ends “to know his fate.”

“I promise the President, I’ll do a good job and one month or two months before in the middle of the agreement, I’ll go to him for instructions. Whatever the President has to say, we will all abide by it. That was the agreement then, Majority Leader Martin Romualdez and congressman Velasco all agreed to it,” Cayetano said.

He said Duterte as the titular head of the supermajority will decide his fate on the House leadership.

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6.3-quake jolts North Cotabato

VOL. XXXIII • NO. 245 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

A MAGNITUDE-6.3 earthquake struck North Cotabato Wednesday evening, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

PHIVOLCS recorded the quake, which was tectonic in origin, at magnitude-6.3 and placed the epicenter east of Tulunan town in North Cotabato.

PHIVOLCS director Renato Solidum described the quake as “moderately strong.”

The United States Geological Survey recorded the temblor at a slightly stronger magnitude-6.4 and placed the epicenter east northeast of Columbio in Sultan Next page Kudarat.

13 ninja cops face new probe Four still at it; police IAS fears case whitewash

Lift ban on pork sale, LGUs told THE Department of the Interior and Local Government is urging local government units to lift their bans on the distribution and sale of pork and pork products, saying measures have already been taken to contain the spread of African swine fever.

“Since the government has been acting aggressively and effectively to address the ASF outbreak, we are urging all LGUs to lift the ban on processed meat products containing pork for as long as the products meet certain conditions imposed by the Department of Agriculture [DA],” DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said.

In a memorandum circular to governors, city and municipal mayors, and barangay chiefs, Año said all LGUs should strictly adhere to specific guidelines on the movement, distribution, and sale of processed meat products “in order to protect the consumers as well as the stakeholders in the meat industry from any disruption in the flow of trade and commerce across the country.”

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Bong Go second poorest in Senate

By Macon Ramos-Araneta PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly said that Senator Christopher Go is a billionaire, but the former presidential aide has been listed as No. 23 or the second poorest senator in the upper chamber.

Duterte referred to Go as a billionaire during the campaign period in the May elections.

“Bilyonaryo ‘to. Punta kayo sa Davao. Tanungin nyo,” he said.

But Go was one of the top campaign Next page

By Rey E. Requejo, Francisco Tuyay and Macon Ramos-Araneta

T THERE THEY ARE. A dozen of 13 so-called ‘ninja cops’ appear Wednesday at the Department of Justice after receiving subpoenas for a reinvestigation of the alleged drug recycling in 2013. Norman Cruz

Locsin: Cut out ‘Abominable’ offending scene

By Rey E. Requejo FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Wednesday demanded that the scene in the animated film Abominable, which featured the controversial China’s nine-dash line map in the South China Sea, be taken down instead of banning the showing of the movie in local theaters.

“Of course they should cut out the offending scene, which will show our displeasure better than if we unconstitutionally ban it as some suggest,” Locsin tweeted on Wednesday.

“Do cut out crudely. Maybe interject MTRCB [Movie and Television Review and Clas- ODIOUSLY OFF-COLOR. A scene in the animated film ‘Abominable’—feasification Board)] with a turing the contentious China’s nine-dash line map in the South China Sea—is in the eye hectoring lecture. Then of Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. who badly wants it taken down instead of just cartoon goes on.” Next page being banned in Philippine cinemas.

Next-Gen spacesuit BYE BYE to bunny hops: when US astronauts next touch down on the Moon, expect them to walk almost as they do on Earth, thanks to a new generation of spacesuits offering key advantages over those of the Apollo-era. Turn to A3

Chemist snags double victory ILOILO CITY—A 21-year-old Ilonggo who landed in the top nine in both the chemical technician licensure examination and the chemist licensure examination dedicated his double victory to his mother.

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HE Justice department on Wednesday began its reinvestigation of 13 “ninja cops” who were accused of reselling confiscated drugs, even as the Internal Affairs Service of the Philippine National Police said it believed there was a whitewash in the investigation of the case.

During the resumption of the investigation, all of the respondents were present, except for Police Major Rodney Raymundo Baloyo IV, whom the Senate ordered detained at the New Bilibid Prison after being cited for contempt.

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Makati, QC launch anti-polio drive

By Joel E. Zurbano MORE than 13,811 children below five years old in Makati City have been given oral polio vaccines during the first two days of a mass vaccination program in the city.

Mayor Abigail Binay said the city’s health department was expecting to give OPVs to some 49,000 children by Oct. 27 to protect them against the polio virus.

Meanwhile, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Wednesday launched an Next page

Weekend golf for cops only POLICEMEN are no longer allowed to play golf on weekdays, Lt. Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa, the officer in charge of the Philippine National Police, said on Wednesday.

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News

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019

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ASG bomb plot foiled—military

By Francisco Tuyay

S

ECURITY forces foiled a bombing attempt by the Islamic State-inspired terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group following their prompt arrival while the enemies of the state were placing improvised explosive devices along a busy high road network in Basilan province Tuesday morning.

LPA develops into tropical storm ’Perla’

By Rio N. Araja A LOW pressure area east of Aurora province developed into a tropical depression named “Perla” Wednesday morning.

As of 5 p.m. yesterday, the center of “Perla” was estimated at one kilometer east of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.

Packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kms per hour and gustiness of 55 kph, it was moving west northwest at 25 kph.

Locsin:...

From A1

Locsin made his statement after Vietnam banned the film from being shown because it depicts China’s map indicating that it owns nearly the entire resourcerich South China Sea. Besides China, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei also lay claim to some parts of the disputed territories.

Earlier, Locsin said there was no justification for prohibiting the film in the Philippines, but noted a “universal boycott” of DreamWorks might be called instead.

Bong Go...

From A1

spenders among the winning bets based on the statement of contributions and expenditures that he submitted to the Commission on Elections last June. He spent P161,418,299 for his campaign.

Go’s declared net worth was P7.8-million higher than that of opposition Senator Leila de Lima, who was declared as the “poorest senator” with P7,706,392.45, or No. 24 as of Dec. 31, 2018.

As of June 30, 2019, Go’s statement of assets, liabilities and net worth was pegged at P15,508,370.

Go is also the “poorest” among the four neophyte senators composed of Francis Tolentino, Imee Marcos and Ronald dela Rosa.

Tolentino’s net worth was listed at P62,482,000, Marcos’ at P29,970,467 and Dela Rosa at P28,258,908.

Senator Cynthia Villar remained the senator with a net worth of P3,534,412,797 as of June 30, 2019. This was a drop of about P185.52 million as compared to her net worth of over P3.7 billion last year.

World boxing champion Senator Manny Pacquiao was still the second richest senator with a declared net worth of P3,005,808,000.

He was followed by Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto with a net worth of P555,324,479.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. came next with a declared net worth of P182,851,570 and P164,203,379, respectively.

The complete ranking of the senators based on their declared net worth: 1.

Senator Cynthia Villar: P3,534,412,797 (as of June 30, 2019) 2.

Senator Manny Pacquiao: P3,005,808,000 (as of December 31, 2018) 3. Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto: P555,324,479.82 (as of December 31, 2018) 4. Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri: P182,851,570.34 (as of December 31, 2019) 5. Senator Ramon Revilla Jr.: P164,203,379.38 (as of June 30, 2019) 6. Senator Juan Edgardo Angara: P139,026,597 (a of June 30, 2019) 7. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon: P97,726,758 (as of Dec. 31, 2018) 8. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian: P96,210,607.14 (as of Dec. 31, 2018) 9. Senator Grace Poe: P95,693,450.37 (as of June 30, 2019) 10.

Senator Pia Cayetano: P82,308,227.36 (as of July 1, 2019) 11.

Senator Richard Gordon: P71,285,178.56 (as of December 31, 2018) 12. Senator Vicente Sotto III: P70,120,700.30 (as of Dec. 31, 2018) 13. Senator Lito Lapid: P69,910,000 (as of June 30, 2019) 14.

Senator Francis Tolentino: P62,482,000 (as of June 30, 2019) 15. Senator Nancy Binay: P59,911,019 (as of June 30, 2019) 16. Senator Panfilo Lacson: P42,442,341 (as of Dec. 31, 2018) 17. Senator Imee Marcos: P29,970,467 (as of June 30, 2019) 18. Senator Aquilino Pimentel III: P29,934,635 (as of June 30, 2019) 19. Senator Ronald dela Rosa: P28,258,908 (as of June 30, 2019) 20. Senator Joel Villanueva: P26,921,555 (as of Dec. 31, 2018) 21. Senator Francis Pangilinan: P16,695,048.17 (as of Dec. 31, 2018) 22.

Senator Risa Hontiveros: P15,627,176.04 (as of Dec. 31, 2018)

Military reports said the ASG’s plan to create havoc was thwarted after troops chanced upon some 15 bandits sparking an encounter in barangay Calang Canas, Maluso, Basilan during the small hours Tuesday.

Brig. Gen. Fernando Reyeg, commander of Joint Task Force Basilan, said Wednesday they were tipped off that an ASG terror team would conduct a bombing spree along the Basilan Circumferential Road.

Army troops of the Alpha Company of the 68th Infantry Battalion jumped off for anti-terrorist operations and eventually

encountered some 15 bandits in Calang Canas village.

Reyeg said a 30-minute firefight ensued between government troops and bandits but the latter were overwhelmed, prompting the terrorists to retreat with their casualties.

“The troops were acting on a report received from a reliable source regarding the plan of Furuji Indama’s group to create havoc in our area of operation,” Reyeg said.

Records showed that Furuji Indama was a notorious ASG commander responsible in the series of terror acts in Basilan.

“We are grateful for we incurred no

casualty during the operation and we were able to secure the IEDs and foil the bomb plot of the enemies,” said Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the Western Mindanao Command.

Troops are still in pursuit of the fleeing enemies while the IEDS were turned over to the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team.

“The successful recovery of the IEDs is attributed to the concerned citizens who provided the information, to the local government units of Basilan, and to our gallant soldiers who are always steadfast in accomplishing their mission,” added Lt. Gen. Sobejana.

Leni’s vote gain came from fraud, Bongbong insists

By Rey E. Requejo THE camp of former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday expressed doubts if Vice President Leni Robredo indeed gained more votes following the conduct of manual recount in three pilot provinces.

Lawyer George Garcia, counsel for Marcos, said if ever Robredo gained more votes from the manual recount, the additional votes would have certainly been the product of electoral fraud.

“They [Robredo] got more votes, according to them. But that is presumption because the tribunal has not yet released the result,” Garcia said in an interview.

“What we were saying, even if there was an increase on [the] part of Leni camp, take note there was increase so meaning the machines did not function properly, that is the irregularity and fraud,” Garcia stressed.

Garcia made the statement after the Supreme Court, acting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal, ordered the release of the report on the manual recount of votes chosen by Marcos.

The PET also required both the camps of Marcos and Robredo to file memorandum on the former’s motion to nullify the results in Basilan, Lanao del Sur, and Maguindanao.

At the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin said if he had his way, he would not have taken part in the voting by the high court to avoid suspicion that he orchestrated the outcome of the voting of the magistrates.

In fact, Bersamin said he would have wanted to prolong the deliberation since he did not want to participate in the voting due to speculation he was manipulating the outcome of the PET’s voting.

“I wanted to delay the vote. I did not like to take part in it because I did not like the media speculating I cooked or orchestrated the result but I always told you it is impossible to have manipulations in the SC because there are many [factors] that are involved,” Bersamin, who is retiring as chief justice on Oct. 18, told reporters.

“But the Banc prevailed on me to take the vote yesterday and after some deliberation we were able to conclude that it was timely for the parties to be asked for their respective comments on the report generated by Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa who was the justice-in-charge,” he said.

The PET voted 11-2, with Associate Justices Antonio Carpio and Caguioa dissenting, while Associate Justice Jose Reyes Jr. was absent.

The tribunal ordered to give copies of the committee report on the revision and appreciation of ballots in the three pilot provinces

13 ninja cops...

From A1

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra ordered the reinvestigation of the complaint against the so-called 13 ninja cops after the Senate Blue Ribbon investigation showed that they were involved in the alleged recycling of about 160 kilos of shabu seized during a raid in Mexico, Pampanga in 2013.

Baloyo and the 12 other policemen who carried out the raid were also accused of releasing Chinese drug trafficker Johnson Lee, in exchange for a P50-million bribe and new sports utility vehicles.

At yesterday’s hearing, DOJ panel head Senior Associate State Prosecutor Alexander Suarez said they wrote to Senate President Vicente Sotto III and asked that Baloyo, who has been cited in contempt by the Senate and was placed in the custody of the New Bilibid Prison, be allowed to attend the proceedings.

The complainant, the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, has also asked the Senate for transcripts from the Blue Ribbon committee hearings on the ninja cops.

Police Lt. Col. Joseph Orsos, one of the lawyers for CIDG, said the testimonies of witnesses would be their most crucial evidence against the 13 police respondents.

Meanwhile, Inspector General Alfegar Triambulo of the IAS said they would file new administrative cases against the 13 ninja cops next week.

Triambulo also said four of the 13 ninja cops who were reassigned to Antipolo City have been involved again in “ninja-type” operations.

Triambulo identified the four cops as Lt. Joven de Guzman, Msgt. Donald Roque, Msgt. Rommel Vital, and Corporal Romeo Encarnacio Guerrero.

He said they have prepared a recommendation of dismissal, but this has not yet been transmitted to the concerned PNP office.

Triambulo also said he will ask Congress to put IAS in a separate office outside of the PNP so they can be independent, particularly in enforcing sanctions against erring policemen.

Meanwhile, National Police Commission Vice Chairman Rogelio Casurao said he was alarmed over the involvement of the Pampanga cops in Antipolo City drug operations.

“Because of this development we are more determined now to look closely into the ac-

to both Marcos and Robredo camps.

“It was clear that majority of the (members of the) Court wanted action to be taken on the report. Before we could take any action, we had to solicit the comment of the parties. That is only a fair part of due process and so we came out with that resolution to require the parties to comment,” the retiring top magistrate pointed out.

According to him, by giving the parties copies of the report on the revision and appreciation of ballots, the PET is asking both parties to comment about the findings. “Findings are more or less conclusions. It would not be good if we did not allow or let the parties to comment first before we officially act on the report. It’s a unilateral report,” Bersamin said.

When sought for comment both camps of Robredo and Marcos are claiming victories, Bersamin said: “That is their opinion. That did not come from the court. After we release our result it’s up to them whatever they say, they may even distort what we have decided.”

On June 29, 2016, Marcos filed an election protest against Robredo. He filed three causes of action.

He asked the PET to declare Robredo’s victory as null and void, that was later denied by the PET. He asked to conduct a recount of ballots in all of the 36,465 protested clustered precincts in 30 cities and provinces; and to declare the election results in Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, and Basilan as null on the grounds of terrorism, intimidation, and harassment of voters.

Out of the 30 provinces, Marcos was allowed to designate three pilot provinces namely Iloilo, Camarines Sur and Negros Oriental that would best exemplify election fraud for the manual recount, that would be used by the Tribunal as basis on whether they would proceed with the recount on all protested areas.

The PET brought in revisors and three commissioners to go through the clustered ballot boxes from the 2016 elections. Last Sept. 9, SC Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa submitted the report on the recount and revision on the three pilot provinces.

According to Garcia, even without substantial vote recovery in three pilot provinces, Marcos’ protest could proceed because seeking a manual recount and his bid for vote nullification in Basilan, Lanao del Sur, and Maguindanao were two different courses of action.

“Let’s say they dismissed our second cause of action [referring to the revision of ballots on pilot provinces] but it doesn’t mean that it is the dismissal of the entire election protest,” Garcia argued.

Meanwhile, retired Chief Justice Artemio tivities of these 13,” Casurao said.

“This is an indicator already, the same pattern, with this investigation now we can be sterner in our approach because we’ve established there is a pattern,” he said.

Also on Wednesday, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the CIDG should secure the testimonies of key witnesses in the 2013 drug sting in Pampanga.

“Perpetuating testimony entails the filing of a petition in court seeking to obtain the deposition of a material witness before a case is actually filed in court. In the context of the DOJ [Department of Justice] reinvestigation of the so-called ‘ninja cops’ involved in the Pampanga raid in 2013, the proper party to file such a petition at this time is the complainant, CIDG,” Guevarra said in a text message.

Guevarra made the statement after Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigating the socalled ninja cops, said that it is important to secure the testimonies of the three Pampanga cops and barangay officials who were first to get hold of suspected drug trafficker Johnson Lee who was allegedly released after paying a P50-million bribe.

Gordon said perpetuating the testimonies of the witnesses would mean going to court and executing an affidavit there.

The three Mexico policemen are Police Staff Sgts. Jerome Bugarin, Marlon dela Cruz, and Jackson Mariano.

Gordon also said retired generals Rudy Lacadin, Benjamin Magalong, and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Aaron Aquino can also perpetuate their testimonies “if they wish to.”

Lacadin and Aquino all testified against Philippine National Police chief Police General Oscar Albayalde linking him to the recycling of illegal drugs and switching of arrested drug suspects.

Albayalde was the Pampanga provincial police director when the drug raid was conducted. He repeatedly denied involvement in the operation but admitted that he asked Aquino about the status of the dismissal order against the 13 Pampanga cops whom he referred to as “his men.”

The Mexico policemen and the barangay officials, he said, could provide additional evidence that there was an attempt to cover up the November 2013 drug bust operation in Lakeshore View, Mexico.

Panganiban agreed with the new action of the PET on the Marcos election protest against Robredo, describing it as “prudent.”

Panganiban was referring to the PET’s order for Marcos and Robredo to comment on the report on a manual recount of votes from Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Negros Oriental, Marcos’ pilot provinces, and for both parties to submit a memorandum on issues relating to Marcos’ bid for the annulment of 2016 election results for vice president in Lanao del Sur, Basilan, and Maguindanao due to alleged terrorism, pre-shading of ballots, and vote substitution, among other grounds.

Panganiban, who served as chief justice from Dec. 21, 2005 to Dec. 6, 2006, interpreted the actions of the electoral tribunal as an integral part of the PET’s procedural due process.

According to him, this was the PET listening to the parties before deciding so that there would be no question on due process when the court eventually would resolve the poll protest.

The former chief justice stressed the PET had to resolve whether or not it would decide the case on the basis of the results of the recount in the three pilot provinces or still proceed to the three Mindanao provinces for Marcos’ supposed third cause of action.

Under Rule 65 of the 2010 PET Rules, the tribunal may dismiss the case if it is convinced that the protestant or counter-protestant will most probably fail to make out his case based on the examination of ballots from the pilot provinces.

If Rule 65 of PET is invoked, Panganiban said in Filipino: “Pagka gano’n ang desisyon ng Supreme Court, siyempre mananalo na si Leni, ‘di ba? Sapagkat sabi nga nila, kung totoo man, ‘yung lamang ni Leni na 263,000 votes, nadagdagan pa ng ng 15,000. Mananalo na talaga siya.”

Robredo had claimed that the initial recount results confirmed her 2016 victory, her lawyers even saying she gained 15,000 more votes.

But the PET called her assertion “premature” and the figures she cited “speculative.”

The PET now has 14 members following the mandatory retirement of Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza last month, but by the end of October, the PET will only have 12 members due to the upcoming retirement of Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin and Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio this month.

President Rodrigo Duterte has 90 days to fill each vacancy in the high court.

Panganiban said the Supreme Court would continue to deliberate and resolve the poll protest since there were still 12 associate justices, but he agreed that there was a need to speed up the resolution of the election protest.

‘FDA, LRA, LTFRB most red-tape ridden agencies’ THE Anti-Red Tape Authority has named the Food and Drug Administration, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and Land Registration Authority as the most red tape-ridden agencies.

In a press briefing Wednesday, Director General Jeremiah Belgica said ARTA is monitoring those “priority” agencies because of a number of complaints and motu propio investigation.

Belgica said those three needed to shape up, but also commended them for the decreasing number of complaints in their offices.

“We have seen that they really need to shape up...We saw the problem in those agencies that is why we are focusing on them,” he told Palace reporters.

Belgica warned other government agencies to also be on their toes and get rid of corruption within their processes.

President Rodrigo Duterte, during his fourth State of the Nation Address in July called out the LRA, Land Transportation Office, Social Security System, Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Pag-IBIG Fund to “drastically improve their service” after receiving the most number of red tape complaints from the public.

Belgica recently met with the representatives of those agencies to get updates on the streamlining of systems and procedures as well as status of their complaints mechanism.

ARTA is also set to file a case before the Office of the Ombudsman today, Oct. 17, against a provincial governor for violating the Ease of Business Act. “It is prohibited to delay the release of government permits without reason,” Belgica said.

The agency previously filed a complaint against San Nicolas Mayor Lester de Sagun of Batangas due to his refusal to grant a building permit reportedly without justifiable cause.

Belgica said there will be more cases to follow. MJ Blancaflor

Belmonte, Cruz named special envoy to Japan, China

By MJ Blancaflor PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has appointed former House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and businessman Jaime Cruz as his envoy to Japan and China, respectively.

In the list of presidential appointees released by the Palace Wednesday, Belmonte was named as special envoy to Japan for trade and market access.

Cruz will serve as the President’s envoy to China for trade and investments.

Belmonte served as House Speaker in 2001 and from 2010 to 2016. He also became Quezon City Mayor from 2001 to 2010.

In 2018, he resigned from the Liberal Party.

Cruz, on one hand, is a board member of the Philippine Chinese Charitable Association Inc., which owns and operates the Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center.

He is also the chief executive officer of the JTC Group of Companies, owner of Dohtonbori restaurant.

6.3-quake...

From A1

The earthquake sent hundreds rushing out of a shopping mall where local television said an elderly man was injured.

The man received treatment after being struck by a falling object during the early evening quake, ABS-CBN television reported from the scene.

Solidum advised residents to check their homes for possible damage.

He said there was no risk of a tsunami because it occurred inland, and there were no immediate reports of serious damage.

The Philippines is part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. With AFP

Cayetano:...

From A1 Nevertheless, Cayetano assured Velasco that he has nothing to worry about, and that what is important is for them to pass the legislative agenda of Duterte.

Earlier, Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, chairman of the House committee on natural resources, said Cayetano’s 64 percent and 62-percent approval and trust ratings in the Pulse Asia survey “are remarkable if we consider the low marks the House received in previous Congresses.”

Barzaga said the term-sharing arrangement for the position of Speaker may soon be scuttled.

“If Speaker Cayetano sustains his good performance as shown by his high trust and approval ratings in the latest Pulse Asia quarterly report, there would be a groundswell among House members and the public for him to stay on,” Barzaga said.

“I am sure he will sustain that performance. There is no reason for him not to. So why change or swap horses in midstream? We might as well retain him as our Speaker for three years until June 30, 2022,” he added.

Makati, QC...

From A1

intensified door-to-door campaign to eradicate polio.

The city government wants to vaccinate at least 274,785 children below five years old as part of its intensified door-to-door drive against polio, she said.

Doctors and MHD personnel have been conducting house visits in Makati since Oct. 14 to provide OPV to children aged 0 to 59 months who are vulnerable to polio.

Parents who want to have their children vaccinated may also go to the barangay health centers, which are open from Monday to Sunday during office hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) until Oct. 27.

Binay urged parents to have their children vaccinated and keep their surroundings clean to prevent their kids from contracting the disease.

“I encourage Makatizens and the barangays to clean their surroundings. There is no cure for polio but it can be prevented by immunization and by maintaining a clean environment. Community involvement is very important,” she said.

According to the World Health Organization, polio or poliomyelitis is a highly infectious disease caused by the wild poliovirus that has three types: type 1, 2, and 3.

The virus enters the body through the intake of food or water that has been contaminated with fecal matter from an infected person and invades the nervous system. It spreads from one person to another and can cause irreversible paralysis of the legs or even death if a person is not vaccinated.

One in every 200 people infected with polio suffers from irreversible paralysis, and among those paralyzed five percent to 10 percent die due to polio.

MHD chief Bernard Sese said the OPV is given to children in three doses.

“The first dose of OPV is given to infants as early as six weeks of age, while the second dose is given one month after the baby received the first dose. The third dose is given four weeks after the second dose,” he said.

Sese said those who had received the vaccine would still receive the bivalent OPV to prevent the spread of type 1 and 3 poliovirus strains. With Rio N. Araja

News

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019

A3

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MRT 3 to expand capacity, upgrade system Enrile’s trial T on plunder

By Joel E. Zurbano

future.

HE Metro Rail Transit 3 management is planning to expand passenger capacity by upgrading its system and putting additional train units in the near

MRT 3 director for operations Engineer Michael Capati said the management is optimistic the increase of running train units to become 20 from the present 15 in less than two years.

"Makukuha natin eventually 'yung gusto natin by July 2021. [Ang] capacity natin from 300,000, kaya na natin magcapacity ng 600,000 passengers a day," said Capati over GMA News Unang Balita.

The travel time, he said, will also be reduced from 30 kilometers to 60

kilometers in an hour.

When the improvements take place, the headway or waiting time on the platform will be shortened from 7.5 minutes to 3.5 minutes, according to Capati.

Capati made the announcement a day after the Department of Transportation dispatched one of the trains made by Chinese Dalian.

The Dalian train set equivalent to three train coaches were expected to hit the tracks of MRT 3 mainline during evening off-peak hours, from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30

p.m. starting Oct. 15.

The move came after MRT 3’s Japanese maintenance provider, Sumitomo Corp.,-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries-TES Philippines, signed last Monday a consent for the limited deployment of one Dalian train set.

The consent indicates that the train set will be deployed for an initial trial period lasting up to when the maintenance provider begins its rail replacement work in November 2019.

Capati said that although three sets of Dalian train have already completed commissioning and validation tests, the deployment will be gradual.

"We try to balance the requirements ng fixing the railing system and on the other hand, 'yung expanding ng capacity natin, eventually nga ang pagpasok ng Dalian train," Capati said.

On Tuesday, the MRT operation was

disrupted after a man fell on the rail tracks between Ayala Avenue and Gil Puyat Avenue stations in Makati City.

Mas Sandamon, a resident of Marang Sumisip, Basilan, died on the spot due to severe head injuries after he reportedly jumped and fell on the tracks around 12:30 p.m.

Observers said MRT trains and railways are vulnerable to breakdown which causes injuries, delays and long lines due to inadequate preventive maintenance, absence of regular inspection, lack of spare parts replacement and readiness in times of accidents and risks.

Some senators expressed concerns over the safety of the commuters who endure the everyday long lines and glitches riding the MRT trains. They said the government should come up with the solutions hounding the public transport system.

IN BRIEF OFWs in Hong Kong ‘generally safe’—Bertiz THE more than 300,000 Filipino workers in Hong Kong are generally safe amid growing political unrest, as long as their employers are protecting them, according to ACTS-OFW Coalition of Organizations.

ACTS-OFW made the statement after the Hong Kong police warned that violent anti-government protests that began in March have spiraled to “lifethreatening level.”

“With respect to our household service workers in Hong Kong, their job security is fairly high. They are absolutely needed by their employers who are unable to work without domestic help and nannies around,” ACTS-OFW chairman Aniceto Bertiz III said.

“In extreme cases, if there are any Filipino workers somewhat exposed to potential dislocation, they might be those employed by international firms that may perhaps decide to get out of Hong Kong and move elsewhere, such as Singapore,” Bertiz said.

A considerable number of Filipino professionals also work in Hong Kong, mainly in information technology, engineering, finance and accounting, culinary and entertainment services, according to Bertiz. Vito Barcelo

’Yolanda Commemoration Day’ bill on Nov. 8 OK TINGONG Party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Kittilstvedt-Romualdez on Wednesday lauded efforts of the House of Representatives to support a bill declaring Nov. 8 of every year as the "Yolanda Commemoration Day" in Eastern Visayas.

Romualdez was referring to House Bill 4960 that was approved on second reading as substituted HB 3300 last September.

Romualdez and her husband, Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, principally authored the bill which also declares Nov. 8 of every year a special non-working holiday in the Visayan region.

Rep. Yedda said the overwhelming support extended to her measure by the House leadership and her colleagues proved the continued “malasakit” (public service with a heart) of the chamber to the victims of Super Typhoon ‘‘Yolanda’’ more than four years ago.

“From the bottom of my heart, I thank my colleagues for their kindness and generous support in ensuring the passage of my measure,” said Romualdez, the chairperson of the House committee on the welfare of children. Maricel V. Cruz

Solon files ‘reso’ to honor Yulo, Petecio for gold feats TWO resolutions have been filed at the House of Representatives commending Carlos Edriel Yulo for winning the first ever gold medal in the 49th FIG (Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique) Artistic Gymnastics World Championship and Nesthy Petecio also for winning the gold medal in the 2019 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships held in Ulan-Ude, Russia.

Yulo clinched the gold for the Philippines with 15.300 rating on Oct. 12, 2019. His score was enough to fend off top rivals Artem Dolgopyat of Israel and China’s Xiao Ruoteng.

Earlier on Oct. 7, 2019, Yulo also booked the country’s second Olympic slot in the 2020 Tokyo Games coming after Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena who sealed his own Olympic ticket last September. Maricel V. Cruz

NEW NCRPO CHIEF. Outgoing NCRPO chief Police Lieutenant Gen. Guillermo Eleazar (right) turns over the flag to newly installed NCRPO chief Police Brigadier Gen. Debold Sinas (left) in the presence of PNP officer-in-charge PLt. Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa during a turnover ceremony at Camp Bagong Diwa on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019. Norman Cruz

Palace slams Washington Post for phone call story

By MJ Blancaflor MALACAÑANG on Wednesday slammed the Washington Post, saying the leakage of US President Donald Trump's private conversations with world leaders, including with President Rodrigo Duterte, is “simply outlandish.”

This came after the paper reported on Oct. 8 that Trump’s phone call to Duterte in 2017 congratulating the latter for an “unbelievable job on the drug problem”

Lift...

From A1

The same memo said processed meat products that do not have pork as a raw material such as corned beef, beef hotdogs, chicken nuggets, chicken hotdogs, and similar items, should be allowed unrestricted movement and distribution in all provinces.

“Upon demand by LGU quarantine officials, the certificate of product registration of processed meat products issued by the Food and Drug Administration to the manufacturers may be shown to LGUs. This should suffice to allow movement and distribution to all provinces,” Año said.

On the other hand, processed meat products that contain pork as an ingredient, either partially or fully, should also be allowed to be distributed and sold to all

Chemist...

From A1

Jeb Reece Grabato landed second spot in the licensure exam for chemical technicians with 92.50 percent rating and ranked ninth in the licensure exam for chemists with 87.70 percent rating.

Grabato was a magna cum laude graduate of Bachelor of Science in

Next-Gen...

From A1

Prototypes of the Orion Crew Survival Suit that will be worn on the journey and the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) for the lunar surface were unveiled at NASA’s Washington headquarters Tuesday ahead of the agency’s planned

was among the calls that “genuinely horrified” the White House staff.

“The fact that President Trump's private conversations with world leaders are leaked freely to the press by unnamed sources is simply outlandish,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said.

In April 2017, Trump called Duterte and lauded his anti-drug campaign which has claimed the lives of thousands of drug suspects in both police operations

and vigilante-style killings.

Panelo also said the article “shows negative bias” against Trump and Duterte’s anti-narcotics crackdown.

“It violates the objectivity principle we expect from high-caliber journalists of The Washington Post,” Panelo said.

“The anonymous staff interviewed is simply in the dark exhibiting his zero inside knowledge on the Philippines' campaign against illegal drugs,” he added.

provinces subject to conditions imposed by the DA. Under the guidelines, meat products containing pork should be heat-treated or fully cooked according to internationally accepted standards adopted by the Philippine Association of Meat Processors.

For canned meat products, they should be cooked at 116 degrees Celsius for at least 60 minutes, while hotdogs, hams, and bacon should be processed/smoked/ cooked to a core temperature of at least 72 degrees centigrade for over one hour. Smoked/cooked pork sausages, on the other hand, should be cooked to a core temperature of at least 72 degrees centigrade for at least 40 minutes.

Since imported pork is generally used by meat processors, the manufacturer/ processor should present certification as to source/origin from a non-ASF infected country supported by any acceptable document such as Veterinary Health

Certificate of the exporting country and the Sanitary and Phyto Sanitary (SPS) Import Permit issued by the DA. On the other hand, if pork is sourced from local producers, a document issued by the National Meat Inspection Service authorizing its movement or use for the production of processed meats should be shown to LGU authorities.

For processed meat products such as tocino, fresh longganisa, and tapa that use pork as material but do not undergo heat treatment or full cooking, NMIS certification is necessary.

For imported meat materials, permits and certifications to ensure that the source countries are free from ASF and are from DA-approved sources are essential.

DILG Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said the DILG guidelines are issued to protect all stakeholders, the economy, the industry, and the consumers.

Rio N. Araja, with PNA

Chemistry at the University of the Philippines-Visayas.

In a phone interview on Tuesday afternoon, Grabato expressed his gratitude to his mother Rita, whom he said had been with him all the way.

“I am happy because I did not disappoint the people who believed in me. I specifically dedicate my victory to my mother, who toiled and raised me all by herself. My achievements are hers as well,” he said.

Along with his older sibling, Grabato was raised by their single mother who works at the National Police Commission.

Being away from his family in Mandurriao district in this city, Grabato said he had endured homesickness for three months in Manila to prepare for the examinations.

“I have to endure everything all by myself,” he said, adding he had also faced financial challenges. PNA

return to the Moon by 2024.

Standing in front of a giant US flag, spacesuit engineer Kristine Davis wore a pressurized red, blue and white xEMU suit, showing off a vastly improved range of motion thanks to bearings systems on the waist, arms, and legs.

They are also extendable and therefore one-size-fits-all, meaning there won’t be a repeat of an embarrassing flub in

March that caused the first all-female spacewalk to be aborted when a second medium-sized suit wasn’t available.

“If we remember the Apollo generation, we remember Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, they bunny hopped on the surface of the Moon,” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine told a hall filled with students and interns at the space agency. AFP

case reset anew

By Maricel V. Cruz THE Sandiganbayan has postponed anew the trial of former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile in connection with his alleged involvement in the multibillionpeso pork barrel scam.

Sandiganbayan Third Division Chairperson and Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang allowed the camp of Enrile—represented by lawyer Estelito Mendoza—to file their proposed stipulations of facts on Oct. 21.

At the same time, the court gave the government prosecutors, led by Arieta Say, 10 days to respond to Enrile’s submission.

Enrile is accused of pocketing some P172.8 million of his pork barrel or Priority Development Assistance Fund by channeling the money to the fake nongovernment organizations of convicted plunderer Janet Lim-Napoles.

He was initially detained at the National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City but was later released by he court on humanitarian grounds. He is 95 years old.

Since he faces a non-bailable offense that is punishable by life imprisonment, the Sandiganbayan said a good cause exists for the motion of Enrile to be granted.

The court earlier granted granted Enrile's motion for the Ombudsman to produce the material evidence in its possession.

Robredo's satisfaction rating goes up THE satisfaction rating of Vice President Leni Robredo bounced back to “good” in the third quarter this year from “moderate” in June, a Social Weather Stations survey showed Wednesday.

At +33 rating in September, her satisfaction figures increased by five points from +28 recorded in June.

More than half or 56 percent out of the 1,800 Filipino respondents said they were satisfied with the Vice President's performance, while 23 percent said they were dissatisfied.

The increase came from all areas covered, especially in Mindanao, where Robredo's satisfaction rating increased 17 points.

The poll was conducted from September 27 to 30 with a margin of error of ±2.3 percent.

The results of the survey came amid the protest filed by defeated vice presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. against her before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.

The same poll showed that Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano received a "good" +49 net satisfaction rating since he assumed his role at the House of Representatives.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III and retired Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin kept their "very good" and "moderate" ratings, receiving +61 and +16, respectively. MJ Blancaflor

Weekend...

From A1

Gamboa made the announcement during an ambush interview with reporters after the turnover of Metro Manila police chiefs in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.

“I am now declaring that there will be no more golf during weekdays,” Gamboa said.

“Nobody is exempted starting from the officer in charge down to the lowest mammal in the Philippine National Police.”

Gamboa said he signed the order on Tuesday night or a day after the resignation of PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde.

He said he banned golf on weekdays because it might interfere with the policemen’s duties and responsibilities.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

A4

Opinion

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Success in the drug war?

WE ALL know that the ultimate casualty of fake news is the truth—plus of course, the person who is the subject of the hoax. An example would be my good friend Vicente Tan and his wife, Helen.

During the early days of martial law, people woke up to the shocking news that businessman Vicente Tan was nabbed at the Manila International Airport for trying to smuggle out of the country a suitcase full of money from his own bank—Continental Bank.

It’s fake news.

A follow-up news item said he was detained at Camp Crame. And then it was reported that his wife, Helen, had also been arrested and detained by military forces under Fabian Ver. But who would be so stupid as to have a suitcase full of bills, knowing he would have to go through Customs?

And why would anybody physically smuggle out money when it was easy to remit money to any bank abroad, through the wires?

Later reports said that after some months at Camp Crame, the Tans were transferred to Camp Laur, Nueva Ecija, under isolation.

Tan detailed what truly happened in his book, “Greed and Injustice.”

After 1986, the persecution did not stop. The Cory Aquino government seized all his assets and properties. Vic could not understand why all this happened to him when he never committed any crime.

The last time I saw Vic and Helen, they said they were thinking of migrat-

ing to New Zealand. I wonder where they are now. *** PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde's “relinquishment” of his post after President Duterte advised him to go on terminal leave, and even the appointment of an officer-in-charge in the person of Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa, will not really change anything.

Albayalde still has to face charges for intervening in the case of the 13 ninja cops accused of recycling illegal drugs.

During that 2013 raid, he was the chief of the Pampanga police.

The challenge to the next PNP chief is how to restore the people's faith and confidence in the police institution. The rank-and-file must be so demoralized.

Just how Albayalde can get of a hole of his own making is a matter of speculation. He even hired an expensive lawyer!

What is important now is that the next PNP chief should be able to make the people trust the police again. *** The PNP now claims it has succeeded in President Duterte's war on illegal drugs.

Succeeded, when illegal drugs worth billions of pesos are still smuggled through Customs?

Succeeded, when people are still getting killed during supposed raids?

The President's war against drugs is a futile exercise. He is treating the drug menace as a law and order problem. It is not. It is a health issue.

So long as foreign syndicates and cartels smuggle drugs into the country, because of our porous borders and a corrupt Customs bureau, it will always tell us that the demand remains high.

I have always said this but let me repeat myself: Even if Duterte and the PNP kill the last pusher, the drug problem will not end!

Police data peg the number to 6,500 death, but some estimates place the number to as high as 28,000. After three

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

A

Food for thought

ROUND the world, at least one in three children is either stunted or overweight, and one in two suffers from hidden hunger. This was the main finding of The State of the World's Children 2019 report, released by Unicef on Wednesday.

The data mirror realities in the Philippines: One in three children under five years old are too short for their age. Seven percent of children are too thin for their height. A tenth of adolescents are overweight.

“More are surviving, but far too few are thriving,” Unicef said.

Growing urban populations and changing lifestyles have contributed to the increased availability of processed food and a preference for inexpensive, accessible food items that do not take a lot of time and effort to prepare.

Indeed, malnourished children have marked disadvantages at the outset—

weak immunity to diseases, poor academic performance, and eventually limited opportunities for advancement and economic mobility.

Specific attention must be given to the continued prevalence of stunting among children 0-five years old, according to Azucena Dayanghirang, executive director of the National Nutrition Council.

“If we look further at the data, we will see that stunting rates among one-yearolds is 36 percent, which is twice as much as the 15.5-percent stunting rate among infants 6-11 months old. Stunting rates remain at the 30 percent level or more among children 3 and 4 years old. Clearly, we have to prevent that increase,” she said.

The council is thus staring a campaign to promote greater focus on the first 1,000 days of life—from pregnancy to the first two years—using a mix of approaches like the encouragement of breastfeeding and the proper feeding of the young, with emphasis on eggs, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, fish and meat.

Pregnancy to the first two years of life make up the “window of golden opportunity” during which key

health, nutrition, early education and related services should be delivered, and delivered well. Food, after all, is not the only input that ensures a healthy, well-rounded individual.

Other factors contribute to the development of the individual: A safe and secure home environment, education, emotional support from parents and family members.

Food, however, is the most basic of them all. Parents and caregivers, who actually decide what gets bought in the market and what gets served on the table, must realize the awesome responsibility they carry in ensuring the longterm nourishment of their child.

Healthy children will grow into healthy, productive adults. They will propel the country forward instead of failing to realize their potential and draining the system. This is what it means to thrive. It is so much more than getting by, or staying afloat.

No one will argue that children need to be fed and fed well. There is no dearth of ideas on the “how.” The only thing uncertain is whether families and societies are willing to take that extra difficult, if inconvenient, step for better results.

Turn to A5

The curious case of Standford Resources IT’S GREAT to hear the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation is launching a serious crackdown on illegal online gaming firms operating in the country. And dead-serious Pagcor is as no less than its chair, Andrea Domingo bared that they have already shut down almost 200 fly-by-night online gaming companies in the last few months.

These illegal Pogos, or Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, Domingo says, are not only depriving the government of billions of pesos in unpaid taxes, but are also giving the legal Pogos a bad name.

According to Domingo, these legal Pogos bring immense benefits to the Philippine economy—mainly to the real estate sector which is currently booming, thanks to the need for office space of Pogos and housing for their workers.

This translates to P20 billion a year in lease and rental payments, and another P24-billion government income in the form of taxes.

Quite noticeably, most of these illegal Pogos are located in the City of Parañaque, maybe because of its proximity to the airport, enabling these illegal entities to deploy immediately for employment their workers, most of whom come from mainland China. But aside from hosting these illegal Pogos, Parañaque, as per results of the raids conducted by authorities, now reportedly also hosts prostitution dens catering to foreign clients.

And despite the huge number of illegal Pogos and prostitution dens raided and closed by Pagcor and Parañaque in coordination with law enforcement agencies, there are still a number of establishments in Parañaque, which might be leasing their properties to illegal Pogos.

One of these establishments allegedly, is the Diamond Bay Towers, which was recently raided for allegedly operating a Chinese-only prostitution den, the Manila Wellness Spa on the 3rd floor.

The building which is located in 150 Roxas Blvd., Baclaran, Parañaque is owned by Standford Resources and Development Corporation and reportedly headed by one Bennie Cuason.

Residents in the Parañaque area have reasons to suspect Diamond Bay Towers might be hosting Pogos as they have spotted an unusual large number of Chinese entering the building, together with foreign construction workers.

This could be something for the books.

And most probably, these Pogos or any Chinese firm operating inside Diamond Bay Towers, could be illegal for the simple fact the said building and its owners, have been operating for years without any valid business permit.

Documents secured by this writer bare that Cuason incorporated Standford Resources and Development Corporation in 1994 and one of its big projects was the development and construction of three condominium buildings called Diamond Bay Towers. It secured a development permit from the HLURB as well as a Building Permit from the City of Parañaque all named under Cuason as the owner.

As any other corporation, Standford enticed the general public to put in investment worth millions of pesos either as investors, creditors, unit buyers or all for the said project.

However, after reportedly getting the money from the aforesaid investors, creditors and unit buyers, Standford suddenly filed a petition for Rehabilitation and Suspension of Payments with the Securities and Exchange Commission apparently to purposely evade the continuation of the construction of the Diamond Bay Towers and to enable its officers Cuason and 4 others to hide behind the legal cloak of corporate rehabilitation thereby escaping payment from its investors, creditors, unit buyers, as Turn to A5

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The road to peace LAST week, I met with Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año and Presidential Adviser for Southern Luzon Secretary Jose Maria Nicomedes Hernandez during the Third Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security Meeting.

During the meeting, 68 New People’s Army rebel surrenderees were presented. Their guns, ammunitions, and other weapons were also turned over to the government.

Following this, I, along with other provincial and local officials of Quezon, renewed our commitment in maintaining inclusive and sustainable peace and security in Quezon by addressing the causes of insurgency, internal disturbances, and armed conflict threat.

The RTF-ELCAC has a Serbisyo Caravan program, in coordination with the DILG. The Serbisyo Caravan program intends to benefit local communi-

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

ties. Medical and dental missions were held in Infanta and Mauban last month as part of the program. The DILG also contributed cash and livelihood assistance to rebel surrenderees amounting to P25,000 up to P65,000. Last week, there were 23 former rebels who were awarded such assistance.

In actuality, we share the same goals—to achieve a better life beyond poverty.

I have always believed in inclusive and sustainable peace. Inclusion must consider that insurgency stems from poor and lamentable living conditions and the consequent call for reform, among others. While we welcome the returnees to mainstream society, we should be introspective and examine: what it was in us, in our society, in the dynamics between our government and our people, that pushed them to where they were. I have always believed in dialogue, that the other story, however it is told, is worth listening to, however

different it is from my own belief.

In actuality, we share the same goals—to achieve a better life beyond poverty. We all work for economic success and prosperity but differ in the methods and principles we believe in.

Perhaps, through this common goal, we can all agree that growth and development cannot be achieved through violence, guns, drugs, and other illegal means. Violence has no place in pursuing and proving the merits of one’s ideologies no matter how different these are from another's.

The government, through the DILG, adopts a reformative program for the surrenderees, aiding them to return to their communities and live normally as peace-loving and law-abiding citizens.

Following this reformative stance, I call for the expansion of the assistance available to returnees and their families.

In this way, not only are we enabling returnees and surrenderees to have fair means of livelihood, but we are also promoting reintegration to society.

They have expressed their desire to join society and we should be equal to the task of giving them a chance to change and be part of the growth we are all striving for. The path to the mountains is rough, dangerous, and risky. There is a better way though—the road to peace.

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

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019

Civilian or military?

THE current constitution mandates that the police of the country be national in scope and civilian in character. To comply with this provision, RA 6975 was passed in 1990 abolishing the Philippine Constabulary.

This law, too became the nucleus of the Philippine National Police, established as a civilian police force under the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Over the years, the PNP tried to civilianize the police force by changing the ranks of personnel and designations.

For instance, instead of Lt. Colonel, it became Superintendent and instead of Regional Commander, the designation became Regional Director.

What was not changed, however, were the customs and traditions of the old Constabulary. The officers continued to behave as if the PNP were still a military organization up to the present. During the Senate hearing on the so-called ninja cops, this issue came out, prompting Senator Richard Gordon to ask PGeneral Oscar Albayalde whether the PNP is a civilian or military organization. During the course of interpellation, several issues, for instance that orders must be obeyed without question, were raised.

Senator Ping Lacson, himself a former military officer and PNP Chief, blurted out the phrase “ruling class” referring to the PMA class where the Chief PNP belongs. The “ruling class” thus is in control of the PNP at that particular period.

These two issues indicate a deeply rooted military culture still prevailing in the PNP. When Senator Richard Gordon raised the question, he pointed to PGeneral Oscar Albayalde that the constitution mandates that the PNP although national in scope, must be civilian in character.

Gordon was actually right. This issue as to whether the PNP is actually a military organization masquerading as a civilian organization is an issue that no one in the organization has addressed seriously since its inception.

This is perhaps because in 1992 when the PNP came into being, the entire leadership of the PNP came from the Philippine Constabulary. The military customs and traditions have not changed much. Changing the ranks and designations did nothing to change anything.

What does it mean to be civilian in character?

Senator Gordon was struggling to understand why then Senior Superintendent Oscar Albayalde did not raise any objections when he was relieved as Provincial Director of Pampanga in 2013 if he did nothing wrong. In a truly civilian organization, this indeed should have been done but for Albayalde, prudence was the better part of valor. Had he complained, he most certainly would have been in deeper trouble, so he simply kept quiet and said nothing and hoped that the issue would blow away soon which was what happened and he was soon back in harness.

There were some officers in the past who did question relief orders from higher headquarters but ended being frozen without assignments for much longer time. Given the culture existing in the PNP, Albayalde did the right thing.

Make no mistake about it: Even with those civilian sounding designations, the PNP is still a military organization unless a sincere effort is undertaken to start changing the military customs that are still practiced in the organization. By 2023, there will no longer be any Philippine Military Academy graduate left in the PNP. The officer corps will mostly consists of graduates from the Philippine National Police Academy and those that are laterally absorbed from the rank and file.

The PNPA, however, is a clone of the PMA. A bad clone, but a clone nonetheless. So, whether a change can be started beginning 2023 is at best doubtful. Besides what exactly does the term civilian in character

mean? Would a quasi-military type organization much like the old Constabulary suffice or a police force akin to the New York Police be what we are aspiring for?

Whatever it is, it must be an organized, trained and equipped to grapple with all the many law and order threats that is plaguing the country.

We have to remember that we have a 50-year-old communist insurgency still going on, the Abu Sayyaf, ISIS affiliated groups, and the many Muslim armed groups in the south that are still causing so much headache to the country. All these threats cannot be simply handled by a New York-type police force. This is perhaps the reason why some leaders, notably President Duterte, are nostalgic about reactivating the old Philippine Constabulary as a better police force to handle our internal security threats.

The next generation of PNP leaders should spend more time pondering this issue of police identity. Being able to define the character of a police force will go a long way in eventually establishing the identity and character of the organization. Unless this is done, the PNP will be left with no definitive character on which doctrines and culture can evolved. Past PNP leaders—including those of my generation—have failed to see this issue as deserving of attention. Still, it is extremely important. It took a civilian who happens to be senator of the realm to notice the apparent contradictory character of the organization and raised it when questioning PGeneral Albayalde. *** With PGeneral voluntarily relinquishing his position as Chief PNP and going on non-duty status prior to his retirement on Nov. 8, the PNP as an organization can have a new beginning.

At least this is the hope of many in the PNP and those who have already retired like myself. Controversy involving the chief of the organization is nothing new. This has happened before. What is important is that the organization is composed of men and women who are upright and who have no other motive but to serve the country.

Nigeria town claims to be world’s twins capital

By Joel Olatunde Agoi THE sign greeting visitors at the entrance of Igbo-Ora in southwest Nigeria welcomes people to a place unlike anywhere on the planet: "TWINS CAPITAL OF THE WORLD." The rather sleepy-looking town boasts of having the highest concentration of multiple births of any place on the globe.

To celebrate its self-proclaimed title the town hosts an annual festival, now in its second year, that draws hundreds of sets of twins from around the country.

Donning different traditional clothes and costumes, the twins— male and female, old, young and even newborns—sang and danced at the latest edition this weekend to the appreciation of an admiring audience.

"We feel elated that we are being honoured today," Kehinde Durowoju, a 40-year-old twin, told AFP as he hugged his identical brother Taiwo.

"With this event, the whole world will better appreciate the importance of Ibeji (twins) as special children and gifts from God." Around them, twins moved in procession to show off their colourful outfits as magic displays and masquerades also entertained the crowds.

Twins tourism Population experts say the Yoruba-speaking southwest has one of the highest twinning rates in Nigeria.

Statistics are difficult to come by,

Success...

From A4

years of a killing spree, they should know by now that the drug problem will outlast Duterte. ***

The Yanson turmoil: Questions and lessons withdrawal very probably was merely the clinching event as far as Leo Rey’s siblings were concerned. How about the colleagues and friends of the five siblings? Did they not sense, since Leo Rey’s assumption of the presidency, THE turmoil in which the biggest that there was an uneasy relationship land transportation group in the Phil- between the siblings? They must—or ippines—the Ceres-Vallacar group, should—have. with a total of 4,800 buses and 18,000 A final—and highly consequenemployees—finds itself has given rise tial—question raised by the Yanson to a number of questions that are im- family imbroglio is the role of the portant for the future stability of this State. Given its status as the nation’s country’s family-owned businesses largest land transportation company, and, by extension, of the Philippine what happens at the Ceres and Vallacar business community. The turmoil bus companies matters a great deal to came into being when, four years after the government, whose responsibility his death, four of the five children of it is to ensure that the Filipino people group founder Ricardo Yanson staged are provided with safe and reasonably a corporate-boardroom coup and oust- priced land transportation facilities on ed from the presidency their sibling a stable basis. Should the government Leo Rey, who had been chosen by Ri- be a mere passive observer in situacardo Yanson as his successor. Ricar- tions like the Yanson corporate mess, do Yanson’s wife or should it opOlivia concurred erate proactivein her husband’s ly? If the latter, choice. how should the The Department of The first quesgovernment go tion raised by the Transportation should about it? Should Yanson family monitor what happens it establish an imbroglio relates agency mandatto the process to the squabble between ed to oversee and practice of the Yanson siblings, and large businesssuccession in a es imbued with step in if necessary. family-corporamajor public tion setting. Did interest, espeRicardo Yanson cially businessdo the right thing in handpicking as es owned by single families? Should his successor Leo Rey, who was not such an agency be vested with the his eldest son, instead of leaving that power to compel contending parties to decision to the Ceres-Vallacar board submit themselves to mediation? of directors, in truly democratic fashIn my home Visayan province, Ceion? Did the patriarch engage in some- res and Vallacar have great economic thing akin to consensus-taking before significance and the two companies’ choosing Leo Rey? And is patriarchal buses are the principal source of pubdecision-making on succession the lic long-distance transportation. The best approach to long-term corporate same is true in many other provinces stability? in the Visayas, Mindanao and, in reThe second question raised by the cent years, in Luzon. Ceres, especialYanson family turmoil is related to ly, has become a byword in national human interaction and inter-person- land transportation. al communication. Is it possible that The Department of Transportation the problem among the siblings over should monitor what happens to the the single large cash withdrawal—the squabble between the Yanson sib“trust issue”—allegedly made by Leo lings—I believe it is now in court— Rey Yanson arose suddenly? I doubt it. and step in, if intervention becomes It is more likely that the problem be- necessary, to protect the interest of tween Leo Rey and his siblings—two the millions of Filipinos whose daibrothers and two sisters—had been ly lives include riding on Ceres and simmering for some time. The cash Vallacar buses.

The curious...

From A4

but a study by British gynaecologist Patrick Nylander, between 1972 and 1982, recorded an average of 45 to 50 sets of twins per 1,000 live births in the region.

That compares to a twin birth rate of 33 per every 1,000 births in the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Igbo-Ora is the epicenter of the phenomenon in the West African country.

Residents in the town, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Nigeria's biggest city Lagos, say that almost every family has some twins.

Traditional leader Jimoh Olajide Titiloye knows all about this special quirk.

"I am a twin, my wife is a twin and I have twins as children," he told AFP. "There is hardly any household in this town which does not have at least a set of twins."

He said the festival on Saturday was aimed at promoting Igbo-Ora as "the foremost twins tourism destination in the world" and that efforts were underway to get the town listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

Prominent Yoruba ruler, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, said the festival "is a celebration of culture and recognition of Ibeji as special children in Yorubaland."

He said the birth of twins usually "heralds peace, progress, prosperity and good luck to their parents," adding that parents should always take good care of them.

But while twins are seen as a bless-

Food or genes?

Scientists have not said definitively why Igbo-Ora has such a high number of twins.

But local residents have a theory that it is down to the diet of women in the town.

"Our people eat okra leaf or Ilasa soup with yam and amala [cassava flour]," community leader Samuel Adewuyi Adeleye told AFP. Yams are believed to contain gonadotropins, a chemical substance that helps women to produce multiple eggs.

"The water we drink also contributes to the phenomenon," Adeleye added.

Fertility experts are sceptical—and point to another explanation.

They say there is no proven link between diet and the high birth rate, with the same food being consumed across the region.

"It's a genetic thing," said Emmanuel Akinyemi, the medical director of Lagos-based Estate Clinic.

"I think the gene for multiple births is in the region and this has been passed on from generation to generation." AFP

well has local government taxes.

The petition, however, was dismissed on Oct.13, 2000 and Standford was declared technically insolvent meaning that no further rehabilitation was possible. The company was placed under receivership for the purpose of liquidating all of its remaining assets to pay off creditors.

Interestingly and suspiciously, despite the supposed financial distress of Standford having been declared insolvent by the SEC, it was still able to continue the construction and development of the Diamond Bay Towers but allegedly with a different set of investors without the approval of the SEC, prompting the SEC to reprimand Cuason.

This incident is so alarming as the scheme victimizes the general public by using the cloak of corporate rehabilitation law, thereby circumventing the purpose of its enactment and giving the culprits a pale excuse to be free from their apparent liability to their creditors and investors, both civil and criminal.

Lawmakers should take heed that the law they enacted is being used against the very public which it was designed to protect.

The project, while legally considered insolvent and for liquidation is still being brazenly being offered for sale and lease to the unsuspecting general public as of this writing. The company is said to now only accept Chinese buyers or lessors. No Filipino buyers allowed. This is believed to be a scheme employed by the perpetrators in order to circumvent local authorities.

And aside from operating without the necessary permits, having been ordered for liquidation, other agencies, particularly the HLURB, the SEC, the Department of Labor and Employment and even the local government of Parañaque,

Was Mocha Uson qualified for her new post as deputy administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration?

No less than elections commissioner Rowena Guanzon said she was not, because it has not been a year since the elections where Uson's party-list orga-

nization ran—and lost.

The spokesman of the Comelec, though, says Uson can get appointed because “candidate” referred to in the law refers to the party-list group and not the nominee.

So whom are we to believe?

If Guanzon is right, why did Mala-

cañang go ahead and appoint her, anyway? Doesn't the Palace know the law? *** The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board has no choice but to ban the cartoon “The Abominable.” The Palace tasked the MTRCB with deciding whether or

ing by many today that has not always the case in parts of southern Nigeria.

In pre-colonial times twins were often regarded as evil and were either banished to the "evil forest" or killed.

Scottish missionary Mary Slessor is widely credited with helping to curb the practice in the late 19th century.

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

have sent notices of various violations to Standford.

And how was Standford able to escape all these? According to the same set of documents this writer secured, Diamond Bay Towers is now operating under a different company name—Hua Shang Philippines Development and Management Company, but still points to Cuason as owner when employees of the building were asked.

Cuason, however, seemed to overlook something as when he decided to change the name of the operator of Diamond Bay Towers, the original titles. The land title as well as the commercial unit titles are still under Standford’s name. It cannot feign ignorance or wash its hands clean of this incident.

Indeed, the case of Standford’s and that of Cuason’s is something for the books. Imagine an insolvent company subject for liquidation being able to finish its project and being able to change ownership as if it was done in just a flick of the fingers and now being able to operate full blast, under the nose of the authorities.

Pagcor, the City of Parañaque and other government agencies should really look into this. How is it that a company like Standford is still operating Diamond Bay Towers and continuing business as usual while being declared insolvent and without proper permits?

No tenant, including Pogos, would be able to secure the necessary papers to legally operate business inside the Diamond Bay Towers since the very building itself is operating illegally. And if Diamond Bay Towers is operating illegally, it follows that whatever business entities are operating within the building, are also illegal.

To confirm the veracity of the documents in my possession I tried to reach out to the parties in question, to no avail.

It would be good if they could also air their side on the matter. I will devote this space to clarifications when they do. not to show it here.

Vietnam banned the movie because it showed the nine-dash line, which China uses as its basis for claiming territory in the South China Sea. For the MTRCB to allow the showing of the movie will be to accept China's claims.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

News

Standard

A6

TODAY OCTOBER 17, 2019 THURSDAY,

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Labor group backs Pag-IBIG scheme

T

HE Trade Union Congress of the Philippines is open to the proposal of Pag-IBIG to increase its members monthly contributions to afford the growing numbers of working people who borrow additional cash on hand through its short-term and housing loans facilities to cope with the rising cost of living and shortage of decent housing.

TUCP president Raymond Mendoza said the proposed phased increase in monthly contributions for Pag-IBIG members will help the workers tide themselves over their financial burden.

“In order to accommodate more cash and home loans applications without compromising the fund, the TUCP is open to the Pag-IBIG plan to adjust the maximum salary cap from the present P5,000 to P15,000 which will translate to a monthly savings rate of P300 for the

employee and P300 for the employer,” Mendoza said.

“However, the TUCP takes the position that the adjustment made in three tranches in a span of three to five years to cushion the workers and employers from effects of additional deductions of other social security agencies,” Mendoza said.

Pag-IBIG Chief Executive Officer Acmad Rizaldy P. Moti said there is a need to ensure the capacity of the fund

to finance the housing needs of Filipino workers for the long term by keeping home loan interest rates as affordable as possible for workers and their families particularly those who avail of socialized and economic housing.

Moti explained there is steady growth among members seeking housing loans in the last five years starting from P40 billion in 2012 to P75 billion last year.

He said that if the availment rate maintains its 15-percent yearly trajectory, the fund may experience a funding gap by 2024 or earlier as members contribution rates have not increased in the last 33 years.

TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said the uptick in Pag-IBIG members seeking short-term cash loans facilities such as Pag-IBIG multi-purpose loans means workers and their families are struggling to cope with rising inflation.

“Workers who are helping the economy grow are feeling the pinch of a growing economy. These are in a way smoke signals telling government that policies on current wages are not enough and existing benefits are no longer sufficient. This is also an indication that government public services in terms of health, education, mass transport, medicines are not working.

Government needs to do more,” Tanjusay said.

In June this year, Pag-IBIG announced they have released an all-time high of P25.57 billion multi-purpose loans for 1.2-million members in the first half of 2019. It said multi-purpose cash loans disbursements for the first six months of the year registered a 6 percent year-on-year growth and surpassed the P24.07 billion released in the same period last year by P1.50 billion. Vito Barcelo

N OTICE Notice is hereby given that 8990 HOUSING DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION with office address at 8990 Corporate Center, Negros Street, Cebu Business Park, Cebu City is applying for registration with the Board of investments (BOl) as New Developer of Economic and Low-Cost Housing Project under the Preferred List - Mass Housing (Deca Homes OrmocGregoria Residences) with a capacity of 360 house and lot units on a Non-Pioneer status, with project site located at Brgy. Concepcion, Ormoc City, Leyte.

(SGD) ANGELITA F. ARCELLANA Officer-ln-Charge Infrastructure and Services industries Service

(MS-OCT. 17, 2019)

N OTICE

Any person with valid objection/s on the above-mentioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication.

(SGD.) NESTOR P. ARCANSALIN Director Resource-based Industries Service (MS-OCT. 14, 2019)

N OTICE Notice is hereby given that PRIMA CASA LAND & HOUSES INC. (Formerly: LUMINA HOMES, INC.) with office address at LGF Bldg. B, Evia Lifestyle Center, Daang Hari, Almanza Dos, Las Piñas, is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOl) as New Developer of Economic and Low-Cost housing project (Lumina San Jose) with a capacity of 587 economic and low-cost units on a Non-Pioneer status, with project site at Brgy. Caanawan, San Jose City, Nueva Ecija.

HANDWASHING DAY. Government and private sector officials take part in the Global Handwashing Day demonstrating the value of clean hands. Neogin Evangelista, president of Philusa Corp., is joined by Reginald Andal Manila Water Foundation executive director, Manila Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna, and Global Handwashing Day Ambassador Robi Domingo.

Customs-NAIA vows vigilance vs. drug traders

By Joel E. Zurbano CUSTOMS-Ninoy Aquino International Airport collector Carmelita Talusan on Wednesday said the bureau’s personnel remains vigilant against the entry of prohibited drugs and other contraband at the airport.

Talusan made the assurance amid reports that international drug syndicates are operating in the country in cahoots with government officials, making it easy for them to smuggle contraband and anti-social goods in

(MS-OCT. 17, 2019)

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that UNIVERSAL POWER SOLUTIONS, INC. is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as New Operator of 20MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Component of Integrated Renewable Power Facility Hub (R-HUB) in Magapit, Cagayan (Phase 1) on a Pioneer Status under Book I of EO 226 otherwise known as the Omnibus Investments Code of 1987, as amended.

Any person with valid objection/s on the above-mentioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication.

NESTOR P. ARCANSALIN Director Resource-based Industries Service

Notice is hereby given that UNIVERSAL POWER SOLUTIONS, INC. is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as New Operator of 40MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Component of Integrated Renewable Power Facility Hub (R-HUB) in Toledo, Cebu (Phase 1) on a Pioneer Status under Book I of EO 226 otherwise known as the Omnibus Investments Code of 1987, as amended.

Any person with valid objection/s on the above-mentioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication.

NESTOR P. ARCANSALIN Director Resource-based Industries Service M.Standard – October 17, 2019

Alexandra who arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 via Cebu Pacific Air flight 5J 258 from Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Alexandra’s luggage was subjected to X-ray scanning which showed images of suspected drugs.

Customs examiners placed the luggage under 100-percent physical examination and discovered the crystalline substances wrapped in aluminum foil.

A field test was immediately made and the substance tested positive for methamphetamine hydrochloride, locally known as shabu.

TOLL REGULATORY BOARD 5th Floor, The Columbia Tower, Barangay Wack-Wack, Mandaluyong City 1550

NOTICE OF IMPLEMENTATION OF ADD-ON TOLL RATE PHASE 1 OF SEGMENT 1 (R-1 EXPRESSWAY) ENHANCEMENT OF THE MANILA-CAVITE TOLL EXPRESSWAY) Notice is hereby given that the Toll Regulatory Board has approved the Petition for Approval of the Add-on Agreed Toll Rate for Phase 1 of Segment 1 (R-1 Expressway) Enhancement of the ManilaCavite Toll Expressway Project, jointly filed by the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) and Cavitex Infrastructure Corporation (CIC), granting the PRA and CIC the authority to collect the add-on toll rates.

Consequently, the following adjusted toll rates, incorporating the approved add-on toll rates, inclusive of Value-Added Tax, are allowed to be implemented effective October 24, 2019 at 12:01 a.m., and upon PRA and CIC’s compliance with the legal requirements outlined under the 2013 TRB Rules of Procedure, and other relevant laws and jurisprudence: R1-Expressway (Seaside to Zapote), 6.475 kms.

VAT Inclusive

Vehicle Class

M.Standard – October 17, 2019

NOTICE

the various seaports and airports.

“The Bureau of Customs is very much on board in the country’s war against drugs and we will exert our efforts to continue protecting our nation and prevent the use of our ports in the smuggling of illegal drugs into the country,” she said.

On Oct. 7, Customs agents arrested an Indonesian national who was caught in possession of eight kilograms of smuggled shabu worth P54 million from Cambodia.

The suspect was identified as Agnes

THE Department of Public Works and Highways on Wednesday said it would construct gender-neutral comfort rooms in the country.

Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, chairperson of DPWH Gender and Development Focal Point System, said the initiative is in line with department’s efforts to provide projects promoting gender equality.

The DPWH official issued a memorandum directing all regional and district engineering officers to facilitate the construction of gender-neutral comfort rooms in all DPWH buildings and public infrastructure projects.

Among the undertakings are building facilities along highways in provinces where the motorists may stop.

On the other hand, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar lauded the initiative which will help in the promotion of gender equality.

“It is only fitting that the department follows through with its gender and development [GAD] initiatives to contribute in the promotion of gender emancipation in the Philippines,” Villar said in a statement.

Recently, the DPWH was awarded a GADtimpala, a recognition given by the Philippine Commission for Women to national government agencies that successfully implement genderresponsive programs. PNA

Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation

Any person with valid objection/s on the abovementioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication.

(SGD) ANGELITA F. ARCELLANA Officer-ln-Charge infrastructure and Services industries Service

TO ALLAY misconceptions brought about by concerns over the increase in premiums under the Universal Health Care, state health insurer Philippine Health Insurance Corp. said that the adjustment in its contributions is provided for by law to guarantee fund sustainability and to effectively implement the UHC. According to Republic Act 11223, premium rates of Direct Contributors where land-based migrant workers belong will gradually increase from the current 2.75 percent to 5 percent toward the end of 2024. Likewise, salary ceiling will also increase from the current P40,000 to P100,000 over the five-year period, with income floor pegged at P10,000.

“The increase is necessary to strengthen our fund’s ability to sustain and expand the benefits for the members. It should not be seen as unnecessary expense, but rather an investment in the health of their family,” BGen. Ricardo C. Morales, PhilHealth president and chief executive Officer said in response to concerns of OFW groups on the issue of contributions.

Gender-neutral toilets in the works—DPWH

Any person with valid objection/s on the abovementioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication.

Notice is hereby given that REPOWER ENERGY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as Renewable Energy Developer of Hydropower Resources [3.0 MW Lalawinan River Hydroelectric Power Project] in Barangay Pandan, Real Quezon to avail of the incentives under the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 (RA 9513).

PhilHealth: Premium hike good for OFWs

AUTHORIZED RATE PRIOR TO ADJUSTMENT (2009)

ADD-ON TOLL RATE TO CAVITEX ENHANCEMENT PROJECT, PHASE 1

TOTAL ADJUSTED RATE

Class 1

P 24.00

P1.00

P25.00

Class 2

P 48.00

P2.00

P50.00

Class 3

P 72.00

P3.00

P75.00

SO ORDERED. Mandaluyong City. October 10, 2019.

By Authority of the Board: (SGD) ENGR. ABRAHAM P. SALES Executive Director II/Hearing Officer

Date of First and Second Publication: October 12 & 17, 2019

BOOK LAUNCHING. Jose 'Joey' P. Leviste Jr. launched his fifth book entitled Lolo Cheng:

Justice Jose Maria Valera Paredes on Oct. 4, at the Judiciary Memorabilia Hall of the Old Supreme Court Building in Manila. The guest-of-honor for the book launch was Supreme Court Chief Justice Lucas P. Bersamin, who also wrote the Foreword. With the author and the Chief Justice are CJ’s wife, Mrs. Aurora Bagares Bersamin and Atty. Jose D. Leviste III, who introduced his father.

The event was attended by members of the Paredes clan and friends of the author many of whom are themselves legal luminaries. The book chronicles the inspiring story of Justice Jose Mari Paredes from his happy childhood in the province of Abra to his outstanding work in the Judiciary, all the way to the Supreme Court; from his valuable contributions to the framing of the 1971 Philippine Constitution to his leadership in various national organizations.

DOH-Calabarzon trains workers on basic sign language REALIZING that deaf persons still faced significant difficulties when accessing health services due to a lack of health workers who know sign language, the Department of Health-CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) conducted its second batch of training for the “First Basic Filipino Sign Language ” for health workers of the region.

Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo undescored the importance of communication, whether verbal or sign, because this is the key to understanding people with hearing problems.

By providing the necessary information

on deaf persons coupled with skills training on the basics of FSL, Janairo said “we can ensure effectiveness in communicating with patients who have difficulty in hearing to better understand their needs and wants.”

Janairo emphasized that knowledge in FSL will provide equal treatment because health workers can convey information to deaf patients properly.

“If there is a mute or deaf patient who enters a hospital and nobody can understand his signs, there would be a problem in giving the proper treatment and care,” he said.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

A7

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Koepka: No rivalry with McIlroy J EJU, South Korea—World number one Brooks Koepka on Wednesday took a big swipe at notions of a rivalry with Rory McIlroy, pointing out that the Northern Irishman had not won a major since the American joined the PGA Tour.

“I’ve been out here for, what, five years. Rory hasn’t won a major since I’ve been on the PGA Tour. So I just don’t view it as a rivalry,” Koepka told AFP ahead of his defense of the CJ Cup in Jeju, South Korea which begins on Thursday.

Second-ranked McIlroy’s last major victory came at the 2014 US PGA Championship, while Koepka was still playing on the European Tour and yet to take up his PGA Tour card.

Koepka, 29, equalled the Northern Irishman’s four-major total the US PGA Championship in May while McIlroy, 30, rounded off the season by winning the FedEx Cup for a second time and being voted PGA Tour player of the year.

McIlroy stoked the fires by saying he used a rivalry mentality to help him win the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake at the end of August.

“He (Koepka) talked about trying to

be the dominant player in the game ... and I thought: ‘He’s going to have to go through me first’,” declared McIlroy.

“If that’s both of our mentalities going forward, I think that’s good for the game.”

McIlroy is only the second player after Tiger Woods to win the season-long FedEx Cup race multiple times As well as the Tour ChampionshipFedEx Cup double, his season also included victories at The Players Championship and the RBC Canadian Open.

But McIlroy did admit he had been a little surprised to pip Koepka to the Player of the Year accolade, voted for by their fellow PGA Tour professionals.

“I thought maybe Brooks winning the PGA Championship this year was going to be the difference-maker, but you

know, the other players thought differently,” he said.

Rivalry or not, they will lock horns next at the HSBC-WGC Championship in Shanghai in two weeks with the single-minded Koepka refusing to focus on anybody other than himself.

“I’m not looking at anybody behind me,” said Koepka.

“I’m number one in the world. I’ve got open road in front of me I’m not looking in the rearview mirror, so I don’t see it as a rivalry.

“You know if the fans do (call it a rivalry), then that’s on them and it could be fun.

“Look I love Rory he’s a great player and he’s fun to watch, but it’s just hard to believe there’s a rivalry in golf. I just don’t see it.” AFP

Nationals headed for 1st World Series berth

Top-ranked NCAA 1 golf coaches in PH to scout talent JUNIOR golfers in the Philippines will get a chance this December to showcase their game and talent and possibly get recruited to some of the best universities in the world.

DreamBig Events, a sports events company dedicated to providing a positive, motivating and challenging platform for young athletes living in Asia to improve their sporting skills is bringing world-class golf coaches for the first time in Asia. Its Gold Series Golf Camp, headlined as The Road To U.S. College Golf, is open to junior golfers aged 12 to 18 years old and will be held at the Orchard Golf & Country Club on December 17 and 18, 2019.

Golf Coaches from topmost schools in the US NCAA Division 1 – UCLA (University of California – Los Angeles), Columbia University and UC Berkeley – will run the two-day golf clinic while actively watching the young golfers participate in the 2-day FCG Golf Tournament.

At the camp, campers will experience guided range and short game sessions that will allow them to sharpen their practice and pre-tournament routines. They will be given instruction that will help them expand their course management skills and prepare them for competition, as well as expose them to US coaching styles and competition at a higher level. The camp is limited to 30 participants only to enable personalized and customized instruction for each athlete.

“This is an exceptional opportunity for young golfers to interact with world-class coaches and glimpse the future of how their game can evolve and take them to places they’ve never been before. Learning under these top-calibre coaches is a privilege that only a few can experience, and to have them right here in Manila to train and teach them is a big advantage in terms of savings on time and travel expenses,” said Akshay Maliwal, Founder and CEO of DreamBig Events.

Maliwal explained that the camp opens up the pathway to college golf in the U.S., which in turn will help athletes develop their athleticism and prepare them to compete on the world stage while they become a legitimate part of the US College athletics ecosystem.

“These camps do not just hone young athletes’ skills, they introduce and familiarize athletes with the college recruiting process and lets them experience, even for two days, a day in the life of a college athlete at a top academic and athletic university,” Maliwal added.

DreamBig Events has been working with coaches from top NCAA Division 1 and Division 3 universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Pennsylvania, Brown, New York University, Tufts and Carnegie Mellon University, Claremont-Mckenna, Johns Hopkins University, among others, for the last three years.

“Asia, the Philippines in particular, is rich in golfing talent that only needs to be discovered and honed. All young talents need is one big break to change their lives and put this region on the world map of golf. It all begins in camps like these. And because our camps offer a wide array of activities, campers have fun as they learn all the good stuff,” Maliwal said.

Interested participants may register now at https://dreambig.events/goldseries-golf-camp/

Koepka

The Petron Blaze Spikers (above) and the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers (right) essay another thrilling chapter to their storied Philippine Superliga rivalry.

Petron, F2 renew rivalry in PSL finals TWO of the most powerful, most successful clubs in the country—Petron and F2 Logistics—essay another thrilling chapter to their storied rivalry when they clash in the sudden-death finals of the Philippine Superliga Invitational Conference today at the Ynares Sports Center in Pasig City.

Action starts at 6 p.m. with the Cargo Movers looking to add another diadem to their collection of titles while the Blaze Spikers are eager to complete their journey back to the throne of the most prestigious women’s club league in the country.

Prior to that, Foton and Cignal collide in the bronze medal match at 4 p.m.

Billed as the most decorated teams in the country today with 11 titles between them, the Cargo Movers and the Blaze Spikers will be clashing in the finals for a record seventh time, making this battle as intense and as dramatic as their previous finals showdowns.

While the Cargo Movers kept their spot on top, thanks to the arrival of Filipino-American sensation Kalei Mau, the Blaze Spikers fell out of grace after suf-

fering a massive meltdown in the semifinals of the All-Filipino Conference two months ago.

Actually, Petron was looking good in the double-round eliminations, but it ran into a hungry and rampaging Cignal squad, which erased its twice-to-beat advantage en route to one of the biggest upsets in Philippine volleyball.

“I would be lying if I say that we don’t want to win the All-Filipino Conference,” said Petron coach Shaq Delos Santos, recalling their bitter fate in the midseason conference.

“But I’m glad that we are given another chance to redeem ourselves. Being in the finals of the Invitational Conference is a blessing, it is an opportunity to pick up the pieces and become a PSL champion once more.”

F2 Logistics coach Ramil de Jesus said unlike in their previous best-of-three affair, they couldn’t afford to commit any mistake in this kill-or-be-killed finals duel.

“Thursday will be the moment of truth for both teams,” said de Jesus, arguably one of the best coaches in the country for

winning 11 titles in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.

“We have to give our best because there won’t be any excuses. We have only one shot at wining the title and there will be no more Game 2 or 3 for us.”

De Jesus said Mau is back in harness while national team members Aby Maraño, Dawn Macandili and Majoy Baron as well as Kianna Dy, Desiree Cheng, Kim Fajardo and Ara Galang are all eager to win the title anew against the Blaze Spikers crew, which went has yet to suffer a defeat in this season-ending conference.

On the same note, Delos Santos is also eager to pull off a victory, not only to redeem themselves, but also to gain confidence as he leads the national team in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

“Each win is a chance for us to gain confidence,” said Delos Santos, who has national team members like Rhea Dimaculangan, Mika Reyes and Frances Molina on his roster.

“We want to leave this conference with a bang and walk into the SEA Games with high morale.”

WASHINGTON—The Washington Nationals reached the World Series for the first time in franchise history on Tuesday after completing a 4-0 series sweep over the St. Louis Cardinals.

A blistering first inning laid the foundation for a 7-4 victory over a Cardinals team who rallied in the fifth but were unable to overturn the deficit.

Nats ace Patrick Corbin fanned 12 batters through five innings before finally allowing four runs as the Cardinals attempted to claw their way back into contention.

The Nationals will now play the winner of the American League Championship Series—either the Houston Astros or New York Yankees—in game one of the World Series next Tuesday.

The NL Championship Series victory marked the latest chapter of an improbable season for Washington, who were 19-31 earlier this year with little apparent hope of reaching the playoffs.

Prior to Tuesday’s win, the Nationals were one of only two Major League Baseball teams, along with the Seattle Mariners, who had never reached a World Series.

The Nationals had also carried a miserable postseason record into the playoffs having never won a series before 2019.

“I can’t put this moment into words,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said.

“Often bumpy roads lead to beautiful places—and this is a beautiful place,” added Martinez, who only last month underwent a heart procedure.

“These guys back here cured my heart,” Martinez said. “My heart feels great right now. I can’t wait to do this next week.”

A comeback win over Milwaukee in the wild-card game then saw them advance to a dramatic NL Division Series where they stunned the Los Angeles Dodgers with an upset 3-2 series win last week.

First inning onslaught Three convincing wins over St. Louis in the opening games of the NLCS had left them on the brink of the World Series, and before an expectant Nationals Park on Tuesday they were in no mood to be denied. AFP

World Slasher Cup ‘20: A tribute to legendary breeder Alexander

Legendary gamefowl breeder and multiple cockfighting US and WSC champ Ray Alexander

THE world’s most prestigious cockfighting derby and known to many as the Olympics of Sabong, the World Slasher Cup, unfolds in January 2020 as a tribute to legendary American breeder, Ray Alexander.

The much-awaited 9-cock invitational international derby kicks off on January 20, 2020 at the historic Smart Araneta Coliseum at the newly rebranded Araneta City in QC. The invitational derby, which will have its Grand Finals on February 6, 2019, promises to showcase exciting legitimate match-ups of only the best fowl fighters and cockers to ever grace the WSC rueda.

Expecting to draw hundreds of entries from here and around the world, the WSC 2020 will be a chance for sabong enthusiasts to pit their birds against WSC 2 2019 champions Thunderbid 1 (Nene Araneta, Frank Berin) and RC Warriors JD (Rey Cañedo and Jun Durano), who are expected to return to defend their titles.

Fans and fighters are also hoping WSC 1 2019 solo champs Cris Copas of Kentucky, USA and partner Claude Bautista of CPB Group of Mindanao would return to give others a shot at earning their title.

Other WSC veterans and former champs are also expected to join the frey

for the pot money, imported trophy, and the championship title like seven-time WSC champ Patrick “Idol” Antonio, the Escolin brothers, media man Rey Briones, Magno Lim and Gerry Tesorero, and so many more.

The WSC 2020 pays tribute to legendary gamefowl breeder Rey Alexander, who passed away in July 2019 at the age of 82. Alexander was one of the people at the forefront of setting up the World Slasher Cup in the early ‘70s, and had convinced American fighters and breeders to come to the Philippines and join the competition.

An icon in the sport, Alexander earned the respect of cockfighting enthusiasts all over the world, in the US, Mexico, Hawaii, and especially in his beloved Philippines, which he had been visiting for nearly 50 years. He has won Cocker of the Year back-to-back at Sunset, Indiana and many other competitions in the US with his breed of birds. Many top Filipino breeders had gone on to win many sabong titles because of his birds, and he had nothing but good words for Filipino fighters whom he described as “the best cockfighters right now… because they do it every day.”

Alexander was known not just a great

breeder who could spot the “gameness” in a bird, but as a man of integrity when it comes to his broodcocks, selling only chickens he bred himself. Sabong enthusiast Boy Diaz even describes him as “the protégé of the greatest roostermen in the United States like Elmer Griffin, William McRae and Blony Rollan.” As someone who really helped put the World Slasher Cup, and the Philippines in the map when it came to cockfighting, it is only fitting that next year’s WSC would be held as a tribute to Alexander.

Known to its numerous followers as the Olympics of Sabong, the World Slasher Cup is a smackdown of only the best breeds and bloodlines of winged warriors meticulously cared for in fowl farms here and abroad.

Those who are interested to join WSC 2020 from January 20-26, 2020 may now register their entries via the www. worldslashercup.ph. They may also call the WSC Derby Office at (8)588-8227 or (8)911-2928.

For more info and updates, WSC enthusiasts may follow us on our new Facebook page (@worldslashercup2020); visit the website www.worldslashercup.ph ; or email worldslashercupofficial@gmail. com and be part of our emailing list.

Sports

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

A8

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019

Baltazar lifts La Salle past UE, 65 to 59 JUSTINE Baltazar’s big game lifted the La Salle Green Archers past the University of the East Warriors, 65-59, in the 82nd University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.

The 6’8” Baltazar bounced back from the flu and played with no relief, scoring 23 points and hauling 12 rebounds in leading the Archers to their fifth win in 10 games Baltazar, one of seven players who are in good shape after the Green Archers’ loss to the Ateneo Blue Eagles last Sunday, fired 10 points in the final period where La Salle finally took charge after 12 lead changes.

The Green Archers, who moved to third place with their 5-5 win-loss record and remained in the hunt for a Final Four seat, got eight points from Baltazar when they broke past a 49-52 deficit and moved away, 55-52.

Jamie Malonzo, who had 12 points with Encho Serrano, then took over, with his driving shot and triple in the remaining 1:32 keeping La Salle in front, 61-57.

“It was a tough game for us. After the Ateneo game, we only had two days to prepare. Suwerte kami, we were able to pull through,” said Green Archers’ coach Gian Nazario.

Many of the Green Archers were not in good shape, due to flu and injuries when they the confronted the Warriors, led by Rey Suerte, who top-scored for UE with 17 points.

Later, Angelo Kouame and Thirdy Ravena produced 10 points apiece for the Blue Eagles, who beat the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, 65-55.

Already assured of the top seeding in the Final Four, the Blue Eagles drew nine points from Pat Maagdenberg in posting their 11th straight victory. Peter Atencio

PH athletes’ nutrition a PSC priority THE Philippine Sports Commission continues to make every effort to improve its nutrition support to the national team which will go to battle next month when the country opens its doors to the participants of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

PSC sealed a deal with Otsuka-Solar Philippines Inc., the pharmaceuticals company behind Pocari Sweat, as the official sports drink of the agency at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

With the goal of promoting the health of Filipino athletes, the PSC has partnered with the Japanese pharmaceutical company to provide the beverage for our national team.

PSC Commissioner Celia Kiram, representing PSC Chairman William Ramirez, delivered her welcome remarks praising the initiative taken by Pocari Sweat in the service of Filipino athletes.

“I am really so flattered to welcome you this morning for the signing ceremony of our collaboration with Pocari Sweat. We in the Philippine Sports Commission, on behalf of the Chairman, would like to thank you so much for your trust given to us, for sponsoring our athletes, our coaches, especially for this coming Southeast Asian Games.

We do hope that this collaboration will be prolonged for our athletes. And with that, we hope we can also collaborate with you beyond the games,” she said.

PHINADO or Philippine National Anti-Doping Organization, is the sole entity responsible for the implementation of anti-doping policies for the Southeast Asian Games. PHINADO Head Dr. Alejandro Pineda also joined the contract signing.

Columbian Dyip’s Juami Tiongson soars for a layup as he beats the defense of NLEX’s Larry Fonacier (left) in a PBA game at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

NLEX topples Columbian Dyip

By Jeric Lopez

J

R QUINAHAN sank the go-ahead free throws with over a minute left to help NLEX topple Columbian Dyip, 117-111, for its second straight win as the Road Warriors regained solo second place in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City last night.

With the game up for grabs at 106-all, Quinahan was fouled by Jackson Corpuz when he was taking a triple.

The burly slotman sank all his three charities to give NLEX a critical 109-106 lead entering the dying seconds.

A steal from Kiefer Ravena and a completed three-point play from new import Manny Harris sealed the win for NLEX, giving it a comfortable 112-106 edge with 37 seconds left to complete a deciding 6-0 run.

Harris, the Road Warriors’ new re-

inforcement, introduced himself to the league right away, exploding for a gamehigh 45 points with five rebounds and four assists to lead his team right in his first game.

Quinahan himself had a good scoring game, finishing with 15 points for NLEX. The Road Warriors improved to 5-1 for second place and moved closer to securing a berth in the quarterfinals.

The up and down campaign of the Dyip continued as it dropped to an even

3-3 slate in the middle of the pack.

NLEX led by double-digits through most of the first three quarters and was still in control, 87-77, entering the payoff period.

However, Columbian Dyip combined several mini-runs in the fourth to slowly but surely crawl its way back, tying it up at 106-all after two free throws from Khapri Alston with 1:40 left, making it anyone’s game.

But the Road Warriors’ poise down the twilight zone allowed them to narrowly escape and avoid a complete meltdown.

Harris, a former NBA player, was tapped to replace Olu Ashaolu despite NLEX’s hot start and if his first outing was an indication, he might be showing that the change was justifiable.

NLEX held multiple 15-point leads in the third quarter before Columbian crawled back to make it interesting towards the end.

CJ Perez led the Dyip with a team-high 21 points.

Tabal ready to defend marathon title OLYMPIAN Mary Joy Tabal has ramped up her preparations for the 30th Southeast Asian Games with the help of three coaches as she heads into the final stretch of her training.

Aside from her personal coach John Duenas, the Cebuana Olympian is getting help from two Japanese coaches Yuhei Sato and Akio Usami, who are expected to aid the reigning SEA Games medalist retain her crown as marathon queen of the biennial meet.

Tabal is obviously learning from the best. Sato is the head of the women’s long distance team at the Nippon Sports Science University, where Tabal went to train last Sept. 4, while Usami is a marathon veteran of the 1968, 1972 and the 1976 Summer Olympics.

Tabal, who handed the Philippines’ its first gold medal in the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, where she finished with a time of 2:48:26, is hoping to refine her tempo running training until the first week of November in aid of her endurance training.

“We’re currently in the thick of our preparations, which means mileage is getting higher, track workouts are getting harder, legs are getting heavier, miles per miles per week, long runs, long intervals, being able to run on tired legs, mind over matter going to our peak period,” said the 30-year-old Tabal.

“I have never been this focused and motivated to train harder for this was my longest SEA Games’ preparation,” added Tabal, who is hoping to repeat her dominant SEAG win in Kuala Lumpur.

Tabal’s time in games two years ago

was seven minutes ahead of eventual silver medalist Vietnam’s Hoang Thi Thanh. She was also nearly 10 minutes ahead of Natthaya Thanaronnawat, the 2015 gold winner from Thailand.

Tabal last went to the NSSU back in 2016 when she was preparing for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

“The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has been supportive of Tabal and the rest of the Philippine team, especially for this SEA Games which we will be hosting,” PSC Chairman William Ramirez said. “The recent developments, where we had international victories will be an inspiration to all of us.”

“Our daily routine would be, training twice a day but a certain period where we need to spend for a 10-day training camp, we train thrice a day. During this time, we Mary Joy Tabal displays her SEA Games’ marathon gold medal. are taught how to overcome fatigues, and discipline for so I will be giving everything can,” Taourselves, discipline for the training probal said. “For now, I don’t really focus gram,” said Tabal, who is up as early as on who’s my biggest opponent, because 5:30 a.m. to train in a stretch that takes for me, every representative from each her until 4:15 p.m. nation is my competitor for the gold.

“I have nothing else in mind now than I just focus on getting better, stronger gold. I only have to focus on this event, and preparing my body for the action.”

Alido sets pace with 66 at Tarlac Open TARLAC—Ira Alido flaunted his power and ball control then bucked the wind at the finish to fire a bogey-free six-under 66 and wrest a one-stroke lead over Clyde Mondilla and two other foreign aces at the start of the ICTSI Central Azucarera de Tarlac Open here yesterday.

Cashing in on his local knowledge of the tight, challenging Luisita Golf and Country Club, Alido actually only got going when the going got tough, scorching the backside with five birdies for a 3531 that stood as the best in a day when the early starters took charge in the $100,000 event serving as the sixth leg of the third season of Philippine Golf Tour Asia.

“The greens are quite tough but man-

ageable but I had to toughen up at the back with the wind coming into play. But I’m quite familiar with the course since I used to practice and play here during my amateur days,” said Alido, who has put up a number of impressive finishes in the last few PGT and PGT Asia tournaments anchored on strong starts.

But closing out has been the 18-year-old shotmaker’s main concern, at least in a couple of tournaments, including in Aboitiz Invitational of the PGT Asia and in last week’s ICTSI South Pacific Classic of the PGT, which he both led in the third round only to waver in pressure-packed finishes.

“I actually failed to hold on to my lead at South Pacific because I was not feeling

well then. This time, I’m okay and in top shape physically and mentally to last me for four days,” added the sophomore pro, who settled for fifth at Wack and Wack and finished second in Davao.

But stalking him at 67s is a troika of veterans ready to pounce on the slightest miscue, led by Mondilla, who gunned down five birdies after 15 holes, including a flubbed eagle putt from 10 feet on the par5 12th, only to stumble with a wet bogey on the par-5 16th. The reigning Philippine Open champion, however, holed out with a birdie on the 18th to catch Aussie Tim Stewart and American Brett Munson at second.

Ira Alido

Yulo, Petecio to get total of P2.5M each; EJ nets P2M

By Peter Atencio GYMNAST Carlos Yulo almost quit the sport many times, the last during the 2018 Asian Games and in the recent 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.

Now, he is glad he didn’t after winning the floor exercises gold medal in the Stuttgart tournament and receiving a windfall of cash in the process.

“Nu’ng world championships, ganoon din ang nangyari sa akin.

Sa kalagitnaan ng competition, tumigil ako at nawala ako sa focus. Parang hinayaan ko ang sarili ko. Pero ipinagako ko sa sarili ko na hindi na maulit ang nangyari na nag-stop ako. Na parang wala akong magawa. Naiiyak na lang ako, gusto kong lumaban at ipagmalaki sa lahat na kaya ko,” said Yulo.

Philippine sports’ newest hero talked about his experience while in Stuttgart during a welcome ceremony that was held in honor of him, and his fellow world champions boxer Nesty Petecio and Ernest John Obiena on Tuesday evening at the Sheraton Hotel.

Yulo, who scored a personal-best 84.048 points in Germany, grabbed a historic first gold medal for the Philippines in the floor exercise finals with 15.3 points.

The first time Yulo tried to quit was in 2017, the year that he was preparing to join seven international meets, including the 2018 World Championships where he finished with a bronze medal in the floor exercises.

But his mother Angelica talked him out of it when he went home from Japan for Christmas, after his coach Munehiro Kugiyama gave him a rest break.

For his feat, Yulo will now get total of P2.5 million, after businessman sportsman Manny Pangilinan added P1 million to his incentive from the government.

Presidential Adviser on Sports Dennis Uy, pledged P500,000 to each of the three.

The 27-year-old Petecio will also get P2.5 million, after Pangilinan added P1 million to what the PSC is giving, to go with Uy’s pledge.

Petecio won over hometown bet Liudmila Vorontsova on points, 3-2, to claim the 2019 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships featherweight gold medal in UlanUde, Russia on Sunday.

Obiena, who became the first Filipino to earn a slot to the Tokyo Olympics, will now get a total bonus of P2 million for his efforts Obiena received P1 million from the PSC for winning the gold in the 30th Summer Universiade, another P500,000 for the Asian Athletics’ crown and the P500,000 from Uy.

IN BRIEF PCCI supports CITIRA bill

THE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry approved Wednesday the set of 21 resolutions it will present to President Rodrigo Duterte during the final day of the 45th Philippine Business Conference and Expo.

Among the urgent and important resolutions involve the immediate approval of the Corporate Income Tax Incentive Reform Act bill that will effectively reduce corporate income tax, with the incentives package fine-tuned to support the export industries, increase foreign direct investments and prevent job losses.

The conference sought the adoption of lower corporate income tax rate to 20 percent with no condition to make the country at par with ASEAN neighbors and provide a longer transition period of 10 years for existing registered enterprises availing of the fiscal incentives.

CITIRA is also expected to rationalize fiscal incentives under the Strategic Investment Priority Plan and for the investment promotion agencies to continue as one-stop-shop in the availment of these incentives. Othel V. Campos

MMDA enforcers to get insurance

INSURANCE organizations teamed up with the Metro Manila Development Authority to provide free insurance coverage for its enforcers manning traffic duties in the metropolis.

The Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association Inc. and the Philippine Insurers Club signed a memorandum of agreement with the MMDA during the opening ceremony of the Insurance Consciousness Week Wednesday at the Insurance Commission.

Insurance commissioner Dennis Funa supported the partnership to provide free accidental death and disablement coverage for MMDA enforcers.

“The insurance coverage to be provided by the insurance industry for our MMDA enforcers shall be without cost to the latter.

In other words, this insurance coverage shall be free of charge and the premiums will be funded by the insurance industry,” he said.

Julito G. Rada

MyTown observes Mental Health Month

MYTOWN, the Philippines’ largest co-living company, conducted a lecture series in partnership with the Philippine Mental Health Association and held an extensive survey among its thousands of tenants to help raise awareness and foster discussions on the importance of mental health in the Philippines.

Rapid urbanization, an increase in the number of young professionals who live alone, and social media adoption are often cited as causes in adversely affecting mental health in big cities. Mental health is especially problematic amongst millennials and Gen Z, according to the World Health Organization.

MyTown’s survey found that two of three of its tenants feel less lonely now that they co-live at MyTown and over 80 percent sees MyTown as a “home away from home.”

Shared accommodation, also called co-living, gives tenants their own space within a larger building with communal areas, amenities, activities and events, thereby providing a range of social benefits that help to reduce loneliness.

The World Health Organization has listed “social support networks” as one of the factors that determines health and happiness.

“Most of us have experienced loneliness or depression, either first-hand or in our immediate surrounding. Our goal is for MyTown to be a way for people to find a community and support network in the big city. By driving this sense of community and belonging through our building designs and tenant events, we successfully lower the threshold for people to engage with others and have our tenants feel supported and connected,” said Jelmer Ikink, group director of the company behind MyTown.

“Our survey shows that most tenants go to our events alone and that a big reason for joining these activities is to meet new friends.

From movie and trivia nights to parties and community outreach activities, each tenant has the opportunity to connect and engage with others, create a supportive network, and maintain a social life,” said Drixel Ortega, chief customer officer at MyTown.

Pag-IBIG Fund loan releases grow 13% to record P58.73b HOME loan releases of Pag-IBIG Fund posted a double-digit growth in the first three quarters of 2019 to reach a record P58.73 billion.

The amount of home loans released increased 13 percent or P6.97 billion from P51.76 billion registered in the same period last year. The number of financed homes also grew 4 percent year-on-year to 65,375.

“We have yet to finish the year, but things are already looking good as we have again set a new record-high on our home loan releases for January to September. We will continue to work hard in the remaining months of 2019 to provide decent and affordable home financing to even more Filipino workers. This is our commitment, being one of the key players in President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s drive to uplift the lives of Filipino families,” said Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, chairman of both the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and the Pag-IBIG Fund board of trustees.

Del Rosario said of the total amount, P7.18 billion was released as socialized home loans for the benefit of 18,715 PagIBIG Fund members belonging to the minimum-wage and low-income sectors.

Meanwhile, Pag-IBIG Fund chief executive Acmad Rizaldy Moti described the growth of the agency’s housing operations as remarkable.

“Before, our home loan releases for the whole year usually ranged from P30 billion to P45 billion. It was only in 2016 that we breached P55 billion as we released P57.31 billion. We challenged ourselves to do better, which resulted in us surpassing P65 billion in 2017 and P75 billion in 2018. Now that we’re in the third quarter of 2019, our growth continues,” Moti said.

“With our home loan releases amounting to P58.73 billion in the last nine months, we have already surpassed the amount released for the whole year in the previous years until 2016. And by the end of the year, our home loan releases may reach P83 to P85 billion,” he said.

Business Yao: Zest-O set to acquire major US beverage brand

By Othel V. Campos

L

OCAL ready-to-drink juice manufacturer Zest-O Corp. is set to acquire a US beverage brand, according to company founder and former Ambassador Alfredo Yao.

Yao, who is also the chairman of listed Macay Holdings Inc., said a formal announcement of the major acquisition would be filed with the Philippine Stock Exchange next week.

“This [transaction] was with an outside company. We will make an official announcement next week,” Yao said at the sidelines of the 45th Philippine Business Conference and Expo 2019 at Manila Hotel.

Established in 1981, Zest-O became popular in the local market with readyto-drink juice in foil pouches. Among its brands are Zest-O juice drinks, Choc-O, Zesto fruit soda and Zest-O Slice fruit drink.

Macay Holdings, on the other hand, is the parent company of ARC Refresh-

ments, the licensed Philippine bottler of RC Cola carbonated drinks.

Zest-O was one of the companies affected by the sugar-sweetened beverage tax imposed under the first tranche of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law.

The acquisition of a US beverage brand is expected to bolster Zesto’s ranking as the market leader in RTD beverages.

Yao said the industry continued to suffer from increased taxes following the implementation of TRAIN 1 and it could take another two years for the industry to recover.

“The industry was down 30 percent in sales volume in 2019. I hope it will start recovery this year,” Yao said.

He said Zest-O slightly recovered

from slower sales beginning the fourth quarter of 2019.

Yao said despite the sales slump, the company had not resorted to lay-offs but many employees had to contend with reduced overtime which is now a company policy.

“But it’s just a matter of time before we streamline our labor pool, once a pressing need [for it] arises,” Yao said.

Zest-O employs about 4,000 individuals in its four factories in the Philippines.

The company has recently ventured overseas, putting up manufacturing plants in China, Indonesia and Vietnam.

An expansion in China was in the offing despite an infringement issue over branding, according to the company.

Zest-O planned to hold an initial public offering in 2017, following the successful listing of sister company Macay Holdings.

Macay posted a net income of P479 million on P11-billion revenues in 2018.

ARC Refreshments Corp., its subsidiary has a licensing agreement with Royal Crown Cola International of the US.

PNB-PAL TIE-UP. Philippine

National Bank launches its latest product offering—the PNBPAL Mabuhay Miles Prepaid Mastercard, during an event at the Blue Leaf Filipinas. It is a reloadable card which allows one to purchase online or at any Mastercard and Maestro accredited merchant worldwide, while earning reward points that can be converted into Mabuhay Miles.

Leading the wellattended product launch are (from left) PNB senior vice president and cards banking solutions group head Christian Eugene Quiros, PAL assistant vice president for loyalty Mayette Casanova, PNB executive vice president and retail banking sector Bernie Tocmo and Mastercard Philippines country manager Rowell Del Fierro.

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019

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Meralco unit eyes floating solar plant in Laguna de Bay

By Alena Mae S. Flores MGEN Renewable Energy Inc., a subsidiary of Meralco PowerGen Corp., plans to put up a 110-megawatt floating solar project in Laguna de Bay, a top executive said Wednesday.

“We are in the process of applying for a pilot [project] in Laguna Lake. We’re looking at... a 110-MW DC solar,” Meralco PowerGen president Rogelio Singson told reporters.

Singson said the company was in talks with a possible local partner for the project.

“We have not signed anything, but I believe there are four entities that have been granted the right to develop the pilot. We’re talking to one of them,” Singson said.

Singson said the solar project could be completed within 10 months.

“The requirement of energy is for pilot.

We will set up a small one for pilot while they are developing the policy,” he said.

Singson said the company was waiting for the go signal from Laguna Lake Development Authority to proceed with the pilot project.

“We are just waiting for the green light to do the pilot,” Singson said.

He said floating solar would not be as expensive as land-based solar projects and would not have an impact on the use of the lake.

“LLDA still has to formulate the policy. The industry is trying to help LLDA. If they want, we can fund the study, prepare the policy that will not impact on the use of Laguna Lake. In fact, it will help as evaporation would be lessened because it will have cover,” he said.

Singson said the project would likely be connected to the Manila Electric Co.’s distribution line as the company was looking at the Meralco franchise area. Meralco PowerGen is the power arm of power distributor Meralco.

He said aside from the Laguna Lake project, Mgreen was also looking at floating solar projects in Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Cagayan Valley, Quezon province and Bicol.

“I am focused on Luzon. I need to address the RPS [renewable portfolio standards] requirement of Meralco of about 600 MW,” Singson said.

Under the RPS program, Meralco is required to source a certain percentage of its power requirement from renewable energy sources.

MGreen recently secured an equity funding amounting to P424 million from Meralco that will be invested in various solar projects.

EEI, five foreign firms submit bids for Malolos-Clark rail segments

By Darwin G. Amojelar PUBLICLY-LISTED EEI Corp. and five foreign companies submitted bids for two additional contract packages under PNR Clark Phase 2 (MalolosClark), the Transportation Department said Wednesday.

The department identified Acciona (Spain), EEI (Philippines), GS Engineering & Construction (Korea), Posco Engineering & Construction (Korea), PT Waskita (Indonesia) and PT Wika (Indonesia) as the companies

that submitted bids for Contract Package 4 and 5 of PNR Clark Phase 2.

Contract Package 4 consists of 8 kilometers worth P32.7 billion and includes Clark International Airport Station. Contract Package 5, meanwhile, consists of the NSCR’s Clark Depot worth P18.1 billion.

PNR Clark Phase 2 is a 53-kilometer segment from Malolos, Bulacan to Clark, Pampanga which forms part of the NSCR. This rail line will feature the country’s first airport express railway service.

“The turnout of bidders for Packages 1 to 5 of PNR Clark Phase 2 is proof that competition and value for taxpayers’ money are enhanced with a bidding process that is transparent, fair and corruption-free,” Transportation Undersecretary for railways TJ Batan said.

PNR general manager Junn Magno said the vibrant turnout of proponents for Contract Packages 4 and 5 reflected the solid support and trust of the international infrastructure industry in the Duterte administration.

“With a robust competition, we also raise the standard of quality of our infrastructures that shall, in the end, best serve the Filipino people,” he said.

PNR Clark Phase 2 is targeted for partial operations by 2022. The rail line will reduce travel time between Malolos and Clark International Airport to just 30 to 35 minutes; and from Buendia in Makati to Clark Airport from 2 hours via car to just 55 minutes through the airport express. It aims to serve 340,000 passengers daily in its opening year.

PH climbs three spots to 67th in international property rights

NEW DOMESTIC ROUTES. Philippine Airlines is opening new domestic routes in response to renewed calls for increased connectivity between the Visayas and Mindanao regions. New domestic services are set to be launched by mid-December 2019 and early January 2020, including Cebu-Dipolog, Cebu-Zamboanga, Davao-Iloilo, Zamboanga-Tawi-Tawi, Cebu-Legazpi, Cebu-Busuanga, Cebu-Butuan, Cebu-Tacloban, Davao-Siargao and Tagbilaran-Davao.

THE Philippines climbed three spots to rank 67th out of 129 economies in the 2019 International Property Rights Index report.

It improved from its previous ranking of 70th out of 125 economies in 2018.

The improvement came from higher scores and ranking in physical property rights protection, 60th/129 from 63rd/125 in 2018, and in intellectual property rights protection, 58th from 62nd in 2018.

Property Rights Alliance released the 2019 International Property Rights Index in partnership with the Foundation for Economic Freedom and Minimal Government Thinkers in the Philippines.

The index measures the strength of physical property rights, intellectual property rights and the legal and political environments that enforce them.

The Philippines was chosen for the first global launch because of its rising importance in the regional and global economy with its big population and dynamic growth.

Some national issues reflect the situation in many other emerging economies such as proposals to weaken intellectual property protections in the pharmaceutical sector and the ongoing and outdated land reform program.

A focus on strengthening property rights can increase availability of new medicines, fight endemic corruption and transform the Philippines into a modern and dynamic economy.

Globally, only a tenth of the world’s people live in 20 countries with the strongest protections of property rights.

These are also some of the wealthiest countries in the world.

Countries in the top quintile of the Index have a per capita income 16 times greater than those at the bottom.

“Property rights are human rights; without them, people are restrained in how they act, how they speak, and how they participate in the economy,” Property Rights Alliance executive director Lorenzo Montanar said. Othel V. Campos

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Business

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market rebounds; JG Summit up S TOCKS rebounded Wednesday, taking a positive lead from Wall Street and on growing hopes that Britain and the European Union are close to a Brexit deal.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, gained 74 points, or 1 percent, to close at 7,915.30 following a 0.6-percent decline a day earlier.

The broader all-share index also advanced 23 points, or 0.5 percent, to settle at 4,763.60 on a value turnover of P5.55 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 93 to 87, while 62 issues were unchanged.

Sixteen of the 20 most active stocks

ended in the green, led by Phinma Energy Corp. which climbed 8.2 percent to P2.77 and conglomerate JG Summit Holdings Inc. which picked up 4.1 percent to P73.90.

Meanwhile, Brexit hopes also provided some support to equity markets in Asia on Wednesday, with Tokyo and Sydney more than one percent higher while Singapore added 0.9 percent.

There were strong gains in Seoul, Mumbai, Taipei, Wellington, Bangkok and Jakarta.

A rally on Wall Street helped buying sentiment following a strong start to the US earnings season.

Hong Kong also climbed but suffered a brief mid-session drop after the city’s leader Carrie Lam was forced to abandon a State of the Union-style policy speech owing to heckling by opposition lawmakers.

She later delivered it by video,

announcing plans to increase housing and land supply in a city that has one of the least affordable property markets in the world, as well as various subsidies.

Shanghai ended lower with investors moving cautiously as China said it would take “strong measures” after the US House of Representatives passed a bill sought by pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong that aims to defend civil rights in the city.

If passed by the Senate, the law would end the Hong Kong-US special trading status unless the State Department certifies annually that city authorities are respecting human rights and the rule of law.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a statement that the US should “stop meddling”.

The move fanned concerns that the issue could muddy the waters in ChinaUS trade talks, just days after the two

reached a mini agreement.

“While considering Hong Kong a separate trading entity is still an implausible scenario at this point... it could potentially derail trade talks indefinitely regardless of who’s in power after election 2020,” said Stephen Innes at AxiTrader.

Adding to the sense of unease was a report saying China wanted the US to remove the threat of new tariffs slated for December before it could ramp up its purchase of agricultural goods, which was part of Friday’s agreement.

The Bloomberg News story cited sources as saying Beijing would not buy the $40 billion to $50 billion of products Donald Trump claimed it would unless the levies were lifted.

In early trade, London dipped 0.1 percent, weighed by the stronger pound, while Paris was flat and Frankfurt edged 0.1 percent higher. With AFP

Manila Standard BuSineSS daily StockS review wedneSday, octoer 16, 2019

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

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

57.4 93.1 1.91 148.4 25 6.12 18.56 12.08 4.9 1.22 770 68.6 0.91 12.8 43.5 178.8 112.1 58 25.9 192.5 59 1.09

57.4 94 2.05 149 25 7.95 18.62 12.18 4.9 1.22 770 69.4 0.91 12.8 43.5 179 113.2 58 26.15 198.5 59.95 1.11

57.4 92.25 1.91 146 24.95 6.12 18.56 12.02 4.65 1.2 770 67.9 0.91 12.8 42.9 178.8 112.1 57.75 25.9 192.5 59 1.09

FINANCIALS 57.4 4,490 94 3,638,600 2.05 9,000 149 1,264,100 25 66,100 7.95 200 18.62 5,400 12.14 448,400 4.79 448,000 1.2 103,000 770 10 68 2,754,250 0.91 24,000 12.8 5,400 43 29,700 178.8 180 113.2 80 58 2,910 26.15 217,800 198.4 1,058,570 59.1 770 1.11 7,000

257,726 340,534,881 18,270 187,505,703 1,652,165 1,407 100,230 5,421,938 2,125,930 123,750 7,700 188,681,764 21,840 69,120 1,276,910 32,188 9,034 168,540 5,692,885 209,769,852 45,758.50 7,650

257,726 25,441,450 80,489,079 -2,500 1,552,040 -65,098,994.50 0 90,360 8,532,343 -

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

38.6 15.8 0.7 1.29 4.35 0.25 2.47 15.16 120 8.58 32 71.45 6 5.67 8.5 15.6 10.66 7.03 1.59 25.3 79.3 48.7 2.45 14.9 8.22 1.48 233 33.05 5.21 3.51 8.3 20.2 13.2 18.06 367 0.183 5.48 1.76 4.16 5.09 9.5 2.6 10.9 34 5.4 1.95 2.27 1.01 11.2 91 7.31 1.06 158.5 1.25 1.15

39.3 15.8 0.71 1.32 4.41 0.255 2.47 15.2 120 8.89 32.1 71.45 6 5.67 8.51 15.6 10.66 7.03 1.59 25.6 79.3 48.95 2.45 14.9 8.33 1.53 233 39 5.26 3.51 8.69 20.25 13.2 18.06 367 0.183 5.48 1.76 4.16 5.09 9.5 2.8 11 34.15 5.44 1.97 2.27 1.01 11.2 91 7.34 1.12 160 1.27 1.17

38 15.48 0.69 1.29 4.3 0.245 2.43 15.08 120 8.58 32 70 6 5.55 8.43 15 10.4 6.97 1.59 24.9 79.05 48.35 2.38 14.76 8.05 1.48 232 33.05 5.2 3.51 8.3 20 13.08 17.94 362.2 0.183 5.48 1.71 4.16 5.05 9.41 2.6 10.82 33.9 5.39 1.95 2.2 1 11.18 90 7.25 1.05 156.8 1.22 1.15

INDUSTRIAL 39.3 1,290,500 15.8 148,000 0.7 446,000 1.32 51,000 4.34 5,018,000 0.255 940,000 2.46 903,000 15.16 496,500 120 10 8.86 226,900 32.1 5,400 70 670 6 30,000 5.55 1,600 8.43 914,000 15.42 102,300 10.44 49,700 7 1,095,700 1.59 1,000 25 1,747,400 79.15 78,710 48.4 284,200 2.43 6,776,000 14.88 200,300 8.16 562,400 1.52 8,000 233 203,210 38.95 900 5.2 52,100 3.51 1,000 8.69 4,400 20 587,200 13.08 28,400 18 614,300 367 123,730 0.183 10,000 5.48 200 1.73 1,938,000 4.16 8,000 5.06 192,900 9.41 368,800 2.77 65,457,000 11 37,600 33.9 222,900 5.4 304,700 1.96 245,000 2.22 132,000 1 88,000 11.18 379,200 90.75 273,090 7.25 71,800 1.1 736,000 160 1,381,230 1.24 4,932,000 1.17 1,784,000

50,277,555 2,332,010 311,430 66,370 21,820,090 234,800 2,215,080 7,504,950 1,200 1,987,681 173,100 46,914.50 180,000 8,892 7,745,584 1,564,446 519,266 7,683,632 1,590 44,247,220 6,230,064 13,756,610 16,386,370 2,978,646 4,606,009 12,070 47,289,972 33,495 271,236 3,510 37,890 11,747,655 372,228 11,052,986 45,224,854 1,830 1,096 3,355,830 33,280 978,129 3,474,795 177,924,650 411,568 7,574,570 1,645,840 479,660 293,190 88,530 4,242,512 24,784,675.50 523,733 808,800 219,614,644 6,167,640 2,070,820

16,548,740 -37,860 77,730.00 -908,080 1,646,688 -641,460 -173,100 -8,325 -3,209,209 458,498 345,300 -3,008,600 26,910,355 -4,728,058.50 13,411,115 1,213,710 -148,400 1,898,991 10,009,186 -8,418,140 -129,648 -6,556,984.00 20,612,924 545,720 54,093 -710,530 -891,470 -97,500 -58,172 13,887,131 -731 -33,300 14,492,464 -50,100 -41,840

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

0.87 53.1 11.52 0.7 13.18 1.14 1.16 879 3.53 6.64 8.7 13.3 4.49 853 5.63 71 5.06 0.5 4.31 13.84 0.59 4.9 0.038 1.42 2.91 166 2.41 995 0.84 1.29 221 0.23

0.88 53.95 11.7 0.72 13.18 1.15 1.17 888 3.69 6.75 8.9 13.4 4.5 862.5 5.63 73.9 5.06 0.51 4.31 14.1 0.61 5.03 0.039 1.42 2.91 166.5 2.41 1,004 0.88 1.29 221 0.239

0.85 53.1 11.4 0.7 12.54 1.12 1.15 870.5 3.49 6.64 8.59 13.3 3.76 850.5 5.63 70.8 5.05 0.5 4.29 13.7 0.59 4.87 0.038 1.31 2.91 165.7 2.4 983 0.84 1.26 220 0.23

HOLDING FIRMS 0.88 10,365,000 53.95 657,700 11.7 4,203,400 0.72 51,000 12.78 6,300 1.15 531,000 1.17 349,000 878 224,840 3.65 5,161,000 6.75 1,564,500 8.85 10,958,000 13.4 1,700 3.76 107,000 860 109,870 5.63 345,500 73.9 1,343,610 5.06 6,900 0.51 3,000 4.3 80,000 14.1 334,700 0.61 144,000 4.95 68,679,000 0.038 3,500,000 1.38 1,202,000 2.91 16,000 166 192,460 2.4 19,000 1,004 650,630 0.85 164,000 1.26 2,000 220 540 0.23 1,670,000

9,045,500 35,240,898 48,864,926 35,820 80,274 600,450 404,030 197,557,000 18,726,890 10,460,497 96,367,513 22,640 407,480 93,946,465 1,945,165 98,663,317 34,877 1,510 344,510 4,675,548 85,180 339,632,150 134,000 1,649,120 46,560 31,943,779 45,640 649,095,555 139,650 2,550 118,982 389,320

-981,250 6,285,386.50 21,026,722 169,390 13,350,170 -718,750 2,286,075 -45,470,878.00 -2,660 25,183,705 -874,902 63,564,952 -202,330.00 929,168 -67,803,880 -3,927,293 503,150,995 1,260 -4,310 -

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

15.04 0.81 9.99 1.79 0.86 48.05 2.03 4.69 0.55 0.73 0.86 0.21 0.39 9.78 20.9 0.121 1.61 1.2 4.5 4.72 0.3 0.41 1.36 0.37 2.03 25.5

15.04 0.83 9.99 1.85 0.88 49.2 2.07 4.7 0.56 0.73 0.86 0.21 0.39 9.82 20.95 0.121 1.62 1.2 4.5 4.82 0.305 0.42 1.39 0.37 2.04 25.6

15 0.81 9.99 1.75 0.85 48 2.03 4.68 0.55 0.73 0.86 0.202 0.39 9.76 20.7 0.121 1.59 1.2 4.5 4.71 0.295 0.41 1.36 0.37 2.01 25.15

PROPERTY 15 629,700 0.83 660,000 9.99 2,000 1.85 63,000 0.86 985,000 49.1 6,759,600 2.03 814,000 4.69 27,000 0.55 12,399,000 0.73 59,000 0.86 1,000 0.203 550,000 0.39 90,000 9.78 67,000 20.7 61,600 0.121 20,000 1.62 9,447,000 1.2 43,000 4.5 15,000 4.77 45,498,000 0.305 4,690,000 0.42 80,000 1.38 488,000 0.37 60,000 2.04 157,000 25.55 2,014,400

9,460,752 539,400 19,980 111,440 844,430 330,833,550 1,653,480 126,680 6,860,540 43,070 860 111,930 35,100 655,798 1,280,340 2,420 15,184,210 51,600 67,500 217,282,290 1,408,550 33,500 674,160 22,200 316,690 51,430,310

-7,500 -10,320 185,723,980 20,300.00 -23,440 10,600 -860 -26,373 -677,095 5,795,290 6,000 -26,982,800 7,732,780

NAME

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

ROCKWELL SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND VISTAMALLS

2.3 38.1 2.76 0.92 7.68 5.65

2.3 38.9 2.76 0.92 7.69 5.74

2.25 38 2.65 0.92 7.65 5.65

2.25 38.65 2.65 0.92 7.69 5.69

282,000 5,829,500 1,884,000 29,000 2,334,900 25,000

635,690 224,830,615 5,062,210 26,680 17,935,541 141,441

91,792,650 266,800 -7,798,679 -

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

10.1 19.34 1.64 11.5 0.56 16.98 2.32 10.9 95.1 7.04 7.05 5.65 9.04 920 1,837 5.25 431.2 10.68 1.59 120.5 8.15 0.107 4.9 2.78 15.48 3.01 0.9 18.36 3.35 2.43 1.11 1.15 3.12 2.88 8.25 4.9 135.2 3.14 1,105 0.7 0.51 40.55 77.6 9.25 2.46 0.68 0.315 0.67 16.4

10.28 19.34 1.67 11.56 0.58 17 2.32 11 96.8 7.04 7.05 5.65 9.3 925 1,870 5.25 439.8 11.5 1.59 122.2 8.15 0.107 4.96 2.78 15.48 3.01 0.95 18.42 3.35 2.44 1.15 1.15 3.14 2.89 8.29 4.9 135.2 3.18 1,127 0.7 0.53 40.8 77.95 9.25 2.6 0.68 0.325 0.69 16.84

10.1 19 1.54 11.46 0.56 16.98 2.32 10.56 94.75 6.91 6.93 5.6 9.04 900 1,836 5.2 431.2 10.6 1.55 120 8.15 0.107 4.89 2.5 15.48 2.96 0.9 18.24 3.35 2.39 1.09 1.06 2.97 2.88 8.25 4.9 134 3.14 1,100 0.68 0.51 39.6 77 9.14 2.45 0.67 0.315 0.66 16.4

SERVICES 10.1 19 1.66 11.56 0.57 17 2.32 10.66 96.45 6.91 7.03 5.6 9.05 925 1,840 5.2 439.8 11.5 1.59 121.3 8.15 0.107 4.92 2.57 15.48 3 0.94 18.3 3.35 2.44 1.09 1.07 3.05 2.88 8.29 4.9 134 3.18 1,115 0.69 0.53 39.9 77.65 9.14 2.56 0.68 0.32 0.67 16.82

8,400 114,400 96,000 15,868,000 4,770,000 74,000 9,000 3,644,200 584,940 700 528,500 10,000 24,300 210 77,485 136,400 50 2,100 420,000 1,275,220 6,000 160,000 1,312,000 794,000 3,200 793,000 402,000 137,500 13,000 150,000 119,000 183,000 4,424,000 23,000 1,700 13,500 784,570 281,000 65,715 423,000 17,777,000 2,715,100 7,330 98,600 4,910,000 478,000 1,920,000 1,708,000 274,500

84,966 2,182,510 153,430 182,794,484 2,722,600 1,257,980 20,880 38,857,036 56,289,493 4,863 3,694,652 56,100 220,428 191,240 143,301,435 709,710 21,802 22,430 662,550 154,428,929 48,900 17,120 6,453,710 2,052,690 49,536 2,372,130 361,890 2,519,772 43,550 361,700 130,940 198,880 13,510,810 66,260 14,085 66,150 105,155,865 890,340 73,381,665 289,870 9,343,260 109,550,480 568,941.50 901,689 12,564,240 324,020 612,900 1,143,220 4,588,800

-61,841,494 -198,360.00 68,000 -25,823,440 46,579,826 -110,710 -56,100 24,468,060 -17,502,734 179,650 23,980 -28,850 101,830 -175,518 -37,890 1,568,610 -1,005,160 -26,202,245.00 -252,150.50 -1,176,480 -187,340 2,654,992.00

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

0.0017 1.13 2.52 12.6 1.1 2.58 7.51 1.7 0.212 0.106 0.105 1.14 3.93 1.06 0.475 0.84 0.012 0.011 0.011 11.1 3.6 12.3 22.95 0.0062

0.0018 1.14 2.52 12.6 1.1 2.58 7.79 1.74 0.213 0.106 0.108 1.16 4.08 1.08 0.475 0.86 0.012 0.011 0.011 11.28 3.62 12.64 23 0.0062

0.0017 1.13 2.5 11.58 1.1 2.58 7.43 1.68 0.203 0.104 0.105 1.12 3.93 1.02 0.47 0.84 0.012 0.011 0.011 10.52 3.6 12.3 22.6 0.006

MINING & OIL 0.0018 212,000,000 1.14 1,063,000 2.5 263,000 12.44 800 1.1 5,000 2.58 25,000 7.69 14,600 1.74 39,427,000 0.211 660,000 0.105 1,490,000 0.108 130,000 1.16 101,000 4.05 5,326,000 1.07 100,000 0.47 280,000 0.86 160,000 0.012 5,000,000 0.011 5,000,000 0.011 6,100,000 10.88 3,356,700 3.62 221,000 12.3 577,500 22.8 680,500 0.0061 32,000,000

361,800 1,202,310 657,790 9,538 5,500 64,500 109,559 68,067,610 135,860 155,850 13,770 114,410 21,397,170 102,900 132,250 135,410 60,000 55,000 67,100 36,827,458 797,900 7,187,682 15,517,965 195,800

-309,220.00 161,400 10,600 1,829,910 -55,000 1,062,772 198,780 751,652 -7,803,685 -

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

18.44 508 486 103.8 100.3 107.9 503 5.16 980 97 0.99 101 1,015 1,050 995 77.8 75.5 75.65 76 76

18.44 508 500 103.8 101 107.9 503 5.16 980 98.15 0.99 101.2 1,036 1,050 995.5 78.25 75.5 75.65 76 76

18 500 486 103.8 100.2 107.7 503 5 970 96.75 0.99 101 1,015 1,050 995 77.8 75 75.65 76 75.7

PREFERRED 18 441,800 500 8,010 500 20 103.8 10 101 56,800 107.7 10,080 503 500 5.04 318,300 970 150 96.75 20,510 0.99 483,000 101.2 3,940 1,036 205 1,050 2,250 995.5 90 77.8 21,070 75.5 2,300 75.65 64,800 76 9,230 76 130,600

8,044,586 4,006,180 9,860 1,038 5,716,037 1,086,616 251,500 1,599,324 146,600 1,984,977.50 478,170 397,956 208,220 2,362,500 89,585 1,642,032.50 173,400 4,902,120 701,480 9,901,600

-7,161,226 -2,283,469 -1,154,100 96,900 -

LR WARRANT

1.54

1.54

1.54

WARRANTS 1.54 2,000

3,080

MS ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH MAKATI FINANCE XURPAS

6.59 11.34 2.53 0.9

6.61 11.98 2.53 0.91

6.42 11.34 2.46 0.89

FIRST METRO ETF

118.5

118.5

118

USD DMPL A1 USD TECH B2

10.3 0.98

10.3 0.98

Trading Summary

SHARES

FINANCIAL

10,419,231

INDUSTRIAL

102,861,509

HOLDING FIRMS

117,108,719

PROPERTY SERVICES

99,021,341 69,571,072

MINING & OIL

314,007,383

GRAND TOTAL

715,387,515

10 0.96

6.6 11.7 2.48 0.89

SME

118,500 1,030,400 29,000 1,217,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 118.4 2,860 10 0.96

DDS

5,080 60,500

777,912 12,062,586 71,990 1,086,830

35,686 -70,200 35,600

338,419

-

50,861 58,630

-

VALUE 1,835.89 (UP) 6.47 966,157,969.34 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,750.06 (UP) 48.74 793,303,657.131 HOLDING FIRMS 7,736.78 (UP) 89.95 1,682,714,618.01 PROPERTY 4,175.39 (UP) 62.09 SERVICES 1,524.35 (UP) 0.37 968,105,791.99 MINING & OIL 9,086.06 (UP) 56.26 972,064,497.65 PSEI 7,915.30 (UP) 74.99 153,387,754.979 All Shares Index 4,763.69 (UP) 23.37 5,550,072,466.10 Gainers: 87; Losers: 93; Unchanged: 62; Total: 242

Cemex obtains shareholders’ approval to hike capital to P18.3b

By Jenniffer B. Austria CEMENT manufacturer Cemex Holdings Philippines Inc. said Wednesday its shareholders approved the proposed increase in authorized capital stock to P18.31 billion which would enable it to raise up to $250 million.

CHP said in a disclosure to the stock exchange its shareholders agreed to increase the authorized capital stock to P18.31 billion divided into 18.31 billion common shares with a par value of P1 per share from the current P5.19 billion divided into 5.19 billion common shares with a par value of P1 apiece.

“The rationale for the amendment is for the ability to raise equity capital including, but not limited to a rights offering that the corporation may undertake, subject to the final decision and approval of the Board of Directors,” Cemex said.

“The corporation is potentially looking to raise up to $250 million which would allow it to improve its capital structure, fully fund the ongoing Solid Cement plant expansion and provide balance sheet flexibility,” it said.

This is the second time that Cemex sought shareholders approved for the planned capital hike.

CHP failed in June to secure the required two-thirds vote from shareholders to increase its capital stock.

The proceeds from the planned fund-raising activity will be used to finance the expansion of Solid Cement plant in Antipolo, Rizal. The new cement line is expected to produce 1.5 million metric tons annually which will increase CHP’s cement capacity by 26 percent.

The new plant is expected to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2020.

CHP programmed P7.75 billion in capital expenditures this year primarily to fund the Solid Cement plant expansion.

8990 Holdings president and CEO dies at 59

Willibaldo Uy WILLIBALDO Uy, the president and chief executive of mass housing developer 8990 Holdings Inc. has passed away, the company said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Wednesday. Uy was 59.

“It is with great sadness that the company announces the passing of Mr. Willibaldo J. Uy, our president and CEO. The company deeply mourns the passing of Mr. Willibaldo J. Uy. The company will continue to remember and appreciate his achievements for and contributions to the company,” 8990 Holdings said.

8990 Holdings said chief operating officer Alexander Ace Sotto would carry out the duties of president in an acting capacity until a new president was appointed.

Uy became the president of 8990 Holdings on Jan. 1, 2018 to replace Januario Jesus Atencio. Prior to this, he was the COO of the company from February 2016 to January 2018.

Uy also held various positions with the Phinma Group of Companies.

Uy obtained his Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management from De La Salle University.

He also obtained his Master in Business Administration from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business.

Jenniffer B. Austria

World

B3

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Security plan defended even as 28 more killed in Mexico

FEAST OF THE TABERNACLES. People gather at the Jewish quarter in the old city of Jerusalem as worshippers perform

the annual Birkat Kohanim (Priestly Blessing) during the Sukkot holiday, or the feast of the Tabernacles, at the Western Wall (bottom) on October 16, 2019. Thousands of Jews make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem during Sukkoth, which commemorates the desert wanderings of the Israelites after their exodus from Egypt. AFP

MORELIA, Mexico―President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador defended his strategy Tuesday for fighting the violent crime wracking Mexico, as relatives mourned 13 police officers killed in an ambush claimed by a powerful drug cartel, while a separate shootout left 15 dead.

Relatives of the 13 slain police officers killed on Monday sobbed over their coffins at a shared funeral service in the Michoacan state capital, Morelia, some holding their now-fatherless babies over the dark brown caskets.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, 14 civilians and a soldier were killed in the southern state of Guerrero after a group of armed civilians attacked security forces, state security spokesman Roberto Alvarez told AFP. The shootout in the southern state where drug gangs violently defend trafficking routes began when an anonymous caller told authorities that an armed group was present in the Tepoch-

ica community of the Iguala municipality, the spokesperson said.

The two days of violence, and in particular the brazen Monday attack on a police convoy in the restive western state of Michoacan, underlined the Lopez Obrador administration’s struggles to rein in crime since the leftist leader took office last December.

The state police were on their way to execute a warrant in the city of Aguililla when gunmen in armored four-by-four trucks opened fire on them.

The gunmen left a series of signs with threatening messages signed by the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel, one of Mexico’s most brutal.

Many erupted in anger when Governor Silvano Aureoles addressed the funeral ceremony, shouting, “Justice!”

In Mexico City, the president called the attack “deplorable,” but defended his strategy to fight the drug-fueled violence that has plagued Mexico for years. AFP

Lam abandons speech after she is heckled H ONG KONG-Hong Kong’s embattled leader abandoned a State of the Union-style speech on Wednesday after she was heckled by rowdy opposition lawmakers during chaotic scenes inside the city’s legislature.

The speech by chief executive Carrie Lam was billed as an attempt to win hearts and minds after four months of seething pro-democracy protests.

But it instead laid bare the intense polarization coursing through the semiautonomous financial hub after weeks of huge and increasingly violent rallies.

Lam, who has historic low approval ratings, tried twice to begin her policy

address inside the Legislative Council, which had opened for a new session some three months after it was trashed by masked protesters.

But pro-democracy lawmakers, a minority of the pro-Beijing stacked legislature, shouted her down.

One used a projector to broadcast protest slogans behind Lam as she stood on the podium, and later donned a face

mask of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Lam instead released a pre-recorded video, the first time a Hong Kong leader has been unable to deliver the annual address in person since the tradition began in 1948.

In it, she announced plans to increase housing and land supply in a city that has one of the least affordable property markets in the world, as well as various subsidies.

“I firmly believe that Hong Kong will be able to ride out this storm and move on,” she said.

But the announcement gave no concessions to protesters and was quickly dismissed by pro-democracy advocates.

“So much has happened on Hong

US Houses passes HK Democracy Act WASHINGTON―The US House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday sought by pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong that aims to defend civil rights in the semi-autonomous territory, prompting an angry response from China.

The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which will now move to the Senate before it can become law, has drawn rare bipartisan support in a polarized Congress.

The law would end the Hong KongUS special trading status unless the State Department certifies annually that city authorities are respecting human rights and the rule of law.

China expressed “strong indignation” over the passing of the act, which also requires the US president to identify and sanction people who are responsible for the erosion of autonomy and serious abuses of human rights in Hong Kong.

“What Hong Kong faces is not the so-called human rights and democracy issue at all, but the issue of stopping violence, reinstating order and upholding the rule of law as soon as possible,” said foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang in a statement.

Geng said the US should “stop meddling” and warned China would take “strong measures” to counter the proposed Hong Kong bill.

The act will now move to a similar vote in the Senate before it can become law.

“Today we’re simply urging the Chinese president and the Hong Kong Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, to faithfully honor the government’s promises” that Hong Kong’s rights and autonomy would be protected, Republican Representative Chris Smith, the prime sponsor of the bill, said Tuesday on the House floor.

China has frequently accused “external forces” of fueling weeks of unrest in the global financial hub.

Millions have taken to the streets of Hong Kong, initially against a nowdropped bid by its leaders to allow extraditions to the authoritarian Chinese mainland.

The months-long movement has expanded into a broader pro-democracy push in the territory where activists say freedoms are being eroded by Beijing, despite being written into a deal the deal that governed Hong Kong’s 1997 transfer to China from British colonial rule. AFP

Kong’s streets over the past four months but Lam has been either hiding in her abyss or acting like a wax figure,” prodemocracy lawmaker Tanya Chan told reporters.

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Regina Ip criticized her opponents for forcing Lam from the podium.

“I think that my pan-democrat colleagues insulting, screaming, jumping onto the desk to prevent the Chief Executive from delivering the policy address is shameful and should be condemned,” she told AFP. Willy Lam, a politics expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said Lam’s speech would do little to quell protests which are fueled by years of an-

ger over sliding freedoms and the inability of Hong Kongers to elect their own leaders.

“Carrie Lam is following instructions from Beijing,” he told AFP. “Even the economic handouts do not seem to be particularly impressive and they take will take a few years to actually materialize.”

Millions have taken to the streets of Hong Kong, initially against a nowdropped bid by its leaders to allow extraditions to the authoritarian Chinese mainland.

But after Beijing and Lam took a hard line the movement snowballed into a broader push for democracy and police accountability. AFP

IN BRIEF

Police in Spain arrest 51 during Catalan protests

MADRID-Police in Spain said Wednesday they arrested 51 people across Catalonia overnight after violent protests over the jailing of nine separatist leaders for their role in a failed 2017 independence bid.

Pro-independence groups staged sit-ins outside Spanish government offices in a number of Catalan cities late Tuesday, with around 40,000 people taking part in Barcelona and 9,000 in the separatist stronghold of Girona, according to police.

The protests descended into clashes with police in many cities.

In Barcelona, police charged hundreds of masked demonstrators who threw projectiles at officers and set garbage bins and cardboard boxes on fire.

When one man tried to put out the flames of a burning rubbish container with a fire extinguisher, masked protesters pushed him away, images broadcast on Spanish television showed.

National and regional police arrested 29 people in the province of Barcelona, 14 in Tarragona province and eight in Lleida, according to Spain’s interior ministry.

The ministry said 72 police officers were injured in the clashes, including several who suffered broken bones.

A high-speed train between Barcelona and Figueres, a town not far from the French border, was blocked due to sabotage, the central government said in a statement. AFP

‘SOS’ sign saves woman lost in bushland

SYDNEY―An Australian woman lost for three days in dense bushland was found Wednesday after a man remotely monitoring security footage saw an ‘SOS’ sign scrawled in the earth on his property.

Deborah Pilgrim went missing on Sunday while camping with friends about 100 kilometers from the South Australian state capital of Adelaide.

The 55-year-old took a walk from the campsite and lost her way.

Dozens of police and emergency services personnel, as well as a rescue helicopter, were called in to search the remote area, but after three days had failed to locate the missing woman.

Late Tuesday a man remotely monitoring CCTV footage of his property near the South Australian search area, noticed an SOS sign etched into a dirt driveway near his unoccupied home.

He alerted police, who found Pilgrim close to midnight on a neighboring property where she had located water.

“It was so overwhelming,” an exhausted Pilgrim told Nine News Wednesday.

“I think I dropped to the ground,” she added, recalling the moment rescuers arrived.

Neil Marriot, whose CCTV cameras had picked up Pilgrim’s distress signal, said he’d only recently had the security system installed after several recent break-ins. AFP

Kim’s horseback ride spurs policy speculation

WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT. Haley Clark attends the Women of Achievement: ‘Ending Human Trafficking—Challenges and Building Solutions’, at The Core Club on October 15, 2019, in New York City. AFP

SEOUL―New pictures of Kim Jong Un riding a white horse through a winter landscape to the summit of Mount Paektu, a sacred peak for North Koreans, have fueled speculation that the young leader may be set for a major policy announcement.

The images released by the official KCNA news agency were accompanied by a gushing text, that noted the “noble glitters” in Kim’s eyes, and labeled his snowy horseback ride “a great event of weighty importance” for the nation.

Accompanying officials were left convinced that “there will be a great operation to strike the world with wonder again and make a step forward in the Korean revolution,” the agency said.

Analysts said the hike may signal a new policy direction for the nuclear-armed North.

“In the past, Kim has climbed Mount Paektu ahead of major political decisions,” said Shin Beomchul, an analyst at the Asan Institute of Policy Studies.

Kim hiked to the peak in December 2017 before launching diplomatic overtures that led to his first ever summit with US President Donald Trump. AFP

Scientists shed light on how brains turn pain up or down

WASHINGTON-Pain perception is essential for survival, but how much something hurts can sometimes be amplified or suppressed: for example, soldiers who sustain an injury in battle often recall not feeling anything at the time.

A new study published in Cell Reports on Tuesday homed in on the brain circuitry responsible for upgrading or downgrading these pain signals, likening the mechanism to how a home thermostat controls room temperature.

Yarimar Carrasquillo, the paper’s senior author and a scientist for the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), told AFP the region responsible was the central amygdala, which according to her work appeared to play a dual role.

Studying mice, Carrasquillo and her colleagues found that the activity in neurons that express protein kinase C-delta amplified pain, while

neurons that express somatostatin inhibited the chain of activity in the nerves required to communicate pain.

The central amygdala isn’t completely responsible for pain itself: if it were removed entirely, then “the ‘ouch’ of things, or the protective pain, would remain intact,” said Carrasquillo.

“It seems to be sitting there waiting for something to happen,” for example responding to stress or anxiety that amplifies pain, or being forced to focus on a task that diverts your attention and reduces pain.

Experiencing pain can be a vital warning to seek help, for example in a person experiencing appendicitis or a heart attack.

People who are born with insensitivity to pain, meanwhile, often do not realize the severity of injuries and are at greater risk of early death.

But not all pain is useful. According to a 2012 survey, about 11 percent of US adults have pain every day and more than 17 percent have severe levels of pain.

Often this leads to dependence on potent painkillers like opioids, or attempting to selfmedicate through counterfeit or illicit drugs which are increasingly laced with deadly fentanyl.

By better understanding the brain mechanisms responsible for pain modulation, researchers hope to eventually find better cures: potentially ones that target only those forms of pain that are “bad” and not useful.

“The healthy response is you get pain, it tells you something is wrong, it heals, and the pain goes away,” said Carrasquillo.

“In chronic pain, that doesn’t happen, the system gets stuck. If we can identify what makes the system gets stuck, then we can reverse it.” AFP

LGUs

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

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

Smart Wi-Fi head Regina Pineda (center, in yellow) and LapuLapu City Mayor Junard Chan (in dark suit) stand with city and Smart officials after signing the deal to roll out Google Stations at the Lapu-Lapu City Hall, E-Library (pictured inset), City College and District Hospital.

Pineda reports accomplishments in first 100 days

By Romeo Dizon

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga— Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda shared his solid accomplishment in different fields in his 100 days in office as contained under the Executive-Legislative Agenda of 2020-2022 of the province.

The accomplishments were realized with the cooperation of the 3,674 provincial employees, provincial board, regional officers, police authorities and the nongovernment organizations, Pineda said.

“I have to prioritized improving or organization because this is the machinery I am going to use to accomplish my mission in helping the people.” he said.

In his report to the people, the accomplishments include his signature projects like education wherein the provincial government will spend a total of P180 million for expansion of the three satellite campuses of Don Honorio Ventura State University, construction of school buildings and financial assistance of about 24,657 beneficiaries.

In the field of infrastructure, a total amount of P364 million will be spent in the completion of project including roads, bridges, a multi-purpose building while another project worth P66.55 million are earned mark for another set of process, the report said.

While the provincial government is spending several million pesos, it also earning of P122.4 million as a result of an effective guidelines and strict implementation of quarry operations.

The report also said that the provincial government spend P132.7 million in PhilHealth that benefitted 109,859 patients, P32.7 million in form of medical assistance and P47.8 million for PhilHealth collection.

Senior citizens, people with disabilities and indigenous people numbering about 22,493 received a total of P13.34 million in financial assistance from the provincial government.

Bayombong Mayor Ralph Lantion (left) and his brother, retired Police General Thompson Lantion, give certificates to the new graduates of the Nueva Vizcaya TESDA Center in barangay La Torre North. The school was established through the Col. Daniel Lantion Foundation.

Ben Moses Ebreo

Smart inks Wi-Fi Google deal with Lapu-Lapu City PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. has signed an agreement with Lapu-Lapu City to roll out Google Station in key areas of the city.

Under the agreement, Smart will deploy the service at the Lapu-Lapu City Hall, ELibrary, City College and District Hospital. Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan and Smart Wi-Fi head Regina Pineda attended the signing ceremonies.

In the same ceremony, Smart also turned over Smart Infocast, a web-based text message broadcast solution that can enable the city government of Lapu-Lapu to send news broadcasts, weather bulletins, and other critical information to its residents via text message. It also allows registered subscribers to send reports or feedback to the system administrator.

“This partnership with Smart to offer fast, free and open Wi-Fi connectivity is a blessing to our constituents. We are very happy and grateful for their support,” Chan said, adding that connectivity is vital to residents of Lapu-Lapu, who now use social media and chat apps to communicate with family and loved ones.

“As a tourist destination, connectivity in Lapu-Lapu City is also important in attracting tourists, who can also take advantage of the free Wi-Fi. This can also boost tourism in the city,” Chan added.

“We are happy to work hand-in-hand with the Lapu-Lapu City government in providing fast and free Wi-Fi service to its citizens, to improve the quality of life in the city and make high-quality connectivity more accessible to more Filipinos nationwide,” said Juan Victor Hernandez, senior vice president and head of Enterprise for PLDT and Smart.

“We look forward to helping boost Mayor Chan and his city’s efforts at delivering timely and efficient government services to his people, particularly in health and education,” he added.

SoCot to buy 300k MT palay

By Nash B. Maulana

K

ORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato—The provincial government here has offered to buy the palay of its resident rice farmers at P19 per kilo, above the usual market price for unhusked rice.

South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo said this was the provincial government’s answer to growing concerns among Filipino farmers, amid increasing cost of production, rooted on skyrocketing price tags of rice farming input materials.

The governor said South Cotabato farmers did not have to dry their palay to sell it at that price rate to the provincial government. Tamayo noted that the National Food Authority also offers the

same price, but only for palay pre-classified as 100-percent dry.

He said the PLGU has provided funds for a local procurement program in South Cotabato.

Tamayo said the program is projected to buy as much as 300,000 metric tons of palay that South Cotabato rice tillers produce at peak seasons of cropping years.

He said utilizing appropriate and upgraded technology can also increase the current average production level by lo-

cal farmers, from a range of four- five MT per hectare, to up to nine-10 MT per hectare, per harvest season, which takes place thrice a year.

Tamayo said the program is also aimed to end on usual middle-men intervention that commonly besets farmers availing of the government procurement program.

The NFA procurement is a national program designed to ease the farmers’ predicament—but is allegedly abused in many instances by unscrupulous businessmen, purportedly in cahoots with some government insiders.

Meanwhile, in Tupi, South Cotabato, a five-hectare flower farm here is drawing raves as the next top agri-tourism attraction in the province.

Dozens of tourists and residents have

been flocking daily to the newly opened Eden’s Flower Farm, which is home to beds of Malaysian mums already starting to bloom.

Perched atop a scenic hill in Sitio Lemblesong of Barangay Kablon, the farm was formally opened to the public by its owners last Oct. 12 to add to the showcase of the town’s booming flower industry.

Nova Monteclar, Eden’s Flower Farm operations manager, said Tuesday they pushed for the site’s development five years ago to take advantage of the thriving tourism industry.

She said the farm started to grow various flowers, among them Malaysian mums, which are in high demand during the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day as well as other occasions. With PNA

Cagdianao Mining, Surigao Rotarians partner to plant 1-million trees IT’S becoming a challenge to find open areas in a highly urbanized metropolis like Surigao City where one can plant trees. But the Rotarians in the City led by the Rotary Club of Metro Surigao Foundation Inc., committed to plant 1M trees and their initial experience had them wanting for more.

Together with family members and friends—with the theme “Rotary Connects the World”—Rotarians from Surigao City, travelled recently to the adjacent Dinagat Islands to a treeplanting adventure in a mined-out area at Cagdianao Mining Corp.

“In one day alone, all 139 of us, including our children, relatives and friends, planted 2200 trees under an hour. We felt we could do more. We felt we connected with the world indeed. It was very motivating,” relayed Rotary Club of Surigao City president, Louie Chua.

When people hear of a “tree-planting activity” they may think it all but fun and, to some, one for a good ‘FB-moment’ but there must be a clear purpose for such activity to even take off.

First, it was a huge task to gather a

Rotarians from Surigao City, led by the Rotary Club of Metro Surigao Foundation Inc., join volunteers from the REACT Miners, CARAGA Regional Science High School Faculty, Alpha Theta Omega Fraternity and Sorority, and Saint Paul University Surigao Engineering students in planting 2,000 trees in just under an hour.

group of professionals and various individuals who are among the busiest and most active members of the community—doctors, lawyers, teachers,

housewives, entrepreneurs, government employees and the likes—to donate time and efforts to join a trip just to plant trees. After all, Dinagat Island

is an hour away by boat from Surigao City and to reach the CMC mine site is an additional hour by land plus another boat ride.

Nueva Vizcaya TESDA Center marks 700 graduates

By Ben Moses Ebreo BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya– This town’s Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Training Center has already produced more than 700 graduates since its establishment in 2016.

Engineer Andy De Guzman, TESDA-TC head of operations said their graduates were already employed here and in abroad, reaping economic gains for their families.

“We keep track of our graduates

and we are proud to say that they were already either gainfully employed or are now managing their own business,” he said.

De Guzman said two of the successful graduates of the TESDA-TC located in barangay La Torre North in this town are now in Canada and the Middle East.

Recently, TESDA-TC conducted its 3rd Founding Anniversary celebration and Commencement Exercises where 372 graduates of various technical skills and education were

honoured and recognized.

A new building, worth P6.5 million is about to be completed this year.

The building fund was sourced by Rep. Luisa Cuaresma and augmented by TESDA with P1.2 million for the provision of its training facilities.

“Our recent number of graduates was the biggest so far as we cater to various towns in our province and even our neighboring towns of Ifugao and , Nueva Ecija, among others,” De Guzman further said.

Life

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

HOUSEHOLD

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019

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Grant Lim on designing

inspired

living spaces

G

RANT LIM sits in his office, running his hands across the surface of his table. “When I choose tiles,” he says, “I ask myself, how does this make me feel?”

“More than aesthetics, what draws me in is the feel of a piece and the inspirational moment that occasioned its creation,” he says while studying tiles’ ridges, their dips and rises.

Anyone can’t spend more than 10 minutes with Lim without getting a sense of his love affair with design. He talks about his passion with an adoration one normally reserves for their favorite things.

It’s no surprise that he’s made a career out of it.

Disappointed at the lack of variety and quality tiles and fixtures for a renovation project he had in 1997, he realized an opportunity to meet such demand.

He then founded Home Studio, a home and design store in San Juan that sells

luxury furniture, authentic Italian tiles, quality lights, and high-end mattresses.

The style acumen required for curating such an extensive array of unique and sophisticated items comes effortlessly to Lim, who has learned all about the Italian design philosophy through the years of being an avid follower of design and the arts.

“My appreciation for design and architecture is an ongoing and continuous journey,” he says. “And this journey is what I want to share with my clients. I’m a people person, so I enjoy conversations with them. We both learn from each other.”

While personal home curators are usually thought of as distant specialists, this curator’s keen eye for design is something shoppers at Home Stu-

DESIGNING WITH FEELINGS. Grant Lim, curator and founder of Home Studio, loves to design using pieces that inspire and tell a story. dio benefit from. Lim personally talks customers through every piece to help them fulfill their vision.

“My choice of products is not dictated by trends, what’s in fashion or by popular brands,” he shares. “I go for products made by people who are driven by their values—products with soul.

I especially like the ones that have rich stories attached to them. Stories always connect people.”

Of course, the stories are part of the experience. He immerses every client in his world—as they look at marble tiles and studying the natural cracks of their surface, he’ll launch into an anecdote about Michelangelo, who carved the Statue of David from a slab of Carrara marble harvested from the recesses of modern-day Tuscany.

Lim helps his clients fulfill their visions using the knowledge he has learned from being an avid follower of design and the arts. (Photo from @homestudio_ph/Instagram)

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SHOPPING

Some of the items offered at discounted prices or buy-one, get-one promotion during the super crazy sale.

Home Studio offers luxury furniture, authentic Italian tiles, quality lights, and high-end mattresses. (@homestudio_ph/Instagram)

Landers super crazy sale The much-awaited sale of membership superstore Landers is happening today until Oct. 20 at all branches nationwide.

Members can start their Christmas shopping as the Super Crazy Sale brings discounts up to 50 percent, massive buy-one, get-one deals, and other surprises such as the 1-peso sale.

The superstore’s coffee shop, Doppio and bakery, Dough & Co. are likewise offering exclusive discounts on drinks and delicacies.

FIRST LOOK

Largest Ayala Mall opens in Parañaque SOMETHING big has opened in Aseana City, Parañaque, and Manila Standard Life was there recently to give you a sneak peek.

With a gross floor area of 400,000 square meters, Ayala Malls Manila Bay is Ayala Land’s biggest lifestyle complex to date. The five-story mall houses retail and dining options. We saw a few outlets are already open, with more opening before the official launch in 2020.

The new Ayala Mall shows a lot of promise as it merges local design with art, fashion, and food.

Faithful to the Ayala Malls design DNA, Ayala Malls Manila Bay features an expansive open space with its onehectare Central Garden, which houses a

In addition, every single-receipt purchase worth P3,000 at LandersCaltex stations awards members coupons for additional fuel discounts, which is on top of the regular, allyear-round member-exclusive mark down on fuel prices.

Landers Superstore branches are located at Alabang West in Las Piñas City, ArcoVia City in Pasig, Balintawak along Edsa, Otis in Manila, and Minore Park in Cebu.

The 400,000-square-meter Ayala Malls Manila Bay features the Central Garden, a onehectare open space.

Garden Ring with word engravings perfect for “shoe-fies” and selfies.

The garden also features sculptures by prominent artists representing each of the three major islands in the Philippines: Michael Cacnio for Luzon (represented by palay), Vito Selma for Visayas (tells the story of Western, Eastern, and Central Visayas), and Ann Pamintuan for Mindanao (represented by a cloud nine surf break).

Surrounding the garden are restaurants with al fresco dining up to the fifth floor. The Sunset Garden area on the roof deck features restaurant bars with extended hours to offer a fun night-out experience.

Michael Cacnio’s ‘Luzon’ sculpture is one of the artworks displayed around the lifestyle mall.

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Discounted household items are up for grabs at the anniversary sale.

Metro Department Store anniversary sale In celebration of its 37th anniversary this month, Metro Department Store holds its annual Anniber-SAYA Sale from October 18 to 20 nationwide.

Items from all departments will be discounted up to 50 percent off.

Special items will be available for customers who spend a minimum of P1,500. Garment steamers, cooking utensils, home appliances and more

coveted items are offered at 55 percent off.

Metro Rewards Club cardholders get double reward points and free items for every minimum purchase of P2,500 or P1,500. Metro Business Club members get a gift for a minimum purchase of P5,000.

Thirty seven winners will each win a 49-inch LED TV.

Life

C2

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Premium bathroom supplier

opens showroom in Pasig From left: Toto sales marketing manager Tsutomu Kinoshita, La Europa Ceramica executive directors Robinson Robins and Henrieta Robins, and interior designer Michael Suqui lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the opening of Toto showroom in Pasig City.

J

APANESE premier bathroom fixtures brand Toto brings its aesthetically and technologically advanced wares to its newly opened showroom at Robins Design Center in Pasig City.

The new showroom serves as a onestop-shop for clients looking for stateof-the-art bathroom products that raise the comfort of living.

In the Philippines, high-end hotels and other establishments use Toto’s products.

During the launch, Toto presented its signature ware, the Washlet. First released in the 1980s, this innovative toilet seat utilizes a water cleansing system that features a lid that opens and closes automatically by motion sensor, and adjusts its temperature to match its user’s preference.

The Washlet is also equipped with a Tornado flush that generates a vortex force for better cleaning and stronger evacuation of waste, a ceramic glaze called Cefiontect for a refined smoothest surface for a spotless clean, a deodorizer that eliminates bad odor without the use of an exhaust pipe, a motion sensor that alerts when the Washlet is about to be used, and an ultra violet light that

kills 99 percent of germs and bacteria.

“We are glad to open our new showroom here at the Robins Design Center. We believe that this showroom brings us closer to our customers in the area and the metro,” said Roxanne Robins-Go, president of La Europa Ceramica, the official distributor of Toto in the Philippines.

“Our products are inspired by a culture of providing people prime comfort in their bathrooms while helping the environment. This mindset is important, especially in creating a sustainable and more comfortable living space.”

Michael Suqui, a member of the Board of Directors of the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers, noted that “as an interior designer, I still incorporate ways to help clients save money and the environment by using eco-friendly products.”

The showroom at Robins Design Center features Toto’s bestselling product, the Washlet—an innovative toilet seat with a water cleansing system.

Toto is founded in 1917 by Kazuchika Throughout its expansion, the brand mier supplier of plumbing-related prodOkura with a vision and commitment of space while preserving and protecting the giving people a comfortable bathroom environment by saving water and energy. became the industry leader and a pre- ucts in Japan.

PARENTING

Motherhood

for millennial moms

TOP hospital Makati Medical Center stages a series of free pregnancy forums for young moms-to-be.

On Oct. 19, participants can learn about Postpartum Blues, Immunization, and Motherhood for Millennial Moms. The talk is happening on the 8th floor of Auditorium Tower 2, Makati Medical Center.

MakatiMed’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecol-

‘Visayas’ sculpture

by Vito Selma

Largest...

From C1

There are 10 movie theaters in the mall, three of which are specially designed for enhanced viewing experience: the Giant Screen, My Cinema, and Family Cinema.

The Ayala Malls Manila Bay Activity Center, whose design gives audience a view of the events from the ground to the fifth floor, will be a venue for fun and entertaining events that integrate culture and passions. Live elimination round for KCrew Dance Fest is happening on Oct. 19.

A five-level BPO office and 350room Seda Hotel are soon to open.

Ayala Malls Manila Bay is located at Asean Avenue cor. Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard, Aseana City, Parañaque.

Customizable pop-up kit encourages creativity CHILDREN’S milk brand Promil Four launches a customizable pop-up book that helps nurture kids’ creativity and imagination.

The My Little Play: Pop-up Theatre book is a customizable kit that allows kids to play and learn at the same time. It’s available with every purchase of Promil Four 1.8kg in select stores nationwide.

To customize the book, parents are encouraged to take the Promil Four Spot the Gift Test, which would help them discover their children’s innate gifts. The book includes drawings of Intramuros in Manila, Chocolate Hills in Bohol, Mt. Apo in Davao, and a little kid’s bedroom filled with toys and books.

“I know that Promil Four is there with me every step of the way as it consistently nurtures the gifts of my little ones. Through this book, I was surprised that my girls were able to come up with a story almost in an instant,” shared Aci Bornea, mother of two girls who use the pop-up book.

Meanwhile, Berlin Domingo loves how her son’s talent shines as he goes through the pages of the Pop-up Theater kit. “With such a keen interest in visual arts, he readily invented a story out of the figures. And he must have been so inspired with his new toy that in our next homeschool activities, he drew plenty images seen in the book,” she noted.

ogy has been offering this series of lay forums with the Department of Pediatrics since 2010 to promote pre- and post-natal care, safe infant care practices, breastfeeding, and pediatric development.

Interested participants may contact (02) 88888 999 local 3757 for inquiries.

DOMESTIC LIVING

Tabletop dishwasher THERE are two kinds of person when it comes to washing dishes: one who finds it therapeutic and another who considers it anything but. Perhaps dishwasher is like a gift from the kitchen gods for the latter.

But more importantly, dishwasher helps homemakers save time making sure pots, pans, utensils, and even fruits are clean.

Dishwasher brand Maximus offers a compact dishwasher suitable for small kitchens. The MAX-002B Tabletop Dishwasher features user-friendly

control with eight wash cycle options, namely Intensive, Normal, Eco, Glass, 90min, Rapid, Self-Cleaning, and Fruit.

It has a quick-connect assemble that doesn’t require tools or plumbing. The hassle-free assembly is made even more attractive with its shiny black finish.

The compact dishwasher is available at the Maximus Showroom at 165 Legazpi St. Legaspi Village, Makati, Rustan’s, MY MC Home, and select kitchen cabinet studios nationwide.

My Little Play: A Pop-up Theater is a customizable kit that helps children nurture their creativity.

Grant...

From C1

Maximus’ compact MAX-002B Tabletop Dishwasher is suitable for small kitchen spaces.

Every furniture piece, naturally, has a story, too. One luxe tile, for example, was inspired by a twig on the road. One Piero Lissoni piece was modeled after a paper napkin he was using during morning coffee. Hearing these stories elevates clients’ perception of design.

Suddenly, these inanimate objects become undeniably personal.

“When a story’s involved, there’s feeling involved,” says Lim. And when you’re selecting pieces for your home, Lim says feeling is important, anchoring your identity on something tangible

and tactile.

“After getting the kind of aesthetic they’re into, I’ll come up with a shortlist of ideas and eventually show them the pieces in the store. If a piece makes their heart leap as much as mine, I know I’ve made a match,” shares Lim. Despite the wide range of choices available in his store, in the end, he says, it’s always about what fits every client’s personality, budget, and preference.

“We curate masterpieces for your home. We treat every space differently. We work hand in hand to make sure our clients’ vision is actualized and fine-tuned.”

Entertainment

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019 nickie.standard@gmail.com

C3

SNAPSHOT

Scorsese reunites with De Niro in ‘The Irishman’ FILMMAKER Martin Scorsese (center) and actors Robert De Niro (left) and Al Pacino pose on the red carpet for their movie The Irishman during the closing gala of the 2019 BFI London Film Festival.

Set over several decades, The Irishman looks at a Pennsylvania organized crime family with Oscar winners De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci in the main roles.

The Netflix movie, which closes the BFI London Film Festival on Sunday, uses digital de-ageing technology to show the characters in their 30s and 40s.

De Niro, Pesci and Pacino are all in their 70s. AFP

Very Wang...

From C4

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INGING legend, entertainment icon, Hall of Famer, undisputed Jukebox Queen and multi-awarded performer Imelda Papin has not only endeared herself to countless fans, both here and abroad, but has carved a niche in the annals of Philippine musical history—all in a span of 45 years. Certainly a feat in an industry touted as fickle and indifferent.

It all started when as a little girl, Papin would join and sing in church processions in a quaint small coastal village in Bitaogan, Camarines Sur. She later joined an amateur singing contest in Bicol, which is the local version of Tawag nag Tanghalan, winning as a weekly champion and proceeding to be the undefeated champion.

Her family soon migrated to Manila to seek better opportunities. While studying in the daytime, where she would fetch water to take a bath before going to school, she would later sing at first in small venues earning P5 a night, eventually performing in bigger and more respectable places until she went abroad.

Interestingly, she was a superstar in Bangkok, Thailand where she was dubbed as Asia’s Sentimental Songstress. When she came back to the Philippines, she was immediately embraced as the new singing sensation with her heartfelt and sincere performances.

Join Papin as she celebrates her musical journey and career milestone in her show Imelda Papin: Queen @45 on Oct. 26 at the Philippine Arena, the biggest arena in Southeast Asia.

Enlivening the show are her special guests Andrew E, April Boy Regino, Claire dela Fuente, Darius Razon, Eva Eugenio, Jovit BaldIvino, Marco Sison, Pilita Corrales, Sonny Parsonswith Hagibis and Victor Wood.

Also joining are daughter Maria France (Maffi) with her three kids Keif, Zach and Xavier, sisters Gloria and Aileen, Garry Cruz and LA Santos.

Ticket prices have been made affordable to accommodate more concertgoers - the Music Queen’s way of giving back the love that her followers and music enthusiasts have shown her through the years.

Produced by DreamWings Production & Papin Entertainment Productions. For tickets, please log on to smtickets.com or go to any SM Box Office Ticket Booth Part of the proceeds will benefit the humanitarian projects of the IAP Foundation.

Dan said he initially doubted whether he could make a song infused with a standard sound especially in the wake of pop music’s popularity. “It is difficult to produce a standard song in these times as music trend nowadays is different. I wanted a ‘50s feel and what I envisioned became a reality,” he said.

“Mabagal” also swept the competition’s special awards by winning the MOR Philippines’ Choice award, the MYX Choice for Best Music Video award, Star Music’s Choice for Best Produced Track and the Listener’s Choice for Most Streamed Track. Daniel and Moira were also One Music PH’s Choice for Favorite Interpreters.

Meanwhile, Davey Langit, winner of Himig Handog 2016 for his song “Dalawang Letra,” won again this year for his entry “Simula ng Dulo.” The singersongwriter co-wrote the song with his girlfriend Therese Marie Villarante and bagged half a million cash prize.

From one past winner to another,

“Please Lang,” a song by Aikee and interpreted by Alex Gonzaga, was named as the 3rd Best Song, winning P200,000.

Aikee also placed 3rd in 2017’s Himig Handog for his song “Ekstensyon.”

Another pair of young composers, Rex Torremoro and Elmar Jann Bolaño, won 4th Best Song for their entry “Nung Tayo Pa,” brought to life by Janella Salvador. They took home a cash prize worth P150,000.

Seventeen-year-olds Jerome Arcangel and Cee Jay Del Rosario took home P100,000 for bagging the 5th Best Song for their composition “Panandalian,” interpreted by TJ Monterde, about a romance cut short.

The Himig Handog 2019 winners were announced on the ASAP Natin ‘To stage last Sunday (Oct. 13).

“Mabagal” and the rest of the song finalists can be streamed in all online streaming platforms. Watch the Himig Handog 2019 music videos on ABSCBN Star Music’s YouTube channel.

For more details, visit Himig Handog’s Facebook Page at https://www.facebook. com/HimigHandog2019/ or follow Star Music’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @ starmusicph.

Stars...

From C4

GMA Network has played a big role in the career of Kapuso comedian Tetay. He shared the Network has been helping him hone his skills to this day.

Currently, he is part of the cast of the primetime series The Gift as Tonya, Nadia’s (Jean Garcia) best friend, with Asia’s Multimedia star Alden Richards. He is also part of Backyard Productions’ movie, Kiko En Lala.

“I don’t know what words to use to describe how happy I am right now. Every day, you learn something. You just keep on taking care of your craft lang. So, with regards sa aking pagigingcomedian, ‘yung nagawa ng GMA, sobra. Now, I’m happy with The Gift. Mayroon siyang onting patawa, but it’s leaning to the dramatic side,” he said.

Tetay added, “Nagpapasalamat ako. Nung una, sinasabi ko pasok ba ako dito? Medyo madrama pero kami yung nagpoprovide ng comic relief. And then, ang dami pa nilang dapat abangan.When I have the chance na mag Twitter party, really i enjoy it. You see every day, there’s something new.

You read all those tweets, ang galing, sobra nakakaproud.”

GMA Senior Assistant Vice President for Alternative Productions Gigi Santiago-Lara shared that she is looking forward to showing the audience what the artists are capable of doing, “The projects these artists are involved in are very challenging and we have a lot in store for them as they offer us promising portrayals of the characters entrusted to them. It will be very exciting for the artists and the viewers.”

Present in the contract signing were GMA Artist Center Senior Talent Manager Daryl Zamora, and Lito Trinidad, Prince’s co-manager.

All 4 You...

From C4

Jukebox Queen Imelda Papin celebrates 45 fruitful years in the music business.

Sen. Manny Pacquiao (right) and lawyer Jose Malvar Villegas, Jr. (left), head of JMV Film Production (JMV) and grandson of Gen. Miguel Malvar.

Meanwhile, The Clash’s very first grand champion, Golden, is ready to bring her A-game when she belts out the biggest hits from wellloved OPM classics.

“Maraming salamat po na nabigyan ulit ako ng chance na makapunta sa U.S. at maging part ng concert na ito. At nagpapasalamat na rin po ako sa Kapuso abroad for supporting my latest single, ‘More Than Before.”

The show is produced by Kapuso Concerts, a joint project of GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Entertainment Group, GMA Sales & Marketing Group, and GMA Regional TV, in association with Starmedia Entertainment.

For tickets, visit starmediaentertainment. com or purplepass.com. They may also call 818-913-5998, 818-522-2567, 323-440-3174, 714-448-7512, or 626-821-1782. Tickets may also be purchased at All Island Pacific Supermarket.

Subscribe to GMA Pinoy TV to watch The Clash Season 2 and other Kapuso shows by visiting www.gmapinoytv.com/subscribe.

For more information on international events sponsored and organized by GMA Pinoy TV, visit the official website at www. gmapinoytv.com, like GMA Pinoy TV’s official Facebook page, follow on Twitter and Instagram (@gmapinoytv), and subscribe to its YouTube channel.

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

C4

Entertainment

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019

‘All 4 You’ brings world-class Pinoy musical extravaganza in the US GMA Pinoy TV is adding more excitement to the festive season for the Kapuso abroad in the U.S. as it presents All 4 You: The Clash Concert featuring Comedy Concert Queen Aiai delas Alas, Asia’s Romantic Balladeer Christian Bautista, and Asia’s Nightingale Lani Misalucha, together with The Clash first Grand Champion Golden Cañedo.

The world-class Pinoy musical show is set to happen on Oct. 19 (Saturday) at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center, 188 Campus Drive, Arcadia in Los Angeles, California. Gates open at 6:00 p.m., and the main show starts at 7:00 p.m..

All 4 You: The Clash Concert is GMA Network’s way of ushering in the Christmas season and celebrating a great year with its loyal viewers abroad through GMA Pinoy TV. The concert, which also coincides with the Filipino American History Month this October, promises to be a fun-filled two-hour fest as it showcases the Filipinos’ love for music.

Aiai will go all out with her show-stopping

From left: AiAi delas Alas, Christian Bautista, Lani Misalucha, Golden Cañedo with concert director Paolo Valenciano

Scenes from the series, 'Kargo,' featuring lead cast members Rio Locsin, Markus Patterson, and Gillian Vicencio.

‘KARGO’ offers something bad that’s

performance, like she always does. “Alam naman natin ang pakiramdam na malayo ka sa mga mahal mo sa buhay, lalo na ngayong simula na ng Pasko sa Pilipinas. Sana, dahil dito sa mga alay naming kanta at performances sa kanila ay masiyahan sila at maramdaman nila na parang nasa Pilipinas na rin sila.”

Christian, on the other hand, will provide a sentimental and heart-warming vibe with his medley of love songs and power ballads that the audience will definitely sing along to. “I am very thankful to GMA Pinoy TV for trusting me to be a part of shows like this for our Kapuso abroad. Hindi ko po kayo bibiguin.”

The world-class vocal prowess of Asia’s Nightingale Lani Misalucha is also set to regale and enchant the Kapusong Pinoy in the West Coast. “I am so excited to be back in the U.S. and to perform for the Kapuso abroad. We promise that all of you will have a good time because this show’s not for us, it’s for you.” Continued on C3

Stars who choose to remain Kapuso

Model and StarStruck alumnus Prince Clemente renews his contract with the Kapuso Network.

TETAY, Prince Clemente, and Jenzel Angeles have renewed their management contracts with GMA Artist Center.

Kapuso hunk and StarStruck Season 6 alumna Prince Clemente is proud to call GMA his home.

He will play SF Randy Katipunan aka Piccolo in the Pinoy adaptation of the hit Korean drama Descandants of the Sun. To prepare for his role as a soldier, Prince and some members of the cast underwent Special Forces training.

He revealed, “It’s a challenge but it’s so fulfilling na ma-experience ko yung mga pinagdadaanan ng mga soldiers kahit for two days lang yun, nag-iba yung tingin ko sa mga sundalo natin, sobrang hirap ng ginagawa nila. Totoong sila yung mga bagong bayani ng bansa natin.”

Meanwhile, Kapuso actress Jenzel Angeles has been part of various GMA shows such as Onanay and The Cure. Like Prince, she is also part of Descendants of the Sun. “My role is Hazel Flores. For this Filipino adaptation, I’m one of the nurses and it makes me feel very excited. Siyempre, kinakabahan po ako kasi ang daming mabibigat na artista na makakasama ko sa Descendants of the Sun,” she said. Continued on C3

entertainingly good

‘Joker’ tops box office for second week

The lead cast of iWant's 'Kargo' with director Julius Alfonso

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HERE’S a necessary caution if you plan to watch iWant’s original series, Kargo, which started streaming on the popular digital app on Oct. 11.

The series is so real, and it’s not for people who easily get offended by foul language, and despise filthy environment. Yes, it depicts a bad reality that occurs in places some people dare not to see.

In the lead role is Rio Locsin who unleashes her tough side as she goes through gripping car chases, dodging bullets, and battling against an armed gang with breakout Eerie star Gillian Vicencio.

“It has dark humor and we wanted it to be real. Our intention was for the viewers to even smell the stench of the tenement that serves as the location of the series. Sabi ko nga, dapat amoy na amoy ang baho ng mga character,” director Julius Alfonso told Manila Standard during the series’ media conference held recently at Dolphy Theater.

The thriller family drama starts with Rio as Lola Tere, a taxi driver who tirelessly searches for her granddaughter Hannah (Gillian) after running away from home for months.

Lola Tere’s wish of reuniting with Hannah comes true as she finally finds her, but it is not the kind of reunion she expected: Hannah has accidentally killed her partner Prinz, and they have to dispose the dead body immediately, or be hunted down by a gang of drug dealers, with whom Hannah has transactions.

This marks the start of their agonizing race for life as they try to run away from the criminals who are out to kill them.

Hannah’s boyfriend Reyven (Markus Patterson), meanwhile, will make sure the two are safe and protect them at all cost.

Despite the impending danger, Lola Tere will prove to Hannah how far her love can go just to keep her in her arms. However, more problems will arise as secrets of the past unfold, which will forever change their family.

Having the biggest library of Filipino video content, iWant is

one of the digital initiatives of ABS-CBN, the Philippines’ leading media and entertainment company, which is rapidly transitioning into an agile digital company with the biggest online NICKIE presence among all media companies, and a WANG growing list of digital properties.

Watch Kargo on the iWant app (iOS or Android) or on iwant.ph. For updates, like www.facebook. com/iWant, follow @iwant on Twitter and @iwantofficial on Instagram, and subscribe to www.youtube.com/iWantPH.

VERY WANG

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‘Mabagal’ is Himig Handog’s best

The unique and refreshing sound of Dan Tañedo’s “Mabagal” emerged as the Best Song in this year’s edition of ABS-CBN’S Himig Handog songwriting competition.

The slow but soothing duet track, interpreted by Daniel Padilla and Moira Dela Torre, bested over 4,000 entries and took home the much-desired P1 million cash prize.

Continued in C3

'Mabagal' interpreters Moira Dela Torre and Daniel Padilla with composer Dan Tañedo (left)

'Joker' remains the ruler for the second week at the North American box office.

WARNER Bros.’ Joker laughed best again this weekend as it took in an estimated $55 million in North American movie theaters, an industry group reported Sunday.

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Joker provides the backstory for the rise of Batman’s maniacal nemesis, painting a dark and disturbing portrayal of a would-be stand-up comedian’s descent into madness.

Last week, the film directed

by Todd Phillips—maker of The Hangover trilogy—set a record for an October release, taking in $93.5 million in its first weekend, Exhibitor Relations said.

United Artist’s family- and Halloween-friendly The Addams Family placed second, scaring up an estimated $30.3 million for its opening weekend.

It follows the mysterious and

spooky Addams family as they prepare for a visit from some even creepier relatives.

In third, at an estimated $20.5 million, was Paramount’s new film Gemini Man, which stars Will Smith as a retired hitman who must face off against a younger clone of himself.

Abominable from Universal came in fourth, down from last week’s second, at an estimated $6.2 million.

It tells the story of a teen and her friends trying to help a young Yeti reunite with its family as a wealthy man seeks to capture it as a prize.

And in fifth was Focus Features’ Downton Abbey, at $5 million. The cinematic follow-up to the hit TV series has the Crawleys and their earnest staff scrambling to prepare for an unexpected visit by the British royals. AFP