Manila Standard - 2019 November 6 - Wednesday

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LOW INFLATION SHOWS DU30 ECONOMICS WORKING—PALACE Story below

BALCONY OF LIGHTS.

Christmas is literally in the air, as these Yuletide decorations along Ayala Avenue in Makati’s Central Business District typify other areas of this predominantly Christian country of 106-million people preparing for the season of hope and joy Diana B. Noche

Rody appoints, Leni declines Papers signed Oct. 31 but VP not too keen on anti-drug role VOL. XXXIII • NO. 265 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Evacuees beset by water shortage, lack of toilets MAKILALA, North Cotabato—A scarcity of safe drinking water and the lack of toilets remain two of the major challenges faced by the local government units affected by the series of earthquakes and aftershocks that hit parts of Mindanao on Oct. 16, 29 and 31.

In Malasila Elementary School in Makilala, North Cotabato, evacuees said they had to wait in a long queue to relieve themselves as they share one toilet inside a classroom.

The school currently houses 646 families from Barangay Luayon and 1,749 families from Malasila.

A teacher in the school, Bedie Ratliff, said Monday the facility is being overwhelmed and he fears an impending health crisis.

The back portion of the school, she said, is already littered with human feces due to the shortage of toilets in the school.

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VP LENI ROBREDO

Senate okays rice purchase plan

State crackdown on dissent hit

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

By Joyce Pangco Pañares

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Vice President Leni Robredo cochairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs following his offer to make her the drug czar, apparently irked by her criticism of the government’s anti-narcotics campaign.

President Duterte signed Robredo’s appointment paper on Oct. 31.

“Pursuant to the provisions of existing laws, rules, and regulations, you are hereby designated as the co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal

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THE leftist Bagong Alyansang Makabayan yesterday scored the government for the systematic arrest of members of progressive and left-leaning groups.

“It is the weaponization of the law to crackdown on dissent. The targets are known legal activists. the offices raided

By MJ Blancaflor, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

LINES FOR WATER. Earthquake evacuees in Makilala, North Cotabato, line up for fresh and potable water from a passing-by tanker on Tuesday, with threats of aftershocks from the series of tremors that have been hitting parts of Mindanao in the past few weeks. Geonarri Solmerano

VOTING 21-0-0, senators on Tuesday approved on third reading the joint resolution directing government agencies to buy from farmers the rice needed by the 4.1-million beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

They voted to adopt Joint Resolution 8, which authorizes the use of the rice subsidy as provided under the 4Ps in the General Appropriations Act of 2019 for the purchase of unmilled rice from farmers.

The resolution mandates the Social

DILG: No proof to charge Albayalde; case up to DOJ

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

SO HELP YOU GOD. Retired PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde takes his oath (left) after signing the affidavit he submitted before the panel of government prosecutors at the Department of Justice on Tuesday during the continuation of his alleged involvement with the ‘ninja cops.’ At right, BuCor officers escort Police Major Rodney Baloloy as he attends the continuation of his hearing. Norman Cruz

THE Interior department investigating the case of resigned Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde has found no evidence to merit the filing of administrative charges against him, saying these would be moot and academic since he had already resigned.

At least 13 policemen assigned in Pampanga –dubbed the “ninja cops”—were under the control of Albayalde, then the Pampanga provincial director. The 13 were accused of reselling millions of pesos worth of illegal drugs taken from a drug kingpin in the town of Mexico in 2013.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said in the case of administrative charges, the penalty would be removal from his position—which would be pointless since Albayalde has already quit.

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Welfare department, in coordination with the National Food Authority, to buy palay from the farmers in the provinces that have an oversupply of rice, such as Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Mindoro Oriental, Mindoro Occidental, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Zamboanga del Sur and Iloilo, and to distribute it instead of the cash assistance to the qualified beneficiaries.

Senator Cynthia Villar, head of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, said the measure was crafted to help local Next page

Low inflation: Policy working

By MJ Blancaflor THE slowest inflation rate in over three years is a “testament” to President Rodrigo Duterte’s political will and his administration’s “sound and working” economic policies, Malacañang said Tuesday. (Related story on B1) The Philippine Statistics Authority had announced that the inflation rate had further eased to 0.8 percent in October this year from 6.7 percent in the same period last year.

The latest figure is the lowest inflation rate recorded since May 2016, which was mainly due to the annual Next page

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News

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

8.2 quake, tsunami feared

By Rio N. Araja

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HE possible movement of the West Valley Fault could cause a major earthquake that can kill 50,000 people in Metro Manila, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Tuesday.

The agency also said the public should be ready in case the Manila Trench shakes and generates a magnitude 8.2 tremor and triggers huge tsunamis on Manila Bay. PHIVOLCS director Renato Solidum told reporters the areas along the

coastal areas of Manila Bay should prepare for tsunamis up to nine meters tall once a powerful quake hits the Manila Trench, which runs as deep as 5,400 meters.

Those to be affected are Las Piñas

Rody...

dent’s critics will finally see his sincerity in making the offer to Robredo.

Robredo previously declined the drug czar offer, suggesting that it might be the Duterte administration’s way of conceding that the anti-illegal drug campaign has been a failure.

Before her appointment, PDEA chief Aaron Aquino said Robredo would likely fail as drug czar.

“PDEA believes that the Honorable Vice President is not abreast with the supply reduction efforts and lacks experience in dealing and working with law enforcers,” Aquino said.

On Oct. 28, Duterte dared Robredo to take he helm of his administration’s campaign against illegal drugs following a report by international news outfit Reuters quoting Robredo as saying that the government should abandon the anti-drug campaign since it is “not working.”

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Drugs until 30 June 2022, unless sooner revoked,” the letter addressed to Robredo read.

Duterte asked the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Philippine National Police, Dangerous Drugs Board, and other drug-related agencies to extend their “full assistance and cooperation” to Robredo to ensure the government’s success in its anti-drug campaign.

The PDEA has been assigned to lead the 20-member inter-agency committee, which was formed in 2017 through Executive Order No. 15.

Despite being a co-chairman, Robredo’s post would be of Cabinet rank and she could attend Cabinet meetings if she accepts the offer, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said.

A spokesman for Robredo, however, said the offer was “not serious.”

“It is very clear that the President’s order is only an acceptance that there are shortcomings in his drug campaign,” said Barry Gutierrez, Robredo’s spokesman. “That’s why they approached the vice president,” he added.

He added that Robredo would send the President a list of specific recommendations to address the shortcomings of his war on drugs, but said she need not be co-chair of ICAD to do it.

Panelo, on the other hand, said that if Robredo accepts the post, she has full control over what to do with the drug war, which includes possible termination of the controversial Oplan Tokhang.

“The President was thinking, when she was criticizing, she must have some ideas in her mind that would effectively implement the drug war. When you’re saying that it’s ineffective, you must have some ideas to make it effective,” Panelo said.

While Robredo can still decline the appointment, Panelo said the Palace wants her to accept it.

“We want her to accept the appointment. We want her to succeed because her success would be the success of the Filipino people,” he said.

Panelo said if Robredo declines the appointment, her criticisms against the administration’s anti-drug campaign were not true.

He added that he hopes the Presi-

State...

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are publicly known offices, not underground safe houses,” Bayan SecretaryGeneral Renato Reyes Jr. told Manila Standard in an interview.

“It is an alarming, deliberate plan that is part of the counter-insurgency drive under Executive Order No. 70, which created the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict. They planned this, with no less than the President as chairman of the task force,” he added.

Last week, some 55 leftist leaders were nabbed in simultaneous raids in Manila and Bacolod. Among those who were arrested were Gabriela Manila chapter chairperson Cora Agovida and her partner Michael Bartolome, Kilusang Mayo Uno Negros leader Noly Rosales and National Federation of Sugar Workers secretary-general John Milton Lozande.

Maj. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., deputy chief of staff for civil military operations and a ranking member of the national task force, defended the raids, adding that the arrested individuals were members of communist terrorist groups.

“By the nature of their work as terrorists, they have to equip themselves with arms and explosives. There is no need for the government to plant these pieces of evidence contrary to their complaints...This is exactly what these personalities were doing in the urban areas when they were legally arrested,” Parlade said.

Reyes, however, said Parlade has been using the term “terrorist” to refer to critics of the administration and members of left-leaning groups even if the Communist Party of the Philippines has never been declared a terrorist organization under the Human Security Act.

Robredo later said she did not say the drug war should be stopped, but merely “tweaked.”

Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs has been criticized by both local and international human rights groups, citing alleged police abuses and vigilante-style killings.

It has also been tainted with controversies that even led to the resignation of former Philippine National Police chief General Oscar Albayalde recently, as he fought allegations that he had protected his men accused of selling seized narcotics.

If she accepts the appointment, this would mark Robredo’s return to the Cabinet after two years.

She used to be part of the Cabinet as chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council until her resignation in December 2016.

Robredo at the time cited “major differences” with Duterte, and revealed that she was directed to “desist from attending all Cabinet meetings.”

The two leaders belong to opposing sides of the political fence, as Robredo leads the opposition Liberal Party, while Duterte is the head of the ruling PDP-Laban.

Panelo said the appointment would give Robredo the opportunity to “show her mettle” and prime her to become the next president.

“We will continue to resist and assert our rights as legal organizations.

We will study legal options against the agencies that have abused the law, including judges who recklessly issues search warrants,” the Bayan official added.

The National Capital Region Police Office said Tuesday it has arrested three leaders of an activist group in a police operation in Tondo, Manila. The three were identified as Ram Carlo Bautista, Alma Estrada Moran and Reina Mae Asis Nasino.

Police said they found an assortment of firearms and ammunition in the Bayan office in Tondo, including a bushmaster caliber 5.56 xm15-E26, two short magazines for 5.56 mm, 45 pieces live ammunition for caliber 5.56 mm, a colt MK4 Series 80 .45-caliber, a colt automatic .45-caliber and two hand grenades.

Several cellphones and laptops were also seized during the operation.

NCRPO chief Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas shrugged off accusations that the guns were planted, saying they could make that argument in court.

He said they were applying a search warrant in a legitimate police operation.

Military officers based in Negros Occidental maintained that the Armed Forces was not targeting progressive organizations in the Visayas province.

LTC Emelito Thaddeus Logan, Army 79ib battalion Commander, pointed out that most if not all the 57 people nabbed in simultaneous raids in Bacolod and Escalante cities last week were New People’s Army rebels.

The suspects were also recruits of leftist groups like the Kilusang Mayo Uno, which he said “should not be tagged as progressive organizations.”

With PNA

City, Malabon City, Navotas City, Pasay City, Manila and parts of Parañaque City, Solidum said.

“Those along the coastal line of Luzon, including Palawan Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan, Cavite and Batangas would be hit, too, by the tsunamis.”

But Solidum said Quezon City, Caloocan City, Makati City and other cities in Metro Manila will be spared from tsunamis to be triggered by the movement of the Manila Trench.

“This is the reason why we have set up at least 34 tsunami community warning systems, including the Manila Bay area,

so the local government units there could closely monitor the level of the water in front of the bay. That way, the LGUs could have a lead time to inform their constituents to evacuate risky areas,” Solidum said.

He also said that after a series of tremors hit Cotabato, the province was now considered “highly stressed.”

More than 2,800 aftershocks have been experienced in Cotabato since the first major quake struck the province on Oct. 16.

“The areas are still highly stressed.

That means there will be more aftershocks to happen,” Solidum said.

He recalled that President Fidel Ramos had made then Vice President Joseph Estrada the head of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission, which was tasked to go after criminal syndicates, a role which catapulted him to the presidency.

“When you say drug czar, that means you will oversee all drug-related agencies. That means she’s the boss,” Panelo said in Filipino.

Panelo said the President’s offer was “serious.”

Senators said Robredo should accept the appointment, with the President’s aide Senator Christopher Go telling her “to kill all drug lords.”

Although a recent survey showed that 82 percent of respondents favored the administration’s war on drugs, Robredo might do better, Go added.

“We all have our own style. She might have a new style to curb illegal drugs,” he said.

“When July 1, [2022] comes, and you did not succeed, and if you failed to kill the drug lords, I will be the one to ask you why you did not kill the drug lords,” Go said.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said in accepting the position, Robredo would realize the gravity of the country’s drug problem.

“Was it not their camp who has always been calling to stop the drug war?

Why would you stop it when it’s an ongoing struggle?” he said.

“If we kill all the drug pushers in the Philippines today, tommorow, there will be new drug pushers. When we jail all drug addicts today, there will be new drug addicts tomorrow because drug pushers will look for persons whom they can sell the illegal drugs,” Sotto said.

Senator Ronald dela Rosa, once head of the war on drugs when he was national police chief, said he is optimistic that with Robredo on board, the anti-drug campaign would be a success.

“I hope that we can win this war as one nation undivided by political colors,” he said.

Senator Imee Marcos said Robredo should accept the job because the President needs all the help he can get against the drug lords.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said this will be a good opportunity for Robredo and her team to use their alternative

strategies to eliminate illegal drugs.

Party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin, Jr. of Ako Bicol welcomed the appointment of Robredo as co-chair of the Interagency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs, saying she would be able to contribute significantly to the war on drugs.

“We see this appointment as a positive step towards reconciliation between the current administration and the opposition. It may well serve as the bridge which would allow both parties to work together towards a common goal of eradicating, not only the menace of drug addiction, but such other problems confronted by our country,” said Garbin, deputy minority leader.

“Our party is throwing its support to the appointment of the Vice President and is ready to assist in whatever way it can once called upon to do so,” he added.

Party-list Rep. Michael Defensor said he believes Robredo will be able to do the job.

“As co-chairperson, the vice president will have full perspective of the drug situation and can assert her position as regards the drug campaign and how it should be executed. She will now be working with the intelligence and enforcement agencies rather than observing it from the outside and not having a full grasp of the situation,” he said.

But Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay said the position that was offered to Robredo was a trap. “The diluted position validates the fear that the vice president is being set up to fail,” Lagman said.

“No less than Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Chief Aaron Aquino, the chairman of ICAD, ominously predicted that Robredo would fail,” Lagman said.

Aquino on Tuesday changed his tune, saying he felt Robredo would be effective “when it comes to advocacy, rehabilitation and reintegration.”

Commissioner Gwen Pimentel-Gana of the Commission on Human Rights also welcomed Robredo’s appointment.

“We all know that she does not believe in the approach of our government in its fight against [illegal] drugs. May be now, we could give the vice president a free hand. I think she could come up with a change in the policy. The approach is not to kill [suspected drug offenders] but to rehabilitate,” she said.

With Rio N. Araja

Evacuees...

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“The foul odor can be smelled around the evacuation area,” she said.

Ratliff said she fears poor sanitation may exacerbate the health concerns among evacuees, noting that some of them are already experiencing stomachaches.

Several cases of diarrhea among children have also been recorded, she said.

Poor sanitation is linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio.

Acting Vice Governor Shirlyn Macasarte-Villanueva said local government units should address sanitation problems in their respective evacuation centers.

In Kidapawan City and Makilala, safe drinking water was running out after faucets went dry following the magnitude 6.5 quake that rocked North Cotabato on Oct. 31.

Williamor Magbanua, city information officer, said on Friday the major reservoirs of Metro Kidapawan Water District were damaged by a landslide.

“We suffer lack of water, mineral water from stores also ran out,” Magbanua said, adding that many people have not taken a bath since Thursday.

Magbanua said fire trucks and water tankers supply water for washing and bathing but drinking water remains a problem.

Stella Gonzales, water district manager, said repair work has been ongoing in all damaged reservoirs but frequent aftershocks also halted repair

works.

Aside from lack of water, Kidapawan City is also experiencing frequent power interruptions since the earthquake struck.

“No water, no electricity, no stores to buy food, where are we going?”

Cherry Dillis, a resident of Barangay Poblacion, asked.

Meanwhile, the Energy Development Corp. that runs the Mt. Apo Geothermal Power Plant, denied its workers were trapped when the Oct. 31 tremor struck.

“We confirm that all our employees have been accounted for and are safe after another strong earthquake struck Kidapawan,” EDC said in a statement.

“Our M1 and M2 power plants in Mount Apo were initially affected and were put on turning gear operation only,” it added.

To expedite the release of relief items and goods for those severely affected by the Mindanao earthquakes, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana urged quake victims to go to their designated evacuation centers and barangay halls for assistance.

The defense chief made this appeal following reports that some quake victims were begging for help in the streets.

“They should go to those places where the assistance is waiting for them,” Lorenzana, the government official tasked to oversee rescue-andrelief efforts in Mindanao, said in a statement late Monday.

The local government of Makilala discouraged the public from handing out donations to quake victims waiting at the roadside.

Lorenzana instructed barangay officials to assist in the distribution of re-

‘Quiel‘ enters PAR, threatens N. Luzon with heavy rains

A TROPICAL depression west-southwest of Iba, Zambales, entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Tuesday morning and has been named “Quiel,” the weather bureau said Tuesday.

“Quiel” is forecast to intensify into a tropical storm within the next 24 hours, but it may not make landfall, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.

The storm’s center was 560 kilometers west of Subic, Zambales, as of 3 p.m. on Tuesday, and was packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour near its center and gusts of up to 70 kph.

“Quiel” is expected to bring moderate to occasional heavy rain over Northern Luzon, Zambales and Bataan.

Rio N. Araja

Low...

From A1 drop in the index on the heavily weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages and transportation costs, the PSA said.

The inflation rate in October was also slower than September’s 0.9 percent, but Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the administration would remain vigilant in managing the growth in consumer prices.

“As inflation continues to drop, the current [administration] will continue to not let its guard down in monitoring the prices of basic commodities, especially now that we are in the ber months approaching the Christmas season,” Panelo said in a statement.

The PSA said the increase in housing rates, water, electricity, gas and other fuels also slowed down.

But miscellaneous goods and services remained the top contributor to inflation during October.

The inflation rate in Metro Manila was higher than the national average at 1.3 percent, while the inflation rate in the areas outside the capital further slowed down to 0.7 percent, the PSA said.

Senate...

From A1 farmers have a ready market for their produce, especially in the harvest season.

“In this way, the government’s rice subsidy program will become part of a viable strategy of ensuring a captive market for the palay produced by our farmers,” Villar said.

The 2019 GAA provides a total allocation of P33.9 billion for rice subsidies. The largest of that will be given to the 4Ps beneficiaries.

Under the program, the beneficiaries are given P600 per month or equivalent to 20 kilos of rice. Social Welfare confirmed that, for this year, at least P6.97 billion remains unspent under the rice subsidy program.

The resolution also encourages local government units that have constant need for rice to supply the requirements of their hospitals, jails and other local institutions, feeding programs and calamity-program interventions from farmers.

lief goods and management of evacuation centers.

Local government officials and the police were also directed to clear the highways of displaced persons and bring them to evacuation centers so that they can receive relief services.

The DND chief also directed all government agencies to support the ongoing relief operations being spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and Office of Civil Defense.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on Tuesday said more aftershocks can be expected in Cotabato.

There have been more than 2,800 aftershocks since Oct. 16, when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck southeast of Makilala, Cotabato.

The areas are still highly stressed.

Meaning, there are still a lot of aftershocks being recorded and we expect aftershocks to occur still within weeks,” Phivolcs director Renato Solidum said.

In other developments: • Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said the Department of Education’s school building budget for 2020 should be increased in view of the damage done to 500 classrooms and 700 school buildings during last month’s earthquakes.

• The House of Representatives has started raising funds for victims of the earthquakes that hit Mindanao last month. Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said he asked that Congress as a whole must do extra sacrifices to help the victims of the earthquakes that hit Mindanao last October. Macon Ramos-Araneta, Maricel V. Cruz, with PNA

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Du30: ASEAN should not be made pawns in ‘geopolitics’

By MJ Blancaflor

MINUTES APPROVAL. House Majority Leader and Committee on Rules Chairman Rep. Martin Romualdez (right) assisted by Senior Deputy Majority Leader Rep. Crispin Remulla (second right) presides over the first meeting on the resumption of the Committee on Rules for the approval of the minutes of the previous meeting. Ver Noveno

‘Gov’ts using social media to manipulate elections’ GOVERNMENTS around the world are increasingly using social media to manipulate elections and monitor their citizens, in a worrisome trend for democracy, a human rights watchdog said Tuesday.

An annual report on online freedom by the nonprofit group Freedom House found evidence of “advanced social media surveillance programs” in at least 40 of 65 countries analyzed.

The report said global Internet freedom declined for a ninth consecutive year, as authorities in some countries simply cut off Internet access as part of their manipulation efforts, while others employed propaganda armies to distort information on social platforms.

“Many governments are finding that on social media, propaganda works better than censorship,” said Mike Abramowitz, president of Freedom House.

“Authoritarians and populists around the globe are exploiting both human nature and computer algorithms to conquer the ballot box, running roughshod over rules designed to ensure free and fair elections.”

Disinformation was the most commonly used tactic to undermine elections, according to the group.

“Populists and far-right leaders have grown adept not only at creating viral disinformation, but also at harnessing networks that disseminate it,” said the watchdog’s 2019 “Freedom on the Net” report.

The researchers said that in 47 out of the 65 countries, individuals were arrested for political, social, or religious speech online and people were subjected to physical violence for their online activities in at least 31 countries.

China remained the world’s worst abuser of internet freedom for the fourth consecutive year as the government stepped up information controls amid protests in Hong Kong and ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, the report said.

Online freedom declined in 33 of the 65 countries assessed, including the United States, the survey found. AFP

DILG: No proof...

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On the other hand, he said, criminal charges would be up to the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice to decide.

The PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group has filed criminal complaint against Albayalde, the principal respondent, and 13 of his former men.

The charged sheet includes violations of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, bribery, falsification of documents, perjury, and dereliction of duty.

Año, meanwhile, said they have filed new administrative cases against the 13 “ninja cops,” four of whom were ordered dismissed from the service.

The cases ranges from grave misconduct, grave irregularity in the performance of duty, improper handling of the operations and failure to account the confiscated money amounting to

Ping: Budget amendments must be posted online

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

I

NSTEAD of whispering proposed “amendments” to the 2020 national budget or scrawl them on napkins, Senator Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday stressed they should instead be posted online.

He said majority if not all lawmakers have their own websites.

“Why not post their amendments there, for the public to scrutinize?”

Lacson said in an interview on dzBB radio.

He said everything should be made public, adding this included all amendments they submit, whether institutional or individual.

“We have our own websites, we should use them for this purpose, as I did for the 2019 budget,” Lacson, an avowed enemy of the pork barrel system, said Lacson issued the challenge to fellow lawmakers, insisting that no less than such a show of transparency would dispel suspicions that the amendments were stained with pork.

For the 2019 budget, Lacson posted

online his proposed amendments, all of which are institutional—meaning these pertain to programs and projects that have undergone planning and vetting, and are based on requests from the implementing agencies concerned.

He said such institutional amendments are proposed by lawmakers who find merit in them after vetting with the relevant agencies.

In contrast, he said individual amendments pertain to projects based mainly on lawmakers’ intervention and are considered legislators’ pet projects.

In most cases, these do not involve consultations with the implementing agencies concerned, nor are they part of the Local Development Plans of the Local Government Units.

Such programs can be considered

pork barrel, based on the 2013 ruling of the Supreme Court that deems as unconstitutional projects that are whimsical and arbitrary.

The 2013 Supreme Court ruling declaring pork barrel as unconstitutional covers “all informal practices of similar import and effect, which the Court similarly deems to be acts of grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction.”

He lamented that in past years, some lawmakers submit their amendments to their respective finance or appropriations chairpersons without having them go through floor deliberations..

Lacson, in pushing for transparency in the crafting of the national budget, said the people have the right to know where their taxes are going, especially amid a growing national debt that now stands at more than P7.9 trillion.

“The national budget involves the people’s money. It should benefit the people and not a few senators or congressmen or even government officials who implement projects. And the budget is funded by our taxes, as well as borrowings if our tax collections fall short,” he said.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte returned to Manila early Tuesday after participating in the three-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Thailand, where he said the 10-member states should not be pawns in a “geopolitical chessboard.”

During the summit, President Duterte noted the United States and China had been competing for supremacy in Asia Pacific, creating intense rivalry and increased uncertainty in the region.

He also maintained that his administration was expanding the horizons for Philippine diplomacy and supports an open and inclusive order in the Asia Pacific region.

“ASEAN and the rest of the Asia Pacific region are not, and should not be, mere spectators, or worse, pawns in a geopolitical chessboard, he [Duterte] said, adding they should have a say in this unfolding drama,” a press statement from Malacañang read.

The Philippines, he said, is for cooperation and not zero-sum competition.

Duterte vowed that the government would work closely with countries within and outside ASEAN, including Japan, South Korea, Russia and India, to strengthen regional mechanisms for peace and development.

“After all, the true measure of power is not coercion, but rather the ability to persuade on the strength of one’s ideals.

Power is also the wisdom to exercise restraint even when outright domination is possible,” he said.

Duterte also urged ASEAN leaders during the plenary not to choose between China and the United States which he called a “strategic mistake” of the previous administrations.

Barbers wants PAGCOR, BIR to disclose revenues

By Maricel V. Cruz

A PRIVATE prosecutor is expecting a guilty verdict for at least three principal suspects in the Maguindanao massacre case waiting for a resolution at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.

Nena Santos, a private counsel representing 38 of the 58 victims, said she was confident that former Datu Unday mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., and his siblings—former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan and former Maguindanao Gov. Sajid Islam Ampatuan—would face conviction.

While she believes the Ampatuan brothers would get a conviction, she said she was not 100 percent sure if

all of the other respondents would be meted out a guilty verdict.

The Ampatuans are the sons of the late Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr., who supposedly masterminded the deaths of the 58 victims, including 32 journalists.

Ampatuan Sr. passed away at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City due to a massive heart attack on July 17, 2015.

Ampatuan Jr. and Zaldy are still under detention at the Metro Manila District Jail at Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan in Taguig City.

Earlier, the Court of Appeals affirmed the decision of QCRTC Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Reyes to grant bail for the provisional liberty of Sajid.

“If there would be no conviction, I

am sorry to say that press freedom in the Philippines is dead,” Santos said.

“If nobody gets to jail for killing media people, that is impunity.

Where is democracy? Where is press freedom?” she asked.

The victims were on their way to the Commission on Elections on Shariff Aguak to file the certificate of candidacy of then Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu for the gubernatorial race in 2010 when armed men blocked their way, killed and even buried others alive on Nov. 23, 2009.

Ten years after the massacre, Reyes submitted the multiple counts of murder raps against the Ampatuans and the other accused for resolution and promulgation.

A LEGISLATOR on Tuesday called on the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and the Bureau of Internal Revenue to account for and disclose in public the real revenues that Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators has provided to the national treasury.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, said it now appears, with the more than 200 POGOs ordered shutdown by authorities, the much-vaunted billions of pesos projected income from these online gaming firms is just a product of ‘media hype.’

“If I may recall, 46 out of the 58 POGOs licensed by Pagcor are registered local or foreign corporations.

Now, the BIR, together with the NBI and PNP, had shut down more than 200 illegal POGOs,” he said.

“The question is: ‘How can the government derive billions of pesos in revenues from these POGOs if only 12 of them are registered firms and could be considered legal to operate in the Philippines?’”

In his planned legislative inquiry into the POGO operations in the country, Barbers said he would dig into who are the accountable and responsible persons that allowed and emboldened these ‘kolorum’ online gaming firms to operate.

P300,000.00.

Meanwhile, Albayalde said the complaint against him was “insufficient in form and substance” and lacked probable cause that would merit his appeal for the dismissal of his case.

He said the basis of his inclusion in the complaint, a “partial committee report” by the Senate committees that investigated the operation, “has not been signed or approved by a majority of all committee members as required by Senate rules.”

The document, he said, is “a mere scrap of paper that is unsigned, unverified, and unauthorized by the Senate’s own rules.”

Albayalde also denied that he had called Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief and former Central Luzon police chief Aaron Aquino and former CIDG official Rudy Lacadin to influence them regarding the administrative cases against the 13 so-called “ninja cops.”

Fifteen of the 17 members of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee

signed the committee report which recommended the filing of graft and drug charges against Albayalde and the 13 “ninja cops” involved in the irregular drug raid in Mexico, Pampanga in November 2013.

The members of the Blue Ribbon Committee who signed the committee report are Committee chairperson Richard Gordon and Senators Sonny Angara, Pia Cayetano, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, Bong Go, Risa Hontiveros, Panfilo Lacson, Imee Marcos, Manny Pacquiao, Koko Pimentel, Grace Poe, Bong Revilla, Francis Tolentino, Cynthia Villar and Leila de Lima.

The committee’s ex-officio members who also signed the report were Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri.

The committee members who did not sign the report were Senators Manuel Lapid and Francis Pangilinan, who is out of the country.

Gordon was supposed to present the committee report on the Senate floor Tuesday, but instead reset it today.

While it was not proven that Albayalde directly benefited from the illegal drugs, Gordon, however, noted that the series of circumstances proved the former police chief had knowledge of the irregular drug transactions.

Gordon downplayed the denials of the ninja cops, describing their testimonies as a “comedy of lies.”

Albayalde on Wednesday asked the Department of Justice to dismiss the criminal charges filed against him.

In his 35-page counter-affidavit to the complaint filed by the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Albayalde said the amended complaint should be dismissed outright for being “baseless” and for violating his right to due process.

Albayalde also assailed the DOJ’s jurisdiction to reopen the case, saying the offenses being attributed against are cognizable by the Sandiganbayan.

The former PNP chief also questioned the filing of an amended complaint against him and his men considering the prior dismissal by the DOJ of the same complaint filed by the PNP-CIDG on May 12, 2014.

“As such, complainant cannot amend a complaint which is no longer subject of a preliminary investigation nor reopen an investigation which is already resolved and dismissed with finality,” Albayalde said.

The former PNP official was forced to step down from his post as PNP chief after testimony before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee linked him to the 2013 anti-illegal drug raid in Pampanga that resulted in the seizure of some 200 kilos of shabu by his men, who declared only 36 kilos.

The reopening the case was an offshoot of the Senate investigation on the implementation of the Good Conduct Time Allowance for convicted felons, which yielded information related to the 2013 illegal-drug trade by Albayalde’s men.

Private prosecutor expects guilty verdict for 3

By Rio N. Araja

A4

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

No ASF death yet but … vegetables. Other provinces which want to stop the spread of the ASF have banned pigs from Pampanga and Pangasinan. Australia, Japan and South Korea on the other hand have also raised the red flag against Philippine processed pork import products.

THERE is no person reported dead Already plagued by polio and yet from the African Swine Fever. dengue, the Philippines, now has to But the ASF is killing the country’s cope with African Swine Fever. hog-raising industry and the local This, plus the back-to-back processed meat producers. earthquakes measuring in the Mekeni, Pampanga’s biggest pork magnitude 6.5 in Davao and Cotabato. meat producers of sausage, tocino and The government is doing its best ham, might close shop if the disease to deliver relief goods to victims of is not curbed before December and the twin temblors, but evacuees are the Christmas holidays, when these complaining that not enough tents are processed pork meat—specially available to shelter those whose homes ham—is in demand by Filipinos have been destroyed. Children are also for their Noche affected by the Buena dinner. many schools How the destroyed by dreaded African the earthquakes.

Swine Fever M a g s a y s a y, The problem is bigger found its way to Makilala and than we thought. the Philippines is Kidapawan are still not known. the hardest-hit The agriculture, towns. health and trade The two strong departments earthquakes have yet to come out with an official in Mindanao have Metro Manilans statement on the case. Compounding asking when the Big One going to the problem is the report of ASF- strike. Areas along the Marikina Valley contaminated processed pork products fault line are the most vulnerable to from China found positive for ASF. the Big One—these are Marikina, Then, there are also backyard Quezon City, San Juan, Pasig, and hog raisers who hide sick pigs Mandaluyong, Bonifacio Global City from government health inspectors all the way to the nearby Laguna towns because they want to cut their losses of Binan, Sta. Rosa and Calamba. if their animals have to be culled.

In Makati where there is an The government is offering P3,000 to abundance of high-rise condominium P5,000 per pig to hog raisers affected towers, the concern is whether the fire by the swine scourge. department can cope with fires set off The ASF epidemic consequently by the earthquake on high floors. has jacked up prices of other food in This is a disastrous situation when the market like beef, chicken, fish and earthquake and fires hit the big cities.

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

A resilience mindset

O

N FRIDAY, it will be six years to the day “Yolanda” swept across Eastern Visayas and many other places, causing unparalleled death and devastation.

In this regard, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading the bill declaring every Nov. 8 as Yolanda Commemoration Day in Eastern Visayas.

The bill seeks to honor the memory of those who perished during the storm, and also “salute the selflessness of all volunteers and organizations that took part and contributed in the recovery and rehabilitation efforts of the communities affected by the typhoon.”

Six years ago, in the aftermath of tragedy, we saw an outpouring of local and international aid and relief, and the overwhelming bayanihan spirit that allowed the stricken communities to eventually recover from their loss.

But we also saw how a lack of cen-

tral planning and coordination hampered efforts to bring relief sooner than they are needed.

The commemoration of the tragedy takes place just as Mindanao is reeling from the series of earthquakes that rocked it in the past few days.

Relief and rehabilitation are primary concerns for the affected residents, especially since there are reports aid is not able to get to the communities who need it the most.

More than commemoration, there is a need for the entire country to adopt a mindset, not of disaster, but of resilience. Only it will allow us to break free from the cycle of shock and scrambling that possess us when disaster strikes.

Disaster is more than just mobilizing, even mobilizing well, when di-

saster strikes. It is acknowledging our local governments’ different levels of vulnerability, and to what hazards. It is intelligently knowing what disasters are likely to strike, and where. It is establishing protocols for what must be done, who must be in charge, and what the fastest way to reach most people is.

There is also currently a proposal to establish a separate department of disaster resilienc—which is ideal, for organization and planning purposes, even as the implementation is yet to be seen.

That we live in a hazardous area should no longer be a novelty. We should have this fact drilled into our consciousness by now. The only question is not how well we respond when disaster strikes, but how we are able to build a lifestyle that already includes anticipating risks and knowing exactly what to do in the event of a howler, a temblor, or any other disaster—natural or not.

Snowden warns of Web giants’ ‘irresistible power’

By Jules Bonnard TECHNOLOGY has given Internet giants “irresistible power” when they work in concert with governments, whistleblower Ed Snowden told the Web Summit that opened in Lisbon on Monday.

“When we see government and corporations working in concert... they become the left and right hands of the same body. What we see is the concentration of power,” he told the European celebration of startups and new technologies gathering high-tech entrepreneurs and investors.

“If you create an irresistible power... how do you police the expression of that power when it is used against the public rather than for it?” he asked, speaking by video link from Russia where he has lived since 2013.

The US government last month urged tech giants to allow police to read encrypted messages, saying access was essential to prevent serious crime despite privacy concerns.

Snowden has just published a book that lays out his reasons for passing tens of thousands of secret documents to major news organizations in 2013.

The files were compiled while he worked for the US National Security Agency and revealed a dense network of communications and internet scrutiny by the NSA and partner agencies around the world.

Snowden recognized that public awareness is growing over the abuses he has denounced, and he lauded efforts to protect privacy, especially in Europe.

But he told the gathering of some 70,000: “The problem is not data protection, it’s data collection” and the blind faith that internet users must have in the Internet’s masters.

‘Hyper-political’ The four-day summit is expected to focus on politics and tax issues, as well as new mobilities, medical applications, robotics and crypto currencies, organizers said.

“Tech has become hyper-political,” said Paddy Cosgrave, the Irish founder and boss of Europe’s biggest tech gathering.

“Increasingly, the front page of newspapers around the world are dominated by issues relating to technology,” he told AFP. Among the main events are discussions on the future of money, cars, medicine, housing, advertising,

medias and humans’ presence in outer space.

But what has emerged as the leading topic is how high tech has become a crucial factor in the Chinese-US trade war, the monetary power of sovereign governments and the radicalization of social media.

As sector giants continue to face calls for fair taxation or even dismantlement, regulators such as the EU Commission’s vice president and competition chief, Margrethe Vestager, are expected to draw a crowd.

Vestager is to close the summit on Thursday, speaking just after Michael Kratsios, who is being sent from the White House to present the US viewpoint on internet taxation and regulation.

Vestager has spearheaded European efforts to get companies like Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google to pay more in taxes in countries where they earn large amounts of their profits.

In addition to her post as EU competition chief, the Dane has also now been tasked with overseeing digital activities across the 28-member bloc.

Vestager “is incredibly popular... because she’s trying to create a level playing field for innovators in particular in Europe,” Cosgrave told AFP. Cambridge Analytica At another event, former Cambridge Analytica executive Brittany Kaiser is expected to outline risks to personal data in the run-up to the 2020 US presidential election.

The now defunct data consultancy allegedly hijacked personal data on Facebook users ahead of the 2016 US vote.

Huawei’s rotating chairman Guo Ping is another headliner.

He is likely to call for support from the tech community after the Chinese phone giant was banned from the United States owing to suspicion its systems could be used to collect data for Beijing.

A scheduled address almost certain to raise the issue of internet taxation is by Pascal Saint-Amans, head of the OECD’s Centre for Tax Policy and Administration.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is drafting a “unified approach” to a digital tax on internet giants and multinational groups to be presented

by June next year. AFP

EVERYMAN

What ails our country is moral bankruptcy

By Ernesto G. Banawis THE most serious and devastating ailment of the country today is moral bankruptcy.

This implies that many, if not most, of our countrymen, no longer adhere to time-honored principles and cherished values in the conduct of their lives. It appears that they hardly observe simple decency, honesty and civility in dealing with each other.

Let us take a good and hard look at ourselves to know what is going on in ourselves and in our country today.

Most of our public officials find nothing wrong with pocketing money from the national treasury. They commit plunder with impunity and use their loot to remain in power and avoid consignment to the penitentiary.

They even flaunt their ill-gotten wealth by living in palatial houses and enjoying the most expensive luxuries in life without being bothered by their conscience or fear of divine retribution or karma.

In every transaction with the government, the basic requirement is grease money.

Government officials and employees have made their positions behave as

if they have a permanent title to their positions. They have made public service a lucrative source of ill-gotten wealth. This is how dynasties have remained in power. With their loot, they just buy votes to get reelected.

They monopolize and share the local elective positions among themselves.

There are provinces and cities where the elective positions are occupied by one family. The entrenched dynasties now constitute a political club, a fraternity of shameless politicians.

The government has become the refuge of scoundrels, the haven of political prostitutes and charlatans.

What our people do not know or just ignore is that there are more larcenies and robberies in the private sector than in government.

Many business establishments engage in unfair, deceptive or illegal trade practices to gain enormous profits.

A number of manufacturers, producers and importers offer products with inferior or fake ingredients; Others overprice their goods to jack up returns on investments.

Employment agencies are getting filthy rich by charging exorbitant placement fees. Some banking

institutions offer under-the-table shares from interests on time deposits.

Some of the titans of commerce and industry are raking in enormous profits by establishing monopolies or engaging in practices in restraint of trade. With hardly any exception, business enterprises understate their incomes to minimize or evade payment of taxes.

The most daring robberies take place in the stock market or in securities trading. Millions change hands in “pump and dump” or inside trading in the stock market. Spreading artificial, false or misleading information to dampen or boost the price of a security, commodity or currency is among the most reprehensible practices in the stock exchange.

When Lucky Luciano, a mafia godfather, learned about the lucrative financial capers in Wall Street, he blurted: “My God, I’m in the wrong racket!”

These anomalous and scandalous trade practices are known as piracies in the marketplace. These are crimes far more condemnable than bank robberies or massacres since the victims are millions of citizens.

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Opinion Public dis-services food. Cheaper Chinoy-owned vessels provided bad accommodations along with bad food, whatever class you took.

With more airline choices introduced with “promo” rates which challenged PAL, the competition first I DO not recall when the government brought good results. But the resulting chop-chopped the Public Services shift from sea transport to air, even by Commission into several agencies. the middle class, created such huge But back in the late 50s and into the demand that the carriers forgot they mid-60s, almost all public services as compete with each other. Monopoly we know them, engaged as they are simply turned into bad oligopolies. in basic utilities, were regulated by PAL used to be chided as “plane this single powerful agency under the always late.”

Try the major Department of Justice. competition, Cebu Pacific, which I recall seeing demonstrations by the is almost always late as well. The PSC in its Taft Avenue office each time consolation is that international travel the price of gasoline was increased. by PAL has improved considerably, Those were the good old days when most always on schedule, and with a liter of gasoline would retail at 25 much improved service. I have written or 30 centavos. Of course, the peso about two very bad experiences with was around 4 to a dollar then, and the Cebu Pacifiuc, the first in 2015, when Organization of Petroleum Exporting I was supposed to attend an important Countries was yet non-existent, and meeting in Davao with then Mayor the oil cartel was basically American Duterte; the second just last Monday and British-Dutch controlled. about a botched trip to Mactan. I So were telephone services and remember taking an international trip transport fares, whether by land, in a Cebu Pacific plane to Singapore air or water.

NAWASA ran the way back when GMA was yet distribution of water, which was rather president. It was with the family, and limited in areas serviced. But we’ve everyone complained about the leg been residents room, so very of Manila ever cramped. I do since, which was not know what serviced by the leg room they governmentprovide for Let government be owned water international service provider, a tough negotiator, but flights now. except that we had it must go to the table, Nowadays, to install a Goulds almost every pump and pressure rather than threaten public service tank to ensure that mayhem by reverting sucks. our second-floor to the past.

Traffic is tied restrooms had a up in knots every strong shower. single day, with Nowadays, a little respite power rates on Sundays are semi-regulated by the Energy when every worker is flat dead tired Regulatory Commission, and to even leave his abode. The mass the business has been chopped transport system is inadequate, and into generation, transmission and bogs down quite frequently. Buses are distribution, with various private still operated through the “boundary” players, although Meralco, then and system, and the LTFRB and MMDA until now, has the biggest area to seem helpless to do anything about service. Due to diversity in operations “kolorums.” Ditto for the jeepneys, and serviced areas, though, the which should have been phased out Aboitizes of Cebu are the biggest decades ago and replaced by a more players in electric power. efficient privately-run public transport Water in Metro Manila is distributed system. Instead, we allowed UV by two private companies, Maynilad Express vans to proliferate, adding for the western parts, and Manila to the congestion in our narrow Water for the eastern section. thoroughfares. Not to mention a The PLDT, first owned by the multiplicity of privately-owned Americans, then sold after the vehicles that we cannot ever seem to expiration of parity rights with regulate. In short, NCR’s carrying American companies to Ramon capacity is over-extended to beyond Cojuangco and his partners, held a maximum. So is Metro Cebu’s, and monopoly until FVR opened the gates soon, other mega-cities. of deregulation. Now we still have Our Internet service? Oh God! PLDT controlled by an Indonesian Even the TV cable operated by group called Salim (the late Pres. oligopolies as well often bog down or Suharto’s crony firm) with its CEO, give subscribers headaches watching Manuel V. Pangilinan, which also owns terribly pixelized images in their Smart; and Globe Telecoms, controlled monitors. by the Ayalas, with investments from The cellphones which almost every Singapore Telecommunications. A urban-dwelling Filipino has and is an third player, Dito Telecommunity, won aspirational device even for our farmers? the bid to roll out a third telco, and How often do our conversations get cut with increased competition, hopefully because of dead spots? The oligopolies provide better services. controlling the service promises us When I was a grade-schooler, we better efficiency each year, but have we did not have NLEX or SLEX, and noticed improvements? the trip to Baguio through MacArthur And do they ever rebate us for dead Highway took some eight to nine hours time or interrupted service? Nada, via Pantranco or Philippine Rabbit. To nada, nada. our hometown, San Pablo in Laguna, it And if I add our water woes, I would was a three-hour trip via BLTB or even just stress readers all the more. the PNR train.

Suffice it to say that for government Philippine Airlines was the only air to take over the water service providers carrier, and in Cebu, the airport was in is like jumping into the deep blue sea. It Lahug within the city, now converted would be better to deal with the “devils.” into an IT park with four and five-star Whatever their faults, they are hotels. In the early sixties, a carrier called much better at providing services than FAST, owned by the Iloilo Carams, government can ever do. Those who provided some competition, and later, still remember the bad old days when Manila Air of the Silverio family.

Nawasa was providing the public disTravelling by boat to the Visayas or service will agree.

Mindanao was slow but pleasurable if Let government be a tough you took “first-class,” but only if it was negotiator, but it must go to the table, an Escano or Maritima vessel, where rather than threaten mayhem by crisply-uniformed waiters served good reverting to the past.

What...

From A4

What confronts us today is a crisis which will challenge our ingenuity, resilience, and nobility as a race.

The preponderant majority of our people still strongly believe that we can overcome our current difficulties.

What inspires their confidence is our having survived and still made progress through the over six decades of bitter struggle for power between two conflicting ideologies, the internecine armed confrontations is between two militant creeds, and the disorienting influences of two cultural heritage.

The people remain confident that meaningful changes and reforms will soon be coming. Many strongly believe that President Rodrigo Duterte

will fulfill his promises even with just little over two and half years left in his term.

The movement for meaningful reforms are now in fact gaining traction and adherents. A number newly elected young, and militant leaders are making waves. Some of our most gifted media practitioners are getting more and more politically irreverent.

The massive and increasing remittances of millions of Filipinos working abroad keep our economy afloat, our pride intact and our dignity respected.

President Duterte should be at the forefront of these refreshing winds of change.

He should initiate the drafting of a new or amended constitution and push through his proposal to adopt a federal system of government.

The absence of an effective

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Road crashes have become a raging national epidemic

By Senator Ralph Recto FIVE days ago, 40 Cagayano farmers clambered aboard a truck at the break of dawn to go to Tuguegarao to claim the corn seeds the DA was giving them for free.

By nightfall, 19 of them lay dead after their rented ride plunged into a ravine in Conner town, Apayao, pinned under the sacks of seeds they will never be able to sow.

Their tragedy is no longer an isolated case in a country where road crashes have become a raging national epidemic.

Unlike polio, against which there is a vaccine, there is no inoculation against vehicular accidents.

The body count is on such a steep rise that a land transport official had recently claimed that motorcycle crashes have broken into the nation’s Top 10 list of killers by claiming the number 9 spot.

Although vehicular accident deaths have not been officially tallied by government statisticians, there is no reason to doubt that motor vehicle accidents have become a major league grim reaper.

While stats have yet to bear this out, we already see the spectacle of banged up cars and mangled bodies on our streets fairly regularly.

In Metro Manila alone—where the biggest parking lot masquerades as a road called EDSA and the rest of the roads host demolition derbies—there was 1 recorded vehicular accident almost every 5 minutes in 2018. Or 321 a day. Or 116,906 the entire year.

These resulted in 17,891 injuries in 2018, 383 of which were fatal.

And speaking of EDSA, it accounted for almost 13,000 vehicular accidents, an ignominy which supports the suggestion that is should be renamed Epifanio Todos de

los Santos Avenue.

In fact, when this year’s road crash data will be released early next year, it will probably include the case of one distinguished rider, the motorcyclistin-chief who thankfully figured in a minor mishap within the Malacanang complex, which is not his first accident entry in his motorcycle diaries which span decades.

But the figures I cited above were just the reported ones.

The conventional wisdom is that many accidents go unreported, mutually settled on the spot by the parties who are wary that letting the police intervene will create— and cost—more problems than the mishap itself.

When the injury to the pride is greater than that on the body, the intrepid motorcycle riders of Metro Manila will just dust themselves off.

They will treat the incident as part of the hazards of riding a “motorsirko” in a metropolis recently ranked by Waze as having the worst traffic in the world because of its glacial 5 kilometer per hour average travel speed.

That means to drive the distance of a marathon, a Filipino in a car will navigate it in 8 hours, which is more than double the time of Pia’s personal best.

The carnage on our streets results in income lost, productivity forfeited, and medical bills for a people who are one hospitalization away from bankruptcy.

For the fatal ones, it leaves behind families who grieve for lives whose full potential will never be realized.

At a personal level, road crashes leave a hole in the heart and on the pocket, but at the macro level, they hurt the economy as well.

The World Bank claims that we could potentially add 7 percent to our GDP if road crashes do not happen.

Against this disheartening backdrop, the best antidote to accidents is the one inside what the helmet covers. Even the best app is no match against the safety consciousness a driver imbibes and practices.

Of course, aside from education, the other two E’s, enforcement and engineering—which are government equities in road management—must perform their roles as well.

For as long as the implementation of these two remains spotty, our roads will be hazardous obstacle courses that will challenge even the best educated drivers.

Culture also shapes behavior. When society is blanketed with reminders to drive safe, which likewise serves as commandment to the government to create the right environment, then these practices seep into the national consciousness.

One milestone we should observe is a National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims. It can be used as an occasion to pray for the dead, but more so to push for good policies for the living.

It will also serve two other purposes: Commemorative, because each one of us has a friend or friends who have perished in road accidents.

The other is preventive, because any organized reminiscences on a national level will inculcate a fear factor that deters unsafe operation of motor vehicles.

There is no vaccine against road crashes. But the mind’s powerful ability to remember and learn from tragedies may just save lives.

The above was the sponsorship speech of Senate President Pro Tempore Recto for SBN 1122: The National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims.

At-home test seeks to boost cervical cancer screening

By Elizabeth Donovan AN AT-HOME, non-invasive screening for cervical pre-cancer could increase compliance with recommended follow-up tests, according to research presented Monday at a cancer conference.

The new screening, called the S5 test, is based on a urine sample or a vaginal swab that women can collect themselves at home and have sent to a lab.

Researchers look for a change in DNA associated with a human gene and the four most dangerous types of the human papillomavirus, a common sexually transmitted infection linked to cervical cancer.

The protocol was developed by Belinda Nedjai of the Molecular Epidemiology Lab at Queen Mary University to increase the compliance of women who do not return to the clinic after an abnormal test result.

These are typically older women who find the follow-up painful, she said.

The test is considerably less invasive than those requiring a speculum, Nedjai told AFP. It’s also fast—after samples

are sent to the lab, it takes only hours to do the screening.

“These women can give a swab or a urine sample and we can test them,” she said. “It’s going to be beneficial.”

Currently, the gold standard for cervical-cancer screening is an HPV test and a pap smear, usually following a positive HPV result.

Patients with an abnormal pap smear are then referred for another screening, called a colposcopy.

A win-win process The S5 screening could reduce the number of women sent for a colposcopy, Nedjai said.

It was tested on 620 patients at Royal London Hospital who had an abnormal pap smear or positive HPV test.

“We found that the S5 classifier— with or without HPV testing—worked well in both urine and vaginal samples,” said Nedjai, who unveiled the findings today at the National Cancer Research Institute Cancer Conference in Glasgow.

“It distinguished between women who had no pre-cancerous lesions and those who had [higher-risk] lesions.”

In patients with HPV, an S5 urine

test was better at correctly identifying women with pre-cancer lesions than testing for a high-risk type of HPV, she said. Vaginal samples worked equally well.

As a standalone test in patients who had not been screened for HPV, the precancer was identified at least 85 percent of positive cases.

Cervical screening is at a 20-year low in Britain, according to Public Health England, which launched a campaign earlier this year to promote screening.

Nedjai explained there’s still a lot of research that needs to be done before the S5 test could be used in place of HPV testing.

Implementation of the S5 test may be fast-tracked in low- and mediumincome countries where cervical cancer screening is not available, Nedjai said.

“For them, it’s a win-win process.”

There were more than 311,000 deaths from cervical cancer in 2018, and about 90 percent were in less-developed countries, according to the World Health Organization.

The research has not yet been submitted for peer-reviewed publication. AFP

mechanism for checks and balances in the three branches of government, the prostitution of the electoral system, the disparities in opportunities for economic advancement, the unacceptable dominance of dynasties in elective public offices, the oppressive and unjust practices in the judicial system, and the pervasive graft and corruption in all agencies of the government are among the most compelling reasons why a new constitution should be drafted or why the present one must undergo radical amendments.

We must make our country prepared not only to participate but to assume a leading role in the global economic and political developments.

The emerging Regional and Comprehensive Economic Partnership which will unite the economies of Asean members together with China, India, Japan,

Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea will make the Philippines the center of trade and industry and transshipment hub in the eastern hemisphere. This new integrated economic union constitutes one third of the world.

The Philippines is in a vantage position to derive benefits from all these global economic developments.

We hope that Duterte is aware of these watershed events and concentrate on making his country a tourist and investment haven.

He has ample political capital to ram through the much-needed reforms and meaningful changes. .

He should not be bothered by the heckling and brickbats of his political opponents and critics since they do not diminish his popularity and trust rating.

He doesn’t need extraordinary powers or declare martial law to

impose discipline and make his orders followed and implemented. Majority of the people are behind him and are even tolerant of his foolish decisions and misdeeds.

Duterte still has more than two years to prove himself deserving of the highest and most prestigious position in government. He can if he wants to. Nobody will stop him. He has run away with blatant human rights violations and atrocious foreign policy initiatives.

Since moral decadence is not an incurable disease, he president can restore the dignity and nobility of the Filipino race.

But first, President Rodrigo Duterte must reform himself.

Ernesto G. Banawis was former general manager of the Philippine News Agency and an avid student of government and history.

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News

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Refrain from making ‘bomb jokes’—CAAP

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines on Tuesday reiterated its appeal to air travelers to stop making bomb and prank jokes, or spreading rumors regarding bomb threats to avoid panic or inconvenience to other passengers.

The CAAP also reminded the public to be wary of doing such things and warned that making bomb joke ispunishable of up to five years imprisonment and P40,000 fine, or both under Presidential Decree 1727 (AntiBomb Joke Law).

The Authority made the appeal following a recent incident involving Airphil fight bound for Cebu at the Davao International Airport which was delayed for few hours after a certain Ramon Barrios had said something about a bomb, forcing the passengers to alight from the plane.

Davao International Airport officer-incharge Rex Obcena said Barrios “made a reference to a bomb, which according to him was only a joke while he was on board the aircraft.”

“Barrios was consequently arrested by the PNP Aviation Security Unit (AVSEU) personnel and has been held for further investigation,” the CAAP stated in its report.

He was later turned over to the local Sasa Police headquarters for appropriate charges.

CAAP chief information officer and spokesperson Eric Apolonio said all passengers and cargo on board were offloaded in order to facilitate the aircraft security check, causing a delay on the flight.

Apolonio warned that jokes about carrying bombs while in the airport or on board the aircraft will be treated seriously and anyone cracking jokes will be denied carriage by the airlines and/or entry in the airport and will be subjected to investigation by the PNP.

BI deports 294 Chinese ‘illegals’

By Vito Barcelo

T

HE Bureau of Immigration deported 294 arrested Chinese nationals in two chartered flights at the Puerto Princesa International Airport on Wednesday morning.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the deportation of the aliens were part of the 329 arrested in 8 different hotels and establishments last September through an operation of BI Intelligence agents with the assistance of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command.

According to Fortunato Manahan, Chief of BI’s Intelligence Division, the aliens were arrested for “violating the conditions of their stay by working in the country without the necessary permits and visas.”

Manahan said that flying out at the same time are

seven minors who were also intercepted during the same operation.

“Upon determination of their age, they were ordered released. Custody has been turned over to the Chinese Embassy, and they have also flown on the same day with other Chinese citizens, bringing up the total number to 301.” said Manahan.

Manahan said that the passports of the 301 have also been canceled by the Chinese government, making them undocumented aliens.

The group is the first batch to leave among those

arrested in Palawan.

“There is a smaller group of 17 that will all be flown to Manila, whose deportation order is already being processed, while 11 have NBI hits—including the principal—hence we wait for the resolution of their local cases before implementing deportation.

Before the implementation of their deportation, the group was temporarily detained in an inn in Puerto Princesa, which was secured by BI and WESCOM agents.

Meanwhile, Morente reiterated his warning against illegal aliens hiding in the country. “We are targeting big companies who so blatantly disregard our laws by hiring improperly documented foreign nationals,” said Morente.

“We welcome you to our country to do business as long as you comply with our laws. If you fail to follow, we will deport you,” he warned.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

TODAY

N OTICE Notice is hereby given that PRIMA CASA LAND & HOUSES, 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 an expanding developer of economic and low-cost housing project (Lumina Classic 2A) with a capacity of 283 economic and lowcost units on a non-pioneer status, with project site at Brgy. San Vicente, Sto. Tomas, Batangas.

Any person with valid objections 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 Director Infrastructure and Services industries Service (MS-NOV. 6, 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 under the Preferred List - Mass Housing (Lumina Sariaya) with a capacity of 749 residential units on a Non-Pioneer status, with project site at Brgy. Sampaloc, Sariaya, Quezon.

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) DIRECTOR ANGELITA F. ARCELLANA infrastructure and Services industries Service (MS-NOV. 6, 2019)

N OTICE Notice is hereby given that BRIA HOMES, INC. (FORMERLY: CASA REGALIA, INCORPORATED), 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 an Expanding Developer of Economic and Low-Cost Housing project (Lumina Classic 2B) with a capacity of 327 economic and low-cost units on a NonPioneer status, with project site at Brgy. San Vicente, Sto. Tomas, Batangas.

Any person with valid objections 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

(MS-NOV. 6, 2019)

N OTICE Notice is hereby given that CEBU AIR, INC. doing business under the names and styles of Cebu Pacific and Cebu Pacific Air with office address at Cebu Pacific Building, Domestic Road, Barangay 191, Zone 20, Pasay City, is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOl) as New Operator of Air Transport Services under Preferred Activity Insfrastructure and Logistics including LGU-PPPs - Air, Land and Water Transport - Air Transport (A321NEO#4 with CAB Registration No. RP-C4121 and Serial No. MSN9092) on a Non-Pioneer status, with project site located at Airline Operations Center, Domedtic Road, Pasay City 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) DIRECTOR ANGELITA F. ARCELLANA Infrastructure and Services industries Service

(MS-NOV. 6, 2019)

Some 294 Chinese nationals get ready for their flight back home at the Palawan International Airport after they were deported in two chartered flights after violating conditions of their stay by working in the country ‘without the necessary permits.’

Ex-mayor charged with ‘obstruction of justice’ THE Sandiganbayan has found a former mayor guilty of obstruction of justice after he tried to hide a piece of evidence from investigators of a vehicular accident involving his adopted son nine years ago.

The anti-graft court’s’ Fifth Division, in a decision dated Oct. 25, also slapped former Talisay City, Cebu mayor Socrates C. Fernandez a P6,000-fine for the crime. Fernandez was also perpetually disqualified from holding office.

Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Maryann E. CorpusManalac penned the decision concurred in by Associate Justices Rafael R. Lagos and Maria Theresa V. Mendoza-Arcega.

Fernandez was charged in 2016 with violation of Section 1 (b) of Presidential Decree 1829 (Decree Penalizing Obstruction of Apprehension and Prosecution of Criminal Offend-

ers) arising from an incident that happened Sitio Zombria, Barangay Lawaan 2, Talisay City on June 4, 2010 when he retrieved a lady’s bag from a red Isuzu Bighorn sport utility vehicle (SUV) with plate number YEZ 460.

The SUV at the time was under police custody in connection with the arrest of the former mayor’s adopted son, Joavan Fernandez.

Fernandez was arrested by policemen while inside an auto shop for poking a gun at a certain Vincent Joe R. Castrodes when the latter’s BMW sedan and the SUV nearly collided earlier that day.

With the police guarding the seized vehicle, the mayor arrived around an hour later to retrieve a red bag which he said was requested by the bag’s owner, his son’s friend, Katherine Jane Mahinay. PNA

NLEX CONNECTOR.

DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, together with Raul Ignacio, chief operating officer, NLEX Corp.; J. Luigi L. Bautista, president and general manager, NLEX Corp., and other officials inspects the map where The NLEX Connector will continue the NLEX southward from NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 from the new Caloocan Interchange.

Manny Palmero

House honors Chinese ambassador to PH THE House of Representatives on Monday honored Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua, conferring him with the Congressional Medal of Achievement for fostering strong diplomatic ties between Philippines and China during his five-year tour of duty.

House Resolution 474 was principally filed by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez of Leyte and House Minority Leader Bienvenido Abante of Manila was adopted by the House of Representatives, crediting Zhao for the stronger bonds

and friendship of the two nations since his assignment to Manila in April 2014.

They honored the work and contribution of Zhao as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Philippines.

“Notwithstanding their distinct or conflicting positions, he helped resolve their differences in a friendly manner, leading to the turnaround of previously cold relations into the golden age of Philippine-China bilateral relations that we know today,” the two-page resolution said. Maricel V. Cruz

Review Marawi rehab efforts— Mindanao solons

By Maricel V. Cruz TWO lawmakers from Mindanao have sought an update on the status of the Marawi rehabilitation program being implemented by an inter-agency body to enable Congress come up with a legislation that will help bring back normalcy in the war-torn area two years after the fated siege.

In filing House Resolution 470, Deputy Speaker Mujiv Hataman and Anak Mindanao Rep. Amihilda Sangcopan urged House of Representatives’ Committee on Disaster Management to conduct a thorough assessment of the Bangon Marawi Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Program as implemented

by Task Force Bangon Marawi.

“The end goal is to provide an environment conducive to the revival of business and livelihood activities, and restoration of peace and order in the area. We want to know if how much of this goal has been achieved and how long until we get there,” the two lawmakers said in the resolution.

Hataman said he also wants to inquire from the inter-agency body on how the government will be able to work double time to implement the rehabilitation, and how Congress will assist the government to realize its undertakings.

Sangcopan, for her part, said it’s been two years that the Marawi City was devastated by its 2017 siege by Islamic State-inspired terrorists, and yet a lot of families affected by the siege are having a hard time to get back on their feet.

They added that TFBM should give regular updates on all efforts of the inter-agency body to apprise, not just the people of Marawi or Mindanao, but the whole Filipino public as well of the developments in the rehabilitation program.

POEA warns public on jobs offered thru Facebook, social media

By Vito Barcelo

THE Philippine Overseas Employment Administration on Tuesday warned Filipino jobseekers to be cautious of supposed employment opportunities offered in social media, especially in Facebook pages and masquerading as POEA-owned accounts.

POEA Administrator Bernard P. Olalia said there is a proliferation of fake Facebook pages that falsely

use the name and logo of the POEA to advertise job vacancies in countries like Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States.

Olalia warned that these are not verified or approved by the POEA as he identified the fake online as POEA Job Hirings in New Zealand, POEA Jobs Online, OFW POEA Jobs Abroad, POEA Jobs Abroad, POEA Job Hiring USA, POEA Job Hiring Australia, POEA Job Hiring UK, POEA Job Agency

Hiring, POEA Trabaho Abroad Hiring, POEA Jobs in Dubai, Work Abroad-POEA Licensed Company, and POEA Accredited Licensed Agency.

The FB page “POEA Job Hirings in New Zealand” was reported to have posted ads of supposed vacancies of Honda New Zealand that target Filipino workers. The company has since denied any active recruitment activity in the Philippines or any country outside New Zealand.

Sports

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Team Philippines sends largest th delegation of 1,868 to 30 SEAG T HE Philippines entered 1,115 Athletes and 753 Coaches and officials, which is the biggest number of delegation in the 30th Sea Games.

The 1,868 Filipino contingent will lead Indonesia, which has the is the second biggest delegation with 1,702, including a big number of self-funded athletes and officials.

To the surprise of many, Singapore entered the third biggest delegation with 1,591 followed by Thailand with 1,473, Malaysia with 1,076, followed by Myanmar with 952.

Vietnam, the next host of the SEA Games in 2021 is ranked 7th in terms of number of delegation with 890 as it did

not field athletes in most team events, except in football, volleyball and men’s basketball.

Cambodia, the host of the 2023 SEA Games, fielded 510, followed by Laos with 419, Brunei with 257 and Timor Leste with 221.

Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee officials say that the final number of entries may still go down in the delegation registration meeting on November 19.

A total of 530 gold medals will be at

stake in 56 sports in the 30th SEA Games.

The Philippines eyes to finish in the top three among the 11 countries competing in the SEA Games.

Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Butch Ramirez, who is also the Chief of Mission of the Philippine Delegation, believes that Team Philippines will perform well in the 30th biennial games.

Ramirez said that according to assessments and medal projections made by national sports association or NSA officials, Team Philippines is capable of winning 90 to 100 gold medals.

Ramirez said that the PSC board has approved all funds for the exposures and training of all the SEA Games-bound ath-

letes to prepare them well for the biennial games.

“The PSC spent for all the training, especially the foreign exposures of the athletes for the SEA Games,” Ramirez said.

“We hope to find Olympic-grade athletes from them as well as the Tokyo Games are also just around the corner.

Meanwhile, former POC president Jose Peping Cojuangco felt slighted by a statement made by a Malaysian Sports leader insinuating that the Philippines used its home court advantage to win the overall championship in the 2005 SEA Games.

Cojuangco, who was the POC president at that time challenged the Malaysian official to prove his allegation.

Hamilton, family, pals celebrate his 6th F1 title AUSTIN—Lewis Hamilton was still celebrating with family and friends in New York on Monday after clinching his sixth Formula One world title and opening his heart at the United States Grand Prix.

The 34-year-old Briton, now the second most successful driver of all time behind seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, flew to New York with his party after Sunday’s race and an admission that he had been ‘battling certain demons’.

“Each and every single one of us is struggling with something in life.

I try to show people that, from the outside, things always look great, but it’s not always the case,” he said.

“I am struggling with lots of different things and battling certain demons. When you look in the mirror each day, whether you feel good or you feel bad, there is always the darker side that’s trying to pull you down—and you constantly have to wake up.

“I look in the mirror each morning and I’m trying to lift myself up and say ‘you can do it. Yes, you are great’.”

In the aftermath of winning his fifth title in six years with Mercedes, Hamilton also revealed how much he missed his friend and mentor Niki Lauda, the three-time champion who was Mercedes non-executive chairman and died in May. “I would say that I didn’t think it would hit me so hard, losing Niki,” said Hamilton. “I miss him dearly. I didn’t realize how much I loved the guy.”

Hamilton, now within reach of Schumacher’s records of seven championship wins and 91 Grand Prix victories, is due back in Britain for a team celebration at Mercedes headquarters at Brackley on Wednesday. The team this year won a record sixth consecutive drivers’ and constructors’ championship double.

Porter gets 1-game ban NEW YORK—Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kevin Porter Jr. was suspended one game without pay by the NBA on Monday for improperly making contact with a game official, the league announced.

The incident took place at the end of the third quarter of Sunday’s 131111 victory by the Dallas Mavericks at Cleveland.

Porter will miss the Cavaliers’ Tuesday home game against Boston.

The Cavaliers are off to a 2-4 start to the 2019-20 campaign while the Mavericks are 4-2.

Porter, a 19-year-old guard, was the 30th and final pick of the first round in this year’s NBA Draft by Milwaukee but was traded to Cleveland via Detroit.

The Seattle left-hander made his NBA debut in a start 12 days ago in a loss to Orlando.

Porter’s father was fatally shot in July 2004 while trying to help someone being attacked. Kevin Jr., only four at the time, was raised by his mother.

After a stellar prep career, Porter played one college season at Southern California before making himself eligible for the NBA Draft. AFP

Barty ends year at no. 1

Lewis Hamilton (center) and the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team pose for a celebratory photo following the F1 Grand Prix of USA at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. AFP

PARIS—Ashleigh Barty of Australia tops the end of season women’s tennis rankings released Monday, a day after her triumph in the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, China.

With 7,851 points, Barty, who has topped the rankings since early September, eclipsed second-placed Karolína Plíšková (5,940 points) by almost 2,000 points.

Naomi Osaka (5,497) held on to third place from Simona Halep, who moved up one spot to fourth on 5.462 points.

Barty dominated Elina Svitolina in Sunday’s final in Shenzhen, winning 6-4, 6-3 to collect the richest prize in women’s tennis of $4.4 million (4m euros).

Svitolina rose two places to sixth in the rankings while Kiki Bertens moved up one to ninth at the expense of Serena Williams who slipped to 10th spot. AFP

NBA extends partnerships with Globe, PLDT, Smart THE National Basketball Association today announced an expansion of existing partnerships with Globe Telecom, Smart Communications Inc. and PLDT, Inc., leading digital services and telecommunications providers, to distribute NBA League Pass, the league’s premium live game subscription service, to their more than 213 million total subscribers nationwide.

Globe, Smart and PLDT will feature League Pass, Team Choice and 3-Game Choice packages in monthly pricing options starting as low as P85, and a weekly pricing offer for the League Pass package.

For streaming games on mobile devices, Globe subscribers can register to Globe’s data packages by texting GoWATCH 29, GoWATCH 99 or GoWATCH399 to 8080, while Smart subscribers can register to Smart’s data packages by dialing *123# and choosing GIGA VIDEO. “It’s terrific to continue this journey with Globe, PLDT and Smart, companies that share our commitment to innovation as we create authentic NBA

experiences tailor-made for our digitalsavvy consumers,” said NBA Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson.

“Building on the introduction of live regular season games on NBA Philippines Facebook and Twitter, we are working closely with the nation’s leading digital services and telecommunications providers to introduce affordable packages and data bundles to make the NBA more accessible to millions of our fans across the country.”

NBA League Pass will continue to provide the most comprehensive live and on-demand access to an entire season of NBA games in high-definition with live stats and multiple viewing options, including the NBA Mobile View, which delivers a closer shot of the action optimized for viewing on mobile phones, tablets and connected devices. Team Choice is available for all 30 teams, giving fans the option to follow one team and watch their favorite players throughout the season, while the new 3-Game Choice enables users to watch up to three games of their

choice per month.

In addition, NBA League Pass will spotlight exclusive NBA TV programming headlined by flagship program NBA GameTime as well as new shows including The Warmup, #Handles, and The List.

The Warmup, hosted by Stephanie Ready and Chris Miles, will offer the latest news, on-site reports, trending social media topics and fantasy updates prior to tip-off. The daily show will feature a roster of leading analysts including Gary Payton, Grant Hill, Isiah Thomas, Candace Parker, and Sekou Smith. #Handles on NBA TV will provide an innovative, social driven experience that will see hosts Tas Melas and 13-year NBA veteran Channing Frye engage with fans via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and recap the night’s top highlights and storylines.

Led by Jared Greenberg and Steve Smith, The List is a half-hour show intended to inspire conversation and celebrate some of the most popular players, moments, teams and achievements

throughout the NBA’s history.

Fans in the Philippines can subscribe to select NBA League Pass offerings on Globe by visiting their official store on Lazada and Shopee. Fans can download the official NBA App for free on the App Store and Google Play Store to access NBA League Pass on the go together with official game highlights, schedules, scores, stats and standings among other key features.

For more information on Globe data packages, visit www.globe.com.ph and follow Globe Telecom on Facebook. For more details on PLDT and Smart product offerings, follow the official Facebook pages of PLDT and Smart.

Select 2019-20 NBA regular-season games can be livestreamed in the Philippines for free on Facebook Watch and Twitter. Follow NBA Philippines on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest information on the livestreams. Additional details regarding the distribution of NBA games and programming will be announced soon.

National Supercross at Speedworld on Nov. 10

Grospe is 3rd stage champion

INTENSE motocross racing returns to the sporting scene as Rounds 1 and 2 of the Namssa Philippine National Supercross Championships reel off on the Nov. 10 at the Speedworld Circuit, located at the SM Bicutan Open Grounds, Doña Soledad Avenue, Bicutan, Parañaque City, Philippines.

Champion racers, led by multi-titled Kenneth San Andres, Jethrick Marquez and Moymoy Flores, plus a sprinkling of up-and-coming riders from Visayas and Mindanao, will pit guts and skills in the racing extravaganza held under the auspices of the National Motorcycle Sports Safety Association (NAMSSA).

The opening rounds will serve as the tune up races for the FIM Asia Supercross Championship slated on Nov. 21 to 24, featuring the participation of strong riders from Thailand, Indonesia, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, India, China, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

The National Motocross Championship and the FIM Asia Supercross Cham-

By Peter Atencio

Stephan “Macky” Carapiet

pionship are spearheaded by NAMSSA and FIM Asia President Stephan “Macky” Carapiet.

“The Supercross track in Manila is of international standards and surely, the FIM championship will be the most exciting motorsports’ event to hit Manila this year, with high thrilling jumps and aerial maneuvers from the top Asian MX

riders,” said Carapiet.

The twin tournaments are also organized by the NAMSSA, the sole governing body for two-wheel motorsports in the Philippines, duly affiliated with the Philippine Olympic Committee, FIM Asia and the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme of Suisse.

“It will be a fierce battle for Asian supremacy and bragging rights. Motocross enthusiasts will be in for a treat,” said Carapiet.

These events are supported by Foilacar, Karcher, Monark Cat, Shell Advance, Shell V-Power, SM Bicutan, Maynilad, Asia Brewery, KYT, Alpinestar, Partas Bus, YSS, Shakey’s and 4 BROS Racing.

“Everything is set. The riders are all excited. Everyone’s raring to give motocross fans a competition to remember,” said Carapiet.

The rise of the Philippines’ talents in Asia and the world are a product of the NAMSSA National Sports Development program.

NATIONAL rider Ismael Grospe Jr., who is preparing for the 30th Southeast Asian Games, emerged as the third stage champion in the ongoing races of the Tour de Singkarak in Indonesia With his feat, Grospe, who is carrying the Team Go For Gold banner, moved to third in the general classification standings and on top of the King of the Mountain Classification of this UCI 2.2 event.

In the taking the stage, the 21-yearold Grospe moved in front of veteran rider Bambang Suryadi of PGN Road-Indonesia.

The competition is a 125.6-kilometer race from Kota to PagangPanjang stage.

It was Grospe’s second stage win of the season after winning the PRU Ride races last May.

Both Grospe and Suryadi finished with a similar clocking of three hours 16 mins and 14 seconds, four seconds in front of third placer Kurniawan Kurniawan (BRC Indonesia).

Grospe, who was in 14th place overall standings before Stage 3, is three minutes behind GC leaders, Team Sapura-Malaysia’s Jesse Ewart and Cristian Railaneau.

He also clinched the day’s KOM honors and snatched the overall KOM honors from Marcelo Felipe of the 7Eleven Cliqq Air 21 Road Bike Philippines.

Team officials said in a message that it was an unexpected win for Grospe.

This was because their goal was to protect Jonnel Carcueva’s general classification placing and the second place position of Team Go For Gold in the team classification.

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

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Sports

GILAS BEATS ALAB. The Gilas Pilipinas team won its first tune-up match against Alab Pilipinas, 98-95, Monday night at the Meralco Gym. Here, RR Pogoy of Gilas scores with a floater.

Pacman suspends SOCCSKSARGEN for game-fixing

By Macon Ramos-Araneta WORLD boxing champion Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquaio, founder of Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, ordered the suspension of the whole SOCCSKSARGEN Team due to allegations of “game-fixing and other related scheming activities.”

Pacquiao’s order was implemented by MPBL Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes, who gave the notice to SOCCSKSARGEN Team.

“Pursuant to the MPBL’s serious drive against game-fixing and all other scheming activities related thereto, and MPBL’s serious thrust on clean and credible basketball, the league has requested the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation to investigate on game-fixing activities and other related scheming activities of your team wherein certain management personnel, coaching staff and players are involved,” Duremdes said in memo to SOCCSKSARGEN Team dated October 25, 2019.

“In view of this, MPBL suspends the whole SOCCSKSARGEN Team and hereby takes over the management of the team in order to give way to a thorough investigation on this matter.

MPBL will thereafter pursue criminal charges against any person found to have participated in game-fixing and other scheming activities that have affected the results of the games,” the memo read.a Conceding that the decision to suspend a team in the MPBL was difficult, Pacquiao, however, stressed he and the MPBL management had to take drastic action to protect the integrity of the league.

“This should serve as a serious reminder to all other teams in the MPBL that we are intolerant to any form of cheating and other unsportsmanlike behavior,” said Pacquiao.

“We formed MPBL precisely to promote fair play in basketball, so I don’t want to hear anything that would besmirch the name of the league,” he added.

Upon hearing reports of game-fixing in the MPBL, Pacquiao said the MPBL sought the help of the NBI to conduct a probe on the matter.

Knights face Pirates next

By Peter Atencio

L

ETRAN leaned on the charities of Fran Yu in the dying seconds to bail the Knights out of trouble and carry them into the second phase of the stepladder semifinals of the 95th National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament on Tuesday.

Yu gave the third-seeded Knights another scoring opportunity in the last 10.3 seconds off Ken Villapando’s foul as his two freebies handed the Knights an 8580 triumph over the no. 4 seeded Stags

yesterday at the Cuneta Astrodome.

The Knights, who are in the semis for the second straight season, will now meet the no. 2 seed Lyceum Pirates in the next stage of the playoffs on Friday.

“I gave my trust to the graduating players of team. Like with Jerrick (Balanza) and Bonbon (Batiller). Binigay ko na sa mga players ko ang fate ng team,” said Knights coach Bonnie Tan. The Stags, with RK Ilagan making a career-high 36 points, clawed their way out of the 17-point deficit in the closing minutes of third, with Ilagan knocking in 13 points in the last canto.

Ilagan’s triple with 1:40 left gave the Knights a scare as it allowed the Stags to threaten by one, 80-81.

But a layup from King Caralipio off Edson Batiller’s assist gave a Letran a three-point edge, 83-80, in the remaining 1:06.

Make it two in a row for Union Bell UNION Bell cemented its status as one of the fastest-rising young horses on the local racing scene following another masterful win in the 2nd leg of the 2019 Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom) Juvenile Fillies and Colts Stakes Race at the Metro Manila Turf Club in Malvar, Batangas on Sunday.

With multi-titled jockey JB Hernandez on its mount, Union Bell was all business from the get go as the star horse of the Bell Racing Stable blazed its way to a four-length win in the 1,400-meter contest with a winning clocking of 1:23.8 and quarter-times of 13, 22, 22, 26.

Union Bell (sire Union Rags, USA; dam Tocqueville, ARG) burst out of the gates with the lead and was momentarily challenged by Exponential, with Four Strong Wind in tow. But the two-yearold colt kept command of the race as it slowly pulled away in the final straight for the empathic win. “‘Yung alis ko, hindi naman masyado mabilis, dapat nga isusunod ko lang, naka-segundo puwesto. Kaso pagdating sa tres kuatros noong nahawakan ko na, medyo inaaway na ako, kaya binigay ko na,” said Hernandez.

“Hinintay ko na lang ang rekta, kasi alam ko naman na lamang ang kabayo ko,” Hernandez added.

The win was worth another cool P600,000 for owner Elmer de Leon, whose family was in full force during the awards rites attended by Philracom Commissioner Bienvenido Niles Jr. and Metro Turf racing manager Rudy Prado and his deputy Arthur Escala.

Filipino fencers to shoot for overall crown

Shown here are (from left) CJ Concepcion, Nathaniel Perez, Noelito Jose Jr., coach Rolando Canlas, Samantha Catantan, and Nicole Cortey.

Beermen, Hotshots try to rebound

By Jeric Lopez SAN Miguel Beer and Magnolia are looking to get themselves back in the upper echelon as they face separate foes in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup. Uncharacteristically on a two-game slide, the Beermen (5-3) are looking to arrest their woes when they play a revamped Blackwater (2-7) side at 4:30 p.m. at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

Succeeding this is a bout between the Hotshots (4-4) and Phoenix (2-6) at 7 p.m.

In the middle of its chase for a coveted Grandslam, San Miguel is currently on a skid after starting out on fire.

Following its 5-1 start, the Beermen have suffered back-to-back losses at the hands of Phoenix and Meralco.

Even though they are still tied for fourth with the Gin Kings, San Miguel coach Leo Austria knows he and his wards need to turn on the switch at this point.

“We’re playing without the urgency to compete and win right now,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria. “We need to start focusing again and be the veteran team that we are.”

A win can formalize San Miguel’s entry in the quarterfinals. It is also aiming for a top four finish for a twice-to-beat incentive in the next round.

San Miguel will face a Blackwater camp that is welcoming some new additions.

The Elite will now start its life without former star Bobby Ray Parks, who was dealt away last week to TNT in exchange for Don Trollano and Anthony Semerad.

Blackwater is fighting for dear life as a loss will eliminate it in the chase for a berth in the quarterfinals.

The Hotshots, who are in the middle of the pack in sixth place, look to maintain their spot and protect their place in the top eight as they seek to get a win against the Fuel Masters.

Magnolia will now have Chris Banchero at its disposal after acquiring him in a deal with Alaska over the weekend.

Like the Elite, Phoenix, which is in 10th place, also needs a win to keep its sagging chances of cracking the top eight alive.

Tigers in high spirits going into FEU game

By Peter Atencio

Union Bell scores another emphatic win.

Runner-up Four Strong Wind pocketed P225,000, while third-placer Exponential received P125,000 in the stakes race featuring the Philippines’ top two-year-old horses and offering a total of P1,040,000 in prizes from the sponsoring Philracom.

It was a fitting follow-up win for Union Bell, which also ruled the 1st leg of the Juvenile Stakes Race early October as its back-to-back triumph set the stage for a three-race sweep of the series, which concludes on Dec. 1.

“Pipilitin namin na kunin,” said Hernandez, who has never lost a race with Union Bell so far.

Other Sunday winners were Sheer (Race 1), Miss Campbell (Race 2), Gee’s Song (Race 3), Chancetheracer (Race 4), Old Timer (Race 6), Jawo (Race 7),

THE Philippine fencing team to the 30th SEA Games will not settle for anything less than winning the overall title on home soil.

The last time the Philippines hosted the biennial event in 2005, the local fencers were overall champions with five gold, five silver and a couple of bronze medals.

“That´s our aim. We are targeting three to four golds. We want all our fencers to win medals. If not the gold, then a silver or bronze,” said head coach Rolando Canlas Jr. in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Amelie Hotel in Manila.

Fencing in this year´s SEA

Boss Emong (Race 8), Sari Baby (Race 9), Matriarchal (Race 10), Summer Romance (Race 11) and Havana Ohhnana (Race 12).

More big stakes races are still in the offing from Philracom in the coming months—such as the Ambassador Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr. Cup on Nov. 17 and the 2nd leg of the 3YO Imported/Local Challenge on Nov. 24.

December proves to be the busiest horseracing month for big races with the Philracom’s holding of the 3rd leg of the Juvenile Fillies and Colts Stakes Races on the 1st, the Grand Sprint Championship on the 15th, the Chairman’s Cup and the 3rd leg of the 3YO Imported/Local Challenge Series on the 29th and the Juvenile Championship on the 31st.

Games will be staged at the World Trade Center in Pasay City from Dec. 3 to 8. A total of 12 gold medals will be disputed among fencers from nine competing countries—men’s and women’s individual and team events in foil, epee and sabre.

Canlas, a gold and bronze medalist in 2005, is confident that the 24-member national team will deliver.

“With help from the Philippine Sports Commission, they were provided with everything from foreign exposure, foreign coach, nutrition, conditioning and sports psychology. They are all excited,” he added.

The country´s top fencers, including Noelito Jose Jr., Nathan-

iel Perez, CJ Concepcion, Nicole Cortey and reigning Asian Under-23 champion Samantha Catantan graced the forum presented by San Miguel Corp., Braska Restaurant, Amelie Hotel and PAGCOR. In the 2015 SEA Games, the Filipinos failed to win a gold, settling for a handful silver medals, and in 2017 they marked their return to the top with a gold, three silvers and two bronzes.

Canlas said full support from the government and top fencing officials led by Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez and Celso Dayrit has given the fencers enough motivation to deliver the gold.

THE fourth-seeded University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers are in high spirits going into their stepladder semifinal playoffs.

Coach Aldin Ayo said many of the players contributed well considering that they lack ceiling in the 82nd University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament. “‘Yung mga small men namin, we already have Mark, we already have Rhenz, and the rest of the guys. Materyales. The system is in place, but kung may maidadagdag na mga malalaki, mas maigi sa program namin,” said Ayo before their 4 p.m. showdown with the Far Eastern University Tamaraws at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Growling Tigers, who went beyond expectations this season, come into the fight with big man Soulemane Chabi Yo holding his ground in the shaded lanes.

But talented shooters like Mark Nonoy, Rhenz Abando, Brent Paraiso and Renzo Subido would most likely create opportunities to propel the Tigers in the second phase of the playoffs against the second-seeded University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons.

The Tams, on the other hand, are not expected to go down that easy.

Team effort and individual talent have given the Far Eastern University Tamaraws a big fighting chance.

FEU coach Olsen Racela believes so as the Tams will be banking on their experience in playing in the semis for seven straight seasons.

“It just shows the collective effort that we put in dito sa FEU, tulungan kami,” said Racela.

FEU is again in the semis after routing University of the East, 82-58 two weeks ago.

The Tams’ seventh straight semis appearance is considered the longest active streak in the UAAP. While the Tams don’t have any dominant player, Racela said the team excels in defense, only allowing teams to score an average of 65.93 points per game— second best in the league.

The downside is the Tams have the lowest average output this season with their average of 68.43 points.

Business

IN BRIEF

Factory production slips for 9th month

FACTORY production slipped for the ninth consecutive month, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Tuesday.

Results of the PSA’s monthly integrated survey of selected industries showed that the volume of production index dropped 3 percent in September, pulled down by double-digit decreases in furniture and fixtures, leather products, petroleum products, miscellaneous manufactures and electrical machinery.

The National Economic and Development Authority said the upcoming holiday season and strong macroeconomic conditions would likely contribute to the improved performance the manufacturing sector in the fourth quarter.

“Despite the slowdown in the overall performance of the manufacturing sector for September 2019, we have observed improvements in various sub-sectors which can be attributed to the upcoming holiday season alongside lower inflation, stable exchange rate, and lower interest rate,” said NEDA Undersecretary Adoracion Navarro. Julito G. Rada

MacroAsia obtains stake in Japan firm

MACROASIA Corp., the country’s dominant aviation support service provider, said Tuesday it acquired a 30-percent stake in Konoike Transport’s ground handling unit in Narita Airport in Japan for 1.825 billion yen (P850 million).

Konoike in turn will acquire a 20-percent interest in MacroAsia’s ground handling subsidiary MacroAsia Airport Services Corp. for 2.344 billion yen (P1.09 billion).

The cross-border transaction was concluded in a signing ceremony at Century Park Hotel in Manila on Tuesday.

“This will be financially positive and lead to other expansion with Konoike,” said MacroAsia chief operating officer Joseph Chua.

“Through this partnership, the sustainable growth of MacroAsia in the next 10 years will be reinforced. Japan’s robust growth in local and international travelers will create tremendous demand on airport ground handlers and other aviation support service providers,” MacroAsia said in a statement. Jenniffer B. Austria

Insular Life adopts SmartPesa solution

INSULAR Life, a leading underwriter of life, health and retirement insurance plans in the Philippines, implemented SmartPesa’s sp4Insurance solution to allow its financial advisors to take secure payments at customers’ premises.

The new system eliminates unnecessary paperwork by digitizing information at source, instantly reconciles all policy premiums and payments and provides customers with assurance that their policies are in force and up to date.

Using a mobile app, InLife financial advisors are able to get real-time updates on existing policies with due premium; accept secure debit and credit card payments for new business and renewal premiums for multiple policies using a mobile card terminal; view history, receive daily and monthly statements; and provide SMS notifications and electronic transaction slips for an end-to-end paperless process.

“This new payments experience is an important part of the seamless customer journey that we are continually improving. Our fintech innovation partnership with VISA supports fast, convenient and secure customer payment experience. Our customers are always our focus whenever we create innovations. This is also part of our company’s ambition to be the best digitally connected insurer in the county,” said InLife president and CEO Mona Lisa dela Cruz.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019

B1

By Darwin G. Amojelar

ICTSI’S RECOGNITION. International Container Terminal Services Inc.’s initiative supporting the global fight against modern slavery is cited as one of the outstanding corporate sustainability efforts in the Philippines during the2019 Sustainable Business Awards.

ICTSI earned a special recognition for business responsibility and ethics for leading the effort to stop human trafficking across local and global supply chains, made possible through a P5-million grant by ICTSI Foundation Inc. to the Voice of the Free Foundation Inc. in 2018. Receiving the citation on behalf of ICTSI is chief financial officer Rafael Consing Jr. (right) from Anthony Gourlay (left), chief executive of Global Initiatives and Titon Mitra, resident representative of the United Nations Development Program-Philippines.

Inflation eases to 0.8%, the slowest in 42 months

By Julito G. Rada

I

NFLATION rate cooled down to 0.8 percent in October, the slowest in three and a half years, on lower oil and rice prices, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Tuesday.

The October figure moderated from 0.9 percent in September and 6.7 percent a year ago. This brought the average inflation in the first 10 months to 2.6 percent, below the midpoint of the 2019 target range of 2 percent to 4 percent.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said the October inflation was also within its forecast range of 0.5 to 1.3 percent for the month.

“Inflation for the month was driven by higher prices of electricity, LPG, water, and selected food items. These were tempered by lower domestic oil and rice prices,” the BSP said in a statement.

It said, however, that inflation would likely pick up starting November. “The latest inflation outturn is consistent with the BSP’s prevailing assessment that inflation has likely bottomed out in Octo-

ber and could start to pick up slightly in the remaining months of 2019 as base effects start to dissipate,” it said.

The BSP said the 2019 average inflation would firmly settle within the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent for 2019 to 2021. It said crude oil prices started to stabilize following the recent volatility caused by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

“Meanwhile, deepening trade tensions between China and the US along with other countries in the region have raised global economic uncertainty, which pose a downside risk to the inflation outlook,” it said.

PSA data showed that food and non-alcoholic beverages posted deflation for the second consecutive month at 0.9 percent in October 2019, a sharp reversal from the

9.4 percent inflation recorded last year.

Rice deflation was observed for the sixth consecutive month, dropping further to -9.7 percent in October 2019 from -8.9 percent in September.

“The government has been driven and focused in its anti-inflationary efforts this year. We hope to further keep inflation manageable and within the government’s target,” National Economic and Development Authority Undersecretary fAdoracion Navarro said in a statement.

Navarro said that although the government welcomed the easing of inflation, the country should be on the lookout for upside risks such as cases of African swine fever which was reported in Rizal, Pangasinan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Cavite and Quezon City.

“The livestock industry in the said ASFstricken areas, which accounts for 21.7 percent of the country’s total hog production last year, remains at high risk. The government and private companies must collaborate to manage, contain, and control the spread of the disease,” Navarro said.

FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR SOLDIERS. Zybi

Tech Inc. in partnership with Junior Chambers International Manila holds a small conference at Bulwagang Reyes, CRSAFP in Camp Aguinaldo which focused on financial literacy. The conference is a roundtable meeting sponsored by Zybi Tech spearheaded by JCI Manila and attended by 49 Armed Forces of the Philippines men and women in uniform. Shown is Zybi Tech product manager Carlo Vincent Mercado discussing Zybi Tech’s product JuanCash, its services and the benefits that the AFP members are enjoying due to the official partnership.

Pag-IBIG allocates P5b in calamity loans for victims of Mindanao quakes THE top executive of Pag-IBIG Fund said P5 billion in calamity loan funds is ready for members affected by the string of devastating earthquakes that hit Mindanao.

“Following the directive of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to provide Filipinos with responsive social benefits and considering the plight of those affected by the strong earthquakes in the province of Cotabato and other parts of Mindanao, PagIBIG Fund has allocated nearly P5 billion in calamity loan funds ready to aid our nearly 300,000 active members residing in the region,” said Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and the Pag-IBIG Fund board of trustees.

Under the agency’s calamity loan program, qualified members may borrow up to 80 percent of their total Pag-IBIG regular savings, which consist of their monthly contributions, their employer’s contributions, and accumulated dividends earned. Eligible borrowers may avail of the calamity loan within 90 days from the declaration of a state of calamity in their area of residence.

The loan is payable over a period of 24 months at an interest rate of 5.95 percent per annum―the lowest rate available in the market. Considering the plight of the borrowers, the first payment of the loan is deferred, with the initial payment due on the third month after the loan is released.

“Pag-IBIG Fund is always ready to assist members to recover from effects of calamities. This year, we have already released P1.02 billion in calamity loans to aid 60,083 members in various areas around the country. And, considering the condition of our members affected by this string of earthquakes, we are also in active coordination with the national government and concerned local government units to determine where we could best establish service desks and thus, bring our services in locations nearer to our calamity-stricken members,” del Rosario said.

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

DMCI bags P8-b deal for NLEX-SLEX connector road

RCEP members still bullish on trade deal

THE remaining compliance issues by India will not deter the countries negotiating for the conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership to uphold the agreement, leaders of the participating countries said.

Participating countries issued a statement during the ASEAN Summit 2019 in Thailand, saying that the economic bloc agreed to help India surmount the difficulties it was facing to comply with the provisions of the partnership.

“India has significant outstanding issues, which remain unresolved. All RCEP participating countries will work together to resolve these outstanding issues in a mutually satisfactory way. India’s final decision will depend on satisfactory resolution of these issues,” the statement said.

The heads of state of the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, and New Zealand, gathered on November 4, 2019 in Bangkok for the 3rd RCEP Summit. Othel V. Campos

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

DMCI, SM Group deny expressing interest in $10-b Sangley airport LOCAL contractor D.M. Consunji Inc. said Tuesday it is not interested in submitting a bid for the $10-billion Sangley international airport, a week before the deadline for securing bid documents.

“We have not received any invitation. So far, it is not on our radar,” DMCI vice president for infrastructure and business unit head Dwight David Ta-Ala told reporters.

When asked if the project is attractive, Ta-Ala said, “It really depends how they package the project.”

Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla earlier said DMCI bought bid documents for the Sangley ariport.

DMCI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange last week that it was invited only by the provincial government of Cavite to attend a pre-bid conference for the project.

“This is to inform the investing public that the company has not secured

the bid documents for the $10-billion Sangley Airport,” the company said.

Remulla was quoted as saying that at least five local and one Chinese companies were interested in the redevelopment of the project which aimed to decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

He said among the local firms that showed interest in the project were Metro Pacific Group, DMCI Holdings, Ayala Corp. and SM Investments Corp.

Ayala Corp. said its real estate subsidiary was still evaluating the project and made general inquiries with the Cavite local government. SM Investments Corp. said it was not planning to participate in the Sangley development project.

The provincial government of Cavite is the lead proponent and implementing agency of the project under a publicprivate partnership scheme. Cavite said

it would no longer require the approval of the National Economic and Development Authority for its implementation.

The deadline for the securing of bid is on Nov. 11, while the submission of bids was set on Nov. 25, 2019. Interested bidders could purchase bid documents for P10 million.

The selected joint venture partner will provide the necessary equity investment and credit enhancements subject to a further competitive process or price test.

Aside from the legal, technical and financial qualifications set by the provincial government, the selected JV partner should also pass the credit standards of project lenders.

The request for proposals will require project feasibility study, instructions to candidate JV partners and the draft joint venture and development agreement. Darwin G. Amojelar

NLEX Corp. said Tuesday it awarded to D.M. Consunji Inc. the first section of an elevated expressway connecting the north and south of Metro Manila.

“The actual work on the ground, for the first four or five [kilometers] would be towards the end of November,” NLEX Corp. president Luigi Bautista said.

Bautista said the contract for the first section of the project connecting NLEX from the Caloocan Interchange to España Boulevard would cost P8 billion. The project is expected to be completed in 20 months.

“Upon full completion in 2021, the NLEX Connector will significantly cut travel time from NLEX to SLEX by at least 60 percent. Instead of the usual two hours, travel time will now be reduced to about 20 minutes,” Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said. “ It will also provide improved accessibility for cargo trucks bound for the Manila ports [North and South Harbor] and the international airports such as NAIA and Clark,” Villar said.

Bautista said the NLEX-SLEX Connector would also decongest major thoroughfares such EDSA and C5.

The second section of the NLEXSLEX Connector Road is expected to start construction by March next year.

The P23.3-billion NLEX-SLEX Connector Road is an eight-kilometer elevated four-lane expressway extending NLEX southward from the end of Segment 10 on C3 Road Caloocan City to PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila and connecting to Skyway Stage 3 by mostly traversing the PNR rail track.

The project includes two interchanges at C3 Road/5th Avenue in Caloocan and España in Manila.

A crucial infrastructure needed to resolve traffic congestion in Metro Manila, the NLEX Connector is also expected to stimulate economic development in Manila, Caloocan, Malabon and Navotas and their surrounding areas.

Ayala Land’s nine-month earnings rose 12% to P23.2b

By Jenniffer B. Austria PROPERTY developer Ayala Land Inc. said Tuesday net income grew 12 percent in the first nine months to P23.2 billion from P20.7 billion in the same period last year despite the weak revenue growth due to a decline in residential sales.

ALI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the nine-month revenues rose 2 percent to P121.7 billion as residential sales went down by 9 percent to P67.89 billion from P74.5 billion.

Local homebuyers drove residential sales comprising 70 percent of the total while overseas Filipinos accounted for 14 percent. Demand from other nationalities took up the balance of 16 percent.

Residential launches in the first three quarters reached P57.3 billion, representing a little over half its target P111billion launches for the full year.

“Third-quarter financial results were in line with our expectations, following a similar pattern to what we have seen in the first half of the year. We, however, launched more developments during the period, which we anticipate will help us finish strong in 2019 and provide positive momentum in 2020,” ALI president and chief executive Bernard Vincent Dy said.

“Commercial leasing assets, on the other hand, continue to outperform as business and consumer activity remain robust, and as more completed assets over the last couple of years stabilize and experience high occupancy rates,” Dy said.

Sales reservations remained steady at P108.5 billion, fueled by the growth in sales reservations of Alveo and Avida projects.

B2

Business

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stock market rallies; SMIC up

S

TOCKS rallied Tuesday after the government announced that inflation rate settled at a 42-month low in October and on renewed optimism over US-China trade talks.

The Philippines Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, jumped 157 points, or 1.95 percent, to close at 8,216.68. It was also up 10 percent since the start of the year.

The broader index, representing all shares, went up 55 points, or 1.1 percent, to settle at 4,887.37 on a value turnover of P9.5 billion. Losers edged gainers, 95 to 94, while 54 issues were unchanged.

SM Investments Corp., the holding company of the Sy family, climbed 6.4 percent to P1,091 while unit SM Prime Holdings Inc. gained 2.8 percent to P40.60. Bank of the Philippine Islands rose 2.8 percent to P100.

Meanwhile, other Asian markets also rose Tuesday, tracking a record lead from Wall Street as trade optimism was given another lift by a report saying the US was considering cutting some tariffs on Chinese goods.

The rally built on Monday’s advance with global equities buoyed by expectations the economic superpowers are close to a mini trade deal, strong earnings and lower interest rates.

A forecast-busting US jobs report on Friday and signs the American economy is stabilizing added to the upbeat mood.

The Financial Times said Tuesday that the White House is considering dropping existing tariffs on more than $100 billion of imports in a bid to seal the deal with China.

It cited unnamed sources as saying officials were looking at rolling back levies on a range of imports including clothing, appliances, and flatscreen

monitors, which have been subject to 15 percent rates since September 1.

The US has imposed duties on Chinese goods worth hundreds of billions and the removal of some of these is said to be a key demand of Beijing in any trade agreement.

Meanwhile, a Bloomberg News article said Chinese officials were considering locations in the United States that Xi Jinping and Donald Trump could hold a signing ceremony as early as this month.

Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst for Asia-Pacific at OANDA, said: “It could be interpreted as the US blinking first as the presidential impeachment hearings gather momentum, and we approach the holiday season and then an election year.”

AxiTrader senior market analyst Stephen Innes said that while shares have enjoyed a long run on the back of the trade deal hopes, investors appeared willing to press on with their buying for now.

“The question is whether the market has now priced in the... phase one trade deal,” he said in a note.

“And for the time being it appears, risk markets are in benefit-of-the-doubt mode, preferring to look through any fragility in macro data, while applying a higher weight to comments on trade,” Innes said.

Tokyo led gainers as it reopened after a long weekend to play catch-up with Monday’s rally.

The Nikkei ended 1.8 percent higher, while Shanghai rose 0.5 percent, Sydney added 0.2 percent and Singapore put on 0.4 percent. Seoul climbed 0.6 percent, while Taipei rallied 0.8 percent.

Hong Kong rose 0.4 percent as investors there brushed off data showing a key measure of business confidence fell to its lowest level in more than a decade as the city reels from global trade woes and violent democracy protests. With AFP

Manila Standard BuSineSS daily StockS review tueSday, noveMBer 5, 2019

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 55 1,530 100 3,624,570 160 2,367,720 1.28 179,000 25.4 220,200 18.6 700 12.82 505,900 4.7 122,000 1.25 52,000 775 140 0.4 480,000 68 6,136,180 0.88 83,000 13.1 4,700 45.65 58,300 174.9 1,310 116.6 10 58.2 1,820 25.95 57,800 203.2 688,410 1,830 110 60.75 28,590 1.09 6,000

84,130.50 361,041,970.50 377,316,847 218,920 5,602,915 13,020 6,517,396 558,090 65,000 108,500 192,200 411,316,874 73,780 61,030 2,654,035 229,217 1,166 106,004 1,498,195 139,842,506 202,075 1,735,534 6,590

-1,630.50 107,077,550 213,552,036 -8,190.00 -99,460 2,049,690 73,528,060.50 0 217,020 -93,280 -819,855 -40,540,882 -1,553,869 -

39.85 2.71 13.6 0.64 1.29 3.93 0.238 2.53 15 8.31 17.3 30 65.35 2.11 5.8 5.51 8.24 15.18 10.3 6.99 25 78.9 47.8 2.18 14.44 8.05 1.45 232 46 5.11 3.58 9 18.9 13.22 17.6 347 1.68 4.34 5.03 9.4 10.78 33.8 5.4 5.48 1.81 1.95 0.98 11.3 92 7.49 0.131 1.07 154 1.27 1.08

INDUSTRIAL 40.4 1,581,900 2.74 11,847,000 13.94 297,500 0.65 4,298,000 1.29 66,000 4.14 5,163,000 0.242 4,550,000 2.56 1,175,000 15.1 1,675,400 8.47 304,100 18 400 31 85,100 65.35 1,600 2.11 101,000 5.95 26,600 5.51 38,500 8.26 8,906,600 15.22 195,200 10.68 296,200 7 466,400 25.75 1,728,500 79 154,090 48.4 4,100 2.28 6,859,000 14.58 599,800 8.25 216,600 1.49 50,000 233 669,370 46 1,300 5.11 26,000 3.59 4,000 9.38 6,600 19.2 1,809,300 13.22 43,400 17.68 1,002,800 349 445,310 1.71 1,766,000 4.34 1,000 5.03 769,300 9.4 2,800 11 30,200 33.8 382,400 5.4 154,200 5.5 193,300 1.81 3,148,000 1.95 157,000 0.98 88,000 11.4 19,800 92.9 33,020 7.56 75,200 0.131 20,000 1.1 92,000 156 1,008,730 1.27 8,177,000 1.1 1,071,000

63,730,045 32,567,740 4,114,502 2,808,960 85,140 20,944,840 5 1,093,810 2,997,800(1, 25,296,536 2,558,319 6,990 2,608,640 104,592 214,050 154,295 215,135 74,070,402 2,968,468 3,161,422 3,261,903 44,153,105 12,171,555 196,665 15,351,480 8,715,216 1,763,379 73,200 155,967,624 62,000 132,860 14,330 59,486 34,777,286 575,246 17,716,970 155,585,734 3,016,640 4,340 3,884,677 26,425 331,352 12,958,010 832,700 1,061,960 5,743,450 308,920 86,530 225,794 3,061,207 566,296 2,630 99,000 157,249,536 10,527,660 1,168,520

38,018,725 2,908,230 2,137,960 130,000 ,412,720.0003 24,200 164,239.9997) -13,047,448 226,311 -2,451,500 -28,429 -14,260,021 1,910,552 -2,225,251 8,872,435 -5,865,922.50 -29,040 1,133,100 -4,115,740 912,644 38,378,508 7,160 -18,000,956 -2,622 -7,390,204 1,591,572 676,350 857,760.00 -5,463,210 -712,800 287,421 18,100 -39,640 -36,550 -25,080 -962,156 755 1,320 19,578,741 756,410 53,460

0.84 56.85 11.74 0.74 6.61 13.2 1.14 1.18 880 3.64 1,280 6.93 8.34 13.4 0.213 914 5.61 79 0.55 4.37 13.5 0.59 4.97 0.039 1.44 2.61 172 2.25 1,091 0.87 1.3 226.6 0.235

0.82 55.6 11.54 0.72 6.61 12.72 1.12 1.17 865 3.6 1,251 6.9 8.22 13.12 0.212 890.5 5.61 76.6 0.5 4.28 13.32 0.54 4.91 0.038 1.41 2.6 168.2 2.25 1,034 0.85 1.28 226 0.23

HOLDING FIRMS 0.83 4,952,000 56.6 2,079,490 11.74 6,397,100 0.73 176,000 6.61 100 13.1 27,800 1.13 254,000 1.17 32,000 877 1,902,960 3.61 402,000 1,280 20 6.92 3,494,600 8.32 20,325,200 13.4 23,400 0.212 60,000 910 106,710 5.61 191,200 79 3,115,950 0.51 40,000 4.37 6,308,000 13.32 1,380,700 0.58 1,063,000 4.95 12,162,000 0.039 1,300,000 1.41 189,000 2.6 6,000 170.6 129,270 2.25 1,000 1,091 729,660 0.85 101,000 1.28 8,000 226.6 230 0.235 1,140,000

4,131,410 117,743,813.50 74,644,942 126,940 661 359,070 286,670 37,740 1,667,345,895 1,450,000 25,165 24,185,131 168,761,112 312,736 12,760 96,980,440 1,072,632 244,466,293,133 20,900 27,242,360 18,512,630 585,880 60,090,990 49,600 268,320 15,640 22,026,815 2,250 780,908,725 85,870 10,260 52,046 262,600

-406,760 -6,629,935.50 -7,543,084 -146,265,580 68,690 1,486,976 -35,761,650 -70,914 29,020,670 -1,037,850 ,156,307.9998 -2,212,250 1,028,470 28,000 37,345,440 5,569,560 456,085,695 -89,700

15 0.82 1.78 0.88 49.65 2.03 4.59 0.61 0.77 0.87 0.21 0.52 10.44 20.8 0.49 1.65 1.27 4.97 0.295 0.395 1.57 0.385 2.08 27 2.31

14.84 0.8 1.72 0.87 48.7 1.99 4.49 0.58 0.76 0.87 0.201 0.47 10.26 20.6 0.465 1.63 1.24 4.87 0.29 0.39 1.5 0.375 2 26.1 2.27

PROPERTY 14.98 5,700 0.82 216,000 1.78 11,000 0.87 750,000 49 10,078,500 1.99 2,986,000 4.51 96,000 0.58 30,826,000 0.77 46,000 0.87 12,000 0.208 310,000 0.475 19,710,000 10.34 571,700 20.8 225,100 0.465 6,590,000 1.64 26,250,000 1.27 101,000 4.95 23,534,000 0.295 2,930,000 0.39 460,000 1.53 2,214,000 0.385 70,000 2 755,000 27 1,926,000 2.27 504,000

85,096 173,680 19,040 658,040 494,945,410 5,964,270(5, 434,380 18,294,410 35,110 10,440 64,020 9,930,450 5,895,482 4,666,550 3,139,850 42,926,300 125,370 115,858,820 854,150 180,900 3,374,520 26,550 1,523,850 51,545,580 1,144,400

-2,996 71,972,110 450,449.9997) 54,310 -2,400 35,110 243,000 4,815,730 1,511,965 -122,500 1,524,420 -31,880,420 -15,100 38,864,335 -18,480

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

55 97.95 157 1.18 25.35 18.6 12.86 4.65 1.25 775 0.405 66.4 0.89 12.8 45.35 174.9 116.6 58.3 26.2 203 1,840 61 1.14

55 100 160 1.33 25.7 18.6 12.94 4.7 1.25 775 0.405 68 0.89 13.1 45.8 175 116.6 58.3 26.2 204.8 1,840 61 1.14

54.35 97.5 156.2 1.14 25.35 18.6 12.76 4.45 1.25 775 0.4 66.35 0.88 12.8 45.15 174.9 116.6 57.8 25.85 200.2 1,830 60.65 1.09

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

40 2.8 13.7 0.67 1.29 4.02 0.242 2.56 15.1 8.34 17.3 30.3 66 2.13 5.8 5.59 8.48 15.2 10.3 7 25.35 79 48.5 2.22 14.58 8.05 1.49 233 48 5.11 3.58 9.04 19.7 13.24 17.6 350 1.7 4.34 5.06 9.45 10.98 34 5.5 5.49 1.88 1.99 1 11.3 92.8 7.5 0.132 1.07 154 1.33 1.11

40.4 2.8 13.94 0.68 1.29 4.15 0.244 2.56 15.12 8.55 18 31 66 2.13 5.95 5.59 8.65 15.22 10.7 7.01 25.75 79 48.5 2.28 14.58 8.29 1.49 235 48 5.11 3.59 9.38 19.7 13.3 17.7 350.4 1.74 4.34 5.08 9.45 11 34 5.5 5.5 1.88 1.99 1 11.46 92.9 7.58 0.132 1.1 157.5 1.33 1.11

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ANSCOR ASIABEST GROUP ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B AYALA CORP AYALA LAND LOG BHI HLDG COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT 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

0.83 56.5 11.62 0.72 6.61 13.1 1.12 1.18 865 3.64 1,251 6.92 8.25 13.38 0.213 905 5.61 76.6 0.55 4.32 13.38 0.56 4.91 0.038 1.44 2.61 168.2 2.25 1,034 0.87 1.3 226.2 0.23

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

14.84 0.8 1.73 0.88 48.9 2.03 4.59 0.6 0.76 0.87 0.205 0.49 10.28 20.75 0.49 1.64 1.26 4.9 0.29 0.39 1.55 0.38 2.08 26.5 2.27

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND VISTAMALLS

39.15 2.63 1.88 7.69 5.54

40.6 2.68 1.96 7.72 5.54

39.05 2.63 1.49 7.66 5.35

40.6 2.65 1.5 7.69 5.51

18,480,700 132,000 163,994,000 1,965,500 7,700

740,217,165 348,670 282,708,300 15,113,841 41,648

273,862,950 5,260 -544,400 -4,544,311 -

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

11 18.52 1.65 11.48 0.51 0.041 18.32 2.5 10.98 95.3 6.71 5.2 9.03 920 1,863 5.27 430 11.5 1.63 1.75 122 0.107 4.75 2.44 13.56 3.1 0.92 20.75 0.41 3.45 2.44 1.05 1.09 12.5 3.62 2.65 8.2 2.66 4.9 150 3.02 1,120 0.67 0.48 40.55 76.05 9.29 2.62 0.67 0.34 0.66 16.86

11 18.58 1.71 11.48 0.52 0.041 18.34 2.56 10.98 96.8 6.72 6 9.1 920 1,879 5.29 430 11.5 1.64 1.75 125 0.11 4.8 2.44 13.56 3.1 0.92 20.8 0.41 3.45 2.5 1.09 1.09 12.5 3.7 2.65 8.2 2.66 4.9 152.5 3.08 1,146 0.68 0.485 41 76.75 9.29 2.69 0.68 0.34 0.68 17

10.8 18.5 1.55 11.38 0.51 0.041 18.32 2.5 10.6 95 6.65 5.13 9 920 1,855 5.25 430 11.5 1.59 1.7 122 0.107 4.7 2.3 13.56 3.01 0.91 20.35 0.41 3.45 2.44 1.05 1.09 12.5 3.54 2.65 7.8 2.66 4.88 150 3.02 1,114 0.67 0.47 40.25 75.7 9 2.61 0.67 0.33 0.66 16.84

SERVICES 11 18.54 1.55 11.48 0.51 0.041 18.34 2.54 10.6 96 6.67 5.9 9.01 920 1,868 5.25 430 11.5 1.6 1.7 125 0.109 4.79 2.3 13.56 3.02 0.91 20.75 0.41 3.45 2.5 1.07 1.09 12.5 3.56 2.65 8 2.66 4.88 150 3.04 1,133 0.68 0.485 40.25 75.7 9 2.69 0.67 0.33 0.67 17

11,800 66,900 344,000 26,908,300 2,351,000 4,200,000 300 437,000 6,081,700 247,090 336,900 373,000 30,600 10 66,540 141,200 10 500 451,000 6,000 3,143,460 360,000 2,200,000 14,000 700 395,000 25,000 483,900 290,000 10,000 1,062,000 8,000 8,000 200 7,542,000 21,000 24,700 5,000 17,100 3,880 187,000 182,370 1,912,000 9,320,000 942,400 419,590 27,000 1,895,000 1,431,000 12,930,000 158,000 3,105,200

128,142 1,239,714 545,480 307,986,732 1,203,170 172,200 5,500 1,105,710 65,247,014 23,796,592.50 2,250,830 1,943,177 276,545 9,200 123,940,935 743,861 4,300 5,750 724,640 10,300 390,207,731 38,700 10,468,860 33,600 9,492 1,199,950 22,900 10,024,460 118,900 34,500 2,638,200 8,520 8,720 2,500 27,110,970 55,650 194,382 13,300 83,570 582,075 566,900 206,685,215 1,297,580 4,446,850 38,259,095(2, 31,884,715.5 ( 244,300 5,041,720 958,860 4,313,250 105,770 52,568,464

4,569,056 6,630 -20,744,024 12,923,670 -485,848 -1,820,000 3,770,830 24,000 -21,765,717 100,450 6,020 -193,560 -91,760 858,640 23,400 558,000 -118,050 13,202,900 -332,150 61,400 079,014.9998) 268,460.4997) 280,930 69,300 21,870,356

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

0.0017 1.14 2.52 12.02 2.6 1.86 0.213 0.103 0.109 0.009 0.0092 1.16 4.11 1.07 0.84 0.011 0.011 0.011 10.3 3.47 12.8 23.65 0.0058

0.0017 1.14 2.55 12.48 2.6 1.98 0.213 0.104 0.11 0.009 0.0092 1.21 4.11 1.07 0.84 0.012 0.011 0.011 10.5 3.49 12.8 23.7 0.0058

0.0017 1.12 2.52 12.02 2.6 1.85 0.207 0.103 0.108 0.0089 0.0092 1.12 4.02 1.05 0.84 0.011 0.011 0.011 10.2 3.44 12.36 22.9 0.0058

MINING & OIL 0.0017 13,000,000 1.12 1,470,000 2.54 45,000 12.28 1,600 2.6 353,000 1.96 22,795,000 0.209 350,000 0.104 140,000 0.108 160,000 0.0089 10,000,000 0.0092 1,000,000 1.13 460,000 4.03 6,282,000 1.07 12,000 0.84 459,000 0.012 10,000,000 0.011 2,000,000 0.011 4,500,000 10.3 216,100 3.49 308,000 12.38 1,832,800 23 1,909,400 0.0058 2,000,000

22,100 1,650,690 ( 114,150 19,408 917,800 44,275,370 72,960 14,540 17,380 89,900 9,200 526,500 25,405,010 12,640 385,560 117,000 22,000 49,500 2,230,274 1,065,080 22,873,474 44,053,840 11,600

711,499.9998) 21,389,640 -9,200 -5,392,150 -22,000 -52,564 879,916 -19,407,440 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 ALCO PREF B DD PREF GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A HOUSE PREF A MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2B PCOR PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SFI PREF SMC FB PREF 2 SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

17.72 500 102 100.5 505 5.14 990 98.15 101.5 1,035 1,050 108 1.73 993 78.4 75.5 75.5 76.2 75.5 75.7

17.8 500 102 101 506 5.14 990 98.15 101.5 1,035 1,050 109 1.73 993 78.4 75.5 75.5 76.2 75.5 75.7

17.68 500 102 100.5 505 5.14 990 98.15 101.5 1,035 1,049 108 1.73 993 78.2 75.5 75.3 76.1 75.1 75.7

PREFERRED 17.68 52,100 500 2,100 102 9,400 100.5 23,160 506 21,780 5.14 60,000 990 2,020 98.15 68,190 101.5 700 1,035 25 1,050 505 109 990 1.73 2,000 993 60 78.25 13,160 75.5 20 75.3 3,000 76.1 17,270 75.1 13,400 75.7 166,010

922,194 1,050,000 958,800 2,338,140 11,000,900 308,400 1,999,800 6,692,848.50 71,050 25,875 530,000 107,640 3,460 59,580 1,030,411 1,510 226,092 1,314,317 1,006,848 12,566,957

-711,756 -

LR WARRANT

1.57

1.57

1.57

WARRANTS 1.57 2,000

3,140

-

1,219,421 4,007,548 12,850 4,414,990

37,770 11,660 -

2,948,251

-4,860

MS ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH MAKATI FINANCE XURPAS

6.45 12.12 2.57 0.94

6.6 12.12 2.57 0.99

6.4 11.62 2.57 0.93

FIRST METRO ETF

120.4

122.9

120.4

USD DMPL A1

10.02

10.02

10.02

Trading Summary

SHARES

FINANCIAL

16,237,497

INDUSTRIAL

72,084,490

HOLDING FIRMS

68,753,568

PROPERTY

315,931,167

SERVICES

92,649,804

MINING & OIL

80,367,618

GRAND TOTAL

651,148,367

6.49 11.8 2.57 0.98

SME

189,800 338,400 5,000 4,566,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 122.9 24,250 DDS 10.02

100

1,002

-

VALUE 1,964.51 (up) 21.39 1,564,080,828.49 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,623.70 (up) 24.93 920,381,871.39 HOLDING FIRMS 8,112.59 (up) 251.33 3,708,386,363.114 PROPERTY 4,274.18 (up) 53.61 1,555.00 (up) 16.83 1,810,395,027.475 SERVICES MINING & OIL 9,162.34 (down) 166.26 1,387,157,050.62 PSEI 8,216.68 (up) 157.03 143,979,654.002 All Shares Index 4,887.37 (up) 55.67 9,546,984,887.69 Gainers: 94; Losers: 95; Unchanged: 54; Total: 243

Petron’s profit fell 70% to P3.6b in nine months

By Alena Mae S. Flores OIL refiner Petron Corp. said Tuesday net income fell 70 percent in the first three quarters to P3.6 billion from the same period last year because of depressed refining margins and refinery shutdown.

Petron said it booked a modest income on the back of contribution from its Malaysian operations and the parent company’s extensive efforts to manage costs and keep the business viable under the volatile market condition.

“This [profit] is down 70 percent from the same period last year owing to prolonged depressed refining margins in the region and its refinery shutdown,” the country’s biggest oil company said in a statement.

Petron said consolidated revenues also went down to P381.7 billion in the first nine months as sales volume retreated 7 percent following the fourmonth shutdown of 180,000-barrel-perday Bataan refinery.

The Bataan refinery shut down in April and resumed normal operations in early August.

This was partially cushioned by Malaysia’s volume increase of two percent in the nine-month period.

Petron said global oil prices also remained volatile and lower compared to last year because of the ongoing trade war between the US and China.

The oil company called for a level playing field, saying that despite the decrease in Philippine volume, its stations within Freeport zones performed better than last year.

Under the current regime, enterprises like service stations within Freeport zones like Clark and Subic do not pay local and national taxes, including excise taxes. Inside the Clark Freeport Zone, Petron retail volume registered a 54-percent increase over the same period a year ago.

“This level playing field is what we hope will prevail in the entire country once the fuel marking program is in place. We fully support and look forward to its implementation but at the same time, we reiterate that this mechanism will only work if all players go by the same rules,” said Petron president and chief executive Ramon Ang. Petron’s wholly-owned subsidiary Petron Freeport Corp. which manages its stations inside Subic Freeport Zone earlier reported a 14-percent percent increase in consolidated volume and a 20-percent improvement in net income in the first semester.

“Oil smuggling has worsened in recent years and it’s not only us in the industry but also the government and the entire nation that suffer because of it,” Ang said.

D&L Industries expects income to rebound in 2020

By Jenniffer B. Austria MANUFACTURING company D&L Industries said Tuesday it expects net income to recover in 2020 from an expected lower profit this year.

D&L president and chief executive Alvin Lao said in a news briefing that while the company might post a decline in net income this year, the business was expected to pick up next year.

“The company has faced a challenging environment in 2019, brought on by a confluence of external factors. However, we believe that we are at the bottom of the cycle in terms of net income decline, with 2019 marking the first year, since the IPO, in which D&L may post a decline in full-year net income,” said Lao. “We’re already seeing signs of our business picking up, especially in the food segment where margins and sales mix are continuing to improve. Our expanded production capacity planned for 2021, with its improved capabilities, will place us in a strong position to increase our value to customers and further expand our export business,” he said.

D&L reported a net recurring income of P2 billion in the first three quarters, down 15 percent from P2.4 billion recorded in the same period last year. Nine-month sales also declined by 18 percent to P16.5 billion from P20.1 billion.

Lao said the third-quarter results showed emerging signs of recovery with volume from high-margin specialty products rising 15 percent quarteron-quarter.

The food ingredients business also started to pick up with volume increasing by 7 year in the third quarter. The specialty ingredients segment within the food business, which has higher average margins, posted a 39-percent year-on-year increase in volume.

B3

World

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

HK’s economic woes deepen with falling business outlook

ENRICHMENT RESUMES. This

handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency on November 5, 2019, shows President Hassan Rouhani speaking during the opening of a factory in the capital Tehran. Rouhani said Iran would resume uranium enrichment at an underground plant south of Tehran in its latest step back from a troubled 2015 agreement with the major powers. AFP

HONG KONG―Hong Kong’s economic woes showed no sign of easing Wednesday after a key measure of business confidence fell to its lowest level in more than a decade as the city reels from the global trade war and violent democracy protests.

The Purchasing Managers Index― which measures the health of the private sector―dropped to 39.3 in October, its worst reading since 2008 during the global financial crisis, heaping fresh misery on the unrest-plagued city.

The international financial center has been plunged into a recession by the fallout from the China-US trade war and five months of seething pro-democracy protests that Beijing has taken a hard-line approach against.

IHS Markit, which surveys around 400 private companies to build the PMI dataset, said business activity was now falling at its fastest rate on record. The latest reading is well below the 50 level that separates growth from contraction and is also sharply down from the 41.5 seen in September.

“The ongoing political unrest and

US formally starts withdrawal from Paris climate convention W ASHINGTON―The United States on Monday formally notified the United Nations that it was withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, making the world’s largest economy the sole outlier from the agreement.

President Donald Trump went ahead with the pullout despite mounting evidence of the reality and impact of climate change, with September the fourth month in the row with near- or recordbreaking temperatures.

The United States presented its withdrawal letter to the United Nations on the first possible date under the accord negotiated by Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama.

It will be officially out of the Paris accord on November 4, 2020, one day after the US election in which Trump is seeking a second term on appeals to the white working-class.

Announcing the move, Secretary of

State Mike Pompeo reiterated Trump’s rationale in 2017 that the accord would disadvantage US businesses.

“It was America that would suffer the straitjacket,” Pompeo told the Fox Business network. “It would be quintessentially unfair to the American people and to the American workers.”

Pompeo said in a statement that the United States would advocate a “realistic and pragmatic model” that included renewal energy but preserved a role for fossil fuels.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who unsuccessfully tried to persuade Trump to stay in the accord named for his nation’s capital, lamented the decision.

“We regret this and it makes the FrancoChinese partnership on climate and biodiversity even more necessary,” the French presidency said as Macron visited China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases blamed for climate change.

The United States, the number-two emitter, is still planning to attend this month’s COP climate negotiations in Spain, according to a State Department official.

Pompeo in ihs statement pointed to a 13 percent US reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 to 2017 even as the economy grew.

But Trump, who took office in 2017, has pledged to turn back environmental regulations as states such as California and New York try to take stronger action on their own.

Trump has sought to block California from setting tighter standards on car emissions and moved to let states set their own standards on existing coal-fired power plants.

Leaders clash over Catalonia in TV debate MADRID―Spain’s acting prime minister hardened his stance on Catalonia in a live TV debate with his rivals on Monday, ahead of a repeat general election which polls suggest will lead to another inconclusive outcome.

Sunday’s election comes after several days of violent protests in Barcelona and other Catalan cities, sparked by last month’s jailing of nine Catalan separatist leaders for a failed 2017 independence bid.

Under pressure from the right, acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez vowed during the five-way debate to amend Spain’s laws to make clear “once and for all” that staging an unsanctioned independence referendum would be a crime if his Socialists were re-elected.

Sanchez, who took office in June 2018 with the support of Catalan separatist lawmakers, came under fire from the right over his handling of the protests, which saw demonstrators set fire to cars and throw rocks, Molotov cocktails and steel balls at police.

Holding up a piece of pavement “like those that were thrown at police” in Barcelona, the leader of the center-right party Ciudadanos, Albert Rivera, said Madrid should have restored order by suspending Catalonia’s regional autonomy and dismissing the head of Catalonia separatist regional government, Quim Torra.

The leader of far-right party Vox, Santiago Abascal, went further, saying there was a “permanent coup d’etat in Catalonia” and calling for Torra to be “arrested, handcuffed and brought before the courts”.

While conservatives criticized Sanchez’s handling of the Catalan crisis, the leader of far-left party Podemos, Pablo Iglesias, said it would give the Socialist leader the “perfect excuse” to strike a deal with the conservative Popular Party (PP) to govern.

Spain is returning to the polls for its fourth election in as many years after Sanchez was unable to secure parliamentary backing to form a new government following inconclusive polls in April that saw his Socialist win just 123 seats in the 350 seat lower house of parliament. AFP

Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that the Trump administration has “once again thumbed its nose at our allies, turned a blind eye to the facts and further politicized the world’s greatest environmental challenge.”

Former vice president turned climate champion Al Gore deplored Trump’s decision—but said that a new president could re-enter the Paris accord within 30 days.

“No one person or party can stop our momentum to solve the climate crisis, but those who try will be remembered for their complacency, complicity and mendacity in attempting to sacrifice the planet for their greed,” Gore said.

The Paris accord set a goal of limiting temperature rises to well within two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial levels, a goal that scientists say is vital to check the worst damage from global warming such as increasing droughts, rising floods and intensifying storms. AFP

DECEPTIVE CALM.

Sudanese women ride their donkeys near a camp for internally displaced people in El-Fasher, the capital of the North Darfur state, on November 04, 2019. Sudan’s prime minister Abdalla Hamdok’s one-day visit was his first as prime minister to the devastated region, where a conflict that erupted in 2003 has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced.

AFP

Crippling student loans contribute to Chile’s protests SANTIAGO―Spiraling student debt, with some loans the size of a mortgage, pricey tuition fees and a troubled education system have helped fan the flames of Chile’s deadly protests.

“I don’t know anymore how much I owe at this stage,” said Paulina Gomez, 34, who graduated over a decade ago.

Two weeks on from the start of Chile’s deadly social protests, Gomez and others gathered at one of the daily citizens’ meetings taking place in Santiago to discuss crippling student debt that they say is crushing the hopes of many young people.

“With interest I owe more than the total cost of the course now. It’s going up every day and I had to take out a loan to pay the interest on my first loan,” said Gomez, a journalist.

“At the end of the 90s, state resources proved insufficient to finance higher education,” said Gonzalo Muñoz, an education specialist at Santiago’s Di-

ego Portales University.

A loan program known as CAE emerged, with bank loans to students guaranteed by the state, a financial device that has fueled student anger against Chile’s “neo-liberalism”.

Guillermo Jobia, a 24-year old law student who has just graduated, said he paid “the price of a house, and that was being on a scholarship.”

“I still have to pay 20 million (pesos),” equivalent to around $27,000.

“I think I’ll never see the end of it, unless I get a job that pays, I don’t know, a salary that would be impossible here.”

Most young Chileans work during their studies in low-paid jobs which don’t provide enough income to pay off their debts. Chile’s minimum monthly wage amounts to $420.

Gunther Birchmeier, 30, worked as “a waiter, or in a supermarket at night or at weekends” to earn his $550 monthly tuition fees. But he couldn’t keep it up.

Eventually, “the university blocked me and I couldn’t continue studying.”

Birchmeier says he has been repaying student debt for the past five years, “and I still have 15 left.”

“You have to take the whole issue of interest into account,” said Birchmeier. “They lent me 10 million (pesos, around $13,300) and I’m paying back about 20 million, 100 percent more.”

Birchmeier, who works in a cybersecurity company, has no savings. “I’m stuck. If I get fired, I have nothing.”

Gomez says she feels harassed by a constant stream of letters and phone calls from debt collectors, “even at work.”

“I’m not paying currently. I don’t have the cash.” The interest alone “is now 5 million pesos”―around $6,700.

“The politicians of this country must give us a definitive solution to end this anguish, because it is anguish to have to deprive yourself of other things in order to pay for this. It’s never-ending.” AFP

impact of trade tensions saw business activity fall at the sharpest pace since the survey started over 21 years ago,” Bernard Aw, principal economist at IHS Markit, wrote.

“Anecdotal evidence revealed that the retail and tourism sectors remained particularly affected.”

Aw added the city was experiencing a record decline in demand from mainland China.

Hong Kong’s economy was already facing strong headwinds at the start of 2019 as it was hit by the trade war, battering a city that is hugely reliant on the world’s two largest economies.

In the first quarter the city was growing at a lackluster 0.6 percent.

But the protests that erupted in June only made matters worse.

Figures released by the government last week showed gross domestic product shrank 3.2 percent in the third quarter compared with the previous three months, when it saw a 0.4 percent drop.

That means the city is experiencing a technical recession, with two back-toback periods of contraction. AFP

IN BRIEF US executes gay man

WASHINGTON―The US state of South Dakota on Monday executed an inmate who said the jurors at his trial were prejudiced against him because he was gay.

Charles Rhines, 63, was put to death by lethal injection soon after the Supreme Court rejected a last-ditch appeal by his lawyers claiming that his trial was tainted.

Rhines was sentenced to death in 1993 for killing an employee in a shop he was robbing in the rural state.

“It is very sad and profoundly unjust that the State of South Dakota today executed Charles Rhines, a gay man, without any court ever hearing the evidence of gay bias that infected the jury’s decision to sentence him to death,” his lawyer Shawn Nolan said.

According to a court filing on Rhines’ behalf, a juror who voted for the death penalty said that “we also knew that [Rhines] was a homosexual and thought that he shouldn’t be able to spend his life with men in prison.”

Another said that “there was lots of discussion of homosexuality” and “a lot of disgust,” according to the document.

“Anti-gay prejudice should never have any role in sentencing a man to death,” said Nolan.

Rhines’ case gained the backing of the powerful American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), whose senior attorney Ria Tabacco Mar cited Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as saying “our law punishes people for what they do, not who they are.” AFP

6.6 quake strikes off Tonga NUKU ‘ALOFA, Tonga―A 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Pacific island nation of Tonga on Tuesday, but there was no threat of a tsunami, officials said.

The United States Geological Survey said the shallow undersea quake hit about 134 kilometers west of Neiafu, the country’s second-largest town.

It said the temblor was not expected to have caused significant damage. The quake was not felt in Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa, according to an AFP reporter.

There was also no threat of a tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

A second quake of 5.5 magnitude was recorded a few minutes later, the USGS said. AFP

Seas to rise dramatically WASHINGTON―Just as an oil tanker steaming ahead at full speed cannot stop immediately, so the dramatic rise in sea levels will continue even if the world manages to slash greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2030, experts warned in a study published Monday.

Emissions between 2015, when the Paris climate change accord was thrashed out, and 2030 would be enough to raise levels by eight centimeters (3.1 inches) by 2100, according to research by experts based in Germany.

They would rise by 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) by 2300 in comparison with the reference period of 1986-2005, according to the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

In total, sea level can be expected to rise by at least a meter by 2300 in the extremely unlikely event that greenhouse gas emissions fall to zero in the next 11 years.

And that may be a conservative estimate: UN-backed scientists are already predicting an increase in water levels of between 26 cm and 77 cm by the end of this century alone.

A full quarter of that one-meter rise by 2030 will be due to emissions from China, the United States, the European Union, Russia and India in the preceding 40 years, the authors of the latest report concluded.

By comparison, oceans rose by around 20 cm in the 20th century. AFP

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

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

QC awards Seal of Excellence to 55 top private lying-in clinics A TOTAL of 55 private lying-In clinics out of 80-plus registered and located in the city were recognized by the Quezon City Government, through the Quezon City Health Department, with a Seal of Excellence Award for being fully compliant to the standards of the Department of Health and the local government requirements for health facilities rendering services for maternal and child health.

The granting of Seal of Excellence to compliant lying-ins and birthing clinics was implemented by virtue of a city ordinance. It refers to the quality label awarded to those who have achieved all essential maternal, neonatal and child health indicators.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte lauded all the awardees and noted that the Seal of Excellence award “promotes healthy competition, encourages innovation, fosters a culture of excellence and nurtures collaboration that leads to a win-win situation”. The award has indeed

inspired many to level up, from only 23 percent compliance when it was launched in 2016, this year, 63 percent are already compliant.

The mayor posed a challenge during the summit for compliance to be 100 percent by next year. Once the goal is met, she intends to make the Seal of Excellence as Quezon City’s entry to the Galing Pook Award, which recognizes the best practices of LGUs all over the country.

According to Dr. Esperanza Anita Escano-Arias, OIC at the Quezon City Health Department, both the 100-percent compliance and Galing Pook qualification are doable as long as the commitment and collaboration of all the parties involved remain strong.

But at the end of the day, she said, “Whether we will meet that goal or not is entirely up to the private lying-in clinics, because they will be the ones to implement the standards. They should embrace and own it. We are just here to support them.”

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte leads the awarding of 55 private birthing clinics at the 4th Seal of Excellence Awards. The event awards private lying-ins that are fully compliant to the Department of Health and the city government’s requirements, in line with the public-private advocacy of the city in pursuing excellent health services delivery for maternal and child health.

Navotas gains DILG ‘Seal’

By Jun David

F

OLLOWING its fourth unqualified opinion, the highest mark from the Commission on Audit, Navotas has once again bagged the highly coveted Seal of Good Local Governance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

“We are honored to receive yet another recognition; this time, we got the highest award an LGU can hope for. This again validates our committed service to Navoteños,” Mayor Toby Tiangco said.

The mayor acknowledged all city officials and personnel, noting their contributions towards helping the city achieve this milestone.

“The SGLG is an outcome of our con-

certed efforts. May this inspire us to be more passionate as we work towards promoting the best interests of our people. Let us always strive to be the best as we give them transparent, accountable and quality public service,” he added.

Through the SGLG, the national government recognizes local government units that demonstrate exemplary performance in local governance.

This year, SGLG awardees passed a more rigorous assessment based on DILG’s “all-in redefined criteria.” This pertains to more specific and detailed requisites that serve as matrix of the various facets of local governance defined by the agency.

To become a recipient of the SGLG award, an LGU must pass all four core assessment areas, namely Financial Administration, Disaster Preparedness, Social Protection, and Peace and Order.

The appended requirements of the 2019 SGLG include full compliance to Good Financial Housekeeping, full disclosure policy of local budget and finances, and bids and public offerings in

all quarters of 2018 under the Financial Administration indicator.

It also necessitates a convened Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, a contingency plan for top two high risk hazards, and at least one LDRRMC or disaster office personnel trained in Incident Command System under the Disaster Preparedness criterion.

In the Social Protection meter, city government-run hospitals should be accredited for maternity care package, primary care benefits and TB-DOTS

by PhilHealth in 2018 and 2019; while under the Peace and Order indicator, an LGU must have a passing rate in the Peace and Order Performance.

DFA AT DASMA. Foreign Undersecretary Brigido Dulay (fourth from left) leads the inauguration of the new Department of Foreign Affairs Consular Office at SM City Dasmariñas in Cavite on Monday, as a priest blesses the premises (inset). It is the 35th Consular Office to be established in the country to provide services to Cavite and other neighboring provinces.

Norman Cruz

No going out half-naked, Pasayeños told

PASAY CITY Mayor Emi CalixtoRubiano on Tuesday warned Pasayeños against going out of their houses or going to a public place half-naked— meaning the upper half of their body not covered by any clothing or garment—lest they face heavy penalties.

“Please bear in mind that the City Government, as part of its measures to enhance further the new image of Pasay City through discipline, cleanliness and orderliness, is enforcing Ordinance 6004, which prohibits persons in the city of Pasay from exposing themselves in a public place halfnaked,” Calixto-Rubiano said.

Citing the ordinance enacted last June, Calixto-Rubiano said Pasayeños going shirtless in public places or outside their private residences are deemed to be projecting themselves as “thugs.”

Pasay City Vice Mayor Noel L. Del Rosario was the principal author of City Ordinance 6004, co-sponsored by Councilors Mark Anthony A. Calixto, Arnel Regino T. Arceo, Jose C. Isidro Jr., Donnabel M. Vendivel, Ricardo E. Santos and Aileen C. Padua, among others. Joel Zurbano

Twin victories for Muntinlupa via DILG, DOH THE Department of the Interior and Local Government has feted the City Government of Muntinlupa as one of the 2019 Seal of Good Local Governance awardees for its excellent delivery of public service.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi received the SGLG award from Interior Secretary Eduardo Año together with Muntinlupa City Administrator Engineer Allan Cachuela and DILG Muntinlupa Field Office chief Bernadette Ferino during the awarding ceremony at Manila Hotel last Nov. 4.

Despite more stringent assessment criteria for the award, Muntinlupa passed the seven “all-in” areas in governance, namely Financial Administration, Disaster Preparedness, Social Protection, Peace and Order, Business Friendliness and Competitiveness, Environmental Protection, and Tourism Culture and the Arts.

This year’s award is the second SGLG award conferred to Muntinlupa City after receiving the same recognition last 2015.

Muntinlupa was also awarded with three major awards from the Department of Health last Nov. 4 at the Metro Manila Center for Health Development’s “Gabi ng Parangal” held in Crowne Plaza Manila.

DOH conferred the local government of Muntinlupa with Best in Rabies Prevention and Control Program, Best in National Voluntary Blood Services Program, and Plaque of Appreciation for the implementation of the Universal Health Care.

‘Ice candy’ police Solane plant hits 1-m man-hours safety milestone chief Casimiro happy to be home ISLA LPG Corporation’s Canlubang plant, which produces the Solane brand of liquefied petroleum gas, recently celebrated its unprecedented one million man-hours safety milestone.

This achievement is testament to the company’s commitment in ensuring a culture of safety and creating a habit of excellence among its employees, ILC said in a statement.

For a six-year-old plant only established in 2013, this achievement is no small feat, as it requires full

commitment and consistency from all members of the ILC Canlubang plant, it added.

Regie Reyes, ILC operations executive, gives credit to employee dedication, competency, and strict implementation of rules and guidelines for the plant’s success in realizing the 1M man-hours safety achievement.

“It is our utmost priority to keep employees safe, so we strive to provide the best and safest working conditions for our people,” said Reyes.

Despite the accomplishment, the plant’s personnel are not letting up as they continue their culture of safety and excellence.

Plans to sustain its best practices are already in place, which includes strengthening their communication and coordination system and gathering LFI (Learning from Incident) from the LPG industry so they can be incorporated in enhancing the plant’s own safety guidelines and procedures.

Officers and employees of Isla LPG Corp. Canlubang plant gather to celebrate their one-million man-hours safety milestone.

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—He was known in Barangay Salvacion in his hometown Bayombong as a mere ice candy boy, selling his products for his allowance and studies during his elementary school days.

For Police Brig.

Gen. Angelito Abellera Casimiro, 54, acting Philippine National Police Regional Director for Cagayan Valley, being away for more than 35 Brig. Gen. Angelito Abellera Casimiro years—spending most of his career in Mindanao apart from a short stint in the Cordillera Region—finally led to a tearful but happy homecoming.

Casimiro recalled that aside from selling ice candy products during his elementary years at the Bayombong South Central School, he also worked as a part-time janitor of the Nueva Vizcaya General Comprehensive High School’s Teachers’ Cooperative to augment his financial needs as a secondary student.

He finished his college studies as a scholar of the Saint Mary’s College, now a university, with a degree in engineering.

Life

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

FASION AND BEAUTY

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019

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Life with no boundaries

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GLOBAL apparel and accessories brand known for its versatile, contemporary pieces launches its fall 2019 collection made for living a life with no boundaries.

Banana Republic’s fall 2019 collection highlights urban utility pieces, animal prints, and the New Legacy Denim for men designed to thrive in wild, modern cities.

From New York’s streets to its city parks, the campaign takes a playful look at the dualities of style, surroundings, and a person’s innate attraction to nature.

Part of the collection are versatile animal print dresses and shirts for women, which take an elevated approach to work-to-weekend dressing.

The printed tops pair well with the brand’s bestselling Sloan pants for women, which are now machine washable and come with a higher rise and slimmer fit. Made with new Bi-Stretch fabric, the new washable Sloan is engineered with extra stretch for a smooth fit that won’t stretch out.

Meanwhile, packable dresses like the Vegan Suede Shirt Dress is perfect for the cooler weather. Its decorative top stitching detail and front patch pockets add a utilitarian feel.

Banana Republic’s new Legacy Denim for men is all about rugged performance. The brand says it currently is the sturdiest denim it has launched to date.

The pair is lightweight enough for everyday wear and thick enough to carry men through cooler seasons. The innovative denim is made of eco-friendly Tencel fibers for supreme softness and a touch of stretch for comfort.

Soft and lightweight, the Core Temp fabric resists wrinkles, dries quickly, and regulates body heat for maximum comfort—perfect to pack in the luggage for multiple adventures.

It utilizes the brand’s 37.5 technology and the power of active particles derived

WILD WILD CITY. Animal print shirt for women (left) and new sturdy Legacy Denim for men are part of the fall 2019 collection of Banana Republic.

from volcanic sand to warm wearers up able in the new Core Temp Quilted The full range of the collection is availor cool them down, as needed.

Bomber and the Core Temp Waffle Knit able at bananarepublic.com.ph. Banana The Core Temp technology is avail- Shirts for men.

Republic is located at Greenbelt 5.

Banana Republic’s latest collection highlights utility pieces, animal prints, and the New Legacy Denim for men—versatile and sturdy pieces made for the wild urban jungle.

Best foot forward, gents!

A MEN’S style pundit once said one simply needs to “look down” to know if a guy is well dressed.

Shoes are an important part of men’s, actually everyone’s, wardrobe. Brands continue to innovate and introduce new styles and technologies that suit a variety of needs and preferences.

Leading department store The SM Store rolls out an array of new items in its shoes and bags section.

There are bright sneakers from Milanos that bring color and style to casual Fridays. Sneakers from New Balance and boots from Timberland for the active man. Special oc-

The SM Store rolls out new stylish men’s shoes and bags, including boots, sneakers, belt bags, fanny packs, duffle bags, and more.

casion leather shoes from Salvatore Mann that will make every leading man ready for the prime time.

Likewise, new men’s bags are aplenty in store. Man bags and murses (man purse) continue to flourish at The SM Store.

There are trendy fanny packs from Travel Basic and Salvatore Mann, belt and body bags from Salvatore Mann, and sporty duffle bags from Converse.

The new collection is available at The SM Store’s Men’s Shoes and Bags section.

Life

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

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What to wear when it’s cold outside

AGUIO City will soon be the home of the first Uniqlo store in the Cordillera region.

Ultra Light Down Jacket (Men’s and Women’s)

Opening on Nov. 29, the store in the City of Pines will have 859-square meter of shopping space.

“With the strong support we have been receiving from the Filipinos since we arrived in 2012, we are excited to announce the opening of our first store in the Cordillera region,” says Masayoshi Nakamura,

Men’s Ultra Light Down Puffer Jacket

chief operating officer of Uniqlo Philippines.

The branch in Baguio will open at SM City Baguio. It is strategically located on the upper ground floor, making it accessible from the main entrance.

The new store will showcase the full lineup of Uniqlo LifeWear, as well as cold climate-ready

Women’s Ultra Light Down Cocoon Jacket

collections for men, women, kids, and babies.

Speaking of cold climate outfits, the Japanese fashion label rolls out its 2019 fall/winter collection. The collection includes a range of jackets, compacts, cocoon and puffer jackets, and other essentials.

Fleece Long Sleeve Full-Zip Jacket (Men’s and Women’s)

Fluffy Yarn Fleece Full-Zip Jacket (Men’s and Women’s)

Has pocketable design and durable water-repellent coating. Updated with a finely adjusted waist for a trim silhouette.

Also features pocketable design and water-repellent coating that offers protection during light rain.

Made in longer length for better coverage. Has pocketable design and durable water-repellent coating.

Updated to a finer-textured fleece and has an added zipper pull. It’s available in a range of seasonal colors.

Made of fluffy fleece material with a long pile for comfort and warmth. Has widened sleeves and hem tape for relaxed feel. Available in soft colors.

Women’s Hybrid Down Cocoon Jacket

Hybrid Down Parka (Men’s and Women’s)

Hybrid Down Ultra Warm Coat (Men’s and Women’s)

Women’s Double Face Hooded Coat

Women’s Melange Wool Hooded Knitted Coat

Features cocoon silhouette with water-repellent coating. Unquilted design provides warmth sans the bulk.

Made of high-tech padding and down materials for great heat retention and mobility. Has water-repellent coating and sheet-shaped padding that absorbs moisture to generate heat.

Features down insulation and moisture-absorbing and heat-generating padding. Has smooth surface that isn’t quilted so there’s no bulkiness.

Features elegant fabric on inside and outside in two distinctive colors. Made of wool blend material with an elegant glossy sheen.

Made of 100 percent wool material and has pockets lined with the same material as the exterior.

In addition to the outerwear pieces are Uniqlo’s flannel collection and Heattech lineup.

On a healthy skin mission IN A bid to educate the public about healthy skin and how to achieve it, skin care brand Cetaphil launched the National Healthy Skin Mission.

The brand brought skin experts and Cetaphil users to various parts of the country to talk about their journeys and share their wisdom on achieving and maintaining healthy skin.

“National Healthy Skin Mission is an effort initiated by Cetaphil in partnership with Watsons, as Cetaphil’s brand purpose is to improve lives of Filipino’s through healthy skin. It is consistent with Galderma’s commitment to promoting healthy skin as part of a healthy lifestyle,” said Cetaphil brand manager Francesca Sy. She added, “To be completely healthy, you also need healthy skin.”

According to experts, healthy skin looks and feels smooth. It does not have to be as smooth as glass, it simply has to be consistent. A consistent skin color is also a sign of good health. Plump skin is also a sign that it is well hydrated.

As part of the National Healthy Skin Mission, Cetaphil tackled different skin types and said that “a complicated skin care routine is not the key to healthy skin.” Everyone should instead develop a skin care routine geared toward their skin type and skin issues, it said.

Celebrities such as Bianca King and Mariel Padilla, as well as author Joy Mendoza joined in the talk, discussing

King, whose skin looks plump and glowing, revealed during the roadshow at SM Makati that her skin regimen, which she started doing at 15, is pretty basic.

“I always kept it simple: cleanser and moisturizer,” shared King, reiterating that cleansing should be nonnegotiable.

She reminded, “Don’t be lazy cleansing your face, especially when you have makeup on.”

Mendoza seconded, emphasizing the importance of taking the time to care for the skin. “There is no ugly people, just lazy people.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Zharlah Flores advised everyone to apply sunscreen, especially on the face, which “has the most sensitive skin.”

The right amount of sunscreen to apply on the face, Dr. Flores said, “should be as much as one fingertip.” But people can reduce that amount when they are applying other products with SPF. “Since makeup has SPF, you can just Bianca King says to keep skin healthy, layer it. Sunblock, BB cream with SPF, cleansing face should be nonegotiable. so on,” said Dr. Flores. about their routine and their shared love She added, “Apply sunblock 30 minof Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, the utes before sun exposure. Reapply evemost iconic product of the brand. ry two hours.”

The cleanser is fragrance-free, has a pH level of 5.5, and is even gentler than Cetaphil brought the Cetaphil Healthy water.

Skin Mission activations at SM Makati, The Cetaphil routine is simple, con- SM Megamall, SM North Edsa, SM Lasisting only three steps: cleanse, mois- nang Premier, SM San Lazaro, SM Mall turize, and protect. of Asia, and SM Fairview.

From left: Cetaphil brand manager Francesca Sy, Dr. Zharlah Flores, Galderma trade marketing manager Carlo Ulep, and Cetaphil Baby and Pro brand manager Ma. Noela Veronica Mationg at the Cetaphil Healthy Skin Mission activation at SM Makati.

The eight beautiful and empowered women who star in a natural beauty brand’s campaign that highlights diversity.

Celebrating natural beauty and diversity

NATURAL beauty brand One Earth Organics takes pride in going far beyond selling organic skin care products.

Grounded on the principle of enhancing natural beauty and maintaining it naturally through harmless, chemical-free solutions, the brand values beauty as something that is not skin-deep, but self-deep.

The mantra serves as the light One Earth Organics aims to shine in its new campaign, titled “Celebrating Diversity.”

Featuring eight personalities who champion various types of beauty, the movement encourages women to feel confident and valid, regardless of weight, age, color, gender orientation, and skin condition.

“Empowerment is everything,” said One Earth Organics founder Tyffanie Anne Short. “The concept is synonymous with the brand.”

One of the faces of the campaign is ageless fashion icon/social media influencer Tessie Singson. At 65, Singson is known in social media as @lolaandrogynous, celebrated for her unabashedly stylish fashion sense that reminds everyone beauty knows no age.

Also part of the campaign are two professional models. One is Anna Panathera, who believes that everyone should accept diversity—not just the empowered, but more importantly, the critics. Another is Gelai Peñales, who used to be insecure about her weight, but has learned to accept that she “will never fit into the ‘perfect mold’ that society made.”

“I am already who I am meant to be,” said Peñales.

Meanwhile, to look at insecurity as a source of strength is the advice happily married mom Nek Orence wants to impart. Once ashamed of her stretch marks, Orence now considers the scars as “tiger stripes” for being able to bear a child.

Professional volleyball player Aby Maraño shares the same message, saying that to celebrate our differences is to highlight our individuality. “Be your own kind of beauty,” she said.

“How beautiful you are depends on how you see yourself,” added body positive advocate Gita Gumabao. “You don’t need assurance from other people, because being secure in the love of God makes one beautiful. No one can tell you otherwise.”

As for transgender makeup artist Gabrielle Moi, she has learned that beauty is not a feeling pending approval from other people, but a source of confidence and pride that comes from within.

“I’ve realized that every woman is different,” she said. “We’re not less of a woman just because we happened to be transgender.”

Finally, Bb. Pilipinas 2019 candidate Hanna Arnold said the mythical “gold standard of beauty” is a thing of the past. “Each of us has a unique look, unique body and unique skills,” said Arnold, who used to despise being “too tall.”

“We don’t just believe our bodies are good, but we know they are good.”

Check out the campaign on One Earth Organics Facebook and Instagram.

Entertainment

Viva unleashes last quarter blockbusters A FTER setting the duo of fearless director/ writer Daryl Yap and daring young actress Kim Molina free on unsuspecting movie-goers in the surprise box-office winnerJowable, Viva Films now announces an astounding line-up of new releases for the last quarter of 2019.

Screening in theaters nationwide is Unforgettable starring pop superstar Sarah Geronimo and directed by Jun Robles Lana and Percy Intalan.

In her most demanding role to date, Sarah plays a woman afflicted with Asperger’s Syndrome who takes it upon herself to go on a trip to be with her ailing grandmother. She makes the long, difficult journey accompanied by an adorable stray dog she calls Happy. Along the way, she finds love, makes friends and experiences smiles, laughter and tears. An Idea First Company Production for Viva Films, Unforgettable also stars Kim Molina and Gina Pareño.

Up next is Nuuk, (A Sub-Zero Love Affair), which screen today.

The romantic thriller stars Aga Muhlach and Alice Dixson and directed by Veronica Velasco.

The title comes from the picturesque, freezing city that is the capital of Greenland where the picture was shot in its entirety. Nuuk is a place where the torturous weather and extreme silence wreck torment on the minds and bodies of the inhabitants.

This is where two individuals meet, find romance and unfold a devastating mystery.

Cinta Itu Buta (Love is Blind), the Bahasa language remake of the runaway box-office winner Kita Kita, opens in theaters on Nov. 13. The original was produced by Spring Films, written and directed by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo and starred Alessandra De Rossi and Empoy Marquez.

The new version directed

by Rachmania Arunita tells the same story of the blind girl Diah and of her caring neighbor Nik. The leads are played by Indonesia’s top actors, the lovely Shandy Aulia and the popular comedian Dodit Mulyanto.

Viva Communications, Inc., partnered with Marsio Juwono and MM2, Reflection Pictures and Ideosource Entertainment of Indonesia produced the picture. This is the first time that a local film has been picked up for production by a foreign producer and director.

Adan, which tackles the effects of a sexually-charged romance between two women opens on Nov. 20.

Written and produced by the awardwinning Yam Laranas, Adanstars the gorgeous duo of Rhen Escano and Cindy Miranda. They tell the story of how a farmer’s daughter

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019 nickie.standard@gmail.com

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SNAPSHOT

Glitzy MTV EMA 2019 Sarah Geronimo in the heartwarming drama 'Unforgetable'

A scene from the blockbuster comedy-drama 'Jowable.'

Aga Muhlach and Alice Dixson star in 'Nuuk'

'Adan' stars newcomer Rhen Escano and Cindy Miranda

escapes her impoverished existence in the rice fields to find a new exciting life with her best friend Marian. Adan is directed

by Roman Perez, Jr..

Mañanita, produced by TEN17P Films for Viva opens in theaters on Dec. 4. Written by the internationally acclaimed Lav Diaz, the movie is directed

by Paul Sorianoand stars Bela Padilla as a former military officer on the path of revenge against the killers of her parents.

Very Wang...

From C4

The new iPhones are best experienced with Smart Signature Device Plan L, which comes with monthly 15GB data, Unli AnyNet Texts, Unli On-Net Calls and 150 min AnyNet Calls. Under Smart Signature Device Plan L, Smart offers the iPhone 11 (64GB) for P2,499 per month for 24 months with a onetime cash-out of P7,000.

Smart also offers the iPhone 11 Pro (64GB) for P3,099 per month for 24 months with a one-time cash-out of P11,500 and the iPhone 11 Pro Max (64GB) for P3,299 per month for 24

The Quest...

From C4

Wait Lang… Is This Love? is proof that true love can be of many things. But romantically-speaking, how would one know if it is indeed true love? Here, the rest of the cast share their thoughts on real love: “Isang beses ko pa lang yata nararamdaman yun . Feeling ko, personally, nalaman ko na true love yun kasi parang feeling ko buong buhay ko gusto ko na i-devote sa kanya. Yung pangarap ko para sa sarili ko at ‘yung

Mañanita is the lone Philippine entry in competition to the Tokyo International Film Festival 2019 where it premiered on Oct. 29.

Capping 2019 for Viva Films is the local remake of the heartwarming Korean blockbuster Miracle in Cell No.7 starring Aga Muhlach in another extraordinary portrayal. It is also Viva’s official entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival.

months with a one-time cash-out of Php12,910 under the same plan.

You can also get hold of the new iPhones with affordable cash amortization options under Smart Signature Plan M, which comes with monthly 10GB data, Unli AnyNet Texts, Unli On-Net Calls, and 150 min AnyNet Calls.

If you are an existing Smart Postpaid subscriber availing of the iPhone via retention, you can simply charge your device cash-out to your monthly bill – so there’s no need to shell out cash upfront.

Powered by the country’s fastest LTE network Enjoy the new iPhones powered by Smart, the country’s fastest LTE network as certified by third-party

studies of world-renowned network analytics firms including Opensignal, Ookla, Tutela, and P3.

Smart is also the only mobile services provider in the Philippines that offers Carrier Billing for App Store and Apple Music, among others. This is a safe, secure, and convenient payment method that enables Smart Postpaid subscribers to easily charge all Apple purchases to their mobile phone bill – eliminating the need for a credit card.

Catch the highlights of Smart’s iPhone 11 midnight launch on Facebook (www.fb.com/SmartCommunications) and @ReimaginePH on Instagram, and by using the official hashtags #CapturetheNight and #SmartSignature.

pangarap ng pamilya ko para sa akin, naisantabi ko na. ‘Yung buong buhay ko nababalot na siya sa thoughts of being with that person. Sabi ko, buong buhay ko ito na ang gusto kong makasama, mapangasawa, feeling ko ganun. Kasi ‘pag nalaman mong true love, gusto mo kasama mo na siya habang buhay at wala kang nang iniisip na iba pa sa long-term future. Feeling ko ‘yun yun. Hindi naman yata ako nagkamali.” – Yayo Aguila “Siguro kapag feel mo na may tibok na talaga, na sure na sure na talaga na ito na ‘yun. Nasa sa’yo naman ‘yan.

Mararamdaman mo siya talaga na swak na swak kayo sa ugali, sa mga gusto.

Ito na talaga ang partner mo talaga na sasakyan ka sa lahat ng bagay.” – Tina Paner “Pag nasisira na ang ulo mo. Pasaway ka na. Ayaw mo na makinig sa inaadvice sa’yo na maghinay-kumontrol, prumeno. Pursigido ka na, sinusulong mo lahat ngobstacles. Yun ang true love, binibigay mo lahat.” – Rey “PJ” Abellana “Ang hirap i-explain. Hindi mo ma-e explain ang love talaga. Based on my experience, lagi ka lang masaya.

Gusto mo siyang makasama. Hindi makukumpleto ang araw mo na hindi mo siya nakikita. Pag malungkot ka tapos

DUA Lipa performs at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Seville, Spain. The British pop diva storms the MTV EMA stage with the international televised debut performance of her brand new single ‘Don’t Start Now’. Opening the 2019 MTV EMAs in disco style, Dua invites fans into her world as she performs with an army of dancers in tow. AFP

What the Tokyo world premiere means for ‘Motel Acacia’ team THE horror film Motel Acacia, which had its world premiere at the 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival in Japan (TIFFJP) on Friday, Nov. 1, is touted to be more than just a scarefest.

“As the creatures and monsters in Motel Acacia strike terror in our minds, it is the actions of humans that terrify me. This film seeks to understand our own apathy towards man’s cruelty in today’s society,” explains director Bradley Liew.

The Malaysian-born filmmaker based in the Philippines continues, “It is about the scars of colonialism in Southeast Asia and how it facilitates the vicious cycle of violence. It’s about a young man’s search for truth and the affirmation that there is good inside us all, no matter how dark the times are.”

Award-winning producer Bianca Balbuena, who is Liew’s wife, relates how grateful they are for having been given the TIFFJP platform to showcase their work to a global audience. “We found a good place to launch ‘Motel Acacia’ here and we hope to get a good response also,” says the 2018 Asian Film Commissions Network (AFCNet) Producer of the Year.

Her notable works include Pepe Diokno’s Clash (Engkwentro), plus Lav Diaz’s A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery (Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis), and Season of the Devil (Ang Panahon ng Halimaw).

Balbuena adds, “Yoshihiko Yatabe and Kenji Ishizaka, the head programmers, have been our good supporters.

And even if we submitted late, they watched the film with great interest and wrote personal messages to us on how they love the film.”

Proudly representing the Philippines Motel Acacia is among the eight films included in the Asian Future section for up-and-coming directors who have a maximum of three featurelength films.

It is about a man, portrayed

by JC Santos, who confronts a demon haunting a motel that he took over from his father. Santos is part of the multinational crew and cast which includes actors Jan Bijvoet and Nicholas Saputra.

“I am very honored, bordering on being on the verge of tears,” says Santos before letting out a laugh. Turning serious, he reveals that it is his first time to represent the county.

I am very proud that Filipino Films get to join film festivals just like TIFF. I hope that all Filipino actors can experience this, too. This validates once again my feeling that I really want what I am doing he declares.

Balbuena, on the other hand, is not a newbie at the TIFFJP. “Tokyo IFF has always had a special place in my heart ever since Pepe Diokno’s Above The Clouds competed here,” she remarks.

She eagerly announces that the Motel Acacia second screening at TIFFJP 2019 has been sold out. In addition, she lauds Picture Tree International and XYZ Films for securing distribution in other countries.

After Japan, Motel Acacia is set to be screened in November at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival in Taiwan.

It will also serve as the closing film of the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival in Indonesia.

The cast of 'Motel Acacia'

nag-text siya o tumawag nawawala lahat.

Mararamdaman mong buo ang araw mo pag magkasama na kayo. Mararamdaman mo na hindi ka kulang. Pag nakita ko na kasi siya at nakasama ko na siya, kumpleto na ako. Pag wala, hindi ako kumpleto.”

– Kristoffer Martin “Siguro if you’re genuinely happy.

Hinahanap mo lagi ‘yung partner mo and basta mararamdaman mo na lang ‘yun right away. Mararamdaman mo na lang siya bigla. Kikiligin ka. You smile every day and you appreciate that person so much.” – Ashley Ortega “Hindi na ako ngayon nagbabase sa feelings kasi natuto na ako. I have

to weigh the factors na una, kailangan ng blessing ng parents, and pinagpray mo ba kasi mahirap pumasok sa relationship na walang plano. For me, ang true love, pinag-pepray dapat siya and ibe-base mo rin sa experience ng mga nakatatanda sa’yo. Magtanong ka rin dapat kung nasa tamang track ka. Kailangan ng prayer and guidance. Kung true love, mararamdaman mo na ‘yun sa right person.”—Ayra Mariano Catch more funny and heart-warming moments in Wagas’ second offering, Wait Lang…Is This Love?, Monday to Friday, before Eat Bulaga on GMA-7.

Entertainment

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

C4

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019

It’s the dream that sealed VANJOSS’ ‘The Voice Kids’ victory Program host Toni Gonzaga with finalists Vanjoss, Cyd, and Carmelle

V

ANJOSS Bayaban had his eyes on the prize not because he wanted fame. It’s given that it’s his desire to become a singer but his real dream was to bring his mom, who’s working in Hong Kong, back home.

Speaking to some select members of the entertainment press, the 12-year-old crooner was holding his glass trophy at the backstage of Resorts World Manila’s Newport Performing Arts Theater when he thanked the people who supported his journey on the fourth season of The Voice Kids Philippines.

“I’d like to thank my coach, my family, and the people who spent time using their mobile phones voting through text and online to put me on the top spot,” Va n j o s s said in

Vanjoss,12, performs 'You Raise Me Up' during the finals of The Voice Kids Philippines season 4 held at Resorts World Manila's Newport Performing Arts Theater.

Dela Torre, Kyle Echarri, Elha Nympha, Jason Dy, Thor Dulay, Lala Vinzon, Jeremy Glinoga, and Morissette for a special performance of Christmas songs.

Netizens also showed their love for the grand finalists and awaited the announcement of the winner as the official hashtags #TVK4FinalShowdown and #TVK4GrandChampion became trending topics on Twitter worldwide. ***

Capturing the night with iPhone 11

Smart officially welcomed the most powerful and advanced smartphones— the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max – with an epic midnight event for select Smart subscribers at Versus Barcade in Taguig.

With the theme “Capture the Night,”

Reboxing with Mari, Erwan, and Moira CURIOUS to know what everyday items celebrities Mari Jasmine, Erwan Heussaff, and Moira Dela Torre love the most?

Take a glimpse into their world through the items they once loved, and even get a chance to own these as they participate in Carousell Philippines’ Reboxing campaign.

The campaign is part of Carousell’s new tagline, “Everyone Wins,” where winning can be as simple as both sides getting a great deal, or as meaningful as finding new connections and realizing ambitions.

Carousell’s partner celebrities will put their pre-loved items in boxes and give these away through a consumer contest on the Carousell app.

Food, fitness, and travel vlogger Erwan will rebox some of his favorite cooking equipment. Television host and model Mari Jasmine will give away travel essentials and a trip to Siargao which she will be joining. Singer-songwriter Moira will be giving away her old guitar and treat the winner to a private jamming session.

According to Carousell Philippines general manager Raffy Montemayor, the Reboxing campaign is a great way to dramatize the meaning behind the company’s new tagline, “Everyone Wins.”

“Passing on a pre-loved item to another user who actually searched for it in the Carousell app is a situation where everyone wins. The seller is able to pass on an item he once loved for a minimal

price, and the buyer gets something he really needs without spending so much.

In the process, they not only close a good deal, they also forge a connection with someone whose interests are similar to theirs,” he said.

To join the Reboxing movement, Carousell users can post a comment on the rebox listing detailing why the items in the chosen rebox will matter to them. At the end of the contest, Carousell will pick the best comment and declare the winner for each of the boxes.

You can support the cause by interacting on any of the social media posts under the hashtag #EveryoneWins. You may also be part of the movement by passing on your item to someone who may benefit from it.

Simply list your own box to the Carousell app at �0 with the hashtag #EveryoneWins, share it on your own social media channel, and nominate three friends by tagging them to keep the ball rolling!

Carousell’s Reboxing campaign also aims to approach sustainability in a socially relevant manner—instead of unboxing new things, and consequently adding to the waste, these celebrities are reboxing pre-loved items that will go towards helping someone experience new possibilities.

Get a chance to own the items these celebrities once loved to be loved again only at Carousell Philippines’ website https://www.carousell.ph/ or through their app available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

EXTRA INTERNATIONAL

‘Terminator’ tops ‘Joker’ in box office battle

Coach Sarah Geronimo on the red carpet

vernacular.

“I wouldn’t have made this far with them.”

Asked if his mom, who took a vacation leave just to see her kid perform live on the Newport stage, would still return to Hong Kong, the young lad beamed, “I would be happy if she stayed.”

“When I first won P2000 from a singing contest I told my mom to come back home. She said it wasn’t enough. Then, when I won P20,000, she explained that she’s working overseas because she wanted us, her children, to have a bright future, so she said she’s staying there for the time being. Now, I have P2 million, I really wish that my mom would consider staying home for good,” Vanjoss told Manila Standard.

Vanjoss, a native of Pangasinan, soared past his opponents with the highest combined percentage of text and online votes, 62.11 percent, beating coach Bamboo’s betCarmelle Collado (24.74 percent) and coach Lea Salonga’s representative Cyd Pangca (13.15 percent).

In the two-day finals, Vanjoss wooed viewers by performing “Habang May Buhay” with coach Sarah Geronimo and “Titanium” in the upbeat showstoppers round, and a towering version of “You Raise Me Up” for his power ballad.

As the newest and fourth The Voice Kids grand champion, apart from the P2 million cash, Vanjoss took won a recording and management contract with MCA Music, and a house and lot from Camella worth P2 million.

Sunday’s finale also offered viewers an early holiday present as it brought together notable The Voice of the Philippines, The Voice Teens, and The Voice Kids alumni such as Moira

Mari Jasmine, Erwan Heussaff, and Moira Dela Torre

Smart counted down to the launch of the new iPhone in the Philippines with photo challenges, interactive games, and a quiz night—all for a chance to win Apple accessories and other premium prizes.

Smart’s “Capture the Night” theme alludes to the new and advanced cameras of Apple’s flagship devices, which enable users to take stunning images even in the dark. It also makes reference to the many amazing things you can achieve on the new smartphones with their allday battery life, among other powerful and innovative features.

TV personality Cara Eriguel hosted the program, while Miss World Philippines 2018 Katarina Rodriguez dished out the beats for the event, which was also graced by some of the country’s top lifestyle content creators including Patrick Martin, Angelo Mendoza, Alyssa and Gabs Gibbs, Mito Fabie, Kara Gozali, Mark Agas, Aryanna Epperson, Debbie Then, and Laura Lehmann.

Premium phone case brand Otterbox also joined the celebration to give Smart subscribers special discounts. Own the new iPhones with Smart Signature Make the most of the new iPhones with Smart Signature, the reimagined postpaid experience that prioritizes you on the country’s fastest LTE network, provides you with worry-free connections, and puts you in control of your digital lifestyle. Continued on C3

Katarina Rodriguez was on the music booth dishing out some good music at the Smart 'Capture the Night' event.

TERMINATOR: Dark Fate opened atop the North American box office this weekend with an estimated take of $29 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday, but analysts said that figure fell far below expectations.

After all, the sixth and latest installment in the franchise—reuniting stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton with series creator James Cameron—cost $185 million to make.

The Paramount film has Sarah Connor (Hamilton) fighting to protect a young girl from a deadly Terminator arrived from the future.

The film may have been hurt by head-tohead competition with dark thriller Joker, which in its fifth week took in $13.9 million for the second spot in the Fridayto-Sunday period. Joaquin Phoenix plays Batman’s notorious nemesis in the Warner Bros. film.

In third place was Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil at $12.2 million. The film once again stars Angelina Jolie playing the evil sorceress, and adds Michelle Pfeifferas the scheming Queen Ingrith.

New biopic Harriet—the story of Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and work to help free other slaves—

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton, stars of 'Terminator: Dark Fate,' pose during a film promotion in London on October 17

surprised analysts with its fourth-place finish, earning $12 million.

It was a strong showing for a historical drama. The film has earned a rare A+ CinemaScore rating from audiences, and British star Cynthia Erivo has earned strong reviews for her performance in the title role.

In fifth was United Artists’ computeranimated The Addams Family, at $8.5 million. The funny/spooky film features the voices of Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Snoop Dogg, and Bette Midler.

The quest for true love VIEWERS and netizens could not help but relate to the second episode of Wagas, Wait Lang…

Is This Love?, bannered by real and reel life couple Barbie Forteza and Jak Roberto.

During the past few weeks, Yummy (Barbie) and Eugene (Jak) taught Kapuso viewers how friendship can blossom into unconditional love; Tita Gloria (Yayo Aguila) and Rex (Rey “PJ” Abellana) reminded us that love is worth a second chance; Bane (Ayra Mariano) made us feel the kind of love you get from true friendship; and Cedrick (Kristoffer Martin) showed us that love can turn your heart of stone into a heart of gold.

Continued on C3 Jak Roberto and Barbie Forteza