Manila Standard - 2019 November 27 - Wednesday

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Du30 pushes end to Korean conflict

By MJ Blancaflor PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte called for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in the Korean Peninsula during his bilateral meeting with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in on Monday.

The President also expressed support to Moon

VOL. XXXIII • NO. 286 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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FAMILY PHOTO. President Rodrigo Duterte (second from left) joins other leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and South Korean President Moon Jae-in as they pose for a family photo prior to the start of the

ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center on Tuesday. Top left panel shows the Philippine President waving to members of the send-off party as he leaves the Gimhae Air Base in Busan on Nov. 26 for Manila. Presidential Photo

‘Show us what you’ve got’

PDEA chief dares Robredo to make good on her threat; Lacson chimes in

By Rio N. Araja, Macon Ramos-Araneta and MJ Blancaflor

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HE word war between Vice President Leni Robredo and administration officials continued Tuesday, even though she had been fired as the nation’s drug czar two days ago.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agen- egged Robredo to do as she promised cy Director General Aaron Aquino and make public her “discoveries” about

the government’s war on drugs.

“I believe that whatever revelations she have would help us in improving and furthering the anti-illegal drug campaign,” he said.

The Palace earlier said President Rodrigo Duterte was offended when Robredo dared him to fire her if he could not trust her.

Robredo, on the other hand, twitted the President, asking him what he was so afraid of that he would remove her.

Despite her ouster, she said she would not give up the fight against illegal drugs.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, meanwhile, said it was no longer necessary for Robredo to publicize her findings after her

DOJ seeking to enlist 1,000 prosecutors

short stint as ICAD co-chairperson.

“What for? Just because you were given a responsibility, now that you have been sacked, you will publicize what you found out?” Lacson said.

He said Robredo should report her findings only if it can help the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.

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CLEARING THE DECKS. Workers

Tuesday walk past ASEAN members’ flags next to the Aquatics Center in New Clark City, in Capas town, Tarlac 110 kms north of Manila, four days ahead of the opening ceremony of the Southeast Asian Games. AFP

By Rey E. Requejo THE Department of Justice is in need of more than 1,000 public prosecutors to fill in vacancies in the National Prosecution Service.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Tuesday that about 500 applicants have already been nominated and awaiting approval by President Rodrigo Duterte.

“We need something like a thousand more,” Guevarra said.

“We are continually screening applicants and there are about 500 nominations already with the Office of the President. We are just waiting for the President’s signature. They are slowly releasing the names of the new prosecutors,” he added.

In a speech before the Prosecutors League of the Philippines on Monday, NPS Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento said he has already discussed the shortage of prosecutors with Guevarra.

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SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS.

Villar Group, represented

by Manuel Villar and Paolo Villar, formally inks a Memorandum of Understanding with Multisys Technologies Corp., a leading software solutions company, represented by David Almirol Jr., to deliver gamechanging solutions that will benefit its consumers.

The digital innovation initiative of the group is aimed at driving growth, creating opportunities, transforming its businesses into a highly efficient, customerfocused enterprise, and streamlining its processes.

Speaker blames senator for SEAG budget delay

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

prove the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games budget contributed to the problems now besetting the international sporting event hosted this year by the Philippines.

Cayetano, who heads the SEA Games SPEAKER Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday said the Senate failures to ap- organizing committee, joined Deputy

Speaker Michael Romero in blaming Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon for the delayed budget approval.

The games have been hounded so far by complaints about poor travel Next page

Win or don’t eat: PH’s poverty-driven, world-beating billiards stars Story on A8

Maids’ salary, perks upgraded

By Vito Barcelo

THE salary of housemaids has been raised to P6,000 a month from P2,500, and they are now also entitled to many benefits under the law, according to the Department of Labor and Employment.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III says the housemaids’ wages have been adjusted following a wage order that took effect on Nov. 8 this year.

The wage order says the new monthly wage should be P6,000 for Next page

Congress OKs extended budget

By Maricel V. Cruz

in 2020 with the impending passage of new legislation extending the validity CONGRESS has moved closer to help- of portions of the 2019 General Aping the Duterte administration achieve propriations Act until December next Next page the growth target of 6.5 to 7.5 percent

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News

PCSO wins SC ruling on lotto assets

By Rey E. Requejo

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HE Supreme Court has ordered an Australian company to return P707.2 million worth of assets to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office that were ordered garnished by a lower court to pay for the thermal papers and bet slips that it made for lotto operations in the Philippines The high court’s Third Division also dumped the decision issued on March 27, 2014 by the Court of Appeals upholding the May 13, 2011, Sept. 4, 2013 and the Nov. 6, 2013 orders of the Re-

UN: Cut down on fossil fuel emissions or disaster strikes THE world will miss its chance to avert climate disaster without an immediate and all-but-impossible fall in fossil fuel emissions, the UN said Tuesday in its annual assessment on greenhouse gases.

The United Nations Environment Program said that global emissions need to fall by 7.6 percent, each year, every year until 2030 to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C. The harsh reality is that emissions have risen on average 1.5 percent annually over the last decade, hitting a record 55.3 billion tonnes of CO2 or equivalent greenhouse gases in 2018—three years after 195 countries signed the Paris treaty on climate change.

The World Meterological Organization said Monday that atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations hit an all-time record in 2018.

The Paris deal committed nations to limit temperature rises above preindustrial levels to “well below” 2C, and to a safer 1.5-C if at all possible.

To do so they agreed on the need to reduce emissions and work towards a low-carbon world within decades.

Yet the UN found that even taking into account current Paris pledges, the world is on track for a 3.2C temperature rise, something scientists fear could tear at the fabric of society.

Even if every country made good on its promises, Earth’s “carbon budget” for a 1.5-C rise—the amount we can emit to stay below a certain temperature threshold—would be exhausted within a decade.

In its own words, the UN assessment is “bleak”.

While it insisted the 1.5-C goal is still attainable, it acknowledged that this would require an unprecedented, coordinated upheaval of a global economy that is still fuelled overwhelmingly by oil- and gas-fuelled growth.

“We are failing to curb greenhouse gas emissions,” UNEP’s executive director, Inger Andersen, told AFP. “Unless we take urgent action now and make very significant cuts to global emissions we’re going to miss the target of 1.5C.” AFP

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Malcontento said the NPS is eyeing one prosecutor for every courtroom.

Unfortunately, there are still some areas when a prosecutor is burdened with two or more courtrooms. In one area in Region 6, he added, there are six prosecutors assigned to 41 courts.

The NPS chief said they would prioritize areas where there is a big disparity in the ratio between the number of courtrooms and prosecutors.

Maids’ salary...

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the housemaids working in the National Capital Region and in all firstclass municipalities.

However, the salaries of housemaids working in the other municipalities will be raised depending on the agreement between the employers and the housemaids.

Bello says it will be difficult to go house to house to see if the employers are following the new salary rates for housemaids, but the housemaids may write a complaint before his department so his department can encourage the employers to respect the law.

The law says a housemaid is entitled to daily and weekly rest periods, board, lodging, medical attendance, coverage from the Social Security System, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG, five-day service incentive leave for those who have rendered at least one year of service and 13th-month pay for those who have rendered at least one month of service.

gional Trial Court of Makati City that prevented the PCSO from implementing its decision to cancel the P4.4- billion Contractual Joint Venture Agreement it signed with TMA Australia

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“It still depends on what she will reveal. If it is to destroy or impede the anti-illegal drugs campaign, I hope not.

But if what she discovered is to enhance the fight against illegal drugs, then by all means. But if she found out mistakes that would point to several persons as criminally liable, she should have done that when was still in the position,” Lacson said.

The President’s spokesman, Salvador Panelo took another shot at the vice president, who said she was not yet done.

“If she says she is not done yet, I believe it. She is not yet over with her

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arrangements and accommodations, the lack of halal food prepared as prescribed

by Muslim law, and accreditation problems.

But Cayetano put the blame on Drilon.

“Senator Drilon was the one who moved the budget of the SEA Games to the PSC [Philippine Sports Commission] and it was he who proposed cutting it by 33 percent only a few months before [to] P2.5 million, but now he leads the criticism,” Cayetano said.

He said he did not confront Drilon during a recent Senate hearing because it “was not proper” that they exchanged “harsh words.”

Drilon ealier said he should not be blamed for the delay in the approval of the budget for the SEA Games.

He blamed “unconstitutional insertions blatantly made by the House of Representatives in the budget to the tune of P95.3 billion worth of pork barrel funds” as the major reason for the delay.

Representatives Jericho Nograles of PBA Party-list group and Eric Martinez of Valenzuela, meanwhile, appealed to the critics of the SEA Games organizers to focus on the good side of the event instead of dwelling on the negative aspects.

Nograles, vice chairman of the House committee on youth and sports, said if there is a need to investigate the blunders, Congress is ready to do it.

“Whoever is responsible [for the blunders] will held accountable,” he said, but added that the public should focus on the sports event first and the achievements of Filipino athletes.

Martinez shared a similar view, saying the people should “watch and enjoy the games.”

Cayetano earlier visited the teams of Singapore, Myanmar, Timor Leste, Cambodia and Brunei who experienced transportation, accommodation and other logistical problems even before the formal opening of the SEA Games to personally apologize to them.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III rejected Cayetano’s assertion that delays in the budget caused the glitches hounding the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

“That is a different story, that is not part of the delay of the budget,” Sotto said.

At the time of the deliberations, Drilon had suggested that P7.5 billion was excessive, and when the cuts were

Du30...

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as the two Koreas have yet to resolve their 70-year conflict, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.

During the summit, Southeast Asian leaders with President Moon also called for the peaceful resolution of the South China Sea disputes in accordance with international law, according to a press statement from Malacañang.

They also stressed the importance of non-militarization and self-restraint by claimants and all other states.

In a special retreat session, President Duterte, who arrived in Manila Tuesday evening, said that only dialogue, based on mutual trust and respect, can lead to a “Korea at peace with itself and without nuclear weapons.”

Duterte and Moon met at the sidelines

PTY Ltd. and its local subsidiary TMA Group Philippines Inc. on Dec. 4, 2009.

The high court ruled that the orders of the Makati City RTC were “void and of no force and effect.”

The joint venture agreement was intended to establish the first thermal coating plant here, and primarily for export sales with the balance for the local market and the PCSO’s requirements.

But the PCSO revoked the agreement through a resolution issued on April 15, 2011 after the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel found that the agreement was essentially a supply contract, which was void for being a ploy to circumvent Republic Act 9184 or the

Government Procurement Reform Act, particularly on bidding for government procurement supplies, and to evade the audit by the Commission on Audit.

The high court also reversed the appellate court’s decision issued on Feb. 4, 2016 and resolution dated June 27, 2016 where it sustained the orders issued by the Regional Trial Court of Makati City in June and August 2014, which granted TMA’s motion for the garnishment of PCSO’s properties, assets and money to pay for the price of lotto paper deliveries worth P82 million.

The high court declared that the orders of the Makati RTC were “void and of no force and effect.”

blunders,” Panelo said.

President Duterte fired Robredo as co-chair of ICAD on Sunday, only 18 days into the job.

Robredo, however, said she will disclose matters she had discovered in her short stint in ICAD. “In the coming days, I will give a report to the people. I will reveal what I discovered and my recommendations,” Robredo said.

“I assure you that even if I was stripped of the position, my determination to stop the killings, to make those accountable pay and to win our campaign against illegal drugs remains,” she added.

Robredo met with an anti-drug group in Naga City, the Mothers Against Drug

Abuse in Naga City.

She said it is important for communities to work together in providing mechanisms to help drug dependents who surrendered to the government recover from their addiction.

“Even if I am no longer in a position, it does not mean that we cannot do anything. I am getting more enthusiastic now because I have already seen where the shortcomings are. We will not just criticize, but we will look for solutions,” she told the MADA members.

She called on the groups to report drug-related deaths.

“If there are reports, look at the details of the deaths so we could seek justice for those involved,’ she said.

done, the House agreed.

“They agreed to that. They should have complained that it’s lacking during the bicam,” said Sotto.

He also played down the remarks of Rep. Lord Allan Velasco that the delay in the budget for the SEA Games did not come from the House of Representatives.

Instead of submitting the budget on Oct.1, the House gave it to the Senate on Nov. 24, Sotto said.

Sotto suggested that Cayetano and Velasco must have been peeved by Drilon’s questioning of the cost of the Games to the government and wanted to get back at him.

Drilon said the public can see they were not the cause of the 2019 budget delay.

“That’s an insult to the Senate leadership. The budget was delayed due to the intent to have that P95 billion pork barrel,” said Drilon.

Senator Christopher Go said the right time for a proper investigation was after the Games have concluded.

In the meantime, Go encouraged Filipinos to root for their athletes instead of gloating at the mistakes of others.

On Tuesday, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos said it offered to help the SEA Games organizing committee serve halal food to delegates from Islamic countries, but their offer was brushed aside.

Jun Alonto Datu Ramos, external affairs director of NCMF, said his agency approached officials from the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee about the food problem as early as September.

“We were ignored,” Ramos said.

His statement came after some teams had complained that egg, kikiam and rice were served for breakfast. Kikiam is a non-halal or “unlawful” food for Muslims since it contains ground pork.

The chef de mission of the Singapore delegation also complained about the “very limited food options” at Century Park Hotel where their athletes are staying.

A New Straits Times report, meanwhile, said the Malaysian contingent was able to anticipate potential problems after learning from SEA Games organizers that halal food will only be available from Nov. 26 onwards at the hotels.

“Halal food is a big problem for those staying in hotels right now as it is difficult to get. We knew about this, so we gave out instant nutritious food which only needed to be heated up for

the athletes and officials,” National Sports Council director general Datuk Seri Ahmad Shapawi Ismail was quoted as saying.

The NCMF, Ramos said, has the capacity to provide the manpower and expertise that would have helped avoid these problems.

Some Filipinos on social media have called out the reported mishaps and logistical problems of the regional games, calling the country’s hosting a “national embarrassment.”

Foreign and local journalists also complained of mistaken identities as the SEA Games media IDs were rushed to completion.

Photos of unfinished venues for the games also surfaced online.

But the president of Philippine Olympic Committee Abraham Tolentino said Tuesday that these problems are “normal.”

Tolentino also insisted that the organizing committee already fixed the “minor glitches” and asked the public to move on from their blunders.

The Phisgoc, led by Cayetano, earlier apologized for the accommodation problems experienced by football athletes.

Days before the grand kick-off of the 2019 SEA Games at the Philippine Arena, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) opened the Ciudad de Victoria Interchange Overpass Bridge and Bypass Road in Bocaue, Bulacan, which will be used by the delegates as the main route going to the 55,000-seater indoor stadium.

The Ciudad de Victoria Interchange Overpass Bridge and Bypass Road will also address the usual heavy traffic and queuing of vehicles entering the Bocaue interchange, which will reduce travel time to the town of Sta Maria, Bulacan from the usual 50 minutes to 15 minutes.

Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said that the construction of the bypass road and bridge started Januaryand was sped up in time for the opening ceremony of the 30th SEA Games on Saturday, Nov. 30.

Four schools across Metro Manila will suspend classes to ease traffic during the 30th Southeast Asian Games, the Metro Manila Development Authority said.

These are the Arellano Law School, Dec. 2 to 7; St. Scholastica’s College, Dec. 2 to 7; St. Paul College Pasig, Dec. 2 to 6; and St. Pedro Poveda College, Dec. 2 to 6. With Vito Barcelo

of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit, which also coincides with the 70th year of bilateral ties between the Philippines and South Korea.

The two leaders signed bilateral agreements on social security, tourism, fisheries, and education. They also agreed to elevate the relations between the two countries into a “strategic partnership.”

Lorenzana said this is a “strong action on our side.”

“We support by expressing our support. We cannot do anything, since we are not a nuclear power. But the fact that we support the denuclearization of Korean Peninsula is, I think, a strong action from our side,” he told reporters.

Southeast Asian leaders also welcomed Moon’s “New Southern Policy,” which aims to elevate the

dialogue partnership between ASEAN and South Korea through enhanced bilateral relations.

They also adopted the Joint Vision Statement for Peace, Prosperity, and Partnership, which will serve as blueprint of dialogue relations for the next 30 years.

Duterte also invited Moon to the Philippines for a state visit. He also met with top Korean companies on Monday and assured them of his protection if they invest in the Philippines.

The President vowed to shield them from corruption and abuse and assured them that permits would be issued quickly. The Korean companies, in turn, promised to participate in different infrastructure projects.

Meanwhile, Lorenzana said that the Philippines is negotiating with South Korea to purchase two brand

118 Chinese POGO workers illegal aliens, DOLE reveals

By Vito Barcelo ONLY 118 foreign workers were found to be illegally working in the more than 60 registered Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations or POGO establishments inspected by the Labor department.

There are an estimated 150,000 Chinese workers employed in POGOs in the Philippines.

POGOs are offshore gaming operations that offer games of chance via the Internet, network or software that brings revenues to the Philippines.

According to the DOLE-Bureau of Labor Employment Director Dominique Tutay, they had already recommended to Immigration the deportation of the 118 foreign workers illegally working here.

“Many of the foreign workers in POGOs have Alien Employment Permits issued by the DOLE while others have Special Working Permits issued by the Bureau of Immigration,” Tutay said.

On the other hand, Immigration estimates that there are more than 200,000 young Chinese working in another country, mostly in POGOs and underground online gaming networks.

Immigration says more than 1.3-million Chinese visitors arrived here from January to September this year and, and that thousands of them are now believed working illegally in various establishments here as construction workers and security guards and chefs, among others.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III had earlier ordered the deployment of more than 500 labor inspectors to monitor foreign workers to make sure the government was now disadvantaged by the POGOs that are said to be employing foreign workers, and mostly Chinese without work permits.

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year, a House leader said on Tuesday.

Deputy Speaker for Finance Luis Raymund Villafuerte issued the statement after the House last week approved on third and final reading the bill allowing the government to continue disbursing funds for capital outlays and maintenance and other operating expenses under the 2019 national budget for one more year until Dec. 31, 2020.

“This will serve as a fiscal stimulus that will further stimulate economic activity and keep the domestic economy on its upward trajectory in 2020 and onwards,” Villafuerte said.

Meanwhile, the Senate has approved on third and final reading the bill extending the validity of the capital outlay and maintenance and other operating expenses in the 2019 national budget for one year.

After completing the period of interpellations for the P4.1-trillion national budget, the Senate took up House Bill 5437, and with a vote of 19-0-0 decided to adopt it without amendments, paving the way for its immediate transmittal to Malacañang since a bicameral conference committee meeting would no longer be necessary.

Villafuerte is one of the co-authors of the measure, having filed earlier House Bill 5424 calling for the extension of the 2019 budget’s validity.

The Senate has approved a similar measure on second reading.

The government is now implementing a cash-based budgeting system, which necessitates a new law allowing the extension of the 2019’s budget validity to 2020.

“The Congress has enough time to approve this measure, which, if not enacted, will force the government to withhold funds for the construction of more schools and health facilities as well as for providing electricity in the far-flung communities, among other spending priorities,” Villafuerte said.

With Macon Ramos-Araneta new corvettes—the smallest class of warships—worth P25 billion, which he said could be used to patrol the Celebes Sea. In an interview, the Defense secretary said he is hoping to conclude the negotiations by December so the warships could be delivered within Duterte’s term.

Duterte approved the Navy’s Corvette Acquisition Program in May. The acquisition of the brand new corvettes will be through a government-to-government financing agreement, in which the Philippines could pay South Korea over a period of five to 10 years.

Hyundai Heavy Industries, a Koreanbased shipbuilding company, is also expected to deliver missile-capable frigates: The BRP Jose Rizal in 2020 and BRP Antonio Luna in 2021.

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Velasco expects Cayetano to honor deal

By Maricel V. Cruz MARINDUQUE Rep. Lord Allan Velasco on Tuesday said he expected Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano to honor and respect the term-sharing agreement that President Rodrigo Duterte brokered between the two congressmen.

“Actually, even if the President does not give [any further instruction on the term-sharing agreement], we’ve already come to an agreement since it’s a gentleman’s agreement,” Velasco told reporters.

As much as possible, Velasco said he does not want to comment anymore on the speakership issue so as to give Cayetano “free reign” at the House.

He said he is focused on his legislative function as ordinary House member and as chairman of the House committee on energy.

“I am just waiting for the 15 months to finish, and then I will start my assumption as the next Speaker of the House,” he said.

Under the term-sharing agreement brokered by the President, Cayetano is supposed to step down after 15 months to give way to Velasco, who will hold the Speakership until the end of the Duterte administration.

Velasco is supposed to assume the Speakership in October 2020.

Cayetano earlier hinted he would like to retain his post until 2022, and that he will consult the President on whether or not to relinquish the post to Velasco.

Velasco said he does not want to entertain questions on ‘what ifs” on the speakership’s term-sharing agreement.

“Let us wait until we get there,” he said.

“At the end of the day, I know for a fact that it’s a gentleman’s agreement.

Definitely, when the 15 months is already due, I believe Speaker Alan Cayetano will step down and hand the speakership to me,” he added.

‘Assign officer in tourism spots’ SENATOR Nancy Binay is pushing for an appointment of a tourism officer in major tourist destinations nationwide.

Binay, who introduced Senate Bill No. 1124, otherwise known as the Act Amending Sections 443, 454 and 463 of the Local Government Code of 1991, said the presence of tourism officer in major destinations would ensure sustainable tourism development in the area and boost tourism-related investments.

Binay noted that Republic Act 7160, otherwise known as the “Local Government Code of 1991” does not include permanent positions for tourism officers in its exclusive list of officers for every local government unit (LGU).

According to Binay, Section 42 of Republic Act 9593 or the Tourism Act of 2009, mandates every province, city or municipality where tourism is a significant industry to appoint a permanent tourism officer.

“Without a specific amendatory clause in The Tourism Act of 2009, the LGUs fail to establish permanent positions for tourism officers,” Binay said, adding that the measure seeks to address the matter by amending pertinent provisions of RA 7160. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Win to address budget shortfall SENATOR Win Gatchalian said he will propose amendments to address the P14-billion budget shortfall to cover all 1.29-million learners under the Senior High School Voucher Program for 2020.

The SHS VP is a financial assistance program that enables underprivileged but qualified senior high school students to study in private schools, state and local universities and colleges.

The cost of supporting 1.29-million learners is P18 billion per semester or P36 billion for the entire school year.

The current allocation for the SHS VP is P22.93 billion.

Gatchalian also sought the settlement of P11.4 billion owed by the DepEd to private schools under the program, noting that these schools have expenses to pay such as salaries and utilities. This entails the total addition of P25 billion to the SHS VP budget.

“It is imperative that we look for P14 billion to finance the other semester of these 1.2-million students and at the same time, pay P11 billion for the deficit,” Gatchalian said in his interpellation during the budget deliberation for the Department of Education’s 2020 budget.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

MAKATI FIRE. A fire broke out early morning on Tuesday along JP Rizal Street in Barangay Tejeros in Makati City, prompting various firetruck volunteers to troop to the area. The fire was put under control in a little over an hour. The cause has not been established yet but the scene has many small shops along the street. Diana Noche

EU earmarks 500k euros for Minda quake victims T HE European Union on Monday announced the €500,000 or nearly P28 million in funding to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to the families affected by a series of strong earthquakes that rocked parts of Mindanao in October.

“The earthquakes have affected people in communities that were already poor and vulnerable. Our focus is to bring urgently needed assistance to those most heavily impacted by the disasters,” said Christos Stylianides, the EU Commissioner for Humanitarian

Aid and Crisis Management in a statement.

The EU Delegation in Manila said the fund would support the global humanitarian aid organization Action Against Hunger in delivering emergency shelter, food, clean water,

psychosocial support and other vital aid to the most vulnerable and marginalized groups, including female-headed households, people with disabilities and indigenous people.

An EU humanitarian expert has been deployed to the earthquake zone to assess the situation and the needs on the ground.

More than 330,000 people have been affected, over 100,000 of whom have been displaced, by four powerful and shallow earthquakes of above 6 magnitude in Mindanao’s regions of Davao del Sur and North Cotabato in October.

House panel okays bill on alternative learning A PANEL in the House of Representatives has endorsed for plenary approval a substitute bill proposing to boost accessibility to education of underserved sectors of the country such as the out-ofschool youth, persons with disabilities, indigenous people, and senior citizens by institutionalizing the alternative learning system.

The House Committee on Basic Education and Culture, chaired by Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, approved the substitute measure, which is a consolidation of House Bill (HB) Nos. 1586, 4392, 917, and 1586 filed by Tingog Party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Kittilstvedt Romualdez and House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez; San Jose del Monte City Rep. Florida Robes; Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales; and Pangasinan Rep. Tyrone Agabas, respectively.

The bill is expected to contain amendments to be introduced during its plenary discussion, and approval later.

The House panel’s technical working group led by Rep. Yedda, the chairperson of the House Committee on the Welfare of Children, approved substitute bill institutionalizing the ALS. In pushing for the approval of the ALS bill, Rep. Yedda cited the need to institutionalize ALS as a major component of the country’s basic education system with a clearly defined role within the overall education goals in the country, parallel to the formal education system.

“This bill intends to strengthen the ALS by defining it as other component of the Philippine educational system and by clearly defining its role within the education system of our country,” Rep. Yedda said.

She said when ALS was first introduced in 2001 following the enactment of Republic Act (RA) 9155, otherwise known as the Governance in Basic Education Act, thousands of out-of-school youth and persons in disadvantaged situations have benefited from it.

In the previous 17th Congress, the House of Representatives approved the ALS measure on third and final reading.

“In understanding the government’s ALS program and in processing and crafting the bill I proposed, I realized that many of these ALS learners are determined individuals who faced challenges or made sacrifices, which led them to stop formal schooling,” Rep. Yedda said.

The proposed ALS Act seeks to institute a mobile teacher program especially in farflung, underserved and conflict-affected communities.

The bill defines the ALS as “a parallel learning system that provides an alternative learning arrangement to learners, who, for acceptable reasons to be determined by the Department of Education, cannot be admitted to the existing formal basic education.”

It includes both the non-formal and informal sources of knowledge and skills. Maricel V. Cruz

Watchdog files case vs. PACC’s Belgica

By Rio N. Araja AN ANTI-CORRUPTION watchdog on Tuesday filed a graft complaint against Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission Commissioner Greco Belgica before the Office of the Ombudsman for supposed illegal raids.

Monalie Dizon, Kilusang Pagbabago chairperson, also filed a complaint of malfeasance and usurpation of authority against Belgica.

She questioned the presence of Belgica when he went along with authorities to raid two government employees with salary grade 26 from the Bureau of Internal Revenue without the consent of the PACC. “All his acts are without the authority of the Commission. Further, the subject of the entrapment are two officials of the BIR whose positions are below grade 26, thus are not within the jurisdiction of PACC as provided under Section 5 (a), hence Belgica’s act was contrary to law,” the complaint read.

She said the PACC official was armed with a gun during the raid.

“In his eagerness to attain publicity for himself he tipped the media to cover the raid and entrapment for the purpose of serving his personal interest of maximum publicity for him thus enhancing his popularity to the public and thereby fulfill his ambition to become a Senator of the Republic,” the complaint further stated.

“Coupled with the fact that he, like an actor in a movie, took possession of a firearm and play-acted as if he was about to do a shooting match with the alleged criminals.”

Fuel marking extends to Mindanao

By Joel E. Zurbano

NCRPO’S ROLE IN SEAG. National Capital Region Police Office acting director Police Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas discusses their role for the 30th SEA Games issue in a weekly press conference held at the NCRPO satelite office in Quezon City.

Manny Palmero

THE government’s campaign to curb oil smuggling has extended to Mindanao region beginning with the marking of 60 million liters of diesel fuel of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. in Cagayan de Oro. The Pilipinas Shell’s first marking operation conducted in its maintained Northern Mindanao Import Facility (NMIF) last Sunday was witnessed by Customs officials and representatives from fuel marker consortium Sicpa SASGS Philippines.

The operation in Cagayan de Oro was followed by a preliminary inspection conducted by officials from the Department of Finance, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of Budget and Management and Bureau of Customs to oil terminals of Phoenix Petroleum and Insular Oil in Davao.

The inspection, according to Customs deputy commissioner for enforcement

and Fuel Marking Program head Teddy Raval, is required prior to the marking of fuel products.

Under Republic Act No. 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law, petroleum products that are refined, manufactured, or imported to the Philippines such as but not limited to, unleaded premium gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fuel shall be marked by an official marking agent after payment of taxes and duties.

By Feb. 3, 2020, all gasoline, diesel and kerosene retailed in the country are expected to be marked. To date, around 435 million liters of fuel have already been marked.

Petroleum companies who have already engaged the enforcers and started to have their fuel marked are: Seaoil, Pure Petroleum Corp., Phoenix Petroleum Corp., Unioil Petroleum Philippines, the entire network of Chevron Philippines, Inc. and Shell NMIF.

A4

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Glitches in the Games THESE are more than “glitches” in the 30th Southeast Asian Games being hosted by the Philippines. The coaches of several football teams including the Philippines have complained about poor accommodations, bad food and lack of transportation.

Indeed it is a major foul-up by the organizers.

A major foul-up, indeed.

The Philippine Sports Commission and organizing chairman, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, pleaded with the public not to blame them now and that they should air their grievances after the Games.

Cayetano said all Filipinos are hosts of the SEA Games. Thus, we must be one in spirit and as a country.

But what can you do when coaches of foreign delegations themselves hold a press conference to publicly denounce the shabby treatment they receive? Buses supposed to pick them up at the airport were late and then brought them to the wrong hotel. When they arrived at the hotel, the rooms were not ready and they were made to stay in a large function room where they had to sleep on the floor. The organizing committee apparently did not not block off the rooms for the foreign athletes.

The worst part is the bad food. Athletes claim it lacks nutrition, necessary for endurance and strong performance.

House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano is the head of the organizing committee. But it seems was more

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

focused on his P50-million cauldron to be lit throughout the Games, so he overlooked other important details in food, accommodation and transportation.

This is the fourth time for the Philippines to host the Southeast Asian Games. To think that we may have more experience in hosting and organizing this major regional event is too much to expect.

The poor preparations for the Games were just too much that even the Palace came out with stinging rebukes of the organizers. This is bad for Cayetano who fancies himself as Duterte's candidate for the 2022 presidential elections.

Disempowered On another front, Vice President Leni Robredo was removed by President Rodrigo Duterte as co-chairperson of the Inter-agency Committee on Anti-illegal Drugs. This he did after flying off to an international conference.

Robredo lashed back at the President's action, warning she would come out with a bombshell on Duterte's bloody war on drugs. I will not preempt the Vice President by speculating on what she will say. But I supposed it has something to do with the list of high-value targets of drug lords.

As I have written in an earlier column, the President may have unwittingly opened a Pandora'd box by appointing Robredo as anti-drug drug czar. I don't want to say I told you so but this is the way things are turning out to be. Even when she was eventually fired, Robredo had been given a platform to project herself as Liberal Party opposition candidate in 2022.

From fading star to a reignited one— as destiny would have it.

The question is whether LP figures like Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon or Kiko Pangilinan will step aside for Robredo. These two are also nurturing presidential ambitions.

Retired Senior Associate Jus-

Raising hell

W

HAT’S a recent government project that may seem overpriced or illconceived? Does anybody’s name come to mind when the phrase “favored contractor” is used?

It is easy to be provoked, swayed and distracted by the many things happening in our country today. Filipinos seem unable to tell that some issues are underlying, systemic problems, some are preventable products of hasty decisions or pronouncements, while some are plain entertainment fodder.

We are given to following scandal, not realizing that what is more scandalous is that we can actually do something concrete and consistent about the ills that plague us—only we’re not doing them.

An example would be the messy and often mystifying process of procurement by government entities. It is widely believed that government

contracts provide great opportunities for corruption. In the meeting of demand (by government) and supply (by contractors), details are either not readily available to the public, and if even if they are, they are shrouded in technical language or dizzying detail.

Hence, while we acknowledge this fact, nothing is ever substantially done to correct the situation.

Certainly, an “ordinary” Filipino would not have the capacity or inclination to get to the bottom of whether the implementation of a project by a government entity was all clean and above-board, without the shady undertones.

Perhaps one will not, but civil society groups and media organizations can.

At a conference organized by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism this week, one of the breakout topics for participating journalists was reporting government contracts. Speakers from the Commission on Audit, the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System and PCIJ shed

light on what reporters should look for—and where to look—in investigating contracts. To be sure, not all the information one may need is available online. In the absence of a freedom of information law, we may still be subject to the unwillingness of government employees to make data available. But it is already possible to begin with what is there, and even more possible to detect red flags that may lead to further probing.

The notion is that government contracts are always shrouded in mystery and it takes superhuman sleuthing to get to the bottom of them. The job is difficult, no doubt, but not impossible.

Corruption thrives in secrecy—or in the wrong idea that most information is privileged or not readily accessible. Developing a general curiosity about contracts and how much they deviate from prescribed standards seems a more constructive—albeit less hysterical—way of fighting corruption than raising hell on social media, only to move on as swiftly to the next big scandal.

Turn to A5

Behind every great wealth TONIGHT we mark a milestone—the 18th anniversary of BizNewsAsia.

BizNewsAsia has been a publishing sensation. It has become the Philippines’ largest and most influential weekly news and business magazine.

We claim a pass-on circulation of 350,000 readers. That is because the last time we published our best-selling issue ever, the Power 100, it sold 35,000 copies. And each copy is read by ten readers.

We haven’t published a new version of Power 100, the list of the most powerful and influential Filipinos. One reason is that I make as many enemies as I make many friends. Those who were included are thankful they are included and I have validated their friendship.

Those who were not included were angry they were not included. And some who were included were angry they were underrated. Still others protested that I overrated some people in power and influence.

If I were to publish the Power 100 tonight, clearly 30 or more in tonight’s audience would easily make the grade.

And they wouldn’t be angry because they qualify effortlessly, in the Top 30 most powerful and influential Filipinos.

Tonight is also my 71st birthday.

Thank you for helping me live a longer life than the average Filipino whose lifespan is an exciting 69 years.

Thank you friends and supporters of BizNewsAsia for making the BizNewsAsia anniversary such an elegant and power night.

I chose the prayer recited in the invocation tonight. It is often attributed to Saint Francis although some doubt he indeed wrote it.

Anyway, the prayer is a litany of inspiration, of recovery; a supplication for love, pardon, faith, hope, truth,

light, and joy. Understanding and pardon. It is a prayer of inclusion.

There is so much conflict and division in this country and the world today. Amid riches and plenty, remarkable poverty and misery stalk the land.

Our magazine, BizNewsAsia, stands for hope and optimism, for celebration of good deeds and achievements, for focus on the right things—the economy, country, and people. No publication, big or small, does this today, in the Philippines.

Here’s the speech I delivered Monday night during the anniversary of BizNewsAsia.

And it may explain, partly, our success, The CEOs and top honchos of the Philippines’ largest companies are here with us tonight. By largest, I mean, largest in revenues (San Miguel); largest in market value (SM Investments); and/or largest Filipino in wealth (Villar).

I have been a business writer for 50 years. I have known, befriended, and watched a number of our taipans and tycoons become big. That also includes many of our public servants. I met them literally as kids before they became senators or something bigger.

I can write about them with authority.

That is why tonight’s awards of excellence are still much coveted, despite the recent proliferation of copycat awards.

There is authority and credibility behind the awards.

They say behind every great wealth is a great crime. That is not always true.

What is true—always—is that behind every great wealth is punishing hard work, relentless drive for excellence, and purposeful ambition. The late John Gokongwei Jr was right—“if you don’t

Turn to A5

EvEryman

A uniform minimum wage

By Bhernadette A. Pascual, job they will have no other means. this could alleviate the traffic problem These days, obtaining a job proves to in Metro Manila, albeit a little. Raising CPA UNDENIABLY, every ordinary Filipino is in a tight situation. Prices of goods are soaring and the cost of living is getting higher. Meanwhile, our income stays the same. Many are struggling to make ends meet.

To help the people, the Labor Code of the Philippines lays down rules on employment practices and conditions of employment. Employers should comply with these.

Today, the minimum wage set by the government is P537 in Metro Manila. In other regions, the amount varies. Many argue that this is not enough to raise a family. Unfortunately, there are some people who are getting paid below the minimum wage and are forced to accept it because they fear that if they lose their

be more difficult for many ordinary Filipino people. With Metro Manila boasting as the center of commerce many people from other regions attracted by the abundance of job opportunities and higher wages, they try to find their living in Metro Manila.

Some get lucky; others, not quite.

What if the minimum wage is the same for all of the regions? What are the implications of setting the minimum wage as such? Will it be advantageous to ordinary Filipino people or not?

It sounds beneficial that minimum wage would be equal and people from other regions would have the same income as they would earn in Metro Manila without having to leave their families in their provinces. With the crowded population reduced, maybe

the minimum wage in other regions may stimulate the growth of provinces due to expanding opportunities for businesses and employees alike.

However, increasing the wages in other regions may also be disadvantageous for employees because it may result in businesses not being able to keep up with increasing salaries paid to their employees. As such, there may be a decrease in work available and even increase in prices of goods or services.

For now, the effects of a uniform minimum wage should be made the subject of further study.

Pascual is a graduate school student (Master of Business Administration Financial Management) of Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

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

ONLINE

can be accessed at: manilastandard.net

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PPI

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

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

Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua

Managing Editor Associate Editors News Editor Opinion Editor

Emil P. Jurado

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Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Opinion Rice, SEAG and Leni CROSSROADS JONATHAN DE LA CRUZ WE RESUME column writing in the midst of a host of “hot” issues across the board. But the ‘mostest’ of all, as our neighbourhood pundit would put it, are Rice (closest to the stomach), SEAG (closest to a breakdown) and Leni (closest to a put down). So I promised him and members of our regular “caucus” I will say something about these concerns in this my first column after almost a year of absence.

On Rice. So much has been said and so many have chimed in on this issue before, during and after the enactment into law of the rice tariffication bill shepherded principally

by Senator Cynthia Villar. Early on, we noted that the manner in which the matter was being debated about already put our rice farmers and the local rice industry in a bind.

To begin with, there was a persistent push for full and untrammelled importation despite the safeguard clauses provided for under the World Trade Organization guidelines and our own Safeguard Measures Act. It was as if the industry had been a sheer failure and our farmers a heavily subsidized bunch who would be better off transported from the farms to some other sector out there never mind their having nursed their patch of land to productive use despite the odds and, of course, the need for food security of sorts for a galloping population. To seal this highly questionable initiative, the NFA was left to its own devices devoid of any fighting chance to undertake its original mandate as the balancer-of-sorts in an increasingly “dog-eat-dog” free market environment beloved of the regime’s economic team.

And that was just for starters.

We learned that the government’s agricultural productivity enhancement program for which billions of pesos have been allocated annually has been less than activated. Almost non-existent was how some farmers groups have described it.

Thus, instead of providing for reasonably priced inputs, i.e., seeds, fertilizer, pesticide, etc., and low to interest-free funding support plus the promised tractors, threshers and other farm equipments, government bureaucrats tweedled their thumbs and looked up to the heavens as the seasons passed by.

It is a fact that last year was probably the worst year for our rice farmers as the debate over the fate of the industry was embedded in what a lot of people now believe was a contrived “rice shortage” play by powerful forces which ultimately forced President Duterte to give in and sign this now very flawed tariffication law.

But all is not lost. President Duterte and Agriculture Secretary William Dar can still salvage the sit-

Glitches...

From A4

tice of the Supreme Court Antonio Carpio, Senator Cynthia Villar and boxing icon Manny Pacquiao are three other strong contenders in the

Behind...

From A4

work, you don’t eat.”

When the late Henry Sy Sr. landed in Manila from China in 1936 as a boy of 12, he had only ten centavos in his pocket.

By the time he died early this year, his wealth was worth $17 billion. How did he do it? Pure hard work. No illegal drugs. No selling of get-rich-quick scams. Just punishing work 24/7.

Tatang Henry worked so hard he had little sleep. He was always sleepy in class, he decided to quit. So he did not finish school. He did finish his goal—to be No. 1 in malls and retailing, No. 1 in property, and No. 1 in banking. In all three, Henry had no close second.

Ramon S. Ang of San Miguel has

uation even as Senator Villar and her chorus continue to insist that the law stays as is since it will, in the long run, enhance the farmers’ lot. Our neighborhood pundit and his agriculture expert (Yes, sir, he has access to experts!) have come out with a suggestion which may balance things out, as it were, and somehow put some sanity back into play. The suggestion is for all registered importers to purchase part of their lot locally. If, for example, they have been given a permit to import one million tons of rice they should be obliged to purchase an additional 30 percent more from local farmers so their total lot will be 1.3 million tons, which will be made available at any given time to the market. That way, prices can be stabilized, importers will be disci-

our hosting and, equally, if not more importantly give our athletes all the assistance and inspiration they deserve to haul more medals and gain more records.

On Leni. Well, what can I say except Sayang. What could have been the start of a working relationship between the administration and what’s left of the opposition—shorn of unwarranted politicking—on this critical national endeavor against illegal drugs has been shattered.

Probably until the end of this administration’s term. Now the attacks, especially from the opposition, will be shriller and probably more outrageous given the record of their efforts over the past three years. How the administration will react bears watching. But there is no question that the tit-for-tat will probably be more frequent and raucous which can only make those who are into the illegal drugs trade, in and out of politics (and yes, the security forces), more wayward and brazen in their ways. We should all be prepared to handle the damage it can cause the country down to the littlest barangays out there.

A lot of lessons learned will now be the subject of intense discussions from both sides of the divide. At this point, whether in fact PRRD overplayed his card and did not think things through when he offered the ICAD post to Leni is of no moment. Suffice it to say that he can now rightly say that he gave her and by implication the opposition and their chorus a chance to serve with him in eradicating this cancer but they proved to be wanting in many ways. He can count those ways and he will be listened to. After all, in the latest survey, 82 percent of all Filipinos approved of the manner by which the administration has pursued the ‘war on drugs’. In fact, PRRD can cite the statements made by Leni in the two and a half weeks she was with ICAD like “Operation Tokhang was OK pala it just needed a make over, a question of branding” or some such remarks as she convened meetings with all kinds of people and groups parading her new platform-of-sorts.

Of course, Leni can counter strongly as well as she did with her fighting words in the press conference she called a day after her sacking. But she will be called out with a host of questions once she reveals as she said she will what she “learned” in the days she was up there presiding at meetings. What kind of information or solution can she or her group come up with at this point which they have not exposed over the past three years they have been denouncing PRRD to high heavens.

If she will be telling the same old stories or recoiling with her victimhood stance, then she will be called out as wanting.

Indeed, these are times of not just of telling but more of testing. We await with bated breath who will be found wanting and wasted.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019

Unity

2022 presidential race.

The people have a choice—a legal luminary, a rich senator, or a popular boxer. Who shall it be? Whoever it might be, we hope he or she delivers the country from the morass we are in.

Going back to the abysmal prepa-

rations for the 30th Southeast Asian Games, I think this reflects the same sad state of affairs in the way the country is being run by government.

It's time for the people to make the right choice so we can see meaningful change.

I WILL start this piece by recounting a dream I had last night.

A close friend and a former boss called for me (though his face was blurred in the dream), and asked if I could help two of his progeny to get elected to the Senate.

The problem is that his sons had very public quarrels, like oil and water if put together. But it was a challenge, and who knows if in the process of one political campaign ran by a conjoined strategy, whether both win or one wins and the other loses, the scions would end up being friends, something the patriarch would infinitely wish for?

The details of the dream were quite fuzzy, with images of shuttling between two nearby offices in a Metro Manila city and briefing two strong personalities on how to coordinate separate campaigns on a unified strategy.

I woke up at a little past four Tuesday morning and could not get back to sleep. Instead, I contemplated on the dream and what it possibly meant in the context of today’s contemporary events.

A few days back, I read through the Internet an expression of dismay from a young actor, Enchong Dee, and although I do not agree with the premise of his statement, he rued that “we are so divided as a nation.”

I will juxtapose that cri de coeur with what DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra stated after learning that Vice-President Leni Robredo was yanked out from her less-than-threeweek designation as co-chair of the ICAD, getting media to call her the anti-drug war czar or “czarina”. I wrote an article entitled “Czarina” last Nov. 13, and like many others, I held no high hopes about her role, considering the circumstances of the designation, a product of momentary pique turned half-serious.

The situation was muddled by statements from the spokespersons of both sides, the administration and the opposition. And so now the momentary political honeymoon, if one could call it such, is over.

Secretary Guevarra’s reaction is how every Filipino should react to the turn of events: “Personally, I feel so sad about what had happened.

There was an opportunity for the administration and even the opposition to bond together and put up a united front against a common enemy which is illegal drugs.”

The cynical may not read it the way Meynard does, but men of goodwill, with intent imbued only by what is good for the nation and our people so divided, can only agree with the secretary.

Sayang. *** The article I sent for Monday on Ping Lacson was rather long, and likely it was the reason for it having been abridged. (I base this only on the Internet version). For the sake of many who called me about the article, which they said was rather “bitin” given its title, let me print the other half of that column. Here goes: But Ping Lacson maintained that “what is right must be kept right; what is wrong must be set right.”

And jueteng was “not right.” It was illegal.

So President Erap sought to legalize jueteng, a numbers game that was as old as the late 19th centu-

seven secrets to success. Rule No. 3 is “Work harder than anybody else.” Rule No. 6 is “Nothing is impossible.” Rule No. 7 is “Believe in a bigger purpose.”

What does that mean? May I quote Co. Ariel Querubin on San Miguel: “Mr. Ang has been a true nation builder, helping create new economic centers and disperse growth away from the big cities.”

“Where San Miguel has set up factories and distribution hubs, it has also provided thousands of jobs, allowing small businesses and micro-economies to take root. By establishing new, regional manufacturing hubs and harnessing the strength of its businesses today in terms of access to affordable, reliable power and efficient infrastructure, San Miguel and RSA are delivering on the commitment to helping our nation achieve its development goals.”

So there. Believe in something bigger than ourselves. Believe in a bigger purpose.

Of six future taipans who landed in either Cebu or Manila just before the war, only one is still alive, Lucio Tan. The others have all died, but not after building great fortunes—Al Yuchengco who died in 2017 at 94; George Ty who died in 2018 at 86; Henry Sy who died in January 2019 at 94; and Gokongwei who died Nov. 9, 2019 at 93). Gotianun had wealth of $501 million, Yuchengco $600 million, Ty $2.2 billion, Sy $17 billion; and Gokongwei $5.9 billion. Kapitan Lucio Tan is worth $3.9 billion per BizNewsAsia reckoning.

What do these taipans have in common? They started penniless. They ended up dollar multi-millionaires or billionaires.

To be sure, you don’t need to finish

college to be wealthy. Half of the ten richest men of America are college dropouts.

Bill Gates is worth $110 billion.

Mark Zuckerberg is worth $73.7 billion.

Michael Dell had $20 billion wealth.

Steve Jobs was worth $10 billion when he died in 2011. That wealth is now worth $18.8 billion under his widow, Laurene Powell Jobs. The founder of Oracle, Larry Ellison, trusted his instincts and quit college. He did not want to be a doctor. Today, Ellison is worth $69 billion. Computer maker Michael Dell had wealth of $20 billion.

What do these men have in common?

They are all college dropouts. One in eight billionaires of America is a dropout.

Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, Uber Kalanickl founder Travis Kalanick, WhatsApp founder Jan Koum, and Whole Foods founder John Mackey are

Look who’s back. plined (in a way) and our farmers incentivized to stay on the land and enhance their productivity and their standing in society. The mechanics of this operation will still have to be ironed out but to my mind this is one initiative which Secretary Dar should seriously consider endorsing to the President even if members of the so-called economic team may frown at it. It will save us and our farmers from a lot of whimsical and even laughable suggestions from people who should know better.

On SEAG. Even as I agree that with just three days before the formal opening of the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) that we should observe some kind of ceasefire on the issues raised over our handling of the games, there are a number of things we simply have to remind the organizers. Take care please that the arrangements for the facilities (both the venues and the lodging places) and the transport services are set and running. With five to seven venues scattered all over, this is a nightmare waiting to happen given the experience of those who came in earlier than most of the delegations.

It is bad enough that there are still finishing touches being worked out this late hour, it is doubly problematic to have issues about food, bathrooms and, yes, transport, pester as the days roll on.

May I also suggest for the organizers to just let the usual critics, do-gooders maybe a better word, do their worst. No need to get into this give-and-take put down which has been going on since the “caldero” days at the Senate and just plod on do the best we can as host of the games. There will be a time and a place for all these needed reckoning.

At this point, what is needed is for all of us the critics included to come around and show to our visitors that we can be responsible and gracious hosts. We simply cannot afford to quibble about things. Let’s focus on

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ry, an addiction for poor folks who could make hundreds of pesos or so on a twenty-five centavo bet. Which proved to be his jueteng-gate downfall when Chavit Singson spilled the beans and uncovered a Pandora’s jar of alleged malfeasances.

Lacson ran for senator immediately after Erap’s fall from the presidency in 2001, and won, but not after a bloody May 1 incident when the un-shod and the unwashed charged at Malacañang. It was about a week before elections, and Lacson along with his classmate Greg Honasan, also a senatorial candidate at the time, had to go into hiding after President GMA ordered their arrest.

The momentary political honeymoon, if one could call it such, is over.

As senator, Lacson first accepted his share of the so-called pork barrel, the lump-sum kitty for all legislators to shower around on favored projects, but discovered anomalies in the execution of the projects—by public works personnel, or contractors, or the LGU officials, a gaggle of corruption conspiring with each other.

From then on, he denied himself the pork barrel. And from then on, he studied the intricacies of the national expenditure budget.

Each year he would expose the layers upon layers of fat hidden in the interstices of the budget, to the consternation of those who inserted them, and those who would profit from the fat.

Despite the disdain of fellow legislators in the Lower House and LGU officials who could not get favors from him, Lacson earned the respect of the electorate, and has been reelected over and over again.

He is now on his third term as senator, and could seek reelection come 2022, or as some would wish, for a higher post.

He tried running for president in 2004, against the “illegitimate” GMA and the “king” of Philippine movies, FPJ. Without a party and a running-mate, Lacson placed a respectable third, garnering some 3.1-million votes nationwide.

Some say he would have been president had he acceded to becoming a vice presidential candidate to the popular FPJ, who died of cerebral aneurysm seven months after the election which he “lost.” But then again, Providence does not write destiny in such manner.

Today, he is all over the news, decrying insertions of pork, poring over the minutiae of the budget, as an eagle eye trained by years of sleuthing on the ways and means by which public monies are expended.

We keep appropriating for departments which have not been able to absorb the monies we have previously allocated, he claims. So why give more, as he pored over the unspent allocations intended for three huge departments.

Will his eagle eyes, his close-guarding over the way our taxpayer money is spent be rewarded by the people with higher office in 2022?

Will he be the incorruptible strongwilled leader that would continue the political will demonstrated by Rodrigo Duterte? Or would his being a kill-joy on pork and other perks be cause for the electorate to shun him?

Vamos a ver!

all dropouts. And they are all multi-billionaires.

In the Philippines, nearly all our first generation Filipino taipans did not finish college.

The billionaire college dropouts of America were inventors and creators.

The billionaire college dropouts of the Philippines were industrialists. They didn’t invent anything. They just developed new ways of doing old things.

A common trait of these dropouts— hard work.

Also, they could be ruthless. They finish off their competitors at the first opportunity. Lapu-Lapu style. He finished off the first conquering tyrant at the first sign of invasion.

In BizNewsAsia, we like competition.

But our rivals have voluntarily finished themselves off. biznewsasia@gmail.com

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

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News

TODAY WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

GSIS sets loans in 3 dengue-hit Luzon areas

S

TATE pension fund Government Service Insurance System has allocated a total of P347 million in emergency loan for its 14,406 active members and 2,933 old-age and disability pensioners who were affected by dengue in the province of Catanduanes, as well as Biñan City and Victoria in Laguna.

The application deadline for Biñan City and Victoria in Laguna is Dec. 3 and Dec. 10 for Catanduanes.

Under the amended emergency loan guidelines, the loanable amount is P20,000.

At the same time, GSIS urged its members to ensure religious and accurate loan repayment in order to avoid negative

consequences on their social insurance benefits.

“We are reminding our member-borrowers to pay the correct loan amortizations on time. This will preserve their future benefits, which they have earned and should enjoy for devoting their prime in government service,” GSIS chairman and acting president and general manager

Rolando Ledesma Macasaet said.

He added that if left unpaid, loans would incur interests and penalties. When the obligation is deducted from their retirement or separation benefit, it might leave them with little or no proceeds at all.

Macasaet explained, “Responsible borrowing keeps the pension fund healthy.

Up-to-date loan payment makes the GSIS fund adequate to lend to other members as well.”

Members with overdue loan accounts may avail themselves of the Enhanced Conso-Loan Plus, which waives all interests, penalties, and surcharges on their existing salary loan accounts.

They are qualified to apply for the loan

if they are permanent in employment status; have no pending administrative or criminal case; are not on leave of absence without pay; and have a net take-home pay of P5,000 after deduction of monthly premium contributions and loan amortizations.

Special members, such as prosecutors and members of the judiciary and constitutional commissions, are also qualified to avail themselves of Enhanced ConsoLoan Plus.

If members are already out of government service and financially incapable to settle their outstanding loan balances in full, however, they may avail of the one-time condonation and restructuring program called GSIS Program for Re-

structuring and Repayment of Debts.

GSIS-PRRD condones all unpaid penalties on the borrower’s outstanding balance. The restructured amount carries an interest rate of 10 percent per annum compounded annually.

Active members may apply if they are are working or residing in the calamity-declared areas; are updated in premium payments within the last six months prior to application; have no unpaid loans for more than six months; not on leave of absence without pay; have no pending administrative case or criminal charge; and have a minimum net take-home pay of P5,000 after deduction of the monthly premium contributions and loan amortizations.

WELCOME DROPCLOTH.

Glad to announce that beginning 29 October 2019 the following are the current Directors of

A sailcloth with the words ‘Welcome’ and ‘Mabuhay’ is presented Tuesday to delegates and athletes of the 30th SEA Games, which start on Saturday, by the Department of Public Service employees of Manila City Hall along UN Avenue, Manila.

Norman Cruz

TORM SHIPPING PHILS., INC. 7F Salcedo Towers, 169 HV Dela Costa St., Salcedo Village Makati City Tel No (02) 8 9886500 No Name 1 Ms. Grinnabelle Duran 2 Ms. Maryciel Tagal 3 Ms. Joveluz Dacuyasan 4 Mr. Jesper Jensen 5 Mr. Peter Brogaard Hansen 6 Vacant

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

(MS-NOV. 27, 2019)

Manila

Republic of the Philippines Standard REGIONAL TRIAL COURT

TODAY

National Capital Judicial Region BRANCH 107, QUEZON CITY SAMSON G. DE LEON, Petitioner, -versusCASE NO. R-QZN-18-13565-CV LIZA CONCEPCION M. AGUILAR & LCR-Manila, Respondents, x-----------------------------------------x

SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION TO: LlZA CONCEPCION M. AGUILAR - with last known address at 35 B Villegas St., SFDM, Quezon City Greetings: The petitioner prays that after due hearing, judgment be rendered declaring the marriage between the petitioner and the respondent null and void pursuant to Articles 2, 3 and 4 of the Family Code.

Pursuant to the Order dated August 6, 2019 granting the petitioner’s request to effect service of Summons by Publication, this Summons by Publication was issued in consonance with Section 14, Rule 14 of the Rules of Court.

NOW, THEREFORE, respondent, LlZA CONCEPCION M. AGUILAR - with last known address at 35 B Villegas St., SFDM, Quezon City, is hereby summoned and required to file with the Regional Trial Court Branch 107, National Capital Judicial Region, Hall of Justice Bldg., Quezon City, her answer to the instant petition within thirty (30) days from last date of publication of this summons. Failure of the respondent to file her answer within the reglementary period, this Court will direct the Public Prosecutor to investigate whether collusion exists between the parties. If the court is convinced that there is no collusion, the petitioner shall be allowed to present her evidence in support of the petition.

WHEREFORE, let this summons, together with a copy of the Petition, be published once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation, to be selected by raffle pursuant to P.D 1079, at the expense of the petitioner. Likewise, let a copies of the summons and the Petition be sent by registered mail addressed to the respondent at her last known address, also at the expense of the petitioner and to submit to this court proof of compliance therewith.

WITNESS THE HONORABLE JOSE L. BAUTISTA, JR., Presiding Judge of this Court, this 20th day of August 2019, in Quezon City, Philippines .

(Sgd.) ATTY. ANIHAIRAH B. HADJI OMAR Branch Clerk of Court

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDCIAL REGION REGIONAL TRIAL COURT BRANCH 107, QUELON CITY SAMSON G. DE LEON, Petitioner, - versus CIVIL CASE NO. R-QZN 18 -13565-CV FOR: DECLARATION OF NULLITY OF MARRlAGE LIZA CONCEPCION M. AGUILAR and the CIVIL REGISTRY OF MANILA, Respondent. x------------------------------------------x

PETITION COMES NOW, the Petitioner, Samson G. De Leon, through undersigned counsel and unto this Honorable Court, most respectfully states that: 1. The Petitioner, Samson G. De Leon, is a Filipino, of legal age, and with address at No. 25 Narra St., South Green Park Village, Tandang Sora, Quezon City, where he may be served with notices, and other processes of this Honorable Court.

2. The Respondent, Liza Concepcion M. Aguilar, is also a Filipino, of legal age, and with address at No. 35 B Villegas St., San Francisco Del Monte, Quezon City, where she may be served with summons, notices, and other processes of this Honorable Court.

3. The Public Respondent, Civil Registry of Manila, is a government entity in charge of the registration of documents relating to birth, marriage, death, and adoption, and with address at the Manila City Hall, Manila, where it may be served with summons, notices, and other processes of this Honorable Court.

4. In 2016, Petitioner Samson G. De Leon discovered the existence of a simulated or fictitious Certificate of Marriage purportedly signed by him as “Husband” in a marriage ceremony with the Respondent Liza Concepcion M. Aguilar. Said certificate of Marriage was purportedly signed by the Petitioner Samson G. De Leon during a wedding in Manila. Philippines, on 15 November 2012, and registered with Public Respondent Civil Registry of Manila.

A copy of said Certificate of Marriage, dated 15 November 2012, is hereto attached as Annex “A”.

5. Petitioner Samson G. De Leon did not consent to any marriage before a solemnizing officer nor sign the said Certificate of Marriage in Manila, Philippines, on 15 November 2012.

Furthermore, Petitioner Samson G. De Leon did not also participate in a wedding or marriage ceremony with Respondent Liza Concepcion M. Aguilar on 15 November 2012 in Manila, Philippines. Moreover, Petitioner Samson G. De Leon did not also cause the registration of said Certificate of Marriage before Public Respondent Civil Registry of Manila.

6. Definitely, Respondent Liza Concepcion M. Aguilar falsified or forged the signature of Petitioner Samson G. De Leon in the afore-stated Certificate of Marriage in a wedding or marriage ceremony which never occurred or happened, and caused the registration of said Certificate of Marriage before Public Respondent Civil Registry of Manila.

7. In an Affidavit Complaint, dated 9 September 2015, Respondent Liza Concepcion M. Aguilar, under oath, exhibited her propensity to falsify or forge documents and

marriages, thus: First, in Annex “A” of the Affidavit Complaint, the Respondent stated another simulated or fictitious Marriage Contract for a marriage ceremony between the Petitioner and the Respondent on 16 January 1992 in Aurora, Quezon.

However, this marriage was not registered in the Civil Registry of Aurora, Quezon; Second. in Annex “B” of said Affidavit Complaint, the Respondent asserted a simulated or fictitious Marriage Contract for a marriage ceremony between the Petitioner and the Respondent on 21 July 1993 in Manila. However, this marriage was not registered in the Civil Registry of Manila; Third, in Annex “C” of the Affidavit Complaint, the Respondent claimed another simulated or fictitious Marriage Contract for a marriage ceremony between the Petitioner and the Respondent on 21 July 1993 in Quezon City. However, this marriage was not registered in the Civil Registry of Quezon City; and Fourth, in Annex “D” of the Affidavit Complaint, the Respondent stated different simulated or fictitious Marriage Contract for a marriage ceremony between the Petitioner and the Respondent on 21 July 1993 in Manila City Hall, Manila.

However, this marriage was not registered in the Civil Registry of Manila.

A copy of the Affidavit Complaint, dated 9 September 2015, is hereto attached as Annex “B”.

Clearly, there was no wedding or marriage ceremony between the Petitioner Samson G. De Leon and Respondent Liza Concepcion M. Aguilar. The purported marriages between Petitioner Samson G. De Leon and Respondent Liza Concepcion M. Aguilar are all simulated or fictitious marriages.

8. Petitioner Samson G. De Leon and Respondent Liza Concepcion M. Aguilar never maintained a conjugal dwelling and have no conjugal properties and have not acquired any real property in the Philippines.

9. It is clear that the subject Certificate of Marriage, dated 15 November 2012, and the marriage ceremony, is simulated or fictitious. Said Certificate of Marriage is absolutely null and void because of the lack of consent and/or true signature of the Petitioner Samson G. De Leon and the absence of any marriage ceremony. Thus, the supposed marriage of Petitioner Samson G. De Leon with Respondent Liza Concepcion M. Aguilar may be declared null and void pursuant to Articles 2, 3, and 4 of the Family Code, as amended.

WHEREFORE, it is respectfully prayed of this Honorable Court that, after proper proceedings, judgment be rendered by: 1. Declaring the Certificate of Marriage, dated 15 November 2012, and/or the marriage of Petitioner Samson G. De Leon with Respondent Liza Concepcion M. Aguilar on 15 November 2012, in Manila, Philippines, as null and void pursuant to Articles 2, 3, and 4 of the Family Code, as amended.

2. Ordering Public Respondent Civil Registry of Manila to cancel or nullify the Certificate of Marriage, dated 15 November 2012, involving Petitioner Samson G. De Leon and Respondent Liza Concepcion M. Aguilar.

Other just and equitable remedies and reliefs are likewise prayed for.

Manila, for Quezon City, 12 October 2018.

(Sgd.) ATTY. AVERILL J. AMOR Unit 710, Trinity Building 636 T. M. Kalaw St., Ermita, Manila IBP No. 00477 - Life Roll, Roll of Attorneys No. 33963 PTR No. 7177348 - 2/15/18 - Manila MCLE Compliance No. V-0024209 - 11108/16 - Pasig City Email -averilijamor@yahoo.com/Cell No. 09275518349

4 Chinese stopped at NAIA with fake Paraguayan passports REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES Regional Trial Court NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 107, QUEZON CITY

By Vito Barcelo FOUR Chinese nationals were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for attempting to enter the country with fake Paraguayan passports, the Bureau of Immigration said.

The BI’s Travel Control and Enforcement Unit said the foreigners were held at the NAIA Terminal 3 when they arrived aboard an Emirates Airways flight from Dubai.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 78, QUEZON CITY LOLITA S.LIZO, Petitioner, -versusCIVIL CASE NO. R-QZN-18-13814-CV FOR: Declaration of Nullity of Marriage VICTOR BENJAMIN P. TABISAURA, Respondent. xxx---------------------------------------------------xxx

SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION TO :

VICTOR BENJAMIN P. TABISAURA 143 Scout De Guia Street, Quezon City

GREETINGS: You are hereby required pursuant to the Order of this Court dated September 30, 2019 and Sections 3 & 5 of A.M. No. 02-111O-5C, to file your answer in the above-entitled case with in thirty (30) days from the last issue of publication hereof in a newspaper of national circulation once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks and answer the petition for nullity of marriage anchored under Art. 35 of the Family Code filed against you by petitioner Lolita S. Lizo. You are also directed to furnish petitioner’s counsel, Atty.

Ramil Lopez, copy of your Answer at his office address located at No. 136 Jasmin Street, De Castro Subdivision, Paso De Bias, Valenzuela.

You are likewise required to submit with your Answer certified copies of documents as well as affidavits of any witness to stand as your evidence in this case. You must present the original document/s on the day of hearing.

Moreover, you are reminded of the provision of IBP OCA Memorandum on Policy Guidelines dated March 12, 2002 to observe restraint in filing a Motion to Dismiss and instead alleged the grounds thereof as defenses in the Answer. If you fail to answer within the time fixed, the Court shall hear the petitioner’s case and may grant the petitioner the relief applied for.

Witness, the Honorable FERNANDO T. SAGUN, JR. Presiding Judge of this Court, this 30th day of September 2019.

VERIFICATlON I, SAMSON G. DE LEON, Filipino, of legal age, after having been sworn to in accordance with law, do hereby depose and state that: 1. I am the Petitioner in the above-entitled case; 2. I have caused the above Petition or pleading to be prepared and have read and understood the contents thereof. The allegations therein are true and correct based on my personal knowledge and authentic records; 3. I have not commenced any other action or proceeding involving the same case or issues in the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals or other divisions thereof, or any other court, tribunal or agency. I previously filed Civil Case No. RQZN-1713122-CV before Branch 107, Regional Trial Court, Quezon City, but said case was dismissed without prejudice; 4. Should I learn, thereafter, that a similar action or proceeding has been filed or is pending before the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals or any other court, or tribunal, I undertake to promptly inform the aforesaid courts and such other tribunal or agency of that within five (5) days therefrom.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I hereunto affixed my signature this 15 OCT 2018 day of October 2018.

(Sgd.) SAMSON G. DE LEON REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) CITY OF MANILA ) s.s.

I certify that on this date, before me, a notary public duly authorized in the City named above to take acknowledgements, personally appeared: Name

Competent Evidence of Identity SC#24389-3

Date/Place Issued Samson G. 5/10/12 De Leon QC who was identified by me through competent evidence of identity to be the same person described in the foregoing instrument, who acknowledged before me that his signature on the instrument was voluntarily affixed by him for the purposes stated therein, and who declared to me that he executed the instrument as his free and voluntary act and deed.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I hereunto set my hand and affix my notarial seal on the date and at the place above written.

Doc. No. 236 Page No. 49 Book No. XLIV Series of 2018.

(MStandard-Nov. 20 & 27, 2019)

(Sgd.) ATTY. MARIBEL M. FERNANDEZ Branch Clerk of Court Republic of the Philippines NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION Regional Trial Court Branch 78 Quezon City LOLITA S. LIZO, Petitioner, - Versus-

CIVIL CASE NO. R-QZN-18-13814-CV FOR; DECLARATION OF NULLITY OF MARRIAGE

VICTOR BENJAMIN P TABISAURA, Respondent. x------------------------------------x

ORDER The SUBMISSION dated September 20, 2019 but filed with the Court on September 27, 2019 by the petitioner assisted by her counsel in compliance with the Court’s ORDER issued on August 13, 2019 is hereby NOTED and considered satisfactory compliance of said order. Hence petitioner’s motion to serve SUMMONS through publication now submitted for the court’s consideration.

The two (2) separate SHERIFF’S RETURN dated March 4,2019 and June 28, 2019 submitted to this court by SHERIFF RANDY C BERNARDO of this Office showed that the service of Summons and annexes unto the respondent was Unserved for reasons mentioned therein, and despite the several attempts made by the sheriff to serve said processes of the Court. In view thereof, the petitioner through his counsel flled on August 13, 2019 his motion to serve summons through publication seeking the issuance of an ORDER granting leave and that summons be served by Publication on respondent.

Accordingly, and upon motion filed by the petitioner through counsel and pursuant to the provisions of Sectiori 6 of A.M. NO. 02-11-10-SC dated March 4, 2003 and Sections 14 and 15 of Rule 14 of the Rules of Court, the instant motion is hereby GRANTED. The Summons shall contain the 1) title of the case; 2) the docket number; 3) the nature of the petition; 4) the principal grounds of the petition; 5) and the reliefs prayed for, and a directive for the respondent to answer within thirty (30) days from the last issue of the Publication.

The Petitioner and counsel are ordered to cause the publication of SUMMONS once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks in a NEWSPAPER of NATIONAL CIRCULATION in the Philippines; and to serve a copy of the summons attaching therewith copies of the PETITION complete with enclosures at the last known addresses of Respondent by way of LBC Private Courier at the expense of said petitioner.

SO ORDERED. Quezon City, Metro Manila, 30th day of September, 2019.

(Sgd) FERNANDO T. SAGUN, JR. Presiding Judge (MStandard- Nov. 27 & Dec. 4, 2019)

LORIE-LYN LOPE KOSTER, Petitioner,

The four were identified as Chen Zhijian, -versus-Wang Wenjie, Wang Anding, and Wang Civilin Case No. R-QZN-18-15647-CV Mingdi, all male and their 30s.

UponLEGASPI presentation of the four ChineseLOWELL DAMIAN, Respondent. looking aliens with Paraguay passports, imx -----------------------------------------------x migration offi cers Delfin Almeda and Gerard SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION Teaño became suspicious and noted several TO: LOWELL LEGASPI DAMIAN - with last known address at red flags. Blk. 100 Lot 6 Area D, Purok 1, Brgy. Sta. Cruz 1, Sapang Palay, Jose del Monte City, Bulacan They San were referred to the BI TCEU for Greetings: inspection. secondary “Upon investigation, all four were unable The petitioner prays that after due hearing, judgment be rendered declar-

21. Because of Respondent’s refusal to lend his signature, Petitioner was unable secure the Hong Kong IDs for her children. Thus, without these, the children are forced to leave Hong Kong every time their visas are to expire. They have to go through the hassle of going back to the Philippines after 14 days to get another visa and then return to Hong Kong. The children had to endure these hardships all because Respondent refuses to cooperate.

to converse even in basic Spanish, which is the language used in Paraguay, which strengthened our doubt,” BI TCEU member Kate Martinez, who conducted the assess23. All the comforts and luxury that the children are experiencing now are ment of the passengers, said, adding “They attributable to Petitioner and Mr. Koster’s loving relationship with each other and likewise failed to show identifi cathe hard work they put it. Petitioner regularlyany sends other remittances to her children to supportdocuments their daily needs, including their tuition and otherare educational tion proving thatfeesthey citiexpenses. At present, Petitioner shoulders the cost of the children’s education zensany ofhelp that without fromcountry.” the Respondent. The children are enrolled at the Far Eastern University (FEU) in Quezon City. They are also in a comfortable Examinations conducted bysheltered the BI’s forenhome located in a gated subdivision at Petitioner’s address as indicated in this sic documents laboratory confi rmed that said Petition.

Paraguayan passports were all counterfeit.

24. Respondent, on the other hand, is currently working as a cook in a 22. On the other hand, the children’s relationship with Mr. Koster is great.

Meekhyle, Leehvyne, and Lloyd feel comfortable and at ease with him. It did not take long for them to develop love and respect towards Mr. Koster who acted as their foster father. They saw in him a dad who genuinely cares for them and their mother.

restaurant. However, instead of giving support to his children, he spends ing sole parental authority and custody over minors MEEKHYLE AVERY his money on himself and his girlfriend. He never sends even token amounts DAMIAN,LEEHVYNE AVERY DAMIAN, and LLOYD ANDREW DAMIAN in favor to his children and had not shown any concern for their welfare. The initiative of their mother, the petitioner herein. to visit and see each other would always come from the children themselves, Pursuant to the Order dated October 22, 2019 granting the petitioner’s request specifically Leehvyne. Never did the Respondent lift a finger or get out of his way to effect service of Summons by Publication, this Summons by Publication was to personally see the kids. Respondent had taken a passive role in their lives. He issued in consonance with Section 14, Rule 14 of the Rules of Court. was just a father to them “on paper.”

NOW, THEREFORE, respondent, LOWELL LEGASPI DAMIAN - with last 25. Petitioner aspires for nothing less than to provide her children with a good known address at Blk. 100 Lot 6 Area D, Purok 1, Brgy. Sta. Cruz 1, Sapang future with the best opportunities for education and growth. This dream will only Palay, San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan, is hereby summoned and required to materialize upon her declaration as having sole custody and parental authority file with the Regional Trial Court Branch 107, National Capital Judicial Region, over the children; hence, the filing of this Petition.

Hall of Justice Bldg., Quezon City, his answer to the instant petition within thirty DISCUSSION (30) days from last date of publication of this summons. Failure of the respondent to file his answer within the reglementary period, the petitioner shall be allowed 26. The Petitioner and Respondent were never married to each other; thus, to present her evidence in support of the petition. their three children, Meekhyle Avery, Leehvyne Avery, and Lloyd Andrew are WHEREFORE, let this summons, together with a copy of the Petition, be pubillegitimate despite Respondent’s acknowledgement of his paternity over them. lished once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general This is in accordance to Article 165 of the Family Code of the Philippines, to wit: AVIATION authority offi cials have commended twoArt.emcirculation, to be selected by raffle pursuant to P.D 1079, at the expense of the 165. Children conceived and born outside a valid marriage are petitioner. Likewise, let a copies of the International summons and the Petition be sent by ployees of Zamboanga Airport who turnedillegitimate, over unless otherwise provided in this Code. registered mail addressed to the respondent at his last known address, also 27. The Family Code further provides that in the case of illegitimate children, to them and with P200,000 at the expensethe of thepersonal petitioner andbelongings to submit to this court proofa ofbag compliance the mother has SOLE parental authority over them. This means that the father has therewith.computer laptop, mobile phones, gadgets and cash, no say other on matters that affect the children such as the choice of their residence and their health, travel, and education concerns. On this point, Article 176 of the WITNESS THE HONORABLE JOSE L. BAUTISTA, JR., Presiding Judge of THE government valuable items left unattended at the airport.

Family Code of the Philippines as amended

by Section 1 ofpraised Republic ActPhilipNo. 9255 this Court, this 22nd day of October 2019, in Quezon City, Philippines. provides that:of pine Airlines and Cebu Pacific Air Eric Apolonio, chief information officer and spokesperson “Article 176. Illegitimate children shall use the surname and shall be (Sgd.) ATTY. ANIHAIRAH B. HADJI OMAR which flight the Civil Aviation AuthorityBranch of theClerk Philippines, identified the airunder the parental authorityregistered of their mother,higher and shall be entitledonto of Court support in conformity this Code. xxx.” [emphasis supplied] timewith performance. port workers as Arron Paul Villanueva and Gracelyn Alihuddin.

28. With the mother having sole parental authority over the illegitimate children REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES PAL, Apolonio said Villanueva was on duty as a facility cleaner it necessary follows that custody should according also be awarded toto her. its In thesenior case of NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION Joey D. Briones vs. Maricel P. Miguel et.al, the Supreme Court ruled that: 9 vice president for Airline Operaat ZIA’s pre-departure area last Sunday when he noticed the REGIONAL TRIAL COURT “An illegitimate child is under the sole parental authority of the mother. In the exercise that authority, she is entitled to keep tions ofCapt.

Stanley Ng, was abletheto Quezon City valuable items, owned

by Aljirum Kaluang Jadjuli of Zambochild in her company. The Court will not deprive her of custody, Branch 107 achieve an all-time high OTPsuch ratanga del Sur, unattended. absent any imperative cause showing her unfitness to exercise authority and care.

In re: Petition for Declaration of Sole Custodyphones and Parental ing of 92 percent in October, and The items include four mobile (Samsung, Xxx Vivo Authority over Minor Children MEEKHYLE AVERY DAMIAN, OTPs of 80 and Oppo),AVERY a tablet and and 24 LLOYD piecesANDREW of assorted sunglasses, ac-v. Court ofconsistent “David Appeal held thatmonthly the recognition of an illegitimate LEEHVYNE DAMIAN, DAMIAN child by the father could be a ground for ordering the latter to give percent, 82thepercent andexplicitly 89 percent cording to Apolonio. support to, but not custody of, child. The law confers LORIE LYN LOPE KOSTER, to the mother sole authority over an illegitimate child; it forparental the months of July to SeptemVillanueva immedately reported and turned over the items Petitioner, follows that only if she defaults can the father assume custody and authority minor.

Of course, the putative father may adopt his respectively. at the airport’s Malasakit Help Desk where Jadjuli claimed it over theber, own illegitimate child; in such a case, the child shall be considered a - versus SP. Proc. No. R-QZN-18-15647-CV attributed PAL’s latest acthe next day. legitimate child of theNg adoptive parent.

There is thus no complishments question that Respondentto Loreta, the mother thebeingcollective JadjuliLEGASPI was allDAMIAN, praise for Villanueva and other ZIA officials led LOWELL of and having sole parental authority over the minor, is entitled to Respondent. made by by terminal supervisor Socorro Reyes for the return of the items. have custody ofefforts him. She has the right tothe keepManila him in her Internacompany. x----------------------------------------------------------x She cannot be deprived of that right, and she may not even renounce tionalin Airport Civil AviaLast October, Alihuddin, PETITION another ZIA facility cleaner, or transfer it “except the cases Authority, authorized by law.” [emphasis supplied] Petitioner, by and through the counsel, unto this Honorable tion Authority of the Philippines and found a bag owned byundersigned a Chinese passenger.

Court, respectfully avers that: 29. The Parties had been living separate lives since 2007. From the time Department of Transportation in The bag contained a computer laptop, a mobilethephone, a children were born up to the present, Petitioner had always been the parent 1. Petitioner LORIE-LYN LOPE KOSTER, is of legal age, female, Filipino, exercising actual parentalimproving authority over them had the not shown any theas Respondent facility of Ninoy passport with valuable personal documents, and more or less married to Maarten-Jan Koster and with address at 4A Olive St., Dona Petrona concern or inclination to perform any of his fatherly duties.

Subdivision, Quezon City. She may be served notices and other processes of Aquino International Airport.

P200,000 cash.

30. Despite Petitioner’s need to be abroad from time-to-time, being an OFW the Honorable Court through her undersigned counsel the Lu Mamañgun and 10 “This achievement handed to Center, a Police Security before, she maintained a healthy relationship with her children.was She made always JucoAlihuddin Law Office at Unit 2305 Antel the Globalbag Corporate #3 Julia Airport Vargas found the time to keep in touch with them and look after their best interest. After Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines. possible thelifeDOTr, MIAA Unit duty officer, who assisted her in returning the all,bag to its working abroad is just a means tobecause secure a better for her loved ones 2. Respondent LOWELL LEGASPI DAMIAN is of legal age, Filipino, single, back home. Petitioner regularly them remittances for their subsistence and and sent CAAP acted with determinarightful owner. education. Financial support is just part and parcel of what she gives her children. and with city address at Cluster 2, 6-I Greenhills Garden Square, 297 Col. Bonny More than that, she provides them herbuild love, care, time andexit affection.

Petitioner tion to rapid taxiways Serrano Ave., Quezon City; and provincial address at Blk. 100 Lot 6 Area D Purok has also been at the forefront of decision-making on matters that affect the 1, Barangay Sta. Cruz 1, Sapang Palay, San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan where atofNAIA, enhance children such as the choice their abode and the school toair enrollnavigation in. he may be served summons and other Court processes.

31. As narrated above, Petitioner is more than capable runways to exercise exclusive systems, renovate and JURISDICTIONAL FACTS parental authority over her children. Currently, she has ample resources and time to take care of her children without any support whatsoever the from thecoordinaRespondent. taxiways, improve 3. The Parties never entered into marriage.

Petitioner is likewise physically and mentally equipped as well as morally fit for the tion of airport slots and take other role.

4. The Parties have three (3) illegitimate children namely MEEKHYLE AVERY DAMIAN (“Meekhyle”), LEEHVYNE AVERY DAMIAN (“Leehvyne”), 32. As to Petitioner’s capacity to financially for her children, she had, in initiatives to provide promote a more effi fact, been supporting them without any support from the Respondent. Moreover, both born on 01 May 2003; and LLOYD ANDREW DAMIAN (“Lloyd”) born on 28 Petitioner’s husband, Mr.cient Koster, isPhilippine more than capable to provide for her and her aviation industry,” October 2005. All children are minors at the time of the filing of this Petition. children.11 He has always considered them as part of his family and never showed heof said.

5. Petitioner Mr. Maarten-Jan Koster, a Dutch national, on 11to the any prejudiced them. On the contrary, Mr. Koster has been nothing THE Unitedmarried Kingdom has extended its gratitude Armedtowards any but a caring and loving father figure to Meekhyle, Leehvyne, and Lloyd.

September 2015 in Hong Kong.

Data from the Civil AeronauForces of the Philippines for the successful rescue of two 33. OnBritthe other hand, Respondent is an unfit parent as he had consistently NARRATION OF FACTS Board also duties. showed Cebu and deliberately refusedtics to perform his paternal Duringthat the time the ish6.nationals, Wilma and Alan Hyrons, who were abducted in Sometime in 2001, Petitioner and Respondent met during their children were residing in Respondent’s parents’ residence, he was content with Pacifi c recorded anwasOTP ofhousehold 84.71 sophomore at San the children.

While Petitioner busy with Sulu lastyear Oct. 4.Jose del Monte National Trade School, Bulacan. They letting his parents look after and baby chores, Respondent was outfor gallivanting with his friends.

Respondent became friends and spent many hours in each other’s company. After some percent its October flights, an am very grateful their efforts.

We did not lookare for a job to support his family. He had no sense of responsibility or time,“I Respondent decided to court thefor Petitioner.

Thistremendous was also the time when urgency in life. As of date, he works as a cook. He does not provide even token improvement from 80.66 percent was transferred to Norzagaray High Armed School. He got kicked outfor of their inRespondent particular grateful to their Forces coursupport nor does he lift a finger to visit his children. For all the above reasons, school for hitting someone with a stone just because Respondent did not like the intoSeptember.

Respondent is clearly unfit have custody of and to exercise parental authority age throughout a difficult operation which resulted in Alan way he stared at him. over them.

“The improved OTP is a result and7. Wilma’s release,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab Despite what happened, Petitioner gave Respondent a chance to 34. It is worthwhile to revisit the Supreme Court’s Decision in the case of 12 ofofthe close cooperation and coorprove himself.

Eventually, their friendship turned into romance. A year into the Nerissa Z. Perez vs. Court Appeals which held that: said in a statement. relationship, Petitioner got pregnant at the very young age of sixteen (16). Due “Only the mostdination compelling ofwith reasons shall justify the court’s concerned governRaab saidpregnancy, the UKthe has closely with the Philippine awarding the custody of such a child to someone other than his to this unplanned Partiesworked were compelled

by Respondent’s agencies to minimize delays mother, such asment her unfitness to exercise sole parental authority. parents to live together undercouple’s one roof. Given young the age and of months. government on the caseherover lastlacktwo In the past the following grounds have been considered ample resources, Petitioner was left with no choice but to just follow orders and stay with across our network.

The industry justification to deprive a mother of custody and parental authority:is “I am pleased to confirm that both Alan and Wilma Hyrons Respondent in the latter’s parent’s house at San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. neglect, abandonment, unemployment and immorality, habitual also better coordinated so that when are8.safe and well, and being looked after by the Philippine audrunkenness, drug addiction, maltreatment of the child, insanity and On 01 May 2003, the Parties welcomed their twins Meekhyle Avery being sick with a communicable disease. there are weather disruptions, such Damian and Leehvyne Avery Damian. The children stayed with them at the thorities,” he said.

It has long been settled that in custody cases, the foremost Respondent’s residence in Bulacan. At that time, the Parties were just seventeen as lightning alerts that close the airUK’s Foreign officials been con- is always the welfare and best interest of the child.

(17)The years old and were fresh HighOffi Schoolce graduates.

Havinghave no income, theyin closeconsideration fact, no less than an international instrument, the Convention the on fi eld, we are able to minimize became completely on their parents who were financially stable tact with Alandependent and Wilma’s family throughout the case,Inthewho Rights of the Child provides: “In all actions concerning children, enough. All the needs of the children for food, clothing, etc. were provided for by whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, impact,” said Michael Ivan Shau, requested for privacy following their release. courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best the Parties’ parents.

CEB operations officer. interests of the child shallchief be a primary consideration.” rescued ondidthethemorning 9.The UponHyrons the birth were of the twins, not once Respondent of tookNov. the 25 after the is relevant one offactors the presented measures of initiative in giving them care and attention. Heon completely ignored his AFP carried out adequate a military operation the island of Sulu. Courts invariably lookOTP into all by the responsibilities as a father as he continuously acted like a carefree, irresponsible parents, such as their resources, and aviation andmaterial airport effisocial ciency.

TheRespondent couple had was abducted Oct. byobligations six gunmencontending from moral situations.” teenager. conveniently passedon on his duties4and It indicates the percentage of as a family-owned father to his parents and resort the Petitioner. would have hisAlindahaw, parents watch the in He Barangay Tukuran, 35. Based on the afore-cited laws and jurisprudence as well as the factual over the children so that he could go on with his bachelor pursuits. Whenever backdrop of this case, Petitioner shown herself toand be capable of exercising flighthad departures arrivals that Zamboanga del Sur. Petitioner would urge Respondent to help out in simple matters like baby chores, sole parental authority and custody over her children while Respondent had take place within 15 minutes he would so grudgingly. rescue Instead, he came preferred to go out a andseries play basketball, Thedocouple’s after of clashes since consistently evinced the opposite. Petitioner had fulfilled and continues to carry pool, billiards, or hang out with his friends. He would return home at any time he schedule, including out the duties of a parentfrom with flying colors as enumerated in Article 220 of the Friday that constricted the movement of the Abu Sayyaf wished.

Family Code, to wit: cancellations. Joel E. Zurbano Group.

PNA “Art. 220. “The parents and those exercising parental authority shall 10. In 2004, the Parties decided to go to College and enroll themselves at Our have with respect to their unemancipated children or wards the Lady of Fatima University. However, Respondent just went through the motions following rights and duties: as he never exerted genuine efforts to do well in his studies. Skipping classes had To keep them in their company, to support, educate and instruct become a norm for him as he would rather go to the malls to hang out with his them by right precept and good example, and to provide for their friends. Respondent prioritized leisure over school and never paid much attention upbringing in keeping with their means; to the Petitioner and their children. This became the cause of the Parties’ frequent To give them love and affection, advise and counsel, companionship quarrels.

Authorities commend 2 PAL, CEB Zambo airport workers get praises for on-time performance

By Joel E. Zurbano

British thanks PH military for rescue of 2 nationals

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

A7

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Top juniors boost PPS Philam cast THE Big City’s top and rising junior players take the spotlight as they slug it out for top honors and ranking points in the PPS-PEPP Philam national age group 2019 which unfolds tomorrow (Nov. 28) at the Philam Tennis Club in QC. Justine Manela, Kryshana Brazal and Kaye Emana set out for a fierce showdown in the girls’ premier 18-and-under division with the first two also bannering the big 32-player 16-U draw with Mica Emana and Melody Dizon.

Over 250 entries are listed in this topranking tournament presented by Dunlop and serving as part of the country’s premier talent-search put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro with Miguel Castillo and Juan Pablo Gonzaga headlining the boys’ centerpiece event.

Thomas Bernardo and Lance Fernandez, on the other hand, gained the top two seeds in the 16-U play of the fiveday tournament with John Prince Lim, Frank Dilao, Kurt Balena and Darwin Cosca expected to crowd top two seeds Joshua Diva and France Dilao for the 14-U diadem.

To accommodate the big number of entries in the boys’ 14-U, organizers will hold a one-day qualifier for three berths in the main draw of the tournament sanctioned by Unified Tennis Philippines made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg. Marielle Jarata, Mica Emana, Dizon and Carrilyn Pesengco lead the girls’ 14-U cast while Abegail Ansay, Pesengco, Christina Reyes and Jayden Ballado are fancied to dispute the girls 12-U plum with Prince Lim and Frank Dilao also eyeing to fight it out in the boys’ side.

Action in the circuit, meanwhile, shifts to the Visayas next week for the Lapu Lapu City Juniors Group I tournament on Dec. 6-10 in Cebu with the next stop in Naga, Cebu for the Dagitab Festival on Dec. 14-21. For details, contact PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.

Win or don’t...

From A8

the so-called “Filipino invasion” that took over the sport in the 1980s.

“They call the Philippines the pool capital of the world,” Marissa Guinto, sports psychologist and professor at the University of the Philippines, told AFP. “Even the Americans... have a hard time competing against Filipinos,” she added.

‘Money for everyday food’ The incubator that produced these players goes back to the 1900s when American soldiers stationed in the Philippines played pool as a pastime, and fueled the game’s growth.

As pool spread, so did the practice of betting on the matches. As a result, the game was picked up by Filipinos who were literally starving for a win.

“We couldn’t find money for our everyday food,” Carlo Biado, the men’s number four in WPA rankings, told AFP. “I started with just 20 peso bets ($0.39) and I eventually made a living out of billiards,” said Biado, 36.

Biado won the world nine-ball title in 2017 and broke the Philippines’ sevenyear championship drought in the event.

The success of Filipino shooters has changed the perception of pool as a poor man’s game, and helped build future world champions like Biado and Rubilen Amit, ranked the third best female player in the world, who grew up watching pool on TV. One of the watershed moments was Reyes winning the world nineball title in 1999, a match televised live back home.

“It really opened the consciousness of Filipinos that it’s a legitimate sport. A lot of Filipinos gravitated towards that,” Guinto, the sports psychologist, said.

Amit started out working in her family’s cargo logistics business, but when it hit the rocks financially she turned to pool.

“Basketball was my first love, but I am not tall enough. So I pursued billiards,” Amit told AFP, echoing the national obsession with hoops.

“Playing billiards helped my family.

In 2009, I was blessed to win the world championships and be given financial blessings. That’s how we recovered,” Amit, 38, said.

The win-or-go-hungry attitude is key, but players may also get a boost from the nation’s legion of iffy pool tables.

“Players in poor communities aren’t picky about table surfaces. In fact, the bumpy surfaces may have bred better cue masters,” Severino Sarmenta, a professor and veteran sportswriter, told AFP. AFP

Cocolife Tigers edge Manila Stars

Narvacan, Ilocos Sur Mayor Luis “Chavit” Singson is shown with the members of the Philippine national shooting team during their courtesy call at his residence in Quezon City recently.

Singson offers P250k for SEAG shooting gold N

ARVACAN, Ilocos Sur Mayor Luis “Chavit” Singson on Tuesday exhorted the Philippine national shooting team to win more honor for the country as he offered P250,000 for every gold medal won in the 30th Southeast Asian Games, which starts with its opening ceremonies at the Philippine Sports Arena in Bulacan this weekend.

“I wish them all the luck and pray that we will win as one,” said Singson, president of both the Philippine National Shooting Association and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, after giving a pep talk to the national shooters who paid a courtesy call at his residence in Quezon City recently.

Singson, himself a respected practical shooter, said the shooting team has a good chance of winning in at least six events in the SEA Games after the team became the top Southeast Asian country that participated in the recent Asian Shooting Championships in Doha, Qatar, finishing seventh out of 14 Asian teams overall.

He said trap shooters Carlos Carag

and Hagen Topacio qualified for the next year’s Tokyo Olympics and other team members—trap shooter Eric Ang; rifle shooters Jayson Valdez, Amparo Acuña, Denise Basila and Sean Jayfred Ocampo; pistol shooters Shanin Lyn Gonzales, Juliette Rose Arellano, Marcelo Gonzales, and Angelo Michael Fernandez—are also serious threats to the other Southeast Asian teams.

Singson also lauded PNSA vice president Irene Garcia, coaches Julius Valdez, Fernando Mercado, Susan Aguado and armorer Mario Dasalla for their roles in gaining top honors for the country in the Asian championship.

Mercado had earlier expressed confidence in his trapshooting squad because

their scores at the Asian championship were equivalent to gold medals in both the individual and team competitions in the SEA Games.

Singson said that his wards, who will be participating in the Rifle 10m, Pistol 10m, Benchrest Rifle Shooting, Precision Pistol Competition, MS and Moving Target category, will contribute to the country’s bid to win the targeted gold medals in the Games, earlier set by leaders of the various national sports associations.

Singson noted that the target was more than twice the number of gold medals when the Philippines last became the Games’ overall champions in 2005 held in Manila. The host Philippines won 113 golds, while Thailand garnered 26 golds and Vietnam took 71.

“It’s a tall order but I know Team Pilipinas can and will do it,” he said after personally donating P250,000 to the shooting team which will join 1,115 other Filipinos in 530 events in 56 sports during the Games.

THE Davao Occidental Cocolife Tigers made sure a heartbreaking loss in its own turf will never happen Saturday night.

Veterans Mark Yee, Bonbon Custodio and Emman Calo joined hands offensively to seize control of the game in the early goings, clamping their defense on the other end in a lowscoring tussle against the visiting Manila Stars in the Mindanao Invasion of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Lakan Cup recently in RMC Petro Gazz in Davao City.

The Stars from the Big City staged an uprising in the third quarter and even grabbed the lead at 68-62 with Chris Bitoon leading the charge, but Custodio poured all of his 10 points in the stretch, while Billy Ray Robles capped the run with his dagger trey in dying seconds as the Tigers pulled off a 79-76 triumph.

The home team is owned by Dumper Party List Rep. Claudine Bautista of Davao Occidental and backed by Cocolife President Atty.

Jose Martin Loon, FVP Joseph Ronquillo, AVP Rowena Asnan and SVP Franz Joie Arague.

King Tiger Yee had a quiet 9 points, but provided a steady leadership all game-long.

Homegrown Calo equalled Robles output with 16 points, while Ivan Ludovice added 10 to power the Tigers to an 18-3 record, the best in the south division.

Manila hurt its chances with the ejection of assistant coach Angel Vanguardia and players Gabby Espinas and Mark Tallo for unsportsmanlike behavior. It slid to 17-4 in the north division.

“Not in our own turf this time. Ayaw naming biguin ang aming kababayan kaya buhos lang hanggang dulo,” said game’s Best Player Robles, who recalled their heartbreaking upset loss to the visiting Valenzuela last month.

Tigers’ managers Dinko Bautista and Ray Alao lauded their players’ effort for the homecourt victory and advised them to focus on their next road game in the league organized by Senator Manny Pacquiao.

Bukidnon FA captures Luzon Cup overall football title THE Bukidnon Football Association toppled One La Salle, 2-0, to seize the overall championship of the first Luzon Cup Under 12 Football Tournament spearheaded by the Negros Occidental Football Association (NOFA) with the Central Luzon Football Association, and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Department of Education Tarlac, and the provincial and city governments of Tarlac.

Held from November 22 to 24 at the Jose V. Yap Sports and Recreational Complex in San Jose, Tarlac, the Luzon Cup is the third of a series of football tournaments spearheaded by NOFA for Under-12 / Under-13 boys.

The first two, the NOFA Cup (on its fourth edition) was held last summer and the second, the Mindanao Cup was held last October. It was also Bukidnon FA that topped that Mindanao Cup and their feat qualified them for a berth at the Luzon Cup. Top winners of Luzon Cup’s First Division (Cup) were: One La Salle Salle, first runner-up; Rizal Football Association Quezon City, second runner-up; and Masbate Football Association, third runner-up.

Meanwhile, Cordillera Football Association—Baguio secured the the Division 1 Plate Championship, with Central Bi-

Bukidnon and One La Salle players mix it up in the football finals.

col Regional Football Association as first runner-up; Laguna Football Association as second runner-up and Youth Football Academy Muntinlupa as third runner-up.

In the Second Division, the top winners were Pangasinan United Football Club, champion; Tuguegarao City Football

Club, first runner-up; Camarines Norte United, second runner-up; and Central Luzon Football Association—Tarlac, third runner-up.

Players of Bukidnon FA obtained most of the individual awards: Jun Dominique Melig was awarded Best Goalkeeper; Jimm

Pioneer Epoxy backs Bancarerahan OCTOBER is the best time to be in Sorsogon because of its Kasanggayahan Festival, which boasts of yearly colorful parades, folk dances and beauty pageants.

On the festival’s 45th year, Sorsogon had its first Bancarerahan.

Pioneer Epoxy joined the first Kasanggayahan Bancarerahan which was held at Rompeolas, Sorsogon City.

Racers from other towns also participated in the bangkarera.

The winners are Champion Rolan Bha-Ara Nicole of Sorsogon City; 1st Runner Up Pechanga of Biliran, Leyte; 2nd Runner Up Rolan Bha-White of Sorsogon City; and 3rd Runner

Up: Rolan Bha 3 of Sorsogon City in the 16HP Marine Engine division.

Winnets in the 7.5HP Marine Engine category are champion Pechanga of Biliran, Leyte; 1st Runner Up Anthony Rose of Cavite; 2nd Runner Up Paracale of Camarines Norte and 3rd Runner Up: Jenica of San Fernando, Masbate.

The Kasanggayahan Festival’s 1st Bancarerahan happened on October 22 and 23.

Pioneer Adhesives Inc. is a Filipino-owned manufacturing and distribution company committed to give its customers excellence through their adhesives, epoxies and other construction products.

A participant of the of the Kasanggayahan Bancarerahan makes his move.

Leowell Fabela, Best Defender and Most Valuable Player. One La Salle’s Fritz Kenzo Chua was chosen as the Best Midfielder.

RIFA QC’s Filbert Martin Tacardon got the Best Striker Award with 27 goals.

CLFA President Alvin Yalung and General Secretary Ed Flaminiano thanked NOFA President Ricardo “Ricky” Yanson, Jr., for his efforts in spearheading the Luzon Cup especially since the said agegroup tournament is the first in the region in the last three years. “I know in his heart, he wants to develop the young players so they can one day play for the national team,” Mr. Yalung said of Mr. Yanson.

A number of teams, such as those from Camarines Sur, Pangasinan, and Tuguegarao traveled by land for many hours in order to be part of the tournament. “Because the Luzon Cup is a very good platform… it is a true platform for true grassroots development,” said Tuguegarao City Football Club head coach Ricky Enolva to explain their participation.

Pangasinan United FC head coach Floyd Jefferson agreed. “The Luzon Cup is very good for local teams, especially for those of us coming from North Luzon. The level of competition is very high which is kailangan ng mga bata.”

All-Stars win chess THE UAAP All-Stars Chess team, composed of former collegiate standouts National Master Emmanuel Emperado, Leonard Reyes and Richard Villaseran, bagged the top prize in the Estavillo and Ozaraga Cup Rapid Chess Tournament recently.

Emperado, Reyes and Villaseran fashioned out convincing 3-0 shutout victories in the 4th and 5th rounds to pull away from the field. They settled for a 1.5-1.5 draw in the last round anchored by Villaseran’s win in the last round to seal the championship.

Individual Board Gold Medalists were Ryan Dungca in Board 1, Vince Medina in Board 2 and Richard Villaseran in Board 3.

The chess team of Larry Dumagdag composed of Ryan Dungca, Harrison Maamo and Paul Sanchez settled for the runner-up honors.

Close to 50 teams participated in the tournament with top players like national team mainstay International Master Jan Emmanuel Garcia competed in the said tournament.

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

A8

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019

Sports

Young PH Azkals show they can play

Dennis Chung (center, shirtless) of the Philippines is mobbed by teammates after scoring against Cambodia during their first round Group A football match at the 2019 SEA Games in Manila. AFP

NorthPort, NLEX clash in do-or-die PBA match

By Jeric Lopez IT’S do-or-die for NLEX and NorthPort.

The Road Warriors and the Batang Pier once again go to war in their quarterfinal tussle to see who takes the last semifinal seat in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup. With both their campaigns on the line, NLEX and NorthPort meet in a knockout game at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

The Batang Pier forced a rubber match after emphatically nipping the stunned Road Warriors.

NorthPort routed NLEX, 115-90, last Monday in a fight-marred game to stay alive and force the decider.

“We’re just able to survive. We need one more,” said NorthPort coach Pido Jarencio. “Otherwise, that first win will not matter.”

Michael Qualls exploded for 39 points, 16 rebounds and five assists in the Batang Pier’s victory as he led his team’s fight.

NLEX is hopeful that it can take advantage of its second chance to advance.

“That’s why we had a twice-to-beat advantage. It’s for times like these. We hope to still advance,” said NLEX star Kiefer Ravena.

The victor between the two will face waiting No. 4 seed Barangay Ginebra in the best-of-five semifinals.

Their last encounter saw a scuffle wherein NLEX’s Poy Erram and Paul Varilla both got ejected for flagrant foul penalty two each after both threw elbows at Qualls and Christian Standhardinger in a scramble with less than five minutes remaining in the game.

As a result, Erram and Varilla were suspended for one game and will miss the deciding game for NLEX. In addition, Erram was fined P60,000 and Varilla P50,000 for their respective actions.

Also, Philip Paniamogan was hit with a P5,000 fine as well for his hit on Standhardinger and the latter was slapped with the same amound for an elbow to Kiefer Ravena.

Filipino tracksters told: Do your best

By Peter Atencio

C

LARK Freeport Zone-- Philippine Athletics’ Track and Field Association president Philip Juico urged members of the national team to be at their best when action in the 30th Southeast Asian Games athletics meet begins next week.

Juico said this as he maintains a projected gold-silver-bronze medal haul of 6-10-8 in the trackfest to be held from Dec. 6 to 10.

Around 73 national team members will join participants from 10 other nations in seeking medals at the 20,000seat New Clark City athletics’ stadium inside the sprawling 9,500-hectare NCC sports complex.

“Do your best. I know you will do your best and prepare smart,” said Juico during yesterday’s sendoff ceremony at the Marriott Hotel in Clark Field, Pampanga.

The tracksters tipped to win golds are

pole vaulters Ernest John Obiena and Natalie Uy, 800-meter specialist Carter Lilly, 400-m hurdles champ Eric Cray, sprinter Kristina Knott and new recruit, shot-putter William Morrison.

Lilly, a graduate of University of Iowa, is a top bet in the men’s 400-meter run.

Lilly has made the cut after he recorded a time of 48.96 seconds during the National Open in Ilagan, Isabela early this year.

Lilly’s clocking is the bronze medal time of 2017 medallist Cong Lich Quach of Vietnam of 46.48 seconds.

The national squad has been cut to

73 following the injury of two middledistance runners.

The Guernaly brothers Said and Yasi have backed out of the 5,000-meter and 1500-meter runs, and are now recovering.

Soleus time pieces and Milo beverages are among the top sponsors of the national squad.

The 21-year-old Morrison is favored after throwing the metal ball to a distance of 20.4 meters in a Bloomington, Indiana meet last June.

That mark, is over two meters better than the 17.42, which Promrob Juntima of Thailand achieved when he won the gold medal back in the 2017 SEA Games.

Morrison is just half a meter short of the Olympic standard of 21.1 that would qualify him for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Another FilAm is Cray, who is the best bet in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, since he is no. 1 in the SEA rankings.

Royal Tern squad wins Chairman’s Cup opener ROYAL Tern edged Secret Spices, 102-100, at the Aquinas Gym in San Juan at the opening of the MBL Chairman’s Cup Basketball Tournament, now on its 15th year.

Secret Spices player Sydney Tolentino, who is a UP Varsity Team B player, missed what could have been a game winning three-point shot with 6 seconds left with Royal Tern just ahead by 2 points following a missed free throw by Erwin Sta Maria.

Tolentino’s shot rimmed out as the clock ran out, allowing Royal Tern to score its first win in the four-team tournament backed by sportsman-businessman Alex Wang.

Former UP Maroon Edrick Ferrer led Royal Tern with 19 points and got scoring support from teammates Rey La Madrid (17 points), Tabs Alon (14 points), Chinito Bondoc (11 points) and PBA draftee Anthony Cuevas (11 points), while the losing Food Specialists were led

by Cris Joson (33 points) and Tolentino (22 points).

The defending champion Couriers plays Aquadys, led by former PBA cager Buboy Rodriguez.

PBA scoring legend Ato Tolentino heads the organizing committee of the tournament also supported by Union Bank-Boni and Chinabank.

The tournament holds its finals on Dec. 18, coinciding with the MBL Christmas Party hosted by Wang.

LOW GROSS CHAMP. Justine Tambunting (with trophy) shot a three under par 69 and was awarded as the overall low gross champion in the 10th Pelagio Alvarez Foundation tournament held at the Legends course of Manila Southwoods yesterday. The event was part of the 25th anniversary celebration of real estate firm PA Properties.

Win or don’t eat: PH’s poverty-driven, world-beating billiards stars

Filipino Efren ‘The Magician’ Reyes, a multiple world champion, plays pool at a billiard hall in Manila. Pool isn’t just a game in the Philippines but a way to make a living, driving a fiercely competitive scene that has produced some of the world’s top players. AFP

POOL isn’t just a game in the Philippines but a way to make a living, driving a fiercely competitive scene that has produced some of the world’s top players.

The game played in dirt-floor pool halls with bumpy tables in thousands of little towns has provided an escape route from the grinding poverty endured by millions.

Though competition is ferocious from places like Taiwan and China, the Philippines is today the only country with a man and woman shooter in the top five of the World Pool-Billiard Association rankings.

“If you miss that shot, you might not eat,” said Ted Lerner, a US-born journalist who has made a life in the Philippines, summing up the pressure they play under.

It means the Philippines will be well placed for the billiards, pool, snooker and carom events at the Southeast Asian Games, starting in and around Manila this week, where 10 gold medals are on offer.

Perhaps the best example of the Philippine tradition is Efren ‘The Magician’ Reyes, a former world champion in both eight- and nineball pool and considered one of the best to ever pick up a cue.

The eighth child in a poor family of nine siblings, he left his hometown north of Manila to live with his uncle who owned a pool hall in the capital.

He started playing at eight years old, looking for a way out of poverty.

“I saw my uncle win cash after playing billiards and I realised I can earn a living from here,” 65-year-old Reyes told AFP, between shots at a Manila pool hall.

He rose to prominence playing for money and hustling in the United States, and was part of Turn to A7

THE Philippine Azkals proved that they can play match the Cambodian national team.

Coach Sven Goran Eriksson said this after the Azkals under-22 squad played Cambodia to a 1-all draw Monday night at the start of the 30th Southeast Asian Games football competitions at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

“We were able to win a game against a team that is very good. To be honest, we were losing easily against Cambodia.

But, today, we are proud that we were much better than them,” said Eriksson.

Substitute midfielder Dennis Chung sent in the equalizer for the Philippines during the added time.

Chung, a Fil-German pro, a scored on a pass by Stephan Schrock, and this put the Philippines in a four-way tie for the Group A lead with Malaysia and Myanmar.

The Azkals will now seek a win against Myanmar when they meet at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

Malaysia and Myanmar earlier figured in a similar 1-all draw, after Muhammad Hado Fayyadh sank an equalizer in the 24th minute.

In Group B, Vietnam smothered Brunei, 6-0, over at the Binan Stadium in Laguna, with Ha Duc Chinh sending in four markers.

The 18-year-old Chung came in for Dylan de Bruycker and he found the net after Schrock could not get past a wall of defenders.

Defender Justin Baas and goalie Anthony Pintus got in the way of a pair of attempts by Sin Kakada before time expired.

The Cambodians put the Philippines on its toes early after Keo Sokpheng slipped past the defense in the 41st minute. Peter Atencio

PH sepak takraw eyes 1st SEAG gold A FIRST-EVER gold for the Philippines in sepak takraw competitions of the 30th Southeast Asian Games could finally be within reach.

Sepak Takraw President Karen Caballero yesterday said that all the six SEA countries competing can only field athletes in three of the eight events, two in the men’s and one in the women’s division except the Philippines.

The Philippines—as Games host— has the option of competing in all six regu and hoops events.

The Philippine Sepak Takraw team is made up of veteran and youth players.

Among the veteran players still in the lineup are Jason Huerta, Reyjay Ortuste, Mark Joseph Gonzales, Josefina Maat, Des Oltor, Ronsted Cabayeron and Sara Catain.

Caballero said the Pinoy Takraw players, especially the world champion team in the 2016 Kings Cup, are eyeing to win two to three golds in the biennial games.

Thailand will still be the team to beat but can only dominate three of the six events.

Malaysia, Vietnam and Myanmar will be the other toughest rivals of the Philippine Team.

Sepak Takraw competitions will be held in Subic from December 1 to 8.

The Sepak Takraw team is coming into the Games well prepared, especially with the full support of the Philippine Sports Commission which funded the team’s training preparations in Thailand and Korea, along with several other international tournaments.

The Philippines is pinning its hopes for gold in the men’s hoop doubles and women’s hoop.

Ceres buses to the rescue A FLEET of buses from a private company will now take care of the transportation needs of the 17 participating team in the ongoing 30th Southeast Asian Games football competitions.

Ceres Negros club owner Leo Rey Yanson is now helping out in coordinating with the Philippine Football Federation on the use of his buses through his company Vallacar Transit.

PFF president Mariano “Nonong Araneta said he has called on the help of Yanson after transportation snafus, bad traffic and poor coordination greeted delegations from Timor-Leste, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, which have arrived for the start of the tournament.

“We thank them for helping. There are many well-meaning companies out there who are willing to lend a helping hand,” said Araneta.

Araneta said the PFF is closely coordinating with the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee in getting clearance for the buses, the use of which will be dedicated to the football teams. Peter Atencio

IN BRIEF

Aboitiz seeks to keep Ilocos Sur property

LUZON Hydro Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corp., filed a petition to stop the municipality of Alilem in Ilocos Sur from auctioning its real properties.

Aboitiz Power said in a disclosure to the stock exchange that LHC filed a petition for prohibition and mandamus, with prayer for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, to prevent the Alilem municipality from auctioning the real properties in the area.

LHC, incorporated on Sept. 14, 1994, owns, operates and manages the 70-megawatt Bakun AC run-of-river hydropower plant. The plant was constructed and operated under the government’s build-operate-transfer scheme.

LHC received a notice of real property tax delinquency from the Office of the Municipal Treasurer of Alilem seeking to collect a total of P446,029,609.46 in unpaid RPT and accrued penalties covering the period from 2002 to August 2019. The treasurer then issued a notice of publication and auction sale covering the real properties of LHC, consisting of industrial machineries and buildings. Alena Mae S. Flores

Business

Job seekers look beyond salary

JOB seekers are no longer bound by their affinity to salaries, a survey by London-based global recruitment specialist Robert Walters found out in its Salary Survey 2020.

The survey which had over 400 Filipino companies as respondents, said career advancement, professional growth and even opportunities to travel abroad were key to staying on or looking for other jobs.

“Remuneration or salary is no longer the sole key motivator for professionals to stay in a job, with an increasing number of employees looking for career progression and learning and development opportunities,” Robert Walters Philippines director Monty Zujanani said.

He said new-generation job seekers, in general, were looking for opportunities for an upskill in their profession.

Although competitive remuneration and benefits remained a top driver of employee satisfaction, 29 percent of those surveyed said they would change jobs for career progression.

This highlights that in order for companies to retain talent, they also need to show their commitment to the learning and development of their employees, the survey said. Othel V. Campos

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019

B1

By Darwin G. Amojelar

MAP AWARDEE. Nestor Tan (center), president and CEO of BDO Unibank Inc., is awarded the Management Man of the Year 2019 by the Management Association of the Philippines. Tan was recognized for steering BDO to being consistently ranked by the global financial community as among the best-managed banks in the Philippines. With Tan in the awarding ceremony during the annual MAP general membership meeting at the Rizal Ballroom of Makati Shangri-La Hotel are (from left) Atty. Michael Toledo, managing director of MVP Group of Companies Media Bureau; Aurelio Montinola III, chair of the MAP Management of the Year judging committee and chair of Far Eastern University; Riza Mantaring, MAP president and board director of Sun Life Grepa Financial Inc.; and Ramoncito Fernandez, MAP immediate past president and chair of the MAP Management Man of the Year search committee.

Medical City shareholders facing P50.25-m penalty

By Jenniffer B. Austria

A

SPECIAL hearing panel of the Securities and Exchange Commission imposed a P50.25-million fine against the companies of Filipino executive Jose Xavier Gonzales and Singapore-based private equity fund Viva Holdings for alleged violations of the Securities Regulation Code.

The panel headed by Erwin Edward Mendinueto issued a resolution dated Nov. 22 which found Viva Healthcare Limited, Viva Holdings (Philippines) Pre. Ltd., Fountel Corp. and Felicitas Antoinette Inc. liable for violation of the Securities Regulation Code.

The SEC formed a special hearing panel after several shareholders, including Professional Services Inc. chief executive Alfredo Bengzon questioned the acquisition of the company’s majority shares by corporations related to Gonzales, his nephew.

“We are extremely gratified that the SEC has decided in favor of all the legitimate shareholders of The Medical

City,” said Bengzon, the founder and long-time CEO of PSI. “As a result of the fraud perpetrated by the Gonzales companies and Viva Holdings, we have suffered significant losses in the value of our investment in The Medical City,” Bengzon said.

“The SEC’s rightful decision paves the way for the restoration of shareholder value and voice lost over these many months,” he said.

The SEC panel said to surreptitiously take over TMC, the respondents acquired majority of PSI shares through omission of material facts, which misled the board of directors and other

shareholders to approve increases in the company’s capital stock and allow them to increase their shareholdings.

It said that while the respondents intended to acquire 35 percent or more of the equity shares in PSI as early as 2013, the plan to acquire majority of the shares in PSI was not communicated or could not be inferred during the board meetings, where increases in the company’s capital stock were discussed and approved.

“Consequently, offerors’ failure to disclose material information [which had the effect of misleading shareholders in their investment decisions] before acquisition of 35 percent or more of equity shares is a prohibited practice under SRC Rule 19.12,” the SHP said.

SRC Rule 19.2.A provides that any person, or group of persons acting together, who intends to acquire 35 percent or more of a public company’s equity shares should disclose such intention and contemporaneously make a tender offer to all shareholders.

THE Public Works Department on Tuesday inaugurated the new NLEX Philippine Arena Interchange to improve mobility and accessibility in Bulacan province ahead of the SEA Games opening ceremony.

It said the section from Philippine Arena to the southbound side of North Luzon Expressway would open on Nov. 29, while the southbound section from north of NLEX going to the Philippine Arena would open on Nov. 30 only for the SEA Games opening ceremony. The government said there were remaining works on the interchange project.

The Philippine Arena Interchange features an 80-lineal-meter bridge which connects Bocaue Municipal Hall, NLEX, Ciudad de Victoria and Bocaue-Sta. Maria Bypass Road.

It also has a northbound entry and exit toll plaza and soon, a southbound toll plaza for better accessibility.

“The Philippine Arena Interchange is just one of our priority projects in Bulacan to help ease mounting traffic along Governor F. Halili Road in Bocaue-Sta. Maria and address the usual heavy traffic situation at the Bocaue Interchange,” Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said.

“We also expect this new road to further accelerate trade and commerce within the province,” he said.

A 1.91-kilometer road from MacArthur Highway to Bocaue Municipal Hall will be improved and a 1.3-kilometer road from the Philippine Arena to the existing Patubig Road in Marilao, Bulacan will be constructed.

“We are excited with this project that will further improve the roads leading to the Philippine Arena, especially now that we are hosting the 30th Southeast Asian Games Opening Ceremony,” Villar said.

Touted as the world’s largest indoor arena, the 55,000-seat Philippine Arena is a venue for international sports and entertainment events. It is part of the Ciudad de Victoria, a tourism enterprise zone in Bocaue and Sta. Maria.

NLEX Corp. president and general manager J Luigi Bautista said, “NLEX is keen on supporting the government’s infrastructure plan as it also provides travel convenience for motorists using the expressway system and opens up opportunities for local communities.”

Govt allocating P6b to subsidize small rice farmers

PH, Korea sign ‘early package’ for free trade deal

By Julito G. Rada

By Othel V. Campos THE Philippines and South Korea signed an “Early Achievement Package” ahead of the conclusion of the free trade agreement by the first half of 2020.

It contains the progress of the trade negotiations, including the status of priority products such as banana, garments and auto parts for the Philippines and pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals and auto parts for South Korea.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez and his Korean counterpart Minister Yoo Myung-hee signed the package on Nov. 25 at the sidelines of the ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit in Busan, South Korea.

The two ministers, in a joint statement, affirmed that the Early Achievement Package would be further improved and incorporated in the free trade agreement.

Negotiations for the PhilippinesKorea Free Trade Agreement began in June 2019 to advance economic relations by enhancing trade and investment flows between the Philippines and South Korea through the removal of trade barriers and the creation of business and investment opportunities.

Since then, rounds of negotiations were convened from June to September, with inter-sessional meetings in October and November. The negotiating teams concluded the chapter on competition and made significant headway on the remaining six chapters: trade in goods, trade in services, investment, rules of origin, economic and technical cooperation and legal and institutional issues.

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

NLEX to open interchange at Philippine Arena

Diokno asks banks to hike MSME loans

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said Tuesday there is a need to raise the full potential of micro, small and medium enterprises to enable them to contribute significantly to economic growth.

Diokno said inclusive growth meant everybody should be involved, including small businesses in the country.

“MSMEs warrant a special focus in our financial inclusion work. We can’t talk about inclusive growth without the MSMEs,” he said during the 17th Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards held at the Bangko Sentral.

“As of now, 6.2 percent out of the total loan portfolio is the exposure of banks to MSMEs,” Diokno said.

The Philippines is a nation of micro, small and medium enterprises. More than 99 percent of the total number of establishments in the country are MSMEs. In terms of employment, small firms accounted for more than 60 percent or 3.4 million jobs. Julito G. Rada

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

POWER SUPPLY DEAL. Global Business Power Corp., through retail energy arm Global Energy Supply Corp., signs a power supply agreement with Global Estate-Resorts Inc. under the Energy Regulatory Commission’s retail competition and open access scheme. Under the agreement, GBP will supply 4 megawatts of power to GERI’s 140-hectare township in Boracay Island, the Boracay Newcoast. Attending the ceremonial signing of the retail supply contract are (from left) GBP first vice president for commercial Philip Dasalla, chief finance officer Rochel Gloria and president Jaime Azurin, with GERI president Monica Salomon, senior vice president and operations division head Jennifer Romualdez and legal counsel Edgardo Bruce Jr.

PH studying Taiwan’s high-efficiency, low-emission coal projects

By Alena Mae S. Flores NEW TAIPEI CITY―The Philippines can take the lead from Taiwan and move towards high-efficiency, lowemission technologies for coal projects such as ultra-supercritical boiler, according to a power industry executive.

“We have said that we have pioneered the utilization of HELE in the Philippines and that I think we are in the right direction because no less than Taiwan has the technology to power almost 40 percent of their country’s power requirement,” Meralco PowerGen Corp. vice president for external affairs Reynalita Santana said.

HELE is the term used by the international coal industry to refer to coal-fired power plants that utilize supercritical and ultra-supercritical technologies, which are more advanced than the existing sub-critical coal plants employed by existing coal plants in the Philippines.

The Philippines currently has no ultra-supercritical power plant, while Taiwan has more than 20 plants of such kind, including the 2,400-megawatt Linkou power plant here.

The Philippines has a supercritical power plant―the 455-MW San Buenaventura power project of Meralco PowerGen, the power generation arm of Manila Electric Co. and EGCO Group of Thailand which started commercial operations in September.

Meralco PowerGen plans to build the country’s first ultra-supercritical coal plant in Atimonan, Quezon but the project is being opposed by environmentalists.

Taiwan already shifted to HELE technologies and decommissioned some of its low-efficiency coal plants.

New units at the Linkou coal plant reduced carbon emissions by 19 percent, compared to the performance of the old units.

The new units have an efficiency

level of 44.93 percent compared to the subcritical boiler which has an efficiency level of seven percent.

“For Meralco Powergen, it reaffirms our belief of securing our energy and it reaffirms what we’ve been doing for our power projects, we look after our stakeholders not only our community but our government policymakers including local government officials which are very valuable partners in progress,” Santana said during the power plant visit.

Meralco assistant vice president Joe Zaldarriaga said the plant visit “is certainly a learning experience for us.”

“Obviously these are best practices shared by our friends in Linkou and part of that responsibility is ensuring that the community is involved in all undertakings... We will continue to ensure that the level of service that we provide in the Philippines will approximate what we learned here in Taiwan,” he said.

FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said tariffs in excess of P10 billion collected from rice imports and earmarked annually for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund will fund a two-year unconditional cash transfer program for small farmers affected by falling palay farmgate prices.

Dominguez, a former agriculture secretary, said in an interview the P1.4 billion in excess of rice import tariffs collected by the Bureau of Customs as of Oct. 31 this year, along with the succeeding surplus funds from RCEF for the rest of 2019 and in 2020, would be used for the P6-billion UCT program for rice farmers tilling two hectares and below.

“The P10 billion is already fixed. It already has an allocation [for RCEF].

The excess will be part of the P6 billion that will be allocated for two years for the farmers,” Dominguez said.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar earlier announced the rollout of the UCT program, which he said would cover an initial P3 billion this year and another P3 billion in 2020.

Dar said the funds would be sourced from the excess tariffs from rice imports which would also be used to support crop insurance and crop diversification programs for the benefit of farmers.

Dominguez said he was informed by Dar that the Department of Agriculture prepared a list of the farmers who would benefit from the UCTs. Republic Act No. 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law imposes a minimum 35-percent tariff on rice imports in lieu of quantitative restrictions. The law, which liberalized rice imports, stabilized the supply and price of the Filipino food staple in the retail market, but led to declining palay farmgate prices in certain rice producing areas.

B2

Business

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market declines; SMIC advances

S

TOCKS fell for a second day, as investors expressed uneasiness over the lack of details from the US-China trade talks.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, shed 63 points, or 0.8 percent, to close at 7,707.80 Tuesday. Despite the loss, the bellwether was still up 3.2 percent since the start of the year.

The broader all-share index also dropped 27 points, or 0.6 percent, to settle at 4,626.36 on a value turnover of P21.1 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 99 to 72, while 55 issues were unchanged.

Five of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by SM Investments Corp. which rose 1.5 percent to P1,091.00 and PLDT Inc. which gained 1.3 percent to P1,108.00.

Meanwhile, other Asian markets also traded lower Tuesday. While the mood remains upbeat across trading floors that a partial tariffs agreement between the US and China will eventually be signed, there is a sense of unease about the lack of detail from both sides.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He spoke by phone to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, state media said.

The two sides “discussed solving issues regarding each other’s core concerns, reached consensus on properly resolving related issues, and agreed to maintain communication on remaining issues in consultations on the ‘phase one’ deal,” China’s official Xinhua news agency said, without providing more details.

The news came after Beijing said at the weekend it would hike penalties on

violations of intellectual property rights and also look at lowering the threshold for criminal punishments of those who steal IP. The IP issue is a major sticking point for the United States in the discussions and agreement on it is seen as key to their success.

The signals from the two economic giants are growing increasingly positive and observers said there is a need for both sides to nail the partial deal, which is part of a wider agreement.

“There are more incentives now on both sides to get this trade deal done compared to when the trade talks first fell apart earlier this year because the Chinese economy has slowed down much more since then and in the US, Trump is facing his 2020 election campaign,” Amy Xie Patrick at Pendal Group told Bloomberg TV. However, Asia struggled to extend

its own advances from the day before.

Hong Kong and Singapore each dropped 0.2 percent in the afternoon, Seoul fell 0.1 percent and Jakarta shed 0.3 percent.

However, Tokyo rose 0.4 percent as the trade optimism lifted the dollar against the yen, providing a boost to Japanese exporters, while Shanghai was flat.

Sydney and Wellington both climbed 0.8 percent, while there were also gains for Mumbai, Bangkok and Taipei.

“Optimism is rising that a phase one trade deal could be agreed before December 15 when new US tariffs are expected to kick in,” said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK. “However it seems much more likely that these could well be deferred once more, with an agreement more likely to occur sometime in the New Year, if we get one at all.” AFP

Manila Standard BuSineSS daily StockS review tueSday, noveMBer 26, 2019

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

53.7 90.1 150 25.1 18 12.8 4.22 805 0.39 67.05 0.85 40 174 58.6 24.85 201 1,806 59 1.07

53.7 90.7 154 25.3 18.1 12.96 4.35 805 0.4 67.5 0.85 40 174 58.6 24.85 202 1,806 59.55 1.07

53.7 87 149.1 25 18 12.72 4.16 805 0.39 66.15 0.85 39.7 173.8 58.5 24.75 199 1,806 59 1.06

FINANCIALS 53.7 1,000 87 10,056,970 150 10,780,970 25 141,300 18.1 100,100 12.96 253,600 4.33 132,000 805 420 0.4 60,000 67.5 6,181,820 0.85 39,000 39.75 136,200 173.8 2,110 58.5 600 24.8 46,900 202 1,060,000 1,806 515 59.05 910 1.06 312,000

53,700 881,715,691 1,618,263,531 3,533,535 1,808,740 3,270,502 554,540 338,100 23,700 415,381,430.50 33,150 5,431,850 366,764 35,155 1,163,290 214,002,334 930,090 53,829 333,670

-347,944,210 -244,997,898 -907,530 -432,458 60,274,643.50 -16,150 -1,821,740 -40,020 -1,091,435 -18,315 -

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

35.55 2.44 14.16 0.58 1.23 3.73 0.242 89.1 2.36 15.2 5.23 67.5 69 2.07 5.35 8.87 15.02 10.32 7.22 23.5 75.95 40.5 1.96 13.82 7.9 1.4 186.6 5.05 8.75 18.34 12.08 17.14 320 5.22 1.28 4.6 9.55 10.82 32 4.95 5.47 2.05 1.03 11.28 87.6 8.31 0.124 1.02 151.2 1.17 0.99

36.45 2.61 14.18 0.58 1.29 3.73 0.242 101.6 2.36 15.4 5.6 71.15 69 2.07 5.35 8.88 15.02 10.36 7.22 23.95 76.05 41 2 14 8.02 1.41 190.5 5.05 8.81 18.46 12.1 17.14 325 5.22 1.37 4.72 9.55 11.06 32.5 4.95 5.47 2.06 1.03 11.28 89.35 9 0.124 1.08 154 1.17 0.99

33.75 2.39 13.5 0.56 1.23 3.66 0.23 89.1 2.28 15.18 5.21 67.5 69 2.02 5.35 8.78 14.92 10.3 7.21 23.1 75.95 40.05 1.95 13.7 7.8 1.4 184.1 5 8.75 18 12.02 16.9 313.2 5.22 1.28 4.6 9.55 10.82 31.9 4.95 5.47 2 0.96 11.16 85.05 8.31 0.119 1.01 150.8 1.15 0.98

INDUSTRIAL 33.75 23,524,500 2.6 5,014,000 14.14 339,500 0.58 252,000 1.29 3,000 3.67 771,000 0.239 3,120,000 101.6 60 2.32 1,026,000 15.2 424,000 5.4 954,300 71.15 330 69 580 2.02 23,000 5.35 1,900 8.8 6,249,500 14.92 451,500 10.32 222,300 7.22 1,233,000 23.4 2,248,500 76 62,920 40.5 31,500 1.96 5,732,000 14 80,100 7.8 121,600 1.41 2,000 184.1 2,546,200 5 291,000 8.81 3,200 18 2,287,600 12.1 73,300 17.08 1,047,200 319 793,090 5.22 400 1.36 5,807,000 4.72 949,000 9.55 6,000 11.06 19,200 32.5 483,400 4.95 2,000 5.47 30,400 2.04 884,000 0.96 74,000 11.16 135,700 86.95 305,610 8.7 959,500 0.119 4,990,000 1.08 251,000 152 2,434,450 1.16 5,261,000 0.98 1,243,000

797,804,860 12,616,230 4,797,486 142,320 3,750 2,846,680 718,890 5,846 2,367,900 6,456,280 5,142,995 23,030.50 40,020 46,960 10,165 55,042,129 6,738,854 2,291,910 8,890,726 52,780,830 4,781,634 1,274,305 11,294,140 1,115,654 950,954 2,810 471,547,970 1,457,405 28,128 41,252,314 884,410 17,877,932 252,770,116 2,088 7,714,750 4,460,720 57,300 210,150 15,511,700 9,900 166,288 1,786,150 73,510 1,519,416 26,623,169.50 8,323,136 597,220 255,710 370,132,018 6,151,390 1,228,940

-267,526,630.00 -209,520 -4,542,042 -256,150 -343,970 6,072,116 579,360 -3,210 16,972,092.00 -6,355,256 -533,696 -3,681,130 -10,686,225 -611,040 891,665 129,260 -605,216 -47,572 -144,673,895 -1,457,405 -21,676,930 -34,932 1,855,082 -23,033,446 2,871,670 2,904,820 4,511,365 26,520 -1,290,572 -12,921,828 -21,336,070 1,216,800 -9,900

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

0.79 50.4 11.14 0.72 6.83 12.48 0.95 0.97 820 3.4 7.05 6.56 13.1 0.206 882 78.45 0.48 4.02 12.5 0.57 4.34 0.036 156.9 2.25 1,070 0.85 1.25 213.2 0.214 0.218

0.81 51.2 11.28 0.72 6.9 12.5 0.95 0.97 824 3.46 7.11 6.85 13.38 0.206 882 78.45 0.495 4.05 12.58 0.57 4.38 0.036 159 2.25 1,091 0.85 1.25 213.2 0.214 0.218

0.78 48.95 10.78 0.72 6.82 12.24 0.88 0.9 784.5 3.38 7.05 6.45 13 0.205 872 76.2 0.48 4.02 12.2 0.57 4.3 0.036 155.1 2.25 1,069 0.85 1.23 213.2 0.214 0.216

HOLDING FIRMS 0.8 15,397,000 48.95 26,159,200 10.78 305,565,500 0.72 25,000 6.89 74,500 12.5 7,400 0.91 3,673,000 0.94 1,851,000 784.5 1,408,530 3.42 632,000 7.08 3,329,000 6.56 348,635,800 13.38 12,200 0.205 400,000 878 285,090 76.3 8,729,780 0.485 270,000 4.03 118,000 12.2 1,340,600 0.57 1,000 4.31 55,884,000 0.036 800,000 159 88,420 2.25 5,000 1,091 962,620 0.85 1,000 1.25 130,000 213.2 10 0.214 200,000 0.217 90,000

12,312,870 1,282,279,730 3,310,967,300 18,000 512,821 91,310 3,335,320 1,717,620 1,112,436,725 2,165,200 23,566,178 2,302,637,805 160,686 82,200 250,253,390 666,679,832.50 129,655 475,770 16,464,286 570 241,046,170 28,800 13,963,036 11,250 1,048,832,895 850 162,260 2,132 42,800 19,570

-420,540 -481,920,085 -505,576,588 468,900 -362,484,720 -357,850 1,879,293 -819,005,470 32,186 -69,671,005 -137,784,429 2,631,390 -32,241,590 -8,715,214 -106,966,375 -42,800 -

8990 HLDG A BROWN ANCHOR LAND ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEB LANDMASTERS CEBU HLDG CENTURY PROP CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DM WENCESLAO DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE KEPPEL PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL INFRADEV PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SM PRIME HLDG

14.9 0.75 9 1.62 0.86 43.95 2 4.7 6.7 0.59 0.188 0.425 10.3 18.9 0.45 1.53 1.23 4.35 4.5 0.226 1.28 0.35 2.03 25.9 2.18 39.2

14.98 0.75 9 1.62 0.86 44.2 2.01 4.7 6.7 0.59 0.198 0.425 10.32 19.8 0.45 1.55 1.24 4.35 4.54 0.231 1.32 0.355 2.04 27.1 2.18 39.8

14.9 0.73 8.83 1.6 0.83 42.55 2 4.66 6.6 0.58 0.188 0.42 10.26 18.9 0.445 1.52 1.23 4.35 4.42 0.223 1.28 0.35 2.01 25.9 2.14 38.85

PROPERTY 14.96 6,200 0.74 84,000 8.83 2,200 1.6 6,000 0.86 765,000 42.55 37,427,400 2 424,000 4.7 259,000 6.67 21,200 0.58 34,485,000 0.198 240,000 0.42 270,000 10.3 236,900 19.8 479,000 0.445 8,530,000 1.54 12,748,000 1.23 358,000 4.35 3,000 4.45 37,766,000 0.23 8,090,000 1.3 1,326,000 0.35 70,000 2.02 115,000 27.1 6,638,600 2.15 2,026,000 38.9 30,312,700

92,716 62,470 19,766 9,700 642,070 1,603,241,890 848,010 1,216,960 140,197 20,205,730 45,220 113,500 2,440,084 9,228,856 3,837,050 19,616,520 442,440 13,050 168,455,190 1,837,240 1,723,980 24,600 232,310 179,410,650 4,415,920 1,181,105,245

-67,272 134,400 -499,687,070 -742,000 18,790 -87,000.00 2,391,750 7,076,740 -3,285,000 -895,940 -19,780 -40,955,980 1,300 58,917,150 0 -207,315,750

NAME

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

STA LUCIA LAND SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND VISTAMALLS

2.39 1.53 7.51 5

2.45 1.57 7.61 5.5

2.39 1.45 7.51 5

2.42 1.45 7.59 5.44

106,000 14,311,000 3,940,900 4,000

255,270 21,449,190 29,877,596 21,380

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

9.89 17.6 1.65 11.56 0.465 18 2.83 11.46 91.5 7.08 5.83 5.7 8.98 890.5 1,945 5.3 418 9.9 1.23 121.5 0.103 4.19 2.29 14 2.77 0.9 18.24 0.42 2.3 0.99 2.89 2.6 7.95 4.6 2.72 1,094 0.64 0.43 40 75 9.13 2.7 0.66 0.305 0.62 18.2

10 17.6 1.66 11.56 0.47 18 2.86 11.48 92.8 7.08 5.93 5.7 9.15 890.5 1,950 5.3 450 10.54 1.24 123 0.109 4.24 2.31 14 2.8 0.9 18.26 0.435 2.34 1.1 2.94 2.6 7.95 4.6 2.75 1,108 0.64 0.495 40.4 76 9.15 2.73 0.68 0.31 0.63 18.2

9.82 17.44 1.63 11.46 0.465 18 2.79 11.12 91 7.08 5.79 5.7 8.72 890.5 1,900 5.2 414 9.9 1.19 120.4 0.103 4.16 2.29 13.96 2.75 0.9 17.94 0.41 2.28 0.99 2.8 2.55 7.95 4.6 2.7 1,094 0.62 0.43 40 74.55 9.13 2.62 0.66 0.305 0.61 17.98

SERVICES 10 17.44 1.66 11.5 0.47 18 2.8 11.2 92.8 7.08 5.8 5.7 9.15 890.5 1,950 5.24 425 10.54 1.19 123 0.103 4.18 2.31 13.98 2.8 0.9 18 0.425 2.3 1.05 2.89 2.58 7.95 4.6 2.75 1,108 0.63 0.49 40 75 9.15 2.67 0.68 0.305 0.61 18.2

4,500 32,200 40,000 2,820,100 150,000 120,100 790,000 5,244,300 97,560 2,700 862,300 100 22,600 470 100,935 132,600 30,140 400 890,000 3,834,300 510,000 1,376,000 15,000 5,700 858,000 20,000 591,400 3,920,000 544,000 14,000 1,028,000 40,000 2,600 8,000 205,000 285,125 990,000 64,560,000 1,321,200 493,340 12,500 1,064,000 578,000 1,060,000 609,000 1,763,600

44,742 562,890 66,260 32,430,288 70,400 2,161,800 2,222,240 58,993,580 8,972,693 19,116 5,016,134 570 204,193 418,535 196,674,430 695,776 13,065,106 4,024 1,072,720 470,196,211 52,950 5,791,460 34,610 79,654 2,388,170 18,000 10,657,782 1,642,450 1,244,410 14,470 2,953,550 102,170 20,670 36,800 557,320 315,687,455 623,610 30,374,750 53,006,625 36,993,994.50 114,165 2,854,360 392,760 324,000 374,480 32,041,380

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

0.0016 9.14 1.09 2.54 11 2.52 1.87 0.209 0.102 0.104 0.0084 1.01 3.45 1.06 0.52 0.8 0.011 0.011 0.011 3.38 11.32 20.55 0.0058

0.0016 9.5 1.09 2.58 11 2.53 1.89 0.209 0.102 0.104 0.0084 1.03 3.49 1.06 0.55 0.82 0.012 0.011 0.011 3.39 11.32 22 0.0058

0.0016 9.09 1.06 2.54 10.06 2.52 1.85 0.2 0.098 0.104 0.0084 1.01 3.4 1.05 0.5 0.8 0.011 0.011 0.011 3.28 10.78 20.55 0.0058

MINING & OIL 0.0016 265,000,000 9.16 906,100 1.07 1,500,000 2.58 30,000 10.98 2,600 2.52 508,000 1.88 1,975,000 0.205 170,000 0.101 6,790,000 0.104 140,000 0.0084 1,000,000 1.03 140,000 3.44 4,123,000 1.06 3,000 0.55 149,000 0.82 31,000 0.012 12,000,000 0.011 1,000,000 0.011 5,000,000 3.39 206,000 10.8 948,800 22 2,756,700 0.0058 1,000,000

424,000 8,389,994 1,608,540 76,700 27,674 1,281,210 3,705,800 34,770 678,720 14,560 8,400 143,600 14,206,140 3,170 75,850 24,820 137,900 11,000 55,000 696,240 10,438,086 58,816,525 5,800

-260,129 -275,130 337,720 -638,950 -33,700 -679,100 18,116,925 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 DD PREF FGEN PREF G GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B HOUSE PREF A LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 3A PCOR PREF 3B PNX PREF 3B PNX PREF 4 SMC FB PREF 2 SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

16.9 509 100.9 110 500.5 5.08 999 1,000 97.05 1.03 100.1 1,050 1,065 104 1,027 971 77.6 75.1 75.1 75.3 75.15

16.9 509 100.9 110 500.5 5.08 999 1,010 97.05 1.03 100.1 1,050 1,066 107 1,029 995 78.45 75.15 75.1 75.3 75.15

16.84 509 100.2 109 500 5.07 999 1,000 97 1.03 100.1 1,050 1,065 104 1,024 970 77.6 75.1 75.05 75.3 75.15

PREFERRED 16.84 44,000 509 260 100.2 206,000 109 1,410 500 2,770 5.07 324,600 999 100 1,010 980 97 5,000 1.03 100,000 100.1 650 1,050 2,955 1,066 510 107 880 1,024 1,355 995 200 78.45 34,960 75.15 1,006,500 75.05 27,300 75.3 38,800 75.15 250

741,020 132,340 20,736,337 154,690 1,385,050 1,648,268 99,900 988,800 485,050 103,000 65,065 3,102,750 543,160 93,680 1,389,005 196,510 2,714,607.50 75,638,150 2,050,184.50 2,921,640 18,787.50

-124,616 -1,648,268 -

ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH XURPAS

4.4 12.48 0.91

4.44 12.66 0.91

4.28 12.02 0.88

4.35 12.2 0.91

FIRST METRO ETF

116.6

117.2

115.8

MS USD DMPL A1 USD TECH B2

10.1 0.92

Trading Summary

10.1 0.92

SHARES

FINANCIAL

29,698,358

INDUSTRIAL

82,804,906

HOLDING FIRMS

777,234,575

PROPERTY

216,283,984

SERVICES

97,601,109

MINING & OIL

305,406,553

GRAND TOTAL

1,511,746,956

10.1 0.92

SME

178,000 758,800 1,758,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 115.8 19,140 10.1 0.92

DDS

120 18,500

-10,853,109 -5,033,442 2,161,800 26,406,494 -1,523,582 -40,617 55,169,245 -30,250 731,696 -4,230 -7,217,886.00 337,570 153,670 -29,790 -8,638,285 -447,930 -347,050 16,640,630 -15,503,416 568,180 9,240 14,973,386

776,330 9,312,306 1,568,130

47,640 2,472 -16,020

2,227,744

-

1,212 17,020

-

VALUE 1,843.39 (DOWN) 17.64 3,182,527,307.01 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 9,700.73 (DOWN) 46.93 2,215,351,804.19 HOLDING FIRMS 7,688.23 (DOWN) 62.20 10,419,629,757.54 PROPERTY 3,946.60 (DOWN) 50.38 1,548.04 (UP) 6.61 3,928,569,410.77 SERVICES MINING & OIL 8,437.26 (UP) 210.59 1,295,230,279.605 PSEI 7,707.80 (DOWN) 63.82 100,882,084.386 All Shares Index 4,626.36 (DOWN) 27.18 21,156,088,839.90 Gainers: 72; Losers: 99; Unchanged: 55; Total: 226

Metrojet expects to start commercial operations in 2020

By Jess Malabanan CLARK FREEPORT―Aircraft management provider Metrojet Limited said it expects to complete its Clark hangar, parking and maintenance facility soon as it reached a milestone in terms of aviation-related works after it broke ground for the project last year.

The project sits on a 26,000-squaremeter lot at the Clark Aviation Complex for its Asia-Pacific operations, considered the biggest in Asia.

The hangar facility, once completed, can accommodate up to 10 longrange business jets including Boeing Business and Airbus Corporate jets.

It said the facility would have workshops, stores, staff and customer offices and a space for a dedicated fixed-base operator. A two-story annex building is located on the rear of the hangar. It has apron area and an exclusive taxiway.

The company expects to start operations in the second quarter of 2020.

Metrojet said it would generate employment from “within the surrounding communities”.

“The facility will become a house for our customers and a home for our employees,” it said in a statement.

“All our employees will be from here as we are going to hire locally so that we can bring back home Filipino workers abroad and [have them] reunited with their families. We have worked with many Filipinos. They are very talented and skilled,” Metrojet said.

The stressed arch technology used in the construction of the hangar facility has been designed to the highest international standards including typhoon and seismic loadings which meet current Philippine codes.

Its system is utilized in more than 100 aircraft hangars worldwide and is known for structural stiffness, durability and cost efficiencies.

The facility will also have a fully compliant NFPA 409 fire suppression system, meeting the highest fire standards in the world.

Established in 1995, Metrojet pioneered business aviation services in Hong Kong and remains one of the most renowned safety and customerfocused business jet operators and maintenance providers in Asia Pacific.

The company provides all-inclusive aircraft management, maintenance and aviation consultancy services.

Cebu Pacific remains top domestic airline

By Darwin G. Amojelar CEBU Pacific retained its position as the country’s leading domestic airline in the first nine months, data from the Civil Aeronautics Board show.

Cebu Pacific flew 9.7 million passengers in the first nine months, followed by PAL Express with 5.37 million passengers, Philippines Air Asia with 3.89 million passengers and Cebgo with 1.44 million passengers, according to CAB. Philippine Airlines carried 1.22 million passengers in the nine-month period while Magnum Air (Skyjet) Inc. recorded 151,925 domestic passengers.

The country’s total domestic passengers reached 22.14 million domestic passengers from January to September.

Philippine Airlines kept its status as the leading carrier in terms of international travelers with 5.76 million passengers in the first nine months. This was followed by Cebu Pacific with 4.41 million international passengers and Philippines Air Asia with 1.89 million international passengers.

Astro Air International flew 217,243 international passengers.

Foreign carriers carried 10.50 million international passengers during the period. The total number of international passengers reached 22.80 million in the nine-month period.

Meanwhile, domestic cargo traffic reached 239.08 million kilograms in the first nine months, with Cebu Pacific carrying 108.75 million kilos, followed by PAL Express with 62.32 million kilos, PAL with 38.52 million kilos, Philippines Air Asia, 23.34 million kilos and Cebgo, 2.75 million kilos.

Magnum Air carried 759,415 kilograms; Air Juan, 95,770 kilos and AirSwift Transport, 475,204 kilos.

B3

World

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Probers: Impeachment report could be presented next week

UP FOR PARDONING. Bread and Butter, a pair of turkeys that will be pardoned by US President Donald Trump, walk inside their hotel room at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, DC, on November 25, 2019, while awaiting the White House pardoning ceremony later this week ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. AFP

WASHINGTON―US impeachment investigators said Monday they could present their report of presidential wrongdoing as early as next week but do not rule out calling new witnesses in the case against Donald Trump.

The three anels heading the probe have been preparing a file to deliver to the committee that will consider whether to draft articles of impeachment against the president.

It will be sent to the Judiciary Committee soon after Congress returns from the Thanksgiving recess, beginning next Tuesday, House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff told colleagues in a letter.

“The evidence of wrongdoing and misconduct by the president that we have gathered to date is clear and hardly in dispute,” said Schiff, who has delivered searing condemnations of Trump’s behavior and the Republicans’ defenses of the president.

“What is left to us now is to decide whether this behavior is compatible with the office of the presidency, and

‘My fault,’ says Lam, but offers no concessions to poll winners H ONG KONG―Hong Kong’s deeply unpopular leader Carrie Lam acknowledged Tuesday that public dissatisfaction with her government fueled a landslide win by pro-democracy candidates in local elections, but offered no new concessions to resolve months of violent protests.

In China, state media sought to downplay and discredit the weekend ballot that delivered a stinging rebuke to the financial hub’s pro-Beijing establishment, and in what was widely seen as a referendum on Lam’s handling of the unrest.

The city’s chief executive pledged to “improve governance” in the wake of the district council elections, which she acknowledged revealed concern over “deficiencies in the government, including unhappiness with the time taken to deal with the current unstable environment.”

In a rout that stunned the semi-auton-

omous territory, candidates campaigning against greater control by China seized an overwhelming majority of 452 elected seats in the city’s 18 district councils, bodies that have historically been firmly in the grip of a Beijingaligned establishment.

The result―the first vote held since protests engulfed the city―was a humiliating rebuke to Beijing and Lam, who has dismissed the calls for political reform and repeatedly suggested that a silent majority supported her administration.

In the wake of the polls, pro-democracy politicians have stepped up calls

for Lam to address the movement’s key demands―such as direct popular elections for the city’s leadership and legislature, and a probe into alleged police brutality against demonstrators.

But in Tuesday’s weekly press briefing, she sidestepped those calls, denouncing the street violence and repeating an earlier pledge to open a dialogue on the unrest, a proposal that opponents have dismissed as too little, too late.

Millions of Hong Kongers took to the streets earlier this year after Lam’s government introduced a bill to allow extraditions to China’s opaque judicial system.

Although it was eventually withdrawn under public pressure, the bill added fuel to growing fears that Beijing was tightening its grip on the city, unleashing broader public demands for reform and leading to violent clashes between police and protesters.

The public support for change indicated by the election result appeared to

pour cold water on repeated claims by the chief executive and China’s government that the protests were the work of a violent radical fringe.

Lam’s latest comments indicated “no reflection, no response and no resolution” for Hong Kong’s ongoing crisis, said Lam Cheuk-ting, a lawmaker and leading figure in the Democratic Party, the city’s largest anti-establishment party.

“While the pro-establishment camp was finally awakened by votes, Lam still chooses to remain asleep, as deeply as in a coma,” he said.

China’s state media, however, cast doubt on the vote’s legitimacy, focusing on violence that marred campaigning.

The People’s Daily said “social unrest... has seriously disrupted the electoral process,” with an editorial in the English-language version of the China Daily said it was “skewed by intimidation” and “dirty tricks” that hurt proestablishment candidates.AFP

Firings spark disagreement in Google ranks SAN FRANCISCO―Google on Monday fired four employees on the grounds they violated data security policies, prompting anger among colleagues concerned it was retaliation for worker organizing.

One of the workers fired was connected to a petition against Google working with the US immigration and border patrol agency. She confirmed her firing in a message posted on Twitter.

A memo to employees titled “Securing our data” sought to correct what it contended was misinformation about the purported wrongdoing, saying it involved “systematic searches for other employees’ materials and work,” according to reports by US media.

Google, the money-making engine of parent company Alphabet, confirmed a copy of the note published by Bloomberg but declined to comment further.

However, a Medium account connected to a massive walkout by Google employees last year argued that the four workers were fired in an attempt to crush efforts to organize staff.

“Four of our colleagues took a stand and organized for a better workplace,” read the post by Google Walkout for Real Change.

“When they did, Google retaliated against them.”

The authors of the post contended that Google policies on data security were tightened to provide cover for getting rid of workers involved in efforts to unionize.

“They think this will crush our efforts, but it won’t,” the Medium post said.

“One of the most powerful companies in the world wouldn’t be retaliating against us if collective action didn’t work.”

The Google workplace, long seen as a blend of fun, good-will and free food, has been disrupted by employee opposition to top-level decisions ranging from making contracts with the military to tailoring a version of the search engine for China and the handling of sexual misconduct allegations. AFP

whether the constitutional process of impeachment is warranted.”

Schiff presided over two weeks of dramatic public hearings that he said uncovered a “massive amount of evidence in short order,” despite efforts to obstruct the investigation by Trump and his administration.

It “conclusively shows” that Trump conditioned a White House meeting with Ukraine’s new president and critical US military assistance on Ukraine announcing “sham, politically-motivated investigations that would help President Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign,” he said.

The committees “do not foreclose the possibility of further depositions or hearings,” signaling they could seek to have more witnesses testify, Schiff added.

The White House and State Department have refused to turn over documents seen as crucial to the inquiry, or allow potential witnesses with firsthand knowledge of the Ukraine pressure campaign to testify. AFP

IN BRIEF Ambassador called over HK rights bill

BEIJING―China has summoned the US ambassador to demand that the United States scrap legislation backing Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, or “bear all the consequences”, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.

The Hong Kong bill awaiting President Donald Trump’s signature supports human rights and democracy in the city, while threatening to revoke the territory’s special economic status.

A separate measure bans the sale of tear gas, rubber bullets and other equipment used by the security forces to suppress pro-democracy protests.

Vice foreign minister Zheng Zeguang summoned US ambassador Terry Branstad on Monday to voice a “strong protest” over the bill, the ministry said in a statement.

The legislation “brazenly interferes in China’s internal affairs” and “indulges and supports the violent criminal behavior by ‘anti-China disrupting Hong Kong’ forces,” the ministry said.

Trump has not indicated whether he will sign the legislation into law, saying last week that while he stood with Hong Kong, he also stood with his “friend”, President Xi Jinping.

The foreign ministry urged the US to “immediately correct its mistakes, prevent the above-mentioned Hong Kongrelated bill from becoming law, and stop any words and deeds that interfere in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs.” AFP

Albania quake kills four people

TIRANA―A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Albania early Tuesday killing four people, according to officials and local media, and sparking panic in the capital Tirana and other cities.

The epicenter of the quake, the strongest in the region in decades, was about 34 kilometers northwest of Tirana, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center.

“There is considerable damage,” defense ministry Albana Qajahaj told AFP. A man in his fifties died after jumping several stories from a building in Kurbin in the northwest of the country, the defesce ministry said.

A three-story hotel in the port town of Durres collapsed while another building in the city center was badly damaged.

Damage was also reported in Thumana, 30 kilometers northwest of Tirana.

Around 50 people with light injuries were being treated in hospital in the capital, Health Minister Ogerta Manasterliu said.

Other reports said 150 people were treated for light injuries.

The quake was felt across the Balkans, from Sarajevo to Bosnia and even in the Serbian city of Novi Sad almost 700 kilometers away, according to reports in local media and on social networks. AFP

PROTEST. An Iraqi demonstrator runs as teargas billows during clashes with Iraqi security forces in Baghdad’s al-Rasheed street near al-Ahrar bridge on November 25, 2019, during ongoing anti-government demonstrations. - The demonstrations rocking the capital and the Shiite-majority south since early October are the biggest grassroots movement the country has seen since the 2003 US-led invasion that ended the Saddam Hussein regime. AFP

Thousands rally worldwide against abuse of women PARIS―Tens of thousands have rallied across the world to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, as France unveiled new measures to combat domestic violence.

Demonstrators on Monday gathered in countries as diverse as Guatemala, Russia, Sudan and Turkey, where riot police in Istanbul blocked the path of roughly 2,000 protesters before firing tear gas and plastic bullets to disperse them.

The French government announced it would make it easier for doctors to share information on vulnerable women and write into law the concept of psychological “entrapment”, following massive rallies in France over the weekend.

Roughly 87,000 women and girls were murdered across the world in 2017, according to the United Nations.

Monday’s rallies―animated by growing anger over the failure of jus-

tice systems to punish offenders―follow a weekend of protests against what is being termed femicide.

Crowds marched through the streets of Moscow to highlight the government’s failure to pass laws protecting women, and hundreds of Sudanese women chanted “freedom, peace and justice” as they gathered in Khartoum in the first such protest in decades.

In Mexico City, masked demonstrators with sledgehammers smashed glass panes of bus stops, spray-painted monuments and clashed with riot police Monday to protest authorities’ failure to halt soaring rates of femicide and rape in the country.

Tens of thousands of Spaniards marched in Madrid on Monday evening following a weekend of protests. Spain’s long-standing laws against gender violence have not halted the problem―52 women have been killed by their partners or ex-partners since the start of 2019.

South Africa has one of the worst records of any country on gender violence and the government has faced several rounds of mass protests on the issue.

President Cyril Ramaphosa used Monday’s events to launch a campaign to improve victims’ access to justice and urge men to drop their “sexist and patriarchal attitudes”.

The UN warned that more action was needed around the world, singling out Afghanistan as a country where too little is done to counter sexual violence and rape.

And in a rare move, global police cooperation agency Interpol launched an international appeal to find eight men suspected of murdering or committing violence against women.

The French government is among those to face sustained pressure for reform -- at least 117 women have been killed by their partner or former partner since the start of the year, according to a count by AFP, compared with 121 women last year. AFP

Grandma wins death sentence appeal

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia―An Australian grandmother who claimed she was tricked into carrying drugs into Malaysia after falling for an online romance scam Tuesday won her final appeal against the death penalty and will be freed.

Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto was arrested in December 2014 while in transit at Kuala Lumpur airport with 1.1 kilos of crystal methamphetamine stitched into the compartment of a backpack she was carrying.

She was initially cleared of trafficking after a judge ruled in 2017 she did not know she was transporting the drugs, but the acquittal was overturned after prosecutors appealed and she was handed a death sentence.

Capital punishment is mandatory in Muslim-majority Malaysia for anyone convicted of trafficking certain amounts of some controlled substances.

But the Federal Court in the administrative capital Putrajaya, the final court of appeal, overturned that decision and ordered her release.

“The appeal is allowed. The appellant is freed and discharged,” said chief justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat. AFP

LGUs

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

B4

Four winners in Cabie PINILI essay writing competition

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

MANDALUYONG FIESTA. Colorful

boats sail on the Pasig River during a fluvial parade of the different barangays of Mandaluyong City to celebrate its fiesta on Monday. Andrew Rabulan

Antipolo opens earth-friendly Christmas fest THE City of Antipolo recently lighted its earth-friendly Christmas tree to usher in its colorful month-long Christmas Fiesta.

According to Mayor Andrea Ynares, the tree used recycled plastic bottles, cups and cartons as part of the city’s commitment to environmental sustainability in its governance programs.

She said that their earth-friendly thrust is in compliance with the YES (Ynares Eco-System) to Green Project which covers clean and green environment, and livelihood opportunities through recycling and utilization of raw materials and by-products of local produce.

The project is based on Executive Order No. 11 issued in 1993 by Rizal Gov. Rebecca Ynares.

The city is a recipient of the Environmental Compliance Audit Platinum Award 2017 from the Department of the Interior and Local Government, which includes the enactment of its Basura Code, regular tree-planting activities, Linis Creek Program, and other environment-related measures.

Antipolo’s Christmas Fiesta includes a grand parade, drum and lyre, marching band contests, choral competitions, the Mutya ng Antipolo pageant, earth-friendly YES parol and belen design contest, musical concerts featuring rock bands Ex Batallion and Woopis, various sporting events, and the 144th Sumulong Day as a tribute to its home-grown nationalist Don Juan Sumulong.

Religious activities include the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the traditional Simbang Gabi, the visit of the Black Nazarene, and the 15th anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral of the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.

Early yearend gifts for Makati elderly

By Joel E. Zurbano

M

AKATI City Mayor Abigail Binay has ordered the early distribution of yearend cash gifts and Christmas gift bags to more than 76,890 senior citizens of the city.

The city government started distributing the yearend cash gifts, ranging from P1,500 to P5,000, and the Pamaskong Handog gift bags from midNovember until Dec. 9 this year.

Binay said she ordered the early release of the incentives to the city’s elderly residents to get ahead of the holiday rush and ensure there will be enough city hall personnel to attend to them.

“We have begun distributing the cash gift and Christmas gift bags in advance for the convenience of our senior citizens. We want all concerned city personnel on hand to provide them the needed assistance in claiming their benefits from the city,” the city chief executive said.

For this year, the city allocated a total of P331.7 million for the cash gift to

seniors and centenarians under the Blu Card Program, which includes P142.5 million for the yearend cash gift.

Binay said Blu Card holders will receive their yearend cash gift corresponding to their age categories as follows: 60-69 years old, P1,500; 70-79 years old, P2,000; 80-89 years old, P2,500; and 90 years old and above, P5,000.

Blu Card holders who have claimed their cash gift on the scheduled date and time at the designated venue have also been given their Pamaskong Handog ticket so they could immediately exchange it for a bagful of giveaways.

Officials of the City of Antipolo stand in front of its earth-friendly Christmas tree to usher in its colorful monthlong Christmas Fiesta as fireworks light up the night sky.

Biofertilizers, biopesticides featured in agriculture council ‘FIESTA’

By Butch Gunio LOS BAÑOS, Laguna―Aligned with the goal of sustaining the country’s biodiversity, an event in Valencia City, Bukidnon was held to promote the use of chemical-free and organic tools to improve plant growth production.

The recentl Farms and Industry En-

counters through the Science and Technology Agenda (FIESTA) on biofertilizer and biopesticide featured technologies that are accepted under organic agriculture which can contribute to the sustainability of the country’s plant production, Rose Anne M. Aya of the PCAARRD Applied Communication Division relayed to newsmen here.

The technologies, called biofertil-

izers and biopesticides, uses beneficial bacteria and microorganisms that help promote plant growth and development, Aya said.

The technologies featured in the event are funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and its consortia in Northern Mindanao, Southern Mindanao, Caraga, Central

Visayas, and Ilocos regions.

“PCAARRD has invested more than ₱46 million in R&D to develop biofertilizers and biopesticides,” said the council’s executive director Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora, in a message conveyed in the event by Dr. Melvin B. Carlos, PCAARRD Deputy executive director for Administration, Resource Management, and Support Services.

Matrade sees Mindanao as growth area DAVAO CITY—Malaysian investors are looking at Mindanao as area to grow their businesses by partnering with local companies.

Abu Bakar Yusof, Malaysia External Trade Development Corp. (Matrade) senior director, said after the two-day trade mission here the 33 Malaysian companies that joined the event conducted 16 engagements with local counterparts for possible partnership.

“It is very clear that Davao (city) now is also promoting a lot of (investment) sectors; these sectors are also relevant to Malaysian companies who are here,“ said Yusof, adding he was impressed by the presentations, including the one by the Davao City Investment Promotion Center.

It is important for the Malaysian companies, he said, to “understand” the local

economy and the investment landscape and the sectors that are being promoted “so that they can explore (the areas) to collaborate with the local governments, with the local business community.”

“We want our Malaysian investors to do things (the) right (way),” Yusof said.

He pointed out that Mindanao, in general, and the city is particular, are among the areas that Malaysian investors are looking to expand their footprints.

The Matrade-organized forum attracted 33 Malaysian companies and about 100 local firms, some of them from areas outside of Mindanao.

Siti Azlina Mohd Ali Hanafiah, Matrade Manila trade commissioner, said the goal of the trade mission was to provide Malaysian investors the avenue to look into the business opportunities in Mindanao.

Attending the MATRADE-organized forum are (from left) Abu Bakar Yusof, head of Delegation and senior director, Exports Promotion & Market Access Division, MATRADE; John Carlo Tria, EVP of Davao Chambers of Commerce and Industry; Choo Chee Hiong, All Bright Resources International Inc., one of the Malaysian investors in Davao; Honorable Nur M. Harun, Consul General of Malaysia in Davao; Davao City Councilor Nilo Abellera Sr., head of Committee on Trade, Commerce and Industry; and Ms. Siti Azlina, Trade Commissioner of MATRADE Manila.

PINILI, Ilocos Norte—Two campus journalists are among four winners in the 11th Prof. Honor Blanco Cabie Essay Writing competition launched in August and open to high school students from three institutions in this town in Ilocos Norte’s 2nd district.

The Cabie PINILI Secretariat identified the winners as: Christian Britany Barroga, (Pinili National High School), 1st; Jolina Espiritu, Sacritan Integrated School), 2nd; Shanel Jay Aguinaldo, (PNHS), 3rd; and Mark Angelo Perez, (Pinili Institute), consolation prize.

They will get their cash prizes and certificates in April 2020 during the town’s 10-day centennial fiesta celebration, at the Pinili Amphitheater south of the terraced town square.

The prizes will be from the Cabie PINILI Awards for Literature while the certificates will be given by the Pinili Local Government Unit.

The contest, limited to English essay this year, was in collaboration with the Pinili LGU headed by Mayor Rommel Labasan and Vice Mayor Maynard Francis Bumanglag.

The theme of this year’s centennial celebration, around which the informal essays revolved, is “Pinili 2020: Panangipateg ken Panangitandudo ti (sic) Naindaklan a Gapuanan, Puersa iti Masakbayan (Giving Value and Keeping Alive Standout Deeds, Driving Force for the Future).”

The board of judges was composed of Dr. Paul Blanco Zafaralla, former chairman of the Humanities Department of the UP in Los Baños (chairman); Mr. Jimbo Owen Gulle, city editor of the Manila Standard; and Dr. Carmelita B. Bagayas, principal of the Paoay North Institute.

Named after award-winning journalist and essayist Honor Blanco Cabie, who teaches journalism and literature in Metro Manila, the Cabie PINILI Literary Award for Literature in Iluko or English was founded in 2008 aimed at “encouraging Ilocano writers to chronicle in the various genres the wealth of their culture.”

This is the first time the Cabie PINILI was opened to high school students.

In the previous years this contest, in fiction and poetry, was opened to Ilocano professional writers at home and abroad.

Barroga, editor in chief of his school’s newsletter The Dawn, wrote on “Scars of Yesterday: Pinili’s Celebration of Grandeur for Today and Tomorrow;” Espiritu’s was “Pinili Infused with Love, Dedication and History: Soaring High;” while Aguinaldo’s was “A Tale of Metamorphosis.” Perez’s essay was titled “Pinili: Soaring High Into The Post Centennial Rollover.”

The winners are all in Grade 12 of their respective schools, according to former Sangguniang Bayan member Evangeline Abriol-Pascua, Pinili coordinator of the contest.

Pinili became Ilocos Norte’s 17th municipality on Jan 1, 1920 by virtue of an Executive Order earlier signed in Malacañang by then-governor General Francis Burton Harrison.

Solon: Declare 2020 as disaster consciousness year for PH ALBAY Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda has recently filed House Resolution 535, asking Congress to declare 2020 as Disaster and Climate Emergency Awareness Year, a call to continuous public caution on dangers brought by increasingly deadly weather events spawned by climate change.

His call came following a recent visit to the House by members of the Philippine Councilor’s League after their First PCL Conference on Climate-Disaster Resilience and Federalism Governance in Quezon City.

The PCL leaders, led by Albay Board Member Jesciel Richard Salceda, urged the lawmakers, including House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, to consider the working output of the PCL climate change conference—the declaration of 2020 as Disaster and Climate Change Awareness Year.

Salceda, designated by the United Nations as Senior Global Champion for DRR-CCA, said the Philippines has been suffering from a “disaster and climate emergency which now compels a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation policy response to anticipate, halt, reduce, reverse, address and adapt to its impacts, consequences and causes.”

His HR 535 responds to the PCL’s challenge and calls his colleagues in Congress to support and act on it. The declaration aims to highlight the role of the LGUs in leading the process of transformation and adaptation to climate change and disaster resilience, along with business communities and other stakeholders.

Life

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

FASHION AND BEAUTY

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019

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HE second installment of StyleFestPH, a joint project of 0917 Lifestyle and SAGA Events, staged a three-day show featuring both seasoned and emerging designers.

Kicking off the fashion event on Nov. 4 at the Grand Hyatt Manila was a multi-designer show entitled “ROOTS.” It brought together four designers with the singular theme of celebrating the creativity and craftsmanship unique to the Philippines.

First off was Piopio by Paloma Zobel, which showcased contemporary ready-to-wear designs—including jumpsuits, skirts, off-the-shoulder tops, and more—made of traditional fabrics from around the Philippines. The segment was full of the brand’s signature whimsy and liveliness, as models sauntered down the runway holding sashes emblazoned with the names of different provinces across the country.

Known for his signature “Bomberong” jacket, Jor-El Espina’s collection was all about reimagining what Filipinos today would wear to go out to a party. Entitled “The Modern Bar-yo,” his designs featured a fresh take on the traditional barong for a modern Filipiniana OOTD. A young designer known for his Parisian aesthetic, Chris Nick took the Filipina on a vacation to the French Riviera in the 1950s with his “Soleil Tan” collection. Using piña silk and natural fabrics for his accessories, he reimagined what a summer at the Cote d’Azur would look like for the FILIPINO-MADE. Seasoned and rising fashion designers, including custom swimwear designer Boom Sason, share the stage during the recent StyleFestPH.

Seasoned designers, emerging talents on one stage

From left: Contemporary jumpsuit from Piopio by Paloma Zobel, denim streetwear by Bang Pineda, modern terno by Mark Bumgarner.

Filipina who loves to make a statement in garments that reflect her heritage.

Inspired by the classic silhouette of the terno, as well as the image of Maria Clara, Mark Bumgarner’s collection featured modern interpretations of these designs.

A sense of nostalgia was ever-present, as models walked down in evening gowns with exaggerated sleeves, and in different textures, showing the timelessness of Filipino traditions.

For Day 2, Boom Sason took over, with the presentation of her latest swimwear collection, celebrating the confidence that lies within every woman.

Each design in the mix of bikinis and maillots in a variety of prints and colors was cut in such a way that flaunts a woman’s best assets and curves, to show just how sexy and strong she can be.

Ending the three-day event with a bang, designer and celebrity stylist Bang Pineda showcased a 100-piece collection, with the theme “Ravage, Resurrection and Freedom.”

Coincidentally falling on his birthday, the runway show featured the edgy streetwear aesthetic Pineda is known for, in denim, bright colors, and suiting, alongside his tech-infused capsule collection for 0917 Lifestyle. Liberation is key for the edgy, as the designer says.

Fashion forecast: Glamour on the rise AFTER several-season reign of athleisure and normcore, the end of 2019 marks the resurgence of glamour, a local fashion expert reveals.

Citing reports from giant trend forecast website World’s Global Style Network, Christine Benet, the chairperson of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s Fashion Design and Merchandising Program, highlighted the must-haves that are tailor-fit for Filipinos.

With the seamless blend of the flamboyance of the 1980s and the street fashion of the 1990s, indi-

vidualism retains the crown with bold, expressive, and distinct attitude that depicts the Generation Z. “This is a reflection of how they look forward to the future. They express themselves but reflected their childhood and organic inspirations by mixing pieces from the past,” stated Benet. “Everything is still voluminous and loud. The main addition will be the neutrals in terms of colors, vintage in silhouette, disco in lifestyle and more plastic-type accessories.”

She said 2020 will herald the trend of elevating what is traditional and updating the usual: shifting the attention from the cuffs to the collars with distinct details, disrupting the classic shapes with exaggerated proportions and Art Deco-inspired trimmings, and seeking for attention with embellished patchworks, geometric appliques, and stunning cutwork.

Streetwear also embraces a more global aesthetic through an unexpected mix and match of sophisticated pairings: sports-enthused pieces adapt Turn to C2

From left: Contrast-panel trucker from Amiri, utility gilet from Haven, Easy-fit corduroy by Willy Chavarria

Midi and maxi dresses get a refreshing updates with flora and fauna prints like this robe midi dress from Attico.

From left: Double layer shirt from Ader Error, flounce dress by Regina Pyo, button-detail sweatshirt from Rag & Bone, 1990s leather jacket from Balenciaga, two-in-one jumpsuit

by Regina Pyo

Life

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UPCYCLED CHIC. In a bid to reduce textile waste, Bayo, in collaboration with Francis Libiran, launches a collection of stylish wearable pieces made completely of upcycled and hand-woven fabrics.

Fashionable strides toward sustainability

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HE secret has long been out: the fashion industry generates 4 percent of the world’s waste, or equivalent to 92 million tons of off-cuts from production, among others.

Thus, more and more companies are making a U-turn, heeding the call for sustainability. Here in the country, local brand Bayo and its sister organization Bayo Foundation encourage more Filipinos to make smart, sustainable fashion choices with its Journey to Zero campaign.

Bayo Foundation managing editor Louie Lagon said the Journey to Zero initiative was conceived by an overall self-awareness.

“We realized that we’ve been accu-

mulating so much waste and contributing so much to the problem of pollution,” he said.

Along with this realization came the opportunity to spark change. “We also realized that we had a greater capability to be part of the solution. That’s when we really began to think about ways we can work to address these problems, and that’s where the Journey to Zero campaign began.”

Every step of the campaign is focused

on achieving a sustainable approach to fashion, from spreading awareness on the growing need for sartorial consciousness, to designing zero-waste collections for the Filipina consumer.

Earlier this year, Bayo took a major step in this direction by launching a collection made completely of upcycled and hand-woven fabrics in collaboration with renowned fashion designer, Francis Libiran.

With the designer’s trained eye and understanding of Bayo’s aesthetics, each comfortable, sophisticated piece was created without generating waste, according to the brand.

Reduction of textile waste was con-

Crystal healing THE holiday collection of local label Jill by Jojie Lloren draws inspiration from crystals.

Believed to have curative effects on the body and soul, crystals are used as prints to liven up the pieces. Crystal studs in beautiful and mysterious colors and shapes add glamour.

Using soft and refined fabrics, the general silhouette is loose and liberating.

Colors, meanwhile, range from restful pastels like rose quartz to vibrant jewel tones like turquoise.

that there is more to this sustainability initiative than providing consciously produced sartorial options. A sense of responsibility also falls on the shoulders of consumers, whom, the organization said, should continuously make smarter choices with their purchases.

As Lagon put it, “We also need customers and the market in general to accept these practices and ideas. For us to reach our goal of full sustainability means that this has to be a two-way commitment with our customers.”

Following the successful launch, the label announced it would be collaborating with more designers and local communities.

SPOTTED

Bebe Rexha in houndstooth Tommy Agate cowl neck blouse and Pleonast ankle-length pants

Hibiscus lapel dress in brown

Jill by Jojie Lloren is exclusively available at Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-La, Rustan’s Gateway, Rustan’s Alabang, Rustan’s Cebu, and Rustans.com

Fashion...

sidered as the eco-fashion aspect in this special line: fabric scraps were turned into reusable fabrics or items. These upcycled weaves were then converted into stylish pieces and wearable clothing.

“While bearing sustainable fashion in mind, the design inspiration of the collection revolves around the idea of introducing consumers to fashion that is not only for cultural purposes, but also for everyday living,” shared Libiran.

He added, “The collection plays with the combination of different colors and patterns that resemble Filipino textiles with modern silhouette which will fit every Filipino.”

Bayo Foundation, however, stressed

one jumpsuits with a ruched top and delicate floral lace sleeve are also the looks-to-go.

From C1 What is glam without attention-grabto a more glamorous look, oversized bing visuals that threw mediocrity out hoodies don luxe-inspired adornments, of the line? if not kimono flare sleeves and track tops are now in jewel hues.

The casuals are revamped with doublelayer boxy and slightly cropped tops that channel the comfy ‘90s vibe with its overlay of checked and striped long sleeves.

The classic suit-up also takes a contemporary turn with unconventional yet chic combinations: the 1980s strong-shouldered blazer takes its subversive turn when worn with shorts, bra tops, and heels; the oldschool check tops and ensembles are back in playful patterns and spliced applications; and check trousers with high-rise waist pants fluidly falls with its loose-fitting wide legs.

The youthful maxi dresses may also rule at this time of refreshing upgrades with ruching made extra crisp through drawstrings, prints of flora and fauna, Victoriana-inspired fluted sleeves and lace panels, robe wrap-ups with adjustable self-fabric belts, dashing blouson sleeves and ruffle trims which also go well with trousers on cold days, and vol- Hooded check shirt from Vannworks umes of a figure-hugging top but falls The basics are indeed the staples, with a fluid skirt.

For those who wish it extra comfort- but statement styling breathes new able, pajama are still in, but in opulent life to these blank canvases. Elevate it fabrics. Deconstructed pullovers with with head-turning surreal and noveltyan asymmetric button-down that finish- inspired details, striking primaries, es with a clean side-slit on the sleeves metal settings, multi-colored beadings, and opulent jewelry- and glass-like acare also a great alternative.

Ideal for the holiday rush, boiler suits coutrements in gem tones. Those who with embroidered patches and two-in- want to keep it subtle can complete

their looks with a dash of the 1960s and 1970s retro mid-tones, classic leathers, and felted wools.

In the men’s market, the current obsession on the 1980s backdrop takes a softer tone with purple as the key hue especially in dragged or blurred effects. For a bolder look, prints such as recycled newspaper clippings and photo negatives in poor quality make for the urban vintage vibe.

Following women’s maximalist aesthetics, menswear likewise don crammed prints such as graffiti tags, pasted posters, and layered advertisement graphics that radiate a DIY do. The 1980s and the 1990s true-to-form highcontrast printed skins such as leopard spots, tiger stripes, and cow hides also demand a second look. Meanwhile, thrifted granny florals give a nod to the current gender-fluid fashion.

For the man-on-the-go, the classic trucker jacket with its DIY-inspired spliced panels and sewn-over designs, a 1990s leather jacket, and a utility gilet are basic layering must-haves.

For those who are more into a sleek look can resort to bluff detail minimalistic shirts with hidden plackets, hooded check tops, and rocker leather shirts.

Considering that these style necessities are not dependent on the usual new arrivals, Benet shared that this will pave the way for a better appreciation on shopping for pre-loved clothes.

“Filipinos are able to maximize by adapting through online shopping and thrifting (ukay-ukay),” she said. “It was actually foreseen that in the near future, the ‘second-hand’ industry will take over fast fashion.”

AMERICAN singer Bebe Rexha attended the world premiere of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil in a houndstooth waistcoat and matching blazer from the TommyXZendaya collection.

The collection, which is a collaboration between Tommy Hilfiger and actress Zendaya, features pieces that celebrate strong, iconic women of ‘70s American pop culture.

The TommyXZendaya collection is available at select Tommy Hilfiger stores and on tommy.com. Tommy Hilfiger is located at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street Central, Greenbelt 5, Kiss & Fly–NAIA Terminal 3, Newport Mall, Rustan’s Makati, and Rustan’s Shangri-La. Bebe Rexha in a houndstooth waistcoat and matching blazer from TommyXZendaya collection.

IPHOTO

Erwan Heussaff meets Carousell PH Reboxing winner Content creator and soon-to-be dad Erwan Heussaff (right) meets his fan and aspiring Michelin Star chef Nicole Jastive (center) who won Carousell Philippines’ Reboxing campaign.

The meet and greet is part of Carousell Philippines’ Reboxing campaign which highlights how winning can be as meaningful as finding new connections. Heussaff filled a box with his pre-loved cooking tools, which he regularly used, and gave it away through a consumer contest on the Carousell app.

Carousell Philippines country marketing manager Marita Galvez (left) joins them.

Entertainment New performances at the Sinag: Festival of Radiance

Sinag: Festival of Radiance marries traditional arts and modern technology

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THE Cultural Center of the Philippines continues its pursuit of “truth, goodness and beauty” with new free performances for its Sinag: Festival of Radiance, happening every weekend until Dec. 15.

Last Nov. 16, the Simeona F. Chanyungco Lahing Kayumanggi Mananayaw ng Marikina (SFCLKM) Inc. delighted passersby, tourists and just about anyone who visited the complex with folk dances from the different regions in the Philippines.

One of the best performers of the 2018 CCP Band Festival, the General Trias Youth Symphonic Band, under the musical direction of PPO’s Frenvee Clarito Andra, played pop classics and medleys on Nov. 23.

Witness a traditional komedya on Dec. 8, with Komedya ng Don Galo, the official theatre organization from Brgy. Don Galo in Parañaque City.

Established in 2004, the theater group

Matteo’s touching message for future in-laws

OLLOWING his announcement that he and Sarah Geronimo are already engaged, Matteo Guidicelli recently took to social media a touching message for his family and his fiancee’s parents, Delfin and Divine Geronimo.

“Family is my number one priority,” he states. “In this next chapter of my life, I’m extremely excited to start my own family with the love of my life, my fiancée Sarah G., “ he started.

The actor continued thanking his parents for teaching him the value of a solid family.

“Life will never be perfect but what matters is that we learn, grow and improve until it is our time to take over.M y father has been my best example---he is my mentor, my solid rock. Papa and Mama’s values, passion and selfless attitude has taught my siblings and me a lot and has moulded us to become what we are today. One day, I pray, I will do the same for my own family, “ he carried on.

The popular Kapamilya ward is also grateful for the fact that his family loves his wife to be.

“I’m very blessed and honored that my parents welcomed Sarah to our humble family like another daughter. My sister and little brother love her the same way.

Knowing she is loved and accepted in the family simply fills up my heart with joy, “ he shared.

In their almost six-year relationship, no misunderstanding or fight has been heard or written about them. Matteo explained though that they’re far from being a perfect couple, just like any other normal couple, they also have their low points.

“People might be thinking that our relationship has been smooth-sailing. But let me tell you, it hasn’t been easy. Sarah has been tough. I saw her grow, mature, and develop into an independent beautiful woman that I am extremely proud of. My love, thank you,” the 29-year-old actor stated.

Interestingly, it is the handsome lad’s dream that his and Sarah’s family will get together for a special dinner one time.

Vice Ganda and Ion Perez

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019

aims to promote, preserve and support the tradition of komedya, a unique form of theater.

Ephesus Teatron Group Inc.’s TRIBU, a vocal group composed of soprano Sweet Samaniego Buchanan, soprano Margarita Roco, baritone Steven Hotchkiss, tenor Terence Guillermo, tenor Red Nuestro, and tenor Onyl Torres, will be performing a folk song medley on Dec. 14. The seasoned performers will sing “Penpen de Sarapen,” “Bahay Kubo,” “Leron Leron Sinta,” “Ili Ili,” “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan,” among others.

Feel the holiday spirit as the Philippine Women’s University’s Indayog Gongs performs well-loved Christmas carols using gongs and bamboo instruments on Dec. 15.

The performances complement the beautiful lanterns created by the Kapampangan craftsmen from the re-

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nowned family of lanternmakers, now led by 5th generation artisan, Arvin Quiwa, as well as the 20-feet sundial art installation by multimedia artist Abdulmari “Toym” Imao, Jr. Located at the CCP Front Lawn, the installation represents the role of arts and culture in society over time.

Catch all the performances at 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. The light and show continues at 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., except on evenings where there are performances at the CCP Main Theater.

Schedule of the performances and light shows vary to change during inclement weather.

Combining traditional arts and modern technology, Sinag: Festival of Radiance showcases the CCP’s fifty years of excellence in the field of performing, literary, visual and multi-media arts and its continuing partnership with its regional network. The light and sound

‘Downton Abbey’ star Joanne Froggatt graces 30th SGIFF ENGLISH actress Joanne Froggatt shone on the red carpet at the Singapore premiere of Downton Abbey (2019) at Capitol Theatre, which saw a full-house reception as part of the 30th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF).

Back for the first time on the big screen after a four-year hiatus since 2015, the hustle at the magnificent Crawley house is one of three Special Presentation films at the festival.

Fans and festival-goers were also treated to appearances by Stone, actor and guitarist of Taiwanese rock band Mayday; American make-up effects artist Barney Burman; Australian soprano Jassy Husk; and local media personalities Denise Tan and Dick Lee who were here to support this landmark edition of the festival.

Froggatt returns as beloved lady’s maid to the Crawleys in the film, a role that earned her a Golden Globe and three Emmy nominations over the six-series television run. Picking up right where they left off, the film follows the adventures of the Crawleys as they rush to get the Abbey fit for royalty – a grand visit from the King and Queen of England.

A leading international film festival in Southeast Asia and a paragon of Singapore’s arts and cultural scene, the 30th SGIFF continues to be a discovery ground and champion of independent cinema in the region.

Running until Dec. 1, SGIFF is hosted across multiple festival venues, including Capitol Theatre, National Museum of Singapore, National Gallery Singapore, Oldham Theatre, The Projector, Film-

garde Bugis+, Golden Village Grand and Objectifs Centre for Photography & Filmmaking.

SGIFF is an event of the Singapore Media Festival (SMF), hosted by the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA).

Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt graces the long-awaited film premiere at the 30th Singapore International Film Festival

Alden...

From C4 Matteo Guidicelli with fiancee Sarah Geronimo

“I dream that one day, both our families will sit around a dinner table and simply celebrate life. Love, happiness, joy and life must always be celebrated.”

Matteo promised Sarah’s folks that he will give the pop superstar a happy life. He even apologized for events that were not

supposed to happen in the past.

“I assure you that I will give Sarah a happy life with the best of my capabilities.

With pure, honest love and respect. We wish to move forward with our life plans and begin this brand new chapter of our life,” he said.

“I love Sarah very, very much. I also love you as her parents as well as her siblings. I wish we will really be one family.

I vow to take care of Sarah in the same way that you do,” he ended. *** In a recent interview, Ion Perez declared that he has really fallen in love with Vice Ganda and he is not just taking advantage of the TV host and comedian’s fame and fortune.

“My love for him is true,” he exclaimed. “Actually, I didn’t think we’d reach this far. For me, I’ll be already happy if I’ll become his friend. If he has a problem, I can be a shoulder to cry on. I really didn’t expect that eventually, we’ll end up together.”

Many ask what endeared Vice to him.

“I can’t blame myself why I fell in love with Vice. He’s super-duper kind.”

Since he fell in love with a gay person, people now question his sexuality.

He made it clear that he’s straight.

“It just so happened that I fell in love with a gay. I look at Vice as my girlfriend,” he maintained.

He further said that he’s not ashamed of him being seen with Vice holding hands in public.

“What’s wrong with public display of affection? I think it is one thing that Vice’s former boyfriends couldn’t give him. As for me, I’m not ashamed of it,” he ended.

The project bears the signature 4Cs of the PHirst Park Homes brand: Complete and well-provisioned homes with a perimeter fence and gate, Conceptive amenities including an outdoor cinema, Connected living through WiFi zones and a shuttle service, and a Convenient and simplified selling and buying experience.

PHirst units start at 40 square meters for P1.3 million (Calista Mid and Calista End with 44 sqm and 60.5sqm lot areas, respectively), while a combined unit is at 80 square meters (Calista Duo with 121sqm lot area). A single-attached unit

Scream...

From C4 Luna devotes her life to protect Guia, and shield her from those who want to harm and hurt her.

Luna is a powerful mambabarang (Demon Sorceress) who’d ruthlessly punish or kill anyone who would steal from her Guia’s love and attention, including her biological mother, Carmen (Sunshine), and her boyfriend, Renz (McCoy de Leon).

Unbeknownst to Guia, she is the next heiress, and the only one who can stop the evil spirit Malalarang that controls Luna.

But at the same time, since she is the heir, Guia is also capable of inheriting the powers of her aunt and can also be a threat to those who will belittle her.

While shooting the movie, Maricel recounts an eerie story that she experienced.

She relates, “Nakaramdam kami sa set ng nilalang na nakikialam. Pinapakialaman nya ang audio namin at para bang

is at 54 sqm (Unna). All units are expandable on the second floor.

Amenities at the PHirst Park Homes Calamba promote health and wellness with bike lanes, jogging paths as well as activity nodes with the Lil Wum Climber, Butterfly Net, Adult Fitness Station, Monkey Bars, Chinning Bars, Foot Reflexology, and Basketball Court. This is in addition to the community clubhouse with a main pool, kiddie pool, shower room, and parking area.

After Calamba, the company is gearing up for an initial 13-hectare development in Nasugbu, Batangas with 1,021 units, expected to be ready within December 2019. PPHI is set to launch more communities in North and South Luzon. pinipigilan niya kami matapos sa shoot.

May isang araw na pareho kami ni Direk Frasco, bigla na lang sumakit ang tuhod at di makalakad ng maayos. Sabi ko, baka tinatakot tayo nilalang na ito.

Gusto ko lalong maniwala sa Barang, after this experience.”

Regal Entertainment, Inc., which has been reputed for coming up with unforgettable movies in horror genre Philippine cinema, promises that The Heiress will be full of intense horror, suspense, elicits fear of reality, with familial story about an OFW and the kids that are left behind.

The movie boasts a very well thought of story and promises to exceed in visuals and production value, which are evident in the previous movies of Regal Entertainment, Inc. such as Shake Rattle and Roll franchise movies, Haunted Mansion (MMFF 2016) and Haunted Forest (MMFF 2017).

The film is directed by Frasco Mortiz, who proved his mettle in horror genre with his exceptional work in PAGPAG, which was an MMFF blockbuster in 2013.

Entertainment

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

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019

Alden Richards joins PHirst Park Home grand launch in Laguna

Student performers and college dance troupes auditioned to be part of SEA Games' biggest edition.

Things to expect at the 30th SEA Games Opening Ceremonies

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FIREWORK display to mark the opening of any sports event is a stunning way to capture everyone’s attention. But the 30th South East Asian (SEA) Games that the Philippines is hosting is going to be entirely different from the previous editions of Opening Ceremonies held in the region.

So, will there be fireworks? There will be and that’s something happening indoors. But how? Don’t skip the Opening Ceremonies for you to find out.

The 30th SEA Games is bringing out the Pinoy spirit of bayanihan or community, as celebrated artists, production companies, youth groups, and many other organizations are uniting for the SEA Games 2019 Opening Ceremonies to be held on Nov. 30, at the Philippine Arena. The grand event is set to be an exposition of Filipino culture, and contemporary music and dance, and a testament to the collaboration of great talents. Indeed, it embodies the games’ credo of “We Win As One.” In a press conference, Opening Ceremonies Creative Director Floy Quintos said that the show will highlight traditional performative aspects of our culture with the visual elements of textile and weaving, Baybayin script, and street art.

“This year’s opening ceremonies are envisioned as a showcase of the enduring aspects of Philippine traditional and contemporary culture,” Quintos shared.

“It will be respectful and inclusive of the performance traditions that bind us to other nations and culture of the South East Asian region,” he added.

The stage will have a backdrop of a “Bamboo Forest” projected on led screen. The panel is the “largest and the most elegant” installation its creator ever did.

“It measures18 meters tall and 28 meters wide. We chose this concept because bamboo is indigenous to the country. It is a strong and flexible material, and we would like to showcase those characteristics in an artistic way,” FiveCurrents Creative Director Libby Hyland said.

SEA Games 2019 organizers have found strong allies in FiveCurrents, which has won 14 Emmy Awards and produced Olympic ceremonies such as the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and London 2012 Summer Olympics.

Video Sonic and Stage Craft who are veterans in staging concerts and grand productions are also on board.

Now, for the performers, heading the all-Filipino lineup of performers are acclaimed singers Lani Misalucha, Christian Bautista, Aicelle Santos, Jed Madela, Elmo Magalona, KZ

VERY WANG NICKIE WANG

Asia's Multimedia star Alden Richards hosts the grand launch of PHirst Park Home in Calamba, Laguna.

(Inset) The actor with PPHI and Mitsubishi Corporation executives pose for a photo op during the property's grand launch.

Opening Ceremonies creative director Floy Quintos with FiveCurrents creative head Libby Hyland.

Tandingan, Iñigo Pascual, The TNT Boys, Ana Fegi, and Robert Seña, and international rap artist Apl d Ap. Eleven local beauty titleholders headed by Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach and Miss World 2013 Megan Young are also participating in the ceremonies.

The country’s premier folk dance company, the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group, is also contributing their skills together with hundreds of students from at least 12 different schools and colleges in Metro Manila. They will be dancing in elaborately choreographed production numbers with sets and costumes made by topnotch Fili-

GMA executive Jose Mari Abacan

CREATIVE TEAM. (From left) Mike Aguilar, PHISGOC Director—Ceremonies and

Cultural Events; Ohm David, Property Designer; Dexter Martinez Santos, Choreographer for Hip Hop Suite; Cherry Villanueva, Choreographer; Libby Hyland, Creative Head of FiveCurrents; Floy Quintos, Creative Director; Eric Pineda, Wardrobe Designer; Mart Miranda, President and CEO of Video Sonic; Atty. Roderick Villostas, Admin of Philippine Arena; Atty. Bong Teodoro, Admin of Philippine Arena; and Alou Almaden, PHISGOC Manager—Opening and Closing Ceremonies

pino visual artists and designers.

Joining Floy Quintos in staging the Opening Ceremonies are National Artist for Music and Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Maestro Ryan Cayabyab, US-based, Emmy-award winning live content creator FiveCurrents, and Filipino companies Video Sonic and Stage Craft International Inc. The 30th SEA Games Opening Ceremonies is touted to be the biggest sports-related television special in Asia this year, as it will be broadcast live and nonstop in the Philippines and several countries in the region, including China and Japan. ***

GMA exec takes part in 47th International Emmy Awards

GMA First Vice President for Program Management Jose Mari R. Abacan was once again one of the roster of esteemed jurors in the Final Round of Judging for one of the categories at the 47th International Emmy Awards in New York City.

Abacan, who not only represented GMA Network, but also the Philippines, previously participated as a juror in several categories since 2007.

The International Emmy Awards, which is considered as the Oscars of the TV industry, is an annual event organized by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

It is a membership-based organization comprised of leading media and entertainment figures from all sectors of television including Internet, mobile and technology. This year’s International Emmy World Television Festival took place last Nov. 23 and 24, while the black-tie ceremony was held on Nov. 25 at the Hilton New York Hotel.

Abacan is instrumental for GMA to become the pioneer in introducing Koreanovelas, Lakorn, Turkish and Indian series in the country. He also leads and oversees all program acquisition initiatives from foreign producers.

Undoubtedly, with his vast expertise in TV programming, the GMA executive continues to be chosen by the Academy’s Emmy Committee as part of the panel of jurors in determining the most outstanding television programs produced around the globe.

KAPUSO actor and The Gift lead star Alden Richards delighted fans and unit buyers in his home province as he hosted the grand launch PHirst Park Homes Calamba, Laguna on Nov. 23.

Apart from being the event’s master of ceremonies, the 27-year-old TV actor also performed a medley of OPM songs enlivening the entire program.

PHirst Park Homes, Inc. (PPHI), the fastest-growing affordable housing firm in the Philippines, is expanding its presence in Calabarzon with the launch of PHirst Park Homes Calamba, Laguna.

The Calamba project unveiled the initial nine-hectare property with 891 units and a projected total sales value of P1.5 billion. This new PHirst Park Homes community is a follow up to the success of the company’s first four developments in Tanza, Cavite; Lipa, Batangas; San Pablo, Laguna; and Pandi, Bulacan,

which collectively sold 4,630 homes valued at P7.7 billion as of October 2019.

With the addition of the Calamba project, the PPHI portfolio now covers a total of 91 hectares and 8,799 units valued at P14.4 billion.

“The Calamba project is our fourth residential community in Calabarzon and the second project in Laguna under the PHirst Park Homes brand. This is also the fifth of 15 masterplanned communities that we are rolling out as part of our business plan to launch 33,000 homes by 2023 and help address the country’s housing backlog,” said PPHI President Ricky Celis.

The gated residential community is strategically located near commercial centers, churches, hospitals, schools, tourist spots, and major transport hubs. It is also 1.5 hours away from Metro Manila using either Mayapa or Batino exits in South Luzon Expressway. Continued on C3

Scream film ‘The Heiress’ tackles powerful dark spirit AFTER its successful red carpet premiere at SM Megamall Cinema on Monday, The Heiress, the horror film produced by Regal Entertainment, Inc., the company that has introduced Filipino iconic creatures in numerous movies, unspools in the major theaters today.

The film introduces the Mamalarang, a powerful dark spirit that intends to use its evil powers through a human medium, a Mambabarang.

In Filipino folklore, a Mambabarang is described as an evil sorceress

'The Heiress' lead stars Janella Salvador and Maricel Soriano

who can make and put a powerful evil spell—even death—on a person.

The Heiress also takes pride in putting together a powerhouse cast from different generations: Maricel Soriano, Sunshine Cruz, McCoy de Leon, and Janella Salvador.

The Diamond Star plays Luna, the aunt and surrogate mother of Guia (Janella).

Continued on C3