Manila Standard - 2020 January 30 - Thursday

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‘Demon virus’ sparks exodus US, Japan nationals lead escape from Wuhan; PH readies planes UNDREDS of Americans and Japanese escaped the quarantined Chinese city of Wuhan aboard charter flights on Wednesday, as the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak soared to 132 and confirmed infections neared 6,000—exceeding that of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2002-2003.

H VOL. XXXIII • NO. 350 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

PEOPLE IN GREY. Images of people seen on a display screen of a thermal scanner installed at a shopping mall in Bangkok on Wednesday. Thailand has detected 14 cases so far of the novel coronavirus, a virus similar to the SARS pathogen, an outbreak which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan. AFP

Chinese President Xi Jinping, during talks with the head of the World Health Organization in Beijing, said his country is battling a “demon” virus.

“The epidemic is a demon, and we cannot let this demon hide,” the Chinese leader said, pledging that the government would be transparent and release information in a “timely” manner.

In Manila, a Foreign Affairs department official said two chartered flights were on standby to evacuate Filipinos who wish to return home.

The number of infections has exceeded that of the SARS outbreak, which killed 800 people around the world from 20022003. Most of those fatalities, however, were in China and in Hong Kong.

The new disease, called 2019-nCoV, has spread to more than 15 countries since it emerged out of Wuhan late last year, although all the confirmed fatalities have so far been in China.

Authorities last week imposed transport bans in and around Wuhan in an unprecedented quarantine effort, leaving more than 50 million people effectively trapped.

“We were not able to move freely, so we only had partial information,” said Takeo Aoyama, a Nippon Steel worker who was among the Japanese nationals airlifted early Wednesday.

“The number of patients began increasing rapidly at a certain point. That was very worrying.”

China has taken other extraordinary measures to try and stop the disease spreading, including bans on tour groups traveling overseas, suspending schools and extending the Lunar New Year holiday.

With global concerns mounting, the United States, Britain and other countries have also advised their citizens against traveling to China.

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Coronavirus replicated: Aussies Chinese man probed for nCoV dies of pneumonia Ramos-Araneta, claim game changer for diagnosis ByMJMacon Blancaflor, Willie Casas SCIENTISTS in Australia have successfully replicated the deadly Wuhan coronavirus, in what they said would be a “game changer” in the fight against a deadly epidemic which has stricken thousands.

The Doherty Institute in Melbourne announced Wednesday that it had grown the novel coronavirus in cell culture from a patient sample, the first time the virus has been replicated outside China.

“Having the real virus means we now have the ability to actually validate and verify all test methods, and compare their sensitivities and specificities,” virus identification laboratory head Julian Druce said.

“It will be a game changer for diagnosis.”

JURADO’S ‘MEMOIRS’

China was quick to sequence the genome of the coronavirus and make it public, allowing scientists around the world to develop diagnostic tools.

However, China has not shared the virus itself with laboratories worldwide— which the Australian lab will now do via the World Health Organization—though the WHO announced Tuesday that Beijing had agreed to allow a team of international experts into the country to work with their Chinese counterparts.

Doherty Institute deputy director Mike Catton said the new finding meant scientists could now create an antibody test that would allow the coronavirus to be detected in patients who had not displayed any symptoms.

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Kobe’s body, 8 others found

and Maricel V. Cruz

A 29-YEAR-OLD Chinese man who was among those being monitored for the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) died of complications due to pneumonia at 7 a.m.

Wednesday morning, the Department of

Health confirmed.

“We have person under investigation.

He died, but he is not confirmed for nCoV. He was admitted last Monday,” San Lazaro Hospital Director Edmundo Lopez said in a news briefing in Quezon City.

Lopez pointed out that the cause of death of the man from Yunna, China, was

pneumonia. He said the patient was admitted to San Lazaro Hospital in Manila on Monday, Jan. 27.

President Rodrigo Duterte said the Philippines is bracing for the worst as nCoV continues to spread.

“We are preparing all ports of entry.

We are just preparing maybe for the Next page worst,” the President said.

Rody orders cops, soldiers to pull out of Taal PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday ordered the withdrawal of police and military troops in areas affected

by Taal eruption, saying their lungs have been filled with ash, as the number of families affected climbed to 109,054 despite the lowering of its status to Alert Level 3.

“I’m withdrawing my police and…

they have been there for so many weeks already. By this time, I’m sure that those who rushed there inhaled about one sack of ash already. I’m telling the Army to withdraw them because I pity them. They are also human beings and they suffer,” the President said, adding it is now up to local chief executives to ensure peace and

order in the areas.

President Duterte said it is up to the residents if they would return to the areas identified as danger zones.

“We’re leaving. If you want to jump into that cauldron of fire and lava, go ahead. Make it short [and quick],” he said.

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MEDICAL examiners identified the body of NBA legend Kobe Bryant after recovering the remains of all nine people who died in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles, officials said Tuesday.

Bryant’s body was officially identified along with three others using fingerprints, two days after their helicopter crashed into a rugged hillside northwest of the city.

Meanwhile federal investigators finished their inspection of the crash site, Next page

Many Pinoys say their lives improved OPINION A4

PSC BACKS HIDILYN’S BID SPORTS A7

By MJ Blancaflor MORE Filipinos believed their lives improved in December last year based on a Social Weather Stations survey released Wednesday.

The poll, conducted from Dec. 13 to 16, found that 39 percent of those polled said their lives improved in the last 12 months while 21 percent said their lives worsened, Next page

THE LAST MILE. Investigators work at the scene (topmost) of the helicopter crash, where former NBA star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others died on Sunday in Calabasas, California. Above left, the still image taken from a video released by the National Transportation Safety Board shows an NTSB official inspecting the remains of the crashed chopper (above right), with all bodies of nine victims recovered and ‘removed from the crash site.’ AFP

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‘Intensify drive against sex dens, prostitution’ THE Philippine National Police on Wednesday ordered its Women and Children Protection Center to intensify the campaign against prostitution following the rise of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs in the country.

“PNP chief General Archie Francisco has ordered the Women and Children Protection Center under Brigadier. General Alessandro Abella to intensify further the campaign against prostitution in coordination with regional and local police units,” PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac told reporters.

He made his statement even as Quezon City Councilor Winston Castelo said he wanted a moratorium on the hiring of Chinese workers for the POGOs here.

Apart from opening the city to risks posed by the novel Coronavirus, the rising number of Chinese POGO workers was presenting a peace and order problem, he said.

He slammed the mounting complaints against the rude behavior of POGO employees from China since online gaming operations were allowed.

“It’s sad to note that these Chinese nationals are the subject of complaints from many of our constituents who had bad experiences with them,” he said.

Gamboa’s order came after Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the government would probe the emergence of Chinese prostitution dens in the country, which was supposedly linked to the operation of the POGOs. Banac said in 2019, the WCPC raided sex dens linked to POGO workers, and that resulted in the rescue of 140 foreign victims and the arrest of 55 suspects.

In a Palace briefing Tuesday, Panelo said those who were responsible for the operations of the prostitution rings in the country would be held accountable.

The same day, the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality led by its chairman, Senator Risa Hontiveros, conducted the hearing on Chinese sex rings in the country.

During the Senate hearing, Hontiveros said Chinese workers in the POGOs were hiring Filipinas and foreign women for sex.

Screen shots from a group chat obtained

by Hontiveros found that there had been “packages” offered to clients depending on the nationality of the sex worker and the length of service. PNA, with Rio N. Araja

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The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, for its part, said the number of affected families was equivalent to 412,217 people living in Batangas, Cavite, Laguna and Quezon.

Of those, 35,574 families or 125,178 individuals were being sheltered in 497 evacuation centers, while the remainder were said to be taking shelter in the houses of their relatives and friends.

The amount of assistance extended to the affected families by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Health has so far reached P84 million.

Meanwhile, despite the occurrence of low-frequency earthquakes, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology is not yet ruling out a possible eruption of Taal Volcano.

In its 8 a.m. bulletin, the Philippine Seismic Network recorded three volcanic quakes between 5 a.m. on Tuesday and 5 a.m. on Wednesday.

“These earthquakes signify magmatic activity beneath the Taal edifice that could lead to eruptive activity at the main crater,” PHIVOLCS said.

Activity in the volcano’s main crater was described as “moderate to voluminous emission of white to dirty white steam-laden plumes” reaching 600 to 800 meters tall, which drifted northeast.

Sulfur dioxide emission was measured at an average of 64 tons a day.

Alert Level 3 remained in effect, which means that “sudden steam-driven and even weak phreatomagmatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, ash fall and lethal volcanic gas expulsions can still occur and threaten areas within Taal Volcano Island and nearby lakeshores.

“DOST-PHIVOLCS recommends that entry into the Taal Volcano Island as well as into areas over Taal Lake and communities west of the island within a seven-kilometer radius from the main crater must be strictly prohibited,” the bulletin says.

Rio N. Araja with PNA

Kobe’s...

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handing it over to local authorities.

“We are done on the site,” said Jennifer Homendy, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Images showed investigators earlier flying drones over the accident site and manually combing through twisted, charred wreckage of the helicopter, which was scattered over a wide area of 600 feet (180 meters).

Officials also used drones to replicate the helicopter’s final, fateful flight path, Homendy said.

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PNP: Citizen’s arrest vs. lawbreakers

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HE Philippine National Police on Wednesday encouraged the public to exercise a citizen’s arrest against anyone, including foreigners, who violate the country’s laws.

PNP spokesman Bernard Banac said anyone could make a citizen’s arrest, adding it was the duty of every Filipino to be involved in maintaining peace and order.

“That includes calling out anyone,

both locals and foreigners, who disrespect or violate laws and local ordinances and reporting the incident right away to authorities,” Banac said.

“If the situation warrants, it is en-

shrined in our laws that we can exercise a citizen’s arrest and immediately turn over to the proper authorities anyone apprehended for proper disposition.”

For those who are reluctant to do so due to security concerns, Banac said, they could simply report any untoward incident to the authorities.

“It’s allowed, but of course, for the protection of our fellow Filipinos, it is best that they call the barangay officials so there will be a person in authority who

‘Demon...

health officials said.

Some experts have praised Beijing for being more reactive and open about the new virus compared with its handling of the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic.

But others say local officials had earlier been more focused on projecting stability than responding to the outbreak when it began to spread earlier this month.

The US asked China on Tuesday to step up its cooperation with international health authorities over the epidemic.

Washington has offered China assistance three times so far without success, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters.

In Manila, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido Dulay said the government is coordinating with Chinese authorities on the ground for clearance for the two charter flights to take Filipinos in Hubei home.

“Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. directed our consulate in Shanghai, China to immediately start processing Filipinos in Hubei province who wish to be repatriated to the Philippines,” Dulay said on his official Twitter account.

Officials said there were roughly 150 Filipinos in Wuhan and another 150 in other parts of Hubei. As of Tuesday night, about 50 had said they wanted to be repatriated.

The repatriates will be subjected to 14 days of mandatory quarantine upon arrival in the Philippines, based on guidelines set by an interagency task force led by the Department of Health.

There is no timeline yet as to when the repatriation will begin, which is subject to China’s rules on disease containment, including immigration clearance and quarantine processes.

“We can’t give a definite timeline as all movements in and out of Hubei have to be coordinated with Chinese authorities on the ground, based on their disease control protocols and immigration rules,” Dulay said in a text message.

In a separate statement, he said the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered to assist Filipinos and other foreign nationals with expired/expiring visas through their respective embassies and consulates.

Filipinos who want to avail of the special flights from Hubei to the Philippines are advised to contact the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai.

Meanwhile, Filipinos who wish to stay in China are advised to heed advisories of local health authorities and cooperate with efforts to quell the further spread of 2019nCoV. Thousands of foreigners were among millions of people stuck in Wuhan.

Australia’s foreign ministry said Tuesday it was working on a plan to transport all Australian nationals home. Officials added they had received about 400 calls from Australians in China registering for

evacuation.

The Indian government will request clearance from Beijing to take more than 250 citizens out of Wuhan with a Boeing 747 in Mumbai on standby.

Jakarta said there are more than 230 Indonesians in China—roughly 100 in Wuhan and the rest in Hubei province. The foreign ministry said Tuesday it has yet to decide on an evacuation plan.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Wednesday that Kuala Lumpur was keen to send a plane to Wuhan to evacuate some 78 Malaysians stranded in the city.

Sri Lanka said Tuesday there were roughly 860 Sri Lankan students in China.

The foreign ministry said it is awaiting a response from the Chinese authorities to operate a Sri Lankan Airlines charter flight to Wuhan to evacuate some 32 Sri Lankan students and their relatives.

Seoul will send chartered planes to Wuhan this week, the foreign ministry said, to return hundreds of its citizens to South Korea on Thursday and Friday.

Thailand’s premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha said Tuesday the country was waiting for authorization from Chinese officials before evacuating 64 Thais—49 students and 15 workers or tourist—but that aircraft and doctors were on standby.

France ‘s Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said a plane will be sent to Wuhan on Thursday, returning either Friday or Saturday. About 500 to 1,000 French citizens are eligible for repatriation there, and another flight is planned.

The European Union said it would cofund an airlift effort at France’s request, so that more than 100 nationals from other EU nations could be repatriated along with French citizens.

The European Commission said “only healthy or asymptomatic citizens will be authorized to travel” on the flights.

Berlin has not confirmed any evacuation plan but said it is considering options for roughly 90 citizens reportedly in Wuhan.

Spanish officials are working with China and the European Union to take Spanish nationals out of the area, the foreign minister said.

The Department of Justice on Wednesday said a special team of officers from the Bureau of Immigration will handle the immigration procedures for the returning Filipinos from Hubei Province in China, the capital of which is the epicenter of an outbreak of the new strain of the corona virus.

Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said the team members have been briefed by the Bureau of Quarantine and will be provided the necessary protective gear as part of the country’s health security protocols at ports of entry. Rey E. Requejo, Macon RamosAraneta, with AFP

Upon admission, Lopez said the patient was seen with various symptoms, including cervical lesions.

Lopez said the patient tested positive twice for HIV during the initial and confirmatory tests.

Lopez said the samples taken from the Chinese man were already sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa for an initial test for suspected novel coronavirus infection.

“Specimens have been taken. There are still tests in RITM for detection of coronavirus,” he said.

Meanwhile, DOH Epidemiology Bureau chief Chito Avelino said 16 samples were sent to the RITM and six were sent to the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory in Australia for testing. He said it expected results by Thursday, Jan. 30, or Friday, Jan. 31.

By then, he said the RITM will be able to run tests confirming 2019-nCoV as they have acquired the necessary test kit for the process.

Four of the 27 patients under investigation were discharged and were no longer

showing symptoms, but were still being closely monitored, the DOH added.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III renewed his call to the public to practice proper hygiene and coughing etiquette.

He also reassured the public that DOH hospitals, with their respective isolation areas, were ready to respond to the disease, should it reach the Philippines.

He said the Philippines is still monitoring 23 suspected cases as four have already tested negative and have been discharged from the hospital.

He said the Philippines remains free of the virus.

Health authorities are monitoring 17 cases in National Capital Region, one in Western Visayas, one in Mimaropa, one in Eastern Visayas, two in Central Visayas and one in Davao Region.

Most of those being monitored had traveled to Wuhan, China and are mostly foreigners.

Expressing impatience at having to wait long for test results to come back from Australia, Duque said the Philippines will be able to screen potential cases of novel coronavirus with the help of Japan.

Japan will give the Philippines a “primer” that can determine whether the coronavirus

that infected a patient has the same genetic code as the strain from China, eliminating the need to consult Australian experts, he said.

“It takes times if we send results to Australia. I said no, we need to have our own capacity to check cases. The Japanese will help us get the virus primer,” Duque said in an interview on radio dzMM. He said the RITM in Muntinlupa City can only check for the presence of coronavirus but cannot specify if it is the same strain as the Wuhan virus.

Earlier, Duterte had ordered Duque to evaluate and implement measures to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus in the country.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the increasing number of “persons under investigation” in the country who are suspected to be infected of nCoV is a serious concern for the Palace.

The Palace official also recognized the danger of repatriating 50 Filipinos in Wuhan, although some government officials have expressed readiness to take them home.

The Bureau of Customs assured the public on Wednesday that it has been keeping an eye on items shipped from countries with confirmed nCoV cases.

Earlier Tuesday, the coroner’s office confirmed all nine bodies have been retrieved from the site and “transported to the department’s forensic science center” for examination.

The bodies of pilot Ara Zobayan, baseball coach John Altobelli and Sarah Chester have also been identified.

The remaining five—including Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna—have not yet been officially identified.

The death of Bryant—a five-time NBA champion for the LA Lakers and double Olympic gold medalist—has shocked the world, with tributes continuing to pour in Tuesday.

‘Pretty devastating’ Bryant, 41, was traveling with daughter Gianna and seven other passengers and crew when the Sikorsky S-76 slammed into a hillside in thick fog in Calabasas, northwest of LA. The helicopter was headed to Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, where his daughter was set to play.

Homendy described the accident as a “high energy impact crash,” having earlier labelled the crash scene as “pretty devastating.”

Homendy said the helicopter did not have a “terrain awareness and warning system” installed. The NTSB in 2004 had recommended to federal aviation authorities that

the system be required on all helicopters with six or more passenger seats, but the recommendation was not adopted, she added.

Investigators have now airlifted the helicopter’s wreckage onto trucks, which then transported it to a secure location for further examination.

An iPad, cellphone and maintenance records were found among the wreckage, along with “everything we would expect would be on the aircraft,” said Homendy.

She told journalists that the probable cause for the accident may not be confirmed for 12 to 18 months, when a final report will be issued. AFP

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Thousands of foreigners have been among those trapped in Wuhan, which has become a near ghost-town with car travel banned and residents staying indoors.

Countries have for days been scrambling to try and get their citizens out of Wuhan safely, but have faced huge logistical, medical and bureaucratic hurdles.

About 200 people were aboard the Japanese flight which landed in Tokyo on Wednesday morning.

Medical professionals were on the plane to carry out checks but Japan’s health ministry said there were no plans to quarantine the passengers.

They would instead be asked to remain at home and avoid crowds at least until the results of the test were known.

A US charter flight also left Wuhan on Wednesday with about 200 Americans on board, including employees from the local American consulate.

The European Union will fly its citizens out aboard two French planes this week, and South Korea is due to do the same.

Australia said it would evacuate citizens from Wuhan and quarantine them on an island normally used to detain asylum seekers.

Meanwhile, the virus continued to spread and kill in China.

Authorities said Wednesday the number of cases in Hubei province, the epicenter of the virus of which Wuhan is the capital, soared by over 800 from the previous day.

The number of confirmed cases across the country climbed to 5,974, while the death toll nationwide jumped 26 to 132.

All of those new reported deaths were in Hubei except for one, in a province just to the north.

The virus is believed to have originated in a wild-animal market in Wuhan, where it jumped to humans before spreading across the country as the peak travel period for Lunar New Year festivities got underway.

WHO said it would send urgently dispatch international experts to China “to guide global response efforts.”

“Stopping the spread of this virus both in China and globally is WHO’s highest priority,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Until Tuesday, all reported cases in more than a dozen countries had involved people who had been in or around Wuhan.

But Japan and Germany then reported the first confirmed human-to-human transmission of the illness outside China. Vietnam is investigating another case.

Germany now has four confirmed cases, all of them employees at a Bavarian firm recently visited by a Chinese colleague,

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would respond to these,” Banac said.

He said someone apprehended under a citizen’s arrest may be turned over to barangay officials.

On Monday, the Manila City government ordered a manhunt against a Chinese-looking foreigner whose photo went viral for defecating at the Baluarte de Dilao in Intramuros, Manila.

Meanwhile, three Chinese men were earlier photographed while peeing along Ayala Avenue in Makati. PNA

Cabinet members barred from US

By MJ Blancaflor PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday barred Cabinet members from traveling to the United States days after he ordered the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement between Manila and Washington.

“I will not allow any Cabinet member to go there at this time. No Cabinet member should be allowed to go to the United States,” Duterte told reporters in an interview.

“I am terminating the VFA. I was not joking. The day I said it was the day that I decided it should be terminated,” he added.

Duterte ordered the termination of the military pact after the US canceled the visa of his first police chief, Senator Ronald dela Rosa, who also led then this administration’s bloody war on drugs.

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The United States said Tuesday it was developing a vaccine against the deadly virus and urged Beijing to step up its cooperation with international health authorities.

The US government is keen to place its own teams on the ground to review the raw data and learn more about the pathogen.

“We have already started at the NIH and with many of our collaborators on the developing of a vaccine,” National Institutes of Health official Anthony Fauci told reporters.

The process would take three months to start the first trial, three more months to gather data, before being able to move into its second phase, and is being undertaken by the biotech firm Moderna.

“But we are proceeding as if we will have to deploy a vaccine,” said Fauci.

“In other words, we’re looking at the worst scenario that this becomes a bigger outbreak.”

The South China Morning Post, meanwhile, reported that Hong Kong researchers have already developed a vaccine for the deadly Wuhan coronavirus—but need time to test it.

Infectious diseases expert Professor Yuen Kwok-yung told the Post his team was working on the vaccine and had isolated the previously unknown virus from the city’s first imported case.

“We have already produced the vaccine, but it will take a long time to test on animals,” Yuen said.

The United Arab Emirates announced Wednesday its first case of the new coronavirus, in a family from Wuhan, in what is thought to be the first confirmed case in the Middle East. AFP

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posting a net gainers score of +18.

Classified by the SWS as “very high,” the net gainers score in December was higher than what was recorded in September (+11), June (+13) and March (+17).

The seven-point rise in the national net gainers score in December 2019 was due to the increases of points in all parts of the country―10 in Luzon, seven in the Visayas, four in Metro Manila and one in Mindanao.

The net gainers also rose among the respondents with a higher educational attainment.

From September 2019’s +22, it became +28 (excellent) in December 2019 among college graduates, according to SWS. Among the self-rated poor, the net gainers score rose to +8 (high) in December from net zero (fair) in September.

For those who rated themselves as nonpoor, the figure also increased in December (+30) from September (+18).

The same poll also showed that 48 percent of those interviewed were expecting their lives to improve in 2020, with a net personal optimism score of +44.

The December result was higher than September’s, with a +41 net personal optimism score, but was lower than March’s +47.

With a sampling error margin of ±3 percent for national percentages, the SWS survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide.

News ‘Don’t revert Marawi fund’

By Maricel V. Cruz

A LEADER of the House of Representatives on Wednesday expressed dismay over the reversion to the National Treasury of some P406.5 million in 2018 Marawi rehabilitation funds.

Deputy Speaker and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman urged the national government, through Task Force Bangon Marawi, to prevent this from happening to the 2019 and 2020 rehab funds for the war-destroyed city.

“As a leader in the House of Representatives, I will do everything in his power to prevent the 2019 and 2020 Marawi rehabilitation funds from being unused and reverting back to the treasury,” said Hataman.

He also asked Malacañang to conduct a thorough review of the Marawi rehabilitation implementation and make accountable those who have been remiss in their duties to the people.

“Let us learn from what happened to the 2018 Marawi budget, where more than P400 million remained unused and reverted back to the national coffers,” Hataman said.

He also urged the multi-agency TFBM to “spend in full” all the funds allocated for the rehabilitation, recovery and reformation of war-destroyed Marawi City for 2019 and 2020.

“Our good Speaker Alan Cayetano has already promised to do everything to keep the Taal recovery funds from suffering the same fate. Let us use our legislative power and prerogatives to give the people the help they deserve and to prevent another injustice from happening,” he said.

“We are thinking of filing a measure to further ease the release of rehabilitation funds and keep them from expiring, if that is possible. But first we have to determine where the chokepoints and bottlenecks occur,” Hataman said.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020

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3 BuCor officials indicted for graft

By Rio N. Araja and Rey Requejo

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HE Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday indicted three officials of the Bureau of Corrections for graft and bribery cases for demanding P50,000 in exchange for the release of an inmate under the Good Conduct Time Allowance Law. In two Jan. 20 resolutions, Ombudsman Samuel Martires approved the filing of charges against Inmate Documents and Processing Section officerin-charge Ramoncito Roque, senior inspector Maria Belinda Bansil and corrections officer Veronica Buño before the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court.

The Department of Justice immediately directed the Bureau of Corrections to implement the Ombudsman’s order to dismiss from service the three BuCor officials.

“I have now given instructions to the BUCOR administration to implement the judgment, as directed by the OMB, without prejudice to the resolution of

any appeal that the respondents may take,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, who exercises administrative supervision over the BuCor, said in a text message to reporters.

“I have read the partial decision of the OMB finding the three BuCor personnel guilty of grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and dismissing them from the service. I fully agree with the decision of the OMB,” Guevarra said.

“I was present during the Senate hearings and personally heard the testimony of the witnesses and observed the demeanor of the respondents.”

“May this decision of the OMB serve as a stern warning to all personnel of the BuCor who are minded to undermine

the integrity of their own agency,” Guevarra added.

Court records showed the three Customs officials demanded and received P50,000 from Yolanda Camilon for the early release of her common-law husband from prison under the GCTA. “Camilon’s lone testimony, given in a straightforward manner, pitted against respondents’ denials and conflicting statements in their counter-affidavits, is sufficient to establish probable cause for direct bribery against Roque, Bansil and Buño,” the decision read.

The Ombudsman also found probable cause to indict Roque and company for grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and were dismissed from service.

IN BRIEF Save animals from calamities, too—PETA THE animal welfare group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Asia has called on lawmakers and authorities involved in rescue missions during times of calamities to include animals in their operations instead of abandoning them in dangerous conditions.

PETA is the largest animal rights organization in the world, with more than 6.5 million members and supporters.

PETA Asia rescue manager Jana Sevilla said that animals, whether livestock or pets, rely on humans alone for their safety.

“All lives matter. Hindi porket alagang kambing, alagang baboy, ‘Kakatayin naman, hayaan niyo na.’ Or alagang aso, ‘Marami pang aso diyan.’ Hindi po gano’n,” Sevilla said.

Sevilla said they rescued almost 150 animals from Volcano Island, which experienced the brunt of the onslaught of the Taal Volcano eruption last Jan. 12.

Over 100 horses were also transferred to safer locations by PETA Asia. Willie Casas

BI intercepts 3 ‘fake’ tourists at NAIA

MODERNIZING NBI. House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano (second from right) assisted by House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez (right) and Deputy Speaker LRay Villafuerte (center) discusses with National Bureau of Investigation Director lawyer Dante Gierran (left) and NBI Deputy Director lawyer Antonio Pagatpat (second from left) the needs of NBI to modernize their crime fighting facilities. Ver Noveno

Senate committee to review VFA, other pacts 3 more ‘massacre’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Senate foreign relations committee, chaired by Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel, will start Thursday next week its review of the country’s Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States and other defense pacts.

The review came up after President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to abrogate the VFA following the cancellation of the US visa of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.

In an interview, Pimentel said it was the sentiments of those who attended Wednesday’s foreign relations com-

mittee that it conduct a formal hearing on the VFA or matters related to it specially in relation to the latest pronouncement of the President that he is possibly terminating it after 30 days.

Aside from the VFA, he said the review will also tackle the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, both with the US, and a visiting forces pact with Australia.

“We will review the VFA, it was also written in the agreement its periodic review and then there’s a theory that VFA is an implementation of the MDT so it will be included. Since EDCA is

an adjunct of MDT, let us include it,” Pimentel said.

He said they want to know the material, intelligence, logistical benefits the Philippines receives from VFA, its status, how it is being implemented, the timeline, what is the structure and protocol, problems and violations of the law committed, and the national interests at stake.

The VFA governs the conduct of US soldiers stationed in the Philippines, while the MDT ensures that Washington and Manila will come to the aid of the other should one of the parties is under attack.

IMMIGRATION agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport intercepted three individuals who disguised as tourists but were found traveling to work as farmers in South Korea.

In a report to Commissioner Jaime Morente, officials of the bureau’s travel control and enforcement unit said the passengers were stopped at the departure area of NAIA Terminal 1 on Jan. 22 before they could board a flight to Hong Kong where they were supposed to board their connecting flight to Jeju.

TCEU chief Ma. Timotea Barizo did not identify the passengers but she said the three initially claimed they were going to Korea for a vacation.

“But what sparked the curiosity of our officers is when the trio showed seemingly spurious company IDs as proof of local employment.

The three also appeared to not know each other despite presenting themselves as traveling companions,” she said. Joel E. Zurbano

Cop killed, 2 others survive ambush TWO ranking police officials cheated death, while a police corporal was killed after their convoy were ambushed by heavily armed terrorists in Talakag, Bukidnon Wednesday morning.

Police Col. Silvestre Asiong Jr., Bukidnon Public Information Officer, said Brig. Gen. Joselito Salido, Deputy Director of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operation in Eastern Mindanao and Col. Tabuso only suffered minor injuries from a volley of gunfire from still unidentified armed men believed to be New People’s Army terrorists.

A police operative, Police Cpl. Rowel Sumaylo was killed on the spot during the ambush while three other police operatives were wounded who were rushed to the Polymedic Medical Plaza in Kauswagan, Cagayan de Oro City.

Among the wounded were police Captain Ramil Gighe, Staff Master Sergeant Giovannie Malinab, and Staff Sergeant Jerwin Genilla.

Police Col. Roel Leyaley Lami-ing, Bukidnon provincial director, said the two police officials escorted by the 1st Bukidnon Provincial Mobile Force Company led by Captain Ramil Gighe, were traveling along Kilometer 266 Road at Barangay Tikalaan Dominorog when waylaid by the armed men. Francisco Tuyay

HIGH DEMAND. Buyers line up at a store in Bambang in Sta. Cruz, Manila to buy face masks as the demand for the item rose due to the coronavirus scare. Norman Cruz

suspects fall in January

THREE Ampatuan massacre suspects were arrested while another surrendered to authorities in January, bringing to four the number of suspects in the gruesome crime who fell into the hands of the law following the December 2019 conviction of the principal accused in the decade-old case.

In the latest update sent to the Presidential Task Force on Media Security Secretariat in Malacañang, Pat Suari Esmail Pagabangan, also known as Alfie Pagabangan, was arrested in the joint operation of Police Regional Office 12 led by P/Col. Barney Condes,of the Technical Support Company-Regional Mobile Force Batallion 12, Regional Intelligence Division 12, Regional Intelligence Unit 12, and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 12 last Monday, Jan. 27, at Barangay Barurao, Sultan Sa Barongis, Maguindanao.

Before that, PO1 Ysmael Baraquir, another suspect in hiding, surrendered to CIDG Regional Field Unit 15 BAR led by P/Col. James E. Gulmatico last Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020, at Barangay Linandangan, Pagalungan, Maguindanao.

Earlier this month, Gambayan Kasim, also known as Lori Alip, was arrested on Jan. 9, 2020 in his home at Shariff Aguak in Maguindanao. Kasim’s arrest was effected just three days after Faisal Dimaukom, the first suspect, was nabbed by a composite team led by Lt. Col. Ibrahim Jambiran, Chief of Police of the Parang Municipal Police, RID PRO BAR led by P/Lt. Col. Renato Mauricio, TSC RMFCB14 PRO BAR P/Capt. Paul Symon Villareal and Datu Saudi Ampatuan (DSA) MPS P/Capt.

Abdulbasit Kulod at Brgy. Kabinge, DSA, Maguindanao at about 5:05 a.m. last Jan. 6.

DOTr new policy on motor vehicle inspection slammed

By Rio N. Araja VARIOUS transport groups, along with a group of lawyers, have joined forces to oppose a policy of the Department of Transportation using the motor vehicle inspection system for common carriers.

At a news conference in Quezon

City, Ariel Inton, Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection founding president, said the DOTr and its attached agency, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, must look into the “connection of policy with the concern of the public.”

Transport leaders and their mem-

bers are not here just to criticize the government but to air their sentiments,” he told reporters.

Efren de Luna of the Alliance of Concerned Transport Operators and other transport leaders yesterday joined the conference.

He threatened to hold a “bigger” and “nationwide” transport holiday, saying

“all of them will not pass the requisites under the new MVIS regulation.”

The group is called the National Public Transport Coalition composed of operators and drivers of taxi, jeepney, transport network vehicle services, motorcycle taxi, UV Express, tricycle, bus, and truck services.

A4

Opinion

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

My memoirs MY MEMOIRS, “The Road Never Ends,” will be launched today by the Manila Standard. There will be a cocktail party from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Manila Golf and Country Club, Makati City.

I express my eternal thanks to my boss, Majority Leader Rep. Martin Romualdez.

For many years, I have been hesitant to write a book even as many friends have been urging me to do it. I have been a journalist for almost seven decades and have seen history in the making. Sometimes I found myself part of it. I have walked the corridors of power and have interacted with the greats and near-greats in business, politics and media.

A year ago, a good friend of mine said he would take care of everything, knowing how much it cost to publish a book. And I simply did not have that kind of money!

Another reason I was hesitant was because I knew I was not a pop star or a hero. I am just a journalist.

I have seen so many books of journalists in libraries gathering dust.

So together with my wife, who has always been with me in all my struggles, we agonized for months on whether to write this book. I also consulted my children Vic, Nina, Eric and Nicky.

Fortunately there was Lea MantoBeltran who had the patience to listen to all the recollections from my childhood, pre-war days, the Japanese occupation, my college days at Ateneo, my law studies at the Philippine Law School, and many other stories of my life.

My gulay, my wife often corrected

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

my recollections. I am now over 90 years old and I often forget names, people and events.

Soon, we were able to piece together the book.

But because of unforeseen events, my friend’s promise did not materialize. That left me hanging for months.

It must have been good luck. I got word that my Manila Standard boss, Rep. Romualdez would help me. For these I am also grateful to opinion editor Adelle Chua and writer Jenny Ortuoste, a Palanca winner, for helping me with the book.

Finally, I launch it today.

I must also give credit to Dean Francis Alfar and his wife Nikki, both Palanca awardees, for helping me edit the first edition of the book.

Later on, I was able to add more stories and events.

I must also thank my Manila Standard publisher Rollie Estabillo.

Lastly, I would also like to thank my former student Bobby Ongpin, chairman of the Alphaland Group of Companies, and Philip Romualdez, former chairman of the Chamber of Mines. They never lost faith in me that I would be able to publish my book.

For the occasion of the launch, I have invited Presidents Gloria Arroyo, Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada. I have chosen Mike Toledo, vice president of the Metro Pacific Group of Companies, to be the master of ceremonies.

I have invited many friends to honor my book launch with their presence.

K

Misplaced anger

UWAIT is reportedly outraged by Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.’s remarks demanding that the Kuwaiti employers of Filipino domestic Jeanelyn Villavende pay with their lives for her death and months of abuse.

The offending statement came from Locsin’s Twitter account.

“THERE WILL BE BLOOD @ DFAPHL for Jeanelyn Villavende.

I renounce & reject any offer of blood money for her torture/murder.

I want two lives for the life they took,” Locsin’s post read.

His post came as Villavende’s family in Norala, South Cotabato, said they rejected an offer of P59 million to settle the case.

The Al Rai newspaper, known for generally supporting the Kuwaiti government and the ruling family, reported shortly afterwards that an unnamed foreign ministry official denounced Locsin’s statement, calling it “a transgression on the powers of the security and judicial authorities in the country.”

The source added that Locsin’s remarks contradict the “simplest rules of international relations” and seek to influence ongoing investigations into the case.

The Kuwaiti anger seems to be misplaced—given the pitiful fate Villavende suffered at the hands of her abusive Kuwaiti employers.

Those employers were arrested last month after Villavende’s suspicious death last month.

An official Philippine autopsy— in contrast to the sparse Kuwaiti official report—found that the house maid had been sexually abused before she was beaten to death.

Kuwait’s assurances that it will punish the guilty “in accordance with the provisions of the country’s laws and in a manner that guarantees the rule of law and justice for all” inspires little confidence, given its poor track record in protecting Filipino workers in the Gulf state.

Villavende was beaten “black and blue” and died in December 2019, but she is not the first to die at the hands of an abusive employer in Kuwait.

In February 2018, the Philippines

imposed a total deployment ban on Kuwait after the body of Joanna Demafelis was found inside a freezer. She had been killed by her employers.

The ban was lifted three months later, in May 2018, after Manila and Kuwait signed an agreement on the protection of Filipino workers in the Gulf state.

Not all the provisions of that agreement, however, have been met—casting doubts on the credibility of Kuwait promises.

Almost two years since the agreement was signed, it has become woefully apparent that the deal did nothing to keep Villavende safe—and alive.

The recent offer of a staggering amount of money to Villavende’s family also suggests that when all else fails, abusive employers can always try to buy their way out of punishment, even for murder.

In the wake of all this, Manila has imposed a temporary deployment ban of Filipino domestics to Kuwait. For the safety of all Filipino domestics, that ban needs to be made permanent.

Turn to A5

What about the Bulacan Airport?

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte recently made known his strong opposition to any reclamation projects within 100 kilometers of Manila Bay. In his pronouncement, Duterte said it is unlikely he will approve the “mindboggling” reclamation of Manila Bay, from Navotas City to Cavite province, “as long as there is no guarantee that the environment will be protected.”

This was in response to the proposal of property developers for 25 projects which would reclaim 10,000 hectares of Manila Bay. In fact, in February last year, Duterte stripped the National Economic and Development Authority of the power to approve reclamation projects and transferred it to the Philippine Reclamation Authority, which he also put directly under his office.

Duterte’s stance against reclamation earned the support of senior lawmaker Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza as he aired a warning it would demolish vital coastal ecosystems at a time when the National Capital Region is reeling from high fish prices amid declining harvests.

According to Atienza, former threeterm mayor of Manila, “the proposed reclamation projects from the private sector are just meant to create large tracts of valuable new land and wealth for some oligarchs out there, at the grave expense of the environment.”

Worse, “these unwanted projects are bound to wipe out entire ecosystems, further degrade Manila Bay’s water quality and disrupt the food chain in a big way,” Atienza, one-time secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, added.

And once destroyed, these underwater biological communities and their physical environment can never be recovered.

“They will be gone forever if the

projects are allowed to push through,” Atienza laments.

So the question he raises is: “What is the point of rehabilitating Manila Bay if the government is just going to allow private developers to bulldoze entire reef areas?”

Nice point.

But what’s more disturbing is that besides reducing Manila Bay’s 190-kilometer coastline, Atienza warned that the reclamation projects would usher in new highly pollutive activities around the water body. And flooded communities.

Think again.

Which then brings us to the issue of the Bulacan Airport.

As former press attachè to the Philippine Embassy in Washington, Ado Paglinawan insists that the mega project touted to deliver us from the miseries of the overcrowded NAIA terminals will only spell disaster, not only for Bulacan but for the whole of Metro Manila and adjacent provinces.

Paglinawan says the project will cause adverse environmental impact because of the interconnecting over and underground river basin systems and network of river deltas behind the coastlines of the entire Manila Bay. For as it is, the entire project will rest on 3,300 hectares of fishponds which will be reclaimed for the project.

And that is where the debate begins.

Is the Bulacan Airport a reclamation project or not?

The proponents insist it is not. Ado says it’s otherwise.

Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill, is defined as the process of creating new land from bodies of water like oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or land fill. Where Turn to A5

ManilaStandard

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

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Restraint when it could help FOR many years, the Philippines has maintained cordial bilateral relations with the United States. Our diplomatic position has resulted in several mutual trade agreements, security and defense treaties, and military cooperation.

The United States is one of our largest export markets and supplier of imported goods. We are one of the major trading partners of the US. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, in November 2019, export value to US amounted to US$890.06 million, while import value was at US$668.81 million.

The growth of our gross domestic product has been spurred by American investors in the country. In the past 20 years, the establishment and expansion of business processing outsourcing (BPO) companies helped accelerate our economic growth. It has also provided job opportunities to millions of Filipinos.

In terms of security, our armed forces have conducted several joint military exercises and training with the US troops for many years. This significantly

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

improved our combat skills, military capability, and disaster relief response.

We have also acquired vessels and other modern military equipment from them which improved our leverage over our maritime domain and allowed us to patrol our waters and conduct swift search and rescue operations.

Certainly, we cannot afford to engage in conflict.

We also received humanitarian assistance from the US in times of calamity. Aside from that, US agencies and organizations have conducted programs and provided assistance on education, health care, environmental management, inclusive economic growth, and sustainable peace and order in many parts of the country.

As with any relationship, there have

been situations that have marred the general cordiality between our two nations. One of which may have been the signing of the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (ARIA) by President Trump in December 2018. The ARIA pursues policies involving US interests on security, promotion of human rights, rule of law, accountability and transparency in the Indo-Pacific region, and provides appropriations in the implementation of said policies.

While we have accorded the respect and diplomacy due to them in their diplomatic matters, this law has the look, and feel of an infringement into our sovereignty.

Albeit we are far from our impasse, we should have a bigger picture Turn to A5

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

Managing Editor Associate Editors News Editor Opinion Editor

Emil P. Jurado

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

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Opinion Dealing with the novel coronavirus IT IS really amazing that although there have been reports of the novel coronavirus infecting people in the country, our Department of Health has not yet confirmed one single case. We do not know how much longer this will last but we can only wish that it stays that way.

Realistically, however, it would just be a matter of time before we have one because of the many tourists still coming and the pace in which the virus is spreading. The important thing is the extent of our preparation on how to deal with it in case the virus gets to our shores. In the many countries where there are already confirmed cases, almost all of those infected either came from China or have gotten in contact with people who came from that country.

We have to put our faith in the ability of our government particularly the DOH to do the right thing.

Our Department of Health is now currently putting in place stricter protocols for the early detection of possible infected people so that they can be isolated and quarantined. We hope that the government would have done enough to prepare the public on how to act in case of an outbreak like dealing with wild rumors.

The 2019 novel coronavirus appears to be more serious than the SARS virus of 2002 that also started in China. This is because this virus can be transmitted from human to another even if the infected carrier is not yet exhibiting any symptoms. This means that an infected person arriving at our ports of entry can pass our airport screening process undetected because the symptoms have not yet manifested in that individual.

This is what apparently happened when one Japanese tourist bus driver was infected by a tourist from China.

The virus also appears to be spreading more rapidly, forcing the Chinese government to take more drastic measures like effectively putting many cities of about 65 million on lockdown.

Like the SARS virus, the novel Corona virus comes from animals.

Ground Zero appears to be an animal meat market in the city of Wuhan where a snake was reportedly sold illegally.

There are reports however, that this may not be the case and health officials are continuing their detective work to pinpoint where the virus originated. Be that as it may, the culinary culture of the Chinese people is a little unusual and would even be considered weird to some people because their love for many exotic food that other people ordinarily would not eat.

This, according to some, is associated

with the belief of many Chinese in the medicinal powers of these exotic food.

Like Ebola, the illegal trade in wildlife, if not stopped, has the potential of killing of millions before people can learn to do something to stop the trade. Health officials have estimated that there are about 800 types of virus carried by wild life that if transmitted to humans could kill so many people.

The World Health Organization has not yet issued an emergency which is shocking considering the way the virus is spreading. According to one medical expert, the virus is currently infecting 1.5 to 3 persons. This is the reason of the faster spread. If one infected person is infecting less than one person, the spread would eventually die out but it does not seem to be the case at the moment.

Right now, we have to put our faith in the ability of our government particularly the DOH to do the right thing and keep the spread of this potential health pandemic from spreading to a level that will cause very serious damage to life and the economy as some are already saying.

••• For those of us in the retired uniform service who are trying to grow old as graciously as much as we can, reaching the age of 90 and still be able to socialize, and move around comfortably is a dream many of us would like to achieve. But one of us just celebrated his 90th birthday with a well-deserved big shindig at the Officers Club of Camp General Aguinaldo. Retired Major General Jose Magno Jr. or Joemag as he is more popularly known is one ROTC graduate who made it to high rank in our Armed Forces. A University of the Philippines graduate of 1952, he joined the Philippine Army after graduation eventually being commissioned in the regular force in 1955. He is one of the pioneers of Philippine Army Airborne Special Forces having been recruited to form the nucleus of what would become the First Special Forces Company of the Philippine Army. He is therefore one of the airborne originals.

He also served in Vietman.

I first encountered Joemag when I was a junior officer serving in Central Luzon as the Operations Officer of the 51st PC Ranger Battalion. He was then the Battalion Commander of the famous 10th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army based in Pampanga.

We were all part of Task Force Lawin fighting the recently organized New People’s Army of the CPP. Unlike today wherein the AFP is the principal operating arm against the CPP/NPA, it was then the Philippine Constabulary that was the primary operating service. I often had to coordinate with his unit in the conduct of military operations so as not to intrude on each other’s operational area and avoid misencounters.

Joemag retired from the military service as the commander of Southcom.

He later became the general manager of the Government Service Insurance System. Joemag has always performed in the highest traditions of the military service and is a genuine officer and a gentleman.

What about...

From A4

does the Bulacan Airport qualify? Are the fishponds to be reclaimed, an extension of the riverbed or even that of Manila Bay? Paglinawan says both as the fishponds concerned are again, interconnected over and underground river basin systems and network of river deltas behind the coastlines of the entire Manila Bay. Paglinawan says that even without the Bulacan Airport, there is already a warning of a clear and present danger to human lives and safety for all those in the areas affected by the interconnections.

And he has been proven right. The week-long rains that befell the metropolis in August last year inundated streets resulting in horrific traffic conditions and sent schools to close for several days.

And it is aside the fact that in its present condition, there are already areas in Bulacan where the municipalities have already raised streets and drainage canals by one meter, causing the inundation to seep and dwell on the ground floors of residential communities for months.

So, if Duterte is strongly against any form of reclamation within the scope of Manila Bay and Atienza is equally supportive of this, then they have to go beyond the immediate confines of the Bay and include the proposed Bulacan Airport as a major issue of concern.

To borrow Congressman Atienza’s words, “once they are lost, they can never be recovered forever.”

Restraint...

From A4

perspective here. Any action that affects our bilateral relations must be carefully studied.

In light of the events that led to the President’s decision, I am confident

that the administration will consider the welfare of the people benefitting from our bilateral programs, especially those which we cannot independently provide.

Let us veer away from the myopic view and reflect on the overall impact to our country. What do we really need right now? One thing for sure, we cannot afford to engage in conflict.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Happy 400th Birthday, San Juan de Letran College

IN 1620, the Catholic order founded

by St. Dominic established an educational institution in Spain’s far-off East Asia colony. The Orden de Predicadores (Order of Preachers) named its educational institution after St. John Lateran— the Colegio de San Juan de Letran.

This year, the Colegio de San Juan de Letran—Letran College for short—is 400 years old, only four years younger than its sister-Dominican institution, the University of Santo Tomas (UST).

At the time of their establishment Spain’s power was still great, though starting to wane under the combined challenge of the rising colonial powers Great Britain, the Netherlands and France. The Philippines was and remained Spain’s only major colony in the Eastern Hemisphere.

During its four-century history, San Juan de Letran College has been at the front and center of the political evolution of the Philippines from a docile colony to a territory experiencing the growing yearning for freedom to a member of the family of independent nations.

From its vantage-point in Manila’s Walled City, Letran witnessed it all: the early revolts against Spanish rule, the steadily growing popular dissatisfaction with the powerful clergy, the growth of

the independence movement, the Revolution against Spain and the subsequent PhilippineAmerican War, the American colonial era, the establishment of the Commonwealth, the Japanese occupation, Liberation and, at long last, the re-winning of this nation’s independence in 1946. Through it all, Letran stood firm and silently involved.

Arriba!

Through its four centuries of history, Letran also witnessed the emergence of Manila from Maynilad to Spain’s La Mas Leal Ciudad de Manila, to the Pearl of the Orient Seas to today’s robust center of East Asian economic activity. From its central location in Manila’s business area it observed the two hundred years of the Galleon Trade, which greatly influenced Philippine commerce and culture.

If only Letran’s walls could talk, what a tale they would tell.

Sadly, many of those walls were destroyed by the heavy American bombardment of World War II’s closing days. Manila’s liberation from the Japanese forces left the Letran buildings pockmarked and heavily defaced.

There is no Philippine educational institution that can

surpass San Juan de Letran College in terms of illustrious alumni.

Aguinaldo, Quezon and Osmeña once walked the halways of Letran.

The remark is sometimes heard that of the great male college quartet in the first half of the 20th century—Ateneo, San Beda, De La Salle and Letran—it is Letran that has made the least strides forward in terms of fame and fortune. If that is true—and the point is arguable—it must be due to the traditional conservatism of the Philippine Dominican Order and of Letran.

Yet, San Juan de Letran College was one of the first educational institutions to recognize the need for academe to gradually move out of Metro Manila. In the 1970s, it established a satellite campus in Calamba, and a few years ago it established a spanky-new facility in Bataan.

As San Juan de Letran College celebrates its quadricentennial anniversary, one cannot help but reflect on the irony and the folly of the claim of the imperialist fringe of the late-nineteenth-century US Congress that the Philippines needed to be civilized by America.

Faithful to its long association with Spain, the battlecry of Letranites, at NCAA games and elsewhere, is still in Spanish : Arriba Letran. To which, as a Letran alumnus, I add, y mas arriba.

Happy 400th birthday, San Juan de Letran College.

Facebook rolls out tool to clear third-party data FACEBOOK said this week a new tool allowing users of the social network to view and delete data it collects from third parties is rolling out to the estimated two billion members of the leading social network worldwide.

The new feature, part of a steppedup effort to improve privacy practices, allows users to see and clear “off Facebook activity” used for targeted advertising.

Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the tool offers “a new level of transparency and control” for the social network, which has been roiled by revelations in the past few years on how it collects and uses data.

“We’ve been working on this for a while because we had to rebuild some of our systems to make this possible.”

Zuckerberg said Facebook users would be prompted to review their data when they check their feeds, as part of a “privacy checkup” implemented by the social network.

“As of today, our Off-Facebook Activity tool is available to people on Facebook around the world,” Zuckerberg said in a blog post.

Lifting the veil The feature will lift a veil on some

aspects of Facebook’s practices, including the collection of data from third-party apps, Facebook logins, “likes” and other techniques that determine which ads are served up to users.

“Other businesses send us information about your activity on their sites and we use that information to show you ads that are relevant to you. Now you can see a summary of that information and clear it from your account if you want to,” Zuckerberg said.

Facebook gets data from users’ activity online and also from apps such as Airbnb, Uber and Fandango.

The new tool is part of an effort

by Facebook to shore up its image in the wake of a series of privacy scandals, including the hijacking of personal data on millions of users by a British consultancy developing voter profiles for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.

“One of our main goals for the next decade is to build much stronger privacy protections for everyone on Facebook,” Zuckerberg said.

“Over the next few weeks we’ll show nearly two billion people around the world a prompt encouraging them to review their privacy settings.”

Facebook readies ‘supreme court’ Separately, Facebook said its “supreme court,” designed to be the final word in content removal disputes, should be in operation in a few months, as it named a British human rights activist to a key post.

The social network said that former Article 19 executive director Thomas Hughes would be the staff director of the oversight board, which is being developed to settle questions on what content is removed from Facebook or Instagram.

Hughes told reporters he sees the new post as “aligned to what I’ve been doing for the last couple of decades,” on protecting human rights and freedom of expression.

The plan for an oversight board was proposed by Zuckerberg in 2018, to make difficult calls on what is appropriate content for Facebook.

The company initially planned to bring it into operation by the end of 2019.

The move is billed as part of an effort by Facebook to balance freedom of speech with concerns over manipulation of the social network for abuse or deception, particularly heading into the US presidential election this year. AFP

My memoirs

and perseverance. With faith in God and lots of prayers, one can achieve change and make a difference.

And last, for a journalist, the road never ends.

With this I recall my favorite prayer, the Serenity Prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

This prayer has given me comfort and peace of mind so many times. *** Alphaland Group of Companies chaired by Roberto Ongpin is in a roll.

After his success with his signature development, the Balesin Island Club

Paradise, he now has the Makati Place which houses the City Club and the high-end Aegle Wellness Center, as well as the Alphaland Suites.

He now also has the Baguio Mountain Lodges, which Baguio residents call the Forbes Park of the summer capital.

Ongpin is also now developing a 750-hectare property on Patnanugan Island not far off from Balesin.

Dennis Valdez, who will become Alphaland president on Feb. 1, said that while RVO has gone all over Thailand and Singapore, he still chose to invest in the Philippines.

More power to my former student Bobby, and to Dennis.

From A4

*** Some friends have asked me why I decided to write my memoirs. My usual answer is the book is not about me. It is about my journalistic career.

There are actually three reasons I wrote the book.

First, I would like to impart to the younger generation that journalism is more of a calling than a job or profession. Here, one cannot expect to be a multi-millionaire.

Second, there is no substitute to a good education, hard work, patience

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila Manila

Standard

A6

TODAY

News

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com OFFICE OF THE CHAIRPERSON

'House must probe onerous deals' C

SEC MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 2 SERIES OF 2020 TO:

ALL CONCERNED CORPORATIONS

SUBJECT:

2020 FILING OF ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND GENERAL INFORMATION SHEET

ONGRESS, not Malacañang, should review what President Rodrigo Duterte considers as ‘onerous contracts.’

To maintain an organized and orderly filing of Audited Financial Statements (AFS) and General Information Sheet (GIS), the Commission, pursuant to its authority under the Revised Corporation Code and the Securities Regulation Code, adopts the following measures in the filing of annual reports: I. AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF COMPANIES WHOSE FISCAL YEAR ENDS ON DECEMBER 31, 2019:

This was stressed Wednesday by the leader of the militant group Bayan Muna as he asked the President not to give management of a vast land area being used by Chevron Philippines to his friend and alleged crony Dennis Uy. “We will oppose any attempt to give the Batangas property to the president’s cronies for another onerous contract because it will again deprive the people of billions of public funds. Congress must make sure these reviews of the so-called onerous contracts are not merely shake down against businessmen to favor the emerging cronies of President Duterte,” said the former party-list congressman and current Bayan

1. All corporations, including branch offices, representative offices, regional headquarters and regional operating headquarters of foreign corporations, shall file their AFS depending on the last numerical digit of their SEC registration or license number in accordance with the following schedule: April 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 April 27, 28, 29, 30 May 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 May 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 May 18, 19, 20, 21, 22

: : : : :

1 and 2 3 and 4 5 and 6 7 and 8 9 and 0

All SEC Satellite Offices and Extension Offices in Cebu, Iloilo and Davao shall be governed also by the above coding schedule in 2020. However, any corporations may file on or before its respective filing dates.

2. The above filing schedule shall not apply to the following corporations: (a) Those whose fiscal year ends on a date other than December 31, 2019.

These entities shall file their AFS within 120 calendar days from the end of their fiscal year;

However, for Broker Dealer whose fiscal year ends on December 31, SEC Form 52-AR shall be filed with the Commission depending on the last numerical digit of its registration number as prescribed by the Commission. Broker Dealers whose fiscal year ends on date other than December 31 shall file SEC Form 52-AR, 110 calendar days after the close of such fiscal year.1

(b) Those whose securities are listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) and those whose Securities are registered but not listed in PSE and Public Companies, covered under Sec.17.2 of the Securities Regulation Code (SRC). These entities shall continue to observe the due date of filing of their AFS (within 105 calendar days after the end of fiscal year) as attachment to their Annual Reports (SEC Form 17A), in accordance with the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Securities Regulation Code.

Republika ng Pilipinas

(PambansangPangasiwaan ng Patubig) Regional Office No.III

Office Address : Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan Telephone Nos. : (044) 766-2467, 766-4839, 816-6808 Website : www.region3.nia.gov.ph

(ii)

An Affidavit signed by the President and Treasurer (or Chief Finance Officer, where applicable) attesting to the fact that the company timely provided COA with the financial statements and supporting documents and that the audit of COA has just been concluded; and A letter from COA confirming the information provided in the above Affidavit.

3. All corporations may file their AFS regardless of the last numerical digit of their registration or license number on or before the first day stated in the coding schedule in paragraph 1 pertaining to said digit; 4. Late filings or filing after respective due dates shall be accepted starting May 25, 2020 and shall be subject to the prescribed penalties which shall be computed from the date of the last day of filing schedule stated in paragraph 1; 5. The AFS, other than the consolidated financial statements, shall have the stamped “received by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) or its authorized banks, unless the BIR allows an alternative proof of submission for its authorized banks (e.g. bank slips); 6. The basic components of the Audited Financial Statements (AFS) as prescribed under SRC Rule 68, as amended, shall be submitted by filers. Failure to comply with any of the formal requirements under said Rule including the prescribed qualifications for independent auditors and/or any material deficiency or misstatement that may be found upon evaluation of the specific contents thereof, shall be considered a sufficient ground for the imposition of penalties by SEC. The acceptance and receipt by the Commission of the financial statements shall be without prejudice to such penalties.

7. The General Financial Reporting Requirements as stated in the Revised Securities Regulation Code (SRC) Rule 68 which was approved by the Commission En Banc on August 19, 2019, states the threshold for an Audited Financial Statements as follows: a) Stock corporation with total assets or total liabilities of Six Hundred Thousand Pesos (P600,000) or more as prescribed under the Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines (Revised Corporation Code) and any of its subsequent revisions or such amount as may be subsequently prescribed; b) Non-stock corporations with total assets or total liabilities of Six Hundred Thousand Pesos (P600,000) or more as prescribed under the Revised Corporation Code and any of its subsequent revisions or such amount as may be subsequently prescribed; c) Branch offices/representative offices of stock foreign corporations with assigned capital in the equivalent amount of One Million Pesos (P1 Million) or more; d) Branch offices/representative offices of non-stock foreign corporation with total assets in the equivalent amount of One Million Pesos (P1 Million) or more. e) Regional operating headquarters of foreign corporations with total revenues in the equivalent amount of One Million Pesos (P1 Million) or more.

1.

The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3, hereby invites all interested Phil-GEPS registered contractors to bid for the project, through the General Appropriations Act of CY 2020, intends to apply the sum of Thirty Eight Million Two Hundred Five Thousand Three Hundred Thirty Pesos and 44/100 (P 38,205,330.44) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) for the contract for NIAR3-2020- TAR-CAMRIS-3.

Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2.

Bidders must secure Site Inspection Certificate from IMO Office as a technical requirement for Eligibility and Technical Document (Envelop A). Non-compliance will be a ground for disqualification.

3.

Only those who submitted Document Request List (DRL) from PhilGEPS including updated company profile by the owner or its authorized liaison officer, will be accepted to participate in the bidding.

4.

The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 now invites bids for Improvement of Main Canal of Camiling River Irrigation System, located in Camiling, Tarlac. Completion of the Works is required within Three Hundred (300) calendar days.

Bidders should have completed a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instruction to Bidders.

5.

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

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy-five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

6.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday to Friday.

7.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on January 27, 2020 to February 17, 2020 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, except and holidays and February 18, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Thirty Eight Thousand Pesos (P 38,000.00) It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission of their bids.

8.

The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on February 4, 2020 10:00 a.m. at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan, which shall be open to all interested parties.

9.

Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before 9:30 a.m. (PST) of February 18, 2020 at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on 10:00 a.m. (PST) of February 18, 2020 at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

10. All particulars relative to the eligibility screening, bid security, performance security, pre-bid conference/s, evaluation of bids, post qualification and award of contracts shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of RA 9184 and its revised IRR. 11. The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

12. For further information, please refer to: BAC Secretariat/s;

NIA – Region 3, Tambubong,

San Rafael, Bulacan

Tel No. (044) 766-4839 and 816-8608 (SGD.) VIRGILIO J. ILAO BAC – Chairperson Noted by: (SGD.) JOSEPHINE B. SALAZAR Regional Manager

Financial statements of branch offices of foreign corporations licensed to do business in the Philippines by the Commission shall comply with the requirements of this Rule unless otherwise determined by the Commission as not applicable.

8. Corporations which do not meet the threshold stated in item no. 7 herein, may submit their Annual Financial Statements accompanied by a duly notarized Treasurer’s Certification only (rather than an Auditor’s Report).

II. GENERAL INFORMATION SHEET (GIS)

Stock Corporations – date of actual annual stockholders’ meeting Non-Stock Corporations – date of actual annual members meeting Foreign Corporations – anniversary date of the issuance of the SEC License.

All filers of GIS and AFS, regardless of the number of reports to be filed at SEC, complying with the circularized SEC-issued number coding schedule (for AFS only) may choose to avail of any of the following options: a). SEC Express Nationwide Submission (SENS) with the following procedures:  Filer downloads SEC Express Nationwide Submission Checklist and Undertaking Form (SENS Form)  Filer accomplishes and signs SENS Form  Filer attaches checklist with signed undertaking to each report to be submitted  Filer encloses the documents and accomplished checklist with undertaking in an envelope  Filer proceeds to the nearest courier area of their choice for his offsite submission and pay the service fee and courier fee  Courier delivers the receiving copy to filer within the agreed period of time b). Any Courier/Regular Mail with no return copy of reports submitted:  Filer downloads SEC Express Nationwide Submission Checklist and Undertaking Form (SENS Form)  Filer accomplishes and signs SENS Form  Filer attaches checklist with signed undertaking to each report to be submitted  Filer encloses the documents and accomplished checklist with undertaking in an envelope  Filer proceeds to courier of his choice or post office The reckoning date of submission of GIS and AFS through courier is the date the courier has actually sent or delivered the filed reports to the SEC. All other circulars, memoranda and implementing rules and regulations that may be inconsistent with the foregoing provisions shall be deemed modified or amended accordingly.

(PambansangPangasiwaan ng Patubig) Regional Office No.III

Office Address : Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan Telephone Nos. : (044) 766-2467, 766-4839, 816-6808 Website : www.region3.nia.gov.ph

1.

The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3, hereby invites all interested Phil-GEPS registered contractors to bid for the project, through the General Appropriations Act of CY 2020, intends to apply the sum of Fifty Five Million Eight Hundred Ninety Six Thousand Twenty Six Pesos and 66/100 (P 55,896,026.66) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) for the contract for NIAR3-2020- TAR-CAMRIS-4. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2. Bidders must secure Site Inspection Certificate from IMO Office as a technical requirement for Eligibility and Technical Document (Envelop A). Non-compliance will be a ground for disqualification.

3. Only those who submitted Document Request List (DRL) from PhilGEPS including updated company profile by the owner or its authorized liaison officer, will be accepted to participate in the bidding.

4.

5.

The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 now invites bids for Improvement of Canal System of Camiling River Irrigation System, located in Camiling, Tarlac. Completion of the Works is required within Three Hundred (300) calendar days.

Bidders should have completed a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instruction to Bidders.

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

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

6.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday to Friday.

7. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on January 27, 2020 to February 17, 2020 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, except and holidays and February 18, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Fifty Five Thousand Pesos (P 55,000.00) It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission of their bids.

8.

9.

Rule 52.1.5.2 of the 2015 SRC IRR

For For the Commission: the Commission:

EMILIO B. AQUINO Chairman (MS-JAN. 30, 2020)

The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on February 4, 2020 10:00 a.m. at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan, which shall be open to all interested parties.

Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before 9:30 a.m. (PST) of February 18, 2020 at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on 10:00 a.m. (PST) of February 18, 2020 at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

10. All particulars relative to the eligibility screening, bid security, performance security, pre-bid conference/s, evaluation of bids, post qualification and award of contracts shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of RA 9184 and its revised IRR.

THE Department of the Interior and Local Government on Wednesday said it was high time to reform the 1987 Constitution to reflect the pressing needs of Filipinos and help solve problems besetting the country.

Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said the passage of the 1987 Constitution, approved to ease the plight of lowly Filipinos, only worsened the current state of Philippine society.

In a briefing for the legislative heads of senators’ offices, Malaya appealed to senators to support the political, electoral, social, and economic reforms being pushed by the Cabinet-level body created by President Rodrigo Duterte last year to coordinate the government’s constitutional reform agenda.

Proposition by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Constitutional Reforms chaired by DILG Secretary Eduardo Año includes the self-executing ban on political dynasties in the Constitution that meet opposition from congressmen. Francisco Tuyay

(PambansangPangasiwaan ng Patubig) Regional Office No.III

Office Address : Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan Telephone Nos. : (044) 766-2467, 766-4839, 816-6808 Website : www.region3.nia.gov.ph

Email Address: niar03@yahoo.com Telefax No. (044) 766-2467 TIN No. 000-979-570-000

Invitation to Bid Improvement of Diversion Works and Canal System of TASMORIS Area ITB No. NIAR3-2020-TAR-TASMORIS-2 1. The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3, hereby invites all interested Phil-GEPS registered contractors to bid for the project, through the General Appropriations Act of CY 2020, intends to apply the sum of Fifty Six Million One Hundred Twenty Eight Thousand Two Hundred Eighty Eight Pesos and 24/100 (P 56,128,288.24) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) for the contract for NIAR3-2020-TAR-TASMORIS-2. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2. Bidders must secure Site Inspection Certificate from IMO Office as a technical requirement for Eligibility and Technical Document (Envelop A). Non-compliance will be a ground for disqualification.

3. Only those who submitted Document Request List (DRL) from PhilGEPS including updated company profile by the owner or its authorized liaison officer, will be accepted to participate in the bidding.

4. The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 now invites bids for Improvement of Diversion Works and Canal System of TASMORIS Area, located in Tarlac City, Tarlac . Completion of the Works is required within Three Hundred Fifty (350) calendar days. Bidders should have completed a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instruction to Bidders.

5.

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

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

6. Interested bidders may obtain further information from NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday to Friday.

7. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on January 28, 2020 to February 17, 2020 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, except and holidays and February 18, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Fifty Six Thousand Pesos (P 56,000.00) It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission of their bids.

8. The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on February 4, 2020 10:00 a.m. at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan, which shall be open to all interested parties.

9.

Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before 9:30 a.m. (PST) of February 18, 2020 at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on 10:00 a.m. (PST) of February 18, 2020 at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

10. All particulars relative to the eligibility screening, bid security, performance security, pre-bid conference/s, evaluation of bids, post qualification and award of contracts shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of RA 9184 and its revised IRR. 11. The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

12. For further information, please refer to: BAC Secretariat/s;

NIA – Region 3, Tambubong,

San Rafael, Bulacan

Tel No. (044) 766-4839 and 816-8608

(SGD.) VIRGILIO J. ILAO BAC – Chairperson Noted by: (SGD.) JOSEPHINE B. SALAZAR Regional Manager

At a hearing by the panel chaired by Manila Rep. Manny Lopez, Quezon City Rep. Anthony Peter Crisologo moved that the TWG and the MMDA submit weekly reports.

“So that while the law is being crafted—I think there are House bills being crafted—we can actually move side by side... This way, we can do parallel moves, while the House crafts the bill, the TWG is moving,” Crisologo said.

Crisologo said the report would be useful in drafting the regulations to guarantee public safety.

Maricel V. Cruz

DILG wants reform in Constitution

Invitation to Bid Improvement of Canal System of Camiling River Irrigation System ITB No. NIAR3-2020-TAR-CAMRIS-4

12. For further information, please refer to: BAC Secretariat/s;

NIA – Region 3, Tambubong,

San Rafael, Bulacan

Tel No. (044) 766-4839 and 816-8608

1

Email Address: niar03@yahoo.com Telefax No. (044) 766-2467 TIN No. 000-979-570-000

Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Manila, Philippines.

A COMMITTEE at the House of Representatives on Wednesday required transportation authorities to submit weekly reports on the operation of motorcycle taxis.

The House Committee on Metro Manila Development ordered the Department of Transportation’s technical working group and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority to report to the panel, on a weekly basis, data on motorcycle taxis including the arrest of drivers, compliance with requirements of the operators as well as the number of units and drivers of motorcycle taxi operators.

Republika ng Pilipinas

11. The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

Determining motorcycle taxi operations

National Irrigation Administration

This Memorandum Circular shall be published in two newspapers of general circulation.

21 January 2020.

GOVERNMENT agents have seized more than P58 million worth of smuggled and counterfeit cigarettes during a raid in Caloocan City.

A team from the Bureau of Customs, Coast Guard and National Police intercepted nine trucks loaded with 1,670 master cases of cigarette product brands as Marvels, Fortune, D & B, Mighty and Jackpot.

The raid, conducted in close coordination with officials of Barangay 168 in Caloocan, was made after Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero signed and issued the Letter of Authority and Mission Order against the illegal shipment.

“Nine trucks parked in Barangay 168 Caloocan were inspected, uncovering 1,670 master cases of cigarettes believed to be counterfeits while some were smuggled into the country,” the Customs - Public Information Office said in a statement Wednesday.

The bureau formed a team to investigate the case. Joel E. Zurbano

Republika ng Pilipinas

III. ALL REPORTS All corporations may directly file their AFS and GIS in SEC Head Office, PICC Building, all Satellite Offices (Ali Mall-Cubao Quezon City, SM Manila, SM North EDSA, Robinson’s Galleria, Muntinlupa City Hall and SM Mall of Asia) and Extension Offices (Cebu, Davao and Iloilo) applying the SEC issued number coding schedule for AFS.

(MS-JAN. 30, 2020)

Authorities seize P58m worth of smuggled items

National Irrigation Administration

1. All corporations shall file their GIS within 30 calendar days from: a. b. c.

Email Address: niar03@yahoo.com Telefax No. (044) 766-2467 TIN No. 000-979-570-000

Invitation to Bid Improvement of Main Canal of Camiling River Irrigation System ITB No. NIAR3-2020-TAR-CAMRIS-3

nand Marcos. Review of onerous contracts must not be left to the unilateral discretion of Malacañang,” stated Colmenares.

According to Dominguez, Chevron will rent the property for 50 years at P0.74 per square meter instead of P17.90 per square meter.

In 44 years, Chevron has only paid P146.51 million or P3 million every year for the lease of the property, said Dominguez. He noted that the value of the land in the current market would reach P4.9 billion until P5.3 billion and thus its lease price should reach P257.76 million annually.

To revoke its contract from Chevron, Dominguez said NDC wanted to shut down BLCI’s operation next year.

NDC is the government institution that manages BLCI which, if shut down, will shorten Chevron’s contract regarding the Batangas property to five years.

IN BRIEF

National Irrigation Administration

(c) Those whose AFS are being audited by the Commission on Audit (COA) provided that the following documents are attached to their AFS: (i)

Muna chairman Neri Colmenares.

Bayan Muna stood firm in its belief that Congress and not Malacañang should probe what Duterte considers as ‘onerous contracts’ to ensure the investigation would not favor businessmen considered as the President’s allies.

The statement was aired by Colmenares after Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III described as ‘onerous’ the contract entered into by the National Development Co. with Chevrpon Philippines (Caltex) for the lease of a 120-hectare property of the Batangas Land Co. Inc. in Batangas City which serves the company’s main depot.

“Congress must investigate these onerous contracts to identify those responsible for such one sided contracts and to make sure it does not go to cronies, just like what happened during the time of Pres. Ferdi-

(SGD.) VIRGILIO J. ILAO BAC – Chairperson Noted by:

(MS-JAN. 30, 2020)

(SGD.) JOSEPHINE B. SALAZAR Regional Manager

(MS-JAN. 30, 2020)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports Eala, partner advance to Aussie Open doubles semis GLOBE Ambassador and tennis prodigy Alexandra Eala bombed out in the singles’ competition of the 2020 Australian Open juniors tournament in Melbourne, but barged into the semifinals of the doubles’ category with Indonesian partner Priska Nugroho.

The 4thseeded Eala and Nugroho turned back the 7thseeded French duo of Droguet and Janicijevic, 7-6,(7-2) 6-2 to reach the last four of the season-opening Grand slam.

Eala and Nugroho trailed, Alexandra Eala 3-5, at the start of the 1st set, before turning on the heat the rest of the way.

They will next meet top seeds Kamilla Bartonbe, a Latvia/2019 US Open doubles’ champion, and Czech Linda Fruhvirtova.

Eala earlier booted out Julie Belgraver in three sets to book a place in the third round of singles, where she fell to 16th seed Yi Cody of Hong Kong, 1-6, 3-6.

Eala beat her French rival, 6-0, 3-6, 6-1 to crash the third round of the grand slam tournament for the first time in her promising career.

The 14-year-old tennis sensation, a Globe ambassador since 2016, overcame a big comeback by Belgraver in the second set by pouncing on her rival’s unforced errors in the deciding set for the breakthrough win.

Eala, a Rafa Nadal Academy scholar, has surpassed her second round result in last year’s US Open juniors event.

Patrombon, Anasta roll past PPS foes JESON Patrombon and Vicente Anasta dispatched their first two rivals in emphatic fashion to cruise into the quarterfinal round of the PPS-PEPP Fr. F. Suarez Open Tennis Championship at the Villa Aurora Tennis Club in Cebu City Tuesday.

The top seeded Patrombon, seeking his first major title after a gold medal feat in the men’s doubles with Casey Alcantara in the 30th SEA Games last month, crushed Axel Bohon, 6-0, 6-0, in the first round then smothered Alejandro Barrientos, 6-1, 6-2, to arrange a Last 8 clash with Venz Alforque.

The Cebuano bet emerged as the lone unranked player in the quarters following a 6-2 (ret.) win over No. 8 Mari Altiche but he will need more than a break to topple Patrombon for a berth in the Final Four of the event presented by Dunlop.

Anasta, who gained the No. 2 ranking from multi-titled Johnny Arcilla, eased out Kyle Velasquez, 6-2, 6-2, then repulsed rising star John David Velez, 6-3, 6-7(3), 10-2, to set up a quarters duel with No. 7 Norman Enriquez, who routed Joemah Bautista, 6-0, 6-1, and thwarted Alberto Villamor, 7-6(4), 6-3.

Also moving into contention for the crown worth P40,000 in the event, put up by Palawan Pawnshop Palawan Express Pera Padala headed by president/ CEO Bobby Castro, are No. 4 Fritz Verdad, sixth ranked Leander Lazaro, No. 5 Joshua Kinaadman and Arcilla.

Verdad overpowered Elijah Garcia, 6-1, 6-0, then survived Jordan Cimafranca, 6-2, 1-6, 10-8; Lazaro scored a walkover win over Ian Martin and advanced with 1-0 (ret.) triumph over Roy Tan; Kinaadman bundled out Deo Sensal, 6-0, 6-1, then held off Bryan Saarenas, 7-6(4), 6-4; and Arcilla blasted Eric Longakit, 6-0, 6-1, and Vinz Lominoque, 6-3, 6-1.

Meanwhile, Patrombon and Anasta also moved into the quarters of the men’s doubles with walkover win over Lemuel Garbosa and Mboy Malones with No. 2 Lazardo and Verdad foiling Alforque and Ryan Repunte, 6-4, 7-6(4), in the lower half of the draw.

Others who advanced were Barrientos-Saarenas, Altiche-Kinaadman, Enriquez-Francis Hidalgo, CimafrancaVillamor, Arcilla-Arthur Pantino, Lazaro-Verdad and Lominoque-Christian Tiongko.

A7

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

PSC intensifies backing for Diaz T HE Philippine Sports Commission is reiterating its support for the effort of 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

This was after her three-gold medal finish at the 2020 Weightlifting World Cup in Rome, Italy on Tuesday.

The said win gave Diaz a fighting chance to qualify at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games, which will be held from July 24 to August 9.

The Philippine weightlifting superstar topped the women’s 55-kilogram division after she lifted 93 kilograms in the snatch, 119 kilograms in clean and jerk for a total lift of 212 kilograms.

Diaz overcame Ukrainian Kamila Konotop (196kg) and Nouha Landoulsi of Tunisia (194kg), which settled for a silver and a bronze medal, respectively.

“We are supporting her in her efforts to qualify for the Olympics. She is one of those athletes on whom we are anchoring our dreams for Olym-

pic gold. Congratulations Hidilyn!”

PSC Chairman William Ramirez said.

“We are very proud of her. We expected no less because we see her training and we know she can,” said the agency chief who expressed his confidence in the Zamboanga lass.

With Diaz’s latest feat, she now ranks no. 4 in the world women’s 55kg class, which gives her a good placing to qualify for the Olympiad for the 4th straight time.

Only the top 8 weightlifters in each division will have an outright berth at the 2020 Olympiad.

After Roma 2020, Diaz has now less than three months to prepare for her last Olympic qualifying tournament—the 2020 IWF Asian Championships, which will be held in Kazakhstan on April 16 to 25.

PSC Chairman William Ramirez with Hidilyn Diaz

Bacoor, Pampanga, Pasay win

Mikee Williams goes for a basket during Mighty Sports-Creative Pacific’s match with Beirut Sports Club late Tuesday in Dubai.

Patrick Arias Castillo

Mighty-Creative sweeps Dubai elims MIGHTY Sports-Creative Pacific threw the full weight of its might in the third quarter and coasted to a 91-77 win over last year’s runner-up Beirut Sports Club to top its group elims in the 31st Dubai International Basketball Championship late Tuesday at the Shabab Al Ahli Club in the United Arab Emirates.

Fil-Am Mikey Williams anchored that onslaught, scoring 11 of his team-high 22 points on a remarkable 6-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc as Mighty SportsCreative Pacific finished the Group B elims with a perfect 4-0 record.

Playing his finest game so far, the 6’1” Williams also produced four assists and the same number of rebounds in a performance that underscored the team’s desire to improve on its bronze medal finish last year.

The four-game sweep likewise gave the team, backed by Go for Gold, Discovery Primea and Gatorade an extra motivation going to the knockout quarterfinals

on Thursday.

The team, which takes a break Wednesday, battles the No. 4 squad of Group A. Coach Charles Tiu was hardly surprised with William’s solid all-around performance.

“Mikee once again proved he’s a streak shooter. He caught fire when we need it badly. Another good win for us,” Tiu said.

While Williams was knocking in treys with wild abandon, barrel-chested import Renaldo Balkman imposed his will inside that saw the team co-owned by Alexander Wongchuking of Mighty Sports and Bong Cuevas of Creative Pacific erase a 37-36 halftime deficit on the way to taking a 69-54 advantage going into the payoff period.

“Everybody played well tonight, especially Mikee. He was simply hot,” said Wongchuking.

Balkman tallied 20 points, four rebounds and two assists that more than

made up for his two turnovers while Andray Blatched had a quiet 12-point, 13-rebound show.

The Lebanese did try to stage a comeback but McKenzie Moore exploded just in time, scoring seven straight points to help Mighty Sports-Creative Pacific seal the deal, 85-70, with a little over two minutes left in the game.

Moore, who also played a key role in Mighty Sports’ title sweep of the Jones Cup last year, chipped in 14 points off the bench.

The scores: MIGHTY SPORTS-CREATIVE 91 − Williams 22, Balkman 20, Moore 14, Blatche 12, Malonzo 10, Kendrick 6, Ravena 5, Go 2, Yeo 0, Ju. Gomez de Liano 0, Ildefonso 0, Belga BEIRUT SC 77 −Johnson 30, Rustom 19, Hawkins 11, Mehzer 5, Chamoun 5, Ezzaddine 3, Aboud 2, Ziade 2, Abdel Masih 0 Quarters: 21-24, 36-37, 69-54, 91-77.

BACOOR, Pampanga and Pasay continued their surge in the Chooks-to-Go MPBL Lakan Season Tuesday night at Cuneta Astrodome.

The Bacoor Strikers struck in the homestretch to squeak past the Bulacan Kuyas, 78-76, and post their eighth straight win.

The Pampanga Giant Lanterns, on the other hand, erected a 16-point wall before coasting to an 88-77 conquest of Cebu Casino Ethyl Alcohol, their sixth in a row.

In contrast, the Pasay Voyagers never let up in a 79-61 conquest of Makati Super Crunch to tally their third consecutive victory.

With a 23-5 record, the Strikers are now assured of a top two finish in the South division as they closed in on the Davao Occidental Tigers (22-4).

Though they led by as big as 45-29, the Strikers, playing without main man Gab Banal, fell dangerously behind at 71-66.

Michael Mabulac, however, scored five and Dennis Canete added three to push the Strikers back on top, 74-71.

The Kuyas, who tumbled to sixth spot at 18-10, have a chance to reverse the outcome, but JR Taguines muffed his triple attempt with only one second left.

Banking on Levi Hernandez, John Dexter Maiquez and Michael Juico, the Giant Lanterns yielded the lead to the Sharks for only 20 seconds and caught up with the Bataan Risers at fourth spot in the North division, where both have 19-9 slates.

Hernandez fired 21 points, Juico contributed 15 points plus 13 rebounds, and Maiquez 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Giant Lanterns being handled by Bong Ramos.

Cebu dropped to 13-14 despite the 17-point, 17-rebound effort of William McAloney and needs to sweep its last three games to remain in contention for the eighth and last playoff slot in the South.

Perez is topscorer; Fajardo best rebounder; Castro top point guard

Columbian Dyip’s CJ Perez: PBA topscorer

MILAN—Columbian Dyip super rookie CJ Perez, San Miguel Beer ace behemoth June Mar Fajardo and TNT KaTropa chief playmaker Jayson Castro were among the leaders in key stats categories of the Philippine Basketball Association Season 44.

Perez emerged as the scoring champ, Fajardo was the rebounding king, while Castro beat all comers in playmaking--no wonder, they’re among the contenders for the coveted season MVP plum along with NorthPort’s Christian Standhardinger.

Ginebra’s Stanley Pringle, NorthPort’s Sean Anthony and NLEX’s Poy Erram also made marks in the season as champs in other key statistical departments.

Perez, the top draft selection from Lyceum University, performed as a grizzled warrior and topped the scoring race with an average of 20.8 points per game.

The 6’1” slasher/shooter showed his scoring prowess even with Gilas Pilipinas in the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China. In his topnotch rookie year in the

PBA, he became another young star to win the scoring honors after Terrence Romeo from 2015 to 2017, then Pringle in 2018.

Phoenix Pulse gunner Matthew Wright (18.89 ppg), Fajardo (18.87) and Bobby Ray Parks were close second, third and fourth, respectively, followed

by Pringle at fifth (17.0).

The next five were RR Pogoy (16.6), Anthony (16.4), Troy Rosario (15.3), Castro (15.2) then Ian Sangalang (15.1).

Fajardo, meanwhile, easily restamped his class in tending the boards, snaring 13.0 rebounds per game. A far second was Sangalang (8.5), followed

by Raymond Almazan (8.0), Erram (7.8) and Anthony (7.6).

Castro was the barometer in dishing out assists with 6.1 per outing. Runners-up were Chris Ross (5.4), Scottie Thompson (5.0), Chris Banchero (4.89) and Robert Bolick (4.88).

Aside from being right there among the tops in scoring and rebounding, Anthony also marked his rock-solid season

with his season-best 2.4 steals per game, topping former steals champ Ross (2.2).

Then, there’s the rise of Erram as the sultan of swats with 2.1 per outing, outperforming Japeth Aguilar (1.6), Fajardo (1.5), Almazan (1.3) and Arwind Santos (1.2).

The top guns from beyond the arc were Pringle (2.42), Pogoy (2.34), Rashawn McCarthy (2.3), Wright (2.24), Marcio Lassiter (2.17), LA Tenorio (2.15), Parks (2.13), Simon Enciso (2.083), Rosario (2.080), Baser Amer (2.07) and Paul Lee (2.06).

In terms of percentage, the deadliest were Philip Paniamogan (40.8 percent), Von Pessumal (40.6 percent) and Rey Nambatac (40.2 percent).

Top from the line were Amer (87.5), Tenorio (86.3) and Lee (85.9).

Pringle, Perez and Parks were the most exposed as they all played at least 37 minutes per game.

The most error-prone were Wright (3.4), Fajardo (3.2), McCarthy (3.12), Moala Tautuaa (3.11) and Perez (3.0).

Sports

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

A8

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020

Grieving Hayward lifts Celts past Heat MIAMI, United States—Kobe Bryant’s hometown NBA club, the Philadelphia 76ers, paid tribute to the Los Angeles Lakers legend Tuesday (Wednesday Philippine time) while heartbroken players tried to cope with the five-time NBA champion’s death.

Bryant died Sunday at age 41 in a helicopter crash along with eight other people, including his daughter Gigi, devastating players and fans worldwide.

“It has been really hard to play, really hard to focus,” said Boston playmaker Gordon Hayward. “He meant so much to us in the league and across basketball.

“Words can’t describe how I think we all feel. It’s a tragedy.”

Hayward scored a game-high 29 points and Jaylen Brown added 25 to lead the Celtics over Miami 109-101, only the Heat’s third home loss of the year.

The NBA postponed the Lakers’ home game scheduled Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers in the wake of Bryant’s death, which came just hours after Lakers star LeBron James had overtaken Bryant for third on the NBA all-time scoring list.

“He’s tore up,” ex-teammate Dwyane Wade said of pal James, noting the superstar wanted people to know that “all of us were trying to do our very best to make him proud of us – we were just trying to put ourselves on Kobe’s level.

“He stopped the Earth for a day. No one moved. No one did anything. That was how it felt.”

At Philadelphia, the 76ers displayed Bryant’s number 33 Lower Merion High School jersey, showed nine lights in a darkened arena in tribute to each crash victim, had a 33-second moment of silence and a video tribute for Bryant before defeating Golden State 115-104.

Cameroonian center Joel Embiid, back for the 76ers after missing three weeks with a torn finger ligament on his left hand, wore number 24 as a tribute to Bryant and scored 24 points while pulling down 10 rebounds.

Brazilian guard Raul Neto came off the Sixers’ bench to score 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, hitting 3-of-5 from 3-point range. AFP

SBP appoints Dickel interim Gilas coach TNT KaTropa coaching consultant and two-time Olympian Mark Dickel has been tasked to lead the campaign of Gilas Pilipinas Men for the upcoming first window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers as Interim Head Coach.

The Philippines will open its campaign with a home game against 2019 Southeast Asian Games silver medalist Thailand on February 20, followed by a road game against Indonesia at the Britama Arena in Jakarta on February 23.

“In his short stint in the Philippines, Coach Mark has performed creditably well”, said Manny V Pangilinan, Chairman Emeritus of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).

In his young PBA career that started in the 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup, Dickel was able to help the TNT KaTropa end their five-conference absence from the Finals during the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup. The 24-man pool of Gilas Pilipinas Men for the upcoming window includes three members of the KaTropa in RR Pogoy, Troy Rosario, and Ray Parks.

“We want to hit the ground running for the upcoming 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers,” said Pangilinan. “We all know what he did to help TNT in such a short span and we’re confident he can also move things quickly as we prepare for the first window this February.”

Aside from the three TNT players, also included in the pool are Kiefer Ravena and Poy Erram from NLEX, Christian Standhardinger from NorthPort, Japeth Aguilar from Ginebra, CJ Perez from Columbian, Mac Belo from Blackwater, and Matthew Wright from Phoenix.

Adding youth to the team are recent PBA draftees Isaac Go, Matt and Mike Nieto, Rey Suerte, and Allyn Bulanadi along with Justine Baltazar, Dave Ildefonso, Thirdy Ravena, Kobe Paras, Juan and Javi Gomez de Liano, Jaydee Tungcab, and Dwight Ramos.

Gordon Hayward (20) of the Boston Celtics handles the ball during a game against the Miami Heat on January 28, 2020 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. AFP

NBA mourns Kobe at empty arena Koepka L laments OS ANGELES, United States—Grief-stricken NBA legends from Jerry West and Shaquille O’Neal to Dwyane Wade and Charles Barkley were in tears Tuesday (Wednesday Philippine time) as they mourned Kobe Bryant at an empty Staples Center arena.

Superstars wept while sitting around center court, their raw emotions on display in an hour-long televised tribute to Los Angeles Lakers legend Bryant, who died Sunday at age 41 in a helicopter crash in a haunting moment for all.

“Haven’t felt a pain that sharp in a while,” said O’Neal, a teammate of Bryant on three championship teams. “It was sort of like a triple stabbing to the heart.

“The fact we lost probably the world’s greatest Laker, the world’s greatest basketball player, it’s going to be hard to get over it.”

The Lakers’ game scheduled Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers was postponed by the league in the wake of Bryant’s death, which left players devastated and inspired heartbroken fans to build a shrine of items outside the arena to honor Bryant.

“This is a sad city right now,” said West, the 81-year-old former Lakers guard and executive who brought Bryant to LA at 17 and played a fatherly role.

“Saddest day of my life. I don’t know if I can get over this. I really don’t.”

Instead of a raucous crowd cheering on both local clubs, the arena was dark and silent and deep with sorrow.

“This is tough. I’m broken. I really am broken,” said retired guard Reggie Miller, who compared Bryant’s passing to that of Michael Jackson and Lady Diana.

“We’re in the middle of a shake moment – we’re all shook. These emotions, these tears, they are real, and in my lifetime there are only so many shake moments.”

Former Miami star guard Wade, who idolized Bryant even as he played against him, struggled to cope.

“I’ve been in shock for two days and this is the first moment where it feels real.

I’m shaking. I’m numb,” Wade said.

“It’s OK to be hurt. It’s OK to cry. It’s OK to share laughter. It’s OK to have emotion. It’s OK to get together and talk about memories.”

The conversation became therapy for sad players and NBA fans, O’Neal at times in tears over words he longed to tell Bryant but never will.

“It just makes me think that in life, instead of holding back certain things, we should just do,” O’Neal said.

“It definitely changes me. I just have to take time to call and say I love you. I’m going to try and do a better job of talking to people instead of procrastinating.”

“Shaq” only briefly noted the feud that kept him at odds with Bryant for years, but said Bryant was like his brother and added, “You’re going to have times when things don’t always go smooth, but the respect is always there.”

O’Neal recalled first meeting Bryant, when teen Kobe boldly predicted, “I’m going to be the best player in the world and off the court I’m going to be bigger than (actor) Will Smith.” AFP

Zverev reaches Aussie Open semis MELBOURNE, Australia—German young gun Alexander Zverev stormed into his first Grand Slam semi-final on Wednesday, rallying from a set down to shatter the dreams of veteran Stan Wawrinka at the Australian Open.

The seventh seed was thumped in the first set but recovered to grind down the 2014 champion 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in hot sun on Rod Laver Arena.

He will face either world number one Rafael Nadal or Austrian fifth seed Dominic Thiem in the last four, with a final beckoning against Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer.

“It feels awesome,” said Zverev who has been donating $10,000 for each win at Melbourne Park to Australian bushfire relief, and will even hand over the Aus$4.12 million ($2.78 million) winner’s check if he clinches the title.

“I’ve done well at other tournaments and in other matches but could never break that barrier in Grand Slams.

You can’t imagine what this means to me.

“It hope it will be the first of many.”

Big things have been tipped for Zverev since he burst into the top 10 in 2017, but until now the 22-year-old has not fully delivered, slipping down the rankings last year to seven from four at

the start of the season.

But after a poor build-up to the year’s opening Major at the ATP Cup, where he lost all three matches, he worked hard on the practice court and has been in fine touch to finally make a Grand Slam last four at his 19th attempt.

His serve, a key focus of his extended practices, was a weapon once again against 34-year-old three-time Grand Slam champion Wawrinka.

He fired 13 aces against just one double fault, with a first-serve percentage of

80 percent.

It was Wawrinka who came out of the blocks firing, putting immediate pressure on the Zverev serve, getting his returns back to break straight away when the German netted a half-volley.

Zverev won just four points in the opening three games as he struggled to get the measure of Wawrinka, and he was broken again when he shanked a forehand high into the crowd.

The German finally held to get himself on the scoreboard but the Swiss was moving and serving well, unleashing some crunching groundstrokes to Germany’s Alexander Zverev hits a return against Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka during their match at the take the set in just Australian Open. AFP 24 minutes. AFP

Bryant’s death KING ABDULLAH ECONOMIC CITY, Saudi Arabia— World number one Brooks Koepka says he cried after hearing about Kobe Bryant’s fatal helicopter crash on Sunday—despite never having met the basketball legend.

The American put up a touching Instagram post following the death of the former Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard.

“I was a Lakers fan because of him,” Koepka said on Tuesday ahead of this week’s Saudi International at the Royal Greens Golf Club outside Jeddah.

“I kind of missed the (Michael) Jordan era, so I think anybody my age was a big, big Kobe fan. I mean, I cried that night.

“I’ve never met him but I cried for him, his family and everybody that was gone,” Koepka added.

“I get goosebumps now thinking about it. I just can’t imagine those last few seconds, having to hold your daughter and not know and not see the rest of your family again.

“It made you really appreciate life and what you have, and golf’s a stupid game that we just play.

It’s really not that important.

“I know everybody likes to think it is, but it’s not.

“Your family, your friends, everybody around you, the impact you might have on other people is way more important than what I do out here and what I shoot.

“If I shoot 80 on Thursday, or 60, it doesn’t matter.”

Bryant 41, was travelling Sunday with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other passengers and crew when the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter slammed into a rugged hillside in thick fog in Calabasas, northwest of Los Angeles. There were no survivors. AFP

Severino, Infiesto rule Chooks-To-Go National Rapid Chess ASIAN Para Games champion Fide Master Sander Severino outdueled Sherwin Tiu in the seventh round and final round to capture the Open crown in the third Chooks-to-Go National Rapid Chess Championship last weekend.

International Arbiter and Fide trainer James Infiesto, coach of Severino, made it a double for the Para Games team by topping the executive division.

In other categories youthful Eric Labog Jr.of University of Perpetual Help System Dalta (UPHSD) in Las Pinas City won the junior class while Far Eastern UniversityFERN College in Diliman, Quezon City bet Oscar Joseph Cantela nipped Lemm-

uel Jay Adena in the tiebreak for the kiddies plum.

The 34-year-old Silay City, Negros Occidental ace Severino finished with 6.5 points and clinched the title in the Open section of the one-day Fide rapid event.

Tiu finished tied from 2nd to 4th with 13-time Philippine Open champion Grandmaster Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. and 2018 Olympiad qualifier Fide Master Mari Joseph Turqueza with 6 points.

Tied from 5th to 11th with 5.5 points were the country’s lone woman grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna, International Masters Daniel Quizon, Jan Emmanuel Garcia, Paulo Bersamina and Ronald

Dableo and Fide Masters Nelson “Elo” Mariano III, and Austin Jacob Literatus.

The event was hosted by the Philippine Executive Chess Association president Dr. Alfredo “Fred” Paez and Rotary Club of Nuvali president Christopher Sarmiento and backed up by Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. president Ronald Daniel Ricaforte Mascariñas.

The tournament was held in cooperation with the Paranaque City government, Ayala Malls and National Chess Federation of the Philippines chairman/pressident Rep. Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr. In the executive division, the 51-yearold Infiesto from Davao City scored six

points to win this year’s title. His closest rivals Arena Grandmaster Robert Arellano, United States chess master Arjoe Loanzon and Information Technology expert Joselito Cada at second to fourth places, respectively in the scheduled seven-round Swiss System format.

Arellano, Loanzon and Cada wound-up with 5.5 points apiece while Gary Abano completed the top five list with a superior tie break points in the group of five pointers that includes National Master Efren Bagamasbad Jr., Cyrus Donasco and Deoferio Vehemente Jr. “I’m elated with the victory,” said Infiesto.

IN BRIEF

PH bides time in free US trade agreement THE Philippines is taking its time before pushing for a meeting with US negotiators to continue the discussions over a proposed free trade agreement.

The discussions are still limited to exploratory talks.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the Philippine team was aware of the internal processes that the US needed to prioritize despite an open declaration from the US Trade Representative that the Philippines was next in line for the FTA. “They know our interest is there so we’re making the big push, for now. They know we are here, we’ve been waiting and that we are prepared to start the discussions anytime,” Lopez said.

He added the FTA was the reason why the Philippine was striving hard to conclude the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with the US. The Philippines is not sure if the lukewarm response to Philippine-US FTA is the general mood in the US Congress.

“That’s why we have to leave it up to them (US), their own politics. The USTR will have to deal with that, particularly if they are confident with the Congress,” said Lopez. Othel V. Campos

NEA welcomes higher electrification budget THE National Electrification Administration on Wednesday welcomed the P768million budget increase on electrification projects under this year’s General Appropriations Act. NEA administrator Edgardo Masongsong said the national government subsidy for rural electrification increased P768 million to P2.299 billion in the 2020 GAA from P1.531 billion in the National Expenditure Program.

“The additional funding and the provision of emergency fund for electric cooperatives in the aftermath of calamities are a recognition of the key role that rural electrification plays in spurring social and economic growth, creating employment, and improving the living conditions of Filipinos in the countryside,” Masongsong said in a statement.

A bigger portion of the subsidy equivalent to P1.398 billion was appropriated for the implementation of the second phase of the Sitio Electrification Program, slightly higher from NEP’s P1.162 billion for SEP. Alena Mae S. Flores

Business BDO sells P40.1b worth of bonds on big demand

By Julito G. Rada

B

DO UNIBANK Inc., the country’s biggest lender controlled by the Sy family, successfully raised P40.1 billion of fixed-rate bonds, or eight times the original offer of P5.0 billion, on robust demand from retail and institutional investors.

The one-week offering period ended on Jan. 24, 2020, with the issue date set on Feb. 3, 2020.

The bank said in a statement the bonds would have a tenor of 2.5 years with a yield of 4.408 percent a year. Interest will be paid quarterly, calculated on a 30/360 count basis.

“The bond issuance is part of BDO’s continuing efforts to diversify its funding sources and support its lending activities, and follows the P35-billion of fixed-rate bonds issued in February last year,” it said.

The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp. Ltd. was the sole lead arrang-

er for the issue, while BDO Unibank, BDO Private Bank Inc. and HSBC were the selling agents.

BDO is a full-service universal bank which provides a wide range of corporate and retail banking services. These services include traditional loan and deposit products, as well as treasury, trust and investments, investment banking, private banking, rural banking, cash management, leasing and finance, remittance, insurance, retail cash cards, credit card services and stock brokerage services.

BDO has one of the largest distribution networks, with over 1,400 operating branches and over 4,400 ATMs nationwide. It also has full-service branches in Hong Kong and Singapore as well as 20 overseas remittance and representative offices in Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle East.

BDO ranked as the largest bank in terms of total assets, loans, deposits and trust funds under management based on published statements of condition as of Sept. 30, 2019.

BDO’s net income in the first nine months of 2019 jumped 49.3 percent to

P32.1 billion from P21.5 billion a year ago, largely driven by the expansion in its recurring core revenues.

The three-quarter net profit translated into a return on common equity of 12.5 percent, significantly higher compared to 9.5 percent in the same period last year.

Customer loans increased 6 percent year-on-year to P2.1 trillion, led by the sustained growth in the middle-market and consumer segments. Meanwhile, total deposits rose 3 percent to P2.4 trillion, with low-cost current account/savings account or CASA deposits increasing by 6 percent and accounted for 72 percent of total deposits.

Net interest income increased year on year to P88.5 billion, with net interest margins further improving in the third quarter.

Non-interest income climbed to P44.1 billion, led by fee-based income and insurance premiums which accelerated 14 percent and 23 percent to P25.4 billion and P10.8 billion, respectively.

Trading and foreign exchange gains in the third quarter amounted to P690 million from P1.0 billion year-ago.

BIR-led tax innovation challenge off to a start FROM over hundreds of entries received for Hack-A-Tax Philippines, an innovation challenge to improve tax services launched in November last year, the most innovative proposals have been selected to complete the top 20 finalists.

The Hack-a-Tax Bootcamp kicked off on January 18, 2020, gathering the 20 shortlisted candidates coming from different regions across the Philippines. The teams were a mix of students and IT professionals who took the time to submit one-of-a-kind solutions to help improve taxpayer experience and transactions.

The top 20 finalists are Tax Aide (Northern Luzon), Wyvern Innovations-Onnet (Metro Manila), Yashua BIR-Men (Mindanao), STI College-Novaliches (Metro Manila), Nex Team (Metro Manila), BIR Mini App-Gorated (Metro Manila), Digitax (Metro Manila), Taxccelerate (Mindanao), Team Virtualandes (Visayas) and Tax Office (Metro Manila, Team Artax (Metro Manila), Third Channel (Metro Manila), ECTAX (Southern Luzon), eConnectors, Tax I.T., Tax Heroes (Southern Luzon), Tax Heroes (Southern Luzon), eKasilicon (Metro Manila), Juan Pos (Mindanao), BIzz App (Southern Luzon) and Easy Tax v1.0 (Metro Manila).

Local government units can avail of concessional funds FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said local government units can avail of concessional financing of up to 100 percent of project cost to enable them to implement their infrastructure and other development projects through three state-backed credit facilities.

Dominguez provided the League of Provinces of the Philippines, through its national chairman, Quirino Governor Dakila Carlo Cua, copies of the policy guidelines and documentary requirements of the loan facilities offered by the Land Bank of the Philippines, Development Bank of the Philippines and the Municipal Development Fund Office for LGUs. “The DOF stands ready to assist our LGUs in efficiently and effectively implementing their priority development projects that are crucial to the fulfillment of President Rodrigo Duterte’s primary goal of providing a safe, decent, and comfortable life for every law-abiding Filipino,” Dominguez said in a letter to Cua that described the features of these credit facilities available to LGUs. Dominguez, who is LandBank chairman, said LGUs could tap the LandBank’s Omnibus Term Loan Facility, which allows qualified LGUs to fund infrastructure and socio-economic projects that are listed in their approved Local Development Plan and Public Investment Program.

The OTLF eliminates the inconvenience and associated transaction cost in securing loan approval for every single project to be implemented, Dominguez said.

The LandBank applies a prescribed formula in computing the net debt service ceiling and borrowing capacity of the LGUs. Julito G. Rada

GLOBE 5G-POWERED BANK. Union Bank of the Philippines again becomes the first Philippine bank to launch a smart branch that leverages world-class 5G technology for seamless connectivity with IOT (Internet of Things)-enabled services. Teaming up with Globe Business, the enterprise arm of Globe Telecom Inc., UnionBank deployed 5G-grade connectivity at its Dasmariñas, Cavite branch—the first of its ARK 2.0 branches—for faster speeds, higher bandwidth, and a more stable internet connection.

Celebrating the partnership are (from left) Albert de Larrazabal, Globe chief commercial officer; Peter Maquera, Globe business senior vice president; Ernest Cu, Globe president and chief executive officer; Denis Omila, UnionBank executive vice president and chief information officer; Ryan Acosta, UnionBank head for infrastructure and service management; and Paulo Santos, UnionBank head of enterprise communication and collaboration.

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020

B1

Honasan says DITO on track to roll out telco services in July

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Department of Information and Communications Technology said on Wednesday DITO Telecommunity Corp., a joint venture of businessman Dennis Uy and China Telecoms, is on track to roll out telecom services by July this year.

“DICT was concerned about the capability of DITO to fulfill its commitments as July is six-months away,” DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan II said.

“However, based on our discussions, I am satisfied that given the updates by the three top executives, DITO is on its way to deliver on its promise of cheaper and more efficient service to the subscribing public,” he added.

Honasan called the meeting in view of the impending July 2020 government-mandated deadline for the initial commitments of the country’s third major telecommunications player.

Among the updates reported to DICT were tower building activities, secured deals for infrastructure development, construction updates on network operations centers, rollout of crucial infrastructure, as well as projected timetables.

“As we have been assuring the public, we are on track to meet our yearone commitment to the government and to the Filipino people to provide world-class telecommunications services,” DITO chief administrative officer Adel Tamano said.

Honasan advised DITO to keep the DICT abreast on all developments as the DICT is looking into ensuring that DITO delivers the promised 55mbps internet speed and the more than 80-percent coverage of the population within the mandated five-year period.

DITO Telecommunity in July received its certificate of public convenience and necessity from the National Telecommunications Commission to operate as the third major telco.

The company vowed to invest P257 billion over a five-year period, including P150 billion in its first year of operations.

The group committed to provide 27 megabits per second of internet speed in its first year, and 55 mbps in five years.

The company plans to cover 84 percent of the population in five years and 34 percent in its first year of operation.

DPWH upbeat on San Miguel’s proposal to extend NAIA Expressway THE Department of Public Works and Highways expects the National Economic and Development AuthorityInvestment Coordination Committee to approve the proposal of San Miguel Corp. to extend the NAIA Expressway to Taguig and Parañaque by the first quarter of 2020.

Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said the agency was awaiting the approval from NEDA-ICC on the proposal of San Miguel to extend the portion of the Naiax along Imelda Avenue in Parañaque and to Lawton Avenue in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.

“Hopefully, [NEDA] will approve it

by first quarter,” Villar said.

The project is seen to ease traffic on the Sales Bridge and lessen travel time from the Coastal Road, Airport Terminal 1,2 & 3, and SM Mall of Asia areas to BGC to just 10 minutes.

The project is also expected to decongest Magallanes and the Edsa-Pasay area.

Also included is the additional NAIAX ramps extension from the NAIA Terminal 1 and 2 areas all the way to SM Sucat, where it can link up with the C5 extension.

This will benefit motorists heading to Sucat, Las Piñas, and C5 who usually

spend anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour just getting out of gridlock along airport roads.

NAIA Expressway, which started operations in December 2016 is a 5.4-km, four-lane, elevated expressway, which connects the Skyway system to all three NAIA airport terminals and the Entertainment City of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

It provides access to NAIA Terminals 1, 2 and 3, as well as an interface with the Skyway and Cavitex. The NAIA Expressway alignment follows the road along Sales Avenue, Andrews Avenue, Electrical Road (Parañaque River) and

NAIA Road.

Besides NAIA Expressway, San Miguel operates the Tarlac-PangasinanLa Union Expressway, the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road, South Luzon Expressway and the Skyway System .

San Miguel is constructing the Skyway Stage 3, an 18.68-km, six-lane elevated expressway that will extend the Skyway from Buendia in Makati City to Balintawak, Quezon City and link the South Luzon Expressway to NLEX. The project aims to decongest major thoroughfares, including EDSA while creating new transport routes.

Darwin G. Amojelar

BioPower Group mulls over 200 MW of biomass power expansion projects

By Alena Mae S. Flores

DTI-TransUnion deal. The Department of Trade and Industry and TransUnion Philippines sign a data sharing agreement on January 29, 2020 in which DTI will provide publicly available data of business enterprises to TransUnion, the country’s largest credit bureau. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez (second from right) shakes hands with TransUnion Philippines president and chief executive officer Pia Arellano after signing the agreement.

THE BioPower Group, spearheaded

by Negros Island Biomass Holdings Inc. and funded by global investment firm ThomasLloyd, is planning a 200-megawatt biomass expansion project.

Don Mario Dia, BioPower director and treasurer, said the expansion hinged on the issuance by the government of a feed-in tariff for the three plants, which were completed last year in time for the deadline set by the Energy Department.

“We’re looking at about 200 MW (expansion). Different places,” Dia said.

He said the biomass plants would have a capacity of 20 MW to 30 MW

each, with estimated project cost of P3 billion to P4 billion per facility.

“We have written a letter already, pleading to expedite (the FIT) if they can push and allow... Give us the FIT and we will expand,” Dia said.

The BioPower Group last year completed its three biomass power plants fueled by sugarcane field residues in Negros island with a combined capacity of 70 megawatts and total investments of P16 billion.

The said three projects were waiting endorsement from the Energy Department to avail of the FIT. The FIT under the Renewable Energy Law of 2008 guarantees all eligible renewable energy plants to the applicable FIT for a period of 20 years.

B2

Business

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market dips; Cebu Air, Meralco fall T HE stock market slipped Wednesday in nervous trading, with some investors staying on the sidelines as the deadly corona virus claimed more lives in China.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index dropped 6.39 points, or 0.1 percent, to 7,462.31 on a value turnover of nearly P5 billion. Losers beat gainers, 118 to 69, with 42 issues unchanged.

Cebu Air Inc., which owns budget airline Cebu Pacific, fell 4 percent to P79.70, while Manila Electric Co., the biggest retailer of electricity, declined 2.5 percent to P275.

Security Bank Corp., the sixth-largest lender in terms of assets, shed 1.9 per-

cent to P183.50, but Manila Water Co. Inc. rose 3.9 percent to P10.70.

Hong Kong stocks, meanwhile, plunged Wednesday as investors in the city returned from their Lunar New Year break to a global panic over the deadly coronavirus, though most other Asian markets were lifted by bargain-buying after recent losses.

Healthy US data reinforced hopes for the global economic outlook and supported a rally across US and European markets, which provided a strong lead for Asia, while a record earnings report from Apple also helped the mood.

Hong Kong fell 2.6 percent as stocks dropped across the board, with airline Cathay Pacific losing more than three percent, casino operator Galaxy Entertainment diving more than six percent and property giant New World Development off more than four percent.

However, markets elsewhere in the region enjoyed a bounce with Tokyo ending up 0.7 percent, Sydney adding 0.5 percent, Seoul climbing 0.7 percent and Jakarta 0.2 percent higher.

Mumbai, Bangkok and Singapore were also up though there were dips in Wellington. Mainland markets’ Lunar New Year break, which was due to end Thursday, has been extended until Monday.

Still, the focus remains on developments in the virus outbreak—which has now killed at least 132 people and infected more people in China than SARS did 17 years ago—and concerns about the impact on the world economy.

Among the worst-hit sectors on global trading floors are firms linked to travel and tourism, as big-spending Chinese tourists stay at home with Beijing clamping down on people’s movement.

The outbreak carries echoes of the

SARS crisis, which paralyzed regional travel and battered local economies.

Chinese tourist numbers then fell by around a third.

The latest outbreak is expected to deal a massive blow to China’s already-fragile economy, coming during the Lunar New Year holidays when millions criss-cross the country and spend billions of dollars. It also comes just as data indicated some sort of stability in the economy after a long-running slowdown.

“We expected to see strong economic momentum in China before, but now the pace of growth may slow,” Banny Lam, at CEB International Investment, said.

“Markets will remain very volatile due to the uncertainty, and the swings won’t subside until we have clear evidence that the virus is fading. That may happen when the weather gets warmer in the summer.” With AFP

Manila Standard BuSineSS daily StockS review wedneSday, January 29, 2020

OPEN

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

83 153.5 0.88 25.25 18.02 11.9 4.29 0.39 64.6 0.78 33.95 178 54 21.95 186.5 1,855 62.5

83.3 156 0.88 25.3 18.48 11.92 4.5 0.395 64.8 0.84 34.05 178 57 22 186.6 1,856 63

82.05 152.6 0.88 25.1 18.02 11.84 4.1 0.38 62.85 0.76 32.2 177 54 21 182.1 1,850 62.2

FINANCIALS 83 1,661,830 154 1,767,460 0.88 66,000 25.2 290,000 18.48 1,100 11.84 300,900 4.32 406,000 0.38 620,000 64 1,701,980 0.84 206,000 32.2 413,800 177 50 54.6 1,030 22 53,400 183.5 1,140,890 1,850 550 62.3 54,740

137,671,092 272,360,304 58,080 7,293,700 20,098 3,570,324 1,755,090 239,800 108,459,590.50 157,750 13,516,645 8,877 56,300.50 1,138,815 209,370,596 1,018,085 3,428,141.50

-4,567,384.50 -45,224,503 12,475 -2,451,006 -57,600,724 -6,319,805 -610,925 -42,344,596 -49,770

ABOITIZ POWER AC ENERGY AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS AXELUM BASIC ENERGY CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CONCRETE A CROWN ASIA DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP EMPERADOR EUROMED FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG FRUITAS HLDG GINEBRA GREENERGY HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LIBERTY FLOUR LMG CHEMICALS MABUHAY VINYL MACAY HLDG MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO 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 VICTORIAS VITARICH VULCAN INDL

32.65 2.04 12.06 0.53 1.22 3.23 0.244 1.63 15.04 9.72 16.62 32.5 61.6 2.16 5 9 13 9.23 7.24 1.61 21.1 66.65 1.7 36.6 2.02 12.9 7.65 1.33 205.4 42 4.91 3.11 6.89 10.32 11 14.98 296 1.82 3.9 9.61 11.9 30.95 4.71 5.02 1.65 1.16 9.78 73.8 9.22 0.118 0.98 156.1 2.57 1.28 0.98

32.85 2.1 12.08 0.56 1.22 3.33 0.255 1.65 15.04 10.8 17.84 32.5 61.6 2.16 5 9.13 13 9.23 7.24 1.61 21.5 66.9 1.79 37.1 2.04 12.9 7.7 1.33 207 42 4.92 3.11 6.89 10.94 11.02 15.08 296 1.86 3.9 9.8 11.94 31 4.71 5.02 1.68 1.24 9.78 74.85 9.39 0.118 1.02 156.3 2.57 1.32 1.05

32.05 2.04 12 0.53 1.2 3.12 0.234 1.56 15 9.5 16.62 32.5 61.6 2.16 5 8.94 12.7 8.87 7.22 1.61 20.65 66.6 1.6 36.6 1.99 12.4 7.65 1.29 201 42 4.91 3.1 6.89 10.3 10.8 14.74 275 1.82 3.85 9.61 11.9 30.15 4.71 5.02 1.65 1.1 9.58 73 9.1 0.118 0.97 153.1 2.43 1.26 0.93

INDUSTRIAL 32.75 641,000 2.07 1,874,000 12.06 996,700 0.55 756,000 1.2 1,428,000 3.12 3,794,000 0.24 14,330,000 1.57 14,818,000 15.02 465,700 9.8 4,618,600 17.84 1,400 32.5 100 61.6 20 2.16 30,000 5 44,300 9.02 761,600 13 69,500 9 51,800 7.22 3,097,200 1.61 10,000 21.45 897,200 66.6 104,800 1.62 57,169,000 37.1 1,200 2.02 4,921,000 12.5 113,900 7.7 16,100 1.33 196,000 203.6 318,090 42 5,000 4.92 10,000 3.1 21,000 6.89 4,600 10.7 27,158,300 10.8 59,900 15 967,100 275 289,510 1.83 40,000 3.85 833,000 9.7 1,900 11.94 17,400 30.15 51,300 4.71 1,000 5.02 200 1.68 123,000 1.14 2,070,000 9.58 57,500 74.2 268,050 9.35 376,400 0.118 330,000 1.02 118,000 155.6 954,850 2.57 11,000 1.28 11,918,000 1.05 6,989,000

20,745,320 3,898,470 12,020,086 411,620 1,718,090 12,144,320 3,493,990 23,632,670 6,994,544 47,009,951 23,430 3,250 1,232 64,800 221,500 6,871,779 893,864 464,866 22,371,375 16,100 19,111,320 6,982,208.50 96,857,980 44,270 9,897,210 1,424,080 123,250 257,130 64,742,474 210,000 49,150 65,130 31,694 291,485,462 654,214 14,464,908 81,028,230 73,740 3,218,690 18,512 207,362 1,571,080 4,710 1,004 203,920 2,357,330 553,442 19,819,440.50 3,502,831 38,940 115,410 148,073,664 27,690 15,486,930 7,100,870

-9,736,720 81,560 -4,679,220 -124,970 -9,000 -5,866,410 551,036 -243,964 -3,500 2,057,036 -4,298 225,000 -9,637,663 -11,296,575 -4,586,835 167,390 3,660 4,099,850.00 -22,478,184 11,037,088 -25,120 -9,507,710 -52,219,104 -33,040 45,620 -7,156 -278,200 156,200 -281,925.00 -10,358,025 -758,110 -45,714,380 560 -3,534,600 -52,000

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

0.87 51 10.88 0.72 6.38 10.64 0.94 0.92 728 2.6 6.54 6.07 13.1 0.205 753 5.11 73.65 6.78 0.51 3.78 10.46 0.6 3.25 5.89 1.22 149.8 2 1,015 0.81 196 186 0.206 0.215

0.88 51.8 10.96 0.72 6.38 11.2 0.94 0.92 728.5 2.66 6.54 6.09 13.1 0.205 759.5 5.11 75 6.78 0.51 3.78 10.54 0.61 3.28 6.2 1.22 149.8 2 1,017 0.84 197 186 0.21 0.229

0.86 50.25 10.8 0.7 6.18 10.34 0.91 0.92 710 2.6 6.4 5.9 13 0.205 742 5.11 72.5 6.78 0.485 3.72 10.2 0.59 3.2 5.2 1.22 143.3 2 1,010 0.81 186 184 0.206 0.212

HOLDING FIRMS 0.87 2,235,000 51.5 428,520 10.84 3,719,600 0.7 343,000 6.18 16,200 10.66 7,600 0.92 276,000 102,000 0.92 717 291,090 2.61 587,000 6.42 359,200 5.97 11,289,900 13 23,400 0.205 50,000 745 79,310 5.11 200 75 1,335,220 6.78 100 0.5 123,000 3.73 2,279,000 10.4 1,889,200 0.6 149,000 3.21 22,601,000 5.3 360,000 1.22 142,000 143.3 225,540 2 20,000 1,013 191,825 0.84 30,000 194.5 500 186 500,580 0.21 330,000 0.212 460,000

1,945,980 21,797,089.50 40,211,894 243,500 100,261 80,450 253,320 93,840 208,957,955 1,532,640 2,314,160 67,507,673 305,200 10,250 59,177,865 1,022 98,807,657.50 678 60,380 8,502,850 19,575,094 90,310 73,248,650 1,969,244 173,240 32,453,332 40,000 194,301,605 24,330 96,430 93,107,595 68,100 97,720

101,480 -14,158,903 7,519,024 8,304 51,691,160 -34,600 227,957 -5,326,289 -45,774,295 -39,641,402.50 -8,338,920 -2,944,828 -61,000 11,822,640 76,100 -13,387,245 -78,371,170 38,400 -

14.72 0.69 8.75 1.66 0.8 41.2 1.62 4.64 6.69 0.51 0.75 0.187 9.05 17.1 0.405 1.49 1.06 4.05 0.225 1.22 0.335 2.06 26.8

PROPERTY 14.72 114,300 0.7 542,000 8.75 1,500 1.74 329,000 0.82 844,000 42 6,643,300 1.63 739,000 4.67 137,000 6.69 200 0.52 2,690,000 0.8 1,675,000 0.187 100,000 9.1 76,800 17.16 651,600 0.405 160,000 1.5 7,799,000 1.09 40,000 4.13 18,981,000 0.228 6,340,000 1.24 921,000 0.335 470,000 2.08 497,000 26.95 1,057,100

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

14.72 0.71 8.75 1.8 0.81 41.6 1.67 4.67 6.69 0.52 0.87 0.187 9.2 17.8 0.41 1.51 1.07 4.17 0.226 1.25 0.34 2.11 27

14.74 0.71 8.75 1.8 0.84 42 1.67 4.68 6.69 0.53 0.87 0.187 9.2 17.8 0.41 1.51 1.09 4.17 0.233 1.26 0.34 2.11 27

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

NAME

NAME

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LOW

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VOLUME

VALUE

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

2.07 3.18 39.7 2.56 1.86 7.29 5.5

2.09 3.18 40.4 2.56 1.93 7.29 5.79

2.07 3.11 39.7 2.44 1.75 7.18 5.23

2.09 3.17 40 2.56 1.85 7.23 5.66

69,000 58,000 17,716,500 345,000 7,522,000 8,988,500 186,500

143,250 182,590 708,516,225 862,390 13,922,490 64,988,756 1,033,369

-20,700.00 -17,443,010 -7,114,214 -

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

9.4 16.9 1.35 11.18 0.42 0.05 2.86 9.9 83 5.23 4.9 8.8 1,962 5.4 447.8 1.38 132.5 0.106 3.62 13.66 2.5 0.95 11.2 0.41 3.07 2.05 1.09 1.01 2.38 2.1 7.35 4.3 8.03 145 3.88 1,014 0.56 0.375 39 79.2 9.09 2.44 0.64 0.275 0.61 18.84

9.69 18.1 1.35 11.2 0.42 0.05 3 10.1 83 5.3 5.39 8.8 1,998 5.4 447.8 1.41 132.8 0.106 3.88 13.66 2.62 0.98 11.62 0.41 3.08 2.05 1.14 1.12 2.45 2.15 7.59 4.3 8.03 145 4.18 1,033 0.57 0.385 39.4 79.2 9.09 2.5 0.64 0.275 0.61 18.96

9.4 16.82 1.32 11.04 0.42 0.048 2.86 9.86 79.45 5.16 4.9 8.4 1,960 5.29 426 1.31 131 0.103 3.53 13.66 2.42 0.89 10.2 0.4 3.05 2.02 1.01 1.01 2.36 2.1 7.25 4.3 8 145 3.65 1,008 0.56 0.37 38.95 76.85 9.08 2.4 0.61 0.255 0.59 18.84

SERVICES 9.41 17 1.32 11.08 0.42 0.05 2.89 9.99 79.7 5.24 5.37 8.41 1,970 5.37 426 1.33 132 0.104 3.8 13.66 2.5 0.96 10.58 0.4 3.05 2.05 1.07 1.01 2.38 2.12 7.3 4.3 8 145 3.67 1,015 0.56 0.37 39.35 77.6 9.08 2.4 0.61 0.26 0.61 18.9

9,300 201,700 165,000 1,465,400 490,000 23,600,000 288,000 20,735,300 992,240 600,800 16,000 14,300 14,600 63,700 2,180 2,391,000 1,214,770 800,000 3,375,000 100 329,000 36,000 3,426,200 160,000 120,000 243,000 136,000 22,000 1,123,000 73,000 7,500 9,000 15,200 70 13,275,000 158,500 3,573,000 5,790,000 150,400 100,730 11,900 1,054,000 6,874,000 8,110,000 536,000 1,337,700

87,633 3,518,948 218,650 16,259,876 205,800 1,158,400 834,080 206,428,861 79,185,392 3,130,169 84,680 121,136 28,756,250 338,347 934,200 3,241,050 160,161,253 82,800 12,585,960 1,366 813,650 33,580 37,521,722 64,650 368,200 495,810 145,480 22,380 2,690,370 154,160 54,949 38,700 121,690 10,150 52,234,860 160,854,115 2,002,500 2,182,800 5,894,485 7,817,776.50 108,152 2,548,540 4,256,360 2,150,950 317,160 25,299,784

-288,400 33,600 8,610 18,339,794 49,878,942 -311,800 2,589,460 187,440 12,060 20,216,047 -22,180 -13,000,642 -18,390 -139,900 -420,170 -10,981,965 -1,325,020 152,250 -966,575 -3,398,692.50 -1,076,880 129,740 26,000 11,621,998

11,500 1,022,842 1,360,420 1,385,000 1,194 16,500 2,730,780 24,300 110,738 1,395,370 231,460 42,850 156,000 1,062,430 3,268,810 3,120 272,100 7,700 85,300 2,383,050 9,201,002 46,340,031 16,500

-74,074 0 636,270 -236,980 35,200 -889,960 -2,098,220 -21,623 -874,645 -5,875,126 4,950 -76,785 -

MS 1,682,504 377,050 13,125 569,030 686,230 277,274,815 1,209,150 639,170 1,338 1,378,610 1,344,210 18,700 700,383 11,301,170 64,900 11,698,080 43,070 77,726,020 1,442,170 1,143,180 158,400 1,027,970 28,469,950

-80,040.00 4,375 29,070 93,214,660 -110,260 329,680 15,200 -18,039.00 -4,738,296 -6,946,110 -13,455,450 158,390 -11,321,780

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

OPEN

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

0.0014 8.2 1.08 2.5 11.94 1.1 3.15 0.27 7.17 1.51 0.21 0.095 0.0078 0.81 3.13 1.05 0.01 0.011 0.01 2.95 9.8 20.7 0.0055

0.0015 8.2 1.08 2.5 11.94 1.1 3.15 0.27 7.17 1.53 0.21 0.096 0.0078 0.81 3.13 1.05 0.011 0.011 0.011 2.95 9.8 21.1 0.0055

0.0014 7.95 1.06 2.5 11.94 1.1 3.08 0.27 7 1.5 0.201 0.095 0.0078 0.8 3.07 1.02 0.01 0.011 0.01 2.8 9.3 19.96 0.0055

MINING & OIL 0.0015 8,000,000 7.95 127,400 1.06 1,278,000 2.5 554,000 11.94 100 1.1 15,000 3.08 879,000 0.27 90,000 7 15,700 1.51 924,000 0.201 1,150,000 0.096 450,000 0.0078 20,000,000 0.8 1,327,000 3.09 1,058,000 1.05 3,000 0.011 24,800,000 0.011 700,000 0.011 8,000,000 2.82 834,000 9.35 978,500 20 2,298,500 0.0055 3,000,000

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2R CPG PREF A DD PREF GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A HOUSE PREF A MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 3A PCOR PREF 3B PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 4 SMC FB PREF 2 SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

16 498 495 101.9 100.5 5.15 980 99 100.5 1,040 1,060 101.5 1,031 995 77 75 76 75.7 75.7

18.2 498 495 102 101 5.16 980 99 100.5 1,050 1,060 101.5 1,031 995 77 75 76 75.7 75.7

15.6 496 495 101.9 100.2 5.15 980 99 99.5 1,040 1,060 101.5 1,030 985 76.95 74.8 75.9 75.65 75.7

PREFERRED 15.6 778,000 496 1,970 495 100 102 100,000 101 43,690 5.15 69,700 980 20 99 400 100.1 34,490 1,050 1,100 1,060 60 101.5 200 1,030 475 985 18,760 76.95 47,190 74.8 13,600 76 144,290 75.65 18,800 75.7 140

13,165,562 977,280 49,500 10,199,900 4,405,848 359,005 19,600 39,600 3,451,248 1,145,000 63,600 20,300 489,410 18,518,600 3,633,160 1,018,255 10,964,780 1,422,245 10,598

LR WARRANT

1.34

1.34

1.26

WARRANTS 1.26 17,000

22,340

ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH XURPAS

4.01 11 0.88

4.01 11.18 0.9

3.85 10.4 0.85

3.85 10.6 0.86

FIRST METRO ETF

112.1

113

111

USD DMPL A2

10.2

10.2

Trading Summary FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL

SHARES 8,686,801

164,304,968

HOLDING FIRMS

50,673,643

PROPERTY

86,859,566

SERVICES

104,790,909

MINING & OIL

76,604,345

GRAND TOTAL

496,000,097

9.7

SME

206,000 882,900 2,965,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 111.5 20,270 9.7

DDS

30,000

-

797,960 9,424,706 2,559,800

38,600 -

2,264,799

69,376

300,448

-

VALUE 1,797.65 (down) 5.47 760,156,266.10 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 9,356.57 (down) 58.10 991,781,008.08 HOLDING FIRMS 7,160.49 (down) 20.03 945,285,706.01 PROPERTY 3,926.35 (up) 20.19 SERVICES 1,518.86 (up) 3.00 1,263,308,531.13 MINING & OIL 7,594.26 (down) 218.52 908,337,320.645 PSEI 7,462.31 (down) 6.39 71,147,253.32 All Shares Index 4,425.06 (down) 10.61 4,955,080,760.84 Gainers: 69; Losers: 118; Unchanged: 42; Total: 229

Cemex raises P12.77b after end of stock rights offering

By Jenniffer B. Austria CEMEX Holdings Philippines Inc. said Wednesday it successfully raised P12.77 billion in fresh funds following the completion of a stock rights offering.

Cemex said in a disclosure to the stock exchange a total of 8.29 billion common shares were taken up by shareholders at an offering price of P1.54 apiece.

Shareholders were entitled to subscribe to 1.5963 rights share for every one common share held as of Jan. 14, 2020. The rights offering ended on January 24, 2020.

The cement company would have a total of issued and outstanding common shares of 13.48 billion after the rights offering, subject to the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission on its application to raise the authorized capital stock.

The shares will be listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange on March 4, 2020.

The firm’s controlling shareholder, Cemex Asian South East Corp., earlier committed to subscribe “not just its entitlement of the rights shares in the initial round of the offer, but also to subscribe any unsubscribed rights shares in the mandatory second round of the offer.”

Cemex said it would use the proceeds from the fund raising activity to fund the expansion of the Solid Cement plant, pay outstanding loans and finance other general corporate activities.

The cement firm is constructing a $235-million cement production line capable of producing 1.5 million metric tons annually. This will increase cement capacity by 26 percent. The facility is expected to be operational by the second quarter of 2021.

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Singapore Branch acted as the global coordinator while BDO Capital & Investment Corp. served as the underwriter of the transaction.

Cemex is one of the leading cement producers in the Philippines, based on annual installed capacity. It produces and markets cement and cement products, such as ready-mix concrete and clinker in the Philippines through direct sales using its extensive marine and land distribution network.

Outstanding debt increased by 6% to P7.73t in 2019

By Julito G. Rada THE government’s outstanding debt as of end-2019 stood at P7.731 trillion, up P438.79 billion or 6 percent from the end-2018 level, the Bureau of the Treasury said Wednesday.

In a statement, the Treasury said the figure was also P21.64 billion or 0.3 percent higher than the previous month’s level “primarily due to net availments and exchange rate adjustments.”

Of the total debt stock, 33.7 percent are external debt while 66.3 percent are domestic debt.

“The debt-to-GDP ratio improved to 41.5 percent from 41.9 percent a year ago, beating the program of 41.7 percent for the year. The improved debtto-GDP ratio is a result of prudent cash and debt management backed by steady economic growth,” the Treasury said.

Domestic debt amounted to P5.127 trillion, P12.0 billion or 0.2 percent higher compared to the end-November 2019 level.

“For the month, domestic debt increased mainly due to the net issuance of government securities amounting to P11.96 billion and the P0.02 billion effect of peso depreciation on onshore dollar bonds. Year-over-year, domestic debt has increased by P350.74 billion or 7.3 percent,” it said.

The external debt of P2.603 trillion, meanwhile, was P9.67 billion or 0.4 percent higher than the previous month.

“For December, the increase in external debt was due to the net availment of foreign loans amounting to P2.51 billion and the combined effect of local and third-currency fluctuations which increased the value of foreign debt by P2.25 billion and P4.90 billion, respectively,” BTr said.

As of end- December 2019, external debt has increased by P88.05 billion or 3.5 percent from its end-December 2018 level.

Total government guaranteed obligations increased by P13.75 billion or 2.9 percent month-over-month to P488.75 billion in December.

“For the month, the higher level of guarantees was due to local and third-currency fluctuations that increased the value of external guarantees by P0.20 billion and P1.02 billion respectively, and the net issuance of domestic guarantees amounting to P13.85 billion,” it said.

Manila

Standard

World

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

TODAY

Iraq weighs larger NATO role to replace US-led coalition

ON THE ROAD. This handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency on January 28, 2020, shows a tank

covered with a plastic sheet on the road between the villages of Deir Sharqi and Talmans on the eastern outskirts of Maaret al-Numan in Syria’s northernwestern province of Idlib. Regime forces recaptured on January 28 most of Maaret al-Numan, a semi-deserted town strategic importance in Syria’s last major rebel-held bastion, state media and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, four days after Damascus loyalists seized the nearby villages of Deir Sharqi and Deir Gharbi in the southern sector of Idlib. AFP

BAGHDAD―Iraq is considering a larger role for NATO at the expense of the US-led coalition, Iraqi and Western officials told AFP, after an American drone strike on Baghdad that sparked outrage.

The January 3 strike which killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and a top Iraqi commander was condemned

by Baghdad as a breach of its sovereignty and of the coalition’s mandate, which focuses on fighting the Islamic State (IS) group.

Iraq’s parliament swiftly voted in favor of ousting all foreign troops—including the 5,200 US soldiers―and the coalition’s anti-IS operations were indefinitely suspended.

Fearing a swift withdrawal could be destabilizing, Iraqi and Western officials have begun discussing changes to the coalition’s role, according to local officials and diplomats.

“We are talking to the coalition countries―France, the UK, Canada-about a range of scenarios,” said Abdelkarim

Khalaf, spokesman for Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi.

“The essential thing is that no combat troops are present and our airspace is no longer used,” Khalaf told AFP. Two Western officials said the premier had asked them to “draft some options” on a path forward for the coalition.

These options had been submitted directly to the premier.

They included a coalition not led by the US, an amended mandate with limits to coalition activities or an expanded role for NATO’s separate mission in Iraq.

The Canadian-led NATO mission was set up in 2018 and has around 500 forces training Iraqi troops, although its operations have also been on hold since the US strike.

By comparison, the US-led coalition established in 2014 has up to 8,000 troops in Iraq, the bulk of them American forces. AFP

Battle for witnesses looms as defense rests

W

ASHINGTON― The fight over calling witnesses to testify in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial intensified Tuesday after Trump’s lawyers closed their defense calling the abuse of power charges against him politically motivated.

Democrats sought to have the Senate subpoena former White House national security advisor John Bolton to provide evidence after leaks from his forthcoming book suggested he could supply damning evidence against Trump.

But Republicans threatened to demand that Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden and his son Hunter also testify, in a move aimed at damaging the party’s possibly best chance of defeating Trump in the November election.

“If people want witnesses, we’re going to get a lot of witnesses,” said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

At only the third ever presiden-

tial impeachment trial in US history, Trump’s lawyers closed out their three-day defense in the Senate by calling for a speedy acquittal of Trump and accusing Democrats of bringing politically motivated charges in an attempt to reverse his 2016 election victory.

“What they are asking you to do is to throw out a successful president, on the eve of an election, with no basis and in violation of the constitution,” Trump’s lead counsel Pat Cipollone said.

“The American people are entitled to choose their president,” he told the senators sitting as the jury. “We urge the Senate to reject

IN BRIEF

New Zealand volcano death toll rises to 21 WELLINGTON―The death toll from New Zealand’s White Island volcano eruption climbed to 21 Wednesday, with a further death in hospital more than a month after the tragedy, police said.

Deputy police commissioner John Tims said the person died in hospital in Auckland, without releasing further details.

Nineteen of the victims had died in New Zealand and two in Australia.

The toll includes two people whose bodies have not been recovered but who were confirmed by a coroner last week to have been killed in the eruption.

There were 47 people, mainly Australian tourists, on the island when the volcano erupted on December 9 and many were coated in burning ash and steam.

AFP

ment case was rooted in “policy differences” and that the charges against him, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, are too weak and thinly-sourced to justify his removal from office.

They said a conviction would set a precedent for US politics that would result in retribution-driven political battles for years to come.

“The bar for impeachment cannot be set this low,” said Jay Sekulow, another Trump lawyer.

“If partisan impeachment is now the rule of the day... future presidents -Democrats, Republicans -- will be paralyzed the moment they are elected,” he said. AFP

Brexit to be sealed with final vote

PNG bans travelers from ‘Asian ports’ PORT MORESBY―Papua New Guinea shut air and seaports to all foreign travelers coming from Asia on Wednesday, in a desperate bid to prevent the deadly coronavirus from reaching the impoverished Melanesian nation.

In a note to airlines and boat operators, the ministry of immigration said “all citizens originating from the Asian ports will be refused entry to the country effective today”.

The ministry also announced that Papua New Guinea’s only official land border -- with Indonesian-controlled Papua province -- would be shut from Thursday.

No cases of coronavirus have been reported in Papua New Guinea, but the country’s health service is already buckling under the weight of underfunding and rampant public health problems.

Papua New Guinea is one of only a handful of countries where polio is still endemic, leaving doctors and the United Nations scrambling to revive long-lapsed vaccination programs.

Papua New Guinea residents returning from Asian countries will be held in quarantine for 14 days.

It will only be possible for anyone to leave or enter the country via Port Moresby’s international airport.

Most flights into the airport are domestic, or from Australia, but officials told AFP arrivals from Chinese cities, Singapore and any other Asian cities would also be affected.

It was not clear how long the measures will be in effect.

“This is a preventative measure taken to ensure the spread of the coronavirus that is rapidly spreading in the world is minimized,” Immigration and Border Security Minister Westly Nukundi Nukundj said. AFP

these articles of impeachment.”

Trump is accused of cheating in his 2020 reelection effort by pressuring vulnerable ally Ukraine to announce investigations into both Bidens and a spurious conspiracy theory, promoted by Russia, that Kiev helped the Democrats in 2016.

The impeachment charges say the president froze vital military aid to Ukraine for two months last summer to pressure President Volodymyr Zelensky to publicly announce the probes, illicitly drawing a foreign nation into US electoral politics.

Trump’s lawyers mostly steered clear of those specific allegations.

Instead they argued that the impeach-

GUILD AWARDS. Jenny Eagan, recipient of the Excellence in Contemporary Film

award, and Jennifer Beals attend the 22nd CDGA (Costume Designers Guild Awards) at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 28, 2020, in Beverly Hills, California. AFP

BRUSSELS―Brexit Day is to be set in reduced to 27 nations and a combined stone Wednesday when the European population of 450 million.

Parliament in Brussels casts a vote rati“Brexit is a loss for us all,” European fying the terms of Britain’s divorce deal Commission Vice President Maros Seffrom the EU. covic said after a regular EU ministers’ The historic legislative act―the last meeting on Tuesday. for the 72 remaining British MEPs who He said it was important for the EU will leave afterwards―will allow Brex- “to maintain our unity” as it negotiates it to officially take effect on Friday at the future partnership with the UK. AFP 2300 GMT, midnight for most of continental Europe and 11:00 pm in Britain.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson insists that date will see Brexit “done”. But the EU unN OTICE derlines that the next, thornier Notice is hereby given that WATERWORLD phase of the split―working out CEBU PHILIPPINES CORPORATION, with office address at 5th Floor Eon Centennial Express Hotel, a treaty to define the future relaBrgy. Noynoy, Valeria Extension, Iloilo, is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) tionship between the two sidesas a New Operator of Tourist Accommodation Facility is about to begin. and Theme Park (Waterworld Cebu Waterpark and Waterworld Cebu Resort Hotel) with a capacity of 97 Those negotiations are to go to rooms and Theme Park on a Non-Pioneer status with late this year. At the end of 2020, project site at Barangay Opao, Mandaue City. a transition period easing Britain Any person with valid objections on the aboveout of EU rules and regulations mentioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the will expire, unless extended by date of this publication. both sides -- something Johnson has ruled out.

(SGD) ANGELITA F. ARCELLANA Director The transition period, a standInfrastructure and Services Industries Service still provision, means ordinary (MS-JAN. 30, 2020) Britons and EU citizens will see little visible change, and indeed REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES London will continue to contribREGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION ute to the EU budget.

BRANCH 225-QUEZON CITY But from this weekend onIN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION FOR CORRECTION OF ENTRY IN THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE OF ERIKA ward, Britain will be excluded C. TIAMZON IN THE ENTRY NO. 1 NAME FROM ERIKA C. TIAMZON TO ERIKA TIAMZON DELA CRUZ, from the EU’s institutions and ENTRY NO. 6, NAME OF MOTHER FROM MIDDLE INITIAL C TO S AND NAME OF FATHER FROM ENRIQUE decision-making.

OLIVER D. DELA CRUZ TO ENRIQUE D. DELA CRUZ, It will officially be what the ERIKA C. TIAMZON, Petitioner, bloc calls a “third country” -- a -versusCase No. R-QZN-19-17373-SP non-EU state. A close neighbour, THE CIVIL REGISTRAR OF QUEZON CITY, THE PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY AND BIOLOGICAL FATHER ENRIQUE and an important trade and secuOLIVER D. DELA CRUZ a.k.a. ENRIQUE D. DELA CRUZ Respondents. rity partner, but on the outside x---------------------------------------------------------x ORDER of Europe’s single-market club, An amended petition was filed on January 8, 2020 by petitioner through

Crisis in Lebanon fuels brain drain BEIRUT―When Lebanon’s protests erupted in October, thousands found a renewed commitment to their homeland and vowed to fix a country that has long fed its best and brightest to the diaspora.

Then the economy unraveled.

Students and young professionals who had mobilized en masse to demand better opportunities in their home country started filling in immigration forms and applying to universities abroad.

Mothers on bustling protest squares who had been complaining about their children living far away have since seen even more leave.

With no clear path out of Lebanon’s worst economic crisis in decades, the will to remain has petered out and many are now scrambling for the exit.

“I’m leaving and I’m never coming back,” said Youssef Nassar, a 29-year-old cinematographer who has booked a one-way ticket to Canada for next month.

“Nothing is going right in this country for me to stay here.”

Lebanon is suffering its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war and everyone is feeling the heat.

Scores of companies have closed, salaries have been slashed, and unemployment rates are skyrocketing.

Inflation doubled between October and November, according to Lebanon’s Blominvest Bank, while the Lebanese pound has plunged by a third against the dollar in the parallel exchange market.

Nassar criticized the political class for failing to chart a way out of the crisis.

“I have developed a hate for this country,” he said.

Manila NOTICE TO Nassar used to make a decent Standard THE TODAY PUBLIC earning every month from shootPublic is hereby notified ing photo and video campaigns for that the DA-Bureau fashion brands, advertising agencies of Plant Industry has issued on October 30, and even English rock artist Steven 2019 a biosafety permit for direct use as food, Wilson. or for processing to But since Lebanon’s economic cri- feed Optimum® AcreMax® sis accelerated with the start of anti- Xtreme (stack event government protests in October, with TC1507x59122xMON810x MIR604xNK603)maize banks temporarily closing and later owned and licensed Pioneer Hi-Bred severely limiting withdrawals, he has by Philippines. only been booked once.

(MS-JAN. 30, 2020)

counsel praying that after publication, due notice and hearing, judgment be rendered ordering the Local Civil Registrar of Quezon City and National Statistics Office to correct entry No. 1, name of child, from ERIKA C. TIAMZON to ERIKA TIAMZON DELA CRUZ, Entry No. 6, name of mother, from MARITES C. TIAMZON to MARITES S. TIAMZON, and Entry No. 9, name of father, from ENRIQUE OLIVER D. DELA CRUZ to ENRIQUE D. DELA CRUZ to conform with the corrected Birth Certificate of father.

Finding the amended petition to be sufficient in form and substance, the Court gives due course thereto.

WHEREFORE, let copy of this Order be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks at petitioner’s expense, upon coordination with the Office of the Clerk of Court, Regional Trial Court, Quezon City. Hearing on the amended petition is hereby set on March 19, 2020 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning at 4th Floor, Hall of Justice Building, Quezon City, at which time and place, any person having interest in the petition may appear.

Let copies of this Order be posted by the Branch Sheriff thirty (30) days before the hearing date at the following places at the expense of petitioner: 1. at the main entrance of the City Hall Building of Quezon City; 2. on the Bulletin Board of the Court, Hall of Justice, Quezon City, and 3. at the Barangay Hall of the barangay where the petitioner resided.

Let copy of the amended petition together with its annexes and a copy of this Order be furnished the Office of the Solicitor General and the Office of the City Prosecutor of Quezon City personally by the Branch Sheriff of this Court at the expense of the petitioner and thereafter to submit his report at least two (2) weeks before the hearing date.

SO ORDERED. January 10, 2010, Quezon City, Metro Manila.

(Sgd.) MARIA LUISA LESLIE G. GONZALES-BETIC Presiding Judge Cc: Atty. Romniel L. Macapagal – Rm. 207 2/F CMC Bldg., 35 Matalino St., Diliman, Quezon City Erika C. Tiamzon – Blk. 48 Lot 11 Violago Homes, Parkwood Hills Subd., Payatas B. Quezon City Enrique Oliver dela Cruz aka Enrique D. dela Cruz – Firearms and Explosive Office, Admin Section, Camp Crame, Quezon City Office of the Solicitor General, Makati City Office of the City Prosecutor, Quezon City Office of the Local Civil Registrar, Quezon City Philippine Statistics Authority (formerly NSO) – Vibal Bldg., Quezon Avenue, (MStandard - Jan. 23, 30 & Feb. 6, 2020) Quezon City

LGUs

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

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

5 Makati centenarians awarded

By Joel E. Zurbano

T

Taguig hands out allowances for City U scholars

HE Makati City government on Wednesday named five women as the first batch of centenarian awardees this year, bringing to 39 the total number of centenarians awarded during the administration of Mayor Abigail Binay.

The new centenarian awardees under the city’s Blu Card Program were Pelagia Cadorna Banguis, a resident of San Antonio Village; Yia So Pua, of Forbes Park; Rufina Rojas Saldana, of San Lorenzo Village; Milagros Delgado Enage, of Barangay Urdaneta, and Pilar Moreno Valte, of Barangay Poblacion.

Both Banguis and Pua celebrated their 100th birthdays last October, and are members of the Blu Card Program since June 26, 2003 and Nov. 26, 2007, respectively. Saldana’s 100th natal day was celebrated last November, and she registered as a Blu Card member since Feb. 22, 2007.

Valte and Enage, who celebrated their centenaries last September, were members of the program since Nov. 14, 2003 and Feb. 28, 2008, respectively.

Mayor Binay and Vice Mayor Monique Lagdameo personally visited the awardees in their residences and honored each of them with a P100,000 cash gift and a plaque of recognition.

“I will always be grateful for the chance to meet our centenarian Makatizens and be able to share some time with them. It is an honor to show them the city’s grateful appreciation for all their contributions to our progress,” said Mayor Binay.

Makati City’s initiative to award P100,000 check to centenarians came before the enactment of the 2016 national law granting cash gifts to Filipino centenarians.

THE city government of Taguig has distributed the first semester allowances of a total of 4,272 scholars during a program held at the Taguig City University.

Local government and school officials also conducted an orientation on the merit incentives and allowance distribution following the distribution of the students’ School Year 2019-2020 education assistance allowance.

Eligible TCU students were given P5,000 each for their education needs while another P5,000 were handed to those who got a general weighted average of at least 1.75 with no failing and incomplete marks or dropped subjects in the preceding semester.

Other scholars covered by the city’s Lifeline Allowance for Neighbors In-need (LANI) program also received their scholarship allowance at the same venue.

Mayor Lino Edgardo Cayetano said the program is only one of the city’s initiatives that is proof the local government unit has education as one of its top priorities.

TCU students have started receiving financial assistance from the city government, enabled by an ordinance granting students a scholarship allowance each semester and merit incentives for those who excel in academics.

Ordinance No. 08, Series of 2019 provides that all students at Taguig City University would receive P5,000 in educational assistance every semester. Joel E. Zurbano

Makati Mayor Abby Binay awards a P100,000 check and a plaque of recognition to Milagros Delgado Enage of Barangay Urdaneta, one of the five newest centenarians in the city. The mayor on Tuesday personally handed the check, plaque and bouquet of flowers to each of the awardees in their respective homes.

Give kids polio vaccine, Tiangco pleads with Navotas parents

By Jun David IN LIGHT of the increasing number of polio cases in the countr y, Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco on Tuesday called on Navoteño parents to have their children vac-

cinated against the crippling and life-threatening disease.

“Our health workers are now doing the rounds to ensure that all our children are given protection against polio.

I encourage parents to do their share in the Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio cam-

paign and let their children be vaccinated,” Tiangco said.

“Polio is most dangerous for children below five years old and its virus can spread easily. As parents, we have a duty to prioritize the health and wellbeing of our children, that is why we

must ensure that they are protected from this disease,” he added.

From October to December last year, health workers conducted house-tohouse visits to administer bivalent vaccine or the oral polio vaccine types 1 and 3 (OPV1 and OPV3).

Bambanti fest bares Isabela’s triumph, spirit

By Jessica M. Bacud ILAGAN, Isabela—Gov. Rodito Albano III and Vice Governor Faustino Dy III recently led the opening of the Bambanti Village Agri-Ecotourism Trade Exhibit and Sale at the Isabela Provincial Capitol Compound, Alibagu district in this city.

Considered the “Mother of All Festivals” here, the much-awaited Bambanti Festival happening on Jan. 27 to 31 depicts the province’ community life, pride of place, history, and heritage, as well as its various indigenous world-class products, lifestyle merchandise items, cuisine and images of Isabeleños’ ardent love for their land of birth.

“Bambanti” is an Iloko word for scarecrow, which the province considers as its protection against birds in the rice fields. The scarecrow is created with colorful straws and grasses wrapped in farmer’s clothing, and is the icon and mascot of the festival.

With its theme, “Pagpatuloy ang Tagumpay ng Pusong Isabela” (Keep Up the Victory of Isabela Spirit), the province will celebrate its economic, social, political, and cultural victories it has so far achieved, Dy said.

The Bambanti Village showcases the different crafted Giant Bambanti and Agro-Eco Tourism Booths from the different cities and municipalities of the province on offer from the best of Isabelinos.

The provincial government also conducted a free medical, dental and surgical mission at the Gov. Faustino N. Dy Memorial Hospital.

The activities started with the Thanksgiving mass at St. Michael Cathedral in Gamu town.

Isabela Gov. Rodito T. Albano III and Vice Governor Faustino G. Dy III, Director General of the Bambanti 2020 Festival (center), cut the ceremonial ribbon to mark the opening of the Bambanti Village. They were accompanied by Sangguniang Panlalawigan members, city and municipal mayors and provincial officials. Jessica M. Bacud

P24-m police building to rise in Bayombong

By Ben Moses Ebreo BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—A new Police Provincial Office building will soon rise in this town as part of the Philippine National Police Integrated Transformation Program.

Police Brig. Gen. Angelito Abellera Casimiro, PNP Regional Director, said the new P24-million 3-story PPO building will be constructed this year through the PNP-Department of Public Works and Highways Convergence Program.

He said the PNP Standard Building will be the first to be built in Cagayan Valley funded through the DPWH Regular Infrastructure Project for this year.

“This will be a mirror of the PNP ideals and home for all of us. With this development, the Cagayan Valley Cops will be fully inspired and motivated to serve the individual neighborhood covered by the police station,” Casimiro said.

The new building will strengthen the network of police stations that will cater to the extensive safety needs of the public, he said.

Casimiro joined Vice Governor Jose Tomas Jr., DPWH First District Engineering Office officials, and executives of Jan Norris Construction, the project’s contractor.

Two tarsiers saved in Koronadal COTABATO CITY―A group of children rescued a male tarsier in Koronadal City, environment officials in SouthCentral Mindanao said on Wednesday.

The male tarsier (scientific name Tarsiidae) was turned over to the Region 12 office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Jan. 23, after it was recovered from the children by a concerned resident of Barangay Assumption in Koronadal City.

The creature was immediately released to the wild, as it appeared to be in good shape and health, environment officials said. The tarsier found on Jan. 23 has been the second of its kind rescued in South Cotabato. The first was found in Barangay Linan in Tupi town last year.

Arnel Alvarez of Barangay Assumption said he saw a group of children apparently toying with the endangered specie in Sitio Elalam last on Jan. 23.

Alvarez said he took the tarsier from the children and brought to Brigada News FM Station in Koronadal City to inform authorities on its rescue.

Dr. Sabdullah C. Abubacar, regional executive director of DENR-12 lauded Alvarez’s act of informing environment officials, who were equally cited for promptly taking protective custody of the tarsier.

“The protection and conservation of wildlife species is one of the main mandates of the DENR,” Dr. Abubacar said. Nash B. Maulana

DEBTS PAID. Parañaque City Treasurer Anthony Pulmano (right) announces that the city government now has P5.3 billion in savings under the administration of Mayor Edwin Olivarez after paying previous billion-peso bank loans. The city government also has time deposits with two banks worth P1.7 billion since the last quarter of 2019.

Pulmano credited the city’s current financial standing to several tax revenue measures

by Olivarez administration, together with all income-generating offices boosting their tax collections and a strict adherence to prudent spending.

LifeLife HOUSEHOLD

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MStandardLIFE THURSDAY, TUESDAY,JANUARY JANUARY30, 14, 2020 2020

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PROSPERITY AT THE MALL. The traditional Bian Lian or face-changing mask dance opens the festivities of the Lunar New Year 2020 celebration at SM Megamall, welcoming a prosperous Year of the Metal Rat.

Catching the luck in the Year of the Rat

WILDLIFE ON WALLS. Muralist and environmentalist AG Saño led a team of PLDT-Smart employee volunteers in painting over 3,000 square feet of plant species and animal life on the walls of the company’s headquarters in Makati City. The mural aims to spread awareness of environmental protection.

Nature on the walls E

By Steph Llarena

VER wonder why businesses and establishments have lion andSanchez dragon dance performances during Chinese New Year?

By Monica

A

RTIST-ACTIVIST (“artivist”) AG Saño is at again.

In Chinese culture, the lion repre- head, a peek under the coat, or a hand Thestrength, renowned muralist environmentalist sents luck, superiority, and and gesture from an audience. has used his paintbrushes to send an important about in stability, while the dragon is a symbol Mickey and message Minnie dressed the encouraging everyone to make better choices of environment, wisdom, excellence, wealth, and cheongsam or Chinese traditional outpower.

Dances are performed for both fits led a series of meet-and-greet sesfor tomorrow. as a means to welcome prosperity while sions beside a centerpiece with large chasing away evil spirits. mouse ears and red and gold lanterns The led two the auspicious creatures takevolcent- field and research scrolls. and community empowSaño team of employee erstage from during PLDT-Smart Lunar New Year Meanwhile, in Parañaque City, unteers to celebrapaint erment through over environment education tions, with many businesses ensuring to Duty Free Fiestamall was visited by a over 3,000 square feet of plant species and arts for almost two decades begin the year prosperous lion and dragon for the eye-dotting cerand animal life on on athe walls of note. the dig“Having seen firsthand the degradais filled with celebra- tion emony, which, ecosystems according toand experts, World-famous mouse couple Mickey and Minnie pose with ital Chinese servicesculture company’s headquarters of different witOver a hundred Chinese lanterns greet customers at the Megamall Disney Philippines’ Randy Reyes and SM senior vice president for and holidays, and among them, nessing gives them the spirit. intions Makati. the rise of problems involving entrance. marketing Jonjon San Agustin. the Lunar New Year is the biggest and Duty Free Philippines Corporation PLDT-Smart Gabay Kalikasan’s climate change, I’ve realized that the most important one. has its general of- creatures chief operating officernature Vicente Pelagio “SmART for Nature” that comprise have be- Nature’ mural symbolize the need for stewardship pillar of PLDT-Smart’s ments #SaveOurHome, #SmartPlanet, dancefrontage, is normally Angala, deputyvulnerable,” chief operating fice’sLion Legazpi Delaperformed Rosa walk-by come extremely Sañoofficer said more protection.” newly established Sustainability Of- and #SustainableEnterprise—referring to twoand dancers, while dragon dance usu- inBernardine a statement.Belmonte, store operations The concept can also be seen in Sa- fice, Gabay Kalikasan upholds the PLDT Group’s various business units. way, Gallardo backa entrance awashed has all more performers the manager Monica and chief of staff ño’s another mural in Paseo de Roxas concept behind Saño’s creation and Hence each of Ruffy, the animals painted inally colors, in the name of holding spreading “The impact of climate change affects pole of the and body.

GraceanMalabed armor. led the traditional cel- underpass, entitled “Art in Defense of encourages the public to make better everyone pervasively. This includes our awareness andcreature’s engaginghead the public to do wears SM Megamall the Year of ebrations.

He explained, “Since their natural Nature.” He has painted over 700 mu- choices for tomorrow—acknowledg- safety, our health, our existence, hence something about ourwelcomed environment. the withfeatures cultural animals performances and defense The shopping center mechanisms arealso not invited enoughfeng to rals in 16 countries; his body of work ing that better environmental practic- the need to raise environmental awareTheRat mural thriving meet-and-greet experiences with argushui expert Patrick Lim Fernandez in nature wearing armors. Saño said the protect them from the dangers that hu-to showcases his passion for environ- es are crucial to sustain the services ness through the mural,” said PLDTably and the other most murals famoushemouse couple, mans sharecreated, with guests feng that shui cover traditions the armors the mental protection. mural, has created, that nature provides.

Smart chief sustainability officer Chaye Disney’s Mickey Mouse and to Minnie and bestthroughout practices tothe achieve happiness ‘SmART for were born after being exposed the animals Representing the environmental The mural also features the state- Cabal-Revilla.

Mouse, at the Mega Fashion Hall. and prosperity in the Year of the Metal The festivities at the mall began with Rat. the traditional dragon and lion dances.

In addition to the festive holiday celMall-goers also had the rare oppor- ebrations at the Fiestamall, shoppers tunity to watch a performance of the were also treated to discounts up to 30 magical Bian Lian or face-changing percent on a wide variety of items. mask dance.

“DFPC welcomes the year with optiBian Lian is a traditional Chinese act mism that we will sustain our positive performed a solo dancer wearing business aim tofine fur- Health Hazard Network.

MORE than by an inconvenience, a nuiVolcanicperformance. ash consists We of very FengDOH shui expert Lim Fernandez shares the best brightly colored costumes and beauti- particles ther expand our According market reach withUS the The sance, ashfall, which currently plagues of rock. to the said Patrick exposure to ashfall prosperity during the fully painted The performer openingWeather of new Service, duty freeit stores and maypractices Calabarzon and masks.

Metro Manila, poses National is abraresult to inachieve throat happiness irritation,and coughNew Year event at Duty Free Fiestamall. changeshealth from risks. one face to another with sive expansion of our merchandise lineup,” ing,Chinese potential and corrosive thus can irritate bronchitis-like illness, discomfort Lion dances are performed to bring luck and ward off evil spirits. aThe wave of the hand, a movement of the said Angala.

Department of Health on Sun- eyes and lungs, cause minor to ma- while breathing, eye irritation, and miday told the public to be vigilant about jor damage to vehicles and buildings, nor skin problems. the conditions that may arise after the contaminate water supplies, disrupt The World Health Organization in the exposure to volcanic ash, after the sewage and electrical systems, and Philippines seconded,A adding trauma NEW venue combines art and elegance to bring Taal Volcano in Batangas spewed an damage or kill vegetation. and injuries, skin burns and irritation, couples and other individuals celebrating important ash column which prompted the Phil“Ash is different from ordinary house and gastrointestinal problems to the admilestones a memorable occasion. ippine Institute of Volcanology and dust. Its sharp, crystalline structure verse effects of volcanic Palacio eruptions. de Memoria, a seven-story Colonial Seismology to raise its status to Alert causes it to scratch and abrade surfaces PHIVOLCS, WHO,Revival and DOH share house on the historic Roxas Boulevard Level 4 (“hazardous eruption” may when it is removed by wiping or brush- the following reminders on what to do overlooking Manila Bay, formerly known as occur within hours to days). ing,” said the International Volcanic during and after ashfall: Stay calm and stay indoors unless absolutely necessary during ashfall. the Villaroman Mansion, is a charming destination for weddings and other events.

The structure stands tall on a three-hectare DURING AFTER property. It is in itself filled with memories as it is one of the valuable pieces of properties that • Stay calm and stay indoors unless absolutely • Wear effective dust mask or wet cloth and survived the devastating Battle of Manila in necessary. goggles before undertaking clean-up1945. operations.

Palacio, owned by the Lhuilliers and man• Wear masks that block small particles of ash— • Take caution when walking outsideThe as volcanaged by sisters Camille and Angelique, showcases ideally N95 mask or damp cloth. ic ash can be slippery. the best of Filipino, Chinese, and European, par• Wear protective eye gear, especially when go• Carefully scrape the ash from the roof of house ticularly Spanish, cultural heritage. ing outside. or car to prevent damage.

The spacious foyer displays an impressive col• Close doors and windows of house and car.

• Moisten the ash with sprinkler, use shovels to objets d’arts, including a six-foot lection of large • Place damp towels or cloth on door opening remove thick deposits or stiff brooms lesserchandelier with glass-blown crystal tall for Murano roses that light up the ornate furniture, as well as and other open areas to avoid infiltration. amounts.

Art Deco accents and walls adorned with portraits • Keep pets in closed shelter • Keep collected ash in heavy-duty plastic from the 17th to 19th century.

• Avoid low-lying areas and those downwind bags or containers, don’t dump in gardens or Complementing the décor and furnishings is from the volcano. roadside. the carefully maintained terrazzo flooring.

• Observe traffic notifications and road safety • When cleaning inside, open all doors and winPalacio, which now houses Casa de Memoria, formerly on Jupiter Street in Makati measure. dows to promote ventilation.

City and holds Spanish, Chinese, and Euro• Listen to news for updates.

• Use soaked cloth or sponge for glass, porcepean paintings • Ensure food and water to be consumed are safe. lain, and acrylic surfaces. Those covered with fab- and other art pieces, is also open as a venue for other events.

Cover water containers to avoid contamination. rics must be rinsed under running water.

The second floor has a large events venue that The seven-story Colonial Revival • Have the carde and air conditioner professionally may be booked in advance. Guests can also go on structure Palacio Memoria is a cleaned. follow guidelines cleaning up after ashfall; it is best to wear masks and goggles curated tours of theCarefully carefully restored andinmaincharming venue ideal for weddings and when cleaning. events. tained house that evokes memories of old Manila. Amiel Rivera and Sara Riviello tie the knot at Palacio de • Ensureother water is clean before drinking.

Memoria located on Roxas Boulevard.

Turn to C2 Another jewel in the

What to do during and after ashfall

Memories made in the palace

Photos By Nico Candelario

Life

C2

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

Common mistakes of parents when managing child’s fever

M

AJORITY or 82 percent of parents around the world use paracetamol to treat their children’s fever and pain, yet it is still common for them to make dosing mistakes.

But aside from wrong dosage, parents ministering paracetamol to their child.

To ensure right dosage, check the actually usually make two mistakes that keep their children sick for longer and paracetamol formulation, which is usually indicated on the product label, and potentially become worse. know the child’s weight.

Paracetamol formulations matter beWrong formulation Paracetamol is not created equal. The cause they affect the total volume of formulation made for adults are not rec- paracetamol consumed by the child.

Experts caution, if a child takes a high ommended for kids.

In the GSK Expert Survey Results, 78 dosage of concentrated paracetamol, it percent of experts in the Philippines have may lead to serious paracetamol poiheard of parents giving their children a soning.

Body weight affects the way paracetsmall dose of adult paracetamol. However, paracetamol formulations are adjusted amol is distributed in the body. A 2018 to the different dosages required across study revealed, a child who is relatively heavier may require higher dosage than age groups.

It is important to take note of the par- someone who is lighter.

Overdosing is quite common. In the acetamol formulation of the bottle. Parents may risk either underdosing their US, a study reported that 12 percent of children, which can prolong their fever, cases among children aged less than 6 or overdosing, which can cause side ef- years old are a result of wrong dosage calculation based on faulty paracetamol fects such as liver injury.

“The antipyretic effect or fever con- formulation.

On the other hand, underdosing troller of paracetamol is dose-dependent from six months to 12 years of age,” erodes confidence in paracetamol as explains Dr. Carmina A. delos Reyes, a tool to treat fever and pain because pediatrician and infectious disease spe- it delays the child’s recovery, causes stress among parents, and results in uncialist.

According to Dr. Delos Reyes, “Vari- necessary trips to the hospital.

“Based on scientific evidence, when ous formulations of paracetamol are available to address the needs of chil- given at a dose of 15 milligrams per dren. For infants up to 2 years old, par- kilogram, it produced a larger relative acetamol suspension 100mg/ml can be temperature reduction and a longer duused; for children 2-6 years of age, par- ration of substantial temperature reducacetamol 125mg/5ml is the ideal choice; tion compared to when given at 10mg/ and for children 6-12 years old, paracet- kg,” says Dr. Delos Reyes.

For instance, the approved and recamol 250mg/5ml is the best option.” ommended dosage in children’s paracetamol brand Calpol Philippines has Wrong dosage When parents are in a rush to treat a 15mg/kg basis.

Instead of guessing the right way to their sick children, it can be tempting to tweak the dosage based on estimation or manage their children’s fever, parents gut feel. In fact, many moms and dads are advised to consult with a doctor to skip reading medicine labels when ad- know more about paracetamol use.

Age and body weight are two important factors in determining the right paracetamol dosage and formulation, according to medical experts.

When parents are in a rush to treat their sick children, it can be tempting to tweak the dosage based on estimation or gut feel.

DOMESTIC LIVING

Wash clothes with your phone

OWWA and SM officials lead the recent gathering of overseas Filipino workers and their families during the OFW Family Day.

Financial literacy, fun activities for OFW families

OVERSEAS Filipino workers and their families were treated to a whole day of fun and education during the recent OFW Family Day at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

The OFW Family Day is an institutionalized nationwide activity that aims to give honor to OFWs and provide them with timeless experiences with their families. The recent staging, spearheaded by Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), featured values education and financial literacy seminars.

For last year’s event, OWWA Regional Welfare Office - National Capital Region partnered with SM Cares—

the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Supermalls, SMX Convention Center, and BDO. The event was participated by the OFW Family Circle members in NCR, composed of vacationing and former OFWs as well as their families.

“Our support goes out to members of the OFW Family Circles who are the driving force and fruitful reminder of the hardships of our OFWs. You are the symbol of love, unity, and courage of all OFWs across the globe,” said OWWA deputy administrator Josefino Torres.

Meanwhile, SM assistant vice president for CSR marketing Chito Bauzon

PSA MEMBERSHIP shopping establishment Landers Superstore slashes the prices of its membership renewal.

All past and present members are eligible for the promo. Premium cardholders can avail of P400 discount from the regular rate of P800, while Business cardholders only need to pay P500 from P1,000 to renew.

The offer is valid until Jan. 30. Go to www. landers.ph for more information.

Past and present members of Landers may avail of the discounted membership renewal.

shared, “For OFWs who come home for Christmas, family time is important and that’s why we offer SM as their second home, for them to create wonderful memories.”

The whole day event was filled with exciting games, special numbers, and surprises. Comedians MC and Lassie delivered their funny antics, while Leah Patricio of The Voice Philippines Season 2 entertained the crowd with song numbers.

The participants also got the chance to bring home various prizes, including P300 and P500 gift certificates from SM and 32-and 40-inch televisions during the raffle draw.

Landers offers discount on membership renewal

BUSY is no longer an excuse when handling household chores, thanks to new technology.

Global appliances brand Electrolux makes clothes washing a bit techie with its Wi-Fi connected washing machine.

The UltimateCare 900 Front Load Washing Machine features Wi-Fi connectivity that lets users remotely control the appliance through the Electrolux Life App. They can choose from wash or dry programs, and receive notifications when their load is up while on-the-go.

The Care Advisor also provides intuitive guidance to assist in expertly cleaning up to 48 fabrics and 40 of the most common stains.

“To activate the Wi-Fi connectivity, simply download the Electrolux Life App through the App Store or Google Play, then click the ‘Add Appliance’ button. Select the appro-

priate machine (washing machine, washer dryer, or dryer) then press the remote button on your appliance until the Wi-Fi sign is flashing. Connect your phone to the appliance, ensure your washing machine door is locked then press remote to get it ready for washing and drying.”

In addition to this smart feature, the washing machine also comes with SensorWash which automatically detects dirt and adjusts cycle times to ensure that clothes receive the perfect wash; UltraMix technology, which activates detergents, thus reducing color fading by up to 40 percent; and Load Sensor, which displays real-time laundry weight and the recommended detergent amount for every wash.

It is also able to automatically adjust time, water, and energy according to the load.

The Wi-Fi enabled UltimateCare washing machine can be remotely controlled using a smartphone app.

Memories...

From C1 Palacio’s crown is the Mosphil Lounge, a passenger plane from a now-defunct airline that flew to and from Zamboanga. It reflects the swanky and hip spirit of the ’60s and ’70s and, not to mention, makes for a fun after-party venue.

According to the Lhuillier sisters, they plan to make Palacio de Memoria an “arts destination.” Other plans include a chapel, thus wedding ceremonies and receptions can be held in the

same place, as well as museum and a bar on the upper floor.

A fully air-conditioned tent will soon open on the grounds to allow for al fresco gatherings or stylish garden weddings. Couples can tie the knot on a gorgeous sunny day or a romantic evening under the stars.

Palacio de Memoria, which opened to the public in March 2019, is at 95 Roxas Boulevard, Barangay Tambo, Parañaque City. Call (02) 8253-3994 or e-mail hello@casadememoria.com for inquiries and more details.

Entertainment

Beauty queen to help campaign against postpartum depression M RS. Philippines World 2019 Meranie Gadiana Rahman wants to serve as the voice in promoting postpartum depression awareness, being herself a survivor of the mood disorder.

The Hawaii-based beauty queen has organized a non-profit organization called “You are Loved Foundation for Postpartum Depression Awareness.”

Married to a medical and emergency physician with whom she has a three-year-old son, Rahman was named Mrs. Philippines World 2019 in Paris, France and competed at the Mrs. World pageant held in Las Vegas, Nevada representing Guam where she was named one of the top 8 finalists.

She was also crowned Mrs. Hawaii Transcontinental 2019, represented Hawaii and finished as 2nd runner-up at the Mrs. USA Universe pageant in Atlanta Georgia.

“Depression and postpartum depression are serious diseases which often lead to drug abuse and suicide if not diagnosed well.

Feeling isolated, helpless with low self-esteem are some of the warning signs of depression and postpartum,” Rahman explained.

The best treatment should be self-love, support from family and a positive attitude,” she added.

Rahman, who was born and grew up in Talisayan, Cagayan de Oro, has received recognition for helping promote postpartum awareness by the Hawaii State legislators as well as from the Hawaii State Governor. She hopes to visit the Philippines in the near future to establish a partnership with local leaders on her advocacy campaign. *** Advocate of beauty for married women For 55-year-old Riza Oben Dormiendo, joining beauty pageants is no joke and takes a lot of courage. A native of Taguig, Dormiento snagged the Mrs. Philippines International Face of Beauty 2019-2020 title last December.

“Winning one of the titles is one of my greatest achievements, which carries a big responsibility. Through this title, I will use my voice to enlighten married women that we are all beautiful in our own different ways and that we can be fit and healthy and maintain our beautiful body by joining activities that will boost our confidence,” she said.

Riza admires Gloria Diaz, Margie Moran, and Pia Wurtzbach for showing the world how beautiful and confident Filipinas are.

“I look to them as inspiration to continue to be an advocate of

Mrs. Philippines International Face of Beauty 2019-2020 Riza Oben Dormiendo

Gem...

From C4

The story revolves around Takizawa’s character, Tetsuhiko Toma, and his journey to performing an unprecedented surgery that will challenge the medical taboos of Japan in the 1980s.

Takizawa admits that it’s his first time to portray a doctor in A Lone Scalpel.

“I feel the pressure to work hard when presented with this new challenge but, at the same time, I’m happy to receive this opportunity,” he shares.

A former member of duo Tackey and Tsubasa, Takizawa has exited showbiz to take on management roles, currently serving as the Vice President of Johnny & Associates as well as President of Johnny’s Island.

A Lone Scalpel is his last piece of work as an actor.

A Lone Scalpel premiered on GEM on Jan. 13 and now airs every Monday and Tuesday at 9:00 in the evening.

Another ongoing medical drama airing on the same week as Japan on GEM is Top Knife, which stars movie/TV/theater actress Yuki Amami, who has won multiple awards such as the 2004 and 2005 Television Drama Academy Awards for Best Actress, 2001 Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actress, and the 1997 Japan Academy Awards for Rookie of the Year.

C3

nickie.standard@gmail.com

SNAPSHOP

Pitt, DiCaprio join Hollywood heavyweights at 2020 Oscars Nominees Luncheon HOLLYWOOD A-listers and Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio strike a pose at the 2020 Oscars Nominees Luncheon.

In the film, DiCaprio plays a struggling actor who can only dream of being nominated for an Academy Award.

Pitt, on the other hand, plays the role of a fictional stuntman named Cliff Booth, the best friend of DiCaprio’s character.

While Pitt is nominated for the best supporting actor category, Di Caprio has been nominated for best actor in a leading role.

Set in 1969 Los Angeles, the film follows an actor and his stunt double, as they navigate the changing film industry, and features “multiple storylines in a modern fairy tale tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.”

The film is directed by Quentin Tarantino. AFP

Mrs. Philippines World 2019 Meranie Gadiana Rahman

Brad Pitt

Extra International...

From C4

beauty for married women. I would advise married women who would join beauty pageants to face their imperfections, build their confidence and be passionate about all the things that challenge them,” she enthused.

Riza is grateful to the Maan Cueto Aris, national director of Mrs. Philippines International beauty pageant and Aries Concepcion of Glamore Productions for giving married women, like her, the opportunity to achieve their dream to become beauty queens.

Riza will compete at the 9th edition of Face of Beauty International pageant. Reigning Face of Beauty International 2019 Peerachada Khunrak of Thailand will relinquish her title.

The Mrs. Philippines International 2019-2020 pageant crowned eight titlists namely, Mrs. Philippines International, Ms. Philippines International, Elite Mrs. Philippines International, Mrs. Philippines Planet, Mrs. Philippines National Universe, Mrs. Philippines Continental International, Mrs. Philippines Tourism and Culture Universe; and Mrs. Philippines Face of Beauty International.

In Top Knife, Amami plays Yoko Miyama, a genius neurosurgeon who is torn between her commitment to saving her patients’ lives and the guilt of abandoning her own family.

“It’s been some time since I worked with Koji Hayashi , the scriptwriter, and Kyouji Otsuka, the director. I’m very happy and I look forward to it very much... I hope I can fully convey the charm behind Hayashi’s script and Otsuka’s directing to everyone,” Amami said in an interview.

Based on the novel Top Knife by Koji Hayashi, Top Knife premiered in the Philippines in the when GEM aired its first episode on Jan. 13. Viewers can catch it on GEM every Monday at 10:00 p.m..

Also premiering on GEM on Jan. 22 is Us Forever, a beautiful love story between an emotionally- torn man and a young girl burdened by familial obligations.

Us Forever, airing on GEM the same week as Japan, features the tandem of singer-actor Taisuke Fujigaya, a member of Johnny & Associates’ boy band Kis-My-Ft2, and former-model-turnedactress Nao, who is a recipient of the Best Supporting Actress award from Television Drama Academy Award.

“I had hoped to work with Misumi Kubo after reading Yoru no Fukurami, so I’m very fortunate to be able to participate in a drama based on her work. I’ve

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020

read the original novel, and the love story between two ordinary people gave me newfound hope. I sense the makings of a wonderful drama,” Nao explains.

“My character, Sakurako Motohashi, comes across as a woman facing struggles which she cannot overcome on her own...This is a love story between two people working towards recovery, and I hope viewers may find a ripple of hope spreading in their hearts as they watch the drama.”

Fujigaya, on the other hand, has this to say about his character: “Ichiharu Sudo is in his 30s like me. We may hold different jobs, but his internal struggles and attitude towards work resonate with me very much. Ichiharu comes across as a mysterious person who is hard to read, but I find that trait endearing, and I thought that is the most charming thing about him...

There are many things we hope to convey in this drama, so I hope everyone can give this drama a viewing.”

Catch Us Forever, airing every Wednesday at 9:00 p.m., as well as A Lone Scalpel and Top Knife which comprise GEM’s new weeknight dramas.

GEM, your destination for the best of Japanese entertainment, is available on SKYcable Ch 116 in Metro Manila; SKYcable Ch 222 in Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo, and Baguio; GSAT Ch 57; and various provincial cable operators nationwide.

Interscope signed her at age 14—making the Californian a rare internet-age pop star to win big online and then see a label invest time and money in cultivating her talent over the long term.

But despite the industry input, Eilish appears to be a singular star whose only influencer is herself.

She deftly imbues often morbid lyrical content—topics include death, depression, and fear over climate change—with tinges of irony and humor.

The performer—who has cited grunge band Nirvana as inspiration—delivers poetry in a breathy voice bordering on a whisper, layered over minimal beats akin to electronic music and southern hip-hop.

Put on the spot, Eilish oozes eminent chill—though the nerves of adolescence sometimes peek through.

“We made this album in a bedroom,” she said backstage at the Grammys on Sunday after scooping five trophies, standing next to O’Connell, to whom she routinely gave the mic.

“It’s really like anything is possible, actually,” she added with a wry giggle.

Confused and grateful The superstar’s signature style features oversized sweatshirts and baggy pants, often paired with sunglasses and the garish extra-long nail extensions more often associated with rapper Cardi B. On Grammy night, she wore an oversized Gucci pantsuit with glittering lime green accents—that matched her neondyed roots—and even sported a sheer black face mask on the red carpet.

The star has described her body image as “toxic,” and spoken openly about mental health struggles—a growing movement in the music industry, which has lost scores of stars young and old to suicide and overdose.

“Wow, wow, wow, wow,” Eilish began her speech in accepting the award for “Bad Guy.” “So many other songs deserved this,

Leonardo DiCaprio

I’m sorry.”

Her 22-year-old brother later said, “We didn’t think this would ever win anything.”

“We didn’t write an album to win awards. We wrote an album about depression, about suicidal thoughts, about climate change,” he continued.

“We stand up here confused and grateful.”

Win-win for women The young Eilish has flatly dismissed the industry’s habit of drumming up publicity and drama by pitting female stars against each other.

She champions women as peers rather than rivals, emphasizing that the success of one performer does not steal from another.

“Everybody’s always trying to make everybody compete,” she told the Los Angeles Times in 2019.

“They’re like, ‘Billie’s album might pass Ariana’s.’”

On Sunday, Eilish gave a shout-out to Grande, saying the pop royal’s album thank u, next should have won the night’s prestigious Album of the Year award.

She’s also lauded fellow Album of the Year nominee Lana Del Rey, a masterful lyricist who, like Grande, went home empty-handed on Sunday.

“I don’t want to hear that Billie Eilish is the new Lana Del Rey. Do not disrespect Lana like that! That woman has made her brand so perfect for her whole career and shouldn’t have to hear that,” Eilish once said of the baroque pop troubadour whose languorous, deadpan 2019 album was hailed by many as the year’s best.

“I don’t want to hear that somebody’s the new Billie Eilish in a couple of years.”

That prospect appears unlikely considering the superstar’s inimitable idiosyncrasies, raw talent and meteoric rise that now includes plenty of Grammys gold.

“What’s next? I don’t know -- be in this moment is all I’m thinking about,” she told reporters Sunday backstage.

As the now classic lyric from “Bad Guy” goes…. duh. Maggy Donaldson, AFP

American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish (left) and brother Finneas O'Connell accept the Song of the Year award for one of 2019's smash hits, 'Bad Guy.'

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

C4

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020

Sylvia in a new summer S

family flick

EASONED screen actress Sylvia Sanchez stars opposite former senator Jinggoy Estrada in the latter’s comeback movie, Coming Home, a heartwarming story about family, reconciliation, and redemption.

Touted as the perfect Mother’s Day/ Father’s Day offering because of its focus on core Filipino family values, the lead stars play husband and wife—the pivotal characters in the inspiring family drama.

“This is the kind of film that I would want my family to watch. The lesson that the film wanted to convey, on my perspective, is that even if you’re a part of a broken family dapat magsumikap ka sa buhay. Being part of a broken home gives you a better reason to change your life. Dapat nga na mas magsumikap ka sa buhay at sa personal mong buhay kasi you know how hard it is to be part of an incomplete home,” Sylvia told Manila Standard in an interview.

Joining Sylvia and Jinggoy is Ariella Arida who is making her silver screen debut. She plays the reluctant mistress whose own family issues put her relationship to the test when faced with a moral dilemma.

Coming Home also features a formidable ensemble led by award-winning actors Martin del Rosario and Edgar Allan Guzman, Jake Ejercito, Shaira Diaz, Vin Abrenica, Janna Agoncillo, and Julian Estrada, together with Smokey Manaloto, Samantha Lopez,

Almira Muhlach, Luis Hontiveros, Alvin Anson, Chanel Morales, and Orlan Wamar, with the special participation of Geneva Cruz.

Line produced by ALV Films and produced Maverick Films, Coming Home is directed by Adolfo Alix, Jr., with screenplay by Gina Marissa Tagasa.

The award-winning director also penned the story’s initial concept.

Coming Home tackles the complex dynamics of a Filipino family dealing with issues and challenges that threaten to tear it apart, but eventually brought together, in the end, thanks to the prevailing power of love, forgiveness, and redemption.

The story revolves around the triumphs and travails of Benedicto “Benny” Librada (Jinggoy) who rises from his humble beginnings to further his studies and eventually provides for his family’s brighter future as he works as an OFW in Qatar.

But even the toughest and most loyal patriarchs can stumble and succumb to temptation.

Away from family and caught at his most vulnerable moment, Benny soon finds himself smitten by the charm of Mercy Dungca (Ara Arida), a registered nurse working in a Qatar hospital, who

The cast of 'Coming Home,' a summer family movie produced by ALV Films.

YUGEL LOSORATA

Game conductor BASKETBALL great Kobe Bryant put high premium to music and intended to launch his debut album called Visions in 2000 when he first won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. But fate intervened and the novelty of athletes moonlighting as musicians was on the way out.

But then his triumph at the 2018 Oscars as executive producer for the short film Dear Basketball saw traces of his musical inclination. In fact, he bonded with animator Glen Keane through their “shared love for Beethoven.”

It was reported that in one important game, Kobe “structured his performance and strategy to the rhythms of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.”

He then asked famed musical scorer John Williams to put music to Dear Basketball partly because he made use of Williams melodies as lullaby for his kids.

Kobe was a two-time scoring champion in the NBA, chosen to start in an All-Star game 18 times and winning MVP honors on four occasions. He was even quoted pointing out, “As a basketball player what I found myself doing a lot was essentially conducting a game.”

At the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards held only hours after Kobe and

eight others including his daughter Gigi perished from a helicopter crash, some of music’s biggest stars paid tribute to the man who won five rings in the NBA and became a global ambassador of the sport, even serving as the face of last year’s World Cup in China.

Referring to Staples Center which is home to the L.A. Lakers, singer Alicia Keys poignantly said, “We’re literally standing here in the house that Kobe Bryant built. Los Angeles, the America, and the whole wide world lost a hero.”

Keys emphasized how much Kobe loved music and thought he would have wanted to “keep vibrations high.”

In 2009, the late King of Pop Michael Jackson was also given tribute at the same venue, with Kobe in attendance. It had been written that a phone call from Jackson motivated a then-teenage Kobe who eventually developed his famed Mamba mentality.

The iconic Gloria Gaynor, who

VERY WANG NICKIE WANG

eventually ends up as Benny’s “reluctant mistress.”

Through all her family’s turbulent storms, Salve Librada (Sylvia) threshes out her role as martyr wife to the hilt— maxing her strength and sacrificing her own interests just to keep her family together, and even doing her best to conceal her terminal illness until it’s too late.

Adding more color to the compelling family drama are the equally intricate relationships the Librada siblings Ned (EA Guzman), Yuri (Martin del Rosario), Enji (Jake Ejercito) and Sally (Shaira Diaz) get embroiled in.

Inspired in part by true-to-life events, Coming Home climaxes with a heartwrenching twist that will surely leave viewers in tears, as it brings to fore the indomitable Filipino family spirit, tempered by faith and forgiveness.

It’s a timely silver screen comeback for the former senator who bagged the FAMAS Best Actor award for his role in Katas ng Saudi (2007), which also won Best Picture that same year.

During the movie’s story conference held last Jan. 14 at Discovery Suites, Ortigas Center, Estrada expressed his excitement about working with a dynamic cast and crew.

“I’m very excited about working alongside all these very good actors and actresses, and above all, of course, I feel inspired by this heartwarming story about the triumphs of the typical Filipino family. That’s something that always reflects our core values,” he points out.

For his part, Coming Home line producer ALV Films producer Arnold Vegafria is greatly excited about the movie’s star power and box-office potential.

“I’m confident that our family pic will be a worthy summer offering for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, because it’s a story that resonates strongly with Filipino viewers, and of course, because of our great cast and production team,” he says.

Coming Home opens in major local cinemas this summer.

won a Grammy for Best Gospel Album, said she was shocked to learn that a “wonderful life was snuffed out way too fast.”

Keys and Boyz II Men sang “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” as others who paid honor to the Michael Jordan of his generation included Lizzo and DJ Khaled.

In 2017, his first year off a 20-year NBA career, he noted that “every game has a structure like a piece of music.”

No doubt the most accomplished NBA draftee from the stellar class of 1996, Kobe won league MVP in 2008 and was named Finals MVP in 2009 and 2010. At his peak, he famously scored 81 points in a game versus the Toronto Raptors, and then left the NBA in 2016 after a 60-point regular game finale heroics.

Challenged throughout his colorful yet brief 41 years of life, Kobe was always ready to face the music.

At the Grammys, a tribute included a rendition of "Higher," which the performers sang with a gospel choir as projections of the image of DJ Khaled and Kobe Bryant presided over the stage.

Actress Sylvia Sanchez stars in another family drama, this time on the big screen.

Billie Eilish redefines contemporary pop star THE embodiment of cool with haunting, gravelly vocals and original punkrock style, Billie Eilish has redefined the contemporary pop star on her blistering path to stardom.

And now the teenage mover and shaker has cemented her place as an establishment leader, posting a banner Grammy night by sweeping the top four categories—the first woman and youngest artist to do so.

The 18-year-old’s phenomenal ascent saw Eilish named Billboard’s 2019 woman of the year—and for good reason.

Within a matter of months, she dropped a number one album entitled When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, led the hot songs chart with her single “Bad Guy” and played a set on a prime stage at the Coachella music festival that was pure fire.

The biggest globally renowned musician to emerge from Generation Z, the candid Eilish draws young fans with a personal social media presence and internet-speak fluency.

And with a fashion sense as unique as her sound, Eilish is the kind of female star who refuses to let the sexualization of her body define her celebrity.

At just 13, she dropped her debut bedroom-produced single “Ocean Eyes” on SoundCloud, the do-it-yourself streaming platform that has also brought a generation of young rappers to fame.

The gauzy synth-pop song about painful longing to reconnect with an ex— written and produced by Eilish’s primary creative collaborator, her brother Finneas O’Connell— quickly went viral.

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Billie Eilish champions other women as peers rather than rivals, emphasizing that the success of one performer does not steal from another.

GEM premieres hit Japanese medical dramas JAPANESE entertainment channel GEM, a joint venture of Sony Pictures Television and Japan’s Nippon TV, welcomes 2020 with exciting additions to its lineup of popular and sought-after Japanese programs.

For the month of January, two new medical dramas and a compelling romance drama are bound to make viewers fall in love with new characters and turn their weeknights into date nights with GEM. The first medical drama is the muchtalked-about A Lone Scalpel, starring former actor-singer Hideaki Takizawa in a very challenging role of a USeducated Japanese surgeon working at a rural hospital in the 1980s, an era when internal organ transplant had not yet been legalized in Japan.

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A scene from 'Top Knife,' which stars screen actress Yuki Amami