Manila Standard - 2020 February 8 - Saturday

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

No to Clark quarantine–LGUs

But airlift of Filipinos in Wuhan takes off today despite concerns

By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Rey E. Requejo and Joel E. Zurbano

T

HE New Clark City facility in Capas, Tarlac, where 45 repatriated Filipinos from Hubei province in China will be quarrantined for 14 days, will be on lockdown to allay fears that the novel coronavirus could spread to nearby communities, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Friday.

VOL. XXXIII • NO. 359 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Duque said a number of local govern government units had opposed the presence of a quarantine facility for Filipinos returning from China near their communities.

But Duque said nCoV was not like “measles, TB (tuberculosis) or chick chicken pox, which is airborne,” he said, and would not infect communities near the Athlete’s Village in New Clark City.

“So do not worry,” he said.

The first batch of Filipinos from China is set to arrive in the Philippines early Sunday morning. They will be transferred to the facility in Tarlac for a 14-day quarantine.

Upon alighting at the Clark International Airport from the chartered plane that will take them from Hubei, the DOH-Bureau of Quarantine will screen all the 45 returning Filipinos.

Duque said they will also be screened for the symptoms of the novel coronavirus in Hubei before boarding the chartered plane that would take them to the Philippines. He said those with symp symptoms would not be allowed to board the plane as Chinese authorities will place them in quarantine.

On the other hand, passengers showing the symptoms of the coronavirus when

SAFETY SUITS. This handout photo shows a man wearing a disposable safety personal protective suit, provided by the Bureau of Quarantine, in preparation for any touchdown at the country’s premier airport. Nearly 100 kms north of the capital, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has lamented the rejection by local government units round the New Clark City Athletes Village in Capas, Tarlac to hold a place of quarantine for returning Filipinos from China.

Next page

DISINFECTING HANDRAILS.

Personnel of Sumitomo-MHI-TESP, the MRT-3 maintenance provider, disinfects a handrail inside one of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3’s trains the other day, with train management saying disinfection would continue so long as there is the nCoV threat. MRT-3 Photo

Gov’t assures enough funds for containing virus

By Maricel V. Cruz THE Department of Budget and Management is open to allotting more funds to contain the novel coronavirus (nCoV) and to help people affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said Friday.

“Secretary [Wendel] Avisado assured me that when the nCoV funds are used up, he will augment them,”

Cayetano said, after meeting with the Budget secretary.

At the same time, Cayetano said the House was ready to discuss a supplemental budget but added that the DBM must first declare that the cash is available.

He also urged the executive department agencies as well as the local government units to use their quick response and calamity funds to address urgent needs of the people.

Meanwhile, Laguna Rep. Sol Aragones said the government needs to find ways to mitigate the drastic decrease in tourist arrivals caused by the spread of nCoV from China.

“The Department of Tourism [DOT] initially expected to bring in 9.2 million foreign visitors this year, with a revenue target of P661 billion from inbound tourism,” said Aragones.

Next page

SILENCED FOREVER. A photo of the late ophthalmologist Li Wenliang, seen Friday with flower bouquets at the Houhu Branch of Wuhan Central Hospital in China’s central Hubei province. AFP

Global scare deepens; Xi, Trump confer YOKOHAMA, Japan―Thousands of people were stranded aboard two cruise ships in Asia on Thursday, quarantined by officials desperate to stem the spread of a deadly virus that has killed hundreds in China and spread panic worldwide.

At least 61 people on board one ocean liner off the Japanese coast have tested positive for the new coronavirus, with Next page

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Joel E. Zurbano THE Department of Health might resort to a forced quarantine on patients who refuse to be isolated despite showing severe symptoms linked to the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease, officials said Friday.

“We are urging everyone, especially the [patients under investigation or PUIs] who refused admission, to cooperate with the DOH, their local government units and the Philippine National Police (PNP),” Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said at a news conference.

He called on Filipinos to help protect the health of their fellowmen Next page

‘Follow zoning plan in ASF fight’

By MJ Blancaflor SECURITY ISSUES. President Rodrigo Duterte presides Thursday over the Joint Armed Forces of the Philippines-Philippine National

velopment, which Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana revealed to ABSCBN News, that said the President will continue to terminate the VFA with the US despite concerns it would affect the Philippines negatively.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered all government agencies to comply with the Department of Agriculture’s zoning plan to contain the African swine fever.

Through Administrative Order 22 released Friday, President Duterte ordered the strict implementation of the department’s Administrative Circular 12, or the National Zoning and Movement Plan for ASF that has struck mostly backyard farms in Luzon.

Next page

Next page

Police Command Conference at Malacanang, believed to have tackled security concerns. Presidential Photo

Duterte orders DFA to notify US of VFA termination

By Macon Ramos-Araneta PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte late Friday instructed Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to ask the Department of Foreign Affairs to send the United States a notice to terminate the Visiting

Forces Agreement.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo also said President Duterte was scheduled to have a phone call with US President Donald Trump “anytime” Friday night.

This dovetailed with an earlier de-

Frank H. T. Rhodes, former Cornell U president, 93

Frank H. T. Rhodes

Forced isolation for patients with symptoms eyed

HUNDREDS of Cornell University alumni, workers and students have mourned the passing of the school’s former president, Frank H.T. Rhodes, who died Monday night (Feb. 3) in Bonita Springs, Florida. He was 93.

Regarded by many as one of Cornell’s greatest presidents, Rhodes served as the University’s ninth president from 1977 to 1995—making him one of the longest-serving presidents at Cornell and in the Ivy League.

Once Rhodes was inaugurated president, he dedicated the rest of his life to the university based in Ithaca, New York, founded in 1865

by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White.

“Frank Rhodes epitomized academic excellence, championed scientific inquiry, and led Cornell University so naturally, optimistically and gracefully for nearly two decades that he set the standard by which all research university presidents can be measured.”

“Frank Rhodes was a brilliant scholar and a gracious leader who was not only deeply respected, but truly loved by generations of Cornellians,” said University president Martha E. Pollack in a press release.

Glenn Altschuler Ph.D. ’76, American studies and dean of the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions, commented on the former president’s polite demeanor on a condolences page—which is filled with responses from alumni, faculty and administrators on Rhodes’ lasting impact on Cornell.

“It was a graciousness that included time Next page

Ezra Cornell

— Ezra Cornell ’70, Cornell University’s life trustee and a direct descendant of university founder Ezra Cornell

A2

News

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Duterte prefers cremation, eyes Libingan lot sale PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday he was willing to sell his presidential burial plot at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in exchange for P1 million for the benefit of the Philippine General Hospital, adding he wanted to be cremated instead.

“I do not even want to be remembered.

I have prepared for my funeral. In Camp Aguinaldo, there’s a lot there reserved for presidents. If you want, you can buy it from me. Just give one million pesos to PGH and I’ll execute a waiver. I’ll give it to you,” the 74-year-old Duterte told his audience in Malacanañg.

“Just burn me when the time comes. Twenty-four hours, no vigil. Just throw it there and leave a part beside my mother’s urn. I’m not into this publicity. I’m ashamed.”

In his speech, President Duterte challenged government officials to visit public hospitals to understand the plight of the poor―even as he lamented the sorry state of the PGH. The PGH is a tertiary state-owned hospital administered and operated by the University of the Philippines-Manila and which serves 600,000 patients annually.

Duterte even claimed that the medical interns there were forced to provide medicines for patients “who are lying in the throes of death on the floor.”

“Try to visit. I challenge you. Try to visit public hospitals especially if there is contagion. All of them are lying on the floor.

Look at them carefully,” Duterte said.

He reminded his audience that government officials should not nurture a personal loyalty to him, adding they should uphold the Constitution instead.

He also reminded them of their obligation to serve the country with integrity, impartiality and independence.

“Do not nurture a personal loyalty to me.

I don’t need it. And I cannot run anymore,” he said. MJ Blancaflor

Gov’t...

From A1 “Given all the travel restrictions resulting from the spread of the 2019 nCoV, we may have to revisit these numbers, especially since more than a fifth of the foreign tourists who visited us last year were from China,” Aragones added.

Statistics from the DOT showed that between January and November 2019, 22 percent of the country’s 7.4 million foreign tourists, or 1.63 million, were Chinese.

The President recently ordered a ban on all foreign nationals coming to the Philippines directly from China, Hong Kong and Macau. Local airlines have likewise suspended flights to these areas.

The government and tourism stakeholders need to find a prudent way to move forward that allows livelihoods to be sustained while protecting lives.

“We have to keep in mind that the tourism industry… employs 5.4 million Filipinos. A broad swath of industries could be affected by the travel restrictions that will be imposed by various governments in response to this outbreak, and we have to be prepared for that,” the lawmaker said.

Aragones said that limitations on foreign travel may require the tourism sector to focus more on promoting domestic tourism to offset possible slowdowns in foreign arrivals.

“The tourism revenue target for 2020, overall, is P4.45 trillion, with domestic tourism receipts expected to reach P3.79 trillion. We may need to work overtime to make up the difference as foreign governments take additional precautions to prevent the spread of 2019 nCov.” Also on Friday, Senator Joel Villanueva, chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources, said workers at Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations who returned from areas where an nCoV outbreak has been recorded must go though a 14-day quarantine and observe the procedures specified by the Department of Health.

The state gaming regulator, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., which has oversight on POGOs, should fulfill its mandate, the senator said.

With Macon Ramos-Araneta

Duterte...

From A1 In a text message to ABS-CBN, Lorenzana said: “The President said he is terminating the VFA. I asked for clarification and he said he is not changing his decision.”

The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will also communicate its recommendation to the President following Friday’s hearing, Lorenzana added, without disclosing matters discussed behind closed doors.

“With [what the President said], what I think becomes irrelevant,” the defense chief added when asked about his stand on plans of ending the military pact, which governs the conduct of American uniformed personnel while in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, senior administration Senator Aquilino Pimentel III on Friday said majority of the senators wanted a review of the VFA, which Duterte threatened to revoke following the cancellation of the US visa of Senator Ronald dela Rosa.

In an interview, Pimentel, chairperson of the foreign affairs committee, said he could not say that senators were for the abrogation of the VFA since they were divided.

Instead, he noted that many of them favored its review, the same stand aired

by Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. With MJ Blancaflor

Du30 to ‘negotiate’ with water firms

By MJ Blancaflor

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte says he will negotiate with the executives of Maynilad and Manila Water if they return the money they allegedly stole from the public through the 1997 water concession agreement, which he claims had “onerous” provisions.

In his speech Thursday, President Duterte floated the possibility of negotiating with the water firms—far from his previous hard-line stance on the issue.

“They were merely distributors, yet they have come out to be 10 times, 20 times richer. That’s why I don’t want to

talk with them. They want to talk to me.

I told them I don’t want to” Duterte said.

“Where is the money of the Filipino people? Where is the money of the average Filipino?...Give us back the money. Give it back to the people and maybe we can talk about solving your problem. It will not be

the problem of this government.”

Duterte has previously said he does not want to negotiate with the water concessionaires, whom he accused of “milking” Filipinos of billions of pesos.

The Justice department and the Office of the Solicitor General have been drafting a water concession contract without the “onerous” provisions that angered the President.

Should the two firms reject the new contract, Duterte said, he would order a government takeover of the water services in Metro Manila and other areas under the watch of Manila Water and Maynilad.

Gamboa orders President’s PNP officers drug list verified PHILIPPINE National Police Chief Gen. Archie Gamboa on Friday ordered his men to verify a list of 357 policemen, who are on President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug watchlist, if they are indeed involved in illegal drugs.

“I hope the public would not mind for me not to supply more details... I would like to protect their identity because as of yet, they are presumed innocent,” Gamboa told CNN Philippines.

Gamboa says this is part of the internal cleansing program that he promised to the President when he took the reins of the police force last month.

The highest-ranking officer on the list, he said, is a Brigadier General or a one-star rank official. The PNP chief spoke to most of these policemen who reported to Camp Crame on Friday.

Gamboa said the adjudication and validation process will be-

No...

From A1 they land here will be immediately admitted as patients under investigation in assigned hospitals. Those showing no symtoms will be transported to the New Clark City facility.

Duque expressed regret that Filipinos have lost their sense of “bayanihan” or cooperation.

“It’s sad. All of those which I reached out to, they’re against [the quarantine facility],” he said.

“I said, ‘Who will take care of our fellow Filipinos but Filipinos themselves?’ We cannot expect others to take care of our fellow countrymen if we ourselves would not take care of them,” he said.

The health chief said the people should show some patriotism, especially now that the country is facing a major threat.

The government had initially planned to quarantine the repatriated Filipinos in the Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.

But since the facility is not ready for occupancy, Duque said they opted to house the returning Filipinos in a facility built for the 30th Southeast Asian Games last year.

In a statement, Capas City Mayor Reynaldo Catacutan said the DOH did not “in any way” involve the local government of Capas when it decided to use the New Clark City complex as a quarantine zone.

“We acknowledge that the Bases Conversion and Development Authority [BCDA] has full jurisdiction over NCC, but I, as the mayor of Capas, appeal in behalf of all Capaseños to our dear President Rodrigo Duterte and DOH Secretary Francisco Duque to consider another place or facility as isolation area,” he said.

“The Capas City Council held an emergency session Friday morning to discuss the sudden and uncoordinated move of the DOH to use the Athletes’ Village at the New Clark City... as a quarantine facility for the Filipino workers being repatriated from the epicenter of the 2019 deadly novel coronavirus,” the Capas City Information Office said in a separate Facebook post.

Forced...

From A1 even as the cumulative total of persons under investigation for the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV) stood at 215 as of noon Friday.

Domingo said that of that number, 184 are admitted and isolated, nine have refused admission, 17 have been discharged under strict monitoring, while two have died of other causes.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization will give the Philippines test kits to hasten the detection of the novel coronavirus, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Friday.

“I said let’s be quick. The key here is the fast and credible testing of the novel coronavirus, so these test kits will speed it up,” he said.

Under present conditions, the wait for confirmation eats up time and “thereis a congrestion of patients,” Duque said.

Domingo said 441 people who came into contact with the Chinese couple who tested positive for nCoV have been identified by the DOH Epidemiology Bureau and the Philippine National Police.

Of this number, he said 379 were passengers

‘Follow...

From A1 “There is an urgent need to ensure consistent implementation and compliance with Administrative Circular 12 to moreeffectively control the ASF virus toward its complete eradication,” Duterte said in his order signed on Feb. 5.

In related developments: • The Agriculture department in Davao confirmed Thursday that Davao City is no longer free from African swine fever after two barangays in Calinan District tested positive of the disease.

Regional Director Ricardo Oñate Jr. told reporters that the blood samples from pigs in the villages of Lamanan and Domingga, which were collected and submitted to the Bureau of Animal Industry on Jan. 31 and Feb. 3, tested positive for ASF.

gin on Monday, and the PNP hopes to finish the entire process in a month.

“Two levels. The first level will be regional, national support unit, or directorial staff adjudication boards where they will be heard one week. Then for the next three weeks, they will be passed on to the National Adjudication Board which will be headed by the Deputy Chief PNP for Administration,” the PNP chief said.

Those who will be proven to have no connection with illegal drugs will be removed from the President’s watchlist, Gamboa said.

Meanwhile, case build-up that may lead to administrative and criminal charges will be filed against those with proven involvement in illegal drug transactions.

The National Adjudication Board will present the final list to Gamboa, which will later on be endorsed to the President for action.

The two water firms have vowed to cooperate with the government to revise the contract after the President repeatedly assailed them.

On Dec. 10 last year, the executives of Manila Water and Maynilad wrote to the President expressing their willingness to sit down with government officials to resolve the issue.

“They’re trying to reach out for a settlement. Let us see how it develops. I am really furious,” Duterte said.

“I do not brag. I am not brave. But, son of a bitch, if I get angry with you, I will slap you in public.”

Global...

From A1

The BCDA said, however, that preventive and precautionary measures are in place in New Clark City, where Filipinos to be repatriated from China’s Hubei province would be quarantined.

“We would like to assure the municipality of Capas and its officials that the national government will address all the issues and concerns raised following the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force for Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to use New Clark City as a quarantine site for our repatriated kababayans,” the BCDA said in a statement released Friday.

“All preventive and precautionary measures are being put in place by the Task Force not only for our repatriated kababayans, but to also ensure that the adjacent communities of New Clark City and all Capaseños are kept safe and protected,” the BCDA added.

The Athlete’s Village, along with other facilities for the 2019 SEA Games, is the first development in the 9,450-hectare New Clark City.

The Department of Health said there would be limited contact with the community if the repatriated Filipinos stay within the New Clark City property.

On Thursday, Duque III said the repatriated OFWs would be oriented on the quarantine process and asked to fill up health cards.

Centralized processing of all immigration documents will also be done, he added.

The Bureau of Quarantine will coordinate the disinfection of the OFWs’ luggage and the airplane while the Central Health Development Central Luzon will be in charge of disinfecting the vehicles used for transport.

Since the returning Filipinos would be provided packed meals and other needs, Duque said their movement shall be limited to the quarantine building.

The DOH will be in charge of the management coordination and logistics of the quarantine process.

All DOH hospitals in the region will be in charge of deploying medical teams to the quarantine area.

A team from the Department of Foreign Affairs arrived in Wuhan City for the repatriation

of Filipino workers there.

“We already have our DFA team inside Wuhan City for the repatriation of our OFWs. They are on the ground and they’re taking the risk,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido Dulay said in a statement.

Dulay said 45 Filipinos have so far confirmed their intention to be repatriated.

Officials on Friday said normal flight operations at the Clark International Airport will not be affected by the arrival of Filipinos repatriated from Hubei, China as the airport management decided not to use the main terminal building for that purpose. The returning workers will be processed in a separate area instead.

In related developments: • The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines urged the airline chartered by the government to provide its pilots and cabin crew with hazard pay for the mission. “We are asking the airline management to provide their cabin crew and their pilots a 14-day quarantine period hazard pay as they undergo the mandatory period after their journey from Hubei.

Right now, these cabin crew and pilots didn’t have hazard pay compensation for the several trips they had and the the mandatory quaratine period they made had days ago,” said TUCP president Raymond Mendoza.

• The Filipino seafarer earlier tested positive with novel coronavirus on board Diamond Princess cruise liner in Japan is in stable condition at a hospital, a Philippine Embassy official Tokyo said Friday. In a radio interview, Deputy Chief of Mission to Japan Robespierre Bolivar said that the nCoV-stricken sailor is responding well to medical treatment by a hospital in Japan. He said there are 538 Filipinos onboard the cruise ship, 531 crew members and seven guest passengers.

• An official of the Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday said a Filipina migrant worker in Hong Kong who was quarantined for suspicion of novel coronavirus infection has been released. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido Dulay, who handles civilian security and consular concerns, said the Filipina has been cleared of any symptoms of nCoV and was released after the 14-day quarantine period.

thousands more facing two weeks of isolation.

The outbreak on the vessel, whose 3,700 passengers and crew hail from over 50 countries, is the latest development in a snowballing global health emergency that has left more than 560 people dead, most of them in China.

In Hong Kong, 3,600 people spent the night confined aboard the cruise ship World Dream as authorities conducted health checks after three former passengers tested positive for the virus.

In Beijing, a Chinese doctor who was punished after raising the alarm about China’s new coronavirus died from the pathogen on Friday, sparking an outpouring of grief and anger over a worsening crisis that has now killed more than 630 people.

At least 31,000 people have now been infected by a virus that ophthalmologist Li Wenliang and colleagues first brought to light in late December.

The disease has since spread across China, prompting the government to lock down cities of tens of millions of people, and panic has spiralled around the globe as more than 240 cases have emerged in two dozen countries.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, whose countries have tussled over trade and human rights, spoke on the phone about the health emergency on Friday.

Xi urged “the US side to respond reasonably to the novel coronavirus outbreak”, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Trump expressed his “confidence” in China’s ability to tackle the epidemic, the White House said.

Beijing has been angered by bans on arrivals from China instituted by the United States and other countries, accusing Washington of spreading “panic.”

Later Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said another huge cruise ship, the Westerdam, was heading to the country with one suspected infected passenger aboard.

He said no foreigners from the vessel, capable of carrying nearly 3,000 passengers and crew, would be allowed to disembark.

In Seoul, the most productive car factory in the world fell quiet on Friday as South Korea’s Hyundai suspended operations at its giant Ulsan complex, hamstrung by a lack of parts with the coronavirus outbreak crippling China’s industrial output.

The five-plant network can make 1.4 million vehicles annually, in a coastal location facilitating importing components and exporting cars globally. AFP

and crew from flights taken by the confirmed cases, while 62 contacts were from hotels or resorts, hospitals, public vehicles, and other places visited by the confirmed cases.

The confirmed nCoV cases, the 38-yearold Chinese woman and her boyfriend, the 44-year-old Chinese man who both came from Wuhan, China, epicenter of the novel coronavirus, traveled to the Philippines and went to Cebu and Dumaguete cities, boarding Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines flights.

Of the contacts, 203 were placed on home quarantine, while 32 contacts exhibiting symptoms were categorized as patients under investigation and confined in hospital.

He said the remaining 206 have yet to be interviewed due to erroneous contact information.

To date, 106 contacts were traced, including all 90 co-passengers and 16 individuals from hotels and hospitals in contact with the third confirmed case. Currently, 22 contacts have been interviewed and were placed on home quarantine, while four symptomatic contacts have been confined.

Initially, the DOH had to send samples to the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory in Australia for the confirmation of the virus until the Research Institute for Tropical

Medicine recently brought primers to perform the test.

“So I said, ‘Please, please WHO we need these test kits as soon as possible.’ So that the turnaround of the patient, the turnaround time is quicker,” he said.

The Office of the President said those who go near President Rodrigo Duterte are required to declare their travel and medical history.

The Events Management Cluster of the Office of the President has been requiring Palace guests and those who have engagements with Duterte to disclose if they traveled to foreign countries or were recently sick.

The guests will be asked to fill out a “health declaration form” containing questions such as countries or cities they had traveled from, as well as their exposure to farm or wild animals.

“The health declaration form is an additional precautionary measure to ensure the safety and security, not just of President Duterte, but everyone who is working at or visiting Malacañang,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said.

The clearance covers “not only all visitors, but our Cabinet secretaries, government officials, and employees who will interact with the President,” he added.

Those who will falsify their responses might face “serious consequences,” the document read.

Meanwhile, airport authorities urged the public not to go in groups to welcome or meet passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to avoid possible infections.

Manila International Airport Authority general manager Eddie Monreal appealed to families and friends of air travelers not to bring highly vulnerable people to the airport, especially children, the elderly, immuno-compromised individuals and those with underlying medical conditions to protect them from possible exposure.

“This call is being made not to alarm the public. This is our simple way of supporting inter-agency efforts to prevent and contain the spread of the virus,” said Monreal.

“Let us say our goodbyes at home and not go to the airport in groups when meeting a passenger. It is very hard to fight tradition, but in times like this, everyone should look out for their own safety,” the airport chief said.

Also on Friday, the Alliance of Health Workers held a rally to push for a P16,000 national minimum wage and increase in health budget to 5 percent of the gross domestic product. With Willie Casas

• A popular livestock auction site in Sulop town in Davao del Sur was shut down temporarily starting Wednesday to prevent the possible spread of the African swine fever in the province.

Oñate, director of the Department of Agriculture in the Davao Region, said he had already coordinated with Sulop Mayor Jose Jimmy Sagareno about the move as part of the agency’s measure to contain any ASF infection in neighboring Davao Occidental.

• Gov. Melchor Diclas of Benguet issued an executive order imposing a total ban on the entry of live pigs into the province starting Feb. 6 to curb the spread of the African swine fever in the province.

Duterte also ordered the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to ensure the strict observance of all government offices, instrumentalities and local government units on the zoning plan.

Frank...

From A1

he spent chatting with my mom, when he encountered us at Sunday brunch at Banfi’s; that extended … to day-to-day kindnesses that are too little in evidence in 2020,” Altschuler wrote.

Among Cornell alumni in the Philippines is House Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, who likewise extended his condolences to the Rhodes family.

Rhodes was born on Oct. 29, 1926 in Warwickshire, England. He graduated in 1948 from the University of Birmingham with a Bachelors of Science in geology, and went on to earn three other degrees from the British university. The former president was also a Fulbright Scholar, spending a year at the University of Illinois.

Prior to his arrival at Cornell, Rhodes was a professor in geology and mineralogy at the

University of Michigan. At Michigan, Rhodes rose up the ranks—becoming the dean of the University’s College of Arts, Sciences and Letters and eventually served as the vice president of academic affairs.

After retirement, Rhodes split his time between Florida and Ithaca, commenting in a May 2015 interview that he was “enjoying the sunshine.”

Rhodes is survived by his wife, Rosa, four daughters, 11 grandchildren and one greatgranddaughter. A date for a memorial on campus has yet to be announced.

In his 1977 inaugural speech, Rhodes first spoke of this lifelong commitment to a crowd of 6,000 guests at Barton Hall on Nov. 10, 1977.

“I can promise no certain success and no simple solutions,” Rhodes said. “For hard times lie ahead for all of higher education.

And hard choices lie ahead for Cornell. What I can promise is my absolute commitment to the overall welfare of Cornell and to the wellbeing of its several parts.”

News

A3

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

House to probe DOH’s P4.9-b pneumonia vaccine project

Du30 pays respect to ‘healing priest’

By Maricel V. Cruz A PARTY-LIST lawmaker on Friday sought a congressional investigation into the move of the Department of Health to suspend its current anti-pneumonia vaccine for children.

Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor, chairman of the House committee on public accounts, expressed the intention of his committee to review the reported move of the DOH to suspend the bidding for PCV-13 vaccine purchase program worth P4.9 billion and allow a bidder offering PCV-10.

“We will eventually investigate the efficacy of PCV-10 vis-a-vis PCV-13.

There are models all over the world. I hope the DOH can justify their stand,” Defensor told reporters.

Defensor said his committee will conduct the investigation in aid of legislation “later on.”

“We do not want to take away the focus of DOH now in containing the spread of nCoV [2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease],” he explained.

Defensor said in the event that his committee begins the congressional probe, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III should be prepared to answer questions from legislators on the issue involving pneumonia vaccine for children.

Deputy Minority Leader and Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin earlier questioned the decision of DOH to suspend the bidding for PCV-13 vaccine and allow a bidder offering PCV-10.

COA flags NDA for death of 2,614 dairy animals

By Rio N. Araja THE Commission on Audit has called the attention of the National Dairy Authority for a total death of 2,614 dairy animals from 2013 to 2018.

In its performance audit report on herd build-up and carabao development programs, COA said the deaths of the dairy animals caused the loss of P346 million.

Based on the data of the Philippine Carabao Center, there were 3,284 carabao deaths from 2013 to 2018 with a loss of P471 million.

COA also flagged the NDA’s P230million milk program, saying the NDA was not able to accomplish its target importation of dairy animals by 74 percent due to unfunded importation plan, failed bidding, unavailability of dairy stocks, and the foot-and-mouth disease.

It said the importation of 3,060 animals as of Dec. 31, 2018 was not enough.

“Importation efforts of the NDA were made without comprehensive research on the desired breed acclimatized to build up even if the Dairy Training and Research Institute is one of the members of the Dairy Industry Board,” the report read.

“The objectives of increasing the local milk sufficiency were not attained primarily due to insufficient number of dairy animals. The yearly local milk sufficiency levels for 2013 to 2018 have remained at a little over one percent, making the country 99 percent dependent on dairy importations,” COA said.

FUND TALK. Secretary Eduardo del Rosario (right) of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development chairman, Pag-

IBIG Fund Board of Trustees, huddles with Acmad Rizaldy Moti (left), chief executive officer of Pag-IBIG Fund. during the 2019 Pag-IBIG Fund Chairman Report at PICC in Pasay City. Lino Santos

Pag-IBIG Fund tops income mark in 2019 N EWLY appointed housing department secretary Eduardo del Rosario took the stage on Friday to report Pag-IBIG Fund’s record-breaking earnings, housing loan releases, and cash loan releases to its members, partners and other stakeholders in this year’s Chairman’s Report.

“We are happy to report that Pag-IBIG Fund has again achieved an excellent year in 2019. We achieved record-highs in our key result areas while delivering responsive services to our members. By so doing, we continue to perform our mandate of effectively managing the Filipino workers’ savings, while providing affordable and accessible home financing programs for our members. This is in line with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s call for government to provide social benefits to more Filipinos,” said Del Rosario, chairperson of the Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees and the Secretary of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.

In his report, Del Rosario said that the 14.69 million active Pag-IBIG members collectively saved P50.38 billion in 2019, which is the highest on record. Compared to members’ savings collected in 2018, the amount jumped 25 percent.

The growth in members’ savings collections was largely due to the huge

spike in the agency’s Modified Pag-IBIG 2 (MP2) Savings collections, which posted growth of 169 percent to P12.01 billion from the P4.47 billion collected in 2018.

“The phenomenal increase in our savings collections is critical to Pag-IBIG Fund’s growth because it is through the collective savings of our members that Pag-IBIG is able to extend more loans and more benefits at affordable rates to our borrowers,” Del Rosario said.

Pag-IBIG Fund also broke its housingrelated accomplishments as it released a total of P86.74 billion to finance the homes of 95,276 members. Of these, P10.64 billion was released for socialized housing, benefitting 27,145 borrowers belonging to the minimum-wage and low-income sectors.

In terms of cash loans, Pag-IBIG Fund released a total of P53.83 billion to 2,593,538 members.

Financially, Pag-IBIG Fund also showed better-than-expected performance, as its total assets amounted to P603.39 billion by

end of 2019.

The Fund also posted a net income of P34.37 billion, the highest in its history.

“The Chairman’s Report gives us an opportunity to update our members and stakeholders of what we have achieved in the past year, this is why we hold it every year. We want to apprise Filipino workers of our performance and tell them that their Fund is working for them. We are always excited because we always have good news for them. The Lingkod Pag-IBIG is not just a tagline for us, it is a work standard aimed at raising the bar each year, in the name of public service and transparency,” said PagIBIG Fund chief executive officer Acmad Rizaldy Moti.

The information contained in this communication is privileged and confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed and others authorized to receive it. If you are not the intended recipient you must not disclose or use the information contained in it. If you have received this email in error please notify us immediately by return email and delete the document. Pag-IBIG Fund is neither liable for the proper and complete transmission of the information nor for any delay in its receipt. Pag-IBIG Fund accepts no liability for any damage caused by this email or its attachments due to viruses, interference, interception, corruption or unauthorized access.

DOJ endorses to Ombudsman graft raps vs. Albayalde

By Rey E. Requejo THE Department of Justice has formally filed before the Office of the Ombudsman its endorsement seeking the indictment of retired Philippine National Police chief General Oscar Albayalde over his alleged involvement with the so-called “ninja cops” implicated in the questionable antiillegal drug operations in Pampanga in 2013.

The Office of the Prosecutor General confirmed that the indorsement was filed last Jan.29, 2020 after the DOJ’s panel of prosecutors issued a resolution which found probable cause to indict Albayalde before the Sandiganbayan for violating Section 3(a) and Section 3(e) of Republic

Act 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Aside from Albayalde, the DOJ panel also recommended to the Ombudsman that 12 so-called “ninja cops” be also charged along with Albayalde for violating Section 39(e) of RA 3019.

The 12 policemen are P/Maj. Rodney Baloyo IV, P/Insp. Joven Bagnot De Guzman, Jr., SPO1 (Senior Police Officer) Jules Lacap Maniago, SPO1 Donald Castro Roque, SPO1 Ronald Bayas Santos, SPO1 Rommel Muñoz Vital, SPO1 Alcindor Mangiduyos Tinio, PO3 (Police Officer) Dindo Singian Dizon, PO3 Gilbert Angeles De Vera, PO3 Romeo Encarnacion Guerrero, Jr., SPO1 Eligio Dayos Valeroso, and SPO1

Dante Mercado Dizon.

“It’s up to the Ombudsman, upon reading the resolution, to adopt the DOJ findings or conduct another preliminary investigation if it is not satisfied,” said Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Alexander Saurez, who chaired the panel which conducted the preliminary investigation on the complaint filed by the Philippine National PoliceCriminal Investigation and Detection Group against Albayalde and 12 “ninja cops.”

The case stemmed from the 2013 illegal drugs operation in Mexico, Pampanga where a team led by then Police Maj. Rodney Baloyo IV were supposed to have arrested suspected foreign drug trader Johnson Lee.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte paid his last respects early Friday to Fr. Fernando Suarez, known as the “healing priest,” at the Heritage Park in Taguig City.

Suarez, 52, died Tuesday during a tennis competition in Ayala Alabang Clubhouse after collapsing due to a heart attack.

President Duterte extended his condolences to the bereaved family of Suarez, whom he considers as a friend, saying he believes in the priest’s healing ministry.

Suarez gained public attention for his supposed capability to cure people, attracting hundreds of believers desperate for cure in his healing masses.

The priest, who hailed from Taal, Batangas, is known for spearheading faith healing in the country and for founding the Missionaries of Mary Mother of the Poor Congregation that has branches in Batangas, Cebu, and Davao del Norte.

MJ Blancaflor

‘Community shelter’ bill filed SENATOR Manuel “Lito” Lapid has filed a bill pushing for the designation of community shelters to serve as evacuation centers in times of natural disasters, calamities and other emergencies.

Senate Bill 1298, seeks to address the present gaps in our disaster responses system. Recall that the eruption of Taal Volcano last Jan. 12, 2020 caught the nation by surprise.

In less than a day, the alert level for the volcano was raised from two to four, with thick ash falls covering large areas of Batangas and Cavite and reaching up to Metro Manila and Calabarzon.

This led affected families to frantically run to available evacuation centers. Unfortunately, many of the evacuation centers are school buildings which in turn, entails the disruption of classes.

Lapid insisted this practice of using classrooms and school buildings as evacuation centers should not be the norm.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

EDSA road repairs to continue—MMDA THE weekend road repairs in the metropolis continued Friday night after the Metro Manila Development Authority gave the nod to the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Motorists are advised that the DPWH National Capital Region office resumed the weekend road repair on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and other roads in Quezon City beginning 11 p.m. Friday.

DPWH-NCR director Ador Canlas said with the MMDA’s approval, repairs are now undergoing at three road sections of EDSA which include northbound direction after Aurora Boulevard to New York Street, 3rd lane from sidewalk; and southbound direction from Bulakan Street to West Avenue, 3rd lane from sidewalk; and approach of B. P. Tuazon Flyover to approach of A. Boni Serrano Flyover, 2nd lane from Metro Railway Transit 3 line.

Reblocking and repair works will also be made at southbound direction of A. Bonifacio Avenue from Cloverleaf to 11th Avenue, 1st lane from sidewalk; eastbound direction of General Luis Street from Samote Street to SB Diversion Road; and westbound direction of Elliptical Road from Kalayaan Avenue to Maharlika Street, 6th lane from outer sidewalk.

Joel E. Zurbano

NBI ordered to probe erring BI officials

CONSTITUTION DAY. Philconsa president and House Majority Leader Rep. Martin Romualdez (fourth from left, standing) with other officers and members of Philconsa, pose with their guest of honor and speaker Department of Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis-Briones (third from left, seated) during the Observance of Constitution day Celebration Thursday night at Manila Golf and Country Club in Makati City. Briones, in her message, said that all educational institutions should include the study of the Constitution as part of the curricula.

Ver Noveno

THE Department of Justice has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to investigate the alleged involvement of Bureau of Immigration officials and personnel in facilitating prohibited entries to and exits out of the country.

In a Department Order No. 038 dated Jan. 22, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra directed the NBI to investigate the alleged involvement of BI officials and personnel in “human trafficking activities and escort services.”

Guevarra issued the directive following reports that immigration officials and personnel allegedly facilitated the departure of Filipino tourists intending to work abroad, particularly in Kuwait, where newly-hired household service workers are still banned from going.

Skilled, semi-skilled and professional workers can go to Kuwait again after the government partially lifted a deployment ban it had imposed following the killing of Filipina worker Jeanelyn Villavende.

Her employers have been charged with murder.

“At the time there were reports of new OFWs heading for Kuwait (banned) and other restricted places in the Middle East but would transit first in Malaysia or Indonesia, allegedly in connivance with some unscrupulous BI personnel,” Guevarra said in a message to reporters.

The order to investigate also covers the alleged entry of “foreign nationals” through the Clark, Puerto Princesa and Kalibo international airports.

When asked if these may include fugitives, Guevarra replied: “Not at all. It could just be improperly documented aliens.”

In his DO, Guevarra required the NBI to conduct a case build-up and, if the evidence is sufficient, file appropriate charges against the officials, personnel, and other persons who may be found responsible.

The order did not name the officials and personnel who will be investigated.

Rey E. Requejo

A4

Opinion

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Gov’t response is critical SANTA Banana, with the dreaded novel coronavirus infecting and killing more people by the day, the response of the government becomes more critical!

Our officials should stop fingerpointing and blame-throwing. “You should not do that” or “You should have done this” are words that will do no good.

Our officials should stop blaming each other.

The impact could go beyond our imagination. A drastic response is needed. We need to protect the health of 110 million Filipinos especially the poor who have no other recourse but rely on government.

My gulay, the World Health Organization has declared a global emergency!

We need a massive education and information program. The bulk of our people are still ignorant about the virus. There is no better protection than basic hygiene. President Duterte and the administration have responded well to the virus. He has banned the entry of the Chinese from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.

The challenge now is to contain the impact of the virus on the economy.

This is why I was shocked when the President, in a recent statement, said that nCoV “will die a natural death.”

Unbelievable!

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

One more thing that Malacañang can do is prevent Sinophobia. It is not the fault of the Chinese. Not all Chinese are carriers of the virus.

I fear for our OFWs in Macau and Hong Kong. They might be prone to contracting the virus. They cannot simply be told to come back home; their jobs will spell the difference between life and death. Can they find similar gainful employment here? I doubt it.

Let’s just pray that the infection does not worsen. *** I am amazed and disturbed by the apparent refusal of Malacañang and anti-corruption agencies to look into the irregularities in the contract entered into by the Bases Conversion Development Authority with the Malaysian firm, MTD Capital Berhad.

This is in relation to the construction of the sports facility at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac that was used in the Southeast Asian Games.

If the President and the Ombudsman would only look into the joint venture agreement, they would be shocked because it is clearly onerous and disadvantageous to the government—and of course to the Filipino taxpayers.

I have studied the JVA and as a lawyer, I found many questionable provisions.

First, parties to a JVA contribute equally. But MTD Capital Berhad constructed the sports facility at the cost of P8.510 billion, while BCDA had its 40-hectare property as usufruct.

In the end, BCDA, a government agency, would pay more than P11 billion! BCDA claimed that the excess of the construction was supposed to be a reasonable return on investment of the Malaysian firm. That’s a lot of bull, I think.

Second, the JVA provided for a 50-

Memorializing a milestone

W

E JOIN the rest of humankind in celebrating the records of Christina Koch, an American engineer who returned from space this month, one of two “very brave, brilliant women” who represent the Land of Liberty.

The other in the pair is the saxophonist Jessica Meir, another NASA astronaut, marine biologist and physiologist, who did with Ms. Koch the first female spacewalk in October, prompting the White House to lob a call to the two astronauts.

Dr. Meir expressed succinctly, while speaking to President Donald Trump, the hope “that we can provide an inspiration to everybody, not only women, but to everybody that has a dream, that has a big dream, and who is willing to work hard...”

Trump, overwhelmed with pride, described the two women astronauts as “both very brave, brilliant women, and you represent this country so well,

we are very proud of you...”

Koch has since returned to Earth, and has crossed a doorsill for women in space. She has completed three allfemale spacewalks and set a record for time in space—for which man, who made one small step in that giant leap for mankind nearly 41 years ago, will be eternally grateful for.

While Ms. Koch is credited for having performed six spacewalks during her mission, set a duration record for a single time in space and contributed exceedingly to space science, many suggest—and we are persuaded to join them—that October 2019 spacewalk will be what gets her into history books.

With her recent return to Earth, she now holds another distinction: the longest stay by a female astronaut in space: 328 days.

The current American recordholder for the longest single stay— 342 days—is Scott Joseph Kelly, a retired US Navy captain and a veteran of four space flights who, with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Komiyenko, in November 2012, was selected for a year-long mission to the International Space Station.

The record holder—665 days— for cumulative time, spread over three flights, is Peggy Annette Whitson, an American biochemistry researcher, retired NASA astronaut, and former NASA chief astronaut.

The respective strokes of these women, while not as loudly heralded as we would want it, make for man quite a giant leap for womankind.

We join in the celebration.

Turn to A5

Racism in the time of the novel coronavirus IT IS easy to be racist these days particularly for Filipinos. There is reason to be upset against the Chinese government for the ways it has been abusing the Philippines courtesy of the Duterte administration’s over-friendliness with it. Filipinos’ distrust of China has never been stronger than it is now.

In the last three years, we have witnessed China claiming Philippine territories and building military facilities on our land despite our country’s victory over China in the West Philippine Sea case. Chinese ships have been stealing our natural resources and destroying our marine life in the process.

Filipino fisherfolk have been, and continue to be deprived of their livelihood from the country’s waters because they are prevented by China’s military patrolling our seas. A Chinese ship went as far as crashing a small fishing ship of Filipinos that almost cost our citizens’ lives.

Chinese mainlanders come to the Philippines by the hundreds of thousands through questionable means depriving Filipino workers of jobs that can help poor families earn much needed income.

Discrimination against Filipinos by Chinese-owned establishments that rejected Filipinos and catered only to Chinese customers was reported. A number of Chinese tourists have been reported displaying abusive and rude behavior against Filipinos. Some defecate in public areas including beaches and parks. The most recent case was that of a Chinese guy who spit on the policeman who accosted him for suspicion of shabu possession.

It did not help that the Philippine president himself “jokingly” referred to the Philippines as a province of China and continues to publicly favor China over other countries that the Philippines has ties with. It did not help that when the novel coronavirus outbreak happened in Wuhan and rapidly

spread to other countries, the Philippine government’s response was at best very slow and inadequate. To begin with, many Filipinos already distrust the Philippine health system, and the capacity of government to responsively address a health crisis like the nCoV. The virus outbreak happened as the country was not yet over Taal Volcano’s eruption and the continuing threat of more destructive eruptions. The people were worried, distressed, and in a state of panic. Since the country accepts a big number of Chinese daily, there was a strong call from the public to temporarily ban flights from China from entering the Philippines. It did not help that in response, the Health Secretary seemed to care more for China’s feelings than the welfare of the Filipinos as he rejected such call despite the fact that other countries have already issued similar orders.

I feel for the people in Wuhan. It must be terrible to be there at this point.

Prior to the nCoV outbreak, demand for face masks was quite high because of Taal’s eruption. Overpricing was reported and eventually, stores were already running out of stock of face masks. With the nCoV, the demand spiked dramatically partially because of conflicting information about the need for face masks as protection against nCoV coupled with people’s state of mind. Even the government said that there were no more facemasks in the market. It was not surprising then that not a few Filipinos questioned the move of Sen. Richard Gordon to send millions of the coveted commodity to China to help Wuhan in dealing with nCoV. As of this writing, there are more than 28,000 people infected by the nCoV in 26 countries with at least 564 fatalities (563 in China and one in the Philippines). The virus continues to Turn to A5

Fighting the wind of madness

TWO days ago, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the state of the world: “. . . today a wind of madness is sweeping the globe”. I say that these words also accurately describe our country.

It is not the madness of Taal Volcano, or the nor even the Wuhan virus that I am talking about. It is the madness of a government—and I dare say a society, thus all of us are implicated—in acting as if everything is normal, as if we are not faced with disasters of magnitudes we have not seen before.

Business as normal includes denial of science in the response to the Wuhan virus crisis, divisive statements against each other and this is true for pro-Duterte and anti-Duterte factions, red tagging and other attacks against militant organizations such as the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines that have been shamelessly targeted by the Anti-Money Laundering Council and Bayan Eastern Visayas that was raided in Leyte last Thursday. In the latter, weapons and explosives have been

planted again to justify illegal arrests which include UP alumni and former student leaders. As for the RMP, it is one of the most effective groups working with the poor. Freezing their assets without basis is punishing the least privileged of our people.

Business as usual means policemen favoring management in labor disputes as the Caloocan police did by arresting the Cosmic 10—union organizers and

Why do we act as though everything were normal? workers of Cosmic Enterprises. They were arrested by police in open defiance of the Constitution, labor laws, and the clear agreement with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Justice, and the Philippine National Police where the last two agencies must bow to the supremacy of DOLE in all labor disputes.

Although I have always taught my law students about the inherent injustices in our legal system, it’s different when you directly experience and see it.

In this case, my son Rafa was one of the

organizers arrested. Thankfully the Caloocan prosecutors clearly saw the legal infirmities of the arrest and ordered the release of the Cosmic 10 - although they still stayed in detention for 24 hours when they did not commit a crime. As for Rafa, I always tell well-meaning relatives and friends who want us to stop him from his organizing work (not that we could actually do that anyway), how could we stop him from doing what we have always taught him as the duty of a Christian and a human being—to fight for justice, to be good to one’s neighbor, and especially to be in solidarity with the disadvantaged.

Faced with this wind of madness, what must Filipinos of goodwill do?

Work for national unity. Invoke our shared humanity. Find consensus on what our common good requires.

In this regard, more than 600 religious leaders, legislators and government officials, artists, members of the academe, prominent personalities and leaders of various people’s and non-government organizations have come out once more to call on the Philippine government (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) to resume the stalled peace talks.

Among the signatories to the statement “A Call for Peace” are: Turn to A5

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

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

ONLINE

can be accessed at: manilastandard.net

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

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

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

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

Managing Editor Associate Editors News Editor Opinion Editor

Emil P. Jurado

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

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Opinion Black propaganda and racism IN ANALYZING the spread of the deadly nCoV, we have to examine the virus from facts, and not from presumptions. Otherwise, we will be trapped in same assumptions of making propaganda to either believe it as truth or just use our emotion to denounce China. Lately, the fear has turned one of nasty racism, reviving the old hysteria of a “yellow peril” against China.

What is clear that there is a virus that is fast spreading not only in China, but also to other the major cities in Asia that could cross the Pacific to break the natural barrier to contain it. The undeniable truth also remains that the nCoV was first detected in the early month of January in the city of Wuhan. The virus has now infected more than 28,000, mostly in the city itself, now called the epicenter, and has taken a toll on more than 600 lives.

The brighter side of this raging virus is, even if medical science has yet to formulate a vaccine, China has nonetheless succeeded in taking steps to contain it. While some kind of remedial measures to cure the virus has been adopted, positive signs indicate that there is a cure as seen by the early recovery for some of the patients. This is giving hope that somehow China would be able to overcome the crisis before it developed to one of pandemic proportions.

Maybe the number of new cases infected remains high, but the undeniable facts is China has managed to overcome the crucial battle in keeping the number of mortality low. There is optimism in the fact that there is an increasing number of patients who have been discharged from the hospital after being considered cured by attending physicians. These facts were released by the World Health Organization and by China’s Ministry of Health.

Amid the terrible crisis, China and the WHO are racing to develop a vaccine. In the meantime, China has effectively managed to stabilize the spread of the virus seen in the increased number of patients discharged from the hospital. What is important is while the number of people infected continues to swell as against those discharged from the hospital, the number of mortality has remained low and has been stabilized.

The brighter side is the increasing number of patients certified as officially cured. What is astonishing is the discovery that most of those who died were over 60 years and somehow afflicted with endemic respiratory illness that accelerated only after being afflicted with the virus. In this sense, China has tactically won the battle.

Concededly, the most difficult aspect is to win the spread of the virus.

But right now there is another form of virus that runs parallel to the nCoV, and this has something to do with people being biased, hostile to and discriminatory against China. Some purposely spread malicious propa-

ganda insinuating that China itself is to blame for allegedly “inventing” the virus that got out control in their own laboratory.

Such is ludicrous for no person in his right mind would purposely allow the spread of a contagious virus that have the existential threat of wiping his own people from the face of the globe. Even the unintentional release of the virus to civilian population

There is no doubt the US is always on the lookout for any opportunity that could put China in a bad light.

co could produce an unimaginable conundrum of pestilence constituting a crime against humanity in the category of waging a germ warfare. Its toll could even push to the brink the existence of mankind.

But as it is, US media organizations have found a new past time in defaming China like State Secretary George Pompeo. Fake news disseminated from unknown sources present reckless and baseless presumptions about the epidemic, short of telling the world that China is to blame. The malicious propaganda is loaded with racist that accordingly the epidemic started in Wuhan’s seafood market where people could buy exotic animal meat as part of the regular dish served in many local restaurants. This is to emphasize that the epicenter of the virus is Wuhan itself.

There is no doubt the US is always on the lookout for any opportunity that could put China in a bad light.

It is always profit—now matter how bleak, gloomy and hopeless the situation is. But as we see it, China is fiercely fighting the battle in such unprecedented scale using its own resources and utilizing its best doctors and scientists to combat the virus.

This has elicited the admiration from the WHO. Unlike the countries in less developed areas afflicted by similar outbreak of epidemic, China’s case has turned out to be far different.

Their relatively advanced health care system with medical infrastructure to implement emergency assistance, they managed to contain the virus. These are statistics that the virus may have rapidly swelled in the first three weeks. This is attributed to the coordinated and cooperative measures taken by China with other countries to prevent the rapid spread of the virus. Outside China, the contamination has been relatively contained to only over a thousand cases.

The World Health Organization and the rest of the countries that understand China’s difficulty are finding a vaccine that could neutralize it, locking its own local population to minimize contamination, built a modern hospital in less than 10 days complete with facilities that would treat up to 1000 patients, and created an emergency medical brigades to attend to the needs of the patient at every stage of their confinement. These entire rpkapunan@gmail.com

Gov’t...

From A4

50 sharing for both BCDA and the Malaysian firm for 25 years or even more. My gulay, BCDA is already paying more than the cost of the project amounting to over P11 billion, and yet it agreed to a 50-50 sharing?

Third, while the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel said that the Build-Operate- Transfer element had been embedded in the contract, BCDA made it appear that it was purely a joint venture. Since the project was a BOT, there was need for a public bidding, which was not followed.

Why did the OGCC now claim that he construction of

Racism...

From A4

spread and the Philippines remains threatened with three confirmed cases (including the one who died), and 215 persons under investigation.

The good thing is that nCoV has a mortality rate of around 2 percent.

This is much less than for instance, the 60 percent rate of the bird flu (H5N1) when it infects humans. There

have would in the long run serve to benefit to mankind.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Dr. Michael Ryan, the executive director of WHO’s health emergencies program, lauded China’s efforts to control the virus’ spread, with Ryan saying they had “never seen the scale, the commitment of an epidemic response at this level.” The two highlighted how iso Chinese scientists very quickly isolated the virus and shared its genetic au sequence publicly, allowing health authorities around the world to study the virus and build diagnostic tests for it.

China also recognized Cuba’s contribution. It is a small country but stands as a giant in the medical field.

This is highlighted by how Chinese scientists quickly isolated the virus and shared its genetic sequence publicly, allowing health authorities around the world to study the virus and build diagnostic tests for it. The Recombinant Interferon Alpha 2B (IFNrec), an antiviral produced by the Cuban biotech industry, is being used

by Chinese doctors to treat patients infected by the 2019-nCoV coronavirus. China National Health Commission has selected the product among those used in the fight against coronavirus.

The donation and support given by Japan has elicited the expression of deep gratitude from a onetime arch-rival. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said “the Japanese government and its people from all walks of life have expressed sympathy, understanding and support to us,” and was “deeply touched.” In response, she said, to the extreme and discriminatory words uttered by some countries, officials from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare countered that what is at fault here is the virus, definitely not people. She said, “we are separated by land, but we share the same sky.”

In odd with the rest and perhaps out of jealousy for China’s economic success, US secretary of commerce Wilbur Ross blurted during his appearance on Fox Business show saying of the ghoulish effort to find an “America First” silver lining to the difficulties that has already killed 170 (600) people and infected nearly 8,000 (29,000) more, and threatens to become a global pandemic.” He said “it’s potentially a good thing for the US economy.” Asked if the new coronavirus puts economic growth at risk, Ross responded saying, “I don’t want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease.” But then proceeded by making a case that the outbreak might present a moneymaking opportunity in the United States.

Indeed, the remark made by Ross gave China the most esoteric conclusion of who he is; that the US will never see any act of kindness from China, and the only way to reciprocate such act is to interpret that in the end there is a silver lining and it is for them to take the opportunity, like Ross, that the nCoV will help assist the US to offset its huge trade deficit which is of its own making.

the sports facility was legal and above board? Something is fishy somewhere, and it should be investigated.

Didn’t the President vow that he would not hesitate to fire people at the slightest whiff of corruption? *** The disbursement of intelligence funds of various departments has always been a source of graft and corruption.

This is why the Senate needs to create a group to oversee the disbursements of such funds.

The revelation, for instance, of Undersecretary Eliseo Rio of what is happening at the Department of Information and Communication Technology has to be looked into. DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan has a lot of explaining to do.

really is no need to panic if we only follow the simple guidelines released by authorities like the World Health Organization. Sadly, Filipinos have been saddled with too many problems that it has become difficult to act more rationally.

The hysteria against the virus AND against China and the Chinese people continues. It has become easy to be more racist. Media reports now call nCoV as the ‘China virus’ when clearly, it has a name. There are angry social

media posts against China and the Chinese people. On the one hand, this is understandable as I, myself has repeatedly criticized the Chinese government for its abusive actions against our country.

These acts are decided by the government, not the Chinese people.

It is true that we have seen abusive Chinese citizens in our country. These individuals must answer for their actions but to generalize and condemn the Chinese people for the actions of a few is racism.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Twitter surges as global user growth revives

By Rob Lever TWITTER shares jumped after an update showing it added millions of new users and boosted ad revenue in the fourth quarter, sparking optimism over its growth prospects.

The social media group said it ended the year with 152 million "monetizable" daily active users—its preferred measure of its base—up 21 percent from a year earlier.

Net profit fell by half from a year ago to $119 million but revenue rose 11 percent to top $1 billion, Twitter said in its quarterly update.

Chief executive Jack Dorsey said the results capped "a great year for Twitter" and that Twitter has been able to boost users by making the service "more instantly relevant."

"This is an incredibly strong foundation to build upon," he told analysts in a conference call.

Shares in Twitter surged 15 percent to close at $38.04 on the news.

The latest report suggested Twitter is making headway as it seeks to keep pace with bigger social networks like Facebook and Instagram while it works to filter out abuse and manipulation.

Analyst Michael Levine at Pivotal Research Group said the results showed strong momentum for Twitter and that it will have more growth opportunities this year from the 2020 US elections and Olympic Games.

"Twitter will benefit from a heavy event calendar in 2020 with the election and Olympics and believe consensus [user base] estimates for the year are too low. We think the worst is behind them," Levine said in a note to clients.

Last year, the San Francisco tech firm said "bugs" in its software used to deliver targeted ads had dragged down revenue.

It has changed the way it measures its user base, now reporting only "monetizable daily active users," which rose sharply in the quarter.

That figure included 31 million in the United States and 121 million internationally, with both categories gaining.

Twitter said the drop in profit compared with a year ago reflected a tax benefit in 2018 that boosted net income by more than $100 million.

The platform has been seeking to expand its user base beyond celebrities, journalists and politicians as it moves to curb content deemed manipulative or abusive.

Strong performance "Twitter's strong performance in revenue shows advertisers are confident in the platform's reach despite some of the product issues earlier in the year," said eMarketer analyst Nazmul Islam.

"A reason for the confidence is probably continued growth of monetizable daily active users, which spiked up again in the fourth quarter."

Islam added that Twitter's moves to ban political ads and curb the spread of manipulated media such as "deepfake" videos, "should resonate positively with users and continue the growth in engagement in the next quarter."

Earlier this week, Twitter unveiled a fresh effort to reduce the spread of manipulated content including "deepfake" videos as part of a move to fight misinformation which could result in violence or other harm.

The new policy calls for a mix of warning "labels" for tweets that include manipulated images or video, and removal of the tweets.

The move comes amid growing concerns over "deepfake" videos altered using artificial intelligence, along with other kinds of manipulation to deceive social media users to influence elections or promote violence.

Dorsey repeated his claim that an important priority for Twitter will be "increase healthy public conversation" by rooting out inappropriate content and misinformation.

"Misleading information is probably the biggest challenge facing us in our industry," he said. "This will be a key focus for us."

Chief financial officer Ned Segal said the past quarter was "a strong finish to the year" and added that Twitter will be expanding its workforce by some 20 percent this year.

Dorsey said that as part of the growth, Twitter will be seeking a "more distributed workforce" with more people outside its San Francisco base.

"We are a global service that requires global perspective," he said "We need people from around the world to work with us."

Dorsey, who has announced plans to spend part of the year living in Africa, said he won't be hampered by his travel.

"We do need to figure out how to build a company that is distributed, that is not burdened by time zones but advantaged by them," he said. AFP

Fighting...

From A4

Archbishop Antonio Ledesma of Cagayan de Oro and other Catholic and protestant bishops; Senators Ralph Recto, Francis Pangilinan, and Leila de Lima and 64 members of the Lower House; Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno; national artists Bencab and Bienvenido Lumbera; Directors Carlos SiguionReyna, Joel Lamangan, and other celebrities; and prominent lawyers like Rene Saguisag. I also signed the statement which I excerpt below: “Once more, our hopes for a peaceful resolution of the armed conflict between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) have sprung, with both Parties again expressing willingness to resume the stalled peace talks. *** “Today, for the sake of our people, we call on the GRP and the NDFP to go back to the negotiating table to finish what they started. We urge them to proceed from what has been previously achieved, using methods and processes that are already in place and shown to be working. We remind them that unreasonable demands and preconditions can only serve to derail the resumption of the talks.

“To the peace spoilers and saboteurs who are opposed to the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations, we say enough. The persistence of mass poverty, social injustice and economic underdevelopment has fueled armed conflict for decades. It is time for the two Parties to sit down once more, find ways to compromise and cooperate in addressing the roots of the armed conflict, and achieve a just and lasting peace for our people.

“Lastly, we call on our people to persevere in the path of peace and justice. Let us support the resumption of the peace talks.”

Facebook: Dean Tony La Vina Twitter: tonylavs

Considering everything that happened and continue to happen, coupled with people’s distrust with this administration’s capacity to effectively address the Filipino people’s welfare and its pro-China posturings, it is but right to be critical of the Chinese government and individual Chinese people (or any persons) that abuse or violate our laws especially as they are in our country.

BUT, racism is unacceptable. I feel for the people in Wuhan. It must be terrible to be there at this point. I hope that

the people stay strong and that this crisis will soon be over. They are victims here.

We should check how we express things. Let us condemn wrong and illegal actions because they are wrong or illegal and not because they were done

by China or the Chinese. At this point, let us send the Chinese and all nCoVaffected populations good will. @bethangsioco on Twitter Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook

A6

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

News

Manila

Standard

TODAY

Republic of the Philippines GOVERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM Republic of theGSIS PhilippinesBuilding, Financial Center, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City 1308

Steam-laden Taal plumes rise to 300 m

GOVERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM GSIS Building, Financial Center, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City 1308

GSIS ACQUIRED ASSETS FOR DISPOSITION PROVINCE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Batangas Batangas Batangas Batangas Batangas Batangas Batangas Batangas Batangas Batangas Batangas Batangas Batangas Batangas Batangas Batangas Batangas Batangas

District/Subdivision

STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy STO. NIÑO VILLA DE LIPA I, Marauoy

City/Municipality

Lipa City Lipa City Lipa City Lipa City Lipa City Lipa City Lipa City Lipa City Lipa City Lipa City Lipa City Lipa City Lipa City Lipa City Lipa City Lipa City Lipa City Lipa City

Property Location

B002 L007 (1112) B002 L014 (1127) B002 L018 B002 L019 B002 L021 (1141) B002 L023 B002 L024 B003 L012 B003 L014 B003 L027 (1075) B003 L032 (1130) B003 L033 (1131) B003 L034 B005 L013 (1035) B006 L015A B008 L030 B009 L012 B018 L002

TCT No.

Lot Area Minimum Acceptable Offer ( ₱ Property Classification Occupancy Status Bidding Date (sqm) )

95874 95881 95885 T-95886 T-95888 T-95890 95891 95911 95913 95927 95932 95933 95934 95968 T-95836 T-96022 T-95851 T-99929

124.00 96.00 60.00 90.00 90.00 90.00 90.00 90.00 80.00 80.00 90.00 60.00 90.00 60.00 120.00 70.00 96.00 72.00

729,200.00 763,400.00 453,000.00 587,640.00 539,667.00 606,000.00 616,500.00 523,534.00 538,334.00 652,000.00 531,600.00 554,000.00 531,600.00 506,000.00 1,103,000.00 623,000.00 732,600.00 724,800.00

House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot

Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Unoccupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied

Place of Bidding

20-Mar-20 20-Mar-20 20-Mar-20 20-Mar-20 20-Mar-20 20-Mar-20 20-Mar-20 20-Mar-20 GSIS Batangas Branch 20-Mar-20 Office, Alangilan, Batangas 20-Mar-20 City 20-Mar-20 20-Mar-20 20-Mar-20 20-Mar-20 20-Mar-20 20-Mar-20 20-Mar-20 20-Mar-20

By Rio N. Araja

T

HE Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on Friday cited a weak steaming from fissure along the Daang Kastila trail, or the mountain trail leading to the main crater ridge of Taal Volcano in Batangas, in the past 24 hours.

In its 8 a.m. bulletin Friday, PHIVOLCS said there was a moderate emission of white to dirty white steam-laden plumes rising 200 meters to 300 meters height before drifting southwest.

Sulfur dioxide emission, however, was “again below instrumental detection due to weak plume activity,” it said.

The Taal Volcano Network was able to record 118 volcanic earthquakes, including five lowfrequency events and one harmonic tremor that lasted less than three minutes.

PHIVOLCS under the Department of Science and Technology maintained Alert Level 3 over Taal Volcano.

Despite its calmness, Taal Volcano could still generate sudden steam-driven and even weak phreatomagmatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, ash fall and lethal volcanic gas expulsions and threaten areas with the volcano.

GSIS reserves the right to waive any formality or to reject any or all bids received. The list of properties available for sale may be updated without prior notice.

Pursuant to Republic Act (RA) No. 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act, the selling price of GSIS properties above PhP2.5 mil ion shall be subject to twelve percent (12%) Value-Added Tax (VAT).

The down payment (DP) tendered during the actual bidding shall include 12% VAT and the balance of the purchase price shall also include 12% VAT which is to be paid by the winning bidder on the prescribed date indicated on the issued Notice of Approval of Sale.

Example: Posted Minimum Acceptable Offer is PhP2,600,000.00 and the Bid Amount is PhP2,610,000.00 DP

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

- (10% of PhP2,610,000.00) + 12% = PhP 261,000.00 + 31,320.00 = PhP292,320.00

Balance - (90% of PhP2,610,000.00) + 12% = PhP2,349,000.00 + 281,880.00 = PhP2,630,880.00

Meanwhile, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development is readying some 5,448 housing units to be given to families residing within the sevenkilometer radius danger zone near the restive volcano.

House Settlements Secretary Eduardo del Rosario said the National Housing Authority was working on the repair of the houses and the installation of electricity and water connection.

He said some 187 families had occupied the housing units in one of the project sites in Ibaan, Batangas.

“The President will be giving these house units for free, in full grant and the occupants are not going to pay anything upon the transfer,” Del Rosario said, adding that the rehabilitation of some units would be done within one to two months.

Some 5,000-6,000 households near the danger zone are affected, he added.

GENERAL GUIDELINES: 12.

1.

Disposal of GSIS Investment Properties – Retail Units (IP-RUs) is through a competitive public bidding process. Acceptance of Purchase Offers shall start on the scheduled bidding date and time.

2.

Dropping of sealed bid envelopes will be on the date of bidding from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM only. Opening of Bids will immediately follow. Late bid envelopes will not be accepted.

3.

Disposal of GSIS IP-RUs is on an “As-Is, Where-is” basis. Interested bidders are enjoined to personally inspect the GSIS IP-RUs for sale.

“As-Is, Where-Is” is defined as the present physical condition of the retail unit that GSIS is selling and the buyer is buying, “with all attendant faults, if any,” whether or not immediately apparent and without any express or implied warranty. The buyer takes this condition at his or her own risk, without recourse against the GSIS as to their condition. This includes knowledge by the buyer of the presence of occupants in the retail-unit being purchased.

4.

A. B.

Pursuant to Republic Act (RA) No. 10963 or the Tax Reform Act for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act, the selling price of GSIS properties above PhP2.5 million shall be subject to twelve percent (12%) Value-Added Tax (VAT).

6.

Purchase offers are only accepted through CASH basis payable within thirty (30) calendar days from receipt of the Notice of Approval of Sale (NOAS), without privilege of extension.

7.

A downloadable bid form shall be properly accomplished with the following data: A. B. C. D. E. F. G.

Date of Bidding Name of the bidder Exact address of property you are interested to bid Transfer Certificate of Title No. Mode of Payment Amount of bid (in numbers and in words) Signature of the bidder/representative

1 of 1

If the occupant will exercise his/her Right to Match the offer of the declared highest bidder, he/she shall adjust his/her initial deposit based on the bid amount of the declared highest bidder. He/she must also pay the adjusted deposit on the day of bidding.

14.

The declared highest/winning bidder shall submit within fourteen (14) calendar days of the actual bidding, the following documents:

GSIS ACQUIRED ASSETS s2020-0002

A. If the winning bidder is an individual, a. duly accomplished Personal Profile (with attached recent two (2) pieces of 2x2 ID pictures of the winning bidder) b. photocopies of two (2) valid IDs (at least one should be a government-issued ID) B. If the winning bidder is a corporate entity or partnership, a. duly accomplished Company/Corporate Profile b. Registration Certificate from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) c. Articles of Incorporation (if corporation), Articles of Partnership (if partnership), General Information Sheet, and By-Laws duly certified by the SEC d. Current Mayor’s Permit issued by the city or municipality where the principal place of business of the winning bidder is located C. If the winning bidder is a cooperative, a. duly accomplished Company/Corporate Profile b. Cooperative Development Authority Registration or any proof of such registration c. Current Mayor’s Permit issued by the city or municipality where the principal place of business of the winning bidder is located 15.

A Notice of Approval of Sale (NOAS) shall be issued to the highest/ winning bidder on the day of bidding. The Bidder’s deposit of the other non-winning bidder/s shall be returned immediately.

16.

The deposit equivalent to at least ten percent (10%) of the Bid Offer plus 12% VAT. The 90% balance of the bid amount plus 12% VAT shall be paid either in cash or in manager’s check within thirty (30) calendar days from receipt of NOAS, without privilege of extension.

Bid proposal shall be written in words and in figures and must not be lower than the Minimum Acceptable Offer of the property. Should there be a difference in the amount in words and in figures, the amount in words shall prevail.

9.

Bidders’ deposit equivalent to at least 10% of the Bid Offer plus the 12% VAT, if applicable, shall be in the form of a MANAGER’S CHECK payable to the Government Service Insurance System.

10.

The following shall be inserted in a bid envelope: A.

ALL participating bidders must insert: a. properly accomplished BID FORM b. MANAGER’S CHECK payable to Government Service Insurance System representing deposit equivalent to at least 10% of the Bid Offer plus 12% VAT, if applicable.

B.

If the bidder is being represented by an authorized representative, a corresponding Special Power of Attorney (SPA) must also be included

C.

If the bidder is the occupant of the subject property, two (2) proofs of occupancy must also be inserted. These are: a. Barangay certificate that the bidder is occupying or residing in the subject property; and b. Valid Government Issued ID with an address showing that the bidder is currently residing in the subject property, or the Latest Billing Statement under the Bidder’s Name that shows he/she is currently residing in the subject property.

Sample Computation: Bid Amount is PhP2,610,000.00 Deposit - (10% of PhP2,610,000.00) + 12% = Balance - (90% of PhP2,610,000.00) + 12% =

The following information shall be clearly written outside the sealed bid envelope (mailing envelope).

PhP 261,000.00 + 31,320.00 = PhP292,320.00 PhP2,349,000.00 + 281,880.00 = PhP2,630,880.00

17.

Non-compliance with the terms and conditions stated in the NOAS will result in the forfeiture of the bidder’s total deposit.

18.

In case the highest/winning bidder fails to comply with the requirements within the specified time, the said NOAS shall be deemed automatically revoked and the highest/winning bidder shall be informed in writing. The second highest bidder, if any, shall be informed in writing if he/she is still interested to acquire the property. If still interested, he/she must remit the required non-refundable 10% deposit within three (3) working days after receipt of notice from GSIS.

19.

GSIS reserves the right to waive any formality or to reject any or all bids received. The list of properties available for sale may be updated without prior notice.

20.

For bidding inquiries, you may call the Real Property Accounts Management Department (RPAMD) at trunk line numbers (02) 84793600, and (02) 7976-4900 local numbers 3228, 3374, and 3396.

Revised dated January 31, 2020

Revised dated January 31, 2020

CERTIFICATION I/We certify that the information given and any or all statements made herein are true, correct, complete and updated to the best of my/our knowledge and belief. I hereby certify under pain of perjury that my/our signature/s appearing herein is genuine and authentic. I/We agree that any material misrepresentation or falsity can be used by Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) to pursue civil and/or criminal liabilities against me/us.

BID FORM FOR CASH BASIS

I/We hereby certify that I/we have exercised due diligence by verifying all documents pertaining to the above mentioned property with other government agencies (i.e. Registry of Deeds, Assessor's Office, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, etc.) before tendering this bid offer.

Date of Bidding: Name of Bidder:

1) to purchase the property an "As-is, Where-is" basis which I/We have inspected the property including whether it is unoccupied or occupied, and as a consequence, I/We will take full responsibility in taking legal measures to eject the illegal occupant/s of the property.

PARTICULARS OF THE PROPERTY Lot No.:

Phase/Area:

Name of Subdivision: City/Municipality:

2) to hold GSIS free and harmless from liabilities of whatever kind and nature arising out of any legal claims which may be filed by third persons involving the property.

Once declared as the winning bidder, I/We will accept the physical and legal condition of the property without seeking assistance from GSIS and waive my/our right to rescind/cancel the sale and ask for refund of payments made to GSIS by reason or any defect therein.

Province:

TCT/CCT No.:

"FOR OCCUPANTS ONLY"

I/We hereby agree to the following:

NO

YES

Are you the present occupant of the property?

Block/Unit No.:

11.

He/she participated in actual bidding and Inserted the two (2) proofs of occupancy inside his/her bid envelope as indicated in Number 9 of these guidelines

13.

Strictly, “One bidder, One specific property” only, which means that a bidder cannot submit two (2) or more bids for one property. A bidder may submit one bid each to as many properties as he/she wants to buy, as long as, he/she posts the required 10% bid deposit of the total bid price for each property. The bidder must present valid government IDs upon registration on the date of public bidding.

5.

8.

The existing tenant or occupant or his duly authorized representative through a valid Special Power of Attorney (SPA) has the right to match the offer of the declared highest bidder, provided:

Date of Bidding: ___________________________________ Name of Bidder/Company/Organization: ____________________________________________________________________________________________

MATCHED BID AMOUNT

BID PROPOSAL

(amount in figures)

(amount in words)

Bid Offer:

PhP

TO FURTHER mitigate the impact on traffic of the scheduled closure of one southbound lane of Skyway at-grade starting Feb. 16, Skyway management said it was temporarily designating the elevated Skyway for use by Class 1 vehicles only.

These are cars, SUVs, vans, pickups and other private vehicle types, while buses and delivery vans will be assigned to the at-grade section.

The company said the new scheme was designed to make travel on the Skyway system more efficient, even as construction for the southbound section of the P10billion Skyway Extension project switches to high gear.

The project, which will extend and connect the existing Skyway to the South Luzon Expressway near Susana Heights and the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway, involves the construction of a three-lane, elevated northbound section and a two-lane, elevated southbound section.

It will bypass the Alabang viaduct and increase the Skyway’s capacity by 4,500 vehicles per hour northbound, and 3,000 vehicles per hour southbound, giving motorists from Cavite, Laguna, Batangas and beyond, greater ease of travel to, or from, Metro Manila.

Under the new scheme: • Buses and delivery vans coming from Makati, Manila, and Pasay bound for Alabang must take the Nichols southbound entry toll plaza to the at-grade Skyway.

• Buses and delivery vans from NAIA Expressway bound for Alabang must take Andrews Ave. going to Sales Road, then take Nichols southbound entry toll plaza to the at-grade Skyway.

• Buses and delivery vans from NAIA Expressway can also take the Magallanes northbound offramp, make a U-turn under the Magallanes interchange, then head to the Nichols southbound entry toll plaza to the at-grade Skyway.

DENR moves for Baguio rehab THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Friday identified six areas of concern in the rehabilitation of Baguio City, the country’s summer capital.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said air quality, water quality of rivers, solid waste management, forest cover, traffic woes, and even proliferation of informal settlers and illegal structures must be addressed in order to restore the reputation of Baguio City as “mountain paradise.”

“We are looking to improve these areas, which have deteriorated drastically during the past few decades,” he added.

Citing a study done by the National Economic and Development Authority, he said the most critical urban carrying capacity indicators that needed to be considered were road length and area, solid waste collection, water supply, liquid waste treatment capacity, forest cover, and urban land for construction and development.

“We deem these factors as critical because the NEDA also estimates that the population in the country’s summer capital will soar up to 530,990 by 2045,” he said.

Drastic measures are necessary to tackle air pollution in Baguio City, which in 2014 topped the list of the World Health Organization study on ambient air pollution with the most polluted air in the Philippines with particulate matter 2.5 at 49 micrograms per cubic meter.

“Baguio City’s air quality is troubling because there are more than 2,000 deaths related to air pollution from 2015 to 2019,” he said. Rio N. Araja

At least 10% of the declared highest Bid Amount: ____________________________________________________________ Signature:

BID DEPOSIT 10% of Bid Offer:

(amount in words)

Date:

______________________________________________________________________________________ (PhP______________ )

PhP

(amount in figures)

(amount in words) 12% VAT:

THIS PORTION IS FOR GSIS USE ONLY

PhP

PhP

BIDDER INFORMATION (Please write in BLOCK LETTERS

Remarks:

NOAS No.

At least 10% of the declared highest Bid Amount less: Submitted 10% deposit in Manager's Check

(PhP __ (PhP __

) )

Required Additional deposit equivalent to at least 10% of the Bid Amount (Cash or in Manager's Check): (PhP

)

I/We the occupant exercises the Right to Match the offer of the declared highest bidder. Further, I/We hereby agree to pay the required deposit based on the bid amount of the declared highest bidder on the day of bidding.

My/Our failure to settle the said deposit within the day of the bidding shall automatically cancel and revoke my/our declaration as winning bidder. I/We understand that the first declared highest bidder shall be the new winning bidder.

(Signature over Printed Name of the Bidder/Authorized Representative)

Remarks

*** THIS PORTION IS FOR GSIS USE ONLY *** NOAS No.

2nd Highest Bidder: Page 1 of 2

New vehicle scheme at Skyway

Bid Offer of the declared highest Bid Amount: _____________________________________________________ Further, I/we authorize and give consent to collect, store, transmit, use, distribute, disclose, share, retain, (amount in figures) dispose, destroy, and process my/our personal information contained in my/our record or any other form or document that I/we have or will submit to GSIS for the purpose of acquiring a GSIS acquired asset/s as prescribed by the ______________________________________________________________________________________ (PhP______________ ) Republic Act No. 10173 also known as the "Data Privacy Act of 2012" and its implementing rules and regulations.

Property Classification:

Deposit (Managers Check):

SWITCH-ON RITES. DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu briefs guests prior to the Switch-On ceremony of the first Sewage Treatment Plan of its functions and operations at the Manila Yacht Club along Roxas Boulevard. Shown listening to Cimatu are (counter clockwise) MYC Commodore Bobby Joseph, US Ambassador Sung Kim, MMDA chairman Danny Lim and MYC past Commodore Juan Marcos Arellano Jr.

Page 2 of 2

3rd Highest Bidder:

(MS-FEB 8,9 & 10, 2020)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

A7

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Fully-rested AFP, DENR eye UNTV Cup hot starts

La Salle Alumni to hold TCS Clark Marathon THE TCS Clark Animo International Marathon, a major international fitness event, is set to hold its 11th race on March 8 at Clark Global City.

Organized annually by the De La Salle Alumni Association Pampanga chapter along with Clark Global City, the marathon will have its courses certified by the International Association of Athletic Federations and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races.

“Because we aim to give the best race experience to the participants, all races are IAAF-AIMS Certified Courses,” race director Jumbo Tayag affirms. “This guarantees that participants will run the correct distance, with a valid recorded time recognized internationally for qualifying and rankings purposes.”

The marathon will be sponsored by leading technology company Tata Consultancy Services for the fifth year in a row. TCS has sponsored other prestigious global running events such as the TCS New York City Marathon, TCS Amsterdam Marathon, and Tata Mumbai Marathon. In light of this, race organizers expect the TCS Clark Animo International Marathon 2020 to be recognized as an essential sports tourism destination for runners all over the world.

To help rev up interest in the event, TCS recently launched the Clark Animo 2020 app for all prospective racers to use. In its current phase, the app contains event details of the forthcoming race, information about the race course, and even results of past races. Its upcoming second phase will have a “virtual run” feature that can help racers gauge how they will perform in the marathon. It will have a selfie feature with a custom digital frame, as well.

When asked what drove the TCS to support the Clark Animo International Marathon, TCS Philippines country head Shiju Varghese cited how the marathon grew from a contingent of 600 runners of De La Salle alumni to over 8,000 runners in 2019, as well as the DLSAA-P’s charitable pursuits.

“This is beyond simply running,” said Varghese. “This is about serving the community.”

Past iterations of the TCS Clark Animo International Marathon have helped raise funds for the De La Salle Botanical Gardens in support of their environment-friendly efforts. The earnings from this year’s marathon will fund tree-planting projects and donations in aid of the victims of the recent Taal Volcano eruption, as well as subsidize scholarship programs for future teachers in honor of St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, patron saint of teachers.

Games Sunday (Paco Arena)

3:30 p.m. – DENR vs NHA 5 p.m. – AFP vs Judiciary

Players and coaches from Dubai tournament champion Mighty Sports take centerstage during the team’s victory party Thursday night in Makati City. Facing the media are (from left) assistant coaches Paolo Layug and TY Tang, players Isaac Go, Thirdy Ravena, Beau Belga, Joseph Yeo, Jarrell Lim, Jamie Malonzo, Juan Gomez de Liano, Javi Gomez de Liano and Jelan Kendrick.

Mighty Sports ready if called for Jones Cup M

IGHTY Sports has just created a big name for itself after winning the Dubai International Basketball Championship without losing a single game since the elimination round, and becoming the latest toast in a country where basketball seems to be a national pastime.

Backstopped by former Gilas naturalized player Andray Blatche and three imports in Renaldi Balkman, McKenzie Moore and Jelan Kendrick—Mighty turned back defending champion Al Riyadi Lebanon, 92-81, on Saturday at the Shabab Al Ahli Club in Dubai.

The win completed a 7-0 sweep for Mighty Sports which became the first non-Middle Eastern team to win the championship in the prestigious tournament in three decades.

Coach Charles Tiu said he wants to keep the core of the team if and when they are given go-signal by the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas to represent the country in international tournaments, including Jones Cup in Taiwan.

“For us any time, if we’re asked to represent the country, we will be down for it, form the best team as much as possible. I don’t know if we can keep these guys as some of them already represent the Philippines in

Gilas,” said coach Charles Tiu. With the win, talks ran like electric shock that Mighty could be the next expansion team in the Philippine Basketball Association, and this was actually mentioned in previous PBA stories.

However, joining the pro league is not a priority for the team, at least according to its owner Cesar Wongchuking, who said their goal is to represent the Philippines in international tournaments.

“Mighty Sports joins tournaments by invitation. As of now we have no plans joining locally,” said Wongchuking during the team’s victory party on Thursday at Milkyway Restaurant in Makati City.

“Our plan is to represent the Philippines in international competitions. This is our objective,” stressed Wongchuking.

Wongchuking didn’t hide his joy as he was joined by some notable people

in Philippine basketball in the celebration, but stressed they are not joining the PBA just yet.

“Dito muna kami sa international competition. Masaya kami at nakapagbibigay kami ng kasiyahan sa ating mga kabayayan sa abroad at nakapag-uuwi tayo ng karangalan para sa bansa,” said Wongchuking.

The Mighty Dubai stint was also made possible with the help of Creative Pacific of Bong Cuevas, Go For Gold, Oriental Group, Discovery Primea and Gatoratde which the team owner cited and thanked during the party.

The team was composed of Beau Belga, Joseph Yeo, Gab Banal, Thirdy Ravena, Dave Ildefonso, Jamie Malonzo, Juan and Javi Gomez de Liaño, Isaac Go, Jarerel Lim, Joaqui Manuel and Mikey Williams.

SBP Special Assistant to the President, Ryan Gregorio said there’s no plan yet as to which team would be tapped to represent the Philippines in the Taiwan joust, although he added Might Sports is in the ‘priority list.’

The Jones Cup where Mighty Sports is also the defending champion is set in July.

“They have been supportive to the programs of the federation. It’s just overwhelming that they were able to win the Dubai Cup,” said Gregorio.

Kazakh rider takes 1st stage of Le Tour de Langkawi

By Charles Dantes KUCHING—Kazakhstan’s Yevgeniy Fedorov emerged on top in a tight battle against Thailand’s Thurakit Boonratanathanakorn in the last kilometer on Friday to win the first stage of the 25th Petronas Tour de Langkawi.

The 19-year-old talent of Vino Astana Motors had to outpace the veteran rider of Thailand Continental Cycling Team for almost half of time, before finally shaking his Thai rival in the closing lap of the 85-km competition .

“I rode away and I was happy to get some help from the rider (Boonratanathanakorn) from Thailand,” said Fedorov. “We went full gas, I am very happy with this win.”

Fedorov broke away from the peloton at the 28-kilometer mark, with Boonratanathanakorn soon sticking close to him at 30-km mark.

The two remained in a tug of

war before Fedorov ran free in the last lap, securing his win.

Fedorov set a time of 1:51:01 for 15 points in the stage individual classification, securing the gold, green and white jerseys, while his team Vino Astana Motors led the team general classification with 5:30:40.

Boonratanathanakorn clocked in at 1:51:04 at second spot, while his team Thailand Continental Cycling team timed 5:35:46.

Turkish Ahmet Orken of the Malaysian Team Sapura Cycling bagged third place with his 1:52:18 from the bunched sprint.

“This is my fi rst race for a non-Turkish team and I’m very happy for a third-place win,” said Orken.

The red jersey, sponsored by Resorts World Genting, was given to Bardiani CSF Faizane’s Matteo Pelucchi.

Today’s second stage is a 175.5-km stretch from Kuala Terengganu to Kerteh.

Ralph Lansang (No. 0) hopes to lead NHA against DENR at the start of their semis series on Sunday at the Paco Arena in Manila.

Though the Cavaliers have slight edge in the frontline, the Magis have solid backcourt crew in former PBA players Warren Ybanez and Chester Tolomia and veteran Frederick Salamat.

Judiciary is also coming off an impressive 65-55 win over Philippine International Trading Center in their do-or-die duel for the last semis ticket over the weekend.

Bannered by former Letran star Boyet Bautista, the Cavaliers are hoping to become the first back-toback champions of the league although they hold the distinction as the winningest team with three titles.

The chosen charity of the champion team will receive a tax-free P4 million prize while the runnerup’s own charity will get P2 million.

Westbrook...

From A8

First-stage winner Yevgeniy Fedorov (center) is shown together with fellow podium finishers Thurakit Boonratanathanakorn (left) and Ahmet Orken. Charles Dantes

5 teams to defend LGR Hoops division titles

Action will heat up anew in Season 8 of LGR Hoops

FULLY-RESTED Armed Forces of the Philippines and Department of Environment and Natural Resources are looking for hot starts in Game 1 of the best-of-three semifinals against their respective rivals in the 8th UNTV Cup on Sunday at the Paco Arena in Manila.

The top-seeded AFP Cavaliers collide with the Judiciary Magis at 5 p.m., while the second-ranked DENR Warrirors take on the National Housing Authority Builders at 3:30 p.m. in the event organized by UNTV President and CEO Dr. Daniel Razon annually for public servants.

AFP and DENR waited for almost three weeks to find out their semis rivals after advancing outright to the semis for finishing 1-2 in the twostage elims.

Despite the long break, the Cavaliers and Warriors expressed readiness for what they expect a tight and exciting series, knowing full well their rivals are playing at their best of late.

SEASON 8 of the LGR Hoops unfurls on Feb. 22 with five teams trying to defend their titles in different divisions against more than 40 teams competing in their respective categories.

Opening games will be held at the Gatorade Hoops Center with PNB Savings Bank, Colmax Collagen, CW Green, TBD and Royal Manila out to defend their crowns.

PNB Savings Bank, the team of the late Bong Tan, has decided to continue its participation in honor of its departed businessman/sportsman, who died late last year.

The Bankers are the reigning champions in the corporate division of this event sponsored by

Zarks Burger, Ascorbic Acid Poten-Cee, Stonehill Suites, Gatorade, Agent Snake, Ybalai Builders, D & D Media Photography, Exile and SYF. Royal Manila is the champion in the 5-foot-8 and below division, while TBD previously ruled the Novice category.

Also out to defend their titles are CW Green (Neophyte) and Colmax Collagen (Icon).

LGR Hoops has become a sanctuary for celebrity ballers like Nyoy Volante and Boom Labrusca among others.

Even ex-collegiate and commercial league players use the weekend to play here in the fastest growing recreational basketball league in the country.

from the Timberwolves this week, drained two three-pointers and produced a key block as Houston powered to the finish.

Eric Gordon added 15 points for the Rockets, James Harden had a relatively quiet night with 14 points and Covington added 14. Six Houston players scored in double figures.

“They hit some tough shots down the stretch,” said Davis, who added 13 rebounds for the Lakers. “We made some costly turnovers, we didn’t complete passes that we normally complete and it hurt us when they got out in transition and we didn’t match up well – they were able to make us pay.”

James added 18 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds and Danny Green and Bradley scored 15 apiece for Los Angeles, whose Western Conference lead over the LA Clippers is now just 2 1/2 games.

Tobias Harris led Philadelphia with 25 points.

Joel Embiid added 19 points and 11 rebounds but never found a good offensive rhythm – making just six of 26 shots from the field.

Ben Simmons had 11 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, but the Sixers’ road struggles continued.

With a 31-21 overall record, the 76ers are just 9-19 away from home. AFP

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor

sports@manilastandard.net

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

A8

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020

Westbrook lifts Rockets past Lakers LOS ANGELES, United States—The Houston Rockets, fueled by 41 points from Russell Westbrook, surged late to shock the NBA’s Western Conferenceleading Los Angeles Lakers 121-111 on Thursday (Friday Philippine time).

Anthony Davis shook off a sprained right index finger to lead the Lakers with 32 points.

LeBron James added 18 for Los Angeles, who trailed much of the night but took a 108-105 lead on Avery Bradley’s pull up jumper with 4:57 remaining.

But the Rockets closed the game with a 16-3 scoring run to seal their fourth straight victory.

Their small-ball lineup – featuring no one taller than 6-foot-6 (2m) – proved more than a match for Los Angeles.

In Milwaukee, reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered a dominant 36-point, 20-rebound performance as the Bucks avenged a Christmas Day loss to the Philadelphia 76ers with a 112-101 victory.

Antetokounmpo, who also handed out six assists, had 19 points and 10 rebounds before halftime as the leagueleading Bucks powered to their 12th victory in 13 games.

The “Greek Freak” notched his fifth straight game of at least 30 points and 15 rebounds—the first NBA player since the 1985-86 season to put together such a streak.

“It’s crazy,” Antetokounmpo said.

“I’m happy that we’re winning and we’re playing good.

“But I can get a lot better. I can be smarter. I can be sharper. I can make better passes on time, make three-point shots and two-point shots. That’s the mindset I have.”

Khris Middleton added 20 points, and Eric Bledsoe chipped in 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Bucks, who improved to 44-7 and notched their 29th double-digit win of the season.

Sharp-shooting forward Robert Covington, acquired by the Rockets Turn to A7

Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook (0) dribbles past Los Angeles Lakers Lakers defender Anthony Davis (3) during their game at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. AFP

Fajardo absence leaves huge void

By Arman Carandang

F

OLLOWING the indefinite exit of June Mar Fajardo due to injury, San Miguel Beer has been frantic in trying to fill the huge void his absence will create, with only about three weeks to go before the opening of the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup. “Mababago ngayon lahat ang game plan namin,” said SMB coach Leo Austria yesterday.

Stressing Fajardo’s absence will be a big loss in the team, Austria said they need to work double time in their preparation and polish the adjustments they have been testing in practice.

“We have to find ways kung paano gumawa ng panibagong game plan because we believe we’re still competitive,” said Austria.

“Kailangan in the short period of time ay makita na namin agad ang dapat na namin gawin,” said Austria.

So far, Austria said, he saw the team doing pretty well during practice in the last couple of days.

“The last two days, we changed a lot in our preparation para sa All Filipino, although it’s difficult because June Mar is June Mar,” said Austria.

“But right now we’re trying to adjust na maglaro ng wala si June Mar. Sa last two days naman ng practice namin, medyo nag step up naman lahat.”

Austria said the Beermen’s play normally used to start from the 6’10” center. They will have to make do with what’s achievable now that Fajardo is out indefinitely.

“Sa play, I would say it’s hard to stop him (June Mar). Kasi sa kanya nagsisimnula play namin. So may malaking pagbabago talaga sa mga plays namin,” said Austria, who plans to give all the minutes usually allotted to Fajardo to Mo Tautuaa.

“I’m sure Mo Tautuaa will step up. I think nawalan lang ng kaunting size but in terms of agility, magkakaroon pa rin naman ng malaking laban,” said Austria.”

The Beermen are gunning for an unprecedented sixth straight title in the Philippine Cup, the crown jewel in a PBA season and the hardest to win among the three conferences.

Fajardo injured his right leg during the team’s practice last February 3. As a result, he has been ruled out of the AllFilipino Conference indefinitely.

“Baka yung exectations sa atin sa Philippine Cup mawala na,” said Austria in jest.

Figueroa named MVP of UAAP boys’ hoops Adiwang ready to challenge ONE Championship elite

ADAMSON’S Jake Figueroa is the runaway Most Valuable Player for the UAAP Season 82 High School Boys’ Basketball Tournament.

The Grade 11 Baby Falcon accumulated a total of 73 statistical points which is 6.21 points higher than runner-up Josh Lazaro of Ateneo.

The 6-foot-2 forward out of Pampanga averaged 13.21 points, 14.14 rebounds, 3.14 assists, 1.64 steals and 1.21 blocks per game. He led the Baby Falcons to the stepladder as the fourth seed with an 8-6 record.

Figueroa will be the first Boys’ Basketball MVP from Adamson since Mark Juruena, who won the crown back in Season 71.

The rest of the top five are forwards as well.

Ateneo’s Lazaro and Lebron Lopez finished second and third in the race with 66.79 and 66.21 SPs, respectively. The duo steered the Blue Eaglets to the third seed with an 8-6 slate as well.

Completing the top five are National University-Nazareth School’s Karl Quiambao (66.14) and University of the Philippines Integrated School’s Aldous Torculas (65.57).

Rounding out the top 10 are University of Santo Tomas’ Bismarck Lina (65.5), UPIS’ Ray Torres (63.29), University of the East’s Cyrus Austria (60.46), Far Eastern University-Diliman’s Penny Estacio (60.36), and Ateneo’s Forthsky Padrigao (59.64).

The awarding ceremony takes place same day as Game Two of the Finals.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) glides to the hoop during the game against the Houston Rockets at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California.

AFP

NEXT generation Team Lakay stalwart Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang burst onto the scene from out of nowhere, earning a spot on Rich Franklin’s popular travel series reality show, ONE Warrior Series, in 2018.

Just last Friday night, Adiwang made his second appearance inside the ONE Circle when he took on the highly-regarded Pongsiri Mitsatit of Thailand at ONE: Fire & Fury. It was the first time for Adiwang to perform in front of his hometown fans in Manila as part of the ONE roster.

Adiwang started his pro career on a high note. A knockout victory in his debut against Jose Manuel Huerta instantly impressed. But despite the scintillating finish, Adiwang had much more to offer as a rising prospect.

In his second outing, Adiwang demolished Alber Correia Da Silva in a mere 45 seconds. This opened up a lot of eyes as to what “Thunder Kid” is capable of. Shortly after, a thorough unanimous decision victory over Anthony Do proved Adiwang could go the distance.

Not long after, Franklin awarded Adiwang with a six-figure contract where he would move on to ONE Championship.

He’s appeared unstoppable ever since, like a freight train full of dynamite. “(Earning the ONE Championship contract) was the greatest feeling of my life, and I was super excited to show the world what I could do,” said Adiwang.

Adiwang then moved on to ONE

Lito Adiwang (left) connects with a left straight to the face of Pongsiri Mitsatis during their bout at the Mall of Asia Arena last week.

Championship’s historic ONE: CENTURY card in Tokyo, Japan, against highly-touted veteran Senzo Ikeda.

He was expected to face his first real test against the Japanese warrior. What happened next, absolutely no one could have predicted.

Adiwang wrecked Ikeda, swarming him within the first few moments of the contest with his usual blistering pace. But once action hit the mat, Adi-

wang brandished his unheralded ground game. He took Ikeda into a scarf hold and trapped his arm. Within moments, the Filipino stalwart had already latched onto a deep and secure armlock.

Ikeda had nowhere to go, and Adiwang signalled to the referee that his opponent had already suffered an injury. After Adiwang stood up and walked away, Ikeda’s elbow joint was revealed to have been hyperextended. The bout was over.

PBA eyes refurbished PSC venues THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) might soon be calling Philippine Sports Commission facilities home if negotiations to house PBA games in the sports agency’s refurbished venues push through.

The Multi-purpose Arena (MPA) in Philsports Complex in Pasig city, Ninoy Aquino Stadium (NAS) and Rizal Memorial Coliseum (RMC) at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC) in Manila are being eyed to host PBA games.

Renato Chavez, Evihore Lopez and Neil Tibajares of the PBA conducted an ocular inspection on Thursday and expressed their delight over the upgrades they saw in the RMSC venues.

The RMC, the most historic facility of the three, is now airconditioned and boasts of retractable seating. Romy Teneza, venue manager of the RMC declared that the famed coliseum can now accommodate more or less an audience of 8,000 seated guests, depending on the seating plan.

PSC Deputy Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy said that even the University Athletic Association of the Philippines has expressed interest in holding events in the upgraded sports venues managed by the sports agency.

“We are very positive about this. It would be nice to host them again in our arena,” said PSC Chairman William Ramirez, adding that requirements of the national team shall remain a priority when it comes to use of said government sports facility.

The Philsports MPA was the PBA’s home for some years in the ‘80s and early 2000s.

James, Antetokounmpo pick their NBA All-Star teams LOS ANGELES, United States—LeBron James knows just how valuable Anthony Davis is, so he made his Los Angeles Lakers teammate his first selection in the NBA All-Star Game draft on Thursday (Friday Philippine time).

For the second straight year, James and reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, as captains of the two All-Star teams, picked their rosters from players selected for the contest by fan votes and NBA coaches.

James will be seeking a third victory as an All-Star captain in the mid-season showcase in Chicago on Feb. 16.

As the top vote-getter in fan balloting, James had the first pick and he didn’t hesitate to take Davis.

“I know you’re all surprised,” James said as the draft unfolded on TV. Antetokounmpo tapped Philadelphia’s Cameroonian big man Joel Embiid, “my African brother,” as his first pick.

James next opted for Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, while Antetokounmpo, a Greek citizen of Nigerian descent, went for Toronto’s Pascal Siakam, also of Cameroon.

James gambled with his next selection, taking Luka Doncic of Dal-

las even though the Slovenian star is currently nursing a right ankle sprain.

James rounded out his starters with Houston’s James Harden, the league’s leading scorer, while Antetokounmpo took Boston’s Kemba Walker and Atlanta’s Trae Young.

When they got to the reserves, Antetokounmpo opened with Milwaukee Bucks teammate Khris Middleton and James selected Portland’s Damian Lillard.

Also on team Giannis: Miami’s Bam Adebayo, Utah defensive standout Rudy Gobert and Jazz teammate Donovan Mitchell, Miami’s Jimmy

Butler, Toronto’s Kyle Lowry and Brandon Ingram of New Orleans.

James added Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Oklahoma City veteran Chris Paul, Houston’s Russell Westbrook and Domantas Sabonis of Indiana.

“There’s no wrong choice,” James said. “They’re all All-Stars for a reason.”

The NBA announced last week that All-Star weekend would feature several tributes to NBA icon Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others who died in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles on Jan. 26. AFP

IN BRIEF Meralco’s relocation projects to cost P14b MANILA Electric Co., the biggest retailer of electricity in Metro Manila, is seeking approval to implement several contingency projects costing totaling P14.21 billion to relocate electrical facilities affected by the Build Build Build program of the Department of Transportation Meralco, in a filing with the Energy Regulatory Commission, said the projects include the Common Station Project at a cost of P55.355 million, Metro Manila Station Project–Phase 1 (P1 billion), North-South Commuter Railway System through PNR North 1 (TutubanMalolos) at P1.44 billion, PNR North 2 (Malolos-Clark) at P310.322 million, PNR South Commuter (Solis-Calamba) at P2.048 billion and PNR South Long Haul (Manila-SorsogonBatangas) at P5.11 billion.

“It is necessary that the construction and implementation of the Meralco projects shall follow the schedule of the relocation of the affected facilities and that both be completed within their respective target dates, to avoid unnecessary costs and resources and to ensure that the implementation of both the relocation of the affected facilities and the Meralco facilities is economically viable and optimal,” Meralco said. Alena Mae S. Flores

Business MOST INNOVATIVE.

The Alsons Power group’s Sarangani Energy Corp. is named the Most Innovative Power Plant Project in 2019 by International Finance magazine. SEC owns and operates a 210-megawatt baseload coal-fired power plant in Maasim Sarangani province that delivers electricity to over six million people in 10 provinces and 12 key cities in Mindanao.

ACR deputy chief financial officer, Philip E.B. Sagun (right) and SEC chief financial officer Christopher Marin (center) receive the award at a ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok.

Forex reserves down to $86.42b in January THE country’s gross international reserves in end-January 2020 declined to $86.42 billion from the all-time high of $87.84 in endDecember 2019, pulled down by the government’s settlement of foreign exchange obligations, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Friday.

“The month-on-month decline in the GIR level reflected outflows arising from the national government’s foreign exchange withdrawal, which was used mainly to pay its foreign exchange obligations,” the BSP said in a statement.

“However, the decline was partially tempered by the BSP’s net foreign exchange purchases from its foreign exchange operations and income from its investments abroad,” it said.

“At this level, the GIR can cover 7.6 months’ worth of imports of goods and services and payments of primary income. It is also equivalent to 5.3 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 4 times based on residual maturity,” it said. Julito G. Rada

SCG plans revamp of core businesses SCG is set to revamp three core businesses and equip human resource development to effectively shift from being a manufacturer to a solution and service provider, with an eye of maintaining sustainable business growth in 2020.

SCG unveiled its business strategies to overcome disruptions spawned by looming uncontrollable external factors in 2020, with the accelerated transformation of internal factors right. after announcing its operating results in 2019.

“Fluctuations driven by uncontrollable external factors has made a significant impact on businesses globally over the past year. As a result, in 2020, SCG is necessitated to develop comprehensive business strategies aiming at conquering disruptions promptly and maintaining sustainable business growth,” said SCG president and chief executive officer Roongrote Rangsiyopash.

“With a business transformation plan, the three core businesses will shift from being a manufacturer to a solution & service provider that truly and holistically respond to the diversified and ever-changing customer demand as well as creating high value for the business, he said.”

“People Transformation is also a crucial force to drive change. SCG will strive to empower our people with essential skills, enabling them to insightfully access and understand markets across the region coupled with leveraging digital technologies to respond swiftly to the competitive environment and meet those needs timely.”

MPCALA obtains approval to collect CALAX road toll

By Darwin G. Amojelar MPCALA Holdings Inc., a unit of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., secured an approval from the Toll Regulatory Board to collect a provisional initial toll on the 10.7-km Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) subsections 6, 7 and 8 effective February 10.

The toll collection will start upon the issuance of the Toll Operating Permit and Notice to Start Collection.

CALAX will collect VAT inclusive rates of P47 for Class 1 vehicles (ordinary cars), P95 for Class 2 vehicles (buses and small commercial trucks) and P143 for Class 3 vehicles (large trucks or trailers) from motorists.

“The end-to-end opening of CALAX subsections 6, 7 and 8 is imperative to reduce traffic congestion in various parts of Laguna specifically Laguna Boulevard and Aguinaldo Highway,” said MPCALA Holdings Inc. president and general manager Roberto Bontia.

“It is a viable option for motorists given the growing traffic demands in the area,” he added.

Bontia said the implementation of the initial base toll rates was necessary to ensure the sustainability and viability of the expressway as a safe and convenient thoroughfare.

“On our end, our services shall live up to the highest standard for our motorists to experience the convenience of traveling South using CALAX,” he added.

The first 10.7-km has served about 10,000 vehicles daily between SLEX Mamplasan Exit and the new CALAX Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Interchange in the first three months of the toll-free operations.

Partial operations started October 30 in time for the All Saints’ Day.

Razon makes tender offer to take over Manila Water

By Jenniffer B. Austria

B

USINESS tycoon Enrique Razon Jr. offered to acquire the rest of the shares of Manila Water Co Inc. as he moves to take over the embattled water utility firm from conglomerate Ayala Corp.

Manila Water said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Friday it received a letter from Razon’s Prime Metroline Infrastructure Holdings Corp. about an intention to make a mandatory tender offer on the shares of Manila Water at a price of P13 apiece.

The tender offer price is the same price when Prime Metroline bought 820 million shares in Manila Water. The initial purchase allowed Razon to acquire a 25-percent interest in the water utility for P10.7 billion.

Ayala remains the major shareholder of the company with a 38.6-percent stake after Razon’s initial acquisition.

Ayala, however, granted Razon proxy rights from Ayala unit Philwater Holdings Co., giving him a 51-percent voting interest in the water concessionaire.

Ayala’s effective voting interest in Manila Water as a result will drop to 31.6 percent.

Following the disclosure on the tender offer, share price of Manila Water plunged 10.8 percent on Friday to P13.34 apiece.

Ayala Corp earlier said the partnership with the Razon Group “will result in clear synergies to achieve Manila Water’s long-term goal of providing sustainable water and wastewater services.”

Manila Water was already working together with Prime Metroline over a dam project that would supply the Metro Manila 80 million liters a day by 2021 and 500 million liters a day by 2025.

The possible change in control of Manila Water is taking place at a time when

Metro Manila water concessionaires, Manila Water and Maynilad Water Services Inc. of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., are negotiating new service contracts with the government.

The two water concessionaires earned the ire of President Rodrigo Duterte after thousands of households in Metro Manila experienced water interruptions due to the decreasing water level of the La Mesa reservoir in Quezon City.

Duterte noted there were alleged onerous provision on the water service contracts.

To appease President Duterte, the two water companies earlier declared they would no longer collect or enforce the recent arbitral awards. They also expressed willingness to renegotiate the inequitable provisions of the concession agreement.

President Duterte, however, said he would pursue the filing of charges against owners of water concessionaires Manila Water and Maynilad Water on the alleged “onerous” concession contracts with the government.

The enterprising owners of Carga, the country’s first backload solutions app for truckers and shippers, launch the pioneering logistics solution for micro, small and medium enterprises.

Leading the app’s media launch are Carga chief executive officer Samson Lato (extreme right) and company executives (from left) Allan Catu, chief information officer; Michael Jethro Lato, junior executive officer; and Arlene Lato, chief financial officer.

Carga mobile app introduces solution to PH truckers and shippers SMALL and medium enterprises are big winners with the introduction of mobile app Carga, the country’ first backload transport solution for shippers and truckers.

An online logistics platform, Carga’s pioneering mobile app serves as a gateway for shippers to connect to a pool of truckers at more affordable rates due to backload, while meeting their preferred schedules and needs. The app also empowers truckers to increase their load and maximize vehicle use through real-time demand visibility which allows them to carry backload anytime.

More than a simple backload solution, the Carga app envisions to ease traffic congestion by reducing the volume of empty trucks plying the road. It also helps small and medium enterprises meet their cargo and shipping needs without having to purchase their own trucks.

Carga chief executive officer Sam

Lato said about 480,000 trucks were registered with LTO. So far, he said Carga, had 20 company-owned trucks with five corporate partners for a combined fleet of 150 units and still growing.

“Carga helps maximize load. Our company’s study showed that about 30 to 60 percent of trucks plying SLEX and NLEX are empty. Backload will optimize use of these trucks instead of running empty,” said Lato.

The idea behind the backload solution business was born because of the owners’ personal experience while ferrying engineering materials and equipment for their company, MJAS Zenith. The company would frequently dispatch truckloads of materials to their branches in Cebu and Davao via RoRo, only to have these trucks return to Manila empty.

“Why not optimize all resources and the truck’s travel home by carrying

load?”, Lato asked.

The end result is a win-win and innovative solution for all logistics players.

Set to start accepting cargo on February 6, Carga paves the way for accessible delivery of goods and commodities for everyone, anytime and nationwide. So far, its service area stretches from Aparri down to Davao.

The app offers several vehicle model options like forward and semi-forward trucks as well as 4 to 12-wheeler trucks from its own fleet and partner corporate and private truckers. Carga regularly dispatches trucks across Luzon and to any point in the Visayas and Mindanao via RoRo. With Carga’s transparent pricing and flexibility, shippers and truckers can find the best deals, ensure reliable and cost effective transport, hasten farm-to-market transportation and create more business opportunities.

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020

B1

IMF bullish, maintains PH growth goal of 6.3% for 2020

By Julito G. Rada THE International Monetary Fund kept its 6.3-percent growth projection for the Philippine economy in 2020, to be driven by higher fiscal spending of the government and backed by the recent monetary policy easing.

The estimate is contained in the conclusion of the 2019 Article IV Consultation on Jan. 27, 2020 with the Philippines by the IMF executive board.

“The outlook is positive. GDP growth is projected to have reached 5.7 percent in 2019 and rise to 6.3 percent in 2020, underpinned by government spending acceleration and the recent monetary policy easing,” the IMF said in a report released Friday.

Gross domestic product actually grew 5.9 percent in 2019, an eight-year low and which missed the target range of 6 percent to 6.5 percent, weighed down by the delayed approval of the P3.7-trillion national budget.

IMF’s projections for the Article IV consultation were completed before the release of the 2019 annual national account data on Jan. 23, 2020.

“Inflation is projected at 3.0 percent by end-2020, accompanied by a slight widening of the current account deficit to 2.3 percent of GDP in 2020 as investment picks up. Risks to the outlook are to the downside, reflecting risks to the global economy from augmented trade tensions, shifts in global financial conditions, and natural disasters,” it said.

The IMF said the Philippine economy continued to be a strong performer despite recent headwinds but faced downside risks to the outlook. It said prudent policies and structural reforms had supported economic activity and macroeconomic stability over the past decade. “... Macroeconomic policies are attuned to the outlook. The moderate fiscal stimulus planned for 2020 and the monetary policy easing since mid2019 are consistent with the economy moving back to growing at capacity and achieving the inflation objectives in the baseline outlook,” it said.

The IMF said the Philippines had policy space and could adopt a more expansionary macroeconomic policy stance should downside risks materialized.

Japanese firm raises Manila’s rating to BBB+ JAPAN-BASED Rating and Investment Information Inc. (R&I) upgraded the Philippines’ credit rating by a notch, from “BBB” to “BBB+,” bolstering the country’s momentum toward the government’s goal of securing single “A” rating by 2022.

The Investor Relations Office of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Friday the “BBB+” rating was just a step away from the minimum score within the sought-after “A” scale. The new rating was also assigned a “stable” outlook, which indicates the absence of factors that may cause the rating to change within the short term.

Favorable assessment from Japanese credit rating agencies like R&I has become more important for the Philippines in recent years, given the government’s successive issuances of Samurai bonds in the Japanese market as part of the strategy to diversify sources of financing.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the upgrade was “overdue in light of the positive trends under the Duterte administration that have deepened investor confidence in the Philippine economy.”

“Declining poverty incidence and a lower unemployment rate, massive investments in infrastructure and human capital development have resulted in consistently high growth and more jobs. A series of socioeconomic reforms in Congress intended to achieve greater economic inclusion have impressed upon the international business community the unwavering commitment of President Duterte to sustain the growth momentum and improve the lives of our people,” he said.

Given that a sovereign credit rating is an assessment of a country’s ability and willingness to pay debts on time and in full, Dominguez said “the Philippines’ strong macroeconomic fundamentals plus the Duterte administration’s aggressive investment strategy, while maintaining fiscal discipline, show that we deserve the higher rating.” Julito G. Rada

B2

Business

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks end flat; Manila Water dips

T

HE stock market closed virtually flat Friday, with lastminute buying capping the losses at the close of trading.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added just 0.69 point, or less than 0.01 percent, to 7,507.20 on a value turnover of P5.3 billion. Losers beat gainers, 105 to 71, with 54 issues unchanged.

BDO Unibank Inc., the biggest lender in terms of assets, rose 1.6 percent to P155.40, but PLDT Inc., the largest telecommunications firm, fell 2.6 percent to P1,064.

Manila Water Co. Inc. sank 11.2 percent to P13.28 on profit-taking and after business tycoon Enrique Razon Jr. offered to acquire the rest of the utility’s

shares from conglomerate Ayala Corp. in a tender offer.

ISM Communications Corp. slumped 11.3 percent to P2.43.

The rest of Asian markets mostly fell Friday after a week-long rally as investors take profits and assess developments in China’s deadly coronavirus crisis.

Strong US data, Chinese financial support and a broadly healthy earnings season have provided a much-needed boost to equities after last week’s sell-off, while there is a sense that the economic impact of the outbreak globally could be limited.

China’s decision Thursday to halve tariffs on $75 billion of US goods as part of their trade detente has also cheered the mood.

Observers say the virus, which has killed more than 600 people and infected 31,000, will batter Chinese growth in the first quarter but it could rebound later in the year, as it did after SARS.

“If the pattern of the SARS impacts are a guide, there is the potential for the Chinese economy to rebound with an above-potential growth rate once the outbreak subsides,” said T. Rowe Price analyst Chris Kushlis.

“In 2003, China’s growth rate climbed to 15.5 percent in the third quarter as pent-up demand saw consumption rebound as the SARS outbreak waned.

A similar rebound following the coronavirus could help keep the longerterm track of the Chinese economy on a relatively even keel.”

Heading into the weekend, dealers were taking a step back after the week’s strong gains across the world, which has seen all three main indexes on Wall Street chalk up record highs.

Hong Kong, which has climbed around 4.5 percent this week, dipped 0.7 percent, while Tokyo dipped 0.2 percent.

Singapore and Taipei both fell more

than one percent, while Seoul slipped 0.7 percent, Sydney shed 0.4 percent and Mumbai eased 0.5 percent. Bangkok also fell.

However, Shanghai added 0.3 percent to extend a rebound to four straight days as it recovers from a near eight percent drop suffered Monday, when it reopened after the Lunar New Year break.

The gains have been greatly helped by central bank cash injections into the financial market, while there is speculation that government agencies are also buying up shares to prevent a rout.

Stephen Innes, of AxiCorp, said that while the virus outbreak seems to be stabilizing in the epicenter of China’s Hubei province, “the disruption to China’s economy will likely continue in the short term.”

“This may give cause for pause or at minimum investors coming up for air” after recent gains. With AFP

Manila Standard BuSineSS daily StockS review Friday, FeBruary 7, 2020

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING),

FINANCIALS 86 1,188,530 155.4 618,390 0.81 10,000 25.05 192,100 18.5 26,800 11.2 124,800 4.1 2,000 1.15 5,000 0.41 180,000 60.9 1,514,740 0.77 69,000 32.05 115,900 176 200 175 1,072,590 1,887 15 60.7 3,780 1.07 1,000

101,992,714.50 94,991,986 8,100 4,810,370 495,348 1,409,748 7,920 5,750 72,150 92,489,485.50 52,170 3,716,875 35,200 187,626,849 28,305 228,001.50 1,070

41,959,030.50 38,871,186 609,675 -265,500 -28,033,358.50 2,250 -1,294,760 -24,279,426 -25,659 -

32.7 2.09 6.37 0.57 1.19 2.99 0.22 1.44 15 165 10.06 16.02 58.85 2.11 4.6 8.95 12.36 8.55 7.25 1.98 20.6 66.65 1.88 35.1 1.67 10 6.66 1.28 192.3 4.09 3.1 6.52 13.14 9.97 14.3 282.8 1.8 3.87 3.48 9.8 11.6 30.6 4.71 5.25 1.62 1.68 1.19 9.25 75.75 9 0.115 0.93 153 1.13 0.98

INDUSTRIAL 33 514,200 2.14 5,277,000 6.5 8,995,500 0.61 4,318,000 1.19 30,000 3.04 3,687,000 0.22 280,000 1.47 4,725,000 15.1 67,300 174 420 10.1 3,695,000 16.02 500 58.85 750 2.11 9,000 4.7 45,000 9 375,400 12.36 2,500 8.8 720,900 7.26 3,414,500 1.98 575,000 21.2 569,500 66.85 123,370 1.94 43,647,000 36.9 200 1.67 6,387,000 10.14 4,587,600 6.7 88,400 1.34 243,000 192.5 283,570 4.12 24,000 3.1 5,000 6.79 12,200 13.28 44,257,900 10 62,200 14.6 1,646,400 288.8 106,690 1.82 864,000 3.9 16,000 3.5 649,000 9.97 5,000 11.94 142,000 31 126,000 4.71 16,000 5.29 14,563,800 1.66 158,000 1.68 2,000 1.2 5,076,000 9.44 38,900 77.9 36,250 9.1 209,300 0.115 350,000 0.98 12,000 158.9 957,230 1.15 2,617,000 0.98 2,906,000

16,967,195 11,142,980 62,414,580 2,662,970 35,760 11,202,030 62,930 6,909,880 1,020,594 72,074 39,297,340 8,010 44,137.50 18,990 209,090 3,382,906 31,384 6,169,019 24,763,851 1,172,060 12,040,640 8,244,243 84,548,130 7,200 11,222,700 46,455,196 591,718 317,960 54,687,761 103,210 15,500 80,741 600,558,474 621,379 23,904,496 30,513,644 1,571,340 62,280 2,273,120 49,261 1,674,810 3,925,440 76,920 76,459,994 260,210 3,360 6,294,950 362,898 2,808,415 1,891,902 40,250 11,500 151,476,207 2,990,820 2,886,190

2,479,315 6,141,460 -28,064,450 423,700 -1,752,270 882,262 -489,176 23,050 859,299 -1,236 -5,925,150 19,578,713 -4,441,780 -6,972 7,047,170 4,964,940 -4,996,140 91,239 -23,490,491 -15,500 -146,171,312 -298,747 -22,892,284 6,788,230 -27,250 80,700.00 -820,162 -1,358,700 0 -73,200 57,090.00 -484,196.50 37,499,189 26,190.00 -

0.9 52.4 10.76 0.69 6.2 10.48 0.92 0.94 765 2.81 6.4 6.19 12.7 0.238 745 5.01 74 0.5 3.78 10.54 0.58 3.25 1.15 136 1,004 0.81 1.18 185 174 0.224 0.199

0.86 50.3 10.48 0.67 6.1 10.1 0.89 0.94 750 2.73 6.19 6.04 12.68 0.22 725 5 72.05 0.48 3.73 10.36 0.56 3.19 1.1 132.5 998.5 0.8 1.1 175 174 0.206 0.195

HOLDING FIRMS 0.9 6,755,000 52.15 569,490 10.7 4,474,500 0.69 39,000 6.1 21,300 10.1 9,500 0.92 773,000 0.94 5,000 750 201,530 2.78 888,000 6.3 1,445,000 6.1 6,964,600 12.68 7,700 0.221 520,000 741 176,010 5 17,000 73.9 1,217,500 0.5 153,000 3.78 32,000 10.48 3,774,600 0.58 43,000 3.2 22,439,000 1.12 134,000 134.5 49,180 1,000 121,415 0.8 7,000 1.18 17,000 175 100 174 100 0.206 60,000 0.198 620,000

5,965,050 29,584,877.50 47,529,470 26,600 130,050 97,794 699,750 4,700 152,759,795 2,462,500 9,186,353 42,477,026 97,650 119,190 129,646,850 85,020 89,098,878.50 74,235 119,560 39,533,480 24,100 72,292,630 151,920 6,612,321 121,443,610 5,620 18,860 17,950 17,400 12,630 121,000

-490,630 5,420,664.50 22,817,116 -1,380 122,610 -24,538,600 468,030 2,116,369 -23,608,852 -17,680 -7,171,190 -85,020 28,687,561 82,260 -1,529,338 14,290,790 22,600.00 -129,995 -12,886,542.50 -1,740 -

14.76 0.67 1.66 0.81 43.45 1.57 4.54 6.65 0.5 0.77 0.8 0.185 0.38 9.15 17.96 0.4 1.45 1.06 4.07 0.203 0.39 1.13 0.31 2.06 25.9 2.08

14.72 0.63 1.63 0.79 42.6 1.51 4.48 6.2 0.485 0.74 0.8 0.178 0.38 9 17.18 0.39 1.44 1.04 3.98 0.199 0.385 1.02 0.305 2.03 25.25 2.07

PROPERTY 14.72 409,000 0.66 131,000 1.65 108,000 0.81 542,000 43.35 7,912,200 1.53 862,000 4.5 200,000 6.3 5,500 0.5 9,988,000 0.76 21,000 0.8 4,000 0.178 1,360,000 0.38 40,000 9.15 97,700 17.96 626,700 0.4 120,000 1.44 7,166,000 1.04 2,010,000 4.07 20,935,000 0.199 5,770,000 0.39 20,000 1.1 1,462,000 0.31 150,000 2.04 207,000 25.25 960,000 2.08 14,000

6,021,586 84,510 178,470 429,430 342,509,400 1,315,350 898,760 34,255 4,956,235 15,830 3,200 242,500 15,200 879,455 11,088,874 47,000 10,360,930 2,095,430 84,722,610 1,154,790 7,750 1,566,240 45,850 421,590 24,336,110 29,070

384,624 -82,500 232,265,800 3,070 255,360 -823,640 -330,888.00 -5,276,170 -7,686,870 8,800 -9,075,470 -

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

85.9 150.5 0.81 25.05 18.1 11.48 3.82 1.15 0.385 60.95 0.77 31.6 176 179 1,887 61.5 1.07

86.1 155.4 0.81 25.1 18.5 11.48 4.1 1.15 0.42 61.3 0.77 32.9 176 179 1,887 61.5 1.07

84.85 150 0.81 25 18.1 11.2 3.82 1.15 0.385 60.8 0.75 31.6 176 173.9 1,887 59.5 1.07

ABOITIZ POWER AC ENERGY AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS AXELUM BASIC ENERGY CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CHEMPHIL CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA 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 LMG CHEMICALS MABUHAY VINYL MACAY HLDG MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO PEPSI COLA PETROENERGY PETRON PHINMA PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP RFM CORP ROXAS AND CO ROXAS HLDG SFA SEMICON SHAKEYS PIZZA SMC FOODANDBEV SPC POWER SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VITARICH VULCAN INDL

32.75 2.16 7.8 0.58 1.19 3.14 0.22 1.5 15 165 10.82 16.02 58.85 2.11 4.6 9 12.36 8.55 7.26 2.03 21.3 66.65 1.94 35.1 1.79 10 6.89 1.31 193 4.5 3.1 6.53 14.06 10 14.3 286 1.8 3.87 3.55 9.99 11.6 30.6 4.9 5.25 1.62 1.68 1.33 9.49 75.9 9.1 0.115 0.94 153 1.17 1.04

33.15 2.16 8.09 0.65 1.25 3.16 0.227 1.5 15.4 174 11.16 16.02 58.85 2.11 4.7 9.08 12.72 8.92 7.49 2.15 21.3 68 1.98 36.9 1.83 10.4 6.89 1.35 194 4.5 3.1 6.79 14.12 10 14.6 288.8 1.83 3.9 3.56 9.99 11.94 32 4.9 5.29 1.7 1.68 1.36 9.49 77.9 9.2 0.115 0.98 158.9 1.17 1.05

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 LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV PRIME MEDIA SAN MIGUEL CORP SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SOLID GROUP SYNERGY GRID TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.88 50.3 10.48 0.67 6.2 10.26 0.89 0.94 760 2.79 6.32 6.19 12.7 0.22 740 5.01 73.1 0.5 3.73 10.5 0.56 3.21 1.11 132.5 1,000 0.81 1.1 180 174 0.215 0.199

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

14.72 0.65 1.66 0.79 43.45 1.57 4.5 6.65 0.5 0.77 0.8 0.185 0.38 9 17.4 0.4 1.45 1.06 4.03 0.203 0.385 1.12 0.305 2.06 25.9 2.07

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING),

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

3.04 41.05 2.46 1.95 6.55 5.28

3.15 42.8 2.52 1.99 6.6 5.45

3.04 40.7 2.46 1.85 6.53 5.06

3.15 42.35 2.52 1.86 6.54 5.39

13,000 13,350,300 104,000 7,162,000 713,900 73,000

40,660 563,486,585 261,340 13,584,020 4,702,872 385,380

238,512,750 -2,498,278 -

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL ALLHOME APC GROUP ASIAN TERMINALS BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY CEBU AIR CHELSEA DFNN INC EASYCALL GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN BRIA GRAND PLAZA HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL INTL CONTAINER 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 PAXYS PH RESORTS GRP PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRANSPACIFIC BR WATERFRONT WILCON DEPOT

9 17.5 1.34 10.1 0.39 17.5 2.63 9.01 84 4.86 4 7.36 1,990 5.28 430 12.5 1.23 1.56 127.1 2.74 12.12 2.16 0.96 10.76 0.41 2.95 1.9 0.95 0.96 2.2 2.14 7.4 2.96 4.8 146 3.84 1,085 0.495 0.335 38.8 76.5 8.8 2.23 0.6 0.255 0.59 18.54

9 17.5 1.4 10.1 0.39 17.5 2.7 9.1 84 4.86 4.24 7.96 2,008 5.3 430 13.48 1.27 1.56 128.5 2.74 12.12 2.17 0.96 11.06 0.435 2.95 1.91 1.05 0.96 2.27 2.14 7.4 2.96 4.85 146 3.94 1,085 0.5 0.34 39.35 77.65 8.9 2.26 0.6 0.255 0.59 18.84

8.95 16.9 1.34 9.8 0.385 17.5 2.61 9 78.5 4.67 4 7.36 1,970 5.22 423.4 12.5 1.19 1.56 127.1 2.24 12.12 2.14 0.96 10.1 0.41 2.95 1.89 0.95 0.96 2.18 2.03 7.4 2.96 4.69 146 3.54 1,059 0.485 0.325 38.6 76.5 8.8 2.13 0.59 0.248 0.57 18.54

SERVICES 9 17 1.4 10.02 0.39 17.5 2.65 9.06 79.5 4.67 4.24 7.84 1,980 5.3 423.4 13.48 1.19 1.56 128 2.43 12.12 2.16 0.96 10.6 0.43 2.95 1.9 1 0.96 2.2 2.05 7.4 2.96 4.69 146 3.55 1,064 0.485 0.325 38.65 77.55 8.9 2.19 0.59 0.25 0.58 18.82

54,400 287,500 6,000 1,001,200 1,720,000 1,000 219,000 1,794,200 92,660 1,069,000 156,000 22,700 30,785 212,900 170 200 949,000 3,000 1,132,620 123,156,000 200 277,000 5,000 4,298,900 200,000 7,000 1,065,000 33,000 18,000 1,659,000 57,000 400 1,000 3,000 5,270 3,692,000 97,485 3,910,000 4,010,000 3,034,800 539,290 1,100 676,000 1,154,000 1,660,000 2,904,000 260,000

487,735 4,947,556 8,300 9,996,430 670,600 17,500 579,020 16,166,764 7,392,617 5,050,220 632,320 170,934 61,322,280 1,120,427 72,110 2,598 1,157,980 4,680 145,010,375 298,169,700 2,424 598,200 4,800 45,574,728 83,950 20,650 2,022,870 32,240 17,280 3,657,370 116,730 2,960 2,960 14,340 769,420 13,524,920 104,036,595 1,912,800 1,319,700 117,325,305 41,780,630.50 9,690 1,465,970 685,680 416,290 1,679,190 4,842,504

60,085.00 -1,449,806 17,500 5,260 383,293 1,810,276.50 -37,910 -1,949,185 -25,000 -1,099,621 4,128,660 226,810 -3,212,490 25,050 21,360 -71,400 769,420 199,480 -61,846,410 -470,150 -55,250 9,508,290 10,063,628 -339,500 -188,400 968,022

3,282,400 3,273,583 670,370 28,780 118,564 1,050 3,206,350 2,700 135,634 2,045,620 81,130 33,250 15,600 195,710 10,133,100 236,520 68,360 210,000 826,380 1,331,754 2,817,535 21,500

1,500 -54,482 -422,500 -405,310 -2,060 -501,585.00 531,400 -

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

0.0015 7.45 1.01 2.4 9.91 1.05 3.05 0.27 6.54 1.46 0.207 0.095 0.0078 0.76 2.78 1.03 0.67 0.011 2.86 8.67 20 0.0054

0.0016 7.6 1.01 2.4 11 1.05 3.05 0.27 6.77 1.47 0.207 0.095 0.0078 0.79 2.83 1.03 0.68 0.011 2.89 8.74 20.8 0.0054

0.0014 7.28 1 2.38 9.85 1.05 2.98 0.27 6.42 1.43 0.197 0.095 0.0078 0.7 2.71 0.98 0.67 0.01 2.84 8.61 20 0.0053

MINING & OIL 0.0015 2,208,000,000 7.48 444,300 1 666,000 2.38 12,000 10.3 11,900 1.05 1,000 2.99 1,062,000 0.27 10,000 6.43 21,000 1.43 1,419,000 0.197 410,000 0.095 350,000 0.0078 2,000,000 0.78 265,000 2.74 3,676,000 1.02 240,000 0.67 102,000 0.011 20,000,000 2.84 290,000 8.65 153,700 20.8 137,300 0.0053 4,000,000

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

15.7 505 490 103.2 103 102 100.9 5.15 988 100 100.2 1,050 102.3 1,033 77.2 75 76.2 75.5 76

16 505 490 103.2 103 102 101 5.15 990 100 100.2 1,050 102.3 1,033 77.5 75 76.5 75.5 76

15.62 500 490 103.2 103 100.9 100.2 5.1 988 98.85 100 1,049 102.3 1,033 77 75 76.2 75.1 76

PREFERRED 16 51,400 500 8,350 490 100 103.2 130 103 2,500 100.9 20,230 100.9 30,830 5.1 65,000 990 1,250 98.85 500 100 14,000 1,050 1,160 102.3 400 1,033 350 77.5 64,140 75 39,300 76.5 4,800 75.1 13,250 76 143,000

813,808 4,178,500 49,000 13,416 257,500 2,060,207 3,110,043 331,750 1,237,480 49,462 1,401,231 1,217,950 40,920 361,550 4,939,004 2,947,500 367,140 996,115 10,868,000

-561,504 -331,750 -10,500 -

LR WARRANT

1.08

1.16

1.08

WARRANTS 1.15 34,000

37,590

-

ITALPINAS KEPWEALTH XURPAS

3.51 9.89 0.81

3.64 9.98 0.83

3.43 9.8 0.79

3.43 9.9 0.81

1,023,910 780,363 1,666,280

-1,977 -

FIRST METRO ETF

111.9

112.9

111

666,256

-

USD DMPL A1 USD TECH B2

10.2 0.95

10.2 0.95

10.02 0.95

101,833.20 26,600

-

Trading Summary FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL

SHARES 6,585,889

167,689,202

HOLDING FIRMS

61,811,736

PROPERTY

86,644,557

SERVICES

291,708,734

MINING & OIL

2,243,279,948

GRAND TOTAL

2,860,180,716

SME

295,000 79,000 2,079,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 112.9 5,940 DDS 10.02 0.95

10,000 28,000

VALUE 1,791.09 (UP) 6.71 577,329,588.74 FINANCIAL 9,391.68 (UP) 6.70 INDUSTRIAL 1,346,332,945.886 7,146.01 (DOWN) 26.03 HOLDING FIRMS 859,125,536.08 PROPERTY 4,036.80 (UP) 9.80 1,502.87 (DOWN) 7.71 1,253,505,316.25 SERVICES 7,383.47 (UP) 14.02 MINING & OIL 1,258,189,592.73 7,507.20 (UP) 0.69 PSEI 28,751,488.645 All Shares Index 4,422.64 (DOWN) 0.08 5,327,375,660.39 Gainers: 71; Losers: 105; Unchanged: 54; Total: 230

SM Prime names Banzon new president of property unit

By Jenniffer B. Austria SM PRIME Holdings Inc. announced the appointment of Jose Mari Banzon as president of residential arm SM Development Corp.

SM Prime said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Banzon took on the new position from his recent role as executive vice president, where he led the company’s impressive growth.

Under his leadership, SMDC expanded its product portfolio into new real-estate formats that span vertical and horizontal residential projects, commercial buildings and mixed-use developments.

His determination to maximize the company’s operational efficiency and his drive to provide professional customer management solidified SMDC’s strong presence in the Philippine real estate market.

“Mr. Banzon’s new position puts him at the forefront of SMDC’s aspiration to establish new markets in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia. His unique experience and broad outlook of an international executive and a global Filipino makes him well-placed to lead SMDC moving forward,” said SM Prime president Jeffrey Lim. “His appointment at the helm of SMDC guarantees the fulfillment of its vision to uplift the Filipinos’ lifestyle through modern, convenient, upscale yet affordable homes,” he added.

SMDC accounted for 38 percent of SM Prime’s total revenues in the first nine months of 2019 and 33 percent in terms of net income.

SMDC has fairly covered Metro Manila with high-rise condominium projects, with majority of residential projects built in the cities of Quezon, Pasay, Parañaque and Makati.

The company said 38 out of the 48 SMDC projects in the country as of the first nine months of 2019 are found in Metro Manila.

SM Prime last month also announced the appointment of Steven Tan as president of Shopping Center Management Corp., the mall management unit of the company.

Globe Telecom picks Huawei to bring 5G device

By Darwin G. Amojelar GLOBE Telecom Inc. has tapped China’s smartphone giant Huawei to bring the first 5G ready device in the Philippines.

“Today is another milestone in our collaboration with Huawei that is consistently growing stronger,” said Globe president and chief executive Ernest Cu. “A few months back, we brought together 5G technology to Filipino homes, and now, we bring the most powerful and first ever 5G capable smartphone in the country to our mobile customers,” he added.

The new Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G is available for free via Globe ThePLATINUM 4999 Plan for customers starting February 8, 2020.

The Mate 30 Pro 5G is powered by Kirin 990 5G—one of the world’s fastest processors that lets users take advantage of high-speed 5G NSA and SA networks.

Offering roughly 10 times the speed of 4G networks, the device’s 5G capability delivers ultra-fast speed with almost real time latency (90 percent lower than 4G) that enables doing resourceheavy online activities like cloud gaming, HD livestreaming and HD video calls with stunning ease.

Globe last year became the first mobile operator in Southeast Asia to commercially launch 5G for home.

The telecom giant is now set to transform areas within major commercial business districts to 5G mobile capable sites within the year.

Globe committed to spend P63 billion in capital expenditures in 2020, which include the spillover of capex commitments from 2019.

Cu said the company increased its cell sites deployment last year by 139 percent from 2018.

The number of base stations last year also increased 69 percent from 2018.

In total, the expansions have made Globe LTE coverage available at almost 93 percent of cities and municipalities all over the country.

“Amid competitive pressures and rising challenges in the operating environment, Globe continues to fulfill its long-term commitment to provide the Philippines with first-world internet connectivity,” Cu said.

World

B3

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020 CESAR BARRIOQUINTO, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

US warn rulers of Venezuela to let Guaido return safely

W

ASHINGTON―The United States on Thursday warned Venezuela’s rulers of consequences if opposition leader Juan Guaido is not allowed to return safely from a visit to Washington, where he enjoyed pledges of robust support.

SNOWFALL IN RED SQUARE. People walk towards Red Square, with the Kremlin’s Spasskaya tower and the mausoleum of the Soviet Union founder Vladimir Lenin seen in the background, during a snowfall in downtown Moscow on February 6, 2020. The Kremlin said on February 6, 2020 it has begun checking the body temperature of officials and reporters attending events involving President Vladimir Putin due to coronavirus fears. AFP

IN BRIEF

Executed for killing five family members WASHINGTON―Texas Thursday executed a man who killed five family members, including two of his children, in 2002 during what his defense argued was a delirium induced by crack cocaine.

Abel Ochoa, 47, was administered a lethal injection at the Huntsville penitentiary north of Houston and was pronounced dead at 6:48 pm (0048 GMT Friday), Texas prison officials said.

According to court documents, on a Sunday morning after church in August 2002 Ochoa asked his wife for money to buy crack cocaine. Following an argument, she relented and gave him $10.

After smoking the drug Ochoa went into the house, grabbed a gun and shot his wife, their two daughters - ages nine months and seven years old - his father-in-law and a sister-in-law. Another sister-in-law survived the shooting but lost a kidney.

Arrested soon after while driving his wife’s car, Ochoa told the officer “that the gun he used was at his house on the table, that he could not handle the stress anymore, and that he had gotten tired of his life,” according to court documents.

“I want to apologize to my in-laws for causing all this emotional pain,” were among Ochoa’s final words. AFP

Romney stands alone after Trump vote WASHINGTON―He said he expected to be “vehemently denounced” and it did not take long.

When Republican Party veteran Mitt Romney voted for US President Donald Trump to be removed from office at his impeachment trial, the backlash was fast and furious.

Trump has now lashed out at him repeatedly, and Republican loyalists have called for him to be thrown out of the party.

It was perhaps the closing chapter in Romney’s ambiguous relationship with Trump, who came to power in 2016 and has fostered a fierce sense of allegiance within the Republican Party.

Romney―rich, handsome and ideologically moderate―was formerly an admired grandee of the party. He was also its choice to take on Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election, without success.

He even nearly became Trump’s first Secretary of State.

But he will now go down in the record books as the only Republican to vote to remove Trump, who was acquitted at the impeachment trial in the Senate on Wednesday.

“The president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust,” Romney said in his momentous Senate speech, slamming Trump’s conduct as “a flagrant assault” on US values.

Romney became the first senator in US history to vote to remove a president from his own party -- breaking new ground after the impeachment trials of Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1999.

He said he had drawn on his deep Mormon faith to make “the most difficult decision” of his life. AFP

Leaders grapple with their failure to ‘silence the guns’ ADDIS ABABA―Seven years ago, amid extravagant celebrations marking the African Union’s 50th anniversary, the continent’s heads of state declared they would “end all wars in Africa by 2020.”

But as leaders travel to Addis Ababa this weekend for the latest summit of the 55-member bloc―organised under the theme “Silencing the Guns”―there is little question they are doomed to fall well short of their goal.

Some success has been achieved in Central African Republic and Sudan, but long-running conflicts in places like Libya and South Sudan have been joined by new crises from the fringe of the Sahara to Mozambique.

In remarks Thursday to AU foreign ministers, AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat painted a bleak picture of the continent’s security situation, citing extremist threats stretching from the Sahel to Somalia.

The “missed deadline” to silence the guns, he added, “reveals the complexity of the security situation in Africa.”

In an op-ed this week in South Africa’s Mail & Guardian newspaper, Solomon Dersso, head of the AU’s human

rights body, was blunter, saying the current level of insecurity “seems to make a mockery of the theme of the year.”

Two days of talks open on Sunday.

As they grapple with their failure to foster peace, African leaders have struggled to convince world bodies like the UN to take them seriously -- for example as they seek a more prominent role in Libya.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who will take over from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as AU chair on Monday, appears well aware of these challenges.

In a speech to South Africa-based diplomats last week, he warned that conflict “continues to hamper” development.

South Africa’s goals of advancing economic integration and curbing violence against women “must be underpinned by the promotion of a peaceful and secure Africa,” he added.

Diplomats say Ramaphosa would do best to tackle the economic and political root causes of violence.

“Silencing the guns of course is the mother of all themes,” Osama Abdelkhalek, Egypt’s ambassador to the AU, told AFP. AFP

In one sign that some saw as retaliation, authorities in Caracas threw into jail six oil executives with joint US and Venezuelan nationality, two months after allowing them to shift to house arrest.

Elliott Abrams, the US envoy leading the drive to oust leftist leader Nicolas Maduro, warned that the United States was “prepared” with unspecified actions if Guaido faces trouble.

“We hope that the regime makes the calculation, particularly after this trip, that the support for Guaido is strong and that the counter-reaction to any move against him would make it a mistake for the regime,” Abrams told reporters.

“We’re very concerned about it and we hope that he will return safely,” he said.

Guaido, who is considered interim president by the United States and most other Western and Latin American nations, vowed to keep up his campaign.

“We are going to mobilize in the coming days in Venezuela,” Guaido told reporters after meeting the head of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro.

“Yes, there are risks.”

Guaido last week met Venezuelans in Miami and then appeared as a surprise guest Tuesday at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address before Congress.

He later met with Trump at the White House, which accorded him the same treatment it would any head of state.

Maduro’s government harshly criticized both Trump and Guaido but in the past it has allowed the opposition leader to move freely despite his efforts to topple the regime.

Guaido enjoyed applause from across the political spectrum at the State of the Union address, despite a highly polarizing speech by Trump, and met Thurs-

RUSSIAN AIR STRIKE. Syrian

firefighters extinguish a burning vehicle that was hit reportedly by a Russian air strike in Idlib city, in Syria’s northwestern province of the same name, on February 6, 2020.

Government forces seized large parts of the key highway town of Saraqeb as they pushed an offensive in the last rebel enclave in northwestern Syria, a war monitor said. AFP

Report says UK poverty has increased LONDON―Poverty in Britain has risen among workers despite the country’s lowest unemployment in 45 years, an organization for social change said Friday, while urging the new government to take action.

“Although employment has increased, inwork poverty has also gone up because often people’s pay, hours, or both are not enough,” said the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

JRF’s ‘state of the nation’ report on poverty in the UK revealed also that poverty had risen for children and pensioners over the last five years.

In total, 14 million people in the UK were living in poverty, it said.

JRF added that a single person or family was deemed to be in poverty should they have an income that is less than 60 percent of their family type’s median earnings after housing costs such as rent.

“The new government has a once-in-ageneration opportunity to make historic progress and enable people and communities to truly level-up,” JRF said.

Its executive director Claire Ainsley added: “As a nation we have made progress before and we can and must do so again with this new government and a new settlement after Brexit.” AFP

In Iraq, protesters in last stand against a former ally BAGHDAD―They once stood side by side against tear gas and bullets, protesting together against Iraq’s government.

But after cleric Moqtada Sadr’s followers switched sides, young activists feel vulnerable and betrayed.

“We used to distribute food to their protest tents in the first days of the demonstrations—and this is how they treat us?” said Mona, a medic and activist in Baghdad.

“I said from the very first days they’d abandon us.”

The diminutive Iraqi woman was referring to Sadr’s surprising endorsement of Mohammad Allawi as Iraq’s new premier, a man the core protest movement rejects as too close to the ruling class they have spent months seeking to overthrow.

The cleric’s diehard supporters quickly turned on the other protesters, and clashes

in the holy city of Najaf and nearby Hilla have left eight dead this week alone.

In Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, Sadr supporters—usually identified by blue caps —have beaten anti-government demonstrators with sticks and threatened others.

Clusters of glowering men in blue caps guard the entrances to the nowempty “Turkish Restaurant,” the gutted building protesters had turned into their bustling headquarters.

Sadrists ousted demonstrators from the building’s 15 floors last week and tore down commemorative posters of those killed while protesting.

“It’s a totally different situation in Tahrir now,” said Mona, who just a month ago could be seen in the square every day, delivering food to keep the sit-in going and treating teens shot by

riot police at makeshift clinics.

No more. Mona comes to Tahrir every three or four days and looks over her shoulder even though she speaks quietly, worried a diehard Sadr supporter might hear her criticism.

It was an odd alliance from the start: politically unaffiliated demonstrators partnered with followers of Sadr, who had inherited a socioreligious current from his father, also a cleric.

That movement has thrived during protests and it has frequently slammed the ruling elite.

When anti-government protests erupted in October, Sadrists organised round-theclock shifts to make sure Tahrir would stay occupied and brought food, mattresses and other logistical necessaries to the square, activists said. AFP

day with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress.

Maduro presides over a crumbling economy, with millions having fled as they seek basic necessities, and his last election was widely criticized as fraudulent.

But a year-long US campaign to oust Maduro, including through sanctions to stop Venezuela’s key export of oil, have failed to dislodge him.

Guaido’s street protests have fizzled in size and Maduro still enjoys support from Russia, China and Cuba.

Abrams hinted that the United States would soon take action against Russia, amid reports Washington could target state oil giant Rosneft over its increasingly close relationship with Venezuela.

“Russia may soon find out that their continued support of Maduro will no longer be cost-free,” Abrams said.

“You will see steps unfold in the coming weeks that demonstrate the seriousness of our intentions in Venezuela.”

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, currently on a tour of South America, said the US “is threatening to use all the options on the table and often resorts to provocations”.

Hours after Guaido met Trump, Venezuelan authorities arrested six men with dual nationality who had been executives at Citgo, the US subsidiary of state-run Venezuelan oil firm PDVSA. The executives -- who two months earlier had been allowed to return to their homes -- were taken to the detention center of Venezuela’s intelligence services, according to their families.

“They were rearrested, it seems, to have them respond to new accusations,” said Gonzalo Himiob, director of Foro Penal, a Venezuelan non-governmental organization that defends the rights of prisoners. AFP

Rain ‘breaking the back’ of Australia’s busfire crisis SYDNEY―Heavy rain was raising hopes Friday for an end to Australia’s unprecedented bushfire crisis, as downpours douse blazes that have burned out of control for months.

The devastating fires, fueled by prolonged drought and record-high temperatures, have raged since September, burning more than 10 million hectares (25 million acres) and killing 33 people.

An estimated billion animals have perished in the fires that destroyed more than 2,500 homes.

The rains in New South Wales (NSW), which began earlier in the week in some areas and are forecast to extend into next week, are expected to drench a number of the remaining fires and help contain others.

“It’s breaking the back of this bushfire season, there’s no doubt about it,” said Shane Fitzsimmons, the head of rural firefighters in NSW, the state worst hit by the crisis.

By Friday afternoon there were no bushfires burning in NSW at the most dangerous emergency or “watch and act” levels―a situation virtually unseen in almost half a year.

Beleaguered volunteer firefighters who have fought the blazes day-inday-out declared themselves “over the moon” at the rain.

Even Fitzsimmons-who became the public face of the crisis through stoic daily TV briefings and consoling children who, like him, lost their firefighting fathers in bushfires―expressed joy at listening to the rain fall overnight and driving with windscreen wipers on.AFP

B4

Joel D. Lacsamana, Editor jdlacsamana@gmail.com

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020

Must-haves for a modern dining room

T

HESE days, the dining room is where all the best communal bonding happens. Whether it’s the whole family sharing time on school nights, or a group of friends gathering for good food, wine and conversation, the dining room is a space to be nurtured and revelled in with design essentials and elements that foster conversation and inspire appetites.

Historic moments happen in dining rooms, however familial or worldly those may be. And in this era of “food is everything”, the dining room has become a most essential room in the house.

Be imaginative and don’t be afraid to overthink how to create the best dining room space to host all the wonderful things that you — or somebody — is creating in your kitchen.

Go grand The family may be small or large and either way, a spacious dining table in the heart of the room sends a message to the universe: here is an everyday place for like-minded souls to come together.

Space, and the sense of space is essential in a modern dining room and the table is the place to start.

It’s all about the size… and shape of your room. Round is best in a square room or when the dining room connects with the kitchen and space might be an issue.

The beauty of the circle table is its iconic family shape that will inspire informal dinner parties even on a Monday. Rectangular is the more versatile choice: a finely carved wooden beauty can lay raw for most nights of the week for a family that doesn’t need to eat together every night. Yet it is easily and always transformed into a setting for casual or grand affairs.

Get luxurious with chairs The living room no longer gets dibs on armchairs; there are designs galore of padded, armed chairs designed for cosy, supported stretches of sitting and heart bearing over platefuls of finger food. And while there’s nothing wrong with a table-and-chair set, many chairs are designed for aesthetics first, which look better than they feel. We say focus on stylish comfort for your chairs. Your guests may well be spending more time in them than on the lounge, as they savour all the family heirloom dishes or the haute experiments you are serving from the kitchen.

Lighting will make the party A chandelier—vintage or modern—hanging elegantly as a centrepiece over a grand birthday spread is a classic look and there are lots of modern designs that look like artistic sculptures and provide think piece for slow moments in conversation.

But there’s more to lighting the modern dining room: allow for variety so that lights can be adjusted for all moods and times of day.

Mirrors and windows Natural light and a sense of space is best achieved with the light and sparkle from a row of windows that let the sun and the moon shine in as the days and season change. Don’t feel pressured to stay with a designated living room if there’s a lighter, brighter room in the house and it makes sense—or can be made sense of—in the grand plan of your inviting home. Otherwise, basic or

funky wall mirrors will bring in more light, or be the light in a room central in the house.

Be subtle, yet provocative with artwork One bold painting or a cluster of small, framed pieces?

Artwork can establish a narrative for your dining room and yet it doesn’t need to dominate — don’t want the guests to spend the time daydreaming! Choose art that can brighten and ground the room and offer a subtle reflection of times and places that inspire hospitality and feasting. Framed photographs of boutique cities lined up in a row are a classic choice, or hang one wall with colour and depth — perhaps a Jose Tence Ruiz or Ben Cab-like scene that grounds the room, and suggests endless possibilities.

High demand, opportunities in PH real estate in 2020 THE Philippines’ real estate sector had a strong year in 2019, with major cities all over the country displaying more opportunities in the office, residential, and retail sectors.

What property seekers looked for Property seekers on Lamudi were more interested in buying (60.50 percent) than renting (39.41 percent), with their budget able to accommodate for-sale properties up to P 20 million or for-rent properties up to P 1 million. In the more affordable segment, the majority of seekers looked into the P 5,000 up to P15,000 price range.

Most popular cities Seekers are not just interested in properties in Metro Manila. The most in-demand cities of 2019 were Quezon City, Makati, Manila, Cebu City, and Taguig.

In 2018, Quezon City was also the most-searched city in terms of location, accessibility, and liveability.

Cebu City is one to watch, as residents from this city accounted for 87.56% of page views generated in Visayas.

According to the Q1 2019 Cebu property market report of Colliers International Philippines, the growth of BPO industries helped fuel the economy of Cebu and encouraged investments for the development of more office spaces. Investments in Cebu’s BPO and ITrelated industries also fueled the demand for horizontal and vertical residential developments.

The high influx of tourists coming to Cebu City also propelled a higher demand for condominiums in the area. With the growth of BPO hubs in the city, millennials, who make up 43.98% of Visayas’ pageviews, were also drawn to the region for work opportunities and potential property ownership.

Most popular property type Lamudi seekers inquired about condominiums the most, with over 39.24 percent of total leads. Condominiums may be utilized as one’s primary residence or as a rental investment. With the increasing demand for condominium units in metropolitan areas, it is advisable to buy during the pre-selling period as the property value of condominiums increases near the development’s completion.

Top overseas location of property seekers Seekers located in Dubai had a strong interest in Philippine real estate, followed by Doha and Sydney.

Overseas seekers mostly searched for houses (30.58 percent) compared to other residential types, with 38.66 percent interested in buying and 16.73 percent interested in renting. One explanation for the sustained growth from Dubai, which was also the top overseas city in 2018, can be attributed to OFWs wanting to buy their own property to settle in once they get back to the Philippines. Filipinos are also searching for houses or condominiums as an investment opportunity in the Philippines.

Real estate supply The growing demand for properties also led to an increase in listings on Lamudi. In Metro Manila, Quezon City had the most number of listings.

Parañaque City had the biggest growth of listings within Metro Manila, with a 292 percent increase from the 1st quarter of 2018 to the 1st quarter of 2019.

Development in provincial cities also contributed to the supply, showing an increase in listings from areas such as Angeles City in Pampanga. Naic, Cavite also had a significant increase in listings (886 percent) from the 4th quarter of 2018 to the 4th quarter of 2019.

For 2019, the most popular property type listed on the platform was house and lot.

Southwoods getaway.

Megaworld subsidiary Global-Estate Resorts, Inc. (GERI) is launching a new residential project inside the 561-hectare Southwoods City in Carmona, Cavite. The Upland Villas will be rows of twostorey townhouse and duplex villas in modern and tropical architecture within the 26-hectare Pahara residential village. Each unit has its own living and dining areas, kitchen, maid’s room, common bathroom, and a lanai at the ground floor, and bedrooms and bathrooms at the second floor. Future residents of Upland Villas will also be able to use the Pahara Clubhouse and amenities, which include a swimming pool and fitness center. A unique feature is the surrounding Flower and Herb Gardens (inset photo), where residents can enjoy private moments with nature. Only 65 units will be offered in Upland Villas, which is expected for completion in 2024.

THRONE TO SOOTHE THE SOUL. Kohler Co. recently announced that its Numi 2.0 intelligent toilet was named one of the CES® 2020 innovation awards honorees in the smart home category. The Numi, Kohler’s most advanced toilet, offers water efficiency, personalized cleansing and dryer functions, a heated seat and high-quality built-in speakers. The lighting features on Kohler’s flagship intelligent toilet can be paired with speakers to create different spa-like environments within a bathroom space. The built-in Amazon Alexa enables simple voice control of Numi’s features and access to tens of thousands of skills. The Numi 2.0 joins other Kohler products that have won recognition at CES-the Verdera voice lighted mirror with amazon alexa, which was a 2018 Innovation Honoree, and the Sensate touchless kitchen faucet with Kohler Konnect, a 2019 best of innovation winner. Kohler is a global lifestyle brand and manufacturer of kitchen and bath products, engines and power systems, as well as premier cabinetry and tiles.

Life

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MStandardLIFE

ARTS AND CULTURE

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020

C1

Different faces

of Philippine contemporary art I

(Part 2)

T’S less than a week before the much awaited exhibition ALT Philippines 2020 opens to the public.

The Feb. 14-16 show is the pioneer collaborative project organized by 10 galleries in Metro Manila seeking to showcase new ways of presenting and experiencing art.

Last week, we featured Finale Art File, The Draw-

ing Room, West Gallery, and Vinyl On Vinyl’s presentations in the upcoming exhibit (Different faces of Philippine contemporary art Part 1, published on Feb. 1). Each participating gallery’s dedicated space highlights their distinct contemporary visions.

Established meets emerging

Diversity of experience is highlighted in 1335Mabini’s presentation at ALT Philippines. The international gallery exhibits a dynamic range of works by both established and emerging artists, in accordance with the gallery’s commitment to artistic positions and practices, exploring mobility, history and critical engagement with the environment, collective memory, and politics.

Featured artists include Poklong Anading, Cian Dayrit, Soun Hong, Nikki Luna, Jill Paz, Dexter Sy, Mark Salvatus, Rinne Abrugena, Gus Albor, and Lizza May David.

‘Trifling Conversations’ (2019), oil on linen by Valerie Chua

A tribute to memory

‘Proposed Ilocano-Igorot Astrology’ (2015), mixed media and carved rubber

by Leonard Aguinaldo

Beyond expectations

Galleria Duemila’s “Carpe Diem: Beyond Seizing the Day” exhibition, curated by Angel Velasco Shaw, brings together 10 diverse artists who were challenged to further their process and practice in ways that are not considered to be predictable to any given audience.

For their participation to the Pasay City gallery’s showcase, Trek Valdizno, R.M de Leon, Leonard Aguinaldo, Jose Tence Ruiz, Cian Dayrit, Rocky Cajigan, Moreen Austria, Junjun Montelibano, Mervy Pueblo, and Josephine Turalba were given creative time and thought “to go beyond what people outside of themselves may expect of them, experiment in other realms outside of what they are familiar with, or use traditional materials/mediums in a different way than they are used to working in.”

Galleria Duemila—duemilla means 20th century in Italian—is the longest-running commercial gallery in the Philippines. It was founded in 1975 by Italian-born Silvana Ancellotti-Diaz.

‘Paraisado: Dugo’t Alak’ (2014), mixed media by Jose Tence Ruiz

‘life proof no. 6’ (2014-2019), photo digital print by Poklong Anading

‘The Currency of Plunder’ (2019), mixed media on textile by Cian Dayrit

Makati-based Underground art gallery turns the spotlight on one artist—Valerie Chua.

Known for espousing an interesting mix of aesthetic works, giving artists their due leeway to explore riskier ideas and concepts, the gallery presents Chua’s works which explore how individuals retain relevant information as they move across different landscapes. Objects of memory are exalted, preserved, or led to obsolesce according to how the present perceives its value.

Valerie Chua is the sole artist in Underground’s presentation.

ALT Philippines is happening at SMX Convention Center at SM Aura Premier in Taguig City. Other participating galleries are Artinformal, Blanc, and MO_Space.

Gig De Pio finds order in chaos

VISUAL artist Gig De Pio flourishes, so to speak, in the midst of chaos by highlighting what’s beautiful.

Pieces from his “Flourishing” collection are currently on exhibit at Rustan’s Makati, as part of the premier department store’s Rustan’s for the Arts series. It previously featured Ben Cabrera, Al Perez, Paulina Luz Sotto, Fernando Amorsolo, Arturo Luz, and Anita Magsaysay Ho. De Pio describes his collection as an appreciative view of the universe.

“It is a matter of perception and where the point of reference is; just a matter of finding gestalt in the random of things and events around the perceiver,” he said.

His abstracts on display, which include an “installation painting” piece, il lu st r at e the rand o m ness of occu rrences and encounters at intersections, which may happen repeatedly to become events.

Big Bad Wolf returns to Manila on Valentine’s Day Text and photo by Angelica Villanueva

Gig de Pio (left) with Rustan’s chairman and chief executive Nedy Tantoco and vice president for merchandising Marilen Tantoco.

An abstract piece from Gig de Pio’s Flourishing exhibit.

The paintings as a whole reflect his view of the world that makes order out of chaos. Some pieces were created specifically for Rustan’s for the Arts.

De Pio was present during the launch crit which gathered Filipino artists, art critics, art enthusiasts, and more. In attend attendance to the gathering were Cid Reyes, Gus Albor, Junyee, Al Perez, Dante Silverio, Heber Bartolome, Louie Locsin, Lior Liechtenstein, Lyn Gamboa, Celia Molano, Malee Bigornia, Richie Macapin Macapinlac, and Ross Capili, to name a few.

“Flourishing: A CelCel ebration of Creativity” is on view at Rustan’s Makati today until March 31. It will Shan then move to Rustan’s Shangri-La in April.

IT’S the perfect date for bookworms: the Big Bad Wolf book sale returns to Manila for the third time on Feb. 14-24 at the World Trade Center.

Book lovers can shop non-stop, for 24 hours, from over two million affordable books at 50 to 90 percent off the recommended price. Some titles in Crazy Deals promo are offered at markdowns as low as P60.

China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan, Into the Water by Paula Hawkins, The Power of I Am by Joel Osteen, You Are A Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero, and My Little Pony: The Princess Collection Box Set are among the million books up for grabs.

Visitors can check out other book genres, including fiction, non-fiction, children’s literature, self-help, hobbies, and more.

During the media preview, the organizers of the “world’s biggest book sale” encouraged visitors to donate books to its Red Readerhood corner during the 11day sale. Collected books from the previous book sales will be donated to the affected communities in Batangas due to the recent Taal Volcano eruption.

As part of the book sale’s precautionary measures amid the ongoing n-CoV outbreak, a medical team will be deployed onsite to check all visitors with infrared thermometers at the entrance and exit. Those with high body temperatures will be prohibited from entering the venue. Hand sanitizers will also be readily available at the customer service area, food concessionaire area, and the exit.

The previous runs of the Big Bad Wolf book sale saw a total of 750,000 visitors during its stops in Manila, Cebu, and Davao. It had over 300,000 visits during its last year’s staging in Manila.

Big Bad Wolf book sale rolls out over two million books from all genres at 50 to 90 percent off the recommended price.

Life

C2

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020 manilastandardlife@gmail.com

WE ARE ONE. In a bid to promote unity in diversity, the Austrian Embassy in Manila, Lomography Philippines, and local peace advocates mount an exhibition featuring 1,800 snapshots that feature various scenes showcasing different cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds.

Austria, PH peace advocates A

stage international photo exhibit

MID continuing conflict and divisiveness in many parts of the world, the Austrian Embassy in Manila stages an international photo exhibit to promote cross-cultural harmony and understanding.

“We are delighted to unveil our Lomography exhibit ‘We Are One’ in Intramuros,” Austrian ambassador to the Philippines Bita Rasoulian said during the exhibit launch at Fort Santiago.

Rasoulian continued, “Now, more than ever we need to magnify voices and stories of peace, harmony, and unity to drown out narratives of conflict, discrimination, and fear—especially among children and young people.”

The LomoWall showcases 1,800 snapshots submitted by the international Lomography community and community

partners across the Philippines. Images feature scenes from the streets of Metro Manila; evacuation camps in Marawi; indigenous groups in Zamboanga; and an Aeta community in Zambales courtesy of MAD Travel, a social tourism platform supporting marginalized communities across Luzon.

“Each photo is unique. In the same way that each human being is unique— in their beliefs, culture, and background. But the beauty of the exhibit lies in how these unique shots come together to make a singular specta-

cle. Similarly, our diversity is our strength,” explained Arizza Nocum, co-founder of peace education organization KRIS Library.

The LomoWall exhibit forms part of Austria’s commitment to promoting the holistic physical, mental, spiritual, moral, and social development of children as stipulated in Article 27 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The project is a joint partnership with Lomography Philippines, the Intramuros Administration, visual artist Cavemandraws, and KRIS Library.

We Are One is on view until Feb. 29 at Baluartillo de San Francisco Javier in Fort Santiago, Intramuros. Fort Santia- Austrian Ambassador to the Philippines Bita Rasoulian (third from left) and Intramuros go is open to the public daily from 8:00 Administration administrator Guiller Asido (fifth from left) led the launch of the international Lomography exhibit ‘We Are One’ in Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila. a.m to 11:00 p.m.

Filipino craftsmanship

shines on international stage

ON THE SHELF

Guidebook around Manila FASCINATING footnotes about Manila’s streets and corners, landmarks and historical sites fill Dr. Lorelei de Viana’s guidebook Walk Manila.

Published by the Far Eastern University Publications, the book features 100 historic sites and structures in the city. It takes its readers to Port Area, Ermita, Malate, Paco, Santa Ana, Pandacan, Binondo, San Nicolas, Tondo, Santa Cruz, Quiapo, San Miguel, Sampaloc, and Santa Mesa.

Through her book, De Viana hopes her readers can have a better appreciation of the capital’s history and culture, and care for its remaining storied markers.

“In producing a book about Manila’s heritage sites, FEU affirms

its role as an active steward of their conservation alongside its leadership in the field of education,” says De Viana, who was the former dean of the FEU-Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts.

Among the first people to receive the book during its launch was Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, a proud advocate of heritage conservation.

“We conserve places like the Manila Metropolitan Theater, for example, because we identify with the stories and the values they possess,” says De Viana. “This book is our way of continuing to preserve their history.”

Walk Manila is available at FEU university bookstore for P650.

Oricon joins the Philippine delegation to Ambiente trade show in Frankfurt, Germany.

IT’S a big year for Filipino craftsmen and artisans as the country raises its banner in some of the world’s leading lifestyle trade fairs before coming home to a “more comprehensive” Manila FAME on Oct. 15-17.

“Joining our international participations will surely bolster brand exposure in these key markets. That is why we enjoin all Filipino medium-, small-, and micro-enterprises to partner with us in any or all these events to expand their market reach globally,” said Pauline Suaco-Juan, Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions executive director.

Ambiente in Messe Frankfurt, Germany

Twenty-four experienced and up-andcoming Manila FAME exhibitors represent the country in Ambiente, ongoing until Feb. 11. Known as the world’s most important consumer goods trade fair, Ambiente features a diverse range of buyers and suppliers from various markets including lifestyle, gifts, HORECA, (Hotel, Restaurant, and Café), contracts business, and ethical style, that promise profitable contacts and amazing opportunities for 2020.

Filipino craftsmanship is highlighted through this year’s theme, “Hands that Work.” In addition, Tarlac has been introduced as the very first Partner Artisan Community as they present their unique strengths and specialties to the world.

nies that cater to the mid to high-end markets. The show is scheduled on The Philippine participation in Sept 4-8.

Fuorisalone 2020 on April 21-26 will Interior Lifestyle China bring the country’s design to the fore in Shanghai, China through a highly curated installation.

Participated predominantly by forThis will serve as a window into the country’s material culture and crafts- eign brands, this trade show is an effecmanship at the world’s most impor- tive platform for international brands to penetrate or intensify their businesstant design event. es in China, the world’s fastest growing economy. Filipino manufacturers South by Southwest offering children’s furniture, green in Texas, USA South by Southwest (SXSW), slated home décor, outdoor furniture and acon March 13-22, is a world-renowned cessories, and luxury lifestyle products annual experiential showcase and fes- are encouraged to join. The event is set tival, featuring the latest innovations on Sept 10-12. and ideas from around the globe. This Premiere Classe year, CITEM will be bringing, for the in Paris, France first time, Philippine creative busiLocated in Jardin des Tuileries, nesses, forward-thinking startups, and established industry movers from Premiere Classe is a must-attend platthe country’s technology, interactive, form for designers in the accessories film/TV, and music industries to the industry. Known for its high-quality selection, the show features upcoming SXSW trade show platform. trends from established and young designers who are helping shape the fuMaison & Objet ture of fashion. in Paris, France Exhibitors will get a chance to The Philippines is preparing for a highly curated participation in Mai- meet independent retailers, trendson & Objet, a strategic business setters, communication agencies, touchpoint for world-class design and stylists and commercial agents lifestyle products happening during through this event scheduled on Oct the Paris Design Week. It is open to 2-5. Premiere Classe is open to top design-oriented Philippine home and Filipino fashion brands with a provfurniture manufacturers (including en track record of design excellence premium textiles) and design compa- and strong brand identity.

Fuorisalone at Milan Design Week in Milan, Italy

‘Walk Manila’ features the capital’s heritage sites.

Entertainment

R

oselyn Perez returns to the PETA stage with Rody Vera’s Under My Skin, a provocative, relevant, and heartwrenching drama top-billed by herself and esteemed TV, film, and theater actor Cherry Pie Picache.

Inspired by real people and events, the play accurately depicts the realities, triumphs, and struggles of people living with HIV, while navigating an important conversation about acceptance and tolerance.

Cherry Pie and Roselyn share the role of Dr. Gemma Almonte, an epidemiologist studying the spread of the virus in the Philippines. Through her, we discover different stories of love, pain, and acceptance with a number of characters, who are inspired from real people and events.

In 2015, Roselyn took on a similar role of a doctor in yet another HIVadvocacy play, The Normal Heart by Actor’s Actors, Inc. and The Necessary Theatre. Her highly praised performance garnered her a nomination for Best Female Featured Performance in a Play in the PHILSTAGE Gawad Buhay!

Awards of the same year.

Accordingg to Roselyn, the main differences between The Normal Heart and Under My Skin are the circumstances and situations wherein the two plays are set – in the ‘80s during the onset of HIV for the former, and as a contemporary piece discussing HIV as we know it today for the latter.

“My character in The Normal Heart was dealing with the unknown.

People were dying, left and right. The big difference was that there was still a huge mystery behind the virus. My character had extreme outrage over the neglect of the government, different agencies that were supposed to help with the epidemic, and the discrimination against the LGBTQ that led to that massive number of deaths,” Roselyn explains.

“There is still a stigma in Under My Skin which is the root of the deaths in this play, but for Dr. Gemma Almonte, she remains very rational because she knows that people can live normal lives even with HIV – and I’m really glad that that comes out in the play.”

Roselyn channels Dr. Gemma Almonte’s determination to help patients from the understanding that HIV is no longer a death sentence. “Dr. Gemma is

saturDaY, februarY 8, 2020

'Under My Skin' cast Eko Baquial, Anthony Falcon, and Mike Liwag

very rational in terms of not getting lost in the drama. When a patient feels like it’s the end of the world, she’s there to say ‘No, it’s not.’ That’s what I love about her,” she says.

With around 36 confirmed cases of HIV in the Philippines on the daily, personally dealing with the virus is now a reality for

many people like Roselyn. “I saw how a friend of mine refused to take an HIV test because it would have informed his family that he was gay,” she shares about how she was compelled to advocate for HIV. “I saw it. I witnessed it. It was a senseless, needless death. I can only imagine how often it happens here, that people would

Andrea Brillantes

rather die than find out about or divulge their status and sexuality. We lost a really great person – it was shame that killed him.”

With less than a few days to opening night, the cast and staff of Under My Skin are hopeful in contributing positive change and action to combat the HIV

Very Wang...

From C4

Cristine understood the need for acting workshop since they had a limited time to shoot in Georgia, with no time left for rehearsal. “We only had three weeks to complete the film and everyday we were working, so we were not able to take a break for vacation because we had to do all the sequences there.”

The movie was mostly shot in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, where the cast and crew endured freezing weather.

“It was so cold, it felt like -1,” Xian shared that the temperature dropped to -1 degrees Celsius, making the shooting extra challenging for them. “The wind

Extra International...

From C4 Kuya J Group marketing director Ton Gatmaitan, Rhian Ramos, and Kuya J Group CFO Francis Reyes

Ruru Madrid

Laura Lehmann

C3

A gripping anthology drama about HIV

Celebs are poppin’ the year right with Popeyes

Andre Brouillette and Lou Yanong

nickie.standard@gmail.com

THE country’s biggest and brightest stars are going crazy for the Cajun flavors that Popeyes Philippines have brought to different cities in Metro Manila.

As a special way to welcome 2020, Popeyes Philippines opened three new stores at SM Southmall, Las Piñas, Ali Mall, Cubao, and Kroma Tower, Makati, and some of the country’s most in-demand celebrities were able to get a taste of America’s favorite fried chicken.

Apart from the three stores, Popeyes also left 2019 on a productive and forward-looking note by opening two more stores at Robinsons Galleria and Eastwood City.

Together with Kuya J Group executives and employees, several celebrities, including Kyline Alcantara, Andrea Brillantes, Rhian Ramos, Ruru Madrid, Jane oineza, Marlon stockinger, Barbie Imperial, Kit Thompson, Arron Villaflor, JC santos, and louise Delos Reyes among many others, joined the celebrations and graced the openings of the five stores.

All stores were welcomed with festive celebrations with upbeat tunes from marching bands, games, prizes, and delicious food. These gave way to the grand reveals of thenew go-to hangout places that guarantee the same delicious food that Filipinos are going crazy for.

With ten stores now open all around Metro Manila, diners are now closer to

Popeyes’ must-try offerings such as the honey biscuits, burgers, Cajun fries, as well as the Popeyes spaghetti. However, the star is still Popeyes’ signature juicy - but not greasy - fried chicken that’s packed with distinct Cajun-inspired flavors from Louisiana, USA. To learn more, visit the website at www.popeyes.ph or follow them on Facebook and Instagram @popeyesph.

Barbie Imperial

But ironically, the last woman nominated in the category was Gerwig herself, for 2017’s Lady Bird.

This nomination has been held up as proof by some that her absence this year is no deliberate exclusion, but simply a result of extremely strong competition in an award season featuring the likes of Joker, 1917, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, The Irishman, and Parasite. sasha stone, founder of the Awards Daily website that has tracked film prizes for 20 years, described the supposed snub as “fake news.”

“The misconception that Gerwig was passed over in favor of lesser male counterparts is patently untrue,” Stone wrote.

Boys’ club Since the Oscars were first held in 1929, the Academy has faced an uphill battle to break with misogynistic habits —both within the organization, and the broader movie business.

“Of course, systemic gender bias in the film industry exists, without a doubt,” said Stone.

While few women “in the past were ever trusted to helm prestige films,” the directors’ branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has itself “always been a boys’ club,” she said.

“For decades, its members were the men nominated for Oscars and the men who won them.”

Melissa silverstein, founder of the “Women and Hollywood” website and

and AIDS crisis. According to Roselyn, audiences can look forward to a good mix of education and entertainment.

“Information through art is always interesting compared to just a lecture.

Under My Skin will be able to give a dramatization of what is actually going on in the country, in terms of the HIV crisis.”

Under My Skin provides a holistic learning experience. Apart from the play, audiences can stay for a talkback and debriefing with HIV experts and avail of free HIV screenings. The Under My Skin photo exhibit, which features virtual reality, educational videos, and 100 portraits of people from the theater industry who are HIV and AIDS advocates, is also available for audiences to experience.

Under My Skin is directed by Gawad Buhay! Awards nominee Melvin lee.

He is joined by his artistic team: eric Dela Cruz (dramaturg), Migs Cortes (music composer),Teresa Barrozo (music and sound composer/ designer), Benjamin Padero and Carlo Tabije (production designers), Ian Torqueza (lights designer), steven Tansiongco(video designer), and nicole Primero and Carlos Deriada, Jr. (choreographers) from Airdance.

The cast also features TV, film, and theater artists Miguel Almendras, Mike liwag, Anthony Falcon, and Dylan Talon, together with a roster of PETA artists: eko Baquial, Gio Gahol, lotlot Bustamante, Kitsi Pagaspas, ekis Gimenez, Dudz Teraña, Jarred Jaicten, she Maala, Gold Villar-lim, Bene Manaois, Mico esquivel, erold enriquez, Jason Barcial, Joseph Madriaga, Rach Gimpes, Reggie ondevilla, Roy Dahildahil, and Csai Habla.

Under My Skin is presented by PETA, The Red Whistle, and LoveYourself PH, in partnership with UNAIDS and Unilab. The play runs until March 22 at the PETA Theater Center, No. 5 Eymard Drive, Brgy. Kristong Hari, New Manila, Quezon City. For tickets go to www. ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999,www. petatheater.com/undermyskin

was strong when we were doing dramatic scenes, so it was kind of challenging,” he said emphatically at last year’s Viva Con. Georgia was chosen as the film’s setting because the story called for a place that isn’t filled with Filipinos.

“Kailangan sa kwento na konti lang sana ang Pinoy kaya nag -migrate (yung character) doon,” said Bernardo.

According to her, there were only 30 Filipinos living in Georgia at the time of filming and she actually met all of them.

Untrue was featured at the prestigious Tokyo International Film Festival last October, along with seven other notable Filipino films.

From Viva Films, in cooperation with The IdeaFirst Company, Untrue opens in cinemas nationwide on Feb. 19. director of the Athena Film Festival, added: “It’s disturbing but not surprising that women directors still don’t get the respect and awards that male directors do.”

“The system and the culture are the problems,” Silverstein said.

The Academy has boosted efforts to address this, increasing its membership dramatically after criticism of underrepresentation of women and minorities.

Since 2016, it has expanded the number of Oscar voters—currently around 8,500 —by 35 percent.

“We went through our membership roster and said, ‘Who have we not included? Who needs to be here?’” lorenza Munoz, the Academy’s head of member relations and awards, told The Hollywood Reporter.

“And there was a very long list of people. Our members have really dug in and taken it very seriously.”

The organization is still 68 percent male and 84 percent white, but for the first time in history, women made up half of the new recruits added last year.

And at last month’s Oscar nominations announcement, an Academy press release prominently noted that a “record 64 women were nominated, one-third of this year’s nominees.”

This statistic includes Gerwig’s own two nominations—best adapted screenplay for Little Women, and best picture, as she is one of the film’s producers.

And more broadly, several of the most eagerly awaited films of 2020 will be directed and/or produced by women, such as Wonder Woman 1984, Mulan, and Black Widow.

“There have been great strides and we’ve got to keep going: keep writing, keep making, keep doing. It’s all there,” Gerwig said. AFP

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Issue Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

C4

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020

Kim Chiu now feels more in control of her emotions when it comes to her romantic relationship.

Did the Oscars snub women?

Decades-old debate rages on

Since the first Oscars over 90 years ago, there have been by far fewer women winners in all categories except costume design, and the Oscars 2020 is shaping up to be maledominated.

IT IS an accusation that has been leveled at the Oscars all too often over the years, and 2020 is no different—too many men, not enough women, particularly in the most prestigious categories.

The hashtag #OscarsSoMale reared up again following the Academy Award nominations announced last month, with much of the focus on the absence of Greta Gerwig in the best director category.

Her acclaimed film adaptation of Little Women was shortlisted for best picture, but Gerwig’s name was missing from an all-male, five-strong best director section, sparking controversy.

“It’s quite remarkable, after everything that has happened over the last few years, that the Academy refuses to acknowledge

women in multiple categories,” said Tema Staig, executive director of the advocacy group Women in Media.

“It’s outrageous, and it affects our ability to tell our stories and also to move up in the industry,” she told Vogue magazine.

Some social media users and industry professionals have even called for a boycott of Oscars night on Sunday over the issue.

While that may be a minority position, there is little arguing with criticism of the Oscars’ longer-term track record: it wasn’t until 2010 that a woman won best director --Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker.

No female directors have won since, and only five have ever been nominated over the course of more than 90 Oscars ceremonies. Continued on C3

How KIM CHIU wanted to be loved A

Julie Anne San Jose

Alden Richards

Kapuso stars showcase talent beyond boundaries GMA Network’s brightest stars and personalities continue to be recognized by various award-giving bodies this 2020.

Several GMA personalities and programs were honored at the 11th Star Awards for Music at the SM North Skydome in Quezon City.

Julie Anne San Jose won the “Female Pop Artist of the Year- People’s Choice Award” for her single “Regrets.”

Meanwhile, The Gift lead actor Alden Richards took home the “Pop Album of the Year” for “Until I See You Again” under GMA Music.

Winning the “Male Recording Artist of the Year” was Asia’s Romantic Balladeer Christian Bautista for his song entitled “Aking Mahal.” The All-Out Sundaysmainstay also received the “Mr. Health and Naturals Collection” special award.

The Clash season 1 alumnus Garrett Bolden, in turn, bagged the “New Male Recording Artist of the Year” award for his single “Lilipad Na” under GMA Music while Ex Battalion won the “Rap Artist of the Year” award for their song “Superhero Mo” under GMA Music as

Christian Bautista

well.

GMA Artist Center star Edgar Allan Guzman was hailed as the “Male Health and Naturals Collection Star of the Night.”

At the recently-concluded 5th Wish Music Awards. Julie Anne also took home two top honors. She was named ”Wishers’ Choice” and received the “Silver Elite Award” for her popular rendition of the Parokya ni Edgar hit, “Your Song.” As of this writing, her Wish 107.5 Bus Performance of the song has already reached over 31.7 million views on YouTube.

At the first-ever VP Choice Awards of Village Pipol magazine, GMA Network was recognized the “TV Station of the Year.”

Rounding off the list of Kapuso winners were Alden who was one of the night’s biggest winners, winning the “Movie Actor of the Year” for the box-office movie Hello, Love, Goodbye and Ken Chan who won the “TV Actor of the Year” for his exceptional role in the top-rating series My Special Tatay. Ken and Angela Alarcon both received the “Mr. and Ms. Fitspiration” special awards.

Angela Alarcon and Ken Chan

T THE grand press conference of Love Thy Woman, the female stars were each asked how they wanted to be loved by their man. Everyone almost had the same answer, they wanted their man’s attention and support even at times when they prefer to do things alone.

For Kim Chiu, the lead star of the new series, she prefers a man who talks to her all the time. But she doesn’t like someone who is too clingy, to the point she no longer has personal space.

“I’m like a shock absorber, I want someone who always talks to me. Now hearing everybody, I thought I’m the only one who likes space, who doesn’t like a partner who’s too clingy,” she started talking while occasionally holding Xian Lim’s arms and giving him some sweet glimpse.

“It’s not bad at all if you’re alone and your happiness is just yourself, but of course it is much happier when you share that happiness with someone. I have become strong along the way, you’ve seen me grow and you were witnesses how I was when it comes to love. I think my past relationship prepared me to become a strong, independent woman.

I’m more in control now when it comes to my feelings,” she explained.

Her answer was warmly received by the members of the press and the blogging community who all agreed that Kim Chiu has definitely matured especially when it comes to dealing with her emotions. And she promised that the kind of person she is right now will be the same kind of character people will see in the new series.

“Hindi na kami tweetums, chummy.

So, the roles we portray now are different. And that makes it challenging.

We don’t play those kinds of roles every day,” Kim said.

In Love Thy Woman, Kim is seen being paired again with Xian. It also marks their first time working with Yam Concepcion after her breakout role in Halik, and brings together a starstudded cast that includes Eula Valdes, Sunshine Cruz, Zsazsa Padilla, Ruffa Gutierrez, and Christopher De Leon.

It revolves around a modern FilipinoChinese family headed by patriarch Adam (Christopher), who is determined to keep his family intact despite having two of them. He lives with his first wife Lucy (Eula) and their daughter Dana (Yam), while his second family, Kai (Sunshine) and Jia (Kim), lives separately.

Even if the two wives have long accepted their situation, conflict

The cast of 'Love Thy Woman,' which premieres on Monday (Feb. 10) replacing 'Kadenang Ginto' in the afternoon block.

continues to brew between them—a rivalry that will spill over to their daughters.

Their clan is put to test when one fateful night, Dana and her husband David (Xian) get involved in a road accident after their wedding, putting her in a coma.

In the absence of her half-sister, Jia finds herself falling in love with David.

This will cause a series of events that will threaten their family’s already complicated set-up.

Love Thy Woman, directed by Jeffrey Jeturian, Andoy Ranay, and Jerry Lopez Sineneng, is produced by Dreamscape Entertainment. The cast also includes Jana Victoria, Jennifer Sevilla, Chienna Filomena, China Yoo, David Chua, Shido Roxas, Tim Yap, Kimberly Tan, Mari Kaimo, Tori Garcia, Turs Daza, and Karl Gabriel.

Witness the lives entangled by love and blood in Love Thy Woman, starting Monday, Feb. 10 on Kapamilya Gold on ABS-CBN and ABS-CBN HD (SkyCable ch 167). ***

Cristine and Xian discredit each other ‘Untrue’ When there is violence in a marriage, you can expect conflicting narratives from the couple involved. Untrue, the psychologicaldrama-thriller from Kita Kitawriter/director Sigrid Bernardo, will show that there’s a lie in every story, and it’s going to be a dark, intriguing ride.

Cristine Reyes and Xian Lim play Mara and Joaquim, two lonely Filipino migrants in the country of Georgia who find solace and companionship in each other.

They hastily get married, without even getting to know each other very well.

When their fiery romance turns into heated arguments and physical abuse, Mara goes straight to the Georgian police. Following her narration of how she married a mad man, Joaquim defends himself with his own version of the events, Cristine Reyes and Xian Lim play two lonely Filipino migrants in the country of Georgia who find solace and companionship in each other.

pointing to his wife as the real lunatic.

In this he-said/she-said film, a strange apparition of a woman adds to the suspense. As Mara and Joaquim fight to discredit each other, truth, lies, and a dark past are brought to the surface.

Director Bernardo described Untrue as “an acting piece”, and she commended Cristine and Xian for their dedication to their roles that resulted to their remarkable performances.

“We had 10 days of workshop…we hired an acting coach…They were really professional. They studied their lines.

Xian gained 20 pounds for this. I told him to gain 20 pounds, and he did…tapos nagpabalbas siya. Si Cristine naman nagpakulay ng buhok.”

“I am very happy with the outcome of Xian and Cristine. They were good…I’m very satisfied,” she said in an interview posted on YouTube by My Movie World. Continued on C3