Manila Standard - 2017 November 14 - Tuesday

HAM-HANDED HANDSHAKE. US President Donald Trump is all fingers and thumbs during a with forethought choreographed photo Monday at a summit of world leaders, failing to grasp whose hands he was supposed to be holding and breaking a lineup intended to showcase unity. But as others clutched the hands of the person to their left and their right, Trump used both of his hands to clasp the extended fingers of Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.The doubling up left summit host President Rodrigo Duterte with a spare hand—snapping the line into two. AFP

TRUMP SHOWS CLUMSY SIDE AT PHOTO-OP DONALD Trump was all fingers and thumbs during a carefully choreographed photo op Monday at a summit of world leaders, failing to grasp whose hands he was supposed to be holding and breaking a lineup intended to showcase unity.

Trump, whose insurgent election victory was built on his willingness to disrupt political convention, was supposed to cross his arms and join hands with the men on either side of him.

But as others clutched the hands of the

person to their left and their right, Trump used both of his hands to clasp the extended fingers of Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The doubling up left summit host Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte with a spare hand--and broke the line into two parts.

The handshake chain is a set piece of gatherings of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, who are meeting with leaders from China, the US, Next page

VOL. XXXI • NO. 273 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

US trumpets ties with PH Donald, Rody extol a ‘great relationship’

PH-US free trade deal eyed US PRESIDENT Donald Trump lamented the high tariffs being imposed on American automobiles being sold in the country, as President Rodrigo Duterte suggested the conclusion of a free trade agreement between the two countries.

Despite Trump’s protectionist policies, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said trade between the United States and Southeast Asia is worth $206 billion.

“President Trump singled out the issue of tariffs being imposed on US automobiles while these tariffs are not being imposed on Japanese cars,” Roque told reporters.

The Philippines said it appreciated being included in the US Generalized System of Preferences and suggested that free trade agreement also be concluded between the two countries. Next page

By John Paolo Bencito and AFP

U

S PRESIDENT Donald Trump has trumpeted his “great relationship” with President Rodrigo Duterte Monday, and steered clear of human rights issues that have haunted the Philippine leader since the start of his presidency.

SUMMIT TONE. The 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit begins in Manila Monday, with the attendance of

heads of the state/government of the member countries and the partner nations. Speaking at the opening ceremony, President Rodrigo Duterte says Asean should focus its attention on the issues of regional and international importance such as terrorism, piracy and armed robbery in the seas.

Asean members adopt hands-off stance on drug war

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations has taken a hands-off stance on the anti-drug measures adopted by its member-states despite concerns raised over possible human rights violations.

A draft of the Asean chairman’s statement leaked to the media on Monday said it

welcomed the assistance of dialogue partners and other external parties in addressing the drug problem through “capacity building, intelligence information sharing and other forms of cooperation consistent with relevant international laws,” but said it would leave to each country to decide how to deal with the problem.

The statement also highlights the importance of “pre-

serving the sovereign right of countries in deciding the most appropriate approaches to address their national drug situations.”

President Rodrigo Duterte, this year’s chairman of the Asean Summit, won the election on a promise to end the drug menace and launched a bloody war on drugs right after he took office last year.

Since then, the campaign has claimed almost 4,000 lives.

In the statement, Asean also reaffirmed its commitment to a drug-free Asean as the bloc adopted the Asean Work Plan on Securing Communities Against Illicit Drugs, which will be implemented from 2016 to 2025.

In an afternoon press conference, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said that there is no mention of human rights issue during Duterte’s Next page

Trump, who spoke of the strong ties between the US and the Philippines, also praised Manila’s hosting of this year’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit.

“We very much appreciate the great treatment you have given us. I thought last night’s event was fantastic.

Tremendous talent,” Trump said, referring to Sunday’s Asean Summit gala dinner, which featured several performers.

Duterte said the Philippines remains Washington’s top ally in the region.

“We are your ally. We are an important ally,” Duterte told Trump at the beginning

of their talks.

“We’ve had a great relationship. This has been very successful. And the Asean conference has been handled beautifully by the President in the Philippines,” he added.

This is the first formal meeting between the two leaders since they assumed office last year.

Rights groups had called on Trump to end his Asian journey with a strong statement against Duterte’s drugs war, which has seen police and suspected vigilantes kill thousands of drug suspects.

But Trump and Duterte had a series of encounters on Sunday night and Monday Next page

Rody regales China, Asean agree to start Donald with talks on sea code of conduct John Paolo an original By Bencito and Sara D. Pinoy music Susanne Fabunan

20 rallyists, 6 cops hurt amid crowd dispersal

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte sang his favorite Filipino song “upon the orders” of US President Donald Trump during the gala dinner in honor of leaders of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations Sunday.

In a tweet posted by Public Works Undersecretary Karen Jimeno, the President was seen singing the popular love song “Ikaw” with “Asia’s Queen of Songs,” Pilita Corrales.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I sang uninvited a duet with Ms. Pilita Corrales upon the orders of the commander-in-chief of the United States,” Duterte said, as he ended his number.

On Sunday, Duterte

Rakhine state.

Although the Asean leaders failed to address the human rights violation in Rakhine state, Cayetano said that, through Senator Richard

RIOT police used water cannons and sonic alarms to repel hundreds of protesters shouting anti-Donald Trump slogans on the sidelines of a major summit in Manila on Monday.

Colorful effigies of the US president, including one with four arms in the shape of a Nazi swastika, were carried through the streets of the Philippine capital.

A likeness of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte peeked out from behind the figure, as the two leaders readied to sit down for formal talks less than three kilometers away.

In other developments: • Various labor and social groups condemned the

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CHINA has agreed to start negotiations for a binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, following formal talks between Beijing and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday.

The Asean and China decided to adopt “in its entirety” the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the disputed waters adopted by the foreign ministers of Asean member countries and China last August.

“One of the outcomes of the meetings is to commence the negotiations on a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea after concluding Framework Agreetwitter.com/ MlaStandard

ment on Code of Conduct,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.

The President “has expressed optimism” about the future direction of Asean-China dialogue relations, based on the substantive discussions during the AseanChina Summit concluded Tuesday.

The Asean-China Summit, which President Duterte chaired, resulted in the issuance of documents on controlling corruption, tourism cooperation and infrastructure development, Roque said.

The three documents finalized were: the AseanChina Joint Statement on Comprehensively Strengthening Effective Anti-Corruption Cooperation; AseanChina Leaders’ Statement on Tourism Cooperation; and Joint Statement between China and Asean on Further Next page

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IN A CLASH. Security authorities say those found to have participated in the clash with policemen in Manila on Monday, the first day of the 31st Association of Southeast Nations Summit, may be arrested and charged. Metro Manila Police Chief Oscar Albayalde has issued the warning after militants have tried to break through the phalanx of anti-riot police along Padre Faura Street near the United States Embassy along Roxas Boulevard. AFP

Myanmar gets Asean backing for Rohingya

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan and John Paolo Bencito

called on the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations for humanitarian assistance and that Philippines was FOREIGN Affairs Secre- ready to send help followtary Alan Peter Cayetano ing the exodus of Rohingya said Monday Myanmar had Muslims from Myanmar’s manilastandard.net

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Trudeau takes ride onboard e-jeep CANADIAN Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday took a ride in an electronic jeepney in Makati City and afterwards lauded the government’s efforts to improve public transportation in the country.

The Canadian Prime Minister was accompanied

by Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority general manager Thomas Orbos during the inspection of the e-jeepney in front of the Manila Peninsula Hotel. ‘‘Nakikita niya daw yung hangad natin na baguhin yung kabuhayan ng Pilipino. Nasabi niya na mahirap talaga ang transportasyon pero kailangan ng a lot of patience, a lot of understanding, and a lot of creativity," Tugade said.

Tugade later gave the Canadian leader a black shirt with the words ‘‘Go Electric Trudeau.’’

Trudeau arrived in Manila on Sunday for the 31 Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit.

He immediately made headlines after he was spotted ordering take-out food at a Jollibee branch in Tondo.

Another world leader, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also took time out to visit the International Rice Research Institute in Laguna province.

Rody...

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hosted Trump and other leaders at a flashy dinner at SMX Convention Center in Pasay City Sunday, ahead of the official start of the 31st Asean Summit.

However, at some point into the banquet, Duterte, seated next to Trump in his formal Barong Tagalog, suddenly stood up and startled his guests with a vocal performance.

In a news briefing, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Trump revealed that he made Duterte sing after hearing him humming the song during the gala dinner hosted by the President.

In his remarks during the bilateral talks between Manila and Washington Monday, Trump said that he enjoyed the festive dinner and performances.

“We very much appreciate the great treatment you have given us. I thought last night’s event was fantastic, tremendous talent. Most of them I guess from the Philippines. But tremendous talent. Musical talent, dance talent and we really had a tremendous time, all of the leaders,” Trump said.

“I think on behalf of everybody, I want to thank you and I want to thank the Philippines. Thank you very much,” he added.

John Paolo Bencito

Trump...

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Russia, New Zealand, Australia, India, Canada, Japan and South Korea.

After an awkward few seconds, Trump appeared to recognize his error and made the link between Nguyen and Duterte.

Trump is on the final leg of a tour of Asia that has taken in Japan, South Korea, China and Vietnam.

The famously bullish former businessman has largely avoided the kind of protocol pitfalls that can ensnare even the most careful traveler in this often formal part of the world. AFP

Asean deal for migrant workers L

By John Paolo Bencito

“I am pleased to announce that Asean member states have come to an agreement on the Asean consensus on the protection and promotion

of rights of migrant workers.

I will be joining other Asean leaders tomorrow in signing this landmark document that would strengthen social pro-

tection, access to justice, humane and fair treatment and access to health services for our people,” the President said in his speech during the open-

ing of the 31st Asean Summit and Related Meetings in Manila.

Other deliverables that will see the fruition at the end of the Philippines’ chairmanship include those concerning health, women and the youth, terrorism, radicalization and violent extremism, trafficking, poverty alleviation, food security, coastal and marine environment and the pursuit of innovation for our economies, among others, Duterte said.

US...

secretary, however, did say that the issues were taken up, but in the context of the Philippines’ “fight against illegal drugs.”

While President Trump was speaking, members of the press pool witnessed an aide to President Duterte handing him a pill, which he swallowed with water from a stemmed glass. It was not clear what kind of pill it was.

In their 40-minute discussion, the two leaders touched on matters of mutual interest, such as trade and the economy. Duterte expressed his appreciation for the inclusion of the Philippines in the Generalized System of Preferences implemented by the US and suggested that a free trade agreement also be concluded between the two countries.

Trump is in the Philippines with leaders of 18 other nations for two days of summits, the final leg of a headline-grabbing Asian tour dominated by the North Korean nuclear crisis.

Allegations of Russian meddling in last year’s US presidential elections have dogged the second half of his 12-day trip, which has taken him from Japan to South Korea, China and Vietnam.

Duterte’s spokesman later

said the meeting lasted for more than 40 minutes, and that Trump did not raise any human rights concerns.

Duterte won elections last year after promising to eradicate illegal drugs with an unprecedented campaign that would see up to 100,000 people killed.

Since he took office, police have reported killing 3,967 people in the crackdown.

Another 2,290 people have been murdered in drugrelated crimes, while thousands of other deaths remain unsolved, according to government data.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Manila on Monday to protest against the two men. They were met by riot police and water cannon.

Many Filipinos back Duterte, believing he is taking necessary measures to fight crime, but rights groups warn he may be orchestrating a crime against humanity.

Amnesty International accuses police of shooting dead defenseless people and paying assassins to murder addicts.

When pressured over allegations of extrajudicial killings carried out by police, Duterte insists he has never

told them to break the law.

But rights groups say police are following Duterte’s incitements to kill, including comments made last year when he said he would be “happy to slaughter” three million addicts.

He has also repeatedly boasted about killing people himself, most recently last week while in Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific economic summit.

“At the age of 16, I already killed someone. A real person, a rumble, a stabbing. I was just 16 years old. It was just over a look,” Duterte said.

Former US president Barack Obama was one of many prominent critics of Duterte’s handling of the drugs war. The Philippine leader responded last year by calling Obama a “son of a whore.”

Relations between the Philippines and the United States, longtime allies bound by a mutual defense treaty, deteriorated sharply as Duterte turned towards China and Russia.

Duterte last year declared the Philippines’ “separation” from the United States.

But Trump told Duterte in a telephone call in April that he was doing a “great job,” which helped to begin a dip-

no mention of extra-legal killings. There was only a rather lengthy discussion on the Philippine war on drugs with President Duterte doing most of the explaining,” Roque said.

Duterte earlier said in a press conference that he would not allow Trump or any of the world leaders participating the Asean Summit to discuss the Philippines’ human rights situation and his campaign against illegal drugs.

On the first day of the 31st Asean Summit Heads of State, hundreds of representatives of civil society and social movements across Southeast Asia participating in the parallel Asean Civil Society Conference/Asean Peoples’ Forum marched to the People Power Monument on Monday to protest the human rights atrocities, break-

down of the rule of law and unjust and inequitable economic policies in the region.

They pushed for transformative changes in the Asean and demanded that the social dimension be taken into account in the Asean economic integration.

Srey Sotheavy, executive director of the Alliance for Conflict Transformation Organization in Cambodia, pointed out the need to review the non-interference policy of the Asean, which she said “has served as an excuse for Asean governments to remain silent on human rights violations of authoritarian governments.”

“The Asean virtually condone these brutal acts as they hide behind the shield of ‘non-interference,” said Jelen Paclarin, Chair of the ACSC/APF Regional Steering Committee.

of the 31st Asean meetings.

“Myanmar responded by saying that the repatriation of the IDPs [Internally Displaced Persons] will begin in three weeks after Myanmar signs a Memorandum of Understanding with Bangladesh.”

Cayetano said the Asean had long been pursuing its a approach of “not judging” Myanmar but offering help to its member-state.

“That’s always our ultimate approach, not to judge but to offer help and to see how we can make the whole region a region of peace and stability, a region where human rights is respected,” Cayetano said.

He said the Philippines

had already donated to Myanmar during President Rodrigo Duterte’s official visit to Nay Pyi Taw in March.

And then they sent additional humanitarian aid on Oct. 14 under the Asean Humanitarian Assistance Center, which was launched in February 2016.

“So that was all the efforts of the Asean,” he Cayetano said.

He also said Duterte had told him he was ready to donate medical supplies and deploy Filipino doctors if Myanmar needed those.

“He is willing to put something together. But it [the request] really has to come from them,” Cayetano said.

by the heads of state,” said Asean Civil Society Conference-Asean People’s Forum convenor Ed Tadem.

• Six policemen and several protesters were hurt after anti-Trump protesters and crowd control policemen clashed in Manila as the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit opened on Monday morning.

Sketchy reports from the Manila Police District said it counted six policemen hurt

because the other officers only suffered minor bruises.

Protesters carried placards that read “Trump Go Home” and “Ban Trump #1 terrorist”.

Police said there were nearly 2,000 people at the rallies.

They were met with riot police—some wearing flak jackets and carrying rifles— who fired water cannons and sounded high-pitched alarms. AFP, with Vito Barcelo and Bill Casas

EADERS of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to sign a landmark agreement that will promote and protect the rights of migrant workers, President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday.

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morning in which they appeared to enjoy each others’ company, leading to warm praise from the US president during official talks at lunchtime.

“I’ve really enjoyed being here,” Trump said.

As the reporters were being escorted out of the room, one asked if Trump would raise the issue of human rights, to which Duterte jokingly called the media “spies,” and neither answered.

Describing the talks between the two leaders as “frank,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque later said that human rights issues were not raised.

“The issue of human rights did not arise. It was not brought up. It was President Duterte who discussed with President Trump the drug menace in the Philippines, and the US President appeared sympathetic and did not have any official position on the matter, merely nodding his head, indicating that he understood the domestic problem that we face on drugs,” Roque said.

Sarah Elizabeth Huckabee Sanders, White House press

Asean...

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closed-door bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump.

The White House, on the other hand, said that Duterte’s war on drugs was “briefly” discussed during both leaders’ bilateral discussion.

“The conversation focused on ISIS, illegal drugs, and trade. Human rights briefly came up in the context of the Philippines’ fight against illegal drugs,” Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a White House pool report.

When asked to react on Sander’s statement, Roque insisted that there was no talk of human rights.

“There was no mention of human rights. There was

Myanmar...

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Gordon, who is now collaborating with the International Red Cross, would be sending help to Myanmar.

“What was very productive about this year’s meeting was Myanmar’s statement that they need help,” Cayetano told the reporters.

He made his statement even as Myanmar said it had agreed to repatriate thousands of stranded Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar “Asean has expressed concern for the Rohingya people,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque told reporters at the sidelines

20 rallyists...

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violent dispersal of protesters in front of the Supreme Court in Manila, where more than 20 protesters and six policemen were hurt.

“We condemn the violent dispersal of a peaceful demonstration by people’s organizations and social movements against the Asean Summit and East Asia Summit as represented

China,...

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Deepening the Cooperation of Infrastructure Connectivity, Roque added.

The Asean leaders on Monday skirted disputes over the South China Sea. “While the situation is calmer now, we cannot take the current progress for granted,” a draft statement leaked to the press Monday said.

The draft stated that what is important is the Asean and claimant countries would cooperate to maintain peace, stability, freedom of navigation in and over-flight anove the South China Sea, in accordance with international law.

“It is our collective interest to avoid miscalculations that could lead to escalation of tensions,” the draft stated.

China claims most of the oil-resource-rich South China Sea where a total of $5 trillion worth of trade passes through the disputed waters every year, citing its excessive nine-dash line from its so-called Chinese ancient map.

But the Arbitral Tribunal has ruled in favor of the Philippines and declared China’s claim excessive and illegal.

Aside from the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam has overlapping claims in the South China Sea.

PH-US...

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Roque added that Trump observed that business process outsourcing has become very important to the Philippines.

The Philippines continues to apply high tariffs on finished automobiles and motorcycles, according to the 2017 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers by Washington’s Office of the United States Trade Representative.

According to the report, Manila continues to slap a

The Consensus comes 10 years after the regional bloc adopted the Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers in Cebu in 2007.

Earlier, Foreign Affairs Spokesman Robespierre Bolivar said the signing of the agreement was the “centerpiece” of the Philippines’ chairmanship.

The Philippines is a major labor exporter with some 10 million Filipinos working

lomatic thaw.

“We are your ally. We are an important ally,” Duterte said on Monday, appearing to confirm relations were back on track, although he has also continued to court China and Russia.

Duterte and Trump sat next to each other at a presummit banquet on Sunday, during which they smiled, chatted and clinked champagne glasses.

Duterte is hosting the world leaders because the Philippines holds the rotating chair of the 10-nation Asean.

The events on Monday and Tuesday in Manila are two separate Asean-hosted summits, which also include China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The rising threat of the Islamic State group across Southeast Asia, and further efforts to pressure North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to abandon his nuclear ambitions, were top agenda items in Manila.

“Terrorism and violent extremism endanger the peace, stability and security of our region because these threats know no boundaries,” Duterte said in an opening ceremony speech on Monday.

So far, China has built military garrison or bases in the Spratly Island to assert its right to the sea.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said that during the Asean-United States dialogue, Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak raised the issue in the South China Sea in the presence of US President Donald Trump.

“The party who brought up the South China Sea issue was the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Because the prime minister of Malaysia was asked to deliver the common statement of Asean in the presence of the US President,” he said.

During the Asean-China dialogue, Beijing welcomed the “positive developments between Asean and China” on the South China Sea. “The Framework of the Code of Conduct [COC],adopted by the Foreign Ministers of Asean Member States and China in August, was an important milestone,” Asean and China said in a joint statement.

The draft joint statement also announced that leaders of the Asean have agreed to officially begin negotiations with China on the COC. “Trust that we will continue this positive momentum and work towards a substantive and effective COC,” it said, adding that both parties look forward to an early conclusion of the COC.

30 percent tariff on passenger cars; tariffs of 20 percent to 30 percent on vehicles for the transport of goods; and tariffs of 15 percent to 20 percent on vehicles for the transport of persons, depending on vehicle weight.

The report, however, noted that newer vehicle imports from Asean countries and Japan “benefit from preferential tariffs under the Asean.”

Motor vehicle production is a priority sector under the Philippine Motor Vehicle Development Program.

Trump’s policy directions with regards the auto-

abroad and contributing about 10 percent to the country’s gross domestic product.

Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas shows overseas Filipino workers sent $17.9 billion (around P915 billion) to their families in the Philippines in the first seven months of 2017.

According to the World Bank, approximately $62 billion (P3 trillion) in remittances, were sent to Asean in 2015.

No nukes, Asean tells N. Korea THE 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations is urging North Korea to denuclearize, amid increasing concerns over Pyongyang’s testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles, a spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday.

“Asean leaders express grave concern on the latest development in the Korean peninsula and call for its peaceful denuclearization and early resumption of six-party talks and dialogue within the context of Asean legal framework,” said Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, following the meeting between Asean leaders and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Manila.

Roque said the way to go for Asean leaders was “to result to (sic) diplomatic talks and negotiations” to de-escalate the tensions over the region.

In a statement made in Da Nang, Vietnam, Roque said Beijing had expressed for Washington and Pyongyang to talk, amid North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

Following President Duterte’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Da Nang at the sidelines of the 2017 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, Roque said China had assured it “wanted the issue to be resolved peacefully.”

China had stressed it continued to be “a responsible country,” and that it would implement the security council resolutions placing sanctions against Pyongyang.

Asean and Beijing’s position is shared by President Duterte, who earlier raised proposals for U.S., Japan, China and South Korea to sit down with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to tackle the Pyongyang regime’s weapons development and missile tests.

Other regional key players, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and US President Donald Trump had earlier agreed that ”dialogue for the purpose of dialogue“ was meaningless in resolving North Korean threats.

What other world leaders have in common is to work in close coordination to step up pressure on North Korea.

Duterte had earlier said it was only China “who has that kind of competence” to talk with Pyongyang about the “costs of a nuclear blast.”

John Paolo Bencito motive trade is part of hisefforts to boost the American automotive industry.

Also on Monday, Duterte commended the Asean– Business Advisory Council and its members for their efforts in harnessing private sector feedback.

“The Asean leaders recognize the role in pushing forward Asean Economic Community Agenda for a freer trade relations and more intraAsian investments,” President Duterte remarked during the Asean leaders’ interface with ABAC. John Paolo Bencito, with PNA

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Actress Lopez faces several charges

By Joel E. Zurbano

T

HE government is pursuing serious charges against veteran actress Maria Isabel Lopez who removed barriers along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue on Saturday and drove along the special lane designated for delegates of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit.

Metro Manila Develop- Monday the Land Transporment Authority general man- tation Office already issued a ager Thomas Orbos said on summon to Lopez for—Dis-

regarding Traffic Signs, Violation of the Anti-Distracted Driving Act and Reckless driving.

“The Department of Transportation has instructed LTO to pursue the case against Lopez.

A show cause order will be issued by LTO National Capital Region Director [Clarence] Guinto to her,” said Orbos, who is the concurrent DOTr undersecretary for road transport and infrastructure.

LTO chief Edgar Galvante gave Lopez three days to explain why her license should

not be revoked after she committed at least three traffic violations when she forced her way onto the Asean lane.

In a letter to LTO, MMDA lawyers recommended that Lopez’s driver’s license be “permanently revoked,” as well as to bar her “perpetually” from either applying or obtaining a license. “[Lopez’s] shameless conduct and unlawful act of breaching the security protocol during an international event in our country make her an ‘improper person to operate a mo-

tor vehicle’ which would endanger the public,” said lawyer Victor Pablo Trinidad of the MMDA’s legal division.

Lopez was also asked to pay a fine of P5,000 for violating ADDA, a law prohibiting public and private motorists from using mobile phones and other electronic gadgets while on the road.

Orbos said the MMDA is also preparing the filing of other charges against the former beauty queen “considering the breach of security during such a national event and

the threat to the safety of others because of her misdeed.”

Galvante said proper investigation procedures will be observed and assured that their decision will be anchored on the truth, and adherence to the rule of law.

The LTO chief assured Lopez that “proper investigation procedures will be observed, and that LTO shall ensure that their decision will be anchored on the truth, and adherence to the rule of law.”

In a statement, the Department of Transportation

Oil firms hike prices by as much as P0.95/l

Avoid Edsa, use alternate roads, MMDA tells motorists

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Metro Manila Development Authority on Monday urged motorists to use alternative routes to avoid traffic jams on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and other main roads designated for delegates of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit.

“Ongoing small group conferences and symposiums are scattered all over Metro Manila, attended by heads of states, cabinet secretaries, undersecretaries. All of these delegates have to be prioritized on the road,” said MMDA supervising officer for transport operations Edison Nebrija.

The MMDA advised motorists to use the Circumferential Road 5 (C-5 Road) and the Mabuhay lanes as alternative routes while the commuting public can use the Metro Railway Transit 3 in going to their destinations.

Nebrija said the traffic schemes and other road security measures being enforced during the event will last until Wednesday.

“We expect traffic in metropolis to go back to normal on Thursday. We are expecting all the heads of state to leave the country by Wednesday,” he said.

The MMDA advised motorists to avoid Edsa and the southern part of Metro Manila for them not to be caught on traffic in the event Asean convoys passes through those areas.

Nebrija said the agency is implementing stop and go schemes on designated special lanes to give way to convoy of vehicles carrying world leaders and government officials attending the event.

“We are adjusting our movements, security protocols and traffic management based on these guidelines from our higher headquarters,” said Nebrija, adding that only ambulances and emergency vehicles are allowed to use the exclusive lanes for Asean.

“Emergency vehicles may use the Asean lanes provided that there are no delegations present,” he explained.

Emergency vehicles whose passengers require urgent medical attention are given priority and spared from being stuck in traffic.

The MMDA designated two inner lanes of both sides of Edsa from Balintawak in Quezon City to Magallanes Avenue in Makati City. The thoroughfare should be cleared of vehicles whenever convoys traverse.

The number coding scheme is also being enforced from Nov. 13 to 15 despite the declaration of special non-working holidays in the National Capital Region, and in the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga.

backed the recommendation of the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority to suspend or cancel Lopez’s driver’s license for “deliberately removing the cones and entering into the Asian Southeast Nations lane, along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue.

The department said “Secretary Arthur Tugade fervently believes that no one is above the law, and that all violators should be held accountable for their actions.”

By Alena Mae S. Flores

CONNECTED. Cultural Center of the Philippines dancers perform in a ‘Magkaugnay Connected’ during the 31st Asean Summit and Related Summits held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Rhoy Cobilla / Pool Photo

Reverse ruling on forfeiture case—Corona family THE Sandiganbayan has been asked to reverse an earlier ruling to allow state prosecutors to summon bank executives and open account records related to the P130million civil forfeiture case of the late Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Corona’s wife, Cristina and children Ma. Carla Beatrice Castillo, Francis and Charina Salgado argued in their motion for reconsideration that they never refused to cooperate when it comes to the submission of bank documents.

The family, through their lawyers, said the ruling of the Sandiganbayan Second Division was unsupportive of Section 5 of the Judicial Affidavit Rule since they never refused to cooperate.

The family explained that it was actually the prosecution who failed to gather documents related to the bank accounts of Corona from their own witnesses.

“It is undisputed that there was no showing of any unjustified refusal on the part

of petitioner’s prospective witnesses to execute judicial affidavits or to produce the requested documents,” the motion read.

“Before petitioner requested for the subpoena in this case, it never asked its prospective witnesses to produce the requested documents and execute their respective judicial affidavits,” it added.

The Sandiganbayan, in a seven-page resolution last month, decided to set aside its ruling dated April 28, 2016 upon granting the motion for clarification and/or reconsideration of the prosecution.

In the April resolution, the Sandiganbayan quashed the subpoenas of the prosecution issued to Enrico Cruz and Celia Orbeta of Deutsche Bank AG Manila.

The bank executives were asked to authenticate copies of a letter dated June 2012 from the bank to then-Bureau of Internal Revenue chief Kim Henares pertaining to Corona’s dollar deposits supposedly amounting to $167,000 from 2002 to 2011.

DDS blogger, BBC journo clash over ‘minor’ blogger A FOREIGN journalist and a local blogger and staunch supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte had a heated exchange in the international media center while covering the week-long Asean Summit.

Blogger Sass Rogando Sasot questioned British Broadcasting Corp. Southeast Asia correspondent Jonathan Head for giving a “minor blogger” and Duterte critic Jover Laurio a platform on the international media network.

Sasot and Head came across each other when the latter approached Communications Assistant Secretary

Mocha Uson to greet her, who was with Sasot.

“Tell me, Mr. Jonathan, how is it possible that Jover Laurio, a very minor blogger in the Philippines, was featured by the BBC in order to defend herself against the people who outed her identity, but not someone like me whose social media following is way, way higher than her, whose Facebook engagement is way, way higher than her, and who you have even interacted on Facebook?” Sasot asked.

Laurio is behind Pinoy Ako Blog, which is often critical about the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

OIL prices went up anew this week by as much as P0.95 per liter to reflect the movements of world oil prices.

The oil firms raised the price of gasoline and kerosene by P0.95 per liter and diesel by P0.60 per liter effective 6 a.m. Tuesday.

“This is to reflect movements in the international petroleum market,” Seaoil Philippines said.

Other companies that issued price advisories of the increase were Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, PTT Philippines, Flying V, Unioil Philippines, among others.

The oil firms also raised gasoline prices by P0.90 per liter, diesel by P0.55 per liter and kerosene by P0.75 per liter last Nov. 7.

World oil prices have been going amid claims by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries that supply and demand balances were tightening and oil inventories were falling.

Excellent compliance

by OPEC to curb supplies have also pushed up world oil prices.

Reports that OPEC and other major oil producers are eyeing to extend the global pact to cut oil output further fueled higher prices.

ERC policy on coal-fired projects quizzed PHOTO-OP. President Rodrigo Duterte walks past Asean flags to join other Asean leaders during a photo session with Asean-Business Advisory Council members at the PICC during the 31st Asean Summit and related meetings. Bernard Testa/Pool Photo

Duque vows to fully implement RPRH Law

By Macon Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz HEALTH Secretary Francisco Duque III renewed his commitment to fully implement the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law as the Food and Drug Administration of the Philippines declared 51 family planning products as medically safe and nonabortifacient.

The contraceptives include sub-dermal implants-Implanon and Implanon NXT, the subject of the petition resulting in the issuance of a Temporary Restraining Order by the Supreme Court in June 2015.

“We assure everyone the full and strict implementation of the RH law which President Duterte ordered earlier this year, would be fair, evenhanded and not adversely affect our people’s health,” said as he welcomed the decision of the FDA.

The Forum, together with the rest of the reproductive health advocates, welcomed and celebrated the findings.

“The FDA’s positive findings is a welcome development, especially for the millions of Filipinos calling for the lifting of the TRO against contraceptives and the full implementation of the RPRH law,” said Benjamin de Leon, president of The Forum for Family Planning and Development (The Forum), one of the pro-RH groups who filed for a Motion for Reconsideration.

With the FDA resolution and findings, the TRO is deemed lifted. This means that after a protracted legal battle, the Reproductive Health law will now be fully implemented.

Duque said it is incumbent on all public officials to defer to the technical expertise if regulatory agencies like the FDA, and to

likewise defer to the wisdom of the members and leadership of the Supreme Court in formulating their legal opinions on such matters.

He expressed optimism that the entire public health sector, other concerned agencies, civil society and the private sector partners shall extend their full cooperation in the smooth and expeditious implementation of the program that is crucial in advancing the reproductive health of women, men and adolescents and the socioeconomic agenda of the Philippine government.

The Forum also lauded the efforts of the national government, particularly that of President Duterte and Secretary Ernesto Pernia of the National Economic and Development Authority, for openly declaring support for the RPRH law and their continued call for its immediate implementation.

SENATOR Joel Villanueva wants to inquire into the policy of the Energy Regulatory Commission of allowing developers, and distribution utilities investing in coalfired projects of not passing on stranded assets to consumers.

“We want to scrutinize if these banks and financiers have looked at the likelihood of stranded assets when they provided support to these power plants in correspondence to the proper implementation of environmental regulation, including a coal tax and a more effective energy competition policy,” Villanueva said.

Stranded coal plant assets or assets that are not delivering an economic return in line with the expectations from the project outset is a growing material and inevitable risk in the Philippines.

Villanueva cited a recent report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, and Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities titled “Carving out Coal in the Philippines: Stranded Coal Plant Assets and the Energy Transition” which explains how stranded coal assets is inevitable in the country and faces the possibility of becoming a growing material risk.

Macon Araneta

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Opinion

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

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Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Some sass

W

E THOUGHT the most deplorable aspect of the ongoing Asean summit is the traffic that Metro Manila residents have to endure, holiday declaration notwithstanding.

But we find it’s an inconvenience we can live with.

It does not happen every day, anyway, and it shows that leaders of nations can still put their heads together and explore solutions—hopefully beyond diplomatic niceties—to issues hounding their constituents.

It was not until Monday that we were reminded of

what “deplorable” truly meant. It took the form of a confrontation in the sidelines of the summit in Pasay City.

Fancying herself a major personality on social media, a woman had the cheek to confront a journalist from the British Broadcasting Corp. because she was not featured in its show while

her rival was.

The “major” blogger told BBC’s Jonathan Head, wagging her finger: “Can you tell me how is it possible that Jover Laurio, a very minor blogger in the Philippines was featured by the BBC in order to defend herself… but not someone like me whose social media following is way way higher than her, whose Facebook engagement is way way higher than her and who you had even interacted on Facebook?”

She also dabbed her

eye with tissue to show she was hurting at BBC’s treatment of her.

The confrontational blogger also said the international news media only relied on the “lies” peddled by mainstream media.

Meanwhile, another blogger who had the sheer good fortune to be handpicked as assistant secretary for communication, looked on.

This blogger’s sense of entitlement is astounding.

That she obsessed about being featured on the show betrays her despera-

tion to be taken seriously.

What arrogance to boost her stock by calling others minor. What folly to equate the number of following to legitimacy.

Last we looked, the word “blogger” was supposed to have a neutral ring to it, referring to writers who published their thoughts on anything from foreign policy to the different brands of makeup or nail polish. For good or bad, they were free from the trappings of being part of traditional media.

These days, however, blogging has been associated with blind devotion, mob mentality, irrational arguments— and the digital equivalent of the clanging of a hollow drum.

The number of followers is immaterial to whether a media—social or traditional—personality is legitimate. What the message is, and how it is delivered, count for much more than the warm bodies and trolls combined who make up their “fan base.”

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

He committed treason IT’S ridiculous. I refer to Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales’ indictment of former President Benigno Aquino III for usurpation of authority and graft in connection with the Mamasapano Massacre, where 44 members of the Special Action Force died.

It is laughable —but I am not laughing.

The issue just brings to fore the many issues for which the former President should be held accountable.

Why usurpation of authority when Aquino was president at the time? He was the highest authority for “Oplan Exodus,”

It is clear it was former President Aquino who had sole authority during the Mamasapano operation.

Poor Leni—not!

LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES

VICE President Leni Robredo, it’s safe to say, really has no official role during Manila’s hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ summit on its 50th anniversary this week. And if one had been assigned to her previously, she only has herself to blame for being “disinvited” once again.

Some media outlets are making a big deal of the fact that Robredo wasn’t even given the job of welcoming the smallest foreign delegation that came to Manila. They even extracted a confirmation from Robredo’s office,

to the effect that yes, the vice president will be cooling her heels and stowing her Filipiniana outfits instead of doing something even marginally important during the Asean summit.

But why isn’t Leni even in the conversation at the most important highlight so far of the Duterte administration, when the leaders of the world’s great powers, the United Nations and our neighbors in the region have descended on Manila for one big meeting?

Shouldn’t she, as the second-highest official of the land, be glad-handing the likes of Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau with Duterte, instead of, say, Duterte’s partner Honeylet Avanceña?

Well, it’s like this,

I’ve been told: After last week’s disaster of a “security briefing” with Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Robredo must have found it difficult even to get one of those stickers that would have allowed her to legally use those controversial Asean lanes on Edsa.

A highly-placed source confirmed to me that whatever planned involvement Robredo had in the Manila summit was thrown into the paper shredder after she sought and received a security briefing from Lorenzana while Duterte was in Da Nang, Vietnam last week. Duterte, I was informed, didn’t like it that Robredo “entrapped” Lorenzana while Digong was at the Asia Pacific Economic

Cooperation meeting that took place ahead of the Manila Asean summit.

The briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, I was told,

Robredo and her partisans must understand that the vice president is not the victim here. was requested by Robredo supposedly to get an update on the situation in Marawi City.

But during the meeting called on what to do

about the war-ravaged city, Robredo suddenly asked the defense secretary on reported plans

by Duterte that he was planning to declare a revolutionary government and what the military establishment was going to do if ever the president did such a thing.

Lorenzana played it safe and told Robredo that the military would do what was legal and not do anything illegal.

But Robredo’s propaganda machinery immediately spun this innocuous statement to mean that what Lorenzana intended to say was that the soldiers would not support any plans by Duterte to declare a revolutionary government.

When told of this twist-

ing of Lorenzana’s statement, Duterte, from Da Nang, turned sarcastic: “[Robredo] is correct.”

“I asked the military,” Duterte explained, obviously incensed. “[I asked] why, and they said because we like her more.

She is a woman and does not cuss.”

And so Robredo has been relegated to the audience during yesterday’s formal opening of the summit at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Robredo could only look stonily at the stage beside Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea as Duterte gave his welcome address and was not even invited to the elegant Sunday night gala dinner at the SMX theater.

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during which Malaysian terrorist Marwan was supposed to be arrested. Sure, Marwan was killed, but at what cost?

Let’s rewind a bit.

First, former President Aquino held a command conference at Malacañang where he directed thenPhilippine National Police chief Alan Purisima to hatch a plan with former Special Action Force chief Getulio Napeñas and some others. But Purisima was suspended at that time for an anomaly in the distribution of firearm licenses.

In other words, Purisima had no business getting involved in any police operation. The top cop, BS Aquino, should have been well aware of this.

Then secretary of Interior and Local Government, Mar Roxas, was not even Turn to A5

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authority and graft were bailable and meant to be dismissed. Morales merely wanted to show her critics that she was not going soft on Aquino, who appointed her in the first place.

With the cases against BS Aquino raffled off to the Third Division of the Sandiganbayan, headed by another appointee of his, then it’s all “lutong Macau.”

For more than two years now, the widows and orphans of the Fallen 44 have been crying out for justice.

The widows want nothing less than reckless imprudence resulting in homicide to be filed against the former president. Imagine —when the remains of the SAF men arrived in Manila, he was not even there because he chose to go to the inauguration of a car plant.

He virtually fed the SAF men to the wolves!

Records of the Senate investigation led by Senator Grace Poe show that Aquino was responsible, accountable and culpable for what happened. So why is the Ombudsman insulting our intelligence now? *** I have not always agreed with what President Rodrigo Duterte has said and done since he assumed office. He said he would achieve peace and order in three to six months, but he is only realizing now how deep rooted the drug problem is.

The drug problem is not one of peace and order but of poverty and health.

I always say the bigger problem is rehabilitating the users. For as long as there is demand for illegal drugs, there will always be supply.

The corruption problem is one that cannot be completely eradicated either, so long as humans have feet of clay. President Duterte can only minimize corruption but not stop it.

But when it comes to foreign interference on domestic affairs, I agree with him. *** Reports that the Apo View Hotel in Davao City is being refurbished and repaired to welcome tourists is good news to me and my wife. We spent our honeymoon there when we got married 63 years ago.

FORMATION GARY OLIVAR RESEARCH firm Pulse Asia recently released the quarterly performance and trust ratings of the country’s last four presidents, including the current one. This let us compare how Duterte has done during his first five to six quarters in office, compared to his predecessors.

The good news for him is that he uniformly did better than his three predecessors.

His average net performance rating over the first five quarters was +78.4, a full 10 points above PNoy who came in second at +68.4. His average net trust rating over the first six quarters was +79, more than 11 points above PNoy’s +67.8.

Duterte’s strongest region was expectedly Mindanao, his weakest one “balance of Luzon.” In the latter connection, interested readers may wish to look into the rumor that the number of respondents from “balance of Luzon” unaccountably went up during another survey (not by Pulse) that showed a precipitous drop in Duterte’s ratings last quarter.

What might explain the persistently high ratings of this consistently underrated former mayor from the south?

One answer might lie in a

THE voting of the majority of the Court in the De Lima case has resulted in a ridiculous situation. The majority opinion is not actually carried by a majority vote, but is actually the opinion of a mere majority within the majority (because there is a minority of three in the majority of nine who thought otherwise), thus having the whole Court arrive at a minority vote of six (including that of Justice Bernabe’s dissenting opinion) that the crime charged is Illegal Drug Trading, as against the other nine justices who thought that the crime charged was either Conspiracy to Commit Drug Trading, Direct Bribery, Indirect Bribery, or that the Information is void for vagueness.

Six is not a majority of 15 justices. It is a minority. Six justices voting that the crime charged in the Information is Illegal Drug Trading does not affirm the validity of the Information. It nullifies the Information for its vagueness, because a clear majority of nine justices of the Court have other

*** The ongoing Asean proceedings, apart from producing horrendous traffic, also provide interesting twists to some otherwise humdrum breaking news.

For example, local nurses’ groups criticized the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Act, a new law reportedly authored by Sena-

tor Trillanes, that will require them and other professionals to earn 45 CPD units before they can renew their licenses.

Local optometrists voiced similar objections. Some 60,000-plus Filipino professionals from all backgrounds also circulated an online petition to reevaluate the license renewal requirements under the new law.

Ordinarily we’d sympathize with regular folks who just want to make a living. And we usually wouldn’t pay a lot of attention to the intermittently lucid behavior of the mutineerinquisitor-publicity hound in the Senate.

But even Trillanes has his occasional moments. His new law effectively forces our professionals to level up their game so that they can work in other Asean countries and compete with their counterparts elsewhere in the region.

Right now there are eight professions that benefit from mutual recognition agreements among the Asean member states. Nursing and medicine are among them, together with dentistry, engineering, architecture, accountancy, surveying, and tourism-related professions.

Mutual recognition is just the first hurdle for our local professionals. These agreements now need to be operationalized into detailed regulations, plans, procedures and mechanisms that Filipinos can

use when they register to practice elsewhere in Asean.

Presumably this process is on the agenda of the current summit. Also to be discussed are so-called Asean Qualification Frameworks (AQFs).

These will establish regionally acceptable job qualifications, harmonize industry regulations, and encourage Asean universities to cooperate in developing common educational standards.

This is all good news: good for the careers of our professionals, good for our economy which continues to be driven by services, good for the integration of Asean. Going after those 45 CPD units ought to be a price worth paying. *** Unfortunately, while some Filipino workers are preparing to compete for opportunities abroad, others are retreating behind the antiquated walls of protectionism, unionism, and heavy-handed government regulation.

In its latest attempt to stop the country’s economic progress, the local labor unions have persuaded DOLE to let them craft a new Presidential executive order (EO) that will not only regulate contractualization, but will abolish laboronly contractualization outright, with certain exemptions.

These militants are even going after contractualization in government offices, which are

opinions on what the Information actually charges, and this is anything else but Illegal Drug Trading.

There are 15 justices of the Supreme Court. If only six can agree on what crime is charged in the Information, with the other nine having other crimes in mind, then that Information is patently vague and fails to apprise the accused of the nature of the offense she is charged with. It is an unconstitutional indictment that must be slain on sight. The injustice in De Lima’s predicament is that she continues to suffer in jail, while only a minority of six out of 15 justices of the Supreme Court agree on what she is in jail for.

Given this situation, the other question of course is for what crime did the majority of nine justices rule that probable cause was validly found by the lower court judge, if they could not even agree on what crime is actually charged in the Information? Was probable cause determined to exist by the majority on the crime of Illegal Drug Trading, or was it on the crime of Conspiracy to Commit Drug Trading? The majority ponencia is not clear on this. But somehow, it was made to appear that the major-

ity justices agreed it must be on some crime penalized under the Dangerous Drugs Law. But again, this cannot be.

The Supreme Court majority cannot justify a finding of probable cause on both Illegal Drug Trading and Conspiracy to Commit Drug Trading, because under the Rules of Court, basic constitutional requirements demand that one and the same Information must charge only one offense, not two.

Only five justices among the majority agree with the conclusion that the court a quo did not commit grave abuse of discretion in finding that probable cause exists for the crime of Illegal Drug Trading. Three justices from the majority, viz., Justices De Castro, Peralta, and Tijam, could not possibly posit that the lower court validly found probable cause for the commission of the crime of Illegal Drug Trading, if in their opinion the crime charged in the Information is Conspiracy to Commit Drug Trading. In so far as the position of these three justices is concerned, how could the lower court possibly determine the existence of probable cause for Illegal Drug Trading, if for them the crime charged in the Information is actually Conspiracy to

Commit Drug Trading?

What is therefore clear is that among 15 justices of the entire Court, only five agree that the lower court did not commit grave abuse of discretion, and that, indeed, it validly found probable cause for the crime of Illegal Drug Trading.

Again, five out of 15 justices do not comprise a majority of the Court. It is, in fact, a minority.

How could a minority of five justices therefore carry a disposition binding to the whole Court that Judge Guerrero did not commit grave abuse of discretion in determining that probable cause exists for the crime of Illegal Drug Trading?

For the three justices of the majority who opined that the crime charged is Conspiracy to Commit Drug Trading, certainly the lower court must have committed grave abuse of discretion when it determined the existence of probable cause for the wrong crime, i.e., Illegal Drug Trading, instead of Conspiracy to Commit Drug Trading.

Plainly put, a proper Summation of Votes of the Court in the De Lima case shows that only five justices consistently uphold all the actions of the lower court upon the purported grounds and basis that it so acted, i.e., the Information

supervised by the Civil Service Commission. And they also want to set up a technical working group with DOLE to look at replacing the regional wage boards with a nationally determined minimum wage policy.

Such ideologues will ignore common-sense intuition— supported by lots of academic research—that inflexible labor policies like a minimum wage or forced tenure drive away employers. Instead of creating new jobs, such policies destroy existing ones. What’s good for the labor organizer is not good for the laborer.

We hope that DOLE Secretary Bebot Bello, who used to concurrently head the government panel in peace talks with the communists, will not be as nice to them as he had to be in his former part-time job. Having fended them off before in Oslo, we hope he’s just as careful around them in his Intramuros offices.

At the very least, the Secretary ought to invite representatives of employers and business groups to join his consultations with the unionists. They’re the ones, after all, who’re responsible for creating the jobs that put food in our mouths and a roof over our heads. They’re the ones who’ll decide whether to keep their money here, or pull out of the country, as a result of the policies that come out of his office.

Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@yahoo.com.

is sufficient in charging Illegal Drug Trading, and that probable cause exists that this crime was committed by De Lima.

Again, five is not a majority.

How the petition was therefore dismissed on the basis of the vote of a minority of five, the dissenting votes of six, and the concurring but actually nonconcurring votes of three justices on the vital issues of what crime is actually charged and whether probable cause was properly determined to exist for this crime, is the milliondollar question in any bar examination.

It therefore appears that beyond the form of the Court’s Decision and its separate concurring opinions, its substance as revealed in a Summation of Votes—that the voting did not actually carry a conclusive disposition on the vital issues of whether or not the Information sufficiently identifies the crime charged and is not void for being vague, and whether or not the lower court committed grave abuse of discretion in determining that probable cause exists for the crime of Illegal Drug Trading – rather points to a disposition granting the petition to release Senator De Lima.

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Zubiri’s obvious desire for publicity

From A4

to have developed the political sensibility that her high office demands, especially since she was elected as the candidate of a different political party from the President’s. That is how she lost the Cabinet job given to her at the start of Duterte’s term (because of persistent reports that she was aiding those plotting to bring down the President) and how she was bamboozled into taping that controversial address to a European human rights meeting (where she used fake news on extra-judicial killings to make her point).

Robredo and what few partisans she still has must understand that the vice president is not the victim here. She is just reaping the harvest of the political intrigue that she’s continuously been sowing.

Robredo had better get used to being treated like a political leper by the Duterte administration. After all, she’s been doing everything in her power to put herself in that unenviable position for the next five years.

recent PNP report that total crimes dropped by 8.2 percent year on year over the first 10 months of 2017. The drop was even more significant, by 20.5%, for so-called index crimes like murder, rape, kidnapping, and other major offenses.

This improvement was noted in every region of the country except for Calabarzon and Northern Mindanao, which showed a slight increase in minor non-index crimes.

Was this improvement in the general crime situation a result of the draconian crackdown

by Duterte on the drug trade?

Anecdotal evidence says so, although it would need to be validated by proper fact-based research.

Nonetheless, it seems clear that the President’s labors are what have borne fruit in the high approval and trust he enjoys from his countrymen.

That’s good news for him and the country, though not for those who want him out of office by fair means or foul.

Reconsidering the De Lima decision

Poor... *** Of course, there is no law or rule that directs the President to give his vice president something to do during a regional or international event held here—or any job at all, really, during their mutual six years in office.

After all, Robredo’s only real job, to paraphrase one American vice president, is to call Malacanang every day and check on the health of Duterte.

It would have been different, of course, if Robredo had not chosen a time when Duterte was away to pull that stunt with Lorenzana. Why she didn’t realize that talking to the highestranking civilian in the military establishment while the President was gone (and how her camp deliberately twisted the secretary’s statement on such a sensitive issue) speaks of how politically clueless Robredo really is.

But then, nearly a year and a half into the job, Robredo has not been known

A5

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Fruits of labor

He... consulted even as the PNP was supposed to be under the DILG. When the operation was launched, on the same day BS Aquino made up the excuse of going to Zamboanga City supposedly to oversee the damages wrought by the terrorists’ bomb.

Roxas, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and other members of the Cabinet went with PNoy. Records show that while the presidential helicopter was in Zamboanga City, members of the Presidential Security Group were at the Cotabato City airport.

Why? Because there were plans for BS Aquino to immediately fly to Cotabato upon the arrest or death of the terrorist in Mamasapano.

Along with the prospects of Oplan Exodus to be successful, there were also plans to nominate BS Aquino for the Nobel Peace Prize.

But the plan, as we know now, did not succeed. It failed to consider that fact that after the killing of Marwan, a combined force of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and other Moro private groups swooped down on the SAF. Although Aquino was informed about this he neither responded nor acted. He reportedly kept everything to himself and members of the Cabinet were unaware of what had happened.

When the SAF was being massacred, there were appeals for the assistance of the Army battalion that was not too far away.

No assistance came because Teresita Deles, then peace adviser, supposedly told Aquino that the Army should stand down.

Military assistance to the SAF would jeopardize the peace process with the MILF. The army itself claimed that it would be impossible to use the artillery to help the SAF because it would hit them instead. That was no excuse, of course— military tacticians should know the terrain. Helicopters and drones could have helped, but any assistance would have been too late.

The Ombudsman’s indictment of Aquino was clearly an attempt to have the cases dismissed outright. First, usurpation of

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA SENATOR Juan Miguel Zubiri really knows how to exploit a situation for his own political benefit.

Back in May 2007, Zubiri ran for senator and placed 12th, the last among the winners in the senate race. His rival, Aquilino Pimentel III, filed an election protest before the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET), citing massive fraud allegedly committed by the Zubiri camp during the campaign and canvass.

When word got around in August 2011 that the SET was set to rule in favor of Pimentel, Zubiri announced his resignation from the Senate. In a privileged speech delivered before the Senate, Zubiri said that he was resigning in order to spare his family and the Senate from the controversy surrounding the election protest. He also claimed that he was resigning to save the country from being divided because the accusations of election fraud made against him were unfounded.

What hogwash! If the accusations of against him were truly unfounded, Zubiri should have upheld his electoral mandate by bringing his case to the Supreme Court. Likewise, if he felt bad

about those accusations, why did he wait until the last minute before resigning from office?

Political analysts said that Zubiri knew that he was going to be unseated by the SET and simply made the most of his embarrassing predicament by making it appear that he was “resigning to save the country” and suggest in the process that the nation owes him a debt of gratitude for his show of magnanimity.

In May 2016, the unfortunate happened—Zubiri returned to the Senate. That’s unfortunate because Zubiri once asserted that he was a family man first and a public official second. Being so, his priorities should be seen as highly suspect inasmuch as he has shown his extraordinary skill in exploiting any opportunity that can give him free publicity and political mileage.

Zubiri is now doing that, as seen in his on-going circus act in the Senate, a one-man road show masquerading as a legislative inquiry in aid of legislation.

Right now, Zubiri’s circus act is the Senate investigation into the fatal hazing incident involving a fraternity in the University of Santo Tomas.

To recall, in September 2017, Horacio Castillo III, a law school freshman from UST, died after undergoing hazing in the hands of members of the Aegis Juris fraternity operating in that uni-

(Part 1)

versity. As expected, a public uproar ensued, and answers were sought from those who may have a hand in that awful incident.

Society has reason to be outraged, of course, because it appears that the life of a promising young man was needlessly and violently ended by lawyers and law students to whom the youngster would have wanted to hitch his political aspirations. Deadly violence, after all, has no place in a university.

Apparently, three separate investigations were conducted on the fatal hazing incident by the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Senate’s committee on public order.

The investigations being conducted by the DOJ and the PNP are expected under the circumstances precisely because these are the government agencies vested by law with the power to enforce the law and to investigate crime.

As for the investigation currently conducted by the Senate, its only claim to legitimacy is its label as an “inquiry in aid of legislation.” Simply put, this means that the Senate wants to obtain information about the UST hazing incident, which the Senate intends to use as a guide in drafting any possible amendments to the existing anti-hazing law.

So far, whatever claim to legitimacy the Senate commit-

tee on public order may have in investigating the UST hazing incident has been completely lost because of the way Zubiri has been comporting himself in the investigation itself. To all intents and purposes, the Senate investigation has become another Zubiri road show after Zubiri succeeded in dominating the investigation with his high-handedness in treating the witnesses who have been summoned to the investigation.

For starters, Zubiri lost his temper when the fraternity members invited to testify in the senate investigation invoked their constitutional right against selfincrimination when they refused to answer certain questions. One of the witnesses even told Zubiri that since the hazing incident was already being investigated by the DOJ, it was best that their answers to Zubiri’s questions should be given instead to the DOJ so as not to pre-empt the proceedings in the latter. In a fit of anger, Zubiri denounced the witnesses for what he perceived as their outright refusal to cooperate in the investigation.

After scolding the witnesses, Zubiri got himself interviewed on a television program broadcast nationwide where he said that the witnesses were manifestly protecting their own interests, and that they were obviously guilty of causing the death of the young Castillo.

Before anyone jumps to conclusions, this essay is not intended to justify the death of Castillo, or to defend those who are responsible for the fatal hazing. The purpose of this essay is to put the record straight on how and why Zubiri is doing the public, the Castillo family in particular, a big disservice by the way he has been comporting himself in the Senate committee investigation.

What is Zubiri’s disservice all about?

A legislative inquiry in aid of legislation is authorized under Section 21, Article VI of the Constitution. By its very nomenclature, such an inquiry is for the sole purpose of obtaining information that may be useful in the enactment of future legislation, or the amendment of existing laws. For the record, Section 21 does not even use the term “investigation.”

From the way Zubiri has been behaving in the Senate legislative inquiry, however, the inquiry has become a full-scale prosecutorial forum, no different from preliminary investigations conducted by investigating prosecutors of the DOJ assigned to handle criminal cases. To the keen observer, the Zubiri investigation is no longer an inquiry in aid of legislation but a trial in criminal case.

To be continued

News

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Duterte thanks neighbors for help

By John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said he had thanked Manila’s neighbors for providing assistance in dealing with the terrorist siege in Marawi City, and stressed that extremism and other non-traditional security issues would “put a dent” to the region’s growth and disrupt the stability of global and regional commerce.

Addressing world leaders, who flocked to Manila for Asean’s 50th Anniversary, Duterte thanked Asean countries and dialogue partners for helping the communities affected by the Marawi crisis.

Less than a month ago, Philippine government forces liberated the city of Marawi from terrorist groups who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, after storming into the provincial capital in mid-May. “We thank our international partners for providing assistance in dealing with the situation in Marawi City,” Duterte said in his remarks during the Opening Ceremony of the 31st Asean Summit and Related Summits.

“Our Asean brothers provided support by sending relief items for the benefit of the internally displaced persons while others provided valuable assistance and bolstered our military campaign,” he added.

The government is now helping people back on their feet to reclaim their lives, Duterte added.

The President, citing his experience in handling Marawi, said that terrorism and violent extremism “endanger the peace, stability and security of our region because these threats know no boundaries.

The menace of illegal drug trade continues to endanger the very fabric of our societies, the President added.

“These and other issues are high on the agenda of our meetings along with the other non-traditional security issues that challenge the prosperity of our economies, the integrity of our institutions, and more importantly, the safety of our people,” he added.

Arms cache found in Marawi G

By Francisco Tuyay

OVERNMENT troops clearing the entire scene of intense fighting with the beaten Islamic Stateinspired terrorist group claim they have uncovered a cache of 30 high-powered firearms under a shallow spot of Lake Lanao Sunday.

Army Col. Romeo Brawner, deputy commander of Task Force Ranao, said the recovered

weapons believed used by the Maute ISIS terrorists in the five-month long fighting with security

forces had been recovered in Lake Lanao near the Bandaringin Mosque in Barangay Marinaut, Marawi City.

The weapons consisted of a crew-serve .50 caliber machinegun, .50 caliber bolt-action sniper rifles, three M60 machineguns, an M79 grenade launcher, two M16 rifles, a dozen of M14 assault rifles, two AK 47 ridles and two caliber .30 Carbines.

Brawner said joint

forces of the Army personnel from 55th Infantry Battalion, Scout Ranger Class 202, military engineer unit, mechanized units, Explosive Ordnance and waterborne had been on search and clearing operations when they spotted a visible thing floating on the waters of Lake Lanao.

Upon noticing it, one of the team members saw that it was a weapon, prompting him to dive down to get it.

The other groups par-

ticipated in the search and discovered more weapons underneath.

It is believed the terrorist during the last hours of the firefight when they had smelled defeat and when they were about to make their final escape threw their weapons into the lake.

At noontime the other day, at least 30 firearms had been recovered while presuming that more firearms were still on the lakebed.

Brawner said continued search operations in the waters were continuing.

At least 1,000 terrorist fighters were killed while several others were severely wounded during the fivemonth Marawi City crisis.

The Marawi City siege ended its episode when security forces killed the chieftain of the Abu Sayyaf and IS emir in Southeast Asia, Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Abdullah Maute, the leader of the Maute group.

PH, Australia agree to stop IS terrorists

By Francisco Tuyay technical support by sending intelligence reand Maricel Cruz

RAUCOUS RUN-IN. Militant groups claim more than 20 of their members, all unidentified, are injured in a clash with anti-riot police in Manila on Monday, the opening of the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit. The melee erupted at about 8 a.m. as members of the Bureau of Fire Protection used water canons against the anti-Trump rallyists who tried to get past the phalanx of lawmen in full battle gear near the US Embassy on Roxas Boulevard. AFP

‘Workers displaced by Metro Manila’s traffic congestion’ THOUSANDS of wage earners, particularly contractual and informal workers, were severely affected and displaced by the traffic congestion, non-working holidays because of the Asean Summit attended by high-level officials and key leaders, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said.

The labor group said the holiday declarations on work, traffic lockdowns and cleanup drive for several days in Metro Manila, Bulacan and Pampanga to pave the way for security and traffic to the summit and the post-summit activities, had

caused severe loss of income for the urban informal economy workers whose livelihood subsistence revolve around schools, government and private offices.

“We are looking at several days’ loss income for thousands of urban informal economy workers such as vendors, jeepney, pedicab, UV express, and tricycle drivers, Internet and photocopy clerks, canteen cooks and food servers who depend on the availability of government, private companies and schools,” TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said in a statement Monday.

Numbering around 16 million nationwide, informal economy, also known as underground economy, workers are those who are independent, self-employed, small-scale producers and distributors of merchandise and services.

Most of them thrive in highly urbanized Metro Manila cities and municipalities.

“The other classification of workers whose wages are deprived by the holidays and traffic lockdowns in favor of the meetings are those workers working in the formal economy who are daily-paid and work under no work, no

pay work policy,” Tanjusay said.

“The informal economy workers and the short-term, contractual workers are the types of workers most vulnerable to shocks and interruptions like these. A day or two of income loss will have far-ranging impact on their daily grind for survival to make both ends meet,” Tanjusay said.

He said these workers were the thousands of contractual or short-term employees in government agencies and private companies who must time in or out to be paid.

THE Australian and the Philippine government on Monday underscored the need to deter terrorists from setting foot anywhere in the Asia-Pacific rim.

“We cannot afford to let them have a foothold anywhere else, [even with a] little line in our region,” said Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull shortly after a counter-terror capability demonstration in Camp Aguinaldo the other day.

Turnbull explained the terrorists were able to penetrate through Syria, taking Raqha, a huge city in Iraq, developing the reputation and able to present an image of invincibility in terms of propaganda and recruitment.

“This threat of terrorism by Islamists is a global one and it is all connected,” Turnbull said, adding “many of the fighters for Islamic State that propelled in Marawi were from all over the world.”

“They come from Indonesia or Malaysia, they’ve been to the middle, some of them were Arabs from the Middle East, it is a global fight,” said Turnbull who praised President Rodrigo Duterte in ending terrorism in Marawi City quickly.

The Australian government has supported the Philippine military in

connaissance planes to Marawi City to help detect the movement of the terrorists.

Meanwhile, the chairperson of the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations, has expressed optimism the Philippines shall soon receive even bigger economic deals after Duterte was dubbed the most trusted Philippine president in the last 20 years by an independent pollster.

Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, the panel chairperson, made the statement in reference to the results of a September 2017 survey by Pulse Asia wherein the populist Chief Executive garnered an 80 percent trust and approval rating.

“Investor confidence in the Philippines just went through the roof.

And with the Asean Summit right around the corner, we can expect the country to receive a tidal wave of foreign investments and financial packages that otherwise won’t be offered to us with a different president,” Nograles.said.

Based on the results of the third quarter survey, the 72-year-old Duterte commands more trust and satisfaction among Filipinos compared to his predecessors Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and Benigno Aquino III.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Manila

Standard

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health SPECIAL CENTRAL OFFICE BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

TODAY

INVITATION TO BID FOR THE PROCUREMENT OF HYPERBARIC CHAMBER IB NO. 2017-337 1.

The Department of Health (DOH), through the General Appropriations Act of 2017 intends to apply the sum of Three Hundred Twenty Million Philippine Pesos (PhP320,000,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Procurement of Hyperbaric Chamber under IB No. 2017-337. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2.

The DOH now invites bids for the procurement of the above-captioned project. Delivery of the Goods is required within period specified under Section VI. Schedule of Requirements. Bidders should have completed, within the past two (2) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project, equivalent to at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

3.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183.

4.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the COBAC Secretariat, G/F, Bldg.

6, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given above during 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on 13 November 2017 – 04 December 2017 from the address above and upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Fifty Thousand Philippine Pesos (PhP50,000.00).

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

6.

The DOH will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on 20 November 2017, 10:00 A.M. at the COBAC Conference Room, Ground Floor, Bldg. 6, Department of Health, Sta. Cruz, Manila, which shall be open to prospective bidders.

7.

Bids must be duly received by the SCOBAC Secretariat at the address below on or before 04 December 2017, 9:00 A.M. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on 04 December 2017, 9:00 A.M. at the COBAC Conference Room, Ground Floor, Bldg. 6, Department of Health, Sta. Cruz, Manila. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address above.

Late bids shall not be accepted.

8.

The DOH reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

9.

For further information, please refer to: Special COBAC Secretariat Department of Health San Lazaro Compound Sta. Cruz, Manila Tel. Nos. 651-7800 local 1625 to 1627; 1650 to 52 Facsimile No.: 741-9775; 740-6830 MARIO C. VILLAVERDE, MD, MPM, CESO I Undersecretary of Health Chairperson, Special-COBAC

(MS-NOV. 14, 2017)

OFW and Family Summit focus: Livelihood opportunities

By Macon Ramos-Araneta THIS year’s OFW and Family Summit will focus on giving livelihood opportunities to overseas Filipino workers in agriculture, said Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food and director of the Villar Social Institute

for Pover ty Alleviation and Gover nance (Villar SIPAG).

“The prospect for agriculture is promising with our government’s renewed commitment to support this sector. We are also starting to reap the benefits of our legislative efforts to train our farmers on modern farming techniques and financial know-how,” Villar said.

The 7th OFW and Family Summit is slated on Nov. 22 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

It will put on centerstage OFWs who turned successful entrepreneurs in agriculture or ‘agri-preneurs.’

The activity is open for all OFWs or beneficiaries such as spouse, children, parents or

siblings of OFWs. Registration is free upon presentation of a photocopy of passport or proof of remittance or seaman’s book or job contract and proof of kinship to OFW such as marriage certificate or birth certificate. Online registration can also be done through http://ofwsummit2017.villarsipag.org.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION OFFICE OF THE EX-OFFICIO SHERRIF QUEZON CITY

Regional Trial Court, Hall of Justice Bldg., Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City, will sell thru public auction to the highest bidder for cash, in Philippine Currency, the following WEST MANSIONS CONDOMINIUM described real property/ies with all the improvements existing ASSOCIATION INC., thereon, to wit: Mortgagee, -versus-

FRE NO. 11965

RAMON A. DOMINGO. Mortgagor/s x-----------------------------------x

STRONG 70 YEARS.

Philippine Ambassador Philippe J. Lhuillier, in a speech marking 70 years of Manila-Madrid ties, highlights the emergence of his country’s investments in Spain, notably in wine manufacturing and real estate.

C O N D O M I N I U M CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. -5663Registry of Deeds for Quezon City

NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALE OF REAL PROPERTY (WEST MANSION INC.) Seventh Floor – Residential UNDER ACT 3135 Unit No. 708 Area-39.78 sq.m.

(AS AMENDED) in the diagrammatic floor Pursuant to Act 3135, as plan appended to the enabling amended by Act 4118 in or master deed of the relation to Section 20 R.A. condominium project annotated 4726 (Condominium Act) which on Trans Certificate of Title No. provides “xxxxx such liens may 49082 which embraces and be enforced in the same manner describes the land located at provided for by law for the judicial Diliman, Quezon City with an or extrajudicial foreclosure of area of 563.80 Square Meter, mortgages or real property. xxx xxx.

Unless otherwise provided All sealed bids must be for in the declaration of the restrictions, the management submitted to the undersigned at body shall have power to bid the aforesaid office on the above the foreclosure sale.

The stated date and time. condominium owner shall have Interested parties are hereby the same right of redemption enjoined to investigate for as in cases of judicial or themselves the title to the extrajudicial foreclosure or said property/ies and the mortgages xxxxx” WEST encumbrances thereon, if any MANSIONS CONDOMINIUM there be.

ASSOCIATION INC. of No. 3 In the event that public auction Zamboanga St., West Ave., should not take place on said Barangay Nayong Kanluran, date due to fortuitous event or Quezon City, Metro Manila, if the same be declared a nonPetitioner/Mortgagee filed an working holiday, it shall be held extra-judicial petition against on JANUARY 16, 2018 at the R e s p o n d e n t / M o r t g a g o r same time and place without RAMON A. DOMINGO married further notice. to Sherwin M. Domingo – Unit Quezon City, Metro Manila, No. 708 West Mansions Condo.

No. 03 Zamboanga St. West November 8, 2017.

Ave. Quezon City/# 11 Jacinto (Sgd.) RANDY C. BERNARDO St. Malabon City, to satisfy the Sheriff IV accumulated condominium dues and other assessments in (Sgd.) GREGORIO C . TALLUD the total sum of Php 910,067.12 Clerk of Court VII and as of September 30, 2017 Ex-Officio Sheriff plus interest, penalties costs WARNING: It is absolutely prohibited to remove, deface or Destroy this No(including attorney’s fees) and tice of Sheriff’s Sale on or Before the date of the auction sale under penalty other charges, together with all of the law. the lawful fees and expenses Copy Furnished: of foreclosure sale, the Ex- ATTY. NARCISO O. MORALES Officio Sheriff of the Regional PRESIDENT WMCA INC. 283 Delmonte Avenue, Trial Court of Quezon City and/ No. Quezon City or his duly authorized Deputy RAMON DOMINGO married to Sherwin Sheriff, hereby announces that M. Domingo on JANUARY 9, 2018 between Unit No. 708 West Mansions Condo.

03 Zamboanga St. West Ave., the hours of 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 No. Quezon City P.M. at the Office of the Clerk # 11 Jacinto St. Malabon City (MS-Nov. 14, 21 & 28, 2017) of Court & Ex-Officio Sheriff,

PH-Spanish diplomatic ties marked THE Philippine Embassy in Spain recently commemorated the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Manila and Madrid.

More than 100 guests from the Spanish government, diplomatic corps, academe, and business sector attended the event at the Instituto Cervantes, Calle Alcala 49 in Madrid.

The celebration also featured a photo exhibit of past and present Philippine Ambassadors during their credentials presentation to the Kings of Spain, and a replica of the treaty that for-

mally established relations between the Philippines and Spain.

In his speech, Instituto Cervantes Secretary-General Rafael Rodriguez-Ponga Salamanca welcomed guests and emphasized the strong and enduring relations between the two countries.

For his part, Cebu 4th District Rep. Benhur Salimbangon stressed the close friendship between Spain and the Philippines and his desire for closer cooperation between the two countries.

In his toast, Philippine Ambassador to Spain Philippe J. Lhuillier underscored achieve-

ments in Philippine-Spanish relations, including the consistent exchange of high-level visits and the signing of over 60 bilateral agreements in various fields.

These agreements―on education and sports, cultural cooperation, tourism, technology, investments and other equally important areas―attest to the continuing effort by both countries to strengthen their relations through the years.

Lhuillier cited the enactment of Republic Act No. 9187 in 2002, which celebrates “Philippine–Spanish Friendship Day” every June 30.

Sports

A7

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Wire-to-wire Hitting Spree win at Cojuangco Jr Cup race N AIC, Cavite—Hitting Spree led from start to finish, enduring the challenge put up by another favorite in Atomicseventynine to rule the 2017 Ambassador Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr. Cup at the Santa Ana Park here last Sunday.

With Atomicseventynine just close at the right side, jockey Kelvin Abobo prodded the four-year-old chestnut colt to the wire-towire win in the prestigious

2000-meter race offering a total purse of P2.5M and held in honor of the San Miguel Corp. Chairman, a stalwart in the horseracing industry.

“Maganda ang itinakbo

ng kabayo. Inaasahan namin ito,” said the 30-yearold Abobo after riding Hitting Spree to the win in the rich racing weekend of the Philippine Racing Commission, the Metropolitan Association of Race Horse Owners and the Philippine Racing Club, offering more than P11 million in prizes.

“Performance-wise, I’m very satisfied.”

The win earned Hitting Spree, sired by Grand Slam and Sarrin, of owner SC Stockfarm the top purse of

P1.2 million, while Atomic seventynine of owner Joseph Dyhengco got P450,000.

She’s Incredible of owner Cool Summer Farm took home P250,000.

It turned out to be a busy, winning day for Abobo.

Prior to the Cojuangco Cup win, Abobo was on board Brilliance, which won the second leg of the Philracom 3YO Imported Fillies Stakes (1,800-Meter) Race. Favorite Smokin’ Saturday of owner Roberto Inigo settled for runner-up

honors worth P112,000, while Already Feisty of SC Stockfarm placed third and pocketed P62,500.

Abobo was also the jockey for Golden Kingdom, which clinched the top honors of the President Sandy Javier-Marho-Philracom Trophy race, with Eletric Truth and Subterranean River placing second and third, respectively.

The star jockey then steered Shoo In past Morning Breeze and Niccole Girl in the President Benhur

Abalos Trophy, and carried Showtime to the victory in the Marho Breeders Championship Sprint race, before leading Johnny Be Good in the San Miguel Beer-Marho Breeders Cup Championship Classic (2,000 meters) past Lakan and Pinagtipunan.

Jockey Pat Dilema, aboard Salt and Pepper, cut Abobo’s domination in the Mayor Leonardo Javier Jr. Thanksgiving Cup, where the latter’s Shining Vic placed runner-up. Boxmeer placed third.

6 locals gain as ITF Phinma tilt unfolds STEPHAN Lhuillier, Julian Fernandez and Rucel Cero trampled their respective rivals to clinch three of the four berths in the main draw of the 2017 PhinmaPSC Juniors Tennis Championships, which kicks off its Week I today (Tuesday, Nov. 14) at the Manila Polo Club in Forbes Park.

Lhuillier routed compatriot Armando Bejosano, 6-0, 6-2; Fernandez overpowered Jacinto Barrientos, 6-1, 6-3; while Cero held off Alfred Directo, 6-3, 7-5; to join seeded Arthur Pantino, Michael Eala, Manuel Balce III and Matthew Garcia in the tournament proper of the Group 4 ITF (International Tennis Federation) boys’ 18-and-under event.

Japanese Mikihisa Matsuzaki turned back Phathikone Kanyaphan, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2, to likewise move to the main draw, led by Megh Patel of

Junior drag driver, 8, killed in race crash SYDNEY—An eightyear-old girl has died after crashing her junior dragster during her first official test run in the West Australia capital of Perth, police said Monday.

Anita Board was trying to qualify for a junior racing license in her purple dragster “Pony Power” on Saturday when she hit a cement barrier at the end of the run, local media reported.

She had just turned eight on Thursday, reaching the minimum age to get the license and race her 210cc dragster.

Police said she was taken to hospital in critical condition and died on Sunday.

“Tragically, the eightyear-old girl involved in a crash at the Kwinana Motorplex... has died as a result of the injuries she sustained,” the police statement said.

Police said they were investigating the cause of the accident.

Anita came from a dragracing family and their Facebook page has several pictures of her in racing gear alongside different dragsters.

Her father, Ian, posted a message overnight on the page saying “my heart (is) in a million pieces”.

The Australian National Drag Racing Association said it was assisting police investigations into the accident, while the acting premier of West Australia state raised the possibility of imposing new restrictions on junior racing.

“I think we need to look at the full range of safety measures that are in place,” Roger Cook was quoted as saying by public broadcaster ABC.

India and Japanese Shunsuke Mitsui, of the event sponsored by the Philippine Investment Management Consultants (Phinma) and sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association (Philta).

Tracy Llamas downed Isearis Bejosano, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1; Isabela Carlos trounced Raiana Aquino, 6-2, 6-0; and Althea Ong held off Paula Uy, 6-2, 7-5; to likewise gain spots in the main draw of the girls’ side of the championship supported by Technifiber ball as official ball, official hotel Jinjiang Inn, Makati and the Philippine Sports Commission.

They thus joined seeded Phl bets Rafaella Villanueva, Melanie DIzon and Bea Ace in the event topbilled

by Lisa Mays of Australia, Taiwanese Chang Ting-pei, Chinese Xuanjin Li, Hong Kong’s Wing Ka Lin and Japanese Yuna Ohashi.

Jockey Kevin Abobo and trainer Chito Santos, representing Oliver Velasquez of SC Stockfarm, which owns winning horse Hitting Spree, raise their trophies during the awards ceremonies of the Ambassador Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr. Cup at the Santa Ana Park. They are joined by (front row, starting second from left) Philracom Commissioner Victor Tantoco, Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez, PH Racing Club Executive VP and COO Santiago Cualoping III and Philracom Commissioners Bienvenido Niles Jr. and Ramon Bagatsing Jr.

Italy faces World Cup debacle M I L A N — Fo u r- t i m e champions Italy face missing out on the World Cup for the first time since 1958, a potential national humiliation likened to the “apocalypse” by the team’s fanatical supporters.

Italy need to overturn a 1-0 play-off first-leg defeat against Sweden at the San Siro on Monday.

National coach Gian Piero Ventura insists his team will not falter but the 69-year-old gave his critics more ammunition in the build-up to the game by claiming he was “amazed people are surprised we’re in the play-offs”.

“We knew from the moment we picked Spain in the group phase that we’d be heading for the play-offs.

Nobody can be surprised we reached this point.

“I realize this is the way it works in Italy, but I didn’t expect all this,” he added of the reaction generated by the humiliation of an impending exit.

“We started out with people talking about the apocalypse.”

Italy were second to Spain in the group phase and never recovered from their confidence-denting 3-0 defeat early September in Madrid.

Ventura has come under fire for stubbornly sticking to a failing tactical system and overlooking talented Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne, 26.

The Italy coach blamed bad luck and the referee for Friday’s defeat in Stockholm. AFP

Asia Pacific Predator League 2018 PH leg begins Nov. 18 PREDATOR Gaming has announced the Asia Pacific Predator League 2018, its brand new DOTA:2 league and the most anticipated eSports competition.

The Philippines joins the action together with 7 other countries as it begins its first Regional Qualifier in Bukidnon on Nov. 18.

The emerging victor of the Philippine Qualifier will be heading to Indonesia to compete for the $150,000 prize pool.

The most anticipated eSports competition, Asia Pacific Predator

League 2018 is set to hold elimination rounds in 7 countries in Asia Pacific, namely Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Indonesia, where the final round will be held.

“We started our Predator gaming line around two and a half years ago, and within those two years, we have successfully reached first place in several countries. This is definitely a good starting point for us, and today we are proud to present the most anticipated eSports tournament in Asia Pacific that could take you to the next-level

gaming experience with Predator,” said Andrew Hou, President of Predator Gaming Pan Asia Pacific Region.

“Predator League is a milestone for Predator Gaming and is a testament to our relentless pursuit of innovation and technological excellence, and our commitment to delivering best-inclass experiences to gamers without compromise.” he added.

The first elimination round of the Predator League will be conducted in each country, and will last for approximately 3 months (until January 2018).

The Philippine Leg consists of

4 Regional Qualifiers, each with a prize pool of P30,000, and the National Finals, with a prize pool of P100,000.

The Regional Qualifiers will be held in various areas of the country, namely Mindanao (Bukidnon), Visayas (Bacolod), North Luzon (La Union), and NCR (Marikina). Winners of these qualifiers will move on to compete at the National Finals. The victor of the National Finals will then represent the Philippines in the Predator League final round, and will compete against the national winners of

Carrasco foresees growth of duathlon

The Standard Insurance duathlon team dominated the elite division in the National Duathlon Championship Sunday at the Subic Bay Freeport, organized by Triathlon Association of the Philippines. Reigning champion Jarwin Banatao retained the title he won last year in Iloilo, clocking 1 hour, 57 minutes and 42 seconds in the 10K run, 40K bike, 5K run distance. On the other hand, Standard Insurance’s long-time campaigner Joey de los Reyes finished second in 1:59.02 while John Topia was third in 2:00.19.

TRIATHLON Association of the Philippines Secretary-General Tom Carrasco Jr. is looking forward to the growth of duathlon in the next two years with the probable inclusion of the event in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games here and the World Beach Games.

“This augurs well for duathlon as we expect more athletes to go into the sport. It is an event where we have been doing well even at the Asian level and we can expect even better at the SEA Games level, “ said Carrasco after the awarding ceremonies of the National Duathlon Championship 2017 Sunday at the Subic Bay Freeport, in cooperation with its long-time partner Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

Carrasco added that by the second quarter of 2018, he sees the formation of the national duathlon team with the help of

Standard Insurance, one of the major sponsors of the event.

As expected, national team members dominated their respective categories in both the standard and sprint distance races of the event also backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, the SBMA Tourism Department, Gatorade, and the Asian Center for Insulation with national champion Jarwin Banatao posting back-to-back victories as he defended his title won last year in Iloilo.

Banato clocked 1 hour, 57 minutes and 42 seconds in the 10K run-40K bike-5K run distance.

“Sa first run loop pa lang lumabas na ako, tapos lumayo pa sa bike pero ‘di ko expected dahil galing pa ako sa sakit,” said Navyman Banatao, who is also sponsored by Standard Insurance.

Finishing second was Joey

Celebrities banner Sun Life Cycle PH cast on Saturday TRIATHLON campaigners Gerald Anderson, Jake Cuenca and Matteo Guidicelli take time out from their hectic schedules to lead the big cast of celebrities vying in the Sun Life CyclePH this Saturday (Nov. 18) at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

The troika, along with fellow sporting celebs Gretchen Ho, Iñigo Pascual, Marco Gallo and Kisses Delavin, Ysabel Ortega, Ivan Carapiet, Alex Diaz and host Piolo Pas-

the other APAC countries for the total prize pool of $150,000.

“The Philippines has such a robust local gaming community and we continue to see tremendous growth.

Still, we feel that there is so much potential just waiting to be tapped. With Predator League 2018, we hope to be able to harness this potential and unlock even more opportunities for amateur Filipino gamers starting with Asia, and eventually also all over the world,” Dio Vasquez, Director for Product Management of Predator Gaming Philippines said.

cual will see action in the premier 40-km race firing off at Bonifacio Global City to Kalayaan Flyover toward Roxas Boulevard then back again to BGC, going through the course in two loops.

The 40-km event is one of the seven categories lined up in the Sun Life CyclePH, the first of the SunPiology Duo, a fun run/ cycling fund-raiser founded by Pascual also staged to raise funds for the underprivileged kids under

Pascual’s Hebreo Foundation.

Fans will also get the chance to ride with their chosen Star Magic artists, including threetime Tour de France green jersey winner Robbie McEwen, through the Bid2Bike. For details and mechanics of the Bid2Bike, visit www.sunpiology.com/bid2bike/.

Bidding starts at P500 until all slots are filled. A maximum bid of P4,000 can also be made for a sure slot in the event backed by title sponsor Sun

Life. Winning bidders will get to bike out with their chosen stars in 20km or 40 km races and have their jerseys signed and photo taken.

Around 1,500 beginners and enthusiasts aged two to 65 years old are joining the Sun Life CyclePH held in partnership with Sunrise Events, Inc. and backed by the BGC, DOT, Powerade, Rudy Project, F2P, 2GO, Ford, Trek, Cetaphil, Sanicare, Alaska, Alcoplus, Cignal and the Philippine Star.

de los Reyes in 1 :59.02 after conceding early to Banatao.

Third place went to John Topia in 2 :00.19.

In the women’s side, defending champion Mirasol Abad dropped out in the first loop due to injury, paving the way for the first national title for Miscelle Gilbuena, 29, from Bantayan Island, Cebu.

Gilbuena has been with the national team since 2014, but it was her first time to beat Abad.

“All the way, ako nagdala, expected ko manalo dito dahil nag improve ako sa cycling at malakas na ako dati sa running,” said Gilbuena who clocked 2 :20.15, almost 10 minutes ahead of runner-up Jermyn Prado, a member of the national velodrome cycling team.

Prado finished in 2 :30.00, while third placer was Rowena Valdez in 2:33.33.

LOTTO RESULTS 6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

P0 M+ P0 M

Riera U. Mallari, Editor Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor sports@thestandard.com.ph sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

A8

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Unbeaten Foton battles Petron

Sports

LAST year’s finals protagonists battle in a grudge match as undefeated Foton takes on Petron in the Chooks to GoPhilippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix today at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Action starts at 7 pm, following the encounter between Victoria Sports-UST and Sta. Lucia Realty in the 4:15 appetizer of this prestigious club league bankrolled by Mikasa, Grand Sport, Senoh, Mueller, Rebisco, Island Rose, Cloudfone and UCPB Gen. Foton and Petron are heavily favored in this tournament that also has Gerflor and Gold’s Gym as technical sponsors and ESPN5 as official broadcast partner.

They have met in finals showdowns in the past two years with the Tornadoes emerging as champions on both times.

But this year will be different.

Foton’s gem of an import in former Most Valuable Player (MVP) Lindsay Stalzer had crossed lines and joined Petron, together with fellow American Hillary Hurley and Japanese Yuri Fukuda.

Toranto Raptors forward DeMar DeRozan (10) tries to drive past a pair of Boston Celtics defenders on November 12, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. AFP

Horford leads Celtics to 12th straight win

B

OSTON—Al Horford scored a team-high 21 points in his return as the Boston Celtics played without Kyrie Irving but still managed to hang on for their 12th straight victory on Sunday.

The Celtics had to dig deep into the depths of their roster, as they have done throughout their winning streak, to defeat the Toronto Raptors 95-94 in front of a crowd of 18,600 at the Boston Garden.

Horford missed two games due to a concussion and his return was welcome news after all-star Irving suffered a facial fracture in Friday’s win over Charlotte when he was accidently struck in the mouth by a teammate.

Horford led five Celtics

in double figures on Sunday as Jaylen Brown scored 18 points, Terry Rozier scored 16, Marcus Smart 14 and rookie Jayson Tatum delivered 13 points and seven rebounds.

The Celtics are the first team in NBA history with a double-digit win streak while having more than four rookies on their roster. Tatum is the most prominent of the six rookies contributing to the team’s remarkable early season success.

“It’s unbelievable ... we

are playing good teams too,” Rozier said.

The Raptors had a chance to win the game in the final seconds as DeMar DeRozan went one-on-one with Brown but his shot at the buzzer clanged off the rim.

Boston held on despite not scoring a basket over the final 86 seconds.

Elsewhere, James Harden had 26 points and a seasonhigh 15 assists to lead the Houston Rockets to a 118-95 rout of the Indiana Pacers.

Harden hit nine of 21 shots from the field, fellow guard Eric Gordon chipped in with 21 points, and centre Clint Capela contributed 20 points and a team-high 17 rebounds.

It was the sixth consecutive victory for the Rockets,

who led throughout.

Victor Oladipo led the Pacers with 28 points on 11of-17 shooting from the field.

In Detroit, Tobias Harris led five players in double figures with 25 points to help the Pistons earn a 112103 win over the Miami Heat and finish unbeaten on the five-game homestand.

Boston guard Irving could return soon as he spent the weekend visiting a specialist to be fitted for a playing mask to protect the facial fracture which has been described as minor. Doctors say there is no sign of a concussion, said coach Brad Stevens.

“The good news is thus far that’s the only point of pain in his face or head or neck or anything else,” said Stevens.

Tabuena settles for 3rd at Resorts World Manila

By Peter Atencio LOCAL campaigner Miguel Tabuena, falling under pressure on the last day, settled for a share of third place with Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai last Sunday at the close of the Resorts World Manila Masters at the Manila Southwoods in Carmona, Cavite.

The two finished with rounds of 67 and 69 after 72 holes of the US$1 million event to finish with an identical 270.

Asian Tour rookie Micah Lauren Shin of the United States who took the crown.

“It was a learning experience. My aim today was to contend for the trophy and I’m proud of myself that I managed to do that,” said Tabuena, who had rounds of 68-69-64-69.

With his performance, Tabuena remained the best-placed Filipino at the Resorts World Manila Masters for the second consecutive year.

He finished tied at 13th in 2016.

Shin, a Korean-American, overcame an early two-shot penalty incurred at the opening hole and defeated Thailand’s Arnond Vongvanij at the first play-off hole to claim the top honors.

Shin was set back by two shots after having discovered he had 15 clubs in his bag.

But that mistake along with another bogey on the third hole only spurred the 20-year-old to force his way back into contention.

He began his charge starting with a birdie on the fourth hole before firing three successive birdies starting from seven.

Then, Shin added another four birdies in his inward-nine to earn a play-off spot with Arnond, who had closed with a five-under-par 67.

Folayang promises to bounce back after loss

PSC, USSA establish grassroots program THE tie ups with the United States Sports Academy will help deepen and strengthen the Philippine Sports Commission’s capacity to develop both a grassroots and elite program.

PSC chairman William “Butch” Ramirez said this after the government sports agency recently forged an agreement with the USSA and arranged a smooth working relationship.

“In other countries, there’s no department of sports and an institute, and no doctorate degree in this area. We want these areas to strengthen, to deepen its capacity to develop grassroots and elite programs,” said Ramirez.

The agreement will mainly benefit the programs of the Philippine Sports Institute, which is now deeply involved in talent identification of potential athletes in the provinces under National Training Director Marc Edward Velasco and Dr. Henry Daut.

Coaches’ education will be the primary thrust. It will involve public school teachers and coaches who still study to have a master’s degree in sports science.

The agreement was recently signed in Davao City, with the Academy set to work with governmental agencies and other organizations endorsed by the PSC. Peter Atencio

Irving scored a thencareer-high 41 points the last time he wore a mask in December 2012 while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

DeRozan led the Raptors, who fell to 7-5 on the season, with 24 points for his seventh straight 20-point game.

“They are the best team in the NBA right now and they are playing unbelievable,” Toronto’s Kyle Lowry said.

“Everybody is picking up slack.”

Lowry scored 19 points and dished out seven assists and CJ Miles was the only other Raptor in double figures with 10 points.

Lowry passed Andrea Bargnani to move into fourth place on the Raptors’ alltime scoring list. AFP

Petron also has a solid core of local stars in Rhea Dimaculangan, Sisi Rondina, Mika Reyes, Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Remy Palma, Frances Molina and Ria Meneses.

The Tornadoes also launched a massive buildup tapping three Eastern European imports in Sara Klisura and Katarina Vukamanovic of Serbia and Dragana Perunicnic of Montenegro to join head coach Moro Branislav and local crew of Jaja Santiago, Maika Ortiz, Jen Reyes and EJ Laure.

The result was impressive as the Tornadoes won their first four matches, making them the strongest team in this tourney that is considered as the toughest in the country due to the presence of superb imports providing high level of competition.

The Blaze Spikers, for their part, won their first three games before suffering a four-set loss to another powerhouse in F2 Logistics last week in Bacolod City. But they quickly regained their composure as they prevailed over Victoria Sports-UST, 2516, 25-14, 25-14.

Eduard Folayang (right) unloads a leg kick at opponent Martin Nguyen during their ONE Championship match at the Mall of Asia Arena. ONE Championship

EDUARD Folayang was quick to congratulate new ONE Championship Lightweight World Champion Martin Nguyen, who snatched his crown with a brutal knockout, but promised to come back stronger than ever.

“I tip my hat off to Martin Nguyen. He did his homework well and came very prepared. Because of this, my hunger for improvement remains. This is a big lesson learned. I believe challenges inside and outside the cage always bring out the best in us. I assure you that the journey doesn’t end here,” said Folayang in his official statement released over Facebook.

ONE Championship Featherweight World

Champion Nguyen beat Folayang in a battle of champions at the Mall of Asia arena last Friday.

Nguyen waited patiently and when the opening came he struck with deadly precision to knock out Folayang to win Folayang’s title.

Folayang said that first and foremost he wanted to thank God for His protection and assured his followers and the fans of Team Lakay that he was alright and there is nothing to be anxious about because he was in good physical condition.

He also thanked ONE Championship for providing him the best medical attention after the match.

“I take this opportunity to thank my countrymen

for their support not only to me but to the entire Team Lakay athletes who competed last November 10 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

My heart is overwhelmed with the outpouring of their encouragement. We hope we can pay it forward,” said Folayang.

Nguyen, the ONE Championship World Featherweight titleholder, was content to counter any attacks as he waited for his opportunity during their match. In the second round Folayang attacked with another swinging heel kick.

Instead of stepping back to avoid the attack or standing still to block the kick Nguyen jumped forward while Folayang’s head and body spun around.

When Folayang swung into

position Nguyen landed a punch on his face knocking out the Filipino titleholder.

Folayang went limp, fell backward and before Nguyen could administer more punishment the referee stopped the fight.

It was not the first time that Folayang had suffered a knockout loss as a professional MMA fighter. He also lost by KO through a flying knee to Timofey Nastyukhin; lost by decision to Kamal Shalorus; lost by referee stoppage due to injury to Lowen Tynanes; and lost by decision to Ole Laursen.

After those losses he strung together victories until he eventually won the ONE Lightweight World title.

UST rules UAAP Season 80 judo competition UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas produced a golden double but its men’s team had to share the title with Ateneo at the end of the UAAP Season 80 judo competitions Sunday at the Sports Pavilion inside the De La Salle-Zobel campus in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa.

The Growling Tigers and the Blue Eagles became co-champions after posting identical 30 points in the two-day event.

UST had an easier time in ruling the women’s division for the fourth straight season with 45 points, 13 ahead of its closest pursuer University of the East.

Extra lightweight Daryl

John Mercado and Sherwin De Rosa made a 1-2 finish for the Tigers, while half middleweight Renzo Cazeñas and heavyweight Dither Joshua Tablan won golds.

Also achieving podium finishes for UST were half middleweight Luis San Diego (silver), featherweight Russel Rhey Lorenzo (bronze), lightweight Jeunesse Nikole Ong (bronze), and half heavyweight George Kim (bronze).

The Eagles captured golds courtesy of featherweight Isaiah Anthony Tuazon, lightweight Earl Timothy Uy and half middleweight Harmon Anthony Tuazon.

Half lightweights Michael John Isidro (silver) and Christian Dominic Clemente (bronze), heavyweight Rafael Angelo Cadiente (silver), half middleweight Hermogenes Arayata IV (bronze), and middleweight Alfred Benjamin Querubin (bronze) also delivered medals for Ateneo.

The new scoring system implemented for judo is seven points for first place, three points for second place and a point for joint third placers.

The Tigers won a leaguebest 13th crown, while the Eagles took their seventh championship overall.

Khrizzie Pabulayan (extra lightweight), Almira

Ruiz (lightweight), Jamaika Ponciano (half heavyweight) and Renielyn Castillo (heavyweight) spearheaded UST’s four-gold haul in the distaff side.

The Tigresses also contributed four silvers and five bronzes to annex their 10th title.

The Lady Warriors also had four golds behind Ma. Jeanalane Lopez (featherweight), Claudine Nargatan (half lightweight), Patricia Nicole Rosario (half middleweight) and Bianca Mae Estrella (middleweight), but the Recto-based judokas could only muster a silver and a bronze to settle for the runner-up honors anew.

RACING CARS AT SM MARIKINA. Filipino-Swiss race car driver Marlon Stockinger (left) joins SM Supermalls Senior Assistant Vice President for Marketing TJ Cuenca during the Christmas launch of SM City Marikina with the Disney-themed centerpiece featuring Lightning McQueen from Cars. Norman Cruz

Market slumps; Meralco advances

B2

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Razon proposes more infra projects

B1

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, November 13, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency Unit US Dollar Peso United States Dollar

1.00000

51.239

Japan

Yen

0.008807

0.4513

UK

Pound

1.3184

67.5535

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.12819

6.5683

Switzerland

Franc

1.004218

51.4551

Canada

Dollar

0.788022

40.3775

By Othel V. Campos

Singapore

Dollar

0.735024

37.6619

Australia

Dollar

0.7644

39.1671

BUSINESSMAN Enrique Razon Jr., chairman and chief executive of port developer International Container Terminal Services Inc., on Monday proposed the development of an infrastructure economy to get the projects off the ground.

Razon, speaking during the Asean Business and Investment Summit, said the government should create an infrastructure economy in the interim to improve the general direction of the Philippine economy.

“We have to focus and invest in infrastructure. I’m sure that many other countries have experienced the same issues like the Philippines.

Now, we have many things to worry about,” Razon said.

He said ICTSI itself was an active participant in “leading the Philippine ports development and in many countries.”

Razon said while some countries were ahead and others lagged behind the Philippines, transparency would not always guarantee success and was not the main reason some countries succeeded and others did not.

“Transparency is a tricky thing. To us, what is important is to achieve our objective. If we focus on governance and transparency, we won’t get what needs to be done,” he said.

He said democracy would not ensure the progress of infrastructure development. “Tying democracy to development, I don’t think that works.

Many Asean countries are not democratic,” Razon said.

Razon said what needed to be done was to build infrastructure projects like ports, airport, roads, subway and others.

The ICTSI executive also called on fellow Asean companies to “get the standards together.”

“My hope for this administration is to change culture on how to get things done,” he said.

Bahrain

Dinar

IPO AUTHORITY. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines is now an International Searching Authority and International Preliminary Examining

Authority, duly appointed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, during the 57th World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly and 49th Session of the PCT Union Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. The designation will greatly assist Filipino inventors, local universities and research and development institutions in obtaining patent protection abroad for their inventions. Signing the agreement are IPOPHL director general Josephine Santiago (left) and WIPO director general Francis Gurry.

2.651465

135.8584

Saudi Arabia Rial

0.266638

13.6623

Brunei

Dollar

0.732332

37.524

Indonesia

Rupiah 0.000074

0.0038

Thailand

Baht

1.5475

UAE

Dirham 0.272301

13.9524

Euro

Euro

1.1658

59.7344

Korea

Won

0.000894

0.0458

China

Yuan

0.150577

7.7154

India

Rupee

0.015347

0.7864

Malaysia

Ringgit 0.238663

0.030202

12.2289

New Zealand Dollar

0.6924

35.4779

Taiwan

0.033151

1.6986

Dollar

Source: PDS Bridge

First Pacific reviews operations

By Jenniffer B. Austria

F

IRST Pacific Co. Ltd., a Hong Kong-based investment management and holding company with investments in Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines, is reviewing its regional portfolio to dispose assets that failed to meet target returns.

First Pacific managing director and chief executive Manuel Pangilinan said the conglomerate expected to complete the portfolio review by the end of the year.

“There are some transactions under in discussions already. Hopefully by the end of the year, we will have something,” Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan did not provide additional details, saying most First Pacific’s assets were listed firms. He said the

review would involve all assets of the company including those in the Philippines.

First Pacific has controlling investments in telecom giant PLDT Inc., infrastructure conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corp., mining company Philex Mining Corp. and sugar producer Roxas Holdings Inc. Metro Pacific controls several firms engaged in tollways, water distribution, power distribution and hospital business.

Pangilinan said there were pressures on First Pacific not only to pay down debts but also to buy back shares to improve boost investor confidence.

“There is also pressure on First Pacific not so much on debt, but to buy back shares since we have a big discount on our underlying NAV [net asset value],” Pangilinan said.

The performance of Philippine companies owned

by First Pacific was mixed, with Metro Pacific posting strong growth on robust performance of core subsidiaries

in tollways, water distribution, power distribution and hospital.

PLDT is progressing steadily, after posting a 21-percent decline in core profits in 2016, as it continued to invest heavily to improve services.

Philex continues to gear up on the Silangan mining project, while Roxas Holdings is focused on improving sugar and ethanol production.

First Pacific’s Infofood is the biggest vertically-integrated food company in Indonesia and is one of Australia’s and New Zealand’s biggest food companies.

First Pacific reported recurring profit of $168.7 million in the first half, up by 7 percent from $157.8 million recorded in the same period a year ago.

Net income also rose 4 percent in January to June to $133.1 million from P127.6 million a year earlier, as contributions from operations rose 2 percent to $231.8 million.

PH, Korea expand flight entitlements

First Gen registers $101m in net profit

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Philippines amended an air service agreement with South Korea, the top source of international visitors, raising the flight entitlements between the two countries by 13,000 seats a week.

Civil Aeronautics Board executive director Carmelo Arcilla said the two countries signed a new memorandum of understanding on air services that set air traffic entitlements between Manila and all international airports in Korea at 20,000 seats per week for each country from the current 13,500.

“It means that all airlines of the Philippines authorized to operate between Manila and all international airports in Korea can utilize a combined total of 20,000 seats per week,” Arcilla said.

He said the same number of 20,000 seats per week would also be available for all the Korean carriers authorized to operate between Manila and all international airports in Korea.

“The new MOU further provided for unlimited traffic rights for the authorized airlines of both countries between all international airports in the Philippines outside Manila and all international airports in Korea,” Arcilla said.

IN BRIEF Asean integration must adapt THE emergence of China as a rising superpower and the increasing link between economics and security have undermined the foundations on which the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was built, experts said at a forum ahead of the regional bloc’s summit.

The 50-year-old organization should thus adapt if it is to continue its economic journey, said former foreign affairs secretary Roberto Romulo. “Asean’s embrace of globalization was responsible for its rapid economic transformation. Unfortunately, we now live in a world fraught with uncertainties,” Romulo said.

Romulo was speaking at “Asean Leadership amid a New World Order,” a discussion organized by private think tank Stratbase ADRi, where titans of the Philippine economy talked about the changing international landscape and how these affect the region’s business community.

For Romulo, a way to deal with this is for Asean to be more aggressive in its pursuit of deepening economic integration, even as it has already made strides in this area with the removal of nontariff measures and the implementation of a single window.

Prof. Yorizumi Watanabe, Faculty of Policy Management of the Graduate School of Media and Governance at Keio University listed Brexit and the impact of Trump presidency as two major sources of uncertainty.

Watanabe said that with the US’ withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, China could take advantage by imposing its own power-oriented trade policies, such as the aggressive use of anti-dumping measures and the state subsidies on steel. There will be less incentives to enhance FTAs in the absence of TPPs, further jeopardizing trade liberalization in East Asia.

First Holdings wins PSE award FIRST Philippine Holdings Corp., the investment company of the Lopez Group, won the Best Sustainability Program during the 2017 Philippine Stock Exchange

Bell Awards for Excellence in Corporate Governance.

The honor for FPH was one of the five new categories that the PSE included in the Bell Awards tilt, which the PSE holds as a way of recognizing listed companies and trading participants that show excellence in their corporate governance programs and practices.

According to the PSE, the Bell Award’s Best Sustainability Program category aims to recognize listed companies that best promote and enhance the quality of their sustainability programs to balance the interest of the environment, people and business.

“As experts assessed, business cannot thrive in a failed society and a damaged planet. Business needs people to flourish so people can buy the products and services of business and both business and people will flourish if they work within the limits of the environment,” FPH explained in its entry.

FPH is a holding company with interests in key industries such as energy, property development, construction, health care and energy services. Among its subsidiaries is First Gen Corp., the country’s leading clean and renewable energy company.

FDA clears 51 contraceptives THE Food and Drug Administration said the technical review and reevaluation process of 51 contraceptive products covered by a resolution issued by the Supreme Court was completed.

The FDA in an advisory, said that the 51 contraceptive products the agency evaluated for months have passed the strict requirements of the technical review and reevaluation process.

Having met the requirements and passed the standards, the FDA is now preparing the recertification of these products.

The recertification will attest to the safety of the products concerned and that they do not exhibit abortifacient properties. The complete list will be posted on the FDA website and social media accounts.

The FDA recognized that the various sectors helped the agency ensure that the recertification process was participative and transparent even as it adhered strictly to the methods of science in undertaking the task.

MIASCOR LOUNGE. Clark International Airport Corp. president and chief executive Alexander Cauguiran (left) and Miascor Aviation Services president and chief executive Tristan Dumlao cut the ribbon officially opening the Miascor FBO (fixed base operations) lounge at the Clark Civil Aviation Complex. Services provided by the Miascor FBO Lounge include private aircraft handling, flight operations assistance, liaising with airport authorities, landing and over flight permits processing, passenger crew transportation and accommodation and on-site immigration and customs clearance services.

SMC to appeal plunder case vs PSALM

By Alena Mae S. Flores A POWER unit of conglomerate San Miguel Corp. said Monday it will appeal a decision with the Justice Department on the plunder and corruption charges the company filed against officials of state-run Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. and independent power producer TeaM (Philippines) Energy Corp.

SMC Global Power Holdings Corp. president Elenita Go informed the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. of the DoJ resolution dated Oct. 25, 2017 partially granting the petition for review filed by Team Energy president Suguru Tsuzaki and TeaM Sual Corp. executive vice president Kochi Tamura.

San Miguel Energy Corp. is set to file a motion for reconsideration with the Justice Department on the resolution granting a petition for review.

The DOJ resolution ruled that the “assailed resolution is reversed and set aside” in so far

as the conduct of preliminary investigation.

The records of the case were submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman for disposition.

“SMEC shall be filing a motion for partial reconsideration of the said motion,” SMC Global said.

SMEC asked to DOJ to prosecute former PSALM president Lourdes Alzona in 2015 for plunder in connection with the alleged P14-billion loss over a 2009 contract with Team Energy for the Sual power plant in Pangasinan.

SMEC filed a complaint against Alzona, now PSALM officer-in-charge, for allegedly violating the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act. Also impleaded in the complaint were Tsuzaki and Tamura.

San Miguel said the government was deprived of a 200-megawatt capacity of the 1,200-MW Sual power plant under the deal between TeaM Energy and PSALM.

TeaM Energy operates the Sual plant as its independent power producer, while SMEC manages the plant’s electricity output as the independent power producer administrator.

TeaM Energy disputed SMEC’s allegations saying the MOA was “legal and above board” and it had no priority dispatch over the excess capacity.

SMEC, however, said if there was any excess capacity from the Sual plant, it should be the government that should benefit and not the IPP of the plant.

SMC Global said that in connection with the civil complaint filed by SMEC with the Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 71 on July 5, 2017, SMEC consigned with the court the additional amount of P16,185,640.73 corresponding to the proceeds of the sale of the excess capacity to the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market for the billing period from July 26, 2016 to Aug. 25, 2016.

POWER producer First Gen Corp. said Monday recurring net income attributable to equity holders of the parent reached $123 million in the first nine months, down 4 percent from $128 million it earned in the same period last year.

“Despite the recent calamities like the Batangas and Leyte earthquakes, which negatively affected the operations of our gas plants and our largest geothermal facility, First Gen’s recurring third quarter net income slightly dipped,” First Gen president and chief operating officer Francis Giles Puno said.

He said other power plants in the portfolio like the Bacman geothermal power plants and the Burgos wind power plant were able to deliver better profits this year while San Gabriel recovered in the third quarter.

“Our merchant natural gas-fired power plants have been providing much-needed power these past few months as numerous power plants in the grid went offline due to planned outages,” Puno said.

First Gen, a Lopez Group company, also said attributable net income in the first three quarters reached $101 million.

The company said attributable net income was lower than the recurring net income by $22 million due to the one-time effect of the break funding costs incurred as a result of the $500-million refinancing of the 1,000-megawatt Santa Rita power plant’s longterm debt in May and the premium paid for EDC’s partial buyback of US dollar-denominated bond, and the geothermal company’s earthquake-related expenditures.

Alena Mae S. Flores

B2

Business

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market slumps; Meralco advances

T

HE stock market tumbled Monday after investors continued to cash in on recent gains, while the rest of Asian equities fell after a recent rally to multi-year highs.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index dropped 103.46 points, or 1.2 percent, to 8,330.02 on a value turnover of P8.2 billion.

Losers overwhelmed gainers, 115 to 72, with 49 issues unchanged.

Major property developer Ayala Land Inc. lost 3 percent to P42.50, while Semirara Mining and Power Corp. slumped 3.1 percent to P37.10.

Bloomberry Resorts Corp., which operates a casino on a reclaimed part of Manila Bay, fell 3.5 percent to P10.50. Manila Electric Co., the biggest electricity retailer, however, advanced 3.7 percent to P305.80 to buck the trend.

The pound, meanwhile, sank against its major peers on Monday as British Prime Minister Theresa May’s future looks increas-

ingly uncertain.

Global stock markets have surged in recent weeks—with Wall Street hitting several records and Tokyo touching 26-year highs—on optimism about the global economy and a series of strong corporate earnings.

But investors have started to cash in as worries begin to emerge about high share valuations, while there are also fears about Donald Trump’s much-vaunted tax cuts as US lawmakers struggle to agree a deal.

Sterling tumbled Monday after reports that dozens of MPs in the ruling Conservative Party were backing a move to oust May, whose leadership has been battered by a string of scandals and crises.

The questions over the prime minister’s future come as her government’s handling of Brexit talks with the European Union attract criticism from all sides.

On equity markets Tokyo’s Nikkei ended down 1.3 percent, while Seoul shed 0.5 percent.

Sydney lost 0.1 percent on worries about the ruling coalition’s future after Prime

Minister Malcolm Turnbull lost his majority when another of his MPs resigned at the weekend, the latest victim of a constitutional crisis over politicians who hold dual citizenship.

There were also losses in Bangkok and Taipei but Hong Kong rose 0.3 percent in the afternoon, while Shanghai ended 0.4 percent higher.

Dealers are keeping a close watch on Capitol Hill, where US lawmakers are trying to cobble together a bill to reform the tax system.

However, Trump’s Republican party is divided, with senators calling for a one-year delay to corporate tax cuts, among other things. Fears over the possible delay sent the Dow lower in New York on Friday, ending eight weeks of gains.

The split has fueled fears the tax cuts—the promise of which have triggered a global markets rally—could fail in the same way as the planned overhaul of Obamacare earlier in the year. With AFP

AUB increased net profit to P2.2b in first 9 months

By Julito G. Rada ASIA United Bank, the financial unit of the Rebisco Group of Companies, said unaudited consolidated net income in the first nine months of the year rose 19 percent to P2.2 billion from P1.8 billion year-on-year.

“Amid the volatility in the financial markets, the AUB Group was able to sustain its double-digit growth by ramping up lending activities and generating deposits from its branch network nationwide,” the bank said in a statement Monday.

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2017

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 4 986,000 59.15 114,730 99 1,983,540 3.84 2,000 145 1,521,530 1.95 1,024,000 33.5 138,800 15.6 45,200 33.15 5,134,000 1.69 21,000 0.61 1,170,000 93.85 716,350 0.79 371,000 25.5 200 59 1,060 243 270 87.5 1,630 55 49,650 252 267,620 1,915 30 86.65 900 1.33 275,000

3,986,160 6,774,774 196,712,136 7,680 220,692,919 1,984,960 4,649,185 708,308 170,447,990 35,550 713,980 67,263,659.50 294,320 5,100 62,391 65,724 142,613 2,738,592 68,928,174 57,450 77,966 366,750

-373,868 -9,250,553.50 -24,908,049 137,120 2,492,400 -204,148 -41,147,595 -5,204,028.50 -18,834.50 -1,315,235.50 -6,315,396 23,361.50 67,500

41.1 12 0.73 1.34 18.1 0.217 103 4.07 15.44 42.9 62.7 67.4 1.9 5.69 11.3 10.38 14.88 12.04 7.19 5.74 1.75 17.74 61.65 24.3 11.9 21 2.05 253 58.55 4 2.93 30.15 18.2 18.28 296.6 0.196 9.9 2.63 6.25 9.9 7.4 9.5 1.61 12 60.9 6.25 470 5.04 1.96 4.72 2.08 12.88 5.01 0.138 1.2 136 3.17 1.98 0.95

INDUSTRIAL 41.1 787,900 12.36 1,430,700 0.75 698,000 1.34 158,000 18.98 11,900 0.218 560,000 103 90 4.15 23,591,000 15.5 788,000 43.6 489,800 65 50 67.4 140 1.9 140,000 5.69 2,000 11.3 700 10.8 32,762,400 14.92 482,200 12.04 812,800 7.25 388,800 5.75 3,485,200 1.75 1,000 17.8 396,600 61.9 27,380 24.9 1,954,700 11.9 62,400 21.5 2,928,600 2.1 5,918,000 257 968,510 58.75 300 4.02 274,000 3.1 17,000 30.5 783,700 18.58 874,300 18.66 2,363,700 305.8 2,320,720 0.2 2,080,000 9.9 12,100 2.64 3,081,000 6.25 46,000 9.94 1,239,600 7.5 87,800 9.5 7,200 1.62 641,000 12.08 344,900 61.15 291,200 6.4 27,300 490 31,410 5.1 359,200 1.96 13,000 4.75 32,000 2.11 128,000 12.9 322,400 5.03 269,000 0.138 560,000 1.2 53,000 136.5 1,435,740 3.38 26,000 2 17,011,000 0.95 54,000

32,742,315 17,699,138 517,740 212,820 220,006 122,070 9,270 97,839,150 12,225,742 21,364,480 3,158 9,460 266,000 11,380 7,910 349,636,938 7,183,786 9,837,154 2,807,153 20,041,443 1,750 7,075,776 1,691,095.50 49,718,075 743,058 63,189,830 12,527,300 248,767,998 17,595 1,099,500 51,320 23,669,660 16,106,634 43,889,392 708,432,542 414,180 121,050 8,316,990 287,755 12,390,815 650,645 68,800 1,051,270 4,169,058 17,867,509.50 174,361 15,259,292 1,825,667 25,480 154,540 268,520 4,170,788 1,394,430 77,510 63,600 196,076,211 84,400 34,795,610 51,300

-2,872,265 636,680 -1,350 -5,525,830 9,225,712 85,136,544 1,358,586 -8,639,138 940,637 -5,920,143 -3,794,662 -516,417 -2,716,455 3,862,010 -1,932,100 -15,212,062 4,020.00 -2,716,585 3,352,992 18,221,336 -112,042,488 -14,000 -74,750 3,140 -5,228,807 163,710.00 -1,834,720 -3,131,797 388,594 -1,039,380.00 -939,904 -6,900 -14,952,291 3,180 -2,566,290.00 -

0.34 74 15.56 1.02 7.02 0.45 0.455 1,070 8.1 15.6 7.85 0.188 1,204 7.8 76 0.73 5.83 17.96 6.8 3.16 0.05 1.23 2.07 116.7 2.58 990 1.46 190.1 297 0.245 0.183 0.201

0.315 72.1 15.2 0.98 7.02 0.425 0.425 1,043 7.98 15.1 7.77 0.185 1,172 7.68 73.6 0.7 5.75 17.6 6.71 3.15 0.048 1.16 2.07 114.5 2.58 953 1.44 190.1 282 0.245 0.183 0.201

HOLDING FIRMS 0.34 210,000 72.1 780,070 15.32 2,834,900 1.02 1,236,000 7.02 15,700 0.445 12,240,000 0.435 4,260,000 1,050 149,815 8.04 897,400 15.1 6,141,000 7.8 521,100 0.185 600,000 1,172 62,630 7.69 15,000 73.6 792,680 0.72 337,000 5.75 1,510,500 17.96 750,900 6.73 23,484,700 3.15 11,000 0.049 14,540,000 1.16 1,060,000 2.07 36,000 115.4 147,190 2.58 17,000 953 182,520 1.46 518,000 190.1 50 297 5,390 0.245 140,000 0.183 140,000 0.201 130,000

67,600 56,627,971 43,602,948 1,229,400 110,214 5,400,950 1,876,750 157,579,870 7,200,393 94,551,714 4,063,950 112,550 73,961,720 115,512 59,004,869 239,210 8,716,372 13,422,370 158,084,876 34,700 707,190 1,252,690 74,520 16,972,835 43,860 175,946,525 753,500 9,505 1,574,268 34,300 25,620 26,130

-19,180,058 3,890,894 -73,244,850 3,564,871 -28,717,050 -909,500 -18,800 -22,761,985 -32,129,664.50 7,652,597 8,180,612 25,047,096 -33,210 52,900 3,392,356 -86,888,255 70,026 -16,470 0

5.37 1.01 2.61 0.96 44.5 3.86 5.05 5.46 0.52 1.2 0.203 0.51 38.9 0.67 0.139 1.95 1.52 0.86

5.21 0.97 2.52 0.94 42.5 3.84 4.81 5.4 0.5 1.2 0.2 0.485 38 0.66 0.139 1.92 1.49 0.83

1,361,851 4,195,440 3,797,920 1,752,710 625,299,630 1,735,440 11,287,180 137,028 2,710,100 81,600 800,880 766,825 13,395,860 52,810 19,460 7,465,320 4,328,220 539,410

36,750 51,000 -102,800 47,500 -342,099,935 -519,020 7,098 -286,000 -14,070 116,870 2,286,265 -19,460 1,323,300 6,000 -

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

AG FINANCE ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK BRIGHT KINDLE CHINABANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK IREMIT MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK SUN LIFE UNION BANK VANTAGE

4.45 59 99 3.84 147.5 1.96 33.55 15.9 32.15 1.75 0.62 95 0.79 25.5 59.9 244.8 87.1 54.2 260 1,915 86.6 1.35

4.45 59.4 99.6 3.84 147.5 2.09 33.55 15.9 33.75 1.75 0.62 95 0.8 25.5 59.9 244.8 87.5 55.55 260 1,915 86.9 1.35

4 58.8 98.7 3.84 144.3 1.9 33.45 15.6 31.85 1.69 0.61 93.4 0.79 25.5 58.35 243 87.1 54 251.2 1,915 86.55 1.33

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS ASIABEST GROUP BASIC ENERGY BOGO MEDELLIN CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CIRTEK HLDG CONCEPCION CONCRETE A CROWN ASIA DAVINCI CAPITAL DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP EMPERADOR ENERGY DEVT EUROMED FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG GINEBRA HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LIBERTY FLOUR LMG CHEMICALS MABUHAY VINYL MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETROENERGY PETRON PHIL H2O PHINMA PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP PUREFOODS RFM CORP ROXAS AND CO ROXAS HLDG SFA SEMICON SHAKEYS PIZZA SPC POWER SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VICTORIAS VITARICH VULCAN INDL

42 12.1 0.73 1.36 19.32 0.217 103 4.1 15.62 43.95 62.7 67.8 1.9 5.69 11.3 10.38 14.92 12.28 7.27 5.75 1.75 17.8 61.75 26.4 12 22 2.07 253 58.55 4.08 3.1 30.2 18.7 18.3 296.6 0.2 10.1 2.7 6.28 10.08 7.4 9.7 1.67 12.12 62.2 6.69 500 5.04 1.96 4.72 2.15 13 5.05 0.138 1.2 137 3.18 2.13 0.95

42.05 12.48 0.77 1.37 19.32 0.22 103 4.19 15.62 43.95 65 67.8 1.9 5.69 11.3 10.82 14.92 12.68 7.27 5.77 1.75 18.46 61.9 26.95 12 22.5 2.18 258.6 58.75 4.08 3.1 30.5 19 18.66 307.4 0.203 10.1 2.72 6.3 10.22 7.55 9.7 1.67 12.14 62.2 6.69 500 5.1 1.96 5.01 2.15 13.08 5.3 0.139 1.2 137.8 3.38 2.15 0.95

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

0.33 72.55 15.3 0.99 7.02 0.425 0.425 1,055 8.07 15.6 7.77 0.188 1,196 7.8 76 0.73 5.79 17.66 6.76 3.16 0.049 1.2 2.07 115 2.58 981 1.46 190.1 295 0.245 0.183 0.201

8990 HLDG A BROWN ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEB LANDMASTERS CEBU HLDG CENTURY PROP CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE IRC PROP

5.35 0.97 2.52 0.96 43.85 3.86 4.83 5.4 0.52 1.2 0.201 0.51 38 0.66 0.139 1.92 1.51 0.85

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

5.61 0.315 0.385 0.59 7.2 24.85 1.84 37 1.03 0.88 6.24

5.63 0.35 0.39 0.59 7.41 25 1.84 37.4 1.05 0.88 6.24

5.5 0.315 0.38 0.51 7.07 24.25 1.81 35.9 1.03 0.84 6.14

5.5 0.345 0.385 0.51 7.15 24.25 1.81 36 1.04 0.85 6.22

19,716,700 77,980,000 1,560,000 27,553,000 3,262,400 1,666,900 423,000 4,496,600 1,207,000 12,000 381,800

109,111,830 26,026,600 597,300 14,971,090 23,613,095 40,880,785 772,970 163,541,020 1,252,390 10,220 2,369,295

-61,717,825 -18,900 30,800 252,200 1,553,887 -16,157,075 109,100 -94,139,200 6,800 1,642,837

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

18.4 37.85 1.5 0.48 0.046 11.76 5.01 10.88 0.07 103.5 9.38 7.5 1,020 2,020 5.9 18.3 3.11 2.45 101.8 12.2 8.35 0.151 1.36 3.12 15.9 3.8 1.28 22.3 0.53 2.8 7 4.05 16.9 2.5 11.08 5.15 2.88 200 8.3 1,701 1.35 0.325 50.95 95 6.05 3.6 1.72 1.92 3.81 0.92 8.48

18.4 38 1.5 0.495 0.047 11.76 5.01 10.88 0.075 103.5 9.49 7.5 1,020 2,046 5.91 18.3 3.35 2.45 104 13.98 8.35 0.153 1.39 3.23 15.9 3.9 1.29 23.4 0.53 2.92 7.05 4.09 16.9 2.64 11.08 5.15 2.88 235 8.3 1,705 1.37 0.345 51 95.5 6.17 3.6 1.73 1.92 3.85 0.94 8.48

17.5 37.5 1.49 0.48 0.045 11.5 5.01 10.4 0.07 98.5 9.17 7.36 1,020 2,000 5.86 18.2 2.85 2.4 101.8 12.2 8.34 0.15 1.36 3.11 15.6 3.72 1.25 22.3 0.53 2.8 6.97 4 15.54 2.5 11.08 5.12 2.88 200 8.02 1,655 1.35 0.325 50.55 93.4 6 3.43 1.66 1.92 3.79 0.89 8.22

SERVICES 17.5 37.5 1.49 0.495 0.046 11.5 5.01 10.5 0.073 98.5 9.24 7.5 1,020 2,000 5.9 18.2 3.32 2.4 102.4 12.5 8.34 0.152 1.39 3.23 15.6 3.73 1.29 22.95 0.53 2.92 6.97 4.05 15.54 2.6 11.08 5.12 2.88 212 8.06 1,658 1.36 0.34 50.8 94 6 3.45 1.66 1.92 3.79 0.93 8.23

119,700 39,400 122,000 1,320,000 30,700,000 60,000 28,900 9,877,800 226,020,000 357,760 3,714,100 17,600 120 45,525 161,500 8,200 22,810,000 40,000 440,940 4,500 310,100 680,000 106,000 38,000 700 3,561,000 1,318,000 1,911,100 66,000 7,000 898,200 314,000 1,000 10,744,000 2,700 1,600 1,000 12,930 418,300 172,650 280,000 1,130,000 2,804,940 420,930 1,220,700 663,000 5,564,000 13,000 2,273,000 4,948,000 1,060,400

2,134,666 1,490,615 182,200 648,000 1,415,200 694,100 144,789 104,528,178 16,447,040 35,920,917.50 34,393,009 131,072 122,400 91,831,320 950,303 149,440 72,090,820 97,770 45,148,047 57,248 2,588,735 102,430 145,300 119,530 10,980 13,444,860 1,667,440 43,859,700 34,980 19,960 6,273,420 1,267,650 15,948 27,902,170 29,916 8,237 2,880 2,720,990 3,374,524 288,312,870 380,400 381,250 142,500,359 39,777,150 7,451,519 2,294,640 9,320,410 24,960 8,648,320 4,539,560 8,788,540

34,350.00 31,470 -4,600 9,200 25,050 -14,494,770 -119,280 -134,712.50 4,833,810 -78,173,300 1,454,970 -36,732,549 23,180 -1,441,830 126,000 103,915 1,243,765 -12,100 -565,300 -512 -1,568,090 -71,343,740 -23,030 -39,710,421 -19,373,862 144,900 997,450 -4,102,730 4,450 1,429,254.00

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

0.0024 1.68 5.05 1.87 1.62 0.37 7.88 2.93 0.26 0.155 0.16 0.011 1.98 6.99 1.8 1.01 0.013 0.011 2.26 7.6 8.6 38 0.0075

0.0025 1.71 5.05 1.87 1.69 0.37 8.2 2.98 0.26 0.156 0.161 0.011 2.02 7 1.81 1.02 0.014 0.012 2.26 7.6 9.18 38.8 0.0075

0.0024 1.67 5.01 1.78 1.61 0.36 7.78 2.89 0.247 0.154 0.155 0.01 1.98 6.81 1.66 1 0.013 0.011 2.26 7.5 8.42 37 0.0073

MINING & OIL 0.0025 213,000,000 1.68 4,006,000 5.01 146,900 1.78 18,000 1.68 1,743,000 0.36 700,000 7.92 4,700 2.98 14,642,000 0.26 40,000 0.155 13,280,000 0.159 920,000 0.01 22,600,000 2.01 91,000 6.93 1,767,200 1.79 117,000 1.01 93,000 0.014 445,200,000 0.012 12,900,000 2.26 11,000 7.51 140,400 9.06 12,374,700 37.1 4,606,300 0.0073 25,000,000

511,400 6,745,930 736,991 32,270 2,881,230 253,450 36,890 43,131,320 10,150 2,058,260 144,390 226,400 181,480 12,200,293 197,660 93,780 6,232,700 142,200 24,860 1,054,357 110,389,027 172,284,840 184,700

-206,400.00 -5,500 -12,960 -3,700 -265,830 -4,950 -93,460 57,980 -12,100 -279,927 9,457,229 -108,186,670.00 74,000

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 ALCO PREF B GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2A PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2H

37.5 532 108.3 5.6 1,010 1,030 1.07 107.5 1,049 105.9 106.2 76 81.5 76.45 78.35

37.5 532 108.3 5.6 1,010 1,030 1.07 107.5 1,049 105.9 107 76 82.25 76.45 78.35

37 530 108.3 5.45 1,010 1,021 1.07 106 1,049 105.9 106.2 75.8 81.35 76.3 78.35

PREFERRED 37.3 274,600 530 63,300 108.3 1,870 5.48 399,900 1,010 310 1,021 1,710 1.07 1,000 106 27,030 1,049 150 105.9 360 107 2,200 75.85 2,290 82.25 4,390 76.3 23,090 78.35 1,060

10,295,175 33,559,000 202,521 2,205,473 313,100 1,754,945 1,070 2,869,950 157,350 38,124 234,176 173,619 359,208.50 1,762,785.50 83,051

-918,520 202,521 -1,651,873 197,310 -

LR WARRANT

2.33

2.4

2.32

WARRANTS 2.34 185,000

434,270

-

ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

17.4 3.3 4.99

18.86 3.4 4.99

13.42 3.29 4.4

15 3.29 4.55

189,971,066 401,990 23,566,493

1,433,538 -2,106,108

FIRST METRO ETF

127.5

128.3

126.8

MS

PROPERTY 5.37 1.01 2.52 0.95 42.5 3.85 5 5.46 0.5 1.2 0.2 0.485 38.6 0.66 0.139 1.94 1.51 0.83

258,900 4,195,000 1,474,000 1,856,000 14,615,800 451,000 2,280,000 25,300 5,348,000 68,000 4,000,000 1,552,000 347,200 80,000 140,000 3,837,000 2,880,000 644,000

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

24,052,401

INDUSTRIAL

113,913,085

HOLDING FIRMS

74,711,952

PROPERTY

188,832,138

SERVICES

377,762,204

MINING & OIL

773,416,469

GRAND TOTAL

1,570,309,586

SME

12,365,600 121,000 5,128,200

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 126.8 5,620

716,313

-187,712

VALUE 2,072.22 (DOWN0 22.39 1,770,880,483.15 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,993.11 (UP) 84.18 2,110,734,861.278 HOLDING FIRMS 8,496.54 (DOWN) 115.66 1,022,882,134.924 PROPERTY 3,880.49 (DOWN) 74.92 1,668.41 (DOWN) 20.25 1,099,633,521.07 SERVICES MINING & OIL 12,270.65 (DOWN) 146.83 1,642,434,872.209 PSEI 8,330.02 (DOWN) 103.46 359,780,930.591 All Shares Index 4,894.62 (DOWN) 37.24 8,221,007,728.22 Gainers: 72; Losers: 115; Unchanged: 49; Total: 236

The AUB Group, composed of publicly listed universal bank AUB and two rural bank units, booked higher loans of P116.2 billion in loans and receivables, 21.3 percent more than the P95.8 billion a year ago.

As a result, interest income from loans rose 15.8 percent to nearly P5 billion as of end-September 2017.

Assets jumped 26 percent to P198 billion on year.

Net interest income increased 15 percent to P4.8 billion from P4.2 billion on year despite the sluggish growth in trading and investment securities during the globally volatile period.

Meanwhile, AUB generated P158.6 billion in deposits during the quarter, up 31 percent from P121.5 billion a year ago.

The group reached out to more customers through its consolidated distribution network of 250 branches, including those of its subsidiaries, the Rural Bank of Pampanga, and thrift bank arm Cavite United Rural Bank.

“We will continue to pursue our ambition to become one of the top 10 banks in the Philippines even under a new leadership,” bank president Abraham Co said in a statement, who will relinquish his post as AUB president and become the bank’s chairman effective Jan. 1, 2018.

Incumbent chairman Jacinto Ng Sr., who founded the bank 20 years ago with some Asian partners, will become AUB’s chairman emeritus.

IN BRIEF Ayala’s IMI raising $100m in rights offer

INTEGRATED Microelectronics Inc., a unit of conglomerate Ayala Corp., plans to raise up to $100 million through a stock rights offering to fund growth and strategic initiatives.

IMI said in a filing with the Philippine Stock Exchange IMI its board approved the rights offering on common shares to eligible shareholders of the company.

IMI’s management will determine the final terms and conditions of the rights issue, including the final size, entitlement ratio, price and record date subject to the final approval of the executive committee.

IMI said AC Industrial Technology Holdings Inc. and Resins Inc., two of the company’s biggest shareholders, indicated their support to the rights issue.

The company tapped BPI Capital Corp. as global coordinator, bookrunner and domestic underwriter of the fund raising activity.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Phoenix Petroleum posts P1.44-b profit PHOENIX Petroleum Philippines Inc. booked a net income of P1.44 billion in the first nine months of 2017, up 59 percent year-on-year, boosted by its diversification into the liquefied petroleum gas business.

“Phoenix Petroleum’s strong performance in the third quarter shows our commitment to growing the business through customer focus, operational excellence, and acquisition of complementary businesses,” said Phoenix president and chief executive officer Dennis Uy. Phoenix said the company’s strong financial performance during the period included the impact of the newly-acquired LPG business.

The Davao-based firm completed the purchase of Petronas Energy Philippines Inc. in August.

PEPI has since been consolidated and renamed Phoenix LPG Philippines Inc. Alena Mae S. Flores

DFNN books hefty income of P121.3m

PUBLICLY listed DFNN Inc. sustained its robust financial performance in the first nine months of 2017, with revenues of P848.5 million, up 616 percent from P118.5 million year-on-year.

DFNN’s EBITDA reached P142.8 million, up 669 percent on year.

Total operating expenses jumped 382 percent to P711.8 million from P147.6 million last year.

Net income of the IT company surged to P121.3 million from just P0.8 million on year.

The company attributed the increased largely due to expansion activities, such as the build-out of the DFNN Technology Campus in Silang, Cavite. The facility hosts DFNN’s customer service, technical support, IT and development teams. Several more satellite offices are slated for construction in Cebu City and New Clark City in 2018.

Manila

Standard

TODAY

World

B3

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Heritage sites at risk from climate change

SMOG IN DELHI. Motorist drive amid heavy smog in New Delhi on November 13, 2017. Schools reopened in New Delhi on November 13 despite a fresh spike in pollution to emergency levels, drawing protests from parents in the Indian capital who said the move put children’s health in jeopardy. AFP

BONN-Climate change imperils one in four natural World Heritage sites, including coral reefs, glaciers, and wetlands -nearly double the number from just three years ago, a report said Monday.

The number of sites at risk has grown to 62 from 35 in 2014, when one in seven were listed, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which released the report at UN climate talks in Bonn, Germany.

Among the ecosystems most threatened by global warming are coral reefs which bleach as oceans heat up, and glaciers which melt.

“Climate change acts fast and is not sparing the finest treasures of our planet,” said IUCN director general Inger

Andersen.

The report found that 29 percent of World Heritage sites faced “significant” climate change threats, and seven percent―including the Everglades National Park in the United States and Lake Turkana in Kenya― had a “critical” outlook.

“The scale and pace at which it [climate change] is damaging our natural heritage underline the need for urgent and ambitious national commitments and actions to implement the Paris Agreement,” said Andersen.

Negotiators are gathered in Bonn to work out a nuts-and-bolts rulebook for executing the planet-rescue pact adopted by nearly 200 countries in the French capital in 2015. AFP

CO2 emissions tipped to rise to 2% B ONN―The carbon dioxide emissions that drive global warming, flat since 2014, are set to rise two percent this year, dashing hopes they had peaked, scientists reported at UN climate talks Monday.

“This is very disappointing,” said Corinne Le Quere, director of the Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research at the University of East

Anglia and lead author of a major study detailing the findings.

“With global CO2 emissions from human activities estimated at 41

billion tonnes for 2017, time is running out on our ability to keep warming below two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), let alone 1.5 C.” The 196-nation Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, calls for capping global warming at 2 C below preindustrial levels.

With the planet out of kilter after only one degree of warming―enough to amplify deadly heat waves, droughts, and super

storms―the treaty also vows to explore the feasibility of holding the line at 1.5 C. Earth is overheating due to the burning of oil, gas and especially coal to power the global economy.

Deforestation also plays a critical role.

“The news that emissions are rising after a threeyear hiatus is a giant leap backward for humankind,” said Amy Luers, a climate policy advisor to Barack

Obama and executive director of Future Earth, which co-sponsored the research.

This year’s climate summit is presided by Fiji, one of dozens of small island nations whose very existence is threatened by rising seas engorged by warmer water and melt-off from ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica.

Thousands of diplomats in Bonn are negotiating the “rulebook” for the Paris pact,

which goes into effect in 2020.

To stay below the 2 C threshold, greenhouse gas emissions should peak and begin to curve downward by 2020, earlier research has shown.

Stalled CO2 emissions from 2014 through 2016-due to better energy efficiency, a boom in renewables, and reduced coal use in China― raised expectations that the world had turned the corner.

Those hopes were premature.

“As each year ticks by, the chances of avoiding 2 C of warming continue to diminish,” said co-author Glen Peters, research director at Center for International Climate Research in Oslo, Norway.

“Given that 2 C is extremely unlikely based on current progress, then 1.5 C is a distant dream,” he told AFP. w

More than 200 killed in earthquake in Iran SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq― More than 200 people were killed and hundreds more injured when a 7.3-magnitude earthquake shook the mountainous Iran-Iraq border triggering landslides that were hindering rescue efforts, officials said Monday.

Footage posted on Twitter showed panicked people fleeing a building in Sulaimaniyah, northern Iraq, as windows shattered at the moment the quake struck late Sunday, while images from the nearby town of Darbandikhan showed major walls and concrete structures had collapsed.

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB said 129 were dead in

an updated toll posted on its website, while the official IRNA news agency said some 300 people had been injured, adding that the toll was expected to rise.

Six others were reported dead on the Iraq side of the border.

“We are in the process of setting up three emergency relief camps,” said Mojtaba Nikkerdar, the deputy governor of Iran’s Kermanshah province.

The quake hit 30 kilometers southwest of Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan at around 9.20 pm, when many people would have been at home, the US Geological Survey said.

Iran’s emergency services chief Pir Hossein Koolivand

said it was “difficult to send rescue teams to the villages because the roads have been cut off... there have been landslides.”

The worst-hit towns in Iran were Qasr-e Shirin in Kermanshah and Azgaleh, about 40 kilometers northwest, IRNA said.

It added that 30 Red Cross teams had been sent to the quake zone, parts of which had experienced power cuts.

In Iraq, officials said the quake had killed six people in Sulaimaniyah province and injured around 150.

In Sulaimaniyah, residents ran out onto the streets and some damage to property was reported, an AFP reporter there said.

“Four people were killed by the earthquake” in Darbandikhan, the town’s mayor Nasseh Moulla Hassan told AFP. A child and an elderly person were killed in Kalar, according to the director of the hospital in the town about 70 kilometers south of Darbandikhan, and 105 people injured.

The quake, which struck at a relatively shallow depth of 25 kilometers, was felt for about 20 seconds in Baghdad, and for longer in other provinces of Iraq, AFP journalists said.

On the Iranian side of the border, the tremor shook several cities in the west of the country including Tabriz. AFP

What WB looks at in assessing RP prospects OF the reports on this country’s near-term economic prospects that are issued by international and foreign banks, perhaps the one that is most highly regarded is the assessment of the Philippine economy done periodically by the World Bank (WB) which is the development-oriented half of the International Monetary Fund-World Bank pair of Washington-based international financial institutions.

The higher regard for WB reports countries can be attributed partly to the fact that the World Bank is an international institution and partly to the fact that, not being a commercial bank, its reports are less likely to be tainted by biases of one kind or another.

The key point about the latest (release date: October 4, 2017) WB report on the Philippines is that the Bank has lowered its forecast for the 2017 economic growth of the Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) growth by 0.2. percent— from 6.8 percent to 6.6 percent. The forecast forms part of the World Bank’s October economic update report for East Asia and the Pacific.

The World Bank is the latest to join the list of financial institutions that have seen fit to take a second, more measured look at their assessments of the Philippine economy’s

near-term growth prospects. Some of the largest US and European commercial banks and securities firms are on that list.

What did the WB economists look at before deciding to lower their 2017 growth forecast for the Philippines? Apparently, four things mainly: the progress of the Duterte administration’s infrastructure program, the trend of interest rates in the advanced economies, the fiscal sustainabililty of the Duterte administration’s economic program and the trends of trade with the Philippines’ main trade partners.

The World Bank sees the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program as the key to the level of growth that the Philippine economy will achieve in 2017, and it is concerned that the program’s implementation might experience delay.” The delay in the anticipated push of the planned (Philippine) government infrastructure program has been contributing to the moderation of fixed capital formation growth, softening the growth prospect for the year,” stated the WB report. “The pace of economic growth could be slower if the government is unable to timely deliver on its planned infrastructure program,” it said.

The World Bank expressed concern over the Duterte administration’s fiscal sustainability in the face of the huge cost—estimated to be P8 trillion—of the “Build,

Build, Build” program. “(M)aintaining fiscal sustainability over the medium term will depend on the success of the priority tax reforms,” the Bank’s report said.

The report continued a warning about a possible adverse movement in interest rates in the US and other major countries. Such a movement was an important source of risk for the Philippine economy. A fasterthan-expected increase in interest rates in the advanced economies, including the United States, remains a source of external risk, the World Bank stated. “Expectations of interest-rate tightening might lead to renewed capital outflows and volatility in the foreign exchange market,” it said.

With regard to Philippine trade with its main partners, the World Bank had this to say: “The (Philippines’) medium-term growth outlook remains positive and is expected to be anchored on the growth of the Philippines’ main trading partners, which would lead to a higher external demand. Imports will remain elevated.”

Taking all these factors into consideration, how does the World Bank see this country’s near-term economic growth prospects? Positively, still. “(The Philippines) is expected to continue to be the fastest-growing of the large ASEAN economies,” the Bank said.

E-mail: romero.business.class@ gmail.com

AFTERMATH. Residents look at the damage following a 7.3-magnitude earthquake in Sarpol-e Zahab in Iran’s western province of Kermanshah on November 13, 2017. More than 200 people were killed and hundreds more injured when the 7.3-magnitude earthquake shook the mountainous Iran-Iraq border, triggering landslides that hindered rescue efforts, officials said. AFP

Defecting North Korean shot at border SEOUL―A North Korean soldier was shot and injured by his own side Monday while defecting to South Korea at the truce village of Panmunjom, the South’s military said.

The soldier crossed to the South side of the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom, the only portion of the border Demilitarised Zone where forces from the two sides come face-to-face, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

“Our military has taken in a North Korean soldier after he crossed from a North Korea Manila

Standard

TODAY

post towards our Freedom House,” the statement said, referring to a building on the South side of the village that is bisected by the border.

The defector was taken to hospital after being shot by another North Korean soldier, the South’s military said.

Details of his condition were not immediately available.

Military defections across the heavily fortified DMZ dividing the two Koreas are not uncommon, but they are rare at Panmunjom―a major tourist attraction.

Two North Korean soldiers

defected to the South in June after crossing the frontier at another location.

Over the decades since the peninsula was divided, dozens of North Korean soldiers have fled to the South through the DMZ, which extends for two kilometers either side of the actual borderline.

Relations between the two sides have been tense for months, as the North stepped up its missile tests. In September the North carried out its sixth and largest nuclear test, of what it described as a hydrogen bomb. AFP

LGUs

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor editor.lgustandard@gmail.com

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tuesday, november 14, 2017

Govt seeks more onion, garlic yield in Ilocos

LocaL government units

Tax exemptions for BPnM

By Maricel V. Cruz

A

PANeL in the house of Representatives has approved the amended tax provision of a bill declaring the historic Bessang Pass Natural Monument in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur a protected area.

The house committee on ways and means, chaired

by Rep. Dakila Carlo Cua of Quirino, passed the unnumbered bill that was in substitution to house Bill 230, authored by Deputy

Speaker and Ilocos Sur Rep. eric Singson.

The provision provides that donations to the BPNM will be exempt from donor’s tax. It also provides that donations to the BPNM

shall also be considered allowable deduction from the gross income of the donor.

Singson said the tax provision also establishes a trust fund that will finance projects of the BPNM. Income generated from the operation or management of the area, such as visitor/ tourist fees, and fees from permitted sale of flora and fauna and other resources of the BPNM, will be channelled to the trust fund.

The trust fund, sub-

ject to the retention of the Protected Area Management Board, may also be augmented by donations from domestic or foreign resources, provided that 75 percent shall be earmarked solely for protection and management of the BPNM. The remaining 25 percent of the revenues shall be deposited as a special account in the National Treasury, he added.

Bessang Pass Natural Monument is commemorat-

ed as a historical site where Filipino and American soldiers overpowered the last ditch of the Japanese Imperial Army in World War II. The area is also home to pine and mossy forest ecosystems. Various endemic wildlife resources of floral and faunal species contribute to the BPNM’s biological diversity and vital support system for the local community.

Becoming a protected area is crucial to the conser-

LIGHTING MCQUEEN TROOPERS.

Kids ride their mini race cars during the launch of SM City Taytay‘s Disney-themed Christmas display.

Norman Cruz

Local govt treasurer, husband arrested in anti-drug raid The treasurer of a local government in Sultan Kudarat and her husband were arrested in an anti-drug operation in General Santos City over the weekend.

The Philippine Drug enforcement Agency yesterday identified the suspects

as Joy Nadar, 46, a treasurer of the Palimbang local government and her husband, Jojo Nadar, 42.

The couple, who allegedly had links to the Sogis drug group, was arrested in a raid by members of PDeA and the military’s Joint

Task Force GenSan. Seized from the two houses of the couple in Malasedo Phase 3 Subdivision, Barangay San Isidro and at Las Villas in Barangay City heights were 50 grams of shabu, a rifle grenade and a .50 caliber machine gun.

Authorities also suspect that the treasurer was involved in corrupt practices based on cash liquidation documents seized during the raid.

PDeA said the Nadar couple may have used Palimbang town’s public funds in their drug transactions.

The suspects have denied the allegations, insisting that the drugs and other items seized from their houses were all planted.

They are facing charges for violations of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act and illegal possession of firearms.

Suspected NPA rebels gun down policeman

ACTING Agrarian Reform Secretary Rosalinda Bistoyong of the Department of Agrarian Reform has tasked the agency’s Region 1 director to spearhead a dialog in a bid to revitalize the industry of garlic and onion in Ilocos region.

DAR data showed the decrease of onion and garlic production in Ilocos resulted in the importation of onion and garlic from the other countries.

Virgilio Acuña of DARRegion 1 said latest numbers showed 94 percent of the supply of garlic and 60 percent of onion in the local market are already imported from the foreign markets.

Among the problems faced by the onion and garlic industry in the area are plant diseases, lack of quality seedlings that had severely reduced the quality and volume of production, and entry of cheap imports and smuggled garlic and onions.

The massive inflow of imported and smuggled onions and garlic to the local market also caused the prices of locally produced onions and garlic to go down and incur losses to the local farmers, he said.

Acuña also raised concern over the lack of new production technology available to local garlic and onions producers as one of the factors in the production decline.

“From the dialog, we would determine the possible types of assistance that can be provided to the farmers by the government, local government of units and private sectors such as technical assistance, inputs, production and post-harvest facilities, support infrastructures, credit, farm types of machinery and assured market support among others,” he said.

In BrIef realtors back manila reclamation projects The biggest realtors’ organization in the Philippines has expressed support to the land reclamation projects being pursued by Manila Mayor Joseph estrada, saying it will further boost the stream of foreign investments in the capital city.

The Manila Board of Realtors Inc., also the oldest professional association of real estate practitioners in the country and in Asia, likewise noted the uptick boom in the real estate industry in Manila, especially in the last four years when estrada took over the then cash-strapped city.

“I want that our city move forward. We’ve been left behind by other cities so any progressive idea and how to move forward in the city of Manila, we should welcome it,” MBRI director April Tiquio said in an interview during the launch of the Manila Realty expo Week at the City hall, referring to the four reclamation ventures in Manila Bay that have been approved during estrada’s term. Bill Casas

Quezon province gets DiLg seal of good governance

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—A police officer was gunned down by unidentified armed men Monday morning at Situo Luman, Barangay New Valencia in Tugbok.

The victim was identified as PO3 Wilfredo Bansag Garol Jr., 34, a resident of Calinan District who was assigned at Baguio Police Station.

Initial investigation showed that the police officer had just driven his wife to the school where she worked when two men asked to hitch a ride on his motorcycle.

The suspects, whom the police said may be members of the New People’s Army, then shot Garol repeatedly and took his vehicle and service firearm.

Davao City Police Office Director Sr. Supt. Alexander Tagum vowed to track down and apprehend Garol’s killers.

“The death of PO3 Garol will not deter our commitment in our intensified fight against all forms of domestic threats posed by communist terrorists and criminals. This incident will also serve as a strong warning to all personnel of DCPO that they cannot afford to relax their personal security,” Tagum said.

vation of the BPNM’s scenic, cultural and historical features. It also highlights the town’s unique environmental resources and its socio-cultural importance.

“Similarly, this measure also hopes to address the different conservation and management issues that affect forestlands, farmlands, fresh water resources, and how these concerns relates with the lives in the community, resource demands and development,” Singson said.

By Rio N. Araja

HELP IS HERE. Caloocan City Medical Center Dr. Madelyn Grace Ronan (center) receives from Atomy Philippine Distribution Trading Inc. country manager Eric Kim (third from left) various medicines including levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and amino acid to cure patients with infectious diseases and under nourishment. Joining them are CCMC administrator Dr. Fernando Santos (third from right) and Atomy Phils personnel. CCMC is one of two hospitals run by the city government under the administration of Mayor Oscar Malapitan. Jun David

Cimatu leads drive to revive historic Pasig River eNVIRONMeNT Secretary Roy Cimatu on Monday urged the public to back government efforts to revive the historic Pasig River that once served as Manila’s source of trade and commerce.

“Taking care of the river is a shared responsibility,” he said. he encouraged the pub-

lic, particularly the youth, to become “watchdogs in reminding the government of its responsibility” to restore Pasig River to its former glory.

“I welcome the public’s guidance and watchful eye in ensuring what is promised is delivered,” he said.

The Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission

conducted a Pasig River ecological tour, along with the Department of environment and Natural Resources’ Strategic Communication and Initiatives Service, as part of an information campaign ordered by Cimatu to heighten public awareness on the importance of the revival of Pasig River.

At least 150 students

from various public and private high schools in Metro Manila took part in the guided tour with a lecture onboard a ferry boat traversing Pasig River.

The DeNR, through its environmental Management Bureau, has continued to provide technical support for the river rehabilitation. Rio N. Araja

LUCeNA CITY—The provincial government of Quezon province bagged the 2017 Seal of Good Local Governance award of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, along with the provinces of Laguna and Rizal in the Calabarzon Region.

Nine city and 23 municipal governments in Calabarzon also received the award, including Antipolo in Rizal province; Batangas city in Batangas province; Biñan, Calamba, San Pedro and Sta. Rosa cities in Laguna province; and Bacoor, Dasmariñas and Imus in Cavite province.

The SGLG, formerly known as the Seal of Good housekeeping, is conferred by the DILG on local government units that have advanced the principles of accountability and transparency in local governance.

The four major core areas of SGLG are social protection, disaster preparedness, financial administration and peace and order. Benjie A. Antioquia

red tide alert up in six areas—BFar The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources yesterday warned that some coastal waters in six areas were found to be positive of red tide toxins.

BFAR said shellfish collected in the following areas contain harmful algal bloom beyond the regulatory limit: the coastal waters of Daram Island, Irong-Irong Bay, Maqueda Bay, and Villareal Bay in Western Samar; Matarinao Bay in eastern Samar; Carigara Bay in Leyte; Inner Malampaya Sound, Taytay and Puerto Princesa Bay, Puerto Princesa City in Palawan; coastal waters of Mandaon in Masbate; and Cambatutay Bay in Western Samar.

Ingestion of shellfish from areas with high concentrations of red tide could lead to paralytic shellfish poisoning.

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

travel and leisure

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tuesday, noVemBeR 14, 2017

Where the Past is always Present NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN AN OLD CITY. The Iloilo River Esplanade, a river rehabilitation program of the the Iloiolo City government, is one of the many modernization projects in the emerging metropolis in the South.

By Bernard L S Delgado

I

LOILO City is synonymous to Dinagyang Festival, its delectable heirloom cuisine, well-preserved heritage structures and warm hospitality.

The capital of Iloilo province, which recently marked its 80th Charter Day in August, has a colorful past dating back to the arrival of the legendary 10 Bornean datus in the 12th century and purchased Panay Island with a golden salakot.

In the 1800s, it had titles, like La Muy Leal Y Noble Ciudad (The Most Loyal and Noble City) and later, Queen Regent’s City in the South, given by the Spanish Queen Regent Maria Cristina. These official accolades have made this urban center the first “queen city” in the south because of its vital role in the political, economic and religious landscape during the colonial period.

But far more than a museum town frozen in time, Iloilo is an emerging metropolis and a preferred site for business and leisure.

Its modern face is represented by Megaworld’s Iloilo Business Park, a master-planned development where major firms have made their presence felt. The enclave teems with lifestyle shops, dining outlets, star-rated hotels, and mixed-use buildings to cater to a growing urban hub.

The core of this township is the Iloilo Convention Center, which aims to make the city a new hub for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions), a growing sector of the tourism industry.

Referred to as Icon, this state-of-the-

By Bernadette Lunas QUICk getaways have become popular among busy urbanites eager to discover a new place without the hassle of tedious planning and long travel time. Besides, if you only have a day or two to spare, wouldn’t you want it to be more restful than stressful?

The eco-community of Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, Laguna offers a holistic staycation experience to weary weekend warriors who want recharge amid lush greenery but with urban comforts within reach. And as 64 percent of its total land bank of 2,290 hectares has been developed, this mixed-use estate presents more ways to make the most out of your visit.

Here’s a sample itinerary should you find yourself in this eco-community down south of Manila.

art facility is at par with the country’s best, and has played host to prestigious events, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ministerial conferences, the ASEAN 50 Summit, and the Charter Day concert of the Manila Symphony Orchestra.

Prominent hotel chains, among them Marriott, Richmonde, and Seda have sprouted around the area to cash in on the boom in visitor arrivals that reached 994,923 in 2016 and plowed more than P18.7 billion to the local coffers.

This phenomenal tourism growth is due to the city’s accessibility with flights from Manila, and key cities such as Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and Davao.

Malaysia-based budget Air Asia started serving the Iloilo route with three flights daily in October.

A new source of pride among the Ilonggos is the Iloilo River Esplanade, the centerpiece of a comprehensive river rehabilitation program of the city government.

Covering nine phases, the project includes river dredging, mangrove reforestation, landscaping of pathwalk for promenades and public recreation, which will have an aggregate length of about 10 kms when completed.

Designed by urban planner Paulo Alcazaren, the Esplanade was given the GantimPALA Excellence Award for Leisure by the Philippine Association of Land-

Waterworld Iloilo

Restored old Jaro municipal building

scape Architects (PALA) in the recent 2017 Landscape Architecture Festival.

An interesting addition to the city’s must-sees is the newly-opened Waterworld Iloilo in Jaro district, a two-hectare waterpark, the first of its kind in the world to be powered by solar energy. It boasts 17 slides, a 222-meter long lazy river, play area for toddlers, and familyoriented amenities.

Iloilo’s urban allure has earned itself

Pedal Boat at River Esplanade

a long list of national awards despite being alleged as the “most shabulized” city. It was named champion in the Asian Development Bank’s Livable Cities, and first place in government efficiency among highly-urbanized cities in 2015 by the National Competitiveness Council, to name a few.

Just recently, in October, it was named one among the five finalists in the search for Most Business-Friendly Local Gov-

How to have a weekend staycation in Nuvali

MORNING

Take it slow and schedule a late morning departure from Metro Manila, ideally around 10 a.m. If you’re driving, take any of the five South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) exits at Mamplasan, Sta. Rosa, Eton-Greenfield, Silangan, or Canlubang. But if you don’t have a car, take the Makati-Nuvali P2P (point-to-point) shuttle at Glorietta 2 Palm Drive; regular one-way fare costs P250. The P2P buses also travel from Nuvali to Makati from 5 a.m to 9 p.m. It only takes 45 minutes to get to Nuvali from Metro Manila by either modes of transportation.

Once in Nuvali, head over to Ayala Malls Solenad 3 for a fresh and filling brunch at Bawai’s, a cozy restaurant offering Vietnamese comfort food such as banh mi, shrimp rolls, pho, che bap, and more.

Put that energy you got from all those yummy dishes to good use by

Do some retail cardio at the 40,000-sqm Ayala Malls Solenad which is home to more than 300 shopping, dining, and entertainment choices

Test your skills at different obstacle courses at Camp N

The king size bed in Seda Nuvali’s room will lull you into a deep slumber

ernment Units of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Despite its march to urbanization, Iloilo’s major tourist magnet is its wide array of ancestral homes that have survived the ravages of time. With the battle cry “The Past is Always Present,” the City Council has legislated the grant of fiscal incentives to encourage preservation of these antiquarian gems.

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doing a bit of retail therapy at Solenad, whose 40,000-sqm space is home to more than 300 shopping, dining, and entertainment choices.

Eat, shop, get a massage, watch a movie, or just enjoy hanging out under a tree at the open-air areas while you leisurely watch families and friends spend their day at the mall.

AFTERNOON

Check in at Seda Nuvali, the LEED Silver certified hotel in the mixed-use development few minutes of walk across Solenad. You will be greeted by its friendly staff and ushered in to one of its 150 guest rooms that features a contemporary design complete with a plush bed, LED HDTV, and mini bar, among other in-room amenities. Enjoy a picturesque view of the sprawling eco-city or the fourhectare man-made lake from your hotel room, as you get some welldeserved afternoon nap.

Take advantage of this day to do something you always say “you don’t have the time for”—get yourself checked up. The recently opened, 102-bed Qualimed Hospital offers comprehensive inpatient and outpatient healthcare services. The Nuvali branch of the hospital also serves as its training and research center for healthcare providers.

Before the sun goes down, rent a bicycle at the Evoliving Dockside (P80/hour) and do some leisurely biking on secure designated bike paths at the Lakeside area. Hardcore bikers, on the other hand, may take their mountain bikes off the road at Nuvali’s 35-kilometer mountain bike trail.

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Life

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tuesday, november 14, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

Bring home a friend and win a prize I

mercury rising

BY BOB zOzOBRADO

T WAS in 1994 when former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor launched this highly successful referral incentive program, to further increase arrivals to the Philippines. It is anchored on the opportunity presented by the presence of millions of Filipinos residing and/or working abroad.

It is then no surprise that our Tourism Secretary Wanda TulfoTeo decided to bring the program back, this time, with much bigger and better prizes, to encourage foreign-based Filipinos to help promote Philippine tourism.

Japan, China, Italy and Australia. Secretary Teo is counting on the Filipinos’ deep sense of patriotism, which can be put to good use by making them Ambassadors of Goodwill for our country.

On the other hand, expatriates living in our country total approximately

YOUR TUESDAY CHUCKLE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WOMEN AND MEN: A wife doesn’t come home one night. Next day, she tells her husband she slept at her girlfriend’s house. The husband calls her 10 best friends, but none of them saw her. A husband doesn’t come home one night. Next day, he tells his wife he slept at a friend’s house. The wife calls his 10 best friends---8 of them confirmed he slept over, and 2 claim that he is still there.

Based on a report by the Department of Foreign Affairs, there are more than nine million overseas Filipinos; approximately three million in the USA, around two million in the Middle East, while significant numbers in Malaysia,

200,000, based on the latest Census of Population and Housing. These foreigners can also be effective travel influencers for their relatives and friends in their home country, especially because word-of-mouth is the most effec-

Tourism ASec Ricky Alegre and Secretary Wanda Teo during the recent Launch at Newport Mall

tive advertisement for any product.

According to the Department of Tourism’s Visitors Sample Survey last year, 52 percent of tourists visited our country upon their friend’s recommendation, while 14 percent have relatives or friends residing here.

So what is the Bring Home A Friend Program all about? The Promo period started Oct. 15 and will last until April 15 next year, after which the winners--three sponsors and three invitees---will be announced. The sponsor can be any Filipino or a foreign passport holder, 18 years old and above, whether residing here or abroad, or an expatriate living here. The invitee can be anyone residing abroad, holding a foreign or Filipino passport, and will travel to the Philippines during the Promo period.

Interested sponsors must register through the “Bring Home A Friend”

Former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor

link, which is accessible through DOT’s website “tourism.gov.ph” for them to be qualified to invite. The sponsor must click on and accomplish the “Invite A Friend Now” tab. The invitees will receive an e-mail with the link to a registration form they must also accomplish.

Once available, the invitees must upload on the link, photos of their boarding passes and airline tickets. They will then receive their raffle entries---one raffle ticket, if travelling from Asia, two, if from the Middle East or Oceania, and three, if travelling from the USA, Europe or Africa. Winners will be selected through an electronic raffle draw.

And take a look at these prizes: For the sponsors, the first prize is a 36.6-square-meter, studio-type condominium unit at Eastwood Le Grand Tower of Megaworld Corporation. The

second prize is a metallic orange 2017 automatic transmission Toyota Vios, and the third prize is a P200 thousand worth of gift certificate from Duty Free Philippines.

For the Invitees, the first prize is a package of two round-trip international business-class tickets, plus two round-trip tickets between Manila and Palawan, and a five-night accommodation at El Nido Hotel and Resort. The second prize is another package of two round-trip international premium economy class tickets, plus two round-trip tickets between Manila and Cebu, and a four-night stay at JPark Island Resort and Water Park. The third prize is also a package of two round-trip international economy class tickets, plus two round-trip tickets between Manila and Davao, and a fou-night stay at Pearl Farm Beach Resort. International and domestic air travel will be on Philippine Airlines.

It is very clear to see that Tourism Secretary Teo has pulled all the stops to ensure an even bigger success of this year’s edition of the Bring Home A Friend program. But, with or without these valuable prizes, I still think that visiting the Philippines is already a “grand prize” in itself. Where else can one find the breathtaking beauty of nature enhanced by world-famous hospitality of the “smiling-est” people on earth? Indeed, It Is More Fun In The Philippines.

For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com

Best of London with new smart city app

Skyjet Airlines’ Great Holiday Rush Sale offers discounted tickets for as low as P1,488

Holiday rush seat sale IT’S never too late to set off on another adventure. Make the most of 2017 with SkyJet Airlines’ Great Holiday Rush Seat Sale. Book your tickets till Nov.15 and enjoy one-way fare flight for as low as P1,488 to Boracay, P1,888 to Busuanga (Coron), P4,188 to Batanes, and P4,088 to Siargao.

Avail of this exclusive offer at their ticketing offices at ASEANA ONE Tower on Macapagal Avenue or NAIA Terminal 4 Ticketing Office or you can book directly via website www.SkyJetAirlines.com.

Travel period is until March 31, 2018.

Tagged as the country’s no. 1 leisure airlines, SkyJet Airlines provides complimentary refreshments and snacks plus a free 10-kg baggage allowance per passenger.

You can also choose your seats for free with no extra charges. Plus you get to avail of freebies, perks and discounts upon showing your boarding pass in selected establishments around the island.

SkyJet is bringing back the frills in flying! Skyjet also takes pride with its fleet of 90-seater British Aerospace Jet that offers spacious legroom and comfortable seats .

This is the same VIP Jet Aircraft used by Queen Elizabeth and the rest of the Royal Family in United Kingdom.

Making it one of the world’s safest Jet. “Here at SkyJet Airlines, we do not just offer seats, we offer lifestyle and experience! Your Holiday starts the moment you fly with SkyJet Airline” said Dino Reyes-Chua, president of SkyJet Airlines.

How to have...

at the wildlife and birds sanctuary, or pick your fruits and vegetables at Green and Patches: entrance is P25 per person, while price of your freshly picked produce will be determined by caretakers based on their market value.

Or if you want to sleep in, go ahead!

After partaking of a late breakfast at Misto, take a quick dip in Seda Nuvali’s infinity pool or play a game or two at the game room. Pack your bags and check out.

Nuvali’s multitude of indoor, outdoor, and nature-focused amenities makes it an ideal destination to spend your best weekend yet. As a matter of fact, ALI officials said around 55,000 visitors come to this Sta. Rosa estate every weekend.

“People have come to appreciate a lifestyle that embraces sustainability--a green, healthy, and balanced lifestyle.

Nuvali has introduced and consistently developed the area to support and nurture this way of living,” said Nuvali General Manager John Estacio.

From C1

EVENING

Keep you nighttime schedule light and relaxed. Head back to your room and order your dinner from Misto, Seda Nuvali’s in-house restaurant offering international and local dishes. Get a full body massage in your room or at the hotel’s spa. And enjoy the rest of the night forgetting about your work, your worries, your responsibilities and focusing on recharging your mind and body.

MORNING

You may opt to start your day early to explore other attractions in Nuvali. Test your skills on a wakeboard at Republic Wakepark or try your hand at different obstacle and rope courses at Camp N--an incubation learning camp suitable for teambuilding activities. If you prefer a much more relaxed morning activity, watch migratory birds fly by

IT’S no surprise that London is the world’s third most visited city, and one of the top-choice travel destinations for Asia Pacific. The place is rich with iconic landmarks and grand buildings, while being one of the most modern, cosmopolitan cities in the world. It’s where royalty and decadence mix with edge and avant-garde.

With travel continuing to be a must for Filipinos, according to the Mastercard Survey on Consumer Purchasing Priorities, many will surely be making their way to London, and the travelers’ card of choice, Mastercard, is making sure that this beautiful city and its wealth of experiences are well within our reach.

Mastercard has partnered with London & Partners, the Mayor of London’s official promotional agency, to deliver smart solutions for the city and its visitors. With the launch of the Visit London Official City Guide app, Filipinos can have access to more relevant tourist information to make planning the perfect trip to this grand city so much easier and quicker.

The app offers personalized experiences and guides using real-time data.

Drawing on content from official visitor guide visitlondon.com, and Mastercard’s Priceless Cities programme, it helps users browse hand-selected lists of the best things to do; find hidden gems; browse with ‘must see’, ‘nearby’ and ‘near me’ functionality; and receive offers and discounts at attractions and restaurants. Visitors can create personalized maps (available off-line) and itineraries, plus find the most efficient, scenic, and cost-efficient routes through the team up with Transport for London (TfL).

Making booking even easier and more seamless, the app offers payment capabilities with Masterpass. Users can store all of their card details in one secure place and buy tickets to major attractions within the app, at the touch of a button. This latest Mastercard digital payments technology saves you time, by eliminating the need to queue, and saves you money, by offering exclusive discounts.

“We’re working with more than 70 cities around the world to introduce better transport payment systems, removing tickets to ease congestion,” said Jason Lane, executive vice president, European Market Development at Mas-

tercard. “London leads the way here, but it still has an opportunity to make its 19.1m visitors’ lives even easier. Why should so many people have to visit so many websites to plan their schedule when they can do it with one app that even allows them to book and pay for everything they need? This is what we want to solve with London & Partners.”

Andrew Cooke, acting CEO at London & Partners and VisitLondon.com said, “London is one of the world’s leading tourist destinations and remains open to visitors from all over the globe. We see a fantastic opportunity to use technology to improve the visitor experience and our partnership with Mastercard will help visitors access VisitLondon with the click of a button on their smartphone. Whether you are looking for the capital’s hidden gems or visiting its world-leading exhibitions and shows, the VisitLondon app will help visitors make the most of their time in London.”

The new Visit London Official City Guide app is available on IOS and Android. During beta phase, the app has already been downloaded over 100,000 times.

Vatel business institution in France hosts Philippine students for internship THE Vatel International Business School of Hotel and Tourism Management recently accepted qualified Filipino students for a hands-on, intensive six-week internship summer exchange program in the city of Nimes in southern France.

A number of students from The School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management (SHRIM) of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) immersed themselves in extensive and thorough restaurant, hotel, and spa operations, planning, management, and day-to-day functions as part of the holistic experience they undergo for the requirements of their respective degree program.

In partnership with DLS-CSB, they offer two-degree programs, namely, Bachelor Vatel-Manager en Hôtellerie internationale, and MBA Vatel Directeur d’Hotellerie Internationale.

For 35 years, Vatel has prepared students for middle and higher management posts in the international hospitality tourism industry. It has 31 schools around the world, with more than 7,000 students presently enrolled in its programs, and over 29,000 alumni who occupy leadership positions in global hotels and restaurants under its roster.

Benilde is a part of Vatel’s global network, a recipient of the coveted Best Hotel School at the Worldwide Hospitality

Where the Past...

From C1

A number of notable mansions have retained their old world grandeur, among them Casa Mariquit, which houses the memorabilia of former Philippine Vice President Fernando Lopez, and the Magdalena Jalandoni house, now known as the Kasanag Well-Being Center.

The stately 1920s Nelly Garden, Iloilo’s “Queen of Heritage Houses” built in the tradition of Beaux Art of French

Benilde’s School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management students

Awards Ceremony recently held at the InterContinental Paris Le Grand. The final selection was made by over 800 hotel industry professionals.

chateaux, is a noteworthy mansion, which served as the colonial era’s social hall.

J.M. Basa St., known as the Spanishera Calle Real, underwent a facelift to bring the downtown’s glory days.

Aside from being an eye candy in their spruced-up facades, visitors can enter and admire at the well-preserved condition of the old buildings.

In the fringes of the city are the Yusay-Consing Mansion Mansion in Molo, the 1865 Camiña Balay nga Bato in Arevalo, and the newly restored old Jaro Municipal Hall declared

an Important Cultural Property by the National Museum because of its exceptional Art Deco style.

An intrinsic part of the city’s living past are its historic churches such as the Cathedral of the Our Lady of Purification, the San Jose de Placer Parish, the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Church in La Paz, and the Gothic-style Church of St. Anne in Molo which also hosted the MSO concert.

And with the past always present in its facets of daily living, Iloilo is a unique blend of an alluring bygone era and a comfortable rurban escape.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

The cast of the afternoon drama led by Beauty Gonzales (center)

Plot thickens in ‘Pusong Ligaw’

WILL love find its way back in the hearts of Tessa (Beauty Gonzales) and Caloy (Joem Bascon), Vida (Sofia Andres), and Potpot (Diego Loyzaga) in the second chapter of ABSCBN’s hit afternoon series Pusong Ligaw?

After doing what they think was right by turning their backs on love, Caloy and Potpot keep on crossing paths with the women they really love.

Caloy becomes part of Tessa’s new business venture that allows them to see each other more often and rekindle the connection they once had. As the two get along, Caloy begins to reminisce the days he fell in love with Tessa and compares them with his cold relationship with Marga. Ever since Marga turned House of Teri into House of Marga, she has become workaholic and

barely has time for Caloy and their child.

Potpot, meanwhile, continues to climb the ladder of success abroad and finally comes back home, only to find Vida and Rafa (Enzo Pineda) happy in each other’s company. Fate brought Vida and Rafa closer again after a chance encounter and since then, Rafa has become determined to get Vida’s heart, especially now that Potpot is out of the picture.

Will Potpot give way to Rafa and finally let Vida go? How long can Caloy stay with Marga? Will he finally listen to his heart and give his love for Tessa a second shot?

Don’t miss the new chapter of Pusong Ligaw after It’s Showtime on ABS-CBN and on ABSCBN HD (SkyCable ch 167).

Kid Ink Live in RWM’s House Manila RAPPER, singer, songwriter and record producer Brian Todd Collins, better known as Kid Ink, comes to Manila for the first time to perform at night club House Manila in Resorts World Manila, 9:00 p.m. tomorrow.

The 31-year-old artist is known for his debut independent album Up and Away, followed by the Almost Home EP, and his second studio effort My Own Lane which brought out the hit singles “Show Me”, “Iz U Down”, and “Main Chick” among others.

Kid Ink now has four albums to his name after releasing Full Speed in February 2015 and Summer in the Winter in December of the same year. The two recent albums further marked Kid Ink’s musical flair with such tracks as “Body Language”, “Hotel”, “Be Real”, and “Promise”.

His latest release is the mixtape RSS2 and the 7

Series EP with the carrier track “F with U”.

Throughout his career, Kid Ink has collaborated with such rising R&B artists as Wale, Meek Mill, Chris Brown, French Montana, ASAP Ferg, Rico Love, Usher and Tinashe.

Kid Ink performs at one of Resorts World Manila’s nighttime entertainment venues House Manila which boasts hi-tech audio and lighting systems designed for grand dance parties.

House Manila also features the hottest DJs in the metro spinning the latest hits on air and online.

Catch Kid Ink at House Manila in RWM for one night. Tickets are now available at TicketWorld outlets. Call (632) 891-9999 or mobile number (0905) 447-6630 for inquiries and reservations. Visit www. rwmanila.com for more upcoming world-class events at RWM.

L.A.'s one of the most visible rappers, Kid Ink, is performing at House Manila

ABS-CBN still most watched network in October

T

HE Kapamilya network remained as the network of choice for most Filipinos who continued to watch its quality news and values-oriented programs, as it recorded an average audience share of 46 percent nationwide including both urban and rural homes in October versus GMA’s 33 percent, according to data from Kantar Media.

ABS-CBN outshined its rival network in every part of the country, particularly in Mega Manila where it registered an audience share of 36 percent, beating GMA’s 34 percent in Metro Manila where it scored an average audience share of 41 percent compared to GMA’s 27 percent, in Total Luzon where it recorded an average audience share of 43 percent versus GMA’s 34 percent, in Total Vizayas as it hit 53 percent, beating GMA’s 28 percent, and in Total

Kapamilya shows are undisputed winners in the nationwide ratings game based on the data gathered

by Kantar Media

Mindanao as it registered 50 percent, while GMA only got 33 percent.

Multinational audience measurement provider Kantar Media uses a nationwide panel size of 2,610 urban and rural homes that represent 100 perecent of the total Philippine TV viewing population.

FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano is still the most watched program in the country as it hit a monthly average national TV rating of 39.9 percent. Cardo’s (Coco Martin) mission gets even tougher now that his enemies have joined forces to put him down, gripping more and more viewers every night.

TV Patrol (34.4 percent), on the other hand, brought

Richard and Maricar’s book now a bestseller PUBLISHED only in August, celebrity couple Richard and Maricar ReyesPoon Poon’s book, 10 Things We Fight About, (ABS-CBN Publishing), is now among National Bookstore’s bestselling nonfiction titles, ranked at No. 2 as of this writing.

10 Things We Fight About has won readers over with its fun, engrossing “He said, She said” style, with Richard and Maricar taking turns in sharing their experiences as a couple, particularly how they iron misunderstandings out.

The topics range from the serious to the trivial, including how the two deal with each other’s peculiarities.

Colorful and lively, the book is further enhanced by playful photos and cartoon caricatures of Richard and Maricar in various moods.

The two admitted to have been inspired writing the book after receiving positive feedback about their blogs in RelationshipMattersPH. The couple acknowledged the challenge on their part to come up with something inspirational, practical, and introspective, while being real and honest about real-life conflicts.

Thankfully, in the end, the whole process proved rather fun and educational for both.

To show appreciation to fans, Richard and Maricar have opened themselves

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Tuesday, November 14, 2017

ACROSS 1 Ballet lake 5 MOMA artist 9 Exact duplicate 13 Nimbuses 15 Q.E.D. part 16 Porpoise relative 17 Concede 18 Payroll deduction 19 Count — —!

20 Undressed 22 Diminish 24 Train unit 25 Finish first 26 Strive 27 Michener novel 31 Garden hoppers 33 Like some jobs 34 TV role for Burr 37 Lighten up 38 Cancels 39 Before Wed. 41 With fits and starts 43 Punch server 44 Hazard 45 Most immaculate 46 Incoming-plane stat 49 Computer key 50 First space lab 51 Ancient scrolls 53 Jellystone denizen (2 wds.)

58 NYC theater award 59 Ajar 61 Daredevil’s attribute 62 NE state 63 Giza’s river 64 Golf and bridge 65 Harleys, to some 66 Equinox mo.

67 Social asset DOWN 1 Food fish 2 Arroyo 3 Mendicant’s shout 4 Roulette color 5 Put off till later 6 Very dry 7 Resin 8 Dante and Da Vinci 9 Male cats 10 Seize forcibly 11 Colder 12 Pram pusher 14 Thickset 21 Moo companion 23 Runs its course 25 Coach — Hayes 27 Hole in one 28 Hula-dance fete 29 Org. 30 Rams and lambs 31 Quavering

relevant news stories and public service to Filipinos nationwide and is still the most preferred newscast in the country, while its rival program 24 Oras only managed to record 20.8 percent.

La Luna Sangre (33 percent) also brought excitement to viewers after Angel Locsin’s character Jacintha Magsaysay was revealed as a vampire with a mission to defeat the Supremo.

The talented kids with heartfelt stories of Little Big Shots (31.3 percent) also continued to mesmerize viewers every Saturday and Sunday night.

Meanwhile, Ivy Aguas’ death and Lily Cruz’s (Maja

sound 32 Ravi’s forte 34 Column type 35 Kind of ranch 36 Underwater shockers 38 Accounts 40 Movie-lot locale 42 Go off course 43 Enticing 45 Farm denizen 46 Notable time 47 Forbidden 48 Mimicry 50 Noted

impressionist 52 Desires 53 Sharp bark 54 Cop’s rounds 55 Columnist — Bombeck 56 With, to Henri 57 Stop working 60 Chart shape

up to the idea of doing a nationwide mall and school tour in which they will engage audiences in live discussions regarding the book.

Call 0917-5504307 or 02-7097554 for inquiries.

Richard and Maricar will be also be opening a contact at www.relationshipmatters.ph for those who want to buy signed copies of the book and shipped to them.

Cover of the book penned by celebrity couple Maricar Reyes and Richard Poon

Salvador) resurgence in Wildflower (28.9 percent) bolstered the show’s ratings and became a huge trending topic online last month.

Viewers were also treated to values-oriented stories and whimsical tales in Wansapanataym (27.5 percent) and the trueto-life and inspirational stories in MMK (27.1 percent).

Kapamilya comedy shows Home Sweetie Home (27.1 percent), and Goin’ Bulilit (24 percent) also brought fun and entertainment to families nationwide.

Meanwhile, the Kapamilya network also performed well across all time blocks, particularly in the primetime block (6 p.m. to 12mn) where it recorded

an average audience share of 50 percent, or a 21-point lead over GMA’s 31 percent.

The primetime block is the most important part of the day when most Filipinos watch TV and advertisers put a larger chunk of their investment in to reach more consumers effectively.

ABS-CBN also enjoyed high national TV ratings in the morning block (6 a.m. to 12 nn) with an average audience share of 39 percent versus GMA’s 32 percent, in the noontime block (12 nn to 3 p.m.) with an average of audience share of 47 percent, compared to GMA’s 33 percent, and in the afternoon block (3-6 p.m.) where it recorded 42 percent versus GMA’s 39 percent.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Dennis Trillo topbills GMA-7's upcoming primetime drama, "The One That Got Away," (inset) the whole cast of the series with its director Joel Lamangan (fifth from left)

‘THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY’ shoot now underway

C

AMERAS have started rolling for the upcoming romcom on the Kapuso network that has been given the title The One That Got Away with Dennis Trillo playing the titular role.

Moving around Trillo’s character are three women all have gotten involved with the character at one time or another and they are going to be played by Lovi Poe, Max Collins, and Rhian Ramos.

Introduced after the production team revealed Trillo to members of the press are the three young actors who play the young men the three women will be involved with as they try to move on after breaking up with Trillo’s character. And they are Jason Abalos (the

one that got away from the Kapamilya network), Ivan Dorschner (a Kapamilya salvaged from its wasteland by the Kapuso network) and Migo Adecer (Starstruck talent-search winner that needs the much-needed push to get past the starletforever-syndrome).

With the main cast now in the starting line, the production crew is ready to tape scenes to make it to its 2018 premiere (if My Korean Jagiya would be given an extended life, and why not if it the numbers are still fa-

ISAH V. RED

vorable).

The production had already met the complete cast and briefed them on the series and how it would tread its path. Maryo J. DeLos Reyes is at the helm and the network hopes it would equal if not surpass the numbers that My Korean Jagiya has been posting, making it the only primetime show of the Kapuso network that is giving the rival network some kind of a rating difficulty even as its rival is using all media platforms available to ensure it

slays the competition.

Joining the series are some of the industry’s most illustrious performers – Bembol Roco and Snooky Serna – and a supporting cast that will make the series worth the late-night vigil. These are Ervic Vijandre, Ayra Mariano, Nar Cabico, Dea Formilleza, Joyce Pring at Euwenn Aleta. Another exKapamilya is in the cast as well, and he is Jason Francisco.

Let’s wait for the updates on The One That Got Away. The show can be fun, I am sure.

*** After her successful and most-talked about performance in the highly anticipated R30 concert of Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in October, Soul Songstress Aicelle Santos did not expect to receive rave reviews from netizens and industry members.

“Honestly, I felt a bit overwhelmed because the caliber and talent of the girls I was with in the divas production number were amazing,” shares Aicelle.

In the “divas” production number that went viral, majority singled out Aicelle and many were surprised at how unique and powerful her voice was as she stood her ground on her rendition of “Say That You Love Me” with Regine Velasquez – Alcasid.

Aicelle promises her fans and music lovers that they will get to see more of her amazing talent as she gears up for her upcoming concert Awit na Aicelle: Aicelle Santos in Concert on Nov. 24 (8 p.m.) at the Music

Museum presented by Stages Sessions and GMA Artist Center.

“I am so looking forward to showcase more of my talent in my upcoming concert. I wish to celebrate the glorious talent and musicality of being a Filipino musician,” she adds.

Her special guests include The CompanY, Bullet Dumas, Quest, Myke Salomon, and Gary Valenciano.

For tickets call Music Museum at 02-7216726 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph.

Smart Giga Movies brings ‘Justice League’ exclusive and ‘All In’ to Smart subscribers GET free Justice League tickets or win a new Samsung Note 8 when you subscribe to Smart’s All In Plans, Smart Giga Surf or avail of the Smart Justice League handsets via Smart Postpaid.

Recently, Justice League’s cast went “all in” by releasing shoutout video to Filipino fans (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=PcdhUrI_UdI).

With Smart’s fastest LTE network, All In Plans and Giga Surf offer a wide range of packages addressing every kind of data need so you can do more and get the best experience possible from Smart. Like the pool of Justice League heroes in the latest DC installment,

The "Justice League" heroes featured in the latest DC big screen installment

Smart’s offers are All In. Justice League is the latest from Smart Giga Movies which also rolled out other Hollywood blockbuster

treats with Logan, Ghost in the Shell, Fast & Furious 8, Wonder Woman, and Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

Directed by Zack Snyder and scheduled for a Nov. 16 opening in the Philippines, Justice League kicks off months after the events of

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

In the film, Bruce Wayne/ Batman (Ben Affleck) and Diana Prince/Wonder

Woman (Gal Gadot) are inspired by Superman’s (Henry Cavill) apparent sacrifice for humanity so they assemble a team of

metahumans consisting of Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller), Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Mamoa), and Vicor Stone/ Cyborg (Ray Fisher).

Justice League is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons, Ciaran Hinds, Robin Wright, and Jesse Eisenberg are also in the cast.

To win tickets, gadgets and other freebies and perks, visit Smart.com. ph and follow Smart’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts to track the hashtag #SmartJusticeLeague.

Meg Imperial is 2018 calendar girl

Actress-model Meg Imperial during a contract singing as the new face of Solignum, a brand recognized by timber experts for providing long-term wood protection Show original message

TRUSTED industry leader Jardine Distribution Inc. (JDI) recently signed up actress-model Meg Imperial as the newest face of its 2018 calendar for Solignum, the top-of-mind wood preservative in the market.

The 24-year-old Imperial, who recently appeared in the GMA hit afternoon series D’Originals, disclosed that she readily accepted the offer to represent Solignum, the most trusted wood preservation product in the country, because she considers it a privilege to be associated with an iconic brand that has for decades enjoyed the patronage of homeowners.

“Nung sinabi sa akin ‘yung about being the Solignum calendar girl for 2018, I immediately said ‘yes’ because it’s a leading brand. It is trusted, tried and tested by homeowners,

contractors and building professional for years” Imperial shared.

The Superbrand-recognized Solignum, a tried-and-tested timber expert from JDI, provides protection from termites (anay), fungi (molds), and woodborers (bukbok).

It comes in different variants, namely: Solignum Brown for hidden wooden parts and does not need to be painted over; Solignum Colourless AZ for wood that will be painted over; and the do-it-yourself Solignum Colourless AZ aerosol spray.

During her contract signing and shoot, Imperial stressed the importance of investing in quality products like JDI’s Solignum, which puts a premium on value for money.

“It’s important to choose a reliable product like Solignum in order to get it right the first time. Kung

hindi paulit-ulit ang trabaho, mas makakatipid tayo in the long run,” Imperial said.

As the newest face of Solignum, Imperial excitedly looks forward to exploring more opportunities and doing more projects with JDI, even as she hopes that consumers like her would be smarter and wiser in the coming year and opt for quality products from JDI. Jardine Distribution, Inc., represents a number of local and global companies that provide worldclass crop protection and construction chemical products. They are focused on the safe use of these products, providing technical support, and with due consideration of environmental protection.

For more information, visit www. jardinedistribution.com.