Manila Standard - 2017 November 19 - Sunday

PH CLARIFIES UN VOTE ON ROHINGYA VOL. XXXI • NO. 275 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

HOLDING ON. Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, President Rodrigo Duterte’s law classmate in San Beda College, is under pressure to resign for his alleged failure to address the MRT 3 mess, holds on (in this file photo) to a rail in an overcrowded coach of the rail transport system. Only last Thursday, two MRT coaches got detached from the locomotive, leaving hundreds of passengers scared and stranded.

TRANSPORT CHIEF'S OUSTER DEMANDED T

By Maricel V. Cruz and John Paolo Bencito

WO party-list congressmen on Saturday called for the resignation of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, owing to his alleged failure to address the Metro Rail Transit 3 mess.

Reps. Gary Alejano of Magdalo party-list and Ariel Casilao of Anakpawis party-list demanded Tugade’s resignation in light of recurrent problems that have hounded the main transportation system in Metro Manila’s premiere thoroughfare, and have remained unsolved since he assumed office.

“The responsibility of finding so-

lutions to the problem falls squarely on the DoTr and its leadership. It has been over a year since the Duterte administration took over. They were very much aware of the problems plaguing the MRT, and in fact it is one of the issues that they were hurling against the PNoy [Aquino] administration, yet they still have not properly addressed this. Now,

no more excuses or blame game.

Take responsibility for the mistakes and act forthwith,” Alejano said.

Last Thursday, two MRT coaches got detached from the locomotive, leaving hundreds of passengers scared and stranded.

However, MRT investigators hinted at sabotage as the reason behind the incident.

In Davao City, the President commented “the decoupling would indicate that it is an act of sabotage, or someone did it intentionally.”

Earlier, the DoTR canceled the contract of Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI), the maintenance contractor that handled MRT during the Aquino administration.

BURI bagged the P3.8 billion

MRT 3 tnree-year maintenance contract shortly before then President Benigno Aquino III stepped down in 2016.

It was awarded when Joseph Emilio Abaya was the secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications.

Abaya was also the president of the Aquino-led Liberal Party at that time.

“With the dismal performance of the DoTr from congestion to MRT breakdowns, Duterte should now consider a replacement for Secretary Tugade. One that could deliver. Otherwise, we might continue to experience what we are going through right now; MRT fiasco and traffic mess,” Alejano said. Turn to A2

MARTIAL LAW EXTENSION UP TO AFP—DUTERTE

By John Paolo Bencito MALACAÑANG on Saturday said it was inclined to accept any recommendation coming from the military amid talks on the possible extension of martial law in Mindanao, after indicating that extremist threats still prevailed.

The President, in an interview in Davao City where he is spending the weekend, said “It depends on the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police [if they will recommend it].”

In a radio interview, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said martial law might be necessary since the government still had to spend more time in rehabilitating Marawi City.

While it would still be Duterte’s discretion whether martial rule should be extended or not, the military should know the situation in the area, Padilla said.

“They’re the ones who know what’s best especially when it comes to matters related to national security,” Andanar told state radio Radyo Pilipinas.

“And they all have the reason to give their thoughts,” he added.

“The decision or the recommendation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines is actually accepted.”

The Palace official also added the military had valid basis to possibly ask the President to extend martial law, after they admitted that there were still terrorists who remain capable to launch belligerent attacks.

“And they all have the reason to give their thoughts because the most important thing is the security of each Filipino. And in Mindanao, we all know that there are still problems after Maute and ISIS have been defeated in Marawi,” he said.

“There is still rehabilitation. There is still clearing operation. There are also other elements, rogue elements in our society we need to closely monitor to prevent violence... But then again, it will be the President who will decide,” he added.

On Friday, Armed Forces spokesperson Maj. Gen. Restituto Padilla said there was a possibility that martial law in Mindanao might be extended, should terror groups continue to pose security threats in the embattled region.

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IMMENSE IMAGE. US Navy officials have been left red-faced after one of their jet pilots drew a large penis in the sky over Washington state. Images posted on social media showed the image stretching high over Okanogan County. “The actions of this aircrew are wholly unacceptable and antithetical to Navy core values,” said a statement issued by the NAS Whidbey Island airbase. AFP

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MALACAÑANG on Saturday insisted “isolation and censure” would only add to the difficulty of Rohingya Muslims, in explaining the Philippines’ opposition to a UN draft text which calls for full and unhindered humanitarian aid access and for Myanmar to grant them full citizenship rights.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque explained the Philippines remained “fully aware” that the conflict in Rakhine State “has deep historical roots,” hence Manila’s opposition to the UN draft text.

“The issue in the Rakhine State is a complex one; and we believe that isolation and censure would only add to the difficulty the people there are now facing,” Roque said.

“This explains the vote of the Philippines in the UN resolution,” he added.

But Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Saturday said the country should have abstained instead of voting against a United Nations General Assembly committee draft resolution on the human rights situation in Myanmar.

Responding to a query by ABSCBN News, Locsin said in a Twitter post he would push for Manila’s abstention once the resolution goes to the plenary since it is the “right thing” to do.

He noted that a “yes” vote would “kill” the Association of Southeast Turn to A2

MOCHA LIKELY TO WIN IN 2019 —ANDANAR IT’S already a “no-brainer” that Communications Assistant Secretary Margaux “Mocha” Uson will land a spot in the already-tight Senate race for 2019 should she decide to run, her boss at the Presidential Communications Operations Office said Saturday.

“If we talk about winnability, or the possibility of winning, Mocha is a no-brainer, she can really draw the crowd in a Senate campaign,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar told state-radio Radyo Pilipinas.

The President, in Davao City where he is spending the weekend, told reporters in an interview, “Let the people decide [if they want her].”

Citing Uson’s influence with over 5 million followers on Facebook, Andanar was confident the former sexy dancer could win a Senate post, even sans political experience.

“Mocha is a very popular person [and] part of her being an Assistant Turn to A2

PLAYFUL PILOT PAINTS PENIS IN THE SKY LOS ANGELES, United States—The US Navy was left red-faced Friday after a pilot painted an enormous outline of a penis in the sky using the condensation trails from his multi-million-dollar warplane.

Residents of the town of Okanogan, in the western state of Washington, had been stunned to see the EA-18G Growler jet—a variant of the workhorse F/A-18 warplane—scrawling the phallic symbol on Thursday, and several photos quickly circulated online.

Navy officials acknowledged one of their crews was behind the stunt, saying the aircraft “left a condensed air trail resembling an obscene image to observers on the ground.”

“The actions of this aircrew were wholly unacceptable and antithetical to Navy core values,” Lieutenant Commander Leslie Hubbell, a spokeswoman for the Naval Air Station on Whidbey Island, said in a statement.

“We have grounded the aircrew and are conducting a thorough investigation—and we will hold those responsible accountable for their actions.

“The Navy apologizes for this irresponsible and immature act,” she added.

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

TRANSPORT...

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“Our transport system has become a daily worry to Filipinos. Bago at pagkatapos kumayod sa trabaho ay may karagdagang abala pa. The administration should act on this now as what it has promised to do so,” added Alejano, whose party-list group is closely allied with the LP. For his part, the DoTR under Tugade should stop making excuses for the continuing problematic operation of the MRT. “Claiming the recent operation incident was a product of supposed sabotage; then it should push for an in-depth investigation and not use it as an excuse to wash its hands on the continuing MRT operation mess,” Casilao said.

Casilao said Tugade and his cohorts must step down.

“President Duterte should look for other officials that are up to the task to help the MRT operation back on track for the welfare of the commuters.

Aside from big salaries, DoTR officials received bonuses coming from people’s taxes, they should do their work properly as billions of pesos worth of people’s taxes already spent for MRT maintenance but it continuous (sic) to exact dismal operation with some cases endangering commuters safety” Casilao said.

Casilao said the MRT incident last Thuraday should drive the DoTR to further fast-track its planned improvement of the MRT operation.

“They promised six months but it does not mean they will do it that long for the commuters to feel the improvement of MRT’s operation” Casilao said.

Casilao pointed out: “The MRT is a public transport; the government should be the one operating and maintaining it.”

Meanwhile, Malacañang on Saturday nixed proposals to stop the operations of the Metro Rail Transit-3 even if only temporarily in light of its recent breakdowns, saying this would cause a huge inconvenience to the public.

While it shares the concerns of everyone amid the glitches and technical issues bugging the train system, Palace spokesman Harry Roque said that stopping MRT-3’s operations might disrupt economic activities in Metro Manila, which is heavily reliant on the aging mass transport system.

“While we acknowledge that the MRT-3 problem cannot be solved overnight, we must also consider the 500,000 commuters that rely on the MRT-3 system daily. Stopping the MRT3 operations may disrupt the economic activities of these people,” he said.

Roque said they were in agreement that there was a need “to rehabilitate and upgrade the MRT-3’s current condition.”

“We assure the public that the DoTr maintenance team is working overtime to ensure the safety of the entire system,” Roque said.

He added the government was doing all it could and “we will not rest until the riding public will get the service they truly deserve.”

Senator Grace Poe, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Services, had earlier proposed the temporary shutdown of MRT operations, after one of the MRT coaches detached from the train running northbound from Ayala to Buendia station.

Transportation Undersecretary for Rails Cesar Chavez earlier said Tugade was “seriously considering” a temporary shutdown of the MRT “because of its poor condition.”

But Chavez said the DoTr would only heed Poe’s suggestion if it discovered that all of the line’s trains were no longer running.

Recent train breakdowns came as a female passenger severed her arm in an accident at the MRT-3 Ayala Station in Makati City early this week.

PLAYFUL...

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Many onlookers on the ground posted images of the drawing on social media and appeared amused by the stunt.

Ramon Duran told The SpokesmanReview that he was running errands when he noticed the jet drawing the male genitalia.

“After it made the circles at the bottom, I knew what it was and started laughing,” Duran said.

“It was pretty funny to see that. You don’t expect to see something like that.”

The Boeing EA-18G Growler combines the F/A-18F Super Hornet platform “with a sophisticated electronic warfare suite” at a cost of $67 million each, according to a Navy fact sheet.

AFP

SOLON'S DRIVER DRAWS LIFE TERM FOR MURDER

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HE former driver of a Filipino politician was jailed for life Friday over the assassination of a rival congressman in a bombing a decade ago, officials said.

Ikram Indama was found guilty of the Nov. 13, 2007 murders of House of Representatives member Wahab Akbar and three other people in a motorcycle bomb attack, which wounded seven others, including two other legislators.

Indama had worked as a driver

for Gerry Salapuddin, a former congressman and Akbar’s bitter political rival in the mainly-Muslim southern Philippine island of Basilan.

State prosecutor Peter Ong told AFP Indama helped assemble the bomb and then parked the vehicle

outside the lobby of the House of Representatives.

“The court finds accused Ikram Indama guilty beyond reasonable doubt,” Manila regional trial court judge Ralph See said in his ruling.

Akbar was assassinated six months after his wife defeated Salapuddin in the Basilan gubernatorial election and the attack stood out from among the country’s many deadly political rivalries.

The court heard that Indama and several other suspects assembled the motorcycle bomb at a Manila

house owned by Salapuddin.

Murder charges against Salapuddin were thrown out by the Supreme Court in 2013.

Indama and two other suspects were arrested by Manila police two days after the assassination and pleaded not guilty.

His two co-defendants were found not guilty Friday for “insufficiency of evidence,” said the ruling provided to AFP by Ong. Three other suspects including a police officer remain at large, according to court records. AFP

ACTIVISTS: DU30 RECREATING OLD REGIME

By John Paolo Bencito EXACTLY a year after the later Ferdinand Marcos was buried with military honors at the Heroes’ Cemetery, victims of his regime on Saturday slammed thealleged continuing rehabilitation of the Marcoses “sponsored by the Duterte administration.”

In a statement, the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacañang (CARMMA) warned that the fight will be relentless even as the kin of the dictator Marcos, led by his son and namesake, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., remain bent on returning to power.

Activist Bonifacio Ilagan, a human rights victim during the implementation of the tumultuous period of the Marcos slammed how the late Marcos remains glorified on stamps, “while justice continues to elude the victims of the dictatorship.”

“It is salt to our injuries everyday

in the face of this travesty. The people’s verdict against dictator and tyrant has been trampled upon and reversed by the Marcoses and their cohorts in power.”

Marcos Jr. is currently contesting the results of the vice presidential race against then Camarines Sur representative Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, who won the race in a close contest.

Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte said the Marcos family has expressed willingness to return the alleged ill-gotten wealth, including a few gold bars.

But in a statement, the #BlockMarcos group called on the exhumation of Marcos’ remains as they remembered the day of Marcos’ interment as “a day of outrage” and “a day of resistance.”

“We mark this day with a symbolic action to renew our call to unearth the dictator and all the remnants of tyranny that continue to haunt us

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“We’re working towards that (lifting of martial law). We’re hoping to be able to address and normalize everything by the end of the year because that was the deadline given to us. But be that as it may, the network of the local terrorist groups still continue and this is the subject of our efforts,” Padilla said in a Palace news briefing Friday.

“So if we are able to address that by the remaining days of November, as well as the whole month of December, we will report that to you and give justification for the lifting of martial law.

If not, we will have to request the extension to be able to address the remaining threats in the area,” he added.

In related developments: • Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate on Saturday expressed his opposition to the possibility of further extending the martial law rule over Mindanao beyond this year.

In his statement on Saturday, Zarate expressed fears over a possible further extension of the martial law rule, which went into effect after the Maute group launched an attack on Marawi City in May that sparked a five-month armed conflict with government forces.

“As can be seen if it is up to the AFP they would place Mindanao and even the whole country under perpetual martial law so that they can operate with impunity. Until now many of those who wished to speak out against what truly happened in Marawi are still afraid from government retaliation,” the Davao-based solon said.

• In Lanao del Sur, military authorities arrested Friday one of the inmates of Marawi City jail freed

by Maute terrorists as they captured the city on May 23.

Lt. Col. Ruben Aquino, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Battalion based, identified the recaptured fugitive as Arno Bationg, 40.

He was arrested by Army troops and local police in Barangay Tubok, Malabang town.

Bationg is now undergoing investigation for his alleged involvement in the five-month hostilities.

Col. Gerry Besana, chief of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division Civil Military Operation, said Ationg is believed to have joined the ISIS-inspired group after he and about 100 other inmates were set free by the terrorists.

Maute and Abu Sayyaf gunmen stormed the facility on May 23, disarmed jail guards and allowed inmates to escape, some were convinced to join the terrorist group.

“Bationg could be one of them,” Besana said, adding that he has bullet scars on his right leg.

Army intelligence operatives said Bationg fled from Marawi after he was injured in government operations. With PNA

until today,” the group said.

“We relive the indignation we felt at the Marcoses’ callous desecration of our history and the memory of those who died fighting Marcos’ martial law. We remember their shameless disregard for justice, lest we lose sight of our duty to confront the threat of a complete regress into dictatorship that we are now facing,” they added.

CARMMA likewise accused the Marcoses of ‘historical revisionism’ and called on Filipinos to “uphold history as it happened.”

“Bongbong is shamelessly following the footsteps of his father and trying to realize the dream of his mother. Vigilance is what is asked of all of us,” said Ilagan. ”The Marcoses, with Duterte as their most reliable patron, are not stopping at historical revisionism and political rehabilitation. They are doing this, not simply to save their faces, but because they remain as

what they always have been.”

As to Duterte, CARMMA said, “ Duterte has no other resort but to as tyrannical as Marcos, after failing to fulfill his promised change to the Filipino people,” he added.

Last August 8, 2017—the Supreme Court has affirmed with finality its 2016 decision allowing the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

The high court, voting 10-5 dismissed the motions for reconsideration filed by former Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman.

Soon after, the former President’s remains was buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani with full military honors past noon last Nov. 18, 2017—giving closure to his family and supporters but reopening wounds inflicted by his 21-year rule marked by human rights atrocities.

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Asian Nations, where Myanmar is a member.

“It will be different when it goes to plenary. I will push for abstention. It is the right thing. But a yes is divisive and will kill Asean. Sorry but Asean does not correct Britain’s mistakes in Burma,” Locsin said, calling Myanmar, once a British colony, by its former name.

The Philippines, which recently hosted the biannual Asean Summit, was among 10 nations that opposed the draft text which calls for full and unhindered humanitarian aid access and for Myanmar to grant full citizenship rights to Rohingya Muslims, who are treated by Buddhists as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

A total 135 countries voted in favor of the resolution while 26 abstained, paving the way for the revival of the text which was dropped last year due to the country’s progress on human rights under the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi. Among Asean nations, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar voted against the draft, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam were in favor, while Singapore and Thailand abstained.

Roque also said Manila ac-

knowledged Myanmar’s efforts towards resolving the issues faced involving the Rohingya—including Myanmar’s setting up of an Advisory Commission on Rakhine State led by former UN SecretaryGeneral Dr. Kofi Annan and establishment of a ministerial-level committee to ensure that the recommendations of the Commission were implemented expeditiously.

“Asean leaders have been briefed about these efforts during the recently concluded 31st Asean Summit, and Asean is committed to assist Myanmar in implementing the Advisory Commission’s recommendations,” the Palace official added.

On Thursday, the Philippines voted against a United Nations General Assembly committee draft resolution on the human rights situation in Myanmar.

During the Asean Summit plenary sessions earlier this week.

Myanmar agreed to repatriate thousands of stranded Rohingya Muslims currently in Bangladesh, which will begin in three weeks after it signs a Memorandum of Understanding.

Viewed by the UN and the US as one of the world’s most persecuted minorities, the Rohingya,

an embattled Muslim minority in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, has seen more than 600,000 of its members flee in two and a half months.

In the name of putting down a supposed Rohingya rebellion, Myanmar’s military has since late August waged a sweeping military campaign, burning villages and sending thousands into what has become the largest exodus in today’s world.

The United Nations has denounced the campaign, including allegations of killings and mass rape, as “ethnic cleansing.” The Kofi Annan report, produced by an advisory commission tasked with finding solutions to the ethnic conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, has warned of a further radicalization in the area.

In a 63-page report, the Rakhine Advisory Commission said the Rakhine Muslim community, the Rohingya, had become vulnerable to human rights abuses due to a protracted conflict, statelessness and discrimination.

The report also pointed out that about 10 percent of the world’s stateless people live in Myanmar and that Rohingya make up the single largest stateless community in the world.

John Paolo Bencito

“surprised” by her inclusion in the ruling party’s senatorial slate, had expressed she would not be running unless President Rodrigo Duterte would tell her so.

Uson, in her blog said (caps hers) “I WILL ONLY RUN IF PRRD WILL TELL ME TO RUN. Bakit???

Kasi nga DDS ako. Ano ibig sabihin nito? My loyalty is only to him.

WALA NG IBA.” On Friday, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, the party’s secretary-general of the once moribund Partido Demokratiko

Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan announced in a party oathtaking in Cebu that Uson and Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque would be running for the Senate under the ruling party’s banner come 2019.

PDP-Laban president and Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, however, said there was “no party decision yet.”

“You can consider them as [the] Speaker’s nominees. [The] party will decide in due time,” Pimentel said. John Paolo Bencito

MOCHA...

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Secretary is she has many followers. It’s not a secret to our fellow countrymen that she really has many followers on social media,” Andanar said.

“Her million [followers], if they will vote, as well as her relatives, there’s a big chance [of her winning as senator]. If there is a possibility of winning, it’s no-brainer for Mocha,” he said.

“She can please the crowd in a Senate campaign, miting de avance, among others.”

Uson, who earlier said she was

News

GOVT TROOPERS, BIFF FIGHTERS CLASH ANEW

By Francisco Tuyay

F

IGHTING erupted anew between Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and army troopers after the local terrorist group launched two successive attacks on a military detachment in Maguindanao Friday night.

TUNNEL OF LIGHTS.

The 100-foot Christmas tree lit up by 12,000 light bulbs and 50 meters long tunnel of lights is on display for the first time at the Times Square Food Park at the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City. An estimated 8,000 people witnessed the Christmas tree lighting event.

Sonny Espiritu

FREE ULTRA-SPEED INTERNET SOON A REALITY IN PH

By John Paolo Bencito ALL government agencies and offices down to the barangays will soon have access to free ultra-speed internet access once the government finishes the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure, Department of Information and Communications Technology officerin-charge Eliseo Rio Jr. said.

Seen as a ”game changer” in providing faster, cheaper, and more accessible Internet across the country, Rio said that the LBI will increase the government’s capacity from 2TBps (TeraBytes Per Second) to at least 12TBps, in a short period of time, at no additional cost to the government.

“DICT will use part of this bandwidth capacity for all its internet connectivity programs like the Domestic Wideband Information Network [DWIN] where all government agencies and offices down to the barangays will be connected to very fast and free internet access,” Rio said in a social media post Saturday.

“This will bring government online services like healthcare, education, trade, employment and

job opportunities, social welfare, etc., to even the most remote areas of the country,” he added.

The new infrastructure, which will cost the government an initial P975 million and a P100-million yearly maintenance cost, will bypass the Luzon Strait where submarine cable breaks frequently occur because that area is prone to earthquakes and typhoons. This will also directly connect Luzon to internet hubs in the United States and Asia, once completed.

Last Wednesday, the DICT, BCDA and Facebook signed an agreement to build the government’s first landing stations under the project.

Two cable landing stations, one in Baler, Aurora and another in Poro Point, San Fernando, La Union, and a 250-kilometer fiber optic cable corridor connecting the two will be built by governmentowned Bases Conversion and Development Authority, expected to be completed by around third quarter of 2019.

Social networking site Facebook will be the first user of the LBI, Rio said, allowing Facebook to bypass the Luzon Strait and remunerate the

government at least 2,000,000 MBps or 2TBps international cable link capacity, 25 percent of which will go to BCDA. The new infrastructure will also be used in compliance with RA 10929 or the “Free Internet Access in Public Places Act,” where DICT plans to install more than 250,000 Wifi Access Points nationwide in provincial and municipal capitol and parks, government schools and SUC, hospitals, bus and train stations, airports and piers, Rio added.

The Philippines has one of the slowest Internet speeds in the world, according to a mobile network research firm OpenSignal. It has an average download speed of 8.24 Mbps—or a fifth of the speed of list topnotcher Singapore, which logged 46.64 Mbps.

Aside from this, OpenSignal added LTE availability in the Philippines is at 58.83 percent, placing the country at the 69th spot out of 77 countries in its ranking.

South Korea, Japan and Norway, which performed best in this category had 4G availability of 96.69 percent, 94.11 percent, and 88.66 percent, respectively.

Capt.

Arvin Encinas, spokesperson of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the fighting, which lasted for a few minutes, took place at Sitio Baging, Barangay Timbangan, Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao.

Encinas said that the BIFF attempted to inflict damages to the troops by launching two attacks at an army detachment of the 40th Infantry Battalion at about 7:45 p.m.

The first attacks occurred when BIFF fighters threw a grenade which exploded near the entrance of the army post, forcing soldiers manning it take defensive positions.

“A soldier was slightly wounded sustaining a bruise on his jaw,” Encinas said.

A few minutes later, the BIFF threw an M203 grenade at the same army post, hitting the back portion of the detachment which prompted the soldiers to fire back in retaliation.

“After 20 minutes, an M203 grenade was fired landing at the back of the 40th IB,” Encinas said even as he said that the number of BIFF attackers was not so big.

After the incident, artillery fires from 105mm howitzer were directed at the BIFF’s suspected lairs.

Encinas said the BIFF attack at the 40th IB post was in retaliation of the reported casualties the BIFF which it suffered during heavy artillery fires on the rebels’ position in the recent clash in the two towns of North Cotabato.

The incident in Shariff Aguak was the second military confrontation against BIFF fighters since last week.

GOVT UPBEAT ON EASING HEAVY TRAFFIC IN MM DURING HOLIDAYS THE government is optimistic there will be a smooth flow of traffic in the metropolis during the Christmas season.

Undersecretary Thomas Orbos of the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (I-ACT) expressed the belief that they would achieve its objectives of improving the traffic situation with the cooperation of all stakeholders, not just in the National Capital Region, but also in the adjacent provinces of Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite and Laguna.

Orbos, also the concurrent general manager of the Metro Manila Development Authority, ordered members of Task Force Alamid to intensify anti-illegal parking operations, especially on major streets leading to airports and shopping centers, to further ease traffic conditions in Metro Manila this holiday.

“Traffic regulations are made for the safety of both drivers and pedestrians.

There are instances, however, when necessary tweaks have to be made to

ensure that people comply with the rules of the road. Besides, it’s for everyone’s benefit in the long run,” he said.

The I-ACT chief directed the task force to double their efforts in clearing sidewalks and major thoroughfares of obstructions, including illegally parked vehicles, vendors and other structures.

Orbos also instructed his men to assist the MMDA in apprehending drivers of out-of-line or colorum public utility vehicles who also contribute to the worsening road congestion in the metropolis.

The latest operation conducted by the group resulted in the apprehension of four colorum vehicles along President Diosdado Macapagal Avenue and Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City.

Last September, the task force apprehended a total of 465 traffic violators and impounded 166 illegally parked and colorum vehicles along Commonwealth Avenue, Pasay City, Marcos Highway and P. Tuazon Avenue.

Joel E. Zurbano

AGRI FEST. The 117th Benguet Province ‘Adivay’ agricultural festival, a showcase of Benguet provinces, 13 municipalities and their agricultural, handicraft and landscaping skills, was held Saturday in La Trinidad, Benguet. Dave Leprozo

BFAR TO BAN SARDINE FISHING IN MACAJALAR BAY CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources will ban sardine fishing in Macajalar Bay from December this year to February 2018.

The decision is based on a study

by Mindanao State University (MSU)Naawan, which said that sardines, locally known as “tamban,” hatch their eggs during this period in the bay, BFAR Misamis Oriental Provincial Director

Teodoro Bacolod said.

To effectively enforce the ban, Bacolod said BFAR has already requested the legislative councils of all 15 local government units surrounding Macajalar Bay to enact ordinances for the purpose.

The cities of Cagayan de Oro and El Salvador, the municipalities of Alubijid, Balingasag, Binuangan, Jasaan, Kinoguitan, Lagonglong, Laguindingan,

Opol, Salay, Sugbongcogon, Tagoloan and Villanueva and the province of Misamis Oriental are all located within the bay’s shoreline.

Bacolod said the Philippine National Police Maritime Group will help implement the ban once ordinances are in effect.

He said he was dismayed after patrolling the Opol shoreline recently and discovered that fisherfolk are

harvesting sardine fingerlings from the bay.

“One pail of fingerlings is already equal to 40 pails of adult sardines. If they are not allowed to spawn, we will lose our sardine population in Macajalar Bay,” Bacolod said.

He said there are other fish species in the bay such as the Philippine anchovy that fisherfolk could haul in during the closed season for sardines. PNA

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

NCRPO WARNS SHOPPERS VS THIEVES

By Joel E. Zurbano POLICE on Saturday warned the public against members of criminal groups expected to go around commercial centers, shopping malls, public conveyances and other crowded areas in Metro Manila as the Christmas season draws near.

Metro Manila police director Oscar Albayalde ordered all district commanders—Central Police District, Northern Police District, Southern Police District, Eastern Police District and Manila Police District—to double their alert status in their respective areas of jurisdiction in anticipation of possible crimes to happen this holiday.

He directed his men to strengthen police visibility and street patrolling.

Even if the cases of robbery and theft in Metro Manila are on its downtrend, Albayalde wants the public to be more observant and alert at all times.

In Manila, shoppers have started visiting the areas of Tutuban and Divisoria to buy gifts and other items for the holiday.

The National Capital Region Police Office urged ordinary citizens to help government prevent criminals to do their thing. It also advised the public to report criminal incidents using their social media accounts such as Facebook and Twitter.

Albayalde said crime can happen to anyone at the most unexpected time, and to combat crime, the public must be kept informed of the various modus operandi of criminals.

“While the PNP is fielding additional foot and mobile patrollers, the public must also be wary to what is really happening in their communities and in the streets,” he said.

Just recently, three incidents of thefts were recorded by the Southern Police District in Taguig City. One of the incidents took place in a shopping center in Bonifacio Global City.

SPD spokesperson Jenny Tecson said four individuals were arrested in three separate occasions which happened last Wednesday at the SM Aura Supermarket in BGC; Grace Residences in Barangay Ususan, and St. Michael Subdivision in Barangay San Miguel.

The suspects—Ronnie Cardenas, 36, of Bahay Toro; Jonathan Zambrano, 39, of Rolling Hills, New Manila, and Alexander Fernandez, 23, of Barangay Commonwealth, all in Quezon City, and Jervin Jabonete, 20, of Taguig City—are now detained and were charged with theft before the prosecutors office.

PH CHURCH CELEBRATES ‘WORLD DAY OF THE POOR’ THE Catholic Church in the Philippines celebrates with the universal Church the First World Day of the Poor as marked by Pope Francis on Nov. 19, 2017, as a conclusion to the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

In a statement released by CBCP’s social action arm, Archbishop Rolando J. Tria Tirona, NASSA/Caritas Philippines’ national director, he said that “with over ½ of the world’s population [over 3 billion people] living in extreme poverty, the Pope’s initiative to honor the poor is both a challenge and a celebration.”

The archbishop said that “the initiative is a challenge for us Christians to be mindful of our actions towards the less fortunate, the underprivileged, the vulnerable and marginalized. Let us examine how our words and inactions affect those without voice and power.”

On another note, the archbishop of Caceres also said that “the World Day of the Poor is essentially a time for #AlayKapwa—a celebration where we are called to offer and empty ourselves for the sake of our neighbor.”

In the Philippines, farmers, fishermen and children (21.9 million Filipinos) consistently are the poorest sectors according to the 2017 poverty report of the Philippine Statistics Authority.

“We cannot continue to be blinded of this injustice. That is why NASSA/Caritas Philippines strive to strengthen its advocacy for the integration of humanitarian responses and development programming, just like what we are doing now in Marawi,” pressed Fr. Edwin A. Gariguez, the national Caritas’ executive secretary.

A4

Opinion

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

GLOBAL INVESTORS NEED TO SEE MORE FROM CHINA REFORMS

EDITORIAL

By David Millhouse

TAKEAWAYS

I

T WILL be business as usual for offices and schools, not to mention roads, tomorrow after more than 260 meetings of the Asean Summit concluded last week.

The country did gain many things aside from respite from routine and curious stories about a former beauty queen removing traffic cones on Edsa to get to the fast lane and then bragging about it on social media, or about a blogger who vented her ire at a BBC reporter just because she did not land an interview with the network.

Hosting the summit was no mean feat. And for every person wanting to call attention to himself or herself there are hundreds more who worked quietly and without fanfare to ensure the event goes as seamlessly as possible.

Innumerable man hours were put into making logistical preparations for the meetings and for the delegates, and into providing leg work for the high-level, inprinciple discussions made by the leaders.

NEXT year will mark the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up initiated by Deng Xiaoping, and it’s as vital as ever that the government pushes harder and faster on structural changes. While recent announcements regarding the financial industry are encouraging, for the global investment community to more fully embrace China, progress is still needed on important areas as diverse as stateowned enterprises and healthcare.

China is at the point where it can no longer rely on monetary stimulus and fiscal spending to support longerterm growth. People’s Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan recently warned that further reform and opening-up are key to proactively controlling systematic risks in the nation’s financial sector.

To that end, reform announcements have picked up. Late last week the government removed foreign ownership limits on banks while allowing overseas firms to take majority stakes in local securities ventures, fund managers and insurers. The government also announced it will test a plan to allow foreign automakers to set up wholly-owned electric-vehicle businesses in China’s free-trade zones, as well as permit foreign companies to set up factories without a domestic partner to make utility vehicles. And, there have been other measures announced.

Going into the start of his second term as Chinese President Xi Jinping promised that China would take “big strides in reform” in coming years, and there are several areas that need further progress.

In terms of capital markets, the Ministry of Finance this week continued to waive individual investors’ capital gains taxes for trades done through the trading link between stock exchanges in Shanghai and Hong Kong. The decision should help continue to expand the two-way trading volumes between the Chinese and Hong Kong markets.

Another speculated about move could be more significant. Local media reported that Beijing is looking at some domestic firms listed in Hong Kong for the proposed non-tradable share reform. Longer term, this move could improve liquidity of the Hong Kong market, as well as facilitate closing the valuation gaps between firms listed both in the Hong Kong market and the mainland.

On top of that, the Financial Stability and Development Committee on financial reform and deleveraging held its first meeting last week. The key duty of this new committee will be deliberating major reform and development programs for the financial sector, and to coordinate financial regulation between the various regulators. With total credit in the system is still expanding at almost twice the rate of growth in gross domestic product, the pace of

As a result, gains were realized in terms of agreements or pledges: protecting and promoting rights for migrant workers, for instance; easing trade restrictions; rebuilding Marawi City; cooperating against radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism; implementing reproductive health measures; and respecting international law.

It was a balancing act, really—President Rodrigo Duterte, who had just ended our chairmanship of the Asean, no doubt had to consider multiple and sometimes conflicting concerns as he played the gracious host. For example, there were outstanding issues with regard to our territorial claims on parts of the South China Sea. There were also reminders from some attendees to respect human rights in the context of the war against drugs—at which the President bristled, expectedly.

On the whole, however, we are happy to have seen a respectable hosting stint.

As the Asean chairmanship is passed on to Singapore, we hope all the things said and done in this year’s summit will contribute to the regional bloc’s development.

Turn to A5

36TH NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS WINNERS

WITH eight award-winning publications, Ateneo de Manila University Press was named Publisher of the Year in the 36th National Book Awards.

The winners of the prestigious honors were recently announced by

the National Book Development Board and the Manila Critics Circle.

The University of the Philippines Press had five award-winning books and swept all three poetry book awards: Francis C. Macansantos, “Snail Fever: Poems of Two Decades,” Poetry in English; Rowena P. Festin, “Banayad: Mga Tula;” and Victor N. Sugbo, “Taburos Han Dagat,” Poetry in Waray.

The winner for Translation was a historical novel I reviewed last Sept.

10 for its interesting storyline – Ramon

Muzones’s “Shri-Bishaya” (New Day Publishers), translated by Maria Cecilia Locsin-Nava from Hiligaynon into English.

Acclaimed the best novel in English was Alfred A. Yuson’s “The Music Child and the Mahjong Queen” (Anvil). The storylines within it are strung together like beads on a necklace, each bead a glittering combination of lyrical words.

One of my favorite sections is “Island of Words,” which reads like an epic poem.

Here’s an excerpt:

“2. The Night. […] When water meets water it is love merging not with another but of its own caressing kind, its kin in liquid, the sister of deliquescence.

“It is like the sunlight in summer, so wrapped up in our skin.

“It is like the love our mothers give us, unrelenting, from navel to hair.

“So said the chief of our tribe on nights when the smoke the fire rose to warm the treetops beyond our gaze. The old men would nod in silence while our grandmothers touched the little bells

around their ankles. Their faint sounds joined the wind that was special to our island. We did not have to dream the music.”

The best essays award went to Jose Victor Torres for “To the People Sitting in Darkness... and Other Footnotes of Our Past” (UST PH).

The other winners are: Catherine Torres, “Mariposa Gang and Other Stories” (University of Santo Tomas Publishing House), Short Fiction in English; A l v i n Ya p a n , “ S a n g k at a u h a n , Turn to A5

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

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Opinion

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From A4

delivering needs to intensify.

If the reform agenda is properly implemented, it has the potential to be a positive driver of China’s capital markets, given that SOEs are about 62 percent of the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index’s total market capitalization. I’d also note that reform periods have historically coincided with strong equity markets.

Some examples include the UK during Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s reform push, the US in the 1980s during President Ronald Reagan’s deregulations, and Germany in 2003 during the post-Hartz labor reform.

Execution is the key, however, and for both the Chinese economy and financial markets, it’s vital that further progress is made. Bloomberg

36TH...

From A4 Sangkahayupan: Mga Kuwento,” Short Fiction in Filipino (Ateneo de Manila University Press); Charmaine Lasar, “Toto O,” Novel in Filipino (Page Jump Media); Raissa Robles, “Marcos Martial Law Never Again,” Non-Fiction Prose in English (Filipinos for a Better Philippines); Roque J. Ferriols, SJ, “Sulyap sa Aking Pinanggalingan,” Non-Fiction Prose in Filipino (AdMU Press); JPaul S. Manzanilla and Caroline S. Hau, “Remembering/Rethinking Edsa,” Bilingual Anthology (Anvil); Christine S. Bellen, “Batang Rizal at iba pang Dula,” Anthology in Filipino (AdMU Press); Merlie M. Alunan, “Susumaton: Oral Narratives of Leyte,” Anthology in Waray (AdMU Press); Bong Redila, “Meläg,” Graphic Literature (Adarna House); Jose Wendell P. Capili, “Migrations and Mediations: The Emergence of Southeast Asian Diaspora Writers in Australia 1972-2007,” Literary Criticism/ Literary History (UP Press); Edgie Polistico, “Philippine Food, Cooking, and Dining Dictionary,” Food (Anvil); Daniel F. Doeppers, “Feeding Manila in Peace and War, 1850-1945,” History (AdMU Press); Amado C. Bajarias Jr., “A Field Guide to Flight: Identifying Birds on Three School Grounds,” Science (AdMU Press); Francisco J. Lara Jr. and Steven Schoofs, “Out of the Shadows: Violent Conflict and the Real Economy of Mindanao,” Social Sciences (AdMU Press); Kenneth Roland A. Guda, “Peryodismo sa Bingit: Mga Naratibong Ulat sa Panahon ng Digmaan at Krisis,” Journalism (UP Press); Joy Lumawig-Buensalido “Pinoy Manners: A Modern Guide to Delicadeza for All Generations,” Leisure (Christine Jocelyn Buensalido); Pocholo Gonzales, “Gusto Kong Maging Voice Talent: Mga Sikreto sa Likod ng Dubbing, Voice-over at Voice Acting,” Professions (PSICOM Publishing Inc.); Nick Deocampo, “Eiga: Cinema in the Philippines During World War II,” Art (Anvil); Papa Osmubal (Oscar Balajadia),”Capampangan Roots,” Language Studies (Holy Angel University Press); and Karl Fredrick M. Castro, “Colonial Manila, 1909-1912,” Book Design (AdMU Press). *** With the holidays a month away, there’s no need to rack your brain thinking of what gifts to give when there’s the Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod (Christmas Book Flood) to inspire us.

It’s an interesting custom where books are given on Christmas Eve and that night is spent reading. Because of this, the majority of books in Iceland are sold in late September to early November.

If you’re looking to give books as holiday gifts this year, why not select from this list, or from the other titles written by Filipino authors? Many of these books are carried by bookstores; you can also search for the publishers’ online platforms and order from there.

It’s also a good time to look for bargains; many publishing houses have sales around this season.

Dr. Ortuoste is a California-based writer. Facebook and Twitter: @jennyortuoste

‘THOR: RAGNAROK’ OFFERS A TIMELY HISTORY LESSON

By Stephen L. Carter THERE’S a clever set piece in the new Marvel film “Thor: Ragnarok” where the villainous Hela, played

by Cate Blanchett, marches into the throne room of Asgard and begins tearing from the ceilings all the inspiring frescoes of the brave and wonderful deeds of the rulers of the realm. This isn’t random vandalism.

When the paintings come down, we see older images of an Asgard built by violence and cruelty. This quite different history has somehow been airbrushed from ... well, from history.

Hela, of course, is meant to be a baddie. But in this particular episode, surely she’s doing right: exposing the truth beyond the myths on which her society is built. Perhaps she’s doing it too suddenly, and certainly she’s doing it too savagely. Nevertheless, she’s following the right course.

The same urge to uncover the true history—the thing that really happened—lies behind large chunks of contemporary controversy. Just consider the wave of harassment and assault charges that is flooding the entertainment world, with no end in sight. The happy-business-as-usual frescoes a re f a l l i n g e ve r y w h e re, b u t

particularly in Hollywood.

The same storm is beginning to thunder its way across Capitol Hill, and the outcome isn’t easy to predict. (Will Roy Moore withdraw from the Alabama Senate race? Will Al Franken resign his seat? And, by the way, who’s next?) Surely the rising tide will soon drown other institutions as well. Watching the disaster unfold isn’t pleasant, but the pain of following the disclosures cannot compare with the pain of suffering through what is being disclosed, or of coming forward to discuss what happened.

Sometimes, the effort to find the truth behind the myth is more contested. In the battle over monuments to Confederate war heroes, for example, both sides have a point. The case for taking the statutes down is basically that those being honored are undeserving, and that only a whitewashed history pretends otherwise. The case for leaving the statues in place is that the raising of the monuments was itself an act of history, and to take them down is to airbrush away the era in which people gloried in putting them up. Some political leaders have reached for the obvious compromise—to leave them in place and add historical context—but this act of difference-

splitting seems to make neither side terribly happy.

Removing statues and related honors for the country’s founders is more troubling. It’s not as t h o u g h G e o rg e Wa s h i n g to n wasn’t actually the first president or the commanding general of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War. It’s not as though Thomas Jefferson didn’t write the Declaration of Independence. That they also had physical ownership of other human beings is horrific, but in the context of their era merely made them unheroic. Their statutes (and frescoes) shouldn’t come down. But, again, we most certainly should add context, as much as necessary, to give a truly rounded picture of both the founders and their era.

And not all the context has to be official. When I was in the eighth-grade in Washington, my history teacher told us that most of the slaves were happy and weren’t particularly interested in freedom. I went home and shared this fascinating nugget with my astonished parents. In return, I got a history lesson, in my house, that was quite a bit closer to the truth.

History is a creature of immense energy and complexity. Trying, as we often do, to twist it to suit our

interests is (to borrow from Harold Schonberg in another context) like trying to put handcuffs on an eel.

Sometimes we even think we’ve succeeded—every generation has its Ministry of Truth; these days it’s located largely on the campus—but, in the end, the eel almost always wriggles free.

S o m e t i m e s, h o we ve r, t o o much context can obscure the truth, and those frescoes simply have to come down. When facing an accusation of being abusive toward women, it’s no defense to say such behavior was common in the industry. We’re not talking about two centuries ago; we’re talking about living memor y.

And in living memory, abuse and assault are simply outrages. To paper them over with context is to blur the ever-clearer pictures that the frescoes are covering up.

The makers of “Thor: Ragnarok” could hardly have imagined that their well-received and hugely popular entertainment would be released at so timely a moment, and contain so sharp an allegory for the era. But it does. And although Hela is, obviously, the villain of the film, on this point she’s plainly right.

Obscuring history is wrong, and if we look too carelessly, we’ll see all the wrong images. Bloomberg

TAKE THAT SCARY HYPERTENSION NEWS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT

By Faye Flam SINCE worry can increase your blood pressure, it’s counterproductive to fret about the alarming headlines declaring that hypertension now affects half of all Americans, including about 80 percent of those over 65. The numbers don’t reflect a sudden decline in the public’s health; instead, health authorities have expanded the definition of hypertension so it now includes some 30 million more people. And yet despite this dramatic shift, surprisingly little has changed in the scientific understanding of hypertension, or in what your doctor is likely to recommend.

The news, announced this week, was that the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology have just lowered the bar for high systolic blood pressure (which is the top number). It used to be 140, and now it’s 130. While the New York Times announced that now tens of millions of Americans will “need” to lower their blood pressure, the health police are unlikely to arrest you for a reading of 131. A better phrasing might have been that tens of millions more people might benefit from lowering their blood pressure—but many of those people already knew that.

For most people in that newly diagnosed range, which used to be called pre-hypertension, the recommendation is not necessarily to take drugs, but to try lifestyle changes, such as exercising and eating less junk

food the same stuff doctors have been nagging people about for decades.

These changes can have positive effects across the board. For some people who already lead a healthy lifestyle, it’s still acceptable for doctors simply to keep an eye on things.

The only substantial change in scientific understanding comes from a 2015 study, said Raymond Townsend, director of the hypertension program at the University of Pennsylvania. Called SPRINT—for Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial—it was actually geared to find the best treatment for people with high blood pressure and other factors that put them at an elevated risk of heart attacks or strokes.

These were people who had about a 20 percent chance of dying within the next 10 years.

It was a big trial, including thousands of patients monitored at more than 100 different sites. Some of the participants were treated with drugs aimed at getting their blood pressure below 140. A second group was treated more aggressively, with the goal of getting their readings down to 120. The result was a modest decrease in deaths among those treated more aggressively: For every 200 people given the more aggressive treatment, there was one fewer death.

Here’s how Yale cardiologist Harlan Krumholz interpreted the findings in a New York Times commentary: “If you are age 50 or older, with a top blood pressure number between 130 and 180

([as] measured in the study) and are either age 75 or older or have a high risk of stroke or heart or kidney disease, then you have a new option to consider.”

That’s not very scary.

That parenthetical point about the way they measured blood pressure in the study matters, say the experts, because blood pressure can swing in and out of the healthy zone over the course of the day and in response to anxiety. SPRINT participants were monitored with multiple readings that were averaged over a period of time. With this more reliable measuring technique, “We’ve found that a lot of people who are thought to be hyper tensive are not,” said William White, chief of the division of hypertension and clinical pharmacology at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

What does this mean, if anything, for people too healthy to have qualified for SPRINT, but now labeled as hypertensive? “Some of this is really extrapolation,” said White. “We don’t really have any direct evidence that taking someone at 135 and lowering them to 120 will help,” he said. For healthy individuals, that’s “a theoretical construct,” he added.

Though there will be a huge increase in people labeled as having hypertension, he said, the new guidelines don’t necessarily recommend giving those people drugs. Still, he said, earlier guidelines were too lax—defining the healthy range as anything under 150

for people over 60. The higher the blood pressure, the stronger the evidence of danger.

In the best-case scenario, said Penn’s Townsend, the SPRINT findings and new guidelines can be incorporated into an individualized approach. Blood pressure does tend to creep up over time, he said, so people with readings in the 130s or even in the 120s might benefit from exercising or adopting a healthier diet, if they don’t already do those things.

A few more patients might end up taking drugs under the new guidelines, but drug therapy can come with side effects, including harm to the kidneys, dizziness and an increased risk of falls, he said. Prescribing decisions have to weigh individual risks and benefits.

He said he hopes doctors won’t be penalized for their patients’ bloodpressure readings under the new guidelines, calling them “no substitute for good clinical judgment.”

In the end, the new guidelines are based on available science, but what the scary stories often leave out is the fact that the science is limited, and there’s a certain amount of extrapolation and educated guessing required. In an interview, Yale’s Krumholz said that doctors should be honest about the uncertainty. The new guidelines shouldn’t be seen as a way of labeling more people with a disease, but as an opportunity for people to work with their doctors to consider different ways to stay healthy over the long run.

Bloomberg

World

A6

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor

CLIMATE ENVOYS SEE WAY AHEAD DESPITE TRUMP BONN, Germany—Negotiations to bolster the climate-saving Paris Agreement, crafted over two decades, closed in Bonn Saturday, deflated but not derailed by Donald Trump’s rejection of the treaty and defense of fossil fuels.

The US President’s decision to yank the United States from the hard-fought global pact cast a long shadow over the talks, which ran deep into overtime. Negotiations were marked by revived divisions between developing countries and rich ones.

With a wary eye on America, which sent negotiators to a forum it intends to quit, envoys from nearly 200 countries got on with the business of designing a “rule book” for enacting the agreement, which enters into full force in three years’ time.

“The Trump administration failed to stop the global climate talks from moving forward,” said Greenpeace observer Jens Mattias Clausen.

Closing two weeks of talks, negotiators agreed in the early hours of Saturday to hold a stocktake in 2018 of national efforts to cut fossil fuel emissions.

The Paris treaty calls for limiting average global warming to “well under” two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial levels, or 1.5 C if possible.

Anything over 2 C, experts say, dooms the world to calamitous climate change, with more extreme superstorms, droughts, floods, and land-gobbling sea level rise. AFP

DONALD REVERSES ELEPHANT TROPHY RULE, KEEPS BAN WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump said Friday he will uphold a ban on importing trophies of elephants hunted and killed in Zimbabwe, pending further review, reversing his own administration’s decision from just a day earlier after a public outcry.

“Put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts. Under study for years.

Will update soon with Secretary Zinke.

Thank you!” Trump tweeted.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said the pair came to the decision after they “talked and both believe that conservation and healthy herds are critical.”

Just hours before, Trump’s spokeswoman Sarah Sanders had defended the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s move to end the 2014 ban initiated under Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama.

The service said Thursday that it would begin issuing permits to import “sport-hunted trophies from elephants hunted in Zimbabwe” between January 21, 2016 and December 31, 2018.

Zambia would also have been covered under the revised rule.

The move was met with a barrage of criticism from animal rights groups and activists. AFP

ZIMBABWEANS TO MARCH; MUGABE’S FUTURE UP IN AIR HARARE, Zimbabwe—Zimbabwe was set for more political turmoil Saturday with protests planned as veterans of the independence war, activists and ruling party leaders called publicly for President Robert Mugabe to be forced from office.

The marches will cap an unprecedented week in which generals seized power and put Mugabe under house arrest in a stunning turnaround for the president who has ruled since 1980.

The 93-year-old autocrat did not resign in talks with the army chief on Thursday and sources suggested the veteran leader was “buying time” to negotiate an end to his 37-year-reign.

Mugabe appeared publicly for the first time at a pre-planned graduation ceremony in Harare on Friday, further stoking questions over the status of his discussions with General Constantino Chiwenga, who led the military power grab.

Later in the day, eight of Mugabe’s ruling party’s 10 regional branches took to state television to call for him to go.

Cornelius Mupereri, a spokesman for ZANU-PF’s Midlands region, was one of several party barons to appear on ZBC’s nightly news to read almost identical statements calling on Mugabe to quit.

Chris Mutsvangwa, chairman of the independence war veterans’ association, said “the game is up” for Mugabe and announced street protests against the president. AFP

WRAPPED UP. A 56-days-old female orangutan baby (pongo pygmaeus), named as Cinta Lestari (Forever Love), rests in a blanket at a zoo in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia on Saturday. Cinta is the first baby of Kiki, a critically endanger Kalimantan great ape, which was born outside of its habitat.

Orangutan habitat in Kalimantan was shrunk due to illegal hunting and deforestation. AFP

CHINESE, N. KOREAN ENVOYS TALK UP TIES

S

HANGHAI—A senior Chinese envoy has met an aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in Pyongyang, the two sides said Saturday, stressing longstanding ties despite deep divisions over the North’s nuclear activities.

Song Tao is visiting on behalf of President Xi Jinping, ostensibly to brief the North’s officials on the recent Chinese Communist Party congress and other “issues of mutual interest.”

The two communist neighbors, once said by Mao Zedong to be “as close as lips and teeth”, are at odds over the nuclear standoff, and United States President Donald Trump is urging Beijing to pile pressure on Pyongyang.

Song, the first senior Chinese envoy to visit in more than a year, had been widely expected to raise the

impasse over North Korea’s missile and nuclear tests in his Friday meeting with Choe Ryong-Hae, a top official in North Korea’s ruling party.

But a Chinese Communist Party report of the meeting made no mention of those issues, focusing instead on platitudes about the long relationship.

A party statement said Song and Choe agreed that mutual ties were “the common treasure of the two peoples.”

“Both parties should make concerted efforts to promote the development of the relations be-

tween the two parties and the two countries and let them benefit the two peoples,” the statement paraphrased them as saying.

A brief report by North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency said Song told his hosts that China wanted to “develop the traditional friendly relations between the two parties and countries,” but gave no further details.

Trump, who warned Xi during his trip to Beijing last week that time was “quickly running out” to solve the nuclear crisis, took to Twitter on Thursday to hail Song’s mission as “a big move, we’ll see what happens!”

The United States wants China, which accounts for 90 percent of North Korea’s foreign trade, to apply more economic pressure.

But experts doubt Song’s visit will yield breakthroughs, saying Beijing has far less political influ-

ence on Kim than is thought despite the economic ties.

“Relations are extremely stressed.

Perhaps the lowest point since the Korean War. Perhaps (the mission) will put a floor under China-North Korea relations, preventing further deterioration,” said Bonnie Glaser, China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

China has imposed its own banking restrictions on North Koreans in addition to enacting a series of UN measures that include bans on imports of coal, iron ore and seafood from the North.

But Beijing fears that squeezing Pyongyang too hard would cause its collapse. Analysts say Song’s trip is probably aimed more at urging Kim’s regime not to escalate tensions rather than applying real pressure for disarmament. AFP

QUEEN ELIZABETH II, PHILIP MARK 70 YEARS MARRIED

BEAMING STAR. Actress Jennifer Garner smiles at the premiere of IFC Films’‘The Tribes Of Palos Verdes’ at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on Friday in Los Angeles, California. AFP

LONDON—He accepted living in her shadow. She forgave his periodic gaffes.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip will celebrate their platinum wedding anniversary on November 20, marking 70 years since they married in the splendor of Westminster Abbey.

Despite three of their four children (Charles, aAnne and Andrew) having divorced, this royal union has endured through the decades without any public hint of marital strife.

Now, they join a small club of couples who have spent seven decades together.

No events are planned to celebrate their landmark, but the bells of Westminster Abbey will ring at 1300 GMT in tribute.

Elizabeth and Philip will spend the day with other members of the royal family, a Buckingham Palace spokesman told Agence France Presse.

After 70 years of marriage it’s a burgeoning clan, with four children, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

They expect to welcome a sixth great-grandchild in April, when Prince William and wife Kate Middleton’s third child is due.

The 96-year-old Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, retired from the public eye this summer, enjoying his newfound free time reading and painting.

For her part the Queen, at 91, is slowly passing over some of her official duties to her son Prince Charles, now aged 69.

It was a version of love at first sight.

Elizabeth was aged just 13 when she first laid eyes on her future husband Philip, then a dashing 18-year-old blond army officer.

The pair may have met in their teens, but it would be eight years until the nation celebrated with pomp their fairytale wedding at Westminster’s famous abbey on November 20, 1947.

The princess dazzled, dressed in a satin dress embroidered with roses and decorated with 10,000 pearls and sparkling crystals.

In this post-war period, it was “a flash of color on the difficult road we’re taking,” said Winston Churchill, leader of a Conservative Party then in opposition.

Fresh memories of the war and fears of anti-German sentiment meant several of Prince Philip’s German relatives -- including his three surviving sisters -- were not invited to the ceremony.

Prior to the wedding, the Queen Mother asked her future son-in-law if he would cherish her daughter.

“Cherish Lilibet? I wonder if that word is enough to express what is in me,” he replied, using the Queen’s childhood nickname.

He went on to say that he had “fallen in love completely and unreservedly” with her.

After their honeymoon -- at Balmoral, the Scottish holiday estate of the royal family -- the newlyweds moved to Malta where Philip, a naval officer, had been stationed. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

Manila

Standard

TODAY

A7

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017 reuelvidal@yahoo.com

POTTS FOCUSES ON PBA STINT JUST like Calvin Abueva before him Alaska draftee Davon Potts first needed to complete his stint in the National Collegiate Athletic Association before focusing on his professional basketball career in the Philippine Basketball Association.

After helping the San Beda Red Lions win a second consecutive NCAA seniors basketball crown Potts can now concentrate on playing for the Alaska Aces who drafted him in the second round at eighteenth overall.

Unlike Abueva who failed to win the NCAA crown in his final year with the San Sebastian College Stags before playing in the PBA, Potts managed to lead the Red Lions to the throne. Potts averaged 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in the Finals.

Potts, a “steal” in the second round, is a proven winner. He led Cignal to two PBA D-League championships. He helped San Beda win back-to-back NCAA crowns.

Basketball experts projected him as a high pick in the first round. Somehow he managed to be available when the Aces selected him at eighteenth overall.

Potts said that people doubted him and his abilities for as long as he could remember. However, he only uses this as motivation to do better and prove his doubters wrong.

“I use that as motivation a lot. They doubt me but I always use that as fire from day one. I always loved that and used that as fire to prove everybody wrong,” said Potts in a published report.

The Fil-Am guard was San Beda’s main man last year under coach Jamike Jarin. With new coach Boyet Fernandez Potts didn’t get as much minutes in the regular season. His playing time increased in the Finals when he finally had a chance to show his true worth.

Bikers and cycling enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels fill every available space along 9th Avenue as they ride their bikes to launch the Sun Life Cycle PH yesterday at the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Lino Santos

C

SUN LIFE CYCLE PH LAUNCHED AT BGC

LOSE to two thousand bikers and enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels rode their bikes along city streets to launch the Sun Life Cycle PH yesterday at the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Celebrities including Piolo Pascual, Ysabel Ortega, Gerald Anderson, Jake Cuenca, Matteo Guidicelli, Kisses Galavin of Pinoy Big Brother fame, Gretchen Ho and three-time Tour de France green jersey winner Robbie McEwen led the launch.

The cyclists completed rides of 20 kilometers and 40 kilometers depending on their fitness. Later in the morning children got their turn to ride their bikes either alone or accompanied by parents depending on their age.

The event was a welcome treat for families and friends to bond while biking around customized paths. Sun Life Financial Philippines said they advocate cycling as

a healthy and fun activity as well as a sustainable option of transportation and moving around the city.

“Our mission at Sun Life is to help people achieve lifetime financial security. But every now and then, we create events on health and wealth because we believe that health and wealth go together,” said Mylene Lopa, chief marketing officer of organizer Sun Life Financial Philippines.

Sun Life embraces the growing love of Filipinos for cycling and an active lifestyle. Riders—whether new or seasoned cyclists—had a blast riding along partially closed roads as they enjoyed the challenging route from Bonifacio Global City,

Taguig all the way to Pasay City.

Sun Life Financial in the Philippines offers a wide spectrum of products that include Life Insurance, Accidental Insurance, Pension Plans, Education Plans and Mutual Funds.

The premier 40-km race started at the corner of 9th Avenue and 30th street then went to the Kalayaan Flyover toward Roxas Boulevard then back again to Bonifacio Global City, going through the course in two loops.

The fun ride, held in partnership with Sunrise Events, Inc. and backed by the Bonifacio Global City, Department of Tourism, Powerade, Rudy Project, F2P, 2GO, Ford, Trek, Cetaphil, Sanicare, Alaska, Alcoplus, Cignal and the Philippine Star, also helped raise funds for underprivileged kids under Pascual’s Hebreo Foundation.

Sunrise Events, Inc. was estab-

IN RE: PETITION FOR ISSUANCE OF C E R T I F I C AT E OF PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY TO OPERATE DOMESTIC NONS C H E D U L E D (AIR TAXI) AIR TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

lished in 2008 by Wilfred Steven Uytengsu after it was granted the Ironman 70.3 license by the World Triathlon Corporation. The vision of the company is to stage world class events to put the Philippines in the sports tourism map of the world. SEI currently stages at least 13 events per year and has the exclusive rights to the IRONMAN, IRONMAN 70.3, 5150, XTERRA, Irongirl and Ironkids events.

A popular category—the Bid2Bike—gave participants the chance to pedal side-by-side with their chosen celebrities. Bidding started at P500 until all slots were filled. Winning bidders got to bike out with their chosen stars in 20km or 40 km races and had their jerseys signed and photos taken.

Proceeds from the bidding will help send underprivileged children to school under Pascual’s Hebreo Foundation.

By Reuel Vidal THREE-time Tour de France green jersey winner Robbie McEwen, considered as fastest sprinter in the world during his prime, said the Philippines is on the right track towards developing world class cyclists.

McEwen said the Sun Life Cycle PH, held yesterday at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, is a good introduction to the sport especially for children. From there it will only be a matter of proper training to train them to become world class.

“For anyone who wants to be good at any sport—it doesn’t need to be cycling, just any sport—there are certain principles. You have to start at the bottom and work your way to the top. You set that one big goal. But you don’t stay fixed on that one thing all the time.

You set small goals and achieve those one at a time. It’s like climbing a ladder. You have to step on each rung to get all the way to the top. That’s exactly the way in cycling as in all sports and all facets of life,” said McEwen.

Sun Life Cycle PH is not a race but a fun ride experienced by the whole family as well as by friends and co-workers.

Close to two thousand riders —including celebrities like Piolo Pascual, Gerald Henderson, Gretchen Ho and Kisses Delavin

of Pinoy Big Brother fame—assembled at 9th corner 30th streets, Bonifacio Global City at 5:30 a.m. in the morning to ride on their bicycles over city streets.

Sun Life Cycle PH is not about competition. It’s more about introducing people to the enjoyment of cycling. After that Filipino riders can look to competition here and in other regions to develop to their full potential.

“My advice for kids: just have fun. Because when it’s fun it doesn’t seem like hard work.

Training doesn’t feel like training. It feels like a hobby. When you’re having fun, it seems a lot easier and you’re going make it,” said McEwen.

Philippine cycling is on the right track to grow bigger.

There are already world class races here in the Philippines the Le Tour de Filipinas and the Ronda Pilipinas where the best Filipino cyclists compete.

“What’s really good for them (Filipino riders) is that even if there’s not that many races here in the Philippines there’s a lot of good races in Asia. The Philippine national team can race there. So they’re getting better and better. They’re getting more and more exposure to international competition. So it’s really raising the level. As the years go on then we will find more and more Filipino riders who can become world class,” said McEwen.

NOTICE OF HEARING Pursuant to the provisions of RA776, as amended, Notice is hereby given that LlTEAIR EXPRESS INCORPORATED has filed with the Civil Aeronautics Board a petition for issuance of Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to Operate Domestic Non-Scheduled (Air taxi) Air Transportation Services. The above entitled case is scheduled for hearing on December 12, 2017 at 10:00 AM at the CAB Conference Room, Old MIA Road, Pasay City before the undersigned, wherein the applicant shall present relevant evidence. Pre-marking and comparison of documents to be presented during the hearing shall be on December 6, 2017 at 10:00 AM, three (3) days thereafter, Applicant shall submit the marked documents together with the scanned copy to Hearing Examiners’ Division (HED) in accordance to CAB Resolution No.6 (BM 01-01-27-2016) dated January 27, 2016, otherwise known as Less Paper Transaction of CAB. The applicant is hereby required to have this Notice of Hearing published at least once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a broadsheet newspaper of national circulation. The Notice of Hearing and the Application shall be served, by this Office, to all concerned parties/airlines, either by facsimile or electronic mail, in compliance with CAB Board Resolution No. 97 (2003).

Parties opposing the said application shall file its manifestation not later than the pre-marking and comparison of documents, on December 6, 2017 and its written opposition on or before the date of hearing, furnishing a copy of the same to the applicant or appear at the hearing with such evidence as may be proper under the premises. Failure on the part of any interested party to file their opposition on time or appear at the hearing shall be construed as a waiver of their right to be heard and the Civil Aeronautics Board shall proceed to hear and decide the application on its merits.

Let a copy of the petition and this Notice be posted at the CAB Bulletin Board beginning today.

03 November 2017 Pasay City, Philippines

(MS-NOV. 19,26 & DEC. 3, 2017)

TOUR DE FRANCE WINNER SAYS PH ON RIGHT TRACK

CAB Case No. EP-175649-HED112017-056-0

LlTEAIR EXPRESS INCORPORATED Petitioner. x--------------------------------------x

MARIA ELBEN SL. MORO Hearing Officer

Republic of the Philippines Office of the President

PHILIPPINE DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

PDEA Bldg., NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Barangay Pinyahan Quezon City 1100, Philippines www.pdea.gov.ph

INVITATION TO BID SUPPLY, DELIVERY, AND TESTING OF ONE (1) LOT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND OFFICE EQUIPMENT Bid Ref. No. 2017-47

INVITATION TO SUBMIT INTENTION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY TO BID AND NOTICE OF BRIEFING CONFERENCE

1.

PHILEX Mining Corporation’s PADCAL MINE in Sitio Padcal, Camp 3, Tuba, Benguet, invites qualified independent contractors to submit their intention to apply for eligibility to bid and to attend the briefing conference for the Earthworks for Tailings Storage Facility No. 3(TSF3), Backfilling of Offset Dike, Landbridge and Bundwall.

2.

3.

Interested bidders are invited to attend the Initial Briefing Conference on 28 November 2017 at 1:00PM, in the Admin Conference Room, Padcal Mine, Sitio Padcal, Camp 3,Tuba, Benguet.

Interested bidders should possess and submit the following eligibility requirements to the Contract Committee Office on or before the day of Briefing Conference: (a) complete company profile; (b) PCAB “AAA” license; (c) previous work or project related to massive backfilling, quarrying, earthmoving, reclamation on tailings or dam facilities;(d) manpower/personnel-a project manager (civil engineer with at least 5 year experience in backfilling/ quarrying/earthmoving/reclamation on tailings storage/ dam building); (e) latest audited financial statement; and (f) list of equipment/unit either owned, leased and / or under purchased agreement.

The Contract Committee and /or Philex Mining Corporation assume no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify any and all contractors/bidders of any expenses incurred in the preparation and/or submission of their eligibility requirements, or its attendance in the said briefing Conference.

Respectfully yours, (Sgd.) EDUARDO M. ARATAS For the Contract Committee Approved: (Sgd.) ROY P. MANGALI AVP& Assistant Resident Manager

4.

5.

ThePhilippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), thru its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), intends to apply the sum ofELEVEN MILLION EIGHT HUNDRED NINE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED ELEVEN PESOS AND 77/100(P11,809,711.77) through General Appropriations Act (GAA) for CY 2017 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)for the SUPPLY, DELIVERY, AND TESTING OF ONE (1) LOT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND OFFICE EQUIPMENT.Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected duringbid opening.

The PDEA - BAC now invites bids for SUPPLY, DELIVERY, AND TESTING OF ONE (1) LOT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND OFFICE EQUIPMENT.Delivery of the goods is 60calendar days upon receipt of Notice to Proceed. Bidders should have completed within three (3) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II Instructions to Bidders.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “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 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.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours (8:00 am to 5:00pm).

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on November 16,, 2017 from the address given below and upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of twenty-fivethousand pesos (PhP25, 000.00).

The Invitation to Bid may be downloaded from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and PDEA Website at www.pdea.gov.ph, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

6.

The PDEA-BAC will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on November 17, 2017, 10:30 a.m. at ODDGA Conference Room, NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Quezon City 1100 which shall be open to prospective bidders.

7.

Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before November 28, 2017, 10:30 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 November 28, 2017, 10:30 a.m. at ODDGA Conference Room, NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Pinyahan, Quezon City 1100. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

8.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the BAC Secretariat c/o Mr. Arvin E Sadulloat the PDEA Compound, NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Quezon City from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PMonly, Mondays to Fridays starting November 16, 2017at Tel No. (632)920-8082.However, any queries relative to the contents of the bid documents and the project requirements can only be made by bidders who purchased the bid documents not later than Ten (10) days prior to the Submission and Opening of Bids.

9.

PDEA 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.

10.For further information, please refer to: Mr. Arvin E Sadullo PDEA-Logistics Management Service PDEA Compound, NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Quezon City Tel No. (632)920-8082

(MS-NOV. 19, 2017)

(Sgd) JESUS A FAJARDO, MMOAS Deputy Director General for Administration Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

A8

Sports

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor / Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor / Randy Caluag, Issue Editor

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

PLAYING SOLID-ROCK, TABORA IS ON A ROLL

By Randy Caluag

L

IKE the modern sporting heroes before her, Krizziah Lyn Tabora’s life changed overnight.

The splendor of her stirring triumph in Bowling’s World Cup, however, did not fully sink in until after her 20-hour trip from Hermosillo, Mexico and the hero’s welcome at the Manila airport.

“Doon pa lang po nag sink-in, paglapag ko sa eroplano.” said Tabora, who defied the odds and a slew of international pro tour champions to emerge the new World Cup queen from the Philippines.

From the airport where she was met by cheering fans and airport staff, she went straight to the Manila Polo Club in Makati for the formal victory celebration tendered by supporters, staff and her teammates and coaches in the Philippine Bowling Federation. It did not matter if it ended past midnight.

She was met by bowling’s longtime supporter Putch Puyat of Puyat Sports who announced the free use of facilities for Tabora at Puyat Sports bowling lanes at Star Mall in Mandaluyong.

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Peping Cojuangco has vowed for the inclusion of bowling into the calendar of the 24th Southeast Asian Games that will be hosted by the country in 2019.

Bowling was not on the initial list of sports that will be included in biennial games. “It was the life-saver,” said Cojuangco of Tabora’s World Cup conquest which came after 14 long years.

The 26-year-old was the fifth Filipino to win the World Cup after CJ Suarez did it in 2003. Tabora joins an elite list of Filipino World Cup champions such as Paeng Nepomuceno, Bong Coo, Lita Dela Rosa.

After just five hours of sleep, Tabora proceeded to various commitments that suddenly flooded her way including interviews by various media outlets and a courtesy call to Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Butch Ramirez, who included her to the agency’s priority list of athletes.

Tabora’s monthly allowance will be raised from P25,000 to P40,000. Ramirez also promised to work on her incentives even as her World Cup victory is not included under the implementing rules of the Incentives Acts.

“Masayang-masaya po ako at nakapagbigay po kami ng karangalan sa ating bansa. Ito na nga po siguro ang year ko and sana tuloy-tuloy na,” said Tabora, who won several medals this year.

In Kuala Lumpur, she teamed up with Marie Alexis Sy, Dyan Coronacion Marian Lara Posadas and Maria Liza Del Rosario in bagging the bronze in the team events in the Southeast Asian Games. Three weeks later, she was back in the lanes to win the silver in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

“Nakita ko ung focus niya and composure sa TV (live streaming) sa laban niya sa World Cup. Parang emotionless and she has really matured,” said Coo. On to the title Tabora and her male single’s compatriot Jomar Jumapao went to Mexico without their national team coaches.

They were accompanied by her parents, Delfin and Thelma, who paid for their own trip.

It helped that her father, who introduced her to the sport 13 years ago, was a certified coach under national

Krizziah Lyn Tabora minds her own business on the bowling lanes. Photo courtesy of QubicamAMF.com

team mentor and four-time World Cup king, Paeng Nepomuceno.

On his way to the crown, Tabora finished eight among more than 68 entries by rolling to 3,849 pinfalls after 24 games. In the race to Top 4, she placed eight third among the eight qualifiers by scoring 5,098 pinfalls after 32 games.

Admittedly, Tabora began to feel the mounting pressure.

“Dito na po talaga kinakabahan na ako. Hindi nap ako makakain ng maayos,” she said.

She passed the biggest stumbling block in Rocio Restrepo of Columbia by outscoring the multi-titlist veteran, 249-222.

Her semis win gave her the privilege to choose her lane. “I decided to stick to may lane and ako last na titira. Ayaw ko nang lumipat ng lane kasi swerte na ako doon at hindi na rin ako gaano makakilos sa sobrang kaba.”

In the final shootout with Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul of Malaysia, she had to call teammate Jumapao to take the coach’s seat for her. “Siya na pinaupo ko sa likod ko kasi kung yung parents ko pa, baka pressure ako nang husto kasi ayaw ko silang ma-dissappoint.

Tabora has a peculiar way of psyching herself up. She doesn’t look at the scoreboard after every frame. But she has means to know how she performed.

“Tinitingnan ko na lang po young reaction ng mga tao.”

Emotionless and fully focused, the Entrepreneurship grad did her business on the lanes. Tabora got an embrace from Siti even before her final turn in the 10th frame. “ “Hindi kopo alam na sa 9th frame pa lang, panalo na ung score ko kahit nakatapos na siya ng 10th. After ng last shot niya (Siti) niyakap nap o niya ako and she

Tabora’s World Cup trophy

said ‘I’m proud of you, congratulations.”

The final score of the final showdown, 236 to 191, and the Philippines has a new World Cup titlist.

All-Star cast Nepomuceno, who is in the prestigious Guinness Book of World Records for winning the World Cup four-times— the most by any player in history—is now the head coach of the Philippine men and women’s national team.

Coo is currently the team manager with her position as Philippine Bowling

Federation’s chairperson of men’s and women’s national team affairs.

“Nakaka inspire nga po ung presence nila sa team and un pong mga naitituro po nila sa amin, confident po kami dahil they had been there,” said Tabora.

With her recent victory Victory, the national team now has become an allstar cast with three World Cup champions in the fold.

“Philippine bowling is definitely back to where it was. During our time, pag nakakuha kami ng bronze (in international competitions) malungkot pa kami. Then dumating ung point in recent years na nagdadasal ka kami na kahit makakuha ng bronze tuwang-tuwa na kami,” said Coo, who said that when she joined the PBF couple of years ago, they tried hard to convince Nepomuceno to join.

“When bowling as at its lowest, nagusap-usap kami na we really have to do something. We just can’t let bowling die dahil mawawala ang legacy namin” Nepomuceno, who had to let go of more lucrative opportunities abroad, said it’s his way of giving back to the sport.

“Life has been and we have to give back and pay it forward. I’m still very much happy to represent our country in a different capacity. I’m happy to share my experience with our new generation (of bowlers) that will make our country proud,” he said, during a Live Sports Chat program of the PSC-POC Media Group.

World Championships Coo emphasized the difference of the sport now as compared during their time.

“Bowling has become a complex game because of the equipment and technology. Pati oil pattern ng lanes ibang-iba na.”

A player in this modern time of bowling, has to bring at least six balls to a tournament. “Ang bolang gagamitin mo will defend on the oiling and lane conditions.”

“Di katulad nung panahon naming, kami (players) mismo ang nagdadala sa laro. Pero siyempre dapat parin consistency at ung mental toughness. At yan ang dinedevelop naming sa mga bata ngayon.”

With only less than a week to relish her victory, Tabora will again sets out to battle as she joins the entire national squad to the World Championship set Dec. 25-Dec 4 in Las Vegas, USA. “Ibang laban naman poi to and hindi magiging madali,” admits Tabora, who will now be joined by women’s national coach Jojo Canares, former Southeast Asian Games champion.

The women’s team, aside from Tabora, is composed of Liza Clutario, Liza del Rosario, Alexis Sy, Lara Posadas and Bea Hernandez.

The World Cup champs Paeng Nepomuceno, Krizziah Lyn Tabora and Bong Coo (Clarisse Ramirez)

REBISCO EXTENDS SUPPORT TO GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE

Jaja Santiago is one of the products of girls volleyball program

REBISCO, a long-time backer of volleyball, gives the country’s premier girls’ league a big shot in the arm as it sponsors the 18-and-under Rebisco Volleyball League, which gets under way tomorrow (Monday, Nov. 20) at the Sta. Rosa MultiPurpose Sports Complex in Laguna.

Twelve teams, composed of the country’s top high school squads, make up the cast in what was formerly known as the Shakey’s Girls Volley, which produced the likes of current volley stars

Alyssa Valdez, Jaja Santiago and Jasmine Nabor with Rebisco, the country’s top snack-food company, now taking charge in its continuing effort not only to help develop the sport but also produce the next generation of stars.

Many-time champion Hope Christian High School, Nazareth School of National U and Far Eastern U-Diliman banner the National Capital Region cast with De La SalleLipa, Holy Rosary College of Sta. Rosa and Holy Family Academy of Pampanga mak-

ing up the Luzon delegation.

Visayas will be represented

by Bacolod Tay Tung HS, University of San Jose Recoletos and Leyte National HS while Cagayan de Oro’s Angelicum Learning Center, Koronadal National Comprehensive HS and University of MindanaoTagum will lead the Mindanao cast in the event organized and managed by Metropolitan Sports and Events Group, Inc. headed by Freddie Infante.

Competition is expected to be fierce in the weeklong

event backed by Asics and Mikasa. The field will be divided into two groups with the top two teams from each side after the single round elims advancing to the crossover semifinals with the winners clashing for the crown, according to tournament director Johanz Buenvenida.

“The RVL hopes to provide a competitive venue for high school players to showcase their talent and skills in line with Rebisco’s vision as the main driving force behind Phl volleyball,” said Infante.

PANTINO, MITSUI SET ITF PHINMA TITLE TIFF TOP seed Shunsuke Mitsui of Japan and No. 2 Arthur Pantino sustained their awesome forms to ease out their respective semifinal rivals in emphatic fashions yesterday and forge an explosive showdown for the boys’ singles title in the Phinma-PSC Juniors Tennis Championships Week I at the Manila Polo Club in Forbes Park yesterday.

Mitsui clobbered Indonesian No. 4 Odeda Arazza, 6-1, 6-1, minutes after the Filipino ace smothered third ranked Taiyo Yamanaka, also of Japan, 6-1, 6-2, completing the top two players’ romps from elims to the finals of the Group 4 ITF (International Tennis Federation) 18-and-under event sponsored by the Philippine Investment Management Consultants (Phinma) and Technifiber and sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association (Philta).

Heading to today’s 10 a.m. finals, Mitsui dropped just seven games heading while Pantino, a Philippine Tennis Academy product, yielded nine games, guaranteeing a slambang duel of aggressive baseline players in the first of two ITF-sanctioned tournaments supported by Technifiber ball as official ball, official hotel Jinjiang Inn, Makati and the Philippine Sports Commission.

But while the boys’ draw went according to form, reversals marred the girls’ semifinals as Elizabeth Stevens stunned No. 2 Lisa Mays of Australia, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, and while doubles partner Nicole Hammond, who bundled out top seed Ting Pei Chang of Taiwan in the first round, trampled No. 4 Wing Ka Lin of Hong Kong, 6-2, 6-1, to arrange an all-American finals.

Meanwhile, Pantino, from Cebu, and Michael Eala are disputing the doubles plum with Japanese Kei Manaka and Yamanaka with Hammond and Stevens facing Jingyi Li and Fangran Tian of Taiwan in their side of the finals at presstime.

Meanwhile, Week 2 of the ITF ranking event will be played Nov. 21-26 with the two-day qualifiers slated on today (Sunday) and Monday, also at the MPC, according to tournament director Chris Cuarto with Malaysian Razmee Rawi as the tournament referee.

MANDALUYONG, QC TO DISPUTE MBT CAGE TITLE MANDALUYONG is the South champion, while Quezon City is the North titlist in the 2017 Metro Basketball Tournament (MBT).

Mandaluyong overpowered MMDA, 94-69, in the championship match in the South Division and Quezon City trounced San Juan, 72-54, in the title duel in the North Division before a big crowd at the San Juan gym.

The twin victories enabled Mandaluyong and Quezon City to crown themselves as the 24 years old under champions in this tournament organized by the Metro Manila Development Authority thru the Metro Manila Sportsfest and supported by the Philippine Basketball Association.

The Tigers and the Stars will now dispute the overall championship in a best of three encounter starting Monday, Nov. 20 at the San Andres Sports Complex.

Mandaluyong rode on Cyrus Tabi, who scored 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting, and MBT All-Star Game MVP Sandy Cenal, who added 19 points and 14 rebounds to beat MMDA in this two-month long competition which has Mobile App ng Bayan Barangay 143 as presentor, my|phone “Bida ang Pinoy” as official mobile phone, Spalding as official ball, and Synergy 88, San Miguel Corp., World Balance, Higer Bus and One World Music and Sports Inc. as major sponsors.

Tabi, a mainstay of Rizal Technological University in the NAASCU, also had nine rebounds, four steals and three assists in 34 minutes.

Angelo Manalac added 15 points and nine rebounds and Prince Allan Liquinan had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Dan Anthony Natividad carried the fight for the Black Berets with 32 points, 10 rebounds, six steals and four assists in a losing cause.

Jeremy Deles had 20.

B1

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@manilastandard.net

WHY DANISH ADVISOR FORESEES AN OVERHEATING PH ECONOMY

A

Danish investment advisor expects the Philippine economy to post one of the fastest growths in the world next year, but warns about the risks of overheating, given the massive stimulus spending that the government plans under the ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure program, the weak peso, the low interest rates and the rising inflation.

“What I am more worried about is that the Philippine economy could overheat, because there might be the tax reform in the first week of January. There is also the strong infrastructure spending next year, The Philippine peso is relatively week, and that means continuous monetary easing,” says Peter Lundgreen, the founder and chief executive of Copenhagenbased Lundgreen’s Capital.

Lundgreen’s Capital is regulated by Danish financial authority ‘Finanstilsynet’ and has a license to offer individual investment advice and risk management consulting in the European Union. It also has an office in Fort Bonifacio, which Lundgreen visits three or four times a year, to monitor the situation in Asia, including China.

The company operates as a financial advisory company and offers services to corporations, individual wealth management, municipalities and organizations in Europe. Lundgreen has a 30-year experience in the German financial and banking industry and was the former head in the markets division at Danske Bank and head of multinational sales at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein. He speaks three languages: English, Danish and German.

“I decided to form my own company in December 2009. Financial market has always been my passion. I have never thought of doing anything else than being in the financial market.

May main career is to advise very large European companies about financial risks,” says Lundgreen.

Lundgreen says he decided to establish an office in the Philippines to tap its talent in English communication and social media. “The reason is it is natural for me to be in Asia,” says Lundgreen, who also visits Hong Kong and Beijing often.

“Now I come here frequently. The Philippine economy is extremely interesting. It is natural to sort of explore and gather opinion about it,” says Lundgreen, who saw the continuous rise of skyscrapers in Fort Bonifacio over the past two and a half years. “In terms of economic growth, the Philippines is number one. It is always interesting to be here,” he says.

However, there are warning signs that should be heeded by the central bank, he says. “The financial market fears that the central bank will be too late in hiking rates. Right now, I sort of argue that the central bank [Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas] is two hikes delayed by 25 basis points, each. They should clearly signal that in case of any sign of overheating, they are ready to hike immediately. I think they should state that very clearly,” Lundgreen, 50, says in an interview in Makati City.

The Philippine economy grew 6.9 percent yearon-year in the third quarter, the second fastest in

the region after Vietnam. However, the peso is one of the poorest performing currencies in Asia this year, trading at an 11-year low, amid strong demand for imported capital equipment ahead of the expected infrastructure boom in the coming years.

Lundgreen, who is also an international speaker and resource person, says two interest rate hikes may be needed to reverse the trend of the sliding peso.

The International Monetary Fund also earlier warned that the “combination of high credit growth, buoyant private investment and fiscal expansion without tax reform could lead to overheating of the economy.”

Bangko Sentral Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr., however, said the current GDP growth was in line with the economy’s potential and that overheating could be avoided through high-quality investments. An economy is said to be overheating if the productive capacity is unable to keep up with increasing demand.

Lundgreen expects the Philippines to be the world champion in GDP

ADVISOR.

Lundgreen’s Capital chief executive Peter Lundgreen

growth in 2018, and says that its stock market has further room for growth. However, the country might be affected by the rising risks in the bond market.

“I have one global concern and it also affects the Philippine market. I see the biggest problem in the bond market. First of all, bond prices are really, really high,” he says.

“The very, very biggest fear I have for the financial markets right now is the rising risk of a bond selloff. The risk for it to happen has gone up over the past one or two months.

So it is more likely that you will see a big selloff in the bond market that will set interest rates higher. That will shake the stock market as well,” says Lundgreen. “Again, this may not be the primary scenario yet, but the risk has gone up for it to happen.”

“Everybody will rush out of the door selling all the bonds.

We are now advising people, as a first counter measure, to reduce their duration in the bond portfolio,” he says.

Lundgreen claims that inflation rates are higher than what are reported by authorities. “I Turn to B2

FIREWORKS MAKERS ASK QUEZON CITY TO EXPLAIN ORDINANCE LOCAL fireworks manufacturers and dealers asked the Quezon City government to review its new fireworks ordinance to make it in line with existing laws and policies at the national level.

Joven Ong of the Philippine Fireworks Association said Quezon City’s Ordinance No. SP 2618 S-2017 banning the use of all firecrackers and pyrotechnics in public spaces does not seem to be aligned with Republic Act No. 7183 and Executive Order 28 and its implementing guidelines issued by the Department of Interior and Local Government.

“All local legislation should generally be in step with or hew closely to executive issuances from Malacanang and national laws passed by Congress,” Ong said.

“Quezon City ’s ordinance appears to be a knee jerk response to EO 28,” Ong said, noting that it contradicts the order.

He said EO 28 allows the use of pyrotechnics and effectively limits the use of firecrackers.

EO 28 is trying to clamp down on firecrackers which is the predominant cause of fireworks related injuries. EO 28 though gives everyone a chance to shift from the use of firecrackers (paputok) to the safer pyrotechnics (pailaw).

“The QC ordinance would have been in consonance to EO 28 if it allowed pyrotechnics and only banned firecrackers on public spaces without the necessary permit,” said Ong. Section 2 of EO 28 provides that all other types of pyrotechnics except for firecrackers may be used outside community fireworks displays and thus exempted from the rules found in Section 1 of EO 28 specifically tackling firecrackers.

The confusion is on the use of the right terminology. “A lot of people still do not know what fireworks, firecrackers, and pyrotechnics really mean and use one or the other indiscriminately.

We see a lot of these on news reports by media itself. This sows confusion,” according to the Philippine Fireworks Association.

The association said firecrackers does not mean all the fireworks Turn to B2

POLISH TECHNOLOGY FIRM OPENS PH HEADQUARTERS

From left: Lingaro co-founder and co-chief executive Sebastian Stygar, Lingaro Philippines business domain leader Tina Dayon and Lingaro co-founder and co-chief executive Tomasz Rogucki

BUSINESS intelligence and data analytics service provider Lingaro marks its fourth year of operations in the Philippines with the opening of its new office.

The launch of the official Philippine headquarters signals Lingaro Philippines’ increased investments and strengthened ef fo r ts in prov iding 2 4/7 business intelligence solutions to the Asian and global markets.

Leading the official launch of the new office, Lingaro cofounder and co-chief executive Sebastian Stygar says the firm is now ideally positioned to continue developing its scalable business intelligence and data

integration solution offerings.

“For four years now, Lingaro Philippines has been in the business of enabling companies to succeed in the marketplace by turning data into actionable insights that bring tangible results. With our new office, we are even more excited to expand our work and help grow the industry locally and regionally.

We may be different offices but Lingaro Poland and Lingaro Philippines are one team,” says Tomasz Rogucki, Lingaro’s cofounder and co-chief executive.

With its offices in Warsaw, Poland and in the Philippines, Lingaro is an award-winning technology partner to global

industr y leaders. In 2015, Lingaro took the 72nd spot on Forbes Magazine’s list of Polish companies with fastest value growth.

Lingaro is a trusted global technology partner to industryleading Fortune 500 brands. It delivers end-to-end solutions notably in the areas of big data, data warehousing, business intelligence, data analysis, and the Internet of Things.

With expertise in application management, application design and development, project management, service level management, platform governance and administration, and application support, Lingaro

Philippines brings data-driven business solutions to the country’s industry leaders in industries such as energy and FMCG. With the launch of the new facility, Lingaro Philippines hopes to serve a more buoyant and dynamic Philippine market.

The new Lingaro Philippines office is at the Philamlife Tower along Paseo de Roxas Avenue in Makati City.

Lingaro Philippines is a subsidiary of the Lingaro Group from Warsaw, Poland. Established in 2013, Lingaro Philippines offers 24x7 cutting edge end-toend data processing solutions to the Asean market.

Business

B2

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017 business@manilastandard.net

WHY...

From B1

argue that the inflation is higher than we think. That’s because inflation in a globalized world is different. Today, consumption consists of digital services that you have bought somewhere in the world. We have no influence on the price. We have difficulty measuring prices changes, increases and a lot of things. So your product consumption is looking different,” he says. “ There are loads of inflation components, and they all point to higher inflation. Inflation has gone up.

We just don’t know it or we don’t see it,” he says.

Lundgreen believes that interest rates should be higher to counter the rising inflation rate. This would force bond prices to correct lower, he says.

“The central banks are behind the curve in terms of hiking. They need to hike rates very fast. This is a global concern. The Philippine central bank is not the only central bank being behind in hiking rates. The European, Chinese central banks, the Fed in the US are behind in hiking rates as well,” he says.

“The Fed is in doubt about inflation.

They don’t understand the inflation right now. The Fed is indecisive. Being indecisive increases the risk of the financial market being uncomfortable with the central bank. There is the risk that this indecisiveness line continues. This leads into an overheated bond market, because inflation is much higher than we expect. So we have a mismatch in the bond market. The biggest risk I have seen in the financial markets is actually overvalued bonds,” says Lundgreen.

Bond prices usually increase in an environment of low inflation and interest rates. Lundgreen says a failure to properly measure inflation now creates a problem in the bond market.

Amid these developments, Lundgreen advises investors to reduce the duration of their exposure in the bond market. “It is the first small adjustment. This is a change in my market view in the past six weeks. As a way of changing view and advisory, of course it can happen overnight.

The risk has become bigger, because the bond market is still going up and interest rates are going lower. And that’s a problem. There is a clear mismatch between inflation and how the bond market is reacting,” says Lundgreen.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

Student delegates at the recent 12th Aboitiz Future Leaders Business Summit

‘MILLENNIAL’ TRAITS TO DRIVE SUCCESS OF YOUNG FILIPINOS T

oday’s Filipino millennials must embrace technology, as well as inherent social advantages and traits that nurture and advance their respective leadership journeys, to ultimately drive change for a better world.

This was the message of Erramon Aboitiz, Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. president and chief executive to 90 of the country’s best and brightest college student delegates at the recent 12th Aboitiz Future Leaders Business Summit.

This year’s summit plenary session was held at Dusit Thani Manila on Nov. 10, the first time this part of the summit was held in Manila after 12 years of being held in Cebu. It carried the theme: “Filipino Youth, Global Leaders: We Drive Change for a Better World.”

During his talk entitled “The Aboitiz Way,” Aboitiz acknowledged that the AFLBS delegates—56 from Luzon, 24 from Visayas, and 10 from Mindanao, coming from various degree courses such as

Accountancy, Engineering, Economics, Psychology, among others—enjoy the benefits of technology that provide them unprecedented access to information that is essential to their success in the future.

“Your generation intuitively understands technology as it has always been a part of your life, growing up in an electronics-filled environment that enables online and social media communication with anyone, anywhere in the globe, 24/7,” Aboitiz said.

“The vast information on the Internet also fundamentally changes the way you learn things about our world. You millennials are also acknowledged as being able to present far more creative and innovative solutions to problems than any other generation before you.

You are the most ethnically diverse generation and therefore tend to be tolerant of difference,” he said.

“With these distinctive characteristics, you millennials already have what it takes to become global leaders,” Aboitiz said.

The AFLBS began in 2006 as a three-day gathering of Cebu’s brightest student leaders, with the vision of preparing them for the corporate world. It is now an annual phenomenon that

brings together top-ranking students from the country’s finest universities for a four-day summit on business and leadership, the Aboitiz Way. The AFLBS provides participants the opportunity to learn and practice leadership skills and management concepts. The program—consisting of a plenary session, six breakout sessions, and an exciting mixer activity—will expose student delegates to the world of business, corporate life, responsibility and nation building.

This year’s keynote speaker was top motivational speaker, entrepreneur, author, and “The Apprentice Asia” winner Jonathan Allen Yabut.

During the summit, top Aboitiz executives and team leaders from different Aboitiz business units such as Erramon Aboitiz, Txabi Aboitiz, Sabin Aboitiz, Jim Aboitiz and Dmi Lozano also shared their thoughts, experiences and advice that will inspire and encourage delegates to create a difference in society.

This year’s AFLBS also re-engaged the most number of alumni in its 12-year history in a grand homecoming for AFLBS batches 1 to 11.

AEV is the public holding company of the Aboitiz Group with major investments in power, banking and financial services, food, infrastructure and land.

FIREWORKS...

From B1

itself but only those fireworks that have sound or noise as primary effect.

Pyrotechnics on the other hand pertains to all other effects except for sound or noise. Those that have lights as a primary effect but have noise or sound as a secondary effect are still considered as pyrotechnics.

“So if we are to look at RA 7183 or the Fireworks Law, we see kuwitis, triangulo, sawa, bawang, etc. as the firecrackers and we see fountains, trompillo, roman candles, luces, etc. as pyrotechnics,” the manufacturers group said.

“Our association is now coordinating with the office of Mayor Herbert Bautista and the city council regarding their ordinance and hope that they have it in their heart to amend it and allow pyrotechnics as EO 28 has,” Ong said.

“It is our belief that a total ban on both firecrackers and pyrotechnics will lead to more severe injuries as what we have experienced in the past. It also breeds corruption. In fact, more and more governments throughout the world are coming out of bans and starting to regulate firecrackers and pyrotechnics as studies and facts show, injuries become worse and more if bans were instituted. This is because if there are bans, no one will use pyrotechnics as these are easy to catch. They will instead use firecrackers,” the group said.

“The illegal ones will prosper and produce bigger firecrackers as the penalties for making, selling and using a big firecracker is the same as a small one. It therefore makes sense that they make only big ones. These will create more smoke, more injuries and more fires. These are the findings of WHO studies in the past. I hope our local governments will see the logic in our argument and find it in their hearts and minds to do what is right. This way the QC residents will still have the freedom to celebrate their traditions and culture in a safer way just as other countries are doing,” the association said.

AMWAY OPENS EXPERIENCE CENTER IN PH

Amway Philippines country manager Leni Olmedo (right) and vice president for market innovation James Park.

By Othel V. Campos AMWAY, a global direct selling company, opened My Amway Place in Makati City to serve the needs of Amway business owners and elevate their product and shopping experience.

My Amway Place, the company’s flagship experience center in the Philippines, is where ABOs meet, interact and engage in the business.

“We want to create those experiences both online and offline to help build a successful business environment for our ABOs, to see, touch and feel Amway brand.

What we’re trying to do apart from setting up this Amway Place is go upside and bring the experiences up where we don’t have the physical spaces as well.

Part of our initiative is to geographically open places or spaces where ABO’s are doing business as well. We recreate experiences offline, online, offsite and onsite,” said Amway Philippines country manager Leni Olmedo.

My Amway Place, located at 828 Arnaiz Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City, occupies three floors of the Kentek Building. It is intended to be a one-stop site where ABOs are supported in retailing, training and community development.

The Amway team chose the location because of its visibility and access to public transportation.

Conceptualized by known Korean design company, Anche Space Consulting Group, My Amway Place is patterned after other Amway markets in the region.

My Amway Place is a $1.5-million activity center, an investment that highlights the company’s 20th anniversary in the Philippines.

“We hope ABOs will come to see this space as their home away from home. My Amway Place is a testament to Amway’s commitment to this country and community,” Olmedo said.

The first floor is dedicated to the lounge, featuring a café serving coffee and pastries for ABOs and their guests.

“First impressions matter. The first floor is about building connections. We want to be able to help our ABOs attract new prospects by giving them a space where they can comfortably and confidently meet and start to build that connection,” Olmedo said.

The second floor is the Experience and Shopping Center. All of Amway’s top brands such as Nutrilite, Artistry and the newly launched Korean skin care line Miyu, will have experience areas where products may be tried out, consultations may be conducted and of course, shopping.

The second floor also houses the Amway Promise

Zone, where Amway’s total satisfaction guarantee comes to life. This space includes customer care and eSpring warranty service support.

The fifth floor houses the Training and Events Center—a world class facility with flexible space options for hosting large meetings, training and community events for as many as 300 people.

Meanwhile, Amway Philippines’new headquarters is located on the fourth floor of the building.

“As you know, the Philippines is in a unique position to provide a fertile testing ground for some new ideas for Amway. Our economy is still growing fast in Southeast Asia, and has been on this stable trend in recent years. Our focus is to ensure that all our ABOs will get a robust level of support so they can ride with this growth,” Olmedo said.

There are about 60,000 active ABOs in the Philippines.

Olmedo said the Philippines has a big potential to grow the Amway business not only because of the quality of Amway products most of which as certified organic but because it also provides livelihood opportunities to many Filipino families.

Globally, direct selling is worth billions of dollars.

In the Philippines, direct selling is a P50-billion industry that grows at an average of 4 percent annually. Amway Philippines continues to surpass the average industry growth, according to Olmedo.

Gadgets & Games

RIDGID SHOWCASES ITS LATEST TOOLS R

RIDGID ASEAN East Asia Manager Geno Magno (right) and RIDGID Training and Service Manager Joel Matosinos are shown during a product demontration announcing RIDGID's latest line of underground technology tools, including an underground inspection tool that can transmit information to smartphones via the RIDGID View App at the I'M Hotel in Makati City. Lino Santos

IDGID recently showcased its new tools at a press conference at I’M Hotel, Makati City.

Ridgid tools are targeted at the plumbing, pipe fitting and construction. The brand is best known for its distinctive red pipe wrenches, but the company also manufactures over 300 different types of tools.

Millions of RIDGID tools go to work every day in plants, on construction sites and in countless other harsh environments.

These tools operate in extremes of heat and cold, withstand dirt and mud, and perform reliably day in and day out. RIDGID tools are known the world over as industryleading products that allow professionals like you to complete jobs more quickly and reliably.

“With the growing demands and varying challenges of consumers, we are proud to share that RIDGID remains a trusted partner among our customers. We see a growing demand in our Underground Technology tools, making it the biggest sales in our portfolio,” said RIDGID’s ASEAN East Area Manager Geno Magno.

Anchored on its vision to develop tools that always provide their customers convenience and ease, the company developed an underground inspection tool that can transmit information to smart phones via the RIDGID app.

This application allows customers to view and inspect pipes and drainage systems through their smart phones, helping customers assess the jobsite situation to accurately come up with necessary plans of action without risk. The gathered information from this app can also be directly stored within the mobile device and instantly shared among the customer’s network. The RIDGID View app functions in iOS and Android devices and is free to download from the App Store and Google Play.

RIDGID also regularly conducts comprehensive product demos in its 21,000-sq. ft., worldclass training facility in Manila, where the company’s global sales team work very closely with its consumers to ensure safe, accurate and costefficient solutions.

Leading the RIDGID launch are (from left) Maynilad Water Sewer Network Management Department Head Terry Mike Marquez; Manila Water Sewer Network Management Department Assistant Vice President John Aldrin Pangan; Manila Doctors Hospital Electronic and Communications Engineer and Hospital Engineering and Maintenance Association of the Philippines President Engr. Anthony Gulang; Roto Rooter Philippines Technical and Service Manager Conrado Bergantinos, RIDGID ASEAN East Asia Manager Geno Magno and Training and Service Manager Joel Matosinos. Lino Santos

HP PRINT SERVICES BOOST PRODUCTIVITY WITH its continuously developing applications and far-reaching impact, information technology has truly become an indispensable tool, especially for big businesses and industries. And like any other technology, the challenge in using it lies in harnessing its power to improve an organization’s everyday operations.

HP recognizes the value of information technology in business and uses this to enhance the performance of its all-in-one and multi-function printers, making them do more than just print, especially for large enterprises.

HP Managed Print Services helps businesses take advantage of information technology in delivering measurable results, especially in the areas of security and compliance, mobility, and document workflow and management where printing creates the biggest impact.

Print security A security breach due to unsecured printing of sensitive company, employee, or client information can be devastating to a business and its reputation.

Information technology decision

makers can secure their printers and imaging devices against various threats using HP Security Manager.

The most comprehensive printing security solution in the market, HP Security Manager safeguards vital data, as it helps establish a fleet-wide security policy, ensure compliance, and protect workflow.

Mobility With mobile technology and cloud computing, everything can simply be accessed through almost any device—smartphones, tablets, laptops, and notebooks—making mobile printing a challenge especially on a company’s information technology infrastructure and printing environment.

With HP Direct Print or HP Managed Mobile Solutions, businesses can help maintain employee productivity through convenient and secure mobile printing, while managing printer access. HP JetAdvantage mobile printing solutions also enable employees to print from anywhere using cloud-based solutions.

Large enterprises can use HP Managed Print Services to enable all-in-one and multi-function printers to secure sensitive data, control costs, and enhance productivity.

Document management In today’s dynamic environment, harnessing information and making it readily available

to employees, brings companies closer to achieving their business objectives. Using information technology, document workflow

and management solutions enhance content capture, management, retention, and delivery.

This allows for faster sharing of vital information, automation of high-volume and documentdriven processes, reduction of operating costs, secure and efficient content search and retrieval, systematic classification, retention and disposal of data.

Through interactive workshops, HP enables a company’s information technology team to decide which workflows require attention and concentrate on areas with the most business impact. An HP Workflow Needs Analysis also identifies, analyses, and improves a client’s business process to reduce waste and energy use, leading to savings.

Learn how HP Managed Print Services can significantly secure sensitive data, control costs, and enhance productivity of your business organization.

Visit http://www8.hp.com/us/ en/services/mps.html or you may contact Claire Claravall at claire.b.claravall@hp.com or Rannie Medina at rannie.medina@hp.com.

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

FORTIGATE 600D EARNS 99.7% RATING FOR SECURITY EFFECTIVENESS FORTINET® (NASDAQ: FTNT), the global leader in high-performance cybersecurity solutions, recently announced the results of the latest NSS Labs Next-Generation Intrusion Prevention System group test report.

The testing revealed that Fortinet’s FortiGate 600D earned a 99.7% rating for Security Effectiveness, the lowest Total Cost of Ownership per Protected Mbps in the Security Value Map and received NSS Labs’ coveted ‘Recommended’ rating.

NSS Lab’s NGIPS report is the industry’s most comprehensive test of security effectiveness for Intrusion Prevention Systems offered today and helps security customers select the best solutions based on real-world performance.

The FortiGate 600D IPS achieved a security effectiveness score of 99.7%, blocking 100% of live attacks used in active threat campaigns and stopping 99.45% of attacks from NSS Labs’ entire exploit library.

The FortiGate 600D was one of only four vendors capable of thwarting 100% of the evasion techniques used in NSS Labs testing.

“Today’s newly discovered vulnerabilities are being exploited at machine speeds that are outpacing the capability of IT teams to patch. This is increasing the urgency for many enterprises to integrate effective IPS capabilities with their overall security architecture. The latest NSS Labs results reinforce a decade of Fortinet IPS technology leadership, providing devices that scale from 150 Mbps up to 120 Gbps to help organizations of all sizes close gaps in their attack surface,” said John Maddison, senior vice president of products and solutions, Fortinet.

Intrusion Prevention is Critical but Not All Systems Are Equal Recent attacks like WannaCry and Petya have highlighted how quickly unpatched vulnerabilities can be exploited on a global scale. The ever-increasing number of operating systems, applications and new devices running on networks challenges even the most diligent IT teams trying to keep up with the latest updates. IPS solutions can provide protection from these newly disclosed vulnerabilities and advanced evasion techniques, providing enterprises with the critical time needed to test and push new patches to their various systems, but not all solutions are created equal.

This is why Fortinet consistently invests in extensive third-party testing and validation of its solutions. Working with organizations like NSS Labs provides customers with the data needed to select the most effective security solutions to defend their businesses and ensures that Fortinet continues to deliver the most effective and highest performing cybersecurity to meet their needs.

Dedicated NGIPS Protection with Superior Security Fabric Integration As an extension of the Fortinet Security Fabric, FortiGate IPS meets all the requirements of a standalone nextgeneration solution by combining a high-speed, effective IPS engine with evasion techniques, context and reputation awareness, extensive application and user control capabilities, advanced threat detection, and a performance-optimized platform.

FortiGate IPS functionality leverages the Fortinet Security Fabric and FortiOS to deliver real-time updates that continuously defend against the latest threats and zero-day attacks emerging across the threat landscape. Powered by purpose-built hardware and Fortinet Security Processing Units (SPUs), FortiGate IPS provides leading in-line protection with performance that won’t slow down enterprise networks.

MAPUA UNIVERSITY TO OFFER PHD IN COMPUTER SCIENCE MAPUA University, the country’s leading technological education institution, continues to widen its course offering with a graduate program for Computer Science.

The course will be offered starting the 2nd quarter of AY 2017-2018.

The postgraduate degree, according to School of Information Technology Dean Ariel Kelly D. Balan, aims to facilitate further learning in order to keep up with the rapid changes of technology.

“This will help graduates contribute to enriching the body of knowledge in information and communication technology,” Dean Balan said. “It will be the forerunner of building the ecosystem for emerging technologies and platforms like smart cities, data science, Internet of Things, cloud and mobile computing.”

True to Mapua’s leadership in the

technological education landscape in the Philippines, the PhDCS program is made unique through its manyfaceted approach of computing knowledge areas.

Classes like Machine Learning, Data Mining, and ICT Ecosystem provide invaluable information in the field, while various Special Topics electives promote further study and specialization into different facets of ICT. Combined with a comprehensive dissertation program, PhDCS aims to expand the areas of knowledge in the field of ICT, allowing students to apply their expertise to research, development, and innovation.

“If machines are getting smarter every day, so must the people, too,”said Balan, describing the thought behind the program’s creation.

Dean Balan noted that the program would give students an edge in the

increasingly competitive IT industry.

Ultimately, PhDCS endeavors to produce competent individuals who could address the country’s need for highly skilled and knowledgeable IT professionals.

Future graduates can apply as educators, trainers, and researchers in computer science, IT, information systems, computer engineering, and software engineering. Individuals, who complete the program can also serve as government or corporate advisors to policy-makers, as well as professionals involved in multi-disciplinary projects.

Given the drive behind the program, applications are open to Master’s degree holders in Computer Science with research outputs in national or international conferences or journals, Master’s degree holders in Science,

Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics with research-based theses in national or international conferences or journals, and Computer Science graduates with a Master’s degree in another field and a minimum of three years in IT experience.

Other requirements include three years of research experience in Computer Science, submission of a concept paper for the applicant’s proposed dissertation study topic, as well as passing the program’s admission exam and interview.

This addition to the school’s graduate studies is in line with Mapua University’s vision to be one of the top global universities, keeping with their tradition of excellence and continuous improvement. In early 2017, Mapua received its university status grant from the Commission on Higher Education.

Mapua University, the country’s leading technological education institution, continues to widen its course offering with a graduate program for Computer Science. The course will be offered starting the 2nd quarter of AY 2017-2018.

B4

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

Gadgets & Games

VIVO LAUNCHES NEWEST SELFIE-CENTRIC PHONE

V

IVO, a young leading global smartphone brand known for its known for its sleek and trendy smartphones with above-par camera and audio quality, unveiled its latest addition to the V series on Nov. 18.

Just in time for the holiday season, Vivo gifts its loyal clientele with yet another addition to its V series line-up—the Vivo V7. This latest offering from the young and hip global smartphone brand was officially unveiled at the SM City Bacolod Event Center North Wing at the City of Smiles, Bacolod.

The grand launch was graced by the appearance of premier boy band and Vivo brand influencer Boy Band PH. Composed of Joao Constancia, Niel Murillo, Tristan Ramirez, Russell Reyes, Ford Valencia, Boyband PH headlined the Vivo V7 event as they brushed shoulders with Bacolod folks and entertain them with engaging performances.

The V7 is the result of Vivo’s on-going effort in understanding the needs of today’s young people, as the company continues its growth trajectory and international expansion by providing stylish and dynamic products to more consumers to show off their individuality and capture memories that is worth remembering.

This will be the first time for the Vivo V7 to officially go public.

The Vivo V7, promises to be a powerful shooter with a 5.7” all screen Display. Equipped with advanced technology including Vivo’s fingerprint 24MP front-facing camera plus a 16mp rear-facing camera, this phone is known for its exceptional photography features, screen quality and overall product design.

V7 is something to watch out for. Albeit with a smaller price tag, the V7 packs practically the same impressive features its predecessor, the V7+, boasts of.

The V7’s 5.7-inch all screen display offers 12.5% more visual display area compared to traditional 16:9 screens which let users show off their individuality and enable self-expression on a clear and big screen.

The V7 runs on Android7.1 (Funtouch OS 3.2) with Smart Split and App Clone to enhance productivity

The V7 is the result of Vivo’s on-going effort in understanding the needs of today’s young people.

among other great features.

The budget friendly V7 is now available just in time for the holiday season.

The V7 was also launched at the SM Naga, with Sassa Dagdag; SM Novaliches, featuring Ashley Rivera / Petra Mahalimuyak and Tj Monterde; and

at the Star Mall Shaw, with Paul Salas.

For inquiries about Vivo, visit the Vivo website at www.vivo.com/ph or check out their Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/VivoPhil), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/vivophil/), and Twitter (https://twitter.com/vivo_phil) accounts.

TESLA UNVEILS FUTURISTIC ALL-ELECTRIC TRUCK HAWTHORNE—After shaking up the auto world with its electric cars, Tesla is tackling a new frontier in“green”transportation with the unveiling of a futuristic all-electric semi truck.

Elon Musk, the South African-born inventor and entrepreneur, showcased the new vehicle Thursday in Hawthorne, California, site of Tesla’s design bureau and the headquarters of the billionaire’s aerospace company SpaceX. With a sleek, aerodynamic profile, the Tesla Semi is billed as quicker and more economical than today’s dieselpowered trucks.

“We designed the Tesla truck to be like a bullet,” said Musk, Tesla’s co-founder and chief executive who aims to start production in 2019 with deliveries by 2020 -- although some analysts expressed caution over Tesla’s ability to meet

Tesla Chairman and CEO Elon Musk unveils the new "Semi" electric Truck to buyers and journalists in Hawthorne, California, near Los Angeles. AFP

its own timetable.

With four independent electric motors and a transmission that requires no shifting of gears, the Semi can accelerate to 60 miles (100 kilometers) per hour in five seconds—reaching that speed in 20 seconds while

hauling a maximum 80,000 pound (36,000 kilogram) load, much faster than a traditional diesel truck, Tesla says.

Most crucially, it can travel 800 kilometers (500 miles) between charges, more than double the length of most

truck routes, 80 percent of which, according to Musk, are 250 miles or less.

“So it means you can go to your destination and back without recharging,” he said.

Tesla claims its Semi, which could be recharged at the firm’s 1,000 free Supercharger stations worldwide, can save 20 percent over conventional transport rigs with fuel and insurance factored in—while delivering a “better experience” for truck drivers through its cab design.

With no front engine or gear shift to accommodate, the driver’s seat is positioned in the center of a panoramic windshield, with a dominating view of the road.

Instead of the traditional console, there are touch screens for navigation, music and traffic data.

Inside, the cab has enough head and legroom to stand

up and walk around. The traditional second front seat is relegated to the back of the cab as a jump seat.

The Semi also uses some of the same navigation aids as Tesla’s Model 3 sedan, such as cameras, and sensors designed to minimize blind spots, abrupt lane changes and emergency stops.

Bumps in the road?

But despite the truck’s glitzy debut, some analysts warned it remains unclear if or when Tesla can deliver on its promises.

“We’ve come to expect very forward-thinking products from Tesla,” said Rebecca Lindland, analyst for the auto research firm Kelley Blue Book who said the Tesla Semi concept “makes a lot of sense” for vehicles with predictable routes like garbage trucks or school buses. AFP

CALLS MOUNT FOR ACTION ON ‘KILLER ROBOTS’ AFTER UN TALKS GENEVA—”Robots are not taking over the world,”the diplomat leading the first official talks on autonomous weapons assured Friday, seeking to ease criticism over slow progress towards restricting the use of so-called “killer robots.”

The United Nations was wrapping up an initial five days of discussions on weapons systems that can identify and destroy targets without human control, which experts say will soon be battle ready.

The meeting of the UN’s Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) marked an initial step towards an agreed set of rules governing such weapons.

But activists warned that time was running out and that the glacial pace of the UN-brokered discussions was not responding to an arms race already underway.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I have news for you: the robots are not taking over the world. Humans are still in charge,” said India’s disarmament ambassador, Amandeep Gill, who chaired the CCW meeting.

“I think we have to be careful in not emotionalising or dramatising this issue,” he told reporters in response to criticism about the speed of the conference’s work.

Twenty-two countries, mostly those with smaller military budgets and lesser technical know-how, have called for an outright ban, arguing that automated weapons are by definition illegal as every individual decision to launch a strike must be made by a human.

Gill underscored that a banning killer robots, or even agreement on rules, remained a distant prospect.

He said nations are likely to meet on the issue again for two weeks next year for further discussions focused on how autonomous weapons work and how their use should be controlled.

“I am very happy with the start we made,” he said. “It would be unwise for us to rush into (anything) at this stage.”

No time to waste Campaign groups agreed that there had been some progress at the inaugural meeting but sounded an alarm over further foot-dragging.

“Countries do not have time... to waste just talking about this subject,” Mary Wareham of the arms division at Human Rights Watch told AFP. She said that “militaries around the world and defence companies are sinking a lot of money”into weapons that select and destroy targets without human control.

The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots pressure group, which Wareham coordinates, highlighted two key points of agreement that emerged during the UN meeting.

Most nations now agree on the need for a new “legally-binding instrument” controlling the use of killer robots and most “states now accept that some form of human control must be maintained over weapons systems,” a campaign statement said. AFP

MICROSOFT RELEASES MINECRAFT HOUR OF CODE TUTORIAL, HERO'S JOURNEY MICROSOFT recently announced that a new Minecraft Hour of Code Tutorial, Hero’s Journey, has been released as part of its ongoing support for Hour of Code.

This is the third consecutive year that Microsoft is supporting this global movement, held between Dec. 4 to 10, to help students learn the basics of coding.

Working with Minecraft game designers, computer science educators, and Code.org’s learning designers, the new Minecraft tutorial introduces coding concepts using the popular video game that millions of players around the world are already exploring, teaching, and learning with every day. To date, nearly 70 million people around the world are using Minecraft tutorials to learn about the basics of coding.

A new character, Minecraft Agent

will be introduced in the tutorial, along over 10 new challenges that teach core coding concepts like loops, debugging, and functions.

Upon completing the tutorial, students can import their code into Minecraft: Education Edition for the first time ever, bringing their work to life in the game, or share their work via email, text message or social media. The tutorial will be available for free and is playable across iOS, Android and Windows platform.

Microsoft also announced that the Minecraft: Education Edition has crossed over 2 million licensed users in 115 countries within a year of its launch, and more than 250 educator-created lesson plans have been developed in the community.

“Minecraft is one of the most popular games in the world as it provides endless possibilities for

players to create their own realms without barriers. By bringing Minecraft to classrooms, educators can leverage on serious play to teach new concepts in a fun and engaging manner,” said Don Carlson, Director, Education, Microsoft Asia Pacific.

“The new Minecraft Hour of Code tutorial will assist educators to bring the concept of coding to life as students help Minecraft Agent overcome the various challenges, and is easy to execute in classrooms.”

Coding as an essential skill for the 4th industrial revolution The World Economic Forum has highlighted the importance of complex problem solving, critical thinking and creativity as skills required for individuals to thrive in the 4th industrial revolution. As such, developing computational thinking is a key priority for educa-

tion institutions today. One way to develop students’ computational thinking capabilities is through the introduction of computer sciences education, including coding classes.

“Coding empowers young people, giving them the tools they need to not only express themselves, but also transform the way they think critically and solve complex problems. When students use technology to create something of their own design by coding, it builds both technical skill and confidence—both of which are critical for success in the future,”added Carlson.

At Bett Asia, held in Kuala Lumpur between 15-16 November, Microsoft conducted a series of training sessions through its Teacher Academy sessions for attendees to better understand the usage of Minecraft: Education Edition across curriculums, including applications

Educators globally and in Asia are bringing Minecraft into classrooms to help young people and adults become creators in the digital age.

within humanities, math, science and the arts. Educators and publicsector leaders also experienced an hour of code with Minecraft Hour of Code tutorial, where they explored

loops, if statements, conditionals and other coding functions.

To learn more about Minecraft: Education Edition, visit https://education.minecraft.net/blog/

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Young Life

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com.ph

sunday, november 19, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor /

7 styles you can wear with waterproof sneakers

James reid

ShoeS made of waterproof materials are usually reserved only for situations and destinations that require wearers to be protected from liquid elements.

But not these kicks from Sperry’s 7 Seas collection. each style under this latest range is stylish enough to be worn with different looks, and dependable enough to provide its wearer surefooted confidence on either wet or dry surfaces.

the photographer

By Bernadette Lunas

J

ames Reid is known as an actor, a singer, and an endorser. But for many netizens, the 24-year-old Fil-Aussie is also an Instagram #feedgoals inspiration.

Turn to C2

Preppy Uptown

(On Her: Top by Vera Clothing, skorts by Plains & Prints, shoes Sperry7 Seas 3-Eye; On Him: Top

by Ted Baker, shorts by Cotton On, shoes Sperry 7 Seas Beast) Strike the balance between laidback and edgy with light fabrics to create a trend-forward spin to uptown fashion. Not only does this style require less effort, it is an A+ look that will stand out no matter which city you visit. Throw in a collared, button-down top with shorts or skirts and a pair of the minimalist Sperry 7 Seas Beast and you’re off to a stylish vacay.

BeHiNd THe CameRa.

James Reid is now armed with Fujifilm's latest X-e3 mirrorless camera as he embarks on his photography pursuits-focused mostly on capturing stunning sceneries and dreamy images of his lady love, Nadine Lustre.

Weekender

(On Him: Sweater and pants by Naomi Ng, shoes Sperry 7 Seas CVO; On Her: Wrap dress and skirt by Offbeat Alley, shoes Sperry 7-Seas Carbon) Bring out your overcoats and fancy blouses and a pair of functional shoes to step stylishly on to your weekend escapades. Weekend warriors can now slip on the most adventure-worthy shoe, the 7 Seas Carbon that can withstand a lot more than light rains and mud.

Turn to C2

Millennial Makeup trend: less is More ThIS generation’s love of minimalism has transcended to makeup. According to an organization of beauty enthusiasts, this season’s makeup trend highlights the “less is more” look—minimal colors and strokes that bring out the natural glow.

The “less is more” look allows the skin to breathe.

How to achieve the look:

eB Advance Volume Control and eB Advance Blushing Cheeks

The natural look is this season's hottest makeup trend

The very light make-up is applied after moisturizing, and it does away with setting powders or sprays in favor of natural sheen. The matte finish is achieved simply by dabbing light dusting powder on the face.

The eyes are bare with only a wash of soft metallic shadow applied on the lid. Keep an untamed look for the brows by brushing the hair upward and applying hair-like strokes with eB Advance Matic Brow Liner. Apply thick coatings on lashes with eB Advance Volume Control.

Lightly dust eB Advance Blushing Cheeks for a subtle blush. Finally, a glossy lipstick finish, like the eB Advance Bitten Lips, completes the naturally glowing look.

The forecast was shared during the Advance Affiliate Program a non-exclusive organization of beauty enthusiasts, professional and aspiring make-up artists who actively participate in the projects and campaigns of ever Bilena Advance.

young Life

C2

sunday, november 19, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

JAMES REID...

From C1

His beautifully curated social media feed is made of nostalgia-inducing images laid out in various creative fashion: there are sets in black and white, multiple photos arranged scrapbook-style, and multiple images that make up one large photograph, among others. the mtv ema 2017 winner reveals he spends a great amount of time curating his feed and checks his Instagram account at least once every hour.

James has an eye for style in curating as he has in taking those photographs. but despite the admiration for his works on the social media platform, he admits he never had a formal training in photography.

“I just learned online. and from all the instructions I read, [I found that] the best way to learn is to really take time to study; just go through every mode and test out every setting,” he shares. the budding photographer hones his skill by taking photos of his favorite subject—his girlfriend Nadine Lustre. In fact, James reveals, there were instances he’d be in odd positions just to get a really good shot of his lady love.

When it comes to portrait photography, James says he has become fond of capturing candid images. “I like capturing moods; catching those moments when they’re not posing.” aside from photographing nadine and other people, James also loves to take stunning landscape shots whenever he travels, so much so that he hates missing a chance to capture a beautiful moment using a good quality camera.

“Whenever I forget my camera when I travel out of town and see a really good view, I always wish that I brought my camera [to take good quality photos],” he relates. but James leaves the heavy and bulky camera behind and opts for the compact and lightweight Fujifilm X-e3 when he’s out exploring. this new rangefinder style, mirrorless, and ultra-compact camera utilizes the latest X-trans Cmos III sensor and powerful X-Processor Pro for best in-class color reproduction in both stills and 4K movies, which means the X-e3 camera draws out the subject’s color fast and accurately when shot; thus, creating an outstanding image quality.

James also finds its user-friendly touchscreen feature very impressive. “the biggest thing I’ve noticed is the fact that there’s no d-Pad. this is a step towards the future of cameras.

It’s all touchscreen now. It has less buttons, less confusing. It’s more intuitive, just swipe up and up,” he says. and since this latest release from Fujifilm has a built-in bluetooth technology, James recommends it to photographers and hobbyists who, like him, want to seamlessly upload photos directly to their mobile devices. on top of it all, James says X-e3’s retro design fits his aesthetic. “I love the vintage look.”

The Fujifilm X-E3 camera is available in silver and black, and is priced at P50,900, body only; P64,990, with 23mm kit; P72,990, with 18-55mm kit.

Fujifilm products are sold at authorized dealers nationwide.

7FromSTYLES...

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Graphic Pop

(On Her: Bralette by Fab Feels, pants by Marlon Tabangcura, shoes Sperry 7-Seas CVO; On Him: Jacket and pants by Marlon Tabangcura, shoes Sperry 7 Seas Beast) Geometric designs work well when worn with solid bottoms or footwear. Give a sense of balance to patterned coordinates by wearing shoes that score style points with its millennial-approved look and hues. under its up-to-theminute design and technology, the sperry 7 seas Cvo is not only fitting for wet or dry urban adventures, it also looks the part as the new classic pair to sport with current shapes, trends, and patterns.

Downtown Street Style

(On Her: Pinafore by 1930 Clothing, bralette by Fab Feels, shoes Sperry7-Seas Carbon; On Him: Jacket, white shirt, and jeans by No Fear, shoes Sperry 7 Seas CVO) nail downtown fashion by taking your street and denim game a notch higher by donning a pair of the sperry 7 seas Cvo. those familiar to sperry’s first boat shoe style can experience the stylish Cvo done with modern features that makes it chic across time or weather. meanwhile, modern street style looks great with shoes that strike the perfect balance between fashion and function. sperry 7 seas Carbonputs a classy twist to an everyday style.

Floral Prints

(On Her: Shirt by Jona Salac, shorts by Move On, shoes Sperry 7 Seas CVO; On Him: Shirt by Jona Salac, shorts by Move On, shoes Sperry 7 Seas CVO) Pair your flower-patterned pieces with neutrals for an understated style. the sperry 7 seas Cvo in chic white is perfect for this look. the 7 seas model comes in an ultra-modern knit upper influenced by the Cvo.

Heritage Work Wear

(On Her: Blazer by Undo Clothing, top by Plains & Prints, pants by 1930 Clothing, shoes Sperry 7-Seas 3-Eye Knit; On Him: Overcoat by H&M, sweater and pants

by Marlon Tabangcura, shoes Sperry 7 Seas Carbon) this ensemble is best loved for its effortless blend of style while allowing ease of movement. Go for straight-legged bottoms and loose-fitting tops draped over by coats that are snug enough to protect you from the weather but short enough not to get in your way. the 7 seas Carbon comes with the best of the 7 seas technologies that make it the choice shoe to wear for a work-appropriate yet stylish get-up.

Athleisure

(On Her: Jacket and sweater by Rio Estuar, leggings by Forever 21, shoes Sperry 7-Seas 3-Eye Knit; On Him: Jacket and sweater

by Marlon Tabangcura, joggers

by Rian Fernandez, shoes Sperry 7 Seas Knit) athletic-lifestyle look has never been this effortless. How to pull it off? Just grab your trusty sweaters and tights and shoes that are as comfy as the rest of your outfit. the sperry 7 seas Knit takes athleisure to new heights, putting a modern and stylish spin to your athletic wear ensemble.

The secreT To The smile of Team Kramer Want to know what makes the brood of Doug and Cheska Kramer one of the most popular and sought-after local celebrity families today? “team Kramer embodies the perfect Filipino family. they really value family bonding time and what it means to get together every day to keep the family ties strong,” avers Lamoiyan Corporation chief operating officer Joel Pedro. on the Instagram accounts of doug and Cheska are photos of their family in the most candid and beautiful state; their contagious smiles on the spotlight. team Kramer and Lamoiyan Corporation team up to impress upon Filipino families—especially on parents—the importance of taking care of their oral health. doug and Cheska say nothing is left to chance when it comes to their kids Kendra, Scarlett, and Gavin. “every product we use in the house for the children is carefully chosen, just so we know we are getting the best for them,” shares doug. team Kramer has found the perfect ally in Lamoiyan Corporation as the celebrity brood signs up to be the poster family for Hapee Kiddie, Hapee buddy, and Gumtect lines. “needless to say, doug and I only want the best for our kids.

Hapee Kiddie and Hapee buddy protect and give us the oral care that our kids need,” says Cheska.

Hapee Kiddie toothpaste is a gel formulation made for kids aged 2 to 5 years old. It comes in seven flavors: strawberry bloom, tutti Frutti twist, orange squeeze, apple Crunch, Juicy Grapes, bubblegum Pop, and Cookies and Cream ahoy.

Hapee buddy, meanwhile, is for children aged 6 to 12 years old and is the newest addition to the Hapee toothpaste line. It has calcium that strengthens the teeth enamel and vitamin C that promotes healthy gums. Its kiwi flavor is perfect for kids and provides overall mouth freshness.

Lamoiyan also introduces Hapee baby Infant toothgel, a special formulation for babies from 4 to 24 months old that gives cavity protection for the infant’s milk teeth without the sugar and added artificial colors of a regular toothpaste. the parents of team Kramer, on the other hand, have the Gumtect line to keep their smiles happy and bright. this line is specially formulated to care for weak and bleeding gums and helps prevent the occurrence of mouth sores or “singaw” and “pangingilo.” “as we age, we experience gum problems like singaw and pangingilo, and these hinder us from enjoying our day to day activities,” shares Cheska. “now that we’re using Gumtect, we have more time to spend with our kids.” team Kramer is the poster family for Lamoiyan Corporation's Hapee Kiddie, Hapee buddy, and Gumtect lines

Showbiz

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017

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Isah V. Red, Editor / Nickie Wang, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com

MANILA TO HOST K-POP’S GOLDEN DISC AWARDS SERIOUS BUSINESS. Bailey (second from left) took the boot camp seriously being one of the four Filipino aspirants chosen to join this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

IS BAILEY MAY

LEAVING STAR MAGIC FOR NOW UNITED?

After weeks of speculation, Fil-Brit Bailey May has been officially named as part of Simon Fuller's pop group, Now United

By Nickie Wang

I

N FEBRUARY, American Idol creator Simon Fuller launched the audition for Now United, a real time access global pop group cast in 14 countries around the globe.

Nine months later, and numerous boot camps held in between, the official members of the group were named.

In August, four young aspirants from the Philippines got the chance to be part of the boot camp in Los Angeles. They were Pinoy Big Brother alumni Bailey May and Ylona Garcia and GirlTrends members AC Bonifacio and Jane de Leon.

Only Bailey was able to make the final cut. He was cited as the “perfect ambassador” for the country, and him being half-British adds to his “global presence” that “speaks to a broader audience.”

Bailey enjoying his time in L.A. with the rest of the official members of Now United

Star Magic, which manages Bailey’s career, confirmed the news with a short video of him training with the group. In a separate announcement by ABS-CBN on Instagram, the network said that although the 15-year-old singer-dancer will be part of the upcoming group, he remains a Kapamilya.

“Bailey remains to be a Kapamilya and still being managed by ABS-CBN in this new and exciting journey,” the post said.

Now United’s official launch will be in 2018, featuring 14 artists (singers and dancers) between the age of 14 and 19. The other performers who are now officially part of the 14-member group are Lamar from United Kingdom, Josh from Canada, Shivani from India, Heyoon from South Korea, Any from

Brazil, Hina from Japan, Noah from USA, Diarra from Senegal, Joalin from Finland and Sofya from Russia.

According to its official teaser, the “new interactive pop group for new generation” will have Grammy-winning songwriter RedOne to write for the group’s first album. The Moroccan-Swedish record producer is known for his collaboration with big names such as Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson and Shakira.

“He stood out because he’s got everything that you could ever dream of in a star. He has an amazing kind heart, beautiful looks, and charismatic values. He can also sing and dance. And when we saw him, Simon [Fuller] just knew that he was the one,” said Yonta Taiwo, who was one of those in charge of scouting members for

Now United, in an interview with ABSCBN News.

Following the official announcement, the Filipino British teenager posted on social media, saying “Dreams come true,” and expressed his gratitude to the talent management in a separate post, “Thank you my [Star Magic Philippines] family, promise to make you all proud.”

Bailey was born in Cebu to a Filipino mother and a British father.

At 4 years old, his family moved to England where he lived until he was 12. In 2015, he returned to the Philippines when he became an official housemate after auditioning online for Pinoy Big Brother: 737 where he won as third runner-up (4th Teen Big Placer) during the reality show’s finale. During his stay at Big Brother house, Bailey had the distinction of being the youngest Big Brother contestant in the whole franchise.

The teen star’s first acting stint was in the primetime hit On the Wings of Love playing the role of Harry Fausto the younger cousin of Clark Medina (James Reid) and the love interest of Audrey Olivar (Ylona Garcia).

Prior to PBB, Bailey had gained a number of following for covering OPM song and uploading them on YouTube.

SOUTH Korea’s own version of the Grammys called Golden Disc Awards (GDA) will be held for the first time in Manila on Jan. 10 to Jan. 11, 2018 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Local promoter All Access Production made the announcement on Thursday via its official Facebook page.

The final line-up, as well as the nominees and hosts of the event, have yet to be announced but around 24 K-pop stars and music acts are expected to grace the big event.

GDA was first held outside South Korea in 2012 when it was held at the Osaka Dome in Japan.

The following year, it was staged in Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur and in 2015 at MasterCard Center in Beijing.

First held in 1986, the GDA has been dubbed, according to its official website,“The Most Favored Awards by K-pop Artists.” It is presented annually by the Music Industry Association of Korea for outstanding achievements in the music industry in the country.

Originally called the Korea Visual and Records Grand Prize Award, its name was changed to the Golden Disc Awards in 2001.

Korean superstar Park Bo-gum appears on the teaser released by All Access Production on its official Facebook page

MUSIC SUPERSTARS TO WATCH OUT FOR AT AMA 2017 EACH year we witness classic moments on the American Khalid Music Awards stage. Music legends like Michael Jackson The chart-topping newcomer, has and Whitney Houston had performed live. Beyoncé, Taylor taken the music scene by storm this Swift, Lady Gaga, NSYNC and Britney Spears’s performance year, having only released his first of “Single Ladies,” “Blank Space, “Bad Romance,”“Bye Bye Bye,” album, American Teen, in March. His and “Stronger,” respectively, were considered some of the best freshman album hit No. 1 on Billboard’s TV moments.

R&B Albums chart, launching the smash Tomorrow, live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, Billboard Hot 100 single “Location,” music’s biggest names and pop culture icons will once again come which is nominated this year for Favorite together to honor idols, newcomers and record-breakers on the Song – Soul/R&B. Music enthusiasts are contemporary music scene as they celebrate 45 years of music anticipating his performance tomorrow. through the AMA of 2017. The show will be telecast live on RTLCBS at 9 a.m..

Niall Horan Today, we are listing six music artists who are expected to bring Gracing the stage for his second AMA the house down in tomorrow’s grand music celebration: performance as a solo artist, the One Direction member will treat fans to his Imagine Dragons funk-pop track “Slow Hands,” which hit The group No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Songs airplay first performed chart and is the second single from his at the AMA in debut solo album Flicker, which bowed 2013, treating at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. fans to their Horan is nominated for his first AMA Billboard Hot as a solo artist in the category of New 100 smash hits Artist of the Year.

“Demons” and “Radioactive,” and returned Christina Aguilera again in 2014 The previous decade’s pop-darling for their will take to the stage to perform television a tribute to Whitney Houston and debut of their her 1992 film The Bodyguard. As platinum selling single “I Bet My Life.” Best-known for crafting 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of stadium-ready anthems, the band took home the award for the film, Aguilera is given a unique Favorite Artist – Alternative Rock in both 2013 and 2014 and opportunity to pay homage to the was nominated again for the same award this year, as well as for legendary singer and to the influential Favorite Duo or Group – Pop/Rock. movie.

Selena Gomez The pop princess who has just dropped her latest single “Wolves” featuring incognito EDM superstar Marshmello has been gearing up to take to the stage for the first time in over one year following successful kidney transplant surgery. Her AMA performance will be the live television premier of her new hit. The 25-year-old shared a video of her rehearsing for the AMA with fans on Instagram on Wednesday, and the clip went viral almost instantly.

BTS South Korean pop sensation is taking the world by storm one performance at a time. The group is making its highly anticipated U.S. television performance debut at the AMA tomorrow. The band arrived in L.A. on Tuesday to start rehearsing for their performance and as expected, every single clip uploaded online went viral. In this US TV debut, BTS will treat fans to the premiere of its brand new single, “DNA.”

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2017

Desiree Carlos, Editor

Pets

daycarlos28@yahoo.com

MY FURRY BESTIE

THIS corner features pets of animal lovers every week. We hope new owners and those thinking of getting a pet will be encouraged to be responsible “furparents� through these features.

We also hope more people will be moved to be kind to animals when they read about the great relationship that can be created between humans and animals.

For contributions, please email to daycarlos28@yahoo.com and put My Furry Bestie as subject.

A BIKE RIDE TO REMEMBER THE BIKERS. From left: Lito, Renan, Gil, Max, Ryan, and Carl

PET TALES

BY DESIREE CARLOS

W

ORDS are not enough to express one's gratitude to humans who endured four days of travelling by bike to accomplish a goal that is so important to their hearts: To get help for 67 rescued dogs and cats.

Six men—Virgilio "Gil" Bugaoisan, 42, Renando Mallare Sy, 37, Lito Guardaquivil, 42, Ryan Christopher Macalong, Max Ternora, and Carl Rapunzon, 16, all of Team Harkor/Ifit Pro Unlimited Cyclists--pushed on with a charity ride called Padyak Para Kay Bantay at Muning on Nov. 12 and reached their destination despite problems encountered along the way, including an injury, on Nov. 15.

Their determination paid off as they raised P22,500.00 for sick rescued animals, and got donations in kind to help senior and disabled dogs at the care home of Save Animals of Love and Light, an animal welfare group.

As they continued pedalling from one destination to another, their hard work did not go unnoticed, thanks to donors Anytime Fitness Scape Macapagal who also gave them a send-off, Congressman Jericho Nograles, Beebom Aquino, Ahnj Dom, Red Pasetes, MDG, Hachiko, EBC, Nestor Bugaoisan, Leng Catchme, Christine ANNe Cox, Team Hunyango Multisport, Sha Sha Veterinary Clinic, Fe Montano, and Dr. Anthony Prado Basa.

They will be back in Manila today, thanks to Congressman Karlo Nograles who provided airline tickets so they do not have to bike all the way back to Manila.

Allow me to share photos that tell their story of strength and endurance despite numerous obstacles, and their compassion and love for animals in need.

Bless you abundantly, bikers! May there be more like you.

Namaste!

Nov. 12, 12 a.m: Prayers for safety during send-off at Anytime Fitness Scape Macapagal.

Nov. 12- 13: No fancy restaurant or food for the bikers. They moved on despite the obstacles and reached Masbate on Nov. 14.

Nov. 12: 6 a.m.: The bikers reach Lopez, Quezon.

Nov. 12, 6:39 p.m.: Bikers hit snags. "Sobrang dami ang aberya. Semplang ako sa Caliraya. Medyo maga (ang) kamay ko.. Then 'yung rear derailleur ni Lito nasira and we had to find a bike shop in Calauag to fix it. Tapos na-flat na naman ako. Tagkawayan (Quezon) pa lang kami.

Hirap!" Gil reported.

Nov. 12, 9:30 p.m.: Another obstacle going to Masbate.

"Flat na naman đ&#x;˜­.

This time si Siklista Carl Justine, " Gil said.

Nov. 14, 7:58 a.m.: Finally, they reach Masbate.

Nov. 14: This is how bikers with a mission rest: no beds, no pillows, no blankets.

Nov. 15, 3:37 a.m.: After a half day lost waiting for the RoRo ride, they reach Cebu.

Nov. 15, 7:14 a.m.: Touchdown Bohol! Mission accomplished!

"After 4 days of sufferfest, finishline Bohol," wrote Gil in his Facebook wall.

NEW FRIEND.

Registration is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Open to both cats and dogs.

Program starts at 1pm.

Highlights: raffle, games, pet fashion show plus other surprise activities for everyfur and everyone.

STAR loves her bowl so much that she either rests inside the bowl, or sleeps in it, specially when there is food, says Ruby Bautista.

STAR is the baby of Lunar and Solar, two kittens who was “rescued� by her two dogs. Ruby saw her two dogs seemingly guiding the then two kittens down the street, and into her garage. They survived on fresh milk and are now grown-ups with their own set of kittens, which include Star.

Ride leader Gil meets Muning, a stray cat, in Bohol.

EVENTS CORNER Nov. 25, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., SM City Taytay Pet Park A Christmas Grand Pawrade Year 3 Host: Doodles Paw Couture

BASTY was with Beebom Aquino during the lowest moments in her life “when everyone turned their backs on me.� “My bestie, my boy, my life. Basty came to me six years ago when he was just two months old. I was paying my rent when this little furball began kissing my shoes.

My landlady did not want him so I adopted him. From then on, he never left my side. He was always with me. He is the only thing I can call my own. I love this boy beyond words,� says Beebom.

Nov. 25-26, starts at 11 a.m., U.P. Town Center Ampitheater, Quezon City “Who Loves Animals" Pet Welfare Weekend TaskUs, a global outsourcing company, will partner with animal welfare groups such as Hound Haven and CARA to bring together pet lovers in a weekend full of furry activities.

There will be talks and demonstrations on responsible pet ownership and behavioral training, giveaways, and fun activities for a good cause. The income from the sale of exclusive event T-shirts that includes designs of various pets for adults and children will go to animal welfare initiatives.

Admission is free.

For shirt orders or further information, please contact Angelito.Cabigao@Taskus.com or call/txt 0995 135 4881.

GOKU is half rottie and half aspin who loves tuna, grass, and motorbike rides.

Joanna Bregaudit Vergara says Goku, one year and four months old, also loves to chase waves.

Joanna is just thankful Goku survived parvo virus, a fatal illness that hits very young dogs and senior dogs with no vaccine or whose immune systemis weak.

To Joanna, he brings so much love into their home. “He is a very adorable, friendly, intelligent, wise and handsome monkey. He is my baby pie,� she says.