Manila Standard - 2017 November 21 - Tuesday

Court junks narco-pol’s petition

By John Paolo Bencito and Robbie Pangilinan

VOL. XXXI • NO. 277 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

VANCOUVER, Canada―Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, whose petition to reverse his dismissal by the Ombudsman was dismissed by the Court of Appeals, is seeking asylum in Canada.

The Ombudsman found him guilty of

serious dishonesty after he failed to explain his questionable wealth worth P8.9 million from 2012 to 2013.

President Rodrigo Duterte has also tagged the mayor as linked to illegal drugs, an allegation Mabilog vehemently denied.

The Court of Appeals junked Mabilog’s petition to reverse the Office of the Ombudsman’s decision removing him from his

Du30 out to get me—CJ ‘Alvarez-backed impeachment an attack on democracy’

By Rey E. Requejo, John Paolo Bencito and Maricel V. Cruz

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HIEF Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Monday accused President Rodrigo Duterte and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez of being behind the bid to oust her by impeachment, calling it an attack on democracy.

“This is no longer just about me.

It is about our democracy,” Sereno said on ANC’s Headstart.

If she gets impeached, Sereno said, anyone in the country could be accused based on manufactured charges and be denied of his or her basic constitutional rights.

“If they can do this to the chief justice and deny her of her basic constitutional rights, who is safe in this Next page country?” Sereno said.

SANTA IN MARIKINA. House of Santa Claus at the Bayani Fernando City Transport Marikina City bus terminal near the Marikina River banks has been filled with Christmas on Display toys, as the Yuletide shopping fever rises—the place is where middle class people go to for some Christmas shopping. Sonny Espiritu

Palace clarifies: No witchhunt against leftists

By John Paolo Bencito and Macon Ramos-Araneta MALACAÑANG on Monday denied it was out to harass communist rebels after

MODERN TWIST. Miss Universe Philippines

Rachel Peters shows off her Sarimanok-inspired national costume during the preliminaries of the 66th Miss Universe competition in Las Vegas Sunday morning, her costume depicting the sarimanok, a legendary bird of the Maranao people from Mindanao. The sarimanok is the legendary bird that has become an ubiquitous symbol of Maranao art, depicted as a fowl with colorful wings and feathered tail, holding a fish on its beak or talons.

Presid e n t Rodrigo Duterte moved to

THE telecoms duopoly is about to end, Malacaňang said Monday after President Rodrigo Duterte offered China the opportunity to enter as a possible ‘third player’ in the Philippine telecommunications industry dominated

by PLDT and Globe Telecom.

“During the bilateral talks between President Duterte and the Chinese premier, President Duterte offered to the P e o p l e ’s Republic Next page

‘Santiago axed over junkets, questionable dealings’ FORMER Dangerous Drugs Board chief Dionisio Santiago was fired not only because of running against President Rodrigo Duterte

himself, but also for supposedly going on “extravagant” junkets abroad and receiving gifts from an alleged narco-politician, Malacañang said Monday.

“I would like to confirm twitter.com/ MlaStandard

munist rebels have committed acts that are punishable under the Revised Penal Code and special laws.

“They are being punished because of acts of terrorism being conducted by the NPA, including attacks on civilians,” he added.

Roque insisted that those aligned with the left are not being “punished for mere membership,” but said it is “a crime when you take up arms.”

The Palace statements came as 200 families fled to an evacuation center in Iligan City as the military pursued communist rebels along the border of Iligan and Talakag, Bukidnon.

On Saturday, Duterte said he will proclaim the New People’s Army a terrorist organization, and crack down on leftist groups such as the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan for conspiring with communist rebels. Next page

China eyed Transport chief cleared in MRT mishap as 3rd player in telecom

By John Paolo Bencito

By John Paolo Bencito

proclaim the New People’s Army as a terrorist organization.

In a Palace briefing, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the communist armed wing, the New Peoples’ Army have continually preyed upon and killed innocent people through the years, with the intention of “creating terror in the mind of the general public.”

Roque said this was not red baiting because the com-

that General Santiago was let go by the President not only because of his statements on the mega rehab centers being a mistake,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said of facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH

S

the former military chief, during a news briefing in Malacañang.

“He was also let go because of complaints, that General Santiago was using

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manilastandard.net

TRANSPORTATION Secretary Arthur Tugade will stay in his post despite calls for his resignation over his failure to address the Metro Rail Transit 3 mess after more than a year in office, the Palace said Tuesday.

In a Palace briefing, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the problems haunting MRT-3 were the

result of cumulative errors in policy and operational decisions made by the previous administration, and that Tugade, President Rodrigo Duterte’s San Beda Law classmate, was trying to resolve these.

“The way I see it, we have not reached the point where there is a need to remove Secretary Tugade. He enjoys the

full trust and confidence of the President,” Roque said in a mix of Filipino and English.

“The President has said he will back up Secretary Tugade in whatever he may need to effect immediate reform of the MRT,” he added.

On Saturday, two partylist congressmen—Rep. Gary Alejano of Magdalo Next page

heading head Mining ban heading still in effhead ect, heading head says Roque

By John Paolo Bencito and Rey Requejo PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has yet to lift a ban on new open pit mining operations even after the interagency Mining Industry Coordinating Council voted to reverse the policy, the Palace said Monday.

“I assure you that this is one of the instances when I personally asked the President if there’s been a change in policy. And he says that’s there’s still no new policy on this, there’s Next page

INFLATABLE BOATS. Three Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats are handed over by Jica representative Susumo Ito and Japanese ambassador Koji Haneda (not in photo) to Transportation Secretary Arturo Tugade and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon during the 116th anniversary Monday of the Philippine Coast Guard. Norman Cruz

Brace for BIFF attacks, PNP warns PHILIPPINE National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa has alerted police in Mindanao to possible attacks by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters as a diversionary tactic to get the military to ease up its operations

against them.

Government troops began shelling BIFF positions in the town of Shariff Aguak and Datu Unsay in Maguindanao on Wednesday. Airstrikes were also Next page launched.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2017

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LRT 1 assured of 120 new cars

Aguirre eyed for inclusion in PDP slot

quality mass transport and job opportunities,” Jica Philippines chief representative Susumu Ito said.

“The present administration’s thrust to usher in a ‘golden age of infrastructure’ could also mean a ‘golden age for investments’ in the Philippines.’

With this, Jica hopes to continue contributing to Philippine economic growth in a sustainable way through infrastructure development,” Ito said.

The new LRT Line 1 rolling stocks will use Japanese technology and products while helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Once completed, the new roll-

ing stocks can accommodate 1,388 passengers per train and more than double the number of running trains to the year 2222.

Jica has supported quality transport infrastructure in the Philippines since the ‘70s with 45 percent of its ODA loan portfolio channeled to supporting infrastructure even in the remotest areas.

The Philippines’ investments in transportation infrastructure are now in the works, with the approval recently of the Philippines’ first subway project to be assisted by Jica by the National Economic and Development Authority Board.

The Jica project noted that shifting from road-based transport to rail-based mass transit could help ease the worsening traffic situation in Metro Manila due to urbanization and population growth.

Metro Manila’s urban rail systems have been built since the mid-1980s and transport demand has also increased since.

Jica is the world’s largest bilateral aid agency with its volume of cooperation amounting to about US$21.2 billion for JFY 2015 and a worldwide network of about 100 overseas offices including the Philippines.

Du30...

“So does he have a hand in this impeachment? Well I go by his official pronouncement and I wish him success as a President but I hope he understands that checks and balances are very, very important for any democracy,” she said.

In September, Duterte challenged Sereno and Morales to resign with him. Just last month, the President also revealed plans to file an impeachment complaint against the chief justice for alleged corruption.

Sereno said she has no idea why Duterte wanted her out because they never had any personal conflict.

“The only time I remember that he made a remark against me was in connection with the letter I wrote to him in August of 2016, requesting that due process be afforded the judges,” she said.

“Basically I was really emphasizing the need to defend the institutions and to allow the institutions to conduct their own investigations of their errant members because the moment you announce the names of judges,

you basically take them out of their functions,” she stressed.

Sereno said she also believed that the House speaker was motivated by vengeance, because when she was a private lawyer, she had testified against an airport contract that Alvarez’ had approved when he was still with the Manila International Airport Administration.

“Speaker Alvarez had a lot to do with the result of that bidding, and one of the cases in fact that was filed against him was precisely for the conflict of interest situation that he finds himself in.

A company that his wife owned was the subcontractor for the construction,” Sereno said.

Asked if her testimony against Alvarez could be one of the reasons he was pushing for her impeachment, Sereno said: “This is a matter that my lawyers are still considering.

Whether it should be raised, and at which point it should be raised, I will have to listen to the lawyers whether that will be brought up.” With Rio N. Araja

and Rep. Ariel Casilao of Anakpawis—called for Tugade’s ouster, given the continued technical problems that hound Metro Manila’s commuter train system that transports half a million people a day.

Roque also assured train commuters that President Duterte is not indifferent to their suffering,

and that he will use his political will to improve the country’s public transportation system.

“We accept the challenge.

We are moving forward and we promise [a] better MRT to our riding public,” he said.

“With the President [saying] that he will be responsible for the MRT, let us give the President the opportunity to rectify the manya problems that his administration inherited from the past,” he added.

Roque also responded to a statement by Senator Grace Poe, who said that Tugade should have done his job in the year he has been in office, rather than blame his predecessors.

“We are not washing our hands of this. We accept the challenge at the MRT and the President himself has apologized because of the constant breakdowns,” Roque said. John Paolo Bencito and Rio N. Araja

Calling the NPA “a bunch of criminals,” the President said he is no longer inclined to continue the peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

He likewise warned of an impending crackdown on Bayan and other leftist groups, for allegedly conspiring with the armed communists.

The Communist Party of the Philippines on Monday scored what it called Duterte’s brazen attempts to eliminate all opposition to his ‘fascist’ rule.

“Emboldened by the recent Trump approval of his strongman

rule, he is bent on eliminating all opposition, legal and otherwise.

The people recognize these threats against the revolutionary and progressive movement for what they are: to eliminate the strongest and most consistent opposition to his fascist rule, silence dissent against his anti-people and pro-imperialist policies and further perpetuate himself in power through a one-man rule,” the CPP said in a statement.

The CPP also accused the President of using the communist threat to justify the military’s proposal to extend martial law beyond Dec. 31.

Duterte was criminalizing political dissent when he moved for the filing of charges against revolutionaries and progressives with trumped-up criminal charges, the CPP said.

The United States has placed

the CPP and NPA on its list of foreign terrorist organizations since Aug. 9, 2002, upon the request of the Arroyo administration.

Three senators belonging to the majority bloc expressed their support for declaring the communist rebels as “terrorists.”

Senator Panfilo Lacson said Duterte is the only President who has the guts to declare the NPAs as terrorists.

SPEAKER Pantaleon Alvarez said Monday he would want Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to be included in the senatorial bets of the administration party Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban for the 2019 midterm elections.

Alvarez, in his message as guest speaker at the 81st anniversary of the National Bureau of Investigation, said he believed Aguirre should be included in the administration’s 2019 senatorial ticket.

“I will support the candidacy of Vit Aguirre. I will talk to the President if we can include Secretary Vit Aguirre as one of our senatorial candidates to ensure the smooth passage of the administrationbacked measures,” Alvarez said.

He said that out of over a hundred approved bills the House of Representatives endorsed to the Senate after the close of the First Regular Session of Congress, only about 10 had been enacted into laws.

To date, from the opening of the Second Regular Session of the 17th Congress, Alvarez said, the House had sent to the Senate for its action around 70 approved bills.

Alvarez said the government had made significant progress in realizing Duterte’s promise to go after illegal drugs and address rampant criminality.

However, Alvarez admitted that more needed to be done in the remaining four years of the Duterte administration to address poverty, the traffic gridlock and the slow delivery of social services.

“We need more people who can help the President bring about the changes that he has promised to the Filipino people,” Alvarez said.

“We will see to it that the President will be able to deliver all the campaign promises and commitment to the Filipino people.”

In the mass oathtaking of the new PDP members in Cebu last week, Alvarez nominated presidential spokesman Harry Roque and Assistant Secretary Margaux “Mocha” Uson to be among the senatorial candidates of PDP in 2019.

He also named Rep. Karlo Nograles (Davao City), Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (Negros Occidental), Rep. Geraldine Roman (Bataan) and former Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Francisco Tolentino.

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of China the privilege to operate the third telecoms carrier in the country,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said.

Saying the process of breaking the duopoly “should have been sooner,” Roque revealed that the former head of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Rodolfo Salalima, did not act on certain proposals―including those for a Luzon Bypass Infrastructure recently signed between the Philippine government and a subsidiary of Facebook.

“This agreement with the subsidiary of Facebook should have been signed as early as December 2016. It was not signed by the former secretary of the DICT, and this was one of the areas pinpointed by Cabinet investigators as an area of conflict of interest for the former secretary of the DICT,” Roque said.

“It was further reported by the special investigating committee that the former DICT secretary likewise may have prevented the earlier breakup of the duopoly by delaying the use of satellites as a viable option.”

The National Broadband Plan, which sought to address the longstanding issue of Internet connection quality in the Philippines, however, would still allow PLDT ang Globe to benefit at the end of the day under Salalima’s plan, Roque said.

post over allegations of ill-gotten wealth―how his wealth grew from 2012 to 2013.

The CA Special First Division, basing its ruling on a technicality, said Mabilog took the wrong mode of appeal in connection with the dismissal order approved by Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Caran-

dang on Oct. 6.

The former mayor invoked Rule 65 of the Rules of Court, which is normally used to question lower court orders and government actions before the Supreme Court, instead of Rule 43 which provides that appeals from Ombudsman decisions in administrative disciplinary cases should be taken to the CA. “Mabilog’s case, involving as it does an administrative charge resulting in his dismissal from

service, does not fall under any of the foregoing circumstance.

As the current petition for certiorari is concededly an erroneous mode of review, its dismissal is in order,” the CA said in a resolution dated Nov. 3.

Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando penned the resolution, concurred in by Acting Presiding Justice Remedios SalazarFernando and Justice Zenaida Galapate-Laguilles.

His Statement of Assets, Li-

abilities, and Net Worth in 2013 showed an P8.9-million increase from his 2012 records, or from P59.4 million to P68.3 million.

Malacañang on Monday said it respected the ruling of the appellate court to dismiss Mabilog from government service.

“Well, of course, that’s an affirmation of the earlier decision of the Ombudsman dismissing Mabilog from the service,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said.

“That’s a judicial affirmation

which we respect and we agree with,” he added.

This reporter [Robbie Pangilinan] had coffee with a kababayan of the mayor, who he said lost a lot of weight and was somewhat unrecognizable with his present appearance.

“He fears for his life. He is here because he knows he can seek asylum here. He and his family are safer here than in the Philippines,” said the kababayan, who is residing in this country.

opposition Liberal Party for committing criminal offenses allegedly for using fake documents to dupe the government and their business partners of billions of pesos in mining revenues.

In a complaint filed with the Surigao City Prosecutor’s Office, Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice and LP financier Patrick Angelo “Eric” Gutierrez were charged with falsification of public documents that they allegedly used to cart away with P2.8 billion in revenue from

unathorized operations of their mining firm SR Metals Inc. Besides Erice and Gutierrez, complainant Rodney Basiana, a small-scale miner from Agusan del Norte, also named as respondents John Anthony Gutierrez, Miguel Alberto (Mico) Gutierrez, Alejandro Basalio and Antonio Dimabayu.

In an earlier interview, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said his agency was set to issue a DAO (DENR Administrative Order), restoring open-pit mining operations.

rescued five fishermen abducted by the Abu Sayyaf Group off Tawi-Tawi waters, a few miles from where they were taken by the bandits.

Capt. Jo-ann Petinglay, spokesperson of the Army’s Western Mindanao Command, said the successful rescue took place in the waters off Sugbay Island, Languyan, Tawi-Tawi at about 1:30 p.m., barely 34

days after ASG pirates took them hostage.

The rescued victims were identified as Vergel Arquino of Davao City, and Jushua Ybanez, Emo Fausto, Junald Minalang and Spriano Sordid, all of Pagadian City.

The victims were the crew of Fishing Boat Danvil 8 when abducted by the ASG while cruising near the coastal area of Poblacion Simbahan, Pangutaran, Sulu.

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

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APAN International Cooperation Agency has donated 120 new rolling stocks for the Light Rail Transit Line 1 to help decongest Metro Manila and enhance the business climate in the Philippines.

Jica on Monday announced that the Department of Transportation awarded the contract to supply the new rolling stocks to Mitsubishi Corp.

Mitsubishi will supply 120 cars or the equivalent of 30 train sets to LRT Line 1 beginning 2020 until 2022.

The project is part of Jica ‘s

ODA loan for the “Capacity Enhancement of Mass Transit Systems in Metro Manila Project” that aims to support quality transport infrastructure in the Philippines to help sustain the country’s economic growth.

“Through the project, Jica aims to support the Philippines in accommodating the growing demand for

MMDA flags 100 drivers for Yellow Lane breach

By Joel E. Zurbano MORE than 100 drivers were flagged down and warned on the first day of the dry run for the implementation of the Yellow Lane policy along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, the Metro Manila Development Authority said Monday.

The agency also said at least 585 motorists were caught violating the Yellow Lane policy.

MMDA assistant general manager for planning Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. said as of 12 noon Monday, traffic enforcers had apprehended 70 private vehicles entering the exclusive lane for public utility vehicles while 37 public utility buses were caught outside the lane.

MMDA’s closed-circuit television cameras also caught 364 private motorists and 140 buses violating the policy on Monday.

“We understand our policy is not perfect. We’re still in the process of fine-tuning it,” Garcia said.

“There are still undisciplined drivers, but this number is minimal because 50,000 vehicles are using Edsa in an hour. What’s important is that we have already started and the challenge now is how to sustain it.”

The MMDA is conducting the dry-run activity for the revived policy until today, Tuesday.

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Garcia said beginning Wednesday, public utility vehicles such as buses, UV Express and jeepneys will not be allowed to go outside the Yellow Lane.

Private vehicles may enter the yellow lane within 100 meters before exiting.

Under the new policy, the first lane from the sidewalk will only serve as a loading/unloading zone while the second lane will be for provincial and pointto-point buses. Loading and unloading on the second lane is forbidden.

Violators will be apprehended via the no contact apprehension policy to avoid obstruction.

They will be fined P500 per violation.

MMDA chairman Danilo Lim expressed optimism that the implementation of the policy will eventually cause a smoother traffic flow along Edsa.

“The agency’s target is to remove the image of Edsa as a parking lot and instead a freeflowing road,” Lim said.

Aside from the Yellow Lane, the MMDA is also enforcing its Motorcycle Lane scheme to ease the traffic on Edsa and other areas in the metropolis this holiday season.

Riders without helmet and proper safety gear will also be apprehended.

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still a ban on new open pit mining,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a news briefing.

Roque, however, admitted that he had yet to find out if the President had been informed of the MICC recommendation lifting the ban.

In a related development: The Department of Justice has been asked to prosecute a lawmaker and a top financier of the

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The intensified offensive against the BIFF came after the government declared that the crisis in Marawi City, which was overrun by Maute group terrorists, was over.

Meanwhile, military search and rescue personnel on Friday

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“If a chief justice, who can be accused of these allegations which are even false, will be removed from office, is there any judge or justice in this country who is safe?

Is the judiciary safe? And if the judiciary is not safe, is democracy safe?” she asked.

“Are the constitutional rights of people still assured? Because everyone says that the only way you can assure the rights of people is if you have a virtuous and independent judiciary,” she added.

In the same interview, Sereno said it was evident from Duterte’s pronouncements that he was behind her impeachment.

“The last statement that we had from the presidential spokesperson is that I should leave my office, so I think I understand,” Sereno said.

She also noted that the President had asked her and Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales to resign.

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taxpayers’ money for junkets abroad. There were also complaints that General Santiago may have accepted consideration from major drug players,” he added.

Roque said while the complaints against Santiago have yet to be resolved, these were “overtaken by events because the President himself said that he decided to fire General Santiago because of his statement that the mega drug facility is a mistake.”

In a complaint dated Oct. 25 by a certain Priscilla Herrera, a member of the DDB’s employees’ union — Santiago allegedly brought six of his favored DDB employees and his “girl Friday and coffee server” named Edith Julie Mendoza last September to Vienna, Austria to attend “an ordinary Narcotic Drug Intercessional meeting at the govern-

By Maricel V. Cruz

ment’s expense.”

According to the same complaint, Santiago allegedly went to the United States along with his mistress and selected ‘favorite’ DDB employees “purportedly on official business where their expenses have been charged against DDB funds.”

“For your information, for both meetings, attendance only requires the presence of the DDB chairman in the official invitation sent by the UN Secretariat and nothing more,” the complaint read.

“This is an extravagant use of government resources and abuse of authority.”

The employees’ union likewise slammed the designation of former Dangerous Drugs Board Benjamin Reyes as acting Chairman of the DDB while Santiago was on a ‘junket spree,’ despite getting sacked by Duterte himself for earlier contradicting the government position that there were four million drug users in the Philippines.

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DoST signs deal for faster PH internet TAGUIG CITY, Philippines—The slow internet connection in the country may soon be a thing of the past.

This was according to the Department of Science and Technology as it welcomed the initiative of the Department of Information and Communications Technology which was formerly under the DoST, the Bases Conversion Development Authority, and EDGE (a.k.a. Facebook).

This government initiative is called the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure project, the first of its kind for the Philippine government to implement by building and operating its own submarine cable landing stations.

Under the project, social media giant Facebook will be the first party to use the said infrastructure, thereby benefitting millions of internet users with faster connectivity.

“The signing of the Landing Party Agreement or LPA between the DICT, BCDA, and EDGE for the Philippine government’s first cable landing stations under the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure Project is a major milestone in the history of ICT development in our country,” said DoST secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña during the formal unveiling on Nov. 15 in Taguig City.

The project will pave the way to building an ultra high-speed Internet backbone for the entire country by the end of 2019 where Internet speed can go up to 100 Mbps.

BCDA will build the LBI made up of two cable landing stations that are connected by a 250-kilometer long cable network corridor. On the other hand, Facebook as the first user will construct and operate a submarine cable system that will land in the cable stations on the east and west coasts of Luzon.

This cable link will provide direct access from the Luzon grid to Internet hubs in the United States and Asia.

Facebook will also provide the Philippine government with a bandwidth of at least 2 million Mbps (or 2 Tbps) that is almost similar to the bandwidth being provided by the leading telecommunications companies in the country.

For its part, the DICT will operate the LBI and maintain the related facilities and provide last mile connectivity in the Philippines for a period of 25 years.

Oil firms cut pump prices

by P0.50/liter THE country’s oil firms cut pump prices by as much P0.50 per liter to reflect the movement of world oil prices.

The oil firms cut the price of gasoline by P0.50 per liter, kerosene by P0.35 per liter and diesel by P0.15 per liter after a series of price hikes.

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

Aside from Seaoil, other oil firms that issued price advisories are Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Petron Corp., Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., Flying V and Eastern Petroleum. Alena Mae S. Flores

YELLOW LANE. The Manila Development Authority has announced that it will begin strictly enforcing the ‘yellow’ lane along Edsa beginning Nov. 20, or Monday next week especially in Edsa (in photo) where traffic remains heavy. Manny Palmero

Student discount on all types of transport sought

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

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ENATOR Sonny Angara on Monday sponsored a bill that seeks to expand the coverage of the 20 -percent student fare discount to not only include land transport, but also air, water and rail transport all year round.

“This is an early Christmas gift for our studengs. This would mean savings on the part of the parents because they are not only spending on tuition fees but also for the baon and fare of our students,”said Angara, one of the authors of Senate Bill

1597 and vice chairman of the education committee.

He said the measure will definitely bring a sigh of relief not just to over 20-million public and private students but also to their families.

“This is especially more significant to the

beneficiaries belonging to the indigent, and underprivileged sector that rely on public transport services,” added the senator, a known advocate of educational reforms, who is also one of the authors of the Free College Law. Under the bill, all students enrolled in basic and tertiary education institutions, including technical-vocational institutions, will be entitled to a 20-percent discount on regular domestic travel fares—including jeepneys, buses, UV Express vans, taxis and transport network vehicle services Grab and Uber, MRT, LRT, domestic

flights—upon presentation of their duly issued school ID or current validated enrollment forms.

Such discount will be effective throughout the year including weekends, summer breaks and holidays.

Students taking up postgraduate studies such as medicine, law, masteral and doctoral degrees, and other short term courses of seminar type will not be qualified to avail the discount.

Meanwhile, Filipino students who will travel abroad for education, training, and competition will be exempt from the

payment of travel tax upon proper showing of proof or documentation of intended purpose.

The proposed measure prohibits the availment of double discounts or combination of the student fare discount with other discount programs.

For example, students who will go home to Davao can save up to P2,000 on their round trip airfare which currently costs about P10,000.

Land, water, air and rail transportation utilities that refuse to grant student discount will be penalized with a fine ranging from P5,000 to P200,000.

PH, NZ sign education Customs seizes smuggled goods in Tondo cooperation at Summit

By Vito Barcelo

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Philippine Commission on Higher Education and New Zealand Qualifications Authority held during the Asean Summit bilateral meetings at the Philippine International Convention Center on Nov. 14, 2017.

CHED Chairperson Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan and New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines David Strachan signed the MOC which aims to strengthen education cooperation and establish comparability of degrees between the two countries.

The Memorandum of

Cooperation includes, but is not limited to, the following areas: a. exchange information about the New Zealand and Philippine education and qualification systems, including the roles and responsibilities of NZQA and CHED, academic program approval and quality assurance; b. encourage technical cooperation that will be of mutual benefit to the participants; c. compare the levels of the Philippine National Qualifications Framework and the New Zealand Qualifications Framework beginning with a pilot project on the bachelor’s degree level; and d. exchange information as appropriate to support our mutual interest in international student welfare and safety.

The Bureau of Customs seized smuggled goods worth at least P3 billion from China during a raid in Tondo, Manila.

The seized items were apparently intended for sale during the Holiday season.

Most of the confiscated goods are now flooding the street markets and stores in Metro Manila and nearby provinces as Christmas season nears, the Bureau of Customs said.

Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said combined agents from the BOC and Intellectual Property Rights Division, the National Bureau of Investigation raided several units located at the Vicente Tower in Dagupan st., Tondo Manila and discovered tons of imported smuggled goods ready for distribution in various supermarkets and stores in Metro Manila.

The BoC said the raid was conducted following a three-month surveillance operation.

Lapeña said they conducted the raid after receiving information that counterfeit products from China were being smuggled into the country.

The confiscated contrabands included hundreds of boxes of toys, counterfeit shoes, clothes, cellular phones, and other merchandise.

The owners of the counterfeit items, all Chinese businessmen, failed to present documents that the items were legally imported or paid duties and taxes.

Napolcom promotes two police off icers

By Joel E. Zurbano THE National Police Commission has promoted two police officers for their courage in the line of duty that resulted in the slaying of three suspected criminals and the arrest of four others in separate occasions.

Police Office 3 Cyril Gobis of the Sta. Cruz Municipal Police Station, Laguna Police Provincial Office; and PO2 Joselito Lantano of the Philippine National Police - Security and Protection Group, were respectively promoted to the next higher rank through Napol-

com Resolution 2017-538 and 539 issued on Oct. 26.

Commission vice chairman and executive officer Rogelio Casurao said Gobis was promoted for successfully neutralizing the armed bank robbers as they were about to escape on board a tricycle after breaking into the Philippine National Bank in Sta. Cruz, Laguna on Jan. 27, 2016.

While Gobis was on patrol, a concerned citizen reported to him about the on-going bank robbery.

Gobis immediately proceeded to the area, flagged down the get-away tricycle

and accosted the suspects.

However, two of the escaping suspects opened fire at Gobis and this prompted him to retaliate, killing two of the suspects, arrested the two others and recovered three firearms, ammunition and cash money amounting to P54,535.

“The Commission earlier recognized such heroic act of PO3 Cyril Gobis through the conferment of the PNP Gallantry Award with P10,000.00 cash reward during the Napolcom Golden Anniversary program last Sept. 8, 2016,” Casurao said.

A Custom official inspects smuggled counterfeit cosmetic products, perfumes and other merchandise worth around P3 billion during a raid conducted by Bureau of Customs agents in five units at Vicente Tower, 1275 Dagupan Street in Tondo, Manila on Monday, Nov. 20, 2017.

The Customs officials said goods originated from China and consigned to a certain Justine Lim. Norman Cruz

IBP to tap lawyers for EJK victims THE Integrated Bar of the Philippines will tap lawyers to provide free legal services to victims of extrajudicial killings and human rights violations in the war on drugs of the Duterte administration.

IBP national president Abdiel Dan Elijan Fajardo also called on their members to uphold the rule of law, access of justice and human rights amid extrajudicial killings of drug suspects.

“While many lawyers decry these atrocities, no concrete actions are being taken either due to lack of channels to reach out to victims or lack of capacity to take on the peculiarities that accompany the handling of these kind of cases,” Fajardo said, in press conference.

The mandatory organization of lawyers in the country cited as reason for such move the death of 91 people —including teenager Kian Delos Santos— in the “One Time Big Time” anti-narcotics operations in the National Capital Region, Bulacan and Cavite last August.

Rey E. Requejo

DepEd denies ‘no-classes’ posts in FB THE Department of Education has not made any announcement regarding the suspension of classes on Nov. 23, 24, and 27 being circulated

by Facebook page “Walang Pasok Advisory,” nor is it associated with the page in any way.

DepEd encourages the public to be more vigilant against fake news and half-truths, and be more discerning of information that they accept and disseminate.

The Department further advises the public to get verified information and announcements of the agency on the official website, www.deped. gov.ph, official Facebook page DepEd Philippines, and official Twitter account DepEd_PH.

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Opinion

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

A

‘Tremendous nuisance’

JAPANESE railway operator has apologized for the “tremendous nuisance” caused by the early departure of one of its trains last week.

The train left the station 20 seconds too early.

It was supposed to pull out at 9:44:40; it did so at 9:44:20.

Metropolitan Intercity Railway Co. said it was deeply sorry for the incident despite the absence of complaints from anybody. Nobody missed a ride.

This would have been just another anecdote

Adelle Chua, Editor

about a country so famous for its punctuality and conscientiousness —if it did not rankle so much for its stark contrast to what is happening here.

We have written profusely about the sorry state of the MRT3, the line that traverses one of the busiest, longest roads in the metro. As if the numerous daily glitches

were not enough, last week a commuter’s arm was torn off her body and an entire coach was detached from the rest of the train.

Inspired perhaps by the Japanese rail operator, President Duterte also apologized to commuters over the ill quality of the MRT; the Palace has promised that there would be better MRT under this administration.

But more than a year has been taken from the start of the administration.

When will it happen?

Sure, some steps have

been taken to exact accountability from officials of the previous regime. On Monday, some groups filed yet another graft case against former Transportation and Communication Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya for the allegedly anomalous P3.8 billion contract it had entered into for the maintenance of the MRT. That contract has since been scrapped.

Meanwhile, the current transportation secretary, Arthur Tugade, says he would not step down amid calls for his resigna-

tion over the shabby service quality of the MRT. He continues to enjoy the confidence of the President, the Palace spokesman said.

Tugade himself expressed confidence in his own staying power. Only the President can ask him to resign, he said, and not all problems can be addressed by resignation.

He serves at the pleasure of the President’s—no one else’s.

We wonder how many more mishaps we have to experience before the current crop of trans-

port officials realize that as public servants, they serve at our pleasure, too.

The next few days will tell us whether Tugade, with the support of the President, can really turn the situation around. At some point the excuses have to stop, and then staying on for one minute longer will just make him a tremendous nuisance.

A nuisance so big that even prayers, to which he earlier suggested we resort, may not be able to do anything.

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

Relocate the NBP MOCHA Uson for the Senate? This must be a joke!

If the PDP Laban is dead serious about fielding her, it must think Filipinos are stupid.

Yes, Uson has five-million followers on social media. Is that enough of a qualification to be a legislator?

And then there is former party-list Representative and now Spokesman Harry Roque. I can’t blame the man. He has been salivating to be senator, and this is probably why he agreed to be a spokesman in the first place—to gain national exposure.

I recall the President saying that Cabinet members should not use their positions to pursue their own agenda. Is Roque the exception?

To have controversial entities without experience in governance is an insult to us Filipinos. No wonder the Senate race is always a circus!

Why did Aguirre drag his feet on this one?

Too early, too late LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES IT’S far too early in the day to make a fuss about an election that’s still more than a year and a half away.

And far too late to cry that Margaux “Mocha” Uson is going to ruin the Senate by joining the race.

You may well ask: Why is the midterm election in 2019 already being discussed at this point, as if the polls are already upon us, instead of 20 months away?

My other question is related to the first. Who’s afraid of Uson and why all this premature handwringing about the supposed deleterious effect of her entry into that hallowed institution called the Senate?

Of course, outside of the few remaining hard-core Aquino cult followers on all sorts of media, no one wants to make a big to-do about reports emanating from Cebu City last weekend that Uson is gunning for a Senate post. Especially since it has become plain that the administration PDP-Laban party, through an overeager House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, didn’t really move the inclusion of Uson, presidential spokesman Harry Roque or anyone else for that faraway election.

But the panic in anti-Duterte circles is real and palpable. And the personification of all the angst is Uson and her fearsome army of online followers, whom some unreconstructed elitists (and wannabe elitists) have taken to calling “the great unwashed.”

Adding to the existential

woes of those who consider the prospect of a Senator Uson, with obvious glee, was President Rodrigo Duterte himself. Last Saturday, Duterte could not help

The Yellows could have ensured that Uson gets into the Senate because of their exertions to keep her out.

but scare the Yellows some more by saying that the people should decide on who should be elected to office —thus proving to one and

all that the President can troll the people who hate him even when he is making the most self-evident of motherhood statements.

But it’s really another of those tempests in the Philippine political teapot that are woven entirely out of unfounded fear. To use the Tagalog saying, the antiDutertes created the ghost of Mocha as senator and proceeded to frighten themselves silly using their own spectral creation.

The trouble with this new attempt to demonize Uson is that, given the huge surveyed majority of Filipinos who approve of Duterte, the Yellows are only galvanizing support for a popular but strictly mid-level proadministration bureaucrat because of their obvious irrational fear of her plan to advance her political career—assuming that is

what she intends to do. In other words, the Yellows are convincing even people who are of two minds about Uson in the Senate to back her, if only because that is what the Aquino remnants seem to fear most.

The irrelevant Yellows are actually campaigning this early for Uson. And the elitists and their sympathizers seem totally unaware that they may actually be helping ensure a victory for her that is no one in his right mind will concede is certain, this far away from the start of actual voting. *** The other thing that the anti-Duterte campaigners don’t really want to go into is Uson’s supposed lack of qualifications for a Senate seat. After all, by declaring that Uson is unfit to become a senator (or even for her low-wattage post

as communications assistant secretary), the Yellows will be forced to answer questions about the fitness of their own champions— people like Noynoy Aquino and, to be more up to date, his cousin Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino.

To argue that Uson doesn’t have the qualifications to be a bureaucrat or a senator can quickly turn into an assessment of the Aquinos who got so far in the post-Ninoy period on so little. The sainted Cory’s own fitness for the highest post in the land (or obvious lack of it, really) could once again be brought up, even.

Taken as a contemporary institution, the Senate itself cannot claim to have preserved its supposed reputation as the residence of the best and brightest Turn to A5

*** After a long time dillydallying, the Department of Justice now under Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre has scrapped the P150billion mega-penitentiary in Nueva Ecija.

I saw this coming when the DoJ did not proceed with the bidding even though there were already prequalifiers—San Miguel, Megawide and DMCI. Because of the scrapping of the project, the government now has to pay penalties to the three. Aguirre must be held accountable for this fiasco.

The need to relocate the national penitentiary is critical. The 551-hectare New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa was built only for 6,400 inmates. Now it is congested with 23,000 prisoners.

When the illegal drug trade erupted as an issue in the NBP, there was again Turn to A5

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

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

ONLINE

can be accessed at: manilastandard.net

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PPI

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Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Opinion

THE coming yuletide season brings with it the usual spectre of traffic gridlocks and transportation nightmares. It’s a problem for both motorists and commuters alike.

As expected, the Metro Manila Development Authority will blame the heavy volume of vehicles that will take to the road during the yuletide season as the main cause of traffic congestion in the metropolis. It’s the same excuse given by the MMDA during each Christmas holiday season.

Actually, the leadership of the MMDA, which is headed by Danny Lim, is too incompetent to realize the real cause of the traffic nightmare—MMDA mismanagement.

The number-coding restriction scheme currently in force in the National Capital Region was designed to reduce by 20 percent the volume of vehicles traversing the metropolitan roads during the daylight hours of regular days of the week. From a statistical perspective, the figure is defensible. From a practical point of view, however, the measure is a miserable failure.

First, politicians and members of the judiciary are given multiple license plates which allow them to circumvent the numbercoding restriction. On the days their special privilege license plates are covered by the number-coding restriction, many of them simply use their regular plates to circumvent the road ban.

Assuming they do use the special plates on the days their vehicles are restricted, their plate numbers are intimidating enough to discourage MMDA traffic enforcers from stopping them on the road.

The number of politicians and judges who circumvent the number-coding restriction renders the 20-percent reduction statistic alleged by the MMDA unreliable.

Second, physicians are exempted from the numbercoding restriction, as long as they are on a house call.

Huh? Physicians no longer make house calls. Patients, no matter how ill, have to go to the hospital or the clinic themselves. To avail of the exemption to the number-code restriction, a physician simply tells a traffic enforcer that he or she is a physician on the way to a house call. Yeah, right.

Besides, what is a physician entitled to special treatment? Almost all of them charge very expensive professional fees, evade taxes, live luxurious lives, ride in very expensive vehicles, and have no interest in providing free medical services to the needy.

The number of physicians exempted from the numbercode restriction renders the 20 percent statistic cited by the MMDA meaningless.

Third, many vehicle owners identified with the Philippine National Police, the Philippine National Police Academy, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Philippine Military Academy exploit the intimidating name of their offices to repel traffic enforcers. They do so by affixing special license plates with labels like PNP, PNPA, NBI and PMA right beside their regular plates.

These vehicles can be spotted easily.

The volume of those vehicles again render the 20% reduction statistic cited by the MMDA illusory.

There are other causes for traffic congestion in Metropolitan Manila which the MMDA refuses to address on account of the incompetence of its leaders.

Motorcycle traffic along Edsa and Commonwealth Avenue used to be restricted to a specific lane on those thoroughfares. Today, the motorcycle lanes are ignored. Motorcycles disregard traffic regulations with impunity, run counterflows anywhere they wish, shift lanes without notice, and block pedestrian lanes at intersections. Because they tend to get in the way of almost all vehicles, they add to the slow flow of traffic in major roads.

This column has repeatedly invited the attention of MMDA Chairman Danny Lim to the motorcycle problem, but he refuses to take action.

The innermost lanes of a major avenue is supposed to be restricted to fast-moving vehicles. Unfortunately, the MMDA allows slow moving vehicles to use these lanes, thus blocking the way of fast moving vehicles. This can be readily observed at the southbound lane of Edsa across Camp Aguinaldo.

There, the MMDA allows vehicles intending to turn left at Santolan Road (Serrano Avenue) to accumulate at the two innermost lanes. As a result, a bottleneck ensues at the mouth of the Edsa-Santolan flyover, and this clogs traffic flow as far as the SM Megamall area.

Reckless taxicab drivers and inconsiderate jeepney drivers also add to the traffic mess. Taxicabs and jeepneys load and unload anywhere they please, and many MMDA traffic enforcers ignore their illegal habits. As a result, traffic needlessly accumulates practically everywhere along their routes.

Let’s face it. Traffic regulations will be obeyed by almost all motorists only when traffic enforcers are in sight.

No MMDA traffic enforcers are around at night, probably because there are no more motorists to harass for violating the numbercode restriction. There are hardly any police vehicles patrolling the roads at night.

Many of them are busy escorting politicians heading home, or to nightspots in the metropolis. As a result, many taxicab and jeepney drivers openly ignore traffic lights after dusk. Maybe Lim thinks that road safety and order just are not necessary at night? For that matter, does the MMDA operate only during the daylight hours?

Many MMDA traffic enforcers hide at street corners waiting to cash in on erring motorists. They often conduct their stealthy operations at the intersection of Meralco Avenue near ULTRA in Pasig; at the corner of Shaw Boulevard and Edsa beside Star Mall; along the segment of Ortigas Avenue from Meralco Avenue to C-5; and at the corner of Edsa and Ortigas Avenue beside the POEA Building.

The foregoing problems were also repeatedly brought to the attention of Lim, but the latter, as usual, refuses to act on them. Lim is probably too occupied with the anticipated glamor and glitter of the coming 2017 Metropolitan Manila Film Festival in December, where awful films compete with one another for the dubious title of the “best” among the lousy movies of the festival; or maybe Lim is busy fraternizing with the stupefying Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and former Customs chief Nicanor Faeldon. All three were former mutineers who violated the Constitution which to swore to obey and defend as soldiers.

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mst.daydesk@gmail.com

RevGov

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

Gross incompetence at Danny Lim’s MMDA

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2017

FORMATION GARY OLIVAR REVOLUTIONARY government is suddenly on everyone’s lips these days.

Next week on Bonifacio Day, the revolutionists are planning dozens of sameday rallies throughout the country and in major OFW host cities abroad. If you’re in Manila and of like mind, the place to be is Mendiola at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 30, prior to marching on the Palace to try and conscript a reluctant President.

Even detained Senator Leila de Lima has weighed in on the issue, warning that a revolutionary government would by its nature suspend or bypass the Constitution, thereby freeing the Armed Forces from their constitutional loyalty to the Presidency. Thus, what may in fact happen is Duterte ending up being overthrown.

So is the senator against “RevGov” because it’s extra-constitutional, or for it because Duterte gets to be kicked out? It’s hard to tell from the other side of her prison bars.

The other day, the President clarified that his earlier threats to declare RevGov are not unconditional. In fact, they’re predicated on the outbreak of widespread violence in the streets that may require extraordinary powers to bring under control.

That seems eminently reasonable. What’s the use of a wimpy president, after all, when your very lives and property are being put on the line? Think “Marawi” if you want a graphic picture.

So why did the media drop any reference to the predicate and focus only on the President’s threat? Clearly, in order to paint him as a brute—which suits the yellow narrative—as well as generate controversial headlines—which boosts sales and fattens the profits of media owners. *** If the need for RevGov is to be properly judged, we first have to evaluate the likelihood of the predicate. Specifically, how real is the risk of an organized campaign of violence to unseat Duterte and forcibly transfer political power to a group or groups waiting in the shadows?

Let’s look at some recent developments for clues: ISIS terror—Three Abu Sayyaf members had been arrested in Quezon City a few days before the Asean summit. Now the PNP believes that the three were actually planning an attack on the summit, based on photos and videos captured.

It seems that there is now an “urban terrorist group” being organized by the ASG. More recently, the AFP spotted several Caucasianlooking foreigners among a gang of BFF fighters they were pursuing in North Cotabato. They were tipped off by the MILF, which obvi-

ously wants to earn the government’s trust in a future Bangsamoro state by helping the AFP against its rival rebel groups.

Speaking of the MILF, their first vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar recently avowed that they would support Duterte forever— yesterday, today and tomorrow—ostensibly because the President has Moro blood.

Do they in fact sense something afoot among more radical groups in Mindanao that they want to distance themselves from?

NPA terror—Duterte has now called the NPA a bunch of criminals and promised to issue a proclamation declaring them to be a terror organization. He no longer wants to resume peace talks with them, and is even considering a crackdown on their comrades in Bayan Muna and other NDF front groups.

Duterte is simply responding to the recent spate of violence incited by the CPP senior leadership after peace talks broke down. And by calling out the NPA as terrorists, he’s just following the lead of noteworthy organizations like the US State department—which put that label on them in 2002—and the European Union Council, which followed suit in 2005.

But why does he seem so vehement now? After bending over backward to accommodate the communists—even appointing some of them to his Cabinet right after he took office—is Duterte also smelling something

afoot among that bunch? *** What’s the nightmare scenario we could be facing? By way of pure speculation— since nobody named would own up to it anyway—that scenario would see a tie-up among BIFF and ASG, ISIS, and the CPP-NPA; the spread of violent activity to Metro Manila and other cities; bankrolled at home by drug lords and narco-politicians, and abroad by the same “deep state” now working to depose Donald Trump in a less dramatic manner.

Even without RevGov, though, the President is not without options. To deal with such a threat, the following counter-measures are available to him: Extend martial law in Mindanao after the year-end.

Of course, this ought to be done by the book, by first seeking Congress’ approval.

Hire more soldiers (eight new AFP battalions now planned) and update their training (new focus on urban warfare with help from Australia and Singapore).

Expand and upgrade the PNP Special Action Force for high-intensity urban fighting.

Call up the reserves and put them on higher alert and training, so that they can immediately take over noncombat duties from the professional soldiers as needed.

Acquire more military and other equipment from allies like the US, China, Russia, Japan, and Asean neighbors.

As I mentioned last time, that

may well include our firstever submarine (from the Russians).

Actively begin to engage the decades-old propaganda of the NDF, who are now trying to sell us a bill of goods in their so-called Comprehensive Agreement for Socio Economic Reforms.

Mobilize local community leaders in high-risk areas, from regional or provincial peace and order councils at the top, all the way down to volunteer barangay militias at the bottom.

Pass the BBL as soon as possible, and lock in the MILF’s support for government by properly resourcing their economic plans. *** I want to close this piece by bidding goodbye to my colleague in the Manila Standard, senior reporter Christine “TinTin” Herrera, who succumbed to her second heart attack and stroke while on vacation in Bangkok.

I learned only from her Facebook condolences that TinTin was active in the League of Filipino Students in her campus days. It really doesn’t surprise me that her feistiness was honed in the parliament of the streets. It’s what made her, and others from the same background, genuine.

Her husband Lito “Dong” Herrera was a fraternity brother of mine too. Brod, my condolences and prayers go out to you and your family.

Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@yahoo.com.

Momentum from Bonn climate talks THE 23rd Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change concluded last Friday, Nov. 17.

With Fiji at its helm, being this year’s COP President, Parties to the climate convention agreed to launch the “Talanoa dialogue,” a process based on traditional Pacific ways of arriving at consensus.

As described by our Fijian colleagues: “The purpose of Talanoa is to share stories, build empathy and to make wise decisions, which are for the collective good. The process of Talanoa involves the sharing of ideas, skills and experience through storytelling.” In Fiji, Talanoa has been used to resolve political tensions. In the climate process, it offers an opportunity to do assess where the world is on climate action and what else could be done to address the problem more decisively and effectively.

In Bonn, governments also agreed on pre-2020 ambition and how to move early, even while awaiting the rules for the Paris Agreement. Some progress was achieved on the drafting of these rules but it will take hard work to meet the 2018 deadline. In any case, in my view, it might be best to wait for the results of the 2018 midterm elections in the US before finalizing

Relocate...

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clamor for relocation. It ap-

peared however that Aguirre was dragging his feet. Why? Now Aguirre wants to erect additional buildings in existing penal colonies.

This is why Aguirre scrapped the project—it would cost the government P150 billion within a span of 20 years. That would have posed no problem with the privatization of the Muntinlupa property.

Too early,...

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of our political class. The present crop of senators, in particular, will not even be able to say that they do not have among them those who would actually have a

those rules. There is a big possibility of a significant change in US climate politics after 2018; it might be prudent to allow that to unfold and get the US back into the process.

Finally, this COP saw some breakthroughs on climate issues related to gender, oceans and indigenous peoples. My hope is that this progress will be sustained in 2018 and beyond.

As for the Philippines, our delegation did very well and was influential in several issues. Secretary Manny De Guzman made sure that the senior and technical officials from the Climate Change Commission, Departments of Environment and Natural Resources, Agrarian Reform, Agriculture, Energy, National Economic and Development Authority, Pagasa, Commission on the Urban Poor, and Office of the Cabinet Secretary represented our country’s interests effectively in all the issues that mattered for us. Colleagues from citizen organizations as usual served as advisers to the delegation. These included my own team from the Manila Observatory, Forest Foundation Philippines, and Parabukas.

The delegation was joined also by legislators from both Houses of Congress who made sure to support us, witnessing the 20 hour days the country’s negotiators put in during those two weeks of meetings. I was particularly happy that Rep. Christopher Co, Chair of the House Committee on Climate Change,

and Rep. Rodel Batocabe joined the delegation as their support is needed as we move forward on climate change. As party list representatives of Ako Bicol, they represent constituencies that are already suffering from climate change. Co and Batocabe were ably supported by the brilliant and hardworking Rommel Reyes, the House Committee on Climate Change secretary.

Rommel happens to be a former student and one of my legal assistants when I was DENR Undersecretary.

As it has been for many years now, it was Senator Loren Legarda that was our strongest voice in Bonn. She delivered a short but stirring speech. It is only right to end this column by reproducing in full what Senator Loren said on behalf of all of us: “We come to COP23 with a strong call for climate justice: that those who are most vulnerable, who suffer the most from the adverse effects of climate change and who have contributed the least to climate change are empowered and enabled, in terms of capacity and finance, to fight back.

This necessitates not just enhanced ambition, but the steely resolve to act now.

The window of opportunity on achieving the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal of the Paris Agreement is fast closing and any delay will result in the irreversible.

We in the Philippines are doing our part. Despite all odds, we ratified and became party to the Paris

Agreement. We have mainstreamed climate and geotagging into our budget processes. We have set up a People’s Survival Fund, which provides over a billion pesos each year for local government and community initiatives to fight climate change. We have enacted a Renewable Energy law and a Green Jobs Act. And we will do more. We are developing policies on carbon pricing and green banking. We intend to impose a tax on coal. And we are greening our hospitals.

Indeed, we are pursuing not just a transition to a green economy, but a transformation of the way we do government and business. We do so, with full awareness that the buy-in of the private sector and partnerships with them is crucial. This is what the sustainable development goals mandate.

We are tasked here at COP23 to advance the implementation of the Paris Agreement. To this end, we welcome the Talanoa Dialogue and urge completion of work on the residuals of the basic minimums of the Paris Agreement. Loss and damage need to be addressed. And commitments on climate finance must be fulfilled and scaled up.

We must also not forget the fulfillment of the pre-2020 targets and its inclusion in the agenda of the COP. The Philippines ratified the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol in 2016 and we call on others who have not done so to do so.

In implementing the Paris Agreement, adaptation is key. It is a pathway to resilience and survival. As a National Adaptation Champion, I commit that I will personally mandate national agencies and local government units to integrate adaptation measures into their plans and programs. We will also pursue adaptation endeavors, including on the role of marine resources. I specify local government units because they are at the frontlines of the battle on climate change and because at the core of it, adaptation is local.

In our capacity as current chair of the Association of Southeast Nations, the Philippines wishes to highlight the Asean Joint Statement on Climate Change to COP23 which among others, calls on the operationalization of the Adaptation Fund and urges the GCF to facilitate and promote direct access of the fund by Asean and other developing country parties.

In closing, Mr. President, We have all heard the saying that what is “difficult is done at once” but that “the impossible takes a little longer.” But we are running out of time. We have to do both the difficult and the impossible at once. Only then can we truly say that we have fulfilled our obligations to future generations, because only then can we leave a world where life can continue to exist.”

He adds he expects them to be completed in two years.

My gulay—is he dreaming? *** That President Duterte is thinking of installing a revolutionary government is very clear. He should not blame the media for misquoting him. He said he would do it if there is a real effort to destabilize the government and if there is chaos.

Media have never misquoted the president.

This is why we get chills in the spine when we hear him talking about “revgov.”

This kind of talk also scares foreign investors. This is why we are getting just the crumbs of all foreign investments in Southeast Asia. *** The Department of Transportation tells the public that the MRT is still safe. They better say that to the half a million commuters who feel they have no choice but to take the MRT to get to their destinations.

How can we feel safe in the MRT given the daily glitches? It’s a recipe for disaster!

For the government to insist that the MRT is still safe

is insensitive.

DoTr Secretary Arthur Tugade and his subordinates can no longer escape responsibility should anything untoward happen there. *** Calling the New People’s Army a bunch of criminals, President Duterte said he is no longer inclined to continue peace talks with the Reds.

In fact he has tagged them as terrorists.

From the start, I have always doubted the sincerity of the communists in talking peace with the government. In

fact, I am convinced that it’s always the same when a new administration comes in. The National Democratic Front of the Philippines always says it wants to talk peace but the NPA keeps on collecting revolutionary taxes and attacking government forces.

President Duterte has already bent over backwards to accommodate his Lyceum professor so many times. It seems nothing has changed.

Now that the President has called them terrorists, there is no turning back. I say it’s about time.

hard time beating Uson in a debate or in proposing legislation.

Ultimately, I think the attacks on Uson are really—as is usual with the people doing the attacking —intended to take Duterte down a notch or two. After the government’s wildly

successful hosting of the Asean summit and the release immediately after of the amazing third-quarter GDP growth data, there is precious little that the antiDuterte can hope to use as ammunition against the President they have vowed to destroy.

If it’s not Uson, it has to be someone or something else. Never mind if all the hubbub about her planning to secure a Senate seat is, at this point, as imaginary as Senator Antonio Trillanes’ depictions of the tattoo on Pulong Duterte’s back.

But if the Yellows en-

sure that Uson gets into the Senate because of their exertions to keep her out, then the people who voted for her will certainly have the last laugh. And the Aquino-lovers will just have to look for yet another means to hit at Duterte, their real target.

Facebook: deantonylavs Twitter: tonylavs

News

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘Budget open to scrutiny’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

S

ENATE Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon on Monday expressed confidence that the Senate will support his proposal that will require every amendment to the proposed 2018 national budget to be presented and scrutinized in open session.

“We should discuss budget in open session,” every amendment to the Drilon said.

Unlike past practices where amendments were submitted through the committee, Drilon explained that each senator who wants to submit an amendment would now have to present it on the floor for the chamber's consideration.

“We will discuss and scrutinize them item-foritem in the spirit of trans-

parency,” he said.

The budget, considered the most important piece of legislation that Congress makes every year, “should be discussed in an open and transparent manner,” Drilon said.

“It is about time that we provide some light into the budget process,” he added.

The proposal, Drilon added, will ease fears about

legislators trying to hide pork barrel funds in the budget.

“Every year legislators are accused of hiding pork bar rel elsewhere.

We can easily disprove and bur y that accusation by making the budget process more transparent,” he said.

Drilon said he too would propose various amend-

ments, including the realignment of about P1.4 billion in anti-illegal drug campaign funds to support the housing program for personnel of the Philippine National Police.

The senator said there is no reason for legislators to be ashamed of proposing amendments in the open if it is for the best interest of the people.

Solons eye improved law to support nurses

By Maricel V. Cruz A PANEL in the House of Representatives has backed a measure that seeks to provide a comprehensive nursing law towards a quality health care system.

The House committee on civil service and professional regulation, chaired by Batangas Rep. Mario Vittorio Mariño, has recommended for plenary approval House Bills 1693, 2548 and 3110, authored by Reps Maximo Rodriguez Jr. of Cagayan de Oro City, Carlos Isagani Zarate of Bayan Muna party-list and Emmeline Aglipay-Villar of Diwa party-list, respectively.

The bills are similarly titled “An Act Providing For A Comprehensive Nursing Law Towards A Quality Health Care System, And Appropriating Funds Therefor, Repealing For The Purpose Republic Act No. 9173, Otherwise Known As The ‘Philippine Nursing Act of 2002.”

The bills provide that

RA 9173 must be amended to achieve the vision of the Philippine professional nursing care to be the best for the Filipino and the choice of the world by 2030.

The proposed amendments to RA 9173 provide a structuring of the scope and practice of nursing to include certification, specialization and educational requirements; expanding the powers of the Board of Nursing to strengthen its role in decision-making processes concerning the nursing practice; providing additional educational requirements for different levels of nursing practice to ensure competitiveness and further strengthen the nursing profession and provide a better practice environment.

The bills call for the creation of a Professional Regulatory Board of Nursing or Board that shall be composed of seven members who shall elect among themselves a chairperson to serve for one term without reelection.

FOR THE FALLEN. National Bureau of Investigation Director Dante Gierran (second from left) and other NBI officers lay a wreath beside a marker to honor NBI agents killed in the line of duty on Monday during the bureau’s 81st anniversary in Manila. Norman Cruz

DoJ wraps up probe on rice smuggling charges vs Bangayan

By Rey E. Requejo THE Department of Justice has concluded its preliminary investigation on criminal charges against businessman David Bangayan, who has been tagged as rice smuggling king “David Tan.” The DOJ’s panel of prosecutors submitted the case for resolution after the National Bureau of Investigation opted not to file a reply anymore to the answer submitted

by Bangayan.

In his 23-page counter-affidavit filed Oct. 30, Bangayan sought the dismissal of criminal charges.

Bangayan denied allegations of monopolies and combinations in restraint of trade under Article 186 of the Revised Penal Code; bid fixing, as penalized under Section

65 of Republic Act No. 9184 (the Government Procurement Act); using fictitious name or concealing true name, as penalized under Article 178 of the RPC; and violation of Commonwealth Act No. 142, as amended by RA No. 6085.

He denied using “David Tan”— the person authorities said was the rice smuggling king—as his fictitious name or alias.

“I am categorically denying that I am ‘David Tan’ who supposedly was the ‘financier’ of certain cooperatives. My name is Davidson Bangayan. I was born out of wedlock to my parents Victoria Bangayan and Dy Ting Ham. Considering my illegitimacy, I am using my mother’s surname in all my personal and business dealings,” he stressed.

“There is no evidence that I represented myself as David Tan to a certain Hernandez and Ingal. I do not know them nor have I met them,” Bangayan said.

The businessman also explained that he was already cleared on this issue by a Pasay City metropolitan trial court in a perjury case.

The said court held that “no direct evidence was presented in order to convince this Court that indeed Davidson Bangayan and David Tan are one and the same person.”

Bangayan stressed that the NBI’s complaint is exactly the same complaint filed by the bureau in July 2014, which was returned by the DoJ for further investigation due to lack of evidence.

The businessman also argued that he could not be held liable for

bid fixing, saying he “did not directly nor indirectly participate in the NFA [National Food Authority] bidding.”

Bangayan explained that even assuming that he helped some cooperatives that joined the NFA bidding, such an act alone cannot be considered a criminal offense.

Bangayan’s co-respondents in the first charge are Judilyne Lim, David Lim, and Leah Echiveria of Cebu-based DGL Commodities; Elizabeth Faustino; and Eleanor Rodriguez.

For the second charge, Bangayan has four fellow respondents: Judilyne Lim, Faustino, Rodriguez and Echiveria.

Respondents in the other charges are Eugene Pioquinto, Mary Joyce Lim, Jason Colocado, Michael Vil-

lanueva, Denis Gonzales, Willy Sy, Sandra Lim, Gil Calipayan and Inigo Espiritu.

The NBI alleged that the respondents conspired to use rice farmers “for the purpose of acquiring substantial allocations on the PSF-TES importation program [of the NFA] with the end goal of monopolizing the supply of rice.”

The bureau pointed out that the scheme cornered government’s rice import allocations, through the NFA, in 2012 using 25 farmers’ organizations and cooperatives, and single proprietors that did not have the necessary financial and logistical capabilities as “dummies.”

The NBI further alleged that the bidders for NFA rice allocations were financed in exchange for a small percentage per sack as “share.”

Sotto suing blogger for name-calling

GIANTS MARCH. A boy stands in awe of papier-mâché giants dressed in Filipino costumes as they parade on the streets of Angono, Rizal for the celebration of the annual Higantes Festival. Teddy Pelaez

SENATE Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III on Monday said he will file a cyber-libel case against Edward Angelo “Cocoy” Dayao, the man supposedly behind the “Silent No More” blog, for calling him a “rapist, plagiarist, and bigot.”

Dayao has reportedly left the country. He was a noshow at a Senate hearing on fake news last Oct. 4, and has not posted any tweets on his social media account since Oct. 1.

The National Bureau of Investigation has confirmed Dayao’s identity as the blog owner, which Senator Cynthia Villar corroborated, citing research of her staff.

“We’re filing a case against

him,” Sotto said when asked to react to the absence of Dayao, whose profile page says he is “offline.”

The senator wants Dayao's passport canceled as well, and will file charges against others who run the blog. “[Dayao’s] name-calling, that’s my basis [for filing charges],” the former actor and TV star added. “His statements that we didn’t sign [a resolution urging the Duterte administration to address extrajudicial killings], he invented a story that was wrong, that we [senators] didn't sign anything, that doesn't count.”

Sotto called out the blog after it labeled seven administration senators as “Malacañang dogs,” as an article on the blog

made it appear that the senators purposely did not sign a resolution―filed by opposition senators―urging Duterte to address the rash of killings, especially of minors, under his administration.

“The bashers on social media, whatever they say, that’s their opinion. If it’s an opinion, that’s okay, but once you declare that’s a fact, that’s a different story,” Sotto said.

“If they feel they don’t like my face, my mustache, that’s okay, I don’t mind those sort of things,” he added.

Sotto said a public apology

by Dayao would be useless.

“Nothing will happen with that. If he wants, he should just let me punch him,” he added.

American ‘troublemaker’ who begs for alms in Manila ordered deported

By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Immigration ordered the deportation of an overstaying American “troublemaker” who was found to hold an expired United States passport.

Victor Didenko was held by police and immigration agents and brought to the BI ward facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City for being “undesirable, overstaying

and undocumented” alien.

“Aside from being a notorious troublemaker, he will be deported for holding an expired US passport and overstaying his tourist visa,” Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said.

The American has become a “public charge” and a burden to society as he had been the perennial subject of complaints by citizens who saw him frequently roam the

streets of Manila and Pasay, begging for money from strangers and engaging in acts that disturb the peace.

“We cannot allow unruly foreigners like him, who have no means of support, to stay in our country any longer, lest he becomes primarily dependent on the government for subsistence,” Morente said.

BI-FSU chief Bobby Raquepo said Didenko was charged last July

before a Manila court with violating a city ordinance for breach of peace in July this year.

The charges were filed after policemen arrested him along Mabini Street, Ermita for shouting in public at the top of his voice, uttering insulting remarks on Filipinos and challenging everyone to a fistfight.

“We also heard that he had been begging for alms from passersby

on the pretext that he was robbed of his money and passport,” Raquepo said.

Didenko arrived in Manila in September last year, and that he had been overstaying since March when the period of his extended stay as a tourist expired.

The US Embassy also confirmed that his passport already expired last Oct. 25, thus making him an undocumented alien.

‘Don’t take Du30 threats seriously’ FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday said the administration has not discussed any plan to declare a revolutionary government, thus President Rodrigo Duterte’s threats to do so shouldn’t be taken literally.

Saying Duterte often resorts to hyperbole and figures of speech, Cayetano noted that Cabinet members “always take the President seriously, but not always literally,” and that the Chief Executive always mentions an aside or a precondition when he speaks.

The former senator, who was Duterte's running mate in the 2016 elections, said a revolutionary government is “very far” from reality despite the President saying over the weekend he would declare it if his critics tried to topple his government.

“I’ll let [the President] speak for himself but I don’t think—I’ve been in a lot of meetings, I’m in the security cluster, there’s no plan whatsoever that’s on the table,” Cayetano said.

Declaring a revolutionary government was not a threat on Duterte’s part, but “just an expression,” the foreign affairs chief said.

“It’s his feeling that he wants the best for the Filipino, and [Duterte would act on it] unless those who are powerful in our country stop acting in their own interests and start acting for the common good,” Cayetano added.

Senator Panfilo Lacson likewise said Duterte’s statement shouldn’t be taken seriously.

Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines said they would not support the staging of a revolutionary government.

Matillano pleads guilty to perjury

By Rio N. Araja THE Office of the Ombudsman on Monday said former police chief superintendent and Criminal Investigation and Detention Group head Eduardo Matillano pleaded guilty to three counts of perjury and eight counts of violation of Section 8 of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards of Public Officials and Employees or Republic Act No. 6713.

Through his counsel, Matillano urged the court to allow him to withdraw his previous plea of not guilty, and manifested that he fully understood the nature and cause of the accusations against him.

The prosecution posted no objection to the motion.

In a three-page decision, the Sandiganbayan sentenced Matillano to up to a year in prison for each count of perjury, and to pay a fine of P1,000 for each count of violation of RA 6713.

The Ombudsman indicted Matillano for failure to file his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth in 1994 to 2000 and 2004, and failure to declare in his 2001 to 2003 SALNs five real properties in Antipolo City, Rizal and Palawan, 10 different motor vehicles, business interests and financial connections to Palawan Agromate Products Inc., First Food Caterer's and Managers Corp., Warbird Security Investigation Agency Inc., and two other firms.

Meanwhile, the Ombudsman convicted former Lucena City mayor Ramon Talaga, along with the city’s technical evaluation committee members, for graft.

Sports

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Superal eyes rebound M ANY-TIME Ladies Philippine Golf Tour winner Princess Superal tries to atone for her poor stint the last out as she joins the hunt in the ICTSI Splendido Ladies Classic which gets going today (Tuesday) at Taal Splendido Golf Club in Tagaytay.

Superal, who has posted victories in the country’s premier ladies circuit even as an amateur, lost by seven to Pauline del Rosario at Pradera in a tournament she was expected to dominate last August. But the Syme-

tra Tour campaigner is out to flaunt her form on a windy course tipped to bring the best and the worst from the compact but talent-laden field with its length and hazards, which come into play in most holes.

Focus will also be on Chihiro Ikeda, who snapped a year-long spell with a thrilling playoff victory over Thai Wannasiri Sirisampant at Forest Hills two weeks ago.

Del Rosario, winner of three of the last five legs of the circuit sponsored by ICTSI, is also raring to rebound from her third place effort at Forest Hills where she missed joining the playoff by one.

Three-time LPGT Order of Merit winner Cyna Rodriguez is also out to bounce back from her joint fourth place finish

at Forest Hills, ensuring a spirited battle for the top P150,000 purse in the 54-hole championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. But the local aces also face an uphill battle against six Thai campaigners seeking to end the hosts’ domination of the circuit backed by Custom Clubmakers, BDO, Meralco, Sharp, KZG, PLDT, Champion, Summit Mineral Water and K&G Golf.

They include Sirirampant, Sarinee Thitiratanakorn, Ananya Vitayakonkomol, Chonlada Chayanun, Cris-

tawan Rungruang and Pimpadsorn Sangkagaro.

Superal slugs it out with fellow Symetra Tour campaigner Rodriguez and Rungruang at 7:30 a.m. to be flowed by the 7:40 a.m. group of Del Rosario, Sirisampant and Ikeda.

Also vying in the P750,000 event are Jan Punzalan, Lucy Landicho, Sheryl Villasencio, Sylvia Torres, Gretchen Villacencio, Apple Fudolin and former LPGT winners Sarah and Korean Euna Koh along with amateurs Mafy Singson, Samantha Dizon and Isabela Miravite.

SBC starts bid for record 22nd title

Superal

F2 battles Cignal, stakes clean slate LEADER F2 Logistics stakes its immaculate card when it battles another heavy contender in Cignal in the Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga Grand Prix today at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Tiff starts at 7 p.m. with the Cargo Movers looking to stretch its five-game winning run to remain on top of this prestigious club tourney sponsored by Mikasa, Grand Sport, Senoh, Mueller, Island Rose, Cloudfone and UCPB Gen. Meanwhile, GenerikaAyala seeks to improve its standing when it collides with lowly Victoria Sports-UST in the 4:15 p.m. curtain-raiser of this explosive doubleheader that also has Gold’s Gym and Gerflor as technical sponsors and ESPN5 as broadcast partner.

After racing to a 5-0 start, the Cargo Movers are

Lee calls it a career WA S H I N G T O N — D a vid Lee, who helped the Golden State Warriors to the 2015 NBA title during a 12-season career, announced his retirement Sunday on Instagram.

Lee, whose fiancee is Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, averaged 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds over 829 games with New York, Golden State, Boston, Dallas and San Antonio.

“An epic night celebrating my retirement with my friends and family!” Lee posted with a group photo on Instagram. “Thank you to my amazing fiancée @ carowozniacki for planning the surprise!”

Former world number one Wozniacki had a relationship with Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy, a fourtime major champion, and they became engaged in January 2014 but broke up four months later, McIlroy saying he “wasn’t ready for all that marriage entails.”

This past Valentine’s Day, Wozniacki announced she was in a relationship with Lee and the couple announced their engagement earlier this month.

Lee was a first-round pick by New York in the 2005 NBA Draft and spent five seasons with the Knicks, earning NBA AllStar honors in 2010.

He was part of a sign-andtrade deal that saw him play for Golden State for five seasons. Lee struggled with injuries in his final season for the Warriors, being replaced as a starter by Draymond Green as Golden State captured the NBA crown.

Lee was traded to Boston ahead of the 2015-16 campaign, released by the Celtics in February and signed

by Dallas. After being cut he played last season for San Antonio, his 79 appearances for the Spurs his most since 2013. He was an unsigned free agent this season. AFP

Games Today

(Filoil Flying V Centre) 4:15 p.m. – Generika-Ayala vs Victoria Sports-UST 7 p.m. – Cignal vs F2 Logistics

definitely the league’s hottest team.

They kicked off their campaign with an earth-shaking victory over giant Petron in four sets before crushing Sta. Lucia, Cocolife, GenerikaAyala and Victoria SportsUST in straight sets, sparking speculations that the Cargo Movers are capable of sweeping the elimination round.

But still, head coach Ramil de Jesus opts to remain grounded.

“It’s still a long way to go,” said the 10-time champion coach in the UAAP, adding that their upcoming battles against Cignal and reigning champion Foton will be a major test to their character.

“While sweeping the eliminations is our main goal, we

OLIVAREZ CUP. Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez, assisted by his wife Janet (right) and Rotary Club Paranaque East

president Chris Bracamonte (lef ), hands the trophy to Sherwood Hills Golf Club Harry Patonganyan, a Class A winner, during the 5th Mayor Olivarez Cup held in Sherwood, Kawit Cavite. This year’s beneficiaries of the golf tournament are the city’s antidrug council and the “Bahay Aruga,” a halfway house for children afflicted with cancer.

SAN Beda College launches its bid to become the most titled school in the history of the league as it takes on Emilio Aguinaldo College at the start of the 93rd NCAA football competition at the Rizal Memorial pitch on Friday.

The Red Booters are currently tied with La Salle, a former league member before bolting to the UAAP in the 80s, with 21 senior championships apiece and would have a chance at a league-best 22nd title if they end up winning it all this year.

The road to history starts at 2 p.m. against EAC. San Beda has lorded it over the field in the last two decades, seizing 14 of the last 16 crowns.

The only two that escaped its grasp came in 2009 when St. Benilde went all the way and in 2015 when Arellano University completed a Cinderella finish.

The other match scheduled in the inaugurals are St. Benilde battling Mapua at 4 p.m. and Arellano University colliding with Perpetual Help at 6 p.m.

“It’s going to be an exciting football season, that’s for sure,” said Arellano University’s Peter Cayco, who chairs the Management Committee group organizing football this year.

San Beda will also defend the juniors’ crown as it squares off with Perpetual Help on Nov. 27.

Also tipped to face off on that same day are AU against Lyceumat 4 p.m. and Letran and Emilio Aguinaldo at 6 p.m.

Dimitrov seeks Grand Slam after ATP Finals’ triumph LONDON—Grigor Dimitrov set his sights on winning his first Grand Slam after his dramatic victory at the ATP Finals on Sunday gave him the biggest title of his career.

The Bulgarian sixth seed held his nerve to beat Belgium’s David Goffin 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in a gripping contest at London’s O2 Arena, finally sealing the match with his fifth championship point.

The victory takes the 26-year-old to the dizzy heights of third in the rankings behind only Rafael Nadal

and Roger Federer as he begins to deliver on his rich promise.

Nicknamed “Baby Fed” early in his career for the similarity of style in his game to the Swiss, Dimitrov has struggled to live up to the comparison and was as low as 40th in the world in mid-2016.

But he has bounced back strongly to enjoy the best season of his career in 2017, winning four titles in all, including his first Masters title in Cincinnati.

Dimitrov has never been beyond the semi-finals of a Grand Slam,

reaching the last four at Wimbledon in 2014 and repeating the feat in Australia earlier this year.

“I’m still trying to think about what I just did,” said the Bulgarian after his victory against Goffin. “I think now definitely we going to sit down with the team and reassess the whole year, see what we’ve done good, what we can improve.

“Of course, one of my main goals is to win a tournament, you know, a Grand Slam tournament.

This has always been, again, a dream of mine. Now slowly I

think this thing is getting there.

“I think I’ve had good results in the past, but now, as I said, I need to be even more consistent on those kind of events, and in the same time raise up my level on occasions like this. Obviously, this is a great, unbelievable achievement for me, yes. But, yeah, I just still have a lot to give.”

‘Big Four’ The ATP Finals have had an unusual flavour this year, missing Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic while world number one Nadal

was forced to pull out injured after his opening round-robin match.

In a huge shock, Roger Federer was ousted in the semi-finals by Goffin.

But Dimitrov said it was too soon to proclaim a new era and write the obituaries of the “Big Four” who have dominated tennis over the past decade and more.

“Next year I think is going to be obviously pretty interesting, especially the beginning of it,” he said. AFP

adidas reveals ball for ‘18 World Cup, The Telstar 18

The Telstar 18 pays homage to the first ever adidas World Cup ball, the 1970 Telstar . It’s a reinvention of the classic with a brand new panel design and the latest in ball technology

MILO...

From A8

from Australia, Colombia, Jamaica, New Zealand, Tahiti, Thailand, Singapore, and Panama. The training sessions were modeled after the FCB Escola’s modules, which are based on the Barça methodology that includes a creative and attacking brand of football and the promotion of positive values. The children were also

ADIDAS Football has revealed the Official Match Ball for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia—The Telstar 18, which will be used by the world’s best players as they seek to claim the biggest prize in football next summer.

The new Telstar 18 is a reimagining of the first adidas FIFA World Cup match ball, the Telstar, which was used at the 1970 tournament in Mexico.

The name of the original came from its position as the ‘star of television’.

The first ball to be decorated with black panels, the pattern was designed to stand out on black and white televisions, and changed football design forever.

The ball has a brand new carcass that retains the best of the Brazuca, the Official Match Ball of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, while building in new technology to maximise performance.

The ball went through extensive testing to ensure it suits the needs of the best players in the world. Some

given with a well-deserved break that included a tour of Barcelona’s top sights and cultural gems.

“What I like most about the trip is that I was able to experience something that was only in my dreams before,” said Lowell Tortona, 12-year-old football player from Xavier School. “I was also able meet new friends along the way, not only from the Philippines but also from other countries, and we have bonded over our common

passion for football.”

The ultimate highlight was the training session with FCB legend Eric Abidal, an experience they will surely never forget. To complete their trip, MILO and FCB granted the young booters’ dream of seeing their idols up close on the pitch as they watched FC Barcelona’s match in Camp Nou against Malaga in La Liga.

“MILO hopes that through this experience, the young booters of the MILO Philip-

of the leading national and club sides have been involved in the testing process including; Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Manchester United, Juventus, Real Madrid and Ajax.

A progression from Official Match Balls of the past, a brand new panel design features a metallic print execution and texture graphic effect, engineered to provide performance and durability both in the stadium and on the street. Sustainability has been a key focus of the Telstar 18, with elements including re-cycled backing material and packaging.

The Telstar 18 features an embedded NFC chip—the first time it’s ever been used in an Official Match Ball—making it the most innovative World Cup ball to date. The chip enables consumers to interact with the ball using a smartphone. Upon interaction, each ball generates a unique identifier, unlocking exclusive content and information for the user.

The personalised and location-aware pine team may serve as an inspiration to other athletes of any sport to pursue their passions and reach for their dreams,” added De Vera.

For more information on the booters’ Road to Barcelona experience and on MILO Philippines, log on to the official website (http://www. milo.com.ph) or the MILO Philippines Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ milo.ph). Follow MILO on Twitter (@MiloPH) and Instagram (@MiloPhilippines).

experience displays specific details of each ball and provides access to challenges that users can enter in the run-up to the World Cup. ROLAND ROMMLER, Category Director Football Hardware, said: “The original Telstar is one of the most iconic footballs of all time and one which changed football design forever, so developing the Telstar 18 while staying true to the original model was a really exciting challenge for us. The new panel structure and inclusion of an NFC chip has taken football innovation and design to a new level and offers both consumers and players a completely new experience. “ The Telstar 18 is now available at select adidas retail stores and the adidas online shop at shop.adidas. com.ph. The Telstar 18 will retail at P6,500.

For further information please visit adidas.com.ph/football or follow @ adidasfootball on Instagram or Twitter to join the conversation.

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

P0 M+ P0 M

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

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2017

Sports

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors drives down the court against Caris LeVertof the Brooklyn Nets in the third quarter during their game at Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. AFP

Hopes high for Gilas 5 with Blatche’s coming

By Jeric Lopez

H

OPES are up as Gilas Pilipinas flies to Japan today in its quest to win its first game in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

With the arrival of naturalized import Andray Blatche last Saturday night, the Nationals got the boost that they’re looking for and now carries a higher morale leading up to the pivotal games ahead.

Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes is very optimistic of his team’s chances in this very critical week as the team gets set to unleash its arsenal against its Asian rivals.

“I think we have a very good chance against Japan and Chinese Taipei,” said Reyes.

The Philippines plays Japan first this Friday there and then goes back home right away to take on Chinese Taipei three days later in Manila.

Still, Reyes is wary of certain conditions in Japan.

“The weather condition is a challenge there as well as

the crowd,” said Reyes.

But once back home, Reyes sees his team having all advantages.

“I like our chances and our situation when we get back home against Chinese Taipei. We’re used to the conditions and we’ll have more chemistry, hopefully, by then,” he added.

Along with the Philippines, Japan and Chinese Taipei in the Group B bracket is Australia.

While Blatche is a shoo-in for a spot, the other 11 slots are wide open and Reyes will submit his final line-up on the eve of the team’s first game against Japan.

Reyes is upbeat that he and the coaching staff will

be able to come up with a competitive lineup.

“Our hope in the coaching staff is that we will be able to put up a good team and the best game plan possible,” said Reyes.

The 6’11” Blatche, a many-time veteran of the NBA, arrived Saturday night and immediately joined the team’s practice sessions.

His return to Gilas was delayed as he played in the final two Chinese Basketball Association regular season games of the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, where he is an import.

Another player, 7’1” Isaiah Austin, was supposed to join Gilas, but he is tied up with the Yulon Luxgen Dinos in

NEW YORK—Stephen Curry scored a season-high 39 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and passed out seven assists before fouling out Sunday as the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors won 118-111 at Brooklyn.

A day after rallying from a 24-point deficit to beat Philadelphia, the Warriors surged ahead by as many as 28 points early in the second half before the Nets battled back and Curry was out for the last three minutes.

“It was a good learning experience for him,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Curry. “I thought, obviously, he was brilliant in terms of his scoring and shot-making. I thought his second half, he got a little wild.

“We had to withstand their run, and luckily we did with good execution in the last few minutes after Steph Curry went out.”

The Warriors improved to 13-4, matching Houston for the best record in the Western Conference with their ninth victory in 10 games, despite the absence of star forward Kevin Durant with a left ankle sprain.

Curry said trying to be ag-

gressive with Durant out led to his 11th career fouling out in the NBA. “You’d love to have those plays back, but I loved the aggressiveness I had on those possessions,” Curry said. “You don’t like to foul out, but it was kind of how I tried to bring that intensity the whole game.”

Golden State’s Klay Thompson had 23 points and 10 rebounds and sank a 3-pointer in his 71st consecutive game while Allan Crabbe had 25 points to lead the Nets (6-10), who suffered their eighth loss in 11 games.

Durant and Washington guard John Wall were sidelined Sunday with injuries.

Durant, who suffered a sprained left ankle in the Warriors’ 124-116 victory Saturday at Philadelphia, is averaging 24.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 15 games.

His absence comes three days before Golden State plays at Oklahoma City against Durant’s former club.

Wall, averaging 19.9 points and 9.3 assists a game, was benched with a swollen left knee. A fluid buildup has been lingering for about a week. AFP

PBA scribes to fete pro loop achievers THE Philippine Basketball Association Press Corps honors the players and personalities who excelled in the season that just passed with the 24th staging of its Annual Awards on Nov. 30 at the Gloria Maris Restaurant at the Gateway Mall in Cubao.

Highlight of the formal gathering is the presentation of the Virgilio ‘Baby’ Dalupan Coach of the Year trophy named after the late mentor considered as one of the country’s best coaching minds.

Alongside the Coach of the Year honor, also to be distinguished is the Danny Floro Executive of the Year award, named after the amiable former team owner of the fabled Crispa Redmanizers.

Since 1993, the recognition has been given out on a yearly basis by the PBAPC, composed of the men and women representing the country’s daily broadsheets, tabloids, and websites who regularly cover the PBA beat. The awards are also separate from the regular ones handed out by the pro league at season’s end.

Also to be recognized are the other regular fare of the gala presented by Cignal, such as the Defensive Player of the Year, Mr. Quality Minutes, and The ‘Bogs Adornado’ Comeback Player of the Year in honor of the league’s former three-time MVP and Hall of Famer.

Others to be cited are the All-Rookie team, Scoring champion, Order of Merit—given to the one who had the most number of Player of the Week honor given out by the PBAPC—and the All-Interview team, which is now on its second straight year.

For the first time in the awards’ night history, the group will also honor the ‘Game of the Season,’ which goes to the team that provided the most intense and memorable match of the year.

Likewise, the official PBAPC Facebook page would be launched during the affair to be hosted by lovely courtside reporter Rizza Diaz and veteran broadcaster Sev Sarmenta.

Blue Eagles need to figure out a way to beat Tamaraws

Magis hand PSC Kamao its 1st loss

By Peter Atencio

Games on Sunday (Pasig City Sports Center) 2 p.m. Malacañang-PSC vs Ombudsman 3:30 p.m. Senate vs DOH 4 p.m. Judiciary vs DA

THE Judiciary Magis handed Malacañang-PSC Kamao’s first loss of the season, winning 93-82, in the UNTV Cup Season 6 the Pasig City Sports Center.

Led by former professional basketball player Warren Ybañez, the Magis turned the tables around after Vincent John Puno converted two free throw shots for an 83-82 count, before Ybañez himself scored on another freebie off a technical foul slapped on Kamao’s Joseph Besa as Judiciary grabbed an 84-82 lead.

Malacañang-PSC reigned in the third, pouring in 28 points from Vishnu Das Javier, Christian Luanzon and Eric Dela Cuesta as it took the lead, 55-53, at the end of the period, before a see-saw battle ensued the rest of the way.

Best Player of the Games were Ybañez, Puno and Julius Caesar Rabino.

In another game, the BFP Firefighters continued their winning streak by punishing the COA Enablers in a highscoring battle, 132-83.

Firefighters’ playing coach Gilbert Malabanan led the team with 28 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, with solid back-up performances from Jonathan Eguea (14 points), Julius Jayona (13 points) and Roderick Marquez (12 points).

Three other Firefighters scored 11 points apiece.

the Taiwan Super League.

Gilas has been deep in training over the past week, scoring its second straight win in a tune-up game after beating the NLEX Road Warriors, 95-87, Saturday morning at the Meralco Gym. Going to Japan for their first matchup are Matthew Wright, Roger Pogoy, Kevin Alas, Alain Maliksi, Troy Rosario, Raymund Almazan, Kiefer Ravena, Japeth Aguilar, Junemar Fajardo and Gabe Norwood.

Jason Castro is absent with Calvin Abueva and Terrence Romeo because of back spasms. Abueva has a fever, while Romeo is recovering from a bruised knee. With Peter Atencio

Curry scores 39, lifts Durant-less Warriors

THE Far Eastern University Tamaraws played a very sharp game.

And this is what the Ateneo Blue Eagles will try to figure out after they lost to the Tams in their Final Four semifinal showdown last Sunday in the 80th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament.

“Forget the regular season, whatever it means.

This is playoff basketball.

And they (Tamaraws) were sharper on both ends. I have to figure out why they won,” said coach Tab Baldwin after the Tamaraws overpowered

Judiciary Magis’ Chester Tolomia soars for a layup, which Malacañang-PSC Kamao’s Michael Ignario tries to block in the UNTV Cup Season 6 at the Pasig City Sports Center.

the Blue Eagles, 80-67, at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Blue Eagles will now have a rubber match with the Tams on Wednesday.

On Sunday, the Tams shot 49.27 percent on their field goals, with guard Ron Dennison firing 17 points, including 3 of 8 three point attempts.

On the other hand, the Blue Eagles had a 36.62 percent clip and were held to just 13 points in the third period.

Two of Dennison’s treys came at the start of the second half, with the first breaking a 38-all deadlock in the remaining 8:26.

His second triple second handed FEU a 48-40 spread, with 5:47 to go.

FEU was slightly ahead in the first two quarters, taking the first half, 38-25.

Thirdy Ravena shot 17 points, but was held to just four in the second period.

Baldwin admitted that the team’s confidence went down in the second half and this happened after members of the team missed open shots in the first half.

“Right now, we haven’t done anything yet. Ang nakuha lang namin, we took away the twiceto-beat advantage of Ateneo.

We look forward to Wednesday’s game, and see what we can do to really stop a strong team like Ateneo,” said Tams’ coach Olsen Racela.

MILO fulfills dreams of 9 young PH booters MILO and FC Barcelona recently sent nine deserving children on a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience world-class football training in Barcelona, Spain.

The children that made up the MILO Philippine team were chosen from the selection camp held by MILO and FC Barcelona in September in Manila.

These young football players, who showed heart and skills on the pitch, and values such as humility, effort, ambition, respect, and

teamwork, embarked on the Road to Barcelona, a journey that made their dreams come true.

“Seeing the children’s awe as they saw Camp Nou for the first time, their eagerness to learn as they engaged with their coaches and fellow players, and the joy on their faces as they played on the pitch is priceless. They have brought pride to the country as they represented the Philippines in Spain,” said Robbie De Vera, MILO Sports Marketing Executive. “We

at MILO are delighted to make the children’s dreams come true. We are looking forward to bringing more Filipinos to Barcelona in the coming years.”

The junior booters were immersed in a series of training sessions with FC Barcelona Escola’s esteemed football coaches, both on the pitch at Ciutat Esportivo, the home of La Masia, FC Barcelona’s youth academy, and in the classroom at Camp Nou, together with delegates Turn to A7

The children that made up the MILO Philippine team were chosen from the selection camp held

by MILO and FC Barcelona in September in Manila.

Vista Land bares $1-b borrowing program B2

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2017

BoP deficit widened to $1.74b in 10 months

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, November 20, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE

By Julito G. Rada THE country’s balance of payments ran a $368-million deficit in October, widening the total shortfall in the first 10 months to P$1.74 billion, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas show.

The October BoP deficit was larger than the $183-million gap recorded in the same month last year. It was also a reversal of the $24-million surplus in September 2017.

BoP, which represents the country’s transactions with the rest of the world, captures foreign inflows and outflows that affect the movement of the peso against other currencies. A continuous BoP deficit results in the reduction of the gross international reserves, which is maintained by Bangko Sentral as a buffer against external volatilities.

The Bangko Sentral said the BoP incurred a larger deficit in October after the government settled more maturing foreign exchange obligations.

Data showed that the $1.74-billion BoP deficit in the first 10 months was a reversal of the $1.465-billion surplus registered a year earlier.

“Outflows stemmed mainly from the foreign exchange operations of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and payments made by the national government for its maturing foreign exchange obligations during the month. These were partially offset by the national government’s net foreign currency deposits and income from BSP’s investments abroad,” the Bangko Sentral said.

Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo earlier said current account, one of the main components of BoP, booked a deficit of $234 million in the first half, although this was lower than the $424-million deficit a year ago. The current account deficit accounted for around 0.2 percent of GDP. The Bangko Sentral expects the BoP to post a $500-million shortfall this year, a revision of the previous estimate of a $1-billion surplus.

B1

CONFECTIONERY MAKERS. The Department of Trade and Industry’s Foreign Trade Service Corps welcomes 19 confectionary manufacturers from Kansai Kashi Kogyo Cooperative Association led by Fujisawa Hajime, president of Nobel Confectionery Co. Ltd. (front row, fifth from left) at Dusit Thani Manila in Makati City. Also shown are DTI assistant secretary Rafaelita Aldaba (front row, fourth from left), Japan External Trade Organization deputy executive director Nobuyuki Nakajima (front row, third from left), Sojitz Philippines Corp. project manager Kawamura Tomotaka (front row, sixth from left) and Philippine Confectionery, Biscuit and Snack Association president Kissinger Sy (front row, left).The Philippine confectionary industry grew by 2.6 percent in 2016, with revenues amounting to $670.10 million.

Currency Unit

US Dollar Peso

United States Dollar

1.000000

50.8160

Japan

Yen

0.008924

0.4535

UK

Pound

1.321200

67.1381

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128034

6.5062

Switzerland

Franc

1.011531

51.4020

Canada

Dollar

0.783331

39.8057

Singapore

Dollar

0.737790

37.4915

Australia

Dollar

0.756600

38.4474

Bahrain

Dinar

2.649007

134.6119

Saudi Arabia Rial

0.266652

13.5502

Brunei

Dollar

0.735078

Indonesia

Rupiah 0.000074

0.0038

Thailand

Baht

1.5483

UAE

Dirham 0.272257

13.8350

Euro

Euro

1.179000

59.9121

Korea

Won

0.000915

0.0465

China

Yuan

0.150864

7.6663

India

Rupee

0.015382

0.7817

Malaysia

Ringgit 0.240385

0.030469

New Zealand Dollar

0.680400

Taiwan

0.033255

Dollar

37.3537

12.2154 34.5752 1.6899 Source: PDS Bridge

Megaworld builds Cavite CBD

By Darwin G. Amojelar

P

ROPERTY developer Megaworld Corp. said Monday it is building a new business district within a 140-hectare township in General Trias, Cavite, where it aims to generate total sales of P9 billion.

Megaworld said the 35-hectare property called ‘Maple Grove Commercial District’ was inspired by the masterplan of the Makati central business district, the country’s premiere financial and commercial district. It offers 363 ‘prime lots for sale’ for companies and businesses.

“Within the Maple Grove Commercial District, we are creating sub-districts that lead to a six-lane main avenue. The entire development will be surrounded with green and leisure parks and the streets, composed of secondary and service roads, will be interconnected in a way that everything becomes accessible wherever you come from,” Megaworld vice president for sales and marketing Rachelle Peñaflorida said.

Commercial lots being offered for sale range from 360 square meters to 1,008 square meters in size.

Maple Grove Commercial District will feature rooftop gardens, vertical and indoor gardens and green porches and lawns.

“We will be integrating sky gardens on the rooftops of most buildings to be constructed. Other sustainability and green initiatives that may be integrated by lot owners into their developments will also be welcomed as we strive to make Maple Grove a ‘green city in the south,” Peñaflorida said.

Maple Grove Commercial District will have seven green and open parks across the development, including a ‘Central Park’ that will serve as a ‘green jewel’ of the commercial district.

Completion of the Maple Grove Commercial District will be in 2022, after which, turnover of lots to owners will commence. Lot owners are expected to

construct their buildings within five years from turnover.

Total projected sales for the commercial lots is expected to reach P9 billion.

Megaworld announced last year it would spend P10 billion to build the 140-hectare Maple Grove township in 10 years.

The vast property strategically located in the growth center of General Trias is only 30 to 45 minutes away from Makati via Coastal Road and Cavitex.

Aside from the Maple Grove Commercial District, the township will have residential and recreational villages, school and other mixed-use and commercial developments including a Lifestyle Mall that will be built in the next 10 years.

Govt reviewing Filinvest’s P839-b Clark airport bid THE government is reviewing the unsolicited proposal submitted by a consortium led by Filinvest Development Corp. and JG Summit Holdings Inc. for the long-term development of Clark International Airport at a cost of P839 billion.

The Transportation Department said it was coordinating with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority to thoroughly review the legal, technical and financial aspects of the proposal within a specified timeline and strict deadline based on the required processes and regulations.

Under the new proposal, the Filinvest-JGS joint venture will build future capacity augmentation,

IN BRIEF Phinma Energy’s profit falls 49%

PHINMA Energy Corp. said net income in the first nine months fell 49 percent to P424 million from P826.6 million a year ago, on higher cost of power purchased.

“General and administrative expenses for the nine months period for 2017 increased due to increased level of operations which resulted in higher taxes and licenses and headcount,” the company said.

Revenues reached P12.4 billion in the first nine months, up from P11.196 billion in the same period last year. Revenues from the sale of electricity alone grew to P12.394 billion from P11.184 billion.

Cost and expenses reached P12.455 billion in January to September, up from P10.534 billion last year.

The company was able to achieve a significant volume of customer migration due to the implementation of retail competition and open access. RCOA allows large power users to choose their own suppliers.

With increased competition under the open access regime, power suppliers are offering low prices to attract large consumers. Alena Mae S. Flores

Max’s to launch new UAE store

MAX’S Group Inc. said it will launch a new concept store for United Arab Emirates and Qatar markets, expanding its portfolio in the quick service restaurant segment.

MGI said it would work out with partner Landmark Food Limited to open 13 Max’s All About Chicken stores in UAE and Qatar in the next five years.

The deal was finalized after a successful pilot run of the store concept in Deira City Center, Dubai.

Max’s All About Chicken is inspired by the iconic Max’s Fried Chicken and offers a variety of internationally chicken flavors such as Tandoori, barbeque, lemongrass and ranch.

The iconic Sarap-To-The-Bones Fried Chicken of Max’s will also be made available to diners.

Dubai’s Ibn Battuta Mall will be the brand’s first full concept store that will feature a vibrant, colorful, and fun aesthetic. The store is set to open in December 2017. Darwin G. Amojelar

300,000 oppose sweet drinks tax

SOME 300,000 low-income patrons and owners of sari-sari stores and carinderias all over the country have signed a petition asking government to scrap a proposed “sweet tax” on

expand airport facilities including terminals and runways, and operate and maintain the existing and new passenger terminals.

The two groups also proposed to develop, operate and maintain the commercial assets of Clark International Airport, which include facilities for general aviation and fixedbase operations and real estate.

The new proposal was different from the one earlier submitted by the joint venture.

Instead of including the construction of a second terminal building, it proposed the long- term development of the airport into the country’s second international gateway.

Darwin G. Amojelar

sugar-sweetened beverage now pending in the Senate.

The signature drive was spearheaded by the Philippine Association of Stores and Carinderia Owners, who said the additional excise tax on such beverages as soft drinks and powdered juices would jack up prices and effectively destroy the livelihood of millions of Filipinos.

The group said in an open letter that it supports the Duterte administration’s poverty alleviation, but the “sweet tax” was anti-poor. Some 80 percent of the consumers of affected products are low-income earners, while the covered goods constitute 40 percent of the income of sari-sari store owners.

“We understand and support our government’s need to raise money for its various social and infrastructure programs to help improve the lives of the Filipino people and sustain the country’s economic growth, [but] this bill is antipoor and will make small micro-retailers, consumers, sugar and coffee farmers, and manufacturing plant workers carry the burden,” said Pasco president Vicky Aguinaldo.

Philam cites best performing fund

PHILAM Asset Management’s PAMI Asia Balanced Fund surpassed 17-percent returns as of Oct. 30, making it the best performing fund to date.

PABF is for moderate investors who want to invest in a fund with a more flexible dollar denominated portfolio, which is allocated to the Asian Equity and Fixed Income Market. Given that the fund is invested in equities and debt securities of Asian issuers in the region, it is geared towards long-term capital appreciation and stable income.

“What sets our PABF fund apart from other funds is its unique portfolio mix. There’s nothing like it in the current market,” said Michelle Villanueva, head of products and marketing for PAMI. “Combined with our award-winning fund managers and our company’s track record of being one of Asia’s top Investment Houses, this is an ideal opportunity for investors to enjoy dollar-denominated earnings,” she said.

Since January, PABF has been overweight on equities, complemented by the strong performance of Asia (excluding Japan) and China’s growth stabilization. This led to strong emerging market inflows, particularly in the technology, ecommerce, banking and property sectors of China, Korea, Singapore, and Australia.

“The best part is that it is quite easy to invest in the PABF. All it takes is a minimum of $200 and subsequent top-ups can go as low as $50,” Villanueva said.

“For a relatively low entry point, PAMI allows investors to access international markets,” she said.

Globe’s 9-month data sales hit P51b

DELIVERY APP. Actor and endurance athlete Piolo Pascual (right) and Mober chief operating officer Eric Ortiz introduce the Mober delivery app which offers instant booking for deliveries within the same day. Mober is the country’s first on-demand app that offers reliable and affordable van delivery services and makes sending shipment and other goods as convenient and easy as booking a cab. Ey Acasio

BSP to ease rules on foreign exchange loans THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas will soon issue more liberalized rules on foreign exchange and offshore loans of the private sector, Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said Monday.

Espenilla said foreign exchange regulations were being overhauled to achieve more efficiency and ease of doing business.

“The BSP will soon release an exposure draft on the liberalized rules on FX loans and offshore loans of the private sector. This will refocus the registration process to primarily data gathering and minimized documentary requirements,” Espenilla said at the sidelines of an ING-Financial Executives of the Philippines forum in Makati City.

“The liberalization of FX regulations is embedded in the broader thrust for a better organized FX market.

The sequence of reforms

aims to encourage innovation, improved transparency and price discovery, and enhanced market conduct,” Espenilla said.

Espenilla said the regulator was doing its best to issue the rules this year.

“Aside from the holidays, there are also formalities…

But definitely that should come out this year,” he said.

Espenilla, who assumed the top BSP post in July, vowed to pursue further foreign exchange liberalization.

He said banks could not sufficiently fund increasing requirements of the domestic economy despite the continuous growth in lending.

Espenilla said the reforms he intended to pursue aimed to make foreign exchange transactions “more risk-based but transparent.”

He said that “notwithstanding the waves of liberalization that the BSP has announced in the past, we

recognize that the foreign exchange market today remains restrictive, difficult, opaque, shallow.”

“It is a throwback to time when FX was scarce and reserves were meager and market confidence was very low,” he said.

Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said earlier the further forex liberalization was not just for capital flow management, but to align the country’s foreign exchange regulatory system with expanded financial transactions.

“I mean, in view of greater global financial integration, [so] we need to align ourselves in what is happening globally,” Guinigundo said.

The Bangko Sentral had already implemented several foreign exchange liberalization measures since 2007 that resulted in the opening up of the foreign exchange regime. Julito G. Rada

GLOBE Telecom Inc., a unit of Ayala Corp., said data-related revenues rose 6 percent in the first nine months to P51 billion from a year ago, led by the robust growth in mobile data business.

The company said datarelated revenues accounted for more than half of the total service revenues of P95.1 billion in January to September.

Mobile data revenues in the nine-month period reached P31.3 billion, up 20 percent from P26.1 billion a year earlier, driven by higher data usage and the continued growth in smartphone penetration.

Mobile data traffic surged 73 percent in January to September to 430 petabytes from 249 PB a year earlier.

Mobile data revenues contributed 43 percent of total mobile revenues of P73.1 billion, a 7 percent increase from a year earlier.

Home broadband revenues in the first nine months reached P11.7 billion, an 8-percent hike from P10.9 billion a year earlier, driven by strong demand for fast and reliable internet access, with the home broadband customer base reaching 1.26 million at the end of the third quarter.

Corporate data revenue rose 4 percent to P7.6 billion, amid increasing demand for data connectivity, managed service solutions and cloud-based services that resulted in acceleration of its customer base and circuit count.

Darwin G. Amojelar

B2

Business

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stock market rises; BDO up

S

TOCKS rose for a second day, as the government’s announcement that the economy grew 6.9 percent in the third quarter continued to support the local equities market.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, rose 10 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 8,321.98 Monday, following a 1.3-percent rise Friday. Total gains this year reached 21.7 percent.

The heavier index, representing all shares, lost 2 points to settle at 4,871.75, on a value turnover of P5.6 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 122 to 80, while 42 issues were unchanged.

Ten of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by real estate company

MRC Allied Inc. which jumped 13.2 percent to P0.385 and oil exploration company PXP Energy Corp. which climbed 9.1 percent to P9.80.

BDO Unibank Inc., the largest lender, gained 1.7 percent to P148.70, while SM Investments Corp., the holding company of the Sy family, rose 1.5 percent to P980.

Meanwhile, the euro faced fresh pressure in Asian trade on Monday after German Chancellor Angela Merkel failed to form a government at the weekend, fueling uncertainty in Europe’s biggest economy.

Traders tracked a sell-off on Wall Street, where all three main indexes finished in the red on profit-taking and worries that US lawmakers will struggle to push through Donald Trump’s tax-cut plans.

While the House of Representatives approved its version of the reform legislation and a key Senate panel cleared a different version, the Republicans’ wafer-thin ma-

jority in the Senate mean they will have a tough fight to clear the upper chamber.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin predicted a final draft would reach Trump’s desk by Christmas, but observers said that time-frame would be tough given the tight margins and some senators’ concerns over some of the measures.

Hopes for market-friendly tax cuts as well as major infrastructure spending and deregulation helped fuel a surge in global equities this year.

The losses in New York continued in Asia on Monday but some markets managed to bounce back in the afternoon.

Tokyo ended down 0.6 percent, while Sydney shed 0.2 percent and Seoul lost 0.3 percent.

However, Hong Kong rose 0.2 percent in the afternoon, putting it on course for a fourth straight gain, while Singapore was up 0.1 percent.

Shanghai rose 0.3 percent, though deal-

ers remained cautious after Friday’s announcement of a crackdown on the wealth management industry, which will regulate almost $15 trillion in assets, as part of a drive to address a huge debt mountain.

Jakarta hit another record high, rising 0.6 percent.

On currency markets, the euro fell after Merkel’s attempts to form a new government collapsed -- plunging Germany into a crisis that could see it hold fresh elections.

The leader of the pro-business FDP, Christian Lindner, walked out of talks, saying there was no “basis of trust” to forge a government with Merkel’s conservative alliance the CDU-CSU and the ecologist Greens.

There are fears the country could be gripped by months of paralysis with a lame-duck government, while Merkel’s political future has also been called into question. With AFP, Bloomberg

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2017

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 3.75 256,000 59.9 54,490 98.5 2,495,260 3.9 1,000 148.7 1,496,820 2.05 703,000 33.5 153,800 15.92 3,800 34.7 1,165,500 7.8 3,300 0.69 33,000 1.67 1,000 0.61 194,000 93.5 695,630 0.81 499,000 12 36,300 24.8 3,100 58.75 27,500 243.4 1,810 52.95 1,853,350 251 153,070 1,900 5 86.9 79,480 1.27 135,000

915,330 3,230,482.50 245,652,544.50 3,900 222,503,836 1,436,420 5,156,500 60,256 40,250,455 25,740 22,350 1,670 116,800 64,988,083.50 402,750 435,848 76,880 1,607,693.50 440,558 98,344,618.50 38,514,700 9,500 6,906,676 171,450

193,777.50 -2,493,842.50 130,208,353 -49,440 -412,050 -974,145 -10,140 -4,830 2,734,307.50 66,420 236,744.50 243,000 -4,144,952.50 11,574,472 -388,307 -

40.8 12.3 0.71 1.33 16.96 0.222 4.18 16.1 43.8 17.5 62.55 65 1.88 5.25 11.2 10.4 14.44 12.02 7.19 5.73 17.4 61.55 23.4 11.88 18.7 1.91 257 60 4.06 3.3 20.75 28.85 18.16 17.68 322 0.198 8.3 2.41 6 9.64 7.4 9.67 1.54 12.1 57.8 6.5 482.2 4.9 4.78 1.98 12.9 5.1 0.138 1.16 137 3.24 1.98 0.67

INDUSTRIAL 40.9 246,700 12.5 1,012,900 0.72 84,000 1.35 285,000 17.42 21,000 0.231 2,810,000 4.18 2,758,000 16.14 60,500 44.5 533,300 18 1,500 65 5,300 65 2,220 1.9 264,000 5.25 97,400 11.26 16,100 10.48 3,290,500 14.8 747,900 12.04 868,400 7.2 234,100 5.76 3,411,200 17.42 538,300 61.6 107,790 23.5 1,207,300 11.88 158,600 19.98 2,843,100 2.01 2,786,000 257 798,610 60 1,000 4.09 148,000 3.45 158,000 22.7 800 28.9 2,029,900 18.2 344,400 17.72 1,769,600 322 1,028,740 0.203 3,400,000 8.3 39,600 2.46 513,000 6 38,100 9.64 1,761,200 7.6 52,100 9.67 16,500 1.55 2,110,000 12.1 191,900 57.8 1,197,360 6.5 2,000 486 11,530 5.02 361,000 4.78 8,000 2.06 1,186,000 12.92 1,071,600 5.12 93,900 0.142 220,000 1.17 49,000 139.7 970,930 3.34 5,000 2.08 7,029,000 0.67 833,000

10,118,980 12,623,760 59,740 381,240 358,036 645,730 11,621,560 978,686 23,794,170 26,806 344,102.50 144,431 501,710 511,366 181,234 34,571,362 10,963,540 10,479,566 1,693,043 19,656,696 9,444,088 6,644,404 28,844,790 1,891,080 54,572,000 5,528,770 207,115,268 60,000 606,910 533,980 17,380 58,686,710 6,265,776 31,543,616 332,193,824 694,820 332,370 1,261,270 231,049 17,075,133 391,477 159,680 3,283,450 2,379,910 70,494,560.50 13,000 5,590,946 1,798,175 38,300 2,397,390 13,844,422 481,100 30,640 57,200 135,509,038 16,300 14,335,180 566,390

-1,710,485 105,296 67,000 -3,240,730 674,392.00 324,617.50 115,610 16,781,480 138,976 -4,751,296 911,346 -11,366,705 -994,088.00 -5,562,769 -2,881,440 664,764 -8,032,782 -337,680.00 20,631,162 21,200 69,610 -10,872,895 3,634,926 -11,111,344 201,910,098 -523,250 10,369 -1,414,490 -116,120 1,103,200 -187,100 13,522,139.50 973,152 -64,588 171,040 18,158,873 -403,740.00 -

0.34 71.9 15.6 7.05 0.41 0.395 1,022 1,150 7.8 14.7 8 0.185 1,180 7.73 74.85 0.72 5.69 18.26 6.72 3.47 0.048 1.22 2.07 113 2.57 995 1.48 290 0.25 0.189 0.198

0.33 69.9 15.34 6.85 0.39 0.395 1,006 1,150 7.6 14.48 7.85 0.185 1,164 7.63 72.6 0.68 5.5 18.1 6.61 3.47 0.047 1.16 2.05 110.3 2.53 965.5 1.44 290 0.24 0.185 0.198

HOLDING FIRMS 0.34 130,000 69.9 1,104,260 15.6 2,260,000 6.85 17,100 0.39 11,250,000 0.395 930,000 1,012 158,900 1,150 20 7.6 647,700 14.58 6,715,500 7.99 9,300 0.185 210,000 1,170 59,690 7.73 13,200 72.6 616,350 0.69 386,000 5.53 713,600 18.2 1,083,300 6.7 14,109,500 3.47 5,000 0.047 9,400,000 1.19 105,000 2.05 1,182,000 111 196,260 2.53 23,000 980 371,980 1.44 574,000 290 2,060 0.25 1,310,000 0.189 510,000 0.198 1,170,000

43,400 77,322,331.50 35,135,802 117,455 4,471,750 367,350 161,480,320 23,000 4,964,218 97,908,198 73,625 38,850 69,686,225 100,776 45,078,604.50 266,220 3,957,942 19,720,008 94,256,365 17,350 443,000 124,870 2,426,320 21,773,230 58,520 366,918,135 836,840 597,400 326,500 95,150 231,660

-8,655,414.50 -11,799,152 -38,183,015 -2,417,348 -23,007,716 -14,130 -1,850 4,786,170 -11,418,544.50 -163,001 12,474,194 -12,367,738 113,200 11,658,277 172,582,430 -222,500 -

5.42 0.97 8.5 2.5 0.98 42.95 3.8 4.9 5.46 0.49 1.14 1.15 0.207 0.47 40.5 0.67 0.14 1.85 1.51 0.81 5.5 0.385

5.3 0.94 8.5 2.42 0.94 42.6 3.7 4.72 5.43 0.47 1.13 1.15 0.2 0.465 38.75 0.66 0.14 1.8 1.48 0.78 5.44 0.345

218,726 2,743,470 28,050 1,469,380 2,645,740 198,438,320 2,519,010 5,119,570 46,373,838 9,932,000 52,330 118,450 2,158,550 145,100 13,984,750 566,120 12,600 32,792,020 5,589,060 657,270 69,831,046 147,343,050

-14,350 -231,620 -8,855,325 -282,180 14,190 0 -3,192,850 30,150 55,800 328,060.00 -254,600 -16,356,910 -3,000 101,400 -5,925,796 -1,647,750

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

3.75 59.7 98 3.9 146.5 2.1 33.55 15.6 34.35 7.8 0.68 1.67 0.62 93.7 0.82 12.2 24.8 57.9 243 54.9 251 1,900 86.9 1.27

3.97 59.9 99 3.9 149.1 2.12 33.55 15.96 34.7 7.8 0.69 1.67 0.62 93.7 0.84 12.2 24.8 59 244.6 54.9 254 1,900 86.95 1.27

3.51 58.55 97.5 3.9 146.5 2 33.5 15.6 34.15 7.8 0.66 1.67 0.6 93 0.8 12 24.8 57.55 243 52.95 251 1,900 86.8 1.27

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

41.3 12.56 0.73 1.36 17 0.222 4.23 16.1 44.8 17.5 62.55 65.15 1.88 5.25 11.54 10.8 14.8 12.44 7.3 5.74 17.4 61.6 24.7 11.92 19.46 1.95 260 60 4.15 3.31 20.75 28.9 18.18 18.2 322 0.198 8.5 2.5 6 9.69 7.4 9.68 1.59 12.58 60 6.5 495 5 4.8 1.98 12.94 5.1 0.138 1.17 137 3.24 2 0.7

41.3 12.58 0.74 1.36 17.5 0.233 4.26 16.26 44.9 18 65 65.2 1.93 5.26 11.54 10.8 14.8 12.44 7.3 5.78 17.68 62 24.7 11.94 19.98 2.08 260 60 4.26 3.45 22.7 29.1 18.5 18.2 324.8 0.209 8.5 2.5 6.14 9.75 7.7 9.68 1.59 12.58 61 6.5 500 5.02 4.8 2.06 12.94 5.22 0.142 1.17 141 3.34 2.08 0.71

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

0.34 71.9 15.58 6.93 0.39 0.395 1,014 1,150 7.77 14.6 7.85 0.185 1,170 7.63 73.95 0.72 5.58 18.26 6.69 3.47 0.047 1.16 2.06 113 2.57 977 1.48 290 0.24 0.185 0.198

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

5.42 0.96 8.5 2.5 0.97 42.8 3.8 4.85 5.46 0.485 1.14 1.15 0.202 0.47 38.8 0.66 0.14 1.84 1.5 0.81 5.44 0.35

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

PHIL ESTATES PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND STARMALLS SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

0.395 0.52 6.77 24.2 2.06 3.2 35.95 1.02 7.45 0.82 6.15

0.395 0.52 6.84 24.25 2.14 3.21 36 1.05 7.45 0.88 6.15

0.38 0.51 6.38 24.1 1.85 3.2 35.55 1.01 7.45 0.82 6.06

0.385 0.51 6.84 24.15 1.96 3.2 35.65 1.03 7.45 0.86 6.11

1,500,000 7,658,000 3,673,500 2,548,000 4,685,000 1,257,000 5,627,600 1,052,000 4,000 3,000 1,795,400

580,700 3,912,120 24,242,014 61,629,525 9,235,330 4,025,200 201,217,220 1,089,780 29,800 2,560 10,946,931

11,550 -431,460 -349,713.00 -19,933,835 210,800 2,422,400 -57,882,320 -10,400 -6,628,800

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

17.3 37.75 1.54 0.47 0.047 11.5 5.2 10.02 0.071 100.4 9.3 7.1 1,918 5.81 18 3.31 2.43 104.9 8.34 0.15 1.39 3.21 15.8 3.84 1.25 22.85 0.53 2.82 6.55 3.99 16.6 3.13 5.09 2.86 210 8.39 1,664 1.33 47.85 92 5.83 3.36 1.64 3.81 1.04 8.2

17.48 37.75 1.54 0.48 0.048 11.96 5.2 10.2 0.072 103.5 9.3 7.12 1,930 5.85 18.1 3.33 2.43 105 8.35 0.151 1.39 3.21 15.8 3.85 1.26 23.45 0.53 3.52 6.56 3.99 16.6 3.32 5.1 2.86 217 8.79 1,690 1.33 48 92 5.85 3.5 1.68 3.81 1.04 8.21

17.2 37.3 1.46 0.47 0.045 11.5 5.2 9.8 0.069 100.4 9.13 7.08 1,915 5.8 17.8 3.16 2.36 103 8.3 0.149 1.36 3.21 15.8 3.74 1.22 22.35 0.53 2.82 6.23 3.94 16.5 2.88 5.09 2.86 210 8.34 1,656 1.3 47.5 90.1 5.7 3.34 1.62 3.77 0.96 8.1

SERVICES 17.2 37.6 1.5 0.47 0.048 11.6 5.2 9.8 0.07 103.5 9.15 7.12 1,919 5.85 18.1 3.2 2.36 103 8.35 0.15 1.36 3.21 15.8 3.75 1.25 22.7 0.53 3.42 6.23 3.95 16.5 2.9 5.1 2.86 216 8.47 1,656 1.3 47.65 90.35 5.7 3.39 1.68 3.77 1 8.14

42,500 128,600 280,000 400,000 45,400,000 35,400 1,000 8,022,600 21,160,000 179,880 1,067,000 200,100 57,200 434,200 25,100 6,023,000 17,000 707,950 305,000 4,030,000 439,000 7,000 3,900 597,000 806,000 2,789,900 7,000 10,250,000 2,970,000 674,000 800 41,136,000 1,000 6,000 5,080 2,402,700 93,795 3,257,000 1,494,800 365,190 248,400 838,000 4,867,000 378,000 10,971,000 2,790,600

737,340 4,842,805 413,410 188,750 2,099,200 410,512 5,200 79,618,132 1,482,860 18,259,813 9,787,905 1,420,545 109,809,215 2,534,091 453,240 19,445,640 40,600 73,561,497 2,542,280 602,760 600,930 22,470 61,620 2,259,970 997,870 63,575,915 3,710 33,657,700 18,844,362 2,662,400 13,240 129,149,940 5,095 17,160 1,086,220 20,456,124 156,465,425 4,290,000 71,343,985 32,989,272.50 1,441,228 2,849,920 8,021,620 1,430,520 10,997,740 22,660,491

124,250 -4,700 10,350 -6,955,437 7,927,698 163,085 -27,853,485 -734,190 7,110 8,277,960 60,000 50,560 -661,870 573,680 -7,548,640 4,079,012 -1,188,950 3,047,380 -241,320 -12,584,812 -11,662,550 -966,160 -9,582,655 -20,698,458 -318,770 4,491,100 530,200 89,880 3,024,043

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

0.0025 1.68 4.8 14.9 1.77 1.77 1.66 0.38 7.88 2.94 0.25 0.153 0.155 0.01 1.9 6.82 1.63 0.465 0.99 0.013 0.013 0.011 2.32 7.31 8.98 36.8 0.0073

0.0026 1.72 4.8 15.5 1.77 1.77 1.66 0.38 8 2.99 0.255 0.154 0.156 0.011 1.9 7.03 1.63 0.465 1 0.013 0.013 0.011 2.32 7.35 9.84 36.8 0.0073

0.0024 1.67 4.74 14.9 1.76 1.76 1.63 0.355 7.88 2.88 0.248 0.153 0.155 0.01 1.83 6.8 1.54 0.465 0.97 0.012 0.012 0.011 2.32 7.23 8.98 36.2 0.0072

MINING & OIL 0.0026 2,685,000,000 1.7 5,439,000 4.8 380,000 15.48 6,300 1.76 5,000 1.76 21,000 1.64 1,651,000 0.36 360,000 8 1,500 2.94 4,600,000 0.255 470,000 0.153 4,180,000 0.156 2,810,000 0.01 20,600,000 1.84 1,026,000 6.97 1,310,700 1.6 217,000 0.465 10,000 0.97 136,000 0.012 5,000,000 0.012 21,300,000 0.011 3,700,000 2.32 2,000 7.26 607,200 9.8 24,765,700 36.35 2,707,700 0.0072 7,000,000

6,825,800 9,258,480 1,811,160 95,742 8,820 37,020 2,706,620 130,600 11,880 13,395,090 118,230 639,860 436,050 209,500 1,909,760 9,101,419 337,070 4,650 132,540 60,100 256,300 40,700 4,640 4,415,589 236,747,303 98,666,185 51,000

189,840 -9,540 -200.0001 305,500 -2,500 351,850 184,000 1,091,099 -491,239 287,104 -61,609,395.00 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 ALCO PREF B DD PREF FGEN PREF G GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B LR PREF MWIDE PREF PF PREF 2 PNX PREF 3A SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

37.2 520 108 104.6 115.5 5.48 1,040 1,020 1.07 109.9 1,018 105.7 77.9 82.1 78.1 81.5 77.25 79 80

37.2 545 108 104.6 115.5 5.5 1,040 1,020 1.07 109.9 1,018 105.7 77.9 82.1 78.1 81.5 77.25 79 80

37 520 108 104.5 115.5 5.46 1,040 1,020 1.07 109.9 1,018 105.7 75.8 82.05 78.1 81.5 77.25 79 80

PREFERRED 37 18,200 545 300 108 750 104.5 13,120 115.5 40,000 5.5 203,400 1,040 200 1,020 1,000 1.07 30,000 109.9 10 1,018 140 105.7 350 75.8 70,430 82.1 22,300 78.1 1,400 81.5 3,080 77.25 20,000 79 9,000 80 8,680

677,000 161,000 81,000 1,372,002 4,620,000 1,115,113 208,000 1,020,000 32,100 1,099 142,520 36,995 5,379,131.50 1,830,805 109,340 251,020 1,545,000 711,000 694,400

-7,400 -81,000 -1,115,113 -5,345,756 -820,975 88,020 -

LR WARRANT

2.31

2.33

2.31

WARRANTS 2.31 159,000

367,740

-20,790

50,456,608 2,890 627,410 17,019,420

883,490 -55,570 -902,490

241,434

25,320

MS

PROPERTY 5.4 0.97 8.5 2.47 0.95 42.8 3.7 4.85 5.43 0.48 1.13 1.15 0.206 0.465 39 0.66 0.14 1.81 1.49 0.78 5.49 0.385

40,500 2,855,000 3,300 599,000 2,743,000 4,637,600 675,000 1,072,000 8,540,300 20,780,000 46,000 103,000 10,640,000 310,000 356,100 852,000 90,000 18,123,000 3,746,000 839,000 12,770,700 395,940,000

ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

12.7 2.89 2.97 3.9

12.7 2.89 3.05 3.9

11 2.89 2.82 3.54

FIRST METRO ETF

126.4

126.6

126.3

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

10,045,864

INDUSTRIAL

54,111,215

HOLDING FIRMS

85,970,041

PROPERTY

515,747,175

SERVICES

177,329,559

MINING & OIL

2,793,700,104

GRAND TOTAL

3,646,097,251

11.2 2.89 3.05 3.61

SME

4,363,100 1,000 216,000 4,598,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 126.4 1,910

VALUE 2,084.79 (up) 15.36 731,309,809.09 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,001.40 (down) 57.65 1,372,975,787.86 HOLDING FIRMS 8,456.49 (up0 15.07 1,203,954,185.78 PROPERTY 3,862.20 (down) 1.20 1,640.19 (down) 13.32 861,225,845.63 SERVICES MINING & OIL 12,119.71 (up) 1.21 976,498,858.355 PSEI 8,321.98 (up) 10.90 387,459,323.9661 All Shares Index 4,871.75 (down) 2.07 5,601,817,315.51 Gainers: 80; Losers: 122; Unchanged: 42; Total: 244

Vista Land bares $1-b borrowing program

By Alena Mae S. Flores VLL International Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of property developer Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., is set to issue $1-billion medium-term notes to fund capital expenditures and refinance debt.

Vista Land said the senior fixed-rate notes would be used “to fund the tender offer of the existing 2018 and 2019 bonds, to refinance existing indebtedness and for general corporate purposes.”

Other subsidiary guarantors of the loan are Britanny Corp., Camella Homes, Communities Philippines, Inc., Starmalls Inc. and Vista Residences Inc. Vista Land disclosed “the potential offer, sale and issuance by VLL” of US dollar-senior guaranteed notes, pursuant to the issuer’s $1-billion notes program.

Vista Land was incorporated on Feb. 28, 2007 as the holding company of the Villar family’s Vista Group which is engaged in the development of residential subdivisions and construction of housing and condominium units.

Vista Land also owns 88.34 percent of Starmalls Inc., which is the commercial segment that focuses on the development, leasing and management of shopping malls and commercial centers all over the Philippines and hotel operations.

Vista Land posted P7.146 billion in net income in the first nine months, up 12 percent from P6.381 billion in the same period last year.

Maynilad eyes new plant to avert crisis

By Jenniffer B. Austria MAYNILAD Water Services Inc., the concessionaire for the west zone of Metro Manila, plans to build a new water treatment facility in Putatan, Muntilupa to expand its capacity and avert a water shortage.

Maynilad chief operating officer Randolph Estrellado said the group was looking at a third facility capable of producing 100 million liters per day of potable water.

“If the Kaliwa Dam is not completed by 2024, then we will have water shortage. On the business plan that we submitted we said that if we don’t see Kaliwa dam significantly moving by 2021 we will initiate moves to build Potatan treatment plant 3,” Estrellado said.

Maynilad is currently building a second water treatment plant in Potatan with a capacity of 150 mld worth P6.5 billion. The facility is scheduled for completion by May 2018.

Kaliwa Dam, or the New Centennial Water Source Project, is seen to provide water security, reliability and additional supply for Metro Manila.

It is planned to be site specific, zeroing in on the Kaliwa-Kanan-Agos River Basin as an alternative water source.

The project involves the construction of a dam at the Kaliwa River (Laiban Dam), and a smaller dam (Kaliwa Dam) downstream to maximize the water supply and to ensure short and long-term supply for Metro Manila and adjoining areas.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Business/World

Manila

Standard

TODAY

B3

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Murderer Manson dead at 83 Lion City’s L battle against the car

SINGAPORE―In the battle against the car, space-starved Singapore has deployed road tolls, massive spending on public transport, and a license fee that bumps the cost of an average vehicle to over $80,000.

But urban planners looking for solutions to gridlock may find the draconian measures hard to replicate in other lesscompliant cities.

Singapore has gone further than any other major city to avoid the monster jams that have blighted Asian metropolises such as Jakarta or Manila.

The tough approach has been possible as Singaporeans are used to strict control―with media closely monitored and harsh punishments for minor crimes―and are fearful the city-state will be flooded with vehicles without the curbs.

However the model faces mounting criticism thanks to rush-hour jams that have frustrated commuters, surging vehicle prices after a freeze on car numbers, and public transport breakdowns.

“I think the system can be made better and fairer,” Joel Lee, a 28-year-old technician, told AFP. He said authorities should make “a distinction between those who need cars, be it for work or family commitments, and those who just want more cars as a status symbol”. AFP

OS ANGELES―Charles Manson, the psychopathic guru who masterminded a savage killing spree in the United States that shocked the world, has died aged 83, California prison officials said late Sunday.

Manson “died of natural causes at 8:13 pm (0213 GMT Monday) on Sunday” at a hospital in Kern County, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a brief statement.

Debra Tate―the sister of Manson’s most famous victim, Sharon Tate―told celebrity website TMZ that she received a call from prison officials notifying her of Manson’s death.

In the late 1960s, Manson headed an apocalyptic cult that

committed random murders in upscale mostly white neighborhoods of Los Angeles-unleashing a wave of panic in the city and beyond.

The aim was for African Americans to be blamed, in the hope of sparking what he believed to be an impending and apocalyptic race war.

His “Family” disciples committed at least nine murders, but it was the horrific killing spree of seven people on August 9-10, 1969 that sealed his notoriety― and earned him life in prison.

The famous victim was 26-year-old movie actress Sharon Tate, the heavily-pregnant wife of director Roman Polanski, who pleaded for the life of her unborn child before she was stabbed to death.

Manson was not present, but ordered the killings.

One of his followers, Susan Atkins, carried out Tate’s murder, after which she tasted the actress’s blood and wrote “PIG” with it on the home’s front door.

Manson, who has never shown

remorse, was sentenced to death in 1971 along with four of his disciples for having led the killings of seven people.

The sentences were later commuted to life in prison.

During his marathon trial, Manson―with a beard, long unwashed hair, and a swastika tattooed on his forehead―was portrayed as a drug-crazed loner with mesmerizing powers of persuasion.

Upon his death, he had been in prison in California since 1971, during which he applied for parole 12 times, telling the court on the last occasion in 2012 that he was “a very dangerous man.”

In each case, he was denied release and was not eligible to apply again until 2027.

In a 1981 interview conducted from jail, Manson said he had already spent most of his life in prison and felt at home there.

Manson was born on November 12, 1934 in Cincinnati in the Midwestern US state of Ohio to a 16-year-old mother, and grew up without knowing his father. AFP

Deadline looms for Zimbabwe’s Mugabe HARARE―Robert Mugabe faced the threat of impeachment by his own party on Monday, after his shock insistence he still holds power in Zimbabwe despite a military takeover and a noon deadline to end his 37-year autocratic rule.

In a televised address late Sunday, the 93-year-old veteran leader defied expectations that he would bring the curtain down on his reign, pitching the country into a second week of political crisis.

The speech provoked anger and disbelief among crowds who had gathered in bars and cafes to watch, and raised concerns that Zimbabwe could be at risk of a violent backlash.

His once-loyal ZANU-PF party―who has already sacked him

and told him to resign as head of state―warned it would seek to impeach him if he fails to quit by midday (1000 GMT).

Both the army and the influential war veterans’ association were expected to hold briefings in response to the crisis triggered by Mugabe’s refusal to go.

Ahead of the ZANU-PF deadline, a noisy group of demonstrators gathered at the University of Zimbabwe in Harare to call for Mugabe to go.

Mugabe’s speech capped an extraordinary weekend that saw Zimbabweans jubilant at the prospect of his demise and venting their anger in ways that, just a week earlier, would have been brutally punished.

But their joy quickly turned

to despair as Mugabe seemed to brush aside the turmoil -blithely declaring he would chair a top-level meeting of the party that had just disavowed him.

Chris Mutsvangwa, head of the influential war veterans’ association, called for protests and demanded that Mugabe be impeached.

“We will continue with the momentum to make sure Mugabe is history. It might take days and weeks, but Mugabe is on how way out,” said Charles Muramba, a 46-year-old bus driver.

“Arrogant Mugabe disregards ZANU-PF,” screamed the front page of the Daily News on Monday.

The crisis erupted on November 13 over a factional squabble to succeed the ailing president. AFP

of extra-judicial killings (EJK)—estimates of these range from 8,000 to 13,000—and the tens of thousands of “surrendering” drug users by no means suggest that Mr. Duterte’s war on illegal drugs is close to being won. US, Colombian and Mexican government officials and other experts on the narcotics trade have told Davao City’s former chief executive that the drug problem is an intractable and highly complicated matter. Apparently bowing to domestic and international outrage against his administration’s EJK campaign, Rodrigo Duterte has retreated and has shifted the leadership of his anti-illegal-drugs campaign from the PNP to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Administration (PDEA), where it should have been in the first place.

The PNP has been claiming that criminality, as represented by the so-called index crimes, has been on a downward trend since the start of the Duterte administration. The obvious intended implication is that index crimes —particularly homicide, murder, robbery and rape—are usually committed by drugcrazed perpetrators and that the decline in the number of reported index crimes is the direct result of the alleged success of the war against illegal drugs. But, considering that it is the collector and repository of data on crime, the PNP’s claim of a downward trend in the incidence of criminality can hardly be accepted without a large dose of skepticism.

But it is in the corruption part of DCC that Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign promise has fared most badly. Since its earliest days in office the Duterte administration has been beset by corruption scandals across the length and breadth of the bureaucracy. The individuals removed or suspended from their offices have ranged from Cabinet secretaries and undersecretaries to commission members and bureau directors. The number of bureaucratic heads that have been chopped for corruption since July 1, 2016 is too long to be considered unembarrassing.

Mr. Duterte clearly came into office believing that by blustering and threatening and cussing he would put the fear of the Lord in the corrupt elements of the bureaucracy. But from the number of dismissals, suspensions and Ombudsman complaint filings, it is clear that the Chief Executive has not succeeded in making the corrupt bureaucrats—old as well as recently appointed—cower in fear. They have shown that they are not deathly scared of him.

Invitation to Bid The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office of Agusan, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) for Engineering Projects, invites contractors registered with and classified by the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) to bid for the hereunder contracts: Contract ID

An extravagant campaign promise unfulfilled WEAK candidates are disposed to make extravagant promises in order to get the voters’ attention, and the weaker the candidate, the more extravagant the promises. Of the numerous extravagant promises made by the candidate of the PDPLaban Party, Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte, undoubtedly the most attentiongetting was his promise to rid this country of illegal drug use, criminality and corruption within three months of his inauguration as president of the Philippines. “I can do it in three months,” Rodrigo Duterte said with emphatic confidence.

The thought of their country being rid of illegal drug use, criminality and corruption was so powerful that many voters who had contemplated voting for one of Mr. Duterte’s opponents—Manuel Roxas II, Grace Poe, Miriam Defensor-Santiago or Jejomar Binay—changed their minds and voted for the mayor of Davao City. They had reason to believe that they were making the right choice, for the mayor had come to the hustings with the reputation of a man who delivered on his promises one way or another. Rodrigo Duterte looked like a man who produced results, and so they voted him in as the nation’s 17th Chief Executive.

It was not long before the former mayor of Davao City realized that he had made an extravagant campaign promise. A few weeks after his inauguration as president, Rodrigo Duterte told the not unexpectant Filipino people that he would not be able to stick to his three-month DCC (drugs, criminality and corruption) schedule. The job was more difficult than he thought. He would need six months to do it.

Six months—that would be the first half of 2016—came and went and Mr. Duterte still had not made significant progress against criminality and corruption and was still deep into the extra-judicial campaign waged against illegal drug users and pushers by the Philippine National Police. Faced with a situation of little or zero accomplishment, Davao City’s former mayor decided to admit to the Filipino people that combatting DCC was at best a medium-term proposition. As the end of Rodrigo Duterte’s second year in office approaches, hardly anything is said or written about his extravagant campaign promise.

The situation with regard to the illegaldrugs part of DCC is very clear. The number

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION REGIONAL TRIAL COURT BRANCH 256 MUNTINLUPA CITY SPOUSES RODOLFO R. ZABELLA, JR. & MA. VERONICA C. ZABELLA, Plaintiffs, - versus Civil Case No. 13-140 MARITES B. GUIHAMA, ROBERT G. VERGARA, For: Specific Performance IN HIS CAPACITY AS PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER OF THE GOVERN-MENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM & THE REGISTER OF DEEDS OF MUNTINLUPA CITY, METRO MANILA, Defendants. x---------------------------------------------------------------------x DECISION Before this Court is a Complaint for Specific Performance filed by Sps. Rodolfo and Ma. Veronica Zabella against Marites B. Guihama for the execution of the deed of sale transferring ownership over a parcel of land located at Lot 28, Block 102, DOJ Housing Project (Katarungan Village), Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila.

This case arose when defendant Marites Guihama (Defendant Guihama) purchased a parcel of land located at the DOJ Housing Project in Muntinlupa City which covers Lot 28, Block 102, with an area of 157 square meters and when Defendant Guihama cannot pay plaintiff Rodolfo Zabella of her debt, the former offered to assign her rights to the subject lot which plaintiff Rodolfo Zabella accepted, with the condition that the latter shall pay the remaining monthly instalments. Plaintiff Rodolfo Zabella then married plaintiff Ma. Veronica. And on 14 November 2002, Spouses Zabella have paid in full the purchase price of the subject lot, as evidenced by Exhibit “5,” “D,” “D-1” to “D-29”.

Meanwhile, defendant Guihama is in the States and despite service of summons through publication, she failed to file her responsive pleading and was declared by this court in default.

Spouses Zabella impleaded GSIS, the registered owner of the subject property, to execute the pertinent Deed of Sale should defendant Guihama fail to do so. GSIS, on the other hand, moved for the dismissal of plaintiffs’ complaint for failure to state a cause of action as against GSIS and failure establish the legal vinculum from where Sps. Zabella sourced their right to implead GSIS. It must be emphasized, as per records, that defendant Guihama bought the subject property from the DOJ under a Deed of Conditional Sale. Upon her application for a housing loan with GSIS, GSIS provided financing for the acquisition of the subject property. In turn, the DOJ executed a Deed of Absolute Sale with Assignment (DASA) transferring ownership over the subject property and assigning its right under the Deed of Conditional Sale with defendant Guihama in favor of GSIS. Defendant executed a Deed of Transfer of Rights in favor of Spouses Zabella during the term of the housing loan and despite proscription in the Deed of Conditional Sale for defendant Guihama to sell or convey the subject property to other persons without the written consent of the vendor (DOJ) or its assignee (GSIS). Based on the said Deed of Transfer of Rights, Spouses Zabella settled the housing account of defendant Guihama with GSIS which issued the corresponding official receipts.

In arguing that it is not under any obligation to transfer ownership of the subject property to Sps. Zabella, GSIS harped on the proscription in the Deed of Conditional Sale against such transfer of right and the lack of privity of contract with Sps. Zabella. On this score and rightly so, GSIS was correct in refusing to execute the pertinent deed and deliver the title to Sps. Zabella. On the other hand, since the housing account of defendant Guihama had been fully settled per Statement of Account issued by GSIS, it has no longer any interest over the subject property. Sps. Zabella have with them the official receipts issued by GSIS evidencing payment or settlement of Ms. Guihama’s housing loan. For all intents and purposes, therefore, GSIS, the registered owner, has lost ownership or any right over the said property.

It is under this milieu that the intervention of this court was sought for the ascertainment of the rights Spouses Zabella and how they may enforce the same. Corollarily, the intervention of this court was sought to enforce the Deed of Transfer of Rights in favor of Spouses Zabella, considering that the title to the subject property remains in the name of GSIS. Upon initial evaluation and suggestion of this court and by agreement of the parties, the present case will be decided based on judgment on the pleadings pursuant to Section 1, Rule 34, Rules of Court.

Further, GSIS, being the registered owner, is an indispensable party to the present case without whom no relief is available. If GSIS was not impleaded, it would be a stranger to this case and would not be bound by any judgment rendered by this court. Any declaration as to the rightful owner of the subject property may not be enforced against GSIS. Therefore, the inclusion of GSIS in this case cannot be dispensed with.

Anent the proscription in the Deed of Conditional Sale against the Deed of Transfer of Right, the same violation would not automatically invalidate the said deed executed by defendant Guihama in favor of Spouses Zabella. The DOJ or the GSIS might have grounds to rescind the Deed of Conditional Sale on account of this act, nonetheless, there is no indication that the same was resorted to in the present case.

The said Deed of Transfer of Right executed by defendant Guihama in favor of Spouses Zabella is binding and effective, absent any proof that the object was illegal, the consideration was insufficient, and consent was vitiated. In Premiere Development Bank vs. CA, the Supreme Court held that law and jurisprudence dictate that obligations arising from contracts have the force of law between the contracting parties and should be complied with in good faith. Hence, whether GSIS agrees or not, the said Deed of Transfer of Rights has the force of law as between defendant Guihama and Spouses Zabella.

Based on the documents presented by Sps. Zabella and as admitted by GSIS that the housing loan account of Ms. Guihama has been fully paid, there is no doubt that Sps. Zabella have acquired ownership over the subject property and they are the rightful owners of the subject property.

It must be emphasized that when the purchase price of the subject property was paid, the sale was perfected. Article 1458 of the Civil Cod provides that “[b]y the contract of sale, one of the contracting parties obligates himself to transfer the ownership of and to deliver a determinate thing, and the other to pay therefor a price certain in money or its equivalent. With the DCS and the Deed of Transfer of Rights, judicial resort was made by Spouses Zabella because there seems to be no other recourse under the circumstances. Meanwhile, the act of GSIS in retaining the title over the property, for which it has no more interest at all, would continue to prejudice the rights of Spouses Zabella.

Further, under Article 22 of the New Civil Code of the Philippines, “every person who through an act of performance of another, or any other means, acquires or comes into possession of something at the expense of the latter without just or legal ground, shall return the same to him.” There is unjust enrichment when a person unjustly retains a benefit to the loss of another, or when a person retains money or property of another against the fundamental principles of justice, equity and good conscience. In this case, it would be unjust for GSIS nor defendant Guihama to retain ownership over the subject property for it is the Spouses Zabella who paid for the full purchase amount of such property as evidenced by official receipts issued by GSIS. WHEREFORE, premises considered, judgment is rendered declaring Sps. Zabella as owners of the property covered by TCT No. No. 2277 of the Registry of Deeds for Muntinlupa City. Accordingly, GSIS is hereby directed to deliver to Sps. Zabella the owner’s duplicate of the said title upon payment of the necessary fees. The Register of Deeds of Muntinlupa City is hereby directed to cancel the said title and issue a new one in the name of Sps. Zabella upon presentation of the said owner’s duplicate copy of title and the Deed of Transfer of Rights and upon payment of the applicable fees and taxes and compliance with other legal requirements.

All other claims and counterclaims are hereby denied for lack of merit. No finding as to costs.

Furnish copy of this order to all parties and counsels concerned SO ORDERED. City of Muntinlupa, 12 April 2017. ` [Signed] LEANDRO C. CATALO Presiding Judge (MS-NOV. 21, 2017)

Contract Name: Approved Budget for the Contract: Source of Fund Location: Scope of Work:

Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign promise that he would rid the nation of illegal drug use, criminality and corruption within three months of his inauguration clearly was an exercise in extravagance. Like all extravagances, it has had to undergo adjustment toward reality. First, the threemonths timetable became six months. The six months have long since gone and there is no talk about a new timetable for the attainment of Mr. Duterte’s DCC campaign promise.

In future elections this country’s voters will know what to do with candidates who promise things that clearly cannot be achieved within three months or six months.

On Dec. 31, 2017 Rodrigo Duterte will have been in office eighteen months.

E-mail: romero.business.class@gmail.com REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION OFFICE OF THE EX-OFFICIO SHERRIF QUEZON CITY

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

FRE NO. 11965

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contract Duration: Required PCAB Classification/ Registration: Cost of Bid Document:

Project No.1 NRP-AGN-04-17 Repair of Pavement and Replacement of Catchbasin Covers at TMO Nasipit P 29,774,767.00 PPA Corporate Funds for the Year 2017 ( Repair Project) Nasipit Port, Agusan del Norte 1.0 General Expense; 2.0 Demolition Works; 3.0 Gravel Basecourse; 4.0 Portland Cement Concrete Pavement, 3500psi; 5.0 Construction/Expansion Joints; 6.0 Cleaning/Clearing of Drainage Canal/Catch Basin; 7.0 Supply and deliver Drainage Covers; and 8.0 Installation of Drainage Covers.

150 Calendar Days Port, Harbor and Offshore Engineering: Medium A (P25,000.00), exclusive of 12% VAT.

Bidders should have completed, within the last three (3) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a single largest completed contract (SLCC) similar to the Project to be bid and having a value of at least 50% of the approved budget for the contract to be bid, adjusted to current prices using the PSA consumer price indices and supported with corresponding certificate of completion/acceptance from project owner/agency.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criteria as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to duly licensed Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations or cooperatives duly organized under the law of the Philippines and of which at least 75% of the interest or of the outstanding capital stock belongs to citizens of the Philippines.

Interested bidders are required to submit to the BAC Secretariat of PPA, PMO Agusan a set of machine copies with original for presentation and authentication before the issuance of Bid Documents of the following: a) Valid PCAB License/Classification; b) Certificate of Completion/Acceptance of owner of the Single Largest Completed Contract within the last three (3) years similar to the project to be bid; and c) Certification of non-inclusion in the Consolidated Blacklisting Report issued by the GPPB. A complete set of Bidding Documents will be available to interested Bidders from the address below upon payment of a non-refundable fee of Bid Document, exclusive of 12% VAT. This Office is not electronically-ready to handle documents, thus submission of bids / proposals electronically is not allowed.

The schedule of procurement activities is as follows: Project 1: Repair of Pavement and Replacement of Catchbasin Covers at TMO Nasipit Procurement Activities Period of Availability/ Issuance of Bidding Documents Pre-Bid Conference

Time

Schedule Date

9:00 AM 5:00 PM

Nov. 17, 2017 – December 10, 2017

10:30 AM

November 27, 2017

Deadline of Submission and Receipt of Bids 9:00 AM

December 11, 2017

Opening & Examination of Bids 9:30 AM

December 11, 2017

Venue PPA, PMO Agusan Admin Building, Port Area, Butuan City PPA, PMO Agusan Admin Building, Port Area, Butuan City PPA, PMO Agusan Admin Building, Port Area, Butuan City PPA, PMO Agusan Admin Building, Port Area, Butuan City

The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office of Agusan will hold a PreBid Conference on November 27, 2017 (Monday) at the PPA, PMO Agusan Administration Bldg., Port Area, San Francisco Street, Butuan City, which shall be open only to all interested bidders.

Bidders must submit their bids on or before the date, time and at the place specified in the above schedule. Late bid/s will not be accepted. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the forms stated in the Bidding Documents. Bids higher than the ABC shall automatically be disqualified at the bid opening. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below.

The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office of Agusan reserves the right to accept or reject any Bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. Similarly, the PPA Port Management Office of Agusan assumes no obligation, whatsoever, to compensate or indemnify any bidder of any expenses or loss that said bidder(s) may incur in its participation in the pre-bidding and bidding process nor does it guarantee that an award will be made.

For further information, please refer to: MS. SHEERYL B. PEDEGLORIO General Services Officer A Head, BAC Secretariat-Engineering Projects PPA, PMO-Agusan Port Area, San Francisco Street, Butuan City 8600 Tel. Nos. (085) 342-6451/342-5352 Fax No. (085) 815-4434 Email Address: pmo_nasipit@yahoo.com

(MS-NOV. 21, 2017)

(Sgd.) JUANCHO I. TALILI Division Manager A, Port Services Division BAC Chairperson, Engineering Projects

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Davao ‘Tara Na’ rehab program gets PDEA plum

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor editor.lgustandard@gmail.com

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tuesday, november 21, 2017

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera

LGUs Local government units

DRIVERS’ DAY. Thousands of Grab drivers and operators queue to register outside the Megatent at Libis, Quezon City for the 2017 Grab Drivers’ Day. Ey Acasio

QC seeks private help for mothers

By Rio N. Araja

QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista on Monday ordered the city health department to tap the private sector in lowering the mortality rate of birthing mothers and their infants.

At a news conference, Bautista stressed the importance of maternal and neonatal services to the well-being of a pregnant woman and her child.

“Neonatal check-up is no joke,” he told reporters.

The city is rolling out an online information exchange database to provide quicker and more accessible maternal and neonatal health services.

The mayor said his “marching order’ is to “involve the private sector in the governance side of the city government.”

“We are now three million Filipinos in Quezon City and we need the participation and cooperation of the private sector to address the challenges of the sustainable development goals to lower the mortality rate of mothers giving birth and their newborn,” he said.

Quezon City aims to reduce by 30 percent to 40 percent the number of birthing mothers employing the traditional means, Bautista said.

‘Move people off streets’

By Bill Casas

T

he city government of Manila led by Mayor Joseph Estrada will ask the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and Manila Police District to permanently station enough men along Roxas Boulevard and other major city roads to drive away street people, including illegal vendors.

With Christmas fast approaching, Estrada noted the increasing number of vagrants at Baywalk and at local public parks and promenade areas, mostly Badjaos

asking for alms and hawkers selling everything from street food to trinkets.

Estrada, citing Presidential Decree No. 1563 or the Mendicancy Law of 1978,

stressed that City Hall is only trying to ensure the safety and welfare of both the public and the mendicants from criminal elements and road hazards.

“To do this, we need the help of other agencies such as the MMDA to back up our city police force and social welfare unit,” Estrada said, citing the recommendation of Manila Department of Social Welfare chief Nanet Tanyag.

The constant presence of uniformed law enforcers in the streets would serve as a deterrent to vagrants, ille-

gal vendors, and especially petty criminals such as robbers and snatchers taking advantage of the Christmas season, he stressed.

Tanyag said the MDSW’s regular rescue and clearing operations have somehow reduced the proliferation of homeless people in the city but many of them would just come right back when no authorities are around “We will recommend to MMDA chief [Danny] Lim and the MPD to deploy their personnel to drive away these street dwellers,

more homeless individuals have been roaming around and pestering people, some even carrying infants and children.

“It is illegal to beg, live on the streets, and sell illegally in the streets,” Tanyag said, citing the Anti-Mendicancy law that penalizes “habitual mendicants” with fines ranging from P500 to P1,000 or prison term of two to four years.

Tanyag also reminded the public not to give money to beggars to reduce mendicancy in the streets.

PCAARRD’s Carlos to speak at BPSU gab BALANGA CITY, Bataan—Dr. Melvin B. Carlos of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development is one of the expert speakers of the Bataan Polytechnic State University’s 1st National Conference on Food, Environment, Engineering, and Technology.

Carlos is the officer-in-charge of PCAARRD’s Office of the Deputy Executive Director for Administration, Resource Management and Support Services of PCAARRD. He was the former director of the Technology Transfer and Promotion Division of PCAARRD prior to his current post.

The three-day conference is scheduled on Nov. 22-24, 2017, at Louis Restaurant, this city. It has the theme “Enabling S & T Innovations for Sustainable and Globally Competitive Agriculture.” Butch Gunio

Chevron cleans coast for endangered turtles BARANGAY SUMMIT. Senator Cynthia A. Villar (left) was the keynote speaker during the Liga ng mga Barangay Provincial Chapter Summit 2017 on Women and Youth Empowerment: Mainstreaming GAD, DRRM and CCA. The theme of the event, organized

by LNB Camarines Sur Chapter, was ‘Empowering Women and Youth as Agents of Change.’ Lino Santos

part of UNHCR’s initiative to provide assistance to internally displaced persons from Marawi.

UNHCR’s efforts include the issuance of identification cards to Marawi residents, in collaboration with Philippine Health Insurance Corp., and the deploy-

ment of a text broadcast service by Smart.

The ID distribution, which was piloted in Pantao Ragat, Lanao del Norte, would also be implemented in nearby municipalities.

Text updates will be relayed to the beneficiaries through Smart Infocast, a

web-based platform that offers various SMS facilities.

The service will enable authorized users to disseminate information on delivery of basic services, where to avail of humanitarian assistance and schedule of relief distribution, as well as latest news and other

crucial information.

It also allows registered subscribers to send their concerns or feedback to UNHCR. The SMS service complements the IDPs’ newly issued PhilHealth ID, according to UNHCR private sector partnerships national officer Marmie C. Liquigan.

Navotas raises P500k for scholars via fun run The Navotas City Government has raised over half a million pesos following the successful staging of the Takbo ni Juan Para sa Iskolar ng Bayan 2017.

A total of 2,617 students, teachers, residents, city government employees, and representatives of business establishments in Navotas joined the annual fun run.

“A high quality of life— that is our dream for every Navoteño. To ensure this dream would become a reality, our city government gave

beggars, and illegal vendors,” she said.

“They just keep coming back but when they see uniformed policemen or MMDA operatives, they leave,” Tanyag added.

Recent incidents have seen foreigners and tourists strolling along Baywalk being harassed by beggars and street children asking for money; some have lost valuable items such as mobile phones to snatchers and thieves, she said.

Along the stretch of Roxas Boulevard alone, about 50 or

In Brief

Marawi residents to benefit from UNHCR, Smart service Residents of Marawi City can now receive relevant information via text through a partnership of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications.

Smart’s SMS (short message service) platform is

DAVAO CITY―The Local Government of Davao received an award from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for the city’s exemplary anti-drug program—The Tabangan ang Reformists aron Naay Asenso (Tara Na), after a Visayan phrase that means “help the drug reformists prosper.”

PDEA recognized the efforts of the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council for its advocacy to help people overcome addiction through a community-based program.

Mayor Sara Duterte also lauded the effort of Cadac for attending the needs of recovering drug users of the city.

“I thank the members of Cadac for their innovation, especially the Tara Na program which is the community-based rehab,” she said.

Through the Tara Na program, the drug surrenderers can have their therapy in the community instead of entering a rehabilitation facility.

“For me, Tara Na program is very effective intervention initiated by Cadac since the barangay plays a big part and also the community,” the mayor said.

Despite the big success of the city’s antidrug campaign, Duterte refuses to declare a single barangay in the city as drug-free.

priority to education,” said Mayor John Rey Tiangco.

“We believe that through having quality education, more opportunities will open for Navoteños,” he added.

Tiangco urged runners to encourage outof-school youth to finish their studies and give importance to education.

“It has always been our goal to send all Navoteños to school and help them reach their aspirations in life,” he said. Jun David

Employees of Chevron Philippines Inc., marketer of Caltex fuels and lubricants, teamed up with over 200 townsfolk and local government officials of San Pascual, Batangas to fill more than 400 trash bags or 1.47 tons of rubbish from the coast on day four of the firm’s annual Volunteer Week activity.

CPI, which maintains a terminal nearby, coincides the annual cleanup during the breeding season of the vulnerable Olive-Ridley sea turtles.

Because of the coastal cleanup, which started in 2007, and regular patrols of CPI security, turtle sightings along the beach have increased steadily over the years.

CPI has also notified the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, which has officially declared the area an Olive-Ridley Sea Turtle Nesting Ground in 2014.

DENR-PAWB also trained the personnel of Chevron’s Batangas Terminal in a sea turtle encounter seminar.

This resulted in an increase in survival rates of newlyhatched Olive-Ridley turtles along the coastline.

21 Abra ‘narco-pols’ under the microscope

NEW HEALTH CENTER. A nursing mother is surrounded by health workers at the Consolacion Health Center in Consolacion, Cebu. The center, which serves about 130,000 people in 21 barangays and averages about 30 child births per month, was recently rehabilitated by BDO Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of BDO Unibank.

BANGUED, Abra—Twenty-one incumbent politicians and former officials across the province are now being assessed and validated by operatives of the Cordillera office of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for their alleged involvement in illegal drugs.

PDEA-CAR provincial officer Julius Paderes said about 60 percent of the suspected “narco-politicians” are former and incumbent barangay officials, while the rest are provincial and municipal officials.

Paderes disclosed the validation during the fourthquarter joint meeting of the Cordillera Regional Development Council and the Regional Peace and Order Council held at the Provincial Capital here.

“We just received the list from our regional office and we will still do the appropriate validation works to ascertain whether or not the 21 politicians are involved in illegal drugs,” he stressed. Dexter A. See

Life

By Nickie Wang

T

here is a lot to like about Subic Bay’s newest business and leisure hotel. The accidental hotel, which was supposed to be a furniture showroom, is now a handsome and a modern charmer offering something a little smarter than the former military base was used to.

First impressions are good. Behind the sleek four-story facade are white walls, grey curtains and dark wood that set off the generous proportions and high ceilings of the well-appointed rooms that occupy the hotel. The building uses green technology, each room has motion sensor led lights, the elevator (with a sofa inside) is spacious enough to accommodate recreational equipment, and everything is operated using a soft touch switch panel (including the Don’t Disturb sign).

Le Charme Suites - Subic part owner and managing director Josephine Floresca stressed that the hotel is still evolving and what they have now is a model of the next hotels that they are building outside the freeport zone.

“This hotel is actually a prototype of the next projects that we’re going to have. We have plans to expand and branch out of Subic building two more hotels. As you can see, we are introducing a lot of ‘firsts’ in this hotel,” Floresca told Manila Standard. “We are very optimistic on this endeavor specially that from 40 percent occupancy rate when we opened early this year, we are hitting 90 percent during peak seasons.”

Designed based on the principles of luxury and convenience, Floresca maintained that the hotel caters to travelers, mostly foreigners, businessmen and sports enthusiasts, visiting Subic Bay. It boasts 45 stylish rooms (with a generous space of at least 40 square meters of floor area fitted with a bathtub and a separate shower area), a spin class fitness center, a teppanyaki and a FilipinoHispanic restaurant, a milk tea cafe, a karaoke and virtual reality (VR) entertainment center, and a roof deck halfOlympic sized swimming pool which gives guests an almost 360-degree view of the freeport zone. The roof deck also

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

travel and leisure

tuesday, november 21, 2017

C1

Subic Bay’s

classy and sporty charmer

The Olympic-size swimming pool on the roof deck of Le Charme Suites gives guests an almost 360-degree view of Subic

features an events area that can accommodate up to 200 guests.

“There are only three things that most people look for in a hotel where they would want to stay at: first and foremost is the food choices, second is the sleeping convenience, and finally, the three letter word that starts with an ‘s’.”

This was how Floresca started her welcome remark, which somehow had broken the ice and made the tour a bit more relaxed because it was as if someone was welcoming some distant relatives to her home, giving every detail of the building, its embellishments and

furniture, whilst throwing some jokes in between.

“You dirty mind, I was referring to spa,” she immediately retorted after getting different answers from our group.

“You’ll have that later in the afternoon.”

Floresca explained that the entire hotel was built based on the kind of convenience that she wanted to experience when she travels either out of town or overseas. She said that after a long haul or land trip, she always wanted to have a great meal, a relaxing massage, and then a nice to sleep.

Turn to C2

Each of the 45 rooms at Le Charme is fitted with bike racks

Best in Travel 2018 Top 10

Milford Sound (Marconi Couto de Jesus / Shutterstock)

Leading global travel authority Lonely Planet has named New Zealand in the Top 10 countries to visit in 2018 in the web portal’s recently published Best in Travel 2018.

New Zealand is ranked fifth on the book’s list of Top 10 Countries 2018.

It is the second time that New Zealand has appeared on the list with the last appearance in 2010.

Best in Travel 2018 is Lonely Planet’s 13th annual collection of the world’s hottest destinations, experiences and trends for the year ahead. The best-selling inspirational travel yearbook highlights the top 10 countries, cities and regions that Lonely Planet’s experts recommend travellers experience in 2018.

“Twenty-five years ago, long before it was retrofitted to resemble Middle-earth, New Zealand began actively attracting adventure-seekers,” Lonely Planet explains. “A sweet suite of trails, the Great Walks, encouraged exploration of the country’s exquisite topography, taking tramping travellers through some of the world’s most extraordinary wilderness.”

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Earland Falls Routeburn Track (Naruedom Yaempongsa/Shutterstock)

Punakaiki Pancake Rocks (Getty Images)

Life

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tuesday, november 21, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

Golden era of travel mercury rising By bob zozobrado

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ackaged tours to anywhere and everywhere are a dime a dozen these days. Anyone can be anywhere within a day, thanks to the flourishing global travel industry, any city in the world can now easily be reached.

But the ease in travel these days has focused so much on how fast one can get from a certain place to another, forgetting the “niceties” that are very much a part of any trip, the elements that make the experience memorable.

This is why I am so glad that The Travel Corporation (TTC), represented locally by Rajah Travel Corporation, is now offering, in cooperation with Turkish Airlines, Luxury Gold Vacations, a wide selection of upscale packaged tours that bring back the golden age of travel.

The multi-awarded family-owned travel company, which is based in the UK, has had nearly 100 years of experience putting together luxury travel for fastidious travelers. It aims to create enriching experiences by combining an unbeatable mix of exceptional service and quality at great value.

So, what was the golden age of travel all about? Late 16th century aristocrats travelled around the world not just to see places but also to edify themselves by having only the most luxurious accommodations, service and elaborate culinary fare during the course of the trip. Ocean liners, like those we’ve seen in the movies, resembled luxury hotels with grand dining salons which served passengers who came to dinner dressed in their elegant finery.

We also know of the Orient Express, a luxurious railway service from Paris

Rajah Travel Corp. Chairman and President Aileen Clemente and Turkish Airlines GM Erhan Balaban

to Vienna to Istanbul. Inside the distinctly royal accommodations, one would see maharajas in Cordoba leather seats, and sipping wine from expensive Baccarat goblets. The journey became as important as the destinations.

finer things in life? They get exclusive VIP experiences, like meeting famous people and accessing iconic sites or destinations exclusively, without other tourists crowding around. Their meals are booked in critically acclaimed Michelin-

YOUR TUESDAY CHUCKLE WE WONDER: If someone with multiple personalities killed himself, would that be considered “mass murder?”

Although the World War put a temporary stop to this luxurious wanderlust of the well-heeled, peacetime brought it back, through more elaborate methods, and with a more extensive list of destinations. Whereas before the playgrounds of the rich and famous were limited to St. Moritz and Monte Carlo, the world’s affluent also now frequent Acapulco, the Caribbean, Ibiza, the Greek Islands, and the South Pacific, among many others..

What makes Luxury Gold Vacations the tour to choose for those who prefer the

star restaurants, with a deliciously varied menu each meal time.

Of course, the passengers are booked in excellently located luxury hotels with exacting comfort and style standards, and are known for their impeccable service.

Also, they are accompanied all the time by a travelling Concierge, to share indepth local knowledge and take care of all logistical details of the tour.

Comfort and convenience during travel are assured at all times, and group size is limited, to ensure a more

Biggest Anilao underwater shootout The stage is set for the world’s largest underwater macro photography shootout and it is happening in the Philippines.

Dubbed as the “World Cup of Underwater Photo Competitions,” the Anilao Underwater Shootout is back for its fifth year on Nov. 28 to Dec. 2 in Mabini, Batangas.

Organized by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and co-organized by Philippine Airlines (PAL), the 5th Anilao Underwater Shootout will be participated in by more than 200 underwater photography enthusiasts from all over the world, thus making it one of the biggest in the world.

Last year’s competition drew in 165 eager competitors both locally and internationally from countries like Singapore, China, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Korea, Turkey, Portugal, United States of America (USA), Switzerland, Germany, France, Australia, and Canada.

With Philippines Airlines offering an additional 40 kilos fee in baggage capacity for traveling divers, more overseas participants will most likely flock to the waters of Anilao and capture through their lens its colorful and diverse marine life.

This year, the DOT aims to showcase Anilao’s extremely rich biodiversity evident in its world-class critter diving, variety of dives sites suitable for every type of diver and photographer and stunning seascapes which makes it one of the world’s premier underwater photography destination and the perfect setting for the annual shootout.

“The DOT is also leading in the implementation of a strict “No Marine Life Manipulation” policy for underwater photography competitions, employing the assistance of spotters and dive guides to help ensure the protection and conservation of marine life during the competition proper. With the cooperation of the local

Best in Travel...

From C1

“In 2018,” Lonely Planet continues, “for the first time since the nine-track network was launched, a new Great Walk will be under construction: the Paparoa Track which will include the Pike29 Memorial Track. This 45km route, which commemorates 29 miners killed in 2010, wends between Blackball and Punakaiki on the South Island’s west coast, passing

The 5th Anilao Underwater Shootout aims to showcase the province’s rich biodiversity

government units and the resorts owners association, we have been able to successfully implement this so that the country continues to enjoy Anilao as one of the best dive destinations in the world,’’ explains Undersecretary for Tourism Development, Benito C. Bengzon, Jr. Comprising the panel of judges at this year’s shootout are some of today’s most celebrated photographers, namely, world-renowned nature photographer and Lennart Nilsson Award winner David Doubilet; aquatic biologist and widely published photojournalist Jennifer Hayes; Palme D’or winner and photographer Scott “Gutsy” Tuason; Singapore-based veteran diver and underwater photographer William Tan; Tobias Friedrich, diver and awardwinning photographer from Germany; and Yoshi Hirata, Philippines-based Japanese marine biologist and accomplished underwater photographer.

The competition will have two classes: Open Class for participants with any type of camera and accessories, in which published and professional photographers will automatically be placed; and Compact Class, exclusively for participants using cameras without interchangeable camera

lenses. Mirrorless, SLR, and similar types of cameras are not permitted in this class.

The categories for the competition will be: Macro/Supermacro, Marine Behavior, Nudibranch, Fish Portrait, and Cephalopod.

Two special categories are also available at this year’s competition: Blackwater and Bonfire, which must feature animals found and photographed by doing either blackwater and bonfire dives; and GoPro/iPhone Special Beginners, a new category for participants who use GoPros, smartphones, and the like for underwater photography.

Each category will have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placers for both Open and Compact classes, while special categories will have one (1) winner each. DOT and PAL will also be awarding the Photographer of the Year, with one winner each for the Open and Compact Classes.

Registration and submission of entries for the competition proper will be held at Acacia Resort and Dive Center, while awarding and closing ceremonies will take place at Camp Netanya. Visit www.facebook.com/anilaounderwatershootout/ and http://anilaoshootout.ph to learn more about the 5th Anilao Underwater Shootout.

through Paparoa National Park, and will offer hikers and mountain bikers a sensational experience.”

Aside from New Zealand, countries in the Best in Travel 2018 list are Chile, which topped the list, followed by, in chronological order: South Korea, Portugal (3rd), Djibouti (4th), Malta (6th), Georgia (7th), Mauritius (8th), China (9th), and lastly, South Africa.

Lonely Planet’s writers and experts spend time on the road in almost every destination on the planet, and each year

they report which destinations are set to take off, offering travellers the best experience available. The destinations selected for Best in Travel meet specific criteria.

It could be that something special is going on in the year ahead, or there’s been recent development and a lot of buzz about the place; that it offers travellers new things to see or do; or that the Lonely Planet team of experts thinks it’s been overlooked and underrated and suggests travellers visit before the crowds do. See for yourself at www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel.

The baroque Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte located southeast of Paris is one of the highlights of the Luxury Gold Vacations’ French Impression Tour

personalized service from the travelling Concierge. What makes this tour provider noteworthy is its partnership with TreadRight Foundation, assuring governments and local communities being visited that conservation and responsible tourism is being observed all throughout the trip.

The regular tours of Luxury Gold Vacations are already impressive in themselves, but The Travel Corporation decided to level up some more and offer what they call the “Chairman’s Collection.” On select departure dates for a specific destination, there are amenities and inclusions given to guests that are not available in the same tour on other dates.

For example, for the “Ultimate Italy” Tour, passengers will have lunch with an Italian count at his grand Tuscan villa. For the “British Royale” Tour, passengers will visit the Alnwick Castle with the Duchess of Northumberland herself welcoming them. The “French

Vogue” Tour will allow passengers to dine with a French count at the oldest café in Paris. And if passengers choose the “Harmony of Central Europe,” Princess Anita von Hohenberg herself, a direct descendant of Austrian royalty, will host cocktails at her family’s Artstetten Castle.

Mark Twain once said, “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you really rich!” These Luxury Gold Vacations, which take customers to a journey beyond the ordinary, can easily give one an unparalleled wealth of knowledge and beautiful moments that last even beyond a lifetime. The country’s pioneer travel agency, Rajah Travel Corporation, and Turkish Airlines, which has the most extensive flight network to Europe, have partnered to put Filipino travelers on their way to a most beautiful travel experience!

For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com

i p hoto

Promo winner gets lifetime fuel supply SeaOil recently announced that the first major winner of SeaOil’s “Lifetime Free Gas, Oh My Gas!” promo will receive a lifetime supply of fuels from the country’s largest independent oil player.

Monica Ann Poliquit (middle) is the first of four ‘lifetime free gas’ winners who will receive a fuel supply of P5,000 per month.

SeaOil will also be announcing a total of 30 winners of P10,000 worth of gift cards and give away over 30,000 instant prizes including P10, P20, P100, and P500 discounts on fuels and P100 on lubricants through “peel-off” cards.

Flanking the winner in the photo are SeaOil President for lubricants business Lawrence Yu and SeaOil CFO and President for retail business Mark Yu.

Subic...

From C1

Our visit to Le Charme Suites coincided with their Halloween themed weekend party that featured cosplayers donning Game of Thrones costumes.

According to Floresca, since their opening in March, it has been their tradition to stage seasonal events and decorate the entire hotel based on the theme. This time, the hotel put on a medieval Halloween look. Its entire third floor was transformed into a spooky hall where the Grim Reaper greeted the visitors.

“We want to give our guests a different kind of experience each time they come to our hotel. When our guests come back in Christmas or summer season, our goal is to make them feel as if they have come to a different hotel,” she explained.

She further said that Subic Freeport has always attracted local tourists because it gives them an out-of-the-country feel yet it is so accessible being only a few hours drive from Metro Manila.

And since Subic Bay is the country’s top sport tourism destination -- hosting triathlons, fun runs and other sports events throughout the year -- each room at Le Charme is fitted with bike racks, which most triathletes look for in a hotel whenever they’re in the former military base.

“We also want to target quite a number of triathletes, cyclists and nature adventure seekers visiting Subic each year, and so we opened spin bike classes at our fitness center and installed a bike rack in every room so our guests could safely and conveniently park their bikes and gears. Soon we shall be offering a massage and spa service especially tailored to fit the needs of athletes,” Floresca added.

Le Charme promises excellent accommodation, great food and professional, personalized services to its guests so they could do whatever they have come to Subic for -- whether work or business and leisure.

“The name of our hotel is French for ‘charm’ or ‘a charmer’ and that’s exactly what we aspire to do. We wanted to entice both local and foreign tourists especially those who are tired of the hustle and bustle of the city and are looking for a place to unwind and relax or seek adventure in this part of the country,” Floresca ended.

Le Charme Suites – Subic is operated

by Grand Pillar International Development, Inc., a Filipino and Taiwaneseowned company, and is located at La Terraza Building, 1131 Palm Street, Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

For reservations and inquiries, contact (047) 250-3333, e-mail salesandmarketing@lecharmehotels.com or visit www.lecharmehotels.com.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2017

For ‘DoReMi’remake, Donna Cruz

GMA Network

might make a comeback

DESPITE the fact that Donna Cruz doesn’t want to go back to acting, she says she will consider gracing the silver screen once again if DoReMi would have a reboot. It can be remembered that the original movie, which headlined the lovely singeractress alongside Regine Velasquez and Mikee Cojuangco turned out to be a mammoth hit in 1996.

“That’s right,” avers Donna. “On condition that DoReMi will have a remake in the future and Reg and Mikee will accept, I’m game. Everyone knows that said movie always has a soft spot in our hearts because that’s where our friendship started. Until now, our closeness remains and that film will always connect us to our fans who watched it before.”

Talks of a remake surfaced after she and Mikee made a guest appearance in Regine’s recent concert at the SM Mall of Asia titled, R3.0 in celebration of the latter’s 30th anniversary in show business.

“It was so much fun that we shared the stage once again. That’s what I like whenever the three of us meet---everything’s light. You won’t feel that it’s work. It’s simply relaxing. We enjoy every minute of it.

“I wish the remake will push through. But if not, it’s just fine with me. It’s hard to preempt things. Whatever God’s plan is, let it be. As I’ve said, as long as it’s DoReMi, my husband, Dr. Yong Larrazabal will readily give me his consent. He is supportive of any project, which requires my collaboration with my best friends in the biz.”

Everybody thought that the former Viva princess will stage a showbiz comeback especially upon the release of her new album under Star Records last year titled Now and Forever.

“Oh, no. I didn’t have plans of doing movies or soaps once again. As I always say, my family is my top priority. I can’t leave them for a long time. So, acting is definitely out of the frame.

“It’s just my singing. I miss it. I wanted to make a new album and I’m so glad because my husband produced it. He knows that in my case, once a singer will always be a singer.”

At this point, acting is not even an option for the talented star.

“I’m so happy with my family life and I just want to concentrate on it as of now. But if DoReMi will indeed have a big screen reboot and it’ll be offered to me, I will sign-up for a one movie deal and enjoy the whole experience once again specially that it’s with Regine and Mikee,” ends Donna. *** The City Government of Tacloban led by Mayor Cristina GonzalezRomualdez recently commemorated the fourth anniversary of super typhoon Yolanda. Dubbed as “Padayon Tacloban” or “Move Forward Tacloban”, the two-day event was highlighted by mass celebrations, candle offering, wreath laying, commemorative walk, releasing of sky lanterns, and meaningful musical numbers which mirrored the theme.

Among the special guests were Sen. Bong Bong Marcos, former Davao del Norte Representative Anton Lagdameo and prolific singersongwriter Wency Cornejo who performed his hit songs “Habang May Buhay”, “Hanggang” and “Next in Line” to thousands of Taclobanons at the city’s premiere coliseum.

In her inspirational message, Mayor Cristina pointed out her office’s accomplishments towards Tacloban’s remarkable recovery from Yolanda’s wrath in 2013.

“Since that devastating experience, I’m proud to say that Tacloban gradually rose and managed to stand where it is now. As you can see, business is booming here at present. Lots of establishments are being opened which means more work opportunities for the local residents.

It’s very encouraging that’s why we plan to hold a huge business summit here next year to attract more investors,” she stated.

It’s amazing how Tacloban gradually redeemed itself from the pit, so to speak after four years since Yolanda struck.

“Of course, we’re still what you call a work in progress. There’s still lot of things to do to further improve our state. But I’m really happy because all roads lead there. In every area of concern, there are noteworthy developments.

“Take for example the transfer of displaced families. You will be surprised that almost all of them became open to the idea of getting resettled without much resistance. Under the housing project of the National Housing Authority, 10,677 units were already completed, 9,538 are ready for occupancy while 5,580 are already occupied. All in all, there are 7,215 families that have been moved and we’re to transfer more in the coming days.

“Lots of street lights have been installed as well in the whole city plus water tankers that service the resettlement areas. We’re currently working on ways for North Tacloban to have a permanent water supply.

When it comes to health, we have successfully put up day care centers in various spots. More families were also given livelihood start-up kits for rice retailing, ‘sari-sari’ stores and livestock farming. More livelihood funding has been earmarked for implementation in the coming days.

“Also included in my priorities are nutrition programs, scholarships for poor but deserving students, more typhoon resilient establishments, development of beach resorts, improved hospitals, preservation of the ecology and natural resources and sustainable peace. These are just some of the projects which I vow to continue working on in the future.”

According to the sultry politician-actress, due to Yolanda, Taclobanons realized how strong they are as a family, community and city.

“Ironically, adversity brought out our collective strength and our dream of a better and resilient city. For us, the ultimate memorial of that tragic event is learning from the lessons and building resilient communities---that is how we honor the departed, the survivors and the recovery workers,” Mayor Cristina said.

WINS BIG

at 39th CMMA The cast of GMA 7’s top-rating weekly family sitcom “Pepito Manaloto” accepting the CMMA trophy, the program has been elevated to CMMA Hall of Fame

B

ROADCAST leader GMA Network, Inc. (GMA) took home a total of 13 recognitions at the 39th Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA) for its various programs and special features that promote good values through television and radio.

GMA 7’s top-rating weekly family sitcom Pepito Manaloto was elevated this year to the Hall of Fame for Best Comedy Program.

It also won in the same category in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2016.

The country’s most-awarded news magazine program Kapuso

GMA Regional TV’s (GMA RTV) local flagship news program Balitang Bisdak is now in more areas in Central and Eastern Visayas as part of GMA Network’s commitment to further deliver “Serbisyong Totoo” all over the Philippines.

Balitang Bisdak, which airs Monday to Friday at 5 p.m., is simultaneously broadcasted in Cebu, Leyte, Siquijor, Bohol, and parts of Negros Oriental thru GMA Network’s local channels GMA 7 Cebu, GMA 10 Tacloban, GMA 11 Bohol, and GMA 12 Ormoc.

With the tagline, “Balitang Bisdak, bugtong kasaligan, kasandigan ug kadangpan sa mga Bisaya [Balitang Bisdak, the most trusted, dependable and reliable (newscast) of the Bisaya]”, Balitang Bisdak features comprehensive and in-depth delivery of news and information in Cebu and key cities and provinces in Central and Eastern Visayas.

Bobby Nalzaro, award-winning local news correspondent Alan Domingo, and news presenter

DOWN 1 Large lizard 2 Famous lithographer 3 Comedian’s stock 4 Pried 5 Slacken off 6 Washington waterway 7 Children’s classic 8 Country lodging 9 Chief magistrate of Venice 10 Abundant 11 Defame 12 Wonderland girl 13 Snug retreats 21 Took a taxi 23 Cook bacon 25 Informal talk 27 Rabbit kin 28 Oklahoma town 29 Desk material 31 Pro votes

Cecille Quibod-Castro anchor Balitang Bisdak. Joining the team are various local news teams based in Cebu and local news stringers based in different parts of Central and Eastern Visayas.

“Local news still plays a very important role. While national reports on a wider scope, it is the local stories that directly affect our families and immediate communities which remain very important to us,” says GMA Regional TV Vice President and Head Oliver Victor Amoroso.

“With the full support of GMA’s Chairman and CEO Atty. Felipe L. Gozon and President and COO Gilberto R. Duavit, Jr.,Balitang Bisdak begins a new and exciting chapter. We congratulate the men and women of GMA Regional TV in Central and Eastern Visayas.”

GMA Cebu Station Manager Ann Marie Tan also looks forward to reach more audience beginning this month. “We endeavor to bring a new Balitang Bisdak to the viewers of Central and Eastern Visayas. Our Kapusong Bisaya

Cinema One Originals in Trinoma, Glorietta 4 AYALA Malls Cinemas showcases the works of the most promising Filipino filmmakers and actors this year at the 13th annual Cinema One Originals festival until tomorrow.

This year’s Cinema One Originals theme “Walang Takot” (No Fear) harmonizes with Ayala Malls Cinemas’ unwavering passion to provide an avenue for local talents, and provide quality films for its valued patrons.

Since 2005, the Cinema One Originals Film Festival has showcased brave, timely, and captivating films that made an impact on the landscape of Philippine cinema. Offering a wide array of feature films, short films and fully restored timeless classics, it is a festival that grants three million Pesos to select filmmakers, and gives them creative freedom to execute their films.

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

65 Monstrous giant 66 Concerning 68 Stadium level 69 Chief 70 Florentine poet 71 McClurg or Brickell 72 Malamute’s load 73 Take the helm 74 Not admit to

Program category); science and infotainment AHA! (Children and Youth Program category); and GMA News TV programs Brigada and I Juander (News Magazine category).

Programs of GMA’s flagship AM radio station DZBB also received special awards. Super Balita sa Tanghali, Nationwide took home the special citation in the News Program category while Saksi sa Dobol B earned a special citation in the News Commentary category.

Established by the late Jaime Cardinal Sin in 1978, the Catholic Mass Media Awards recognize students, professionals, and organizations that uphold Filipino and Christian values through mass communication.

‘Balitang Bisdak’ now in more areas in Central and Eastern Visayas

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Band bookings 5 Orchard pest 10 Blueprint 14 Dreaded czar 15 Good, to Juan 16 Tick off 17 Engineering toy 18 Getting older 19 Kimono sashes 20 Diversified 22 Aftermath 24 Lyrical 26 Wears a crown 27 Chopped down 30 Fodders 32 Battery posts 34 Deposit 35 Arab prince 39 “Road” movie locale 40 Fill with happiness 42 Pollster — Harris 43 Vortex 45 Combine 46 Lithe 49 Composer — Satie 51 Fields of study 52 Noble 55 Flammable gas 59 Ogled 61 Climber’s starting point (2 wds.)

Mo, Jessica Soho was named the Best News Magazine Program this year. It remains the most-watched show on its time block.

Receiving another accolade for GMA is multi-awarded investigative program Reporter’s Notebook, which took home the

Best Public Service Program trophy.

Eleksyon 2016, the network’s special coverage of the 2016 national elections, won Best Special Event Coverage. GMA Network was the first television news organization to broadcast the partial and unofficial results tally.

Meanwhile, Kerygma TV, which GMA-7 co-produced, won as the Best TV Special.

Several programs of leading local news channel GMA News TV also won this year. Tonight with Arnold Clavio took home the Best Talk Show award while travel and adventure program Biyahe ni Drew won Best Adult Educational/ Cultural Program award.

Earning special citations as well were Maynila (Drama Series/

33 Trucker’s rig 34 Permissive 36 Fr. miss 37 Small amount 38 Wishes undone 41 Take pleasure in 44 Time for statements (hyph.)

47 Wind indicator 48 Put up 50 Country addr.

52 — onto (seizes) 53 Queenly 54 Unearthly

56 Steakhouse order (hyph.)

57 — couture 58 Late summer flower 60 Many parents 62 Helper 63 Fritz’s possessive 64 Mouse, to owls 67 Flutter, as eyelashes

This year’s Cinema One Original Festival poises itself as fearless with its tagline “Walang Takot”. “Fearless is also about how we are embracing change.

Movies are changing, the way we make them and the way we see them. There is a new audience emerging, possessed with a deeper intimacy, and enthusiasm for new things,” says festival director Ronald Arguelles.

Amir Precilla, Ayala Malls Cinemas GM adds, “We at Ayala Malls Cinemas are delighted to once again house this year’s Cinema One Originals festival, as we want to promote further the Filipino talent. We take pride in knowing we took another step towards the promotion of Filipino artistry.”

Experience the Cinema One Originals Festival at its best only at Ayala Malls Cinemas.

“Balitang Bisdak” news anchors Bobby Nalzaro, Alan Domingo and Cecille Quibod-Castro

will now have access to news and Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Leyte, information not just from the key and Bohol provinces as well,” says cities of Metro Cebu but from Tan.

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

PRIMA DIVA.

Jona, Kapamilya’s one of the most in demand singers, staged a successful solo concert that highlighted her uniquely soulful yet powerful voice

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2017

A CLASS ACT on the

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CONCERT SCENE

AST weekend, while most fans were scrambling for seats at the MOA Arena for an underwear show, fans of real musical talent cozied themselves up at The Theatre at Solaire for Jona’s Prima Jona concert with the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra.

And, much to their astonishment, the singer, showed they did not make a bad decision attending her show more than the much ballyhooed display of body and skin at the neighboring spot.

Jona Viray, one of today’s most in-demand Kapamilya singers, belted songs for her guests that paid for their tickets and braved the metrowide Saturday traffic.

The Star Music artist, now counting a dozen years in the business, teamed up with the excellent group of musicians under the baton of Gerard Salonga for an incredible show that highlighted her uniquely soulful yet powerful voice with a wide-ranging songs.

Joining the Birit Queen was one of her idols and music inspiration, Asia’s Songbird Regine VelasquezAlcasid, as her special guest

for a vocal showdown like no other.

Jona’s major concert caps off a yearlong of successes, which began when she introduced her eponymous album for Star Music in February, followed by the sold-out Birit Queens concert at MOA Arena and tour in Dubai and USA. Three of her songs made it to BillboardPH Top 20 in June, including “Maghihintay Ako,” “Pusong Ligaw,” and “You.” Both “Maghihintay Ako” and “Pusong Ligaw” peaked at no. 3 and have remained in the charts for 22 weeks now.

Her songs are likewise big hits on YouTube, with “Pusong Ligaw” video now with 17 million views, “Maghihintay Ako” with 8 million views, and “You” lyric video with almost 7 million views.

She also bagged the Song

ISAH V. RED

Of The Year trophy for “Maghihintay Ako” in the MOR Pinoy Music Awards in August and also became the Best Female Recording Artist in the Alta Media Icon Awards held on Oct. 6. She was also hailed as “Most Influential Performer,” together with “Birit Queens” Morissette, Klarisse de Guzman and Angeline Quinto in the 7th EdukCircle Awards.

Jona is currently part of Himig Handog 2017 as one of the interpreters for the songwriting competition.

She sings “Sampu,” an entry

by Raizo Chabeldin and Biv De Vera.

Her sold-out Queen of the Night concert in November last year in KIA Theater paved the way for the singer to have another major show this year, in a grander stage at The Theatre at Solaire this time, for bigger performanc-

The newest boyband in town, Clique5, with members Marco, Karl, Sean, Clay and Josh

es complemented by the full orchestra. *** The executive committee of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), last Friday, announced the four movies completing this year’s entries to the Metro Manila Film Festival, National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera read out the titles along with the production companies behind the films and the stars that are in it.

The announcement was made at the Club Filipino in Greenhills with members of the press, and other media entities in attendance.

The four films are: 1. Deadma Walking (TRex Productions) – starring Joross Gamboa and Edgar Allan Guzman 2. Siargao (Ten17 Productions) – starring Erich Gonzales, Jericho Rosales, and Jasmine Curtis-Smith 3. Haunted Forest (Regal Entertainment– starring Jane Oineza, Jameson Blake, Maris Racal, and Jon Lucas

4. Ang Larawan (Culturtain Musicat Productions) – starring Rachel Alejandro, Paulo Avelino, and Joanna Ampil.

The four films join four others earlier announced by the committee in June – Coco Martin’s Ang Panday, Vice Ganda’s Gandarrapiddo: The Revenger Squad (originally titled The Revengers), Vic Sotto’s Meant To Beh, and All of You (formerly known as Almost Is Not Enough) starring Jennylyn Mercado and Derek Ramsay.

This year’s selection of entries is not without the usual controversy that mars the annual MMFF. Earlier in the year, four members of the executive committee resigned – Rolando Tolentino, Ricky Lee, Kara Magsanoc Alikpala, and Ed Lejano – resigned due to differences with the other members of the committee in the selection process.

As we see it, this year’s entries is a balance of highly commercial stuff, e.g. Meant

To Beh, Gandarrapido, Ang Panday, the esoteric, e.g. Ang Larawan, and MOR (middle of the road), eg. Deadma Walking, Siargao, Haunted Forest, to please critics that complained of the kind of films the festival chose in the previous year, and to ensure that this year’s festival of local movies earn higher revenues for its beneficiaries.

The festival will kick off on December 23 to be hosted by the City of Muntinlupa where the Parade of Stars will be held. The awards night is on December 27. *** A new talent management group –3:16 Events and Talent Management Company – introduced five young men – Marco, Karl, Sean, Clay and Josh – to members of the press last Saturday at the Circcle Events place as its flagship talents as it tries to swim in the waters of show business.

According to Kathy Obispo and Len Carillo, the boys underwent intensive training in acting with the PETA,

voice lessons and personality development training.

“Ayaw namin na halfbaked o hilaw ang Clique5 kapag isinalang namin sila.

Gusto namin prepared sila at ready talaga sa mundong papasukin nila,” the two said.

For its debut album, the management hired the services of award-winning songwriter (2014 Himig Handog P-Pop Love Song winner) Joven Tan who wrote the song “Tuwing Pasko” for the group, now available for streaming from music websites..

Other tunes Tan penned for the group include “Bakit Hindi?” and “Pwede Ba, Teka Muna” now on good rotation on various radio shows.

Three of the members were from the Circle of 10 search – Josh, Karl, Sean and Marco – the same search that launched the careers of Jennylyn Mercado, Jason Abalos, and Dion Ignacio in show business.

Music graduate Viennaborn Clay had been hand picked to join the four earlier members.

First Filipina to win Reina Hispanoamericana title SHE can’t speak Spanish, and neither does she look Hispanic, but Teresita Ssen “Winwyn” Marquez captivated the judges at the Reina Hispanoamerican 2017 pageant prompting them to award the title to her instead of the candidate from Curacao.

And Teresita (she wants to be known from hereon by her real name) is finally home, arriving on Nov. 13, after her very eventful three-week stay in Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia where she made pageant history as the very first Filipina and Asian to bag the Reina Hispanoamericana crown.

During her welcome/victory press conference at Annabel’s, T. Morato, Teresita still looked fresh and radiant as she reunited with her friends from the pageant scene and the entertainment press.

She was feted a warm welcome by Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas

National Director Arnold Vegafria and her “sisters” from the Miss World Philippines 2017 court, – Miss Eco Philippines 2017 Cynthia Thomalla, Miss Multinational Philippines 2017 Sophia Senoron, and Miss World Philippines 2017 First Princess Glyssa Perez.

“I’m happy to be here wearing the crown. Para sa Pilipinas, para sa inyo po lahat ‘to,” she proudly declared.

After thanking her friends and fans for their unwavering support, she made it clear that she wanted to be known more as “Teresita,” her real name.

She explains, “When I was in Bolivia, I think a lot of people were confused because they were looking me up on social media and couldn’t find me because of my nickname.

Apparently, they identify me better as Teresita because of its Hispanic origin, so I’ll make it a point to use that name more

often now.”

The morena model/ actress also shared some of her more pressing obligations as reigning Reina Hispanoamericana 2017.

She reveals, “When the RHA organization talked to me, they really want me to inform and promote Hispanic culture in my country, and if possible to inform neighboring countries as well. They just want Hispanic culture to be more felt and alive. So, we’ll be thinking of projects that can help promote that, as well as charity works.”

As part of her RH itinerary, she will be flying back soon to Bolivia for some special appearances.

Yesterday, she had a homecoming parade in Parañaque City.

Thanks to her groundbreaking victory, the Reina Hispanoamericana pageant will soon be recognized as one of the

most-awaited annual pageant spectacles in the country.

Looking back at her previous pageant bids, Winwyn sees the wisdom in learning her lesson in humility and patience while waiting for the rightful time to claim her spotlight.

She confesses, “I learned so much after I lost the first time I joined. I gained experience and I had time to improve on my weaknesses and actually know my strength. God had a purpose and I now understand why that happened.

Prior to her welcome prescon, Teresita also signed a contract with Bench as one of its newest celebrity brand ambassadors, and was among the featured celebrities to walk the runway during the brand’s special 30th anniversary show Under the Stars at the MOA Arena last Saturday.

The Reina Hispanoamericana pageant was aired on GMA News TV last Sunday, 8:00 p.m..

Teresita Senn Marquez made history for being the first Asian to compete and win in the annual Reina Hispanoamericana pageant