Ms sect b 20170521 sunday

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SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2017 Adelle Chua, Editor

Opinion

Joyce Pangco Pañares, Issue Editor

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

EVERYMAN

TRUMP FINDS SELF IN MAJOR POLITICAL FALLOUT

By Honor Blanco Cabie COLORADO SPRINGS—US President Donald Trump has found himself in what some political commentators and analysts describe as a downward spiral, which began days back with the presidential decision to abruptly fire FBI Director James Comey.

The latest developments at the White House are being watched keenly by allies and foes of the United States—from east of the White House in Britain, France, Germany, Syria, Iraq, Israel and farther east in Australia, Japan, China, South Korea, North Korea and the Philippines.

US political observers, including some who were former officials in the White House, say Trump let himself be guided by his own instincts which some see as having been incited by his creeping anger and sense of victimhood about a probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election which he has considered a “witch hunt.”

This week, commentators and analysts from Washington, D.C. to California, have been debating on succeeding developments, particularly on persistent news Trump shared last week highly classified intelligence information with Russia about an ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) plot.

Some have said Israel was the source of intelligence information which Trump had shared with Russia’s foreign secretary and ambassador.

Citing current and former US officials, diplomatic sources said the information, which is reportedly about an ISIS plot to blow up an airplane with a bomb hidden inside a laptop in a way that could avoid airport security, has endangered the life of an Israeli spy embedded within the terror organization.

The terror group killed more than 200 people two years ago when it blew up a Russian airliner with a bomb hidden in a soda can.

National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said this week the common threat the US and Russia face from ISIS justified the disclosure.

But the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Matt Olsen, told ABC the president’s actions were inappropriate.

“Russia is not part of the ISIS coalition. They are not our partner,” he said.

Former US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro warned ABC the incident would “inevitably cause elements in Israel’s intelligence service to demonstrate more caution”when sharing intelligence with its chief ally.

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DISTRACTIONS T

HE Anti-Distracted Driving Act lapsed into law and took effect Thursday.

It’s bound to create a stir—if it hasn’t already—because it challenges, in insidious ways, how many people have been acting for many years.

Distracted driving is defined as using telecommunications or entertainment devices while in motion or temporarily stopped at a red traffic light.

The law is in reaction to a reality that has evolved, of course. According to the World Health Organization, 1.2 million people around the world die every year because of road accidents – accidents that are predictable and preventable.

Here at home, Philippine Statistical Authority numbers tell a similar story.

Deaths due to road crashes have been on the rise, peaking at 8,666 in 2014. There are no numbers yet for 2015 and 2016 although we might imagine what they look like.

Anecdotal evidence tells us drivers are more prone to commit errors or to be less on guard

when they are using their electronic devices for one reason or another.

But many who have developed certain habits over years, even decades, may find it impractical and antiinstinct, especially when their established behavior has not brought them any trouble anyway.

There are provisions for exception and emergency— but these no doubt will fail to cover many situations people would consider important.

The law is not perfect, sure. A few years from now, it will need amending to reflect evolving changes in technology and driving behavior. It also opens up opportunity for corruption among apprehending officers. First-time violators will have to shell out P5,000—not something to sneeze at, so the temptation to find a way to settle in other ways may be strong.

Notwithstanding these dangers, the law must be given a chance. All too often, we don’t give thought to what we do if we’ve become used to them. We no longer evaluate the potential consequences of our acts.

It’s a dangerous habit.

This new law will at the very least make us rethink why we do what we do—if only to avoid the unsavory scenario of paying the penalty.

Different people are distracted in different ways.

But there are certain universal distractions and common behaviors associated with road accidents.

Lives are always on the line—if not the drivers’, then their passengers, those in other vehicles or innocently standing on the street. This must not be taken lightly, no matter the number of hours we spend on the road every day.

We agree it must be jarring to be told what would and would not be a distraction. But it’s a small price to pay for developing better, safer habits.

Turn to B2

SHOWBIZ PERSONALITIES SUPPORT PRS10 POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE

HOORAY for this most laudable boost for Philippine literature—a major literary event featuring a writers’ workshop and public lectures on the relevance of writing in the present time.

What’s more, it will be held outside

of Imperial Manila, which hopefully is a step further to holding more literary and artistic events in other parts of the country.

Here’s the announcement from University of the Philippines professor Joey Baquiran:

“Fifteen young writers in Filipino who are fellows to the 10th Palihang Rogelio Sicat (PRS 10) were given much needed inspiration by goodhearted showbiz personalities. The fellows are: For Poetry: Gabriel Carlos T. Cribe

(Mulanay, Quezon), Xeus dlC Foja (Romblon), Jeffrey B. Javier (Davao), Dave S. Rondina (Tacloban), Glenn Ford B. Tolentino (Taguig), Reyzeljan Josef de los Trinos (Baguio), Janielle dlR. Villamera (QC); Turn to B2

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

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Opinion

B2

SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

TRUMP...

From B1

Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates herself told CNN the Russians had “real leverage” over Michael Flynn, the retired US Army lieutenant general who was the 18th director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and the first national security adviser appointed

by Trump.

A week after Trump fired Comey, the White House has been busy battling reports the president asked the latter to end the investigation of Flynn.

Meanwhile, Republican stalwart John McCain, senior senator from Arizona and his party’s presidential nominee in 2008, has described the crisis thusly, “I think it’s reaching Watergate size and scale.”

He was referring to the major political scandal that occurred in the United States in the 1970s, following a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. A bombshell report in The New York Times this week said Trump made the request of Comey during a February meeting in the Oval Office.

Comey has been reported to have detailed the meeting in a memo, which an associate shared with the newspaper.

Flynn, ousted from his job in February, is one of several Trump associates under FBI investigation over potential ties to Russia.

Political analysts and commentators eventually confirmed the Times report.

“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” the president told Comey, according to the memo, the Times and NBC reported.

“He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”

While Trump has defended down-the-line giving highly classified information to Russia, Danny Yatom, the former head of Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence organization, has told CBS News Israel “will think twice before conveying very sensitive information.”

Following the firing of Comey and the threat there was a taped conversation, analysts have been saying this week there is now a presidency rocked by its most serious self-inflicted crisis yet.

This, according to them, has exposed dysfunction and distrust within his West Wing and imperiling his agenda.

Across Washington, Trump’s allies are reported to be buzzing about the White House staff competence as well as the president’s state of mind.

One Republican Party member close to the White House mused privately about whether Trump was “in the grip of some kind of paranoid delusion.”

Trump has been seen stewing all week, visibly aggrieved by sharp media scrutiny of his decision to fire Comey and of his aides’ continuingly shifting explanations, and has been quick to blame his staff, several political analysts quote people who have spoken with him.

In private, Trump has severely criticized the communications office headed by Press Secretary Sean Spicer and Communications Director Michael Dubke.

Analysts have said Trump has spoken candidly with advisers about a revamp that could include demotions and dismissals.

At the same time, Trump has conducted post-mortem interviews with aides about the Comey episode, investigating the headlines he considers unfairly negative, according to White House officials, speaking on condition they would not be identified.

Chris Ruddy, a Trump confidant, said: “This was the first major crisis or test they’ve had, and it looks like a lot of systems failed. My experience with the president is when he sees failure, he quickly adapts and tries new things. He’s not a guy that keeps the same ol’.”

CHILDREN OF THE SUN

By Pecier Decierdo WE ARE children of the Sun. Not only is the Sun the dominant force in the Solar System, it is also the main source of energy that powers so many things around us. Every calorie of energy you use to move came from the Sun. And almost every kilowatthour of electricity we use to light up our homes and businesses, or to power the computer you are reading this from, came from the Sun. Let’s unpack those astounding facts.

A calorie is a unit of energy. It is the unit we often use to measure how much energy there is food. A medium-sized apple contains about 70 calories. That’s about the same number of calories in a slice of white bread. A ground beef patty, on the other hand, contains close to 200 calories, while one slice of pepperoni pizza contains nearly 300 calories.

When we eat food, our bodies use the energy from food to perform basic functions such as having our hearts beat and moving our muscles.

The amount of energy in calories we need to be able to do things depends on our age, sex, weight, level of physical activity, and other factors. A 29-year-old male with a sedentary lifestyle such as myself burns around 2,400 calories every day. A woman of my age, weight, and lifestyle will burn around 1,800 calories per day. Meanwhile, a more

active man my age and weight will burn 3,000 calories per day. When we take in more calories than we burn, our bodies store those calories in the form of fat.

We need energy, usually measured in calories, to live. When we are not taking in enough energy in calories to perform our daily tasks, we are undernourished. But where do foods get their energy? In other words, why is there energy stored in food?

What’s in a slice of pizza that gives it 300 calories of energy?

The energy in food is in the form of chemical energy. Mostly, it’s in the form of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are chemicals that store energy that can be used by living things. When our body’s cells receive carbohydrates, they use it to perform their specific functions.

The carbohydrates that make their way into our bodies ultimately come from the living things that can make them—plants. When we eat plants and plant products, like rice and bread, we consume carbohydrates that plants made. If we eat meat, we are getting the energy from plants indirectly, because the animals from which the meat came get their carbohydrates ultimately from plants.

Plants make their own food in the form of carbohydrates. They get their ingredients—carbon dioxide and water—from the air and the ground.

But in order to make carbohydrates

In a very literal sense, we owe our existence to that great orb in the sky, our very own local star.

40 minutes of peak operation. A 155-pound or 70-kg man consumes that much energy in one hour of vigorous stationary cycling.

The energy we use to power our homes and offices come from power plants. In the Philippines, most power plants generate their energy in one of the following ways: burning fossil fuels, hydroelectric, wind, and solar.

For all of these, the energy ultimately comes from the Sun! For solar, it is obvious. But note that fossil fuels are the remains of dead plants and animals. And where did the energy of these plant and animal remains come from? The Sun, of course! How about the wind? Well, winds are powered by the Sun. And how about hydroelectric? Well, the water cycle is also powered by the Sun. Even our means of transportation, from cars to airplanes, from ships to trains, run on petroleum products, which store the Sun’s energy in liquid form.

So tomorrow, don’t forget to look out the window and be thankful to the Sun, which, by the way, lends its name to the first day of the week, Sunday. In a very literal sense, we owe our existence to that great orb in the sky, our very own local star.

Isn’t that astounding?

from those ingredients, they have to get energy from somewhere. They get their energy from the Sun. So in other words, the energy of the Sun is captured by plants and is stored in the form of carbohydrates, which animals, including us, eat and use to live our lives.

Hence, every calorie you use to move, breathe, and think, ultimately came from the Sun. Every bit of energy that goes into the chemical process we call life, came from the Sun. Our lives are lived from borrowed energy from the Sun. In the modern age, our dependence on energy from the Sun goes way beyond that, because almost every kilowatt-hour we use to power the modern world ultimately came from the Sun. A kilowatt-hour is another unit of energy. One kilowatt-hour of energy is equivalent to around Pecier Decierdo is resident 860 food calories. One kilowatthour is the amount of energy your physicist and astronomer of The laptop consumes in 16 hours and Mind Museum.

RUSSIANS ARE LAUGHING AT THE US, NOT JUST AT TRUMP

By Leonid Bershidsky PRESIDENT Donald Trump was only half wrong when he tweeted last week that “Russia must be laughing up their sleeves watching as the US tears itself apart.” Russian officials are laughing quite openly.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s trolling of FBI Director James Comey’s firing was relatively benign; ostensibly, Lavrov’s mock surprise at being told of the firing could be taken for a diplomat’s polite refusal to discuss the host country’s domestic politics.

This week, however, the Russian jokes at the expense of the US got positively unpleasant. First, President Vladimir Putin offered to provide the US Congress with a recording of Lavrov’s conversation with Trump, in which the US president allegedly revealed highly classified information (the word Putin used, zapis, cannot really be translated as “transcript,” as the Kremlin later claimed). The suggestion, of course, was sheer mockery—it’s impossible to imagine the Congress making such a request of Putin, and US legislators tried to answer Putin in kind, Senator Marco Rubio suggesting that if Putin sent the information by email, he “wouldn’t click on the attachment.”

Then, on Thursday, the Russian foreign ministry posted a short clip from Lavrov’s meeting with Thorbjorn Jagland, secretarygeneral of the Council of Europe.

As the two sat for photographers, the Norwegian politician quipped, “These pictures won’t cause any problems for you?” To this clear reference to the US uproar following the Russian publication of pictures

SHOWBIZ..

From B1 For Story: Wynclef H. Enerio (Taguig), Lance Isaac F. Espejo (Marikina), Meriam G. Lamberte (Leyte), John Patrick F. Solano (San Mateo, Rizal), Fe Esperanza Trampe (Cavite), Raymond A. Ybanez (Cagayan de Oro); For Essay: Jedidiah J. Cortez (Tondo, Manila), Iza Maria T. Gonzalez (QC).

This year, the roving literary event will be held in Tacloban City. A roster of luminaries supports it, including Karla Estrada, TV/movie personality and actor Daniel Padilla’s mother; Boy Abunda, a Waray himself and a former NCCA cultural ambassador; scriptwriter Bibeth Orteza; and directors Carlitos Siguion-Reyna and Joel Lamangan who are all known to be generous to beginning writers.

Also most supportive is Ma. Cristina Gonzalez-Romualdez, a big

showing Trump and Lavrov acting friendly, the Russian foreign minister replies: “Depends on what kind of secrets you pass on to me.” There’s general laughter around the table: Clearly, this is the kind of Russian humor that travels well in Europe.

It’s clear why Putin and his underlings are amused. The mess of intersecting investigations, leaks, pained howls and invective from proTrump and anti-Trump politicians is, to Putin and Lavrov, something right out of 1990’s Moscow, in which President Boris Yeltsin—a big, clumsy populist not unlike Trump— battled the Soviet “deep state” as his family lined its pockets and tried to influence his decisions. Yeltsin, by the way, was nearly impeached for alleged “crimes” that included the Soviet Union’s breakup.Putin, of course, is uncomfortable with the messiness of democracy. He has made sure since his rise in 2000 it never resurfaces in Russia. His take this week on what’s happening in the US was especially revealing: You know what surprises me? They rock the domestic political situation in the US under anti-Russian slogans, and they don’t understand that they’re harming their own country.

Then they’re just dumb. Or they understand everything, and then they’re dangerous, dishonest people.

But that doesn’t mean he is entirely wrong about the effect the scandals are having on the ability of the US to maintain its special place in the world. Headlines in the US media scream that the Trump administration is falling apart; to Americans, this is Trump’s mess. But to outsiders, and not just to Russians, it’s an all-American mess; it’s about

star in the nineties, now the Tacloban City mayor. Eat Bulaga mainstays Vic Sotto and Wally Bayola are also among the PRS10 sponsors, as are Ai-Ai de las Alas, Monico Villonco, and Cris Villonco.

PRS10 will go on from May 23 to 29. A series of public lectures, mostly on the art of writing and its relevance to the present time, will be conducted throughout the workshop.

Eros Atalia, the novelist whose works are consistent best-sellers, will deliver the key address on the 24th; Richard Gappi, poet-journalist, will lecture on Panitikan sa Panahon ng Kalamidad (Literature in the Time of Calamity), Joey Baquiran about modern poetry, and critic-scholar Choi Pangilinan about popular literature and criticism on the 25th; then on the 26th well-known author from Leyte-Samar, Jerry Gracio, will talk about the relations between the local and national language with

America’s weakness.

Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger wrote in a commentary in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: Vladimir Putin can only laugh at the political chaos in Washington. One can see why. But damage to democratic institutions and the trivialization of the presidential office is not a laughing matter at all.

The current media circus, which amplifies every Trump misstep and forces him to stumble again and again, is different from a previous global spectacle of similarly epic proportions—President Bill Clinton’s Monica Lewinsky scandal. That one had to do with sexual indiscretions, something the world outside the US doesn’t take as seriously as the American public. The current scandal is about constantly repeated allegations concerning US politicians and officials doing the bidding of foreign powers. Trump’s enemies aren’t accusing him of being unfaithful to his wife—they’re calling him mentally impaired, unfit to govern, easily influenced by foreign masterminds such as Putin.

Even though there’s still not a shred of public evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia last year, the constant airing of that accusation makes it look as though US institutions have failed to stop a foreign incursion—and are still failing, because the noise around the investigations greatly exceeds anything they have unearthed. To outsiders, it looks as though people who are supposed to be stewarding the Western world are bickering among themselves instead, trying to create major problems for each other out of thin air.

As Trump prepares for his first foreign trip, that’s not the kind of advance publicity the US—not Trump, but his country—really needs. On a visit to Washington on Thursday, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel made the point gently, in a far friendlier way than Russians have done. “You are citizens of a real superpower, and if America is too much engaged with its interior problems, there will be a vacuum in the international sphere,” Gabriel said.

A report in The Washington Post offers a range of similar worries under a headline that, perhaps unsurprisingly, blames Trump and not the other powers involved: “European leaders fear Trump’s political chaos is undermining US power.”

The US midterm elections are still 17 months away. It’s too early for the campaign-like heat that’s being generated in Washington. Trump will be around for a while in any case. He needs a breathing space so his visible panic doesn’t damage US interests any more than it has already done.

Trump’s political enemies, too, must understand that they are hardly doing the country any favors by harping on yet-unproven but extremely serious accusations. Investigators need some quiet if they are to get anywhere. And the world needs the US as something more reassuring than a soap opera that’s getting increasingly harder for outsiders to follow because of its descent into domestic political and legal trivia.

More seriousness, more common sense and less screaming from all quarters is urgently required.

Bloomberg

regards to creating literature.

This activity is open to the public and will be co-sponsored with UP Tacloban.

The writers workshop is led by dramatist Reuel Aguila and fictionist Jimmuel Naval. The teaching faculty are the mentioned lecturers, as well as writers Rommel Rodriguez and Ferdinand Pisigan Jarin.

PRS is a project of the UP Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature and the UP Sentro ng Wikang Filipino. *** We hope that like the showbiz personalities mentioned, there are more generous souls out there who would be moved to support Filipino writers in a similar fashion. For Philippine literature to develop and thrive, we need more workshops, literary festivals, books and poetry readings, and such events that celebrate stories and storytelling.

These events could be made

possible through sponsorships, particularly recurring corporate sponsorships. At present there are very few companies out there supporting Philippine literature as part of their CSR (corporate social responsibility).

So it is all the more that we cherish and are grateful for individual sponsors, in particular those whose plucky backing made the PRS 10 event a reality.

Congratulations to the chosen few PRS 10 participants—enjoy your experience, and remember a workshop is always illuminating and sometimes transformative.

To the organizers and lecturers, bon courage and best wishes for a successful and fruitful event!

Dr. Ortuoste is a Californiabased writer. Follow her on Facebook: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, Instagram: @ jensdecember, @artuoste

World

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SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

141 KILLED IN SOUTH LIBYA AIRBASE ATTACK

HUNGRY. A displaced Syrian boy who fled the Islamic State group stronghold of Raqa eats at a temporary camp in the northern Syrian village of Ain Issa on Friday. AFP

T

TRIPOLI, Libya—An attack on an airbase in south Libya has killed 141 people, mostly soldiers loyal to military strongman Khalifa Haftar, a spokesman for his forces said on Friday.

Members of the Third Force militia loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord in Tripoli on Thursday attacked the base used by Haftar’s self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA), military sources said earlier.

LNA spokesman Ahmad al-Mesmari late Friday said the victims included civilians who worked at the Brak al-Shati airbase or were in the nearby area, also reporting that summary executions took place.

“The soldiers were returning from a military parade. They weren’t armed. Most of them were executed,” he said.

The GNA said in a statement late Friday a commission of inquiry had been set up to investigate the attack.

It said it had decided to suspend its defence minister, al-Mahdi al-

Barghati, and the head of the Third Force from their duties until those responsible were identified.

Both the GNA and defense ministry earlier condemned the assault and said they had not ordered any such action.

The unity government, the rival administration in eastern Libya and their respective backers are battling for influence in the North African country which has been wracked by chaos since the fall of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

The LNA does not recognise the authority of the GNA, and instead supports the rival authorities based in the east.

The UN envoy to Libya earlier on Friday voiced alarm at reports of the attack on the base, 650 kilometres (400 miles) south of Tripoli.

“I am outraged by reports of significant numbers of fatalities, including civilians and by reports that summary executions may have taken place,” UN envoy Martin Kobler said in a statement. AFP

ROUHANI WINS REELECTION

EHRAN, Iran—Iranian President Hassan Rouhani won a resounding reelection victory on Saturday as voters backed his efforts to rebuild foreign ties and kickstart the struggling economy.

Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli confirmed the result on state television, saying Rouhani had won 23.5 million votes – 57 percent – compared to 15.8 million – 38.3 percent – for hardline challenger Ebrahim Raisi.

It followed a huge 73 percent turnout on Friday which forced authorities to extend polling by several hours.

“I congratulate the great victory of the Iranian nation in creat-

ing a huge and memorable epic in the continuation of the path of ‘wisdom and hope’,” tweeted Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, referring to the government’s slogan.

Rouhani, a 68-year-old moderate cleric who spearheaded a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, framed the election as a choice between greater civil liberties and “extremism.”

Hardline cleric Raisi, 56, had positioned himself as a defender of the poor and called for a much

tougher line with the West.

But his revolutionary rhetoric and efforts to win over working class voters with promises of increased handouts gained limited traction.

“Rouhani’s vote, particularly in rural areas, shows that Iranian people no longer believe in economic populism and radical change,” said Ali Vaez, Iran analyst for the International Crisis Group, a think tank.

“They have the maturity to understand that the solution to their country’s predicaments are in competent management of the economy and moderation in international relations,” Vaez told AFP. Rouhani’s central first-term achievement was a deal with six powers led by the United States

that eased crippling economic sanctions in exchange for curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme.

He gained a reprieve this week when Washington agreed to continue waiving nuclear-related sanctions, keeping the deal on track for now.

But the election comes at a tense moment in relations with the United States, with President Donald Trump still threatening to abandon the accord and visiting Iran’s bitter regional rival Saudi Arabia this weekend.

Although Rouhani has been deeply entrenched in Iran’s security establishment since the early days of the revolution, he has emerged as the standard-bearer for reformists after their movement was decimated in the wake of mass protests in 2009.

“We’ve entered this election to tell those practising violence and extremism that your era is over,” he said during the campaign.

At recent rallies, his supporters chanted the names of reformist leaders under house arrest since 2011 for their part in the protests.

International affairs researcher Foad Izadi, of Tehran University, said Rouhani may now have the leverage to push for more freedoms, despite opposition from the conservative-dominated judiciary and security services.

“A number of years have passed (since the 2009 protests) and the country is demonstrating a high level of stability – this gives the system confidence, which means more room for change,” Izadi said.

But the economy remains the number one challenge.

Although Rouhani brought inflation down from around 40 percent when he took office in 2013, prices are still rising at nine percent a year.

Oil sales have rebounded since the nuclear deal took effect in January last year, but growth in the rest of the economy has been limited, leaving unemployment at 12.5 percent overall, and at almost 30 percent among young people.

“We are still not pleased with the situation, but in the four years of Rouhani there has been a relative improvement and I’m voting to keep that,” said Alireza Nikpour, a 40-year-old photographer in Tehran, as he queued to cast his ballot on Friday. AFP

Manila

Standard

TODAY

NOTICE TO THE STOCKHOLDERS OF PHILWEB CORPORATION

To All Retail and/or Non-Strategic Shareholders of PhilWeb Corporation: Please be advised that Gregorio Araneta, Incorporated (the “Bidder”) will file a Tender Offer Report in SEC Form 19-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) and the Philippine Stock Exchange (the “PSE”) pursuant to Section 19 of the Securities Regulation Code in connection with its intention to acquire 663,803,284.00common shares (the “Shares”) of PhilWeb Corporation (“PhilWeb”).

The offer price for the acquisition of the Shares is Two Pesos Sixty Centavos, Philippine Currency, (P2.60) per share or a total consideration of One Billion Seven Hundred Twenty Five Million Eight Hundred Eighty-Eight Thousand Five Hundred Thirty Eight Pesos and Forty Centavos (P1,725,888,538.40) and will be payable in cash.

The Bidder shall acquire the Shares that may be tendered by any stockholder of PhilWeb in response to the Tender Offer. The Tender Offer shall commence on 19 May 2017 at 9:30 A.M. and shall end on 19 June 2017 at 1:00 P.M. (the “Tender Offer Period”). The Tender Offer Period may be shortened or extended by the Bidder subject to prior approval of the Commission. The Shares to be tendered are intended to be crossed at the PSE on 22 May 2017 (the “Cross Date”). Settlement Date shall be 03 July 2017.

MOURNING. Relatives and friends of 15-year-old Jose Francisco Guerrero, who was shot when he went to buy some food and was found trapped in a confrontation between looters and the National Guard in the framework of protests against the government of President Nicolas Maduro, attend his funeral in San Cristobal, Tachira State, Venezuela, on Friday. Despite its vast oil reserves, Venezuela is suffering chronic shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies. The center-right opposition blames it all on mismanagement and corruption in the Socialist government. AFP

BEIJING: NO ‘UNPROFESSIONAL’ INTERCEPT OF US PLANE BEIJING, China—China has denied US allegations that two Chinese fighter jets acted unprofessionally in intercepting an American military plane earlier this week, saying that its aircraft were acting in accordance with the law.”

“Related remarks from the US side are inconsistent with fact,” the Chinese Ministry of Defense said in a statement posted to its website late Friday.

“On May 17, a US reconnaissance aircraft was carrying out an operation in airspace over the Chinese Yellow Sea (the northern part of the East China Sea), and Chinese aircraft acted to identify and investigate in accordance with the law,” the

statement said, calling the action “professional” and “safe.”

The US Air Force said in an earlier statement Friday that its plane, a WC-135 Constant Phoenix, was conducting a “routine mission” in international airspace when it was intercepted by two Chinese Sukhoi SU-30 fighter aircraft.

The WC-135 is a so-called “sniffer plane” designed to scan the atmosphere for signs of nuclear activity.

“The WC-135 was operating in accordance with international law. While we are still investigating the incident, initial reports from the US aircrew characterised the intercept as unprofessional,” the Air Force said.

The statement out of Bei-

jing came as Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi discussed preparations for the first round of the China-U.S. diplomatic and security dialogue in a phone conversation Saturday with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted in a statement that Yang and Tillerson “exchanged views... of common concern such as the Korean Peninsula,” but did not say whether the aircraft incident was discussed.

Mid-air interceptions occur routinely in international airspace, but the US military will often call out foreign pilots if it judges the manoeuvres to be risky or unprofessional. AFP

Stockholders who wish to offer all or a portion of their Shares for sale to the Bidder may do so by securing an Application to Tender Shares form (the “Application Form”) from, and submitting a duly accomplished Application Form together with the documentary requirements to the Transaction Broker, PLATINUM SECURITIES, INC. The Transaction Broker reserves the right to require the tendering stockholder to present additional documents for purposes of determining the validity, eligibility and acceptability of the Shares being tendered by the stockholder pursuant to the Offer.

The Shares being tendered for sale to the Bidder must be received by the Transaction Broker in scripless form not later than 1:00 PM of 19 June 2017. Shares received thereafter or without the required documents shall be rejected by the Bidder.

The Shares tendered may be withdrawn by the stockholder of record at any time during the tender offer period by submitting a written request for the tendered Shares to the Transaction Broker and surrendering the original Securities In-Receipt issued by the Transaction Broker. The last day to withdraw tendered Shares shall be on 19 June 2017at 1:00 PM. The Shares shall be deemed accepted by the Bidder for payment on 26 June 2017 at 1:00 PM(the “Closing Date”) subject to the condition that the Bidder shall have obtained all corporate, contractual and regulatory approvals, consents and authorizations for the purchase by the Bidder of the Shares.

Stockholders are advised to read the Application Form, the Terms of the Tender Offer, and the SEC Form 19-1 filed by the Bidder with the SEC. For queries, please call the Transaction Broker at contact details set forth below. Copies of the Application Form and the SEC Form 19-1 may be obtained by the stockholders of PhilWeb, free of charge, from:

Broker Contact person Address

: : :

Telephone Email

: :

PLATINUM SECURITIES, INC. Mr. William O. Go Unit 801 Antel 2000 Corporate Center, 121 Valero Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City (02)887-1179 / (02) 8866414 plasec223@yahoo.com

(MAY 19,20 & 21, 2017)

B4

SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle , Issue Editor

World

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

AMID SCANDALS, TRUMP STARTS TOUR R

IYADH, Saudi Arabia – US President Donald Trump landed in Saudi Arabia Saturday for the start of an eight-day foreign tour, taking his first steps on the world stage as scandals mount at home.

Trump can expect a warm welcome in Saudi Arabia where he is to meet King Salman and other senior royals – in sharp contrast to Washington where pressure is building over his team’s alleged links to Moscow.

Air Force One had barely taken off when it was announced that James Comey, the former FBI chief fired by Trump, had agreed to testify publicly about Russian interference in the US elections.

Reports also emerged that

Trump had called Comey “a nut job” and that the FBI had identified a senior White House official as a “significant person of interest” in its probe of Russian meddling.

A red carpet was rolled out and staircase rolled up to Air Force One after it landed at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh shortly before 9:50 a.m. (0650 GMT).

Trump and his wife Melania, who dressed conservatively in black but did not cover her hair, walked side-by-side to the tarmac

where they both shook hands with Saudi King Salman.

Trump is to hold talks with King Salman and the kingdom’s two powerful crown princes later on Saturday, before giving a speech on Islam to leaders of Muslim countries on Sunday.

For Riyadh, the visit is an opportunity to rebuild ties with a key ally, which were strained under Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama who Sunni Arab Gulf states suspected of a tilt towards their Shiite regional rival Iran.

That, together with a more muted focus on human rights and the likely announcement of new arms deals, should please Washington’s traditional Sunni Gulf allies.

“He’s going to be tougher on Iran,” said Philip Gordon, senior fel-

low at the Council on Foreign Relations. “He’s not going to lecture them on democracy and human rights.”

Sunday’s speech to dozens of Muslim leaders has been touted as a major event – along the lines of a landmark address to the Islamic world given by Obama in Cairo in 2009.

The speech will be especially sensitive given tensions sparked by the Trump administration’s attempted travel ban targeting several Muslim majority nations and accusations of anti-Islamic rhetoric on the campaign trail.

“I’ll speak with Muslim leaders and challenge them to fight hatred and extremism, and embrace a peaceful future for their faith,” Trump said ahead of his visit. afp

BREXIT: THE THRILLER BRITISH FILMMAKERS NEVER WANTED CANNES, France – For British film producers plying their wares at the Cannes festival, the prospect of Brexit represents something between a tale of suspense and an outright horror movie.

There are many worried faces amongst all the razzamatazz at the glitzy festival in the south of France – namely those of British film-makers fretting over what exiting the European Union will mean for their country’s powerful movie industry, and the European producers who often work with them.

“We’re heartbroken, really,” said British producer Elizabeth Morgan Hemlock, who is currently working with a Parisbased director on a documentary about intelligence agencies.

“My time has always been spent travelling to Europe, whether to co-production markets from Gran Canaria or the Berlin film festival, for 20 years. There’s a worry that the laws will change and everything will become harder than it already is. We’re being isolated from our colleagues.”

Topping the list of concerns: what the possibility of much tighter immigration controls might mean for the highly-internationalised industry, and the potential loss of access to EU cash that has previously helped fund British hits like Oscar-winner “The King’s Speech” and last year’s Cannes winner “I, Daniel Blake.”

Then there is the wider unknown impact of a potential exit from the EU’s single market in the case of a so-called “hard Brexit.” AFP

US TRADE NEGOTIATOR MAKES ASIA DEBUT

SAUDI WELCOME. US President Donald Trump holds a bouquet of flowers upon being welcomed by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (unseen) during the former’s arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday. AFPHUNGRY. A displaced Syrian boy who fled the Islamic State group stronghold of Raqa eats at a temporary camp in the northern Syrian village of Ain Issa on Friday. AFP

SWEDEN DROPS RAPE PROBE ON ASSANGE LONDON—WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gave a clenched fist salute Friday after Swedish prosecutors dropped a seven-year rape allegation, but he insisted the “proper war” over his future was just beginning.

Assange stepped into the daylight on the balcony of Ecuador’s London embassy, where he has been holed up since 2012, to celebrate, but said the road was “far from over.”

The 45-year-old Australian’s accuser was angered by the decision and Assange declined to say whether he would leave the embassy.

British police could arrest him immediately for breaching earlier bail conditions if he left the building, while US authorities have warned they regard WikiLeaks as a “hostile intelligence service.”

“Today is an important victory,” Assange, in a black shirt and jacket, told reporters and a small band of

supporters crowded around the tiny balcony.

“But it by no means erases seven years of detention without charge.

In prison, under house arrest and almost five years here in this embassy without sunlight.

“That is not something that I can forgive. It is not something that I can forget.”

Earlier in Stockholm, Marianne Ny, Sweden’s director of public prosecutions, said the rape investi-

gation had been dropped because there was “no reason to believe that the decision to surrender him to Sweden can be executed in the foreseeable future”.

“It is no longer proportionate to maintain the arrest of Julian Assange in his absence,” she said.

Assange jumped British bail by entering the embassy and claiming asylum, saying he feared he would eventually be extradited to the United States. AFP

RUSSIA SLAMS US-LED STRIKES ON SYRIAN FORCES MOSCOW—Russia on Friday condemned a strike by the US-led coalition against Syrian pro-regime forces as “illegitimate” and said it could harm efforts to fight Islamic State jihadists.

“It is illegitimate, unlawful and yet another gross violation of Syria’s sovereignty,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in televised comments while on a trip to Cyprus.

He added that Moscow was “concerned” that the “emerging understanding” of the need to unite efforts against the Islamic State group and the former Nusra front is “starting to erode.”

US-led warplanes on Thursday carried

out a strike in the east of the country against a convoy of pro-government forces which were heading towards a remote coalition garrison near the border with Jordan.

In a statement, the coalition said it had struck “pro-regime forces... that posed a threat to US and partner forces.”

The coalition said the strike came after unsuccessful “Russian attempts to dissuade Syrian pro-regime movement” as well as “a coalition aircraft show of force, and the firing of warning shots.”

Lavrov said he was “unaware” that Russia had been given any warning of the strike, and said preliminary information

suggested there were civilian casualties.

“We are still confirming the details but according to some reports several dozen civilians died as a result of this strike,” he was reported as saying by Russian news wires.

His comments echoed an earlier statement by a deputy, Gennady Gatilov, who said the coalition’s strikes on Syrian forces were “unacceptable” and could hinder peace talks.

The Russian security council, chaired

by President Vladimir Putin, discussed the strike later Friday.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted

by Russian news agencies, said “it was

stressed that such acts are illegitimate and considerably complicate the process of launching de-escalation zones....”

Earlier this month, Russia, Iran, and Turkey, agreed to create four “de-escalation zones” across some of Syria’s bloodiest battlegrounds.

Russia and Iran have deployed forces to Syria to back up President Bashar alAssad while the US and many of its regional and Western allies have called for the strongman to leave power.

The United States infuriated the Kremlin in April by bombing a Syrian air base in response to an alleged chemical attack by Damascus. AFP

HANOI, Vietnam—Donald Trump’s new pointman on trade met Asia-Pacific trade ministers in Hanoi on Saturday as Washington reverses gear on sprawling free trade pacts in favor of one-to-one deals.

With his tough rhetoric on winning back American jobs, President Trump’s elevation to the White House has raised serious fears over a new protectionist era.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, a veteran Reaganera trade negotiator with protectionist credentials, is carrying his administration’s “America First” ethos with him to Vietnam for the two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Community (APEC) trade ministers’ meet.

Trump favours bilateral trade deals over the ambitious multilateral pacts of Barack Obama’s administration, which included the sprawling 12-nation TransPacific Partnership (TPP).

The US pulled out of the TPP in January, after Trump labelled it a “job killer.”

That dismayed the other 11 signatories – including Japan, Australia, Singapore and Vietnam – who saw it as a guarantor of regional free trade.

Lighthizer met with his Japanese counterpart on Saturday.

The US and Japan “agreed to promote mutually beneficial trade, fight trade barriers and trade distorting measures,” according to a statement from Lighthizer and his Japanese counterpart Hiroshige Seko.

Japan is spearheading efforts to keep the TPP afloat.

The 11 remaining TPP nations are set to meet Sunday morning and are expected to commit to forging ahead with the pact without Washington, while leaving the door open for the US’ return. AFP