THE MANILA TIMES | APRIL 07, 2019

MASTERS TRADITIONS FILIPINA ARTIST RAISES ASAD ALAM SIAM MAY BE BALM TO PH FLAG IN PRESTIGIOUS HIS BELOVED BANGLADESH AND HIS GOLF’S WOES NY ART EXPO NATION’S LONGTIME PH FRIENDSHIP Golf Times E1

++

Php20.00

Sunday Times imes Magazine F1

The Sunday Times

•• SECTIONS PAGES • VOL. 120 NO. 1766 6 32

Âť

Arts Awake F8

APRIL 7, 20199

Trusted since 1898

Palace wants Albayalde to stay put MALACAĂ‘ANG stood by Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Oscar Albayalde amid calls for his resignation over police operations in Negros Oriental that left 14 farmers dead.

Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo on Saturday said the calls for Albayalde’s resignation were baseless as the police operations were legitimate. “There is absolutely no basis in fact and in law for the PNP chief, Gen. Oscar Albayalde, to resign,� Panelo said in a statement. “Gen. Albayalde has even acted objectively by relieving administratively RANKING OFkCERS FROM THEIR POSTS JUST TO pave the way for a thorough and impartial investigation free from any possible unDUE INlUENCE AND TO DETERMINE WHETHER lapses were made during the conduct of these operations,� he said.

Panelo issued the statement after the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives sought Albayalde’s resignation over the incident.

Police insisted that the 14 farmers killed in pre-dawn raids last week in Canlaon City and Manjuyod and Sta. Catalina towns were suspected communist rebels.

But a leftist lawmaker, the families of the slain, as well as witnesses, said the farmers were massacred.

Panelo asked the public not be swayed by “leftist propaganda� as he reiterated that the operations were carried out with appropriate court documents. g7E kND IT UNFORTUNATE THAT +ARAPATAN and other interest groups are using the incident in Negros Oriental to sow hate

R w w w.manilatimes.net

776-kg shabu seized in 3 months – PDEA

BY ROY D.R. NARRA

T

HE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on 3ATURDAY SAID IT HAD CONkSCATED KILOS OF SHABU (methamphetamine hydrochloride) valued at P5.2 BILLION OVER THE kRST THREE MONTHS OF THE YEAR ITS BIGGEST kRST QUARTER HAUL SINCE THE AGENCY WAS ESTABLISHED IN

In a statement, PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino said the 776.06 kilos of SHABU SEIZED IN THE kRST THREE MONTHS of 2019 were bigger than the amount of SHABU SEIZED IN THE kRST QUARTERS OF and 2018, which was 672.42 kilos worth P4.58 billion. “This is the highest recorded shabu

SEIZURE FOR THE kRST THREE MONTHS OF THE year in PDEA history. It also more than doubled compared with the second HIGHEST kRST QUARTER SEIZURE WHICH WAS recorded in 2015 with 314.47 kilos worth P2.14 billion,� Aquino said.

He attributed the milestone to the series

ÂłShabu A2

ÂłAlbayalde A2

The wolves at Lobo’s gate SUNDAY STORIES MARLEN V. RONQUILLO

T

HE presence of a dredger hopper from China off Lobo town in Batangas is a story of many layers and implications. First and foremost, it is LGU (local government units) power gone amuck. The previous town mayor and council exploiting the LGU powers to the hilt signed more than a decade ago a dredging deal that should not have been done recklessly but done with the proper environmental impact assessments.

What was done at Lobo that exposed LGU overreach, and probably punishable under the “abuse of authority� rules for LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFkCIALS On Oct. 28, 2008, the municipal council of Lobo, Batangas authorized then mayor Virgilio Manalo to contract out the dredging of a 180,000-square meter portion of the Lobo River. The proposal to “dredge� came from a certain Seagate Engineering and Buildsystems. The dredged sand will then be exported to Hong Kong, supposedly to build an additional runway at Hong Kong International Airport.

It was an international supply deal: sand from Lobo to supply the sand needed for an airport runway in Hong Kong. That means extracting a natural resource asset intended for export to a

ÂłRonquillo A5 REACH US AT: E-mail: newsdesk@ manilatimes.net Tel. Nos.: 524-5664 to 67 Address: 2/F Sitio Grande, 409 A. Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila 1002

FLOOD OF SHABU

Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bureau of Customs do an inventory of the P1.8-billion of methamphetamine seized at the Port of Manila. PHOTO BY JANSEN ROMERO

ICC SEEN INTERFERING WITH PH SOVEREIGNTY

MALACAÑANG has slammed the International Criminal Court (ICC) for DECIDING TO EXAMINE A COMPLAINT kLED against President Rodrigo Duterte, saying the tribunal was bent on interfering with the country’s sovereignty.

Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said the ICC’s decision to look into a second COMMUNICATION WHICH WAS kLED RECENTLY

by the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), was a violation of the tribunal’s own rules. “With the ICC writing the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers a letter on April 4, 2019, saying that it will analyze the latter’s communication in the context of a situation already under preliminary examination by it, it becomes apparent

that this institution is indeed bent on interfering with the sovereignty of our Republic even if it means disregarding the Rome Statute, the very instrument which created it,� Panelo said in a statement. “With the biased and preconceived actions of the ICC, we cannot blame the Filipino people for thinking that it has taken a politically-motivated obnoxious

path aimed at maligning not just this administration but the very Republic of the Philippines,� he added.

The Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC took effect on March 17, a year after -ANILA NOTIkED THE 5NITED .ATIONS THAT THE COUNTRY NEVER OFkCIALLY BECAME A part of the world’s only permanent war

ÂłSovereignty A2

Bam seeks probe of foiled dredging

Agence France-Presse. “It has a gravitational pull strong enough to make stars orbit around it very quickly — as fast as 20 years.�

To put that in perspective, our Solar System takes about 230 million years to circle the center of the Milky Way. Eventually, astronomers speculated that these bright spots were in fact “black holes� — a term coined by American physicist John Archibald Wheeler in the

SEN. Paolo Benigno “Bam� Aquino 4th on Saturday raised the need to probe the entry OF AN !FRICAN lAGGED DREDGING SHIP WITH Chinese crew in Lobo River in Batangas, saying the incident was a clear encroachment upon the country’s internal seas.

Aquino and Senate President Pro TemPORE 2ALPH 2ECTO SAID THEY PLAN TO kLE A resolution to seek an inquiry into a report that a Chinese-manned dredging ship will extract sand from the Lobo River that will be used for the expansion of the Hong Kong airport.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources stopped the dredging last week, saying the vessel lacked documents. “Inagaw na nga nila ang mga isla natin, pati ba naman buhangin, gusto pa nilang angkinin (They already seized our islands in [the South China Sea], and they still WANT TO GET OUR SAND u !QUINO SAID “Nakakaalarma ang insidenteng ito dahil malinaw na ito’y panghihimasok na sa karagatang sakop ng Pilipinas (This incident is quite alarming and it is a clear encroachment upon the Philippines’ territorial seas),� he added.

ÂłHole A8

ÂłDredging A8

Q Illustration showing the different parts of a black hole. AFP PHOTO

Scientists to unveil first picture of a black hole PARIS: The world, it seems, is soon to see THE kRST PICTURE OF A BLACK HOLE On Wednesday, astronomers across the globe will hold “six major press conferences� simultaneously to announce the kRST RESULTS OF THE %VENT (ORIZON 4ELESCOPE (EHT), which was designed precisely for that purpose.

It has been a long wait.

Of all the forces or objects in the Universe that we cannot see — including dark energy and dark matter — none has

frustrated human curiosity so much as the invisible maws that shred and swallow stars like so many specks of dust.

Astronomers began speculating about these omnivorous “dark stars� in the 1700s, and since then indirect evidence has slowly accumulated. “More than 50 years ago, scientists saw that there was something very bright at the center of our galaxy,� Paul McNamara, an astrophysicist at the European Space Agency and an expert on black holes, told

A2

News

˜ The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

‘No basis to suspend writ of habeas corpus’ V

BY REINA C. TOLENTINO

ICE 0RESIDENT -ARIA ,EONOR g,ENIu 2OBREDO on Saturday maintained that there is no BASIS TO SUSPEND THE PRIVILEGE OF THE WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS DAYS AFTER 0RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte threatened to declare a revolutionary government.

Robredo, a lawyer, said the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus cannot be suspended without the circumstances provided by the 1987 Constitution.

“Kailangan either may rebellion, may invasion, o may lawless violence (there has to be a rebellion, an invasion, or lawless violence),� she said in an inter-

view in Camarines Sur. g-AYROON BA TAYONG GANOON Kasi kung mayroon tayong ganoon, gusto bang sabihin walang kontrol iyong pamahaLAAN +UNG AKO IYONG TATANUNgin, wala iyong circumstances na magwa -warrant para mag declare ng suspension of the writ of habeas corpus (Do we HAVE THAT "ECAUSE IF WE DO

does it mean that the governMENT HAS NO CONTROL )F YOU ask me, the circumstances that would warrant the declaration of the suspension of the writ

of habeas corpus are not present),� she said.

Duterte warned Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and other members of the opposition not to push him to the wall or he would declare a “revolutionary� government, suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus and arrest them.

Duterte made the statement after Drilon asked his administration to exercise “extreme caution� in reviewing contracts entered into by the government with private kRMS AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES

Duterte to rig polls – Sison PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will rig the May 2019 elections to enable candidates of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HnP) to gain seats in the Senate and help him push for federalism and prevent the International Criminal Court (ICC) from investigating him, exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria “Joma� Sison said on Saturday.

The HnP is an initiative of Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of the President and incumbent mayor of Davao City.

Sison, in a statement, said Duterte has the capability to manipulate the May 13 midterm polls because he has control over the Commission on Elections and the military.

He added that the President WOULD USE HIS POWER TO kLL THE Senate with HnP’s senators, so that he can secure approval of Charter change to effect a shift from a parliamentary to a federal form of government.

Sison said this move is also Duterte’s key to stop the ICC from putting him on trial for alleged abuses in his administration’s bloody crackdown on illegal drugs. “He needs desperately eight more senators to make the twothirds majority in the Senate in order to push the Charter change to a bogus federalism and thus install himself as fascist dictator, rule beyond 2022 or choose his own successor, protect his bureaucratic loot and prevent the International Criminal Court in The Hague from effecting his arrest for trial on charges of crimes against humanity,� he added.

4HE 0HILIPPINES OFkCIALLY WITHdrew its membership from the ICC on March 17.

ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, however, explained that they could still continue their investigation and trial because the complaint against the Duterte administration WAS kLED BEFORE -ANILA S WITHdrawal from the court.

Sison said Duterte’s bets for senator would likely lose because of their involvement in plunder and killings, among other crimes. “Duterte’s favorite [Senate] candidates are up against the people’s outrage over Duterte’s criminal record. The Catholic vote is unprecedentedly gaining ground as a result of said record and his persistent attacks on bishops and priests for standing up in defense of the people’s human rights,� he noted.

Sison said Duterte was becoming jittery and threatening to declare the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus and jail his critics, including members of the opposition, through armed force.

He added that the President sensed a wave of popular rejection rising against him.

Duterte recently warned that he might suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus after he was slammed by the critics and opposition lawmakers for ordering all government agencies to review their contracts with private companies and foreign entities, including agreements made with China.

ROY D.R. NARRA

Q SOVEREIGNTY FROM A1

ICC seen interfering

NO TO RECLAMATION

Manila residents sign a statement opposing reclamation projects in Manila Bay. PHOTO BY RENE H.

DILAN

Q SHABU FROM A1

776-kg shabu seized of operations wherein large volumes of the illegal drug were con-

kSCATED IN #AVITE PROVINCE AND THE cities of Muntinlupa and Manila.

In these three operations alone, the drug agency seized 716 kilos of shabu.

Aquino believed the illegal drugs came from the Golden Triangle region, the notorious area for illegal drug syndicates located in the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.

He said the record haul was made possible with the coordination and collaboration of their foreign counterparts, especially in the

exchange of intelligence information. “This volume of seizures is an indication that we are conducting high-impact operation and hitting high-value targets,�

Aquino said.

He added that 2,818 drug personalities in 2,034 antidrug operations were arrested during the period, the highest since 2009.

The PDEA reported its achievement days after President Rodrigo Duterte admitted that the government’s war on drugs failed.

At a campaign rally in Malabon City on Tuesday, Duterte lamented that the drug problem was “swallowing� the country.

He said the drug trade worsened even if he ordered that drug traders be killed. “You can read it every day, even in the crawler of the TV networks.

There are billions worth of drugs.

Before, it was only thousands,� the President said.

Duterte’s statement followed

Q ALBAYALDE FROM A1

Palace wants and spread fear toward our duly constituted authorities,� he said. “We reiterate that the incident in Negros Oriental arose from legitimate police operation[s]. Authorities were implementing search warrants that were duly issued by competent courts. In separate police operations, 14 residents died when they fought with the law enforcers who were just implementing the search orders of the said local courts,� Panelo said. “As the Philippine National Police explained, this is not a case of massacre given the fact that those who surrendered without forceful resistance were lawfully apprehended unharmed, following the discovery of illegal items pursuant to the court- sanctioned search,� he added.

The Negros Oriental operations are being in-

big raids by anti-narcotics agents.

The PDEA seized P1.9 billion of shabu in a Cavite warehouse on February 3 in an operation that also led to the death of two Chinese suspects.

On March 19, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) found P1.1 billion worth of shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride in Ayala Alabang Village in Muntinlupa City. Three days later, PDEA seized P1.8 billion worth of shabu at the Manila International Container Port.

In late March, Customs personnel and PDEA agents seized 276 kilos of shabu worth P1.8 billion smuggled into the country through the Manila North Harbor.

The drugs, wrapped in tea packaging and declared as plastic resin, came from Vietnam, according to Aquino.

Vietnamese officials alerted the PDEA after 300 kilos of illegal drugs were seized in Ho Chi Minh City.

vestigated by the Commission on Human Rights as victims’ relatives claimed that there was no shootout, contrary to a police report.

Panelo said the Palace welcomes the probe. “We welcome any investigation on the matter. In the meantime, we urge the public not to be swayed by leftist propaganda, especially those stemming from groups linked with the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army, designed to stigmatize each and every operation of our law enforcers intended to protect the general welfare and safety of the Filipino people,� he added.

Under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, 180 farmers had been killed, including 40 who were from Negros Island, according to the Kabataan party-list group.

In October 2018, nine sugarcane farmers in Sagay City, Negros Occidental, were having dinner when they were shot dead by five to six gunmen.

CATHERINE S. VALENTE

crimes tribunal.

The withdrawal was triggered

BY THE kLING OF COMMUNICATIONS before the ICC, citing crimes committed under the President’s war on drugs.

Panelo said the ICC would be violating its own rules if it started its preliminary investigation past the effectivity of the Philippines’ withdrawal from the tribunal.

He pointed out that the international tribunal never acquired jurisdiction over the Philippines as the country’s ratification of the Rome Statute — the treaty that created the ICC — was never published in the /FkCIAL 'AZETTE “We reiterate that the Rome Statute, being a law penal in nature, never took effect in the country.

Claiming otherwise without the requisite publication violates Sections 1 and 7 of the Bill of Rights, which respectively guarantee the rights of the people to due process and to be informed on matters of national concern,� Panelo said. “Even if we assume, for the sake of argument, that the Rome Statute became enforceable in the Philippines, the ICC can still no longer exercise its powers over the country as, in such hypothetical case, our withdrawal already became effective last month,� he added.

Panelo, concurrently Duterte’s chief legal counsel, cited Article 127 of the Rome Statute which states that a withdrawal “shall not affect any cooperation with the court in connection with criminal investigations and proceedings in relation to which the withdrawing State had a duty to cooperate and which were commenced prior to the date on which the withdrawal became effective, nor shall it prejudice in any way the continued consideration of any matter which was already under consideration by the court prior to the date on which the withdrawal became effective.� “Clearly, it is only when a criminal investigation has commenced prior to the effective date of the withdrawal that the ICC can continue with the case initiated. What THE )## THROUGH THE /FkCE OF THE Prosecutor, is conducting is only a preliminary examination, not a

criminal investigation or proceeding,� he said. “With the categorical wordings of Article 127, there is therefore no basis under the Rome Statute for the ICC to proceed with any of its activities relative to the President’s programs against illegal drugs,�

Panelo added.

4HE 0ALACE OFkCIAL ALSO CITED the principle of complementarity, which is enshrined in the Rome Statute.

Complementarity is a law principle that states there will be no overlapping in jurisdictions. “According to the Rome Statute, the ICC can only act if there is inability or unwillingness of the State Party to investigate and prosecute its own offenders for the commission of crimes referred thereto,� Panelo said.

He urged anyone who has sufkCIENT EVIDENCE TO kLE A CASE BEFORE a Philippine court of competent jurisdiction and contend that deaths resulting from the drug war are State-sponsored. “This is the only way we can determine if there is indeed inability or unwillingness on the part of the Philippine government to investigate and prosecute these alleged crimes. Should there be no cases filed, we can only surmise that no person can gather evidence, as there is none, which can prove that the deaths from the war on drugs are State-initiated,� Panelo said. “Revelations will then be had that all these allegations are mere fabrications contrived by those who wish to destroy the antiillegal drug campaign of the President,� he added.

The NUPL’s complaint, technically called a communication, was the second one against Duterte’s brutal war on drugs.

The first one was filed by lawyer Jude Sabio in April 2017, citing the “continuing mass murder� in the Philippines as shown by the thousands of Filipinos killed in the anti-criminality and anti-drug campaigns that began when Duterte was still mayor of Davao City in Mindanao in southern Philippines.

CATHERINE S. VALENTE

News

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

A3

DFA WARNS VS HUMAN TRAFFICKING SCHEMES ON SOCIAL MEDIA THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saturday warned Filipinos not to be victimized by manpower agencies that offer jobs in Dubai through social media such as Facebook, Viber and WhatsApp. The DFA issued its warning after the Philippine embassy in Baghdad reported that three Filipinos fell VICTIM TO HUMAN TRAFkCKING One of the victims, who was detained at the Basra Prison in Iraq, was deported on April 3 while

12 more Filipinos who were also victims of the same scheme have been in the custody of the embassy since January 2019.

4HE VICTIMS TOLD EMBASSY OFkcials that they were initially trafkCKED FROM $UBAI TO )RAQ FROM *ULY 4 to December 22 last year. Last year, the Philippine embassy hanDLED HUMAN TRAFkCKING CASES 4HE EMBASSY SAID TRAFkCKING SYNdicates lure their victims through social media by offering to advance

Duterte signs speech pathology law PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a bill that seeks to regulate and professionalize speech language pathology in the country.

Republic Act (RA) 11249 or the “Speech Language Pathology Act� was signed by the President on March 22, but was released to the media only on Saturday, April 6.

Under the new law, the State “recognizes the important role of speech language pathologists in nation building and promotes the sustained development of a corps of speech language pathologists whose competence have been determined by honest and credible licensure examinations, and whose standards of professional practice and services are world-class, internationally recognized and globally competitive through regulatory measures, programs, and activities that foster their continuing professional growth.�

The law defines speech language pathology as the “allied health profession devoted to the evaluation, diagnosis, management and prevention of human communication and swallowing disorders.�

Under RA 11248, the Board of Speech Language Pathology shall be created to ensure the effective supervision, control and regulation of the practice of speech language pathology in the Philippines.

The board shall be composed of a chairman, who shall hold office for three years, and two members, who shall hold office for one year and two years, respectively.

The candidates will be selected from the five nominees of the Accredited Integrated Professional Organization of speech language pathologists.

The board is tasked to promulgate, administer and enforce rules and regulations necessary to carry out the

mandate of the law; supervise and regulate the registration, licensure and practice of speech language pathology in the Philippines; develop and maintain standards for the practice of speech language pathology; and adopt a Code of Ethics for speech language pathologists.

Under the law, all applicants for registration for the practice of speech language pathology shall be required to undergo a licensure examination given by the Board and must obtain a general average of 75 percent with no grade lower than 50 percent in any subject to qualify.

The licensure examination will cover, among others, subjects such as anatomy and physiology of the speech and hearing mechanism; language and communication disorders; and research, professional ethics and community development.

The law further integrates all speech language pathologists in the country into one accredited professional organization recognized by the Board of Speech Language Pathology and the Professional Regulations Commission.

Registered pathologists shall be provided exclusive employment in all existing and proposed positions in public and private entities Those who will represent themselves as speech language pathologists without certification; those unqualified to practice the profession, who will be found to be using a professional license of a speech pathologist; and those who will use a certification belonging to another person shall be punished with a fine of P20,000 to P50,000 or imprisonment of two to five years or both, depending on the court.

The new law takes effect 15 days after publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper.

CATHERINE S. VALENTE

Ronnie Ricketts appeals graft conviction FORMER Optical Media Board (OMB) chairman Ronald “Ronnie�

Ricketts has asked the Sandiganbayan’s Special Fourth Division to reconsider its ruling convicting him of graft over the release of seized pirated discs in 2010.

The court, in a decision promulgated in March, sentenced Ricketts and former Enforcement and Inspection Division (EID) Computer Operator 2 Glenn Perez to six up to eight years of imprisonment.

Ricketts’s camp, in its motion for reconsideration, said the prosecution failed to present strong evidence to prove his guilt.

The defense argued that there was NO PROOF THAT THE CONkSCATED GOODS were pirated. “In light of the explicit testimonies of the prosecution witness that they DID NOT CHECK WHETHER THE CONkSCATED items were contraband or pirated, the Honorable Court’s conclusion that ‘the sheer quantity of seized items already renders the items as contra-

band materials’ is clearly without basis whatsoever,� it said.

4HE /FkCE OF THE /MBUDSMAN kLED THE CASE BEFORE THE 3ANDIGANbayan in 2015.

The Ombudsman accused Ricketts of giving unwarranted benefit to Sky High Marketing Corp. with the release of the pirated discs that were CONkSCATED ON -AY

The Sandiganbayan’s Special Fourth Division said in its decision that “even if it is conceded that the EVIDENCE IS INSUFkCIENT TO POINT TO Sky High Marketing as the owner of the pirated DVDs, the essential act committed by accused is the unlawful CONFERMENT OF BENEkT OR ADVANTAGE to exist that the Government is prejudiced, given that it is the accused, precisely in their capacities as [then-] PUBLIC OFkCERS WHO ALLOWED SUCH A situation to occur.�

The defense also argued that Ricketts did not cause undue injury to the government.

REINA C. TOLENTINO

the cost of their travel to Dubai where high-paying jobs were supposedly waiting for them.

DFA Assistant Secretary Emmanuel Fernandez said the victims entered Dubai using tourist visas and were then made to work without pay, supposedly as part of their “training.� “Once their visas are about to expire, the victims are told to accept jobs in Iraq or pay the syndicates the $3,000 they purportedly spent for their deployment,� he said.

The victims were trafficked through Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and then smuggled to Baghdad or Basra, Fernandez said in a statement.

Since their visas from Erbil will not be valid outside of the Kurdistan region, the victims were transferred from one car to another to avoid inspection at several security checkpoints. “The victims may be molested and maltreated en route to Bagh-

dad and Basra. The unfortunate ones may suffer more maltreatment even when they have already been employed,� he said.

The embassy also reminded Filipinos that a deployment ban remains in effect in Iraq. It also warned Filipinos who enter Iraq without visas that they would face imprisonment and hefty penalties if caught.

The embassy said Filipinos who want to work abroad should kRST CHECK THE JOB OFFERS WITH THE

File charges vs drug suspects – Robredo

BY REINA C. TOLENTINO

6

)#% 02%3)$%.4 -ARIA ,EONOR g,ENIu 2OBREDO ON 3ATURDAY CALLED ON THE GOVERNMENT TO FILE CHARGES AGAINST GOVERNMENT OFkCIALS SUSPECTED TO BE INVOLVED in the illegal drugs trade instead of releasing THE NAMES OF THOSE ON THE SO CALLED NARCOLIST Robredo said that if there was SUFkCIENT EVIDENCE AGAINST THESE OFkCIALS CRIMINAL CHARGES SHOULD BE kLED AGAINST THEM IN COURT “Kung mayroong ebidensya laban sa mayors or kung kanino man na involved sila sa drugs, bakit hindi kasuhan? Bakit idadaan sa lista-lista (If there is proof

against the mayors or other govERNMENT OFkCIALS WHY DON T THEY charge them? Why do they have to resort to releasing drug lists)?�

Robredo said in an interview in Camarines Sur. “Iyong problema kasi sa lista-lista, una, parang nagta-trial by publicity ka. Kung mayroon ka tal-

agang ebidensya, kasuhan para nasa proper forum, para iyong kinakasuhan, mayroon ding pagkakataon na depensahan iyong sarili nila (The PROBLEM WITH LISTS IS kRST IT IS LIKE trial by publicity. If you really have EVIDENCE kLE A CASE IN THE PROPER forum, so that those being accused would have the chance to defend themselves),� she added.

She said the same should apply to the case of Paolo Duterte, the son of President Rodrigo Duterte, who was accused of being a member of a drug triad. “Very serious iyong accusations, mas mabuti ilagay sa proper forum. Mahirap kasi itong narcolist nakalista, o video, o nilalagay sa social media, kasi wala tayong

basehan kung ito ba ay totoo o hindi (The accusations are very serious, so it is best to bring the case to the proper forum. Releasing a narcolist, or uploading a video in social media is not right since we don’t know if the allegations are true or not),� she added.

A certain “Bikoy,� who claimed to be a former member of a large drug syndicate, alleged that Paolo was among the syndicate leaders who received kickbacks from the illegal drug trade.

Paolo has denied any involvement in the illegal drug trade.

On Friday, President Duterte came to his son’s defense, saying his family was not involved in illegal drugs.

BIRTHDAY MASS House Speaker Gloria Arroyo and her husband Juan Miguel Arroyo hear Mass at the San Agustin Church in Lubao, Pampanga to mark the former’s 72nd birthday on April 5. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Rice tariff IRR signed — NEDA THE implementing rules and regulations (IRR), of Republic Act (RA) 11203, or the “Rice TarIFkCATION !CT u HAS BEEN SIGNED and adopted for immediate implementation, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said.

4HE kNAL DRAFT OF THE )22 WAS SIGNED BY OFkCIALS OF THE $EPARTments of Agriculture, Budget and Management and NEDA. The government had said that RICE TARIFkCATION WOULD BRING DOWN prices of the staple. “Among the salient provisions in the IRR are guidelines on the

President’s powers and the enforcement of safeguard measures in case of emergency situations like the sudden rise and drop in domestic prices,� NEDA said in a statement. “The IRR likewise provides guidance on the reorganization of the NFA (National Food Authority), following the repeal of its regulatory powers and the change of its functions to maintenance and management of the country’s buffer stocks,� it added.

The Rice Trade Liberalization Act liberalizes the importation, exportation, and trading of rice.

The law also lifts the quantitative import restriction on rice.

The law allows private traders to apply for unlimited importation of the grain as long as they secure the necessary permits and pay the proper duties, set at 35 percent for rice sourced from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) neighbors. A 40-percent tariff will be levied on shipments sourced from non-Asean countries within the minimum access volume of 350,000 MT, going up to 180 percent for out-quota imports.

RA11203 also calls for the es-

Schools not allowed to bar students with HIV

Dear PAO, I have a friend who has human IMMUNODEkCIENCY VIRUS ()6

DEAR PAO AND IS PLANNING TO APPLY OR ENROLL IN COLLEGE IN ORDER TO kNISH PERSIDA HIS TERTIARY EDUCATION (OWEVER

ACOSTA HE IS WORRIED THAT HIS ()6 STATUS MIGHT AFFECT HIS ENROLLMENT -AY (RA) 11166, otherwise known as A SCHOOL DENY ONE S ENROLLMENT the “Philippine HIV and AIDS APPLICATION FOR HAVING ()6 Policy Act,�provides: Simeon “Section 49. Discriminatory Acts and Practices. – The followDear Simeon, ing discriminatory acts and pracSection 49 (b) of Republic Act tices shall be prohibited:

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

Jobseekers should also comply with pre-departure procedures implemented by immigration authorities, it added..

These procedures aim to ensure the safety of Filipino travelers and prevent the occurrence of illegal recruitment, people smuggling, TRAFkCKING OF INTERNAL ORGANS AND HUMAN TRAFkCKING BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

xxx “(b) Discrimination in Learning Institutions – Refusal of admission, expulsion, segregation, imposition of harsher disciplinary actions, denial of BENEkTS OR SERVICES OF A STUDENT or prospective student solely or partially on the basis of actual, perceived or suspected HIV status; xxx.� (Emphasis supplied) Corollary, the said prohibited act is penalized under Section 50 (g) of RA 11166, viz:

“(g) Any person who shall violate any of the provisions in Section 49 on discriminatory acts and practices shall, upon conviction, SUFFER THE PENALTY OF IMPRISONMENT OF SIX MONTHS TO kVE YEARS AND OR A kNE OF NOT LESS THAN kFTY THOUSAND PESOS 0

BUT NOT MORE THAN five hundred thousand pesos 0

AT THE DISCRETION OF THE COURT AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE TO THE IMPOSITION OF ADMINISTRATIVE SANCTIONS SUCH AS

kNES SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION OF BUSINESS PERMIT BUSINESS LICENSE OR ACCREDITATION AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSE; xxx.� (Emphasis supplied) Clearly, refusing admission of a person, student or prospective student in a learning institution because of his/her HIV status is a discriminatory act, the commission of which is punishable under the law. In view of the foregoing, your friend’s enrollment application should not be denied solely

tablishment of the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, which will be utilized to provide different forms of assistance to the country’s rice farmers. “We celebrate this milestone for the agriculture sector. All concerned agencies, including NEDA, are duty bound to implement this historic law. In moving forward, we all have the long-term goal of modernizing the rice industry and improving the lives of all Filipinos, especially farmers, in our minds,�

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said.

EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ

because of his HIV status.

This opinion is solely based on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same. The opinion may vary when the facts are changed or further elaborated.

We hope that we were able to enlighten you on the matter.

Editor’s note: Dear PAO is a daily column of the Public Attorney’s Office. Questions for Chief Acosta may be sent to dearpao@ manilatimes.net

A4

Opinion

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

E d i to r i a l Locsin’s salvo of tweets on Pag-Asa sparks hope

F

OREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. may have had his share of bashers for his Trump-like use of Twitter, but he delivered the appropriate response to the nowCONkRMED MASSIVE #HINESE PRESENCE NEAR 0AG ASA 4HITU Island, the largest of the Kalayaan (Spratly) Islands under Philippine control.

This was after days of the Palace and the Defense department either denying or downplaying the reported presence OF SOME #HINESE VESSELS NEAR 0AG ASA SINCE *ANUARY 4HE INITIAL RESPONSE WAS CLUMSY WITH OFkCIALS FUMBLING TO CLARIFY THAT THE CORRECT NUMBER OF #HINESE VESSELS SWARMING Pag-asa was closer to 200, not 600.

Even that was beside the point. Whether 200 or 600, a large PRESENCE OF #HINESE VESSELS IN OR NEAR 0HILIPPINE TERRITORY should always be a cause for alarm.

To begin with, the report was from the military establishment itself, particularly the intelligence staff of the !RMED &ORCES OF THE 0HILIPPINES 7ESTERN #OMMAND It was delivered to a regional peace and order council meeting, where the military would have no reason to make false or exaggerated claims. )T DOES NOT ALSO MATTER WHETHER THE #HINESE SHIPS WERE STATIONary or circling. It would have been considered outright invasion, except that, according to the Philippine military, those manning the vessels were unarmed and not wearing uniforms.

The Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative claims the vessels began arriving much earlier, since Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced the start of construction and repair projects at Pag-asa.

If so, this is a direct challenge to the Philippines’ rightful claim on the Kalayaan group, upheld in 2016 by an international arbitration tribunal at The Hague.

On Tuesday, April 2, Locsin tweeted that he had, in fact, kRED A gSALVOu OF DIPLOMATIC NOTES TO "EIJING IN PROTEST OF THE MASSIVE #HINESE INCURSIONS Two days later, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) issued a strong and well-crafted statement that should have been the government’s initial and only response. It said the #HINESE PRESENCE NEAR 0AG ASA WAS gILLEGAL u “The Pag-asa Islands are part of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), which is an integral part of the Philippines over which IT HAS SOVEREIGNTY SOVEREIGN RIGHTS AND JURISDICTION u THE $&!

STATEMENT SAID g!CCORDINGLY THE PRESENCE OF #HINESE VESSELS near and around Pag-asa and other maritime features in the +)' IS ILLEGAL u IT ADDED -OREOVER THE #HINESE ACTIONS WERE A gCLEAR VIOLATION OF 0HILIPPINE SOVEREIGNTY SOVEREIGN RIGHTS AND JURISDICTION u AS DEkNED UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW INCLUDING THE 5NITED .ATIONS #ONVENTION ON THE ,AW OF THE 3EA Locsin is correct in saying that “such actions, when not repudiated by the country concerned, are deemed to have BEEN ADOPTED BY IT u “When a country lets its countrymen swarm into foreign territory and does nothing to drive them out, it is deemed to have endorsed and, in effect, adopted that aggressive act AGAINST A FOREIGN COUNTRY u HE ADDED It is, thus, important to continually assert and reassert the Philippines’ claim to the Kalayaan group. The sendING OF DIPLOMATIC NOTES TO PROTEST THE #HINESE PRESENCE reinforces this claim.

It is for this same rationale that the Municipality of Kalayaan was established on Pag-asa Island in 1978. It only has one barangay or village, with a population of just 184 people.

This tiny municipality, built purposely to maintain the PhilipPINE CLAIM TO THE 3PRATLYS IS NOW BEING SURROUNDED BY #HINESE vessels and testing the limits of the Philippines’ resolve.

As a matter of principle and duty, Philippine officials should stand in support of the country’s claim. To do otherwise is to undermine it.

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

The Sunday Times

VOLUME 120 NUMBER 176

DANTE A. ANG, Chairman Emeritus RENE Q. BAS, Publisher Emeritus NERILYN A. TENORIO, Publisher-Editor ARNOLD E. BELLEZA, Executive Editor FELIPE F. SALVOSA II, Managing Editor LEENA C. CHUA, News Editor LYNETTE O. LUNA, National Editor TESSA MAURICIO-ARRIOLA, Lifestyle Editor PERRY GIL MALLARI, Sports Editor LEA MANTO-BELTRAN, Supplements Editor JOMAR CANLAS, Chief of Reporters RENE H. DILAN, Chief Photographer DANTE F. M. ANG 2ND, President and CEO BLANCA C. MERCADO, #HIEF /PERATING /FkCER RODA A. ZABAT, Advertising Director VICENTE P. CRUZ, JR., Circulation Director DENISE O. CALNEA, Marketing Communications and Services Director Telephone All Departments: 524-5665 to 66; Subscription: 524-5664 Local 222 Advertising: 524-5664 Local 121 Telefax: 310-5895 or e-mail advertising@manilatimes.net www.manilatimes.net • e-mail newsdesk@manilatimes.net Letters to the Editor THE MANILA TIMES is published daily at 2/F Sitio Grande, 409 A. Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila 1002 The owners, managers, publishers and editors do not necessarily share the opinions expressed and the statements made by individual authors of columns, commentaries and other articles published in The Manila Times.

At Lent, let us empty ourselves for Christ to fill “I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of KNOWING #HRIST *ESUS MY ,ORD For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I MAY GAIN #HRIST AND BE FOUND IN him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through FAITH IN #HRIST wu — St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians 3:8-9

#

!4(/,)# chat groups are sharing a Lenten message from Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socretes Villegas. The PAST PRESIDENT OF THE #ATHOLIC "ISHOPS #ONFERENCE OF THE 0HILIPPINES CITED VARIOUS #HURCH traditions, and suggested doing other things to put love in Lent. g$O WE NEED TO VISIT CHURCHES u he asks. “That is good practice, but you might want to visit seven patients in the charity ward of a hospital, instead, and bring them SOME FOOD #HOOSE TO LOVE u How about chanting of the Pasyong Mahal , the poetic narRATION OF #HRIST S 0ASSION AND Death? “Buy a Bible, instead, and read one chapter a day with

T

In the Letter to the Philippians quoted above, Paul puts FAITH IN #HRIST ABOVE THE MINUtiae of Mosaic law, which must serve the Lord or be cast aside, as was done to Jewish circumcision and food prohibitions.

And in St. John’s Gospel your family for the rest of the (8:1-11), Jesus sets aside Moses’ centuries-old punishment of YEAR u THE PRELATE SUGGESTS And the age-old practice of stoning adulterers in favor of self-flagellation and actual God’s all-forgiving mercy, so crucifixion during Holy Week? that the repentant sinner can Villegas admonishes: “Instead amend his or her life, not lose of spilling your blood on the it. Saving her from the law’s senstreets, why not walk into a Red tence, the Lord tells the woman, #ROSS OFkCE AND DONATE BLOOD “Go, and from now on do not #HOOSE TO SHARE LIFE $O WE SIN ANYMORE u need to walk barefoot till our Jesus knew, of course, that the soles get blisters as a form of pen- woman, like all of us, would still ance for our sins? Why don’t you sin. That’s why He instituted the buy a pair of slippers and give Sacrament of Reconciliation, so it to a child who goes to school that we can rise from every fall DRAGGING HIS TORN FOOTWEAR u with His mercy and grace, and strive daily for greater and greater faith, hope and love.

Faith and love first And the constant aim, one Today’s Epistle and Gospel read- must constantly remember, is to ings also convey the prelate’s constantly cast aside the “rubpoint: turn traditions into true BISH u AS 0AUL CALLS IT THAT HAS vehicles for God’s love — the core BEEN KEEPING US FROM #HRIST 'OD of divinity which all humanity is kLLS US WITH (IS GRACE AND LOVE

invited and enabled to assume, but we must make room for Him by shedding worldly ways.

BY #HRIST S REDEEMING SACRIkCE

FAITH HEALER

RICARDO SALUDO

Archbishop Villegas menTIONED ONE g#AN WE GO TO THE beach during Holy Week? If it will help you love like Jesus, yes, you can. But if it will distract you from the story of His love, please don’t. The highest law is not silence but love. Silence speaks ONLY IF THAT SILENCE IS LOVING u

Making room for God The three Lenten activities of prayer, fasting and almsgiving were instituted precisely to clear THE SOUL OF SELkSHNESS SO 'OD CAN COME IN #HARITY TURNS US from ourselves and toward others, especially the needy, those in material want and those lacking in gifts of mind, heart and soul.

Giving up pleasing things also sets aside the self, to be more mindful of God and obedient to His will, and to share in His suffering for our salvation.

And prayer opens one’s whole being to heaven’s wisdom, grace and love, and fulfills the greatest commandment: Love God with all your being.

These Lenten devotions also replicate His actions. Prayer emulates

ÂłSaludoA5

Child sexual abuse in the institutional Church

HERE are serious and profound changes taking place in the Catholic Church to acknowledge and prevent child sexual abuse by clerics and lay people, prosecute the perpetrators and help the victims in their healing process. It is the belated result of generations of historical clerical child sexual abuse and the denial and cover-up of their crimes by some bishops and cardinals around the world. It has become a crisis for the Church as an institution.

Pope Francis approved recently a new law to protect child victims and prosecute any clerical suspects accused in the Vatican State. Before this, there was no such law protecting children in the Vatican. But the new law is a model for others and is a zerotolerance law. Every complaint of child abuse must be reported and investigated immediately.

In the Philippines, the arrest and detention of an American priest, Fr. Kenneth Hendricks, 78, in Naval, a town in Biliran province, on Dec. 5, 2018 for allegedly sexually abusing dozens of boys has focused attention on the culture of silence, cover-up and inaction by fellow clergy, ofkCIALS AND #ATHOLIC TOWNSPEOPLE 4HE ALLEGED CRIMES WERE kRST REported to authorities in the United States who carried out a quiet investigation and filed charges against Hendricks in Ohio, where a judge issued an arrest warrant.

The fact that no local people dared accuse the priest despite local knowledge and complaints by several alleged victims indicates the fear of retribution of

REFLECTIONS

FR. SHAY CULLEN, SSC going up against a priest of the #ATHOLIC #HURCH 4HAT ERA OF fear and impunity is coming to a close in many countries, but not yet in the Philippines.

Most cases of child sexual abuse by clergy are rarely exPOSED AND !RCHBISHOP #ARDINAL Luis Antonio Tagle says they are investigated internally. So no civil punishment for the abusers and no justice for the victims.

Impunity reigns it seems and that will have to change. &O R S O M E # A T H O L I C S T H E worldwide shame and widespread history of clerical child abuse has weakened and challenged their faith. Some have E VE N L E F T T H E # H U R C H 4 H E nonabusing clergy are deeply ashamed by the terrible crimes against children that many of them allowed to happen either by their ignorance, inaction or silence. They were afraid or ashamed to report a fellow priest and cowardly shied from protecting the child victim.

That silence is a form of consent. Now, dioceses have strict rules and regulations to report child abuse and prosecute the offender in civil courts.

Are we shocked by the serious wrongdoing by clergy, bishops and cardinals around the world?

They are supposed to give good EXAMPLES OF #HRISTIAN LIVING BY A

life of virtue, love of justice and protecting children. But many of them have failed. Is our faith shaken, weakened and rendered useless? For some, the answer is yes. For others, no, because their faith is not primarily belief in THE #HURCH AS A HUMAN INSTITUtion but in the person of Jesus of Nazareth and his Gospel values.

It is a time of challenge for ALL US #HRISTIAN #ATHOLICS ESpecially bishops and priests, to examine our faith and ask if it is faith in the person of Jesus and if we have a personal relationship with him. Do we have a strong commitment to his simple but profound teaching?

Is our faith in his moral principles, in the human dignity of every person? Do we believe and live out his values on social justice, human rights, compassion and love, and especially in the innocence and protection of the child and the stranger? Does our faith express itself daily in action for justice and protection of the child and the stranger? If it doesn’t, then as St. James says, our so-called faith is dead. (Letter of James 2:26) 4HE #HURCH AS FOUNDED BY Jesus is a community. It is the People of God, all believers and nonbelievers of goodwill gathered in the one faith and practice of what Jesus has taught and done, his principled way of life, which we are called upon to imitate and follow. !S AN INSTITUTION THE #HURCH is a human creation with a hierarchy; a chain of command, a bureaucracy; a system of law; discipline, rules and regula-

tions; and a sacramental practice from which salvation flows, we are told. But faith in action is what brings us closer to Jesus #HRIST IN DAILY LIFE This institutional, very huM A N # H U R C H H A S I N M A NY incidents betrayed Jesus and HIS TEACHINGS &ROM #HILE TO Brazil, the US, Ireland, France, UK, Germany, Austria and elsewhere, scandals of child sexual abuse and other serious failings of clergy and bishops are evident. Some have failed to listen to victims and respond immediately. They have failed to have compassion and care for child victims and get healing and justice for them. Some priests and bishops hid the crimes, transferred priests, allowing them to abuse children again. That is a crime in itself.

Many bishops have resigned for their failure to act according to the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 18:1-8. Jesus says a child is the greatest in the Kingdom of God, not the adults.

That kingdom may also be here on earth. Justice must be delivered for the child victim, and Jesus said that a symbolic millstone be tied around the neck of a convicted abuser and he or she be thrown into the ocean. Strong words indeed, yet Jesus underlines the innocence of children and how serious it is to abuse them. To accept and protect one is to accept Him. That is why healing and justice are so important for victims of abuse.

www.preda.org

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

Opinion

A5

Q RONQUILLO FROM A1

The wolves at Lobo’s gate foreign country.

That alone should have raised THE RED lAGS AND THE TOWN COUNCIL should have asked this question BEFORE IT WAS EVEN PRESENTED TO the authorities for consideration. !RE WE NOT PUNCHING ABOVE OUR WEIGHT LEVEL IF WE DO THIS THING WITHOUT CONSULTATION ON ITS LEGAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS FROM AUTHORITIES IN THE KNOW %VEN THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

according to Batangas Governor (ERMILANDO -ANDANAS WAS NOT informed about the dredging PROPOSAL ‡ AND ITS SUBSEQUENT APPROVAL 7E DO NOT KNOW WHAT SORTS OF THINGS WERE DISCUSSED DURing the Lobo council deliberations on the dredging contract TO 3EAGATE IN "UT WE can make an educated guess at the moment. The granting

OF AUTHORITY TO THE MAYOR WAS PROBABLY PAPERED OVER MADE TO APPEAR AS A ROUTINE AND SIMPLE BUSINESS OF THE TOWN COUNcil because of either of these reasons: hubris (the mayor and THE TOWN COUNCIL S SUPREME BELIEF THAT THEY WERE AUTHORIZED TO DEAL WITH SUCH THINGS OR THE TOWN COUNCIL DID NOT HAVE a rudimentary understanding OF INTERNATIONAL SUPPLY DEALS that involved resource extracTION AND WITHIN ‡ WE DISCOVER LATER ‡ A PROTECTED MANGROVE area at that.

7HAT WAS THE COMPENSATION AGREED ON TO BE GIVEN TO THE TOWN for every ton of sand dredged AND SHIPPED TO (ONG +ONG 7HAT GUARANTEES WERE WRITTEN to make sure that the dredgING WOULD NOT GO BEYOND THE AREA PRESCRIBED IN THE CONTRACT

7HAT FACILITATED THE SPEED AND EASE BY WHICH THE SAND DEAL WAS SEALED 7HAT KIND OF ARGUMENTS dominated the discussions on /CT

4HE RECENT NEWSPAPER REPORTS SAID THAT 3EAGATE WAS TO SELL the dredged sand to a certain Synergy Plus Holdings Ltd. for PER METRIC TON (OW MUCH OF THAT AMOUNT IF ANY WOULD GO TO ,OBO )F PERA WOULD GO TO 3EAGATE WOULD ,OBO GET THE MERE kahon UNDER THE DREDGING DEAL The second torturous issue raised by the sudden arrival of a #HINESE DREDGING SHIP OFF ,OBO IS THIS )S SELLING OF THE COUNTRY S NATURAL RESOURCES THAT EASY #AN A LOCAL COMPANY FRONTING FOR AN INTERNATIONAL kRM GO TO THE MAYOR OF A TOWN AND SAY g) NEED SAND FOR AN INTERNATIONAL PROJECT AND ) AM HERE PROPOSING A DREDG-

ING CONTRACTu 4HE DREDGING IS THE SWEETENER ‡ THE WAY TO EXTRACT THE SAND WITH A LEGAL COVER 4HE SAND TO BE EXTRACTED WILL NOT EVEN GO TO A LOCAL PROJECT OR A PROVINCIAL PROJECT BUT WILL BE SHIPPED TO A PROJECT OVERSEAS LIKE PRECIOUS MINERALS The case of Lobo says it is THAT EASY 4HE FORMER TOWN mayor and members of the council greenlighted the deal AND WERE FULLY CONVINCED ON THE gMERITSu OF THE DREDGING CONTACT WITHOUT CONSULTATIONS AND PUBLIC HEARINGS *UST LIKE THAT !PPROVED WITHOUT MUCH deliberation. And that LGU OVERREACH WOULD SEAMLESSLY PAVE THE WAY FOR THE ENTRY OF A #HINESE DREDGING SHIP IN A RIVER THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A PROTECTED AREA 4HAT SENT CHILLS AND WORRY across Lobo. The move is seen as

The Department of Wealth gone no poorer gH MY SAY

EALTH IS WEALTH u SO goes the saying. When ) FIRST ENCOUNTERED THE SAYING EARLY ON IN MY SCHOOL DAYS IT WAS FARTHEST FROM MY MIND THAT ONE DAY ) D END UP DISCOVERing it translated to its literal MEANING !T THE $EPARTMENT OF (EALTH $O( HEALTH IS MONEY 3OPHIA WAS PRACTICALLY JUST A TOT IN WHEN HER MOTHER RESPONDED TO THE $O( CALL F O R M A S S VA C C I N A T I O N W I T H $ E N G VA X I A A S A P R O T E C T I O N AGAINST DENGUE )NTO HER TEENS NOW THE GIRL GETS US ALL IN THE F A M I L Y WO R R Y I N G A B O U T H E R life each time she contracts FEVER )T HAS BEEN AMPLIFIED IN THE MEDIA THAT APPLICATION OF $ENGVAXIA ON CHILDREN WHO HAVE NOT YET BEEN INFECTED WITH THE DENGUE VIRUS PRIOR TO VACcination actually results in the drug attacking the very immune SYSTEM OF THE CHILD THERE BEING no dengue virus in the system TO ATTACK IN THE FIRST PLACE 4HAT WAS THE CASE WITH 3OPHIA WHEN SHE WAS VACCINATED W I T H T H E $ E N G V A X I A / V E R THE PAST THREE YEARS 3OPHIA S MOTHER WOULD CALL ME EACH TIME THE GIRL HAD FEVER EXPRESSING WORRY ABOUT THE $ENGVAXIA E F F E C T 4 H E L A T E S T 3 O P H I A S MOTHER CALLED ME WAS RECENTLY g Lolo GRANDPA WHAT SHALL ) DO u CRIED MY DARLING APO . g7HAT THE HELL DO ) KNOW

dammit! Ask the DoH!�

4HANK 'OD IT WAS A CASE OF 3OPHIA SIMPLY BEING AFFLICTED WITH MEASLES "UT WHEN WILL IT EVER END This anguish over Dengvaxia HANGING LIKE A $AMOCLES SWORD OVER MY GREAT GRANDCHILD S HEAD 'OD FORBID THE NEXT fever could be fatal.

Add to that the mass torment OF THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF OTHER GRANDPAS WHOSE DARLING GRANDCHILDREN WERE MADE as rodents rendered quite GULLIBLE TO THE 0IED 0IPER WHO PLAYED MUSIC OSTENSIBLY FOR THEIR PLEASURE BUT ACTUALLY FOR LEADING THEM TO PERDITION

BY DROWNING IN THE RIVER (OW many victims of Dengvaxia HAVE ACTUALLY DIED 4HE QUEStion is futile. You can only adDRESS IT TO WHERE ELSE BUT THE

MAURO GIA SAMONTE

Floor Leader Franklin Drilon GRIPING AT THE SLASH THE $EPARTment of Budget Management $"- MADE OF THE ALLOCATION FOR THE $O( S (EALTH &ACILITIES %NHANCEMENT 0ROGRAM (&%0 From the P30.26 billion outlay FOR THE PROGRAM IN THE NATIONAL BUDGET THE ALLOCATION WAS CUT DOWN TO 0 MILLION $RILON COULD NOT KEEP HIS TEMPER FROM RISING OVER WHAT EVIDENTLY WAS A MONSTROUS health budget slash.

DoH! Do you think you can GET A CORRECT ANSWER 3TILL YOU PERSEVERE YOU INVESTIGATE AND voilaĂœ 7HAT OPENS UP FOR YOU IS ONE WHOLE PANORAMA OF PERNICIOUS DEEDS BECAUSE DIRECTLY PUTTING PEOPLE S HEALTH CARE TO PERIL CAN BE THE MOTHER OF WANTON GOVERNMENTAL DELIB- The Drilon threat ERATE DISREGARD OF THE PEOPLE S PHYSICAL WELL BEING )N ONE DELIBERATION $RILON RAGED g) CANNOT IMAGINE THAT THE Lacson’s 2019 budget block budget for HFEP from P30.26 billion in 2018 [decreased] to P50 ) BELIEVED ) STUMBLED UPON ONE million. This is something really KEY TO THE ISSUE )N AN EFFORT unusual. This is something really TO DISCOVER WHAT WAS REALLY WORRISOME ) HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS MOTIVATING 3EN 0ANFILO g0INGu KIND OF A DROP u Lacson in holding back Senate $RILON WENT TO THE EXTENT OF APPROVAL OF THE NATIONAL THREATENING THUS g2ESTORE THE BUDGET ) BROWSED THROUGH AC- (EALTH DEPARTMENT S ;(&%0= counts of the number of hear- 0 " OR THE BUDGET WON T PASS u ings the Senate had conducted As dumbfounded that this on the budget bill. The P3.757- COLUMN IS OVER THE SHARP HEALTH TRILLION 'ENERAL !PPROPRIA- BUDGET CUT ) TRIED TO LOOK INTO TIONS !CT '!! HAD ALREADY THE MYSTERY AS BEST ) COULD BEEN APPROVED BY THE #ONGRESS Bicameral Conference Com- Health budget hiatus mittee and had been ratified

BY THE (OUSE OF 2EPRESENTA- According to a testimony by TIVES (O2 BUT ENCOUNTERED $"- !SSISTANT $IRECTOR *ANE FIERCE OBJECTION BY THE 3ENATE !BELLA THERE HAS BEEN POOR UTILIunder the intriguing command ZATION OF THE (&%0 FUNDS DURING of the tandem of Lacson and THE PAST YEAR 3HE SAID OF THE 0 BILLION THAT WAS ALLOCATED TO THE Senate President Tito Sotto. g7HAT GIVES u ) ASKED MYSELF THEN (&%0 IN ONLY PERCENT ) COULD NOT SWALLOW ,ACSON S OR 0 BILLION WAS OBLIGATED

TAKE THAT ITEMIZATIONS UNDER- WHILE ABOUT PERCENT OR 0 TAKEN BY THE (O2 OF THE LUMP BILLION WAS DISBURSED (ERE S HOW !BELLA WAS QUOTSUMS PROVISIONS IN THE BUDGET constitute falsification of docu- ed in one account: g'IVEN THE PERFORMANCE OF MENTS CONSIDERING THAT THE SENators themselves have done the the DoH under HFEP and based SAME )N FACT IF (OUSE $EPUTY O N T H E D I S C U S S I O N B E T WE E N 3PEAKER 2OLANDO !NDAYA *R IS [Health] Secretary [Francisco] TO BE BELIEVED THE SENATORS Duque and [Budget] Secretary HAVE FINISHED DOING THEIR OWN ;"ENJAMIN= $IOKNO THEY NEED ITEMIZATION AHEAD OF THE (OUSE a careful assessment of the "UT WHAT COULD ,ACSON BE PROGRAM BECAUSE OF THE MANY UP TO IN BLOCKING PASSAGE OF BACKLOGS u !BELLA SAID g +UNG BIBIGYAN PA SIYA NG the national budget can be the SUBJECT OF AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ADDITIONAL NA PONDO PARANG SLEUTHING 7HAT S IMPORTANT TO MAGPA PILE UP PA @YUNG MGA ME IN THIS PARTICULAR PIECE IS D A P A T P O N G G A G AW I N u S H E THAT IN LOOKING INTO ,ACSON S ADDED )F ADDITIONAL FUNDS PROBABLE MOTIVES IN THE ISSUE WERE GIVEN THAT MIGHT RESULT IN ) CAME UPON 3ENATE -INORITY THE PILING UP OF THE WORK THAT

NEEDS TO BE FINISHED u 7HAT DO WE GET FROM THE LADY S ASSERTIONS 4HAT INDEED

the DoH had all of P30.26 bilLION TO SPEND IN BUT THAT OF THAT AMOUNT ONLY 0 BILlion had been earmarked for SPENDING AND 0 BILLION WAS ACTUALLY SPENT "UT TO BEGIN WITH THE FACT THAT THE $O( (&%0 WAS GIVEN an allocation of P30.26 billion IN SIMPLY MEANS THERE WERE CONCRETE UNDERTAKINGS THE AGENCY HAD IN PLACE FOR PUTTING IN THAT MUCH EXPENDITURE 4HEREFORE FROM THIS GIVEN

QUESTIONS ARISE &IRST WHAT WERE THOSE UNDERTAKINGS .EXT WHY WAS ONLY PERCENT OF THE ALlotted budget actually disbursed WHEN ALL OF THE REMAINING PERCENT WAS THERE ALL FOR THE TAKING 7ERE THERE REALLY THOSE UNDERTAKINGS FOR WHICH THE 0 BILLION WAS ALLOCATED )F THERE WERE WHY WERE THEY NOT IMPLEMENTED )F THERE WERE NONE WHY WAS THE 0 BUDGET GRANTED IN THE FIRST PLACE

Ultimate question Harking back to the day-to-day anguish of a mother over the POTENTIAL LOSS OF A DARLING CHILD AS A RESULT OF $ENGVAXIA ) DARE NOW ASK THE ULTIMATE QUESTION 7AS THIS PRESENCE OF A HUGE allocation for actually a nonEXISTENT ‡ OR TO MAKE IT SOUND A LITTLE MORE GENERIC NON PERFORMING ‡ HEALTH FACILITIES ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM THE REAL CASE THAT GAVE WAY TO SCHEMING A MASS VACCINATION CAMPAIGN FOR WHICH THERE WAS NO NEED AT ALL BUT FROM WHICH GENERATING HUGE PRIVATE MONEY WAS EASY There definitely dangled the GREAT POTENTIAL OF GARGANTUAN PROFITS FROM $ENGVAXIA )S IT A COINCIDENCE THAT WHAT WAS SPENT FOR THE $O( (&%0 IN

0 BILLION WAS JUST a billion shy of the P3.5 bilLION WORTH OF THE DISCREDITED Dengvaxia used to virtually massacre 1.5 million schoolchildren in 2016!

(OW LONG HAS THIS ANOMALY BEEN GOING ON AT THE $O( (EALTH CARE MY FOOTĂœ 7EALTH CARE YOU MEAN

Q SALUDO FROM A4

At Lent, let us empty ourselves for Christ to fill the eternal communion and comMUNICATION AMONG 'OD S THREE 0ERSONS &ATHER 3ON AND 3PIRIT Sacrifice and self-denial mirROR THE #REATOR S DISREGARD OF (IMSELF WHEN (E MADE THE UNIVERSE EVEN IF (IS CREATURES ADDED NOTHING TO (IS PERFECTION AND EVEN CONTRADICTED (IS WILL AND ORDER FOR THE WORLD !ND HELPING THE NEEDY IS WHAT God Himself does in sustaining ALL CREATION WHICH WOULD NOT JUST WITHER AWAY BUT INSTANTLY vanish if He ceased to maintain it in existence. )N SUM PRAYER SELF DENIAL AND CHARITY OPEN US TO 'OD

and echo His communion in THE "LESSED 4RINITY (IS ACCEPTANCE OF A FLAWED FALLEN WORLD CONTRARY TO (IS PERFECTION AND (IS PROVIDENCE FOR A COSMOS UTTERLY DEPENDENT ON (IM ,ET S DO THEM /F COURSE ,ENT S THREE OBSERvances advance sanctity even MORE IF PRACTICED

TO JUDGE OTHERS LIKE THE 0HARIsees disdaining sinners in the 'OSPEL ACCOUNT &OR HER PART

THE COOK AND CLEANING LADY JUST

SAW IN THE )SAIAH VERSES THE STERN AUTHORITY OF HER PARENTS AND OTHER ELDERS AND SUPERIORS *ESUS OF COURSE WAS NEITHER JUDGMENTAL NOR STERN IN THE 'OSPEL STORY BUT FORGIVING WHILE still admonishing the adulterous The greatest act of God WOMAN NOT TO SIN ANYMORE )N HIS PUBLIC APOLOGY FOR HIS At our home Lectio Divina or SEX VIDEO GONE VIRAL POP STAR Bible reflection session last *IM 0AREDES SAID SEXUAL SIN IS 4HURSDAY NIGHT THE PERSONAL the most human of transgresand office assistant of this SIONS -ERCIFULLY HOWEVER WHILE WRITER S MOTHER SAID SHE TENDED HUMANITY ERRS DIVINITY FORGIVES

And that is the greatest act of 'OD WE CAN DO )N LAST 3UNDAY S PRODIGAL SON STORY IN TODAY S aborted stoning of the sinful WOMAN AND MOST FULLY AND POWERFULLY IN (IS 0ASSION AND $EATH DURING (OLY 7EEK THE greatest act of God as man is EXPOUNDED MERCY FOR SINNERS

INCLUDING THOSE WHO CRUCIFIED (IM FOR THE SALVATION OF ALL &ORGIVENESS DENIES THE SELF S DEMAND FOR JUSTICE AND ANSWERS THE OFFENDER S PRAYER AND PETITION FOR REPENTANCE AND ANOTHER CHANCE 0RAYER FASTING AND ALMSGIVING ALTOGETHER )T IS THE GREATEST ACT OF 'OD WE CAN DO !MEN

PART OF #HINA S PLAN TO LITERALLY MILITARIZE THE 7EST 0HILIPPINE Sea and send all those research vessels to the Benham Rise. And build all those useless dams at TERMS THAT ARE SIMPLY ONEROUS AND DISADVANTAGEOUS TO &ILIPINOS The next big question that IS UPPERMOST IN THE MINDS OF MANY CONCERNED &ILIPINOS IS THIS 7AS ,OBO THE FIRST TOWN IN THE 0HILIPPINES WHOSE ,'5 HAS demonstrated that kind of misPLACED AUDACITY /R ARE THERE other LGUs that have been tradING AWAY PART OF THE NATIONAL PATRIMONY USING DUBIOUS COVERS SUCH AS gAUTHORITY TO DREDGE u /R PHONY EXTRACTION PERMITS Many LGU leaders in the COUNTRY OPERATE WITH A MINDSET THAT THE DEVOLUTION LAW HAS GIVEN THEM THE POWER TO OVERreach. They sign multimillion

PESO LOANS WITHOUT SUFFICIENT FEASIBILITY STUDY 4HEY PROVIDE LENDING BANKS WITH SPURIOUS DOCUMENTS AND PROJECTIONS TO ARGUE THEIR BORROWINGS 4HEY ISSUE LAND ZONING RULES TO FAVOR DEVELOPERS AND WHICH OFTEN lead to the conversion of A-1 irrigated lands into residential DEVELOPMENTS "UT NOTHING IS AS WORRISOME AS THE ABUSE OF ,'5 POWER IN ,OBO "ATANGAS 4HE WOLVES ARE at bay because of the hubris of THAT TOWN MAYOR AND HIS PLIABLE TOWN COUNCIL 4HE FACILITATOR OF THE DREDGING CONTRACT 3EAGATE "UILDSYSTEMS HAD PREVIOUSly defied orders to move the Chinese dredger out of Lobo because of its belief that LGU OVERREACH WAS LEGAL AND BINDING /VERREACH PLUS SHIPLOADS OF GALL AND CHUTZPAH

Our waterways policy is crony capitalism disguised as patriotism WASHINGTON, D.C.: 4HE PRESIDENT HAS RECEIVED FROM ONE OF HIS EMPLOYEES #OMMERCE 3ECRETARY 7ILBUR 2OSS A REPORT THAT PROBABLY TELLS 2OSS EMPLOYER WHAT HE WANTS TO HEAR THAT IMPORTS OF CARS ‡ g4HE Audis are coming! The Audis are COMINGĂœu ‡ THREATEN gNATIONAL SECURITY u 4HIS REPORT IS REQUIRED by our lackadaisical Congress SO IT CAN PRETEND TO BE INVOLVED IN SETTING TRADE POLICY !FTER THE PRESIDENT S YES MAN SAYS g9ESu TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT THE PRESIDENT CAN UNILATERALLY RAISE TAXES I E TARIFFS WHICH ARE PAID BY !MERICANS TO SLOW THE lOW OF CARS TO !MERICANS WHO WANT THEM Using national security as an excuse for economic foolishNESS IN THE SERVICE OF CUPIDITY

IS NOTHING NEW 7HAT IS NOVEL NOWADAYS IS A LEGISLATOR STANDING ATHWART FOOLISHNESS YELLING g3TOPĂœu !LTHOUGH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to imagine Sen. Mike Lee yelling.

4HE 5TAH 2EPUBLICAN HE OF THE WHITE SHIRTS BLUE SUITS

subdued ties and measured WORDS SOFTLY SPOKEN IN STATELY CADENCES LACKS THE DEMEANOR OF A BRAWLER SPOILING FOR A FIGHT (E HAS HOWEVER JUST PICKED one concerning a small sliver of SOMETHING VAST ‡ CRONY CAPITALISM DISGUISED AS PATRIOTISM The Merchant Marine Act of

AKA THE *ONES !CT WAS PASSED AFTER ONE WAR AND SUPPOSEDLY IN ANTICIPATION OF OTHERS )TS PURPORTED PURPOSE WAS TO ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT of a merchant marine sufficient FOR WAR OR OTHER gNATIONAL EMERGENCY u .INETY NINE YEARS LATER

THE NATION IS IN A gNATIONAL EMERGENCYu PRESIDENTIAL DISAPPOINTMENT REGARDING HIS WALL emergencies and national secuRITY CRISES MULTIPLY AS THE EASE of declaring them increases. .EVER MIND 4HE *ONES !CT HAS failed to achieve its stated aims WHILE INFLICTING SUBSTANTIAL UNANTICIPATED COSTS ENRICHING A FEW BUSINESSES AND UNIONS

AND PLEASING THE CONGRESSIOnal committees and six federal agencies that have oversight JURISDICTION UNDER THE ACT ,EE S /PEN !MERICA S 7ATERS !CT OF WOULD REPEAL THE *ONES !CT S REQUIREMENTS THAT CARGO TRANSPORTED BY WATER BETWEEN 53 PORTS MUST TRAVEL IN SHIPS THAT ARE 53 BUILT 53 OWNED 53 REGISTERED AND 53 CREWED #OLIN 'RABOW

)NU -ANAK AND $ANIEL )KENSON OF 7ASHINGTON S #ATO )NSTITUTE DEMONSTRATE THAT UNDER ‡ AND LARGELY BECAUSE OF ‡ THE *ONES !CT THE FOLLOWING HAS HAPPENED /NE OF THE NATION S GEOGRAPHIC ADVANTAGES ‡ TENS OF THOUSANDS of miles of coastline and inland WATERWAYS ‡ HAS BEEN MINIMIZED BY MAKING IT OFF LIMITS TO FOREIGN COMPETITION IN TRANSPORTATION 4HIS INCREASES TRANSPORTATION COSTS WHICH RIPPLE THROUGH THE PRODUCTION PROCESS AS A SIGNIkCANT PORTION OF THE costs of goods. Because of the

WASHINGTON POST WRITERS GROUP

GEORGE F. WILL *ONES !CT S COSTLY MANDATES

LESS CARGO IS SHIPPED BY WATER

MERCHANT MARINERS HAVE FEWER JOBS AND MORE CARGO IS CARRIED

BY TRUCK RAIL AND AIR WHICH ARE more environmentally damaging THAN WATER TRANSPORTATION 4WO OF !MERICA S MOST CONGESTED HIGHWAYS ) AND ) ARE ALONG THE !TLANTIC AND 0ACIkC COASTS

RESPECTIVELY 9ET THE AMOUNT OF CARGO SHIPPED BY WATER ALONG THE coasts and on the Great Lakes is ABOUT HALF THE VOLUME OF 3INCE THEN RAILROAD FREIGHT VOLume has increased about 50 PERCENT AND VOLUME BY INTERCITY TRUCKS ‡ RESPONSIBLE FOR PERCENT OF FEDERAL HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE COSTS ‡ HAS INCREASED MORE THAN PERCENT ! HOG FARMER IN .ORTH #AROLINA PURCHASES CORN FEED FROM #ANADA RATHER THAN )OWA BECAUSE DELIVERY COSTS MAKE THE )OWA CORN UNCOMPETITIVE ! (AWAIIAN RANCHER lIES cattle to West Coast feedlots and SLAUGHTERHOUSES TO AVOID *ONES !CT SHIPPING COSTS !LTHOUGH THE 5NITED 3TATES IS THE WORLD S SECOND LARGEST PRODUCER OF ROCK SALT

Maryland and Virginia buy theirs FOR WINTER USE FROM #HILE BECAUSE OF *ONES !CT SHIPPING COSTS As for military considerations: 4ROOPS GET TO TODAY S WARS BY aircraft. And the antiquated mariTIME lEET CARRIED JUST PERCENT of the cargo in the 2002-2003 BUILDUP FOR THE )RAQ 7AR 4 H E * O N E S !C T I L L U S T R A T E S HOW PROTECTIONISM CREATES DEPENDENT INDUSTRIES THAT THEN squander resources (ingenuITY MONEY ON MANIPULATING the government. The act also illustrates the asymmetry that EXPLAINS MUCH OF WHAT GOVERNMENT DOES ‡ THE LAW OF DISPERSED COSTS AND CONCENTRATED BENEFITS 4HE ACT S LIKELY ANNUAL costs to the economy (tens of BILLIONS ARE TOO WIDELY DISTRIBUTED TO BE MUCH NOTICED ITS BENEFITS ENRICH A RELATIVE FEW

WHO USE THEIR ILL GOTTEN PROFITS to finance the defense of the GOVERNMENT S FAVORITISM 3PURIOUS gNATIONAL SECURITYu concerns tend to descend into SLAPSTICK g4HE !UDIS ARE COMINGĂœu AS WITH THIS HYPOTHETIcal horrible imagined by a US SHIPPING EXECUTIVE DEFENDING THE *ONES !CT g) WOULDN T WANT .ORTH +OREA MOVING BARGES AND TUGBOATS UP AND DOWN THE -ISSISSIPPI 2IVER )F YOU DON T HAVE THIS LAW THAT COULD OCCUR u (UCK S RAFT CROWDED OFF THE RIVER BY +IM *ONG 5N S VESSELS -AKE YOUR BLOOD BOIL /R YOUR RIBS ACHE FROM LAUGHTER (C) 2019, WASHINGTON POST WRITERS GROUP

A6

Opinion

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

2020: Socialist America or Trump’s America?

Burying it when it’s alive and digging it up when it’s dead

T

HE United States is preocbewildered with his style even now.

MIRRORLESS cupied with its border, the *** United Kingdom with its Brexit Who said Environment and and France with the Yellow Shirts.

Natural Resources Secretary Roy Meanwhile, the Philippines is Cimatu is afraid of China? busy with viral videos and the In an order dated April 3, he May elections. I think we should suspended the environmental remain as a developing country rather than acquire clearance certificate (ECC) of Seagate EngineerTHE SAME STATUS AS THAT OF THE kRST THREE ing and Buildsystems, the company linked to the Former Davao City Vicemayor Paolo Duterte dredging vessel that docked off Lobo, Batangas. broke his silence and accused Sen. Antonio The company was issued two ECCs on the conTrillanes 4th of being behind the viral video dition that it would submit to the department all accusing him of receiving payoffs from a drug the required permits and clearances from other syndicate. Nothing is new. The national nuisance concerned government agencies within 60 days has to grab the headlines, lest he be forgotten. He before it could begin any project. is still in love with that famous song of the late — DENR’s chief has no patience playing mahDiomedes Maturan, “The Rose Tattoo.� jong or Chinese checker.

Duterte also hinted that his staunch critic, op*** position Senator Trillanes, was behind the black Nowadays, one thing is sure. You will never propaganda against them. In return, the President get a ticket for speeding on EDSA. But beware called the senator “gay.� of weird “ kotong � cops who would cite you for I think he’s not happy being gay. obstructing an already nonmoving traffic. *** *** I can’t help but be amused when I frequently Alam Ba News? see Senate President Tito Sotto and Sen. Ping If Oktoberfest is a world-famous German event, Lacson hogging the headlines these days. Year why does it start in September?

2022 quickly comes to mind.

Uncle WIKI says the first Oktoberfest was *** held on Oct. 12, 1810. That was to celebrate the Politics is supposed to be the second oldest marriage of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess profession. I have come to realize that it bears a Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen, according very close resemblance to the first kind. to Oktoberfest.de. The celebration ran through *** October 17, concluding with a horse race. As the I dread the day when the next generation com- Oktoberfest celebrations were repeated year after year, it was later extended and moved into the municates in acronyms like this: ASAP BTW FWIW FYI IMHO IMO ROTFL RTFM last weeks of September to allow festival goers to TIA OMG STBY TLC TTYL K TYVM WTF WYWH enjoy the warmer weather outside the beer tents. *** XOXO SWAK TNX. I suggest such language be I am at a loss with these phrases: called “Acronish.�

If there is dry humor, is there also wet humor? *** Why is there “lost and found� but no “found and lost�?

To fight for what is right is normal. To fight Why is there “come in black tie,� but not “come for what is wrong is abnormal. Not to fight for in white tie�? anything or to fight without a reason is stupid.

When will restaurants put up a sign “Last come, *** If someone says that drinking is bad for your first served�?

If there’s a raw footage, is there a cooked footage? health, just reply by saying the real truth is that *** health is bad for drinking.

MacKenzie Bezos, ex-wife of Amazon.com Inc. *** ) HAVE TO QUOTE A PART OF -AYOR $IGONG S kRST 3/.! founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, will give 75 percent of “I know that there are those who do not ap- their stake in the company and all voting rights to prove of my methods of fighting criminality, the billionaire entrepreneur. Her remaining stake the sale and use of illegal drugs and corruption. is worth about $36 billion at current market prices. — It is quite hard to be unhappy when billions They say that my methods are unorthodox and verge on the illegal. In response let me say this: are at stake. *** I have seen how corruption bled the government De Lima lecturing on human rights is like Kim of funds, which were allocated to uplifting the Jong Un preaching civil liberty. poor from the mire that they are in. *** I have seen how criminality, by means all foul, Quote of the week: snatched from the innocent and the unsuspect“You don’t stop laughing when you grow old, ing, the years and years of accumulated savings.

Look at this from that perspective and tell me you grow old when you stop laughing.� — George Bernard Shaw that I am wrong.� *** — That mayor from Davao won the 2016 elections Good work, good deeds and good faith to all. with these thoughts in mind. And many are still

ROLLY G. REYES

I

N the new Democratic Party, where women and people of color are to lead, and the white men are to stand back, the presiDENTIAL kELD HAS BEGUN TO SORT ITSELF out somewhat problematically.

According to a Real Clear Politics average of five polls between mid-March and April 1, four white men — Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, “Beto�

O’Rourke and Pete Buttigieg — have corralled 62 percent of all Democratic voters.

The three white women running — Senators Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Kirsten Gillibrand — have, together, a piddling 8 percent.

The lone Hispanic candidate, Julian Castro, is at 1 percent.

African American candidates Kamala Harris and Cory Booker fare better, with Harris at 10 and Booker at 3.

Who has raised the most money from the most contributors?

Sanders is first with $18 million; Harris is next with $12 million; Beto is third with $9 million in 18 days; and “Mayor Pete� is fourth with $7 million.

Warren, Klobuchar and Gillibrand have yet to file reports.

But the big takeaway from recent weeks is the sudden stunning vulnerability of the frontrunner. Seven women have come forward to berate Biden for unwanted and offensive touching and crowding. Joe is on the defensive. Some in the #MeToo movement want him gone.

He is also being slammed for decisions across his 36-year Senate career — opposing busing for integration, deserting Anita Hill in the Clarence Thomas hearings, supporting a racially discriminatory crime bill, voting to authorize George W. Bush to take us into war in Iraq.

And unkindest cut of all: Barack Obama’s stony silence about Joe’s candidacy.

The most compelling case for the 76-year-old ex-vice president is that he can win back Trump’s white working-class voters, and return Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania to the Democratic fold.

Thus a major drop in Biden’s

CREATORS SYNDICATE

PATRICK J. BUCHANAN polls could be terminal to his candidacy.

If Biden can’t guarantee a victory over Trump, why go with Joe? Yet, if he fades away as a candidate, as he has done twice before, who emerges as front-runner?

The 77-year-old Socialist Bernie Sanders. If Joe fades, Bernie and the comrades will have removed the last large roadblock to a socialist takeover of the national Democratic Party.

And what would then happen if the Democrats simply held the House, added three Senate seats and defeated Trump in 2020?

An all-out effort to abolish the Electoral College that is integral to the historic compromise that created our federal Union.

Puerto Rico and D.C. would become states, giving Democrats four more Senators and making America a bilingual nation.

A drive would be on to give 16-year-olds and convicted felons the right to vote in federal elections, freezing Republicans out of power forever. A packing of the Supreme Court would begin by raising by six the number of justices and elevating liberal activists to the new seats.

O n t h e s o u t h e r n b o r d e r, where 100,000 illegal migrants were apprehended in March, Trump’s wall would come down, all peoples fleeing repression in Central America would be welcomed into the US, sanctuary cities would become the norm, and ICE would be abolished.

Open borders would be a reality, along with amnesty for the 12 million to 20 million people here illegally, with a path to citizenship for all.

It is impossible to see how the US border would ever be secured.

The Green New Deal would be enacted. Medicare for all.

Free tuition for college students.

Millennial college debts paid off by the government. Free pre-K schooling and daycare.

Guaranteed jobs for all. A guaranteed living wage. Repeal of the Reagan and Trump tax cuts.

A re-raising of the corporate rate and a return of the top rate for individuals to 70 percent. New wealth taxes on the rich.

With climate change seen as an existential planetary peril, fossil fuel-powered energy plants — coal, oil, natural gas — would be phased out and a new national reliance on solar and wind begun.

There would be reparations for slavery. Abortion on demand right up to birth for all women.

Marijuana would be legalized.

Harris has urged that prostitution, sex work, be legalized.

How would the Green New Deal be paid for?

Under “modern monetary theory,� currency is a public monopoly for the government, and unemployment is evidence that the monopoly is choking off the needed supply. So print the money necessary to get to rising wages, full employment and a booming economy.

To achieve Bernie Sanders’ Socialist America, the filibuster would have to be abolished, easily done, and the Constitution altered, requiring the support of three-fourths of the states, not so easy.

Yet, as of today, the unannounced front-runner Joe Biden, who is taking fire from many quarters, appears to be the last man standing between Sanders Socialism and the Democratic nomination.

Should Joe falter and fall, Trump would be the nation’s last line of defense against the coming of a Socialist America. For never-Trump conservatives, the day of reckoning may be just ahead.

CREATORS.COM

Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of “Nixon’s White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever.� To find out more about Patrick Buchanan and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators website at www.creators.com.

In diverse Southeast Asia, growing ethnic and religious intolerance poses serious threat to stability BY JOSEF BENEDICT KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: When the one-year anniversary of Malaysia’s historic presidential election outcome rolls around in early May, the wave of euphoria that followed it will be all but a wistful memory.

The surprise outcome that ended 61 years of interrupted rule by the Barisan Nasional coalition party, brought with it fresh hope that winning Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) party would bring the “New Malaysia� — as it became known — the positive change many yearned for.

So, why the gloomy mood now?

One reason is Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s failure to make good on many of his promises around political and institutional reforms.

There were some early encouraging policy shifts initially but since then progress has been extremely slow. Another reason, for many in Southeast Asia’s most ethnically and religiously diverse nation, is the worrying rise of religious and ethnic intolerance.

Signs of this trend of intolerance have been emerging for a few years now but have become more prominent as of proMalay rights groups and Malay based political parties — now in the opposition — have become more vocal about perceived threats to their interests.

The Malays — who almost all are Muslim- are the country’s largest ethnic group comprising about 60 percent of the population.

In December, Mahathir had to drop his pledge to ratify a UN treaty on racial discrimination

amid intense pressure — from these groups who claimed it would jeopardise affirmative action policies benefitting them.

These right-wing groups — such as Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) — over the years have also mobilized again attempts to introduce laws and policies for gender equality and demonised minorities like Shia’ Muslims as well as LGBT people.

Human rights defenders and civil society groups in Malaysia who have defended these rights have often faced intimidation and threats from these groups.

In Southeast Asia — and the world, for that matter — Malaysia is not alone. Group-based intol-

erance and anti-rights activism is a global trend that’s growing along with the power of rightwing populism that has ushered in regressive leaders from the US to Brazil to The Philippines.

The State of Civil Society 2019, a newly-released annual report on threats to civil society globally over the past year, by civil society alliance, Civicus, shows that minority GROUPS ARE BEING VILIkED BY RIGHtwing populist politicians, antirights groups and citizens who are being persuaded to blame those who have the fewest rights for their understandable concerns about insecurity, inequality, poverty and isolation from power.

While the state traditionally

the capital city, Jakarta.

Basuki “Ahok� Tjahaja Purnama was accused of insulting Islam after had accused his opponents of using a Quranic verse that suggests Muslims should not choose non-Muslims as leaders in order to trick people into voting against him.

Following mass protests and pressure from these hardline g r o u p s, A h o k wa s c h a r g e d and convicted for blasphemy.

These dynamics seems to have INlUENCED )NDONESIA S UPCOMING elections this month with incumbent president Joko Widodo’s choice of a conservative Muslim cleric as his running mate, some say for one purpose: to split the conservative Muslim vote.

Of course, by far, the biggest AND MOST EXTREME lASHPOINT OF religious and ethnic intolerance and persecution in the region has has had a monopoly on repres- been in the nation of Myanmar. sion in Southeast Asia, we are While the Muslim minority, seeing anti-rights groups active- particular the Rohingya, have ly coming to the fore to target faced discrimination for years, minority groups in a number of it escalated with the militarybacked government’s passing of a countries in the region.

Beyond their campaigns to raft of so-called race and religion marginalize minorities, these laws ahead of the 2015 elections.

These laws were lobbied for by groups have also have been able to influence the state to become Ashin Wirathu, vitriolic monk and leader of the ultra-nationalist Budmore conservative.

In Indonesia, we saw this dhist group, Association for Protecplaying out a few years ago with tion of Race and Religion (Ma Ba hardline Islamist groups such as Tha), which has links to the state. the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) Since then we have seen the — who have demanded that Mus- violent persecution and dislim leaders formally adopt sharia placement of tens of thousands law and label non-Muslims as of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine gINkDELSu ‡ MOBILIZING AGAINST state. Hardline Buddhists have the Christian former mayor of continued to use Facebook to

fuel hate speech.

Despite the influence of these anti-rights groups, civil society in Southeast Asia is pushing back. In Malaysia, human rights activists are leveraging media to counter the divisive ethic and religious rhetoric of right-wing groups and to call for a new national narrative which focuses on inclusion and diversity.

In Indonesia, civil society groups are working closely with youth and moderate Islamic organizations such as Nadhatul Ulama — which has around 90 million members — to challenge intolerance and organize interfaith dialogues while in Myanmar civil society has called out Facebook for failing to address hate speech that incites violence.

These kinds of strategies — and other effective solutions to countering the widespread rise in the power of anti-rights groups and their impact on democracy in the region and internationally — will be high on the agenda when more than 900 civil society leaders and activists from around the globe meeting in Belgrade next week for International Civil Society Week, the world’s largest civil society gathering.

While the growing threats are increasingly worrying, social movements and civil society organizations equally are mobilizing to rise to the challenge. IPS

Josef Benedict is a civil space researcher with global civil society alliance, CIVICUS, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The ËœSunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Nationinbriefs ‘MISSING’ LANAO SUR POLICE OFFICER FOUND MARAWI CITY: Corporal Gilbert Males, the police officer who was reported missing after a firefight which stemmed from an operation in Madamba, Lanao del Sur, has resurfaced and been reunited with his troops. Col. Madzgani Mukaram, Lanao del Sur Police Provincial Office chief, said Madamba local officials and the police safely turned over Males on Friday afternoon to his office. Males was one of the police operatives who served the warrant of arrest on Wednesday in Barangay Ilian against five suspects for murder, which resulted in a firefight. Killed in the clash were suspects Usop Malubay Abdulazis, Zainoden Moro Macalantas Ameril and Alican Macabuntal alias MkigUsman, and civilianCasara Macalantas who was not included in the arrest warrant. The suspects are believed to be members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which now leads the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The police added that the eight other operatives and two civilians, who were wounded in the crossfire are now in stable condition. It was said that at the height of the firefight Males, while tactically maneuvering, was chased by the suspects’ companions. He was separated from the team and failed to regroup with his troop.

At dawn of April 5, local folk saw Males hiding among the bushes near the road and helped him change into civilian clothes to hide his identity for fear that supporters of the suspects might see him. A former town councilor later brought Males to the house of the Madamba mayor who turned him over to provincial police headquarters.

MASIDINGÂ NOORÂ YAHYA

JAILED NEGROS VICE MAYOR, HUSBAND RELEASED ON BAILÂ BACOLOD CITY:Â Moises Padilla Vice Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo and her husband Felix Mathias Segundo Yulo 3rd were released from jail on Friday after posting P10,000 bail each. Garcia-Yulo and her husband surrendered to authorities on Sept. 11, 2018, in relation to the illegal possession of explosive and firearms charges filed against them.

But were locked up at the La Castellana town jail until October 9. They were transferred to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology district jail in Bago City until their release, after six months and three weeks in detention. In October 2018, Garcia-Yulo was allowed by the court to file her certificate of candidacy for mayor at the Commission on Elections office in Moises Padilla, with handcuffs and under heavy security. The Regional Trial Court Branch 63 in La Carlota issued warrants of arrest against the Yulos for illegal possession of explosives allegedly found in their vehicle during a police checkpoint in December 2017. The couple claim that the explosives were planted.

EUGENE Y. ADIONGÂ

$500-M power plant up in Bataan soon BALANGA CITY, Bataan: A 100-megawatt (MGW) power plant using solid wastes funded for $500 million is undergoing documentation for its operation at the Freeport Area of Mariveles in Bataan, a British banker said.

David Wood, chief executive officer (CEO) of Cocopower Energy Company who will fund the project, said it would be under the Public, Private Partnership, at almost no cost to the provincial government.

The facilitator of the project, Mar Supnad, said the provincial government would provide 15 hectares of land as counterpart. He said funding was ready and once DOCUMENTATION WAS kNISHED THE proponents would start construction of the plant in May. Wood said the project, using state-of-the-art Australian technology, would be the first in Bataan and the Philippines that would process solid wastes into energy. “It is green energy to replace coal. The technology will solve environmental problems,� he said.

Wood added that for the f i r s t 50 M G W p h a s e o f t h e project, 1,500 tons of garbage

would be needed.

If the garbage supply will not be enough, the company will ask farmers to plant Napier grass as fuel for the plant that would provide additional income for the residents.

Wood said there would be no more landfills with the plant’s close to zero harmful emission and smokeless fuel.

Meanwhile, Edgardo Rivera, CEO of the Disruptive Corp. that would provide the technology and machinery for the plant, said they would strictly comply with the country’s Solid Waste Management Act. Bataan is host to various power plants. A 600-MGW coal power plant is now operating in Mariveles town, while another 600-MGW plant is nearing completion in the area. There are also plans to build additional coal power plants in the town.

Another 1,200-MGW coal power plant is about to operate in Limay town with a smaller plant already in operation.

A Korean investor recently pledged to put up a 600-MGW thermal power plant at $1 billion.

ERNIE B. ESCONDE

Regions ASG Indonesian hostage dies, troops rescue another SUNDAY April 7, 2019

BY AL JACINTO AND ROY D.R. NARRAÂ

Z

AMBOANGA CITY: An Indonesian hostage of the pro-Islamic State Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) drowned while his compatriot was rescued by Filipino soldiers while fleeing from a firefight with the bandits on Simisa Island, about 30 nautical miles off Sulu.

Officials said Hariadin, 45, drowned as he escaped at the height of the firefight with his companion Heri Ardiansyah, 19, who was rescued by the troops.

The ASG bandits kidnapped the two, along with Malaysian kSHER *ARI !BDULLAH

LAST $Ecember off Sabah and brought them to the forested island where security forces had been pursuing the ASG since last month. The troops rescued Abdullah on April

4 on after a clash with the bandits on the island. “The Joint Task Force Sulu said they engaged militants and the captives tried to swim across the channel towards Bangalao Island to escape from the pursuing troops when they were spotted by the roving sea patrols,� the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) said.

The Philippine Marine Ready Force Sulu and Naval Task Group

Sulu were on sea patrol along the northwest portion of Simisa Island at about 5:45 p.m. on Friday when they spotted the group with the kidnap victims.

Ardiansyah and Hariadin tried TO lEE FROM THEIR KIDNAPPERS BY USING A MAKESHIFT lOTATION DEVICE TO swim across the channel towards Bangalao Island. But when the government forces approached the lOATING DEVICE THEY SPOTTED FROM a distance to investigate, they were kRED UPON BY THE TERRORISTS The kidnap victims used the MINUTE kREkGHT AS OPPORTUNITY to escape, but Hariadin drowned. “The 10-minute gun battle further resulted in the deaths of three Abu Sayyaf militants and the seizure of several highPOWERED kREARMS INCLUDING TWO - RIlES TWO - RIlES AND an M203 Grenade Launcher,� the military added.

A7

A Naval ship brought Ardiansyah to the Camp Navarro Station Hospital for treatment.

Security forces continue to hunt the bandits under Najir Arik on Simisa, according to Lt. Gen. Arnel de la Vega, the regional military commander. “Marine troops constrict Abu Sayyaf’s movement with the allout offensives launched to pound terrorists on the island,� he said.

While the hunt for bandits conTINUES ON THE ISLAND kERCE kGHTING in Patikul town killed three soldiers and wounded more than 20, both from the sides of the ASG and the military, after the Army clashed with at least 80 bandits led by Hajan Sawadjaan on Friday.

The operation was ongoing in the hinterlands of Patikul, the bandits’ stronghold, where the ASG fighters broke into smaller groups.

Go to champion Bulacan development FORMER special assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong� Go on Friday vowed to help boost the development of Bulacan, as he expressed gratitude to the overwhelming support of the residents when his motorcade went around around Meycauayan City and the towns of Marilao and Santa Maria. “Anyone would be happy with the kind of warm reception you have given us. Thank you very much to all my brothers here in Bulacan,� Go said.

He also thanked Bulakenyos for their support to President Rodrigo Duterte, noting that Bulacan was among the provinces in Luzon where Duterte won in the 2016 presidential elections.

'O SAID "ULACAN WOULD BENEkT from various development projects under the Build, Build, Build infrastructure program. “Bulacan is lucky because the Duterte administration has many projects that would help in the progress of the province. If elected to the Senate, you could count on my support for these projects,� he said.

Among others, Go cited the P255-billion project for the extension of the Philippine National Railway service from Tutuban in Manila, traversing Malolos in Bulacan, up to Pampanga. It started last February 15 and is expected to be completed by the last quarter of 2021.

There was also the Arterial Road By-pass Project-Phase 2, inaugurated on April 30, 2018 that was meant to link North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) in Balagtas, Bulacan with the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway, also called Maharlika Highway, in San Rafael town.

WARM RECEPTION

Senate aspirant Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go (inset) reacts to Bulakenyos who lined the roads cheering and greeting him with President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature clenched fist. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO “And one of the biggest projects THAT WOULD BENEkT "ULAKENYOS IS the Bulacan International Airport Project,� Go said.

The privately-funded project costing P735.6 billion would include a passenger terminal building with airside and landside facilities, and an 8.4-kilometer tollway to serve as airport access connecting to NLEX in Marilao.

San Miguel Corp. plans to start construction activities this year.

Go said he would also push for improved delivery of medical services in the country, noting that many

public hospitals and health institutions lack the necessary facilities to handle the volume of patients.

Part of this advocacy is the establishment of the Malasakit Center, a one-stop shop bringing together in one room the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philipinee Charity Sweepstakes Office and Philippine Health Insurance Corp. to make it easier for indigent patients to avail of MEDICAL AND kNANCIAL ASSISTANCE from the government. “There is a Malasakit Center at

the Bulacan Medical Center that was launched on Dec. 11, 2018,�

Go said, adding there are now 34 Malasakit Centers in various areas of the country.

He wants to pass a law that would enable the establishment of a Malasakit Center in more provinces and key urban centers in the country, and ensure as well the continuity of the program even after the Duterte administration.

Go said he intends to serve the people the way he served Duterte for over 21 years — with integrity and honesty.

Special Report

Zamboanga suffers from lack of power supply

BY AL JACINTO

(First of two parts) ZAMBOANGA CITY: Exasperated by the regular brownouts, Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar demanded the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (Zamcelco) to pay up its overdue accounts to electricity supplier Western Mindanao Power Corp. (WMPC) to resolve the daily power outages.

WMPC cut off the supply of electricity to Zamcelco — now under the management of Crown Investments Holdings Inc. and Desco Inc. — after it refused to pay its overdue account of P235 million.

Crown Investments Holdings Inc. and Desco Inc. took over Zamcelco in January this year after bailing out the heavily indebted and poorly managed electric cooperative for P2.5 billion.

Zamcelco is claiming that WMPC over-

billed the electric cooperative since 2015

by P440 million.

WMPC is being run by Alto Power Management Corp., a partnership between Alsons Consolidated Resources Inc. through Conal Holdings Corp. and Toyota Tshusho Corp. of Japan. It also operates diesel plants of the Mapalad Power Corp. in Iligan City and the Southern Philippines Power Corp. in Sarangani province.

It was unknown whether former :AMCELCO OFkCIALS HAD KNOWLEDGE OF THE overbilling or not, but many executives had been sacked in the past years by the .ATIONAL %LECTRIkCATION !DMINISTRATION on corruption allegations. None had been criminally charged.

Now both Zamcelco and WMPC are locked in a legal battle, with Zamboanga suffering the brunt of the business rift between the two companies. Zam-

celco also stopped buying electricity from WMPC and is now scouting for new suppliers. It also acquired more expensive diesel-powered generators to be able to supply Zamboanga’s power demand of at least 80 megawatts.

Salazar said rotational power outages, which began in February, have already affected the local economy with many business establishments spending more on fuel to run their generators for hours on a daily basis.

The lack of household electricity also put a heavy burden on residents and many of them rely on Zamcelco for power supply because they cannot afford to buy their own generators.

Letter to Zamcelco Salazar had written a strongly-worded letter to Zamcelco demanding it pays

WMPC and it restores the normal electricity supply in Zamboanga. A copy of the April 1, 2019 letter addressed to lawyer Jomar Castillo was also posted on Salazar’s Facebook page that reads: “This has reference to the current power situation in our city. As you know, Zamboanga City plays a key role not only in trade and commerce, but in national security as well. Residents and businesses are complaining of longer and more frequent outages since February 4 that adversely affected our local economy prompting me to write this demand letter.� “While we support the Investment Management Contract and laud your commitment to pump in P2.5 billion into Zamcelco, we can no longer tolerate the rotating blackouts. Whether there is legal basis to withhold payment to WMPC must be settled in the proper courts of law. In the meantime, our

people cannot suffer further. We have been paying our monthly bills and we see no reason why we are made to suffer the consequences of the electric cooperative’s refusal to pay WMPC. For Zamboanga City that is hub of trade and commerce and also hosts to the Western Mindanao Command, the stakes are too high if power outages will continue.�

In a press statement, Salazar also said electric consumers were demanding Zamcelco to provide them with proper utility services. “We have been appealing many times to Zamcelco to the extent that the local government even held talks with its representatives and WMPC for them to settle their legal problems because everybody was affected by this inadequate supply of electricity. We cannot go on like this and this problem must be resolved quickly,� Salazar said.

(To be continued)

A8

News

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

Pateros to boost food tourism

BY NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS

T

HE Pateros government has taken a decisive move to revive the dying industry of producing balut or boiled fertilized duck eggs in a bid to boost food tourism in the municipality.

7ITH ASSISTANCE FROM THE $EPARTMENT OF 3CIENCE AND 4ECHNOLOGY $O34 AND THE $EPARTMENT OF 4OURISM $O4 0ATEROS IS INTRODUCING A NEW INCUBATOR TECHNOLOGY TO REVITALIZE ITS DUCK RAISING INDUSTRY FOLLOWING THE DECLINE IN

THE LIFESPAN OF DUCKS THAT STARTED IN THE EARLY S 4HE MASSIVE DEMISE OF DUCKS WAS LARGELY ATTRIBUTED BY THE 0ATEROS GOVERNMENT TO THE ECOLOGICAL STATE OF THE 0ASIG 2IVER WHICH IS CONNECTED TO THE 0ATEROS 2IVER

g) BELIEVE THAT IN A YEAR OR TWO BALUT WILL BE THE MAIN INDUSTRY OF THE MUNICIPALITY AGAIN u 0ATEROS -AYOR -IGUEL 0ONCE RD SAID 7HILE THE TOWN HAS LOST THE DUCK RAISING INDUSTRY IT HAS LARGELY RELIED ON EGGS FROM NEIGHBORING PROVINCES SUCH AS "ULACAN

0AMPANGA AND .UEVA %CIJA WHICH HAVE VAST RICE kELDS THAT ARE IDEAL FOR RAISING DUCKS g"UT THE BALUT MAKING HERE IN 0ATEROS HAS BEEN CONTINUOUS !ND WE ARE CURRENTLY VERY ACTIVE IN THE REVIVAL PROGRAM OF OUR BALUT INDUSTRY u 0ONCE EXPLAINED

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Q Balut or boiled duck eggs are offered for sampling during the Pateros’ Balut sa Puti Festival. PHOTO BY ORVEN VERDOTE g4OURISM IS ALL ABOUT EXPERIENCE 7E WANT THE PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE SOMETHING AUTHENTIC SO THIS IS IT ‡ THE BALUT OF 0ATEROS u $O4 .ATIONAL #APITAL 2EGION .#2 /FkCER IN #HARGE #ATHY !GUSTIN SAID 4HE $O4 .#2 REPORTED THAT SOME BALUT MAKERS ARE LEFT IN TOWN HOUSEHOLDS OF WHICH STILL USE TRADITIONAL MEANS OF PRODUCING THE DELICACY 4HESE VENDORS PRODUCE THOUSANDS OF

BALUT DAILY AND SELL THEM FOR 0 TO 0 PER PIECE g7E WANT TO PUSH THE PROMOTION OF BALUT AS A COMMUNITY BUSINESS LIVELIHOOD AND A CULINARY TOURISM PRODUCT u SAID !GUSTIN WHO EXPLAINED THAT THE $O4 WAS KEEN ON MAKING THE DISH A STAPLE IN RESTAURANT CATERING AND EATERY MENUS 4HE MUNICIPAL TOURISM OFFICE SAID THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT WOULD FORM A "ALUT SA 0UTI #OMMISSION TO BE THE RESPONSIBLE BODY TO

PROMOTE SUPERVISE AND SUSTAIN THE REVIVAL PROJECTS FOR THE INDUSTRY 0LANS TO PUT UP A 0ATEROS $UCK &ARM IN THE NEIGHBORING 2IZAL PROVINCE IS ALSO BEING DISCUSSED g4HE TOURISM INDUSTRY IN 0ATEROS IS BASICALLY FOCUSED ON BALUT FOOD TOURISM &OOD TOURISM IS WELL ALIVE HERE 7E MAY NOT BE KNOWN FOR TOURIST SPOTS BUT IT IS OUR BALUT THAT MAKES 0ATEROS STAND OUT u 0ATEROS ACTING TOURISM OFkCER 2ENATO "ADE SHARED

Enrile appeals closure of EDSA bus terminals

SAFETY FIRST

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority will start implementing on Tuesday its new schemes to ease vehicular traffic, including imposing a 60-kilometer-per-hour speed limit for vehicles on all roads in Metro Manila. PHOTO BY DJ DIOSINA

Belmonte thanks Bautista for endorsement

&/2-%2 3ENATE 0RESIDENT *UAN 0ONCE %NRILE ON 3ATURDAY URGED THE -ETROPOLITAN -ANILA $EVELOPMENT !UTHORITY --$!

TO RECONSIDER ITS MOVE TO SHUT DOWN PROVINCIAL BUS TERMINALS ALONG %PIFANIO DE LOS 3ANTOS !VE %$3!

4HE VETERAN LEGISLATOR APPEALED TO THE --$! TO RETHINK ITS DECISION TO TRANSFER OUTSIDE -ETRO -ANILA ALL PROVINCIAL BUS TERMINALS ALONG %$3! SUPPOSEDLY TO EASE TRAFFIC IN THE MAJOR THOROUGHFARE 4 H E - - $! R E C E N T L Y A N NOUNCED THAT IT WOULD CONDUCT A DRY RUN OF THE PLAN AFTER (OLY 7EEK )TS FULL IMPLEMENTATION WILL BE IN *UNE g7E HAVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE STRUGGLE THIS WOULD CAUSE ON THE PART OF ;THE= COMMUTERS u SAID %NRILE WHO IS SEEKING A FIFTH SIX YEAR TERM IN THE 3ENATE (E SAID COMMUTERS FROM THE NORTH INCLUDING #AGAYAN ‡ HIS HOMETOWN ‡ )SABELA THE )LOCOS PROVINCES 0AMPANGA 4ARLAC

.UEVA %CIJA AND .UEVA 6ISCAYA WOULD BE GREATLY INCONVENIENCED

BY THE --$! S MOVE TO TRANSFER THE PROVINCIAL BUS TERMINALS OUTSIDE -ETRO -ANILA (E ALSO NOTED THAT THOUSANDS OF COMMUTERS FROM ,AGUNA

#AVITE "ATANGAS 1UEZON "ICOL AND OTHER PROVINCES IN THE SOUTH WOULD LIKELY SUFFER THE SAME INCONVENIENCE OF TRANSFERRING FROM ONE BUS TO ANOTHER BEFORE REACHING THEIR kNAL DESTINATION g/NE OF THE PRIMARY COM-

PLAINTS OF THE CITIZENS IN "ICOLANDIA IS THE ADDITIONAL BURDEN IN TERMS OF TIME MONEY AND COMFORT OF THE TRANSFER IN BUS TERMINALS FROM COMMUTERS FROM THE SOUTH u %NRILE SAID “-AY LIBO LIBO TAYONG PASAHERO NA MADAMING BITBIT AT GUSTO PA SANANG MAGTIPID 0ERO DAGDAG PERWISYO PA DALA NATIN SA KANILA 7E HAVE THOUSANDS OF COMMUTERS WHO CARRY A LOT OF PERSONAL THINGS AND WANT TO SAVE ON FARE "UT IN TURN WE GIVE THEM ADDED BURDEN u HE SAID 4HE --$! HAS ANNOUNCED THAT PROVINCIAL BUSES COMING FROM ,AGUNA 1UEZON AND "ICOL WOULD BE DROPPED OFF IN 3TA 2OSA ,AGUNA 4HEY WOULD THEN TRANSFER TO -ETRO -ANILA BUSES TO THEIR VARIOUS DESTINATIONS "USES FROM THE NORTH WILL DROP PASSENGERS AT A TERMINAL IN 6ALENZUELA #ITY g4HE --$! NEEDS TO HAVE A THOROUGH DISCUSSION WITH COMMUTERS BUS COMPANIES AND PROVINCIAL TRANSPORT SERVICES TO SEE IF THERE ARE LESS DRASTIC MEASURES THAT COULD BE EXPLORED u %NRILE SAID g)F THEY REALLY MUST CLOSE THE %$3! TERMINALS THEY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ALTERNATIVE TERMINALS TO FERRY PROVINCIAL C O M M U T E R S I N A N D A R O U N D -ETRO -ANILA ARE COMPLETELY OPERATIONAL u THE 0UWERSA NG -ASANG 0ILIPINO 3ENATE CANDIDATE ADDED BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

QUEZON #ITY 6ICE -AYOR *OSEkNA g*OYu "ELMONTE THANKED -AYOR (ERBERT g"ISTEKu "AUTISTA FOR ENDORSING HER MAYORAL CANDIDACY "AUTISTA SURPRISED "ELMONTE DURING HER PROCLAMATION RALLY ON -ARCH WHEN HE DESCRIBED HER AS NOT BEING A MERE gRUBBER STAMPu DURING HER THREE TERMS AS VICE MAYOR g(IS ENDORSEMENT IS SOMETHING

THAT ) M HAPPY ABOUT ) WAS VERY PLEASED THAT WHEN HE ENDORSED ME

HE SAID IN HIS SPEECH THAT kNALLY

HE UNDERSTANDS WHY THE VICE MAYOR IS VERY STRICT u SHE SAID g-Y ONLY OBJECTIVE IS TO PROTECT HIM BY MAKING SURE ;THE CITY GOVERNMENT COMPLIES= WITH ALL THE REQUIREMENTS AND TO PROTECT MY INSTITUTION ‡ THE 3ANGGUNIAN (City

#OUNCIL ‡ TO NOT BE PERCEIVED AS A RUBBER STAMP (E MENTIONED IN HIS SPEECH THAT HE kNALLY REALIZED THAT THE VICE MAYOR JUST WANTED TO PROTECT HIM u SHE ADDED "ELMONTE SAID SHE DID NOT ALLOW MEASURES TO BE PASSED WITHOUT SCRUTINY g;"=ECAUSE ) BELONG TO THE NEW BREED OF POLITICIANS ) STUDIED AND

FOUND OUT THAT THE 3ANGGUNIAN IS THE CHECK AND BALANCES ARM OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT 3O ) WOULD DO MY JOB ) WOULD ASK QUESTIONS ) WOULD MAKE SURE THAT THE PAPER WORKS ARE COMPLETE ALL THE REQUIREMENTS ARE MET AND IF THEY RE NOT ) WON T ALLOW A MEASURE TO BE PASSED u SHE SAID JAIME R. PILAPIL

Q HOLE FROM A1

A golf ball on the moon

Scientists

!T ITS CENTER THE MASS OF A BLACK HOLE IS COMPRESSED INTO A SINGLE

ZERO DIMENSIONAL POINT 4HE DISTANCE BETWEEN THIS SO CALLED gSINGULARITYu AND THE EVENT HORIZON IS THE RADIUS OR HALF THE WIDTH OF A BLACK HOLE 4HE %(4 THAT COLLECTED THE DATA FOR THE kRST EVER IMAGE IS UNLIKE ANY EVER DEVISED g)NSTEAD OF CONSTRUCTING A GIANT TELESCOPE ‡ WHICH WOULD COLLAPSE UNDER ITS OWN WEIGHT ‡ WE COMBINED SEVERAL OBSERVATORIES AS IF THEY WERE FRAGMENTS OF A GIANT MIRROR u -ICHAEL "REMER AN ASTRONOMER AT THE )NSTITUTE FOR -ILLIMETRIC 2ADIO !STRONOMY IN

'RENOBLE TOLD !&0 )N !PRIL EIGHT SUCH RADIO TELESCOPES SCATTERED ACROSS THE GLOBE ‡ IN (AWAII !RIZONA 3PAIN

-EXICO #HILE AND THE 3OUTH 0OLE ‡ WERE TRAINED ON TWO BLACK HOLES IN VERY DIFFERENT CORNERS OF THE 5NIVERSE TO COLLECT DATA 3TUDIES THAT COULD BE UNVEILED NEXT WEEK ARE LIKELY TO ZOOM IN ON ONE OR THE OTHER /DDSMAKERS FAVOR 3AGITTARIUS 3AG !

THE BLACK HOLE AT THE CENTER OF OUR OWN ELLIPTICAL GALAXY THAT kRST CAUGHT THE EYE OF ASTRONOMERS 3AG !

HAS MILLION TIMES THE MASS OF OUR SUN WHICH MEANS THAT THE BLACK HOLE IT GENERATES IS ABOUT MILLION KILOMETERS ACROSS 4HAT MAY SOUND LIKE A BIG TARGET

g7E ARE SITTING IN THE PLAIN OF BUT FOR THE TELESCOPE ARRAY ON %ARTH SOME LIGHT YEARS OR OUR GALAXY ‡ YOU HAVE TO LOOK TRILLION KILOMETERS AWAY IT S LIKE THROUGH ALL THE STARS AND DUST TO TRYING TO PHOTOGRAPH A GOLF BALL GET TO THE CENTER u SAID -C.AMARA 4HE DATA COLLECTED BY THE FAR ON THE MOON lUNG TELESCOPE ARRAY STILL HAD TO Testing Einstein BE COLLECTED AND COLLATED g4HE IMAGING ALGORITHMS WE 4HE OTHER CANDIDATE IS A MONSTER DEVELOPED kLL THE GAPS OF DATA WE BLACK HOLE ‡ TIMES MORE ARE MISSING IN ORDER TO RECONSTRUCT MASSIVE EVEN THAN 3AG ! ‡ IN AN A PICTURE OF A BLACK HOLE u THE TEAM ELLIPTICAL GALAXY KNOWN AS - SAID ON THEIR WEBSITE )T S ALSO A LOT FARTHER FROM %ARTH

!STROPHYSICISTS NOT INVOLVED IN BUT DISTANCE AND SIZE BALANCE OUT THE PROJECT INCLUDING -C.AMARA

MAKING IT ROUGHLY AS EASY OR DIF- ARE EAGERLY ‡ PERHAPS ANXIOUSLY ‡ kCULT TO PINPOINT WAITING TO SEE IF THE kNDINGS CHAL/NE REASON THIS DARK HORSE LENGE %INSTEIN S THEORY OF GENERAL MIGHT BE THE ONE REVEALED NEXT RELATIVITY WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN WEEK IS LIGHT SMOG WITHIN THE TESTED ON THIS SCALE -ILKY 7AY "REAKTHROUGH OBSERVATIONS IN

THAT EARNED THE SCIENTISTS INVOLVED A .OBEL 0RIZE USED GRAVITATIONAL WAVE DETECTORS TO TRACK TWO BLACK HOLES SMASHING TOGETHER !S THEY MERGED RIPPLES IN THE CURVATURES OF TIME SPACE CREATED A UNIQUE AND DETECTABLE SIGNATURE g%INSTEIN S THEORY OF GENERAL RELATIVITY SAYS THAT THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN u SAID -C.AMARA "UT THOSE WERE TINY BLACK HOLES ‡ ONLY TIMES MORE MASSIVE THAN THE 3UN ‡ COMPARED TO EITHER OF THE ONES UNDER THE GAZE OF THE %(4 g-AYBE THE ONES THAT ARE MILLIONS OF TIMES MORE MASSIVE ARE DIFFERENT ‡ WE JUST DON T KNOW YET u

AFP

THE %## AFTER CONCERNED SECTORS QUESTIONED THE AWARDING OF THE CERTIkCATE 4HE SHIP ALSO LACKED A PERMIT FROM THE -INES AND 'EOSCIENCES "UREAU -'" TO TRANSPORT SAND AND FAILED TO PRESENT A PERMIT FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF ,OBO "ATANGAS TO DREDGE IN ,OBO 2IVER 2ECTO SAID THE 3ENATE INQUIRY INTO THE gPOACHING OR EXPORT OF SAND AND OTHER LANDkLL MATERIALSu SHOULD COVER NOT ONLY THE REPORTED SAND DREDGING IN "ATANGAS gBUT SIMILAR CASES IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY u g(AVE WE BECOME A LAND REC-

LAMATION MATERIAL SUPPLIER !RE WE EXPORTING OUR SAND )F OUR MOUNTAINS HAVE BEEN FLATTENED AND TRANSPORTED SHIP BY SHIP TO RECLAIM ISLANDS SOME OF WHICH ARE WITHIN OUR TERRITORY THEN THAT IS LAND TRANSFER OF THE WORST KIND u HE ADDED 2ECTO SAID IF REPORTS WERE TRUE THAT THE SHIP WAS DREDGING SAND FOR USE IN THE BUILDING OF (ONG +ONG AIRPORT S THIRD RUNWAY gTHEN IT IS OUR SECOND CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROJECT THE kRST BEING THE 0 MILLION THAT &ILIPINO TRAVELLERS PAY A YEAR FOR THE EXPANSION OF THE (ONG +ONG AIRPORT u g)T IS IN THE FINE PRINT OF A

ROUND TRIP PLANE TICKET TO (ONG +ONG ;)T S IN THE TICKET= 9OU PAY (ONG +ONG DOLLARS AS (ONG +ONG AIRPORT CONSTRUCTION FEE u HE NOTED 3EN 2ICHARD 'ORDON SAID #HINA S ACTIONS IN THE 3OUTH #HINA 3EA gDO NOT DEMONSTRATE THE ACTIONS OF A FRIENDu AS HE PUSHED FOR THE STRENGTHENING OF THE COUNTRY S MILITARY EQUIPMENT g! FRIEND DOES NOT SEND HUNDREDS OF ARMY HUNDREDS OF NAVY

DOES NOT SEND HUNDREDS OF VESSELS TO HARRASS OUR kSHERMEN IN OUR TERRITORY u HE POINTED OUT ON &RIDAY DURING COMMEMORATION OF 0HILIPPINE 6ETERANS 7EEK HELD AT

g)T IS THE MILITARY S DUTY TO PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF OUR TERRITORY AND TO PROTECT OUR COUNTRY BUT THEY WOULD NOT BE CAPABLE OF DOING THAT WITHOUT THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT ,ET US REMIND OUR LEADERS TO LEARN FROM HISTORY 7E SHOULD FOLLOW *APAN S MOTTO @%NRICH THE COUNTRY STRENGTHEN THE MILITARY u 'ORDON SAID !BOUT #HINESE VESSELS WERE SPOTTED NEAR AND AROUND 0AG ASA 4HITU )SLAND IN THE 3OUTH #HINA 3EA FROM *ANUARY TO -ARCH THIS YEAR

ACCORDING TO THE 0HILIPPINE MILITARY #HINA SAID THE VESSELS WERE CIVILIAN SHIPS MOSTLY kSHING BOATS BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

MID S ‡ SURROUNDED BY A SWIRLING BAND OF WHITE HOT GAS AND PLASMA !T THE INNER EDGE OF THESE LUMINOUS ACCRETION DISKS THINGS ABRUPTLY GO DARK g4HE EVENT HORIZONu ‡ AKA THE POINT OF NO RETURN ‡ gIS NOT A PHYSICAL BARRIER YOU COULDN T STAND ON IT u -C.AMARA EXPLAINED g)F YOU RE ON THE INSIDE OF IT YOU CAN T ESCAPE BECAUSE YOU WOULD NEED INkNITE ENERGY !ND IF YOU ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE YOU CAN ‡ IN PRINCIPLE u

Q DREDGING FROM A1

Bam seeks !QUINO BELIEVES THAT THE SHIP IS ONLY gA 4ROJAN HORSE u PRETENDING TO UNDERTAKE A NORMAL BUSINESS OPERATION FOR SILTATION REMOVAL

BUT ITS MAIN AGENDA IS TO TAKE SAND FROM THE COUNTRY S WATERS TO BE USED FOR OTHER PURPOSES -6 (ERALD A 3IERRA ,EONE lAGGED DREDGING SHIP MANAGED TO GET AN ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE CERTIkCATE %## THROUGH A &ILIPINO kRM TO OPERATE "UT THE $%.2 SUSPENDED

&ORT "ONIFACIO g) M GLAD THAT ;&OREIGN !FFAIRS= 3ECRETARY ;4EODORO= ,OCSIN ALREADY kLED A DIPLOMATIC PROTEST )F WE DO NOT HAVE A STRONG .AVY IF WE DO NOT HAVE A STRONG !RMY WE WILL BE PUSHED AROUND BY OTHER COUNTRIES u 'ORDON SAID (E ADDED THAT HE FOUGHT TO HAVE PERCENT OF THE PROCEEDS FROM 4AX 2EFORM !CCELERATION AND )NCLUSTION ,AW ALLOCATED FOR THE MILITARY ON TOP OF THE BUDGET FROM THE "ASES #ONVERSION AND $EVELOPMENT !UTHORITY TO ENSURE THAT SOLDIERS WOULD NOT GO TO WAR WITHOUT THE PROPER EQUIPMENT

Business Times Q keep in view Business leaders to watch out for

PETER ANGELO RODRIGUEZ Executive Vice President Asian Aerospace

SUNDAY APRIL 7, 2019 Email: bizreports@manilatimes.net

The business management graduate of De La Salle University is forever seeking opportunities to generate income. He recently came up with a membership scheme that allows high-net-worth individuals to enjoy stress-free travel and the power of owning their own time.

ABOUT ME

BY MARIE THERESE NECIO-ORTEGA “The sky’s the limit� is a phrase that people who work for Asian Aerospace are quite used to hearing. More so their executive vice president Peter Angelo Rodriguez (“Paj� to friends and clients), whose father Peter Rodriguez launched the company in 1996, leasing out their two family-owned helicopters.

Paj and his two younger brothers, Piero and Pierce, grew up in the business under their father’s watchful eye. “I worked in our hangar during the summer prior to my fourth grade. I hung around the engineers, maintenance crew, mechanics and ground staff and pilots charged with taking care of the helicopters and eventually the planes,� Paj recalls the process of how he was slowly roped into the operations.

Paj fast-tracked his degree in business management at De La Salle University, kNISHING IN THREE YEARS AND ONE TERM IN 2009 ahead of the pack. He started as a business development executive of the company, an entry-level position. “Given my earlier exposure to the aeronautics world and mechanics, engineers and pilots when I was still in grade school, I felt like I was ‘home’ and was exactly where I needed to be, doing exactly what I wanted to do. My younger brother Piero, who has also immersed himself in the company, will be graduating from high school soon. He handles Special Accounts, while Pierce, the youngest sibling, also in high school, is learning about Aeronautics Operations. “My job includes meeting existing clients, understanding their needs, meeting their requirements and then, through word of mouth, meeting more new clients, with the whole cycle beginning all over again.�

Paj’s industry moved him quickly through the ranks onto director of business development in 2012 and into his current role as executive vice president in 2014. “I look after sales, marketing, ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT kNANCE !CCOUNTING EXCEPT lYING AND OPERATIONS This job means that I take care of every vacant position, always spot things that need to be done and set the standards to ENSURE SAFE SEAMLESS EFFECTIVE AND PROkTable journeys for all our clients.�

Before the advent of custom-built helipads dotting Metro Manila’s high rises and improved airport facilities in emerging secondary cities, light aircraft simply LANDED ON AN OPEN kELD OR A PARKING LOT 4HE !4/ !IR 4RANSPORTATION /FkCE WAS not as strict as the current CAAP (Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines).

But the situation has changed. “As the demand for the industry grew, the laws and policies caught up with the needs of air travel,� Paj observes.

The boom in the Philippine economy has also seen Asian Aerospace expand from a two-helicopter affair (serving 30 CUSTOMERS IN TO A lEET OF ROTARIES and jets (serving almost 3,000 clients) in 2019. Demand has not only come from the corporate sector, but also from the individual and leisure market.

Paj is certainly geared up for the business. He explains: “I recently implemented an idea that my father wholeheartedly supported. A timeshare membership valid for 10 years with VIP access to all our PRIVATE lEET OF HELICOPTERS AND JETS for only 20 million pesos consumable, WITH SPECIAL DISCOUNTED RATES ON ALL lIGHTS “This means that our high-net-worth individuals and corporate accounts

B1

ROLE MODEL My father. I am grateful for all the teaching and street smarts that he has taught me and continues to teach me. Â

FIRST PAYING JOB Business development executive of Asian Aeronautics, earning minimum wage and no perks. As employees, we had a special rate when we used helicopters and jets.

There were no freebies.

MORNING ROUTINE I usually play tennis or work out and then go to work. There are days that I spend more than 12 to 16 hours at work, so I try and exercise.

SPECIAL SKILL Dealing with clients, no matter how difficult and how strange their requests are.

FUN FACT I never count the hours at work.

I enjoy working like there was no tomorrow.

TIME SPENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA My personal social media time is less than two minutes per hour, per day. I glance at it for work and because our clients can reach out to us using these various platforms. I monitor these posts and requests all day.

Flying high, flying forward and institutions will enjoy stress-free travel and the power of owning their own time.�

It costs approximately $20 to $30 million to purchase a corporate jet, not including maintenance costs, licensing, PARKING SPARE PARTS AND STAFkNG AMONG others. So Paj’s scheme is not only costeffective but practical in the long run for the driven, peripatetic chief executive ofkCER WHO IS ALLERGIC TO AIRPORT DELAYS AND conscious about the bottom line.

Apart from his company post, Paj is also president of the Universal Weather AND !VIATION 0HILIPPINES A GROUND support facility at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and part of the Universal Weather and Aviation Group, which provides support to owners and operators of business jets for corporate or personal air travel, founded by Tom Evans in Houston, 4EXAS IN )T OFFERS INTERNATIONAL lIGHT planning and scheduling, weather briefings, fueling programs, aircraft ground handling and aviation security.

“

As a kid, I was exposed to aeronautics, so when I went to work for our company, I felt like I had come ‘home’

Paj has more projects up his sleeve, but cannot reveal them until they are ready.

However, he says: “We will definitely focus as always on the safety, security and compliance of all our corporate and INDIVIDUAL lIGHT PLANNING ACTIVITIES /UR pilots continue to be regularly trained in Switzerland and in the US. And we will continue to innovate and incorporate the latest technology as we work with better and more equipped jets and helicopters.�

Paj remains grateful that his dad is

always around to inspire him. “There are things just simply not taught in school, and he provides these.�

There are some key life tenets that he has found useful in his professional journey, which he willingly shares. “You don’t need a college education to succeed. There is a strong need to have more practical and business savvy opportunities through real-time on-the-job training and access to the real world of business while studying. A more practi-

cal education track will help many more people become better entrepreneurs or ‘omnipreneurs, (persons in government or philanthrophy, who juggle earning and giving back to build a better world).’ “Not everything can be achieved just by hard work, but one can come close to success. Luck and timing are other elements that must be included in the mix for a successful formula. “To measure success, one must ensure that all aspects in a negotiation will be a win-win arrangement, be it a sale or a process. Each party must feel like they are coming away with something that they value and is relevant to them in the negotiation. “We need to be always time-conscious. Time is the most important essence in life. We need to be mindful and respectful of time as there are so many activities that amount to a cumulative waste of time. We, as a people, do not have the sense of urgency that we see so prevalent in other highly productive and evolved societies. “We should always be courteous to everyone, regardless of rank, position, title and wealth. One never knows who they are or who they will become. Plus, this is the right thing to do.�

Currently single, Paj is clear about leading a balanced life and seeking a partner, who is also business-minded and will understand his passion and love for his customers and the industry he grew up in.

For sure, this boy’s head is not in the CLOUDS BUT GROUNDED ON THE TERRA kRMA of innovation and quality service.

B2

Business Times

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

˜˜ The Sunday Times

Editor: Edwin P. Sallan Email: edwin.sallan@manilatimes.net

w w w.manilatimes.net

Business of doing what you love

BY YUGEL LOSORATAÂ LOSORATA

T

ins among those being lined up for EXPOSURE ON THIS 3UNDAY MORNING show, with a number of inspiring stories starring successful businessmen and women who started from scratch EQUALLY SHARING THE BILL "Y OBSERVATION g,OVING 7HAT You Do,� which previously aired ON 046 IS AN INDIRECT TAKE ON THE fact that some businesses fail not necessarily because of managerial incompetence, but partly due to the negativity that comes with running a business that is way off one’s INTEREST 0LAIN AND SIMPLE IT IS NOT easy to devote time on something YOU DO NOT ENJOY DOING 9OU MAY delegate the work at hand but more often than not, hands-on management is the key to a soaring business VENTURE ESPECIALLY AMONG START UPS 2AMOS STRESSED g3TART A BUSINESS THAT you really want because the only way to DO GREAT WORK IS TO LOVE WHAT YOU DO u Most in the community will agree THAT THE ROAD TO A lOURISHING BUSINESS is the point where the work becomes A LIFESTYLE )N CONNECTION THIS STYLISH business program puts premium on HEALTHY LIVING WITH ITS SEGMENT ON kTNESS AND ROUTINE “We want to reach more audience as much as possible and encourage Pinoys to believing they can turn their hopes and hobbies into a way to earn A LIVING u -EDINA POINTED OUT

RON ARRIESGADO

Q ‘Loving What You Do’ host, entrepreneur-actress Dianne Medina.

It’s cliche to say that “if you do what you love, you never work a day in your LIFE u "UT &ILIPINOS PARTICULARLY THOSE feeling like working as slaves in companies under toxic environment, or bored

to death doing the same thing they’re not passionate about day in and out, SHOULD BE REMINDED OF THAT g,OVING What You Do� is now doing its share ON 3UNDAYS

Pag-IBIG Fund to consult stakeholders on raising monthly savings in 2021 0!' )")' Fund is considering raising THE DECADES OLD 0 MONTHLY SAVINGS IN TO ANSWER THE INCREASING demand for its low-interest housing AND CALAMITY LOANS 4OP EXECUTIVES OF the agency, however, explained that THEY WOULD HOLD CONSULTATIONS kRST AND VOWED IMPROVED MEMBERS BENEkTS IF THE SAVINGS HIKE IS TO PROCEED 3ECRETARY %DUARDO DEL 2OSARIO CHAIRman of the Housing and Urban DevelopMENT #OORDINATING #OUNCIL (5$## AND 0AG )")' &UND "OARD OF 4RUSTEES SAID that the Fund achieved another banner YEAR IN AS IT EARNED 0 BILLION IN NET INCOME 4HE INCREASE IN THE DEMAND for loans, however, may soon outpace the growth in collections derived mostly FROM THE MANDATORY 0 MONTHLY SA VINGS OF ITS MEMBERS )N THE 0AG )")' &UND Chairman’s Report held recently, del Rosario said 0AG )")' PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN THE GO vernment’s housing efforts because the Fund is recognized as the single largest SOURCE OF HOUSING LOANS IN THE COUNTRY

)N ALONE THE &UND RELEASED 0 BILLION IN HOUSING LOANS “We offer the lowest housing loan AND CALAMITY LOAN INTEREST RATES The demand for housing loans alone has seen consistent double digit growth over the recent years as it averAGED PERCENT GROWTH SINCE 3O WE RE EXPLORING all sources of adDITIONAL FUNDING We might have to INCREASE THE 0 monthly savings in order to continue providing the low inTEREST RATES "UT BECAUSE 0RESIDENT 2Odrigo Roa Duterte has standing orders to consider the plight of the Filipino workers, this will not happen immediATELY )F WE HAVE TO INCREASE THE INCREASE will happen in two, maybe three years,

ITH THE !PRIL DEADLINE FOR THE PAYMENT of income tax looming in the background, YOU CAN EXPECT AN EFFORT MOSTLY FROM THE "UREAU OF )NTERNAL 2EVENUE ")2 TO DRUM UP THE public’s interest on the importance of paying taxES 4HE ")2 S message is actually more of a reminder for taxpayers NOT TO MISS THE !PRIL DEADLINE OR BETTER YET

TO PAY EARLY TO AVOID THE LONG LINES If you really think about it, what does it mean to be “tax-consciousâ€?? Certainly, it should be more than being able to pay your taxes on time (although these days, that, IN ITSELF IS ADMIRABLE LAUDABLE EVEN 4AX consciousness begins in understanding the concept of what taxes are, in the first place, AND WHY PAYING THEM IS IMPORTANT Any law student will tell you how the theory of taxation is taught all over the Philippines, and it has something to do with the “LifeBLOOD $OCTRINE u 4HE DOCTRINE STARTS OFF WITH the basic assumption that the existence of GOVERNMENT IS NECESSARY !ND FOR GOVERNMENT to exist, (and not just to exist, but to thrive AND ENDURE IT NEEDS TAXES TO PROMOTE PUBLIC INTEREST AND THE COMMON GOOD I will not go into a deeper and more technical discussion of the Lifeblood Doctrine, but I will, instead, look into how effective it is in providING AN IMAGE OF HOW TAXES ARE IMPORTANT )F YOU look into the word “lifeblood,â€? it does conjure images of taxes being the blood necessary for the BODY GOVERNMENT TO SURVIVE "UT THIS CONCEPT doesn’t take into consideration the notion of how taxes are introduced into government, and THAT EVENTUALLY IT GETS DEPLETED 4HE AVERAGE person doesn’t always need a blood transfusion TO SURVIVE SO YOU SEE THE PRACTICAL DIFkCULTIES OF APPLYING THE gLIFEBLOODu CONCEPT Personally, I would prefer to look into taxation and government in terms of more rudimenTARY CONCEPTS AS IF ) WERE EXPLAINING IT TO A CHILD If one can introduce a concept about taxation vis-Ă -vis government that is easily grasped and understood by a child, that would certainly be a better way to ensure tax consciousness among THE CITIZENRY

BY STARTING WITH THE YOUTH 3O WHAT ARE THE BASIC CONCEPTS THAT WE CAN use? Why not start with the idea of public transPORT %VERYBODY EVEN KIDS CAN RELATE TO RIDING a jeepney, tricycle, bus, or UV express van, right? ,ET S TAKE THE 56 EXPRESS VAN AS AN EXAMPLE The van is government, the commuters are the taxpayers, and the driver symbolizes our governMENT OFkCIALS 4HE VAN NEEDS GAS TO MOVE THE driver needs money to buy gas, so he needs to COLLECT FARE TAXES FROM THE COMMUTERS The above concept may seem too simplistic, but it may be an elegant tool from which you can encourage discussion, and hopefully cirCUMSPECTION WITH CHILDREN 9OU CAN CHALLENGE THEIR THINKING BY ASKING THESE QUESTIONS (OW effective of a driver is the person driving the van? Does he have the safety and well-being of his passengers in mind? Is he a reckless driver?

Is he judicious enough in spending the fare money for fuel and necessary repairs for the van? Do the commuters think they’re paying the right amount of money for what they get out of the trip? Is the van a pleasant place to be in, and are the commuters generally happy? !ND BE SURE TO DRIVE HOME THIS POINT )F THE commuters are not happy with the driver, they #!. ALWAYS HAVE HIM REPLACED 9OU DON T HAVE TO BE STUCK WITH A LOUSY DRIVER

THE FINE PRINT

O earn big money from something you do is good news. But to make a living from something you really love doing is the bigger story.

There goes the premise of a weekly magazine show now airing on mainSTREAM LOCAL 46 )TS GOAL IS TO PROMOTE the kind of lifestyle anchored on entrepreneurs exceptionally passionate over THE NATURE OF THEIR BUSINESSES The program, “Loving What You Do�

BEGAN AIRING LAST -ARCH ON '-! .EWS 46 AT THE A M SLOT )T S BOUND to reach and inspire more than enough viewers to immerse themselves in features about rags to riches stories, health and wealth businesses, and the basics, do’s and don’ts of running businesses, OF COURSE OF YOUR OWN LIKING “We aim to encourage Filipinos to LIVE AND WORK THEIR DREAMS TO REDEkNE their perspective on business and lifestyle, and then start living a better life,� the show’s executive producer Zyrus Ramos, who is also an entrepreneur HIMSELF SAID "ASED ON A STUDY THERE ARE MILlion jobless Filipinos and hundreds of THOUSANDS OF COLLEGE DROPOUTS 4HESE STAGGERING NUMBERS DEkNITELY SERVE AS target market just waiting to be tapped, many certainly intending to put up their own businesses if settling for jobs IS NOT THE ANSWER The show’s host, entrepreneur-actress Dianne Medina said, “We want to be a platform to inspire Filipinos to do business and turn their passions into BREAD AND BUTTER u Celebrity entrepreneurs are shoo-

Tax consciousness for kids W

from now because we have to consult OUR STAKEHOLDERS kRST u SAID #HAIRMAN DEL 2OSARIO 0AG )")' &UND #HIEF %XECUTIVE /FkCER !CMAD Rizaldy Moti explained that the monthly savings remained unchanged S I N C E

which means THAT THE 0 monthly contribution from each Filipino worker has never been adjusted despite the INlATION OVER A SPAN OF YEARS 4HE availment of housing loans, on the other hand, has been growing at a FASTER PACE (E SAID THAT THEY EXPECT the upward trend to continue in the next few years and project the demand

TO INCREASE BY PERCENT EVERY YEAR )F the growth exceeds their projection, only then will they consider raising the MONTHLY SAVINGS “In order to sustain our low housing loan and calamity loan interest rates, we may have to raise the monthly conTRIBUTIONS TO 0 7E CAN ALSO BORROW money from other institutions to raise more funds, but doing this will affect OUR LOW INTEREST RATES u #%/ -OTI SAID “We reiterate that if the increase is needed, this will be implemented in AT THE EARLIEST "UT AS EARLY AS NOW we want to assure our members that the benefits will definitely improve if the monthly savings is raised from THE CURRENT LEVELS -EMBERS WILL ENJOY BIGGER SAVINGS AFTER MATURITY 4HEY WILL also get bigger cash loans as a result of THE BIGGER SAVINGS 4HIS MEMBER CENTRIC thinking is at the core of our Lingkod 0AG )")' VALUES !FTER ALL WE ARE ONLY ADMINISTRATORS OF THE WORKERS FUND 4HE REAL OWNERS OF 0AG )")' &UND ARE ITS MEMBERS u HE ADDED

Duterte risks throwing the baby out with the bathwater

T

HE review of “all government contracts with businesses and foreign countries� ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte this week was welcomed by a few ordinarily sensible people, and to be fair, the sentiment driving it is understandABLE AND PERHAPS EVEN JUSTIkED Unfortunately, given the slender grip on competency and consistency the Duterte administration HAS DEMONSTRATED IN THE kRST HALF of its term, it seems almost certain this very dangerous decision will have disastrous consequences for the investment environment and THE ECONOMY AS A WHOLE According to the President’s BAFlING SPOKESMAN 3ALVADOR 0ANelo, the review was ordered after it was “discovered� that there was a provision in the concession agreement between the Metropolitan 7ATERWORKS AND 3EWERAGE 3YSTEM -733 AND WATER DISTRIBUTOR Maynilad that “prohibited [the government] from interfering into

ROUGH TRADE BEN KRITZ THE TERMS OF THE CONTRACT u 4HE REFUSAL OF -733 TO GRANT Maynilad a rate hike was considered “interference� by the International Chamber of Commerce ARBITRATION TRIBUNAL BASED IN 3INgapore, which awarded Maynilad 0 BILLION IN DAMAGES 0ANELO EXPLAINED 4HE 3INGAPORE 3UPREME #OURT UPHELD THAT RULING LAST YEAR Therefore, to prevent an unfavorable outcome from happening again, all contracts will be reviewed to determine whether any have simiLARLY gONEROUSu PROVISIONS 0RESIDENT Duterte has assigned the task to the /FkCE OF THE 3OLICITOR 'ENERAL /3' AND THE $EPARTMENT OF *USTICE $O* First of all, Panelo’s explanation MAKES NO SENSE WHATSOEVER !NY

valid contract by its very nature is constructed of provisions that are not to be “interfered with� by the PARTIES INVOLVED 4HAT IS ESSENTIALLY the reason for the very existence OF THE CONCEPT OF A CONTRACT 4HE -733 DENIED -AYNILAD S RATE hike request; Maynilad in turn was able to convince the arbitration tribunal that the grounds for that DENIAL WERE INVALID 4HAT THEY WERE successful (whereas Maynilad’s counterpart Manila Water was not, despite having a nearly identiCAL CLAIM HAS MORE TO DO WITH -AYNILAD OUT LAWYERING -733 than it does any actual harm done

BY THE LATTER Nevertheless, there is a general sense among the public that many key contracts do in fact have provisions that are unfavorable to the government and ordinary consumERS $ETERMINING WHETHER THAT IS IN fact the case is probably a sensible move, and one that is well within THE GOVERNMENT S RIGHT TO MAKE

There is, however, a right way and a wrong way to go about it, and by publicizing the issue — and then doubling down on it to threaten critics of the plan — Duterte has chosen the wrong WAY 4HE GOVERNMENT CANNOT expect everyone who either has a contract with the government or is an investor who may potentially enter into one to presume IRREGULARITY !LTHOUGH THEY SPEAK of it in careful, “don’t annoy the crazy person� terms, investors are palpably nervous about the apparent unwillingness to abide by ALREADY kNALIZED LEGAL CONTRACTS No investor will be inclined to put his money into the Philippines if there is an obvious risk that a contract might at some future point be arbitrarily canceled, which is the impression the President’s ORDER UNFORTUNATELY MAKES Fairly or not, the Philippines is already handicapped by a reputation as a country where contracts

ARE UNRELIABLE )N THE 7ORLD "ANK S %ASE OF $OING "USINESS RANKings, the Philippines was ranked a DISMAL OUT OF ECONOMIES in “enforcing contracts;� this contributed to the country’s overall RANKING SLIPPING TO TH FROM TH IN THE RANKINGS That poor reputation can be improved and further investor concerns alleviated by proper management of the contract review and any necessary follow-up ACTIONS BY THE /3' AND $O* &OR starters, the review process must be carried out as quickly as possible while still being properly thorough; new investments are very likely to be delayed until the OUTCOME OF THE REVIEW IS KNOWN The government should also BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT ITS kNDINGS

whether those are unfavorable OR NOT )F ANOMALIES ARE FOUND

THE SPECIkC REASONS THEY ARE CONtrary to Philippine law must be EXPLAINED 4HOSE CONTRACTS THAT

are deemed to have “onerous� provisions must then be handled in a transparent and fair manner, according to dispute resolution mechanisms included in those contracts, or failing that, accordING TO DUE PROCESS IN THE COURTS Of course the country should not be obliged to accept “onerous� contract terms, and of course, there LIKELY ARE CONTRACTS THE -733 concession agreements are good EXAMPLES PREDATING THE $UTERTE administration that should not HAVE BEEN SIGNED 4HOSE CONTRACTS ought to be revoked or amended THROUGH ANY LEGAL MEANS 4READING lightly, however, is not in this govERNMENT S $.! )F IT DOES NOT kND a way to work cleanly and carefully on the task it has assigned itself, it MAY kND A BRUTAL SOLUTION TO THE threat of “onerous� contracts by discouraging everyone from enterING INTO ONE WITH THE GOVERNMENT

BEN KRITZ MANILATIMES NET

˜ The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

Sunday Business & I.T.

B3

Inoculation: Antidote for the fake news virus TECH SPACE TONY MAGHIRANG

I

N the run up to the May elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is preparing for an outbreak of viral disinformation via fake news and misleading posts on major social media platforms such Facebook and Twitter. Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said that providing a white list of questionable social media posts is one of the strategies being pursued. While giving due respect to the community standards of social networking sites, the Comelec hopes its white list can help guide the subsequent actions of social media platforms especially on “verifiably and demonstrably false news.�

The spread of fake news particularly in important events impacting the political life of a nation is not new. A short timeline of “informaTION DISORDERu DATES THE kRST FABRIcated propaganda when in 44 BC in ancient Rome, Octavian launched a smear campaign against Marc Anthony. Of recent vintage, President Trump and our very own President Duterte continue to be hounded by speculations that fake news has contributed significantly to their respective spectacular ascent to the HIGHEST OFkCE OF THE LAND In response to the so-called weaponization of information, a cottage industry to refute disruptive misinformation has mushroomed. The stakes are just too high to allow half-truths, hoaxes and well, fake news, to take full control of the national debate.

Unfortunately, the counteroffensive seems to have fallen into the same straitjacket of do’s and don’ts in facing up to a computer virus attack.

Don’t click messages from unknown sources. Consider if the message lead looks too good to be true. Ask the experts such as your smart antivirus program provider.

Researchers like Sander van der Linden won’t be bothered by existing rules. Van der Linden is instead analyzing mindsets in taking the battle for truth to another level. One of the main assumptions in van der Linden’s playbook is that fake news operates like a virus transferring from host to host in the digital wilds and just like its medical precedent, a type of vaccination may be able to provide immunity to unsuspecting victims of disinformation.

The research methodology combines technology and psychology in A kELD OF SCHOLARLY PURSUITS KNOWN as technocogniton. In van der Linden’s study, people gets “inoculated� against disinformation by exposing THEM TO A MODIkED VARIANT OF THE hardcore fake news and then showing the subjects why the news is phony and deceptive. Small doses of misinformation, arguably, act as vaccine against false news just as the inoculation of a weakened virus protects the body against the harmful disease itself.

All of these mental juggling reSULTED IN AN OFlINE ROLE PLAYING GAME that proved effective when tested with Dutch high school students. An online version was rolled out thereafter in which the scope of challenges has been expanded from four to six scenarios and expected to involve a lot more test subjects working it out in the digital frontier, the actual battleground between what’s fake and what’s real news.

The jury is out there whether inoculation is the cure for fake news, the chief hurdle being that millions of people have to be “immunized� one by one to draw reasonable conclusion. It’s still better late than never to curtail the evil plot to reshape the fabric of political reality by active dissemination of dubious information.

Q The winners of the 1st Datos Privados represent the banking, business process outsourcing, utility, health, law and technology sectors. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

PH sectors feted with first data privacy awards A

CCENTURE and Union Bank of the Philippines top the list of winners at the 1st Datos Privados Awards for Excellence, Leadership Innovation, Transformation, Experience and Service in Data Privacy.

Organized by the National Data ProtecTION /FkCERS OF THE 0HILIPPINES .ADPOP

the event recognized companies that have committed to comply with policies governing data privacy.

The 1st Datos Privados is the highlight of Nadpop’s data privacy conference that showcased data privacy and security topics and industry best practices. “We are at war,� said Sam Jacoba, Nadpop founding president. �You should know that. When at war, we should be prepared, and we should look after each other. This is why Nadpop is here, to help you.�

Out of hundreds of entries received nationwide, finalists were chosen and awarded a Bronze, Silver, and Gold Datos Privados trophies for individual and institutional categories.

The winners of the 1st Datos Privados represented the banking, business process outsourcing, utility, health, law and technology sectors.

The Gold Datos Privados awards were given to Accenture Managing Director Legal Compliance and Regulatory Affairs Millicent Desiderio-Dime and UnionBank Chief Technology and Information Officer Henry Aguda

as pillars for data privacy in corporate governance, Dondi Mapa for the Individual Empowerment & Enablement, TUV Rheinland Philippines for Corporate Empowerment and Enablement, Miescor (Meralco Industrial Engineering Services Corp.) for its General Awareness Roadshow and the PLDT Group for its Handle with Care under the Internal Awareness Category.

UnionBank was also awarded another Gold Datos Privados for Data Privacy Enterprise Management System.

Speaking at the conference, Department of Information and Communications Technology Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. introduced the National Information Communications Technology Ecosystem Framework that will serve as the country’s

b a c k b o n e f o r d i g i t a l r e vo l u t i o n .

He expressed the government’s commitment and accountability in securing data through maximizing the available platforms.

In closing, Jacoba cited an NPC data that there are 22,000 registered data protection officers nationwide. This, HOWEVER SIGNIkES A WIDE GAP BETWEEN available DPOs and the demand of millions of business companies in the country that should observe the Data Privacy Act. The Nadpop founding president said. “Many companies still do not invest in data privacy. Investing in data protection has long been overdue. What Nadpop can do is encourage these companies to comply to the Data Privacy Act and help empower the DPOs,�

Jacoba said.

AI increases innovation, employee productivity BY ARTIkCIAL INTELLIGENCE !) WILL allow the rate of innovation of Filipino companies to increase by 1.7 times, and nearly double employee productivity gains in the Philippines, according to the study titled Future Ready Business: !SSESSING !SIA 0ACIkC S 'ROWTH 0OTENTIAL Through AI. The study made by Microsoft and International Data Corp. (IDC) Asia/ 0ACIkC SURVEYED BUSINESS LEADERS and 100 workers in the Philippines.

7HILE CLOSE TO PERCENT OF BUSIness leaders polled agreed that AI is instrumental for their organization’s competitiveness, only 45 percent of organizations in the Philippines have embarked on their AI journeys. Those companies that have adopted AI expect it to increase their competitiveness by 1.5 times in 2021. g!) IS THE DEkNING TECHNOLOGY OF OUR TIME THAT SIGNIkCANTLY ACCELERATES BUSIness transformation, enables innovation, boosts employee productivity, and ensures further growth. Economies and businesses that have yet to embark on their AI journey run a real risk of missing OUT ON THE COMPETITIVE BENEkTS THAT ARE enjoyed by leaders,� said Ricky Kapur, -ICROSOFT !SIA 0ACIkC S %NTERPRISE AND Partners Group general manager.

Why adopt AI? For the organizations that have implemented AI initiatives, the top five business drivers to adopt the technology were (in priority order):

better customer engagements (27 percent of business leaders named it as number one driver); accelerated innovation (24 percent); higher competitiveness (16 percent); more productive employees (10 percent); and higher margins (8 percent). “Last year, organizations that have adopted AI saw tangible improvements in those areas in the range of 22 percent to 44 percent,� said Randy Roberts, IDC Philippines head of operations. “They forecast further improvements of at least 1.5 times in the three-year horizon, with the biggest jump expected in higher margins, accelerated innovation, and more productive employees.�

PH needs to urgently focus on AI investments, data The study evaluated six dimensions critical to ensuring the success of a nation’s AI journey: data, strategy, investments, culture, capabilities and infrastructure.

It uncovered that the Philippines needs to focus on improving on all areas, particularly its investments and data to accelerate its AI journey. “The Philippines is not yet ready for AI.,� Roberts said. “The Philippines needs to substantially improve its readiness. Organizations’ leadership should make AI a core part of their strategy and continuously invest in this transformative technology for the long-term success, sometimes without immediate returns.�

Business leaders who are adopting AI face three top challenges: a lack of thought leadership and leadership commitment to invest in AI; lack of skills, resources, and continuous learning programs; and ack of advanced analytics or adequate infrastructure and tools to develop actionable insights.

The study showed that to move ahead on their AI journeys, businesses have to create the right organizational culture.

A significant proportion of business leaders and more than half of workers surveyed believe that cultural traits that support AI journeys, such as risk-taking, proactive innovation, as well as crossfunction partnerships among teams, are not pervasive today. “Overall, workers in the Philippines are more skeptical than business leaders about the cultural readiness of their organizations,� said Roberts.

Addressing skills challenge for an AI-enabled workforce The study found that business leaders and workers in the Philippines hold positive viewpoints about AI’s impact on the future of jobs. Majority (74 percent of business leaders and 74 percent of workers) believe that AI will either help to do their existing jobs better or reduce repetitive tasks.

Seventeen percent of business leaders believe that AI will create new jobs, while 8 percent also feel that the technology will replace some jobs. Interestingly, workers are more optimistic, with

only 5 percent expecting AI to replace jobs, and 15 percent to create new ones.

At the same time, 6 percent of workers expect no impact on their jobs in three years from now.

The study also found that workers are more willing to reskill than business leaders believe they are. Sixteen percent of business leaders felt that workers have no interest to develop new skills, whereas only 4 percent of workers are not interested. g-ICROSOFT S VISION FOR !) IS kRST AND foremost about people. AI technology cannot progress without them. This means that millions will need to transform themselves into skilled workers as well as learners that an AI future needs,� said Kapur. “It is heartening to see that 88 percent of businesses prioritize skilling and reskilling of workers in the future. They plan to invest as much, or even more, in human capital than in new technology.� “The jobs of today will not be the jobs of tomorrow, and we have already seen demand for software engineering roles expand rapidly beyond just the tech sector. However, building an AI-ready workforce does not necessarily mean an acute need for technological skills,�

Kapur said.

The top future skills required by business leaders in the Philippines include digital skills, IT and programming skills, adaptability and continuous learning, as well as analytical skills. The demand for these skills is higher than the existing supply.

Sunday Business & I.T.

B4

SUNDAY APRIL 7, 2019

www manilatimes.net

Editor: Jing Garcia

Why buy the Honor 8C?

G

LOBAL smartphone e-brand Honor brings the Honor 8C to the Philippines.

The Honor 8C comes with a powerful Snapdragon 632 Chipset Processor, long-lasting 4000 mAh battery, a mesmerizing “Cat’s Eye� design, and a “DND� (do not disturb) mode for maximum gameplay experience. But that’s not all that the Honor 8C has to offer.

Here are eight more reasons to buy the Honor 8C:

Camera augmented reality (AR) effects The Honor 8C has built-in 13MP + 2MP dual rear cameras and an 8MP front camera. These don’t just upgrade the quality of the photos, but also allows users to add playful AR stickers to their pictures. Users also have the option to use animated backgrounds FOR THEIR SELkES

Powerful fingerprint scanner Nowadays, fingerprint scanners

can be found on almost all smartPHONES 4HE kNGERPRINT SCANNER on the Honor 8C is conveniently located at the back for easy access. But it doesn’t just unlock the phone. It can also be used to answer calls, stop an alarm, pull DOWN THE NOTIkCATION BAR SWIPE through photos, and even take photos and videos.

Dual-SIM functionality including an app twin feature

Blue light filter

Lexar unveils the world’s fastest 1TB portable SSD

Smartphones allow users to be “on� all the time. However, prolonged exposure to screens have a negative effect on users’ health. The Honor 8C features A BLUE LIGHT kLTER WHICH REDUCES the strain on users’ eyes from continued screen exposure.

Smart resolution Most dual-SIM phones in the midrange category only allow for one SIM to be connected to 4G data.

Not with the Honor 8C as both SIMs can be on 4G. The phone also allows users to have two accounts for an application via the App Twin feature. Users can have two numbers and accounts for apps like Whatsapp and Facebook on one phone.

Although the Honor 8C has a long-lasting 4000 mAh battery, it still has features that allow users to maximize the battery life, like the smart resolution. Turning this on reduces the resolution from HD or HD+, allowing users to choose how to get the most out of their remaining juice.

Wi-Fi bridge Single key navigation Users can maximize the beautiful 6.26-inch FullView display by turning on the single key navigation in the settings. This takes out the navigation bar at the bottom, allowing for a more unobstructed

Trade-in your smartphone for a newer iPhone model CUSTOMERS can now easily purchase the Apple devices they want as Power Mac Center launches UpTrade, a program that lets people trade in their current mobile devices for instant credit to purchase the latest iPhone in participating Power Mac Center or The Loop by Power Mac Center stores.

To avail of the program, customers simply have to visit a participating store and submit their device for assessment. They will then be given the amount equivalent to the trade-in value shortly. One valid ID must be presented in order to complete the transaction.

The premier Apple partner’s UpTrade program makes it easier for customers to own an Apple device or update to the latest Apple devices while providing a hassle-free environment of disposing their pre-loved devices.

UpTrade customers are allowed to trade in a maximum of five devices per transaction. The purchase of a new device must take place immediately and in the same

view of the display and easier single-handed use.

store where the assessment was done.

Participating stores include Power Mac Center Greenbelt 3, Festival Supermall, SM Mall of Asia, TriNoma, SM Aura Premier, The Annex at SM City North EDSA, SM Megamall, Power Plant Mall, SM City Marikina, SM City Lipa, and Robinsons Magnolia, as well as The Loop by Power Mac Center branches at the UP Town Center, SM City Calamba, Lucky Chinatown Mall, and Uptown Mall.

UpTrade accepts a wide variety of iOS and Android devices in exchange for evouchers that can be used to purchase any Power Mac Center or The Loop by Power Mac Center product, such as but not limited to laptops, mobile phones, speakers, and accessories. evouchers are not convertible to cash. The selection of specific phone models accepted may be inquired at the local PMC stores.

Note that before the transaction begins, traders must ensure that their devices and files are backed up. Power Mac Center will not be liable for any losses arising from this process.

Using a smartphone as a hotspot is not new, but the Wi-Fi Bridge of Honor 8C allows users to turn their phones into hotspots, not by using up their data, but by sharing an existing Wi-Fi network signal to others.

Realme 3 sells 500 units in 18 minutes at Shopee SHOPEE’S fastest-selling smartphone sub-P10,000, the budget and midrange smartphone disruptor Realme 3, sets another record with its Shopee 4.4 sold-out promo.

A record 500 units of the Realme 3 were sold in just 18 minutes during Shopee’s 4.4 Midnight Summer Bazaar for a back-to-back win for the game-changer brand.

Launched just last March in the Philippine market, the Realme 3 was welcomed with praises from both the tech m e d i a a n d c o mmunity. The strong market respo nse and astounding sales performance make it the most successful smartphone of Realme to date. “We are very happy to share that our 4.4 Shopee Summer Bazaar promo is yet another success with sold-out sales of 500 units of Realme 3 in just 18 minutes,� said Eason de Guzman, Realme Philippines Mar-

keting lead. “The positive feedback we continue to get from the community inspire and humble us, and spur us to work even more earnestly to let Filipino smartphone consum-

ers experience real value through our products and services.�

The Realme 3 redefines value with its powerful Helio P60 processor, 13MP + 2MP rear dual cameras with Nightscape and Chroma Boost modes, 4230mAh

battery and 3D gradient unibody design. With this smartphone, features usually found only in smartphones above P10,000 are NOW AVAILABLE IN A 0 DEVICE for the ultimate bang-forthe-buck experience.

Current realme users are encouraged to join the Realme Community Squad to participate in exclusive contests and activities such as the nightscape photography contests and Mobile Legends tournamen t s, w h i c h give users the chance to win up to P75,000 in prizes. This is part of the celebration of the Realme Squad Community growing to 10,000 members recently.

Realme is still accepting pre-orders in retail stores nationwide for the Realme 3 3GB+64 and 4GB+64GB VARIANTS FOR 0 AND 0

respectively. A minimum P500 deposit is required for the pre-order.

Claiming starts on April 6 for the 4GB+64GB variant and on April 13 for the 3GB+64GB variant.

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA: Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory solutions, has launched the new Lexar Professional SL100 Pro Portable SSD. The Lexar Professional SL100 Pro Portable SSD features a stylISH BRUSHED ALUMINUM kNISH AND comes in a conveniently small, slim size that makes it easy to slip in your pocket and go.

It’s the perfect companion to accompany you across any terrain as it’s drop-, shock-, vibration-resistant and comes with DataVault Lite software, an advanced security solution with 256-bit AES encryption to help protect your ESSENTIAL kLES AGAINST CORRUPTION

loss, and deletion.

Primed for power, the SL100 Pro has superior performance ON THE GO WITH SPEEDS UP -" S READ AND -" S WRITE making it up twice faster than the SL1003. It also features a USB Type-C port that enables the users to store and share quickly with USB 3.1 speeds. “We are proud to announce the Lexar Professional SL100 Pro Portable SSD, which is sleek, compact, and provides superior SSD-level performance at a competitive price. With professional photographers and videographers in mind, we created an SSD solution so they could travel at ease knowing their content is secure when compared with traditional hard drives,� said Joel Boquiren, director of Global Marketing.

The Professional SL100 Pro Portable SSD includes both USB Type-C to Type-C cable and USB Type-C to standard USB Type-A cable and is compatible with Mac OSX 10.6+, Windows 7/8/10, and standard USB ports.

The Lexar Professional SL100 Pro Portable SSD is available this month AT AN -320 OF '"

'" AND (1TB). It also comes with a threeyear limited warranty.

All Lexar product designs undergo extensive testing in the Lexar Quality Labs, facilities with more than 1,100 digital devices, to ensure performance, quality, compatibility and reliability.

Look after your data; it’s yours.

O

N April Fool’s Day, I thought the sex video of musician and vocal administration critic Jim Paredes was a joke. It went viral which he called out as “fake,� but later admitted it’s real. “It was private and not meant for public consumption. I do not know how it became public. I can only surmise that in this ugly season of toxic politics, muckrakers determined to neutralize MY INlUENCE BY VIOLATING MY privacy and digging up dirt on me are at work.� Jim and I had friction in the past administration, but I stand by his right to privacy. I am dumbfounded over this diversionary tactic to sidetrack us from grave national issues and controversies that need to be discussed. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) issued a warning that those who shared the said video are liable. Ignorance of our Cybercrime Prevention Act

LET’S TALK #SOCIAL NOEMI LARDIZABAL-DADO of 2012 and the Anti-Photo and 6IDEO 6OYEURISM !CT OF DOES not excuse an individual from liability should they violate the law.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) expressed willingness to investigate how the private video got leaked online.

Whether or not there is a breach, the best time to protect your data is before it happens.

When using video messaging apps and websites, know that one can record without your permission.

You can never be sure that data won’t be stolen in a breach but there’s a lot one can prepare beforehand to protect yourself. With notorious data breaches, ads popping up in your computers and mobile phones coupled with years of old photos piling up on social

media, it is time to take stock of your data. You know where you store your mobile phone or wallet but what about your data? Do you know where it is kept right now?

Just as we take care of personal stuff important in our daily lives, we need to look after our digital things, too.

Tactical Technology Collective (TCT) offers an eight-day Data Detox Kit (datadetox.myshadow. org) to help users control their online “data bloat.� But before going into a data detox, one must appreciate the stolen data in breaches: (1) websites you frequent, clubs and memberships you join, things you search; (2) your credit card details, tax ID/social security number; (3) your address, phone number; and (4) your social media posts, email content, photos. You want to look after your reputaTION YOUR kNANCIAL INFORMATION and your right to privacy. You care about your safety and identity.

Ask yourself: Have you installed too many apps, clicked “I agree�

way too much or lost track of how many accounts you’ve created? If you want answers, you need to understand the digital trail you are leaving behind. Data Detox Kit is not about logging off the internet. It covers eight topics: Discovery; Is Google your BFF?; How well does Facebook know you?; Trackers owned by thirdparty companies; Who is your phone talking to?; Your app checkup; Who do they think you are?; and Creating a new you.

Each day there are challenges that allows you to create healthier choices.

1. Use a search engine that doesn’t gather your data for PROkLING OR PROkT /NCE YOU VE identified your favorite, make it your default browser. DuckDuckGo, Startpage and Searx are good options.

2. One can confuse all the advertisers by installing AdNauseam which is an add-on that clicks on random ads in the background, while you browse

the web as normal.

3. Turn your phone’s location services off when not needed. You can turn them back on again.

Battery life lasts longer, too. The location tracking is not off since your phone still transmits location information through the telco towers and Wi-Fi networks.

4. Chat using a noncommercial, open source alternative such as Jitsi Meet Video Conferencing and Signal Private Messenger. An alternative is to avoid discussing sensitive matters on the phone.

Do not leave behind your phones or laptops on your tables/desks during a conference or meeting.

5. Separate your data by applying different services for various online activities.

Install a more privacy-friendly browser like Firefox (or Firefox Focus for iPhone & Android) or Chromium. Just use Chrome for Google activity, and Firefox or Chromium for general browsing.

An example is use DuckDuckGo for personal searches, and Start-

page for work. Set up different email accounts for your phone, online accounts and social emails. TutaNota and ProtonMail are secured with end-to-end encryption.

Check out their Alternative App Center, containing opensource tools, apps and services recommended by Tactical Technology Collective for better privacy and control, including guides, tutorials, and videos to help you better understand and manage your digital traces.

By the end of the eight-day program, TCT says you’ll be well on your way to a healthier and more in-control digital self. Encourage your friends and family on board. ಯIt’s a crucial part of making your new digital lifestyle work, and their actions online matter. Every time they tag you, mention you or upload data about you, it adds to your data build-up, no matter how conscientious you’ve been.�

World

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

C1

Thai leader faces trial for sedition

B

ANGKOK: The leader of a popular new Thai political party that ran a strong third in last month’s elections on Saturday denied the criminal charges OF SEDITION kLED AGAINST HIM BY THE RULING military junta and expressed concern that HE WILL BE TRIED IN A MILITARY COURT

Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit was greeted by hundreds of supporters chanting “Keep kGHTING 4HANATHORNĂœu AS HE ARrived at the Pathumwan police station in Bangkok to answer a police summons on complaints of sedition, assisting criminals AND ILLEGAL ASSEMBLY kLED BY A JUNTA OFkCER 4HE CHARGES CARRY A maximum prison sentence of up to nine years. “I’m concerned because this case is under the military court instead

of the criminal court,� he said in a statement to reporters. “That is quite unsettling.�

He said he was treated fairly by police and added: “There are many citizens in Thailand that have been charged with (sedition under Article) 116, including those that have not received any public attention. The regime creates fear for the society to silence us,� Thanathorn said. “I insist I am innocent I am READY TO STAND kRM IN THE COURT proceedings. I urge all Thais and

the international community to call for civil rights to stand for human rights for the betterment of our society.�

Police Gen. Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, deputy chief of police, said on Wednesday that the charges against Thanathorn stem from his role in a student demonstration on June 24, 2015. He said the case had stalled because OF SEVERAL RESHUFlES AMONG THE RESPONSIBLE OFkCERS Thanathorn said he views the case as politically motivated because “the timing couldn’t have been more coincidental than this — just one week after elections.�

Thailand has been led by a military government since a coup in 2014 and the ruling junta has kept a tight lid on dissent. It has slapped criminal charges against

critics, while some had been detained for up to weeks for “attitude adjustment� sessions at military bases in efforts to change their views.

The coup leader, Prayuth Chanocha, became junta chief and prime minister and is now seeking to lead the next government after a party backing his reappointment won the most popular votes, according to preliminary results of the March 24 elections.

Sakda Ta npratoomwong, a Bangkok supporter who voted for Future Forward, said he came to the police station to “show support to Thanathorn� and “to kGHT INJUSTICE IN THIS COUNTRY u He held up a sign that read “End of age of dinosaur.� He said another person came with him in a dinosaur mascot to symbolize old Thai politics.

(AP)

UNDER FIRE

Future Forward Party leader Thanatorn Juangroongruangkit thanks supporters outside Pathumwan police station after hearing sedition charges brought against him by the National Council for Peace and Order in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday. AFP PHOTO

Widodo reelection as Indonesia president looms JAKARTA, Indonesia: Opinion surveys 10 days ahead of presidential and legislative elections in the world’s third-largest democracy show Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his ruling coalition maintaining a large lead over the rival camp.

Four nationwide surveys conducted in the second half of March show Widodo between 13 and 20 percentage points ahead of former special forces general Prabowo Subianto, though undecided voters are as high as 20 percent.

The race has tightened modestly

since late last year, but pollsters say Widodo, who has had a commanding lead for months, especially in populous East and Central Java, is headed for victory in the April 17 election.

Widodo, the first Indonesian president from outside the Jakarta elite, has campaigned on progress in upgrading inadequate infrastructure and reducing poverty. He narrowly defeated Subianto in the 2014 president election.

Far behind in the polls, Subianto and his team have recently re-

sorted to questioning the integrity of the upcoming vote, apparently setting the groundwork for a repeat of his unsuccessful challenge to the 2014 results.

Subianto’s ultra nationalistic campaign has focused on what he sees as Indonesia’s weakness in the world relative to its vast land area rich in natural resources and population of more than 260 million.

(E HAS HIGHLIGHTED SIGNIkCANT problems facing the country, including poverty and particularly

the tragedy of stunting — malnutrition in children younger than 5 that causes lifelong physical and mental impairment.

But the government has been able to show progress in alleviating those long-standing crises.

The United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization and other international agencies said earlier this week that the percentage of Indonesian children suffering from stunting fell to 30.8 percent from nearly 30.8 percent between 2013 and 2018.

During the same period, the reduction in the number of hungry and malnourished people, including children, has come to a standstill in many other parts of Asia, according to the agencies that included the UN Children’s Fund the World Health Organization and World Food Program.

Meanwhile, the Pew Research Center, in research released Thursday, said Indonesians were increasingly optimistic about their country’s current and future economic situation.

AP

HINDU FEST

Indian youths dressed in traditional attire play drums as they take part in a procession celebrating ‘Gudhi Padwa’ or the Maharashtrian New Year in Mumbai on Saturday. Gudhi Padwa is the Hindu New Year for people in Maharashtra state marking the end of a harvest and the beginning of a new one. AFP PHOTO

China road Malaysia won’t join ICC — Mahathir accident kills 7 THE death toll has risen to seven, after a van fell off the road on Friday near Jinke village in Junlian County of Yibin, southwest of China’s Sichuan Province.

The van driver, who was among the four injured, died later in hospital, said A SOURCE FROM THE PUBLICITY OFkCE OF Junlian County.

There were 10 people in the van with a seating capacity of nine people. They were relatives and friends.

The accident happened at around 11 a.m. and rescuers were dispatched to the scene. Three injured people remained in hospital.

Further investigation is underway.

GLOBAL TIMES

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Malaysia would not ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the second treaty the government is withdrawing from after coming under pressure from the majority Muslim opposition.

Malaysia, earlier this year, backtracked on acceding to a United Nations treaty against racial discrimination following a massive Muslim rally.

Mahathir said the Cabinet decided not to ratify the Rome Statute as it had been manipulated by his opponents. He rejected allegations that the treaty will undermine Malaysia’s sovereignty and its royal families after a powerful state sultan joined the opposition to Malaysia’s joining the court.

The court has been hobbled by the refusal of the US, Russia, China and other major nations to join. Others that have quit include Burundi and the Philippines. “This is not because we are against ,it but because of the political confusion about what it entails, caused by people with vested interest,� a visibly upset Mahathir told a news conference. “I see this as a way to blacken my face because they know they cannot oust me easily,� said Mahathir, the world’s oldest leader at 93.

Mahathir’s government still struggles with racial issues as many ethnic Muslim Malays, who account for two-thirds of the population, support the opposition.

Malaysia signed the Rome Statute in March, but the opposition had

objected to it on racial grounds that it could undermine privileges for Malays, as well as the immunity of nine Malay state rulers. The wealthy ruler of southern Johor State also recently accused the government of breaching the constitution by signing the treaty.

Mahathir slammed efforts to engage Malaysia’s royal families in the discourse against the government. “They claimed the law negates the rights of the Malays, the rights of the rulers. It’s absolute nonsense,� he said. “We understand that this is a political move to get the rulers to back them up. Of course, some members of the royal family may be involved, but the whole idea is to get the royalty in Malaysia to go against the government.�

AP

African swine fever hits Cambodia THE Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries yesterday said hundreds of African swine fever (ASF)-infected pigs in Ratanakkiri province were discovered in O’Yada district.

Tan Phannara, director of the ministry’s Animal Health and Production Department, said the infection was detected in about 500 pigs being raised by local villagers. “Among 500 pigs, 400 died, according to a provincial report,�

Phannara said. “So we culled the remaining 100 yesterday.�

He said that due to the spread of the disease, a ministry team was monitoring the Cambodia-Vietnam border area to investigate how the pigs made it into the Kingdom.

Phannara noted that preliminary results of the monitoring process showed that the infection could have come from pork products being sold on motorbikes along the border. “We have studied and found there is no import of animals from Vietnam, but people at the border said meat and vegetables are still being imported and sold on motorbikes,� he said.

Soy Sona, director of the Provincial Agriculture Department, yesterday said ASF had spread among pigs raised by 125 ethnic Jarai families. “When this case was detected, our OFkCIALS IMMEDIATELY TOOK ACTION TO prevent the transport of animals, and sprayed antiseptics in areas where the infection happened,� Sona said. “If we detect the virus in an animal, then we will cull it immediately.�

Despite the presence of ASF in Ratanakkiri, the Agriculture Ministry said the disease does not transmit to humans. However, the ministry said it was worried about economical repercussions.

Last month, the Agriculture Ministry issued a directive to check and prevent the spread of ASF in the Kingdom.

It said that the disease was difficult to eliminate, and that the virus could survive after animals were processed into meat products.

It noted that there had yet to be a vaccine for the disease.

Additionally, the Agriculture Ministry said it had taken strict measures to prevent the import of pigs or pork products from Vietnam.

Ly Sovann, director of the Ministry of Health’s Communicable Disease Control Department, said ASF originated from Africa, but managed to spread to China and northern parts of Vietnam, which borders Ratanakkiri.

KHMER TIMES

C2

World

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

Trump: ‘US is full’

L

AS Vegas: Declaring “our country is full,�

President Donald Trump on Friday (Saturday in Manila) insisted the US immigration system was overburdened and illegal crossings must be stopped as he inspected a refurbished section of fencing at the Mexican border.

Trump, making a renewed push for border security as a central campaign issue for his 2020 reelection, participated in a briefing on immigration and border security in Calexico before viewing a 3.2-kilometer (2-mile) see-through steel-slat barrier that was a long-planned replacement for an older barrier — and not new wall. “There is indeed an emergency on our southern border,� Trump SAID AT THE BRIEkNG ADDING THAT there had been a sharp uptick in illegal crossings. “It’s a colossal surge and it’s overwhelming our immigration system, and we can’t let that happen.We can’t take you anymore. We can’t take you. Our country is full.�

As Air Force One touched

down in the state, California and 19 other states that are suing Trump over his emergency declaration to build a border wall requested a court order to stop money from being diverted to fund the project. But Trump, who ratcheted up his hard-line immigration rhetoric in recent weeks, declared that his move, which included vetoing a congressional vote, was necessary.

Also on Friday, House Democrats filed a lawsuit preventing Trump from spending more money than Congress has approved to erect barriers along the southwestern border. Congress approved just under $1.4 billion for work on border barricades. Trump has asserted he could use his powers as Chief Executive to transfer an

additional $6.7 billion to wall construction.

Trump, who earlier in the week threatened to shut down the border over the high numbers of migrants trying to enter the US, appeared to walk back his comments Thursday. He said Friday that it was because Mexico had gotten tougher in stopping an INlUX OF IMMIGRANTS FROM MOVing north. “Mexico has been absolutely TERRIkC FOR THE LAST FOUR DAYS u the President said as he left the White House. “I never changed my mind at all. I may shut it down at some point.�

The President’s visit came a day after he withdrew his nominee to lead US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Longtime BORDER OFkCIAL 2ON 6ITIELLO APpeared to be cruising toward confirmation, but Trump said Friday that he wanted to go in a “tougher direction.�

Trump, as he so often does, mixed fact with fiction when warning of the threat at the bor-

der. When complaining about the Flores legal settlement that governs treatment of migrant children and families, he blamed “Judge Flores, whoever you may be.� But Flores was an unaccompanied 15-yearold girl from El Salvador.

He also downplayed the claims of people seeking asylum at the border, declaring without evidence that many are gang members while comparing some of their efforts TO kND SAFETY IN THE 53 TO SPECIAL COUNSEL 2OBERT -UELLER S INVESTIGATION OF 2USSIAN INTERFERENCE IN THE 2016 elections . “It’s a scam, it’s a hoax,� Trump said. “I know about hoaxes. I just went through a hoax.�

As the President showed off the renovated section of the barrier to reporters, a balloon depicting 4RUMP AS A BABY lOATED FURTHER down the border. And as Trump landed in California, the state’s governor ripped the President’s push for Congress to pass legislation that would tighten asylum rules to make it harder for people to qualify.

(AP)

May asks for Brexit delay until June 30 LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May and the foreign minister again sought to delay Brexit until June 30 to avoid a chaotic withdrawal from the European Union (EU) in one week, although a key leader of the bloc suggested an EVEN LONGER PAUSE IN THE DIFkCULT divorce proceedings.

The question over timing is vital because Britain is set to leave the EU without a withdrawal deal in place on April 12 unless an agreement is reached at a Brussels summit set to take place two days earlier.

In a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk, May asked for an extension until the end of June and agreed to make contingency plans to take part in European Parliament elections on May 23 to 26 if necessary.

An earlier British request for a delay until June 30 was rejected last month, amid rising irritation from EU leaders about the political chaos in London. There also having been increasing fears that the longer the UK stays, the more it will obstruct EU policies and plans.

Tusk proposed a longer time frame Friday and he urged the

27 remaining EU nations to offer THE 5+ A lEXIBLE EXTENSION OF UP to a year to make sure the nation doesn’t leave the bloc in a chaotic way that could undermine commerce and hurt many EU nations.

4WO %5 OFkCIALS SAID 4USK WANTS a one-year period, which hadBEEN DUBBED A glEXTENSION u AND hoped to get it approved at the EU SUMMIT ON !PRIL 4HE OFkCIALS spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to disclose information before it was made public.

Such a move would mean that the UK would need to take part in the elections to the European Parliament, something May haDlong argued would not be in either side’s interest.

The elections pose a substantial stumbling block because Britain would be expected to take part, if it is still an EU member, so its people have representation in the European Parliament. Officials worry that the legitimacy of European institutions could be jeopardized if the population of a member state was not involved in the process.

AP

Alert Libyan militias capture enemy force BENGHAZI, Libya: Militias in western Libya fought forces under rival army commander Khalifa Hifter on Saturday, capturing 100 of his soldiers and waging an airstrike on one of his positions a day after he declared an offensive to seize Tripoli, the capital of the oil-rich nation.

The violence came as the United Nations (UN) chief wrapped up his visit Friday aimed at avoiding an exPANDED CONlICT AND SAID HE LEFT WITH a “heavy heart and deep concern.�

The escalation comes after forces commanded by Hifter, who runs the self-styled Libya National Army based in the country’s east, pushed westward. He brought his troops closer to tripoli, which is controlled by the UN-backed Presidential Council and Government of National Accord and supporting militias.

A well-informed UN diplomat said that Hifter’s forces were reported to be on the outskirts of Tripoli. So were militias from the western city of Misrata who now control everything from the eastern edges of the capital to Libya’s western border, the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

A showdown between Hifter’s army and the militias could plunge Libya into another spasm of violence, possibly the worst since the 2011 civil war that toppled and later killed LONGTIME DICTATOR -OAMMAR 'ADHAk It would also put at risk upcoming peace talks between rivals brokered by the UN and aimed at drawing a roadmap for new elections. Those talks are scheduled for April 14 to 16.

The UN Security Council held an emergency closed-door meeting Friday at Britain’s request and called on Hifter’s forces to halt all military movements. It also urged all Libya forces “to de-escalate and halt military activity.� !FTER A BRIEkNG BY THE 5. ENvoy for Libya Ghassan Salame, the council said there can be no MILITARY SOLUTION TO THE CONlICT Council members “called on all parties to resume dialogue and deliver on their commitments to engage constructively with the UN political process.�

Hifter’s troops on Thursday captured the town of Gharyan, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Tripoli WITHOUT A kGHT PUTTING THEM CLOSER to the militias than ever before. AP

DANCING PRINCE

Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (right) takes part in a ballet class for four- to six year-olds while on a visit to The Young Men’s Christian Organization South Ealing in west London on April 3, 2019 to learn more about their work on mental health and see how YMCA provides support to young people in the area. AFP PHOTO

‘Revenge politics’ leads Brazilian doctors to quit RIO DE JANEIRO: More than 1,000 Brazilian doctors who signed up to replace Cuban physicians working in Brazil’s rural areas have quit within three months allegedly due to revenge politics imposed by the new Brazilain president, the Health Ministry confirmed Friday (Saturday in Manila).

The doctors who quit represent 12 percent of the 8,500 physician positions that opened after Cuba’s government ended the More Medics program, which had sent Cuban doctors to areas where medical professionals were scarce in return for payments from Brazil.

Days after being elected Brazil’s president on Staff members of the Ataturk Airport pose for a photo on the last November 28, far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro said day of flight operations of the Ataturk International Airport late Apr 5, 2019 in Istanbul. The Turkey he would renegotiate the program, which had been International Airport will move to the newly built Istanbul Airport. Moving will take 45 hours and involve signed between Brazil and Cuba in 2013. The Cuban 707 trucks and 800 staff members. 10,000 pieces of equipment weighing 47,000 tons will be tagged by government then announced its doctors would no trucks piece by piece. AFP PHOTO

MOVING OUT

Worldinbriefs TALIBAN KILL 7 POLICEMEN KABUL, Afghanistan: An Afghan official said Saturday Taliban have killed at least four police officers when they stormed a security checkpoint in northern Sari Pul province. Mohammad Noor Rahmani, head of the provincial council, said five others were wounded in Saturday’s attack on the outskirts of the province’s capital city. Police in eastern Ghazni province say Taliban also launched attacks on security checkpoints there on Saturday, killing three personnel and wounding seven others.

A spokesman for the provincial police chief, Ahmad Khan Serat, said police killed seven insurgents during the gun battle.

AP

FLOODINGS FORCE MASS EVACUATIONS IN IRAN TEHRAN, Iran: Iranian state TV is reported authorities had ordered the evacuation of four more towns in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, which is widely inundated with floods. The Saturday report says rescue teams were taking residents to nearby shelters, including three army barracks.Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli told state TV that some 400,000 people are

longer participate.

Bolsonaro tweeted that the Cuban government rejected his new terms to require that Cuban doctors pass the Brazilian medical exam, receive the full salary the Brazilian government paid for their services and allow them to bring their families. The agreement had said Brazil’s foreign ministry could grant temporary visas to doctors’ family members, but Cuban doctors reported having problems in bringing their families to Brazil. “I would never make an agreement with Cuba with those terms. It’s slave labor,� Bolsonaro told reporters at the time, referring to the fact that the Cuban government received a large portion of the doctors’ salaries.

He also argued that “we can meet the demand for this program with Brazilian doctors,� though critics of his move expressed doubt. They warned

at risk out of the province’s population of some five-million. Nine towns and scores of villages have been already evacuated as major flooding has recently hit the western half of the country, after years of drought. There have been no reports of damage to the province’s petroleum facilities, which account for roughly 80 percent of Iran’s oil production.

AP

NICARAGUA RELEASES 50 PRISONERS MANAGUA, Nicaragua: Nicaragua on Friday (Saturday in Manila) released another 50 people jailed for protesting against President Daniel Ortega’s government, bringing the number freed since late February to about 200 in a unilateral action separate from a broader deal covering hundreds considered political prisoners. However charges were not dropped against the demonstrators, who were accused of “disrupting the public order and attacking the peace in Nicaragua.â€? Instead they were for the most part transferred to a form of house arrest, short of the unrestricted freedom that the opposition has demanded in negotiations with government representatives. “Being at home I feel free,â€? said freed student protester Franklin Rodrigo Artola GarcĂ­a.

AP

MALDIVES ELECTS NEW PRESIDENT MALÉ, Maldives: The Maldives on Saturday held its first parliamentary elec-

that the change could harm health care across large swaths of the Brazilian Amazon and other remote areas.

In February, the Health Ministry announced that all 8,517 openings in the More Medics program had been filled by Brazilian doctors.

But the revelation that more than 1,000 of those physicians had already dropped out raised new questions about whether the government can find enough doctors to fill the positions. “The poorest part of the population is being left without health care because of revenge politics by the Bolsonaro government,� Congressman Glauber Braga tweeted.

Cuba, which has similar medical missions in 67 countries, says the program saw 20,000 Cuban doctors attend to millions of patients in Brazil over five years.

AP

tion since former strongman leader Abdulla Yameen was forced to stand down, with his arch-rival expected to make a big comeback in the vote. Mohamed Nasheed, another former president, is the highest profile candidate up for election for the 87-member People’s Majlis, or parliament. He returned from an enforced exile abroad after Yameen lost an election in September to Nasheed’s deputy, Mohamed Ibrahim Solih.Solih said he expected Saturday’s poll to return a strong legislature led by his Maldivian Democratic Party.

AP

BERLIN ACTIVISTS FIGHT RISING RENT BERLIN: Low-cost housing advocates are launching a grassroots campaign to force Berlin’s state government into taking over nearly 250,000 apartments worth billions from corporate owners to fight rising rents in one of Germany’s hottest real estate markets. The fight pits two philosophies against one another: Free-market companies that see real estate as a means to profit, and housing activists who see affordable rent not only as a necessity but as central Berlin’s character. Its prospects are uncertain at this early stage and a resolution will take years. The city had been a low-rent mecca after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 opened the gates to the economically depressed former communist east of the city. That gave rise to an influx of artists and others seeking a more bohemian existence.

AP

Public Square

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Bello swears in newly appointed RTWPB representative

DANTE Llamera Encinas (second from LEFT TAKES HIS OATH OF OFkCE BEFORE ,ABOR Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd as newly appointed Workers’ Sectoral Representative to the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board–5, during a ceremony at the Department of Labor

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

C3

DoE takes PIEEP to the Visayas

AND %MPLOYMENT #ENTRAL /FkCE )NTRAmuros, Manila on March 14.

Joining the Secretary are Labor Undersecretary Ciriaco Lagunzad 3rd and National Wages and Productivity Commission Executive Director Maria Criselda Sy.

PBSP helps curb TB through the STRiders Strategy

T

HE Department of Energy (DoE), in partnership with the United Nations for Industrial Development Organization, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Global Environment Facility, conducted

on March 20 the Cebu leg of the terminal workshop for the Philippine Industrial Energy Efficiency Project.

The workshop highlighted the implementation of the Energy Management System and how it is applicable in making energy efficiency and conservation a way of life for all Filipinos.

It also sought to increase the consumers’ level of awareness and instill the values of energy efficiency and conservation.

Representatives from Funai Electric Cebu, Inc., SMYPC Cebu Glass Plant, MEPZ Mixed Gases Corp., and Summit Consultancy & Research Services also shared their experiences and best prac-

tices on the implementation of EnMS with System Optimization.

A total of 51 representatives from both the public and private sectors attended the workshop.

The activity aims to reinforce the Energy Department’s commitment to provide access to cost effective energy in the ever-shifting global business environment.

Muntinlupa LGU partners with Xi’an, China govt

ONE of the challenges in reducing tuberculosis in the Philippines is THE LOW NOTIkCATION AND LOW UTILIzation of the GeneXpert machine, A CONkRMATORY DIAGNOSTIC TOOL FOR TB that is recommended by the World Health Organization.

In 2017, notification of DrugResistant TB cases was only at 84 percent despite the availability of 335 GeneXpert machines. One of the factors causing these challenges is the lack of a reliable transport mechanism for Rural Health Units (RHUs) to refer eligible cases for GeneXpert testing.

To address this gap, the Philippine Business for Social Progress, through its Advancing Client-Centered Care and Expanding Sustainable Services

or Access TB Project introduced the Specimen Transport Riders (STRiders) strategy in July 2018, which contributes SIGNIkCANTLY TO THE NUMBER OF 4" CASES BEING IDENTIkED AND TREATED TODAY The STRiders are motorcycle riders hired and trained by PBSP on proper handling and transport of sputum samples from RHUs/DoTS facilities and other treatment centers to Rapid Transport TB Diagnostic Laboratories in the fastest possible time. It also aims to ensure that 100 percent of expert eligible cases are tested and test results are released timely.

About 138 motorcycle riders were directly contracted by PBSP to serve 1,048 RHUs and 127 GeneXpert Sites in seven regions.

Things you shouldn’t miss this Easter at Marriott Manila

Q The mini cakes make the perfect gift for your loved ones this Easter; choose from Chocolate Lemon Yuzu, Banana Cream Cheese Mousse, Hazelnut Praline Orange or Orange Yuzu.

FROM a video game-themed egg hunt to a bountiful buffet feast and animal-inspired sweets, Marriott Manila takes Easter celebration to another level of excitement for the whole family to enjoy! Gone are the Easter bunnies hopping around Marriott CafÊ Bakery, because now it’s all about cakes and quirky chocolate treats of lions, giraffes,

cute little chicks, koalas, and more TO kLL YOUR %ASTER BASKETSĂœ Easter means long weekend, and long breaks calls for a staycation! It’s time to enjoy the rare serenity within the city. Marriott Manila is offering a special room package for those staying from April 13 to 21, 2019.

For more information, visit www. manilamarriott.com.

ParaĂąaque, Coca-Cola celebrate 18th year of Solid Waste Management Act COCA-COLA Philippines, the ParaĂąaque City government and the National Solid Waste Management Commission recently celebrated the 18th year of the enactment of Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the “Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000â€? — a law that enforces the proper management of waste at the barangay level.

Led by officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources; ParaĂąaque City Mayor Edwin Olivares; and environmental AND SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT OFkCERS from Malabon, Muntinlupa, Taguig, Pasay, Valenzuela, Las PiĂąas, and San Juan; the celebration, aptly themed, National Zero Waste Month: We and Alternative Technologies, Partnering for Proper Waste Management, gathered stakeholders, including civic

and private sectors, who are at the frontlines of tackling the country’s waste problems.“This is an important milestone for all of us who are working towards the realization of a World Without Waste. The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 introduced waste management long before anyone thought it was needed. Today, as there is more consciousness about the impact of waste, Coca-Cola is at the forefront OF kNDING SOLUTIONS BOTH AT THE community and company levels, to effectively reduce waste and complete the sequence of recycling the resources and turning them into entirely new materials that we can use,� said Winn Everhart, president and general manager of Coca-Cola Philippines.

The CITY Government of Muntinlupa forges bilateral relations with Xi’an Municipal People’s Government for various development initiatives.

Muntinlupa City delegates represented Mayor Jaime Fresnedi in AN OFkCIAL VISIT TO DISCUSS AREAS of partnership and collaboration between the two cities.

Muntinlupa and Xi’an will venture in exchange of ideas and initiatives on areas of education, health care, trade and industry, cultural exchange, among others. thanks to Xi’an Mayor Li MinFresnedi extends his utmost gyuan for the opportunity of

building partnership and says he looks forward to sustaining de-

velopment initiatives with Xi’an, China this year and beyond.

Caltex, Northern Star and DepEd team up to boost STEM learning in Cagayan Valley and Cordilleras HAVING modern school equipment is an exception rather than the rule in most public schools in agricultural communities like Cagayan Valley and the Cordilleras.

Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), marketer of Caltex fuels and lubricants — in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) and Northern Star Energy Corporation (Northern Star), branded marketer of Caltex, are bringing Caltex Fuel Your School to Northeast Luzon to give high-need public high schools in the area the tools and equipment to boost the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) study stream. This was announced during a Memorandum of Agreement signing ceremony between the partners

Q During the contract signing, from left: Louie Zhang, Chevron Philippines Inc.country chairman, ; Juan Miguel Delgado, Northern Star Energy Corporation chief operating officer; May Eclar, CAR-DepEd regional director; Arnulfo Balani, Region 2-DepEd assistant regional director ; and Edwin Feist, American Chamber Foundation president. held at CPI boardroom in 6750 Building, Ayala Avenue, Makati.

Since 2015, Caltex Fuel Your School has helped more than a million high school students in Metro Manila, Davao, Bicol and Ilocos regions better learn STEM by enabling the conduct

of projects that harness renewable energy, improve agri-tech, and promote robotics programming, among others. Caltex Fuel Your School aims to raise P3 million for the 30 highestneed public high schools in the region selected by DepEd.

Northern Star is leveraging their 22 stations in North Eastern Luzon and donating P1.5 million directly to the project.

Caltex will donate P1 for every liter of fuel purchase in the 22 participating Caltex stations in the Northeast Luzon from June 1 to July 31, 2019.

GCash supports families of fallen heroes GCASH, the Philippines’ #1 mobile wallet sealed its partnership with Hero Foundation Inc., a nongovernment organization (NGO) in the Philippines which main advocacy is to help orphans of our fallen and incapacitated military men in the line of duty.

GCash has explored to open a partnership with Hero Foundation. The country’s #1 mobile wallet has provided Hero Foundation and Filipinos who support the cause a fast, secure and convenient way of bringing something back to orphans of military men who died in line of duty. Using the Quick Response (QR) Code technology donations can now be made digitally. The donation boxes of HERO Foundation are strategically located at major malls in Metro Manila and throughout the country and will also be assigned their SPECIkC 12 CODES This partnership is part of

Q Officers of HERO Foundation from left: Kiel Fernandez, Marketing and Media Relations,fundraising consultant; Chez Florentino-Ebot, marketing officer and MGEN; Victor Bayani (Ret) and GCash officers Anthony Thomas, President and chief executive officer and JM Aujero,vice president for Merchant Solutions.

GCash’s campaign to empower actively supporting the families more convenient. It also is a way more NGOs, Communities and Or- of our military personnel killed TO HONOR THE SACRIkCES OF OUR MILIganizations in the country through or totally incapacitated in the line tary by ensuring the children they #GCashForGood. This will enable of duty. We only are able to do leave behind still have a chance more individuals to conveniently this through the generosity and to a brighter future,� said Hero support their chosen charities trust of individuals and corpora- Foundation Inc. Executive Directhrough the use of the GCash App tions. Through this partnership tor, MGen Victor Bayani (Ret).

For more information, contact “Since HERO Foundation’s with GCash, being a HERO to our inception in 1988, it has been heroes’ children is made easier and corpcomm@mynt.xyz.

Belmote to bring QC Hall services closer to the barangay QUEZON City Vice Mayor Josephina “Joy� Belmonte pledged to bring down the services originally offered at the Quezon city hall to the barangay LEVEL IN HER kRST DAYS if elected as mayor of Quezon City.

Belmonte mentioned that some residents of the city are complain-

ing about spending too much for the fare, especially when they need to go back to city hall for a few days just to get their transactions done. “We also consider that Quezon City is a big city, and there are barangays that are really far from the city hall like District 5. It will

be very convenient for them if we can make the services available to their own barangay halls,� the vice mayor added.

Belmonte also disclosed plans of creating an arm of Quezon City Hall in Novaliches to deliver services closer to residents, especially since Nova-

liches takes an almost 13 km drive to the Quezon City hall in Diliman.

Aside from the said program, Belmonte has also been planning to adopt technology to process documents online and to make transactions accessible through the use of smart phones.

Sports

D1

SSUNDAY AAPRIL 7, 2019

www.manilatimes.net

Nuggets clinch division title L

OS ANGELES: Nikola Jokic tallied 22 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists as the Denver Nuggets clinched the Northwest Division title with a 119-110 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday (Saturday in Manila).

0AUL -ILLSAP SCORED POINTS AND *AMAL -URRAY HAD AS $ENVER LOCKED UP AT LEAST THE NUMBER THREE SEED IN THE ."! S 7ESTERN #ONFERENCE $ENVER HAVE A SLIM CHANCE AT GAINING THE TOP SEED BUT THE kRST PLACE 'OLDEN 3TATE 7ARRIORS ALSO WON ON &RIDAY OVER THE #LEVELAND #AVALIERS $ENVER LEAD THE (OUSTON 2OCKETS BY GAMES FOR THE SECOND SEED IN THE 7EST g4HAT S BIG u SAID -URRAY OF THE DIVISION TITLE g%VERYBODY KNOWS HOW WELL WE PLAY AT HOME u %NES +ANTER HAD POINTS 2ODNEY (OOD HAD AND !L &AROUQ !MINU HAD POINTS AND REBOUNDS FOR 0ORTLAND WHO DROPPED TO ON THE SEASON $AMIAN ,ILLARD SCORED POINTS AND MISSED ALL SIX OF HIS THREE POINT ATTEMPTS 4HE SAME TEAMS MEET AGAIN ON 3UNDAY NIGHT WITH THE .UGGETS HAVING WON THE LAST SIX IN A ROW g4HIS WAS OUR NIGHT AND IT IS GOING TO CARRY OVER WHEN WE GO TO THEIR PLACE u SAID -URRAY g7E HAVE TO BRING THE SAME ENERGY SAME PACE AND TRY TO GET IT DONE u

Curry bounces back )N /AKLAND 3TEPHEN #URRY BOUNCED BACK FROM HIS LOWEST SCORING GAME OF THE SEASON TO DELIVER POINTS AS THE 7ARRIORS MOVED TO WITHIN ONE WIN OF CLINCHING THE TOP SEED

BY BEATING THE STRUGGLING #AVALIERS 'OLDEN 3TATE JUST NEED A WIN 3UNDAY OVER THE ,OS !NGELES #LIPPERS TO

SEAL THE TOP SEED IN THE 7EST PLAYOFFS WHICH BEGIN NEXT WEEKEND 4HE 7ARRIORS SWEPT ,E"RON *AMES #AVALIERS IN LAST SEASON S ."! kNALS 'OLDEN 3TATE LED WIRE TO WIRE &RIDAY AND AT ONE STAGE HAD A WHOPPING POINT LEAD )N /KLAHOMA #ITY 2USSELL 7ESTBROOK SECURED HIS THIRD STRAIGHT SEASON AVERAGING A TRIPLE DOUBLE AS THE 4HUNDER BEAT THE $ETROIT 0ISTONS IN A ."! CONTEST CRUCIAL TO BOTH TEAMS PLAYOFF HOPES 7ESTBROOK FINISHED WITH POINTS EIGHT REBOUNDS AND ASSISTS AND HAS NOW AVERAGED OR MORE POINTS REBOUNDS ASSISTS OVER THE COURSE OF THE SEASON (E ALSO AVERAGED OR MORE kGURES IN AND 0AUL 'EORGE SCORED POINTS AND *ERAMI 'RANT HAD FOR /KLAHOMA #ITY WHO WON FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT GAME AND FOURTH TIME IN THE PAST SEVEN 7ESTBROOK CAME INTO THE GAME NEEDING THREE ASSISTS TO SECURE HIS TRIPLE DOUBLE SEASON AVERAGE AND DID IT ON JUST THE FOURTH POSSESSION BY /KLAQ Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, rear, looks to pass the ball as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, and guard Gary Harris defend HOMA #ITY during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Saturday in Denver. AP PHOTO (E IS THE ONLY PLAYER TO ACHIEVE THE FEAT IN CONSECUTIVE SEASONS AND CONSECUTIVE GAME AND FOR THE SIXTH CLOSE HE SCORED JUST ONE POINT IN THE (AYWARD COMBINED FOR POINTS ICS WHO ARE BATTLING FOR HOME HE ALSO LEADS THE LEAGUE IN ASSISTS TIME IN THEIR PAST EIGHT FOURTH QUARTER 'RIFkN HAD POINTS AS THE "OSTON #ELTICS SEIZED SOLE COURT ADVANTAGE IN THE POSTSEA4HE 4HUNDER IMPROVED TO $ETROIT DROPPED INTO A TIE FOR SEV- IN THE kRST HALF AND MADE SIX OF NINE POSSESSION OF FOURTH PLACE IN THE SON "OSTON ARE ALSO TRYING TO ON THE SEASON AND REMAIN IN SEVENTH ENTH IN THE %ASTERN #ONFERENCE WITH THREE POINTERS BEFORE GOING COLD %ASTERN #ONFERENCE STANDINGS CATCH THIRD PLACE 0HILADELPHIA PLACE IN THE 7ESTERN #ONFERENCE A THE "ROOKLYN .ETS JUST A GAME AHEAD WITH A WIN OVER THE )NDI- IN THE STANDINGS HALF GAME AHEAD OF THE 3AN !NTONIO OF THE NINTH PLACE -IAMI (EAT Celtics alone in 4th ANA 0ACERS 4HE #ELTICS IMPROVED TO 3PURS WHO ALSO WON &RIDAY 4ATUM HAD POINTS AND ON THE SEASON TO BREAK A FOURTH 0ISTONS "LAKE 'RIFkN TALLIED 4HE 0ISTONS LOST FOR THE THIRD POINTS BUT WHEN THE GAME GOT !LSO *AYSON 4ATUM AND 'ORDON (AYWARD FOR THE VISITING #ELT- PLACE TIE WITH THE 0ACERS AFP

Phoenix, RoS eye early semifinals entry

GESMUNDO’S BIG SHOT HANDS LA SALLE UAAP BASEBALL MARBLES

Q Members of the La Salle University team celebrate after winning the UAAP baseball tournament at the Rizal Memorial ballpark on Friday.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

IN the 1994 winner-take-all UAAP BASEBALL kNALE BETWEEN !DAMSON 5NIVERSITY AND 5NIVERSITY OF 3ANTO 4OMAS &ALCONS CATCHER %RIC 'ESMUNDO SACKED A TWO RUN HOMERUN IN THE NINTH AND LAST INNING TO HAND THEN COACH &ILOMENO g"OY u #ODIĂ„ERA CHARGES A COME FROM BEHIND VICTORY AND THE CROWN 4WENTY kVE YEARS LATER ON &RIDAY THE SAME SCENARIO HAPPENED IN THE SAME HISTORIC EIGHT DECADE OLD 2IZAL -EMORIAL BALLPARK WITH 'ESMUNDO S SON &RANCISCO g+IKOu 'ESMUNDO AS PRINCIPAL ACTOR 4HE YOUNG 'ESMUNDO BELTED OUT

TOO A TWO RUN BASE CLEARING HIT IN THE kNAL FRAME THAT GIFTED ,A 3ALLE AN TRIUMPH AND THE 'REEN !RCHERS THEIR kFTH 5!!0 GONFALON +IKO SWUNG AT LOSING PITCHER 0AOLO -ACASAET S TWO OUT FASTBALL DELIVERY SENDING THE SPHEROID SOARING OVER THE FEET LEFT kELD FENCE ENDING THE FOUR HOUR BATTLE OF SKILLS AND WIT THAT HAD THE SOME SPECTATORS DELIRIOUS

THROUGHOUT THE CONTEST 4HE CROWD MOSTLY STUDENTS OF THE TWO SCHOOLS MIGHT BE A FAR CRY FROM THE kLLED TO THE RAFTERS ARENAS OF THE TEAMS BASKETBALL RIVALRY

BUT THE LARGEST JUST THE SAME IN THE TOURNAMENT THIS SEASON !LL OF THE THEIR TEAMMATES MET RIGHTkELDER $IEGO ,OZANO WHO BOARDED EARLIER ON BASE ON BALLS AND CROSSED THE PLATE kRST AND 'ESMUNDO HOME !FTER STEPPING ON HOME PLATE 'ESMUNDO THREW HIMSELF TO HIS TEAMMATES WAITING ARMS IN CELEBRATION OF THEIR SECOND TITLE WIN SINCE )T CAME TOO AS THE COMPLETION OF THE CELEBRATION OF THE TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 6ITO #RUZ GROUNDS THAT WAS BUILT IN ON THE OCCASION OF THE COUNTRY S HOSTING OF THE TH &AR %ASTERN 'AMES AND STARTED

BY THE !DAMSON ,ADY &ALCONS FOR WINNING THE VARSITY LEAGUE S SOFTBALL PLUM EARLIER IN THE WEEK !SKED LATER IF HIS HEROICS WAS DESIGNED THE YEAR OLD MULTI

TALENTED SLUGGER WHO CAN PLAY ALL POSITIONS RETORTED g.OT REALLY 3IR

ANG NASA ISIP KO LANG HUWAG SANA AKONG MA LAST OUT u g4WO OUTS SITUATION NA AT KAPAG na OUT AKO TAPOS NA INNING AT PAPALO NA ULI SILA !TENEO AND MANY THINGS CAN STILL HAPPEN LIKE baka MANALO PA SILA u HE SAID g:ERO BALL TWO STRIKES THE COUNT kaya ) REALLY HAD TO SWING KAHIT NA ANO DUMATING !NG GANDA NG IBINIGAY AND @TWAS GOOD ) COMMENTED u 'ESMUNDO WHO STARTED FOR THE kRST TIME IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES AND EMERGED AS WELL THE WINNING HURLER RECALLED g)T WAS COACH *OSEPH /RILLANA S DECISION FOR ME TO START Na SURPRISE NGA AKO 3IGURO TO SURPRISE THE ENEMY KASI NGA HINDI NILA AKO NAKITANG MAG PITCH THE ENTIRE SERIES u 'ESMUNDO WHO D BEEN PLAYING AT SHORT MOST OF THE TIME IN THE TOURNAMENT TRIED TO REASON OUT )T TURNED OUT INDEED A BRILLIANT

TOP seed teams Phoenix Pulse and Rain or Shine gun for an early semifinals entry when they battle their respective foes today at the start of the quarterfinals of Season 44 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Top seed and armed with a twice-tobeat advantage, the Fuel Masters face No. 8 Alaska in the 6:45 p.m. second game. The No. 2 seed Elasto Painters, on the other hand, also armed with a twice-to-beat take on No. 7 Northport in the 4:30 p.m. opener.

A victory by the Fuel Masters will book them their first semifinal appearance since joining the league three years ago. “Still, it’s the same Alaska team and we should not be outworked. So our attitude is that we’re going to treat the game without a twice-to-beat advantage,� Phoenix coach Louie Alas told The Manila Times.

Phoenix routed Alaska, 94-80, on

March 1 in the elimination round but Alas said things are different now. “It’s a different ball game now, so we are not thinking about that win anymore,� he added.

The Aces are coming from a moraleboosting 88-80 win over Northern Luzon Expressway in last Friday’s do-or-die playoff game for the eighth quarterfinal slot. “We are basically playing ourselves.

They run the same system as we do.

They have the same coaches. It will be a good battle. They’re going to put the full-court press on us,� said Chris Banchero. “They have had time to rest and they are well-prepared. Hopefully, we continue to play good as we go into the playoffs,� added Banchero.

Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia said it’s all about the game plan. “We just have to follow the game plan. It is very hard to lose the first game.�

The Batang Pier (5-6) wowed the crowd at the end of the elimination round winning their last three games to secure a quarterfinal slot.

JOSEF T. RAMOS

TACTICAL MOVE ON COACN /RILLANA

AS BRILLIANT AS WHEN HE RELIEVED 'ESMUNDO TWO THIRD OF THE EIGHTH IN FAVOR OF !LVIN (ERRERA WHO RETIRED IN ORDER THE %AGLES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH 4HE !RCHERS ACTUALLY LOOKED ON THE WAY TO AN EASY WIN PEPPERING !TENEO S 2OGELIO g-IGSu FOUR RUNS OUT OF FOUR CONNECTIONS IN THE OPENING FOUR FRAMES FOR WHAT LOOKED LIKE A COMMANDING TO ONE START 4HE %AGLES SLOWLY BUT SURELY CLAWED BACK WITH TWO MARKERS EACH IN THE kFTH AND SIXTH ONLY TO BE MET WITH THREE RUNS BY THE !RCHERS IN THE EIGHTH ! FOUR RUNS SALVO BY THE %AGLES IN THEIR SIDE OF THE EIGHTH TIED THE COUNT NINE ALL FOR THE kRST TIME RAISING HOPES THE MOMENTUM HAD SHIFTED IN !TENEO S FAVOR 'ESMUNDO DOUSED COLD WATER ON THOSE HOPES THOUGH WITH HIS Q Phoenix’s Calvin Abueva attempts to score against San Miguel Beer’s Arwind Santos during a Season 44 PBA Philippine Cup game at the Calasiao ROUND TRIPPER EDDIE G. ALINEA Sports Center in Pangasinan. PBA MEDIA BUREAU PHOTO

D2

Nascar

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

The Sunday Times w w w.manilatimes.net

Q Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota, celebrates winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.

Q Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on March 31, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas.

AFP PHOTOS

Hamlin overcomes 2 pit penalties at Texas for 2nd win of ‘19

F

ORT WORTH, Texas: Denny Hamlin had such a fast car at Texas that he was able to win even after two penalties on pit road and some other issues DURING GREEN lAG CONDITIONS

While Hamlin was reviewing all that happened, crew chief Chris Gabehart interrupted — “I think you passed 327 cars by my count, but maybe not,� he said.

Hamlin, who once missed the entry to pit road and also ran out fuel during the race, did do a lot of passing to get to Victory Lane on 3UNDAY (E LED THE kNAL LAPS AND 45 overall to overcome those miscues and the penalties — one when he exited pit road too fast early in the day and another for a debatable tire violation against his team during a stop just past the halfway point. “I was just beating my head

against the steering wheel thinking, @-AN WE RE GOING TO kNISH BAD WITH a really fast race car,’� Hamlin said. “We just kept digging and Chris kept doing a good job encouraging us.

We had a long way to go. We kept passing cars and passing cars.�

(AMLIN S .O 4OYOTA FINISHED more than 2.7 seconds ahead of Clint "OWYER 4HE LAP RACE AT THE ½-mile track, with only three cautions outside the two stage stoppages, feaTURED LEAD CHANGES AMONG DRIVERS It was the 33rd career victory for Hamlin. He won the seasonopening Daytona 500 after he went winless last year and ending a streak

OF CONSECUTIVE SEASONS GETTING into Victory Lane.

(IS THIRD WIN AT 4EXAS WAS HIS kRST SINCE SWEEPING BOTH RACES AT THE TRACK IN Gibbs drivers have won four of the SEVEN RACES THIS SEASON AND 4EAM Penske won the other three.

All four Stewart-Haas Racing cars finished in the top eight, led by "OWYER AND $ANIEL 3UAREZ kNISHing third. Aric Almirola and Kevin Harvick were seventh and eighth.

Erik Jones, another Gibbs driver, kNISHED FOURTH AND POLESITTER *IMMIE *OHNSON WAS kFTH JUST AHEAD OF HIS (ENdrick Motorsports teammate William Byron. Kurt Busch was ninth and JGR DRIVER +YLE "USCH kNISHED TH DESPITE leading a race-high 66 laps in his attempt for a tripleheader weekend sweep.

Kyle Busch led six times, and was still in front with 59 laps to go when HIS .O 4OYOTA DRIFTED HIGH GOING INTO 4URN

“It just busted loose on me, and I had to catch it and make sure we didn’t crash,� he said.

While he avoided contact then, he slipped back to fourth. When trying to get back in front a few laps later, he brushed the outside wall and fell a lap behind after having to go to pit road.

For the second time in a month, he missed out on a tripleheader SWEEP FOLLOWING 8kNITY AND 4RUCK Series races in the same weekend.

He completed such sweeps twice at "RISTOL IN AND )T WAS THE THIRD TIME AT 4EXAS that Kyle Busch won the Xfinity AND 4RUCKS RACES BEFORE COMING UP short in the weekend-ending Cup RACE 4HAT ALSO HAPPENED TO HIM at his home track in Las Vegas four weeks earlier.

Positive signs

While Johnson’s career-worst winless drought reached 66 races, he

STARTED FROM THE POLE FOR THE kRST TIME SINCE AND HIS LAPS LED were more than he had combined SINCE THE START OF Johnson led 40 laps all of last SEASON AND ONLY FOUR IN THE kRST SIX RACES THIS YEAR 4HE .O (ENDRICK Motorsports Chevrolet last went to 6ICTORY ,ANE IN *UNE AT $OVER g7E ARE DEkNITELY MOVING IN THE right direction. Car was good in clean air and had a lot of speed in it, so I think we have found kind of center for our cars and what has to happen,�

Johnson said. “We’ve had a lot of pressure on us, and everyone has stepped up and is getting it done.�

Along with strong finishes by Johnson and Byron, Chase Elliott WAS TH !LEX "OWMAN WAS TH in a backup car. “I feel much better about things,�

Johnson said.

Penske problems

Joey L o gano and Brad Keselowski have the three wins for 4EAM 0ENSKE THIS SEASON BUT IT WAS A TOUGH DAY AT 4EXAS ,OGANO WON THE kRST LAP STAGE

and was the only driver who had scored in every stage this season.

4HAT SCORING STREAK ENDED IN THE second stage, when he slipped to TH AFTER A PENALTY ON PIT ROAD 4HERE WERE ALSO ISSUES WITH A loose hood wavering on the windy day. Logano, who won at Las Vegas, kNISHED TH AT 4EXAS TWO SPOTS ahead of teammate Paul Menard.

Brad Keselowski, a two-time WINNER COMING OFF A VICTORY AT Martinsville, was scrubbing tires for the restart before the second stage when “something in the back of the car broke.� After extended time to repair the car, he got back out and kNISHED TH IN THE CAR kELD

laps behind Hamlin.

Ryan Blaney led 45 laps in his 0ENSKE &ORD BUT kNISHED TH BEcause of overheating after 225 laps.

To the tunnel 4WO CARS FROM EACH MANUFACTURER were being taken by NASCAR to a wind tunnel for an in-season evaluATION 4HE #HEVROLETS ARE THE #HIP 'ANASSI .O CAR OF +URT "USCH

and No. 24 of Byron; the Fords are the Stewart-Haas No. 4 of Harvick, AND THE 7OOD "ROTHERS .O OF 0AUL -ENARD AND THE *'2 4OYOTAS FOR .O -ARTIN 4RUEX *R AND .O 20 Jones.

Up next

NASCAR is headed to Bristol, where the Busch brothers have a combined WINS ‡ SEVEN FOR +YLE SIX FOR Kurt. No other active driver has won more than twice at that short track. Kurt Busch won the second Bristol race last August, after Kyle Busch won the previous two races there. AP

NASCAR’s Angela Ruch announces the #OneMillionFollowerChallenge LOS ANGELES: Have you ever wanted to see your name on a NASCAR vehicle and hang out pit side? Racing fans, start your engines for a chance to win the ultimate racing getaway weekend hanging with pro driver Angela Ruch and her Niece Motorsports team at an upcoming NASCAR race. This smoking-hot weekend will take place June 28 at the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series in the Camping World 225 at Chicagoland Speedway, Chicago.

NASCAR’s Angela Ruch Announces The

#OneMillionFollowerChallenge Enter-to-Win a Weekend Hanging with Top Female NASCAR Driver at June 28, 2019 Chicago Speedway.

(Photo: Business Wire) All of the one million combined Facebook and Instagram followers who enter will become part of Angela’s inner circle, getting their names wrapped on Angela’s NASCAR vehicle.

Sponsors typically shell out six-figures for this honor on a NASCAR vehicle, participants will be added for FREE! But, only one lucky follower

will win the grand prize and trip.

To enter, simply follow The Ruch Life on Instagram or like their page on Facebook. Tag friends and family so they can enter too! The grand prize winner gets to bring a guest of their choice! Entry deadline is June 15, 2019, and the winner will be announced on Facebook.

This ultimate NASCAR experience will make you feel like you are a part of the action - hanging pitside, attending the official driver meetings with Angela, and assisting the pros. The prize package,

valued at over $3,000, includes airfare, ground transportation, a two-night hotel stay, tickets to the NASCAR race, and a $500 Visa gift card. It’s a definite “don’t want to miss� opportunity!

Angela Ruch (Cope) is a third generation Cope family member to take the racing car industry by storm. She is following in the footsteps of her uncle Derrike Cope who won the 1990 Daytona 500.

On March 9, 2019 Angela became a mother when she adopted and brought home her

healthy newborn baby, King Knight Ruch.

Angela is set to debut a new TV series in May , “The Ruch Life,� produced by Emmy award winning producer Jason Sciavicco. The unscripted docu-series highlights the ups and downs of balancing her career in racing, relationship with her husband, and motherhood. Check out the show’s teaser here!

Information and contest rules www.angelaruch.org and follow Angela on Instagram, and Facebook.

AP

The Sunday Times www.manilatimes.net

Motor Sports

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

D3

Michelin driving experience — another dream come true TURBO TIMES

MIKE POTENCIANO (Conclusion) Q Davao 4Wheelers lead driver Joseph Rodriguez notches three wins in the first three rounds of the current Maxxis 4x4 Cup Championship series.

Audi comparo NEXT up, we were hurried to the Audi Quattro site where -ICHELIN kTTED THEIR LATEST 0ILOT 3PORT TIRES TO ONE CAR AND another brand to the other identical Quattro. There was a short slalom course to test the handling and a wet braking site to see which will have a shorter braking distance.

Hands down, the new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 was the BEST OF THE TWO TIRES AND WE ALL HAD THE SAME kNDINGS ) was again complimented on my driving and even asked if I would like to join the Michelin event in the future as an instructor. Now, that’s a compliment!

Tire workstation Our next stop was inside the air-conditioned VIP suites where tire specialist Charles of Michelin explained the history of the brand in motor sports and how the premium tires evolved from racing experience. I was very happy to be able to be given this highly technical talk, as I have always been so intrigued on why Michelin tires performed so well than the others when it came to racing.

There was also a talk on how Michelin came up with a “Red Book� that rates restaurants in different countries as a prelude to tire composition and construction. This was a good segue to lunch after the talk.

Just a little throwback, I have used Michelin in my Asian Formula days in 1996 and 2002. The tires really gave very consistent grip and made for close dicing throughout the race. It was also great timing that we exPERIENCED THE !UDI DRIVE kRST TO GET kRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE of how the Pilot Sport 4 performs. The new tire will be released soon in the market and we were quite fortunate to have tested it before the launch in the region.

Rodriguez wins third Maxxis Tires 4x4 Cup race

BY MIKE POTENCIANO

D

AVAO 4Wheelers lead driver Joseph Rodriguez is proving beyond doubt that he is one of the country’s best 4x4 extreme racers by notching his third win in a row in the current Maxxis 4x4 Cup Championship series.

2ODRIQUEZ POSTED HIS kRST WIN FOR THE YEAR DURING THE kRST NATIONAL LEG OF the National Association of Filipino Offroaders-sanctioned series in San Idelfonso, Ilocos Sur last February.

He also racked wins in Tiboli, South Cotabato, and Davao last month.

Rodriquez’s 4Wheelers Davao teammates Reynan Jayme and Jodax Daquil finished second and

third, respectively, in Tiboli and gave him a good battle up to the end. Jayme managed to take Track B’s best time while Rodriguez ruled Tracks A and C. Edison “Ton� Dungca of KapamPANGAN 2ACING 4EAM kNISHED FOURTH overall with only less than four minutes total time for the three tracks. $ENNIS 'ARCIA kNISHED kFTH ENABLING 4Wheelers Davao to get four spots in THE TOP kVE STANDINGS Dungca came back with vengeance IN $AVAO AND kNISHED SECOND OVERALL The surprise was Kent Estrella of CDO 4 Wheelers who placed third overall

as he was only tenth in the Tiboli leg.

Fourth place went to Altamera Altams.

4HE HARD FOUGHT RACES kRMLY CONkRMED 2ODRIGUEZ S LEAD FOR THE SEASON AS THE kELD OF COMPETITORS HEAD TO the fourth round of the current series in Pradera, Lubao, Pampanga this weekend.

The Maxxis 4x4 Cup is sponsored

by Maxxis Tires, which is becoming the standard for extreme offroad racing, and TRE 4x4. The fourth round of the current series will be a part of the Pradera Hot Air Balloon Festival.

For details, visit the NAsFOR Facebook page.

Wet rally driving After lunch, we went to the rally course and saw why THEY COULDN T RUN THIS EARLIER THE DIRT COURSE WAS lOODED in some areas and even had to be scraped by a grader truck to clear it. This wasn’t going to be easy as I had previous experience with Malaysian clay mud that just wouldn’t go away and sticks to anything! !S SOON AS ) WAS lAGGED OFF ) CONkRMED MY THOUGHTS that it was hard work just to go around the corners even at slow speeds. The best thing was we had prior rally experience and the key is to just pour on the gas and get the tire to grip on the bottom part of the mud. Using a lot of hand brake also helped swing the car around, but I also found the limits and stalled the engine a couple of times. He he.

It was hard work and sweat came pouring after my two runs. The best thing, though, was it revived my rallying MEMORIES AND JUST CONkRMED THOSE WERE STILL ONE OF those best times in my racing life. I got a lot of compliments again and it looked like the instructors loved it even with the couple of mistakes I made along the way.

Touring to the limits The last station was the touring stage where a full-race Renault Clio Cup Car was for us to use. This was a subcompact car but had all the right bits like a paddle shift and racing gearbox in a full-caged body. The racing seats hugged my body tightly and we had an intercom to communicate with the instructor in the car.

4HE TRACK ALSO DRIED AND THEY WERE ABLE TO kT -ICHELIN slicks on it. This made the 220-hp Renault Clio Cup Car so much fun to drive. It can turn in when you steer and the suspension was so well tuned that the handling was perfect! There was no torque steer and we can just go through the gears with gusto.

The drive was so much fun with the engine and chassis WELL SORTED WHICH GAVE ME SO MUCH CONkDENCE )T EVEN made me try a different line and through a sweeping turn, I went to the grass and spun the car! But I enjoyed this Renault very much and I believe my instructor Eric did too, with his thumbs up being given often in the car.

Shotgun rides 4HE kNAL SPECTACLE WAS GETTING TO RIDE EITHER THE HP ,E -ANS 0ROTOTYPE OR THE ,AMBORGHINI 'ALLARDO WITH HP ) opted for the Lambo as it was faster and wanted to feel the G forces it generated. It didn’t disappoint and it was something that I would like to drive on my own, soon! Loved it!

Final hoorah After a short merienda or snack break, we were all lead to the awarding area and we were all guessing who would take it.

The Australians took second and third places with a dominant display of driving. But guess who got the plum? Right you are, AND ) GOT kRST PLACE OVERALLĂœ 4HERE WAS SO MUCH CELEBRATION and I never expected it after our spin with the Renault and Citroen rally cars. The others might have been worst.

So how come it’s lightning striking twice for me, you might ask? I also won the MPSE in 2014 against a bigger kELD .OW THAT S A STORY TO TELL MY GRAND KIDS 4HANKS Michelin for another dream come true!

AAP honors 2018 top racers THE Philippines’ top racers in 2018 were honored by the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP), during its 24th Annual Motor Sport Awards night at the heels of the Manila International Auto Show at the World Trade Center in Pasay City on Thursday.

AAP President Gus Lagman and Motor sports Director Mandy Eduque led the awarding rites.

AAP is a body designated by the Federacion Interantional de l’Automobile (FIA) to sanction the various racing disciplines in the country. FIA is the world governing body that regulates world motor sports championships like Formula One, World Rally Championships, World Endurance Championships, among others.

The top Driver of The Year plum was awarded to the following: Milo Rivera for slalom; John Dizon for karting; Jannery Millet for drag racing; Mon Dimapilis for rallycross; Edison Dungca for 4x4 offroad pro; and Bomvet Santos for 4x4 offroad production.

The Toyota Vios Cup Champion and celebrity racer Jose Dominique Ochoa, Flat Out Race Series Rafael La O’, Philippine GT Championship GT200 winner Edwin Rodriguez and

Q Automobile Association of the Philippines Chief Operating Officer Mark Desales and AAP Motorsports Director Mandy Eduque pose for a photo with awardees Mon Dimapilis for rallycross, Milo Rivera for slalom, John Dizon for karting, Bomvet Santos’ proxy for 4x4 offroad production, Edison Dungca’s proxy for 4x4 offroad pro and Janner Millet for drag racing.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO '4 LADY DRIVER +ATHY 6ILLAR WERE also given trophies by their respective race organizers.

The National Slalom series saw 14year old IĂąigo Anton defend his title in the Front Wheel Drive Category and Rivera doing the same in the Rear Wheel Drive and overall classes.

The new Philippine Endurance Challenge saw Team Auto Performance took the win by topping one leg and taking a podium in the 12hour round. Their top drivers were

Francis Aguila, Stefan Ramirez and George Apacible.

AAP’s own Motor Sports Development Program gave its top award to the National Gymkhana Overall Champion racer Stefano Rivera. Rivera was the best racer who won over COMPETITORS NATIONWIDE IN THE kNAL race held recently in Megatent, Libis, Quezon City.

The top three new drivers of the First Step Racing Cup were champion 18-year old Julian Neri,

second-placer Norris See, and thirdplacer 10-year old Seven Aleman. All of them came from Cebu and had great races at the Clark International Speedway for six legs.

The new Giti Formula V1 celebrated a great year and brought singleseater racing back to the country.

4HE TOP THREE kNISHERS WERE ,UIS Gono, Tyson Sy and Daniel Miranda.

Jussi Hoikka won the amateur class followed by Sean Smith.

MIKE POTENCIANO

Mick Schumacher hits track again in Bahrain test SAKHIR, Bahrain: Mick Schumacher, the son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, timed the sixth best time in Formula One testing on Wednesday, taking the wheel of an Alfa Romeo Racing car, a day after impressing for Ferrari.

The 20-year-old completed 70 laps and clocked the sixth best time of one minute and 29.998 seconds. “It has been another beautiful day at an F1 track today, and I can only repeat myself as it is just so much fun to drive these cars,� said Schumacher. g) WILL DEkNITELY lY BACK WITH SOME very beautiful memories,� he added.

On Tuesday, European Formula 3 champion Schumacher, who is taking part in the Formula 2 championship THIS SEASON DROVE LAPS FOR &ERRARI and recorded the second best time of

1:29.976 - a mark bettered only by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Schumacher wasn’t the only storied F1 name in action on We d n e s d a y a s Brazil’s Pietro Fittipaldi, the grandson of double world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, clocked the 12th best time, just over two seconds off the pace in a Haas.

The best time on Wednesday was set by Britain’s George Russell, who despite being a Williams driver in the world championship, took a Mercedes to a time-chart leading 1:29.029. “Timings don’t mean a lot in testing; however, it’s always a special experience to be on top of the

Q Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, steers an Alfa Romeo Racing F1 car at the in-season test at the Sakhir circuit in the desert south of the Bahraini capital Manama, on Wednesday. AFP PHOTO timesheets,� said Russell. “We had a very productive day today, the team learned a lot of things to help them progress. Driving a different car than usual, I personally also learned a lot which I can take back to further improve my driving,�

he added.

Sergio Perez in a Racing Point, former world champion Sebastian Vettel in a Ferrari, McLaren’s Carlos Sainz and Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat kLLED OUT THE TOP kVE ON THE SECOND AND kNAL DAY OF TESTING AFP

D4

Sports

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

PH teams press on in AsiaPacific Super Quest 3x3 tilt

BY JEREMIAH M. SEVILLA

P

HILIPPINE teams Pasig Grindhouse and 1Bataan ADVANCED TO THE QUARTERkNALS OF THE #HOOKS TO 'O !SIA 0ACIkC 3UPER 1UEST X BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT AFTER EMERGING TRIUMPHANT IN THE ELIMINATION ROUND ON 3ATURDAY AT THE 3- -EGAMALL &ASHION (ALL IN -ANDALUYONG #ITY Bannered by the quartet of Taylor Statham, Joshua Munzon, Troy Rike and Serbian player Nikola Pavlovic, Pasig swept its two elimination games to top Pool C. The Kings opened the tourney with a thrilling 21-9 overtime victory over Jakarta West Bandits of Indonesia behind Pavlovic’s game-winning two-pointer.

Pasig then clobbered Absolute 3x3 of Chinese Taipei, 21-15. “ We a l l compete hard and we just love playing together. You can see it to how we play,� said Statham.

Statham and the rest of the Kings will take on Pool A runner-up TSV Reading Cinemas of Australia in the QUARTERkNALS TODAY

Q Taylor Statham of Pasig Grindhouse drives on Ya Hsuan-Hsieh of 3x3 Absolute-Chinese Taipei during the 2019 Chooks to Go AsiaPacific Super Quest on Saturday at the SM Megamall Fashion Hall in Mandaluyong City.

CHOOKS TO GO MEDIA PHOTO

“Just one game at a time, just climbing and trying our best to work our way toward that championship,� added Statham.

On the other hand, Bataan — bannered by Alvin Pasaol, Santi Santillan, guest player Karl Dehesa and 6-foot-6 American Travis Franklin ‡ kNISHED RUNNER UP IN 0OOL " AFTER SPLITTING its group games.

The Risers started their campaign with a convincing 21-12 win over Anytours M1 of Hong Kong behind Pasaol’s hot shooting from beyond the arc.

But Bataan lost to world-ranked No. 19 3x3.

EXE 0REMIER OF *APAN

RESULTING IN A kNAL eight battle with Pool D leader SSLC of China. )N THE OTHER QUARTERkNAL PAIRINGS WORLD No. 15 Ulaanbaatar will clash against Jakarta West while 3x3.exe Premier will collide with Aotearoa of New Zealand.

The champion will take home a spot in the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters in Doha, Qatar and in the Challenger Series in Penang, Malaysia plus the $20,000 while the runner-up will also bag a ticket to Doha and to the Challenger Series in Kunshan, China along with $15,000.

Romero grabs lead, Tigresses mangle UE to grab solo 3rd remains unscathed GLADIMIR Chester Romero defeated Allan Gabriel Hilario to stay unscathed and atop the heap after four rounds in the boys’ 12-under division of the Gov. Amor Deloso National Age Group Chess Championships at the Zambales Sports Complex in Iba, Zambales Friday night.

Romero, a Mindanao Leg qualikER HIKED HIS TOTAL TO FOUR POINTS and could extend his unbeaten streak with another win against 6ICTORIOUS :OE "UENAlOR IN THE kFTH ROUND AT PRESS TIME OF THIS tournament sponsored by Gov. Deloso and Congressman Cheryl Deloso, the Philippine Sports Commission and NCFP president Butch Pichay.

Cagayan de Oro’s Ruelle Cani-

no, for her part, split the point with Francine Elaine Magpily to stay on top with 3.5 points in the girls’ under-12.

Canino, who swept the blitz, rapid and standard gold in the Mindanao Leg Batang Pinoy LAST MONTH WON HER kRST THREE matches against Hailey Shanaia Mon, Daren dela Cruz and Lyn Getubig, before being slowed down by Magpily.

Al Basher Buto turned back James Gilbert Bragais to stay undefeated after four rounds in the boys’ under-10.

The top three placers in their respective divisions will clinch spots to the national team seeing action in the Asean Age Group tilt in Myanmar in June.

UNIVERSITY of Sto. Tomas (UST) barely broke a sweat in sweeping University of the East (UE), 25-20, 25-20, 25-16, boosting its Final Four bid in Season 81 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women’s volleyball on Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Golden Tigresses banked on the trio of Eya Laure, Sisi Rondina and Ysabel Jimenez to gain solo third with an improved 7-4 record. “Our motivation was that we are ready to battle any team,� said UST head coach Kungfu Reyes. “We really prepared ourselves to counter them (UE).�

It was a welcome bounce-back win after Reyes’ Espaùa-based volleybelles lost 25-21, 23-25, 19-25, 24-26 to three-time champion De La Salle University.

Rookie spiker Laure notched a game-high 14 points built on 12 attacks, a block and an ace.

Graduating skipper Rondina chipped in 11 points on nine spikes, a block and an ace while the dormant Jimenez shone with her 10 markers highlighted by three aces. “Luckily for us, there’s another player who stepped up,� said Reyes referring to Jimenez.

Veteran hitter Judith Abil was the lone doubledigit scorer for UE with 11 points on 10 hits and a block.

The Lady Warriors bowed out of Final Four contention with their third straight defeat and ninth overall against two wins.

University of the Philippines (UP) and Far Eastern University (FEU), both holding 6-4 slates, are still clashing at press time for the right to join UST at No. 3.

Earlier in the men’s play, Ateneo De Manila University and Adamson University solidified their Final Four chances at the expense of cellar-dweller

UP and UST, respectively.

Ron Medalla exploded with 21 points while four other players scored in double figures as the Blue Spikers smothered the Maroon Spikers, 25-16, 25-21, 23-25, 25-22.

Paolo Pablico pumped in 23 points, lifting the Soaring Falcons to a come-from-behind 2025, 19-25, 25-21, 25-14, 15-9 victory over the Golden Spikers.

Ateneo and Adamson remained tied at No. 3 with identical 7-4 cards.

UST fell on the brink of elimination with a 4-7 sheet while also-ran UP sank to 1-10.

JEREMIAH M. SEVILLA

A helluva game that lasted up to the last batter “A

HELLUVA game.� Or “A classic encounter decided up to the last batter.�

To put it mildly, that’s how best described the thriller that was the La Salle-Ateneo winner-take-all showdown last Friday for the UAAP baseball championship.

For the die-hard fans of the two schools, meaning the students, alumni, not the kibitzers, who simply want to take a ride on the popularity of the two educational institutions, that game exemplifies what the storied Ateneo-La Salle rivalry is all about.

It’s the reason why there is such a feud, not only in sports but in all aspect of life as well, Ateneo team manager Randy Dizer blurted out following his team’s defeat.

Dizer’s La Salle counterpart, Pepe Muùoz, agreed. The 21yearold Kiko Gesmundo, pitcher, shortstop, hitter, rolled into one, who emerged hero of the baseball’s best-of-three championship series was mere instrument in the title conquest as other before him in basketball, volleyball and other events the Eagles and the Archers were combatants.

With one on and the score was tied at nine-run apiece, Gesmundo slammed a two-run home run o finish off the job and gifted the Archers and himself a second UAAP baseball tiara since winning their last in 2016.

That separated the Archers

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN EDDIE G. ALINEA from a three-way in fourth to sixth places in the list of the most number of titles won since 1938 headed by University of Santo Tomas with 23, Far Eastern U with 13, Adamson with 12, and UP 11.

La Salle now has five, followed

by Ateneo and UE with four each, NU three and Manila Central U with one.

Indeed, the Archers title conquest was dramatic as it came as a repeat of what his father Eric Gesmundo fashioned out 25 years ago in 1994 when he blasted a similar last inning two-run round-tripper against the Growling Tigers and handed Adamson’s Falcons a three-peat “ Parehong-pareho ang situwasyon. Similar winner-take-all.

Similar last inning,� the father, who’s now involved in Pony Baseball Movement, yelled to this writer and those who cared to listen following his son’s heroics. “ Masayang-masaya ako ,� the younger Gesmundo, who is in his last year as member of the team and is graduating this year, said of his feat, adding that was his third homer this season.

Coach Joeph Orillana hadn’t

started him since Game One of the best-of-three title series, saying he was surprised he was assigned to man the mound in that decisive Game 3. “Maybe it was coach’s surprise move to confuse the enemy.

Imagine I haven’t pitching from the start, but now I’m manning the mound, “ Gesmundo, who stands to earn a sports management degree said. “Sa training kasi namin, dalawa kami ni Boo [Barandiaran] ang pinagpipilian. Mas maganda lang siguro ‘yung pinakita ko sa training eh, kaya ako ‘yung pinili ni coach.�

Gesmundo, who was adjudged the Finals MVP, stayed on the hill for eight innings surrendering eight runs on eight hits from the Ateneo, striking out three batters in the process. However, the graduating Green Batter also left his imprint on offense, ending with spectacular 2-of-4 at-bat — including the game-winning homer.

Asked about his plans after graduation, Kiko said: Maraming coaching offer, but I still want to play. Siguro mag-represent muna ng country sa SEA Games.�

Besides Gesmundo, other Archers ending their stint as players with gold medal each are Boo Barandiaran, Paulo Salud, Tuwi Park, Joaqui Bilbao, and Gabo Pineda, all ending their UAAP careers with gold.

Golf

E1 SUNDAY APRIL 7, 2019

www.manilatimes.net

L

Masters traditions may be balm to golf’s woes

OS ANGELES: The annual drive down -AGNOLIA ,ANE TO THE STATELY CONkNES of Augusta National Golf Club comes none too soon in what’s so far been a contentious, quarrelsome season.

Perhaps among the towering pines and azaleas at Augusta, where the genteel traditions of the game continue to hold sway, controversy surrounding new rules, clashes of personality and mere flashes of pettiness will be put aside in pursuit of the Green Jacket AT THE kRST MEN S MAJOR CHAMPIONship of 2019 — The Masters.

3PAIN S -ASters champion Sergio Garcia has been front and center as incivilITY lARED THIS SEASON

'ARCIA WAS DISQUALIkED FROM THE inaugural Saudi International in February for taking his frustrations out on two of the greens at Royal Greens Golf Club, damaging the putting surfaces during the tournament.

(E BECAME THE kRST PLAYER ON THE %UROPEAN 4OUR TO BE DISQUALIkED under Rule 1.2a, which deals with conduct expected from players and declares golfer are “expected to play in the spirit of the game b y acting with

integrity, showing consideration to others and taking good care of the course.�

A chastened Garcia offered an apology, blaming his tantrum on gEMOTIONAL PERSONAL NEWSu HE D received earlier in the week.

American Matt Kuchar also found himself offering an apology — albeit a belated one — after he was excoriated on social media over paying HIS LOCAL CADDIE JUST FOR HIS MILLION VICTORY AT LAST YEAR S Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico. +UCHAR S INSISTENCE THAT THE PAYment was fair — calling it a “good week� for a caddie who normally MAKES A DAY ‡ ONLY brought more criticism and the US veteran eventually backtracked, agreeing in February to pay caddie $AVID 'IRAL /RTIZ THE HE had requested — still well below THE PERCENT BONUS FROM +UCHAR S purse that a regular US PGA

Q Sergio Garcia AFP PHOTO

Tour caddie would have expected.

Testy twosome Garcia and Kuchar were embroiled in drama again at the WGC Match Play — OVER +UCHAR S FAILURE TO CONCEDE A tap-in putt to the Spaniard in the QUARTER kNAL CLASH Kuchar maintained that Garcia took a backhand swipe at the tiddler before he had a chance to formally concede it — hole to Kuchar the eventual match-winner WITH PLENTY OF POST GAME kNGER POINTING AND PONTIkCATING TO FOLlow, along with, eventually, a kissand-make-up Instagram video.

#HINA S ,I (AOTONG WAS THE kRST player to fall afoul of the new rule — aimed at stopping caddies from lining up shots for their players — that bars caddies from standing behind a golfer once the player has begun to address his ball. ,I WAS DOCKED TWO STROKES AND went from third to 12th in the Dubai Desert Classic in a ruling that European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley said was correct but “grossly unfair.�

After Denny McCarthy received an identical sanction at the US PGA Tour Phoenix Open — which was reVOKED BECAUSE TOURNAMENT OFkCIALS SAID THE RULE HADN T BEEN APPLIED Rules ‘laughingstock’ uniformly — the Royal & Ancient While the peccadilloes of Garcia and and US Golf Association eventually Kuchar were perfect grist to the social moving to clarify the rule.

But pros appeared to remain media mill, the revised rules of golf AIMED AT SIMPLIFYING THE GAME S perplexed by new rules permitting labyrinthine code have proved an PUTTING WITH THE lAGSTICK IN THE hole and requiring drops to be unexpected source of controversy.

Kim looking to erase memories of 2012 collapse

Q Clyde Mondilla celebrates after winning the Solaire Philippine Open at The Country Club in Sta. Rosa, Laguna on Saturday. PHOTO BY ROGER RAĂ‘ADA

Mondilla glides to breakthrough Open romp CLYDE MONDILLA broke a two-year run of playoff finishes in the Solaire Philippine Open with a two-stroke triumph yesterday, producing two clutch shots to check an impending skid, salvage a three-over 75 and fend off American Nicolas Paez for the dream crown at The Country Club in Sta. Rosa, Laguna on Saturday.

Stumbling with a four-over card after 13 holes that saw Paez fight back from seven down to within two, Mondilla kept his cool in sweltering heat and came through with a combination solid shotmaking, iron play and putting to birdie Nos. 14 and 15, go four-up again and all but wrap up the championship in this final leg of the second season of the Philippine Golf Tour Asia. “I’ve won a number of tournaments in the regular circuit but this one is the most memorable, meaningful. I will never forget it,� said Mondilla, who finished with a 72-hole aggregate of two-over 290 at one of the country’s toughest courses.

With Paez birdying the last hole for a 70 and moving within two again with a 292 with Mondilla still to complete the last two holes, it was all up for the Filipino ace to win it, send the battle to another sudden death or blow it all.

Mondilla parred the closing holes, including the treacherous par-4 18th that had stymied a lot of title bids in the past, then soaked in victory after holing out as he joined the elite roster of Open winners that included 17 other Pinoys, headed by 12-time champion Larry Montes,

taken not from traditional shoulder height but from knee height.

US Tour pro Rickie Fowler, who absorbed a one-shot penalty for forgetting to drop from knee height at the WGC-Mexico Championship — was particularly scathing about the new drop rule, complaining dropping from knee height made golfers “look stupid�.

Former world number one and -ASTERS CHAMPION !DAM Scott of Australia said the rule changes were making golf “a laughingstock� and American Justin Thomas called them “terrible�.

But one new rule may be a boon TO PLAYERS ON THE FAMOUSLY DIFkCULT greens of Augusta National — where golfers now will be able to repair spike marks. “I love tapping down spike marks,� says American Bryson $E#HAMBEAU g)T S GREAT u AFP

although four— Cassius Casas, Gerald Rosales, Artemio Murakami and Elmer Salvador — all won in an all-Pinoy field. “When I saw Paez closing in on the leaderboard, I became wary but still confident,� said Mondilla, who banked his biggest paycheck to date worth $90,000 he received, along with the huge trophy, from Solaire president and COO Thomas Arasi.

The 26-year-old star also emerged as the third player from Del Monte to win the Asia’s oldest National Open after six-time titlist Celestino Tugot and two-time winner Frankie Miùoza.

Englishman Steve Lewton nipped Johannes Veerman of the US to snare the 2017 crown with a one-under total while absentee Miguel Tabuena edged Thai Prom Meesawat last year on a one-over aggregate — both via sudden deaths that marked the last two staging of the event sponsored by Solaire Resort & Casino and sanctioned by the National Golf Association of the Philippines.

The triumph was also some sort of redemption for the former PGT Order of Merit winner, who had to fight off personal woes and injuries that hampered his campaign last year following a four-victory romp to emerge the top local player in 2017, He also came off a missed cut stint in the ICTSI Riviera Challenge last week.

But that early exit only served as an impetus for the 2017 PGT Order of Merit winner to do better here after finishing 56th last year. He shot a 71 in the first round then rebounding from a

mediocre 75 with a near-impeccable 69 Friday that netted him a four-shot cushion which he preserved and secured with those crucial birdies.

The Thais, who were in contention in the first three rounds, lost steam when it mattered most and bowed out one after the other, extending the country’s perennial rivals’ winless run in the event to another year.

Nirun Sae Ueng stumbled with a 75 but still emerged as the best Thai finisher at joint third at 295 with Angelo Que, who birdied the par-3 17th for the second straight day and saved a 73. Each received $28,250.

Tawit Polthai, who led in the first two rounds, limped with a 77 to end up solo fifth at 296 while compatriots Poom Saksansin (74) and Namchok Tantipokhakul (77) pooled identical 297s and wound up joint sixth in the event sanctioned by the National Golf Association of the Philippines and event backed by ICTSI, PLDT Enterprise, Meralco, BDO and PGT Asia official apparel Pin High.

American Brett Munson sizzled with a backside 33 and saved a 72 for solo eighth at 298, Thai Charng-Tai Sudsom carded a 73 for ninth at 299, while last year’s playoff loser Prom Meesawat of Thailand battled back with a 72 to tie young Korean Kim Joo Hyung, who groped for a 76, at 300 for a share of 10th in the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

LOS ANGELES: Kim In-kyung hopes to take care of some unkNished business at the ANA Inspiration after firing one of the lowest rounds of her career on Friday (Saturday in Manila).

The former tournament runner-up BIRDIED THE TH HOLE TO kNISH WITH A SIZZLING SEVEN UNDER AND A THREE SHOT LEAD IN THE SECOND ROUND OF kRST MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE ,0'!

Tour season.

4HE 3OUTH +OREAN S ROUND INCLUDED eight birdies and one bogey to take her TOTAL TO EIGHT UNDER ON THE -ISsion Hills Country Club course near Palm Springs, California. “I knew my game was getting betTER u SAID +IM WHO HAS SEVEN ,0'! titles. “I have been training a lot and improving every day. “The ball was playing shorter than YESTERDAY SO ) HAD TO ADJUST “Out here you get what you see.

9OU CAN T REALLY EXPECT everything to go in. I was seeing some lines today and put some good speed on it.�

4HE YEAR OLD +IM IS HOPING to redeem herself after missing a CENTIMETRE INCH PUTT ON the 18th hole of the 2012 tournament that would have delivered her the championship.

Instead she went into a playoff with compatriot Yoo Sun-young where she LOST ON THE kRST EXTRA HOLE Katherine Kirk of Australia is alone in second after shooting a 68 to reach kVE UNDER Ko Jin-young and Ally McDonald are TIED FOR THIRD AT FOUR UNDER FOUR strokes back of Kim. 4IED FOR kFTH IS #HINA S 9AN *ING

%NGLAND S #HARLEY (ULL 3OUTH +OREAN 0ARK 3UNG HYUN AND !MERICANS ,EXI Thompson and Danielle Kang who are all at three-under after two rounds.

Kim got off to a roaring start by making birdie on three of her first five holes. He only blemish of the round came on the par-four seventh where she made bogey.

She then finished strong on the back nine with birdIES ON .OS AND

3HE BIRDIED ALL FOUR PAR kVES EN ROUTE to recording the third lowest scoring round of her career. $ESPITE HER kNAL HOLE STUMBLE IN

+IM IS NOT WITHOUT A MAJOR VICTORY )N SHE CAPTURED THE 7OMEN S "RITISH /PEN IN A SEASON THAT SAW her win three times on the Tour. +IM DIDN T WANT TO TALK ABOUT HER playoff loss seven years ago. g3OMETIMES IT IS DIFkCULT TO TAKE OUTCOMES ) DON T HAVE CONTROL OVER IT THAT S THE TRUTH u SHE SAID Kirk, of Brisbane, birdied six of her kRST HOLES 3HE WAS TIED WITH +IM ON THE TEE AT BUT BACK TO BACK CLOSING BOGEYS AND +IM S BLAZING kNISH dropped her into solo second. “Sometimes you get the breaks and SOMETIMES YOU DON T u SAID +IRK g) MADE A CLUB ERROR ON AND THAT IS part of golf unfortunately. “On 18 it was a bad tee shot and SO ) DIDN T have much of a second shot. But overall I am happy with my AFP score.�

Q In-Kyung Kim of Korea hits hits out of the ninth fairway during round 2 of the ANA Inspiration on the Dinah Shore course at Mission Hills Country Club on Saturday in Rancho Mirage, California.

AFP PHOTO

E2

Golf

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

Masters atmosphere keeps everyone on best behavior

A

BY DOUG FERGUSON

UGUSTA, Ga.: Francesco Molinari learned on the eve of his first appearance at the Masters this major was different from the others.

He was at Augusta National in 2006, not to play but as the caddie for older brother Edoardo, the U.S. Amateur champion. Their father caddied in the Par 3 Tournament, and Molinari was trying to keep up outside the ropes.

Dashing from the green to the next tee, he soon was confronted by a club member. “After like six steps, one of the green jackets came in and said, ‘No running,’� Molinari said. “That week, you’re always conscious of what you’re doing.�

Augusta National has rules, just like most private clubs, and its members expect them to be followed.

Unlike other clubs, however, Augusta doesn’t just host a major.

It runs the major.

The heritage created by cofounders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts and built up over

eight decades has created an aura that permeates everything and everybody. It is the ultimate invitational — even four-time champion Tiger Woods get an invitation in the mail.

Fans are on their best behavior. For the most part, so are the players.

No phones are allowed, which Ian Poulter once discovered the hard way. He tweeted a picture from his practice round one year. “I didn’t get told off,� he said. “I got asked politely not to be taking pictures. So you don’t. There’s a way they say things that mean, ‘You shouldn’t do that,’ which is different from how other people tell you. They have their way. It’s cool.�

Molinari says he once saw a player snap a club in half going down the 11th fairway, though he concedes it’s rare.

Bryson DeChambeau had a meltdown on the practice green in Mexico City earlier this year when he pounded his putter into turf, and then did his best to repair the damage. Those scenes aren’t likely at Augusta National.

Rory McIlroy was playing the British Open as an amateur in 2007 when he saw Henrik Stenson smash a tee marker out of frustration. Golf makes everyone crazy, as McIlroy has experienced himself.

He once hurled a 3-iron into a lake at Doral and broke a club at Merion during the U.S. Open. “I would think twice about it there,� he said of the Masters. “You get in trouble. You want to come back.�

Does anyone really think Augusta National would not invite a player back if he were eligible?

No one really knows. “There was a little incident in the Middle East,� McIlroy said

with a smile, referring to Sergio Garcia being disqualified for damaging five greens early in the third round of the Saudi International. “If that would have happened at Augusta, I don’t think he would have been invited back.� .O ONE WANTS TO kND OUT “I was under the assumption it was possible,� Paul Azinger said.

There is a respect for the tradition, sure, but there is an atmosphere at Augusta that starts with how it expects the fans to behave.

No running. No screaming. No phones for talking, texting, tweeting. It’s rare to see fans in blue jeans, even though that’s not part of any dress code.

And it carries over to the players. “I’ve gotten upset at Augusta before,� Jimmy Walker said. “But I think you’re on a different level because they expect the crowd to act A CERTAIN WAY AND THAT lOWS INTO

Q Arnold Palmer bows to the gallery after landing his tee shot only a few feet away from the pin on the sixth green during the second round of the Masters golf tournament on April 9, 2004 at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. AP PHOTO the rest of the tournament.

Yo u c a n ’ t act rowdy or unruly or they’ll boot you right out of there. There is an honor system with the seats.

There’s a culture there, and as a player, you feel it. It’s a little different.�

Translation: No one is yelling “BABA-BOOEY!� after a tee shot. “I remember my friend being with me once,� Louis Oosthuizen said. “He was shouting in a deep voice, ‘LOOUU-eee.’ He got a tap on the back. It was a guy in a green jacket and he said, ‘Sir, that will be your last time.’ And that was it.

That’s great. Everybody likes that.

I’ve never heard anyone in the crowd misbehave. You don’t hear ‘Smashed Potatoes’ or whatever they shout.�

That’s not to say he hasn’t seen fans get admonished, even his own relatives.

He recalls one year his father-inlaw went ahead a few holes to wait on him, sat down under a tree and dozed off. Oosthuizen arrived in time to see a member in his green

jacket tap his father-in-law on the shoulder and tell him, “You’re not allowed to sleep.� “There’s definitely a higher respect level, which is crazy — we should respect everyone exactly the same,� Poulter said. “But I think for some reason, everyone treads carefully. I don’t know why. The members don’t bite. But the place has its own aura. It’s so good. ... I think because there’s a no-nonsense policy there, people with a ticket treat us and the place with that much respect — and we do, too. We feel pretty special to be there, right?�

The original name of the tournament was Augusta National Invitation Tournament. “Invitation� lives on in spirit.

Woods was summoned to the office of club chairman Billy Payne in 2010 when he returned from the scandal in his private life. Payne didn’t reveal what was said, though it was clear he wasn’t asking Woods about his putting. Payne publicly chastised Woods at the chairman’s annual press conference, saying Woods’ future “will never again be measured only by his performance against par, but measured by the sincerity of his efforts to change.�

Such a lecture did not happen — and would not — at the U.S. Open, British Open or PGA Championship that year.

Only at Augusta.

AP

Another clutch 6-iron for McDowell leads to big win

BY DOUG FERGUSON TWO of the most significant shots Graeme McDowell has hit in his career were a 6-iron, for different reasons and on entirely different stages.

The most famous was on the 16th hole at Celtic Manor in 2010 at Ryder Cup, which came down to the final match between McDowell and Hunter Mahan. McDowell had a 1-up lead when he hit 6-iron to 15 feet for a birdie that gave him control of the match and led to victory.

The other was Sunday in the Dominican Republic, where McDowell was trailing Chris Stroud by one shot with two holes to play. On the par-3 17th, the 6-iron was so pure that McDowell didn’t even watch, walking over toward caddie Kenny Comboy and looking up only when it settled 8 feet from the flag.

The Ryder Cup made him a hero.

The birdie he made in Punta Cana restored his PGA Tour card.

McDowell, winless on the PGA Tour since Hilton Head in 2017, had been relying on sponsor exemptions. The victory, even at a tournament held opposite a World Golf Championships event, gave him a two-year exemption and moved him to No. 42 in the FedEx Cup. “Getting my playing privileges was a huge goal this year. It’s a goal I’ve never had before,� McDowell said. “When you’re in the top 50 in the world and you’re playing WGCs and majors, it’s amazing how the points and money toward your playing privileges just kind of come automatically. But all of a sudden when you’re grinding, when you’re asking for invites like I’ve been doing this year, I felt like I had this monkey on my back that I couldn’t shake off.�

The victory didn’t get him into the Masters or the British Open, a big goal because it’s at Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland. But he’s in the PGA Championship, he already was in the U.S. Open from his 2010 victory at Pebble Beach and now he can set a schedule around the majors to boost his chances. “I’ve been needing it too much lately,� McDowell said. “And this is going to go a long way to helping me stop needing it and just going out there playing golf and trying to compete every week.�

CASEY’S PREPARATIONS Whisper Rock in Arizona is nothing like Augusta National, except in the mind of Paul Casey.

GOLF NOTES Q Graeme McDowell, of Northern Ireland, watches his drive off the 12th tee during the third round of the RSM Classic golf tournament on November 1, 2018 in St. Simons Island, Ga. AP PHOTO

Casey says he can be home on the range preparing for the Masters because he knows Augusta National well enough that he can imagine every shot in every condition. “Doesn’t matter where the wind’s blowing, doesn’t matter the pin position,� he said. “I could stand anywhere in the world and practice, and try to replicate shots I’m going to need that particular week. I can’t say the same for Bethpage (PGA Championship), maybe Pebble Beach (U.S. Open). I never played Portrush (British Open), so I have no way of preparing for Portrush.�

Casey said he can map out an entire round based on a certain wind condition. “You can say, ‘OK, the wind’s going to be out of the north today’ and figure it out, literally go through and play 18 holes on the range,� he said. “For me,

it’s easy to prepare. It’s very structured.

Maybe that’s why my results have been solid around there.�

Casey has finished sixth, fourth, sixth and 15th his last four times at the Masters.

LET’S PLAY TWO (COURSES) The U.S. Amateur uses two courses for the top 64 players to advance to match play. For the first time, the USGA will use two courses for the 36-hole championship match at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club.

Pinehurst No. 2 and No. 4 will be used for 36 holes of stroke play, and the famed No. 2 course will be used for the opening five rounds of match play. The championship match will start with 18 holes on No. 4. The afternoon round will

be played at No. 2.

It’s the second time the USGA has gone outside the box at Pinehurst, where in 2014 it successfully held the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open in consecutive weeks.

This will be the 10th USGA event at Pinehurst.

Pinehurst No. 2 first held the U.S. Amateur in 1962, won by Labron Harris, and most recently in 2008, won by Danny Lee.

MATCH PLAY Lee Westwood delivered a playful, subtle jab when he tweeted that Kevin Kisner is good at match play and that a perfect course for him would be Le Golf National. That’s where Europe beat the Americans in the Ryder Cup last year.

Kisner, who finished 14th in the stand-

ings, was not chosen.

Kisner thought it was funny. He also didn’t think it was worth reading too much into it. “I loved Westwood’s comment ... being a little cheeky,� Kisner said.

He doesn’t blame Jim Furyk for not taking him as a captain’s pick because “I gave Jim no reason to pick me.� “I was not on form to go over there,�

Kisner said. “I know the golf course suited me perfect. Who was he going to take out? Was he going to leave Phil at home and take Kiz? Nobody is going to do that, right?�

Does that make him a lock for the Presidents Cup team? Not necessarily.

Performing well in a format is only as valuable as form, and there’s a long way to go — including four majors, two World Golf Championships and the FedEx Cup — before the Presidents Cup in Australia. Kisner moved up to No. 15 in the standings.

Only two Match Play champions since 1999 failed to make a team in the year of a Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup: Steve Stricker in 2001 and Hunter Mahan in 2012.

LAST CHANCE The Valero Texas Open is the last chance for a player to get into the Masters, but only by winning.

Rickie Fowler sees it as his last tournament to get in a competitive frame of mind, even though the TPC San Antonio doesn’t prepare players for Augusta National the way the Houston Open did when it had this spot in the calendar. “I like playing competitively if I can leading up to majors or some big weeks,� Fowler said. “I definitely have seen it be beneficial to play the week

before. You’re not far coming off competition when you tee it up Thursday morning in a major, and it just makes me feel more comfortable and more confident.�

Phil Mickelson felt that way, but the change to San Antonio kept him away.

This will be the first times since 2013 that Mickelson did not play the week before the Masters. That was the last time the Masters ended on April 14, and the Texas Open was held the week before.

DIVOTS The British Open at Royal Portrush, already a sellout in record time, has such demand that the R&A is expanding capacity and will offer additional tickets going on sale April 15. This is the first Open in Northern Ireland since 1951. ... The ANA Inspiration has gone to a sudden-death playoff three of the last four years, including the eight-hole playoff Pernilla Lindberg won last year over Inbee Park. ... Graeme McDowell’s win in the Dominican Republic made it four straight weeks a European-born player has won on the PGA Tour.

STAT OF THE WEEK Justin Rose returns to No. 1 in the world next week. It will be the sixth straight time that someone reached No. 1 without playing the previous week.

FINAL WORD “When you’ve got to make a putt to clear money for the week, to fill your car up and drive back home, it makes you a stronger person. So money has driven me my whole life.� — Kevin Kisner. AP

PAGE FROM THE PAST

Today, we look back at an old front page of The Manila Times, the oldest national daily that was founded on October 11, 1898. (Note: This image was adjusted to fit the page.)

E4

Golf

FOR announcements on tournaments, rankings and other golf-related events, email the sports editor at pgs_mallari@manilatimes.net mes net

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

The Sunday Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Q The participants pose for a photo during the culmination of the 2019 PAL-JGFP Junior Interclub Golf Championship held last March 29 to 31 at the Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club in General Trias, Cavite. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Manila Southwoods display mastery in PAL-JGFP Junior Interclub meet

BY JEAN RUSSEL V. DAVID -!.),! Southwoods captured the overall championship of the 2019 PAL-JGFP Junior Interclub Golf #HAMPIONSHIP HELD LAST -ARCH TO 31 at the Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club in General Trias, Cavite.

The Carmona-based squad ruled the centerpiece Division 1 (13-18 years old) by scoring a total aggregate of 407. #OMPOSED OF -ARIEL 4EE *OSH *ORGE -ASAICHI /TAKE AND 3EAN 2Amos, the Southwoods team bested The Country Club (TCC) led by -ARIA 2AFAELLA 3INGSON 3AMANTHA Dizon, Eagle Ace Superal, and Arnie Taguines, who scored a 404.

The Junior Golfers League (TJGL), made up of Tae Won Ha, Sean Granada, Taehoon Kim, and Kirk Dela Torre, finished third with a 384 in the tournament backed by Philippine Airlines, Ayala Land, and Asia Brewery.

Wack Wack dominated the second division (9-12 years old) and retained its title in the third division (8 years old and below).

Wack Wack also dominated Division 2 by scoring a 438, through THE EFFORTS OF 2IANNE -ALIXI #ELINE Abalos, Geoffrey Tan, and Chonpansa Tawinsang. They defeated Team International by 40 points with +WON -INSEO *EONG 9EAHYUN *ODY Castillo, and Dylan Castillo taking

the charge.

3ECOND RUNNER UP -ANILA 3OUTHwoods banked on Vince Tiamsic, Anya Cedo, Reese Ng, and Shin 3UZUKI TO kNISH WITH A Division 3 was again dominated by another Wack Wack team, this time composed of Francesca .ICOLE 'AN )NNO -IGUEL &LORES

Wirada Tawinsang, and Phannaphisar Kiatphonsiri that finished with a 441.

Orchard notched a 356 through -ONA 3ARINES ,ISA 3ARINES *ACOB Gomez and Vito Sarines followed BY -ANILA 3OUTHWOODS WITH A through Kyle Ng, Andres Dancel, Andie Ng, and Sean Ng. Founders Division 1 winner Or-

chard posted a 415 courtesy of Joaquin Gomez, Graeme Tamayo, Tae Soo Kim and Francis Lanuza. $AVID 'UANGKO -IGUEL )LAS *ET Sander Ang, and Jeff Jung powered THE -ANILA 3OUTHWOODS AT SECOND with a 402 while Dayun Kang, Achim 9U 3EAN 9OUNG AND $OMINIC 6ILLAmor carried Team International to a THIRD PLACE kNISH WITH A 4EAM -ARIANAS FROM 'UAM PUNCHED IN A WHILE -ANILA Southwoods and Orchard carded 342 and 339 in Division 2 of Founders, respectively.

TJGL team composed of Joseph Bernos, Dustin Recto and Ahn Chan was the lone winner in the Founder’s third division with a 206.

PH’s Yuka Saso braces for  WAAP action ST ANDREWS: Having earned herself the title of Asian champion by winning the Asian Games individual gold medal, Philippine’s Yuka Saso will be looking to extend her geographical domination when she tees it up at this year’s Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP).

The forever smiling 17-year-old from Manila came close to winning the inaugural WAAP at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club last year when she forced her way into a four-way play-off, but a bogey on the second extra hole denied her victory as Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul prevailed.

Saso made up for that heartbreak later in the year in Jakarta where she won the individual gold medal in golf at the 18th Asian Games and also combined with teammates Bianca Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go to win the team gold — both a first for Philippines golf.

World number 72 Pagdanganan, who secured the individual bronze medal in the quadrennial games, will also be a part of the Philippines’ contingent in Japan, along with Abegail Arevalo, Clare Legaspi, Mikhaela Denise Fortuna and Francesca Bernice Olivares Llas.

Saso has been in terrific form of late, having finished outside the top-four only once in her last seven starts since November 2018, and heads to the second edition of the WAAP as the third highest-ranked player in the field at world number 30. The championship will be played at The Royal Golf Club in Hokota, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, from April 25-28.

Even though expectations will be high for Saso, given her performance last year and current form, she intends to just go out and enjoy herself at the WAAP. “I am very proud of what we did at the Asian Games, especially with my teammate Bianca and Lois. We really had fun out there. The Asian Games taught me so

many things. It was a very nice experience,� said Saso, who has committed to the Georgia Bulldogs and plans to pursue a college golf career in the United States before turning professional eventually. “Even though I did not win, last year’s WAAP was great fun too, and I felt that I learned a lot. I don’t really think about getting so close (to the title), and neither is the tied second place finish any extra motivation for me to do better this year. There were plenty of positives to take from that result. “I am now really looking forward to playing the WAAP again in Japan. We all know that it is such a prestigious championship. As I said, I just want to enjoy every moment of being there.�

It’s not just her form — that stretch of six top-fours in seven starts includes successfully defending her Philippine Ladies Open title last month — but also the fact that Saso has played a number of events on the Japan LPGA Tour and done consistently well that makes her one of the favourites, a tag she quickly downplayed. “I’m not so sure if I am playing my best golf at the moment but I’m happy with the way I’m playing right now. Of course, there’s still a lot of things that I need to work on but what matters to me is I’m having fun,� said Saso, who made four cuts in the five professional events she played in 2018. “I am not sure if playing with professional tournaments in Japan will help with my preparations for the WAAP. But I’m pretty certain the Royal Golf Club will be a big step for me and I will have lots of questions regarding the golf course when I am there.�

Women’s golf is enjoying a boom in the Philippines. As well as their unprecedented success at the Asian Games, four Filipino ladies are now ranked inside the top-100 of the WAGR. Saso credited the National Golf Asso-

5th Alta Vista Cup opens April 28

2nd Cobra-Puma Scramble Golf Tournament opens June 19

THE 5th Alta Vista Corporate Cup will kick off on April 28 at the Alta Vista Golf and Country Club in Cebu City.

The four-man team event requires that at least one player of each team be an eligible club member.

The 18-hole tourney will use a best ball format wherein team members play their own ball on every hole with the two best scores counting for the hole.

Classes A, B, and C, will emPLOY A MODIkED STABLEFORD SCORing system.

Entry fee per team is P10,000 and cancellation without penalty will be accepted until April 27.

Hole-in-one prizes for all par3 holes are P50,000 cash and a Skygo motorcycle.

There will also be special prizes for nearest to the pin, most accurate drive, and longest putt feats.

For details, email at golfregistration@altavistagolfcebu.com or call 09173230671.

THE 2nd Cobra-Puma Scramble Golf Tournament will tee off on June 19 at the Beverly Place Golf and Country #LUB IN -EXICO 0AMPANGA The tournament will only allow to compete the first 72 teams to register. Entry fee is P14,000 per two-man team.

Team composition will be a twoman play, which can either be malemale, female-female or male-female.

The minimum combined handicap is 10 and the maximum is 60 based on the June 2019 unified national handicapping system.

Registered players can enjoy a spe-

Islands — countries where the women’s game is still in its infancy.

The champion will earn a spot in two of the five women’s majors — the AIG Women’s British Open and the Evian Championship. She will also receive an invite to the 2020 Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship has been developed by The R&A and Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) to unearth emerging talent and provide a pathway for Asia’s elite women amateurs to emerge on the international stage.

BONAkDE GOLF BODY AS OF -AY 4HE QUALIkER WILL BE COMPOSED of two stages of 72 holes each using stroke play.

3TAGE ONE WILL ACCEPT THE kRST 40 players to register; wherein the top 12 players and ties within 10 strokes of the leading score will advance to the second stage.

The stage two of the qualifier will determine the top three players which will form the 2019 SEA Games team as set by the committee.

Entry fee for the qualifying tournament is pegged at P3,000.

For inquiries, contact NGAP at 7065926.

Q The Luisita golf course will host a two-stage qualifying tournament for the upcoming 2019 Southeast Asian Games. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

cial rate of P750 per practice round for one month.

An all-expense paid trip to Johor "ARU -ALAYSIA AND A CHANCE TO COMpete in the Cobra-Puma Regional Golf Tournament awaits the low gross and low net team champions.

Me Cup tourney 14th Pomelo Tee takes off April 8 rolls off May 1 in Davao City in Antipolo THE Forest Hills Golf and Country Club IN !NTIPOLO #ITY WILL HOST THE -E #UP on April 8.

The member-employee golf tournament will follow a three-person scramble format (member, employee, and the caddie).

Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. followed by the shotgun tee off at 7:30 a.m. at the Aoki Course.

Entry fee for members and guests is P2,500 and P500 for employees, cadDIES 3ECURITY 0-3 0AR AND 'OLFORCE members.

For registration, email frontdesk@ foresthills-golf.com.

The girl’s side was won by Singson WITH A AGAINST -ARIEL 4EE OF -ANILA 3OUTHWOODS AND -ARTINA -IÄOZA OF $EL -ONTE WHO BOTH kNISHED WITH IDENTICAL S /THER WINNERS INCLUDE -IGUEL )LAS OF -ANILA 3OUTHWOODS BOYS 13-14), Eagle Ace Superal of TCC (girls’ 13-14), Dylan Castillo of Team International (boys’ 11-12), 2IANNE -ALIXI OF 7ACK 7ACK GIRLS

3HIN 3UZUKI OF -ANILA Southwoods (boys’ 9-10), Chonpansa Tawinsang of Wack Wack GIRLS +YLE .G OF -ANILA Southwoods (boys’ 7-8), Wirada Tawinsang of Wack Wack (girls’ 7-8), and Vito Sarines of Orchard (boys’ 6-under).

NGAP to hold SEA Games qualifying tilt THE National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) will hold a two-stage qualifying tournament for the upcoming 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games that the country will be hosting in November.

The event, open to all amateur Filipino golfer will be played at the Hacienda Luisita Golf and Country Club on June 4 to 7 and June 10 to 13.

Participants must be in a good standing with the NGAP and must satisfy all the requirements imposed by the governing body.

Players must have a valid handicap index of 5.0 or lower issued by a

Q Yuka Saso CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

ciation for the success and said: “I think it’s because the players are now working on the right things and the support that we get is getting better. “I don’t really want to speak for the others but I’m sure everyone, including me, are very excited and looking forward to the WAAP.�

The field at the Royal Golf Club comprises 15 players ranked inside the top 100 of the WAGR. The largest contingent is eight players from host nation Japan, while there will be players representing nations such as Bangladesh, Guam, Vietnam, and Cook

The annual tournament attracted 182 participants from 13 clubs including Aguinaldo Golf Club, !LABANG #OUNTRY #LUB $EL -ONTE Golf Club, Pueblo De Oro, Negros Occidental Golf, Team International, 4EAM -ARIANAS 4HE #OUNTRY #LUB

Orchard, The Junior Golfers League, -ANILA 3OUTHWOODS 6ALLEY 'OLF AND Wack Wack.

-EANWHILE -ANILA 3OUTHWOODS -ASAICHI /TAKE AND -ARIA 2AFAELLA Singson of The Country Club (TCC) clinched the top individual honors.

Otake sizzled with 144 to beat EdWARD ,EE OF -ARIANAS AND *OSH *ORGE OF -ANILA 3OUTHWOODS TO kNISH SECOND AND THIRD IN THE boys’ 15 to 18 division, respectively.

THE TH 0OMELO 4EE WILL kRE OFF ON -AY TO AT THE 2ANCHO 0ALOS 6ERDES 'OLF AND #OUNTRY #LUB IN -ANDUG )NDANGAN "Uhangin, Davao City.

The four-day annual member-guest tournament is expected to draw more than 200 entries.

The event aims to raise funds for the charitable projects of the Pomelo Tee Foundation Incorporated among them college scholarship for selected workers and caddies’ dependent. Part of the proceeds will also be used to provide educational equipment AND OTHER LEARNING MATERIALS TO -ANDUG (IGH 3CHOOL AND )NDANgan High School.

Entry fee is P6,000, inclusive of two-day, one mulligan per nine holes.

The tournament’s team and individual categories will follow a HOLE STROKE PLAY UNDER THE MODIkED 3TABLEFORD SCORING SYSTEM For registration, contact Rancho Palos at (082) 3300859, 09177705528, 09156032302, or 09173121887.

PHILIPPINE JUNIOR AMATEUR OPEN GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS Adric Chan (right) and Rianne Malixi hold the perpetual Philippine Junior Amateur Open Golf Championship crown after bagging the overall crowns in their respective sides at Sherwood Hills Golf Club on Friday. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

CCIP President’s Golf Cup unfolds April 30 THE Chamber of Cosmetics Industry of the Philippines, Inc. will host the annual CCIP President’s Golf Cup 2019 on April 30 at the ,EGENDS #OURSE OF THE -ANILA Southwoods Golf and Country Club in Carmona, Cavite.

The tournament, open to all amateur golfers, has a regular entry fee of P6,000 and P5,000 for the early registrants. The fee is inclusive of

green fee, use of shared golf cart, LUNCH RAFlE ENTRY AND GIFT ITEMS On-course registration starts at 6 a.m. while the shotgun tee off begins at 7 a.m.

The CCIP Golf Cup 2019 is among the scheduled activities that will commemorate the organization’s 45th founding anniversary.

Fo r r e g i s t r a t i o n , c o n t a c t 09167318850 or 09338562524.

The Sunday Times

Inspiration.

Celebrity.

Style.

April 7, 2019 Volume 118 | No. 86

AMBASSADOR ASAD ALAM SIAM

His beloved Bangladesh and his nation’s longtime Philippine friendship •

LITERARY LIFE

FILIPINO CHAMPIONS

ARTS AWAKE

Mindanao poet named KWF’s Poet of the Year ear

Meet Sam, the customer service robot ot

Filipina artist raises PH flag in prestigious NY art expo F8

F2

F3

Literary Life SUNDAY April 7, 2019

F2

Gensan poet named 2019 ‘Makata’

O

RION, Bataan: A 28-year-old poet from southern Mindanao was formally conferred the 2019 Makata ng Taon title by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) during the commemoration of the 231st birth anniversary of Filipino poet laureate Francisco Balagtas here on April 2.

In a ceremony at the town’s Orion Elementary School, Michael Jude “MJ� C. Tumamac of General Santos City was awarded the title for his poetry collection Mga Mungkahi ng Pagdanas ng Dahas sa Maitum, which tackled poverty, injustice and tribal wars, among others.

Maitum is a municipality in Sarangani province.

The poems in the collection are “Mag-abang ng Bangkay sa Baybay,� “Kalimutan ang Kasaysayan,� “Magbuntis ng mga Butil,� “Lumanghap ng Alingasaw,� �Payuhan ang Sipit at Sampayan,� “Mangwasak ng mga Mukha,�� Manunumpa sa Sumpa,� “Lumikha ng Tula at Bata,� “Magpalit ng Dila,� and “Magpahaloghog ng Loob.�

Tumamac has published four books and edited and translated books for children. He previously won second place in the 2017 Makata ng Taon competition for his collection Balak na Maikling Dokumentaryo Tungkol sa Isang Binatilyo sa Badjao Village.

Other winners are Fr. Arnel S. Vitor, who nabbed second prize for his collection May Nakakatawa Ba Sakaling Mamatay: At Iba pang Tula sa Panahong Eksayting ang Pagkakahimlay, and Richard R. Gappi, who scored third for his collection Dulok: Gunita ng Tubig.

Both hail from Rizal province’s Angono town, long considered as the country’s art capital.

4HE PARISH PRIEST OF THE 4RANSkGU-

ration of Christ Church in Antipolo #ITY 6ITOR IS ALSO A kCTIONIST HAVING won third prize at the 2000 Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature for his Filipino short story “Logos sa Lotus.�

A previous fellow of the University of the Philippines and IYAS La Salle national writers workshops, Gappi is editor of Angono Rizal News Online and a founder of the Neo-Angono Artists Collective and Angono 3/7 Poetry Society.

In addition to being named Makata ng Taon, Tumamac received a cash prize of P30,000. Vitor and Gappi received P20,000 and P15,000, respectively.

Tumamac joins a distinguished group of writers who have been named Makata ng Taon in previous years. They include National Artists for Literature Virgilio S. Almario (1984) and Cirilo F. Bautista (1993); Palanca Hall of Fame inductees Ruth Elynia Mabanglo (1992), Reynaldo A. Duque (1998), Eugene Y. Evasco (2000) and Reuel Molina Aguila (2008); and Christian Ray P. Pilares (2015), Mark Anthony S. Angeles (2016), Aldrin P. Pentero (2017) and Christian Jil R. Benitez (2018).

Also honored during the celebration were singer-songwriter Rey Valera and playwright Rody Vera, this year’s recipients of the Gawad Dangal ni Balagtas.

Valera was cited for his contributions in enriching Philippine music, while Vera was praised for teaching

Q (From left) Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino Commissioner Abdon Balde Jr.; contest co-judge Ruth Elynia Mangalo; National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario; and winners Michael Jude ‘MJ’ C. Tumamac, Fr. Arnel S. Vitor and Richard R. Gappi pose for photos at the conclusion of the 2019 Makata ng Taon awarding ceremony at the Orion Elementary School in Orion town, Bataan province on April 2. PHOTO BY VIRGILIO LABIAL/ANGONO RIZAL NEWS ONLINE young Filipinos about theater and further modernizing Philippine drama.

Some of Valera’s best-known hits are “Kung Kailangan Mo Ako,� “Malayo Pa ang Umaga,� “Tayong Dalawa� and “Maging Sino Ka Man.�

Vera’s works include the plays “Kung Paano Ko Pinatay si Diana Ross,� “Ralph at Claudia,� “Luna: Isang Romansang Aswang� and “Indigo Child,� and the screenplays for “Die Beautiful,� “Signal Rock� and “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral.�

Valera attended the awarding ceremony at the Pambansang Kam-

pong Balagtas held at the school, where he serenaded the audience.

Prior commitments prevented Vera from attending, but he expressed his thanks in a video played during the event.

Previous Dangal ni Balagtas awardees are poets Lamberto E. Antonio (2013), Teodoro “Teo� T. Antonio (2014), Rogelio G. Mangahas (2015) and Jose “Pete� F. Lacaba (2016); novelist and screenwriter Lualhati Bautista and Mabanglo (2017); and screenwriter and novelist Ricardo “Ricky� Lee (2018).

George R.R. Martin: Father of Game of Thrones

the big batPARIS: George R.R. tle you have Martin, the 70-yearwhere there’s old writer behind 10,000 peoHBO’s blood-spatple on a side, tered epic Game of make that a Thrones, has creduel between ated a multitude the hero and of fantasy worlds the villain,’� spanning medieval he told Time. pasts to distant sciHe could ENCE kCTION FUTURES abandon such Portly, with a limitations white beard, glasses when he dedand usually wearing icated hima cap, Martin has self to prose been described as from the mid“America’s Tolkien� and says he was in- Q George R.R. Martin’s latest book, 1990s. “I’m going spired by the British Fire & Blood. to have all the fantasy master’s The characters I want, and gigantic Lord of the Rings as a teenager.

He grew up poor, but his rich castles, and dragons, and dire IMAGINATION AND PROLIkC OUTPUT wolves, and hundreds of years of — including the five novels in history, and a really complex plot, the A Song of Ice and Fire series AND IT S kNE BECAUSE IT S A BOOK u that became television’s Game he recalled thinking.

4HE kRST IN THE FAMOUS SERIES A of Thrones — saw him listed

by Forbes magazine as the 12th Game of Thrones, was published in 1996. highest-paid author in 2016.

He thought it was “essentially Heavy on violence and sex, the books about noble families vying unfilmable� until he was apfor the Iron Throne were released proached by directors and writers between 1996 and 2011 and al- David Benioff and D.B. Weiss ready bestsellers before they were in 2006. Game of Thrones was LAUNCHED ON ("/ kVE YEARS LATER adapted for television. “His skill as a crafter of narrative exceeds that of almost any liter- Genius of George ary novelist writing today,� Time “The show could not be without the mad genius of George,� Bemagazine wrote in 2011. nioff said in 2018, when accepting one of its 47 Emmys.

Imagination unbound Translated into 47 languages, -ARTIN STARTED ON THE kRST IN THE series in 1991 aiming to “write the books have sold more than 85 something just as big as my imagi- million copies and fans have been impatient for the sixth and sevnation,� he told Time in 2017.

From the mid-1980s he had enth novels promised since 2011.

Their huge popularity means worked as a Hollywood television screenwriter, including on “The that “I’m very conscious I have to Twilight Zone� and “Beauty and do something great, and trying to do something great is a considerthe Beast.�

4HE REACTION TO HIS kRST DRAFTS able weight to bear,� he told The would be, “’George, we love it, Guardian newspaper in 2018.

BUT IT S kVE TIMES OUR BUDGET

THE Literary Life page of The Sunday Times Magazine is now accepting contributions of new, original and unpublished short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, preferably in English, from emerging and established writers. Works must be encoded in Microsoft Word using the typefaces Arial, Times New Roman, or Palatino Linotype, font size 12 and letter-sized paper (8.5 x 11 inches),

‘Anyone could die’ George Raymond Richard Martin was born on Sept. 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey, where his father worked as a docker. “We were poor,� he told PBS television in 2018. “We never went anywhere in the summer, we just stayed in the same old place. But books took me everywhere.�

At 13 he became hooked on by J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, learning from the killing of the wizard Gandalf that the sudden death of key characters is a twist that can work. “The minute you kill Gandalf, the suspense of everything that follows is a thousand times greater, because now anybody could die,� he told PBS. As a child, he wrote monster stories, selling them to friends for a nickel, then superhero tales for

school fanzines.

Martin graduated in journalism from Northwestern University in Illinois in 1971, becoming a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War.

Sci-fi fascination Passionate about medieval history and mythology, he started publishing in the 1970s, winning prizes for his sci-fi short stories.

Other top titles have included the sci-fi novella A Song for Lya (1976); fantasy mystery Armageddon Rag (1983); horror .IGHTlYER (1985); and the extensive superhero series Wild Cards, from 1987.

He has lived in Santa Fe in New Mexico for four decades and he married Parris McBride, his second wife, in 2011.

AFP

The awarding ceremony was part of the government’s arts and language agencies’ celebration of the Araw ni Balagtas in Orion, where the Bulacan-born author of Florante at Laura settled and raised 11 children with wife Juana Tiambeng. He died there on Feb. 20, 1862 at age 74.

The annual celebration also saw lOWERS OFFERED AT "ALAGTAS MONUment in the Hardin ni Balagtas in Orion’s Wawa village and Aeta children from Abucay town performing songs and indigenous dances.

It also saw the start of the three-

day Pambansang Kampong Balagtas, in which 200 student-writers from all over the country learned more about writing poetry, short stories and essays. KWF organized the camp, led by its chief Almario, also the chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

The camp kicked off the country’s celebration of April as National Literature Month, which is spearheaded by the NCCA, KWF and the National Book Development Board.

PNA WITH ALVIN I. DACANAY

Cebu lit event to focus on Francisco’s works IN line with the government’s celebration of April as National Literature, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF or the Filipino Language Commission) and the University of San Carlos’ (USC) Cebuano Studies Center are sponsoring an event called “Cebu Reads Lazaro Francisco� on April 11.

To be held at the Fr. Albert Van Gansewinkel Hall of the USCDowntown Campus from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, the event celebrates the late National Artist for Literature Lazaro Francisco and his works. During his lifetime, Lazaro had written 12 novels in Filipino. These include Maganda pa ang Daigdig (The World is Still Beautiful, 1955), Daluyong (The Surge,1962-1963), Sugat sa Alaala (Memory’s Wound, 1950-1951) and Ilaw sa Hilaga (Northern Light, 1946-1947). “Cebu Reads Lazaro Francisco� aims to introduce and showcase Francisco’s genius to

today’s Filipinos; encourage young people to return and read the early, meaningful Filipino writers in the different languages; and foster understanding of the Filipino sense of identity that is based or centered on being Tagalog or Manileùo.

The experience, depth and importance of a Tagalog as Filipino will be tackled in the keynote address of Dr. Soledad Reyes, professor emeritus of Ateneo de Manila University and primary critic of Francisco’s works.

There will also be critical discussions with invited scholars or critics who will discuss the oeuvre of Francisco. To present their papers are Haidee Emmie Palapar, Joanalyn Gabales, Francis Luis Torres, NiĂąo Augustine Loyola and Clyde Inso Chan.

A dramatic reading of excerpts from Francisco’s work will be presented during the event, which will be graced by National Artist for Literature Resil B. Mojares, also professor emeritus of USC.

Angono writers workshop now open to applications

Q Q George R.R. Martin poses at HBO’s Game of Thrones final season premiere at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 3. AP PHOTO

and saved in either .doc or .rtf format. Each short story and creative nonfiction piece should be between ten (10) and twenty (20) pages (double-spaced), while each poem should be limited to only one (1) page (single-spaced).

Works littered with glaring grammatical and typographical errors will not be considered. Send your works to the literary editor, Alvin I. Dacanay, at literarylife[at]

THE Angono National Summer Writers Workshop is now accepting applications to its seventh edition, to be held in Angono town, Rizal province, from May 17 to 19, 2019.

The workshop offers 12 fellowships to promising writers, campus journalists and teachers of creative writing. Regional fellows will be provided housing, a stipend and transportation subsidy.

Applicants are required to submit three poems, two short stories, ONE PIECE OF CREATIVE NON kCTION

one one-act play or a work-in-

progress novel in Filipino or English. A bionote with a 2x2 ID photo must accompany the submitted work.

Applicants must email their entries to Richard Gappi, the workshop director, at richardgappi@ gmail.com.

Deadline of submission of entries is on April 30.

Angono 3/7 Poetry Society and Angono Rizal News Online is spearheading the workshop in cooperation with the local government of Angono, Neo-Angono Artists Collective and Giant Dwarf Art Space.

manilatimes[dot]net. Kindly put the genre and title of the work in the email’s subject line (example: Short Story: Dead Stars). Authors whose creative works are published in the magazine agree to have these included in literary anthologies that The Manila Times may conceive and publish in the future. Full copyright ownership of the works shall remain with their respective authors.

Filipino Champions The Sunday Times

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

F3

Meet Sam, the customer service robot PH–developed technology helps SM Malls visitors

BY IZA IGLESIAS

A

S part of a series of innovations designed to improve customer experience, SM Supermalls raises the bar in customer service with the INTRODUCTION OF 3AM THE COUNTRY S kRST EVER IN MALL smart robot launched at SM Megamall on March 28.

6DP LV DQ DUWLÀFLDO LQWHOOLJHQW $,

humanoid robot programmed to deliver a smoother, more personalized and HIÀFLHQW LQWHUDFWLRQ ZLWK FXVWRPHUV “Throughout the years, innovation has always been at the core of SM in delivering better malling experiences.

This year, one of our strategies is to leverage on the latest and most advance technologies,” SM Supermalls COO Steven Tan said during the launch.

“We are thrilled to share with you another milestone as we bring in the country’s first-ever smart customer service robot. This robot is designed to provide greeting services via face detection, quick access to mall and product information, mall directions, deals and promos, and even a 24/7 online concierge that can provide information like branch locations, mall schedules, to name a few. Customers can also chat with Sam through the SM Supermalls Facebook page,” he added.

Sam was created in partnership w ith the Ca l- Comp Te ch nolog y (Philippines), which is a leading provider of electronic and original design

I

manufacturing services.

Meanwhile, when asked the reason of naming the robot Sam, Tan told The Sunday Times Magazine , “Sam is very generic. Sam can be a boy or a girl, it’s gender fluid. Also, there’s a relation to SM. We talked about it and thought it’s a good name and very appropriate.”

Tan added that they’ve seen this trend abroad.

“As executives, we always travel and when we travel, as long as there’s something new, something interesting, we really try to bring it to the Philippines whether it’s in in our technology or a concept, we always try to see what advancement we can make. And now it’s here. For now, it’s only in Megamall, but we will soon roll it out in our premiere malls.We will be deploying initially three, but as the demand goes up, definitely we will be deploying more,” he enthused.

Indeed, shopping experience became more enjoyable as SM Supermalls believe that innovation is a combination of creativity and problem solving –

Sam is an artificial intelligent (AI) humanoid robot programmed to deliver a smoother, more personalized and efficient interaction with customers.

forming a solution with imagination.

On the next visit SM Megamall,

The continued legacy of Binondo’s San Jacinto restaurant

F you have ever spent time in the Old Binondo area, most likely you have dined at the famed San Jacinto restaurant and enjoyed its ambience.

Established in 1894, San Jacinto was known for its scrumptious Cantonese dishes but most importantly, it was known as a place where family gathered to celebrate life’s milestones.

Juliet Bato would know for she grew up in the restaurant’s famed walls. In fact, some of her earliest memories was learning how to count money with her dad.

“I would help my dad and was his assistant cashier on weekends. He would teach me how to count money, use cash, and write receipts,” she revealed.

Through the years, I have heard Juliet’s fond memories of the res-

A young Juliet Bato grew up within the famed walls of San Jacinto Restaurant, known for its scrumptious Cantonese dishes since 1894.

THE THOUGHT JUNKIE CARLA BIANCA RAVANES-HIGHAM taurant that is closely tied with her memories of her father. Unfortunately, the doors of San Jacinto closed in 2009 when Juliet’s dad passed away. Si nce then, Ju l iet became determined to continue her father’s legacy. Juliet believed that she needed experience elsewhere before she could fully establish herself in the family business.

“I worked in Public Relations and Business Development after college and it taught me a lot about managing businesses. After having worked in the corporate setting for more than five years, I woke up one day and realized that this was the time for me,” she continued.

Juliet was then inspired to become who she always dreamed of being and to hustle for herself and her family the same way her dad did, “I know no one is completely ready but the experiences I have had has made me confident enough to pursue this.”

This is what led Juliet to open Cantina Antigua, a food enterprise that caters to parties and now to individual consumers through a stall in Sidcor Market in Eton Centris in Quezon City every Sunday.

For Juliet, it was a dream that took a while to come true.

“I have been planning to pursue this for the longest time but it wasn’t until I pitched it to my mama Nancy,

who takes care of the cooking and keeps the family recipes close to her heart, and my boyfriend Nick that I was inspired to be really serious about pursuing it. My boyfriend really encouraged me to pursue this dream, he pushed me to actually execute it,” she related further.

Stay i n g tr ue to San Jaci nto’s trad ition of good food, Canti na Antigua continues to serve dishes known to San Jacinto loyalists and new clients as well – with their cold cuts best sellers that include Char Siu which is charcoal-roasted marinated pork, Lechon Macau, Soy and White Chicken, all paired with side dishes and their own special sauce.

Today, Juliet is more than happy to serve old and new foodie fans alike but most importantly, she feels fulfilled because of what Cantina Antigua means to her and her family.

“It’s how I k e e p my f at he r’s memory alive,” she stressed.

And that is what keeps Juliet going – her desire to serve customers in a way that resonates with them.

“My vision for Cantina Antigua is for the brand to be known by future generations and for it to be relevant to them the same way that San Jacinto was to older generations. We want to be there for every celebration, we want to be included in their life’s important moments,” the San Jacinto Restaurant heiress concluded.

I am pretty sure that Juliet’s papa is definitely smiling on his little girl from heaven, proud of the woman she has become.

To k now mor e a bout Ca nt i n a Antigua, you can like them on Facebook or call 09561235425.

Today, Bato who operates Cantina Antigua, fondly remembers being 'weekend assistant cashier' to her lated dad who taught her 'how to count money, use cash, and write receipts.'

drop by Mega Atrium, Mega Fashion Hall, or Bank Drive and say hi to

Sam for a more fun, convenient, and exciting malling experience.

Network celebrates 65th year with tribute to viewers

ABS-CBN pays tribute to talent show contestants like Ryan Canda, whose talent and determination to succeed are worthy of emulation.

Avid televiewer Anthony Bendo used lessons from teleseryes as inspiration to succeed in school and in his career.

CELEBRATING 65 years of being “In the Service of the Filipino,” ABS-CBN expresses its gratitude to its audience by airing a series of special tributes to the Filipino people on “TV Patrol,” featuring the stories of Filipinos whose values, character, and triumphs have inspired the Kapamilya network through the years.

Inspiring stories The first of the three initial heartwarm i ng stor ies prem iered on March 27 and was also posted on its Entertainment YouTube channel.

It featured Ryan Canda, a talent show contestant who was born with a cleft palate. He had to develop a talent that does not require speech so that he could find his place in a milieu that bullied him. He got into dancing and found the perfect stage to show the world what he got in the “World of Dance Philippines.” His group from Cebu reached The Cut Round and his story went viral as people were touched by his determination to pursue his dream and prove himself to the world.

Enrique Vista, meanwhile, is a person with disability (PWD) who is unable to earn enough for the family and could not afford to take his wife Rowena to a nice dinner. He took a chance in joining DZMM’s “Once Upon A Heart” contest. With luck on his side, he was finally able to take his wife to a romantic date as the contest’s winners.

Proud “Kapamilya” fan Anthony Bendo also has a touching story to tell. His family became economically challenged after his father returned home from an overseas job.

Enrique Vista joined a DZMM contest to give his wife Rowena a romantic date.

Helping Anthony stay motivated and inspired to work hard in school and eventually in his career were the drama programs he watched and followed on TV.

From 1953 to present A B S - C BN (A l t o B r o a d c a s t i n g System- Ch ron icle Broadcast i n g Network) introduced television in the Philippines in 1953.

In 1967, ABS-CBN's first chairma n Eugen io "G eny" L opez Jr. said that TV network’s motto will forever be In the Service of the Filipino, and this has been the North Star for all Kapamilya employees and staff since then.

To d a y, i t s e r v e s t h e p u b l i c th rough f re e telev i sion , d i g ita l terrestrial television, radio, cable, music, publications, internet content and ser v ices, publ ication s, live events, recreations parks and support for the sports.

Its advocacies and public service programs cover child welfare, relief and rehabilitation operations during calamities, environmental protection, livelihood, health care, among many others.

ABS-CBN now serves Filipinos all over the world and is also exporting entertainment content for nonFilipino audiences in Asia, Africa, Europe and South America.

Cover Story The Sunday Times

F4

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

AMBASSADOR ASAD ALAM SIAM

His beloved Bangladesh and his nation’s longtime Philippine friendship

Ambassador Siam admits Filipinos know little about Bangladesh today, and is wholeheartedly committed to raise awareness about his beloved country through his tenure and beyond.

COVER PHOTO BY DJ DIOSINA

BY IZA IGLESIAS

N

ESTLED in the south of Himalayas amid a majestic interplay of three of the world’s major river basins, the People’s Republic of Bangladesh is a land of natural beauty blessed with lush greenery and many waterways. In possession of the most active deltaic plains, this South Asian country carries billions of tons of alluvial soil a year via a most dynamic, intricate river system in the world.

Moreover, Bangladesh is home to Cox’s Bazar — the longest sea beach in the world — and as an old land dotted with archeological heritage, it represents a diversity of major faiths, with a very hospitable and open people who pride themselves in their artistic heritage in arts, crafts, cuisine and creativity.

Despite the natural and societal riches of Bangladesh, however, there are many around the world who continue to have a negative perception of the country, mainly because only its negative side is often presented in mainstream media.

The most common news t hat comes from the country for example are how f loods are very common there par ticularly during yearly monsoons and how cyclones and storm surges have caused widespread devastation in recent years.

Some also still remember how Bangladesh was once shattered by poverty for many years since it gained independence in 1971, as well as being the eighth most populous country in the world with a total of 164 million people living within 56,990 square miles.

But the reality is, Bangladesh has become one of Asia’s most remarkable and unexpected success stories in recent years. Its economy is on a upsurge what with the country’s annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth far better compared to its neighboring countries.

This in mind, Bangladesh Ambassador to the Philippines Asad Alam Siam knows he has a lot of work to do to change the world’s impression of his beloved Bangladesh in his country of assignment and the rest of the world.

Key player for unity Since the beginning of his posting on February 28, 2017 when he presented his credentials to President Rodrigo Duterte, Ambassador Siam has been upbeat in nurturing

The Sunday Times

magazine TESSA MAURICIO-ARRIOLA Editor ALVIN I. DACANAY Literary Editor CHRISTINA ALPAD IZA IGLESIAS Staff Writers ARLO CUSTODIO Deskman *** PETER BAGA ZENAIDA D. ERISPE MARJORIE T. DIZON ENRICO D. BERATA JOANNA C. UMADHAY HORACIO MAKABENTA Layout Artists *** DANTE FRANCIS M. ANG 2ND President & CEO *** Telephone: 524-5664 to 66 Telefax: 521-6897 • 521-6872 Subscription: 528-1319 www.manilatimes.net Website lifestyle@manilatimes.net E-mail

~

The Manila Times is published daily at 2/F Sitio Grande, 409 Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila 1002

“Both countries are also centered on families and social values and social cohesion is very strong. In terms of foreign policy, I think both follow the same principle, which for us was outlined by our Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — that is, ‘friends to all, malice towards none.’ “We also face similar challenges — from climate change, disaster management and disaster recovery — but we are both very resilient.�

Clearly knowledgeable about his country of posting, the ambassador continued, “We both also have a big younger population in our demographic composition; many citizens working outside our countries, and our state visions are more or less the same. “Like you, we have a vision by 2041 to become a developed country, wherein the journey will entail lots of investment and improvement of infrastructure projects.�

Strengthening ties

Ambassador Siam presents his credentials to President Rodrigo Duterte at MalacaĂąang Palace in 2017.

a deeper friendship and stronger ties between the Philippines and Bangladesh as best he can.

Ambassador Siam came to the Philippines with a 23-year experience of representing his country in the international community after joining the Bangladesh Civil Service (Foreign Affairs Cadre) in 1995.

Before his posting in Manila, Siam was former Chief of Protocol of the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Bangladesh; Director General in charge of the Europe Wing in the ministry; Consul General of Bangladesh in Milan, Italy; Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Manchester, United Kingdom; as well as serving in missions in Jakarta and Bangkok in different capacities.

Armed with a degree in Architecture from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) and a Master in Business Administration from the Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands, his choice of profession may seem surprising to most, but he is definitely thriving on the world’s diplomatic stage.

The Sunday Times Magazine had the distinct opportunity to sit down with the seasoned envoy where he talked about the challenge and honor of uniting Bangladesh with many parts of the world.

“But I understand many of the psychological, cultural and social traits that is prevalent in this region. Of course every society and country is different but there is also an underlining similarity among the Asean nations. “So in many cases, since coming to the Philippines, the kind of understanding of what I had of Bangkok and Jakarta helped me get settled quicker here and understand the society very well.�

Filipinos’ friend Ambassador Siam credits Filipinos for being “foreigner-friendly.� “That’s what I like most in the Philippines — there are no question marks or frowning on foreigners. You are very foreigner-friendly country and I felt welcome and accepted from THE VERY BEGINNING )N FACT IN MY kRST encounter with people here, they treated me like a friend so I’m very

lucky to be here — with my wife and our six-year-old daughter.�

Working with Filipino members of his staff at the Bangladesh Embassy has also been a breeze for the ambassador for over two years now. “Filipino people in general are very friendly and it’s never a problem to approach someone. My staff therefore are very accessible and receptive and if they see any cultural differences, they respect them. We have a very friendly environment at work.�

All the same, Siam is delighted to note more similarities between Bangladeshis and Filipinos which he continues to discover as the years go by. “To begin with, Bangladesh and the Philippines are both tropical countries.

We both have lots of friends, we both ARE kSH AND RICE EATING PEOPLE &ROM the societal part, we are both friendly, and we are both religious though a majority have different religions in my country,� he enumerated.

Despite the long list of similarities between the Philippines and his country that he knows off the top of his head, Ambassador Siam admitted that Filipinos hardly have any idea what Bangladesh is like today.

To make that known remains to be a challenge he wholeheartedly takes ON AND VOWS TO FULkLL THROUGH HIS tenure and beyond. “Sometimes Bangladesh appears VERY NEGATIVELY AS A COUNTRY OF lOOD

as a country of natural disaster due to international media. But I would say, Bangladesh is one of the fastest rising countries in the world, like the Philippines,� he emphasized to The

Sunday Times Magazine.

“I’m happy to inform your readers that we have been achieving over six percent growth in our economy for a long time, making us the 41st economy in terms of size. By 2030, we will be the 23rd and Philippines will be 20th or 19th in the list, so we’re both growing country in terms of economy.� “The more we can project ourselves to you through our rich culture, through people to people engagement, only then will Filipinos come to know that ours is a country that has potential they can engage with. Bangladesh is bordering the Asean region and it’s also between two big economies which are India and China. We are basically the land that bridges Southeast Asia with the rest of Asia. “Aside from that, it’s a country that is also doing very well on its own despite being between these two economic powerhouses. We are more than 160 million people, so if you go there and do business or invest, you get a big market.�

Asean expert

Bridging the psychological distance

One can venture to believe that as diplomats go, Ambassador Siam is already an Asean [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] expert.

The Philippines is his third Asean posting to date, following Indonesia and Thailand, which he credits for helping him adjust to the weather and culture of Manila. “Like I said this is my third country [of posting] in the Asean. Besides that, I have been following the Asean region since I was a young diplomat so the KNOWLEDGE ) GATHERED DEkNITELY HELPED me when I was assigned to this part of the world,� he happily related. “One advantage of being here in the Philippines is that I didn’t have to learn the language — everybody speaks in English!� Siam chuckled.

Besides the kind of news that is aired internationally about Bangladesh, the ambassador also relates the lack of information about his country in the Philippines to what he calls “psychological distance.� “When I arrived here, I found that despite being so similar, there’s a sort of psychological distance between our two countries. And one way to bring awareness to the minds about our similarities is to address them culturally,� Siam shared.

Currently, his embassy is running numerous projects to engage with Filipinos through cultural and peopleto-people exchange, which they will further develop throughout his tenure. “We have sent Filipino journalists The Ambassador receives the ceremonial key of Manila from Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada.

Continue to F5

Cover Story The Sunday Times

SUNDAY April 7, 2019 to Bangladesh and brought cultural teams over here. So there’s people to people exchanges already. Among these, I would say that the most important [activity] was the visit of our SME [small and medium-sized enterprises] delegation.

“There is a platform in my country, which actually helps poor Bangladeshi rural women to establish their own enterprises and they came here to see the work of Go Lokal by the Department of Trade and Industry and they were able to learn from you and implement their learnings back in Bangladesh.

“Aside from that, we had 400 teachers trained in the Philippines in installing automation and digital technology in the schools. Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given us a dream to transform Bangladesh into a digital Bangladesh and this training was a part of that journey.”

Further strengthening ties with the Philippines, Bangladesh has also opened an honorary consulate in Davao City with the aim of fostering cooperation between Mindanao’s agriculture and business processing sectors.

According to Ambassador Siam, overall, Bangladesh is particularly interested in learning from the Filipino’s advance farming and deep sea kSHING TECHNIQUE THE "0/ SECTOR

as well as the export of its medicine and garments.

Moreover, an exchange of difFERENT OFkCIALS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS

especially in defense, has taken place between the two countries with Bangladesh receiving Filipino militar y officials for training in Bangladesh and vice versa.

Executives from Oishi, a leading food company in the Philippines, also went to Bangladesh to establish their factory there which became operational this year.

F5 At the National Day celebration of Bangladesh in 2018.

The Bangladesh Cultural troupe participated in Philippine International Indigenous People’s Festival in Capiz.

Foundation of history In establishing just how far Philippine-Bangladesh relations go, Ambassador Siam went back in history and acknowledged the Philippines AS ONE OF THE kRST !SEAN COUNTRIES TO recognize Bangladesh as republic on February 24, 1972, barely a couple of months after the country gained independence in 1971. Ten years later in 1981, Bangladesh already opened an embassy in the Philippines.

“We are a younger country than the Philippines. We gained independence in a struggle led by our Father of the Nation. We were a part of Pakistan after the British left India and we came to be an independent country through a liberation war where three million people died, many men and women suffered and women were violated.

We were completely ruined but despite that, we achieved victory in December 1971,” Ambassador Siam noted.

“From the diplomatic side, our Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had a stopover in Manila when HE WAS lYING BACK FROM *APAN TO "ANGLADESH AND THAT MARKED THE kRST PRESENCE of leadership from Bangladesh in the Philippines.

“And our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also visited the Philippines TWICE kRST WAS ON AN OFkCIAL VISIT

and the second upon an invitation of late President Corazon Aquino.

“President Fidel Ramos visited Bangladesh too,” he continued.

“We have almost 20-plus documents signed covering cooperation in different areas between our countries — in culture, trade, export, immigration and others.

“We have regular foreign office consultations whose goal is coordinating bilateral cooperation.

“This is basically the historical part of engagements between the two nations,” the envoy related.

There is no better time than now indeed for his embassy and their Philippine counterparts plan to es-

With Bangladeshi researchers at the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, Laguna.

tablish more projects over the next few months and years to further strengthen bilateral relations.

“The Philippines is very good in agriculture and aquaculture and food processing, and subsequent value addition in agricultural products. So we are trying to take that skill and technology to Bangladesh because we are not on that level yet.

We are going to encourage people to come here and learn,” he said.

“As one of the countries that produces world-class pharmaceuticals, we would like for Filipinos to import our pharmaceuticals because it’s cheaper in Bangladesh.

“Also, we would like to learn and gain investment from you in terms of BPO since Bangladesh has a young population who are good at digital technology. And as a former English colony, we know English, but we are not getting enough business yet. We are just beginning.”

Ambassador Siam is further looking into skills and training in the Philippines particularly when it comes to nursing, medicine and seafaring to name a few.

“Other objective is to go beyond Manila. So far, our engagements have been very Manila-centric when you have a big country. So we are sending our cultural teams to other places for more exposure and for Filipinos to know more about Bangladesh,” he rounded up.

Big celebrations are also in the works across all the countries where they have embassies as Bangladesh will be observing the 100th birth an-

Bench chief executive officer Ben Chan and Ambassador Siam at the homegrown fashion giant’s headquarters. Bench outsources a few of its items from Bangladesh.

Ambassador Siam meets Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol at a courtesy call.

The Ambassador’s take on the Rohingya refugees ROHINGYAS are a Muslim minority in Myanmar regarded by many Myanmar Buddhists as illegal migrants. The Rohingyas are from Arakan, Myanmar and have been so for generations but they were denied citizenship and therefore described as the world’s most persecuted minority.

In 2015, a crisis began when a mass migration of Rohingyas occurred. Nearly all who fled to neighboring Asian countries including Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand did so aboard rickety boats via the waters of the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea. From this migration came the collective term “boat people” used by international media.

As of December 2017, an estimated 655,000 to 700,000 Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh to avoid ethnic and religious persecution by Myanmar’s security forces.

In this interview with The Sunday Times Magazine, Ambassador Siam shares his thoughts on the issue to call the attention of the world to heed the call of help by the Rohingyas.

“Since the ‘70s, we have been hosting the Rohingya people, and following the latest influx, we are now hosting around a million Rohingyas,” the top diplomat began.

“We are already a crowded country and then we have these additional people, but we are sharing whatever we have with them because their stories are very tragic. If you go and listen to them you would cry: numerous young girls and women were raped, people were killed, you will find children became orphans and they have seen their family members died in front of them. They had no other option but to flee. Their houses were burned, their crops were destroyed, and they were literally not treated as human beings.

“So any sensible responsible country, which Bangladesh is, would have received them. Unfortunately, that is not happening for all. It is only Bangladesh in all the world receiving these people. My take is that Asean and the rest of the world need to be involved with the situation on the ground with Myanmar so that the people in Rakhine can create an amicable environment for the Rohingyas, and let them feel that they can go back.

“Myanmar’s society has not accepted them as equal. Rohingyas do not feel safe to return as they have not been promised Myanmar’s citizenship, or that of a normal life—like [being allowed to] go to hospital, going to school, earning a living. So the world has to engage, and it cannot continue eternally that only Bangladesh will host one million displaced people.

“The nations of the world have a responsibility to address the situation and improve the situation, and ensure that rights that are to be given to Rohingyas like other citizens of Myanmar so they can return to their motherland.”

Hopes for the future

niversary of their Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 2020.

“Aside from that, in 2021, the age of Bangladesh will be 50. We will

celebrate it also in a very big way involving local dignitaries and the Filipino people. We will have yearround celebrations for two years and we hope your people will join us on these occasions.”

Finally asked what he hopes from the continued cooperation between the Philippines and Bangladesh, Ambassador Siam replied, “What I would like to see is for Bangladesh and the Philippines to become an ideal role model of South-South Cooperation between two of the fastest growing economies, helping each other in whatever expertise they have.

“We have a huge e xper tise in development and pover t y alleviation. You have experience in the ser vice industr y, so we can have an exchange on those factors and enrich each other in terms of experience and economic growth.

That’s the dream I would like to see, that Philippines and Bangladesh become an example of cooperation between two growing economies,” Ambassador Siam ended.

The Bangladesh Dance troupe Shristi’s Manila performance.

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. (second from right) visits the Bangladesh stall at the International Bazaar organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Fun Times The Sunday Times

F6

»horoscope

THE SUNDAY CROSSWORD

Prefix Mixup

By Merl Reagle April 7, 2019

...An introductory course on anagrams This puzzle is part of Merl's best-of series 1 4 9 12 16 17 18 19 21 23 25 26 28 30 31 32 33 36 37 38 39 42 44 45 46 47 48 51 53

57 59 60 61 65 68 69 71 72 76 80 81 82 83 84 85 86

ACROSS She chews up the scenery Make ___ for oneself Pantheon honoree ___ breve (2/2 time) He was compared to JFK Canada’s tallest mountain Stewart-Granger film Financier Andrew Evidence that a UFO just took off?

Results of a Japanese fashion survey?

Slangy lawbreaker Veterinary clinic in the Everglades?

Ism or tism preceder As ___ Dying Homelessness et al.

A, B, C, D, E, F, or G ___ acid “You ___ both know ... ” Norman king Cuervo of tequila fame Musical instrument for synagogues that never quite caught on?

Minimum teams Bay escort No. 12 of 12 Ore. borderer Rice spirit “Merry Christmas” sounds Relief nap of Mexico A question like “How about getting back together with Ike,” for example?

Certs rival Way or case preceder Household humorist Abnormal aversion to SeaWorld?

Most popular way to leave Hugh Hefner’s estate?

Footloose co-star Singer Common people Humbert’s obsession A wolf in shrink’s clothing?

To fly, to Italians Overseas trade org.

Gabor and Longoria VAT, for one Titusville find, 1859 Klink or Khadafy, e.g.

Crow’s-nest support Bacteria that attacks only ceramic workers?

90 Boulle’s planet dwellers 92 Cold-snap comment 93 Rarae ___ (oddballs) 94 Must, in comics 95 He/she/it loves, in Latin 96 Ghost’s wail 98 Raced 99 The Cougars of Provo UT 100 Our Lady of Disarmament’s evil twin sister?

104 Chord with a flatted fifth 108 Large-eared prehistoric beast?

109 Dishes featuring 108 Across designs?

111 Homes 112 ___ on wheels 113 Asunder 114 Misreport something 115 Without 116 Poet’s preposition 117 James and Jimmy 118 Cowpoke nickname DOWN

1 Koi 2 Sonia the duck in Peter and the Wolf 3 Sport, in a way 4 Supermodel Carol 5 Do ___ Gently ...

6 Golfo de México content 7 She won six straight Wimbledons 8 Wraps around 9 Desert near the Great Wall 10 Personal view 11 With skill 12 Some white mice 13 Grassy plains of South America 14 Find 15 Talus site 18 Rubescent 19 Sorry sight 20 Spring on the Atl. coast 22 Used up 24 Sushi selection 27 Fresno fruit 29 Waiter’s reward 33 Magicians, standups, etc.

34 Sugar island 35 Picnic penner 36 Starter set for preschool

Gift givers! For info on Merl’s books, visit www.sundaycrosswords.com.

1

2

3

4

16

6

9

34

37

73 81

65

66

70 75

87

92 96

88

89

98

horizons. Gather support for your project. Accept assistance from an experienced elder. Outsmart the competition.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22) -- Today is a 9 -- Repay favors, debts and bills. Stay in communication for peace of mind all around. Keep your agreements. Visualize immense success with a shared venture.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21) -- Today is a 7 -- Your charm is captivating. Show respect, and win someone’s heart. Don’t try to bend the rules. Ask what is so, rather than guessing. You’re learning about love.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Discuss your fitness and health plans with a trusted coach or doctor. Streamline your routines, and keep your promises.

You’re growing stronger. Maintain practical routines.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20) -- Today is a 9 -- Strengthen your personal infrastructure. Clean rooms and spaces.

Upgrade your wardrobe or style. Get advice from someone trusted. Cash in coupons. Find hidden value.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19) -- Today is a 7 -- Follow a strong recommendation from someone you love. New possibilities arise from idealistic heartfelt commitment. Your discipline is admirable. Find treasure hidden among the garbage.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20) -- Today is a 5 -- Update your plans. Formulate the vision and plot your course. It’s all coming together perfectly. Share dreams and goals with your inner circle.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18) -- Today is a 7 -- Family matters have your attention. Express your heart through words and actions. Make practical domestic upgrades and repairs. Support each other through a transition.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Teamwork is especially essential. Provide your share. Coordinate to take advantage of member talents. Recognize the value of the past. Build on the shoulders of giants.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20) -- Today is a 9 -- Express your creativity and passion. Engage in a fascinating conversation. Invent exciting new possibilities together. Give your word and keep it. Share and invite.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22) -- Today is a 9 -- It’s show time!

A professional challenge has your focus. Get experienced guidance. Dress for success, and provide leadership. Be careful and thorough to advance.

(Astrologer Nancy Black continues her mother Linda Black’s legacy horoscopes column. She welcomes comments and questions on Twitter, @lindablack. For more astrological interpretations visit Linda Black Horoscopes and www.nancyblack.com)

99

102

103 109

104 105 106 107 110

111

112

113

114

115

116

117

118

66 Downtown site in many cities, the ___ Center 67 Study of hammers, stirrups, etc.

70 Domestic dispute 73 Endorsements 74 Infomercial mediums 75 Mexican resort 77 IRA, for one 78 Lopsided victory 79 Actress Lanchester 83 Secret WWII org.

85 Ways and means 86 Gamble’s partner 87 “Thus ___ rebellion find rebuke” (Shak.)

88 Beaujolais, e.g.

89 Potato bed?

90 Simple life form 91 Isabella, to Columbus 92 Mouth, to Maurice 95 Assn. that gives out the Oscars 96 City laws: abbr.

97 ___ regular basis 98 Behave bearishly

79

94

108

37 Words in Bob/Bing titles 38 Blow and Friday 40 Extend 41 Harem rooms 42 Strawberry who fielded 43 Island inst.

47 Real turn-on?

48 Gary or Mary 49 Tab-grabber’s words 50 Dallas Cowboy helmet symbol 52 Spill result 53 Multiplication lists 54 Less cordial 55 Hines and Holliman 56 Flower part 58 Astaire-Rogers classic 61 Greek flask (anagram of POLE) 62 Architect Mies van der ___ 63 Nile beast, briefly 64 Halter of a nuisance, in law

78

84

93

97

101

77

83

86

95

67

76

82

91

50

71

74

85

49

56 60

64 69

80

48

55 59

63

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19) -- Today is an 8 -- Profitable opportunities arise. Learn from someone who exhibits self-discipline. Discuss work with an experienced friend or relation. An intensely creative moment flows naturally.

43

47

54

58

72

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

38 42

46 53

68

15

32

41

45

57

14

20

31

36

52

90

19

13

24

30

40

62

12

27

29

35

51

11

23

39 44

10

18

26 28

100

8

22

25

61

7

17

21

33

5

Today’s Birthday (04/07/19). Learn valuable tricks this year. Career expansion arises with focus and determination. Receive a valuable gift. Summer brings domestic bliss and shifting professional dreams. Your career blossoms next winter, leading to household repairs and upgrades. Expand your horizons through educational exploration.

SUNDAY April 7, 2019

99 Providence campus 101 Hiver opposite 102 Julia’s onetime hubby Lovett 103 Architectural pier 105 Eschew the fat

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Make your deadlines and connections. Reach out, and broaden your

106 Memo start 107 Manifesto man 110 Trig function

SUDOKU

Solution: ‘This Side of Paradise’ (Mar 31) P S S T

M E H T A

I D E A L

L I S P

E S S O

A L I I

P O T S

S A D H U

U N D E R

B A S UG E T A C A R

K E A L L L A S I E L L OS S H E S S E SON E S S N K E D A R I O N F A C F L A B A A R A S B E S

G E C K O S

O N K E Y

OD S U E I NG S GO S C A R E E F B AWL L I K E L Y I GE R E E D S A A L OH N S H I P OMA N S S E DO L EW N E E S T R E E RU S T S I E N A P S A L E O L T L E T A Y C

L U P O N E R N A C E R T C I A O

U R A N

C K T A K A L OR E L M I S T R S CH E R P E I RMA DN E S OE R E L I UNDO O L NO C S P A DW I C H E S CU E P E A R L I K U L L MO F U L L OOK F A NNO S SGB L A P YWC AMU S H A S UR E T I M S E A I R E O L ME R L

E L Y

NANCY BLACK. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

By ROGER SEVILLA Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 square contains the digits 1 to 9 with no repeats.

S E E N E A S Y A G E D

Solution from yesterday’s puzzle.

Arts Awake SUNDAY April 7, 2019

The Sunday Times

F7

Photography students present works in ‘Daloy’ exhibit

S

78'(176 RI WKH 3URMHFW 'HYHORSPHQW DQG *DOOHU\ ([KLELWLRQ FODVV RI WKH %DFKHORU RI $UWV LQ 3KRWRJUDSK\ 3URJUDP RI WKH 'H /D 6DOOH &ROOHJH RI 6DLQW %HQLOGH '/6 &6% KHOG D SKRWR H[KLELW RI GLVWLQFW LQWHUSUHWDWLRQV RI FRPELQHG LQWHUHVWV SHUVRQDO LVVXHV DQG GRFXPHQWHG FDPSDLJQV XQGHU WKH JXLGDQFH RI SURIHVVLRQDO SKRWRJUDSKHU PHQWRU 9LQFHQW -DLPH 9LOODIUDQFD

Photos show the human relationship is affected by technology.

Called “Daloy,� which means continuous stream in Filipino, the culmination exhibit featured the works of student-artists Nicolai Briones, Kristen Mulingtapang, Mattias Moraleda, Jonathan Oyales, Joash Usa, Adrian Daez, Jorge Bermal, Genely Therese Esplana, and Dana Santiago. “Daloy was suggested by one of the students wherein they could freely express any topic of their choice, from travels to their personal travails,� Villafranca revealed.

Held at the Vetro Art Gallery on Congressional Avenue in Project 8, Quezon City, the photos ran on themes on of personal issues such as beauty, mental

health and how the human relationship is affected by technology.

Other students took a more traditional approach such as employing street and documentary tactics with their chosen topics of home, transport and their views of open spaces in Manila. “My piece was about student stagnation.

This was a representation of myself stuck as a high school student. I was failing my classes, while my classmates graduated, pursued college degrees, then started on their careers. It made me feel that time à RZHG VORZHU LQ P\ ZRUOG DQG WKHLUV ZDV faster,� shared Briones.

Students also use documentary tactics with views of open spaces in Manila.

‘Kunstausstellung’ Unveiling a generation of art at German Club Manila

WITNESS D FRPELQDWLRQ RI WZR GLIIHUent aesthetics as German Club Manila SUHVHQWV ´.XQVWDXVVWHOOXQJ Âľ DQ H[KLELW RI WKH UHFHQW ZRUNV RI $QWKRQ\ )HUPLQ DQG &DUPHOD *HLVHUW $ YHUQLVVDJH LV VFKHGXOHG RQ $SULO DW S P )HUPLQ ZKR KDLOV IURP &HEX KDV KDG his works making rounds in Cebu, BaFRORG 'XPDJXHWH DQG 3DODZDQ EHIRUH FRPLQJ WR 0DQLOD IRU D ZHOO DWWHQGHG 2013 solo exhibition at the Ayala MuVHXP $UWLVW 6SDFH LQ 0DNDWL Abroad, he has participated in shows DW WKH =XULFK +DOO LQ 9LHQQD 7KH $WKHQDHXP LQ 6DQ 'LHJR &DOLIRUQLD WKH 2005 International Artists Assemblage in Berlin, and the Expo 2000 Ostrich (JJ IRU 6RXWK $IULFD &KLOGUHQ ([KLELW LQ +DQRYHU *HUPDQ\ Fermin’s paintings embody rich, colorIXO DQG PXOWL OD\HUHG DVSHFWV RI )LOLSLQR FXOWXUH SUHIHUULQJ WR SRSXODWH KLV FDQYDVHV ZLWK FURZGV RI SHRSOH RQ VWUHHWV and public places such as shops, market, URDGV DQG SOD]DV +LV LQWHUSUHWDWLRQ RI Ă€JXUHV YHKLFOHV DQG HYHQ DQLPDOV SURMHFW ZKLPV\ RSWLPLVP DQG SRVLWLYLW\ LQ HDFK EUXVKVWURNH )HUPLQ LQMHFWV JDLHW\ DQG MR\ LQ HDFK SLHFH DV KH GHOYHV LQWR DUHDV RI FRPCarmela Geisert PHUFH DQG SURJUHVV Ă€JXUHV HYHU PRYLQJ DQG HQMR\LQJ OLIH DV H[FLWLQJ SURVSHFWV FDUHHU +HU SLHFHV UHPLQGV RQH RI OHLDERXQG LQ HDFK VTXDUH LQFK RI KLV ZRUNV VXUHO\ VWUROOV LQ IRUPDO JDUGHQV ZLWK Meanwhile, the Manila-born and special attention paid to bright color UDLVHG *HLVHUW LV WKH SUHVLGHQW RI WKH $VLD FRPELQDWLRQV RI IORZHUV DQG IROLDJH *UDQG 9LHZ +RWHO LQ &RURQ Geiser t Pa l a w a n lets her and one SDLQW Ă RZ RI WKH UHRQ FDQYDV FLSLHQWV RI respect2005 Maing her nila’s Best medium’s ' U H V V H G I O X L G $ZDUGV ,W disposiis her pastion and VLRQ IRU DUW saturated WKDW GULYHV KXHV her to creWith ate wh i le t h e i r she stradorganic dles work, DQG IUHH WUDYHO SKRI O R Z L Q J tog raphy, charac.’ Beetle Blue nd Antho ny Fermin ’s ‘Long Weeke makeup terisDQG IDVKLRQ tics, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine *HWWLQJ KROG RI SDVWHO FUD\RQV DQG KHU SDLQWLQJ SULQWHG RQ IDEULF VXFK charcoal and sketching during long-haul DV VFDUYHV DQG EDJV DV D QRW WR KHU Ă LJKWV KDV QRZ OHG KHU WR WKH H[SORUDWLRQ IDVKLRQ EDFNJURXQG RI Ă XLG DUW DQG DEVWUDFW H[SUHVVLRQLVP .XQVWDXVVWHOOXQJ LV RQ VKRZ XQWLO 0D\ For this exhibition, Geisert marks 7 at the German Club Manila, located at KHU DUWLVWLF MRXUQH\ ZLWK EORVVRPV WKDW WKH 3HQWKRXVH RI (XURYLOOD 5XĂ€QR draw a parallel to her blooming artistic 6WUHHW /HJDVSL 9LOODJH 0DNDWL &LW\

FROM retail to the arts, homegrown legacy company Rustan’s continues LWV FRPPLWPHQW DV D SXUYH\RU RI XSVFDOH TXDOLW\ DQG H[FHOOHQFH $V VXFK SDUW RI LWV FRQWLQXLQJ JRDO LV to support Filipino talent and spur D FXOWXUH RI DZDUHQHVV DQG DSSUHFLDWLRQ IRU ORFDO DUWLVWV DQG WKHLU VXSHUE GHVLJQ DQG FUDIWVPDQVKLS 6WDUWLQJ ZLWK WKH FUHDWLRQ RI *OLFeria Tantoco’s “Galerie Bleueâ€? in WKHQ VXSSRUWLQJ WKH LQLWLDWLYHV RI &XOWXUDO &HQWHU RI WKH 3KLOLSSLQHV (CCP) and Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra’s international tours, to its collaboration with National Artist IRU 9LVXDO $UWV %HQHGLFWR ´%HQ&DEÂľ &DEUHUD RQ WUDQVODWLQJ KLV ZRUNV RI DUW WR KRPH REMHFWV DQG FHOHEUDWLQJ WKH FUHDWLRQV RI UHQRZQHG DUWLVWV Al Perez and Paulina Luz Sotto —Rustan’s, through the years, is LQGHHG D FRQWULEXWRU WR WKH FXOWLYDWLRQ RI FXOWXUH E\ PDNLQJ DUW PRUH DFFHVVLEOH WR WKH SXEOLF 7KLV \HDU 5XVWDQ¡V XQFRYHUV DQ H[FLWLQJ VKRZFDVH RI WDOHQW DV WKH\ work in partnership with National $UWLVW IRU 9LVXDO $UWV $UWXUR /X] and his granddaughter Paulina Luz 6RWWR ZKR LV PDNLQJ KHU FRPHEDFN DW 5XVWDQ¡V )RU 7KH $UWV The exhibit is nestled at the 3rd /HYHO RI 5XVWDQ¡V 6KDQJUL /D XQWLO $SULO 7KH ZRUNV RI DUW ZLOO WKHQ EH EURXJKW DQG SXW RQ YLHZ DW WKH WK /HYHO RI 5XVWDQ¡V 0DNDWL IURP 0D\ WR 0D\

(From left) Jed Llanes, Angela Luz, Paulina Luz Sotto, Rustan’s Marketing and Communications Head Dina Tantoco and Paolo Tantoco.

Rustan’s For The Arts features the works of National Artist for Visual Arts Arturo Luz and his granddaughter Paulina Luz Sotto.

Focus on beauty in its simplicity 7KH IRFXV RI 6RWWR¡V ZRUNV VLQFH VKH started painting in 2015 has been EHDXW\ LQ LWV VLPSOLFLW\ .QRZQ IRU KHU FOHDQ OLQHV DQG interesting shapes, her abstract art draws the eye and mind to the stories WKDW VKH GUDZV RQ WKH FDQYDV $ FXP ODXGH JUDGXDWH IURP $WHQHR GH 0DQLOD 8QLYHUVLW\ ZLWK D GHJUHH in Communication, the young lady DOZD\V KDG DQ DSSUHFLDWLRQ IRU WKH DUWV EXW EHLQJ D IXOO WLPH DUWLVW QHYHU FURVVHG KHU PLQG GHVSLWH OLYLQJ ZLWK KHU 1DWLRQDO $UWLVW JUDQGIDWKHU From the time she turned 24, her SDVVLRQ IRU DEVWUDFW DUW DQG IDVFLQDtion with lines grew so strong that people started taking interest in DFTXLULQJ KHU DUW 6RWWR LV QRZ D GHGLFDWHG YLVXDO DUWLVW KDYLQJ KDG WKUHH VXFFHVVIXO VROR H[KLELWV DPRQJ YDULRXV JURXS H[KLE-

LWV 6KH KDV VROG KXQGUHGV RI SDLQWLQJV LQ RQO\ WKUHH \HDUV LQ WKH DUW LQGXVWU\

Art icon and inspiration 1DWLRQDO $UWLVW IRU 9LVXDO $UWV $Uturo Luz is a printmaker, sculptor, GHVLJQHU DQG IRXQGLQJ PHPEHU RI WKH PRGHUQ 1HR 5HDOLVW VFKRRO RI 3KLOLSSLQH DUW ,Qà XHQFHG E\ 0RGHUQLVW SDLQWHUV VXFK DV 3DXO .OHH KH KDV ZRUNHG LQ D YDULHW\ RI VW\OHV DQG WHFKQLTXHV LQ YDU\LQJ GHJUHHV RI DEVWUDFWLRQ FUHDWLQJ SOD\IXO JHRPHWULF ÀJXUHV DQG IRUPV Born in the year 1926, he went RQ WR VWXG\ DW WKH 6FKRRO RI )LQH $UWV DW WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ RI 6DQWR

Tomas in Manila, the Art School RI WKH %URRNO\Q 0XVHXP LQ 1HZ York, and the Academie Grade &KDXPLHUH LQ 3DULV )URP KH EHFDPH WKH IRXQGLQJ G L UHFWRU RI WKH 0HW URSRO LWD Q 0XVHXP RI 0DQLOD On his exhibitions, the internaWLRQDO VKRZV RI $UWXUR /X] LQFOXGHG the Philippine Cultural Exhibition in New York in 1953, Arte de America y EspaĂąa in 1963, the 11th Sao Paulo Biennial in 1971, the Tokyo International Print Biennal in 1974, and the 8th British InterQDWLRQDO 3ULQW %LHQQDOH LQ He was named National Artist IRU 9LVXDO $UWV LQ

Arts Awake The Sunday Times

F8

Filipina artist raises PH flag in prestigious NY art expo

W

HEN Sal Ponce Enrile was selected to exhibit her works in the highly prestigious Artexpo New York â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ODUJHVW Ă&#x20AC;QH DUW WUDGH VKRZ Âł VKH SURYHG WKDW LW LV QHYHU WRR ODWH IRU DQ\RQH WR SXUVXH WKHLU SDVVLRQ Using acrylic, mixed meGLD DQG D YDULHW\ RI WH[WXUHV on her abstract masterpiece titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Retrospect,â&#x20AC;? Enrile was picked by the internationally acclaimed art gallery, Agora Gallery New York to become RQH RI WKHLU IHDWXUHG DUWLVWV LQ the expo that began on April 4 DQG ZUDSV XS WRGD\ ´0\ FXUDWRU IRU P\ ILUVW H[hibit suggested that I should try VXEPLWWLQJ P\ SRUWIROLR WR $JRUD *DOOHU\ LQ 1HZ <RUN , WROG P\VHOI I had nothing to lose and I did not UHDOO\ H[SHFW WR EH DFFHSWHG Âľ Enrile tried her luck despite EHLQJ D QHZFRPHU LQ WKH Ă&#x20AC;HOG RI DUWV DQG LW VHHPHG WKH XQLYHUVH UHSDLG KHU FRXUDJH ´, UHFHLYHG VHYHUDO H PDLOV WKDW OHG PH WR GLIIHUHQW GHSDUWPHQWV

RQH RI ZKLFK ZDV D ORQJ OLVW RI TXHVWLRQV DERXW PH DQG P\ ZRUN 6WLOO , Ă&#x20AC;JXUHG , ZLOO MXVW NHHS UHSO\LQJ $IWHU WKLV ODVW H PDLO , JRW DQRWKHU RQH IURP WKH 'LUHFWRU ZHOFRPLQJ PH WR $JRUD DV RQH RI WKHLU DUWLVWV Âľ Through Agora, she realized another dream, which was to be able to participate in Artexpo 1HZ <RUN But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not all, her painting â&#x20AC;&#x153;Retrospectâ&#x20AC;? was chosen as WKH IHDWXUHG ZRUN IRU WKH H[SR¡V LQYLWH WKLV \HDU 5HWURVSHFW MXVW OLNH KHU RWKHU paintings, is blurred out or JUD\HG RYHU OLNH PHPRULHV RI D IRUJRWWHQ HUD 7KH EUXVKVWURNHV look more like scribbles on a FKDONERDUG OLJKWO\ KRYHULQJ DJDLQVW D GDUN EDFNJURXQG Retrospect showcases her work

April 7, 2019 SUNDAY

'Retrospect'

Visual artist Sal Ponce Enrile

to controlled chaos, where an RYHUDOO FRKHVLYH HIIHFW XQLWHV DQ DUUD\ RI EULJKW FRORUV DQG HQHUJHWLF EUXVKVWURNHV $VLGH IURP 5HWURVSHFW KHU IRXU SDLQWLQJV LQVSLUHG E\ H[SUHVVLRQLVP QDPHO\ ´'HOLULRXV Âľ ´'UHDP Âľ ´3HUSOH[HGÂľ and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gladeâ&#x20AC;? were also disSOD\HG IRU WKRXVDQGV RI DUW HQWKXVLDVWV WR VHH Artexpo New York annually VKRZFDVHV RYHU LQQRYDWLYH exhibiting artists, galleries, DQG SXEOLVKHUV IURP DFURVV the globe, displaying exciting original artwork, prints, paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, ceramics, giclĂŠe, lithographs, and glassworks, MXVW WR QDPH D IHZ This year, the expo hosted PRUH WKDQ DYLG DUW HQWKXVLDVWV DQG TXDOLILHG WUDGH buyers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including gallery owners and managers, art dealers, interior designers, architects, corporate art buyers, and DUW DQG IUDPLQJ UHWDLOHUV

'Delirious'

'Dream'

7KURXJKRXW LWV IRXU KLVWRULF decades in contemporary and Ă&#x20AC;QH DUW $UWH[SR 1HZ <RUN KDV KRVWHG WKH OLNHV RI $QG\ :DUKRO 5REHUW 5DXVFKHQEHUJ .HLWK +DULQJ DQG /HUR\ 1HLPDQ 7KXV (QULOH EHOLHYHV WKLV RSSRUWXQLW\ ZLOO RSHQ GRRUV IRU her and other Filipino artists to UHDFK D ZLGHU DXGLHQFH ´, WKLQN HYHU\ DUWLVW¡V GUHDP is to be able to ultimately show WKHLU ZRUN LQ 1HZ <RUN $IWHU DOO WKH FDUHHUV RI PDQ\ RI WKH

top well known contemporary DUWLVWV DOO EHJDQ LQ 1HZ <RUN &LW\ +HQFH , DP WUXO\ JUDWHIXO WKDW , got this opportunity early on in P\ QDVFHQW FDUHHU DV DQ DUWLVW , am humbled by this great honor DV D )LOLSLQD WR KDYH P\ ZRUN GLVSOD\HG DW WKH $UWH[SR Âľ Asked what she has to say to IHOORZ DUWLVWV ZKR DUH DOVR DVSLUing to enter the art scene, Sal DGYLVHV ´,W LV QHYHU WRR ODWH WR IROORZ \RXU SDVVLRQ ,W LV MXVW D PDWWHU RI EHOLHYLQJ LQ \RXUVHOI persistence, dedication, and a lot RI KDUG ZRUN Âľ Prior to Artexpo, Enrileâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work

has been getting international DWWHQWLRQ 6KH ZDV ODXQFKHG DV SDUW RI 8. EDVHG 'UDJRQ$UW LR D PRGHUQ OHJDF\ SODWIRUP LQ 0DUEHOOD 6SDLQ LQ 1RYHPEHU 'UDJRQ$UW FRPELQHV DUW DQG WHFKQRORJ\ IRU DUWLVWV DQG DUW ORYHUV DOO RYHU WKH ZRUOG (QULOH LV MRLQLQJ WKH UDQNV RI PXVLFDO OHJHQGV WXUQHG YLVXDO DUWLVWV %ULDQ 7UDYHUV IURP 8% DQG -RKQ ,OOVOH\ IURP 'LUH 6WUDLWV DV VRPH RI 'UDJRQ$UW¡V IHDWXUHG DUWLVWV The artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works are also curUHQWO\ GLVSOD\HG LQ SULYDWH FROlections in Germany, New York, &DOLIRUQLD DQG WKH 3KLOLSSLQHV