THE MANILA TIMES | MAY 11, 2019

Investment inflows hit 6-month high in Feb ÂťStory on B1 ++

Php20.00

•• 5 SECTIONS PAGES • VOL. 120 NO. 210 28

SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2019

Trusted since 1898

R w w w.manilatimes.net

Manila Zoo deal in limbo City council declines to act on P1.5-B devt plan

BY WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL

A

P1.5-billion plan to develop and modernize the 60-yearold Manila Zoo remains in limbo with the Manila City Council said to be sitting on a joint venture approved by reelectionist Mayor Joseph “Erap� Estrada.

Documents obtained by The Manila Times showed that a joint venture agreement, signed in 2014 between the city — represented by Estrada — and the Metropolitan Zoo and Botanical Park Inc. (referred to in the agreement as JV Partner), headed by Edwin Lim, had yet to be acted upon by the council.

ÂłLimboA8

The CIA and Namfrel: A tale of father and son First of 2 parts First word T’s just as well that Namfrel (National Citizen’s Movement for Free Elections) has created a fuss about its decline of accreditation by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as an election watchdog during the elections on Monday.

OBSERVER YEN MAKABENTA

I

ÂłMakabentaA4

Gold out of other countries’ garbage

I

MOURN IN MY LINE t h e OF SIGHT passing of former Speaker Prospero “Boyâ€? Nograles, 71. .OGRALES A BAR TOPNOTCHER kNISHED law at the Ateneo de Manila UniverSITY (E WAS THE kRST EVER SPEAKER OF the House of Representatives from Davao City. ÂłTulfoA5

RAMON T. TULFO

JUST A FEW DAYS MORE Residents pass through a streets filled with political posters in Tondo, Manila on Friday. PHOTO BY DJ DIOSINA

Fugitive Daraga mayor gives up, put behind bars LEGAZPI CITY: Embattled Daraga Mayor Carlwyn "ALDO kNALLY SURRENDERED ON &RIDAY AFTER FOUR days of hiding from authorities seeking to arrest him over last year’s killing of Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe.

Accompanied by his family and a lawyer, Baldo turned himself to Regional Trial Court

PALACE CALLS FOR CLEAN ELECTIONS

MALACAĂ‘ANG on Friday called on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to ensure an honest, peaceful and credible midterm elections, as it warned those who had “sinister plans and evil machinationsâ€? against committing poll fraud.

In a statement, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said the Duterte gov-

ernment would not tolerate any form of cheating. “We urge the Commission on Elections to do its constitutional duty as the sentinel of the elections in ensuring the integrity of the ballots,� he said.

Panelo said President Rodrigo Duterte “has put in place measures designed to determine if cheating has been committed

ÂłMayorA8 REACH US AT:

What’s inside

UNLAWFUL USE OF VOTER DATA PROBED NewsA3

NewsA2

DESERVING THE KIND OF DEMOCRACY THAT WE GET

Antonio ContrerasA4

NEWBIE HOLDS OWN IN SHARON CUNETA MOVIE

EntertainmentD1

Q Supporters of the Kabalikat Party-list group rally outside the Supreme Court, calling for the disbarment of Integrated Bar of the Philippines’ outgoing president Abdiel Dan Elijah Fajardo and incoming president Domingo Egon Cayosa.

PHOTO BY ENRIQUE AGCAOILI

Party-list group wants IBP leaders disbarred SIXERS, TRAIL BLAZERS SURVIVE TO FORCE GAME SEVENS

SportsC1

ÂłCleanA8

Panelo: Not everyone in matrix an ouster plotter

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

PALACE CONFIDENT 2019 GROWTH GOAL REACHABLE

IN THE POLLS u INCLUDING kLING OF CHARGES against those responsible. “We are thus issuing a stern warning to those who have sinister plans and evil machinations of thwarting the will of the electorate to abandon them,�

Panelo said. “Any violator will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. No one will

THE Supreme Court was asked on Friday to disbar Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) leaders for allowing the organization’s facilities to be used

by Peter Joemel Advincula, who claims to have knowledge of drug money payoffs to members of President Rodrigo Duterte’s family.

The disbarment charges against outgoing IBP President Abdiel Dan Elijah Fajardo and his successor, Do-

MINGO %GON #AYOSA WERE kLED BY THE Kabalikat Party-list, which claimed that the two violated Rule 1.02 of the Code of Professional Responsibility that states: “A lawyer shall not counsel OR ABET ACTIVITIES AIMED AT DEkANCE OF THE LAW OR AT LESSENING CONkDENCE IN the legal system.�

Advincula, who claims to be the “Bikoy� in a series of online videos

ÂłDisbarredA2

NOT everyone named in the latest “Oust Duterteâ€? matrices were involved in a plot to unseat President Rodrigo Duterte, MalacaĂąang said on Friday.

Following widespread ridicule over the inclusion of Olympic medalist Hidilyn Diaz and TV host Gretchen Ho in expanded diagrams released earlier this week, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said only the “major players� — the Liberal Party, the Magdalo party-list group and the Otso Diretso Senate candidates — were considered to be part of the conspiracy.

He blamed media for “wrongly analyzing� the illustrations, which he claimed merely showed that Rodel Jayme — the alleged uploader of videos accusing Duterte family members of links to drug syndicates — was an active follower of Diaz and Ho. “The issue at hand is a Powerpoint slide, titled ‘Rodel Jayme of Metro Balita,’ showing the regisTERED &ACEBOOK ACCOUNT OR PROkLE of Rodel Jayme. Just by the obvious title of the slide, one can deduce that the subject of its concern is the

ÂłMatrixA2

A2

News

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

Palace confident 2019 growth goal reachable

M

BY CATHERINE S. VALENTE

ALACAĂ‘ANG has expressed CONkDENCE THAT THE 0HILIPPINES could still achieve its target of 6 to 7 percent economic growth by the end of 2019 despite the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowdown in the kRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR The Philippine economy grew at its slowest pace in four years, missing forecasts, dragged by a delay in the enactment of the P3.7-trillion national budget, according to Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo. “The 5.6-percent [GDP] growth THAT REGISTERED IN THE kRST QUARTER of 2019 was caused by the budget impasse, which has now been RESOLVED AS WELL BY A NEARLY lAT agriculture output posting 0.8 percent, which contributes about a tenth to GDP, as a result of the adverse effects of the El NiĂąo phenomenon,â€? Panelo said in a statement. “President Rodrigo Duterte and the Cabinet have been thoroughly briefed and apprised by our eco-

nomic managers on the situation, and the Palace therefore remains CONkDENT THAT WE WILL STILL REACH our full-year 2019 economic target of 6 to 7 percent,� he added.

4HE 0ALACE OFkCIAL SAID THE GOVernment was expecting a “higher GROWTH IN THE NEXT FEW QUARTERSu now that the budget impasse had been resolved. “The delay in our infrastructure program because of the budget DEADLOCK DURING THE kRST QUARTER is now a thing of the past. Soaring INlATION HAS BEEN DECISIVELY ADdressed. We expect higher growth IN THE NEXT FEW QUARTERS AS THE Build, Build, Build Infrastructure Program starts to gather steam and domestic consumption, as a

RESULT OF DElATION STARTS TO PICK up,� he added. “The economic momentum is on our side. The future looks bright despite the prophets of doom and the negative forces that try to mislead our countrymen into believing an opposite outlook, who, however, refuse to bite,� Panelo said.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the 5.6-percent growth was slower than the 6.5-percent growth recorded in the kRST QUARTER OF Growth would have accelerated to 6.6 percent had the country operated on the 2019 budget at the start of the year, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said. “As we had forewarned repeatedly, the reenacted budget would sharply slow the pace of economic growth,� Pernia added.

It was the slowest growth in QUARTERS SINCE THE PERCENT EXPANSION IN THE kRST QUARTER OF 2015, he said, adding that the government must “really catch up and work very hard� to meet its growth target for the year.

The House of Representatives

approved the P3.757-trillion 2019 national budget late in November last year, leaving the Senate with little time to pass a counterpart measure before the Christmas and New Year holidays.

A reconciled version approved by both chambers in February was further held up after the Senate claimed that the House had made post-bicameral conference committee insertions, and the row was only settled last month after Duterte VETOED QUESTIONED ALLOCATIONS While the government had P10 billion more to spend under the 2018 budget, it could only use the funds for projects outlined in last year’s outlay, which meant that programmed spending for 2019, including pay hikes for government workers and funding for infrastructure projects, was off the table.

The budget impasse, along with an ongoing El Niùo and the United States-China trade war, forced economic managers to lower this year’s growth target to 6.0-7.0 percent from 7.0 to 8.0 percent, and some analysts have said the full-year result could fall to as low as 5.0 percent from 2018’s 6.3 percent.

Bong Go: In the service of Duterte and the Filipino FORMER special assistant to the President and 2019 candidate for senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong� Go on Thursday said he had dedicated his life to serve President Rodrigo Duterte and the people. Go made the statement during the grand campaign rally here of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HnP) regional party in Davao City.

He thanked the President’s children, Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte-Carpio, Congress candidate Paolo “Pulong�

Duterte, vice mayoral candidate Sebastian “Baste� Duterte, and other officials of the city for their support.

Go had served as the trusted aide of Duterte for over 21 years.

After the Davao residents said they were satisfied with the performance of President Duterte for the first three years of his term, he assured the crowd that he fully supported programs and policies of the President. Go said in running for the Senate, he had prepared a legislative agenda that includes among its top priorities improvement in the delivery of health services in the country, noting that many public hospitals lacked the necessary equipment and facilities to handle the large volume of patients.

He again batted for the Malasakit Center, his brainchild.

The Malasakit Center is a program of the Duterte administration that makes it easier and faster for poor patients to avail of medical and financial assistance from the government by bringing together in one room concerned agencies.

It was inspired by a similar program of Duterte in Davao City when he was mayor of the city.

Go also vowed to bring the same kind of service to the rest of the country. Other priority concerns under Go’s

AT YOUR SERVICE

Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go, a candidate for senator in the May 13 elections, speaks before supporters at the grand campaign rally of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago in Davao City on Thursday. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO legislative agenda include programs for agriculture, education, housing for the poor, long-term sports development, fire protection and prevention, localized peace talks, barangay (village) welfare, creation of a Department of overseas Filipino workers, and improved benefits for senior citizens.

Go’s friends from the show business also came to the HnP rally to support and endorse his candidacy, including Robin Padilla, Cesar Montano and Bayani Agbayani. The former top Duterte aide rallied the people of Davao City to support other Senate bets of HnP, including former national police chief Ronald “Bato� dela Rosa, former Palace political adviser Francis Tolentino, Maguindanao

Second District Rep. Zajid Mangudadatu, former reporter Rodrigo “Jiggyâ€? Manicad and Ilocos Norte Gov. MarĂ­a Imelda Josefa “Imeeâ€? Marcos.

He also gave his support to other members of the HnP Senate ticket namely, Senate reelectionists and returnees Juan Edgardo “Sonnyâ€? Angara, Pilar Juliana “Piaâ€? Cayetano, Joseph Victor “JVâ€? Ejercito, JosĂŠ Pimentel “Jinggoyâ€? Estrada, Aquilino “Kokoâ€?

Pimentel 3rd, Ramon “Bongâ€? Revilla Jr. and Cynthia Villar. By supporting the candidates of the President, Go said the people of Davao could be assured that infrastructure and other development programs for Davao City and the entire region could be realized for the benefit of the people.Â

Meanwhile, he expressed his gratitude to the people of Davao City after receiving a triumphant welcome during his motorcade hours before the rally.

Despite being a native of Davao City and consistently placing among the top of the “Magic 12� in recent surveys in the Senate race, Go said he would continue to work hard and go around the country up to the last minute of the campaign period.

He attributed his strong performance in the surveys to the trust of the people in the President.

Go said the endorsements he received from the Iglesia ni Cristo, El Shaddai and other religious groups were significant in boosting his chances in the May 13 elections.Â

Q MATRIX FROM A1

Q DISBARRED FROM A1

Panelo

Party-list

logo of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines can be seen at the background, which creates the impression that the Integrated Bar of the Philippines is supporting Advincula’s press conference,� it added.

Fajardo and Cayosa were not immediately available for comment.

The IBP, the national organization of lawers, is under the supervision and control of the Supreme Court, and for 2019 alone it will receive P100 million from the national budget for its operations, primarily for legal aid purposes.

Kabalikat noted that the IBP’s Davao chapter had criticized the national office by letting itself become a “staging area of Bikoy’s show.� Solicitor General Jose Calida has also called on Fajardo to resign.

Advincula has since gone into hiding and on Thursday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said

it had initiated a manhunt on the basis of pending arrest warrants.

PNP chief Oscar Albayalde, in a statement, said a La Trinidad municipal trial court had ordered Advincula and several others arrested for estafa in 2007. Also that year, the Baguio City Regional Trial Court issued a warrant in relation to a large-scale illegal recruitment case. “To the people who are possibly coddling him, I would just like to remind you all that coddling someone who is facing charges might result in them having charges too so it would be better if they would just notify us,� PNP spokesman Col. Bernand Banac said.

Another estafa case has been kLED AGAINST !DVINCULA BY !RVIN Amores, president and chief execuTIVE OFkCER OF !RDEUR 7ORLD OVER the staging of a beauty contest in the town of Polangui, Albay.

JOMAR CANLAS AND ROY D. R. NARRA

person of Mr. Jayme,� Panelo said. “The diagram contained in said slide includes other accounts Mr. Jayme is actively following, to visualize his character as well his political and social interests. It is in this context that the names of Misses Ho and Diaz appeared,� he added.

This resulted in the “wrong analysis and conclusions by readers and personalities,� including Ho and Diaz.

Panelo said he would not apologize to both Ho and Diaz for the bother, declaring: “I think those who should apologize are those who wrongly analyzed.�

The Palace has yet to fully explain the diagrams released on Wednesday, which sought to expand on an initial oust Duterte matrix that was published last month.

RALPH U. VILLANUEVA

accusing Duterte’s son, former Davao City vice mayor Paolo “Pulong� Duterte, son-in-law Manases “Mans� Carpio, and former top aide Christopher Lawrence “Bong� Go of accepting drug money, held a press BRIEkNG AT THE )"0 HEADQUARTERS IN Ortigas, Pasig City last Monday. “With due respect, Advincula’s press conference is not in accordance with the mission of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

It does not elevate the standards of the legal profession. It does not improve the administration of justice, and it does not enable the Bar to discharge its public responsibility more effectively,�

Kabalikat Party-list claimed. “While Advincula was uttering seditious words or speech during his press conference, the

I am not endorsing Otso bets – Panelo MALACAĂ‘ANG has slammed a satirical Facebook page for sharing a “political memeâ€? of Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo, edited to show him “endorsingâ€? members of the opposition slate Otso Diretso and other candidates for senator in the May 13 midterm elections.

The “MalacaĂąang Events and Catering Servicesâ€? Facebook page edited a photo of Panelo, making it seem that he was endorsing the opposition Senate hopefuls instead.

The Facebook page is a known satirical account.

Panelo, in a statement, said the photo was an “extreme desperation� on the part of the opposition, days before Monday’s polls.

While he acknowledged it as a “political meme,� he said it “amounts to a defamatory imputation.�

Panelo added that there were social media members who believe everything they see or read on the Internet, even if these were altered, edited or photoshopped.

He called the edited photo “false news.� “It is for this reason that I strongly denounce the malicious use of my image for black propaganda and political mudslinging,�

Panelo said. “This is nothing but false news dished out by the supporters of the political opposition, which by its reckoning is headed for a resounding debacle,� he added.

The spokesman called on the factcheckers of Facebook to “do their job and show their impartiality.� “The attempt at maliciously misleading the voters by circulating online the bogus endorsement shows that this representation has been effective in neutralizing the black propaganda spread against [the President], his family and this administration, which the purveyors of the false news hope to succeed in impairing the credibility of the presidential spokesperson,� he said. “It is an alterable dictum that truth always springs in full splendor no matter how you embellish it or even if you cover it with the Rock of Gibraltar,� Panelo added.

Earlier, Facebook shut down a network of pro-Duterte Facebook accounts for supposed “inauthentic behavior.�

Last month, Panelo downplayed the role of social media on the victory of Duterte during the 2016 elections, saying most of Duterte supporters were not Facebook users.

Panelo’s photo was taken from when he was discussing the new set of matrices supposedly for the ouster of Duterte.

The Palace spokesman earlier said members of the opposition Liberal Party, Magdalo party-list and the Communist Party of the Philippines were colluding to oust him, through the “Bikoy� videos.

The opposition, according to Panelo, was using it not only to sling mud at the administration, but also to boost the candidacies of its candidates for senator.

The matrix, which Duterte bared was from a “foreign intelligence source,� also included Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz and former volleyball player Gretchen Ho. Diaz was lauded by Duterte for her achievements in weightlifting, while Ho was in the Palace for a thanksgiving dinner the day before the matrix was released.

All parties involved denied their link to the supposed ouster plot, with both athletes saying they did not know Bikoy and the plot.

Panelo on Wednesday said it was natural for those in the matrix to deny their link.

The spokesman added that some personalities in the matrix “were all praises for the Bikoy videos, with some even anticipating the online release of the same as if they already knew of their existence.� “In a democracy, constructive dissent makes it vibrant and this administration welcomes its exercise. When it, however, crosses the line of acts falling as crimes under the Revised Penal Code, then the dissenters become transgressors of law and the constituted authorities are duty-bound to enforce the law and cause their prosecution,� he said.

Otso Diretso candidates have welcomed Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle’s backing of Catholic lay group People’s Choice Movement’s (PCM) voting criteria that earned candidates from the slate an endorsement from the PCM. Former House deputy speaker Lorenzo “Erinâ€? TaĂąada 3rd said that Tagle’s backing meant a boost to their chances on Monday’s polls given that the slate is banking on a victory propelled by a solid Catholic vote.

Last month, the PCM endorsed for the May elections Otso Diretso’s Gary Alejano, Neri Colmenares, Jose Manuel “Chelâ€? Diokno, Samira Gutoc, Florin Hilbay, Romulo “Romyâ€? Macalintal, Manuel Roxas 2nd and TaĂąada, and reelecTIONISTS 0AOLO "ENIGNO !QUINO TH and Mary Grace Poe. Hailed as Asia’s bastion of Catholicism, there are over 61 million registered Filipino voters for the May 13 elections.

The Commission on Elections, however, does not have a record of the number of Catholic voters.

When asked about how the opposition bets felt when reports surfaced that none of the Otso Diretso candidates made the list of those yet to be endorsed by the INlUENTIAL )GLESIA NI #RISTO ).#

TaĂąada said the move did not spell the “end of the world.â€? “We respect their decision and their own vetting process. At the end of the day, the people still have the last say on who sits in the Senate,â€? he added.

The INC, with its membership of close to 2 million, is known to practice bloc voting during elections.

RALPH U. VILLANUEVA AND NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS

Gatchalian urges BIR: Spare teachers’ honoraria from tax SEN. Sherwin “Win� Gatchalian on Friday appealed to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) not to tax the honoraria of teachers who would serve as Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) in the midterm polls on Monday.

The senator earlier asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to ensure that the honoraria and allowances of teachers serving in the May 13 elections would not be delayed. “Considering the demanding and sometimes life-threatening duties that teachers who serve as [BEIs] perform during elections, it is only fair that their honoraria and travel allowance be exempted from withholding tax,� Gatchalian said.

He expressed hope that the BIR would no longer tax the teachers’ election honoraria, “considering the hardship they have to endure every election.� “One more thing is they are not doing that for themselves, this is their service to the Filipino nation,� Gatchalian said.

“Giving our teachers the full amount of their election honoraria and allowances is the best way we can show them our gratitude and appreciation for ensuring clean, honest and orderly elections in the country,� he added.

Gatchalian called on Comelec to prepare the teachers’ honoraria in advance so that these would be distributed properly.

He asked the Department of Education (DepEd) to ensure that it had an accurate list of all public school teachers serving as BEIs. Under Republic Act 10756 or the “Election Service Reform Act,� the compensation for BEIs has been increased to P6,000 from P3,000, while BEI members will receive P5,000 from P3,000.

From P3,000, a DepEd superviSOR OFkCIAL WILL GET 0

WHILE support staff will receive P2,000 from P1,500.

The teachers and other personnel who rendered election service will also receive a travel allowance of P1,000.

BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

News

˜ The Manila Times w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

A3

Unlawful use of voter data probed T

BY TYRONE C. PIAD

HE National Privacy Commission (NPC) said it would look into information it had received that some candidates for the midterm polls might be using voter data without authority.

In a press statement released on Friday, NPC Commissioner Raymund %NRIQUEZ ,IBORO SAID g)T HAS COME TO our attention that some individuals posted on social media about receiving from candidate/s a ‘precinct locator’ or ‘voter’s information’ card, printed with their personal data — name, complete residential address

and date of birth.�

(E SAID THE .0# WAS LOOKING INTO this to determine whether such election-related processing of personal data conforms to the standards of the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (DPA). “Political parties and candidates, in their capacity as personal information controllers, should at all times uphold

the data subject rights of voters, and provide mechanisms for exercising rights. They have the obligation to ensure that all personal data processing related to any of their partisan political activity must satisfy the criteria for lawful processing as provided for in the DPA,�

Liboro said.

Political parties and candidates would be subjected to penalties if they failed to follow proper handling of personal data, the NPC said. g#ITIZENS ARE LIKEWISE ENCOURAGED to be aware of their data privacy rights and be on guard whenever their personal data is processed,� it added.

Philippines, Mexico to combat illegal drugs THE Philippines and Mexico recently agreed to fully implement signed agreements on combating ILLEGAL TRAFkCKING OF NARCOTIC DRUGS and on tourism exchange.

The two countries also expressed THEIR COMMITMENT TO kNALIZE NEgotiations on pending agreements on air services, integral disaster RISK MANAGEMENT AND THE ESTABlishment of a Joint Economic Committee.

They sealed this commitment on May 6 at the conclusion of their second bilateral consultation mechanism meeting "#- THE kRST TO BE HELD AT THE Secretariat of Foreign Affairs in Mexico City.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Enrique Manalo and Mexican Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs JuliĂĄn Ventura led their respective delegations in discussing bilateral political, economic and socio-cultural issues, as well as pressing regional and multilateral issues, as a means to deepen more

than six decades of diplomatic relations between both countries.

Manalo and Ventura also identified specific actions to be unDERTAKEN TO BOOST BILATERAL TRADE and investments and increase socio-cultural exchanges through the implementation of cultural and sports cooperation programs.

They identified steps to promote new areas of cooperation in agriculture and exchange of best practices on consular matters and in the provision of assistance to nationals during the BCM. Both countries also exchanged views on regional developments in Asia and Latin America, including on the Association of South East Asian Nations, Asia-Pacific %CONOMIC &ORUM AND THE 0ACIkC Alliance.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said the Philippines would host the next BCM, with the place and schedule to be mutually agreed upon at a later date.

BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

LOOK OUT

A personnel of the Police and Tactical Motorcycle Rider Unit keeps watch at a checkpoint in Binondo, Manila on Friday, as security is tightened with the elections just days away. PHOTO BY DJ DIOSINA

BI stops foreigner with bogus visa THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) barred a transiting passenger from leaving the country for CARRYING A FAKE #ANADIAN VISA !MEVI 'BANSOUVI

A 4OGOlese national, was apprehended at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminal 2 on Tuesday for presenting a FAKE %LECTRONIC 4RAVEL !UTHORIZATION %4! TO ENTER #ANADA BI Port Operations Division

Grifton Medina said Gbansouvi tried to use Manila as a jump-off point “to gain illegal entry to Canada but his plan was foiled by our OFkCERS WHO DISCOVERED THE BOGUS document in his possession.�

BI-NAIA 2 travel control and enforcement unit head Benlando Guevarra said the Togolese arrived as a transit passenger via Philippine Airlines flight from 'UANGZHOU #HINA AND THAT HIS

final destination was Toronto, Canada.

He said immigration officer John Peter Chua intercepted Gbansouvi and confirmed with Canadian embassy authorities that his ETA was not genuine.

Gbansouvi is now detained at the BI detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City pending his deportation for violating the country’s im-

migration act.

Also on Tuesday, a Filipina WORKER BOUND FOR THE 5NITED Arab Emirates was prevented from leaving for pretending to be a seafarer.

The female passenger, who was not identified, possessed A FAKE SEAFARER S BOOK AND A bogus overseas employment certificate.

BENJIE L. VERGARA

PH, UK HOLD STRESS MGMT TRAINING FOR SOLDIERS THE Philippine Army conducted stress management training for its soldiers, along with the British Royal Marines. Â Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, Army spokesman, said that the Trauma Risk Manage ment Training (TriM) was part of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Philippine Army and the British Royal Marines. Â The MoU, Zagala said, was a cooperation between Manila and London providing joint training, exchange of trainees and instructors and information on training-related matters. Â The TRiM was conducted from April 24 and culminated at the Philippine Army headquar-

ters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on Thursday.  “It is a series of training for the members of the Philippine Army launched in September 2018 that covered three phases, namely policy formulation phase, pilot training phase and trainer’s training phase,� Zagala said. “The Army aims to capacitate its soldiers to apply peer delivered combat stress assessment in helping the early identification of soldiers at risk of combat trauma thus designating them with appropriate professional help,� he added.

Zagala said the Army invited British AttachĂŠ to the Philippines, Col. Mike Page,

to train the Army forces on operational stress management following the five -month Marawi City siege and other encounters.

The trainees came from the Light Reaction Regiment, First Scout Ranger Regiment, Special Forces Regiment, Zamboanga del Sur-based 1st Infantry Division, Maguindanao-based 6th Infantry Division and Sulu-based 11th Infantry Division.  Service members of the UK’s marines and navy served as instructors and subject matter experts that trained selected officers and enlisted personnel of the Philippine Army for the conduct of TRiM.  The British Royal Marines

said TRiM was a psychological support tool of the Operational Stress Management dealing with potential cases of stress the military was facing in line of duty.

Among the causes determined are the high intensity operations, unpleasant role such as body handling, involvement in previous trauma, threat of injury or death to self, high-frequency deployments, constant bombardment and death of colleague.

A debriefing was also conducted by the British Royal Marines to discuss the challenges the trainees faced as they apply what they have learned.

DEMPSEY REYES

DFA campaigns for CoA head to UN audit body THE Philippine government has nominated Commission on Audit (CoA) Chairman Michael Aguinaldo for membership in the United Nations Board of Auditors (UNBoA) for the term 2020-2026.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on May 2 hosted a reception to launch the Philippine candidature to the UNBoA. The elections for membership in the UNBoA will be held in November 2019 at the UN (EADQUARTERS IN .EW 9ORK Locsin said that the Philippine government, as represented by Aguinaldo, would be given an opportunity to contribute to the UN as an orGANIZATION STRONGLY COMMITTED to the ideals of accountability and transparency in the pursuit of its mandate. “The UN can only achieve its purpose and spearhead programs through its various organs and institutions with funds contributed

BY MOST OF ITS MEMBERS EACH year,� Locsin said. “These contributions serve as the lifeblood of the UN, and as SUCH NEED TO BE UTILIZED WITH utmost care and diligence and audited by impartial experts

to ensure the integrity of UN’s diverse operations and help maintain confidence between the UN and its member states,� the Department of Foreign Affairs chief said.

Locsin cited Aquinaldo’s and CoA’s achievements in its engagements with the UN. “The Philippine Commission on Audit, with its extensive experience in the UN and up-to-date auditing system and techniques, has proven its capability to help lead the UN evolve as an international ORGANIZATION WITH A PURPOSE that continues to be relevant and important to this day,� he said.

Aguinaldo said the CoA was a member of the UNBoA for 18 years, covering the periods 1984 to 1992 and 1999 to 2007, and had established an excellent reputation in the UN. It has served various UN agencies and offices, including THE (EADQUARTERS 0EACEKEEPING Operations, High Commissioner for Refugees, Institute for Training and Research, Joint Staff Pension Fund, Office in Nairobi, Children’s Fund, and Environment Program.

BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

Other acts of child abuse Dear PAO, Jane and I agreed that she would bring my daughter to Manila, and she would act as her guardian while my daughter attends her primary education. When I visited my daughter, I discovered that she had burns on her body.

My daughter relayed to me that Jane sent her to attend to the store, but she fell asleep. Jane allegedly got angry and laid my daughter on top of an ironing board and placed a heated iron on her. The latter evaded the heated iron; hence, her elbow and back were burned instead.

I confronted Jane regarding the matter, and I told her that her actions were already considered as child abuse, but she said that she was not liable for any crime because she only wanted to chastise my daughter for not

1, of same law as “referring to the maltreatment, whether habitual or not, of the child which includes any DEAR PAO of the following: (1) psychological and physical abuse, neglect, cruelty, sexual abuse and emotional maltreatment; (2) any act by deeds following her order. She further or words which debases, degrades claimed that her friend advised or demeans the intrinsic worth her that I must prove that her and dignity of a child as a human acts must be prejudicial to the being; xxx�

Relative thereto, Section 10 child’s development before she could be made liable for child (a), Article VI of the said law also states: abuse. Please guide me. “Any person who shall commit Mary any other acts of child abuse, cruelty or exploitation or be Dear Mary, Jane’s action may constitute child responsible for other conditions abuse, which is punishable under prejudicial to the child’s develRepublic Act (RA) 7610 or the “Spe- opment including those covered cial Protection of Children Against BY !RTICLE OF 0$ .O AS Child Abuse, Exploitation and amended, but not covered by the Discrimination Act.� Child abuse is Revised Penal Code, as amended, DEkNED UNDER 3ECTION B !RTICLE shall suffer the penalty of prision

PERSIDA ACOSTA

mayor in its minimum period.�

Please be guided by the case of Del Pose vs. People of the Philippines (GR 210810, Dec. 7, 2016), where the Supreme Court through Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta said: “xxx As gleaned from the foregoing, the provision punishes not only those enumerated under Article 59 of the Presidential $ECREE .O BUT ALSO FOUR distinct acts, i.e., (a) child abuse, (b) child cruelty, (c) child exploitation and (d) being responsible for conditions prejudicial to the child’s development. The Rules and Regulations of the questioned statute distinctly and SEPARATELY DEkNED CHILD ABUSE

cruelty and exploitation just to show that these three acts are different from one another and from the acts prejudicial to the

child’s development. Contrary to petitioner’s assertion, an accused can be prosecuted and be convicted under Section 10 (a), Article VI of Republic Act No. 7610 if he commits any of the four acts therein. The prosecution need not prove that the acts of child abuse, child cruelty and child exploitation have resulted in the prejudice of the child because an act prejudicial to the development of the child is different from the former acts.�

Applying the above-cited decision in your situation, Jane’s act in placing a hot iron on your daughter falls squarely under the provisions of Section 10 (a), Article VI of RA 7610. The said provision of law punishes four (4) distinct acts: (a) child abuse, (b) child cruelty, (c) child exploitation and (d) being responsible for conditions

prejudicial to the child’s development. Thus, Jane has no legal basis on her claim that you need to prove that the abuse, cruelty or exploitation must result in the prejudice of your daughter. An act prejudicial to the development of the child is different or another punishable act.

7E kND IT NECESSARY TO MENTION that this opinion is solely based on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same.

Thus, 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

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

E d i to r i a l

I

Creation of ‘credit rating panel’ a smart move

N the wake of the sovereign credit rating upgrade obtained by the Philippines from S&P Global Ratings early last week, the Duterte administration announced the formation of an interagency committee to manage the country’s efforts to enhance further its investment grade.

The move to approach the management of the country’s credit rating position in a systematic way is a smart government decision. If carried out successfully, the effort will provide numerous BENEkTS TO THE COUNTRY BEYOND UPGRADES TO ITS CREDIT STATUS The Philippines’ new S&P rating of “BBB+,� with a “stable� outlook, is two notches above the minimum “investment grade� rating, and just a step away from the “A� level vested on the world’s stable ECONOMIES OR THOSE WITH STRONG CAPACITY TO MEET THEIR kNANCIAL commitments despite some susceptibility to adverse changes in economic conditions. The Philippines has now moved up from the “BBB� level where it has stayed since May 2014.

4HE IMMEDIATE BENEkT OF A HIGHER CREDIT RATING IS THAT IT makes the country’s debt less costly, that is, it lowers the interest rates the government has to pay on loans or on bonds. At the current rating level, the Philippines will save P3 billion in interest on commercial bonds alone between now and 2022, according to Treasurer Rosalia de Leon. ,OWER INTEREST PAYMENTS GIVE THE GOVERNMENT MORE lEXIBILity in managing the economy. It gains a privilege to borrow more to fund programs and projects, or it can use the savings that result from lower debt servicing costs for other purposes. !NOTHER BENEkT IS THAT A HIGHER CREDIT RATING EXPANDS THE market for Philippine debt instruments. Many institutional investors, such as pension funds, set minimum credit limits for the types of bonds or Treasury bills they can purchase.

Now that the Philippines’ rating is two steps above the MINIMUM INVESTMENT GRADE IT WILL BE CONSIDERED QUALIkED by more potential investors.

These factors will become even more positive if the Philippines’ credit rating is raised into the “A� range. Although every administration has naturally aspired to elevate the country’s credit rating, until now there has been no organized approach to doing so.

The new interagency committee, which will be led by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), will focus on improving the main factors that are examined by ratings agencies in assessing the country’s creditworthiness. As BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo explained, these factors include raising the country’s per capita income, increasing its output of goods and services, building up external payment buffers such as foreign currency reserves, maintaining stable consumer prices, improvING PUBLIC kNANCE AND ENHANCING GOVERNANCE STANDARDS All of these factors are, of course, fundamental aspects of the overall economy, things that the government needs to manage effectively, whether credit ratings are a concern or not. Putting them in the context of credit ratings, however, is a novel approach that may very well improve economic policy direction. The reason for this is that a target credit ratING ESTABLISHES SPECIkC BENCHMARKS THAT DEkNE THE COUNTRY S level of credit risk. For example, a rating of “A-� may require that per capita income be above a certain amount; different policy options can then be compared with that benchmark to select the most effective one.

Coming as it does amid some less-than-encouraging news about lower economic growth, such as the 5.6 percent rise ACHIEVED BY OUR GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT IN THE kRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR THE WIDENING OF OUR TRADE DEkCIT AND THE INCREASE IN government debt, the formation of the interagency committee is a welcome sign of renewed effort and focus on the economy.

We hope that the committee’s work will live up to the sharp thinking of the idea behind it. ~

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

The Manila Times

VOLUME 120 NUMBER 210

DANTE A. ANG, Chairman Emeritus RENE Q. BAS, Publisher Emeritus NERILYN A. TENORIO, Publisher-Editor ARNOLD E. BELLEZA, Executive Editor LEENA C. CHUA, News Editor LYNETTE O. LUNA, National Editor TESSA MAURICIO-ARRIOLA, Lifestyle Editor PERRY GIL S. MALLARI, Sports Editor DINO RAY V. DIRECTO 3RD, Motoring Editor CONRAD M. CARIĂ‘O, Special Sections Editor LEA MANTO-BELTRAN, Supplements Editor ALVIN I. DACANAY, Assistant Business Editor MARIO F. FETALINO, Assistant Business Editor REMIA B. EUGENIO, Deskman (Regions) MARISHELLE R. MEDINA, Deskman 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 XXX NBOJMBUJNFT OFU t F NBJM OFXTEFTL!NBOJMBUJNFT OFU 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.

Deserving the kind of democracy that we get ON THE O CONTRARY

N Monday, May 13, millions of Filipinos will flock to the precincts to cast their votes for half of the Senate, all members of the House of Representatives, and all local officials. It will be a powerful reminder, a clarifying image that despite all the allegations of a creeping tyranny and of having a despotic President that we are in fact a vibrant democracy.

However, having the rituals does not necessary assure us that the kind of democracy that we get is what we deserve. Key to a democratic system is the openness to dissenting views and to opposing positions. At present, the political air is so polarized that we see many Duterte loyalists behaving as if they want to annihilate the existence of any political opposition, even as we have a political opposition that appears fixated on taking down

ANTONIO CONTRERAS a government, and not providing constructive alternatives.

Even as we are poised to venture into a midterm national elections, there is talk of sedition and inciting to sedition that is being brandished, further fueling the already toxic political atmosphere. This talk about sedition is in fact illustrative of the kind of political illiteracy that festers even among those who should know better.

All of this political noise emanates from the inability of the political actors to transcend personal gripes and instead focus on policy issues, which unfortunately also mirrors the behavior of an electorate which

votes according to political convenience and blind partisanship and not according to political platforms. Candidates are judged not on the basis of what policy alternatives they offer, but on deep emotional attachments, or aversions, to political narratives that are founded on irrational ideological bias, historical wrongs, and for some, on sheer entertainment value. For example, some voters will simply not vote for Imee Marcos even if she offers a rich array of practical policy alternatives, simply because she is a Marcos and she carries the baggage of her surname. However, many will vote for her also not because of her policy alternatives, but precisely because of her surname.

In mature democracies, the main role of the political opposition is to show the weaknesses

of the policy platforms of the administration party or coalition in control of government. It is therefore a sign of the weakness of political institutions when the fodder that drives political contestations is not the existence of policy differences but the prevalence of political scandal and allegations of corruption, and it becomes even worse when the net is widened to focus on the actions even of relatives.

What is also important in a democracy is the presence of a fair, objective and balanced media that is adversarial and critical, but never partisan and biased. Thus, when media takes on the role of a partisan mouthpiece of the political opposition, it diminishes its potential to provide a credible lens in truth-seeking and truth-telling.

It is therefore a grave tragedy,

ÂłContrerasA5

Q MAKABENTA FROM A1

The CIA and Namfrel: A tale of father and son Without the fuss, there would be no compelling reason to review the history of Namfrel and its performance as watchdog in Philippine elections.

I was intrigued by the reaction of reader Jose Oliveros to the Manila Times editorial yesterday (May 10), “In protesting too much, Namfrel could face unwanted review.�

Mr. Oliveros wrote: “The earlier history of the election watchdog is many times more colorful. Indeed, a former CIA operative in Asia, in his book Portrait of a Cold Warrior, categorically identified Namfrel as a CIA creation intended to ensure the defeat of Elpidio Quirino in the 1953 election and the victory of Ramon Magsaysay.� “Namfrel non-partisan? After the 1986 snap elections, the top officials of Namfrel were appointed by Corazon CojuangcoAquino to positions in her government, among them, Vicente Jayme as finance secretary and the late Jose Feria as Supreme Court justice.�

Based on this information, I, together with a research assistant, conducted research on the operations of the CIA in the Philippines, and the history of Namfrel as election watchdog.

Compelling accounts I was surprised that there are plenty of materials that help illuminate an inquiry into these subjects.

I will discuss three of them here: 1. An article in the Journal of Contemporary Asia , titled, “Counter-insurgency in the Philippines� by Stephen R. Shalom.

I discuss it together with an extract from the book, Portrait

of a Cold Warrior by James Burkholder Smith (New York, 1976).

2. The text of a lecture by UP professor Roland G. Simbulan titled “The CIA in Manila: Covert Operations and the CIA’s Hidden History in the Philippines.� The lecture was delivered at the University of the Philippines Manila on Aug. 18, 2000.

3. The book titled The Tangcangco Report: The Anatomy of Electoral Fraud , by Luzviminda G. Tancangco (Matrix, Manila, 1992).

A former Comelec commissioner, Tancangco discusses, among other topics, Namfrel’s activities as election watchdog in several national elections, including the1986 snap presidential election.

Taken together, these publications provide a compelling portrait of the genesis of Namfrel, and the history of CIA covert operations in the Philippines.

The birth of Namfrel In his article, “Counter-insurgency in the Philippines,� published in the Journal of Contemporary Asia in 1977, Shalom recounted the steps undertaken by the United States to defeat the Huk insurgency in the early 1950s.

It relates the rise of Magsaysay, first as defense secretary under President Quirino, and then as elected president in the1953 elections.

A week after Magsaysay’s appointment as defense secretary, the CIA’s Edward Lansdale arrived in Manila. Lansdale promptly set up a desk in Magsaysay’s office.

Quickly, plans began to run Magsaysay in the presidential

election in1953.

Shalom also wrote this curious paragraph in his article: “ B e f o r e t h e 1 9 5 3 o f f - ye a r elections, a good government organization called Namfrel — National Movement for Free Elections — was set up with the help of US government funds and officials. Namfrel members conducted a mass publicity campaign urging clean elections. The civil affairs office of the Philippine Armed Forces distributed leaflets exhorting the population to vote for Magsaysay."

Magsaysay decided to run for the presidency in November 1953, under the Nacionalista Party.

Namfrel, though theoretically nonpartisan, secretly started working for Magsaysay’s election, In June 1953, Lansdale confided that in spite of instructions from Washington to avoid politicking, he would raise contributions for Magsaysay from American firms, Time magazine reported: “Despite a Filipino law which forbids foreigners from contributing to election campaigns, US business interests raised some $250,000 at a time when Magsaysay’s Nacionalista Party was seriously short of funds.�

Magsaysay won an overwhelming victory, capturing more than two-thirds of votes cast.

In his Portrait of a Cold Warrior, James Burkholder Smith, a 22-year veteran CIA covert action specialist, confirms the CIA’s role in the 1953 Philippine election and CIA activities in Asia using Filipino operatives.

He recounts agency efforts in the1957 election, when Magsaysay died in a plane crash, and how it directed much effort to defeat Claro M. Recto’s bid for

the presidency.

Smith says there was even a plan to assassinate Recto.

Carlos Garcia won a full term as president in the 1957 election.

The CIA in Manila Simbulan’s lecture on the CIA’s covert operations and hidden history in the Philippines was delivered at the University of the Philippines Manila on Aug. 18, 2000.

The lecture is an attempt at a comprehensive report on CIA activities in the country. It assesses the extent of CIA activity and the high importance of the CIA’s Manila station.

Simbulan wrote: “For a long time, Manila was the main station, if not the regional headquarters, of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for Southeast Asia. This is perhaps so because the Philippines has always been regarded as a stronghold of US imperial power in Asia. Since the Americanized Filipinos were under the spell of American culture, they were easy to recruit without their realizing they were committing treason to their own people and country. And from the beginning of the 20th century to 1992, there were the US military bases, the mighty symbols and infrastructure of American power.�

Simbulan’s revelations are extensive and explosive. I cannot cover them all in the space of today’s column.

Consequently, I will conclude this subject in my next column.

(To be concluded next Tuesday) yenmakabenta@yahoo.com

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

Opinion

A5

Q TULFO FROM A1

Gold out of other countries’ garbage Boy is survived by wife, Rhodora “Bibeth� Bendigo, and children Karlo Alexei, Jericho and Margarita.

Bibeth said Boy died of pneumonia “peacefully and happily� with her and their children at his side.

She told me Boy declared she was the only woman in his life, to which I replied, “You really believed him?�

Boy’s wife, Bibeth, is my second cousin. She is also a cousin of President Digong.

Although Digong and Boy were once mortal political enemies, they did not come to blows despite the vitriol from their camps because they are related to each OTHER BY AFkNITY Politics and friendship are indeed strange bedfellows. *** If Canada dillydallies in taking back the 69 containers of trash it shipped to the Philippines in 2013 and 2014, let’s not make a big fuss over it.

We can get back at that country later for making us its garbage dump.

W

ATER wars seem to be inevitable as a consequence of climate change which brings about major global challenges — loss of water resources due to deforestation, expansion of agriculture and urban growth; warmer temperature causing desertification and inadequate food supply; drought sparked conflicts over water supply as downriver inhabitants safeguard their share. All these could undermine a country’s capacity to carry out its function of providing security to its people.

The security implications of the earth’s environmental degradation are forcing governments and militaries to review their long- term defense strategies.

Defense planning is increasingly being shaped by climate and resource considerations.

Security implications of severe climate change include, but is not limited to: a) huge movements of people from uninhabitable areas because of nonavailability of water; b) conflicts over basic resources like water and food exacerbating water scarcity and increase in food costs and food shortage; c) intermittent energy production and disruption of transportation of goods of varying lengths and magnitudes; and d) intensified heat waves presenting challenges to outdoor military training and personnel efficiency.

There is, therefore, a need to strengthen military capabilities in anticipation of impending climate wars — resource war (oil and minerals); migratory wars (climate refugees and asylum seekers out of mass migration to avoid terrorist attacks and armed conflict); and water wars (diminished water for agriculture and water supply shortage for domestic use).

In the past, military conflict

Our past president, Noynoy abnoy kuyakoy, unfortunately for us, was servile to the white race.

Meanwhile, we can consider the offer from Conch Venture Holdings, a Chinese company that converts trash into energy, to take care of all our garbage.

As special envoy to China, I met with Conch executives who came to Manila to make the offer to solve our garbage problem by converting trash into energy.

My special envoy office has connected the Conch executives WITH OFkCIALS OF THE $EPARTMENT of Energy (DoE) who received them warmly.

The Conch executives were also WARMLY RECEIVED BY OFkCIALS OF THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) led by no less than Secretary Roy Cimatu.

Conch, a state-owned firm which claims to have solved 70 percent of China’s waste disposal problem, is asking our government for the following: – Minimum of 4,000 metric tons

of solid wastes every day to generate 80 megawatts of power output. – Between 15 and 23 hectares of land area for its plant. – Industrial water consumption of 400 to 420 tons per hour.

Water does not have to be clean because they can clean it. – For a smaller plant generating 60 megawatts power output, it needs 3,000 metric tons per day of solid waste, 12 to 18 hectares of land area and industrial water supply of 310 to 315 tons per hour.

Conch asks that if possible the location of its plants be placed near or in any of our big freeports or ecozones where they can distribute the power generated to large industrial consumers.

Now, from my talks with Conch executives they want to come in and do business with our country.

If it can be provided with the garbage requirements and location, Conch says it can build the plant or plants any time it’s given the go-signal.

Quezon City can provide all

the requirements Conch needs, but its local government is now tied up in a contract with a group belonging to business tycoon Manny Pangilinan.

However, it’s not known when Pangilinan’s group can set up the trash-to-energy plant.

The national government has entrusted to all local government units (LGUs) the task of disposing of their garbage.

I’m just thinking aloud: Why doesn’t our government charge countries that want to export their garbage to the Philippines exorbitant fees?

We can then convert all the garbage that comes to us into badly needed energy or electricity.

We can make gold out of other countries’ garbage.

Again, I’m just thinking aloud. *** I’d like to make a personal appeal to my fellow patriots and those who want to make our country a tourist destination and create more tourism-related jobs.

Looming water wars?

AMBASSADORS’ CORNER

AMADO S. TOLENTINO, JR. over water rights was a grave national security issue between and among countries: Ethiopia and Egypt over the Nile; Botswana and Namibia over the Okavango; Israel, Palestine and Jordan over the Jordan River, to name a few.

Water from rivers in those countries cross political boundaries with the concomitant boundary issue. Be that as it may, the situation created a natural interdependence between countries in sharing the water resource, drawing the people to work together on the water availability aspect even when the countries were OFkCIALLY AT WAR Perhaps, water wars were averted that time due to the changing perception of the concept of permanent sovereignty over natural resources in favor of functional sovereignty, or equitable utilization of transboundary shared resources. But in light of the recent changed political and security environment, could peaceful negotiation over water issues still hold on for a much longer time?

Asia. Figure out the following: (a) China’s damming the source of water of the Mekong River has sparked serious concern among Southeast Asian countries downstream namely, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam; (b) India, China and Pakistan see rising tensions over shared water resources to boost production to keep up with their huge and expanding populations; (c) A growing sense of alarm over the prospect that poor but glacier-heavy nations in Central Asia (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan)

may one day restrict the flow of water to their parched but oil-rich neighbors (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan); (d) In South Asia, ultimate peace between Pakistan and India may hinge as much on water as on nuclear weapons for the two countries must share the glacier-dependent Indus.

In addition, environmental proposals/developments with political undertones at this point in time are worth noting.

Middle East. In 2016, EcoPeace, a joint Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian NGO presented an ambitious proposal to develop renewable energy using solar power in the region. The proposal is a $30 billion plan to build a number of desalination plants on the Mediterranean shore of Israel and the Gaza Strip. At the same time, large areas of Jordan’s eastern desert would host a 200-sq km solar energy plant which would provide power for desalination (and for Jordan) in exchange for water from the coast. The rapid increase in the population of Jordan, by the way, caused by refugees from Syria and Iraq is aggravating the water shortage and leading to further political instability.

Although Israel already supplies most of the Palestinian Authority’s electricity, and pipes water from the Sea of Galilee to Jordan, many Arab countries have signed up to boycotts that prohibit them from connecting Israel to their power grids. But aside from political obstacles, the main drawback to making fresh water from the sea is that it takes a lot of energy aside from the fact that similar grand designs in the past foundered on the rocks of reality. Furthermore, a tense political situation recently resurfaced in the region.

North Africa. Egypt, Sudan

and Ethiopia are the three main beneficiaries of the water that lOWS THROUGH THE .ILE 2IVER 4HE river provides nearly all of Egypt’s water. It claims two/thirds of the lOW BASED ON A TREATY IT SIGNED with Sudan in 1959. But the rate is no longer enough to satisfy Egypt’s growing population and sustain the water needs of its agricultural crops.

Egypt wanted to stop the largest hydroelectric project in Africa under construction

by Ethiopia despite the fact it signed a declaration along with Sudan and Ethiopia that tacitly consents to the dam construction as long as there is no “significant harm� to downstream countries. To date, “significant harm� remains undefined.

Mistrust hangs over the dam’s ultimate use. Ethiopia insists it will only produce power but Egypt fears it will be used for agriculture, cutting downstream supply. Sudan on the other hand, will receive some power produced by the dam. By stabilizing the Nile’s flow, it will also allow Sudan to prevent flooding, conserve more water and increase agricultural output.

Referred to as Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam, it is the latest test of the three countries’ willingNESS TO SHARE WATER $IFkCULTIES include Ethiopia’s plan to build other dams on the river which could further affect downstream supply. Sudan has promised investors an abundance of water for irrigation. Egypt feels it is now at the mercy of its neighbors vis-à vis the water from the Nile.

Supposed to be completed in 2017, the completion of the mostly self-funded $4.8-billion dam will be delayed to 2022. In the meantime, the potential impacts of Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam have been the source of regional controversy and discord.

Q CONTRERAS FROM A4

Deserving the kind of democracy that we get which is fatally undermining the maturity of our democracy, that what we see in the Philippines is the lethal combination of a political opposition that fails to provide policy alternatives and whose fixation is to incinerate the President, and even his family, and a mainstream media that has become the mouthpiece and enabler of the political opposition.

The Bikoy aka Peter Joemel Advincula affair is apropos to this malaise plaguing our political atmosphere. For all intents and purposes, it is an underground effort by critics to slander the President through his relatives, a pure and unadulterated attempt to focus on scandal and anonymous intrigues, and not on policy. Members of the political opposition have dis-

If you are a patriot, vote for Laang Kawal (#176) party-list group, whose nominees are ofkCERS IN THE !RMY RESERVE FORCE WHO VOLUNTEERED TO kGHT DURING the siege of Marawi City.

Laang Kawal’s first nominee, Bobby Almario, owner of a chain of restaurants and a telecommuniCATIONS kRM NEARLY DIED IN -ARAWI City after he contracted dengue while serving as a communications OFkCER IN THE BATTLEkELD The second nominee, Nathaniel Mitimbang, a very successful entrepreneur, also volunteered to kGHT IN -ARAWI #ITY Now, if that’s not patriotism — leaving their businesses to their wives to answer a call to arms — I don’t know what is.

If you want more jobs in the countryside because tourists are expected to come to our shores in droves, vote for Wow Pilipinas! party-list group (#169).

7OW 0ILIPINAS kRST NOMINEE

Patty Keng, a masters in entrepreneurship graduate of the Asian

tanced themselves from Rodel Jayme, who allegedly is the one who created the website that shared the "Bikoy" videos, and who made a damaging revelation that members of the Liberal Party were the ones who asked him to create the website.

However, they also make political capital out of the scandalous allegations being thrown by the "Bikoy" videos in the direction of the President’s family. And the mainstream media appears to have similarly capitalized on the "Bikoy" videos, which came on the heels of a series of investigative reports alleging hidden or undeclared assets of the President and his family.

It is easy to paint this as concerted efforts to undermine the President, and this is precisely why government authorities are

quick to cast these as acts of sedition, and charged Jayme for inciting to sedition. There is an effort to focus on the existence of an ouster plot against the President, with the "Bikoy" videos as the lynchpin. MalacaĂąang released a so-called matrix, not only once but twice, which are actually network diagrams of the alleged participants in an ouster plot.

However, to deploy the charge of sedition to counter the irresponsible acts of the political opposition and their cohorts in the partisan media is equally problematic. This is further diminished by the deployment of diagrams whose credibility is also torpedoed and undermined by their very own source who once cavalierly stated that there is no need to show supporting proof.

Sedition is a crime against

the state, with the attempt to undermine it by preventing duly constituted authorities from performing their constitutional duty. While Bikoy libels the family of the President, the videos do not directly accuse the President, and therefore do not imperil his authority to act on the matter in accordance with the law and the Constitution.

In the end, we will only deserve the kind of democracy that we try so hard to establish with the rituals of elections not only if we have a responsible political opposition and a truly impartial, fair and nonpartisan media. We would certainly deserve it if we also have a government that responds with authority, and with actions that are firmly anchored on reason and the rule of law.

Institute of Management (AIM), once worked as a legislative assistant for Sen. Grace Poe. Keng’s stint at Senator Poe’s OFkCE HAS GIVEN HER THE KNOWHOW in the crafting of legislative bills.

She promises to bring tourists, especially Chinese tourists, into the country because her father, Willy Keng, is well connected with the Chinese government and China’s businesses.

Patty is my inaanak sa binyag or baptismal godchild. *** Tomorrow, Sunday, is Mother’s Day. To celebrate this important date, I recommend you bring your mother or the mother of your children to Shangri-La Chinese restaurant on Times St., West Avenue Triangle in Quezon City.

Shangri-La, whose owner is my friend Ramon Sy serves very delicious Chinese food.

Proof of its exquisite cuisine is that Pope John Paul 2nd dined in at the restaurant during his state visit to Manila in February 2012.

Bato: The boulder gone berserk

T

HERE was once this movie that showed a monstrous rolling boulder fitted with stone spikes that shot fatal projectiles at its opponents. Viewing the CNN senatorial debate at the Quadricentennial Pavilion of the University of Santo Tomas on April 27, one familiar with the movie unavoidably would recall it as applicable in the situation, but with this difference — the monster stone was not the villain but the hero, and the sharp projecTILES IT kERCELY kRED AWAY WERE GOOD demolishers of bad intent.

At one point in the skirmish, the delightfully vociferous, albeit witty former police chief, when asked to calm down, remarked: “Papaano ako kakalma, e, magisa lang ako dito, ang dami nila.

Kailangang bigyan ng diin. Iisa ako, walo-walo sila.�

It was not clear though whether with his “walo-walo,� Bato had in mind a species of sea snake with that name. It’s called “walowalo� because once you get bitten by it, you contract high fever and you need only to count eight days and then you die.

But whether intentional or just a coincidence, Bato’s mention of “walo walo� must forebode evil for the electorate. Half a month thence, the 2019 midterm elections would be taking place, and the country would be into the potential of taking venom instead of a cure to its many ills.

The “walo walo� team, cocksure in their arrogant, overbearing demeanor, did have a grand time trying to pin down the foremost implementer of President Duterte’s war on drugs. They were ONE IN FOCUSING ON THE kGURE OF 25,000 as the number of alleged victims of extrajudicial killings in the war on drugs. If it were a real street brawl, then Bato didn’t seem to have a chance against the eight opposition thugs who banged him with the issue from all sides.

Yet like a true-blue superhero of the cinema, Bato came out of the battle triumphant. To criticisms that the war on drugs resulted only in killings of small drug pushers and none of the big drug lords, for which reason the war had been a failure, Bato made a brilliant counterpoint: the illegal drugs trade organization is a pyramid, with the rich drug lords at the top and the poor drug pushers at the bottom. “If you wage a war on drugs, you cannot be selective in the implementation of justice. Hindi mo pwedeng sabihin, hindi natin yan trabahuhin dahil mahirap lang yan, unahin natin ang mayaman.

Hindi pwedeng sabihing unahin ang mayaman, mamaya na ang mahirap. 'Pag sinabing war on drugs, ratsada 'yan. Lahat tatamaan dapat.�

On the issue, the drugs war hero got across several enlightening points: 1) that the primordial need OF SELF PRESERVATION JUSTIkES POLICEmen shooting it out with armed

MY SAY

MAURO GIA SAMONTE drugs pushers; 2) that critics of the drugs war lament the killing of drugs pushers but not the rapes and killing by drug addicts of innocent women and child victims; 3) that under previous administrations, shabu manufacture was made in shabu laboratories in the Philippines, but under the Duterte administration, all those laboratories have been wiped out, with shabu being imported this time from abroad; and 4) that as an effective measure of winning the war against illegal drugs, it is necessary to reimpose the death penalty.

Otso Diretso candidate Chel Diokno, clearly with a malicious tinge of sarcasm, asked if Kian Loyd de los Santos, the celebrated victim of the so-called extrajudicial killings, was a drug pusher, to which Bato replied, “Yung Kian [Loyd] de los Santos case, nasaan na yung mga pulis ngayon? Hindi ba nakakulong?

Dahil hindi tinotolerate the PNP ang mga sira ulong pulis. Talagang kinasuhan, kinulong ang mga pulis na yan. Our internal cleansing program is ongoing. Kaya nga napansin nyo, maraming pulis ang nahuhuli ngayon dahil noon pinapabayaan lang, pero ngayon matindi ang ating internal cleansing program. Kaya nahuhuli ang mga pulis na yan.�

It was a pity that Bato only had 30 seconds to state that particular case. I remember discussing the same issue with him in a past interview for a book project, and HE CLARIkED THEN THAT +IAN ,OYD DE los Santos was not exactly innocent for having served as a conduit in a buy-bust operation that led to his killing. Had Bato had the chance to discuss the matter the way he elaborated it to me in the interview, he could have turned the CNN debate into a more revealing moment.

And sad as well that this column is too short to be able to encompass the entire breadth of the elaborations undertaken by someone who is honest enough to admit that he is zero as far as lawmaking is concerned, unlike, for instance, JV Ejercito who he proclaimed had already made 400 laws. Bato tackled the issues thrown at the candidates in his characteristic sincere, straightforward manner, thereby proposing practical solutions to the country’s pressing problems.

On the water crisis, for instance, aside from the establishment of a Department of Water, he proposed to adopt the Israeli method of desalinizing sea water making it suitable to people’s daily water needs. He was honest enough to say he knew of no short-term solution to the problem, but pressed by the

ÂłSamonteA6

A6

Opinion

Y

ESTERDAY, I was honored to have been invited by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and the Museo ng Paglilitis kay Andres Bonifacio in Maragondon, Cavite, to deliver the commemorative lecture on the 122nd anniversary of the murder of President Andres Bonifacio in that town. In the very house where he and his brother Procopio were tried publicly by the Council of War but unfortunately were given a secret guilty verdict and a secret death sentence, which was carried out on May 10, 1897.

I was tasked to talk about what happened to the Consejo de Guerra members after the trial.

Of course, I had to talk about my thoughts on the trial itself. But, yes, that was an interesting question: Who were these people who share the guilt for the assassination of THE PRESIDENT OF THE kRST NATIONAL revolutionary government and the one who imagined a “maginhawa, malaya at mabuting bansa�?

To sum up, the charges were sedition, treason and counterrevolution. That Bonifacio wanted to kill the new president Emilio Aguinaldo, that he created an army in Naic separate from what was already existing, and that he bribed OFkCERS TO COME TO THEIR SIDE 4HIS being the case and in such a revolutionary situation, the Bonifacio

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

After the trial

if they let him live.

After the revolution, Mariano Noriel of Bacoor, Cavite, was sentenced to die in connection with a murder that happened in a cockpit. Although the US Supreme Court commuted the sentence, he was executed by hanging brothers were not tried in a civilian in 1915. Karma is real. court but in a military court, hence Col. Tomas Mascardo, known to the “Council of War� or “Consejo be Gen. Antonio Luna’s nemesis, de Guerra.� Of course, the author- became governor of Cavite from ity came from a government that 1910 to 1912. He died of heart Bonifacio did not recognize in the disease in 1932. kRST PLACE MAINTAINING THAT HE WAS Col. Mariano Riego de Dios of still the president of the revolu- Maragondon was jailed for about TION AFTER HE NULLIkED THE RESULTS a year after conspiring with the of the Tejeros Convention when “bandits� along with his brother the results were not respected by Emiliano in 1905. He lived a peaceful life until his death in 1935. a certain Daniel Tirona.

Crisostomo Riel, colonel in the The investigation lasted for only six days. It started in Naic on April Magdiwang Army, rose to the rank of 28, 1897, which was immediately brigadier general in the revolutionary after the arrest of the brothers (and army after the trial and signed the a prima facie case was already es- Independence Proclamation. The tablished, so fast!) and ended in house where the trial was conducted is located in a street named after him.

Maragondon, Cavite.

Col. Esteban Ramires Ynfante, The Council of War members of course recommended a guilty who grew up in Maragondon and verdict and forwarded a death became its gobernadorcillo, was sentence, except for Colonels In- exiled after the trial and lived in fante, Riel and Riego de Dios who Maragondon until he died of a wanted a commutation to banish- heart attack in 1923. A street in ment. Aguinaldo was supposedly Maragondon was named after him. hesitant but ordered the execution, Sulpicio Antony eventually signed after being warned by Mariano the Independence Proclamation.

Noriel, who was the war council Placido Martinez, who acted as president, and Pio del Pilar, that the defense lawyer of Bonifacio, was they would be killed by Bonifacio at the same time a member of the

WALKING HISTORY MICHAEL “XIAO� CHUA

s ‘THERE ARE GOOD AND BAD AMONG ALL RACES AND NATIONALITIES’ THIS is in response to Eddie Ilarde’s open letter to Xi Jinping. Eddie decried “White European� colonial encroachments upon Chinese sovereignty and made reference to the “Rape of Nanking,� which he had to acknowledge was conducted not by “White Europeans� but by fellow Asians — the Japanese.

I was already somewhat familiar with the Rape of Nanking, but it was only after I attended a class in Chinese History, taught by a Chinese professor from the People’s Republic of China that I learned of the significant role played by a group of “White Europeans� who saved countless Chinese lives during the Rape of Nanking (19371938 during the second Sino-Japanese War).

The Chinese government had advised the white Europeans that a major Japanese onslaught was about to descend upon Nanking and the Chinese military would be unable to prevent it. The white Europeans were offered safe passage out of the city prior to the onslaught, but the white Europeans had such a love of the Chinese people and identified with their suffering to the point that they felt compelled to endure with the Chinese whatever their fate may be. They hid Chinese nurses from Japanese troops trying to rape them. When Japanese troops prepared to execute a large number of single

war council. His defense strategy was that Bonifacio deserved a “graver punishment than death,� because “the intention to kill our President is equivalent to a desire to exterminate all of us,� but invoked the Kartilya and Jesus in asking that Bonifacio “be pardoned.� If you have a lawyer like this, who needs enemies?

Pantaleon Garcia, a successful general of the revolution from Imus, was the lead investigator and the one who recommended the trial TO .ORIEL IN THE kRST PLACE AND WHO recommended the death penalty.

He became commanding general of #ENTRAL ,UZON BEFORE RETIRING AS kRST municipal president of Imus, justice of the peace and superintendent of an agricultural colony. He died in 1936. He also signed the Independence Proclamation.

And as to our country which Bonifacio imagined, after the trial and murder of the Father of the Filipino Nation, his vision of “Haring Bayan� where power belongs to the people did not fully materialize. Instead it was replaced by an elite democracy which continues to rule us now for more than a hundred years. The power struggle among those in power is the highlight instead of the kaginhawaan of the people, as is evident in the coming elections on Monday.

We don’t realize that the trial left an indelible scar on our psyche as a nation.

Chinese men, claiming being unattached they must be deserters from the Chinese army, Chinese nurses burst forth from their hiding places, threw themselves between the men and the Japanese troops, claiming the men as their husbands. The white Europeans remained throughout the Rape of Nanking and provided whatever medical attention and comfort they could under atrocious conditions, to the survivors of the Rape of Nanking. At risk to their own lives, never knowing when the hospital would be overrun and ransacked by murderous Japanese troops.

One of the white Europeans was a German. He would later return to Germany, but it was now Nazi Germany and it had become known that he had provided aid and comfort to the foes of Germany’s ally, the Japanese. He lost all he had in Germany, and after the war was found existing in extreme poverty. The city of Nanking remembered him and took up a collection to provide for his support.

Yes, white Europeans committed injustices and exploitation in Asia, but I know of no massive organized rapes of entire cities in Asia by white Europeans on the scale that befell Nanking and Manila by the Japanese military.

There are good and bad among all races and nationalities. It is all too easy to blame all crimes upon other race or nationality when perhaps the greatest cruelties inflicted upon Asians and Europeans has been at the hands of fellow Asians and Europeans. The Chinese people have a long history of suffering under oppression from their own. Eddie Ilarde referred to Mao Zedong as a “great Chinese visionary and leader,� but Mao said, “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun� (so much for the ballot box). And perhaps millions of his own people asked during his revolution, Rape of Tibet, “Great Leap Forward,� and Cultural Revolution.

Rosie Castillon Purok Magsaysay, Labangal, General Santos City, Philippines

FOCUS

Social networks under intense surveillance in Pakistan ISLAMABAD: Threats, arrests, blocked accounts and restricted posts — Big Brother is watching more closely than ever in Pakistan as authorities accelerate efforts to censor social networks, further reducing an already shrunken space for dissent.

In the past 18 months, a slew of journalists, activists and government opponents — both at home and overseas — have faced intimidation or the threat of legal action for their online posts.

Censorship is already rife among Pakistan’s mainstream media, with the Committee to Protect Journalists noting last year that the military had “quietly but effectively� imposed strict limits on the scope of general news reporting.

Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter were regarded as the last holdouts of dissenting voices, but now that has changed.

In February, authorities announced the creation of a new enforcement arm to root out social media users accused of spreading “hate speech and violence� as part of the crackdown.

Gul Bukhari, a columnist and sometime government critic who WAS BRIElY ABDUCTED BY UNIDENTIkED MEN LAST YEAR SAID THE ASSAULT on social media was carefully organised and coordinated. “It is the last frontier they try to conquer,�Bukhari explained.

Silence dissent Journalist Rizwan-ur-Rehman Razi was among the people targetted. He was arrested in February at home in the eastern city of Lahore for publishing “defamatory and obnoxious� content against the state.

and condemnation of the country’s independence,� it said.

The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority did not respond to requests for comment.

An appeal to PRRD to enforce a security plug in the AES ALL INSIGHT W AL S.

E will be having our 2019 midterm elections two days from now. It seems that we are stuck with the same systems and problems that we have with the Smartmaticsupplied election technology.

In my column of April 27, 2019, I made public the letter that I sent to Chairman Sherrif Abas of the Commission on Elections (Comelec). I get the impression that he has not even read the letter. Why do I get this impression?

I received a copy of the memorandum penned by lawyer Norliza Mamukid, head executive assistant of the Comelec chairman’s office, addressed to Bartolome Sinocruz Jr., the Comelec deputy executive director for operations. My letter was simply referred to Sinocruz Jr. by Mamukid.

If Abas had read it, he should have endorsed it to the Comelec en banc for proper disposition. If Mamukid was serious, she should have issued a directive to the executive director himself and not to a mere deputy.

Anyway, there is a group of concerned citizens, composed of private INDIVIDUALS AND SOME PUBLIC OFkCIALS

who sent an appeal to President Rodrigo Duterte, requesting the President to enforce a “security plug� to a looming security breach in the automated elections system (AES) that will be used in Monday’s elections. The group used as their basis the petition for mandamus THAT ) kLED BEFORE THE Supreme Court on May 2016.

I am devoting my column space to show the group’s communication to the President. Here is the petition in its entirety: “An appeal to President Rodrigo R. Duterte for a speedy, adequate and effective remedy to enforce a ‘security plug’ to a looming security breach in the automated electoral system (AES) of the May 13, 2019 elections� – The electronic transmission of votes from polling precincts to three areas — city/municipal board canvassers (C/MBOC), Comelec central server and KBP/ PPCRV transparency server. – Problem: In the past three (3) automated elections (2010, 2013 and 2016), aside from the source code issues of the computer programs of the automated electoral system, the transmission of fraudulent election returns (ER) of rogue vote counting machines (VCM), including direct hacking, has not been addressed. This is a clear and present danger. – The possible sources of the rogue VCMs are the VCMs in the possession of the regional directors, PROVINCIAL ELECTION OFkCERS ELECTION OFkCERS USED AS DEMO FOR TRAINING

the contingency VCMs, previously declared VCMs with technical issues, anaccounted VCMs and any of the 76,000 precinct count optical scan (PCOS used in 2010 and 2013 elec-

VITANGCOL 3RD

tions). Likewise, direct hacking apparently will be done by those who have insider access of the system. – Last 2016 national elections, two (2) petitions for mandamus (GR Case 224027 and GR Case WERE kLED AS A DIRECT AND immediate remedy of the blatant use of rogue VCMs and tampering thru hacking of servers/devices. Said petitions prayed that the Comelec must divulge thorough an inventory of the MAC addresses of all the VCMs, servers, computers, BGANs, and other communication devices, which were used in the May 9, 2016 election. Likewise, it was prayed that all IP addresses assigned to each and every device on May 9, 2016 should be listed. All of these, have logs in all of the devices used from the source to the destination. In the graphic above, the part encircled as 1,2,3 & 4 are the subject of the inventory and are unique to each and every device. – For reasons beyond explanation, the said petitions were unacted and rendered moot and academic.

Again, for the coming May 13, 2019 elections, the matters sought by the above-cited petitions for mandamus are still to be addressed by Comelec and a continuous affront [to] honest, peaceful, free and credible elections. – Suggested action: This is a test case whether this administration can usher real honest, peaceful, free and credible elections. PRRD as the “ultimate protector of the sovereignty of the people� shall demand Comelec to make an inventory of all the MAC addresses of all the VCMs, USB GSM modems, servers, computers, BGANs, and other communication devices, including SIM numbers and IP addresses of each and every assigned device thereof and their designated locations, where it will be used for the May 13, 2019 national and local elections. – Further, the abovementioned inventory must be deposited in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and will serve as an evidentiary proof for purposes of the audit logs examination in case it will be a subject of an actual electoral case or a legislative inquiry and/or a truth commission.

In this way, there will be a “traceability process� and a “sword of Damocles� for those corrupt and evil personalities who will trample the “sovereign will of the people� to elect its leaders.

I know that it is already late in the day for the President to act on this matter. But, nothing is ever too late.

allinsight.manilatimes@gmail.com www.facebook.com/All.Insight.

Manila.Times

‘Overstepping boundaries’ 4WITTER kGURES FOR THE SAME TIME PEriod showed a similar trend, with requests to remove content from 3,004 accounts in Pakistan compared to 674 in the second half of 2017.

A Twitter spokesman said the vast majority of the requests had come from the government, and Q A Pakistani man sharing a motorbike ride browses his phone on a street stressed that the company had in Rawalpindi. AFP/FAROOQ NAEEM acquiesced to none of them.

A few days earlier, he had criti- as June last year, when spokes“The authorities are no longer cised extra-judicial executions al- man Major General Asif Ghafoor hiding their agenda [or policy] to legedly committed by the security boasted of the capacity to monitor silence internet-mediated dissent,� forces, according to a copy of his social media accounts during a said Rabia Mehmood, a researcher tweets seen by AFP. televised press conference. for Amnesty International.

Released after two nights, he )N A CLEAR WARNING 'HAFOOR BRIElY “While the current censorship is has not tweeted since, and his showed an image of what appeared to exceptionally intense, over the years, posts have been deleted.

BE SPECIkC 4WITTER HANDLES AND NAMES one message has been consistent The net cast by the crackdown is Facebook and Twitter transpar- that criticism of policies of the Pakia wide one, with Shahzad Ahmad, ency reports show the crackdown stan military will not be tolerated.� director of the digital security NGO was already well underway last year, Even those posting on social Bytes for All, pointing to the harass- with a huge spike in requests by the media from overseas have found ment of civil rights activists, the Pakistani government seeking to themselves targeted. censor online activity. political opposition and bloggers.

Twitter routinely sends out a Facebook restricted more content notice to users notifying them According to Annie Zaman, an expert on cybercensorship in Pakistan, in Pakistan than in any other coun- when the company receives this is made possible by an all-encom- TRY IN THE kRST SIX MONTHS OF complaints that their posts have passing 2016 law that prohibits online ACCORDING TO ITS TRANSPARENCY kGURES violated a country’s laws. posts that are deemed to compromise from that time period, which are the AFP has found dozens of users who state security or offend anything from most recently available. received such a message warning they The social media giant said it re- had violated Pakistani laws — includgTHE GLORY OF )SLAMu TO NON DEkNED stricted the availability of 2,203 pieces ing 11 who had tweeted from beyond notions of “decency and morality�. “Because this law is vague, it gave of content in total — a seven-fold Pakistan’s borders, in countries such as more space to the authorities to cen- jump from the previous six months. Australia, the US and Canada.

All but 87 of the items had been sor online,� Zaman said.

The requests represent “a governOffenders can face up to 14 reported by the Pakistan Telecom- ment censor overstepping jurisdiction munication Authority “as alleg- boundaries,� said Jillian York, an exyears in prison.

The military signalled its in- edly violating local laws prohibiting pert at the Electronic Frontier Foundavolvement in the campaign as early blasphemy, anti-judiciary content, tion (EFF), an American NGO. AFP

Q SAMONTE FROM A5

Bato debate host on the issue, he candidly declared that a real short-term solution to the problem is a government takeover of the water utilities. “You mean takeover of private property?� asked the host. “Power of eminent domain,�

Bato replied promptly.

The guy knew whereof he spoke, after all. “Sa isang taong walang itinatago, hindi siya matatakot sumagot,� Bato had declared at one point in the verbal exchanges.

So, though he admitted that his score in lawmaking is zero, he took pride in having implemented countless laws during his 32 years of public service as a POLICE OFkCER 4HAT

BY WAY OF SAYing, that if there is such a thing as OJT for lawmaking, then he had had much too much of it already.

To begin with, if, as the debate hosts stressed, one criterion for choosing who to become senator is a deep concern for the poor, then Bato must be the best qualikED AMONG THE CROP “Sa lahat sa amin‌ na nandito ngayon, wala na sigurong tatalo sa akin kung kahirapan [ang paguusapan]. Ako lang ang anak ng tricycle driver dito. At ako ay lumaki na matino na tao. Never

ako nagnakaw. Kahit na survival ang iniisip, marami akong tsantsa noong maliit pa ako na dapat nagnakaw na ako dahil pumapasok ako sa eskwelahan na walang laman ang tiyan...pero hindi ko ginawa‌Hindi ako nagnakaw.�

As fate would have it, much, much later in the development of his life, Bato had found himself pursuing military studies at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), and his early upbringing in upright poverty proved a stone-solid foundation for upholding at all times the academy motto: “A cadet does not lie, does not cheat, does not steal, nor tolerate any of these three.�

And precisely because of the continuing poverty of the dela Rosa family, Bato’s graduation from the PMA in 1986 was the one single occasion his tricycle driver father was able to join him in the academy; frequent visits were made impossible for sheer lack of transportation money to Baguio all throughout the years of Bato’s studies there.

Chin up at the conclusion of the debate, Bato declared to the audience, “Kaya kung ang hanap ninyo ay 24 oras na serbisyo, 24 oras na proteksyon, 24 oras na pagmamahal, at (English) 24 karat na bato (touching his shining top), pinakamakintab na‌ hanapin nyo sa balota numero 24, dela Rosa, Bato para sa Senado.â€?

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

MinDA chairman Alonto dies at 74 MARAWI CITY: Datu Hj. Abul Khayr Alonto, chairman of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) passed away on Thursday at the National Kidney Transplant Center (NKTC) in Quezon City. He was 74.

Alonto, who was battling cancer, died after undergoing angioplasty, HIS kRST COUSIN !MINULLAH !LONTO Lucman told The Manila Times in a phone dispatch.

Lucman said that since the deceased was a Muslim, his family would bring his remains to Marawi City for burial and funeral according to Islamic rites.

President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Alonto, who headed one of the three major factions of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), AS -IN$! S kRST -USLIM CHAIRMAN He also sat as the Philippine signing minister for the BruneiIndonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area.

Alonto studied political science at the Cairo University in Egypt, but was a San Beda College Law student when the Jabidah Massacre happened on March 18, 1968.

He organized the LAM ALIF, a Muslim Youth Group whose members became the core leaders of the MNLF. In an unprecedented margin, Alonto was elected vice mayor of Marawi in 1972 and was recognized as the youngest city executive of the country that year.

In 1979, more than two years after the 1976 Tripoli Agreement was signed, he participated in the institutionalization of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

He was elected as assemblyman and sat as the interim head of the Regional Autonomous Government and was subsequently elected speaker of the Regional Legislative As-

sembly, in absentia after he resigned as the interim head of the Regional Autonomous Government.

Alonto also organized and established the Muslim Federal Party in 1982, which became the rallying Flag of the Muslim participation in the protest movement, and Nacionalista Party vice president for Mindanao.

He was the deputy secretary general of the National Unification Council during the 1986 snap presidential election and underwent serious studies on Federalism in Malaysia, the United States of America, Germany and Switzerland.

He was appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and chief of mission to Nigeria and 21 African States in 1994.

He was married to Bai Norhata Macatbar Alonto.

MalacaĂąang on Friday mourned the death of Alonto, describing the latter as a champion of Mindanao who devoted his life to helping his home region progress. “The Palace expresses its deep sympathies and condolences to the family, friends, colleagues and loved ones of the late secretary $ATU !BUL +HAYR $ANGCAL !LONTO u Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement. “We are going to miss his amiable and smiling presence. We pray Allah grant him eternal repose of HIS SOUL u HE ADDED Alonto, whom Duterte appointed in September 2016, was the first Muslim chairman and secretary of MinDA, bringing timely representation of the Bangsamoro to the overall socio-economic development of Mindanao.

MASIDING NOOR YAHYA WITH ALEXANDER LOPEZ AND CATHERINE VALENTE

Regions Lingig mayor nabbed for firearms, illegal drugs SATURDAY May 11, 2019

BY ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

T

ANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur: Authorities arrested Mayor Roberto Luna of Lingig, Surigao del Sur on Thursday and seized kREARMS MARIJUANA AND 0 MILLION WORTH OF CASH

WHICH WOULD ALLEGEDLY BE USED IN BUYING VOTES Police Brig. Gen. Gilberto DC Cruz, Philippine National Police Caraga Region (PNP-13) director, said police operatives implemented a search warrant at Luna’s residence AND FOUND THE kREARMS AND CASH

all P100 bills, placed in white envelopes with sample ballots.

Authorities suspected the mayor would use the seized cash for votebuying, as the day for the midterm

polls nears.

Seized were a colt caliber .45 pistol, a magazine loaded with caliber .9mm ammunition, magazines of caliber .45 pistol and KG9, a rifle grenade, and dried marijuana leaves and stalks.

Cruz said Luna was a high-value target who was among the politicians President Rodrigo Duterte named as involved in illegal drugs.

A7

Prior to the implementation of the search warrant, the National Police Commission in Caraga Region had approved a resolution withdrawing Luna’s deputation over the police in Lingig.

Luna will face charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, violation of Republic Act (RA) 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act) and violation of RA 9516 (illegal possession of explosive).

AND HIS COMPANION AND CONkSCATED shabu worth P208,000.

Arrested were Jossone Michael Dayanghirang, 32, and Rodhel Abear Sanchez during an antiillegal drugs operation in Juna Subdivision, DCPO spokesman Police Capt. Maria Teresita Gaspan said.

Recovered from the suspects were suspected shabu, drug paraphernalia, a cellular phone, and two P1,000 bills.

In a statement, Governor Dayanghirang said he heard about his Gov’s son nabbed son’s arrest through social media.

As a parent, he expressed sadness Meanwhile, on Wednesday, opera- over the incident, but said he was TIVES OF THE $AVAO #ITY 0OLICE /FkCE thankful for the arrest of his son to (DCPO) arrested the son of Davao face charges and the opportunity Oriental Gov. Nelson Dayanghirang to change his life.

Olongapo officials deny vote-buying claim OLONGAPO CITY: City Mayor Rolen Paulino and reelectionist Zambales First District Rep. Jeffrey Khonghun on Friday denied the vote-buying allegation of Sen. Richard Gordon against them, saying their opponents are trying to create a scenario in case they lose in the elections.

Paulino said those accusing them of vote-buying were the ones who had a track record of buying votes, adding he believes their accusers were trying to create a scenario if they lose again.

Gordon on Thursday called a media conference and announced reports of rampant vote-buying by incumbent officials, citing in particular Paulino and Khonghun.

The senator has been actively campaigning for his sister-in-law

Anne Gordon, who is pitted against Paulino’s son, Rolen Paulino Jr. for the mayoral post.

Gordon alleged that supporters of Khonghun and Paulino were caught overseeing the vote-buying activities. “Their modus operandi is, they invite people to certain houses and locations, make them line up, counter check the peoples’ names against THE VOTERS LIST AND ONCE CONkRMED as voters, give them P1,000 each AND IDENTIkCATION CARDS u THE SENAtor said.

Gordon said the vote-buying happened in the barangay (villages) of Old Cabalan, Barretto, East Tapinac, Gordon Heights, Mabayuan, New Kalalake, Sta. Rita and West Bajac-Bajac.

On Friday, Khonghun and Paulino held their own media conference and strongly denied Gordon’s allegations.

Khonghun, who is seeking a third term as congressman, maintained he and Paulino were innocent and lamented the fact that Gordon continue to attack them and spread misinformation in the last few days before the elections.

On the allegations that the money used in buying votes came from politicians with links to the narcotics trade, Khonghun said it had been awhile since he and his son were included in the so-called narcolist of President Duterte but NO FORMAL CHARGE HAD BEEN kLED against them. “We are looking forward to a Sen-

ate inquiry so that we can present OUR SIDE u HE SAID According to Gordon, Duterte earlier tagged the congressman and his son, Subic Mayor Jay Khonghun, as among the narco politicians, while Paulino is facing graft and corruption charges.

Gordon claimed they have taken affidavits from witnesses who received P1,000 from the supporters of Khonghun and Paulino.

But Khonghun said the photos presented as evidence were only of people getting off a tricycle, passengers disembarking from jeepneys, and people standing on streets, or a gathering of poll watchers getting instructions and their food allowance for the Monday elections.

PATRICK ROXAS

A8

News

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

˜ The Manila Times w w w.manilatimes.net

DOTr OKs tests of motorbikes

BY LISBET K. ESMAEL AND JAVIER JOEÂ ISMAELÂ

T

HE Department of Transportation (DOTr) has given the go signal for a six-month pilot implementation of motorcycles as public-transport vehicles in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu.

This is welcome news to over 27,000 motorcycle units under Angkas, a motorcycle transport service whose operations have been stopped a number of times since 2017.

Although last year, the DOTr was against the idea of including motorcycles in the public transport system — noting Republic Act 4136 or the “Land Transportation AND 4RAFkC #ODE u WHICH PROHIBITS two-wheeled vehicles to “engage in BUSINESS OR OFFER PUBLIC TRANSPORTu — with the decision, commuters residing in Metro Manila and -ETRO #EBU MAY OPT TO RIDE MO-

torcycle taxis starting next month.

4HE DECISION CAME ALMOST kVE months after Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade mandated the creation of a technical working group (TWG) to lead the discussion allowing motorcycle taxis.

Reelectionist Senator Joseph VicTOR g*6u %JERCITO A MODERN PUBLIC transport system advocate, on Friday commended Tugade’s decision. “This is a welcome development BECAUSE WE WILL kND OUT WHETHER a motorcycle taxi is a good idea, which I think it is. This is one innovation in public transport SYSTEM THAT NEEDS TO BE TRIED u SAID

%JERCITO IN A STATEMENT “With the current lack of available mass transportation, and GIVEN THE SEVERE TRAFkC CONGESTION in urban areas, including Metro Manila, motorcycles have been an alternative mode of transportation.

Motorcycles are preferred as they offer mobility and are more affordABLE THAN OTHER VEHICLES u HE SAID )N *ANUARY %JERCITO kLED 3ENATE Bill 2180, which sought to allow the use of motorcycles as public utility vehicles. !NGKAS #HIEF %XECUTIVE /FkCER Angeline Tham welcomed the DOTr approval of the six-month PILOT IMPLEMENTATION OF AN gOFkCIAL MOTORCYCLE TAXI u In a statement on Friday, Tham said, “We hope that the new Angkas pilot will serve to show legislators and regulators the viability of this mode of transport so we can fully pass it into a law. We are set to launch in June once all

Q CLEAN FROM A1

PALACE CALLS FOR CLEAN be spared regardless of their political afkLIATION OR STATION IN LIFE u

AFP on red alert The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), meanwhile, raised its alert status to gREDu AHEAD OF -ONDAY S ELECTIONS “This declaration is to ensure that our troops and all AFP personnel are ready to act on any emergency and thwart all POSSIBLE THREATS THAT MAY ARISE u !&0 CHIEF OF STAFF 'EN "ENJAMIN -ADRIGAL SAID IN A statement.

On Tuesday, a total of 98,000 soldiers WERE SENT OFF TO AUGMENT THE #OMELEC in areas that are in need of services and assistance from security forces.

The military earlier said there were no monitored threats for the upcoming elections, but assured that they were ready for any scenario.

Campaign period ending Poll bets were also reminded on Friday to end their campaigns by midnight on Saturday, May 11, or face sanctions. #OMELEC SPOKESPERSON *AMES *IMENEZ said it would be unlawful for any person, candidate or political party to engage in an election campaign or partisan political activity after midnight Saturday, the eve of election day, and on election day itself. #OMELEC 2ESOLUTION SETS THE CAM-

Q LIMBO FROM A1

Manila Zoo 4HE ZOO S MODERNIZATION WAS SUPPOSED TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF %STRADA S kRST three-year term in 2016, but this did not maTERIALIZE BECAUSE OF ALLEGEDLY QUESTIONABLE provisions, a city council source claimed.

Metropolitan Zoo and Botanical Park Inc. was also said to be lacking in experience in BUILDING OR OPERATING A ZOO A company representative was not immeDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT WHILE #ITY

paign period for candidates for senator and party-list groups from Feb. 12, 2019 to May 11, 2019, while that for the House of Representatives and elective regional, PROVINCIAL CITY AND MUNICIPAL OFkCIALS IS from March 30, 2019 to May 11, 2019.

Filipinos will go to the polls on Monday, May 13, but the election period itself runs from Jan. 13, 2019 up to June 12, 2019.

Bishops air appeal #ATHOLIC BISHOPS WHO HAVE BEEN VOCAL critics of Duterte, meanwhile, said they would respect the faithful’s freedom to choose but appealed that candidates working for the common good should be given top priority.

The church, Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos said, “respects individual decisions and freedom. She guides and teaches what is right, legal and moral.

And she leaves her faithful to exercise their rights and free will, without coerCION OR CONDITIONS u Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes, for his PART SAID g)T IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR #ATHOLICS to vote as a block. We, bishops, can only give a solemn brotherly admonition to our faithful… preferably outside liturgical celebrations. Our duty is to help the faithful form their consciences regarding THEIR CHOICE OF CANDIDATES u “We, bishops, must respect their free-

(ALL OFkCIALS DECLINED TO ISSUE A STATEMENT

SAYING %STRADA WOULD ADDRESS THE ISSUE AFTER the May 13 elections.

5NDER THE JOINT VENTURE DEAL THE kRM and the city were to pool their interests, reSOURCES AND EXPERTISE FOR THE PROJECT WHICH WOULD COVER THE MORE THAN SIX HECTARE ZOO proper and the over one-hectare Dakota Park across the street.

Metropolitan Zoo and Botanical Park Inc. was to redesign, redevelop, rehabilitate, operate and manage the Manila Zoo into a facility consistent with world-class standards.

OPERATING PROCEDURES ARE kNALIZED

SO SIT TIGHT u The establishment of a TWG in December was triggered by commuters’ continuous support for embattled motorbike-hailing app Angkas, which faced a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the 3UPREME #OURT The DOTr said the group was composed of representatives from the DOTr, Land Transportation OfkCE ,AND 4RANSPORTATION &RANCHISing and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Philippine National Police–Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG), Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Senate, House of Representatives, commuter welfare groups, road safety advocates, motorcycle manufacturers, motorcycle ORGANIZATIONS AND LAW SCHOOLS In a statement on Friday, the DOTr said about 27,000 riders would participate in the pilot. Bikers will be required to

dom, hoping that their choice is good FOR THE NATION AND THEIR COMMUNITY u he added.

Judges to be ‘on duty’ -EANWHILE 3UPREME #OURT #HIEF Justice Lucas Bersamin ordered all EXECUTIVE JUDGES AND CLERKS OF SECOND and first-level-courts to be at their respective posts on Monday to act on all election matters within their JURISDICTIONS Judges were told to resolve all election related cases brought to them gWITH UTMOST CAUTION AND DISPATCHu IN CONSONANCE WITH #IRCULAR

issued last January 11, that detailed procedures for handling election-related matters.

Malacañang has declared May 13, 2019 as a special (non-working) holiday throughout the country.

‘Prove surveys wrong’ In another development, detained Sen. Leila de Lima on Friday dared the Filipino electorate to disprove pre-election surveys showing an overwhelming win by administration-backed candidates. “Surveys are surveys. They’re not the actual votes. The real survey occurs on ELECTION DAY ITSELF u DE ,IMA SAID IN A short statement she issued last May 9. “Go out and vote on May 13. Prove the SURVEYS WRONGÜu SHE ADDED Latest Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia pre-election surveys show that the opposition Otso Diretso will

It would bear the entire cost of the redesign and rehabilitation, contribute ITS kNANCIAL TECHNICAL CAPACITY AND MANAGERIAL EXPERTISE AND BE THE gEXCLUSIVEu development and operations manager of THE PROJECT Manila, for its part, would surrender its usufructuary rights over the site, including structures, facilities and premises, the wildLIFE AND THE lORA AND FAUNA WITHIN AND ANY goodwill over the Manila Zoo over time, plus any and all proprietary rights and resources involved in the upkeep and opERATIONS OF THE ZOO INCLUDING ITS FRANCHISE

wear safety gear, including helmet, RElECTORIZED VEST AND VEST BASED strap or belt; follow a 60-kilometer-per-hour speed limit; and ensure good condition of their motorcycles.

In Metro Manila, a P50-fare will BE CHARGED FOR THE kRST KILOMEters and P10 per kilometer after for up to 7 kilometers, and P15 per kilometer for the succeeding kilometers. )N -ETRO #EBU RIDERS WILL BE CHARGED 0 FOR THE kRST KILOMETER

P16 per kilometer up to 8 kilometers, and P20 per kilometer for the succeeding kilometers.

However, DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade warned that bikers should secure safety requirements or the government “will not have second thoughts on halting the pilot imPLEMENTATION u The six-month test run is to AID LEGISLATORS AS THEY FINALIZED pertinent bills on motorcycle taxis,

LIKELY WIN JUST ONE SLOT OUT OF 3ENATE seats available.

De Lima, however, said Duterte’s continued mocking of opposition bets “means the opposition slate’s number’s ARE IMPROVING u

Tugade aded.

The LTFRB shut down Angkas in November 2017, saying the company had no business permit.

The agency also maintained that motorcycles were not among the type of vehicles, which might be considered for public transport under the country’s Land TransPORTATION #ODE Angkas challenged transport regulators’ order before the ManDALUYONG 2EGIONAL 4RIAL #OURT

which later issued a preliminary INJUNCTION AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT shutdown.

"UT JUST A COUPLE OF MONTHS after Angkas resumed operations, THE 3UPREME #OURT ISSUED IN $Ecember last year a TRO against the Mandaluyong court decision, which meant transport regulators can again apprehend violating motorcycle units.

WITH A REPORT FROM ARIC JOHN SY CUA

Q MAYOR FROM A1

Comelec decision slammed In a related development, the Liberal 0ARTY ,0 SLAMMED A #OMELEC DECIsion declaring the Nacionalista Party as the dominant minority for the May 13 polls. “Honorable commissioners, your decision runs counter to democracy.

Runs counter to the basic tenets of fair play. Runs counter to common sense. )NCREDIBLE u ,0 0RESIDENT 3EN &RANCIS g+IKOu 0ANGILINAN SAID “The decision was released yesterday, May 9, 2019 or four days before election day. There is no time to apPEAL 7AS THIS DELIBERATE u 0ANGILINAN added.

4HE MAJORITY AND MINORITY PARTY AS WELL AS MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES gSHALL BE ENTITLED TO ONE OFkCIAL WATCHER IN EVERY POLLING PLACE AND CANVASSING CENTER u 0ANGILINAN QUESTIONED THE #OMELEC DECISION ACCUSING IT OF gPOLITICKINGu after the poll body “chose to deny the EXISTENCE OF THE OPPOSITIONu BY GIVING all the privileges to the administration.

CATHERINE S. VALENTE, DEMPSEY REYES, WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL, CATHERINE A. MODESTO, JOMAR CANLAS, JAVIER JOE ISMAEL AND GLEE JALEA

The city was also expected to turn over A PROJECT SITE FREE AND CLEAR OF ANY LIENS

encumbrances, third party rights, squatters, tenants, sublessees and similar obstacles. #ITY COUNCIL SOURCES SAID AMONG THE provisions questioned were those involving the city’s share of revenues.

Metropolitan Zoo and Botanical, which would be given a 25-year concession extendable by another 25 years, committed to give Manila 1.5 percent of gross revenues or 7 percent of net income — whichever is higher — equivalent to an initial P200,000 per month or P2.4 million per year.

Fugitive Daraga Branch 10 Judge Maria Theresa San Juan Loquillano at around 8:30 a.m. and was subSEQUENTLY COMMITTED TO THE ,EGAZPI #ITY JAIL two hours later.

Loquillano had issued an arrest warrant on Monday against Baldo, who went into hiding despite insisting that he was innocent. $ARAGA POLICE CHIEF ,T #OL 2ODELON "ETITA declined to provide more details about Baldo’s arrest. “We cannot release any other information because Judge Loquillano issued a gag order and so prohibited taking pictures of his surRENDER u HE EXPLAINED Batocabe, who was running against Baldo for Daraga town mayor in next week’s polls, was shot and killed on Dec. 22, 2018, along WITH BODYGUARD 3ENIOR 0OLICE /FkCER /RLANDO $IAZ 4HE !KO "IKOL LEGISLATOR S WIDOW

Gertrudes, has been named as his replacement.

Batocabe’s eldest son, Justin, expressed gratiTUDE THAT "ALDO WAS kNALLY BEHIND BARS “We understand that he surrendered to the authorities. However, this does not hide the fact that he evaded capture… We think our case against him is strong and his evasion adds STRENGTH TO THAT AS lIGHT IS AN INDICATION OF GUILT u THE YOUNGER "ATOCABE SAID Baldo has been suspended from his position AND IS ALSO FACING ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGES kLED by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

RHAYDZ B. BARCIA WITH A REPORT FROM ROY D.R. NARRA IN MANILA By the third year, the share would still be 1.5 percent of gross revenue or 7 percent of net income, but in value terms higher at P500,000 per month. The gross revenue share would stay at 1.5 percent up the tenth year, while the net PROkT SHARE WOULD BE ADJUSTED BY PERCENTAGE point annually up to the eighth year, by which it would hit 12 percent. In value terms, the city would continue to receive P500,000 per month up to the seventh year, rising to P600,000 for the eighth to tenth year.

For the 11th to 15th years, the gross revenue share would increase to 2 percent, while the net income share would remain at 12 percent, but at a higher P800,000 per month.

For years 21 to 25, the gross revenue share WOULD BE ADJUSTED TO PERCENT WHILE THAT for net income would be kept at 12 percent or P900,000 per month.

Year 25 onward would follow a 0.5-percentage point increase every 10 years for gross revenue and 12 percent of net income, or a minimum guaranteed payment of P1 million per month with an escalation of P1.2 million per year every 5 years thereafter, whichever is higher. “We found it very disadvantageous to the government, not to mention the fact that under the agreement it (the JV partner) has the authority TO SUBLEASE ANY PORTION OF THE PROJECT SITE )T IS ALSO PUTTING UP A MALL ON THE ADJACENT PARK u the source said.

4HE PROJECT SITE BASED ON THE AGREEMENT

will include “a neighboring shopping complex or community center which can accommodate retail outlets, interconnected stores, convenience stores, banks, drugstores or restaurants, among OTHERS UNDER ONE WELL DESIGNED COMPLEX u A world-class sports and events center will also be built to host gaming events and tournaments, including but not limited to basketball, BOXING COCKkGHTING CULTURAL ACTIVITIES CONCERTS

conferences and corporate events, among others.

4HE SOURCE SAID THE JOINT VENTURE DEAL COULD still be acted upon, but this would be up to the incoming city council. “The approval of the city council is all that is NEEDED FOR THE PROJECT TO COMMENCE u HE ADDED

POINTING OUT THAT #ITY /RDINANCE WHICH governs ventures between Manila and private sector partners, remained valid and binding.

ASIAN STOCKS: V S h a n g h a i 3 . 1 0 %

V S i n g a p o re 0 . 1 2 %

PSEi 7,742.20 DOWN 0.17%

P52.12 TO $1

www.manilatimes.net V Seoul 0.29%

W To k yo 0 . 2 7 %

V Jakarta 0.17%

MONEY TALKS

V H o n g Ko n g 0 . 8 4 %

B2

W

SATURDAY MAY 11, 2019

Business Times

CURRENCY RATE

B1

V B a n g ko k 0 . 1 1 %

Investment inflows hit 6-month high in Feb

What’s inside ELECTION, SEA GAMES TO BOOST PH ECONOMY

ÂťBusinessB2

OUTPUT LOW ON WEAK ELECTRONICS DEMAND – MAP BusinessB2

Âť

AYALA CORP. INCOME UP 5% TO P8B IN Q1

N

BY MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

ET foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows reached a six-month high in February, but failed to boost the year-to-date tally, which were lower than a year ago, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Friday.

ÂťCorporate NewsB3

TOBACCO, BANK UNITS DRIVE LT GROUP PROFIT BY 22% Corporate NewsB3

Âť

In a statement, the central bank said NET INlOWS ROSE BY PERCENT TO MILLION FROM MILLION IN THE SAME month last year, also an improvement FROM *ANUARY S MILLION AND THE

CHINA HIT WITH HIGHER TARIFFS AMID US TALKS

ÂťForeign BusinessB4

HIGHEST SINCE !UGUST S 0 MILLION “Investment inflows continued AS INVESTORS REMAIN CONkDENT IN THE Philippine economy on the back of strong economic growth prospects and

sound macroeconomic fundamentals,� it added.

February’s net FDI brought the yearto-date tally to $1.355 billion, 15.7 percent lower than last year’s. .ET EQUITY CAPITAL INVESTMENTS CONtributed largely to the increase during THE PERIOD EXPANDING BY PERCENT TO MILLION FROM MILLION IN &EBRUARY g4HIS WAS DUE TO THE PERCENT INCREASE IN EQUITY CAPITAL PLACEMENTS TO MILLION THAT WERE SOURCED mainly from Japan, China, the United

States, Singapore and Switzerland,� the Bangko Sentral explained. %QUITY CAPITAL INVESTMENTS FOR THE period were said to have channeled primarily to transportation and storage; kNANCIAL AND INSURANCE MANUFACTURing; real estate; and professional, sciENTIkC AND TECHNICAL INDUSTRIES The BSP also noted that reinvestment OF EARNINGS GREW BY PERCENT TO MILLION FROM MILLION IN THE SAME month a year ago.

Net investments in debt instruments

ÂłInflows B2

PH raises $842M from euro bonds Rediscount availments soar in Jan-April STRONG investor demand has enabled the government to raise MILLION FROM ITS ISSUANCE of euro bonds, the Bureau of the 4REASURY "4R SAID ON &RIDAY In a message to reporters, National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon said the amount generated — 750

million euros when converted — was an upsize of the initial 500-million-euro benchmark offering. “The orderbook peaked at almost 3 billion euros, which is six times [oversubscribed] from our original target of only 500 million

[euros],� she added.

The eight-year euro bond FETCHED A COUPON RATE OF percent, according to her. “The overwhelming reception from the market allowed the pricing for the newly issued global

national budget, which weighed on government spending.

It also came after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ policymaking Monetary Board cut interest rates by BASIS POINTS BPS HOURS AFTER THE RELEASE OF THE '$0 DATA ‡ THE kRST TIME IT DID SO AFTER RAISING RATES kVE consecutive times, or a total of 175

AVAILMENTS of the Bangko SenTRAL NG 0ILIPINAS "30 PESO rediscount facility surged in the kRST FOUR MONTHS OF THE YEAR DATA released on Friday showed.

4OTAL LOANS ROSE TO 0 billion, nine times more than the P7.651 billion borrowed in the same period a year ago.

4HE BULK OR PERCENT OF IT WERE CLASSIkED AS OTHER CREDITS BY the BSP. The loans were used for CAPITAL ASSET EXPENDITURES PERCENT LOANS TO OTHER SERVICES PERCENT PERMANENT WORKING

ÂłRoom B2

ÂłSoar B4

ÂłEuro B4

‘Q1 GDP opens room for rate cut’ TRADE TENSIONS

In this May 8, 2019 photo, a barge pushes a container ship to the dockyard in Qingdao in eastern China’s Shandong province. US President Donald Trump’s latest tariff hikes on Chinese goods took effect on Friday and Beijing said it would retaliate, escalating tensions in fight over China’s technology ambitions and other trade strains. AP PHOTO See story on B4

Âť

A UNIT of the Fitch Group said on Friday the lower-than-expected GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT '$0 THE GOVERNMENT POSTED IN THE kRST THREE MONTHS OF OFFERED SOME SPACE for a rate cut.

In a report, Fitch Solutions said “the slowdown in growth [not only RElECTED= THE EXTERNAL HEADWINDS faced by the Philippine economy,

PSEi down as tariff hike dents investor sentiment THE stock market declined for a second day on Friday as investors sold off on news that the United States has levied higher duties on Chinese imports.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange INDEX 03%I SLIPPED BY PERCENT OR POINTS TO CLOSE AT 4HE BROADER !LL Shares, meanwhile, dropped by 0.35 percent OR POINTS TO kNISH AT

“Philippine shares whipsawed between

gains and losses‌before settling [in] the red with the trade tension at the center,� Regina Capital Development Corp. head of sales Luis Limlingan said.

7ASHINGTON JUST RAISED TARIFFS TO PERCENT ON BILLION WORTH OF #HINESE GOODS FROM 10 percent on Friday, even amid trade negotiations with Beijing, which said it would take countermeasures without specifying them.

ÂłInvestor B2

The Philippine fintech landscape SME FIRST T CIRCLE

O say that new technology TION PAVING THE WAY TO kNTECH IN THE kNANCIAL SECTOR HAS services available today—techcreated a paradigm shift in the nologies that aim to improve Philippines is an understateand automate different areas ment. While most financial IN THE kNANCIAL SECTOR BY PROtransactions were done through viding businesses a tool for cash or check before, now we managing and growing their have plenty of online payment options. We owe kNANCIAL OPERATIONS MORE EFFECTIVELY WHILE MAKTHIS CONVENIENCE TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF kNANCIAL ING kNANCIAL TRANSACTIONS EASIER FOR CONSUMERS TECHNOLOGY kNTECH

CHRISTIAN NACORDA

Fintech )N THE PAST kNTECH WAS A VAGUE TERM THAT ENCOMpassed various forms of technological advanceMENT FOUND AT THE BACKEND SYSTEMS OF kNANCIAL institutions. But as technology evolves, so does kNTECH 4HE kNTECH INDUSTRY HAS ADOPTED A MORE CONCRETE AND MORE CONSUMER ORIENTED DEkNI-

Fintech in the Philippines 4HE 0HILIPPINE kNTECH LANDSCAPE COMPRISES segments, with online payments, alternative kNANCE AND BLOCKCHAIN CRYPTOCURRENCY BEING the biggest ones.

With the ease it brings to consumers, it’s little wonder why online payment providers hold the

ÂłSME B2

Wanted: Laws for better mobility MOBILITY O MATTERS

N Monday, we will be electing legislators to the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives.

For the next batch of senators and congressmen, below are suggestions for legislation that support inclusive and sustainable mobility: A commuters’ bill of rights--Mobility is a basic human need; every person has the

right to travel safely and reliably. Without mobility, citizens can’t access basic services such as health and ROBERT SIY education or enjoy fundamental freedoms. Moreover, mobility should be enjoyed by people of all ages, abilities and economic STATUS NOT ONLY BY THOSE WHO ARE PHYSICALLY kT

WITH PRIVATE MOTOR VEHICLES OR WITH kNANCIAL

ÂłMobility B2

BUT ALSO THE LIMITED DOMESTIC kSCAL support and the impact of tighter MONETARY POLICY IN THEu kRST QUARTER The report came a day after the government announced that the country’s economic growth in January to March slowed to a four-year low of 5.6 percent, missing forecasts. It was blamed on THE DELAYED PASSAGE OF THE

B2

Business Times

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

Election, SEA Games to boost PH economy T

BY TYRONE C. PIAD

HE country’s economic growth is seen to accelerate in the remaining months of 2019 due to the projected hike in spending as a result of this year’s elections and the Philippine hosting of the upcoming Southeast Asian Games. “Businessmen see the balance of the year positive because of consumer spending,� Philippine Chamber OF #OMMERCE AND )NDUSTRY 0##) President Alegria Limjoco told The Manila Times on Friday.

Alegria noted that the nationwide polls and the global sporting

event will spike economic spending which is expected to contribute to the country’s over-all growth.

Philippine economic growth was at its lowest in four years durING THE kRST QUARTER OF THE when the gross domestic product '$0 SLUMPED TO PERCENT

from 6.3 percent in the previous QUARTER AND PERCENT A YEAR AGO Authorities blamed the slowdown to the delay in the approval OF THE BUDGET g/UR ENDED WITH A MOmentum. However, with the delay in the budget, [there were] less Build, Build, Build projects,� the PCCI chief explained.

The Department of Trade and InDUSTRY $4) AGREED THAT THE BUDGET delays led to fewer infrastructure PROGRAMS IN THE kRST QUARTER “Public construction declined FROM DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH OF PERCENT IN THE kRST QUARTER OF

TO IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF

u 4RADE 3ECRETARY 2AMON Lopez said Friday.

Meanwhile, the PCCI welcomed the improved credit rating given by debt watcher S&P Global Ratings to the Philippines, owing to its robust economic growth track and GOOD GOVERNMENT kSCAL ACCOUNTS standing, among others.

The chamber said the development could mean lower interest rates for loans and easier access to funds for infrastructure projects. Monetary authorities recently trimmed interest RATES BY BASIS POINTS AS INlATION improved to 3 percent in April.

Output low on weak electronics demand – MAP THE lower production in the country’s manufacturing sector could be attributed to the ‘less-than-stellar’ demand for electronics products due to the ongoing trade spat between the United States and China, the Management Association of THE 0HILIPPINES -!0 SAID “The recent decline in manufacturing can be attributed mainly to external factors, in particular the decline in demand for electronic components, which make up over half our exports.

This is mainly due to weak China exports due to the trade dispute between China and the US,� MAP President Rizalina Mantaring

told The Manila Times. !N )(3 -ARKIT .IKKEI SURVEY said the seasonally adjusted Philippines Manufacturing PurCHASING -ANAGERS )NDEX 0-) FELL TO IN !PRIL FROM A month ago.

The drop in PMI, which was attributed to lack of raw materials, indicates that the output of the country’s manufacturing sector declined, along with its new export orders. PMI takes into account the weighted average of new orders, output, employment, suppliers’ delivery time and stocks.

As of end-March, Philippine 3TATISTICS !UTHORITY 03! DATA

Q ROOM FROM B1

Q SME FROM B1

Q1 GDP BPS TO ARREST RISING INlATION LAST YEAR “Ongoing China-US trade tensions has contributed to weaker Chinese IMPORT DEMAND AND BUSINESS CONkdence across Asia. With trade-related risks still a threat, the Philippines government and the BSP will look to loosen policy further if growth shows limited signs of recovering,�

Fitch Solutions said. g7E EXPECT THE ECONOMY TO BENEkT from stronger government consumpTION THROUGH THE REST OF WITH THE BUDGET AGREED UPON 4HE BSP may also seek to ease reserve REQUIREMENTS OR ITS POLICY RATE EVEN FURTHER GIVEN THAT INlATIONARY PRESsures have now receded to within its target band,� it added.

The Philippine Statistics Authority 03! REPORTED THAT INlATION FURTHER eased to 3.0 percent in April from 3.3 percent in March.

Fitch Solutions earlier said it forecast economic growth of 6.1 percent for this year, down from last year’s PERCENT Trade tensions continue to pose risk to the Philippine economy, according to the Fitch unit. “We forecast the economy to grow PERCENT IN DOWN FROM PERCENT IN BUT NOTE A LACK OF A resolution or an escalation of trade tensions could mean [that] growth [would come] below 6.0 percent for the year,� Fitch Solutions said. “Furthermore, midterm elections will be held on May 13, and this could see President Rodrigo Duterte gain a majority within the Senate and, thus, boost the outlook for policy formation and implementation,� it added. “However, we believe that a win for Duterte [would] likely garner a mixed reaction from markets, on the one hand meaning lower political risk and on the other, lower checks and balances for Duterte.�

ANNA LEAH E. GONZALES

show electronics exports dropped PERCENT TO BILLION FROM BILLION IN THE SAME PERIOD A year ago. Accumulated electronics EXPORT kGURES REPRESENT PERCENT of the total outbound shipments IN THE kRST QUARTER Despite lower production, the MAP chief is upbeat a turnaround will happen to lift the sector. “We are hopeful that this will be resolved soon, as reports seem to indicate a resumption of robust export orders,� she said.

Mantaring stressed the importance of increasing the country’s manufacturing base to boost productivity and “avoid over-reliance

on the electronics sector.� “We also need to invest in manufacturing technology to improve productivity,� she added.

The PSA also reported that factory output plunged in March in terms of volume and value.

Its Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries indicated that the volume of production INDEX SLUMPED TO PERCENT in March.

Meanwhile, the value of producTION IN -ARCH WENT DOWN BY percent from last year’s 10.5-percent expansion but slightly improved from February’s 5.5-percent decline.

TYRONE C. PIAD

services. Find out if there are issues and glitches linked to them so you can make a decision. ! GOOD kNTECH COMPANY UNDERstands the importance of data security. They invest in strong security measures to ensure their company BIGGEST CHUNK OF THE 0HILIPPINE kN- LIVES UP TO HIGH QUALITY SERVICE DEtech landscape. Some of the more livery sans any form of data breach. well-known startups in this segment Investments that ensure data seinclude Ayannah, Coins.ph, GCash curity could be costly but forwardand Moneygment. Despite this trend, looking companies know that the "ANGKO 3ENTRAL NG 0ILIPINAS "30 BENEkTS OF kNTECH SOLUTIONS OVERGovernor Nestor Espenilla Jr. says ride the upfront costs. majority of all transactions in the country to date are still paid in cash. The fintech advantage The second largest segment, repRESENTING PERCENT OF THE kNTECH From an observer’s perspective, landscape, is alternative finance. it’s easy to see the convenience Fintech companies in this segment kNTECH OFFERS TO BUSINESSES AND include Acudeen, Banko, Cropi- consumers. But actually, there are tal, First Circle and Lendr.Lastly, we a lot more advantages we get from have blockchain technology and it. Here are some of them: cryptocurrency, with 16 percent of &INTECH HELPS kNANCIAL INSTITUTIONS fintech companies. Citadax, Buy deliver more efficient services. By Bitcoin.ph, and MergeCommit are improving performance and delivery, all under this segment. these institutions get more opportuniAccording to the Asian FinTech TIES TO GROW AND INCREASE PROkT #ENSUS 0HILIPPINE FINTECH They companies make room for COMPANIES WERE ABLE TO RAISE BETTER LOAN PORTFOLIO DIVERSIkCAMILLION INVESTMENT FUNDING IN TION "Y MAKING kNANCIAL SERVICES (13 times more than the fintech more customized, they cater better INVESTMENT FUNDING FOR to the needs of their customers.

Fintech collaborations help speed up transactions. By offering Is fintech secure? secured services that take less time ! COMMON CONCERN ABOUT kNTECH TO ACCOMPLISH kNTECH COMPANIES is security. Is this a valid concern? can identify and address industryShould we be worried about data SPECIkC PAIN POINTS Fintech companies tap into security when we do online transthe intuitive use of data. By using actions?

Cybersecurity could be a problem them, businesses will have a better if we fail to use the necessary pre- way of knowing how customers cautions to ensure data privacy and spend their money. This could security. The basics of cybersecurity help them invest in businesses taiINCLUDE USING A kREWALL INSTALLING lored to what consumers are after.

They make payment systems a anti-malware programs, and choosing strong passwords so online lot better. They speed up processes accounts are not easily hacked. and make it more convenient for More importantly, be mindful of customers. the companies you transact with.

They improve customer rela!S A RULE OF THUMB lY BY NIGHT tions. By keeping customers satiscompanies are not to be trusted. kED WITH THE SPEED AND QUALITY OF Before starting any transaction, the services delivered, businesses research a company and get feed- will have better chances of retainbacks about their products and ing their customers.

They help speed up the approval PROCESS "ECAUSE THE REQUEST FOR approval was coursed online, it is better to track, review, sort and respond to the sender.

They are all for connectivity. By allowing consumers to use their smartphones to access records and make financial transactions, the overall process becomes streamlined.

The Philippine

million from a year ago.

The lower net FDI inflows for January to February, meanwhile, was blamed on the 67.1-percent decline IN NET EQUITY CAPITAL INVESTMENTS

‡ INTERCOMPANY BORROWINGS as placements decreased by 31.5 lending between foreign direct in- percent, while withdrawals grew by VESTORS AND THEIR SUBSIDIARIES AFkLI- PERCENT ates in the Philippines — were the %QUITY CAPITAL PLACEMENTS DURonly negative item for the month, ing the period came mostly from DROPPING BY PERCENT TO Japan, China, South Korea, Mau-

Q INFLOWS FROM B1

Investment

ritius and the United States, and WERE MAINLY INVESTED IN kNANCIAL and insurance, transportation and storage; real estate; administrative and support service; and manufacturing industries.

Intercompany borrowings inCREASED BY PERCENT TO BILLION FROM MILLION IN THE kRST TWO MONTHS OF Last, reinvested earnings grew by

The emergence of fintech startups As companies acknowledge how indispensable fintech solutions have become, they also started to seek out highly agile and data driven mechanisms to compete with the bigger, more technologiCALLY ADVANCED kRMS 4HIS IS WHERE kNTECH STARTUPS COME IN Fintech startups bridge the gap between consumer demands— which have become more customized and personalized to date— AND THE GROWING REQUIREMENTS OF small and medium enterprises 3-%S "Y AUTOMATING PROCESSES and making them easily accesSIBLE kNTECH STARTUPS ALLOW 3-%S to join the competition without COMPROMISING THE QUALITY OF THEIR services at the expense of a shorter turnaround time.

Currently, fintech companies are game changers in the Philippine business landscape. As an entrepreneur, you should use these kNTECH SOLUTIONS TO YOUR BUSINESS advantage.

#HRISTIAN 0ACQUING .ACORDA IS the Brand and Communications Lead for First Circle Growth FiNANCE #ORP (E JOINED THE kRM IN WITH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN marketing communications and global marketing in various industries such as FMCG, IT, Finance, Sustainable Energy, and Retail. You may contact him through chrisTIAN NACORDA kRSTCIRCLE COM 4O know more about First Circle and ITS kNANCING SERVICES VISIT WWW kRSTCIRCLE PH 10.1 percent to $155 million during the period.

The Bangko Sentral expects net &$) INlOWS TO REACH BILLION this year. )N NET &$) INlOWS HIT A TWO YEAR LOW OF BILLION ‡ SHORT OF THE CENTRAL BANK S BILLION GOAL AND THE LOWEST SINCE S BILLION ‡ DOWN PERCENT FROM S BILLION

Some remarks on investments

I

HAVE been in the banking and investment industry for some time already, taking up courses and certifications— both local and international— as well as having experience in managing individual to big institutional accounts. From RETAIL ACCOUNTS WORTH 0

to as much as P6.5 billion in assets under advise, I had the chance to interface with beginner investors to savvy boards of directors, thereby sharpening my skills as a financial advisor.

From these experiences, I learned lessons. Here are some of them: Costs matter. Whether for investment management account or stock trading, the cost of doing investment matters. For instance, buying and SELLING IN THE EQUITIES MARKET necessitate costs in terms of broker’s commissions and taxes—and trading in high freQUENCY INCREASES THEM )F THE cost of trade, say, is 1 percent of the amount and you doing the trade would give yourself a PERCENT GAIN THEN MAYBE THE PERCENT NET GAIN PERCENT return minus the 1 percent COST IS NOT WORTH THE WHILE better just to hold the stock and wait for the price you want. That way, you still get the price appreciation, minus the costly trading. Moreover, these costs accumulate over time, and the costs incurred could have been reinvested instead for more returns. The same is true for mutual funds— a 5 percent entry fee for every investment, accumulated over time, would be significant already, money that might have been invested for more returns over the long-term.

Nobody really knows. One pervading illusion I see in the market is that one can know with conviction and impeccable accuracy what the market will do and where it is headed.

Well, nobody really does. Not even experts, not even gurus.

Nobody. I had the pleasure of writing market forecasts for a magazine and the reality versus expectations cemented the case. For instance, experts saw a 10 percent-15 percent finish for the index for the YEAR ‡IT FINISHED OFF PERCENT IS BETTER AS FORECASTS SAW PERCENT PERCENT AND IT FINISHED OFF PERCENT PERCENT percent forecast but it finISHED PERCENT NEXT YEAR

FORECAST AT PERCENT

FINISHED OFF PERCENT FORECAST AT PERCENT PERCENT FINISHED OFF PERCENT And intra-day, sometimes, the market is down in the morning session then suddenly it would go up in the afternoon and vice versa.

Truth of the matter is that nobody can really predict.

Black swan events, unforeseen ones, surprising developments—all of these can support or derail a forecast. So now, I take these as guidance, and not gospel.

Materiality is important. A lot of times, investors would ask me if it’s a good time to go into the market; and I ask back, “How much would you be investing?� For a brief context: usually the stock market

Q INVESTOR FROM B1

PSEi Wall Street’s main indices all kNISHED IN THE RED -EANWHILE

regional markets were mixed, as 4OKYO SLIPPED PERCENT *AKARTA dipped 0.06 percent and Bangkok SHED PERCENT Meanwhile, Shanghai and Hong +ONG REMAINED kRM DESPITE THE the news, up 3.10 percent and 1.01 percent, respectively.

3EOUL ALSO ROSE PERCENT

MONEY TALKS

RIENZIE BIOLENA moves around 0.3 percent -0.5 percent—whether up or down—in a day. A movement OF PERCENT AND UP IS QUITE significant already. Now, if the amount in contemplation is, say, P5,000 so that worst-case scenario of significant dip of 1 PERCENT IN THE MARKET EQUATES TO 0 X 0 THEN THE QUESTION IS g)S 0 WORTH THE effort and hassle to monitor the market and time it�?

Of course, the case would have been very different if the investment is P50 million. I had one clientwho called me up and said that he would be investing P50 million. Of course I had to time the market as a 1 percent dip could mean P500,000 more value for their money. That, for me, is material and so best execution through proper market timing is necessary.

So it is all about cost-and benefit at the end of the day: are your efforts worth the benefit and returns you are getting?

Nothing beats your own research. Too often, people follow the crowd, a guru or an expert for their investments and trades. Well, they are people, too, and as human as they are, they also make mistakes. And their advice, if taken uncritically and lead to mistakes, can cost you money. Besides, they are not accountable to you: should you follow their advice and their advice or stock tip do not work out, would they reimburse you for the loss? Are they even beholden to you to give the best advice that suits your personal circumstances?

Remember, not all stocks would be suited to you, so you best know if a particular stock is best for you and your goals: meaning, they would appreciate enough to get you to the money you need. So nothing beats your own research and study to know which stock or investment would be best for you.

Should you wish to take advice from a professional, make sure YOU ASK QUESTIONS AND MAKE sure all bases are covered and everything, transparent.

Budget for your goals. Each one of your financial goals— your retirement, child’s education, dream vacation, etc.— has a corresponding investment per year, per month or even one time starting today.

So set aside money from your monthly paycheck or bonuses today, and you will be assured that your future goals will come true. The more you invest for them, the greater the chance you will achieve them.

Rienzie P. Biolena is a Registered Financial Planner of RFP Philippines. He’s also CharTERED 7EALTH !DVISOR #7! and chief financial planner of WealthArki and Consultancy, a financial planning firm. Learn more about personal financial planning at the 76th RFP proGRAM IN *UNE 4O INQUIRE

e-mail info@rfp.ph or text to

and Singapore inched up by 0.06 percent. )N A SEPARATE COMMENT 0 0 Trade Online sales associate Gabriel Jose Perez pointed to net foreign selling as having weighed on the PSEi. )N -ANILA ONLY THE kNANCIALS and industrial indices finished STRONG UP PERCENT AND percent, respectively.

6OLUME TURNOVER STOOD AT MILlion issues valued at P7.55 billion. ,OSERS LED WINNERS TO

WHILE ISSUES WERE UNCHANGED ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Corporate News

Ayala Corp. income up 5% to P8B in Q1 A

BY ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

YALA Corp. reported on Friday a 5-percent increase in its net income to P8 billion in THE kRST QUARTER FROM 0 BILLION IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR ON THE STRONG PERFORMANCE OF THREE OF ITS SUBSIDIARIES )N A DISCLOSURE THE LISTED CONGLOMERATE SAID TELECOMMUNICATIONS ARM 'LOBE 4ELECOM )NC

PROPERTY UNIT !YALA ,AND )NC AND BANKING SUBSIDIARY "ANK OF THE 0HILIPPINE )SLANDS "0) SAW THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PARENT GROW

BY PERCENT PERCENT AND PERCENT RESPECTIVELY 4HE MERGER OF EDUCATION UNIT !# %DUCATION WITH I0EOPLE )NC ALSO ADDED TO THE GROWTH IT ADDED 'LOBE S NET INCOME ROSE TO 0 billion from P4.7 billion year-onYEAR BOLSTERED BY STRONG SUBSCRIBER USAGE IN DATA RELATED SERVICES

ACROSS ITS MOBILE CORPORATE DATA AND HOME BROADBAND SEGMENTS )TS SERVICE REVENUES INCREASED

BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION

OFFSETTING THE HIGHER DEPRECIATION EXPENSES FROM ITS CONTINUED NETWORK EXPANSION AND ACCELERATION OF ITS LONG TERM EVOLUTION ,4% AND BROADBAND ROLLOUT !YALA ,AND S NET INCOME CLIMBED

BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION FROM 0 BILLION BUOYED BY ITS STRONG PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIAL LEASING BUSINESS )TS REVENUES ROSE BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION FROM 0 BIL-

lion year-on-year.

BPI posted a P6.72-billion net PROkT IN THE PERIOD UP PERCENT FROM 0 BILLION A YEAR AGO

BOOSTED BY THE STRONG PERFORMANCE OF ITS CORE BANKING BUSINESSES )TS REVENUES CLIMBED BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION ON SOLID GROWTH DRIVEN BY BOTH ITS NET INTEREST AND NON INTEREST INCOME g/UR kRST QUARTER RESULTS SHOW THE ADVANTAGES OF A DIVERSIFIED PORTFOLIO 4HE STRONG PERFORMANCE OF !YALA ,AND 'LOBE AND "0) OFFSET THE CHALLENGES FROM -ANILA 7ATER S WATER SUPPLY ISSUES AND THE MARKET CONDITIONS FACING !# )NDUSTRIALS u !YALA 0RESIDENT AND #HIEF /PERATING /FkCER &ERNANDO Zobel de Ayala said. g)N ADDITION CAPITAL GENERATED FROM THE CLOSING OF THE TRANSACTIONS IN !# %DUCATION AND !# %NERGY PROVIDE A BOOST FOR FUNDING NEW INVESTMENTS AND REDUCING DEBT AT THE PARENT LEVEL u HE ADDED

-ANILA 7ATER #O )NC SAW A PERCENT DECREASE IN ITS NET INCOME TO 0 BILLION IN *ANUARY TO -ARCH DUE TO HIGHER OPERATING EXPENSES RElECTING THE IMPACT OF THE WATER SHORTAGE THAT HIT ITS CONCESSION AREA WHICH INCLUDES THE EASTERN PART OF -ETRO -ANILA AND 2IZAL PROVINCE IN -ARCH !# %NERGY S NET PROkT PLUNGED BY PERCENT TO 0 MILLION FROM 0 MILLION YEAR ON YEAR AS THE HIGHER INTEREST EXPENSE FROM A GREEN BOND ISSUANCE LOWER WIND REGIME AND A SCHEDULED OUTAGE OF A THERMAL PLANT WEIGHED ON THE COMPANY !# )NDUSTRIALS POSTED A NET LOSS OF 0 MILLION DUE TO THE ONGOING GLOBAL MARKET SLOWDOWN

STARTUP LOSSES FROM ITS NEWLY ACQUIRED BUSINESSES AND WEAKER SALES OF ITS AUTOMOTIVE RETAIL DISTRIBUtion segment. !YALA #ORP SHARES ADDED 0 OR PERCENT TO CLOSE AT 0 EACH ON &RIDAY

Tobacco, bank units drive LT Group profit by 22% ,4 'ROUP )NC POSTED A PERCENT INCREASE IN ITS ATTRIBUTABLE NET INCOME TO 0 BILLION IN THE THREE MONTHS ENDING -ARCH FROM 0 BILLION IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR ON THE BACK OF ITS SUBSIDIARIES STRONG PERFORMANCE )N A kLING ON &RIDAY THE ,UCIO 4AN LED HOLDING kRM SAID ITS TOBACCO ARM 0-&4# )NC AND BANKING UNIT 0HILIPPINE .ATIONAL "ANK 0."

ACCOUNTED FOR PERCENT AND PERCENT OF THE AMOUNT RESPECTIVELY )TS OTHER BUSINESSES CONTRIBUTED THE REST IT ADDED 0-&4# )NC REPORTED A NET INCOME OF 0 BILLION IN *ANUARY TO -ARCH A PERCENT INCREASE

FROM THE kGURE IN THE SAME PERIOD IN WHILE 0." SAW ITS NET PROkT GROW BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION IN THE QUARTER FROM LAST YEAR S AMOUNT 4ANDUAY $ISTILLERS )NC S NET PROkT ROSE BY PERCENT TO 0 MILLION FROM 0 MILLION YEAR ON YEAR WITH REVENUES CLIMBING ON THE BACK OF A PERCENT INCREASE IN SALES VOLUME AND BIOETHANOL SALES %TON ENDED THE QUARTER WITH A NET INCOME OF 0 MILLION PERCENT HIGHER THAN LAST YEAR S 0 MILLION 2EVENUES WERE PERCENT HIGHER YEAR ON YEAR THANKS TO THE GROWTH IN EARNING FROM THE LEASE AND SALE OF ITS RESIDENTIAL UNITS

/NLY !SIA "REWERY )NC REPORTED A LOWER NET INCOME FALLING BY PERCENT TO 0 MILLION FROM 0 MILLION IN 4HIS DESPITE REVENUES GROWING BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION THANKS TO HIGHER SALES OF ITS ENERGY DRINKS BOTTLED WATER PACKAGING AND SOYMILK g4HE LOWER INCOME WAS LARGELY DUE TO HIGHER 0%4 POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE PACKAGING COSTSu AND TO INCREASED SPENDING gON ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS u THE ,4 'ROUP EXPLAINED ,4 'ROUP SHARES ADDED CENTAVOS OR PERCENT TO END AT 0 APIECE ON &RIDAY ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

Cebu Pacific earnings rise to P3.4B Cosco Capital nets P2.06B in Jan-March #/3#/ #APITAL )NC REPORTED ON &RIDAY THAT ITS CONSOLIDATED NET INCOME CLIMBED BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION IN THE kRST THREE MONTHS FROM 0 BILLION IN THE SAME PERIOD IN ON THE BACK OF HIGHER CONSUMER SPENDING 4HE LATEST AMOUNT WOULD HAVE SOARED BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLON IF THE GAIN FROM THE SALE OF ,IQUIGAZ 0HILIPPINES #ORP WAS INCLUDED THE ,UCIO #O LED HOLDING kRM SAID IN A DISCLOSURE #OSCO S GROCERY UNITS 0UREGOLD 0RICE #LUB )NC AND 3 2 -EMBERSHIP 3HOPPING #LUB CONTRIBUTED PERCENT OF THE TOTAL INCOME COMMERCIAL ESTATE BUSINESS PERCENT LIQUOR DISTRIBUTION PERCENT AND SPECIALTY RETAILING SEGMENT PERCENT 0UREGOLD AND 3 2 REPORTED A COMBINED NET INCOME OF 0 BILLION IN *ANUARY TO -ARCH A PERCENT JUMP FROM THE FIGURE #ONSOLIDATED REVENUES SURGED BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION YEAR ON YEAR %IGHT 0UREGOLD STORES AND ONE 3 2 7AREHOUSE #LUB BRANCH OPENED DURING THE PERIOD #OSCO S LIQUOR BUSINESS POSTED A PERCENT INCREASE IN NET INCOME TO 0 MILLION IN THE QUARTER 2EVENUES GREW BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION ON THE BACK OF A PERCENT INCREASE IN VOLUME OF CASES SOLD IN THE THREE MONTHS )TS SPECIALTY RETAILING SEGMENT

REPRESENTED BY /FkCE 7AREHOUSE )NC SAW ITS NET INCOME SURGE BY PERCENT TO 0 MILLION WHILE REVENUES ROSE BY PERCENT TO 0 MILLION ON THE BACK OF STRONG SAME STORE SALES GROWTH WHICH HIT PERCENT /FkCE 7AREHOUSE CURRENTLY HAS BRANCHES 4HE COMPANY S COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE BUSINESS POSTED A PERCENT INCREASE IN TOTAL REVENUES TO 0 MILLION AND A PERCENT RISE IN NET INCOME OF 0 MILLION IN *ANUARY TO -ARCH #OSCO SHARES SLID BY CENTAVOS OR PERCENT TO CLOSE AT 0 EACH

WHILE 0UREGOLD S SHED CENTAVOS OR PERCENT TO END AT 0 APIECE ON &RIDAY ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

LISTED Cebu Air Inc., operator of low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific, saw its earnings more than double to P3.426 billion in January to March.

In a filing on Friday, the Gokongwei-led airline said the amount was a 138-percent increase from P1.437 billion in the same period last year.

Its topline improved by 16 percent to P21.17 billion in the quarter from 2018’s P18.261 billion, fueled by the 14.6-percent increase in passenger revenues to P15.679 billion.

Cargo revenues jumped by 12.7 percent to P1.442 billion from P1.279 billion year-on-year, while its ancillary segment posted a 22.7-percent growth in revenues to P4.056 billion from P3.306 billion in 2018.

Operating expenses increased by 8.4 percent to P17.345 billion from P15.997 billion in 2018 because of “expanded operations, growth in seat capacity from the acquisition of new aircraft and the weakening of the Philippine peso against the US dollar…”

While Cebu Pacific recorded strong firstquarter profits, analysts told The Manila Times recently that the flight cancellations it made in late April might affect its second-quarter and fullyear results.

More than 100 flights extending up to May 10 were cancelled, affecting thousands of disgruntled flyers. Aircraft shortage and increased flights in and out of Manila were blamed for the

cancellations.

“It might have an effect on [its April-to-June] performance, since this is a major disruption to the operations of the airline,” Timson Securities Inc. trader Jervin de Celis said then.

Noting that the cancellations came as “a lot of people” were having “their vacation, Philstocks Financial Inc. Research associate Japhet Louis Tantiangco said canceling and reducing flights “could lead to a lot of missed opportunities to generate earnings.”

The country’s aviation authorities have started investigating the cancellations.

Cebu Air shares rose by 2.14 percent or P1.95 to finish at P83 each on Friday.

LISBET K. ESMAEL

Robinsons Land profit up 19% on expansion efforts 2/").3/.3 ,AND #ORP SAW ITS NET INCOME GROW BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION IN THE kRST QUARTER FROM 0 BILLION IN THE SAME PERIOD IN AS A RESULT OF ITS CONTINUED EXPANSION PROGRAM )N A DISCLOSURE ON 4HURSDAY THE 'OKONGWEI LED PROPERTY DEVELOPER SAID CONSOLIDATED REVENUES ROSE BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION FROM 0 BILLION YEAR ON YEAR )TS INVESTMENTS PORTFOLIO ROSE BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION WITH ITS OFkCE DIVISION ACCOUNTING FOR THE BULK )TS MALLS MEANWHILE POSTED A STABLE PERCENT GROWTH /N A STANDALONE BASIS THE OFkCE SEGMENT SAW REVENUES INCREASE BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION FROM 0 MILLION YEAR ON YEAR %ARNINGS BEFORE INTEREST TAX DEPRECIATION AND AMORTIZAITION EBITDA INCREASED BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION FROM 0 million a year ago.

4HE kRM S MALL SEGMENT REGISTERED REVENUES OF 0 BILLION WITH EBITDA UP BY PERCENT TO 0 BILLION 4HIS WAS DRIVEN BY STRONG RENTAL INCOME ALL ACROSS ITS EXISTING MALLS COUPLED WITH THE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE FOUR NEW MALLS THAT OPENED LAST YEAR 2EVENUES OF ITS RESIDENTIAL BUSINESS DECREASED BY

PERCENT TO 0 BILLION MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE TIMING OF REVENUE RECOGNITION )TS EBITDA HOWEVER INCREASED

BY PERCENT TO 0 MILLION WHILE ITS SALES TAKE UP WAS STEADY AT 0 BILLION 2OBINSONS ,AND S HOTELS AND RESORTS DIVISION POSTED A PERCENT INCREASE IN REVENUES TO 0 MILLION 4HE STRONG PERFORMANCES OF ITS 3UMMIT 'ALLERIA #EBU AND 3UMMIT (OTELS -AGNOLIA AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF 3UMMIT (OTELS 4ACLOBAN AND 'O (OTELS )LIGAN DROVE THIS GROWTH %BITDA FROM THIS SEGMENT ROSE BY PERCENT TO 0 MILLION COMPARED WITH S 0 MILLION g2OBINSONS ,AND CONTINUES TO POST STRONG EARNINGS FROM ORGANIC GROWTH AS WELL AS FROM OUR EXPANSION PROGRAMS u 2,# 0RESIDENT AND #HIEF %XECUTIVE /FkCER &REDERICK 'O SAID g7E LOOK FORWARD WITH MUCH ENTHUSIASM TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF OUR PERFORMANCE IN THE COMING MONTHS u HE ADDED !CCORDING TO THE COMPANY IT CURRENTLY HAS HECTARES OF LAND BANK 2OBINSONS ,AND SHARES ROSE BY CENTAVOS OR PERCENT TO END AT 0 APIECE ON &RIDAY ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

B3

Foreign Business Businessinbriefs China hit with higher tariffs amid US talks W B4

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

PHOENIX PETROLEUM INCOME DIPS 5%

ASHINGTON, D.C.: The United States pulled the trigger Friday on a steep increase in tariffs on Chinese products and Beijing immediately vowed to hit back, turning up the heat before a second day of trade negotiations.

President Donald Trump got a BRIEkNG FROM HIS TRADE NEGOTIATORS AFTER THE kRST DAY OF TALKS WITH THE Chinese side on Thursday, but made no move to hold off on the tariffs — dashing hopes there might be a last-minute reprieve as the negotiations continued.

Minutes after the US increased punitive duties on $200 billion in imports from 10 to 25 percent, the Chinese commerce ministry said it “deeply regrets� the move and repeated its pledge to take “necessary countermeasures�, without elaborating.

Locked in a trade dispute for MORE THAN A YEAR OFkCIALS FROM the world’s two biggest economies returned to the bargaining table late Thursday, led by Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Since last year, the two sides have exchanged tariffs on more than $360 billion in two-way trade, gutting US agricultural exports to China and weighing on both countries’ manufacturing sectors.

Trump began the standoff because of complaints about unfair Chinese trade practices.

The US team met with Trump late Thursday night to brief him and “agreed to continue discus-

sions� on Friday, the White House said in a statement.

Lighthizer and Mnuchin met the Chinese delegation for about 90 minutes Thursday evening and they had a working dinner with Liu. “We hope the US and the Chinese side can meet each other halfway and work hard together to resolve existing problems through cooperation and consultation,� the Chinese commerce ministry said in a statement. $ESPITE OPTIMISM FROM OFkCIALS in recent weeks that the talks were moving towards a deal, tensions reignited this week after Trump angrily accused China of trying to backpedal on its commitments. “They took many, many parts of that deal and they renegotiated. You can’t do that,� Trump said on Thursday.

But he held out hopes of salvaging a deal. “It’s possible to do it,� Trump said. “I did get last night a very beautiful letter from President Xi (Jinping).�

At the same time, he said he would be happy to keep tariffs in place. And he has threatened to extend the tough duties to all Chinese goods.

Michael Taylor, a managing director for Moody’s Investors

Q MOBILITY FROM B1

is much less than the budget of some of its component cities.

With responsibilities for infrastructure, transport services and TRAFkC MANAGEMENT SCATTERED ACROSS several national and local agencies, accountability is lacking and many mobility problems remain unresolved. Coordinating the activities of DOTr, Land Transportation Franchise Regulatory Board (LTFRB), MMDA, DPWH and 17 LGUs is laborious and time-consuming.

A better governance structure for Philippine metropolitan areas is long overdue. It is time to have laws RE DEkNING AREAS LIKE -ETRO -ANILA and Metro Cebu and how these areas should be governed. Small LGUs that constitute a larger metropolis should fall under the direction of a strong metropolitan authority headed by AN ELECTED OFkCIAL 4HERE SHOULD BE A single point of responsibility for essential services delivered in metropolitan areas, including transportation.

Cities such as London, Tokyo and Seoul have metropolitan governments that can manage and coordinate services over a very large area made up of cities and districts. They each have an elected ‘governor/mayor’ and a regional administrative structure that can manage the local government units that fall within the metropolitan area.

With this setup, national agencies can focus on sector strategy and policy formulation, master planning and development of major infrastructure projects (such as railways, ports and airports), and capacity building for local governments.

The next few years provide the opportunity to carry out this important legislative reform so that the 2022 polls can elect the governors for Philippine metropolitan areas. It would also be opportune to enlarge Metro Manila’s BOUNDARIES RECOGNIZING ITS SIGNIkCANT growth over the last two decades.

Amendment of Local Government Code — It is time to amend the Local Government Code to align it with DOTr’s policy of devolving more responsibility and accountability for public transportation and mobility outcomes to local governments.

Currently, local governments regulate TRICYCLE SERVICES MANAGE LOCAL TRAFkC and have some role in road building and maintenance. Like MMDA, most ,'5S CURRENTLY HAVE VERY LITTLE INlUence on the availability and quality of transportation services.

Local leaders know their communities best and can be more responsive to their constituents. If there is a problem with transport services in

Wanted means. The next Congress should pass legislation to guarantee commuters’ rights.

Commuters have: 1) The right to transport services and facilities that meet the mobility requirements of the CITIZENRY 4HE RIGHT TO SAFE EFkCIENT

affordable and convenient public transport services with publicized service standards; 3) The right to safe AND SUFkCIENT INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THOSE who walk or cycle and for persons with disabilities; 4) The right to a fair share of public road space and to its utilization in a manner that will deliver the GREATEST SOCIO ECONOMIC BENEkT The right to safe, clean, well-located and appropriately-sized transportation stops, stations and terminals; 6) The right to breathe clean air; 7) The right to timely and accurate information on transport services, roads and PATHS TO ENABLE EFkCIENT NAVIGATION around any urban area; 8) The right to extraordinary care and attention in case of transport service breakdowns; 9) The right to receive compensation FOR DEkCIENCIES IN SERVICE AND The right to organize and petition authorities and to receive their prompt response when services are below standards or when commuters’ rights are not respected.

Strengthen metropolitan authorities — Mobility improvements in Philippine metropolitan areas require strong coordination among local government units and clear accountability for transportation outcomes. Both of these are missing — and the results are experienced by all.

National agencies make many of the crucial decisions, but have a much larger mandate and output targets than just the welfare of commuters in Metro Manila or Metro Cebu. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) cannot be expected to give constant attention to the biggest urban centers in the country. They have the rest of the country to worry about. Yet, these two agenCIES HAVE THE LARGEST INlUENCE ON THE mobility of urban residents.

Although the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is tasked with administration of the meTROPOLIS ITS INlUENCE ON MOBILITY HAS BEEN LIMITED TO ITS TRAFkC MANAGEMENT function, which it shares with its 16 cities and 1 municipality. And MMDA has been starved of funding and other resources — MMDA’s annual budget

Service, said the tariff hike “further raises tensions� between the two countries. “While we believe that a trade deal will eventually be reached between the US and China, the risk of a complete breakdown in trade talks has certainly increased,�

Taylor said.

Tariffs increase The renewed tensions roiled global stock markets this week and unnerved exporters, though Chinese stocks closed sharply higher on Friday.

Liu said on his arrival in Washington that the prospects for the talks were “promising,� but warned that raising tariffs would be “harmful to both sides,� and called instead for cooperation. “I hope to engage in rational and candid exchanges with the US side,� he told Chinese state media. “Of course, China believes raising tariffs in the current situation is not a solution to the problem, but harmful to China, to the United States and to the whole world.�

The higher duty rates will hit a vast array of Chinese-made electrical equipment, machinery, auto parts and furniture.

But due to a quirk in the implementation of the higher tariffs, products already on ships headed for US ports before midnight will only pay the 10 percent rate, US Customs and Border Protection explained.

That could effectively provide a grace period for the sides to avert serious escalation. “While we are disappointed that Olongapo or Bacolod or General Santos, one should not have to complain to DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade.

Citizens should be able to complain to the mayor about transportation problems, as their counterparts do in cities all over the world.

An amendment to the local government code should 1) make transportation planning and management among the core functions of a local government; and 2) direct local governments to establish and capacitate LGU transportation divisions to handle this new function.

Recognizing that these capacities are generally non-existent among LGUs, DOTr and DILG will need to support major training and capacity building activities.

National Building Code — The National Building Code is being updated (possibly re-named as the Philippine Building Code). This is the right time to align the new code with key principles of the National Transport Policy: a) prioritizing EFkCIENT AND SUSTAINABLE MEANS OF mobility—public transport and active transport (walking and cycling); b) focusing on people-mobility over vehicle-mobility; and c) reducing congestion by attracting car users to shift to public transport.

The new code should also support technical standards for designing public space and for ensuring that roads are used in a socially-desirable, economically-efficient and environmentally-sustainable manner.

Roads should move from being “caroriented� to being “people-oriented.�

The new building code (and any implementing rules) should remove references to mandatory parking requirements (so-called parking minimums) for buildings and commercial establishments. Such rules (which link the number of required parking spaces to the proposed area and use of the building) have unNECESSARILY INlATED BUILDING COSTS

attracted further car use in congested city centers, AND EXACERBATED TRAFkC congestion and pollution.

Many progressive cities (e.g.,Portland, Mexico City, Houston, San Diego, Minneapolis) have already eliminated parking minimums, leaving decisions about parking in the hands of property owners. This enables developers to make decisions on parking that match the needs of their neighborhoods. Instead of building an excessive number of parking spaces, some developers may choose to allocate space for bike racks or to support public transportation

the stakes have been raised, we nevertheless support the ongoing effort by both sides to reach agreement on a strong, enforceable deal that resolves the fundamental, structural issues our members have long faced in China,� said business lobby the American Chamber of Commerce in China.

The US is pressing China to change its policies on protections for intellectual property, massive subsidies for stateowned firms, and reduce the yawning trade deficit.

Derek Scissors, a China expert at the American Enterprise Institute, said the two sides had clashed OVER HOW MUCH OF THE kNAL TRADE agreement should be enshrined in a public document, something Beijing has long resisted. “What the Chinese step-back primarily says is they don’t want to publicly acknowledge that their existing laws, especially on IP, are lAWED u HE TOLD !&0 Washington is counting on the strong US economy to be able to withstand the impact of higher costs from the import duties and retaliation better than China, which has seen its growth slow.

While American companies complain of lost export markets, disrupted supply chains and higher costs, the US continues to see steady growth and falling unemployment.

A Chinese central bank advisor told state-run Financial News that Trump’s tariff hike and Chinese retaliation would lower economic growth by 0.3 percentage points.

It is “within a controllable range,� the advisor Ma Jun said.

AFP

(for example, in the form of on-site terminals or bus stops), which can attract customers to their property WITHOUT ADDING TO TRAFkC CONGESTION Amendments to the Public Service Act — The current law is now over 80 years old and needs updating.

It was designed for an era when transportation services were based entirely on private interest and initiative. In today’s context where mobility is a basic need, private initiative is no LONGER SUFkCIENT 4HE GOVERNMENT needs to ensure that mobility requirements of the citizenry are met.

The law should welcome different approaches for meeting the rising demand for public transport services.

An amendment to the Public Service Act should permit local governments to be owners or managers of a transportation service — for example, with government collecting fare revenues and paying private transport operators to provide services on a fee-per-kilometer basis with incentives and penalties based on performance. This model, which has been successfully implemented in cities like London and Singapore, could also be applied in Philippine cities under the proper legal framework.

No vehicle registration without proof of private parking space — 3EVERAL BILLS HAVE ALREADY BEEN kLED in support of this policy. Without a private parking space, a private car would only take up valuable public road space (or sidewalk space) as parking, an illegal appropriation of a public asset. In other countries, similar laws on car registration include a system for mapping all private parking spaces IN EVERY BARANGAY ASSIGNING A SPECIkC code to each parking space, and then assigning each car during registration TO A SPECIkC PRIVATE PARKING SPACE ON the map. This system helps to ensure that one parking space is not used to register multiple vehicles.

These important legislative reforms can be achieved within this administration, deliver substantial BENEkTS TO WEARY COMMUTERS AND form part of the legacy of President Duterte. They are as important, if not more important, than the many good infrastructure projects under the “Build, Build, Buildâ€? program. It would be great if these legislative proPOSALS COULD BE CERTIkED AS @5RGENT Ăœ

Robert Y. Siy is a development economist, city and regional planner, and public transport advocate. He can be reached at mobilitymatters.ph@ yahoo.com or followed on Twitter @RobertRsiy

LISTED Phoenix Petroleum Philippines Inc. booked a net income of P414.7 million in the first three months of the year on the back of higher excise taxes. In a disclosure on Friday, the Dennis Uy-led company said its revenues climbed by 33 percent to P24.093 billion from P18.1 billion in 2018. Overall sales volume grew by 33 percent year-on-year, which the oil firm called “an  all-time quarterly high.� Operating income climbed by 27 percent to P1.021 billion and operating expenses tumbled by 4 percent in January to March. Phoenix Petroleum shares added 12 centavos or 1 percent to close at P12.10 apiece on Friday.

JORDEENE B. LAGARE

FIRST GEN EARNINGS SOAR 118% IN JAN-MARCH

FIRST Gen Corp. booked a consolidated net income of $117.3 million in the first three months of 2019, a 118.12-percent increase from $53.8 million in the same period a year ago. In a disclosure on Friday, the Lopez-led firm said its net income attributable to equity holders hit $81 million, up 104 percent from $40 million in 2018. It attributed the earnings to the “higher electricity sales of its natural gas, geothermal and hydro platforms; foreign-exchange gains; and lower deferred income taxes.� Recurring attributable net income of the parent hit $77 million, 28 percent higher than $60 million year-on-year.

Consolidated revenues from the sale of electricity increased by 14 percent to $534 million in the quarter from $470 million, with the firm’s natural gas portfolio accounting for $328 million, or 61 percent, of the total. First Gen shares fell by 10 centavos or 0.48 percent to close at P20.75 each on Friday.

JORDEENE B. LAGARE

PHILSEVEN Q1 PROFIT DOWN 41.1% TO P112.2M

PHILIPPINE Seven Corp. (PhilSeven) saw its net income drop by 41.1 percent to P112.2 million in the first quarter of 2019 from P190.5 in the same period last year. In a disclosure, the operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores in the country said it had adopted the new International Financial Reporting Standards on Leases at the start of the year and weighed down on profitability by reducing net income and earnings per share. Before these standards, PhilSeven would have posted earnings of P282.6 million, a 48.3-percent increase from last year’s figure, it added.

During the period, systemwide sales grew by 18 percent to P12.5 billion from P10.6 billion a year earlier. It attributed the growth to a 6.8-percent increase in same-store sales and higher number of operating stores. PhilSeven currently operates 2,593 stores: 1,995 in Luzon, 370 in the Visayas and 228 in Mindanao. PhilSeven shares lost P1 or 0.88 percent to end at P113 each on Friday. EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ

JG SUMMIT ALLOTS $50M FOR VENTURE CAPITAL BUSINESS

GOKONGWEI-led JG Summit Holdings Inc. has earmarked $50 million, or roughly P2.61 billion, to invest in startups that have synergies with its businesses. In a statement on Friday, the listed conglomerate said its subsidiary JG Digital Equity Ventures (JG DEV) would manage the venture capital operations and invest in companies related to consumer, retail and financial services. JG DEV has already invested $40 million or P2.09 billion in technology startups, including SEA Limited, which operates Garena and Shopee; and Oriente, a digital lender operating in the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. It will also build digital businesses in-house and enter into joint ventures that play off its Philippine ecosystem, which includes Cebu Air Inc., Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc., Universal Robina Corp. and Robinsons Land Corp. JG Summit shares inched up by 80 centavos or 1.32 percent to finish at P61.50 apiece on Friday.

ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

MPTC HOPES EXPRESSWAY PROJECT WILL FACE SWISS CHALLENGE IN Q3

METRO Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) is hoping that its P22.43-billion Cavite-TagaytayBatangas Expressway project would enter the Swiss challenge stage by the third quarter, its top official said. According to MPTC President Rodrigo E. Franco, the Pangilinan-led tollway operator expects to post progress in the second quarter, almost a year after it bagged original proponent status for the project from the Department of Public Works and Highways. “It’s already May, and hopefully [by the] second quarter it will be cleared for Swiss challenge so we can do [that] by the third quarter [or] at the latest fourth quarter,� he told reporters in a recent roundtable.Proposed to the government in July 2017, the expressway would span approximately 50.31 kilometers, with a two-by-two lane expressway connecting Cavite and Batangas provinces, with a spur road to Tagaytay City in Cavite and another one to Tuy town in Batangas. LISBET K. ESMAEL

Q SOAR FROM B1

Rediscount capital (5.96 percent) and housing loans (0.07 percent).

4HE REST WERE CLASSIkED AS COMmercial credits at 35.09 percent, with loans for importation taking up 27.23 percent and trading of goods accounting for 7.86 percent.

Rediscounting is a privilege given by THE CENTRAL BANK TO LENDERS QUALIkED TO obtain loans or advances using eligible borrowers’ papers as collateral.

Under the rediscount window, a bank wanting to liquidate outstanding client loans can run to the Bangko Sentral to swap these for cash at a discount.

The BSP also said it had set rediscounted rates for May. For loans under the peso redis-

Q EURO FROM B1

PH raises bonds to tighten at EUR Midswaps +70 bps (basis points) after being revised twice from an initial pricing guidance of EUR Midswaps+90-100 bps area,� the Treasury said in a separate statement.

Transactions are expected to be settled on May 17.

The issuance has been assigned investment-grade ratings of “BBB� and “Baa2� by S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service, respectively.

Proceeds will be used for general government purposes, including budgetary support. “This successful transaction is a testament to the international investor community’s vote of CONkDENCE IN THE COUNTRY S STRONG macroeconomic fundamentals and sustained high growth prospects despite global financial headwinds,� Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd said.

De Leon, meanwhile, pointed out that the transaction allowed the government to diversify its funding program to support productive spending for infrastructure and social services.

count facility, rates were pegged at 5.0625 percent per annum for loans with a maturity of one to 90 days and 5.1250 percent for loans with a maturity of 91 to 180 days.

Banks, meanwhile, did not tap the Exporters Dollar and Yen Rediscount Facility (EDYFR) for the period.

For May, EDYRF rates were set as follows: For 1-90 days maturity, 4.57563 percent per annum for the US dollar and 1.93500 percent for the yen; 91-180 days, 4.63813 percent for the dollar and 1.99750 percent for the yen; and 181-360 days, 4.70063 percent for the dollar and 2.06000 percent for the yen.

The rates “are based on the 90-day London Inter-Bank Offered Rate as of 30 April 2019 plus 200 basis points plus term premia,� the Bangko Sentral said.

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO “There was good reception from high-quality and real-money investors, especially from Europe, despite lowerthan-expected GDP (gross domestic PRODUCT kGURES AND ONGOING TENSIONS between US and China,� she added.

The Philippine economy recorded A kRST QUARTER '$0 GROWTH RATE OF 5.6 percent, a slowdown from last year’s 6.5 percent and below the government’s 6.0-to-7.0 percent downwardly revised target for 2019.

By geographical allocation, 24 percent of the bonds were allocated to Germany, 15 percent to Italy, 10 percent to the United Kingdom, 26 percent to the rest of Europe, 9 percent to the US, 6 percent to the Philippines, 5 percent to the rest of Asia, and another 5 percent to other countries.

In terms of investor type, 59 percent went to fund managers; 24 percent, banks and corporates; 11 percent, insurance, pension funds AND OFkCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND THE REST

other types of investors.

Deutsche Bank and UBS were the transaction’s joint global coordinators, while BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse and Standard Chartered Bank were the joint bookrunners.

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

Green Industries

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

B5

Editor: Conrad M. CariĂąo

Solar energy seen as main future power source

BY TYRONE C. PIAD

Q AboitizPower’s hydro business unit, Hedcor, distributed tumblers to employees in line with its campaign to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of polyethylene terephthalate plastics within company premises.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

AboitizPower bans PET bottles HEDCOR, a pioneering company in the renewable energy industry, continues to raise the bar on the sustainable production of electricity by adopting the “Break Up with Single-use Plastics� initiative.

Wilfredo Rodolfo 3rd of Aboitiz Power Corp.’s branding and communication said Hedcor was the kRST !BOITIZ0OWER BUSINESS UNIT TO launch a campaign that prohibits the use of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. “PET bottles are prohibited across ALL OUR OFkCES AND FACILITIES NATIONwide, as well as during company activities. Instead, employees were given free tumblers to encourage them to support the said campaign,� he said.

Carlos Aboitiz, Hedcor president AND CHIEF OPERATING OFkCER SAID THE Hedcor team believes that they are stewards of the environment and the well-being of future generations. “This responsibility does end at our renewable energy production lines and our effort to eliminate PET bottles from our work life is a commitment to extending this role as stewards to all facets of our lives IN THE OFkCE AND HOPEFULLY TO OUR LIVES OUTSIDE OF THE OFkCE AS WELL u Aboitiz said.

He added the success of their “No PETs Allowed� effort had driven Hedcor’s environmental management team to push the campaign further, adopting the Break Up with Single-use Plastics initiative that was gaining support globally.

Anchored in the message “if you can’t reuse it, refuse it,� Carlos said

their campaign aimed to minimize and eventually eliminate the use and purchase of single-use plastics within the company.

Darlene Arguelles, Hedcor Corporate and Regulatory Affairs vice president, said prohibiting the use of PET bottles was their first step to materialize their campaign, among others. “We also encourage each team member to switch to ecobags, bring reusable lunch bags and containers, and to patronize package-free products,� Arguelles said.

Rodolfo said Hedcor had been actively involved in environmental and sustainability initiatives in line with its promise of delivering power reliably, responsibly, and at a reasonable cost. “As a renewable energy company, we are driven to take care of the environment while doing business,� he said.

He said Hedcor had planted more than 2.8 million seedlings as of 2018 through its tree planting activities.

Eco-market Day is another of Hedcor’s notable initiative, wherein EMPLOYEES VISIT FAR lUNG barangay (villages) in its host localities to encourage residents to follow proper waste management and, at the same time, earn income from selling recyclable materials.

Hedcor is a wholly owned subsidiary of AboitizPower that operates 21 run-of-river hydropower facilities across the country with a total installed capacity of 258 megawatts.

LEANDER C. DOMINGO

S

OLAR energy is the future of power sector, the Renewable Energy Association of the Philippines (REAP) said, enticing German kRMS TO INVEST ON SOLAR ROOFTOPS AND MICROGRID plants. “Renewable energy is part of THE WHOLE ENERGY EFkCIENCY VALUE chain. It is worth looking into what we can invest on in employing these different technologies,� REAP President Erel Narida said during an event hosted by German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) in Makati City on Tuesday.

Narida said that Luzon was at PERCENT ELECTRIkCATION LEVEL according to latest data, which means that the island group is now

“looking for savings� in terms of energy consumption.

Installation of solar rooftops is seen as a long-term cheap alternative energy source, Narida said, citing a report that it would comprise one-third of the all solar energy kXTURES IN THE 0HILIPPINES BY from increasing popularity.

He also noted that, according TO A .ORTH #AROLINA BASED kRM research, the total solar energy generation capacity of the country was targeted to reach 8,700 mega-

watts in 12 years. .ARIDA SAID 'ERMAN kRMS COULD also look into incorporating generator to energy management system of solar power plants, in addition to energy storage systems.

Apart from solar rooftops, Narida said there were also opportunities in developing renewable energy source based on island electrification through hybrid micro-grid plants.

Hybrid plants, which are run by solar energy and diesel, are available in 1,792 islands with capacity ranging from 100 kilowatts (KW) to 400 KW, he added.

He stressed, however, that microgrids were not limited to solar power only, other available resources, such as hydro energy, could be utilized as well.

Recently, Narida said that a

900-KW Wind power microgrid in Romblon island not only supplies power to households but also caters to charging batteries of electric vehicles there. There are currently 16 charging stations, he added.

GPCCI Executive Director Martin Henkelmann is “positive� the renewable energy sector in the Philippines is bullish with opportunities. “We have a delegation of seven companies of which most of them are not yet in the Philippines. They are looking for partners and corporations here,�

Henkelmann told reporters on the sidelines of the event. “Investment decisions take some time, so if they have good meetings might not be realized this year, but in the beginning next year,� he added.

THE TRUTH BEHIND COASTAL CLEANUPS TO say that the planet had a waste problem is an understatement. In the country alone, we experience the catastrophic effects of our mismanaged wastes. Mounds of trash wash up on our shores after every typhoon, while plastics and other nonbiodegradable garbage block our drainage systems that cause massive flooding. Convenient, low cost and durable plastics were a wonder material introduced in the 20th century. Despite its short-term benefits, however, plastics take centuries to break down and they remain in our environment for much longer than their intended use.

Larger items break apart into tiny bits and pieces called microplastics until they become small enough for many wildlife to mistake them for food. Often colorful and tempting, many marine and bird species mistake plastic for food and end up starving to death with a fake full stomach. It is with increasing concern that many of the fish that we now eat may also contain plastics and its toxins.

Recently, an endangered pawikan, or sea turtle, was found dead in Quezon province with plastic waste lodged inside its throat. According to a 2018 report by the Ocean Conservancy, plastic pollution in our marine ecosystem not only choke

Q Haribon Foundation conducts coastal clean-up activities year-round at the Las PiĂąas-ParaĂąaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area, which is considered the last mangrove refuge in Manila Bay. HARIBON PHOTO and entangle sea life, but is also linked with disease among coral reefs.Â

How do coastal cleanups help?

Different sectors such as the government, non-profit organizations and other entities carry out programs to help curb the impact of our waste problem.

But with tons of garbage polluting our oceans, do coastal clean-ups by individu-

als make a difference?

At the root of the waste problem is the lack of public awareness. This is where coastal cleanups come in as it gives the regular student or working professional the opportunity to see first-hand the trash that washes up in our oceans, igniting consciousness and action towards daily consumption and waste segregation. Seeing hundreds of plastic straws along the shores would hopefully encourage the use of other alternatives, or not using straws

at all. Collecting different generations of shampoo sachets in one bag would hopefully push individuals to buy bigger bottles to reduce waste, while recording unusual items like luggage or foam mattresses brings the importance of reusing and not easily disposing of our stuff. Haribon Foundation conducts coastal clean-up activities year-round at the Las Piùas-Paraùaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area, which is considered as the last mangrove refuge in Manila Bay and is an important stopover for migrating birds coming in the months of October to March.  Coastal cleanup drives intend to bring people closer to the waste problem in order to stem it at the source. More than physically helping reduce trash that litter our coastlines, it aspires to instill change in personal habits.  By influencing the use of less residuals by consumers, demand for them will also drop and cause industries to find alternatives.

Change starts with the individual and small continued acts could create a ripple effect. To organize a coastal cleanup activity for your group or company, send an e-mail to partnerships@haribon.org.ph or call (02) 421 1209.

STEPHANIE LIM AND JOSEPH SENGA

Seas are rising, cities are sinking First of three parts

T

HIS series — “Seas are rising, cities are sinking� — that will run for the remaining Saturdays of May, is dedicated to the “Month of the Ocean� celebrated annually during this month by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 57, Series of 1999.

Over a week ago, I had the opportunity to visit and see the TWELVE RECYCLED POLYkBER RESIN sculpture five-footer sentinels at Plaza de Roma in front of the Manila Cathedral, and a hundred half-heads at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Gallery, both within the Walled City of Intramuros, which showcases the one-man visual art exhibition of Vincent Padilla.

Titled “Romancing the Inevitable,� in its Facebook post, “the head represents the outcome of climate change, and the future landscape of lowlying cities (and communities) around the world.� “This exhibition is meant not only to frighten the viewers but also to enlighten them about the Earth’s future if we don’t change our ways,� said Padilla in an interview with a national paper.

Visually, it is indeed a satirical way of glimpsing the Earth’s future scenery.

We know that seas are rising, causing dangerous flooding.

Why is this happening? What can we do to address this?

Rising sea level, defined Sea level (also called mean sea level), according to the UK National Oceanography Cen-

ALL ABOUT CHOICES LUDWIG O. FEDERIGAN tee, “is an average level of the surface of one or more of Earth’s oceans from which heights such as elevation may be measured.�

The UK National Oceanography #ENTER IS A SCIENTIkC RESEARCH CENTER that focuses on oceanography encompassing global sea levels and geodesy, numerical modeling of continental shelf seas and coastal sediment processes and the world’s leading center in tidal prediction including Earth tides and storm surges.

More so, sea level is one of the seven state-of-the-climate indicators it used for tracking climate variability and change at global level aside from surface temperature, ocean heat content, atmospheric carbon dioxide, ocean ACIDIkCATION GLACIER MASS BALANCE and Arctic and Antarctica sea-ice extent (WMO Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2018, March 2019).

Rising sea level is caused primarily by two factors related to global warming: • Expansion of seawater as it warms — when water heats up, it expands. More than 90 percent of the energy trapped by greenhouse gases goes into the oceans that drives ocean heat content to rise steadily. The year 2018 set new records for ocean heat content exceeding previous records set in 2017 (WMO Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2018, March 2019). • Melting ice sheets and glaciers

— mountain glaciers naturally melt each summer. However, recently, constant higher temperatures caused by global warming led to greaterthan-average summer melting that creates an imbalance between runoff and ocean evaporation, hence, causing sea levels to rise. Just like in mountain glaciers, increased heat causes the massive ice sheets covering Greenland and Antarctica to melt more quickly. Greenland represents a major contributor to current and projected sea level rise through surface runoff and calving (Arctic Report Card 2018).

Rising temperatures, rising seas According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius (C ), at 1.5 C global warming, projections of sea level rise, relative to 1986 to 2005, indicate from 0.26 meter to 0.77 meter by 2100 and would continue beyond 2100. Also, increasing warming amplifies the exposure of small islands and lowlying coastal areas. Furthermore, the report added that sea level rise would continue beyond 2100 even if global warming is limited to 1 C in the 21st century. Marine ice sheet instability in Antarctica and/or irreversible loss of the Greenland ice sheet could result in multi-meter rise in sea level over hundreds to thousands of years. These instabilities could be triggered around 1.5 C to 2 C of global warming.

If current trajectory continues, another analysis based on NASA and European data showed toward the higher end of that range, predicting a rise of 0.65 meter by the end of this century.

While sea levels are projected to rise fast in the coming decades, with profound implications for virtually every coastal nation in the world, its rise would vary regionally and locally. However, from competing predictions of future global temperatures, scientists are unsure exactly how fast or high sea levels would rise. But they all agree on its principle impacts: submergence and lOODING OF COASTAL LAND SALTWATER intrusion into surface waters and groundwater, increased erosion, and overwhelmingly negative social and economic repercussions. They are also emphatic that these effects would be widespread and would accelerate with time (Robert Muggah, January 2019).

A research study published by Climate Central Research Group in November 2015 titled “Mapping Choices: Carbon, Climate, and Rising Seas — Our Global Legacy� revealed that carbon emissions of 1 C global warming would be locked in a median of 2.90 meters of global mean sea level rise, which would submerge lands home to 137 million people. Increase of carbon emissions to 2 C global warming could increase the numbers to median of 4.70 meters of sea level rise and 417 million people affected.

A leading expert on sea level rise and director of the University of Miami’s Geological Sciences Department, Harold Wanless, who have studied the rate at which the oceans have risen and retreated over millennia, feared that a variety of feedback loops would contribute to a dramatic increase in sea level in the coming decades. “My work on ancient climate shows we have these rapid pulses of rise that are rather dramatic, up to 10 meters of sea level rise certainly within a

century, and that’s a really rapid disintegration of ice,� Wanless said in a recent interview. “We’re just seeing the beginning of ice melt and the beginning of the warming of the waters reaching up to the Arctic, in what is most certainly going to be the beginning of one of these rapid pulses.� Wanless believes the evidence is clear that we’ve already reached a tipping point when it comes to the cascading impacts of climate change on sea level rise (David Knowles, April 2019).

The global assessment report of the Intergovernmental SciencePolicy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), released on May 6, 2019, revealed that island nations — in particular IN %AST !SIA AND THE 0ACIkC REGION — would be most vulnerable to sea level rise as projected by all climate change scenarios displacing close to 40 million people.

Climate Change Commission, in its executive brief titled “Climate change and the Philippines,� published in 2018, reported that the observed sea level rise is remarkably highest at 0.60 meter that is about three times that of the global average of 0.19 meter. Furthermore, it showed that this puts at risk 60 percent of local government units covering 64 coastal provinces, 822 coastal municipalities, 25 major coastal cities and an estimated 13.60 million Filipinos who would need relocation.

Sea level rise threatens significant damage to property _ not only homes and businesses but also public assets and critical infrastructure. Research suggests that economic impacts are highly concentrated geographically, where sea level vulnerabilities interact with high-value property

and infrastructure.

In the book “The Water Will Come,� rated as one of The New York Times Critics’ Top Book of 2017, renowned investigative journalist and author Jeff Goodell runs through just few of the monuments — indeed, in some cases, whole cultures — that would be transformed into underwater relics, like sunken ships, this century — any beach you’ve ever visited; Facebook’s headquarters in the United States; the entire nations of the Maldives and the Marshall Islands; most of Bangladesh, including all of the mangrove forests that have been the kingdom of Bengal tigers for millennia; and Saint Mark’s Basilica in Venice, today nearly a thousand years old, and many others. And this is just a partial list. “If no significant action is taken to curb emissions, one estimate of global damages is as high as $100 trillion per year by 2100.

That is more than global gross domestic product (GDP) today.

Most estimates are a bit lower: $14 trillion a year, still almost a kFTH OF PRESENT DAY '$0 u SAID David Wallace-Wells in his new book “The Uninhabitable Plant: Life After Warming.�

Next week we will discuss the vulnerability of Metro Manila and other areas.

N N N I would like to publicly express my sincerest gratitude to Rodrigo Magat, a fellow Climate Reality Leader and consultant of the Intramuros Administration, for his gracious hospitality during my visit to the one-man visual art exhibition “Romancing the inevitable� on May 3, 2019.

B6

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

World

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

NKorea fires more nuke missiles S

EOUL, South Korea: The United States and South Korean militaries evaluated the two PROJECTILES .ORTH +OREA lEW ON 4HURSDAY AS SHORT RANGE NUCLEAR MISSILES A DAY AFTER THE .ORTH S SECOND LAUNCH IN kVE DAYS RAISED JITTERS about an unravelling detente between the Koreas AND THE FUTURE OF NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN 7ASHINGTON AND 0YONGYANG

4HE WEAPONS lEW KILOMETERS MILES AND KILOMETERS MILES RESPECTIVELY ON AN APOGEE OF TO KILOMETERS TO MILES ACCORDING TO 3EOUL S *OINT #HIEFS OF 3TAFF AND $EFENSE -INISTRY 4HE LAUNCHES WERE SEEN AS 0YONGYANG S BRUSHBACK PITCH TOWARD 7ASHINGTON OVER DEADLOCKED NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS AS THEY CON-

TINUE TO STRUGGLE WITH MISMATCHED DEMANDS IN SANCTIONS RELIEF AND DISARMAMENT .ORTH +OREA S STATE RUN +OREAN #ENTRAL .EWS !GENCY SAID &RIDAY THAT LEADER +IM *ONG 5N HELPED GUIDE THE WEAPONS TESTS ON 4HURSDAY AND LEARNED ABOUT gVARIOUS LONG RANGE STRIKE MEANS u BUT THE STATEMENT FROM THE PROPAGANDA SERVICES DIDN T SPECIFY THE TYPE OF

MISSILES kRED 0YONGYANG S OFkCIAL 2ODONG 3INMUN NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED PHOTOS THAT SHOWED +IM EQUIPPED WITH BINOCULARS AND SMILING WIDELY

OBSERVING THE kRING OF ROCKET ARTILLERY AND WHAT APPEARED TO BE A SHORT RANGE BALLISTIC MISSILE kRED FROM A LAUNCH VEHICLE %XPERTS SAY THE MISSILE WAS IDENTICAL TO THE ONE THE .ORTH LAUNCHED ON 3ATURDAY WHICH APPEARED TO BE A SOLID FUEL MISSILE MODELED AFTER 2USSIA S )SKANDER SHORT RANGE BALLISTIC MISSILE SYSTEM 4HE 2ODONG 3INMUN PHOTOS SHOWED THE .ORTH USED A TRACKED LAUNCH VEHICLE ON 4HURSDAY UNLIKE 3ATURDAY WHEN IT USED A WHEELED VEHICLE 3OME ANALYSTS SAY THAT THE NEW MISSILE WOULD BE POTENTIALLY CAPABLE OF DELIVERING WARHEADS AND STRIKING

TARGETS WITHIN THE ENTIRE +OREAN 0ENINSULA CONSIDERING THE RANGE AND CAPABILITIES OF THE )SKANDER AND .ORTH +OREA S RECENT ADVANCEMENTS IN MISSILE TECHNOLOGY 4HE 3OUTH +OREAN MILITARY OFkCIAL SAID THE 3OUTH +OREAN AND 53 MILITARIES ARE JOINTLY ANALYZING MORE DETAILS FROM THE LAUNCH INCLUDING WHETHER THE MISSILES kRED ON 4HURSDAY WERE THE SAME WEAPONS THE .ORTH TESTED ON 3ATURDAY (E DIDN T WANT TO BE NAMED CITING OFkCE RULES 7HAT WAS LAUNCHED ON 4HURSDAY IS A CRUCIAL DETAIL AS .ORTH +OREA IS BANNED BY THE 5NITED .ATIONS FROM TESTING BALLISTIC MISSILES !

MAJOR MISSILE TEST COULD RESULT IN MORE SANCTIONS AND THE .ORTH S SO FAR UNSUCCESSFUL PUSH FOR LARGE SCALE SANCTIONS RELIEF IS AT THE HEART

OF THE CURRENT DIPLOMATIC IMPASSE WITH 7ASHINGTON 3OUTH +OREA S MILITARY INITIALLY SAID 4HURSDAY THAT AT LEAST ONE PROJECTILE WAS LAUNCHED FROM THE 3INO RI AREA OF .ORTH 0YONGAN PROVINCE AN AREA KNOWN TO HAVE ONE OF .ORTH +OREA S OLDEST MISSILE BASES WHERE A BRIGADE OPERATES MID RANGE 2ODONG MISSILES )T LATER SAID THERE WERE TWO LAUNCHES FROM THE NEARBY TOWN OF +USONG WHERE .ORTH +OREA CONDUCTED ITS FIRST SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT TESTS OF ITS (WASONG INTERMEDIATE RANGE MISSILE AND (WASONG INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE BOTH IN )N RELATED DEVELOPMENT 53 0RESIDENT $ONALD 4RUMP SAID 53 AUTHORITIES WERE LOOKING gVERY SERIOUSLYu AT THE LAUNCH OF THE

gSHORT RANGE MISSILES u g.OBODY S HAPPY ABOUT IT u HE TOLD REPORTERS g7E LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS u HE ADDED g) KNOW THEY WANT TO NEGOTIATE

THEY RE TALKING ABOUT NEGOTIATING "UT ) DON T THINK THEY ARE READY TO NEGOTIATE u 4HURSDAY S LAUNCHES CAME HOURS AFTER THE 53 3PECIAL 2EPRESENTATIVE ON .ORTH +OREA 3TEPHEN "IEGUN

ARRIVED IN 3EOUL FOR TALKS WITH 3OUTH +OREAN OFkCIALS IN HIS kRST VISIT SINCE THE (ANOI SUMMIT .ORTH +OREA S 2ODONG 3INMUN NEWSPAPER THE MOUTHPIECE OF THE RULING PARTY DEVOTED ITS ENTIRE FRONT PAGE AND HALF OF PAGE TWO TO THE LAUNCH ON &RIDAY WITH PICTURES THE MAIN ONE OF +IM WATCHING THE LAUNCH FROM A CAMOUlAGED SHELTER AP/AFP

China investigates toxic chemical leak

DEADLY Syrian fighters from the Turkish-backed

Hamza faction fire a missile from Syria’s rebel-held Aleppo province toward regime-held areas. AFP PHOTO

8 killed, 12 hurt in Baghdad suicide bombing %)'(4 PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND OTHER INJURED ON 4HURSDAY IN A SUICIDE BOMB ATTACK AT A MARKETPLACE IN 3ADR #ITY NEIGHBORHOOD IN EASTERN THE )RAQI CAPITAL "AGHDAD A POLICE SOURCE TOLD 8INHUA 4HE INCIDENT OCCURRED IN THE EVENING WHEN A SUICIDE BOMBER DETONATED HIS EXPLOSIVE VEST AT *AMILA POPULAR MARKET IN 3ADR #ITY NEIGHBORHOOD )HSAN !LI FROM "AGHDAD POLICE SAID g4HE LATEST REPORTS SAID THAT EIGHT

PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND OTHERS WOUNDED BY THE BLAST OF THE SUICIDE BOMBER IN 3ADR #ITY u !LI SAID 4HE BLAST DESTROYED SEVERAL NEARBY STALLS AND SHOPS IN THE CROWDED *AMILA MARKET !LI ADDED 4HE ATTACK TOOK PLACE AT RUSH TIME IN THE EVENING JUST AFTER )FTAR MEAL OR THE BREAK OF THE DAYLIGHT FASTING IN HOLY MONTH OF 2AMADAN )RAQI SECURITY FORCES SEALED OFF THE AREA AND PREVENTED PEOPLE FROM APPROACHING THE SCENE WHILE

AMBULANCES WERE MOVING TO EVACUATE THE VICTIMS "AGHDAD /PERATIONS #OMMAND WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SECURITY OF "AGHDAD CONkRMED THE ATTACK IN A STATEMENT WITHOUT GIVING FURTHER DETAILS .O GROUP HAS SO FAR CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ATTACK BUT THE )SLAMIC 3TATE )3 MILITANT GROUP IN MOST CASES IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH DEADLY SUICIDE ATTACKS TARGETING SECURITY FORCES AND AREAS WHERE CROWDS

OF PEOPLE GATHER INCLUDING MARKETS

CAFES AND MOSQUES ACROSS )RAQ 4HE SECURITY SITUATION IN )RAQ HAS BEEN IMPROVED SINCE )RAQI SECURITY FORCES FULLY DEFEATED THE EXTREMIST )3 MILITANTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY LATE IN 4HE )3 REMNANTS HOWEVER HAVE SINCE MELTED IN URBAN AREAS OR RESORTED TO DESERTS AND RUGGED AREAS CARRYING OUT FREQUENT GUERILLA ATTACKS AGAINST SECURITY FORCES AND CIVILIANS GLOBALTIMES

!54(/2)4)%3 IN .ORTH #HINA S 3HANXI 0ROVINCE ARE INVESTIGATING THE ALUMINUM MANUFACTURER AMID A CHEMICAL LIQUID LEAK SCANDAL AND RELOCATING RESIDENTS NEARBY 4HE GOVERNMENT OF *IAOKOU COUNTY 3HANXI 0ROVINCE ANNOUNCED ON 4HURSDAY THAT THEY HAVE ARRANGED TO HELP FAMILIES WHO HAD LIVED IN THE POLLUTED AREA MOVE OUT AND HAVE ORDERED THE ALUMINUM MANUFACTURER UNDER THE 8INFA 'ROUP TO SUSPEND PRODUCTION 4HE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME AFTER THE "EIJING .EWS REPORTED ON 7EDNESDAY THAT LOCAL VILLAGERS SINCE HAVE REPORTED ALKALI LIQUOR LEAKING FROM THE CRACKS IN THE RED MUD DAM WHICH IS RUN BY THE COMPANY ON THE ALUMINUM OXIDE PROJECT SEVERELY POLLUTING THE ENVIRONMENT AND SPARKING CONCERN OVER THE POSSIBILITY OF THE DAM BREAK 4HE "EIJING .EWS SAID ON 4UESDAY THE COMPANY PUT UP A FACTORY INCLUDING GAS STATIONS KILNS

BAUXITE AND LIMESTONE SILOS ALONG THE RIVER KILOMETERS AWAY FROM THE DAM 4HE REPORT SAID THE RED MUD CONTAINING ALUMINA WASTE IS TRANSPORTED BY THE PIPELINE FROM THE FACTORY TO THE DAM 4HE GOVERNMENT SAID THAT IT HAD ASKED A QUALITY ASSESSMENT DEPARTMENT TO EVALUATE THE DAM QUALITY INVESTIGATE THE CAUSES OF WATER SEEPAGE AND THE DEGREE OF THE ALUMINUM OXIDE LIQUEFACTION MONITOR WATER AND SOIL SAMPLES AND TAKE PREVENTIVE

MEASURES 2ESIDENTS NEAR THE FACTORY AND THE DAM ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE PUNGENT ODOR ,I 8IAOGANG

A LOCAL VILLAGER TOLD THE 'LOBAL 4IMES ON 4HURSDAY g-Y TWO CHILDREN GOT RASHES AND EASILY CAUGHT A COLD 4HEY WERE DIAGNOSED WITH LEAD POISONING AND STARTED TO RECEIVE MEDICATION LAST YEAR u SAID ,I ,I COULD NOT PROVIDE ANY HOSPITAL CERTIkCATE ,IU 9UEMIN ANOTHER RESIDENT WHO LIVES IN THE LOWER REACHES OF THE DAM TOLD THE 'LOBAL 4IMES THAT THERE WERE RASHES ON HIS HEAD AND HIS WIFE S FACE 4HEY HAVE HAD THIS SYMPTOM SINCE

AND IT IS GETTING WORSE EACH YEAR 2ESIDENTS TOLD THE 'LOBAL 4IMES ON 4HURSDAY THAT THE AUTHORITIES HAD PROMISED TO GIVE THEM RESETTLEMENT SUBSIDIES AND OTHER COMPENSATION DURING THE AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATION BUT THAT THEY STILL HAD CONCERNS OVER THE POLLUTION ,IU NOTED THAT THE COMPENSATION THE AUTHORITIES PROMISED WAS FAR FROM ENOUGH AND THEY DID NOT OFFER ANY PLACE TO SETTLE DOWN OR ARRANGE ANY MEDICAL EXAMINATION #HALLENGED BY THE SITUATION

THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROMISED TO LAUNCH A COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGN ACROSS THE COUNTY TO ELIMINATE SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF PEOPLE S LIVES AND PROPERTY SAID THE ANNOUNCEMENT GLOBAL TIMES

Modi boosts Indians as polls head to New Delhi

HOLY ACT

Yemeni Muslim children gather and read the holy Koran at the al-Kabir mosque in the old city of the capital Sanaa in observation of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. This year’s Ramadan started last May 6 and will end on June 4, 2019. AFP PHOTO

Singapore reports rare monkeypox virus SINGAPORE: 3INGAPORE HAS REPORTED ITS kRST EVER CASE OF MONKEYPOX BROUGHT IN BY A .IGERIAN MAN THOUGHT TO HAVE CONTRACTED THE RARE VIRUS BY EATING BUSHMEAT AT A WEDDING 3YMPTOMS IN HUMANS OF MONKEYPOX ‡ WHICH IS ENDEMIC IN PARTS OF #ENTRAL AND 7ESTERN !FRICA ‡ INCLUDE LESIONS FEVER MUSCLE ACHE AND CHILLS 4RANSMISSION IS USUALLY VIA CLOSE CONTACT WITH INFECTED ANIMALS SUCH

AS RODENTS AND MONKEYS AND IS LIMITED BETWEEN PEOPLE )T IS NOT NORMALLY FATAL BUT HAS BEEN IN RARE CASES 4HE MAN WHO BROUGHT IN THE VIRUS ARRIVED IN 3INGAPORE ON !PRIL THE CITY STATE S HEALTH MINISTRY -/( SAID IN A STATEMENT LATE 4HURSDAY 4HE YEAR OLD DEVELOPED SYMPTOMS TWO DAYS LATER AND IS CURRENTLY ISOLATED AT AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE CENTER IN A STABLE CONDITION THE MINISTRY SAID

!NOTHER INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD BEEN IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH THE MAN HAVE ALSO BEEN QUARANTINED AND WILL BE MONITORED FOR DAYS g7HILE RISK OF SPREAD IS LOW

-/( IS TAKING PRECAUTIONS u THE MINISTRY SAID /UTSIDE !FRICA HUMAN MONEYPOX INFECTIONS HAD ONLY BEEN PREVIOUSLY REPORTED IN THE 5NITED 3TATES "RITAIN AND )SRAEL ACCORDING TO THE 53 #ENTERS &OR $ISEASE

#ONTROL AND 0REVENTION 3INGAPORE A TINY BUT AFlUENT CITY STATE DEPENDENT ON EXTERNAL TRADE AND TOURISM HAS TOUGHENED MEASURES AGAINST INFECTIOUS DISEASES AFTER IT WAS HIT HARD BY THE SEVERE ACUTE REPISRATORY SYNDROME VIRUS OUTBREAK 4HE DISEASE KILLED PEOPLE IN 3INGAPORE INlICTED MAJOR LOSSES ON THE ECONOMY AND HIT THE NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL VISITORS AFP

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi kRED UP A BIG RAUCOUS RALLY IN A HOT $ELHI LATE 7EDNESDAY AS )NDIA S ALMOST SEVEN WEEK ELECTION APPROACHES ITS CONCLUSION LATER THIS MONTH g7HEN WORK IS DONE WITH GOOD INTENTIONS IT ALSO YIELDS RESULTS )NlATION USED TO BE ON A RISE

IT IS NOW UNDER CONTROL u -ODI TOLD THE CROWD OF SEVERAL TENS OF THOUSANDS g4HE POOR HAVE ACCESS TO HOUSES TOILETS ELECTRICITY AND ARE BEING GIVEN BENEkTS OF !YUSHMAN Bharat A FREE HEALTH SCHEME u THE RIGHT WINGER THUNDERED 4HE WORLD S BIGGEST ELECTION WITH MILLION VOTERS BEGAN ON !PRIL AND ON 3UNDAY IT WILL BE $ELHI S TURN TO CAST BALLOTS ON THE PENULTIMATE VOTING DAY OF SEVEN BEFORE THE EVENT ENDS ON -AY "EING THE CAPITAL THE HEAVILY POLLUTED METROPOLIS AND CITY STATE OF SOME MILLION PEOPLE IS A HARD FOUGHT AND IMPORTANT ELECTORAL PRIZE -ODI S "HARATIYA *ANATA 0ARTY "*0 WON ALL SEVEN $ELHI PARLIAMENTARY SEATS IN AND HOPES TO FEND OFF A MOUNTING CHALLENGE FROM THE #ONGRESS 0ARTY AND LOCAL UPSTART THE !AM !ADMI 0ARTY !!0

4HE !!0 FORMED ON AN ANTI CORRUPTION PLANK IN

STORMED TO POWER IN $ELHI IN STATE ELECTIONS IN UNDER ITS CHARISMATIC BUT POLARISING LEADER

!RVIND +EJRIWAL +EJRIWAL NOW $ELHI CHIEF MINISTER HAS SINCE ACCUSED -ODI S CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OF CONSTANTLY STOPPING OR DISRUPTING HIS CITY GOVERNMENT S KEY SCHEMES AND INITIATIVES "UT -ODI TOLD THE CROWD OF CHILDREN IN -ODI MASKS WOMEN IN SARIS AND YOUNG PARTY CADRES IN ORANGE "*0 HATS ‡ PLUS THE OCCASIONAL PERSON IN A (INDU DEITY COSTUME ‡ NOT TO BE FOOLED g0EOPLE OF $ELHI HAVE BEEN FOOLED BY A BUNCH OF NO GOODERS WHO PROMISED A NEW KIND OF POLITICS "UT THEY HAVE BECOME SYNONYMOUS WITH ANARCHY AND OBSTRUCTIONISM u THE (INDU NATIONALIST SAID g-ODI IS THE ONLY LEADER WHO THINKS ABOUT US (INDUS (E IS OUR PRIDE (E IS THE ONLY SAVIOUR OF (INDUS u "IBHA 3ANDWAR A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

TOLD !&0 g)F HE DOES NOT COME TO POWER

)NDIA WILL BECOME LIKE 0AKISTAN

ONLY -USLIMS WILL BE HEARD AND SEEN u 3ANDWAR SAID AT THE RALLY GROUNDS WHICH ADJOIN A LARGE MOSQUE

AFP

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

World

B7

Republicans quarrel over Trump Jr. subpoena WASHINGTON, D.C.: Republicans lashed out on Thursday (Friday in Manila) at fellow Republican Sen. Richard Burr for his committee’s subpoena of President Donald Trump’s son, a move that suggested the Russia investigation is not “case closed,� as some in the party insist. Trump said he was “very surprised� at the move.

The revolt by some against the Senate intelligence committee chairman comes after The Associated Press and other news outlets reported it had called in Donald Trump Jr. to answer questions about his 2017 testimony, as part of its probe into Russian election interference. The issue of recalling Trump’s son laid bare the conflict inside the president’s party over whether probes involving Russian election meddling are still merited.

It’s the first known subpoena of a member of Trump’s immediate family and a new sign that the Senate panel is continuing with its own two-year-long investigation, even after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report and Republican Senate Majority Leader

Mitch McConnell’s call from the Senate floor on Tuesday to move on. “This case is closed. The Mueller Report cleared @DonaldJTrumpJr and he’s already spent 27 hours testifying before Congress,� tweeted Burr’s fellow North Carolina Republican Senator, Thom Tillis, one of several GOP senators who criticized Burr. “It’s time to move on & start focusing on issues that matter to Americans.�

A source familiar with the committee’s deliberations said the subpoena went out “weeks ago� and all committee members were aware of it. The person, who requested anonymity to discuss the internal negotiations, said members had been regularly briefed on communications with Trump Jr. Burr wouldn’t comment on the subpoena or the backlash Thursday. But at a Republican policy lunch, he walked through the timeline of events that led to the committee’s decision, according to a person familiar with his comments who requested anonymity to discuss the private meeting. McConnell then stood up and defended him, saying he trusted Burr, according to the person.

AP

Russia continues defense build up

US deploys bombers over Iran threat

2533)! WILL CONTINUE ENHANCING ITS DEFENSE CAPABILITIES AND REMAINS OPEN TO COOPERATION WITH OTHER COUNTRIES IN kGHTING TERRORISM NEO .AZISM AND EXTREMISM

2USSIAN 0RESIDENT 6LADIMIR 0UTIN SAID ON 4HURSDAY g7E HAVE DONE AND WILL DO EVERYTHING NECESSARY TO ENSURE THE HIGH COMBAT CAPABILITY OF OUR !RMED &ORCES AND THE DEFENSE POTENTIAL OF THE MOST MODERN LEVEL u 0UTIN SAID IN A SPEECH PRIOR TO A MILITARY PARADE AT THE 2ED 3QUARE TO MARK THE TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VICTORY OVER .AZI 'ERMANY IN 7ORLD 7AR g7E WILL FURTHER STRENGTHEN THE PRESTIGE OF MILITARY SERVICE AND THE AUTHORITY OF SOLDIERS OFkCERS AND DEFENDERS OF THE &ATHERLAND u 0UTIN SAID (E SAID 2USSIA WAS OPEN TO COOPERATION WITH ALL COUNTRIES THAT ARE READY TO RESIST TERRORISM

NEO .AZISM AND EXTREMISM AS gCOLLECTIVE RESISTANCE TO DEADLY IDEAS IS AGAIN CRUCIAL u g7E CALL ON ALL COUNTRIES TO REALIZE OUR SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR CREATING AN EFFECTIVE EQUAL FOR ALL SECURITY SYSTEM u HE SAID 4HE 0RESIDENT ALSO SAID THAT 2USSIA WOULD RESOLUTELY DEFEND THE TRUE HEROES OF THE 'REAT 0ATRIOTIC 7AR AND ALLOWS NO DISTORTIONS ABOUT THE EVENT OR BETRAYALS OF THEIR ANCESTORS g/UR SACRED DUTY IS TO DEFEND TRUE HEROES 7E BOW TO ALL VETERANS OF THE WINNING GENERATION 7E WILL ALWAYS HONOR ALL OF YOU

GLORIFY THE 6ICTORY WHICH WAS AND REMAINS ONE FOR ALL u HE SAID 6ICTORY $AY IS ONE OF THE MOST CEREMONIOUS FESTIVALS IN 2USSIA

ON WHICH THE COUNTRY HOLDS LARGE SCALE MILITARY PARADES IN DIFFERENT CITIES INVOLVING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF TROOPS AS WELL AS ITS MOST ADVANCED WEAPONS AND MILITARY EQUIPMENT GLOBAL TIMES

ART’S VENUE

A Venezuelan street artist displays some of her finished work in a street in Bogota, Colombia. Many artists in Venezuela are illicitly working in the nearby Colombia due to lack of opportunities in their home country. AFP PHOTO

D

UBAI, United Arab Emirates: B-52 BOMBERS ORDERED BY THE 7HITE (OUSE TO DEPLOY TO THE 0ERSIAN 'ULF TO COUNTER UNSPECIkED THREATS FROM )RAN HAVE arrived at a major American air base in Qatar, THE 53 !IR &ORCE ACKNOWLEDGED &RIDAY )MAGES RELEASED BY THE 53 !IR &ORCE S #ENTRAL #OMMAND SHOW " ( 3TRATOFORTRESS BOMBERS ARRIVING AT !L 5DEID !IR "ASE IN 1ATAR ON 4HURSDAY NIGHT /THERS LANDED AT AN UNDIS-

CLOSED LOCATION IN gSOUTHWEST !SIA u THE !IR &ORCE SAID 4HE 53 MILITARY IN THE PAST HAS DESCRIBED ITS PRESENCE AT BOTH THE !L $HAFRA !IR "ASE IN THE 5NITED !RAB %MIRATES AND

!L 5DEID AS SOUTHWEST !SIA 4HE !IR &ORCE IDENTIFIED THE AIRCRAFT AS COMING FROM THE TH "OMB 3QUADRON OF "ARKSDALE !IR &ORCE "ASE IN ,OUISIANA /N 3UNDAY THE 7HITE (OUSE ANNOUNCED IT WOULD SEND THE 533 !BRAHAM ,INCOLN AIRCRAFT CARRIER STRIKE GROUP AND THE BOMBERS INTO THE 0ERSIAN 'ULF TO COUNTER 4EHRAN 4HE ,INCOLN ON 4HURSDAY PASSED THROUGH THE 3UEZ #ANAL ON ITS WAY TO THE 0ERSIAN 'ULF 4HE ADMINISTRATION OF 0RESIDENT $ONALD 4RUMP HAS NOT OFFERED SPE-

CIkC DETAILS OF THE THREAT ALLEGEDLY PRESENTED BY )RAN /N 7EDNESDAY )RAN ANNOUNCED IT WOULD BEGIN BACKING AWAY FROM ITS NUCLEAR DEAL WITH WORLD POWERS

A YEAR AFTER 4RUMP PULLED !MERICA FROM THE ACCORD 0RESIDENT (ASSAN 2OUHANI GAVE %UROPEAN LEADERS A DAY DEADLINE TO kND A WAY TO SHIELD )RAN FROM 53 SANCTIONS TARGETING ITS ECONOMY AND OIL INDUSTRY

OTHERWISE HE SAID 4EHRAN WOULD BEGIN TO ENRICH URANIUM AT LEVELS CLOSER TO WEAPONS GRADE LEVELS 4HE %UROPEAN 5NION %5 ON

4HURSDAY URGED )RAN TO RESPECT THE INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT CURBING THE )SLAMIC 2EPUBLIC S NUCLEAR AMBITIONS AND ADDED THAT THE BLOC AIMS TO CONTINUE TRADING WITH THE COUNTRY DESPITE 53 SANCTIONS "UT SO FAR THE %5 AND ITS MEMBER NATIONS HAVE NOT OFFERED ANY NEW PLANS &OR HIS PART 4RUMP SAID HE WANTED TO SPEAK TO )RAN S LEADERS g7HAT ) WOULD LIKE TO SEE WITH )RAN ) WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM CALL ME u 4RUMP TOLD REPORTERS 4HURSDAY AT THE 7HITE (OUSE AP

Pelosi: America now in constitutional crisis

FRENCH BREAD

Several baguettes are on display in a Paris cafe ahead of the Paris Baguette Week. The world famous bread has long been a symbol of French culinary artistry for centuries now. AFP PHOTO

WASHINGTON, D.C.: (OUSE 3PEAKER .ANCY 0ELOSI SAID ON 4HURSDAY &RIDAY IN -ANILA THE 5NITED 3TATES FACED A gCONSTITUTIONAL CRISISu OVER 0RESIDENT $ONALD 4RUMP S RESISTANCE TO CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION AND SHE PROMISED A METHODICAL IF LENGTHY EFFORT TO PURSUE OVERSIGHT OF THE 7HITE (OUSE 0ELOSI MADE NO PROMISE FOR A SWIFT (OUSE VOTE TO HOLD !TTORNEY 'ENERAL 7ILLIAM "ARR IN CONTEMPT OF #ONGRESS OVER HIS REFUSAL TO RELEASE SPECIAL COUNSEL 2OBERT -UELLER S FULL REPORT

DEFERRING TO A FRESH SUBPOENA FOR THE DOCUMENT FROM THE )N-

TELLIGENCE #OMMITTEE THAT S DUE BACK NEXT WEEK 3HE CONTINUED TO TAMP DOWN TALK OF IMPEACHMENT )NSTEAD 0ELOSI FORESHADOWED A LONG GAME STRATEGY OF #ONGRESS CONFRONTING A 7HITE (OUSE SHE SUGGESTED WAS ALL BUT GOADING HER WITH ITS REFUSAL TO COMPLY WITH OVERSIGHT DEMANDS g4HE 0RESIDENT THINKS IT IS A LAUGHING MATTER u 0ELOSI SAID g4HIS IS ABOUT THE !MERICAN PEOPLE AND THEIR RIGHT TO KNOW

AND THEIR ELECTION THAT IS AT STAKE ‡ AND THAT A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT INTERVENED IN OUR ELECTION ‡ SO WE CAN PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN u AP

NKorea’s 2nd largest cargo ship seized over violations WASHINGTON, D.C.: 4HE 53 SAID 4HURSDAY &RIDAY IN -ANILA THAT IT HAD SEIZED A .ORTH +OREAN CARGO SHIP THAT WAS USED TO VIOLATE INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS A kRST OF ITS KIND ENFORCEMENT ACTION THAT COMES AMID A TENSE MOMENT IN RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES 4HE 7ISE (ONEST .ORTH +OREA S SECOND LARGEST CARGO SHIP WAS DETAINED IN !PRIL AS IT TRAVELED TOWARD )NDONESIA )T IS NOW IN THE PROCESS OF BEING MOVED TO !MERICAN 3AMOA *USTICE

$EPARTMENT OFkCIALS SAID /FkCIALS MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT HOURS AFTER .ORTH +OREA FIRED TWO SUSPECTED SHORT RANGE MISSILES TOWARD THE SEA THE SECOND WEAPONS LAUNCH IN kVE DAYS AND A POSSIBLE SIGNAL THAT STALLED TALKS OVER ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM ARE IN TROUBLE 4HE PUBLIC DISCLOSURE THAT THE VESSEL IS NOW IN 53 CUSTODY MAY FURTHER INlAME TENSIONS THOUGH 53 OFkCIALS SAID THE

Worldinbriefs 13,000 MIGRANTS IN QUEUE TO ENTER US CIUDAD Juarez, Mexico: For thousands of desperate asylum seekers, there are many ways to wait — and wait, and wait — at the threshold of the United States. The Associated Press visited eight cities along the US-Mexico border and found 13,000 immigrants on waiting lists to get into the country — exposed to haphazard and often-dubious arrangements that vary sharply. Parents and children sleep in tents next to bridges leading into Texas for weeks on end, desperately hoping their names and numbers are called so they can be let in.

AP

TIMING OF THEIR COMPLAINT WAS NOT A RESPONSE TO THE MISSILE LAUNCH *USTICE $EPARTMENT LAWYERS LAID OUT THE CASE FOR CONkSCATING THE SHIP IN A COMPLAINT kLED IN .EW 9ORK

ARGUING THAT PAYMENTS FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION OF THE VESSEL WERE CHANNELED THROUGH UNWITTING 53 kNANCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN VIOLATION OF !MERICAN LAW 4HE COAL TRADE ITSELF IS ALSO BELIEVED TO FUND THE ISOLATED COUNTRY S NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND BAL-

LISTIC MISSILE PROGRAMS g4HIS SANCTIONS BUSTING SHIP IS NOW OUT OF SERVICE u !SSISTANT !TTORNEY 'ENERAL *OHN $EMERS THE *USTICE $EPARTMENT S TOP NATIONAL SECURITY OFkCIAL

TOLD REPORTERS (E LATER ADDED g4HE 53 SANCTIONS AGAINST .ORTH +OREA RElECT THE THREAT THESE PROGRAMS POSE TO 53 NATIONAL SECURITY u 4HE FOOT METERS 7ISE (ONEST WAS USED FOR COAL TRANSPORTS TO PORTS ABROAD ACCORDING

TO THE COMPLAINT GENERATING BADLY NEEDED REVENUE TO A COUNTRY THAT IS UNDER THE 5NITED .ATIONS SANCTIONS BECAUSE OF ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM 4HE SHIP ALSO DELIVERED HEAVY MACHINERY BACK TO .ORTH +OREA 4HE VESSEL WAS OWNED BY A SUBSIDIARY OF A .ORTH +OREAN SHIPPING COMPANY THAT IS CONTROLLED BY THE COUNTRY S MILITARY AND IS ON A 4REASURY $EPARTMENT SANCTIONS LIST OFkCIALS SAID AP

FAKE HEIRESS GETS 12-YEAR JAIL TERM NEW York: Anna Sorokin, the German con artist who passed herself off as a wealthy heiress to swindle banks, hotels and even close friends as she lived out a high-society, Instagram-ready fantasy in New York, was sentenced Thursday to four to 12 years in prison. The 28-year-old, who had played with her own tabloid image during the trial by wearing stylish dresses to court, looked despondent as the verdict was announced. She pressed her hand to her face and squeezed her eyes shut, appearing to hold back tears. Judge Diane Kiesel said Sorokin had been “blinded by the glitter and glamour of New York City� as she turned to fraud to finance a life she could never afford.

AP

MAN NABBED OVER TV DIRECTOR’S KILLING

AUSTRALIAN ACQUITTED OF HEROIN SMUGGLING

LOS Angeles: A man charged with bludgeoning and strangling to death a Hollywood television director more than three decades ago was arrested Thursday in North Carolina after police said DNA and a confession linked him to the crime. Edwin Hiatt was arrested in Burke County for the 1985 death of Barry Crane in Los Angeles. He has been charged with murder in California and will be returned there, Los Angeles police announced. A housekeeper found Crane, 57, dead in his garage in his Studio City townhouse on July 5, 1985. He was naked and had been wrapped in bedsheets.

AP

AN Australian woman serving a 23-year prison sentence for allegedly smuggling 2 kilograms of heroin has returned home after the Court of Appeal decided she was innocent and was the victim of an Internet love scam. Touch Tharith, spokesman for the Court of Appeal, yesterday said that Yoshe Ann Taylor, 46, was freed last week after the court acquitted her of drug smuggling on April 19. Taylor was in prison for six years since her arrest in 2013. “She was released from prison last week after the Court of Appeal decided to acquit her of drug smuggling,� Tharith said.

KHMER TIMES

OWNER OF OVER 1,000 GUNS POSTS $50,000 BOND

RULING ANC HEADED FOR WIN IN SAFRICA POLLS

LOS Angeles: A 57-year-old man was released Thursday (Friday in Manila) on a $50,000-bond a day after his arrest during a law enforcement raid on a Los Angeles mansion that uncovered more than 1,000 guns, according to jail records. Girard Saenz was arrested on suspicion of unlawful transportation and of giving, lending or selling an assault weapon, the Los Angeles Times reported. It wasn’t known if Saenz has an attorney, and a message left at a number for him was not returned. Acting on a tip regarding illegal firearms sales, police and federal agents served a search warrant before dawn Wednesday at the home valued at millions of dollars in the posh Bel Air neighborhood.

AP

JOHANNESBURG: The ruling African National Congress (ANC) is coasting to a comfortable lead in South Africa’s presidential and parliamentary elections with 76 percent of the vote counted, but the ongoing tally shows the party getting less support than in the previous poll five years ago. The ANC, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, had 57 percent of the vote, according to results announced by the electoral commission on Friday. This is a dip from the 62 percent of the total vote that it won in 2014.

The Democratic Alliance has received nearly 22 percent of the vote so far, the most of any opposition party, about the same share it received in the last elections.

AP

SATURDAY MAY 11, 2019

Public Square

B8

Public Square appears on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

For contributions, email to publicsquare@manilatimes.net

publicsquare@manilatimes.net

A grand rhapsody of thrills for Mom at Resorts World Manila R

ESORTS World Manila (RWM) has prepared something grand for every type of mom this special month of May. Take the lady of the house on a shopping spree at the Newport Mall and get a chance to win a special Mom’s Day package with the “DiaMONDS FOR -OMu RAFlE PROMO &OR every single-receipt purchase worth at least P2,000, moms with RWM membership cards can get a chance to win a Jesi Mendez Salon Package, spa vouchers, an RWM Indulge Card and special rose gold earrings with diamonds worth P150,000. Moms who aren’t RWM members yet can also sign up for a free RWM membership TO QUALIFY FOR THE RAFlE &OR MOMS WHO ARE FOND OF RELAXING staycations, hotels in Newport City come up with great rates this May with Belmont Hotel Manila offering an overnight stay at a superior or

Q Mothers Day Set Menu at Hilton Manila’s Hua Ting (left); rest and relaxation with mom at Resorts World Manila.

DELUXE ROOM WITH BREAKFAST FOR TWO and a cute Bailey Bear souvenir for the entire month. Sweet dads can also treat moms at the newly-opened Savoy Hotel Manila via its “Best for the Best� promo with in-room wine set up and complementary Mother’s Day card in an Essential Room, an HOUR S WORTH OF RELAXING MASSAGE FOR two and 20 percent discount at both

Savoy CafĂŠ and RWM shows.

Over at international brand HolIDAY )NN %XPRESS FAMILIES CAN ENJOY hearty stays in a superior room with breakfast for two plus an inclusion of either a Dim Sum buffet for lunch at 0ASSION OR DINNER BUFFET AT THE -AXims Terrace for two. Booking period is until May 31 for stays until June 30.

Hilton Manila offers an overnight

stay in a guest room inclusive of breakfast for two at Kusina from May 10 to 12. Moms who dine for Kusina’s brunch and dinner will instantly get a gift to celebrate the event. Guests may also attend the special mass to celebrate her special day at the Hilton Manila Ballroom on May 12, 11:00a.m. &OR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.rwmanila.com

Celebrate MOMent this Mother’s Day at Midori THIS May 12, Midori Clark Hotel and Casino is all set to stage a memORABLE AND EXTRA SPECIAL CELEBRATION for moms with the Celebrate MOMent: A Mother’s Day Buffet.

Happening at Midori Clark Hotel and Casino’s main dining outlet — Toscana Dining — mom’s special day is even more memorable as the Celebrate MOMent features a special buffet, live entertainment and special tokens only for her.

This dinner buffet will feature a delectable international spread highlighting the theme of the month: &IESTA -EXICANA The whole family will surely

enjoy an array of stations from appetizers down to the desserts. Buffet WILL kLL YOUR APPETITE WITH UNLIMITED drinks, beer and wine.

In honor of someone so loving AND EXCEPTIONAL -IDORI #LARK (OTEL and Casino let moms eat for free.

Simply tag along three full paying adults, bring a proof of MOMbership such as birth certificate or family picture. Plus, as a way for showing never ending love, mom also receives succulents to add in her collection. %XTRA TREATS TO THE QUEEN ARE NOT over. Moms get a chance to win special treats from Midori Clark Hotel and Casino. A pampering moment at Midori Clark Hotel and

Casino’s Chan Spa and a water&OR MORE INFORMATION VISIT MAZING EXPERIENCE AT !QUA 0LANET www.midorihotel.com

Marcos bats for massive agricultural modernization in Mindanao TO avert widescale food shortage, senatorial candidate and Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos said a massive agricultural modernization and industrialization must be implemented immediately in Mindanao. “It is the height of irony that Mindanao, which is considered as THE COUNTRY S FOOD BASKET IS EXPEriencing food shortage,� she said.

Marcos noted that the southern region of Mindanao produces 40 percent of the country’s food requirements yet holds the record of having some of the poorest provinces. “Embarking on a massive modernization program for agriculture in the Southern Philippines will not only address the decline in food production but will help alleviate poverty in the region as well,� she added.

Marcos said critical to improving the food security situation in the country is making the production cost competitive. “It only costs P6 to produce a KILO OF RICE IN 6IETNAM YET IT TAKES P12.50 to achieve the same here in the Philippines. The production cost is more than double,� she noted. “We need to improve our mechanization program and give our farmers fertilizers, agricultural inputs and HYBRID SEEDS 7E HAVE TO EXPAND OUR irrigated areas and develop our distribution system so farmers are able to earn enough while we keep food prices at affordable levels,� Marcos said.

The governor has always said that she has a special spot for Mindanao as she considers it her bailiwick outside of Ilocos region.

Duty Free PH to treat all moms on Mother’s Day at Fiestamall DUTY &REE 0HILIPPINES $&0 HAS MADE Mother’s Day celebration more special THIS YEAR WITH A FUN kLLED DAY OF ACTIVITIES AND PRIZES $&0 #// 6ICENTE 0ELAGIO Angala announced recently.

(APPENING AT THE $UTY &REE &IEStamall in ParaĂąaque City on May 12, $&0 WILL PAY TRIBUTE TO ALL MOTHERS AND MOTHER kGURES WITH AWESOME RAFlE PRIZES FREEBIES BOOTH GAMES AND GREAT kNDS Moms will enjoy up to 40 percent discount on home furnishing; 30 PERCENT ON +ELEO *EWELRY EXCLUSIVE AT $UTY &REE AND UP PERCENT ON the supermarket.

While fashionista moms will get updated on the trendy styles with a free $20 voucher for minimum purchase of

$100onfashion,perfumesandcosmetics. $&0 WILL ALSO BE GIVING AWAY GIFT CERTIkCATES FROM PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS such as Belmont Hotel Manila, Winford Manila Resort and Casino, Orchid 'ARDEN 3UITES -ANILA #ASA 6ALIENTE IN #ORREGIDOR )SLAND :OOBIC 3AFARI &ARNACIO )MPLANT AND !ESTHETIC 6ASQUEZ Skin and Body Center, Shinigawa Lasik & Aesthetics, and more.

According to Angala, the said Mother’s Day event is designed to thank all moms for their loyalty AND TRUST TO $&0 g$UTY &REE 0HILIPPINES HAS BEEN A family shopping destination and we attribute that our mothers who are THE KEY INlUENCERS TO THE SHOPPING psyche of their families,� he said.

Treat mom with a pampering massage this Mother’s Day at Midas Hotel ‘Belmonte brand’ of leadership: Accountability, zero corruption in QC IT’S time to say “mahalo, mom.�

LESS than a week before the elections, Quezon City mayoralty candidate 6ICE -AYOR *OY "ELMONTE RENEWED her pledge of maintaining the “Belmonte Brand� by upholding fairness, honesty, transparency, accountability and zero corruption in her term if she will take over the top post in the city.

Belmonte also thanked her supporters following the latest survey by 20 -ISSION AND $EVELOPMENT &OUNdation Inc. (RPMDinc) that she topped

Treat your mother with a pampering stay in, then, choose between a special gift from Rustan’s or a 30-minute massage at the Essenses Spa when you book a deLUXE ROOM OR THE EXECUTIVE ROOM On May 12 impress her with our Mother’s Day Buffet Specials in Midas CafÊ or Yanagi. Bring home a special gift on her special day and get a photo booth pass for every P4,000 single receipt. &OR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL restaurants@midashotelandcasino.com.

City of Dreams Manila highlights exclusive offerings for Mother’s Day CITY of Dreams Manila pays tribute to moms with specially curatED OFFERINGS kT FOR A REMARKABLE Mother’s Day celebration.

On May 12, moms who will dine at Crystal Dragon will receive a complimentary dessert of mango pomelo with vanilla ice cream.

It also offers a Mother’s Day a la carte menu available for lunch and dinner from May 1 to 14.

Likewise, Nobu Manila is honoring mothers with indulgent complimentary chocolate petit fours when they partake of the lavish Nobu Mother’s Day Brunch buffet spread.

Mothers and their families are IN FOR A LUXURIOUS 3UNDAY "RUNCH Buffet feast on May 12 at The CafĂŠ

at Hyatt Hotel. &OR AN INDULGENTLY SWEET -OTHer’s Day weekend affair, Red Ginger is offering the Ube Entremet Cake while Chocol8 at The Garage is highlighting a stylish selection of hampers that come with handcrafted grand cru chocolate variants and snuggly teddy bears. $REAM0LAY IS EXCLUSIVELY OFfering a complimentary ticket to moms who are accompanied by at least two DreamPlay ticketholders; or a 50 percent discount when accompanied by one ticketholder.

Nobu Hotel Manila provides a RELAXING RESPITE FOR MOTHERS WITH its “Mom’s Dream Celebration� package inclusive of a complimentary breakfast at Nobu Manila

Q Aubrey Miles with baby daughter Rocket Restaurant. Booking period is ongoing until May 30 and stay period is until May 31.

Both Nuwa and Nobu Spas guarantee a tranquil and personALIZED EXPERIENCE FOR MOTHERS

Mother’s Day treats at Widus Clark CELEBRATE the queen of your home this Mother’s Day with a MEMORABLE AND RELAXING FAMILY getaway at Widus Hotel and Casino.

Take the wonder woman of your life to a pleasurable staycation at Widus Hotel and Casino in Clark, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Rates are inclusive of an overnight stay, buffet breakfast FOR TWO FREE WI k ACCESS AND FREE use of swimming pool and gym amenities.

Spoil her even further when you

treat her to a hearty Mother’s Day Lunch Buffet at Salt Resto. &OR A MORE INTIMATE FETE INDULGE ON AN EXQUISITE DINNER EXperience like no other with mom and the whole family at Peppers 21, the first and only fine dining steakhouse in Central Luzon located at the hotel’s roof deck.

Cap off the occasion on a sweet note with readily available pastries, savories and refreshments at the Widus Lounge. &OR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.widus.com

celebrating their special occasion WITH ITS g-OM S ,UXE $AYu AND “Mom’s Pampering Day� promotions, respectively. &OR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.cityofdreamsmanila.com.

with 60 percent voter preference. This showed a 28 percent lead in voter prefERENCE OVER OPPONENTS #ONG 6INCENT Crisologo, with 32 percent, and Ismael Mathay 3rd with 4 percent.

She also mentioned the 95 percent trust rating she obtained in the previous survey by RPMDinc. dated April 19 to 25 where the study inferred that her 62 percent of votes are “solid votes� and would not change given her high trust rating.

New technology needed to boost production SENATORIAL candidate and Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos has called for the establishment of government-owned and operated state-of-the-art sugar mills to boost production and to make the industry more competitive in the face of possible more liberal importation. “We are lagging behind our Asian neighbors in terms of sugarcane per hectare production and cane-to-sugar production. Without timely intervention, what should be a sweet promise for our sugar

farmers will remain a bitter reality of low harvest and low income for them,� Marcos stressed.

At present, the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s infrastructure projects under the Sugarcane Industry Development Act (SIDA) are focused only on the development of farm-to-mill roads. “Government-owned mills can provide heavily-subsidized rates to sugar farmers, thus allowing targeted and timely assistance,�

Marcos said.

HIV GET’s Battle in the Blood project among 2019 Ripple Awards finalists THE PCHRD-DoST funded project, led by Emmanuel Baja, a DoST Balik-Scientist from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is one OF kVE kNALISTS AT THIS YEAR S CHARITY event organized by Love Gala.

This year’s gala will honor individuals, organizations and a project which made significant contribution in making people’s lives better, particularly those that ARE AT RISK FOR ()6 AND THOSE THAT ARE ()6 POSITIVE Highlighting the great cause of BitB in its encouragement to at risk population to get tested FOR ()6 AND OTHER SEXUALLY TRANSmitted diseases, the effort was not ignored, as it became one of THE kVE kNALISTS FROM NUMEROUS submissions. The game features eight different stories of people

LIVING WITH ()6 ACROSS ALL LEVELS and a customizable avatar which IS GENDER lUID )T S ULTIMATE AIM is to increase the number of indiVIDUALS KNOWING THEIR ()6 STATUS and increase their knowledge on ()6 JUST BY PLAYING IT The awarding ceremony happens tonight, May 11, 7:00 p.m. at ABS#". 6ERTIS .ORTH 1UEZON #ITY

Sports

SSATURDAY MAY 11, 2019 M

C1

www.manilatimes.net

CROSSOVER RAFFY LEDESMA

T

Kyrie’s failure

HE Boston Celtics ended a disappointing season with a lopsided loss to the Milwaukee Bucks to end their NBA Finals aspirations. Over the past two seasons, the Celtics entered the Eastern Conference Finals bonded together by spit, bubble gum, and Celtics pride. Last year, the Celtics were one quarter away from a Finals appearance powered by young guns Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Terry Rozier.

The return of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward from injuries this year was supposed to take the Celtics over the top, making them perennial contenders for the next few years and take over the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty. But throughout the season, there were already strong signs of chemistry and trust ISSUES AS THE TEAM lOUNDERED

eventually falling to the Bucks.

Some say the Celtics have too many talented guys playing limited minutes, too many young guys wanting more, or a management team that has fallen in love with visions of long-term dominance. All that is true. But nothing is more true than the fact that the sheer weight of Kyrie’s stardom and his leadership skills (or the lack of it) was the main reason the Celtics underwhelmed.

Throughout the season, Irving would say cryptic words to media, directed at the team’s younger players. He would also openly unload on his teammates during games for everyone to see.

After saying early in the season he would remain with the Celtics, Irving back-tracked and said “Let’s see on July 1.� That day marks his free agency.

After that announcement, the organization was walking on eggshells since they couldn’t get a read on Kyrie’s plans.

This was exacerbated by the fact New Orleans superstar Anthony Davis requested for a trade mid-season and Kyrie was vocal about getting him onboard. While many teams tried to deal for him, it was only the Celtics that had the best collection of young talent and veterans. However, the Celtics could only trade for Davis in July so New Orleans stayed pat, waiting for the offer only the Celtics can give. The message was clear: Everyone was available to get Davis. This didn’t help the trust issues already plaguing the team.

The Celtics would only trade away their young talent for Davis if Kyrie stays. If Kyrie bolts, Boston would probably double-down and give Tatum, Brown, and Rozier time to further develop, the Davis deal out of the question.

With all the criticism Irving has been hearing the past few months — his lack of leadership, his wishy-washy comments, and now, his abysmal playoff performance, this may be the last time we will see Kyrie in a Celtics uniform. Reportedly, the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks — teams with a lot of salary cap space — are in the running to snag Irving.

At the end, Irving wanted to be the top guy in a food chain and lead a talented team composed of veterans and young guns. He got it when he left LeBron’s shadow and was held accountable throughout the season. His leadership was weighed, was measured, and was found wanting. raffyrledesma@yahoo.com

Q Danny Green (No. 14) of the Toronto Raptors passes the ball against Joel Embiid (No. 21) of the Philadelphia 76ers in the second quarter of Game Six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. AFP PHOTO

Sixers, Trail Blazers survive to force game sevens

L

OS ANGELES: The Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers both forced game sevens in their NBA second round playoff series on Thursday (Friday in Manila) with a pair of bounce-back wins to stave off elimination.

J i m my B u t l e r s c o r e d 2 5 points while Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid also had spirited performances as the 76ers survived to fight another day with a 112-101 win over the Toronto Raptors in game six.

Butler also had six rebounds and Embiid finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers, who kept their season alive by squaring the best-of-seven

Eastern Conference second round series at 3-3. “I play to win,� Butler said. “Right now, this is what I have to do in order to give us a great chance at winning.�

Simmons rebounded to deliver 21 points after struggling mightILY IN GAME kVE WITH JUST SEVEN points and five turnovers. His game six total was more than his

combined points total of games kVE AND FOUR “It was amazing focus. Everybody was locked in,� Simmons said. “We knew what was at stake.�

Franchise cornerstone Embiid, who was listed as a probable starter due to a sore knee, also got back on track after making eight TURNOVERS IN GAME kVE “I knew I had to come in with high spirits,� Embiid said. “If I’ve got to play 45 minutes and push myself out there, that’s what I’ll do.�

The winner-take-all contest will be Sunday in Toronto with the

victor advancing to face the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.

Game one of the Eastern Conference finals is slated for Wednesday in Milwaukee.

Tobias Harris contributed 16 points, and JJ Redick and Mike Scott had 11 each for the thirdseeded Sixers, who haven’t advanced to the Eastern Conference finals since 2001, when they ousted the Bucks in seven games.

Kawhi Leonard led the secondseeded Raptors with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Pascal Siakam added 21 points, and Kyle Lowry had 13.

Leonard has scored at least 20 points in eight straight

Durant will miss remainder of Warriors series with Rockets SAN FRANCISCO: Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant will miss the remainder of the series against the Houston Rockets after an MRI scan revealed a strained right calf, the reigning league champions said Thursday (Friday in Manila).

Coach Steve Kerr made the announcement and said others are going to have to pick up the slack. “He’s been the best player in the NBA in the playoffs. He’s been phenomenal,� Kerr said. “Guys who haven’t had opportunities yet (in this series) will have opportunities.�

Durant, averaging a league-best 34.2 points in the playoffs, was removed in the third quarter of Golden State’s 104-99 home victory Wednesday over Houston, which gave the Warriors a 3-2 edge in their

T

HE biggest news in hoops revolved around a couple of teams in California for very different reasons: one for excellence and one for being a trainwreck.

The Golden State Warriors were about to post pictures of Steph Curry in milk cartons with the caption “Missing: Two-time MVP, All-Time Best Shooter� when a freak injury to Kevin Durant suddenly unleashed him.

The Warriors were about to have a statement game on Game 5, but they almost made a mistake they have made before — underestimating the grit of the Houston Rockets.

They were up just three points after Durant’s make, just before he felt something in his right calf.

The game was close the rest of the way, and it we returned to the preDurant Warriors again. Steph scored 12 of his 25 points to pull the Warriors through and take a crucial 3-2 lead. However, they would have to eliminate these Rockets without

Q Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant, center, limps off the court during the second half of Game 5 of the team’s second-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Houston Rockets on May 8, 2019, in Oakland, Calif. AP PHOTO best-of-seven NBA Western Conference second-round series.

There were fears Durant might have suffered a more extensive injury, but the team said in a statement the MRI confirmed the initial diagnosis of a right calf strain.

Durant will not travel with the Warriors to Houston for game six, instead remaining in the San Francisco Bay region for treatment ahead of being

re-evaluated next week. “I think it’s good news,� Kerr said. “Calf strain, he’s had them before. He’s responded well. Obviously, we’re disappointed he won’t be able to play in this series. If we’re able to win the series and move on, looks good for his return in the not too distant future.�

Durant is an NBA finals Most Valuable Player the past two seasons after leading the Warriors

to back-to-back crowns.

He has also averaged 5.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocked shots a game for the Warriors in the playoffs this season.

With Durant sidelined, the Warriors are likely to rely upon Andre Iguodala off the bench as well as other reserves to try and contain the Rockets.

AFP

playoff contests.

Elsewhere, Damian Lillard scored 17 of his 32 points in the third quarter, and the Trail Blazers forced game seven in their series with Denver with a 119-108 win.

Second half surge Denver went in front by as much AS POINTS IN THE kRST HALF BEFORE getting blasted by the Trail Blazers in the second half.

C J M c C o l l u m a d d e d 30 points, and Rodney Hood came off the bench to score a career playoff high 25 for Portland, who haven’t advanced to the ."! kNAL FOUR IN YEARS Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 29 points and 12 rebounds, while Jamal Murray added 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Lillard put the Blazers ahead to stay with a three-pointer with 4:18 remaining in the third period.

Portland’s Hood hit two key baskets when the Nuggets threatened early in the fourth, helping the Trail Blazers send the series back to Denver for a showdown on Sunday. “It is unfortunate but we have been here before,� said Nuggets coach Mike Malone. “Now we go home and we have best home court advantage in the NBA and we are going to try to take advantage of that and close it out.�

The winner of Sunday’s game will face the winner of the series between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets.

The defending NBA champion Warriors have a 3-2 advantage in the series after a 104-99 victory on Wednesday. Game six is AFP Friday in Houston.

California hoops drama BASKETBALL SLEUTH MICHAEL ANGELO B. ASIS KD, who has been playing like an MVP in the playoffs.

Will the real Steph Curry please stand up?

Was the 2x MVP always there, simply deferring to Kevin Durant who is simply at the peak of his powers? Is this a preview of the Warriors next season?

'AME 3IX WILL ANSWER THE kRST question. The second may have already been settled, if the current buzz is accurate.

The Warriors would often say that they are too busy to worry about free agency. What else would you have to worry about

when everything has been settled?

What most of us do not know is that players have already mapped out their free agency way before we BECOME AWARE OF IT AND DEkNITELY long before the free agency period.

All those “Right now I’m committed to winning a title with (current team) and I can’t worry about free agency now� is, for the most part just a line. Many sports media bigwigs also know, they are just sworn to secrecy (no spoilers here). They know that being credited with one scoop is not worth losing the trust of your sources.

Side Note: Veteran NBA reporter #HRIS 3HERIDAN WAS ONE OF THE kRST who divulged that LeBron James would return to Cleveland in 2014.

His website, Sheridan Hoops, shut down in 2016.

Agents have been planning their clients’ free agencies’ for years, in order to get the perfect deal where the player gets to his destination of choice and the agent still gets him

the most money.

Steph Curry probably knows.

They will still make their due diligence, win a title and let KD smell the trophy until he gets hooked on it. But Curry is ready to take back the throne when KD leaves. He has to be an MVP again. They can still win a title, but now he actually has to play hard before they are declared champs again.

Not so fancy Meanwhile, the Lakers are conducting a clinic on how NOT to run a team.

Other teams get chided if the clueless owner runs the team, the Lakers can’t even do that, since they don’t even know who’s running the team.

Their coaching search has been embarrassing. They shortlist two candidates, Monty Williams and Tyronn Lue. They wait until the Phoenix Suns hire Williams, which

practically confirmed that they were really after Lue all along.

So what’s left to do but just sign Tyronn Lue — their former player, a championship coach and unofkCIALLY ,E"RON S CHOICE The issue was that Lue was offered a three-year deal — the same length as LeBron’s contract. He WANTED A kVE YEAR DEAL INSTEAD Another reported issue is how the ,AKERS ONE OF THE MOST PROkTABLE franchises, wanted to hire an army of assistants. Lionel Hollins, Frank Vogel and Jason Kidd — all of which were former head coaches.

Talk about awkward work atmospheres.

From purely a fan standpoint, it seems like the Lakers want someone else in mind, but they felt that they needed to please LeBron so they had to hire Lue, and have their candidate (or candidates?) as assistant coaches. To be honest, I don’t even know who “they� is. Who is really running the show in Lakerland?

C2

Sports

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

UST-Ateneo best-ofthree final begins U

BY JEREMIAH M. SEVILLA

NIVERSITY of Sto. Tomas (UST) and Ateneo De Manila University collide in Game 1 of the best-of-three kNALS OF 3EASON 5NIVERSITY A t h l e t i c Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women’s volleyball tournament today at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Golden Tigresses and the Lady Eagles square off at 4 p.m. after the men’s division game between defending champion National University (NU) and Far Eastern University (FEU) at 12 noon.

With a twice-to-beat edge, UST dethroned three-time champ De La Salle University, 25-19, 25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 15-10, on Sunday to RETURN TO THE kNALS AFTER EIGHT YEARS g4HE kGHT IS NOT YET OVER 7E JUST GOT A SPOT IN THE kNALS 7E still have an opponent to face,� said UST head coach Kungfu Reyes, who is looking to steer the 4IGRESSES TO THEIR kRST CROWN SINCE Season 72.

Sisi Rondina and Eya Laure, who were named Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year, respectively, will lead the charge for the EspaĂąa-based volleybelles.

Meanwhile, Ateneo booked a RETURN TICKET TO THE kNALS AFTER A one-year absence by beating FEU in the do-or-die game, 25-20, 2125, 25-23, 25-14, on Wednesday.

Oliver Almadro, who has been coaching the Lady Eagles for a year, vowed to give the Tigresses A GOOD kGHT “We know the firepower of UST right at the start. Also, they

are well-rested and it will be an advantage for them. But we will give them a beautiful game,� said Almadro, a multi-titled coach from the Ateneo men’s team.

Kat Tolentino, who got the Best

Q University of Santo Tomas ace Sisi Rondina attempts a down-the-line hit against Ateneo de Manila University’s Kat Tolentino during the elimination round of the UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball tournament. PHOTO BY ROGER RAÑADA

NBA boss Silver suggests knockout-style NBA tilt

Opposite Spiker award, along with fellow veterans Bea De Leon and Maddie Madayag are EXPECTED TO LEAD THE kGHT FOR THE Katipunan-based squad, which is eyeing to snap a four-year title drought in its seventh straight kNALS APPEARANCE This marks the first time that Ateneo and UST will dispute the women’s vo l l e y b a l l c r ow n . T h e Lady Eagles hold the headto-head advantage with a sweep of the Tigresses in the eliminations.

Meanwhile, Rondina who also grabbed the Best Scorer and Best Open Spiker honors will be joined by NU’s Roselyn Doria (Best Blocker), Princess Robles (Best Server), and University of the East’s Kath Arado (Best Libero) and Lai Bendong (Best Setter) on the podium of this season’s individual awardees.

In the men’s side, NU ace spiker Bryan Bagunas snared the MVP, Best Scorer, Best Outside Spiker and B e s t S e r ve r p l u m s while teammates Angelo Almendras and James Natividad were n a m e d Ro o k i e o f t h e Year and Best Opposite Spiker, respectively.

Other awardees are FEU’s JP Bugaoan (Best Blocker), Ateneo’s Lawrence Magadia (Best Setter) and Manuel Sumanguid (Best Libero).

The awarding ceremony will be held before the start of Game 2 on Wednesday.

NIGERIAN LAWAL TO BEEF UP BOLTS MERALCO coach Norman Black said Nigerian Gani Lawal will reinforce the Bolts in Season 44 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup. Black said Lawal, who arrived THREE DAYS AGO WILL kRST SEE ACtion against Blackwater on May 19 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. “He (Lawal) is good, he’s 6’8

and 245 pounds, very athletic, CAN RUN THE lOOR GOOD INSIDE player, likes to block shots and rebound the basketball. Not much an outside player.� said Black, adding that the Bolts main priority next conference is to go deeper into the playoffs. “First goal is to make it to the playoffs and hopefully get into the SEMIkNALS TO GIVE OURSELVES A CHANCE u

Meralco is eager to better its DISMAL WIN LOSS RECORD kNISH in the last Philippine Cup. Lawal has played for several countries among them France, Poland, Spain, and Japan where he averaged 21 points and 12.2 rebounds recently. Lawal was a Phoenix Suns rookie in the 2010 season. “My locals are good. We have come to the conclusion that I have

a lot of guards so I will do the best I can with them,� added Black, referring to guards Amer, Jackson, Mike Tolomia, Nards Pinto and Anjo Caram. “I just have to make the adjustments with the talents that I have and make sure I’m able to utilize all the players with the best of their abilities. So far, so good.�

JOSEF T. RAMOS

WASHINGTON: Borrowing from European football, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday (Friday in Manila) his league should look at replacing the All-Star Game with an in-season knockout-style tournament and a shorter season schedule.

The 57-year-old sports supremo, who has spent more than five years running the $9 billion league, told The Economic Club of Washington the move could create new excitement and solve some headaches. “In international soccer, they play for different cups throughout the year,� Silver said in wide-ranging comments about the NBA. “I’ve said to our teams, maybe we should shorten the number of games and play a tournament during the season. “I’m only saying we have to look at other concepts.�

The NBA All-Star Game once offered greater national and leaguewide exposure and a rare uniting of greats in an era before US Olympic NBA squads and communications that allow anyone to watch any team from anywhere.

But with teams and players wary of injuries in an exhibition, the game has evolved into a highlight show of dunks and shotmaking. “If they and their teams don’t really want to play an exciting All-Star Game, we’ve got to come up with a new concept,� Silver said.

A knockout tournament could let the NBA sustain record television revenues with a reduced schedule and give teams a new prize to seek, even though stars might not get as much of a break.

The NBA has had an 82-game schedule since the 1967-68 campaign. “As a league we may need to revisit the number of games we play,� Silver said. “Maybe that’s too many games.�

Silver also looks to Europe for models on US gambling, which is growing after the Supreme Court allowed states to legalize sports betting. “They have much better controls than we do,� Silver said. “I think we’re better off with a (national) framework.

I think it’s better being transparent, regulated and controlled.�

Silver wants an “integrity fee� from businesses that will profit off NBA betting, considering it adds a new dimension to the challenge the league has of safeguarding the integrity of results. “They are now imposing a set of requirements on us and expect us to control the product,� Silver said. “As a business matter, yes, I think we should share in the profits.�

NBA averages: $8M, seven years The average NBA player made $8 mil-

lion this season and has a seven-year career, Silver said, adding that topsalaried NBA All-Stars average 13-14 seasons in their careers. “You should be set for life,� Silver said, noting the NBA helps with pension plans, counseling and health insurance for every NBA player.

More top US players seeking careers overseas are turning to China than Europe to develop their skills, Silver said. “More top players are making better money in China now than in Europe,� he said, noting that in European hoops hotbeds Greece, Italy and Spain: “The economics are not that great.�

Silver comapres the NBA’s huge China fan base to US sports fans taking greater interest in European football telecasts, saying, “They want to see the best.�

Controversial social media comments by such NBA stars as LeBron James and Stephen Curry don’t worry Silver, who wants league players to be true to themselves. “I don’t encourage them to be controversial. I encourage them to be genuine about their views,� Silver said. “These are multi-dimensional people.

Social media allows them to show who they really are.�

More 3-pointers no worry NBA teams play to 93 percent arena capacity, Silver said, a sign of strength with Forbes magazine in February valuing the average NBA club at a record $1.9 billion.

Concerns over teams deliberately losing games to boost their chances at a high NBA Draft pick don’t worry Silver, who notes clubs that deal away top players for salary cap room are likely to lose more often. “To me, ‘tanking’ suggests the coaches and players are in on it,� Silver said. “The euphemism is ‘rebuilding.’ It’s a legitimate way to say to players, ‘We’ll get better.’ It’s clear some teams still think it’s better to go through a rebuilding program.�

He doesn’t see the rise in 3-pointers as a worry, saying it rewards players who work harder to become more accurate shooters. “It has opened up the game in many ways to players who weren’t as physical,� he said. “If you have aspects of the game where you’re rewarded for how much effort you’re putting in, that’s good.�

AFP

Big three into Madrid last eight MADRID: Roger Federer saved two match points to defeat Gael Monfils and reach the Madrid Open quarterfinals on Thursday (Friday in Manila) but women’s world No. 1 and top seed Naomi Osaka was dumped out in a last-eight shock.

Federer, playing only his second match of a 2019 comeback to clay after three years away, needed two hours to defeat French showman Monfils 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3).

Osaka fell for the second time in two months to Federer’s Swiss compatriot Belinda Bencic, exiting 3-6, 6-2, 7-5. Bencic also beat the double Grand Slam winner in March at Indian Wells.

Czech second seed Petra Kvitova, the defending champion, was also a shock loser, going down 6-2, 6-3 to Kiki Bertens, the Dutch seventh seed who was runner-up in the 2018 final.

Men’s top seed Novak Djokovic, however, motored into the last eight as he hammered Jeremy Chardy 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) while five-time champion Rafael Nadal dispatched Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4.

Nadal will next play Stan Wawrinka after the Swiss completed a national hat-trick on the day, beating Japan’s sixth seed Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).

Defending champion Alexander Zverev came from breaks down in both of the last two sets to get past error-prone Pole Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 and now plays eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, a 6-3, 6-4 winner

against Fernando Verdasco.

Federer admitted he struggled to get past the talented Monfils, seeded 15th, before recording his 1,200th career win.

It took a comeback from 4-1 down in the final set after sweeping the first set in 18 minutes, combined with a dominating tiebreak for the Swiss fourth seed to advance.

Federer said nothing was decided until the end of a match played in difficult swirling winds and challenging conditions. “I had a tough run of five losing games late in the second and into the third,� said the 20-time Grand Slam champion who will face Austrian fifth seed and recent Barcelona champion Dominic Thiem for a place in the semi-finals. “I just hung in there, saving two match points (to force a final-set tiebreaker). “It was a very stressful situation. Now that I’m through it, I’m very excited with the win. “This match gave me a lot of information, it showed how tricky clay can be with the wind and everything. But I tried to take the bad bounces and the rest and just play positive tennis.�

‘Too negative’ Against an inspired Bencic, Osaka served for the match in the third set leading 5-4, but could not touch a backhand return winner. “When you play against a good player,

you have to expect that they are going to play great at times,� Osaka said. “I feel like I was negative on myself, but I tried to fix it in the third set. But my service percentage was down.�

Djokovic, who now boasts a staggering 66-2 record against French players, said he is slowly lifting his clay game. “I felt good on the court in general and played well,� Djokovic said. “Coming into the match I had confidence knowing I’d never lost to my opponent.�

The Madrid champion in 2011 and 2016 is searching for his top clay form as he begins the chase for a fourth straight Grand Slam title when Roland Garros starts in a little over two weeks.

Djokovic next faces ninth seed Marin Cilic after the Croatian put out Laslo Djere 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, winning 11 of the last 13 games.

Thiem, the 2018 runner-up, defeated Monte Carlo winner Fabio Fognini 6-4, 7-5.

Two-time women’s champion Simona Halep overcame Ashleigh Barty 7-5, 7-5 to reach her fourth Madrid semifinal.

Romania’s third seed and former world number one will next play Bencic. “For me, it’s a huge victory, it’s a huge match I played today,� said Halep.

Former US Open winner Sloane Stephens downed Petra Martic of Croatia 6-4, 6-3 in her quarter-final and next faces Bertens. AFP

La Consolacion-Manila, PCU score upsets UPSETS marked the seniors division of the 25th Fr. Martin’s Cup Summer League presented by Resorts World Manila, Bedans 62-66, and Cocolife as La Consolacion and Philippine Christian University registered victories on Friday at the San Beda Gym in Manila.

La Consolacion-Manila posted the day’s biggest shocker, an 85-79 thumping of Far Eastern University in the main game.

Thurlough Grealy and Jesse Bardaje CAME ALIVE IN THE kNAL QUARTER COMBINing for 21 of the Blue Royals’ 27 points.

Grealy scored via layups to keep ,A #ONSOLACION -ANILA AlOAT WHILE Bardaje completed the game-deciding four-point play with 43.5 seconds that helped seal the upset.

"ARDAJE kNISHED WITH A GAME HIGH 26 points while Grealy added 20 markers of his own.

RJ Abarrientos had 22 points for the Tamaraws.

In the other seniors game, Philippine Christian University also upset Arellano 72-69.

In the juniors division, the San Beda Taytay Red Cubs A made quick work of the AMA Junior Titans, 131-70.

However, the Red Cubs B squad lost to the La Consolacion-Manila Junior Royals, 64-91.

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

Sports

C3

Tiger takes aim at 16th major, PGA win mark at Bethpage B ETHPAGE, United States: Tiger Woods chases more golf history in next week’s 101st PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, the same public course where the 15-time major winner captured the 2002 US Open.

Q Tiger Woods reacts as he wins the Masters golf tournament on April 14, 2019 in Augusta. AP PHOTO

The 43-year-old American superstar completed one of the great comebacks in sports history last month with a dramatic victory AT THE -ASTERS FOR HIS kFTH GREEN jacket and first major triumph since the 2008 US Open. “One of the biggest wins I’ve ever had for sure,� Woods said. “It’s something I will never, ever forget.�

An 11-year major drought saw him endure an infamous sex scandal as well as years of knee and back injuries that left him uncertain of a normal life until a 2017 spinal fusion operation enabled him to return to golf at an elite level. “You could compare it to maybe the biggest, if not one of the biggest, moments in the history of golf,� said 20th-ranked Webb Simpson. “From where he was, not knowing if he would ever play again. To come from feeling that way to winning the Masters is pretty amazing.�

Sixth-ranked Woods will arrive

at the Long Island layout three major wins shy of the career record 18 set by Jack Nicklaus and one win shy of the US PGA overall win mark of 82 set by Sam Snead. “For me to be competing against him when he’s coming back is a lot of fun,� top-ranked Masters corunner-up Dustin Johnson said. “He’s still a great player. I grew up watching him and kind of idolizing him so to get to play against him, it has been great.�

Woods, who had never before won a major when trailing after 54 holes, HAS ELECTRIkED THE SPORTS WORLD MUCH AS HE DID BY WINNING HIS kRST MAJOR at the 1997 Masters, accepting the Presidential Medal of Freedom this week at the White House.

Tiger brings confidence 7OODS NEARLY PULLED OFF HIS kRST comeback major win last year.

He was a contender at the British Open and battled down the back nine in the 100th PGA at Bellerive before being bested by Brooks Koepka, the two-time US Open champion who hopes to defend his PGA crown at Bethpage. “My last three major championships have been pretty good,� Woods said. “So that in itself gives me a lot OF CONkDENCE GOING DOWN THE ROAD u In addition to matching Snead’s all-time tour win mark, Woods WOULD EQUAL THE RECORD kVE 0'!

Championship titles by Nicklaus and Walter Hagen with a win.

He would also be halfway to a calendar year Grand Slam, the PGA having shifted to May for the kRST TIME SINCE IN A REVAMPED world golf calendar.

7OODS WON THE kRST TWO MAJORS of 2002 at the Masters and US Open at Bethpage, defeating Phil Mickelson by three shots. The feat hadn’t been done since Nicklaus managed it 30 years earlier. Only kVE MEN HAVE EVER DONE IT AND only Ben Hogan has done it twice.

Woods would also be the 10tholdest major champion by winning at Bethpage, two days beyond Ted Ray at the 1920 US Open at 43 years, four months and 16 days. “Everyone works on their bod-

ies, besides their game. Things have come a long way,� Woods said. “You’re just seeing guys that are taking care of their bodies a lot better and able to play longer.�

Bethpage’s warning sign Formidable Bethpage will offer tricky rough and lightning-quick greens, livING UP TO THE SIGN AT ITS kRST TEE ‡ g4HE "LACK COURSE IS AN EXTREMELY DIFkCULT course which we recommend only for highly skilled golfers.�

Woods, whose $20 million luxury yacht Privacy is docked at neabry Oyster Bay, was the only player under par in 2002 and 2009 winner Lucas 'LOVER WAS AMONG ONLY kVE PLAYERS under par in a rain-soaked week.

Woods will have plenty of top rivals, including Players Championship winner Rory McIlroy, the 2012 and 2014 PGA winner from Northern Ireland who was in the Masters hunt.

Koepka, another Masters co-runner-up, could make some history of his own. If he wins at Bethpage, he’ll BE THE kRST GOLFER TO OWN CONCURRENT back-to-back major titles.

American Jordan Spieth, who is struggling this season, can complete a career Grand Slam by winning the PGA title. He hasn’t won since the 2017 British Open. AFP

Koepka solid in Texas STRONG FINISH NETS UYS 2-SHOT LEAD en route to PGA meet LOS ANGELES: B r o o k s Ko e p k a warmed up for his defence of next week’s PGA Championship with an opening round six-under-par 65 at the AT&T Byron Nelson in Dallas, Texas on Thursday (Friday in Manila).

Koepka, who will be looking to add a fourth major to his resume at Bethpage Black in New York next week, carded eight birdies and two bogeys to finish the day two off the early pace.

T h e 2 9 - ye a r - o l d ’s r o u n d might have been better had it not been for two bogeys on the back nine which were the only blemishes on an otherwise impressive day’s work at Trinity Forest Golf Club. “The last few weeks I’ve been even impressed with myself and how well I’m striking it,�

Koepka said. “Controlling it nice and then from there just try to feel like you see some putts go in the hole. “I think it’s important to kind of feel like the hole is o p e n i n g u p w i t h a m a j o r.

Obviously the goal is to win (here) but if you don’t, you want to leave feeling good for next week.�

Koepka, who teed off on the 10th hole, made a 41-foot birdie putt on the 18th before draining a 19-foot effort at the par-three second hole.

With wet conditions mak-

ing for low scoring on a soft course, Koepka was one of nine players tied for fourth on six under, a group which included Sweden’s Jonas Blixt, South Korea’s Kang Sung-ho and Australia’s Matt Jones.

Denny McCarthy of the United States posted the day’s lowest score, taking a one-shot lead with an eightunder-par 63.

McCarthy started slowly, and drifted out to two over for the day after a double-bogey six on the par-four fourth.

But the 26-year-old from Maryland surged up the leaderboard with five straight birdies from the sixth hole onwards.

Further birdies followed on the 12th, 13th and 14th before back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17 took him to eight under.

McCarthy attributed his remarkable run of 10 birdies over the final 13 holes to a relaxed approach after a nervous start. “I came out with a mindset that I wanted to be aggressive, and I wasn’t,� McCarthy said. “After that I just told myself that I was going to play carefree today, have fun with it and let it go, and I did it. “I’m pretty proud of myself for just being able to let my mind go after a double-bogey like that.�

Tyler Duncan and Tom Hoge were tied for second after posting seven-under-par 64s. AFP

Jordan starts with new course record LONDON: England’s Matthew Jordan stunned the field with a new course record of 63 in the first round of the British Masters on Thursday (Friday in Manila).

The 23-year-old carded nine birdies in a bogeyfree 18 holes at Hillside.

Jordan, in just his 12th event as a professional golfer, ended the day with a two-shot lead over compatriot Matt Wallace and Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult. “You never quite expect it,� said Jordan. “I knew I had been playing quite well and just from the

get-go it started perfectly and from then on I just kept it going. “You start to realize you’re doing quite well because more people turn up and you see a couple of cameras. “I was nervous maybe for a couple of holes, like around 11 and 12, and then I settled back into it.�

Tournament host and Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood was five shots off the lead after an opening 68, with defending champion Eddie Pepperell two shots further back following a round of 70. AFP

SIBLINGS Daniella and Lanz blazed home with three straight birdies and stormed past overnight leaders Rey Pagunsan and Aidric Chan with a 69 for a twostroke lead after two rounds of the Delimondo National Pro-Am at Taal Splendido Golf Club in Laurel, Batangas on Friday.

The Uys bucked a bogey start on No. 7 with a stirring four-birdie binge linking both nines then rebounded from a double-bogey and two-bogey mishaps in a sixhole stretch from No. 13 with FOUR BIRDIES IN THEIR LAST kVE HOLES

including three in row from No. 4 that shoved them past Pagunsan and Chan at 141. “We played good overall, our short game and putting clicked,� said Daniella, the former Junior World champion and now a sophomore on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.

In contrast, the veteran Pagunsan and reigning national junior champion Chan wobbled in their closing holes at the back, dropping three straight strokes from No. 12, marred by two three-putt miscues, although they put some semblance OF A kGHTBACK WITH A kNAL HOLE birdie on No. 15.

They wound up with a 73 and slipped to second at 143 after gallantly staving off their rivals’ charges with a one-under card after No. 11. But they bogeyed the par-3 12th and dropped strokes on the next two to yield the lead to the HOT kNISHING 5Y SIBLINGS g5NLIKE IN THE kRST ROUND

I struggled with my putting,� rued Pagunsan, who accounted for all but one of their six birdies in a lead-grabbing 70 Thursday.

Art Arbole and Joel Yamyamin

matched par 72 for the second straight day for a 144, staying in the hunt for the top P500,000 purse for the former and merchandises and gift packs for the latter in the P2.7 million event sponsored by Delimondo.

Omar Dungca and Carl Corpuz fought back with a 70 after a 76 BUT LAY kVE STROKES OFF THE 5YS AT HEADING TO THE kNAL HOLES of the alternate shot format event that also showcases the skills and

talent of the country’s top and rising amateurs.

Lanz Uy more than proved his worth in her partner-

Q Pro golfer Daniella Uy (left) and amateur teammate Lanz Uy study their putt on No. 10 during the Delimondo National Pro-Am at Taal Splendido Golf Club in Laurel, Batangas on Friday.

PHOTO BY ROGER RAĂ‘ADA

ship with her elder sister, hitting A SOLID TEE SHOT ON THE DIFkCULT No. 8 to set up a birdie chance for Daniella. He also buried the putt for birdie on the next then on No. 11.

The rest, however, would need SOLID kNISHES TODAY TO CONTEND FOR the crown although no lead is safe at the rolling, hazard-laden layout with the dreaded WIND EXPECTED TO knally come into play.

Artemio Murakami and Japanese partner Takuya Kawamura, one of two Japanese amateurs competing in the third edition of the tournament organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., hobbled with a 74 for a 147 in a tie with Joseph Suarez-Paqo Barro (74) and Michael BibatLouie Aguinaldo (72).

Jhonnel Ababa and Vince Floro charged back with a 71 to tie Enrico Gallardo and Leandro Bagtas, who made a second 74, at eighth, seven shots off the young Uy tandem.

Only the top 40 pairs from the STARTING kELD OF TEAMS ADVANCED to the final round event backed

by Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Champion, Summit Mineral Water, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT and M.Y. Shokai Technology, Inc. with 2017 champion Tonton Asistio and Judson Eustaquio bowing out of the title race with an 81 for a 153 for joint 24th with Jerson Balasabas-M. Cortez (77) and James LamMarianne Bustos (75).

Bandolis shines in upset-marred PPS Dipolog netfest GUIA Bandolis hacked out a pair of tough victories but still fell prey to the surge of the lesser lights who stole the spotlight in the PPS-PEPP Dipolog national age-group tennis tournament at the Mibang Tennis Club in Zamboanga del Norte recently.

The fourth-ranked Bandolis, 14, rebounded from a shutout loss in the second set to repulse Mae Gulagula, 6-1, 0-6, 10-6, and rule her age bracket. She then toppled Angel Repaja, 6-4, 6-4, IN THE AND 5 kNALS TO EMERGE the lone “double� winner in the upset-marred Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop.

But the Tubod, Lanao del Norte

bet failed to match her three-title romp in Sindangan as Gulagula, from Dapitan, got back at her and pulled off a 7-5, 6-3 victory to snare the 16-U diadem in the event serving as part of the country’s biggest talent-search put up

by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala.

Three other reversals were posted in the boys’ side with unranked Bryan Antonio, also from Dapitan, topping the 18-U division with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over top seed Ashton Villanueva and No. 4 Aldree Pan from Dumingag overpowering third seed Neo Maratas, 6-1, 6-3, to claim the 16-U title.

Local bet Mark Barros shocked top seed Andrei Tan, 2-6, 6-1, 10-5, to snatch the 12-U plum and share the MVP honors with Bandolis folLOWING A SECOND PLACE kNISH IN THE 14-U side. Maratas foiled Barros’ two-title bid with a 6-1, 6-3 romp. “The future of Phl tennis is secured with the rise of these young players, especially in the countryside, who all aim to make it big someday and the PPS-PEPP will continue to provide them the venue to polish and hone their skills and talent,� said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

Dipolog’s young ace Pete Ban-

dala, meanwhile, remained the prince in 10-unisex play, crushing doubles partner Rose Mesiona, 4-0, 4-0. The duo later teamed up to clinch the doubles crown with an 8-0 rout of Cielo Gonzales and Marcus Tan. Other doubles winners were Yvonne Cuevas-Repaja and Jefferson Mallones-Alritz Pan (18-U) and Elumba-Christine Gulagula and Ryan Elumbaring-Theo Montano (14-U).

Meanwhile, action shifts to Luzon next week with the staging of the Cainta Open, featuring the country’s top players, on May 1321. For details, call 09154046464.

C4

Football

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Ateneo, La Salle seal UAAP championship showdown

BY JEREMIAH M. SEVILLAÂ

A

TENEO de Manila University and De La 3ALLE 5NIVERSITY ARRANGED A kNALS DUEL IN the University Athletic Association of the 0HILIPPINES 5!!0 MEN S FOOTBALL FOR THE kRST time in 13 years after dispatching their foes in 3EASON &INAL &OUR ON 4HURSDAY AT THE 2IZAL -EMORIAL &OOTBALL 3TADIUM IN -ANILA

La Salle dethroned University of the Philippines (UP), 2-1, behind rookie Shanden Vergara’s match-winner before Ateneo nipped FEU, 1-0, on star striker Jarvey Gayoso’s late goal.

Vergara beat two defenders to get a long pass then shot past the onrushing goalkeeper for the gamewinning goal in the 77th minute. !NOTHER ROOKIE IN *OVAN -ARkGA scored the 20th minute opener for

La Salle but it was cancelled out by UP captain King Miyagi in the 38th.

Later in the other semifinal match, Gayoso controlled a crossed ball inside the box then struck the lone goal from a tight angle in the 70th.

La Salle and Ateneo forged a championship game set next Thursday at the same venue, renewing their 2006 titular tiff

wherein the latter completed a three-peat with a 1-0 victory.

The Green Booters snapped a FOUR YEAR kNALS DROUGHT AND GOT a golden opportunity to end a 21year title spell.

The Blue Booters, on the other hand, returned to the championSHIP kXTURE AFTER MISSING IT LAST season and notched a chance to reclaim the crown.

Meanwhile, in the women’s division, La Salle will shoot for a third straight title against Far Eastern U prior TO THE !TENEO ,A 3ALLE kNALS CLASH The Lady Booters topped the double-round elimination with 16 points on an unbeaten record of four wins and four draws while THE ,ADY 4AMARAW "OOTERS kNISHED second with 12 markers on a 3-3-2 win-draw-loss slate.

Chelsea reaches Europa League final as Keppa shines LONDON: Kepa Arrizabalaga was Chelsea’s hero as the Spanish goalkeeper sent his SIDE TO THE %UROPA ,EAGUE kNAL WITH TWO penalty saves in a dramatic 4-3 shoot-out win against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday (Friday in Manila).

Maurizio Sarri’s side will face London RIVALS !RSENAL IN AN ALL 0REMIER ,EAGUE kNAL IN "AKU ON -AY AS FOR THE kRST TIME ALL FOUR kNALISTS IN THE #HAMPIONS AND %UROPA League come from England. #HELSEA TOOK THE LEAD IN THE SEMI kNAL second leg thanks to Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s kRST HALF STRIKE AT 3TAMFORD "RIDGE But Luka Jovic equalized soon after the INTERVAL AS A TENSE CLASH kNISHED AFTER extra time and 2-2 on aggregate.

Cesar Azpilicueta’s penalty was saved by Kevin Trapp in the shoot-out, but Kepa kept out Martin Hinteregger’s effort and then turned away Goncalo Paciencia before Eden Hazard slotted home the decisive kick to spark wild celebrations.

It was a sweet moment of redemption for Kepa after he was widely criticized for his astonishing mutiny in the League Cup kNAL AGAINST -ANCHESTER #ITY WHEN HE refused to be substituted before the Blues lost on penalties.

Hazard also relished his crucial contribution in what could be his last kick at the

Bridge amid rumors of a close-season move to Real Madrid. “I am only thinking to win something for this club,� said Hazard when asked if THE kNAL WILL BE HIS LAST GAME FOR THE CLUB “If it is my last game I will try to do everything. In my mind I don’t know yet.�

(AVING ALREADY QUALIkED FOR NEXT SEAson’s Champions League when they guarANTEED A TOP FOUR kNISH IN THE 0REMIER League last weekend, Chelsea can bring an UPLIFTING END TO 3ARRI S TROUBLED kRST SEASON in charge by lifting the Europa League.

Former Napoli boss Sarri this week claimed Chelsea “deserve� to win a trophy this season and the Italian is now one vicTORY AWAY FROM THE kRST MAJOR PRIZE OF HIS managerial career.

However, Sarri is not happy that Chelsea will play a friendly in the United States against New England Revolution next week.

The match is designed to raise awareness and money for anti-Semitism and antidiscrimination causes. “Now we need to rest. Unfortunately we have to go play in the United States because I think in this moment we need to rest then we have 10 days to prepare the kNAL u SAID 3ARRI “We have to recover energy because we are very tired.�

AFP

Q Frankfurt’s German goalkeeper Kevin Trapp (right) saves a shot off Chelsea’s French striker Olivier Giroud (center) during the UEFA Europa League semifinal second leg football match at Stamford Bridge in London. AFP PHOTO

Man City on brink of Premier League glory LONDON: Manchester City and Liverpool have slugged it out in one of the most gripping Premier League title races of all time, going toe to toe in a monumental battle for the ages.

But it will all be decided on Sunday when City travel to Brighton and Liverpool host 7OLVES WITH 0EP 'UARDIOLA S TEAM kRM FAVORites to get over the line ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s charging team.

The bare statistics from both sides this season are phenomenal.

City, on 95 points, have won their past 13 Premier League matches to wipe out a sevenpoint lead for Liverpool and are on the brink OF BECOMING THE kRST TEAM TO RETAIN THE TITLE since Manchester United in 2009.

Klopp’s men, with 94 points, have recovered from a mid-season stumble to record eight straight victories and are agonizingly close to THEIR kRST %NGLISH TOP lIGHT TITLE SINCE The 18-time league winners face the scarcely credible scenario of ending the season with the third-highest points tally in Premier League history and a single defeat yet still missing out on the title. #ITY LOOK ALMOST CERTAIN TO kNISH OFF THE JOB ON THE SOUTH COAST but Guardiola, speaking after a nervy 1-0 win against Leicester on Monday, is taking nothing for granted. “The players are mature, and we have one more game,� said Guardiola. “It will be tough in Bright o n .

T h e y took a result at Arsenal. We played a few weeks ago against them (in the FA Cup semikNAL AND IT WAS TOUGH “They will play for pride but it’s in our hands. We were seven points behind but we

never give up. We are still there and we win 13 games in a row.�

City cannot quite match the record 100 points they mustered last season but they have shown their ability to dig deep in recent weeks. Guardiola’s side have been free-scoring FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE CAMPAIGN RACKING UP 91 goals, but three of their past four wins have been 1-0 victories.

A second consecutive title for the club, who remain on course for a historic domestic treble, would underline their status as the dominant force in the English game.

A Vincent Kompany thunderbolt settled the match against Leicester, although that astonishing moment has since been overshadowed by breathtaking Champions League comebacks for Liverpool and Tottenham.

AFP

Q Leicester City’s English midfielder Hamza Choudhury (left) tackles Manchester City’s German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan during the English Premier League football match at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England. AFP PHOTO

SSATURDAY AT U R DAY MAY 11, 2019

Entertainment

D1

W

Models turned It-Moms’ toast to motherhood D3

www.manilatimes.net

Âťglobalspotlight Mel Gibson to play Santa Claus in ‘Fatman’ comedy NEW YORK: Mel Gibson is to play Santa Claus in “Fatman,â€? a comedy that will be shopped at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.

Gibson is attached as Kris Kringle in the film to be directed by Ian and Eshom Nelms and is executive produced by David Gordon Green and Danny McBride.

The filmmakers call it a “rowdy Santa tale� about an unorthodox Santa Claus who is targeted by a hitman hired by a 12-year-old after he receives coal in his stocking. Production is scheduled to begin early next year.

Domestic and international rights for the film will be up for sale in Cannes, the world’s largest film market.

EVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD showbiz newcomer Kent Gonzales feels blessed he was chosen to play the role of Sharon Cuneta’s son in “Kuwaresma.�

Q Mel Gibson Gibson most recently starred in “Daddy’s Home 2� and “Dragged Across Concrete.�

AP

Sylvester Stallone to show ‘Rambo 5’ teaser at Cannes PARIS: Sylvester Stallone is to unveil teaser images of “Rambo 5� at the Cannes film festival this month, ahead of the movie’s worldwide release later in the year, according to organisers.

Snippets of the film — whose full title is “Rambo V: Last Blood� — will be shown out of competition in a special May 24 career tribute to the 72-year-old American actor who made a name as an action hero in the 1980s. “Sly� Stallone has already visited Cannes several times, notably in 2014

Newbie holds own in Sharon Cuneta movie S

to promote “The Expendables 3� when he turned up with co-stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Harrison Ford atop armoured vehicles.

The title of the latest Rambo movie is a nod to the first one, 1982’s “Rambo: First Blood�, which introduced the musclebound survivalist Vietnam veteran to audiences — and kicked off a second lucrative franchise for Stallone alongside his “Rocky� films.

A restored version of that first movie will also be shown in the Cannes tribute.

AFP

Q Sylvester Stallone INSTAGRAM PHOTO

He didn’t expect he’d be chosen for the part but he impressed Erik Matti who found his acting raw but effective.

And he managed to hold his own against Sharon Cuneta even if he didn’t any acting experience. )F EVER PEOPLE kND HIS ACTING good for a newcomer, Kent was to give credit to Sharon for making him feel at ease in their scenes and in supporting him. “I felt Mommy Sharon is really like my mom in our scenes TOGETHER ) WAS INTIMIDATED AT kRST

and who wouldn’t be, but she was very warm and inspiring to be with,� the young man said.

For her part, Sharon praised Kent’s performance and his sister Pam who plays his twin in Kuwaresma. “They are both talented and good actors. I hope they will stay level-headed and focused on their careers,� said the Megastar.

NNN Actress Aiko Melendez on Tuesday filed libel charges against Zambales vice governor Angelica “Angel� Magsaysay-Cheng before the Olongapo Regional Trial Court (Olongapo-RTC).

This stemmed from the move of respondent in dragging Aiko’s name to drugs in a video shown during a public viewing at the

Intellectual Property Rights Day ushers PH film centennial L

AST week the Intellectual Property Rights Day was celebrated in a lecture series held at Novotel Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City. The two-day event was part of commemoration activities in celebration of the 100 years of Philippines Cinema, according to Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) Chairman Liza DiĂąo Caveat was one of the official participants representing the Kapisanan Ng Mga Direktor Ng Pelikulang Pilipino (KDPP) aka Phil.ippine Motion Pictures Directors Association (PMPDA) with the imprimatur of organization president William Mayo of the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP).

Said event was in partnership with the Motion Picture Association (MPA) supported by the Department of Trade and IndustryExpert Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) and the )NTELLECTUAL 0ROPERTY /FkCE OF THE 0HILIPPINES (IPOPHL).

THE /FkCE OF THE $IRECTOR 'ENERAL OF )0/0(, Citing local sources from the International Property Code, Atty. Calvario, among others, emphasized that works are protected by the sole fact of their creation irrespective of the mode or form of expression as well as their content, quality and purpose.

On the dichotomy of the Idea of Expression, he emphasized that only the concrete “expression� of the idea is protected by a copyright, adding the idea itself is not protected by copyright. That ideas are MERE BUILDING BLOCKS TO SPECIkC CREATIONS Atty. Calvario illustrated a case of Joaquin vs. Drilon. In the 1990s there was a TV show on Channel 7 titled “It’s A Date.� A case against it was lodged in court on the premise that said show was an infringement of an earlier show titled “Rhoda And Me.� The point raised against “It’s A Date� was that it copied from the original idea of “Rhoda And Me.�

The court ruled that concepts and ideas are not n copyright protected by law unless le you are able to show as proof of o evidence an “actual audio-visual Q Resource speaker similarity� s of the allegation at Louie Calvario hand. h They failed to show any. Case was w dismissed.

The same applies with screenp plays.

Plots, ideas and concepts a not copyright protected by are P Philippine law. Those that are copyri right protected, among others, are o original and artistic works, books to include writings, periodical, le letters, musical compositions, app plied arts, ornamental designs, illu lustrations, maps and the like. This a includes derivative works like also a adaptations and other alterations.

In-depth workshop sessions and a pitchAccording to Atty. Calvario, copyrights law ing showcase was conducted during the in the country is evolving and it has a distinct EVENT TO HELP RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT kLM- nomenclature of its own even if the Philipmakers’ Intellectual Property (IP) rights and pines is a signatory of the Berne Convention opportunities and to support the growth of & International Copyright Law. The IPOPHIL THE LOCAL kLM INDUSTRY in Makati is strengthening local copyrights A Masterclass on Intellectual Property law to protect the economic rights as well of Rights with illustrative case studies were pre- the creative industries of Filipinos represented sented by Atty. Louie Calvario, an attorney at by all sectors of society.

CAVEAT GEORGE VAIL KABRISTANTE

height of the campaign.

Aiko is campaigning for her boyfriend Subic Mayor Jay Khongjun who is running for vice governor.

Mayor Jay and his father, Zambales First District Congressman Jeffrey Khonghun, were named as among the 46 local executives in the narco list revealed by President Duterte, This was vehemently denied by the Khongjuns.

Aiko said in her complaint that the accusation that she is into drugs caused her anxiety, fear, embarrassment, ridicule and public humiliation.

Said accusation caused damage to her reputation as she takes drug tests yearly to prove that she is not taking drugs. She also wants to set an example to fellow celebrities not to take drugs.

Last Sunday, Aiko had several cryptic messages in her FB account.

While she did identify anybody, she mentioned the word vice governor in her posts.

She also took the chance to answer the issues leveled against her. )T WAS THEN THAT SHE DECIDED TO kLE a case against the vice governor.

NNN Former congressman Mike Defensor was out of the political scene for a while as he opted to devote more time to

ROVING EYE RO RICKY CA CALDERON

Q Kent Gonzales INSTAGRAM PHOTO his famil, especially since his children are growing up.

He is trying his luck again as a party list representative of Anak Kalusugan whose advocacy is health.

Part of their agenda is free full medical check-up, exclusion of the 12-percent tax on maintenance medicines and vitamins, and right SALARIES AND BENEkTS FOR BARANGAY health workers. “What we represent is an advocacy and if we get enough votes to get into congress,we hope to be

part of the Committee on Health to push our advocacy,� said the former congressman.

He said that while President Duterte has signed the Universal Health Law, there is still a need for solid implementing rules and regulations.

This also holds true for Philhealth to ensure that the right medical services will be given to all citizens around the Philippines.

He also said that mental health issues should also be a part of the health program of the government.

Q The newbie with co-stars John Arcilla, Sharon Cuneta and Pam Gonzales.

FACEBOOK PHOTO

D2

Funtimes

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

DESPERATE MEASURES

There are times when declarer is forced to attempt a play that would make him look very foolish if it did not succeed. Even so, if that play actually offers the best chance to bring the contract home, declarer should screw up his courage and back his convictions to the hilt.

Consider the accompanying deal where South got to three notrump and West led the diamond deuce. After taking East’s king with the ace, South played the A-Q of clubs.

» CROSSWORD

Had West taken the queen with the king, declarer would have made four notrump easily. But West properly ducked the queen, leaving South with only eight sure tricks and no obvious way to utilize dummy’s J-10-9 of clubs.

Although dummy could be entered with the ace of spades in order to establish the club suit, there would then be no way to reach the other two club winners.

Declarer gave some thought to attempting to establish his fourth heart, but quickly dismissed the idea.

Even if the opposing hearts were divided 3-3 — just a bit better than a 1-in-3 possibility — he would very likely wind up losing two diamonds, two hearts and a club before he could score nine tricks.

And so, South instead took what looked like his only chance for the contract. After the club queen held, he led a low spade and finessed dummy’s 10! When the ten won the trick, he conceded a club to the king, and, with the spade ace still in dummy as an entry, he had no difficulty collecting 10 tricks.

Interestingly, even this line of play could have been thwarted if West had played his jack on the first spade lead.

This would have restricted dummy to only one entry and rendered the contract hopeless. However, the jack play was certainly not an easy one for West to make, and might have worked out badly had South held a different hand. © 2019 King Features Syndicate Inc.

BY EUGENE SHEFFER

Solution to puzzle

By Samantha Weaver

»HOROSCOPE Today’s Birthday (05/11/19). Together, your touch is golden this year. Grow your exploration with discipline. Express your views this summer, before a fork in the road deviates your journey. Your investigation yields exciting discoveries next winter, providing something new to write about. Find collaborative solutions for shared gain.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19) -- Today is an 8 -- Don’t worry about money, and don’t spend much either. Make plans for fun with family and friends. Cook up something wonderful. Invent a fine romance.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20) -- Today is a 6 -- Fix up your place.

The best-laid plans can have gaps or holes. You can see what wasn’t working. Collaborate to find cost-effective solutions.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Reinforce the basic foundations of a creative project. Provide stability to grow your elaborations and details. Make plans and outlines. Study the options.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22) -- Today is a 9 -- Keep generating positive cash flow. Watch your step to avoid mistakes. Make plans for growth and expansion while maintaining a tight budget. Stash it.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Gain options with strength. Don’t divulge a secret source. Guard your energy. Practice to grow it. Refine plans to realize a personal vision.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Slow down, and consider your plans and itineraries. Anticipate future challenges. Use what you’ve kept hidden. Organization provides the backbone of your next adventure.

» SUDOKU

• It was industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who was born into a poor Scottish family and emigrated to the United States as a teen, who made the following sage observation: “There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.”

• You might be surprised to learn that the United States Department of Commerce has designated approximately 30 houses across the country as authentic haunted houses.

• Despite the fact that 95 percent of the world uses the metric system of measurement, we in the United States still stubbornly cling to the archaic units of measurement derived from the old British Imperial system. This hodgepodge ranges from the mile (originally the distance a Roman soldier could march in 1,000 double steps) to the foot (originally the length of Emperor Charlemagne’s foot, later “standardized” to the length of 35 barleycorns laid end to end) to a yard (the distance between King Henry I’s nose to his extended fingertips) to an inch (the length from the tip to the first joint of a man’s thumb).

• You probably didn’t realize there’s a word for it, but a pregnant goldfish is called a twit.

• A man named Robert Boyd entered a lingerie shop and attempted to hold up the store using a Japanese sword. A fan of video games, Boyd claimed in his defense that at the time of the holdup, he believed he was an elf.

• In Switzerland, it is considered to be bad luck to tell anyone your baby’s name before it is born. *** Thought for the Day: “A man may truly live in his dreams, his noblest dreams, but only, only if he is worthy of those dreams.” — Harlan Ellison © 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.

BY NANCY BLACK LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22) -- Today is a 7 -- You can’t do everything. Delegate what you can. Proceed with caution to avoid breakage. Raise the level of organization and coordination for peace of mind.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Provide excellent service despite a potential hurdle. Make sure that everyone is on the same page. Draw upon hidden resources. Review and revise professional plans.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21) -- Today is a 7 -- Venture farther out. You don’t need to spend a fortune. Enjoy a frugal exploration without suffering. Hunt for the perfect route and landing spots.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19) -- Today is a 7 -- Two heads are better than one with a financial decision. Contribute to a shared effort.

You’re building for the future. Wear practical shoes.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18) -- Today is a 7 -- Work out an issue with your partner. What seems like a breakdown now could grow in time to become a blessing. Adjust plans and preparations.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Practice your physical moves to grow your skills. Play by the rules, and expand your influence. Concur with an expert on the most sensible option.

(Astrologer Nancy Black continues her mother Linda Black’s legacy horoscopes column. She welcomes comments and questions on Twitter, @LindaCBlack. For more astrological interpretations like today’s Gemini horoscope, visit Linda Black Astrology by clicking daily horoscopes, or go to www.nancyblack.com.)

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.

Solution from yesterday’s puzzle.

˜ The Manila Times

D3

w w w.manilatimes.net

LIFESTYLE@MANILATIMES.NET

SATURDAY MAY 11, 2019

ISABELLE DAZA AND GEORGINA WILSON

Models turned It-Moms’ toast to motherhood I

Q Isabelle Daza and son Balthazar.

INSTAGRAM PHOTOS

N their 20s, Isabelle Daza and Georgina Wilson were the talk of the town not only for their good looks and toned physique but also for their keen sense of fashion and exquisite taste. Together with friends and celebrities Anne Curtis, Solenn Heussaff and Liz Uy, they earned the label “Manila’s It Girls,� and became fashion and lifestyle inspirations for young, independent women.

A decade has passed and these women have carried with them the glam as they all moved on to the next chapter — marriage and motherhood.

Georgina Wilson married husband Arthur Burnand in 2016 AND WELCOMED THEIR kRST child, Archie, in the same year. This 2019, the 33-year-old model is due to give birth to baby No. 2.

Isabelle Daza, meanwhile, wedded Adrien Semblat in the latter part of 2016 and gave birth to THEIR kRSTBORN "ALTHAZAR

in 2018.

Now that they are enjoying the journey of being parents, Daza and

own passions, they make sure to take care of their family by any means possible. From cooking

Wilson — dubbed as the “It Moms,� — want to further epitomize how moms can be whatever they want to be through a collaboration with chocolate brand Toblerone.

It’s n o secret that moms are some of the most hardworking people on the planet. Aside from Q Georgina Wilson pursuing their and son Archie.

delicious food, preparing soft and clean beddings, and even cheering their kids on so they’d be MORE CONkDENT TO reach their dreams, moms work extraordinarily hard.

Together with the examples they see from other moms and their own experi-

ences as new mothers to their brood, the two It Moms were inspired to design limited-edition Toblerone sleeves in time for Mother’s Day. “I designed the pack to celebrate Mother’s Day everyday in every little thing we do for our little ones,�

Daza shared. “For me, I wanted something meaningful to give and to receive that would look aesthetic too! I also made sure the design reminds me and other moms and kids that time with family is always the sweetest,� Wilson enthused.

In addition to these fun artworks, are sleeves designed

by June Digan, who is known for bold artworks combined with calligraphy; Louise Dimagmaliw whose artwork is beloved for their whimsical quality; Anina Rubio who is well-known for her fun and colorful creations; and Raxenne Maniquiz who works on lovely, multi-colored patterns. There are many design options that will help children express how they feel about their moms.

The limited edition Mothers’ Day sleeves are now available in leading supermarkets and groceries nationwide.

CA

Fool-proof last-minute Mother’s Day gift ideas beautybox SHOPPING gifts for mom, grandma, mother-in-law, or even fellow moms can be tricky. /F COURSE YOU WANT TO GET THEM SOMETHING NICE BUT IT S DIFkCULT TO kND SOMETHING THEY DON T ALREADY OWN OR WOULDN T THINK TO GET THEMselves. Naturally, you put it off for days until it’s almost Mother’s Day and you’re still stumped for ideas.

For those who still have not found the perfect Mother’s Day gift, The Lookbook together with Rustan’s provide foolproof last-minute presents for every super moms.

For the beauty and wellness-savvy Max Factor Lipfinity Velvet Matte Lipstick Infused with coconut extract, this s u p e r hyd r a t i n g , waterproof, transferproof multiple-benEkT -,"" WILL KEEP mom’s lips looking gorgeous for up to 24 hours without leaving them DRY AND lAKY Covergirl Outlast Active Foundation This sweat-proof, transfer-proof, and humidity-proof foundation packed with SPF 20 works just as hard as mom does and will last her all day long.

Babyliss Diamond Big Hair Dual For the b u s y m o m who’s a sucker for salon-perfect blow outs, gift a rotating hot air styler brush with Diamond Radiance system that promises flawless, super shiny, blow-dry finish hair.

Bkr Tutu 500ml Glass Water Bottle This ultrastylish, endlessly recyclable, non-toxic g l a s s wa t e r bottle will have beauty moms look forward to staying hydrated and drinking eight glasses a day.

For the kitchen goddess Reisenthel Foldable Trolley This three-way foldable trolley THAT kTS INTO ITS OWN OUTER POCKET is a true wonder worker that mom can take with her, from food bazaars to weekend markets.

Tefal Pure Chef Plus Deep Fry Pan and Saucepan Can moms ever have enough non-stick pans? The answer is no. Until, of COURSE SHE kNDS A PAIR of aluminum deep fry pan and saucepan like from Pure Chef Plus.

Cuisinart Power Trio Hand Blender Giving your mom a Power Trio Hand Blender is like hiring a sous-chef for her to chop, slice, and shred all of her fruits and vegetables, so she doesn’t have to.

For the stylish yet practical S p a n x Wa i s t Cincher Even Hollywood hot mommas swear by this body shaping waist cincher with lEXIBLE BONing to hide those love handles.

Anne K l e i n Swarovski Crystal Watch There’s no better way to express what a truly upstanding woma n yo u r mom is than a

BEAUTIFUL TIMEPIECE WITH A lOWER dial cover made of Mother of Pearl, set in rose gold, and accented with Swarovski #RYSTAL lOWERS

For the scent and skincare lovers

Exclusively for moms MAKE mom feel like a queen on her special day and and throughout the month of May with these special treats from L’Oreal Paris.

For a minimum makeup purchase amount, moms can get a free Makeup Bouquet from Holland Tulips and free lipstick engraving (available at L’Oreal Paris counters in SM Megamall and SM Mall of

Asia) or a free Pamper Session from Nailaholics. And of course, all moms can avail of free makeovers from the brand’s well-trained makeup experts available at all counters.

To top it all off, L’Oreal Paris will also be giving special discounts on its best-selling matte lipsticks Rouge Signature and Color Riche Matte lipsticks throughout May.

Solinotes Eau Du Parfum in The Blanc and Yuzu Whether mom is partial t o fresh citrus fragrance or sparkling delicate notes of White Tea, she won’t be able to resist Solinotes’ two new scents: The Blanc and Yuzu.

Berdoues 1902 Eau de Cologne Naturelle For the moms who like all things au naturel, captivate her senses with the vibrant citrus scent of Naturelle that blends freshness and simplicity.

Nuxe Crème Prodigieuse Boost Give young moms the gift of freshness, radiance, and smooth skin with a multi-corrective beauty cream infused with Jasmine flower and Hyaluronic acid.

Moms can get a free Makeup Bouquet, a lipstick engraving...

... and a free pamper session

D4

SATURDAY MAY 11, 2019

EDITOR Tessa Mauricio-Arriola STAFF WRITERS Christina Alpad & Iza Iglesias DESKMAN Arlo Custodio Q Jennifer Lopez stuns in a silver fringe outfit.

Q Cardi B takes camp to heart with this stunning quilted dress which covered much of the pink carpet.

Q Emily Ratajkowski sparkles from head to-toe in her naked custom Dundas dress.

Q Lady Gaga uses the pink carpet as a runway and a changing station — starting off with a huge cape dress she removed to reveal a strapless asymmetrical ball gown, which she shed at last for her final three-piece outfit: a bra, panties and fish net stockings.

Celebs try to out-camp each other at wild Met Gala N

BY LEANNE ITALIE

EW YORK: Cardi B swept by in a stunning red quilted dress accentuated with a matching sequin headpiece, feathers and a train that took up much of the pink carpet, Jared Leto was accompanied by his own (fake) head and Katy Perry came as a candled chandelier at the crazy, campy Met Gala on Monday night (Tuesday in Manila).

Q Kylie and Kendall Jenner’s bold, feathery statements.

The 71st annual gala hit a high point early with Lady Gaga working the pink carpet to its fullest in long golden eyelashes and a huge fuchsia dress, peeling off layer after layer.

Brandon Maxwell, who created Gaga’s reveal, helped her navigate the stairs as she posed with several helpers. Maxwell undressed her further, revealing a black strapless asymmetrical ballgown underneath with a huge side bustle. Then she undressed again to show off a pink dress reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,� walking up and down the carpet.

But she wasn’t done. Moments later, she was down to a glittering bra and panties set, with huge platform shoes.

Meanwhile, Perry, whose look was created by Jeremy Scott for Moschino, said she wanted to be “of the light,� though she appeared concerned her heavy looking headpiece would topple as she smiled and walked precariously up the stairs.

Bella Hadid dished Perry “had to be trucked here in a UPS truck.� (She changed from chandelier to a fully loaded Moschino burger for dinner).

Many of the A-list guests worked the camp theme to the max. That included Zendaya, whose Cinderella 4OMMY (ILkGER DRESS WENT AGLOW with the wave of a magic wand.

Emily Ratajkowski channeled Cher in a barely there silver dress by Dundas and wing-like headpiece with feathers and hanging crystal strands by the

House of Malakai. Tom Ford dressed Gemma Chan, who wore a custom headdress inspired by Elizabeth Taylor, and Versace created a jawdropping sparkler for Jennifer Lopez.

She wore a 129.48-carat purple and diamond sapphire by Harry Winston around her neck.

Lupita Nyong’o spent four hours getting ready in a rainbow, cool chick getup, her hair high and packed with golden Afro picks.

Billy Porter went Egyptian-esque sun god in gold wings and a chain head piece by the design duo the Blonds, carried onto the carpet by shirtless men in gold pants as he lay on top of a black throne. “Camp is the art of being extra and I’ve always been extra,� he laughed. “I’m from the theater so it’s easy for me.�

This year’s gala theme, “Camp: Notes on Fashion,� was inspired by a seminal 1964 essay by Susan Sontag in which she describes the phenomenon as something that shan’t be talked about: “To talk about Camp is therefore to betray it.�

The theme is chosen for the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition and gala guests are encouraged to take it on.

One of them who did so was Gigi Hadid — who walked with the designer of her look Michael Kors — offering a silver cat woman style in a swirl-pattern jumpsuit, long coat and helmet-like hat, with long spiked white eyelashes.

Q Katy Perry — defnitely the light’ of the party.’

Q Gigi Hadid channels a cross between Cher and Liberace-inspired Michael Kors.

Some played it safe in more traditional carpet looks, like Hailey Bieber in a lovely, tight pink dress with a daring — but not terribly campy — low back.

Also not particularly camp, and not particularly high-fashion, for that matter: Gwyneth Paltrow in a

LOOSE RUFlE NECK PALE YELLOW gown by Chloe.

Kim Kardashian West was dewy in tight, tight, tight couture Thierry Mugler, husband Kanye West stone-faced silent at her side in a Dickey’s zip jacket. Sister Kylie Jenner went for purple from her loose dyed hair to her big feather-muff sleeves Janelle Monae, always evocative on the carpet, balanced multiple hats piled high on her head wearing a pink and black gown with a blackand-white eye covering her breast on one side, courtesy of designer Christian Siriano.

Wintour, who masterminds the gala every year, wore a light pink cape with loose ostrich feathers over a matching gown adorned IN A lOWER SEQUIN DESIGN 3HE told waiting reporters this year’s theme is anything goes. “I hope they have a lot of fun,� she said of her A-list guests. “The more crazy the better.�

AP

Classified Ads

advertising@manilatimes.net 524-5664 local 121, 3105895 and 3105582

w w w.manilatimes.net

Republic of the Philippines Department of Finance Securities and Exchange Commission CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE DEPARTMENT

NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION

ERRATUM

Notice is hereby given that the Amended Articles of Incorporation of THNGYEO MARINE PRODUCTS CORPORATION shortening the term of its existence up to January 31, 2019 thereby dissolving the said corporation on said date have been approved by the Board of Directors and stockholders.

In the published Balance Sheet of Overseas Filipino Bank as of March 31, 2019 in this paper’s April 29, issue, the following is the correct information:

All persons having claims against said corporation are requested to present the same at Palanyag Road, Barangay San Dionisio, ParaĂąaque City for immediate settlement.

In the matter of

: : PHILEQUITY ALPHA ONE FUND, INC. : -Registrant: : x---------------------------------------------x

This announcement will serve as notice to all concerned at the legal dissolution of the aforesaid corporation.

Registration of Units of Participation

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

KAREN ANN J. PABLO Corporate Secretary

MT - Apr. 27, May 4 & 11, 2019

According to the papers/documents presented on April 30, 2019, the IROORZLQJ SHUVRQV DUH WKH GLUHFWRUV RIÂżFHUV RI WKH FRUSRUDWLRQ Name

Position

Ignacio B. Gimenez Violeta O. Luym Dobbin Ang Tan Norman L. Wee Leo M. Garcia Aurora L. Shih Ramon Y. Sy Atty. A. Bayani K. Tan Atty. Ann Margaret K. Lorenzo Kevin Neil A. Sy 0D $QJHOLFD ' &DEDQLW

Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) on Solo Basis, as prescribed under existing regulations a. Total CAR (%) b. Tier I Ratio (%) c. Common Tier I Ratio (%)

8.18 7.95 7.95

Should be

8.13 7.91 7.91 MT – May 11, 2019

Republic of the Philippines NATIONAL POLICE COMMISSION PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE HEALTH SERVICE Camp Bgen Rafael T Crame, Quezon City

Said Registration Statement and other papers/documents attached thereto are open to inspection by interested parties at the Corporate Governance and Finance Department (CGFD) SEC, North Wing Hall, Secretariat Building, PICC Complex, 1307 Pasay City, during business hours and copies thereof, photostatic or otherwise, shall be furnished to any party, upon request at such fees as the Commission may prescribe. The Registration Statement may also be downloaded from www.philequity.net.

TO: ALL INTERESTED/ACCREDITED SUPPLIERS:

*HQHUDO 7HUPV DQG &RQGLWLRQ DQG VSHFLÂżFDWLRQ RI WKH LWHPV XQGHU WKLV ,QYLWDWLRQ WR %LG PD\ obtain on the above address for information and compliance by the Bidder.

The PNP HS-BAC reserves the right to accept or reject any bid proposal, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected Bidder or Bidders.

Please be guided accordingly.

Very truly yours,

(SGD.) RACHEL ESTHER J. GUMTANG-REMALANTE 2I¿FHU ,Q &KDUJH MT – May 9 & 11, 2019

MT - May 11 & 13, 2019

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION REGIONAL TRIAL COURT BRANCH 230, QUEZON CITY IN RE: PETITION FOR PROBATE OF THE HOLOGRAPHIC WILL OF DECEASED JOSE G. BALTAZAR - versus ROMAN G. BALTAZAR, Petitioner. x------------------------------------x

Age Not available Not available

3. Carmelita B. Vitale Not available (legitimate sister) 4. Sophia B. McDonald Not available (legitimate sister) -RVHÂżQR * %DOWD]DU Not available (legitimate brother)

(SGD.) ALBERTO A AVILA Police Colonel Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee

By: HOWARD M. CALLEJA IBP No. 066969/01.11.19/Albay PTR No. 5237304/01.07.19/Pasig City Roll of Attorneys No. 39488 MCLE Exemption No. V-002068 June 24, 2016

SP CASE NO. R-QZN-18-14900-SP

ORDER 7KLV LV DQ DPHQGHG SHWLWLRQ ÂżOHG E\ 5RPDQ * %DOWD]DU IRU WKH SUREDWH RI WKH ZLOO RI GHFHDVHG Jose G. Baltazar and for the issuance of letters in his favor.

Petitioner alleges that he is among the devises and legatees named in the holographic will of his deceased brother, Jose G. Baltazar; that Jose G. Baltazar died on 7 August 2018 in Quezon City, Philippines; that prior to the death of Jose G. Baltazar, he left to the custody of herein petitioner a holographic will, entirely written, dated and signed by Jose G. Baltazar during his lifetime; that Jose G. Baltazar was of sound and disposing mind and not acting under duress, menace fraud, or XQGXH LQĂ€XHQFH DQG ZDV LQ HYHU\ UHVSHFW FDSDFLWDWHG WR GLVSRVH RI KLV HVWDWH E\ ZLOO DW WKH WLPH of the execution of his will; that Jose G. Baltazar died a widower and without any compulsory heir; that the names, ages and respective residences of the heirs, legatees and devisees of the testatrix are as follows:

Name 1. Roman G. Baltazar (legitimate brother) 2. Ramon G. Baltazar (legitimate brother)

ERRORS & OMISSIONS

Sealed Bids in three (3) copies, Pursuant to Sec. 17 of Revised IRR of RA 9184, all entries typewritten with the item(s) described in the accompanying Bidder’s Tender for the Procurement of Food Supplies, Procurement of Drugs and Medicines, Procurement of Medical, Dental and Laboratory Supplies, Procurement of Other Supplies & Materials and Repair & Renovation of Facilities in the total amount of Five Million Seven Hundred Six Thousand Thirty-Five Pesos and Seventy-Two Centavos (P5,706,035.72) for the use of PNP Health Service. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested bidders from May 8, 2019 to May 28, 2019 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 P.M during working days and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for their bidding documents. Pre-Bid Conference will be held on May 16, 2019 at 10:00 A.M. Last day of submission of bids is until May 28, 2019 at 2:00 P.M. and must be submitted to HS Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) at the HS Conference Room. Opening of Bids is on the same time, date and place and will be opened in the presence of participating bidder.

Chairman and President Director and Treasurer Independent Director Independent Director Director Director Director Corporate Secretary Asst. Corporate Secretary Assistant Treasurer &RPSOLDQFH 2IÂżFHU

Residence 36 D Rizal Tower, Rockwell Centre, Poblacion, Makati 1210 261 Langbrae Dr. Halifax Nova Scotia Canada B3S1K4 (as director of Movers, c/o Movers and Managers Corp., No. 2 Tacoma St., Port Area, Manila 1000) 25 Amistad, Irvine California 92620, USA 25 Amistad, Irvine California 92620, USA 2-35-6 Higashi Yukigaya, Ohtaku, Tokyo, Japan (as director of Movers, c/o Movers and Managers Corp., No. 2 Tacoma St., Port Area, Manila 1000)

and, that the properties of the testatrix as of the time of the execution of the will are as follows: a) House and Lot in New Manila Rolling Hills Subdivision, Quezon City, probably valued at approximately P10,773,120.00 [House (176.55 sq.m.) – P823,520.00; Land (603 sq.m.) – P9,949,600.00]; b) 80,950 Shares of Stock in Movers and Managers Corporation valued at P8,095,000.00 (at P100.00 par value per share); c) Mercedes Benz S-300 valued at approximately P90,000.00; d) Toyota Camry valued at approximately P80,000.00; e) Volvo xc90 valued at approximately P200,000.00; f) Nissan Murano valued at approximately P250,000.00; g) BDO joint time deposit account with Roman Baltazar valued at approximately P508,377.02 (expected maturity value of P1,016,754.04, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof); h) Metrobank joint current account with Roman Baltazar valued at approximately P5,000.00 (account balance of P10,000.00, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof); i) Metrobank joint savings account with Roman Baltazar valued at approximately P22,094.31 (account balance of P244,188.62, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof); j) Metrobank joint savings account with Roman Baltazar valued at approximately P56,403.49 (account balance of P112,806.98, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof); k) Metrobank joint savings account with Roman Baltazar valued at approximately USD292.96/ P15,538.5984 (account balance of USD585.92, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof); l) Metrobank joint treasury placements account with Roman Baltazar valued at approximately P3,245,000.00 (face value of P6,490,000.00, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof; maturity date on 4 December 2022); m) Metrobank joint treasury placements account Roman Baltazar valued at approximately USD63,000.00/P3,341,520.00 (face value of USD126,000.00, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof; maturity date on 6 March 2023); and, n) Metrobank money market fund account with Roman Baltazar valued at approximately P25,857.17 (market value of P51,714.34, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof) )LQGLQJ WKH SHWLWLRQ WR EH VXI¿FLHQW LQ IRUP DQG VXEVWDQFH WKH &RXUW KHUHE\ VHWV LW IRU KHDULQJ on 6 June 2019 at 8:30 in the morning, before this Court, sitting at 4th Floor, Court Room 13, Hall of Justice, Diliman, Quezon City, and all interested persons are hereby required to appear and show cause why the holographic will should be disallowed.

Furnish a copy of this Order, together with a copy of the petition, to the petitioner, the heirs, the GHYLVHHV WKH OHJDWHHV $WW\ $LKUX] /\QHOO $ 0DOODUL WKH 2IÂżFH RI WKH 6ROLFLWRU *HQHUDO WKH 2IÂżFH RI the City Prosecutor of Quezon City and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Let this Order be published three (3) weeks successively in a newspaper of general circulation in Quezon City, and be posted by the branch Deputy Sheriff of this Court at the lobby of the Quezon &LW\ +DOO DQG DW WKH EXOOHWLQ ERDUG QHDU WKH HQWUDQFH RI WKLV 6DOD DW OHDVW ÂżIWHHQ GD\V SULRU WR WKH scheduled date of hearing.

SO ORDERED. Quezon City, Philippines, 15 February 2019.

(SGD.) MARIA GILDA T. LOJA-PANGILINAN Presiding Judge REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 230, QUEZON CITY

(SGD.) AIHRUZ LYNELL A. MALLARI IBP No. 066996/01.11.19/Quezon City PTR No. 5236543/01.07.19/Pasig City Roll of Attorneys No. 71558 MCLE Compliance (Exempt-New Bar Passer) Copy Furnished: &RXQVHO IRU -RVHÂżQR * %DOWD]DU Sedigo & Associates Suite 506, ITC Bldg., 337 Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, 1200 Makati

Sophia B. Mcdonald & Carmelita V. Vitale 25 Amistad, Irvine, California 92620, USA

YOUR ADS HERE GET RESULTS

Hon. City Prosecutor 2IÂżFH RI WKH &LW\ 3URVHFXWRU Quezon City 7KH 2IÂżFH RI WKH 6ROLFLWRU *HQHUDO 134 Amorsolo Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City, 1227 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) MANDALUYONG CITY ) S.S. VERIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION OF NON-FORUM SHOPPING I, ROMAN G. BALTAZAR, of legal age, Filipino, married with postal address at 36 D-Rizal Tower, Rockwell Centre, Poblacion, Makati, 1210, after having been duly sworn in accordance with law, do hereby depose and state: 1. That I am the Petitioner in the above-entitled case; 2. That I caused the preparation of the foregoing Petition; 3. That I have read and understood the contents thereof and that the same are true and correct of my own knowledge; 4. That no other similar action or proceeding involving the same issues have been commenced before the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals or any other tribunal or agency; 5. That to the best of our knowledge, no such action is pending before the Supreme Court, the lower courts or any other tribunal or agency; and 6KRXOG , OHDUQ WKDW D VLPLODU DFWLRQ RU SURFHHGLQJ KDV EHHQ ÂżOHG RU LV SHQGLQJ EHIRUH WKH Supreme Court, the lower courts or any other tribunal or agency, I undertake to report such IDFW WR WKLV +RQRUDEOH &RXUW ZLWKLQ ÂżYH GD\V IURP NQRZOHGJH WKHUHRI ,1 :,71(66 :+(5(2) , KDYH KHUHXQWR DIÂż[HG P\ VLJQDWXUH WKLV th day of February 2019, at Mandaluyong City.

(SGD.) ROMAN G. BALTAZAR $IÂżDQW 68%6&5,%(' $1' 6:251 WR EHIRUH PH WKLV )HE DW 0DQGDOX\RQJ &LW\ DIÂżDQW exhibiting to me his competent evidence of identity, to wit: in the form: Senior Citizen ID No. 67570 Doc. No. 272; (SGD.) ATTY JAMES K. ABUGAN Page No. 56; Notary Public Book No. 17; Appt. No. 0442-19 Series of 2019.

Until Dec. 31, 2020 IBP No. 051567 Sept. 28, 2018 Roll No. 26090 Lifetime MCLE No. VI-0012875 Until 4/14/2022 TIN No. 116-239-956 PTR No. 3811514/1-3-2019 Tel No. 631-40-90 _____________________________________

c. Carmelita B. Vitale (legitimate sister) d. Sophia B. McDonald (legitimate sister) H -RVHÂżQR * %DOWD]DU (legitimate brother) 9.

Notice is hereby given that BIG W HOLDINGS CORPORATION, (owner/developer), KDV ÂżOHG ZLWK this Board for the sale of lots/units at METRO CITY RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION located at J.P. Ramoy St. Brgy. 164, Zone 14, District 1, Caloocan City, described as Lots 1, 2 and 3, all of Pcs-13-003317 (TCT Nos. 0012017001726, 001-2017003217, and 001-2017003218); Lot 4 (LRC) Pcs-7450 (TCT No.0012014001730); Lots 5-A and 5-B, all of (LRC) Psd-317077 (TCT Nos. 001-2014001727 and 001-2014001728:Lot 5-C-1, Psd-13-001906 (TCT N0.0012017005918); and Lot 87-B-5-B. (LRC) Psd-20875 (TCT No. 0012014001729), with total area of 30,981 square meters.

The foregoing project is utilizing the Participation Through Investment/ Incentivized Compliance, by depositing the amount of Php 5,096,086.31 in a Trust Account No. 1116-00006-19 under Escrow Agreement executed on February 21, 2019 between the HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD, BIG W HOLDINGS CORPORATION and METROPOLITAN BANK & TRUST COMPANY-TRUST BANKING GROUP, as its compliance pursuant to Section 18 of Republic Act No. 7279, as amended by Republic Act No.10884.

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that LANDSPAN VENTURES, INC. 2ZQHU 'HYHORSHU KDV ÂżOHG ZLWK this Board for the sale of lots/ units at NEPTUNE PARK LANE RESIDENCES located at #9 Neptune St. Brgy. Tandang Sora, Quezon City, described as Lots 2-A to 2-M (LRA) Psd-E2018005913, FRYHUHG E\ 7UDQVIHU &HUWLÂżFDWH RI Title (TCT) Nos. 004-2018014818 to 004-2018014830 (Inclusive) with total area of 1,330 square meters.

The foregoing project is utilizing the Participation Through Investment/ Incentivized Compliance, by depositing the amount of Php 1,406,464.80 in a Trust Account No. 001-03-005663-9 under Escrow Agreement executed on 30 April 2019 between the HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD, LANDSPAN VENTURES, INC. and ASIA UNITED BANK as its compliance pursuant to Section 18 of Republic Act No. 7279, as amended

by Republic Act No.10884.

All papers relative thereto shall upon request and payment of processing fee, be available for inspection during business hours by any person having legal interest thereon

All papers relative thereto shall upon request and payment of processing fee, be available for inspection during business hours by any person having legal interest thereon.

Absent any legal impediment, the above-cited project is deemed UHJLVWHUHG DQG D FHUWLÂżFDWH LQ evidence thereof, shall forthwith be LVVXHG DIWHU ÂżYH GD\V IURP WKH ODVW day of publication.

Quezon City, Metro Manila, APR 03, 2019

Absent any legal impediment, the above-cited project is deemed UHJLVWHUHG DQG D FHUWLÂżFDWH LQ evidence thereof, shall forthwith be LVVXHG DIWHU ÂżYH GD\V IURP WKH last day of publication.

Quezon City, Metro Manila, MAY 07, 2019 ATTY. NORMAN JACINTO P. DORAL 2IÂżFHU ,Q &KDUJH

ATTY. NORMAN JACINTO P. DORAL 2IÂżFHU ,Q &KDUJH

M.T. - May 11 & 18, 2019

M.T. - May 11 & 18, 2019

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES FAMILY COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 14-FC, SAN JUAN CITY SPS. MARIA JERIKA LARIZE E. EJERCITO-AGUILAR AND MIGUEL GARCIA AGUILAR, Petitioners.

JDRC Case No. 11-405-SJ For Adoption w/ Change of Name - vs – PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY AND LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF SAN JUAN CITY, Respondents. x---------------------------------------------------x ORDER Petitioners Spouses Maria Jerika Larize E. Ejercito-Aguilar DQG 0LJXHO *DUFLD $JXLODU ¿OHG D YHUL¿HG SHWLWLRQ RQ $SULO that after due notice, publication and hearing, a judgment be rendered adjudging that the minor Isaiah Joseph Ejercito Palanca be declared and considered, for all intents and purposes, the legitimate child of the petitioners with all the rights and privileges of adopted child and shall be known as Isaiah Joseph Ejercito Aguilar. )LQGLQJ WKH SHWLWLRQ VXI¿FLHQW LQ IRUP DQG VXEVWDQFH QRWLFH LV given that the same will be heard by this Court, at the RTC San Juan, The Arena (Government Center), G/F Parking Bldg., Santolan Road cor. P. Guevarra St., San Juan City on October 14, 2019 at 8:30 in the morning at which time and place aforesaid, all interested persons are hereby cited to appear and show cause, if any they have, why the said petition should not be granted.

This Order shall be published at least once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation, at the expense of the petitioner.

SO ORDERED. San Juan City, April 26, 2019.

(SGD.) MARY CATHERINE O. NOBLEJAS-GARCIA Presiding Judge

MT – May 11, 18 & 25, 2019

MARKETS AND SECURITIES REGULATION DEPARTMENT IN THE MATTER OF THE

Attachment herein as Annex “Câ€? is a copy of TCT No. rt-37879 of the house and lot in Quezon City appearing in the name of Jose G. Baltazar; 2 Attached herein as Annex “Dâ€? is a copy of the tax declaration no. D-027-05250 (0046-2014-07000089-9145) of the 1 storey building erected in the land with TCT No. rt-37879 appearing in the name of Jose G. Baltazar; 3 Attached herein as Annex “Eâ€? is a copy of the tax declaration no. F-027-01170 (0000-2017-01063100) of the land with TCT No. rt-37879 appearing in the name of Jose G. Baltazar; 4 Attached herein as Annex “Fâ€? is a copy of the General Information Sheet of Movers and Managers Corporation indicating 80,950 shares appearing in the name of Jose G. Baltazar; 5 $WWDFKHG KHUHLQ DV $QQH[ Âł*´ LV D FRS\ WKH &HUWLÂżFDWH RI 5HJLVWUDWLRQ RI WKH 0HUFHGHV %HQ] 6 appearing in the name of Jose G. Baltazar; 6 Attached herein as Annex “Hâ€? is a copy of the Deed of Sale of Toyota Camry by Vendor Erasmo T. Cruz to Vendee Jose G. Baltazar; 7 $WWDFKHG KHUHLQ DV $QQH[ Âł,´ DQG Âł, ´ DUH FRSLHV RI WKH 2IÂżFLDO 5HFHLSW DQG &HUWLÂżFDWH RI Registration, respectively, of the Volvo XC90 appearing in the name of Jose G. Baltazar; 8 $WWDFKHG KHUHLQ DV $QQH[ Âł-´ DQG Âł- ´ DUH FRSLHV RI WKH 2IÂżFLDO 5HFHLSW DQG &HUWLÂżFDWH RI Registration, respectively, of the Nissan Murano appearing in the name of Jose G. Baltazar; 9 Attached herein as Annex “Kâ€? is a copy of Investment Management Account (IMA) with IMA No. IMA 03-145747622 appearing under the name of Jose G. Baltazar and Roman G. Baltazar; 10 $WWDFKHG KHUHLQ DV $QQH[ Âł/´ LV D FRS\ RI WKH EDQN FHUWLÂżFDWLRQ VKRZLQJ &XUUHQW DQG 6DYLQJV Account appearing under the name of “Jose G. Baltazar or Roman G. Baltazarâ€?; 11 Ibid; 12 Ibid; 13 Ibid; 14 Attached herein as annex “Mâ€? is a copy of the Reference Exchange Rate of the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for the date of 7 August 2018, the date of the death of the decedent, Jose G. Baltazar; 15 $WWDFKHG KHUHLQ DV $QQH[ Âł1´ LV D FRS\ RI WKH &HUWLÂżFDWH RI 7UHDVXU\ 3ODFHPHQWV ,QYHVWPHQWV showing accounts appearing under the name of “Jose G. Baltazar or Roman G. Baltazarâ€?; 16 Ibid; 17 Attached herein as Annex “Mâ€? is a copy of the Reference Exchange Rate of the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for the date of 7 August 2018, the date of the death of the decedent, Jose G. Baltazar; 18 Attached herein as Annex “Oâ€? is a copy of the Summary of Investment showing the Money Market Fund 1

KEPWEALTH PROPERTY PHILS., INC. (Registrant) x-------------------------------------x

: : : :

REGISTRATION OF SECURITIES INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that on 17 April 2019, a sworn Registration Statement 56 ZDV ÂżOHG ZLWK WKH 6HFXULWLHV DQG ([FKDQJH &RPPLVVLRQ RQ EHKDOI RI KEPWEALTH PROPERTY PHILS., INC. (Corporation) for the registration of up to One Hundred Thirty Four Million Twenty Five Thousand and Two (134,025,002) common shares including a primary offer to the public of up to Sixty Seven Million Thirty Two Thousand Six Hundred and Seven (67,032,607) common shares from the unissued authorized capital stock of the Corporation at an offer price of up to Five Pesos and Seventy Four Centavos (Php5.74) with par value of One Peso (Php1.00) per share to be listed and traded on the Small, Medium, and Emerging Board of the Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc. According to the documents presented, the following persons are the directors DQG RU NH\ RIÂżFHUV RI WKH &RUSRUDWLRQ

SPEC.PROC. NO. R-QZN-18-14900-SP PROBATE OF WILL

NAME Restituto T. Lopez Edmundo G. Las Gerard Joseph B. Alava Robert Ivan F. Olanday Ignacio Salvador Gimenez III John F. Catindig Mark Anthony C. Migallos Maria Alma S. Laxina NiĂąa Raulyn M. Modena Servillano Jose Isidro Dunglao

AMENDED PETITION PETITIONER, ROMAN G. BALTAZAR, through the undersigned counsel, most respectfully states: 1. That Petitioner is of legal age, Filipino, married, with residence and postal address at 36 D-Rizal Tower, Rockwell Centre, Poblacion, Makati, 1210; 2. That the Petitioner is among the devisees and legatees named in the holographic will of his deceased brother, Jose G. Baltazar, executed in accordance with the formalities prescribed by law; 3. That the testator, Jose G. Baltazar died on 7 August 2018 in Quezon City, Philippines, a FRS\ RI KLV GHDWK FHUWLÂżFDWH LV DWWDFKHG KHUHLQ DV Annex “Aâ€?; 4. That the testator prior to his death, left to the custody of the Petitioner a holographic will, a copy of which is attached herein as Annex “Bâ€? and made an integral part of this petition; 5. That the abovementioned will was entirely written, dated and signed by the testator; 6. That the testator, at the time of the execution of the aforesaid will was of sound and disposing PLQG DQG QRW DFWLQJ XQGHU GXUHVV PHQDFH IUDXG RU XQGXH LQĂ€XHQFH DQG ZDV LQ HYHU\ respect capacitated to dispose of his estate by will; 7. That the testator died a widower and without any compulsory heir; 8. That the names and residences of the heirs, legatees, and devisees of the testator, including the Petitioner, are the following: Name a. Ramon G. Baltazar (legitimate brother) b. Ramon G. Baltazar (legitmate brother)

Any incorrect advertisement published in The Manila Times Classified Ads must be brought to our attention on the same day the advertisement came out.

We will not be held liable for any incorrect ads not reported to us immediately.

Ramon G. Baltazar c/o Movers and Managers Corporation No. 2 Tacoma St., Port Area, Manila 1000

IN RE: PETITION FOR PROBATE OF THE HOLOGRAPHIC WILL OF DECEASED JOSE G. BALTAZAR ROMAN G. BALTAZAR, Petitioner. x------------------------------------x

HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD Expanded National Capital Region )LHOG 2IÂżFH 6th Floor, Sunnymede IT Center, Quezon Avenue Quezon City

NOTICE

As Published

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that on April 30, 2019, a sworn Registration 6WDWHPHQW ZDV ÂżOHG ZLWK WKH 6HFXULWLHV DQG ([FKDQJH &RPPLVVLRQ RQ EHKDOI of PHILEQUITY ALPHA ONE FUND, INC. for the registration of Ten Billion (10,000,000,000) units of participation.

HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD Expanded National Capital Region )LHOG 2IÂżFH th 6 Floor, Sunnymede IT Center, Quezon Avenue Quezon City

E1

POSITION Chairman, Independent Director Director, President Director, Managing Director Director, Corporate Secretary Director Director Independent Director Treasurer )LQDQFH 0DQDJHU DQG ,QYHVWRU 5HODWLRQV 2IÂżFHU &KLHI ,QIRUPDWLRQ 2IÂżFHU DQG &RPSOLDQFH 2IÂżFHU

Said RS and other papers/documents attached thereto and the subsequent updates are open to inspection by interested parties during business hours, and copies thereof, photostatic or otherwise, shall be furnished to every party, upon request, at such fees as the Commission may prescribe. The RS dated 12 April 2019 may also be downloaded from the website of the Corporation at https://kepwealth. com.

Residences 36 D Rizal Tower, Rockwell Centre, Poblacion, Makati 1210 261 Langbrae Dr. Halifax Nova Scotia Canada B3S1K4 (as director of Movers, c/o Movers and Managers Corp. No. 2 Tacoma St., Port Area, Manila 1000) 25 Amistad, Irvine, California 92620, USA 25 Amistad, Irvine, California 92620, USA

(SGD.) VICENTE GRACIANO P. FELIZMENIO, JR. Director

2-35-6 Higashi Yukigaya, Ohta-ku, Tokyo, Japan (as director of Movers, c/o Movers and Managers Corp. No. 2 Tacoma St., Port Area, Manila 1000

MT - May 11 & 13, 2019

That to the knowledge of the Petitioner, the deceased left properties, both real and personal, under his name. The probable value of the properties are as follows:

Real Property: 1. House and lot1 in New Manila Rolling Hills Subdivision, Quezon City a. House (with area of 176.55 sqm with market value of P823,520.002) b. Land (with area of 603 sqm with market value of P9,949,600.003) Personal Property: 1. 80,950 shares in Movers and Managers Corporation with par value of P100.00 per share4 2. Mercedes Benz S-3005 3. Totota Camry6 4. Volvo xc907 5. Nissan Murano8 6. BDO joint time-deposit account9 with Roman Baltazar (expected maturity value is P1,016,754.04, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof) 7. Metrobank joint current account with Roman Baltazar10 (account balance is P10,000.00, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof) 8. Metrobank joint savings account with Roman Baltazar11 (account balance is P244,188.62, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof) 9. Metrobank joint savings account with Roman Baltazar12 (account balance is P112,806.98, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof) 10. Metrobank joint savings account with Roman Baltazar13 (account balance is USD 585.92, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof) 11. Metrobank joint Treasury Placements Account with Roman Baltazar15 (face value is P 6,490,000.00, to be divided equally

by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof; maturity date is on 12/4/2022) 12. Metrobank joint Treasury Placements Account with Roman Baltazar16 (face value is USD 126,000.00, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof; maturity date is on 3/6/2023) 13. Metrobank Money Market Fund Account with Roman Baltazar18 (market value is P 51,714.34, to be divided equally

by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof) TOTAL

Probable Value Approximately P10,773,120.00

P8,095,000.00 Approximately P90,000.00 Approximately P80,000.00 Approximately P200,000.00 Approximately P250,000.00 Approximately P508,377.02

EDITORS AND DESKMEN Competencies • Excellent command of written and spoken English • Degree holder preferably in journalism, communications, or related discipline (e.g. political science or economics with journalism experience) • Experience in editing news, analytical reports and columns • Strong news judgment and familiarity with local issues, as well as an understanding of relevant world affairs • $ELOLW\ WR ZULWH DQG HGLW ZLWK ÀDLU DQG VSHHG WR PHHW tight deadlines • )DPLOLDU ZLWK 0LFURVRIW 2I¿FH VRFLDO PHGLD DQG search engines • Ability to lead and organize a team well • Good attitude, willingness to adjust to new systems and ability to respect authority within the organization

Approximately P5,000.00 Approximately P122,094.31 Approximately P56,403.49 Approximately USD 292.96/ P15,538.5984 (USD 1 = P 53.0400)14 Approximately P3,245,000.00

Approximately USD 63,000.00/ P3,341,520.00 (USD 1 = P 53.0400)17 Approximately P 25,857.17 P 26,807,910.5884

10. That should the Petitioner determine, after diligent search and inquiries as to other properties owned by the deceased, he undertakes to inform the Honorable Court of the same; 11. In light of the foregoing, Petitioner prays that letters testamentary be issued to him.

PRAYER WHEREFORE, it is most respectfully prayed of this Honorable Court that after due hearing, the aforementioned Will of deceased Jose G. Baltazar be approved and allowed, and letters testamentary be issued to petitioner, Roman G. Baltazar.

Petitioner pray for such other reliefs that are just and equitable under the premises.

Pasig City for Quezon City, 04 February 2019.

CALLEJA LAW OFFICE Counsel for the Respondent Unit 2904-C, West Tower PSE Centre, Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 1605 Tel. Nos. 633.6113/635.2307 Email:callejalaw@callejalaw.com

REPORTERS Competencies • Excellent command of written and spoken English • Degree holder preferably in journalism, communications, or related discipline • Ability to establish and maintain a network of contacts in government and the private sector as source of information and analysis • Ability to identify the angle of news from a raft of available information or seek out information to build a solid news story • Familiarity with local issues and an understanding of relevant world affairs • $ VHQVH RI VSHHG DQG DFFXUDF\ LQ ZULWLQJ DQG ¿OOLQJ real-time stories to the news desk to meet tight deadlines • Knows Microsoft Office, social media and search engines • A good team player, but is able to work independently within the perimeters of a given assignment • Good attitude, willingness to adjust to new systems and ability to respect authority within the organization

Interested applicants, please send a full resume, specifying your subject of expertise, with links to samples of online work or appropriate attachments.

Please email your resumĂŠ at: hrd@manilatimes.net, or you may apply personally at 2/F Sitio Grande Bldg., 409 A. Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila (Formerly TRB Bldg.), or you may call Irish de Guzman at 524-5664 local 122.

MT - Apr. 27, May 4 & 11, 2019

E2

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

w w w.manilatimes.net

˜ The Manila Times

SATURDAY May 11, 2019

E3