THE MANILA TIMES | FEBRUARY 16, 2019

OFW remittances hit all-time high in 2018

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Php20.00 SECTIONS •• PAGES • VOL. 120 NO. 127 28 5

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2019

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Trusted since 1898

Tax court orders Ressa, Rappler trial Decriminalizing libel, and other options

BY REINA C. TOLENTINO

T

HE COURT of Tax Appeals’ First Division has ordered Rappler Holdings Corp. and journalist Maria Ressa to stand trial over tax evasion, denying their plea to drop the charges kLED AGAINST THEM ³TrialA2

T

H E ON THE proCONTRARY posal to decriminalize l i b e l should not be taken as a position THAT AUTOMATICALLY FAVORS AN IRRESPONsible media. ÂłContrerasA4

Panelo to Ressa: Blame your lawyers -!,!#!ÂŤ!.' ON &RIDAY SAID 2APPLER #HIEF %XECUTIVE /FkCER -ARIA Ressa should blame her “incompetentâ€? lawyers INSTEAD OF THE GOVERN-

MENT FOR HER OVERNIGHT DETENTION AT THE .Ational Bureau of InVESTIGATION .") FOR cyberlibel.

ÂłBlameA2

Go zooms to 8th in Pulse Asia survey Bam Aquino makes it to ‘Magic 12’ FORMER special assis- frogged to the Magic tant to the President IN A SURVEY OF SENA#HRISTOPHER ,AWRENCE tor wannabes, a pollster “Bongâ€? Go has leapÂłSurveyA2

ANTONIO CONTRERAS

What’s in a name?

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ROM IN MY LINE R e OF SIGHT public of the Philippines to Republic of Maharlika.

Renaming the country Maharlika is LONG OVERDUE ÂłTulfoA5

RAMON T. TULFO

REACH US AT:

BRACE FOR HEAVIER TRAFFIC

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

Photo shows the Tandang Sora flyover in Quezon City, which will be closed to traffic beginning February 23. The closure will allow the construction of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7, which is expected to be completed in 2020.

PHOTO BY RUY MARTINEZ

What’s inside ARROYO VOWS ‘ALL-OUT’ SUPPORT NewsA2 FOR SARA’S BETS ARMIDA: ART IN HER HEART Michael “Xiao� ChuaA6

Palace floats Sara Duterte’s possible bid for president LIKE father like daughter, Malacaùang on Friday lOATED THE IDEA OF $AVAO #ITY -AYOR 3ARA $UTERTE #ARPIO SEEKING THE COUNTRY S PRESIDENCY 3PEAKING TO REPORTERS 0ALACE SPOKESMAN 3ALVADOR 0ANELO SAID $UTERTE #ARPIO OR )NDAY 3ARA AS SHE IS COMMONLY CALLED IN $AVAO #ITY WAS VERY COMPETENT SMART AND VERY MUCH STRICTER THAN HER

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Duterte lashes out at Tatad Over health speculation

Catriona Gray

A VIP at NY Fashion Week

E1

PAULO AVELINO’S SWEET SIDE

EntertainmentD4

SAN JOSE DEL MONTE, Bulacan: A fuming President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to slap a former legislator who wrote a story concerning his health.

In a speech during the kick-off rally of the campaign of his political party Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) on Thursday here, Duterte warned former senator

ÂłLashesA3

SPECIALREPORT

Small farmers need more assistance DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS FROM BOTH THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND (Second of three parts) GOVERNMENT IS NOT FAIR 4/ 3!9 THAT THE 0HILIPPINES For one, the yet-to-belacks agriculture and rural ÂłFarmersA7

BY CONRAD M. CARIĂ‘O

A2

News

˜ The Manila Times

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SATURDAY February 16, 2019

D U T E R T E D R O P S J I N G G O Y, R E V I L L A , M A N I C A D

Arroyo vows ‘all-out’ support for Sara’s bets

H

GOVERNOR *OSEFA g)MEEu -ARCOS MalacaĂąang, meanwhile, admitted that President Duterte only raised the hand of former SENATOR %STRADA IN AN EVENT LAST week out of “courtesy,â€? and nothing more.

On Thursday, Duterte led the kickoff rally of the ruling Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), where he endorsed 11 bets.

Estrada was not included in the LIST EVEN IF HIS HAND WAS RAISED BY Duterte in a peace and order sumMIT IN ,EGAZPI #ITY !LBAY LAST WEEK In a news briefing, Palace SPOKESMAN 3ALVADOR 0ANELO SAID

Duterte did not want to embarrass Estrada onstage.

The spokesman denied that the non-endorsement had something TO DO WITH %STRADA S CASE OVER PORK barrel misuse. g4HEY ARE FORMER SENATORS THEY HAVE NAMES 4HEY ARE POPular. Maybe they do not need ;THE ENDORSEMENT= ANYMORE u Panelo said.

The President has endorsed Mangudadatu, de la Rosa, Pimentel, Tolentino and Go. Duterte also declared support for six “guest�

CANDIDATES ‡ -ARCOS #AYETANO

6ILLAR !NGARA %JERCITO AND SINGER Freddie Aguilar.

Duterte told reporters he respected the choices of his daughter 3ARA WHO kELDED ALL OF $UTERTE S candidates except Aguilar, while also endorsing Estrada, Manicad AND 2EVILLA Duterte said that he did not include the three names in his slate because he had “to be true to himself.� g4OO LATE THEY GAVE ME THE SIGNAL too late. Actually, about almost a year ago I was already forming the ticket.

But I just played dumb,� he said.

Duterte had said he would campaign for people he owed a debt of gratitude to.

WITH RALPH U. VILLANUEVA

has ruled that an Information need only to state the ultimate facts constituting the offense and not the kNER DETAILS OF WHY AND HOW THE crime was committed. The issue of whether or not the accused is CONSIDERED A @DEALER IN SECURITIES IS A MATTER WHICH CAN BE VENTILATED BY THE PRESENTATION OF EVIDENCE DURING trial,� it said.

Rappler Holdings and Ressa had kLED A MOTION SEEKING THE NULLIkcation of the charge sheets, or the return of the case to the Department OF *USTICE $O* OR SUSPENSION OF all proceedings until the resolution of their motion for reconsideration BEFORE THE $O* "UT THE COURT SAID THAT g;T=HE ARGUMENTS RELATIVE TO THE PENDING determination of the motion for RECONSIDERATION HAVE BEEN RENDERED

moot as the plaintiff already submitTED THE RESOLUTION OF !SST 3TATE 0ROSECUTOR !TTY :ENAMAR * , -ACHACON #APARROS TO THIS #OURT ON *AN

DENYING THE SAID MOTION FOR reconsideration.� “As to the pendency of the adMINISTRATIVE CASE AGAINST THE ACCUSED instituted by the BIR (Bureau of )NTERNAL 2EVENUE THIS SHOULD NOT be a bar to the institution of the criminal proceedings before this #OURT AS IT IS WELL SETTLED THAT AN assessment is not necessary before a CRIMINAL CHARGE FOR TAX EVASION MAY be instituted,� it said. “Let this case be set for pre-trial on -ARCH AT A M 0ARTIES ARE HEREBY NOTIkED TO SUBMIT THEIR RESPECTIVE PRE TRIAL BRIEFS AT LEAST kVE days before the date of pre-trial,� the court said.

BY GLEE JALEA

OUSE Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Friday reiterated her support for the senatorial candidates of Hugpong ng Pagbabago, a regional party led by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Arroyo, who represents PamPANGA S SECOND DISTRICT WELCOMED former presidential assistant for political affairs Francis Tolentino and former senator Ramon “Bong�

2EVILLA *R AS THEY HELD THEIR CAMPAIGN SORTIES IN 0ORAC 3ASMUAN

'UAGUA AND 3TA 2ITA TOWNS 4HEY WERE LATER JOINED BY 3EN #YNTHIA 6ILLAR AND FORMER PRESIDENTIAL SPECIAL ASSISTANT #HRIStopher Lawrence “Bong� Go in !RROYO S HOMETOWN OF ,UBAO 0AMPANGA 'OV ,ILIA 0INEDA

FORMER CONGRESSMAN *UAN -IGUEL g-IKEYu !RROYO 6ICE 'OV $ENNIS 0INEDA AND OTHER LOCAL OFkcials also threw support behind the Hugpong bets.

3ARA ENDORSED BETS EVEN IF THERE ARE ONLY 3ENATE SEATS UP for grabs. They kicked off their CAMPAIGN IN 3AN &ERNANDO 0AM-

panga earlier this week. )N 0AMPANGA RANKED THIRD AMONG THE HIGHEST VOTE YIELDING PROVINCES WITH AT LEAST MILLION REGISTERED VOTERS IN THE AREA On Friday, six other Hugpong candidates held their campaign CARAVAN IN "AGUIO IN TIME FOR the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) alumni homecoming.

Present were former journalist *IGGY -ANICAD FORMER SENATOR *OSE g*INGGOYu %STRADA FORMER 0HILIPPINE .ATIONAL 0OLICE 0.0 CHIEF 2ONALD g"ATOu DE LA 2OSA 3ENATORS *UAN %DGARDO g3ONNYu !NGARA AND *OSEPH 6ICTOR g*6u %JERCITO AND Maguindanao Rep. Zajid “Dong�

Mangudadatu.

Other members of the Hugpong SENATORIAL SLATE ARE 3EN !QUILINO “Koko� Pimentel 3rd, Taguig Rep. 0IA #AYETANO AND )LOCOS .ORTE

Q TRIAL FROM A1

ings and Ressa were charged with ATTEMPTING TO EVADE OR DEFEAT TAX liabilities amounting to P48.72 million. “As regards the allegation of the accused that the facts charged do not CONSTITUTE AN OFFENSE WE kND THE language and the wordings therein SUFkCIENT TO CONSTITUTE THE CRIMES CHARGED UNDER 3ECTIONS AND OF THE .)2# .ATIONAL )NTERNAL 2EVENUE #ODE u THE COURT SAID IN A 13-page resolution promulgated on February 7.

The court explained that the primary purpose of an information or charge sheet is to enable someone of common of understanding to know what offense is being charged. g7E BELIEVE THAT THE FOUR AMENDed Informations accomplished the SAID PURPOSE 4HE 3UPREME #OURT

Tax court 4HE TAX COURT S RULING CAME A DAY after Ressa, president and chief execUTIVE OFkCER OF NEWS WEBSITE 2APPLER that has been critical of the Duterte GOVERNMENT POSTED 0 BAIL OVER A SEPARATE CYBERLIBEL CHARGE )N TWO OF THE TAX EVASION CASES

Rappler Holdings, owner of Rappler, was accused of supplying inCORRECT INFORMATION IN ITS QUARTERLY VALUE ADDED TAX RETURNS FOR THE THIRD AND FOURTH QUARTERS OF 4HESE CASES INVOLVE VALUE ADDED TAX DEkCIENCIES TOTALING 0 MILLION Rappler Holdings was also acCUSED OF kLING INCORRECT INFORMATION IN ITS INCOME TAX RETURN FOR In another case, Rappler Hold-

Q SURVEY FROM A1

Go zooms bared on Friday. ! 0ULSE SURVEY SHOWED 3EN 'RACE 0OE LEADING THE RACE TO THE 3ENATE WITH PERCENT FOLLOWED BY 3EN #YNTHIA 6ILLAR WITH PERCENT Go made it to 8th place with 44.7 PERCENT FROM $ECEMBER S TH SPOT WITH PERCENT 0RESIDENT 2ODRIGO $UTERTE S MAN 3ENATE SLATE WAS OFkCIALLY announced on Thursday.

In the ticket are members of the ruling PDP-Laban party: Go, Maguindanao Rep. Zajid “Dong�

Mangudadatu, former Philippine .ATIONAL 0OLICE CHIEF 2ONALD g"ATOu DELA 2OSA 3EN !QUILINO g+OKOu Pimentel 3rd and former political ADVISER &RANCIS 4OLENTINO Duterte named six “guest� candiDATES IN HIS SLATE 6ILLAR )LOCOS .ORTE 'OV )MEE -ARCOS 4AGUIG #ITY 2EP 0IA #AYETANO 3EN *UAN %DGARDO g3ONNYu !NGARA 3EN *OSEPH 6ICTOR g*6u %JERCITO and singer Freddie Aguilar. #AYETANO AND FORMER SENATOR ,ITO ,APID RANKED RD TO TH WITH PERCENT AND PERCENT RESPECTIVELY

3EN -ARIA ,OURDES g.ANCYu "INAY

RD TO TH WITH PERCENT !NGARA RD TO TH WITH PERCENT 0IMENTEL TH TO TH WITH PERCENT 'O AND FORMER SENATOR *OSE g*INGGOYu %STRADA TH TO TH

WITH THE LATTER GETTNG PERCENT former Interior secretary Manuel “Mar� Roxas 2nd, 7th to 14th with PERCENT -ARCOS TH TO TH WITH PERCENT AND FORMER SENATOR 2AMON g"ONGu 2EVILLA *R TH TO TH WITH PERCENT 3EN 0AOLO "ENIGNO g"AMu !QUINO TH PERCENT AND FORMER SENATOR 3ERGIO /SMENA RD PERCENT OCCUPIED TH TO TH spots. Dela Rosa, who was ranked TH TO TH IN THE LAST QUARTER S SURVEY DIPPED TO TH TO TH PLACES THIS TIME WITH PERCENT %JERCITO RANKED TH TO TH WITH 32.8 percent and former senator *UAN 0ONCE %NRILE AND 4OLENTINO placed 17th to 18th with 23.3 perCENT AND PERCENT RESPECTIVELY 4HE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED FROM *ANUARY TO AMONG

LIKELY VOTERS AGED YEARS AND ABOVE )T HAD A • PERCENT MARGIN OF ERROR AT THE PERCENT CONkDENCE LEVEL NATIONWIDE RALPH U. VILLANUEVA

Q House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

Crackdown on illegal campaign posters begins 4(% #OMMISSION ON %LECTIONS #OMELEC IS LOOKING AT EXPANDing the scope of its crackdown on illegal campaign materials to include public utility buses as the poll body started monitoring on Friday the names and posters of national candidates who CONTINUE TO VIOLATE THE RULES ON election campaign. #OMMISSIONER 2OWENA 'UANZON COMMISIONER IN CHARGE OF VOTERS EDUCATION MADE THE PROPOSAL

SAYING THE #OMELEC SHOULD PARTNER with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, the Land Transportation Office and the Metropolitan Manila DeVELOPMENT !UTHORITY IN gSTOPPING buses with illegal posters.� “Owners of buses with illegal campaign posters are liable for committing an election offense,�

Guanzon added.

3HE POINTED OUT THAT PURSUANT TO 3ECTION F OF #OMELEC 2ESOLUTION #2 gPOSTING ELECTION propaganda outside of common poster areas, public places or priVATE WITHOUT OWNER CONSENT IS UNlawful during campaign period.� #2 CONTAINS IMPLEMENTing guidelines of Republic Act (RA) OR THE g&AIR %LECTIONS !CT u ! #OMELEC MONITORING TEAM also on Friday roamed the streets of Metro Manila to monitor camPAIGN MATERIALS THAT ARE OVERSIZED and out of designated common POSTER AREAS AS A DEADLINE GIVEN to senators and party-list groups TO VOLUNTARILY REMOVE THEIR ILLEGAL posters ended on Thursday. #OMELEC SPOKESMAN *AMES *IMENEZ SAID THE TEAM WOULD document all prohibited materials posted on lamp posts, trees, sidewalks and hanging wires, among OTHERS BEFORE kLING CHARGES Documentation, he pointed out, included taking pictures of unauthorized posters and a newsPAPER FOR THE DAY TO PROVE THE DATE when the photos were taken.

5NDER 2! #OMELEC SHALL ISSUE NOTICES TO VIOLATORS GIVING them three days to take down their illegal posters or face legal sanctions.

Among the illegal posters moniTORED BY THE #OMELEC DURING THE INSPECTION WERE THOSE OF *OSE %JERCITO OR *INGGOY %STRADA "Uhay party-list nominee Rep. Lito Atienza, Manuel “Mar� Roxas 2nd, Francis Tolentino, Maria Imelda *OSEFA g)MEEu -ARCOS #HRISTOPHER Lawrence “Bong� Go, reelectionist

SENATOR *UAN %DGARDO g3ONNYu Angara and RAM party-list.

4HE DAY CAMPAIGN PERIOD FOR national candidates started FebruARY WHILE THE DAY CAMPAIGN period for local candidates will start March 29.

During the campaign period, posters and printed materials are limited to a maximum of 2x3 feet, WHICH MEANS THAT ANY SIZE ABOVE THIS IS IN VIOLATION OF CAMPAIGN rules punishable, among other PENALTIES

BY DISQUALIkCATION #AMPAIGN MATERIALS CAN ONLY be posted in designated campaign AREAS WHICH WILL BE DEkNED BY THE LOCAL ELECTION OFkCER BASED ON THE guidelines that will be issued by THE #OMELEC CENTRAL OFkCE #ANDIDATES UNDER A POLITICAL party are allowed to spend P3 per REGISTERED VOTER WITHIN THE CITY

MUNICIPALITY OR PROVINCE WHERE one is running.

In the case of national candidates or those running for senator, they are allowed P3 for each of the MILLION REGISTERED VOTERS .ATIONAL CANDIDATES ARE ALSO ALLOWED MINUTES PER TELEVISION STATION OF ORIGIN AND MINUTES per radio station of origin, while LOCAL CANDIDATES ARE GIVEN MINUTES EXPOSURE ON TELEVISION AND minutes on radio. *IMENEZ CLARIkED THAT APPEARance in a debate show or news program, especially one sanctioned OR COORDINATED WITH THE #OMELEC FOR PURPOSES OF VOTER EDUCATION IS exempted from regulation.

On printed or published election propaganda, each candidate, whether for a national or local election position, is only allowed one-fourth page in broadsheets and one-half page in tabloids.

0RINT ADVERTISEMENTS WHETHER PROCURED OR GIVEN FREE OF CHARGE

shall not be published more than three times a week per newspaper, magazine or other publication during the campaign period.

2E E L E C T I O N I S T 3 E N - A R I A ,OURDES g.ANCYu "INAY ALSO ON &RIDAY QUESTIONED THE #OMELEC S list of candidates with illegal campaign posters.

The list included Binay and six other reelectionist senators, namely, Angara, Paolo Benigno g"AMu !QUINO TH *OSEPH 6ICTOR g*6u %JERCITO !QUILINO g+OKOu 0IMENTEL RD 'RACE 0OE AND #YNTHIA 6ILLAR WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL AND BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

Q BLAME FROM A1

Panelo to Ressa: Blame your lawyers, not govt In a news briefing, Palace SPOKESMAN 3ALVADOR 0ANELO SAID that Ressa should “woman up� and face the charges against her. g3TOP BLAMING ANYONE FOR the unpreparedness of your lawyers. There is absolutely nothing to do with the freeDOM OF EXPRESSION .OW YOU SAY THERE S AN ABUSE OF POWER Excuse me, Maria, abuse of POWER 9OU ARE THE ONE ABUSing your power as a journalist,� the Palace official said.

0ANELO STRESSED THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS MERELY OBSERVING THE rule of law. g3HE SAYS THAT THERE HAS BEEN IRREGULARITY IN THE kLING OF THE CASE

AS WELL AS SHE S HARASSED ,ET ME TELL YOU -ARIA THAT THE CASE kLED against you was in accordance with the law. This is not a case of freedom of expression as you claimed. It is a case of one man‌ asserting his right under the law FOR A PERCEIVED VIOLATION OF HIS right,� Panelo said.

Just a ‘typo’ 2ESSA WAS ARRESTED BY .") AGENTS AT THE 2APPLER OFkCE IN 0ASIG #ITY )T STEMMED FROM A REVIVED COMplaint by businessman Wifredo +ENG OVER WHAT HE DUBBED AS A “malicious� story written by one OF 2APPLER S RESEARCHERS AND POSTED ON -AY

4HE ARTICLE TITLED g#* USING 356S OF @CONTROVERSIAL BUSINESSMEN u which claimed that Keng owned THE SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE THAT THE LATE #HIEF *USTICE 2ENATO #ORONA USED during his impeachment trial, was written by ex-researcher Reynaldo 3ANTOS *R Ressa said her arrest was part of THE ADMINISTRATION S CONTINUING HARASSMENT OF 2APPLER OVER ITS CRITICAL REPORTING 3HE WAS GRANTED temporary liberty after posting a 0 BOND ** $ISINI 2ESSA S LAWYER SAID THEY WOULD kLE A MOTION TO QUASH THE CHARGE SHEET kLED BY THE *USTICE department. The lawyer argued

that the case was unconstitutional because cyberlibel did not exist AT THE TIME AS THE #YBERCRIME 0REVENTION !CT WAS ENACTED IN 3EPTEMBER OF 4HE OTHER gQUESTIONABLEu CLAIM BY THE $EPARTMENT OF *USTICE ‡ WHICH was that the article was “republished�

IN MAKING IT gLIBELOUSu UNDER THE #YBERCRIME 0REVENTION !CT ‡ WAS “wrong� because the changes were minor or mere typographical errors, said Disini.

This was echoed by Ressa, who SAID THE CHANGE INVOLVED CAPITALizing a word.

Keng cries foul On Thursday, February 14, Duterte DISTANCED HIMSELF FROM 2ESSA S ARrest and insisted that it was not an attack on media.

He said he did not know Keng and what prompted the businessMAN TO kLE THE CASE This was echoed by Keng, who said in a statement on Friday that the

resurrected complaint was a “perSONAL kGHTu AND A gPRIVATE CRIMINAL action� and not “black propaganda� nor an attack on press freedom. “They falsely place me against the side of press freedom. They posture all such cases, including mine, as alleged concerted silencING MANEUVERS BY THE GOVERNMENT

Keng said. “Much worse, they further demean my efforts to seek just and EQUITABLE JUDICIAL RELIEF AS @PREPOSTEROUS AND BASELESS AS A POSSIBLE @ATTEMPT TO INTIMIDATE AS @BLACK PROPAGANDA AND ;THIS IS WHAT makes me cry foul],� added Keng.

Also on Friday, Panelo slammed FOREIGN OFkCIALS INTERNATIONAL MEdia groups, journalists and rights ADVOCATES FOR SUPPORTING 2ESSA

calling them “ignorant.� g4HE SUPPORT OBVIOUSLY IS COMING FROM THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN EITHER ignorant of the facts or misinformed of the facts,� Panelo told reporters.

CATHERINE S. VALENTE AND CATHERINE A. MODESTO

News Bill on elderly agency up for Duterte’s signature Lack of workers delays infra buildup – Duterte P ˜ The Manila Times

SATURDAY February 16, 2019

w w w.manilatimes.net

THE measure establishing the National Commission for Senior Citizens (NCSC) awaits the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte to be enacted into law, House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said. “Now that the two houses of Congress have passed the bill on third reading, [the next step] is to speed up the sending of the bill to the President for his signature,�

Arroyo said during the House Senior Citizens Committee hearing chaired by Ilocos Norte 2nd District Rep. Imelda Marcos on Thursday evening.

Arroyo was one of the principal authors of House Bill 8837 or the “National Commission of Senior Citizens Act,� which was approved on third reading last January and was then adopted by the Senate.

Under the measure, the NCSC will provide services and activities BENEkCIAL TO SENIOR CITIZENS THEIR families and the communities they serve. It will also establish community-based health and rehabilitation, as well as educational and socioeconomic programs for all senior citizens.

The NCSC will be under the /FkCE OF THE 0RESIDENT BUT WILL BE considered an independent body WITH ITS PRINCIPAL OFkCE IN THE .Ational Capital Region and regional kELD OFkCES IN COORDINATION WITH government agencies.

The NCSC will replace the National Coordinating Council and

Monitoring Board created under the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 and will appoint commissioners and a chairman who must be at least 60 years old and bona kDE MEMBERS OF SENIOR CITIZENS associations.

All policies and programs spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) dedicated for senior citizens will be transferred to the NCSC. The commission, after due consultation with the Department of Budget and Management, DSWD, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), League of Cities of the Philippines, League of Municipalities of the Philippines and other stakeholders, shall promulgate the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) within 180 days from its effectivity. “I hope [that by] May 20, we can have another oversight committee hearing and called those who would do the IRR, namely DSWD, DILG, the League of Cities, the League of Municipalities and other stakeholders, so that we can BEGIN TO DO A kRST DRAFT OF THE )22 So that as soon as the President signs the bill, they can proceed to DO THE OFkCIAL DRAFT OF THE )22 u Arroyo said.

Congress is currently on recess to give way for the 90-day national campaign period for the 2019 polls.

GLEE JALEA

BY RALPH EDWIN U. VILLANUEVA

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said there was a delay on the implementation of the “Build, Build, Build� program because of shortage OF QUALIkED WORKERS

In a speech on Thursday night in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, $UTERTE SAID QUALIkED LOCAL WORKers opt to go out of the country to work, particularly in the Middle East, resulting in a shortage. “Here in the Philippines, there are a lot of job opportunities. The same in Davao. The construction stops because there are no workers. Who are these workers? Master electrician, master carpenter, master plumber,� he said. “Most of those who know these are not in the Philippines anymore; they are in Middle East.

Even [businessman Manuel V.] Pangilinan, the PLDT [Inc.] goes there, convincing the master planner, master electrician to go back to the Philippines and there will be

higher wages,� he added. “Which is why the Build, Build, Build program is a bit delayed.

There are no workers, even if there are a lot of Filipinos,� he said.

The President asked Filipinos to help each other address the issue.

He also mulled letting rebel reTURNEES TO kLL THE HOLES URGING THEM to study at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda). “There is the Tesda.

You can stay there, study; I will pay for it until you graduate.

You will have a house.

All you have to do is to

drop the weapon, and I will not ask any longer who you killed,�

Duterte said. )N A PRESS BRIEkNG ON &RIDAY 0ALace spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte ordered Tesda chief Isidro LapeĂąa to do something about it, so that the country would have a “deep benchâ€? of workers. “We were lacking in experts in carpentry, welding and technical [workers,] — it is lacking.

We have a lot of people who are not employed in government or companies because they are not QUALIkED ESPECIALLY IN VOCATIONAL and construction,� Panelo said.

According to the Build, Build, Build website, the reforms that would drive the program were “the acceleration of infrastructure and the development of industries that will yield robust growth across the archipelago, create jobs

secondary tourism enterprises were accredited nationwide.

Primary establishments include hotels, tour transport operators, tourism frontliners, and travel and tour agencies; while secondary establishments include hospitals, spas, restaurants, museums and others.

Jose Clemente 3rd, Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) president, said members of the private tourism sector were directed to begin evaluating their properties in terms of compliance with environmental regulations and laws. “We have to be proactive in the government’s drive, so they won’t be caught flat-footed,� he said.

Clemente said DoT and the TCP would ensure that accredited tourism establishments nationwide would “conform with the highest standard of environmental conservation.�

DoT is also eyeing, after NCR, to accredit PTEs in Central Luzon and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon).

NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS

Q LASHES FROM A1

lished in The Manila Times this week. “This Tatad, you Tatad. You know, there is a border between press freedom and disrespecting people. If I see you, get out of my way. You son of a b***h, I will slap you. Believe me, I will slap you in front of a lot of people,�

Duterte said. “You son of a b***h, if I see you, guard yourself. That is really a violation of press freedom. But

Duterte Francisco Tatad for being disrespectful for publishing an opinion piece, which said that Duterte had a kidney transplant on Jan. 29, 2019.

He said what Tatad published was a violation of press freedom.

The opinion piece was pub-

and uplift the lives of Filipinos.�

Duterte poured a bulk of the government’s money for the massive infrastructure program, which IS COMPRISED OF lAGSHIP PROJECTS six airports, nine railways, three bus rapid transits, 32 roads and bridges, four seaports, four energy facilities, WATER RESOURCE PROJECTS kVE lOOD control facilities and three redevelopment programs.

The public spending on infrastructure projects is targeted to reach P8 to 9 trillion from 2017 until the end of Duterte’s term.

Despite the nearing election period spending ban, Duterte issued Memorandum Circular 57 last week through Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, which called on government agencies to ensure the timely completion of government infrastructure projects.

The economic managers already requested for the exemption of the infrastructure projects from the ban.

DELAYED

President Rodrigo Duterte speaks in a campaign rally in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan on Thursday. He said the shortage of skilled workers was delaying the government’s mega-infrastucture program.

MALACAĂ‘ANG PHOTO

DoT to accredit NCR tour establishments THE Deparment of Tourism (DoT) is set to accredit tourism facilities and services in the National Capital Region (NCR) as part of the government’s massive Manila Bay rehabilitation program.

The DoT said on Friday it would conduct the accreditation in NCR from February 18 to 22 and on February 26 and 27.

For its part, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has ordered local government units to ensure primary tourism enterprises (PTEs) under their respective jurisdiction undergo accreditation.

In its Memorandum Circular 2019-17, the DILG reiterated the implementing rules and regulations of the Tourism Act of 2009, requiring tourism enterprises to secure accreditation from the DoT to be allowed to operate. “LGUs (local government units) have to ensure that all PTEs have complied with and have obtained DoT accreditation before operations,� it said.

As of December 31, a total of 6,108 primary tourism enterprises and 772

A3

JBC shortlists next Supreme Court magistrate THE Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) on Friday recommended to MalacaĂąang the names of the 13 aspirants for the post of Associate Justice in the Supreme Court (SC).

JBC, led by Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin, shortlisted the names for their top choices for the post vacated

by Bersamin, himself, as associate justice, upon his assumption as chief magistrate last November.

Thirteen of the initial 22 judges shortlisted by the JBC made it to the list.

Court of Appeals Justices Edgardo de los Santos and Amy Lazaro Javier got 6 votes each.

'ETTING kVE VOTES EACH WERE #OURT of Tax Appeals Presiding Justice Roman del Rosario and Court of Appeals (CA) Justices Japar Dimaampao and Ramon Garcia Meanwhile, Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje Tang,

Supreme Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez, former Ateneo Law dean Cesar Villanueva, and CA Justices Henri Inting, Jhosep Lopez, Mario Lopez, Eduardo Peralta and Ricardo Rosario received 4 votes each.

At present, there are only 13 justices in the 15-member high court in view of the promotion of Chief Justice Bersamin in November 2018 and retirement of Associate Justice Noel Tijam last January 5.

The JBC is constitutionally mandated to screen and vet nominees to the President for vacant posts in the judiciaRY AND THE /FkCES OF THE /MBUDSMAN and Deputy Ombudsman. It is chaired

by Bersamin, with Sen. Richard Gordon, Oriental Mindoro Rep. Salvador Leachon and Justice Secretary Menardo 'UEVARRA AS EX OFkCIO MEMBERS Retired Supreme Court Justice Jose Catral-Mendoza is the head

of the executive committee, with Milagros Fernan Cayosa representing the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, and Ret. Judge Toribio Ilao, representing the private sector, as the other regular members of the JBC. Meanwhile, the Senate has adopted a House-approved measure seeking to create additional branches of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in the Ninth Judicial Region.

In Committee Report 641, the Senate Committees on Justice and Human Rights, and Finance, chaired

by Senators Richard Gordon and Loren Legarda, respectively, have recommended without amendment House Bill (HB) 6580 of the “Act Creating Four Additional Branches of RTC in the Ninth Judicial Region to be stationed at Zamboanga City.�

The Ninth Judicial Region includes the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Zam-

boanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay.

Authored by Reps. Celso Lobregat, Manuel Jose Dalipe, Reynaldo Umali, Karlo Alexei Nograles and Vicente Veloso, HB 6580 amends for the purpose Section 14, Paragraph (j) of Batas Pambansa (BP) 129 or the “Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980, as amended.�

Under the measure, the Supreme Court shall assign the branch number of the newly created RTC branches in the region.

The chief justice, in coordination with the Secretary of the Department of Justice, shall immediately include in the Court’s program the operationalization of the four additional RTC branches to be stationed at Zamboanga City, with funding from the national budget.

JAVIER JOE ISMAEL AND JOMAR CANLAS

this is not... your joke, it was disrespectful,� he added.

Duterte did not stop there, even going to the extent of asking Tatad to let him “borrow� he former senator’s wife as he questioned Tatad’s virility.

He said that this was so because he kept disrespecting people. “You really want to test if we really have [it]? You have a wife.

You lend her to me, you son of a b***h,� Duterte added.

In a news briefing on Friday, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte’s lewd statement was merely a “hyperbole� and was meant to just dramatize.

The spokesman then asked TaTAD TO VERIFY HIS STORIES kRST BEFORE publishing them in his column.

In the piece published in The Manila Times last February 11, Tatad quoted two sources who said a team led by Dr. Rose Marie Rosete ,IQUETE THE NATION S kRST WOMAN

kidney transplant doctor and executive director of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, performed the procedure.

The two sources, however, differed in details, with one saying the operation was held at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan, while the other said the same doctor performed the same procedure in Davao.

4HIS IS NOT THE kRST TIME THAT THE health status of the President was

held under a microscope.

Last year, Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Ma. Sison said Duterte was in coma.

While Duterte refuted the claim, he admitted on September 21, in a SPEECH DURING THE RD )NlAMMAtory Bowel Disease Clinical Forum OF THE !SIA 0ACIkC !SSOCIATION OF Gastroenterology, that he underwent colonoscopy and endoscopy a week prior.

RALPH U. VILLANUEVA

Property relations of live-in partners Dear PAO, My partner and I have been livING TOGETHER WITHOUT THE BENEkT of marriage for almost 10 years now. My partner and I are products of broken families. Thus, we don’t believe in social contracts like marriage, which is the main reason why we never got married.

On our third year together, I got pregnant. Since we have no one to depend on to take care of our child, we both agreed that I will resign from my job and devote my time in raising our child until she’s old enough to be left with a nanny. When our daughter turned 4, I got pregnant again which prevented me from seeking employment. So, for the past 7 years, I have just been taking care of our two kids and maintaining our household.

My partner and I acquired sev-

DEAR PAO PERSIDA ACOSTA eral properties in the past 10 years. !DMITTEDLY ) HAD LITTLE kNANCIAL contribution in purchasing the properties that we acquired, because I became a stay-at-home mom when my kids were born and had no income. Thus, I want to know if I have rights over the properties that we bought considering that my partner and I are not married, and that I have very LITTLE kNANCIAL CONTRIBUTION WHEN we purchased the properties.

Lovely Dear Lovely, It appears from your letter that there

is no legal impediment for you and your partner to marry each other, but merely opted not to get married.

In situations like yours, wherein both parties who are legally capacitated to marry each other, decide to live like husband and wife without THE BENEkT OF MARRIAGE THE PROVIsions of Article 147 of the Family Code of the Philippines will govern the property relations of the parties.

It provides as follows: “Art. 147. When a man and a woman who are capacitated to marry each other, live exclusively with each other as husband and WIFE WITHOUT THE BENEkT OF MARriage or under a void marriage, their wages and salaries shall be owned by them in equal shares and the property acquired by both of them through their work or industry shall be governed by the rules on co-ownership.

In the absence of proof to the contrary, properties acquired while they lived together shall be presumed to have been obtained by their joint efforts, work or industry, and shall be owned by them in equal shares. For purposes of this Article, a party who did not participate in the acquisition by the other party of any property shall be deemed to have contributed jointly in the acquisition thereof if the former’s efforts consisted in the care and maintenance of the family and of the household.

Neither party can encumber or dispose by acts inter vivos of his or her share in the property acquired during cohabitation and owned in common, without the consent of the other, until after the termination of their cohabitation. xxx�

In the case of Valdez vs Regional

Trial Court (GR 122749; July 31, 1996; Ponente: Associate Justice Jose Vitug, the Supreme Court explained the aforementioned law as follows: “Under this property regime, property acquired by both spouses through their work and industry shall be governed by the rules on equal co-ownership. Any property acquired during the union is prima facie presumed to have been obtained through their joint efforts. A party who did not participate in the acquisition of the property shall be considered as having contributed thereto jointly if said party’s ‘efforts consisted in the care and maintenance of the family household.’ Unlike the conjugal partnership of gains, the fruits of the couple’s separate property are not included in the co-ownership.�

Thus, even though you did not kNANCIALLY CONTRIBUTE IN THE ACQUIsition of your properties, the law considers your efforts in the caring and maintaining of the family household as contribution to the acquisition of your properties, giving you rights as a co-owner in the properties that you bought during your cohabitation.

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 /FkCE 1UESTIONS FOR #HIEF !COSTA may be sent to dearpao@manilatimes.net

A4

Opinion

SATURDAY February 16, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

E d i to r i a l Ressa cyberlibel case set to test PH's rule of law

T

HE arrest of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa late Wednesday by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has sparked all kinds of claims and charges concerning the rule of law and the state of press freedom in the country. Political candidates, individuals and organizations go to town issuing fevered statements to grab public attention.

It will not serve the interest of justice and the public interest for the case to just serve as a football which everyone is free to kick around. The bare facts of the case deserve serious and fair study, in a court of law, where the charges can be proved or disproved.

The February 12 arrest warrant, issued by Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa of Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 46, ordered the NBI to arrest Ressa and Reynaldo Santos Jr., a former Rappler researcher, for allegedly violating Section 4 of Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

The warrant stemmed from a revived complaint by businessman Wilfredo Keng over an allegedly “malicious� or libelous story published by Rappler on May 29, 2012.

The Cybercrime Prevention Act did not become law until about four months after the story — which claimed that Keng owned the sport utility vehicle that the late Chief Justice Renato Corona used during his impeachment trial — was published.

Keng argues that since Rappler “republished� the story in 2014, an unlawful act still occurred. Ressa claims the change was only to correct minor punctuation errors. Keng also takes issue with the story quoting an intelligence report wrongly associating him with human trafficking and illegal drugs, years after it was first posted online.

In a January 10 decision, the Department of Justice (DoJ) recommended that the Manila court indict Ressa and Santos.

Ressa’s arrest has drawn much criticism from press freedom advocates in the country and abroad. The National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) branded Ressa’s arrest as persecution.

In turn, the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (Seapa), Human Rights Watch Asia and Reporters Without Borders have joined in condemning the arrest.

We think equal attention must also be given to the statement issued by Keng, the libel complainant.

The statement lays out the facts, the history and the issues of the case in such detail, that any interested reader can decide whether this case has substance or basis to proceed.

Keng’s determination to pursue his case to the very end is a fair one. He is perfectly within his rights to demand justice from our legal system.

Ressa and her co-defendants are equally within their rights to defend themselves against all charges.

The case is complicated by the grandiose claims of some sectors that the very fate of press freedom in the country is at stake in this case.

It is contended that Rappler and its editors had the protection of the bill of rights in our Constitution when they did what they did to Keng’s reputation.

The contention between the protection of reputation and the protection of the right of speech, and the balancing of these rights go to the heart of this case.

This is a matter for the court to decide. Indeed, given the seriousness of the issue of press freedom and the growing tide of public sentiment for and against the characters in this legal drama, this cyberlibel suit could be a precedent-setting case that may find its way all the way up to the Supreme Court for definitive judgment. ~

SATURDAY February 16, 2019

The Manila Times

VOLUME 120 NUMBER 127

DANTE A. ANG, Chairman Emeritus RENE Q. BAS, Publisher Emeritus NERILYN A. TENORIO, Publisher-Editor ARNOLD E. BELLEZA, Executive Editor FELIPE F. SALVOSA II, Managing Editor LEENA C. CHUA, News Editor LYNETTE O. LUNA, National Editor TESSA MAURICIO-ARRIOLA, Lifestyle Editor PERRY GIL MALLARI, Sports Editor LEA MANTO-BELTRAN, Supplements Editor JOMAR CANLAS, Chief of Reporters RENE H. DILAN, Chief Photographer DANTE F. M. ANG 2ND, President and CEO BLANCA C. MERCADO, #HIEF /PERATING /FkCER RODA A. ZABAT, Advertising Director VICENTE P. CRUZ, JR., Circulation Director DENISE O. CALNEA, Marketing Communications and Services Director Telephone All Departments: 524-5665 to 66; Subscription: 524-5664 Local 222 Advertising: 524-5664 Local 121 Telefax: 310-5895 or e-mail advertising@manilatimes.net 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.

JV, JV, how did you become a baby?

T

HE simmering rivalry between Jinggoy Estrada and JV Ejercito is an interesting study in contrast.

To begin with, Jinggoy is a showbiz personality and appears ahead in the contest for media mileage — JV is a silent worker and hardly bothers about publicity.

It would be nice to be able to size up how each progresses in the competition, but I have long given up on talking to Jinggoy. There was this incident back in 2016 when he was imprisoned at Camp Crame allegedly for having plundered some P50 million in connection with the Napoles scam. A friend, some kind of a media counsel for the senator, and I visited him in prison, wishing to get a kRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF HIS INCARCERATION Upon my friend’s introducing me to him as a columnist from the Manila Times, he remarked, “'Wag na 'yang mga Manila Times-Manila Times na 'yan. 'Yang mga broadsheets, walang nagbabasa n'yan. Yung tabloid ang intindihin mo (Don’t bother about Manila Times and those broadsheets, nobody reads them. The tabloid, that’s what you should be minding).�

Certainly, I am mindful of the story of the brothers Abel and Cain, and I should right off determine who between Jinggoy and JV is Abel and who is Cain. But since I’d hate to start off this inquiry of sorts with one more insult like that one I got in Camp Crame in 2016,

MY SAY

MAURO GIA SAMONTE I’d rather begin on a good note.

These vignettes on JV’s life are a priceless wealth of human touches. *** For three years after his birth, JV never got to say a word. Not that he was dumb, for he was not deaf. It was just that he would not speak.

Then when he was three years old, seriously watching his father don his work suit, he suddenly spoke. “Daddy, I love you,� JV said.

Agape with surprise, Joseph just found himself asking, “Why do you love me?� “Because you love me, too,� went the boy’s answer.

Joseph turned to jelly. He hugged JV, who hugged him back tightly, warmly. “I love you, Daddy.� “I love you, son.� *** JV had a hard time coming into the world. For eight years since Joseph and Guia started living together in 1961, they remained childless. For Guia, those were years of deep, painstaking devotion.

On her knees and with the rosary clutched in her hand, she would

of Assisi, the patron saint of childless couples and good weather; and, yes, she swayed and swung among the thousands of devotees on the streets of Obando, Bulacan, doing the traditional fertility dance to the tune of “Santa Clarang Pinung-pino� on the feast day of St. Pascual Baylon.

On the matter, here’s this passage from an upcoming biography of JV’s mother, San Juan City Mayor Guia Gomez: “And then, did the heavens listen?

The Family Rosary Crusade walk the center aisle of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Baclaran, begging God to give her a child.

She did the same to Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag, Pangasinan; St. Jude, The Apostle, patron saint of lost causes; St. Clare

“At the end of the years-long episode of childlessness for Guia, came into the Philippines the Family Rosary Crusade of Father Patrick Peyton.

The crusade was organized by the

ÂłSamonteA5

Q CONTRERAS FROM A1

Decriminalizing libel, and other options It is not to condone a fundamental violation of one of the ethical tenets of the journalism profession, which is to provide a balanced reporting of the news where both sides must be presented. Reynaldo Santos Jr. committed this violation when he wrote an article on May 29, 2012, which Rappler updated and republished on Feb. 19, 2014, containing information derogatory to Wilfredo Keng, a private person, without giving his side of the story.

Rappler and Santos had two years to seek out Keng’s side, if only to live up to the tenets of fair and balanced reporting. Unfortunately, the republished article remained as a one-sided piece painting Keng as a “shady businessman.� Obviously, the main purpose of Rappler was not to demolish Keng, as he was just collateral damage. The main target was the late Chief Justice Renato Corona, who was also never given a fair chance in Rappler’s reportage.

There is now an outcry over the libel case against Maria Ressa, Santos and Rappler, claiming that it is a brazen attack on press freedom by the government of President Rodrigo Duterte. This is from a crowd that stood by when Rappler was acting like a demolition team for Noynoy Aquino’s government in its pursuit of Corona, which for all intents and purposes also amounted to an attack on the integrity and neutrality of media, and which in the end also undermined its freedom.

Media freedom is but just a consequence of the basic right of freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the Constitution. Hence, the move to decriminalize libel should not be seen as countenancing media to freely abuse this right, but as a guarantee that we remain faithful to the Constitution. After all, an examination of the text of the Bill of Rights will reveal that the right to one’s honor is not constitutionally guaranteed compared to the right to life, liberty, property, due process, free exercise of religion and expression. It is already well-accepted that even offensive speech is protected, as long as it doesn’t amount to sedition. A besmirched honor should be remedied not by the threat of imprisoning the one who libels and slanders. As an offense that deals with interpersonal relationships, and is therefore seen as more of an ethical misconduct, the remedy should be in the domain of the Civil Code, and not in the realm of the Penal Code. The people of the Philippines should not be drawn into the legal arena just because the honor of a person is besmirched, slandered or libeled, which is what happens when we treat libel as a criminal offense.

Having said this, however, there must be mechanisms to hold media accountable when they deliberately, and with malice, use their privilege to assault the honor of any person, beyond the mere payment of dam-

ages. This is because beyond violating the ethical norm for interpersonal relations of treating each other with prudence and without malice, any journalist who knowingly and maliciously publishes a defamatory and slanderous material also violates the ethics of his profession. Thus, it is about time we consider passing a law to regulate the practice of the journalism profession, where journalists would be held up strictly to their profession’s ethical standards.

Any violation of these standards, which would now include libel, could become grounds to suspend or revoke the license to practice, in the same way that a lawyer is suspended or disbarred. This is necessary to ensure that journalists who work for media entities with vast resources will not bank on the largesse of their well-endowed employers to get away with impunity in the event that libel is decriminalized and the associated prison terms are removed.

It is also now timely to pass legislation that would require media entities to provide the right to reply to any person that would be the subject of their expose, or whose honor and name may be adversely affected by any publication. This will ensure that the ethos of responsible communication and journalism will be authentic to the intent of the Constitution, where freedom of speech is no longer just a privilege of media, but also of parties that they may impugn when

they exercise that right. It is but responsible practice of the profession that any media entity that publishes derogatory material against anyone in any medium must accord that person space to reply and rebut in the same platform, whether print, broadcast or multimedia.

These proposed media reform legislation will ensure that irresponsible, malicious and unprofessional practices of journalists will not be condoned, even as decriminalization of libel ensures that no one is sent to jail for exercising a constitutionally guaranteed right.

One should go beyond Maria Ressa and Rappler. The crime of cyberlibel for which they now stand accused may please partisans who have ranted against Ressa and her cohorts for abusing press freedom.

But one has to be reminded that the implications of cyberlibel on free speech in the internet age are frightening not only for Ressa but for all of us. The theory propounded by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) that online libel does not have a prescription period may satisfy Rappler and Ressa haters for now. But these people have to be TOLD THAT THEY MAY JUST kND THEMselves at the receiving end of the same doctrine in the future when the political winds shift to a direction hostile to their interests. When that happens, no present will ever be safe from a post in the past that will come back to haunt.

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY February 16, 2019

Opinion

s

Asean transboundary protected areas: Directions AMBASSADORS’ I CORNER

NTERNATIONAL environmental treaties like the World Heritage Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity show that the concept of national sovereignty must be tempered by the recognition of an interest of the international community in the conservation of resources found in different jurisdictions. The fact that states voluntarily accept limitations on their sovereignty by agreeing to international obligations to conserve some of their natural resources provide a basis upon which bilateral agreements on border area management may be developed.

With the emergence of the new thought on national sovereignty, transboundary protected area (TBPA) management came into fore. Referred to here are transborder parks, transnational parks, transfrontier reserves, friendship parks — meaning, protected areas that meet across international borders.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is not wanting in transboundary protected areas. Among them: Turtle Islands Heritage Area (Philippines and Malaysia) – In 1996, Malaysia and the Philippines entered into a memorandum of agreement for the establishment of the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area consisting of six islands designated by the Philippines and three islands designated by Malaysia, which are habitats of the endangered green and hawksbill turtles. The agreement calls for an integrated management program which highlights, at the minimum, the following: (i) implementation of a uniform approach to conservation that is oriented towards wise management of the protected areas; (ii) establishment of a centralized marine turtles database; (iii) development of information awareness programs for the inhabitants of the

A 2009 report indicated expansion of the total "no take" zone in three corridors of the seascape.

Reserves (Malaysia and Indonesia) – A very ideal buffer zone exists between Indonesia and Malaysia on islands; (iv) implementation of a account of the fact that it is uninhabstaff training program; and (iv) de- ited for military and security reasons. velopment of ecotourism projects. Malaysia declared the zone (Lanjak A joint management committee Entimau) in Sarawak a reserve, which may recommend to their respective prompted Indonesia to establish an governments the enactment of such adjoining reserve Gunung Bentuang laws as may be necessary to attain dan Karimum (Indonesian Borneo). the objectives of the agreement.

Worth mentioning as candidate Heart of Borneo (HoB) Initiative Asean TBPA is the Preah Vihar temple (Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darus- site between Cambodia and Thailand. salam) – While most of Borneo (the Although decided by the world court world’s third largest island) is Indo- in favor of Cambodia, the concept nesian territory (Kalimantan), the of functional sovereignty should be rest is covered by Malaysia’s Sarawak considered to make the area an Asean and Sabah. Brunei Darussalam is also tourism resource, a cultural heritage located in the island. of both Cambodia and Thailand Right in the middle of Borneo is aside from a religious destination vast forested land where the headwa- in the Asean jurisdiction. In short, ters of major rivers are located. The the change of perception of the role expanse is known as Heart of Borneo. of sovereignty in relations between Super rich in biodiversity, many in- states regarding their environment digenous tribes live in the area, each should be characterized by equitable having a unique culture and language. utilization ultimately redounding to In 2007, the three countries agreed THE BENEkT OF THE !SEAN REGION to establish a network of protected Bilateral agreements create transareas and sustainably managed for- border protected areas. TBPAs can ests. Resource assessments, science only be effectively established if there expeditions, community develop- are responsive legal instruments and ment and other related activities are institutional arrangements for their continuously undertaken to enhance protection/management. This is the management and conservation brought about by the uniqueness of efforts within the HoB. frontier areas in the sense that they Sulu Sulawesi Marine Eco-region presuppose two or more governments (Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philip- as well as two sets of legal base, providpines) – An area of about 900,000 ing the necessary authority for action. square kilometers of marine reAmong practical management sources, the area is beset by piracy activities which could be the obAND ILLEGAL kSHING "E THAT AS IT MAY ject of joint cooperative efforts are: conservation initiatives in the eco- law enforcement, border crossing, region is being undertaken by NGOs permits, customs clearances, regulaled by WWF and Conservation tions, search and rescue operations, International. A network of marine local people/tribal communities protected areas was established ac- concerns, wildlife disease prevention companied by law enforcement sup- AND CONTROL kRE PREVENTION AND OTHER port in priority conservation areas. emergency procedures, and species

AMADO S. TOLENTINO, JR.

re-introduction and nonindigenous species introductions. Regular staff exchanges, shared research and results projects, complementary publications, and compatible communication systems could be worked out too.

Special consideration should be given to sustainable activities of the resident population, be they cultural minorities or migrant settlers. Such cooperation efforts could be further enhanced by joint staff training programs and complementary public information, awareness and education. TBPAs would mutually BENEkT TOO FROM JOINT TOURISM MARketing efforts which could lead to development of sites adjacent to the protected area, thereby highlighting their role in regional development.

To address all of these types of activities, close coordination is required of the protected area authorities from both sides of the border.

What bodes well for transboundary protected areas is the current general acknowledgement that the world is becoming not only economically but ecologically interdependent. This was brought about by widespread INTEREST IN UNIkED ACTION TO CONTROL borderless environmental problems like air and water pollution and environmental issues like biodiversity loss and nonindigenous species introduction which cannot be solved unilaterally by national governments.

This is where the potential lead role of the concept of transboundary protected areas come in.

In 1988, border parks proponent John Macleod asked, “Why not seed the borderlines of the world with peace parks, nature preserves and wilderness areas that encourage cultural and physical respect for and appreciation of wildlife and irreplaceable landscape?�

And, as Henry Thoreau wrote, â€œâ€Śin wilderness is the preservation of the world.â€?

SENATOR LACSON’S ‘INSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS’ IN 2019 BUDGET EXPLAINED THIS is in connection with the thinly veiled insinuations made against Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson by Mr. Francisco Tatad in his Feb. 13, 2019 column in The Manila Times (“The total defilement of our politics�).

Please allow us to set the record straight, to disabuse the minds of your readers and the public.

In his column, ex-Senator Tatad repeatedly hid behind so-called “sources in the bicameral conference committee� in claiming that “one senator� supposedly proposed “P88.82 billion in ‘institutional’ and other insertions, while washing his hands clean of any pork barrel or ‘insertions’.�

While ex-Minister Tatad seems to lack the guts to directly name the senator, the details of the institutional amendments (not institutional and other insertions, a term Tatad appears to parrot) indicate he is referring to Senator Lacson, whose institutional amendments were cited in Tatad’s column. These include: - A P2-billion increase for the Department of Education’s Quick Response Fund - An increase of P3.7125 billion for the School-Based Feeding Program that provides 240 days of lunch meals for severely wasted and wasted learners - A P2.925-billion increase for the DepEd’s computerization program - A P920.669-million increase in appropriations for the Supreme Court and lower courts - P4.78 billion to mobilize a new infantry unit to address the threat of terrorist groups, including the Abu Sayyaf.

The full list of Senator Lacson’s institutional amendments have been posted on his website at: https://pinglacson.net/2019/01/28/at-a-glance-institutional-amendments-proposed-by-sen-lacson-in-the-2019-budget/ Senator Lacson has repeatedly pointed out that institutional amendments — such as those he proposed in the 2019 national budget — are based on need, planning and vetting, and seek to benefit sectors including education, the environment and national security. They are based on requests by the concerned implementing agencies, which have the plans to implement the programs but lack the funds to do so.

In contrast, individual amendments such as flood control projects and various structures are based on lawmakers’ personal “intervention� and, in most cases, had no consultations with the implementing agencies concerned. Such individual amendments can be considered pork barrel, based on the 2013 ruling of the Supreme Court that covers whimsical and arbitrary projects.

It is quite disappointing that ex-Minister Tatad, who boasts of a long career in journalism that could have been his legacy as “Trabahong Tatad,� may instead be remembered for “Trabahong Tamad.� How else explain his use of the term “institutional and other insertions,� on the same day that former deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar used a similar term — �institutional insertions� — in his column in the Manila Standard? Did ex-Minister Tatad and Mr. Olivar engage in “copy-paste� journalism from their apparent “common source�?

Rest assured Senator Lacson will remain an untiring, tenacious watchdog of the national budget, making sure dubious congressional insertions (pork barrel) and useless appropriations are checked and deleted during plenary debates.

Joel Locsin Media Relations Officer Office of Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson

Q TULFO FROM A1

What’s in a name?

If we can change the names of our streets — from Dewey Blvd. to Roxas Blvd., for example – and towns — from Sexmoan to Sasmuan in Pampanga — at the drop of a hat, why not the name of our country?

"Maharlika" is a Malay word, meaning free men belonging to the lower nobility class.

The Philippines is named after King Philip 2nd of Spain who was a very cruel king. Philip ordered the beheading of Protestants in his time and burned at the stake the Moors or Muslims of Spain.

So, why should we allow ourselves to be named after an inhuman monarch?

If we want to shed our colonial and bitter past, let’s start with renaming the country Maharlika. *** Ferdinand Marcos cannot be given credit for coming up with trying to rename the country Maharlika.

In fact, Assemblywoman Imelda Marcos opposed it when Eddie Ilarde, a colleague in the Batasang Pambansa, introduced a bill to rename the country Maharlika in 1978.

The Marcoses at that time wanted Maharlika in their private domain, citing as reason the name of the wartime unit that Ferdinand formed when he was in the guerrilla movement.

Many friends wanted to please Ferdinand Marcos by naming their establishments Maharlika but were rebuffed.

Hence, Maharlika Motel in Pasay City was renamed Mahal Kita; Maharlika Sauna Bath, a prostitution joint

in Quezon City which was frequented

BY TOP RANKING MILITARY OFkCERS AT THE time, was changed to Maalikaya.

Nobody but nobody should use the name Maharlika in vain, according to Marcos.

And what happened to Eddie Ilarde, who wanted a name change for the country?

Most of his bootlicking colleagues in the Batasan called him insane for even thinking to change the country’s name. “My bill never reached second base, Mon,� Ilarde recalled.

His Muslim colleagues, however, hugged the former broadcaster-turned-politician and told him they should have been the ONES TO HAVE kLED THE BILL *** Anyway, what’s in a name?

Plenty. It could make or unmake its bearer. Hence, the bearer of the surname Lastimoso, which means sorrowful in Spanish, seems to be a sad sack; Sinfuego, which means LACKING kRE LACKS BRILLIANCE Joseph Estrada always wins because his surname means “paving the way;� Donald Trump beat the more competent Hillary Clinton because trump means triumph.

Manny Pacquiao has it all. Manny, which rhymes with money, and "pacquiao," which means “wholesale� in the Cebuano dialect.

My childhood friend, Wilbur Ligutom ("gutom" means hungry) became a very prosperous man in the US because he changed his surname to Ligutam.

*** The Spaniards apportioned names to their Filipino subjects according to their position in society.

Santos, de los Santos, Sta. Maria, Cruz, de la Cruz, de Jesus, San Lazaro, San Lorenzo, San Miguel, for example, were people who worked for the church.

Reyes, de los Reyes, Castro, de Castro, Corona were given to people who worked for the government.

Mercado, Diaz, Cuesta were given to people who sold goods.

The original name of Jose Rizal was Jose Mercado because his family was of the merchant class.

Other Filipinos who could not BE CLASSIkED BECAUSE THEY NEITHER worked for the church and government, nor were they of the merchant class, were left to have their original Malay names; hence, Dipasupil, Dimalanta, Mabayag, Maturan, Mandunggo, Donggoan. *** There was a girl who answered by the name Maria Duhaybilat.

Duha is Visayan for two; bilat is a term for the female sex organ.

Maria became an object of ridicule in school in Cebu. Her classmates always teased her, her teachers would snicker when they called out her name.

So, when she went to college, Maria Duhaybilat went to court to have a change of name.

She’s now Maria Usaybilat, usa meaning one in the Visayan dialect.

Maria is now comfortable with her new name because every female

has only one sex organ.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Just a food for thought: If you have a name that invites misfortune or ridicule, why not change it? *** The Inquirer is playing catty with me after I criticized it in this column recently.

It has refused to pay for the lawYERS AND MY BAIL IN A LIBEL CASE kLED against me by dismissed Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre.

I was with the Inquirer when I wrote an item in my “On Target� column about Aguirre’s incompetence as justice secretary that infuriated HIM INTO kLING THE LIBEL CASE The Inquirer always paid for my lawyers and bail when libel cases WERE kLED AGAINST ME WHEN ) WAS with them.

Which is just as it should be since I was writing for the paper.

But now that I’m no longer in their employ, the Inquirer says it’s my problem to pay for my lawyers and bail.

I was with the paper when I wrote that column item about Aguirre. It’s only fair that the Inquirer take care of the litigation expenses even if I’m already out of the paper.

I spent the best years of my journalistic career — 31 years — in the Inquirer.

I’m not writing this because I can’t afford to pay the legal fees and the bail; I most certainly can.

I’m writing this to show the public what kind of paper the Inquirer is: petty and catty.

Economic crisis can trigger world war BYÂ JOMO KWAME SUNDARAMÂ ANDÂ VLADIMIR POPOV KUALA LUMPUR and BERLIN (IPS): Economic recovery efforts since the 2008-2009 global financial crisis have mainly depended on unconventional monetary policies. As fears rise of yet another international financial crisis, there are growing concerns about the increased possibility of large-scale military conflict.

More worryingly, in the current political landscape, prolonged economic crisis, combined with rising economic

inequality, chauvinistic ethno-populism as well as aggressive jingoist rhetoric, including threats, could easily spin out of control and "morph" into military conflict, and worse, world war.

Crisis responses limited The 2008-2009 global financial crisis almost "bankrupted" governments and caused systemic collapse. Policymakers managed to pull the world economy from the brink, but soon switched from countercyclical fiscal efforts to unconventional monetary measures, primarily "quantitative easing" and very low, if

not negative real interest rates.

But while these monetary interventions averted realization of the worst fears at the time by turning the US economy around, they did little to address underlying economic weaknesses, largely due to the ascendance of finance in recent decades at the expense of the real economy. Since then, despite promising to do so, policymakers have not seriously pursued, let alone achieved, such needed reforms.

Instead, ostensible structural reformers have taken advantage of the crisis to pursue largely irrelevant efforts to further "casualize" labor markets. This lack

A5

of structural reform has meant that the unprecedented liquidity central banks injected into economies has not been well allocated to stimulate resurgence of the real economy.

From bust to bubble Instead, easy credit raised asset prices to levels even higher than those prevailing before 2008. US house prices are now 8 percent more than at the peak of the property bubble in 2006, while its priceto-earnings ratio in late 2018 was even higher than in 2008 and in 1929, when

ÂłIPSA6

Q SAMONTE FROM A4

JV, JV Irish priest, who attributed his cure from tuberculosis to the Blessed Virgin Mary through her apparition in Fatima, Spain. Debuting as a prayer session on a small radio station in Albany, the United States, the campaign was picked up by the largest US radio network, Mutual Broadcasting System, eventually promoting it to the entire American continent. In due time, a young advertising executive, Al Scalpone, donated his services to the campaign, and he came up with the slogan 'The family that prays together, stays together.' It was that slogan that virtually siphoned Filipinos in their great masses into the campaign when Father Peyton brought it to the Philippines in 1968. Wherever he paraded the image of the Our Lady of Fatima, thousands upon thousands hailed it with loud, heartfelt recitation of the Holy Rosary. “Quite interestingly, just three months after the Family Rosary Crusade was begun by Father Peyton in January 1942, Guia was born, April 20, 1942. This illustrates that early on, Guia and the prayer campaign were fated to meet up with each other, at one time or another — for what purpose, only God knew. “So it was that day the Blessed Virgin was brought to the Mt. Carmel Church in Quezon City. In deep reverence, Mayor Guia was reciting the Hail Mary with the multitude, imbuing her plea with her deep longing to have a child. “And lo! The moment the image of the Lady of Fatima in the hands of Father Peyton passed her way, a great something ticked in her belly. “‘That was it,’ recalls Mayor Guia. ‘I knew. I knew. Right after the ritual, I rushed home. Joseph was in a hurry to report for shooting and was very uncooperative when I pulled him to bed. ‘No, not now,’ he said. ‘As it is, I am already late,’ he said, pushing me off. But I kept pulling him to bed, struggling to lay him there, but he kept resisting as I turned to almost raping him.' “Mayor Guia was only too aware of the meaning of the hour. Time and again, she had consulted with her gynecologist, who each time

insisted that her physiological constitution allows her just one ovulation in a lifetime. This means she must hit it at the precise moment it came — or hit it nevermore. “And so when Joseph, no longer able to resist, ultimately responded to the great outpouring of Guia’s 'essence of a woman,' the greatest love scene that ever took place happened — outside of the glare of klieg lights and unrecorded by the grind of the camera, but virtually witnessed by thousands upon thousands of praying masses, men, women and children, whose every phrase of their litany interspersing with every gentle touch of the couple’s lips, and every rasping of their hands on the soft mounds and crevices of each other’s body, all the way up to that ultimate moment of the merging of each othER S lESH f(AIL -ARY FULL OF 'RACE

the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.' “Nine months thence, the heavens celebrated with the joyous cry of a newly born babe: Joseph Victor.

Why JV “Why Joseph, is obvious. He was born as the fruit of years of prayers, in all nooks where God’s blessings through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary may be sought. As Jesus, God’s only son, must evoke the name of God, the Father, so must JV, himself an only son, carry as well the true name of his own sire, Joseph Ejercito. “‘When JV entered politics,’ relates Mayor Guia, he made it a point to rupture from the traditional practice begun by Joseph himself of capitalizing on the movie name Estrada to ensure win in election. ‘Kung ilalaglag ko ang “Ejercito,� kawawa naman ang lolo (If I drop Ejercito, it’s unfair to grandpa),’ JV said.’ “Now, why the other name Victor? “Because the day of JV’s birth — December 26, 1969 — is a day of victory. “‘On that day,’ Mayor Guia says with an exquisitely glorious feeling, “the Supreme Court ruled that Joseph was the winner in the contested San Juan mayoralty race in 1967. Hence JV, Joseph the Victor.’�

A6

Opinion

T

HE election campaign period started last Tuesday. Congress adjourned its session to pave the way for its members to woo the votes of their constituents.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) hastily disposed of pending cases to determine the who’s who to be included in the OFkCIAL BALLOT FOR THE FORTHCOMING midterm elections.

I heard in the news that the Comelec dismissed the two petitions for disqualification filed against Sen. Aquilino “Koko�

Pimentel 3rd. I still don’t know what reasons the commission gave in dismissing the petitions.

However, I am sure that this case will go all the way to the Supreme Court for final disposition of the sole issue involved — can a senator run for a third consecutive term?

Would it not be better if petitions like these are recognized directly by the Supreme Court, and not pass through Comelec anymore? More often than not, the Comelec’s decisions are overturned by the Supreme Court anyway. It saves everyone time,

˜ The Manila Times

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SATURDAY February 16, 2019

Vote wisely; vote for a chosen few only ALL INSIGHT

AL S. VITANGCOL 3RD effort, money, and even anxiety.

Vote wisely. We have been told this phrase over and over again.

However, every time we have elections, it seems that the voting populace forgets about this. Or maybe, they never found “wisely� in the names of candidates. How can they vote wisely, then?

There are only 12 slots for the position of senator this coming May 13, 2019. I cannot fathom how a national political party, disguised as a regional party, can be endorsing 13 candidates for senators. For those who are dumb enough, they will vote for all of the 13 candidates — all for naught. The vote counting machine will consider it an overvote and deem the votes as invalid. To put it simply, the votes will not be counted!

How do you make sure that your votes will be counted? How do you help your chosen candidate to surge during elections?

Well, vote only for a few that you trust. Don’t go for the full 12. Me, I will vote only for four, whom I call as the “fantastic four.�

Fantastic Four, by the way, is a kCTIONAL SUPERHERO TEAM APPEARing in Marvel Comics. The four individuals in the team are Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and the Thing.

MICHAEL “XIAO� CHUA to the progressive era.

But her real impact on me happened around 2007. Ted Failon and Korina Shanchez, in their radio show, were trying to assure people that we shall overcome in a time of so much political controversy and allegations of corruption. Daily at the end of every show, they played an early “spoken word piece� read by Armida in the 2003 album “Pop Lola� called “ Tagubilin at Habilin .�

According to the poet commissioned by Armida to write a will and testament encapsulating her beliefs in life, JosĂŠ “Peteâ€? Lacaba, “ Tagubilin at Habilin â€? was inspired by “The Sunscreen Speechâ€? and Max Ehrmann’s classic “Desiderata.â€?

With soothing background music by future National Artist Ryan Cayabyab, Armida was playful, hopeful, assuring, her words very contemporary, which she tried to do all her life anyway: to make the arts relevant to every generation in the span of many decades.

She invoked values of pakikipagkapwa but also a word of caution, “ Huwag kang aawit ng ‘My Way’ sa videoke bar at baka ka mabaril .�

She quoted a harana which famously starts with the phrase “ O Ilaw �: “ Gising at magbagon sa pagkagupiling, sa pagkakatulog na lubhang mahimbing .�

This is Aawitan Kita music and then adds, “ Gumising ka kung hinaharana ka ng pag-ibig. Bumangon ka kung nananawagan ang kapus-palad .�

She ends with the stanza: “Ang sabi ng iba, ang matapang ay walang takot lumaban, Ang sabi ko naman ang tunay na matapang ay lumalaban kahit natatakot!

Lumaban ka kung iminumudmod ang nguso mo sa putik.

Bumalikwas ka kung tinatapaktapakan ka! Buong tapang mong ipaglaban ang iyong mga prinsipyo kahit hindi ka sigurado na agad-agad kang mananalo.�

I myself was facing petty political battles at that time which resulted in the nonrenewal of my contract in my first job.

That poem taught me to fight even when I fear, and that I will be all right. I would face more subsequent battles and every time, I recite Armida’s words, and they make me strong. She also reminds me to be compassionate to my fellow man.

To borrow her ending to “Tagubilin at Habilin ,� to bid her goodbye I say, “ Mabuhay ka , Armida! Mabuhay ka!� Your art will live in this historian’s heart.

to the 2016 elections and to the present. He is still in the forefront of the battle against Smartmatic.

I admire his courage and this is why I am voting for him.

#21 Glenn Chong (KDP) #15 Nancy Binay (UNA)

Lawyer Glenn A. Chong was a neophyte (and relatively unknown) when he won as representative of the lone district #32 Larry Gadon (KBL) of Biliran way back in 2007.

Biliran is the fourth smallest Lawyer Lorenzo “Larry� G. Gadon province in the Philippines and became an overnight household lies between Leyte and Samar. name during the House justice He lost in 2010 and never ran committee hearings on the im- again, until now. He recently peachment case against then gained renewed popularity as Chief Justice Maria Lourdes an electoral reform advocate.

I was one of the first inforSereno from late 2017 to early 2018. Gadon was the lone voice mation technology (IT) pracin the wilderness, which eventu- titioners to have exposed the vulnerabilities of the automated ALLY TURNED INTO A WILDkRE Gadon’s fame (or notoriety?) election systems (AES), and the ATTAINED HEIGHTS WHEN HE kGURED possibility of electronic cheatin a fracas with Sereno’s support- ing in 2010. I stood up against ers in Baguio City. As it turned Smartmatic then, alone, while the out, that row resulted in his cam- others watched in the sidelines. paign slogan, “#hindiBOBO�. He I lost hope in 2013 and lay low IS CONSIDERED NOW THE gSELkE KING in my advocacy. Chong, on the of social media.� Everywhere he other hand, was relentless. He goes, there will be throngs of mil- continued with his crusade up

Armida: Art in her heart WALKING A I HISTORY

AM an avid collector of autographed material, especially from people who have touched my life by what they do. Armida Siguion-Reyna, who passed away last Feb. 11, 2019, was one of them. I had my chance during the 2012 impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Her half-brother, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, was the presiding officer of the trial and I was a commentator for the government station. She went to some of the last hearings and with this in mind, I brought along my copy of her album “Pop Lola,� its cover printed on glossy paper. I asked her devoted daughter-in-law and a film artist in her own right, Bibeth Orteza, to have her sign it with my special pen for such glossy stuff. The album cover was returned to me without her signature. After many tries, the pen did not work. I lost my chance to have Armida’s autograph because of pen malfunction, but I was glad to have a photo.

I bought her book Armida and asked Bibeth on Facebook if it was still possible to see her. She kindly replied that Armida was already too sick to meet with anyone. That was sad.

When I was young, I do not remember watching much of her " Aawitan Kita" shows, although after seeing some footage of it made me wish they’d release a DVD. The most important actors of our film history singing the most historic songs of our culture, against the backdrop of historic sites and heritage places. I remember watching a footage of Didith Reyes singing “ Bakit Ako Mahihiya � and Fernando Poe, Jr. singing “ Ang Daigdig Ko’y Ikaw .� It was just wow for me!

The Aawitan Kita archives my well be the visual repository of the history of our arts.

When I was growing up, she was controversial as a movie producer of Reyna Films. She produced movies starring Rossana Roces, controversial and hot as a pistol at the time, in " Ligaya ang Itawag Mo Sa Akin "and " Ang Lalaki sa Buhay ni Selya ." In the time of ST and pito-pito, these are quality films except that censors think that all films with nudity are the same.

She fought against censorship of art and stressed that the role of the MTRCB is to just classify, not cut films. Artistic freedom should be distinguished from mere pornography. She was appointed as chair of the commission herself, and despite the fact the she came from a family of lawyers and had a lawyer for a husband, she was not too legalistic, as Nick Joaquin observed. “Armida may have law in her blood but she has ‘art’ in her art.� She brought MTRCB

lennials (and oldies alike) asking FOR A SELkE WITH HIM !LL HE HAS to do now is to translate these SELkES INTO VOTES

A lot of my friends were asking me — why Nancy Binay? Why not?

As a lawyer, writer and advocate of various advocacies, I write letters and send papers to high government officials, including senators. Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay stands out as one who promptly answers her letters and acknowledges correspondence sent to her. She has that “Tatak Binay� which she obviously got from her father.

There is virtue in attending to “little� things. Why would I vote for others who disregard their constituents once they are elected? Or worse, who arrogate their “people-given� powers?

#22 Neri Colmenares (MKBYN) My right-leaning associates

would hang me for choosing Neri Colmenares. I had an opportunity, on several occasions, to discuss things with Colmenares while he was still a congressman.

He has substance (unlike some who are non-sense talkers.)

I believe that the government should not be a monopoly of rightists, or leftists, or administration supporters, or whatnot.

There should be a healthy mix of all ideologies to ensure that democracy will be preserved.

Colmenares will be that elixir that the Senate needs to make that institution pro-poor and pro-people.

On May 13, 2019 I might expand this list to include a few more. But for now, this is my fantastic four to the Senate.

Remember John F. Kennedy’s words: “The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.�

Huwag maging BOBO , vote wisely.

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

Manila.Times

Are the Democrats bent on suicide?

FTER reading an especially radical platform agreed upon by the British Labor Party, one Tory wag described it as “the longest suicide note in history.�

The phrase comes to mind on reading of the resolution calling for a Green New Deal, advanced by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and endorsed by AT LEAST kVE OF THE MAJOR $EMOCRATIC candidates for president.

The Green New Deal is designed to recall the halcyon days of the 1930s, when, so the story goes, FDR came to Washington to enact the historic reforms that rescued America from the Great Depression.

Only that story is more than a small myth.

The unemployment rate when FDR took the oath in 1933 was 25 percent. It never fell below 14 percent through the 1930s. In June 1938, despite huge Democratic majorities in Congress, FDR was presiding over a nation where unemployment was back up to 19 percent.

World War 2 and the conscription of 16 million young men gave us “full employment.� And the war’s end and demobilization saw the return of real prosperity in 1946, after FDR was dead.

Yet this Green New Deal is nothing if not ambitious.

To cope with climate change, the GND calls for a 10-year plan to meet “100 percent of the power demand of the United States through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources.�

itself into bankruptcy going green, where would that leave America and China at midcentury? “By the end of the Green New Deal resolution (and accompanying fact sheet) I was laughing so hard I This appears to require a phase- nearly cried,� tweeted the Wall Street out by 2030 of all carbon-emitting Journal’s Kimberley Strassel: “If a power plants fueled by coal and oil bunch of GOPers plotted to forge a and their replacement by power fake Democratic bill showing how bonkers the party is, they could not plants fueled by wind and solar.

Will natural gas be permitted? have done a better job. It is beautiful.�

The Green New Deal, say its auWill nuclear power? There are 60 commercially operating nuclear thors, has as a goal “stopping curpower plants with 98 nuclear reac- rent, preventing future, and repairing tors in 30 states. Will they be shut historic oppression of indigenous down? Will the Greens agree to dam peoples, communities of color, miup more US rivers to produce renew- grant communities, deindustrialized communities, depopulated rural able hydroelectric power?

Air travel consumes huge quantities communities, the poor, low-income of carbon-producing jet fuel. What workers, the elderly, the unhoused, will replace it? Perhaps progressive peoples with disabilities, and youth.�

Fifty years after the Great SociDemocratic candidates will set an EXAMPLE BY NOT lYING AND THEN BY ety, apparently half the country voting to end production of private consists of victims of oppression.

Who are their oppressors? Guess. aircraft and to ground all corporate Among the endorsers of this Green jets. Let the elites sail to Davos.

The GND calls for an overhaul of New Deal is Sen. Cory Booker, who the “transportation systems in the compares the battle to stop climate United States to eliminate pollution CHANGE TO kGHTING THE .AZIS IN 7ORLD and greenhouse gas emissions from War 2. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Kathe transport sector ‌ through ‌ mala Harris and Elizabeth Warren have clean, affordable and accessible public all endorsed it. Sen. Bernie Sanders, transportation; and high-speed rail.â€? who calls climate change “an existenGas-powered cars are out. How tial threat,â€? was an original co-sponsor.

Nancy Pelosi has more sense. Interlong will that train trip from DC to LA take? And if China continues its viewed last week, the speaker batted relentless rise in carbon emissions the Green New Deal aside: “It will be until 2030, as permitted by the Paris one of several or maybe many suggesclimate accord, while the US spends tions that we receive. The green dream,

CREATORS SYNDICATE

PATRICK J. BUCHANAN

or whatever they call it, nobody knows what it is, but they’re for it, right?�

With her own agenda and priorities, Pelosi does not want to be dragged into having to defend a document that reads like it was written by the college socialists club.

The question, though, is why Democrats, who, if nominated, are likely to face Donald Trump in 2020, are signing on to so radical a scheme.

In a presidential election, the “out� party candidate usually has an advantage. No record to defend.

He or she can choose the terrain on which to attack the incumbent, who has a four-year record.

Rarely does an out party present a kXED AND STATIONARY TARGET AS EXPOSED as this, as out-of the-mainstream as this, as vulnerable as this.

The only explanation for the endorsement of the Green New Deal by candidates with a prospect of winning the Democratic nomination is that they are so fearful of Ocasio-Cortez and the left for whom she speaks that they must endorse her plan.

That British Tory got it right. This thing reads like a Democratic Party suicide pact. CREATORS.COM

Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of Nixon’s White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever. 4O kND out more about Patrick Buchanan and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators website at www.creators.com.

Q IPS FROM A5

Economic crisis can trigger world war the Wall Street Crash precipitated the Great Depression.

As monetary tightening checks asset price bubbles, another economic crisis — possibly more severe than the last, as the economy has become less responsive to such blunt monetary interventions — is considered likely. A decade of such unconventional monetary policies, with very low interest rates, has greatly depleted their ability to revive the economy.

The implications beyond the economy of such developments and policy responses are already being seen. Prolonged economic distress has worsened public antipathy towards the culturally alien — not only abroad, but also within. Thus, another round of economic stress is deemed likely to foment unrest, conflict, even war as it is blamed on the foreign.

International trade shrank by twothirds within half a decade after the US passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act in 1930, at the start of the Great Depression, ostensibly to protect American workers and farmers from foreign competition!

Liberalization’s discontents Rising economic insecurity, inequalities and deprivation are expected to strengthen ethno-populist and jingoistic nationalist sentiments, and increase

social tensions and turmoil, especially among the growing precariat and others who feel vulnerable or threatened.

Thus, ethno-populist inspired chauvinistic nationalism may exacerbate tensions, leading to conflicts and tensions among countries, as in the 1930s. Opportunistic leaders have been blaming such misfortunes on outsiders and may seek to reverse policies associated with the perceived causes, such as ‘globalist’ economic liberalization.

Policies which successfully check such problems may reduce social tensions, as well as the likelihood of social turmoil and conflict, including among countries.

However, these may also inadvertently exacerbate problems. The recent spread of anti-globalization sentiment appears correlated to slow, if not negative per capita income growth and increased economic inequality.

To be sure, globalization and liberalization are statistically associated with growing economic inequality and rising ethno-populism. Declining real incomes and growing economic insecurity have apparently strengthened ethnopopulism and nationalistic chauvinism, threatening economic liberalization itself, both within and among countries.

sudden increase in income inequality is often followed by a great crisis.

Although causality is difficult to prove, with wealth and income inequality now at historical highs, this should give cause for concern.

Of course, other factors also contribute to or exacerbate civil and international tensions, with some due to policies intended for other purposes. Nevertheless, even if unintended, such developments could inadvertently catalyse future crises and conflicts.

Publics often have good reason to be restless, if not angry, but the emotional appeals of ethno-populism and jingoistic nationalism are leading to chauvinistic policy measures which only make things worse.

At the international level, despite the world’s unprecedented and still growing interconnectedness, multilateralism is increasingly being eschewed as the US increasingly resorts to unilateral, sovereigntist policies without bothering to even build coalitions with its usual allies.

Insecurity, populism, conflict

Thus, protracted economic distress, economic conflicts or another financial crisis could lead to military confrontation by the protagonists, even

Thomas Piketty has argued that a

Avoiding Thucydides’ icebergÂ

if unintended. Less than a decade after the Great Depression started, the Second World War had begun as the Axis powers challenged the earlier entrenched colonial powers.

They patently ignored Thucydides’ warning, in chronicling the Peloponnesian wars over two millennia before, when the rise of Athens threatened the established dominance of Sparta!

Anticipating and addressing such possibilities may well serve to help avoid otherwise imminent disasters by undertaking preemptive collective action, as difficult as that may be.

The international community has no excuse for being like the owners and captain of the Titanic, conceitedly convinced that no iceberg could possibly sink the great ship.

Jomo Kwame Sundaram, a former economics professor, was United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, and received the Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought in 2007.

Vladimir Popov, a former senior economics researcher in the Soviet Union, Russia and the United Nations Secretariat, is now Research Director at the Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute in Berlin

˜ The Manila Times

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NPA frees 6 militias, kills 2 soldiers in raid ZAMBOANGA CITY: #OMMUNIST INSUR GENTS FREED SIX OUT OF OVER A DOZEN SOLDIERS AND MILITIAS THEY CAPTURED IN SOUTHERN 0HILIPPINES AND AT THE SAME TIME RAIDED A MILITARY POST AND KILLING TWO SOLDIERS AND WOUNDING ANOTHER IN THE RESTIVE REGION !RMY ,T #OL %ZRA "ALAGTEY

SPOKESMAN FOR THE %ASTERN -IN DANAO #OMMAND SAID THAT IN A CEREMONY HELD ON 4HURSDAY IN THE HINTERLANDS OF "ARANGAY 3AN *UAN

"AYUGAN #ITY !GUSAN DEL 3UR

.EW 0EOPLE S !RMY .0! REBELS RELEASED MILITIAS *URIAN 'AVIOLA

-ARSON AND (ERMITO )LIGAN "IEN VINIDO ,AMION %DDIE 4INDOY AND 3ANNY -ALOBAY BUT SEVEN OTHER MILITIAS AND TWO SOLDIERS REMAIN CAPTIVE IN THE PROVINCE 4HE SIX MILITIAMEN WERE CAP TURED AFTER THEIR DETACHMENT WAS ATTACKED AND OVERTAKEN BY THE .0!

LAST $ECEMBER IN "ARANGAY .EW 4UBIGON 3IBAGAT TOWN "ALAGTEY SAID THE REBELS RELEASED THE MILITIAS TO A THIRD PARTY FACILI TATOR INCLUDING THE )NTERNATIONAL #OMMITTEE OF THE 2ED #ROSS AND HANDED THEM OVER TO THE ST )NFANTRY "RIGADE ALSO IN THE TOWN g4HE RELEASE WAS BROUGHT ABOUT

BY THE PRESSURE OF THE RELENTLESS MILITARY OPERATIONS TO RESCUE THE KIDNAPPED TROOPS u HE SAID "ALAGTEY SAID DESPITE THE RELEASE OF THE HOSTAGES RESCUE OPERATION WOULD STILL CONTINUE IN THE PROV INCE (E SAID -AJ 'EN &ELIMON 3ANTOS *R THE REGIONAL MILITARY COMMANDER ORDERED THE OPERA TION g!S OF THIS TIME OUR UNITS IN

THE AREA ARE CONTINUOUSLY CONDUCT ING MILITARY OPERATIONS TO RESCUE THE REMAINING TROOPS WHO ARE STILL being held and used as human SHIELD AND PROPAGANDA SUBJECT BY THE .0! u "ALAGTEY SAID 4HIS WAS CONkRMED BY 3ANTOS

WHO ALSO BRANDED THE RELEASE AS REBEL PROPAGANDA g7E ASSURE OUR COMMUNITIES THAT THIS WILL NOT AFFECT OUR EFFORT AND COMMITMENT IN PROTECTING OUR PEOPLE u HE SAID ! REBEL SPOKESMAN +A -ALEM -ABINI SAID .0! FIGHTERS ALSO RAIDED LATE 4HURSDAY A PATROL BASE OF THE ST 3PECIAL &ORCES #IVILIAN !CTIVE !UXILIARY IN $ALWANGAN 6ILLAGE IN "UKIDNON S -ALAYBALAY #ITY AND KILLED TWO SOLDIERS AND WOUNDED ANOTHER -ABINI SAID REBEL FORCES ALSO SEIZED SEVEN ASSORTED AUTOMATIC RIlES FROM SOLDIERS g)N THIS MILI TARY ACTION IT WAS CONkRMED THAT TWO OFkCERS OF THE 3PECIAL &ORCES WERE KILLED WHILE ONE SOLDIER WAS ALSO WOUNDED 4HE 2ED ARMIES ALSO SEIZED SEVEN DIFFERENT HIGH POWERED RIlES FROM THE SOLDIERS u HE SAID "ALAGTEY CONkRMED THE kGHTING AND SAID FOUR REBELS WERE REPORT EDLY SLAIN IN THE CLASH (E SAID ABOUT REBELS ATTACKED THE PATROL BASE SPARKING A kREkGHT (E SAID AN MAN ARMY TEAM WAS CONSTRUCTING A PATROL BASE IN THE VILLAGE WHEN REBELS ASSAULTED THE SOLDIERS WHO FOUGHT THE AT TACKERS AND EVENTUALLY lED LEAVING BEHIND TWO AUTOMATIC RIlES AND TWO LANDMINES AL JACINTO AND ALEXANDER LOPEZ

Regions Gun shop supplying pro-IS groups assaulted SATURDAY February 16, 2019

BY JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL AND AL JACINTO

Z

AMBOANGA CITY: Government forces raided at dawn on Friday an illegal gun shop supplying weapons to pro-Islamic State (IS) groups and criminal gangs in Barangay Poblacion, "ULUAN IN -AGUINDANAO OFkCIALS SAID -AJ !RVIN %NCINAS SPOKES MAN OF THE TH )NFANTRY $IVI SION TH )$ SAID ARMY SOL DIERS BACKED BY HEAVILY ARMED ELEMENTS OF THE 3PECIAL !CTION &ORCE AND THE #RIMINAL )NVES TIGATION AND $ETECTION 'ROUP OF THE !UTONOMOUS 2EGION IN -USLIM -INDANAO #)$'

!2-- RAIDED THE SHOP AND SERVED A SEARCH WARRANT AGAINST !BUSAMA !BPUN

AN ILLEGAL FIREARMS GUNSMITH %NCINAS SAID THE GUN FACTORY WAS BEING MAINTAINED BY THE OUTLAWED "ANGSAMORO )SLAMIC &REEDOM &IGHTERS ")&& 3ECURITY FORCES SEIZED ILLEGAL kRE

arms including three M4 carbine RIlES ONE - CARBINE SIX MM 4OMGRAM A GAUGE SHOTGUN A TRIPOD FOR HEAVY MACHINE GUN

AND SEVERAL UNASSEMBLED kREARMS 3ENIOR 3UPT *AMES 'ULMATICO

THE REGIONAL HEAD OF THE #)$' !2-- SAID THAT THE SUSPECT WAS THE SOURCE OF kREARMS FOR CRIMINAL ELEMENTS INCLUDING THE ")&& g/UR INFORMANT SHOWED US VID EOS OF THE SUSPECT WHILE REPAIRING A GUN OWNED BY A ")&& MEMBER

WHO PERSONALLY BROUGHT THE DE FECTIVE WEAPON TO HIS SHOP 7E FOLLOWED THE LEGAL PROCEDURES IN SERVING THE WARRANT u HE ADDED ,T #OL (AROLD #ABUNOC

COMMANDER OF THE RD )N

A7

FANTRY "ATTALION WHO LED SOL DIERS IN THE OPERATION SAID THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST LAWLESSNESS WAS GAINING GROUND FOLLOWING !BPUN S ARREST g7E HAVE REMOVED ANOTHER LO GISTICS SUPPORT SOURCE OF THE ")&& AND OTHER LAWLESS ELEMENTS 7E WILL DEFEAT THEM BY CUTTING OFF THE SOURCES OF THEIR WEAPONS u HE SAID -AJ 'EN #IRILITO 3OBEJANA THE TH )$ COMMANDER COMMENDED THE TROOPS FOR THEIR LATEST FEAT 4HERE WAS NO IMMEDIATE STATE MENT FROM -AGUINDANAO 'OV %SMAEL -ANGUDADATU ON THE PRES ENCE OF THE ILLEGAL GUN SHOP IN HIS HOMETOWN

Sayyaf terrorist captured in Sabah ZAMBOANGA CITY: !N !BU 3AYYAF TER RORIST WHO lED THE 0HILIPPINES IN -ARCH LAST YEAR WAS ARRESTED IN 3ABAH WHERE HE WAS WORKING IN A CONSTRUCTION SITE -ALAYSIAN MEDIA REPORTED ON &RIDAY The -ALAY -AIL QUOTED )NSPECTOR 'ENERAL OF 0OLICE 4AN 3RI -OHAMAD &UZI (ARUN SAYING g4HE SUSPECT

AGED HAD ILLEGALLY ENTERED -A LAYSIA IN -ARCH AND HAS BEEN WORKING AT A CONSTRUCTION SITE (E IS HIGHLY SKILLED IN HANDLING kREARMS AND HAS DIRECT CONNECTIONS WITH &URUJI )NDAMA THE CURRENT LEADER OF !3' !BU 3AYYAF 'ROUP u !CCORDING TO (ARUN kVE OTHER SUSPECTED TERRORISTS WERE ALSO CAPTURED SEPARATELY IN ANTI TERROR RAIDS IN -ALAYSIA /NE OF THEM IS A YEAR OLD 3INGAPOREAN MAN

WHO HAD PLANNED TO ATTACK THE &REEMASON BUILDING IN *OHOR (E SAID THEY WERE ALSO HOLDING A YEAR OLD "ANGLADESHI SUPPORTER OF THE )SLAMIC 3TATE 'ROUP )3 WHO WAS ARRESTED IN 3ELANGOR AND WAS

INVOLVED IN RECRUITING LOCAL MILITANTS FOR THE EXTREMIST GROUP AS WELL AS TWO -ALAYSIAN SUSPECTS BOTH AGED

WHO WERE DEPORTED TO -ALAYSIA AFTER THEY WERE FOUND TO HAVE CHAN NELLED FUNDS TO AN )3 TERRORIST WHILE WORKING AT A FARM ABROAD (ARUN SAID POLICE ALSO ARRESTED ANOTHER TERROR SUSPECT FROM A SOUTH !SIAN COUNTRY IN 3ELANGOR AFTER PO LICE RECEIVED INFORMATION THAT THE YEAR OLD TERRORIST HAD BEEN GIVING PROTECTION TO ANOTHER TERROR SUSPECT WHOSE NAME WAS LISTED UNDER )NTER POL S RED NOTICE FOR HIS INVOLVEMENT IN SERIOUS TERROR ACTIVITIES 0OLICE GAVE NO OTHER DETAILS ON THE &ILIPINO EXCEPT THAT ALL OF THOSE ARRESTED HAVE BEEN DETAINED UNDER THE 3ECURITY /FFENCES !CT OF 4HE $EPARTMENT OF &OREIGN !FFAIRS AND THE !RMED &ORCES OF THE 0HILIPPINES INCLUDING THE 0HILIPPINE .ATIONAL 0OLICE HAVE NOT RELEASE ANY REPORT ABOUT THE &ILIPINO TERRORIST ARREST AL JACINTO

Q FARMERS FROM A1

RIGHTFUL OWNERS ‡ SMALL COCONUT FARMERS g)T IS SURPRISING THAT MOST COCONUT FARMERS ARE STILL VERY POOR NOT ONLY IN 1UEZON PROVINCE BUT IN OTHER REGIONS IN THE 0HILIPPINES u THE YOUNGER 4AÄADA SAID NOTING THAT COCONUT PRODUCTS ARE THE COUNTRY S BIGGEST FARM EXPORT BRINGING IN AT LEAST BILLION ANNUALLY

Small SIGNED 2ICE 4ARIFkCATION "ILL ALLO CATES 0 BILLION PER YEAR IN THE NEXT SIX YEARS TO MODERNIZE THE COUNTRY S RICE INDUSTRY 7HEN IT COMES TO PRIVATE SECTOR LED EFFORTS FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT

THE 0HILIPPINE 2URAL 2ECONSTRUC TION -OVEMENT 022- CHAIRED

BY FORMER SENATOR 7IGBERTO 4AÄA DA HAS BEEN UNDERTAKING VARIOUS PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS SINCE 022- HAS ALSO SERVED AS A TRAIN ING GROUND FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT EXPERTS FROM NEIGHBORING COUN TRIES LIKE 3OUTH +OREA 'ABBY ,OPEZ THE EXPERT WHO WAS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE GOVERN MENT S RURAL DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS IN THE S CALLED 022- gONE OF THE BEST THINGSu THAT HAPPENED FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE 0HILIPPINES 7IGBERTO S SON FORMER DEPUTY HOUSE SPEAKER %RIN 4AÄADA ARGUES

LIKE HIS FATHER THAT RURAL DEVELOP MENT MUST BE PRO FARMER )N THE FORMER 1UEZON CONGRESSMAN BACKED COCONUT FARMERS WHO MARCHED FROM -IN DANAO TO -ALACAÄANG CALLING FOR ABOUT 0 BILLION WORTH OF COCO LEVY FUNDS TO BE RETURNED TO THE

OLONGAPO SORTIE

Former special assistant to the President and senatorial aspirant Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ welcomed by local government officials, leaders and residents of Olongapo City as he and the other candidates of Hugpong ng Pagbabago visited the city to mark the start of their campaign in the province of Zambales.

Olongapo throws support behind Bong Go &/2-%2 SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE 0RESIDENT AND SENATORIAL ASPIRANT #HRISTOPHER ,AWRENCE g"ONGu WAS WELCOMED BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFkCIALS LEADERS AND RESIDENTS OF /LONGAPO #ITY 'O AND THE REST OF THE POLILTI CAL PARTY (UGPONG NG 0AGBABAGO (.0 VISITED THE CITY TO MARK THE START OF THEIR CAMPAIGN IN THE PROVINCE OF :AMBALES g0EOPLE HERE ARE HAPPY 9OU CAN SEE IN THEIR EYES THAT THEY ARE EXCITED TO THROW THEIR SUPPORT TO THE (.0 u HE SAID 'O KICKSTARTED THE PROGRAM AS HE WAS THE kRST AMONG THE CANDIDATES TO SPEAK BEFORE THE AUDIENCE

Rice import liberalization 4HE YOUNGER 4AÄADA IS ALSO CONCERNED OVER &ILIPINO RICE FARMERS WHO WERE NOT AS COMPETITIVE AS THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN 6IETNAM AND 4HAILAND #ITING GOVERNMENT kGURES HE SAID THE PRODUCTION COST OF PALAY UNMILLED RICE IN THE 0HILIPPINES WAS ABOUT 0 PER KILO

HIGHER THAN THE ESTIMATED 0 PER KILO IN 6IETNAM AND 0 PER KILO IN 4HAILAND g7E STILL DO NOT HAVE AN ESTIMATE AS TO HOW MAY RICE FARMERS WILL BE DISPLACED

BY RICE IMPORTS AND THAT MAY REACH THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OR MORE 7HAT ) HAVE BEEN SAYING IS GOVERNMENT SHOULD ALSO CONSIDER THE SIDE OF THE PRODUCERS OF RICE WHO ARE THE FARMERS AND NOT ONLY THE CONSUMERS u 4AÄADA SAID ADDING THAT RICE IMPORTS WOULD BE LIBERALIZED STARTING THIS YEAR 4HE 2ICE 4ARRIkCATION "ILL ALLOCATES 0 BILLION ANNUALLY FROM THIS YEAR TO TO MAKE THE COUNTRY S RICE SECTOR AS COMPETI TIVE AS 6IETNAM S AND 4HAILAND S &OR 3ONNY $OMINGO WHO IS WITH THE +OOP +AMI PARTY LIST SEEKING A SEAT IN THE

'O STARTED THINGS ON A LIGHT NOTE

TELLING THE AUDIENCE TO VOTE FOR THE CANDIDATES ENDORSED BY $AVAO #ITY -AYOR 3ARA $UTERTE #ARPIO (E ALSO TOOK TIME TO REMIND HIS FELLOW CANDIDATES TO TAKE DOWN BILLBOARDS AND OTHER CAMPAIGN PARAPHERNALIA NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH #OMELEC POLICIES 'O REAFkRMED HIS COMMITMENT TO RENDER SERVICE TO &ILIPINOS IN NEED EVERYWHERE REGARDLESS OF THE RESULTS OF THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS (E ALSO GREETED THE !ETAS BENEk CIARIES OF HIS $ECEMBER MEDICAL MISSION IN THE PROVINCE (E SAID THAT HE HOPED TO LEGISLATE POLICIES TO STRENGTHEN THE .ATIONAL #OMMIS

(OUSE GETTING FARMERS OUT OF POVERTY kRST IS ALSO KEY TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT g)T IS SIMPLE 4HE BOOK /UT OF 0OVERTY WRITTEN BY 0AUL 0OLLACK SAYS FARMERS CAN GET OUT OF POVERTY kRST WITH AGRIBUSINESS INITIATIVES USING A SEED FUND 4HEN YOU STOP URBAN MIGRATION AND TOTALLY ERASE POVERTY OUT OF THE FACE OF THE EARTH u SAID $OMINGO ALSO A BOARD MEMBER FOR THE COUNTRY S LICENSURE EXAMS FOR AGRICULTURE AND BIOENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS $OMINGO SAID RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND AGRICULTURE WERE gTWINS u g!GRICULTURE IS THE ONLY LIVELIHOOD IN THE RURAL AREAS EXCEPT IN THE TOWNS THAT DO TRADING AND CONSTRUCTION 4AKE AWAY AGRICULTURE AND YOU WILL HAVE NOTHING IN THE RURAL AREAS u HE ADDED 4AÄADA POINTED OUT THAT FARMERS HAD ALWAYS WANTED ONE QUESTION ANSWERED “0AANO LALAKI ANG KITA KO (OW WILL MY INCOME FROM FARMING INCREASE u &ARMERS HE SAID NEEDED GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE IN MARKETING THEIR CROPS AS TRADERS AND MIDDLEMEN STILL EARNED MORE THAN THE FARMERS THEMSELVES 2OD %STIGOY HEAD OF THE APPLIED COM MUNICATIONS DIVISION OF THE 0HILIPPINE #ENTER FOR 0OSTHARVEST $EVELOPMENT AND -ECHANIZATION UNDER THE !GRICULTURE DEPARTMENT ALSO BELIEVES THAT IN DEVELOP ING THE RURAL AREAS INDUSTRIES CREATED BY AGRICULTURE CAN BE ANCHORS g)T SHOULD BE AGRICULTURE THAT SHOULD CREATE INDUSTRIES IN THE RURAL AREAS u %STI GOY SAID WITH REPORT FROM FRANCIS EARL A. CUETO

SION ON )NDIGENOUS 0EOPLES .#)0 g) HAVE HEARD ABOUT THEIR PLIGHT AND THEIR GRIEVANCES ) WOULD LIKE TO LOOPK INTO THEIR PROBLEMS AND SEE HOW WE CAN HELP ,ET US STRENGTHEN THE .#)0 u 'O SAID (E SAID THAT FOREMOST IN HIS LEGISLATIVE AGENDA WAS TO IMPROVE THE DELIVERY OF MEDICAL SERVICES AND THE -ALASAKIT #ENTER PROGRAM IS CRUCIAL TO THIS ! PROGRAM OF THE $UTERTE AD MINISTRATION THE -ALASAKIT #ENTER IS A ONE STOP SHOP WHEREIN THE $E PARTMENT OF (EALTH $EPARTMENT OF 3OCIAL 3ERVICES AND $EVELOP MENT 0HILIPPINE (EALTH )NSURANCE #ORP AND OTHER PARTICULAR GOVERN

Q BID FROM A1

Palace floats FATHER 0RESIDENT 2ODRIGO $UTERTE 0ANELO MADE THE STATEMENT AS HE DISMISSED SPECULATIONS THAT THE YOUNGER $UTERTE WAS US ING GOVERNMENT RESOURCES IN CAMPAIGNING FOR THE 3ENATE SLATE OF HER REGIONAL PARTY (UGPONG .G 0AGBABAGO g$EkNITELY NAKU SI -AYOR 3ARA PA NAPAKA ISTRIKTO NIYAN ;-AYOR 3ARA SHE IS VERY STRICT= 9OU KNOW WHAT THE PEOPLE THERE IN $AVAO #ITY SAID WHEN SHE WAS MAYOR UNTIL NOW mas ISTRIKO PA YAN KAY -AYOR $IGONG YANG SI -AYOR Sara LALO NA SA MGA EXPENSES ;-AYOR 3ARA IS VERY MUCH STRICTER THAN HIS FATHER PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO EXPENSES= u HE TOLD A NEWS CONFERENCE USING THE 0RESIDENT S NICKNAME g) WILL NOT BE SURPRISED IF SHE BECOMES PRESIDENT OF THIS COUNTRY AFTER HER FATHER u 0ANELO SAID (E ADDED THAT THE MAYOR HAD MANY ADMIR ERS AND SUPPORTERS WHO PROVIDED FUNDS FOR THE CAMPAIGN OF HER PARTY S SLATE g4HERE ARE MANY ADMIRERS AND SUPPORTERS OF -AYOR )NDAY 3ARA )N FACT THERE S EVEN A MOVE MENT LAUNCHING HER TO BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT -ARAMING BILIB SA KANYA EH ;4HERE S MANY PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN HER= u 0ANELO SAID g4HEY SEE IN HER THE CHARACTER OF THE FATHER -AGALING MATALINO MATAPANG -AS MATA PANG PA NGA KAY 0RESIDENTE DAW EH ;3HE S VERY COMPETENT SMART AND BRAVE 3HE S IN FACT VERY MUCH BRAVER THAN HER FATHER= 3O natural la MANG SA MGA KAIBIGAN NIYA AT SA KAIBIGAN NG

MENT SATELLITE OFkCES ARE HOUSED TOGETHER IN ONE AREA TO EASE THE PROCESS FOR PATIENTS IN NEED OF FAST MEDICAL AND kNANCIAL ASSISTANCE g4HERE ARE NOW -ALASAKIT #ENTERS NATIONWIDE WITH AN EX PRESS LANE FOR SENIOR CITIZENS AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES u 'O SAID 'O HAS A LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

WHICH COVERS AGRICULTURE HOUSING

IMPROVED HEALTH SERVICE DELIVERY

EDUCATION LONG TERM SPORTS DE VELOPMENT LOCALIZED PEACE TALKS

ANTI DRUG AND CRIME DRIVE ANTI COR RUPTION DRIVE BARANGAY VILLAGE WELFARE SENIOR CITIZEN CONCERNS

AND THE CREATION OF A $EPARTMENT FOR OVERSEAS &ILIPINO WORKERS

MGA KAIBIGAN NIYA NA SUPORTAHAN YUNG MGA CAUSA NIYA KASI HANGA SILA KAY -AYOR )NDAY 3ARA ;3O IT S NATURAL FOR HER FRIENDS AND THE FRIENDS OF HER FRIENDS TO SUPPORT -AYOR 3ARA ON HER CAUSE BECAUSE THEY ADMIRE HER= u HE ADDED "UT THE YOUNGER $UTERTE DESPITE HER STRONG SURVEY NUMBERS AND PUBLIC CLAMOR HAS REPEAT EDLY SAID SHE WAS NOT RUNNING FOR A NATIONAL POST )T WAS REMINISCENT OF 2ODRIGO $UTERTE S BID FOR THE PRESIDENCY IN IN WHICH HE HAD REPEATEDLY SAID HE WOULD NOT RUN FOR OFkCE

DESPITE A PUBLIC CAMPAIGN CALLED g$UTERTE FOR 0RESIDENT -OVEMENTu URGING HIM TO RUN 4HE 0RESIDENT S DAUGHTER EARLIER SAID SHE WAS PLANNING TO SEEK REELECTION AS $AVAO #ITY MAYOR IN THE -AY MIDTERM ELECTIONS $UTERTE #ARPIO HEADS (UGPONG NG 0AGBA BAGO A REGIONAL PARTY TO COALESCE SUPPORT FOR THE 0RESIDENT S AGENDA 4HE PARTY ENDORSED CANDIDATES BUT THERE ARE ONLY 3ENATE SEATS IN THE MID TERM POLLS 4HE MEMBER SLATE IS COMPOSED OF 3ENATE REELECTIONISTS AND RETURNEES *UAN %DGARDO g3ONNYu !NGARA 0ILAR *ULIANA g0IAu #AYETANO *OSEPH 6ICTOR g*6u %JERCITO

*OSE g*INGGOYu %STRADA !QUILINO g+OKOu 0IMENTEL RD 2AMON g"ONGu 2EVILLA *R AND #YNTHIA 6ILLAR .EW NAMES IN THE LINE UP ARE FORMER 0HILIP PINE .ATIONAL 0OLICE CHIEF 2ONALD DE LA 2OSA

FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE 0RESIDENT #HRIS TOPHER ,AWRENCE g"ONGu 'O -AGUINDANAO 2EP :AJID -ANGUDADATU FORMER REPORTER 2ODRIGO g*IGGYu -ANICAD AND FORMER 0ALACE POLITICAL ADVISER &RANCIS 4OLENTINO CATHERINE S. VALENTE

A8

SATURDAY February 16, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

ASIAN STOCKS: W S h a n g h a i 1 . 3 7 %

W S i n g a p o re 0 . 4 1 %

PSEi 7,908.89 DOWN 1.03%

P52.43 TO $1

What’s inside JAPAN PITCHES HIGH-TECH SATELLITE SYSTEM FOR CLARK BusinessB2

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DTI, PCC INK PACT FOR INFO SHARING

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ALI SETS P130-B CAPEX AS 2018 PROFIT HITS P29B

ÂťCorporate NewsB3

AMAZON DROPS NEW YORK PLAN AMID PROTESTS Foreign BusinessB4

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www.manilatimes.net W Seoul 1.34%

W To k yo 1 . 1 3 %

W Jakarta 0.48%

MONEY TALKS

W H o n g Ko n g 1 . 8 7 %

B2

W

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 16, 2019

Business Times

CURRENCY RATE

B1

W B a n g ko k 0 . 9 5 %

OFW remittances hit all-time high in 2018

BY MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

M

ONEY sent home by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) hit a record high in the December, in the process also raising the full-year tally to what the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) described as the “highest annual level to date.�

!T BILLION FOR THE MONTH

PERSONAL REMITTANCES WERE PERCENT higher compared to the previous peak of $3.04 billion seen a year earlier. The GROWTH RATE HOWEVER SLOWED FROM THE PERCENT POSTED IN $ECEMBER The result brought the full-year tally TO BILLION UP PERCENT FROM S BILLION

“The growth in personal remittances during the year was driven by REMITTANCE INlOWS FROM LAND BASED OFs with work contracts of one year or more and remittances from both sea-based and land-based OFs with WORK CONTRACTS OF LESS THAN ONE YEAR

which rose annually by 2.8 percent

ÂłHigh B2

No announcements after ‘productive’ talks PSEi drops to 7,900 on trade talk worries BEIJING: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the United States had “productive� talks with China over their trade dispute after negotiations in Beijing ended Friday with no sign that any concrete progress had been made.

4OP OFkCIALS FROM THE WORLD S ORLD S two biggest economies had held TWO DAYS OF TALKS HOPING TO AT TO AT LEAST CREATE SUFkCIENT GOODWILL TO DWILL TO stave off an escalation of their tariff war. )N A TWEET -NUCHIN SAID D after the talks ended that he and US Trade Representative Robert LightHIZER HAD gPRODUCTIVE meetings with China’s 6ICE 0REMIER ,IU (E u Beijing’s top economic OFkCIAL The talks closed around d mid-day on Friday and the he delegations parted with h nothing announced.

Attention then shifted to o a planned meeting later Friiday between the US delegaation and Chinese President nt 8I *INPING WITH MARKETS S watching for signals that the he world’s two economic superuper-powers may look to maintain ntain n procal all a truce on damaging reciprocal

B

tariffs.

The high-level meetings began Thursday after President Donald Trump suggested that j g went well he mayy extend his if talks in Beijing March 1 deadline for China to make significant concessions on trade before resumi m ng the the h tariff tarrifff onon nresuming slau sl augh ght. t. slaught.

Trum ump’ p s ecoe oec Trump’s nomi no micc advisor a vi ad v so sorr nomic LLarry La rryy Kudlow rr Ku udl dlow ow had ha d earlier earl ea rlie ierr sa ie said i id Xi s willingwil ill li lingXi’s ness to meett with me wit ith h meet the US

OFkCIALS WAS A gVERY GOOD SIGN u Kudlow also said “the vibe is good� in charACTERIZING THE TALKSBUT SAID THERE WAS gNO DECIy on extendingg Trump’s p sion� yet tariff truce.

Little progress After Trump suggeste suggested ed hee may put off plans to m more oree or than double ta tariffs a ri riff ffss on $200 $ $2 00 billion in Chinese Chin nes ee iimports im ports after March M a rrcc h

"LOOMBERG

"LOOMBERG .EWS . EW WS REPORTED REPO RE P RTED THAT A

dayy postponemen da postponement nt nt

ÂłTalks B3 3

Q US TradeRepresentative Robert Lighthizer (center) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping next to US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (left) before proceeding to their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on February 15, 2019. AFP PHOTO

THE stock market fell back to the

LEVE LEVEL ON &RIDAY TRACKING A regional retreat ret attributed to reports that little progress p had been made following h high-level trade talks between the U United States and China.

The benchmark be Philippine Stock Exc Exchange index (PSEi) dropped by 1.03 percent drop OR OR POINTS TO CLOSE AT WHILE THE AT broader All Shares deb clined by 0.58 percent OR POINTS TO kNISH AT

Timson Securities IInc. trader Jervin de Celis said that market C players sold after trade p talks in Beijing ended ta with no indication of any wi concrete progress ahead co of a March 1 deadline.

Negotiations ended N around arou mid-day on Friday and the delegations parted with n nothing announced.

Attention then shifted to Atte planned meeting later that a plan day be between the US delegation aand Chinese President

Combination of rail, BRT needed

US rapid transit or BRT is urgently needed in all our major cities. It is a form of mass transit that can move people AS EFkCIENTLY AS TRAINS ALONG A dedicated lane. Liberated from “friction� with cars and using buses designed for quick pasSENGER BOARDING AND ALIGHTING

"24 CAN DELIVER SAFE CONVENIENT AND MORE RELIABLE JOURNEYS AND in less time than conventional BUS SERVICES 7ITH "24 A RIDER going from Fairview to Makati can complete the journey in a LITTLE OVER AN HOUR COMPARED TO about 3 hours today.

BRT is the fastest growing form of mass transit globally; it is operational in 170 cities, moving over 33 million passengers daily.

And BRT is high capacity—BRT SYSTEMS IN "OGOTA 'UANGZHOU

2IO DE *ANEIRO AND )STANBUL MOVE OVER PASSENGERS PER HOUR per direction, exceeding many rail systems.

The expansion of our rail network is urgently needed and Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade is absolutely right to push rail development forward. But focusing most of our resources on rail development will not solve OUR MOBILITY CRISIS 4O kX OUR TRANSPORTATION EMERGENCY A LARGE gBASKET OF SOLUTIONSu IS NEEDED

using Secretary Tugade’s words.

Rail development requires sigNIkCANT INVESTMENT SOMETIMES, more than a decade is required to construct one rail line. The urban transportation emergency is already all around us and we

ROBERT SIY

ÂłMobility B3

ÂłWorries B2

Accuracy of analysts’ forecasts better in Q4

MOBILITY MATTERS

need to raise the quality of public transport as fast as we can.

Because BRT can be delivered in 3 years or less (and at much LOWER COST THAN RAIL "24 NEEDS to be in the “basket of solutions�.

High quality mass transit is needed as quickly as possible and it needs to be a combination of rail and BRT. The missing ingredient is political will.

Let’s look at the magnitude OF THE PROBLEM /N A WEEKDAY

there are more than 20 million TRIPS TAKEN IN 'REATER -ANILA‡ SOME IN CARS OR MOTORCYCLES

SOME IN BUSES AND TRAINS SOME IN JEEPNEYS 56 EXPRESS AND TRICYCLES AND SOME WALKING OR IN bicycles. Most who use public transport have a long and uncertain wait to catch a ride. Almost ALL WHO USE ROADS EVEN THE NEW 0 0 BUSES ARE STUCK IN TRAFkC Those brave enough to take trains during rush hour suffer long QUEUES AND A CONGESTED UNCOMfortable train ride. We don’t even NEED TO MENTION THE ECONOMIC

physical and social cost of this daily struggle of urban Filipinos.

With the unpleasant commuter experience in most Philippine CITIES IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT THE common aspiration of Filipinos IS TO OWN A CAR )N 'REATER -ANILA

OVER CARS AND OVER

8I *INPING WITH MARKETS WATCHING for signals that the world’s two economic superpowers may look to maintain a truce on damaging reciprocal tariffs. “[L]ower retail sales data in the US are also fueling concerns ABOUT THE !MERICAN ECONOMY

urging foreign investors to take PROkTS w AS THEY WAIT FOR POSITIVE developments overseas and more favorable data such as corporate EARNINGS OF LOCAL COMPANIES u $E Celis added. /N 4HURSDAY THE 53 #OMMERCE Department reported that retail sales data dropped to 1.2 percent in DeCEMBER THE LARGEST DECLINE SINCE 4HIS ALONG WITH MIXED EARNINGS REPORTS LED TO A DECLINE ON 7ALL 3TREET WHICH IN THE WAKE OF NEWS from Beijing spurred a retreat in Asia on Friday.

(ONG +ONG SHED PERCENT while Shanghai fell 1.4 percent.

4OKYO DROPPED PERCENT WITH equities weighed down as the safehaven yen rose.

3EOUL 4AIPEI 7ELLINGTON AND *AKARTA ALL POSTED LOSSES TOO THOUGH

the government to support the GROWTH OF -3-%S THEY ALL SEEM to experience similar setbacks that constrain them from growing and penetrating their respective industries at the rate that they should be.

MSMEs are not getting paid fast enough or on time. A handful of these businesses deal with the 0.04 percent of business establishments in the country — large private and

THE accuracy of growth forecasts published by economists from prominent institutions improved IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF THE Finance department claimed on Friday. )N A STATEMENT THE DEPARTMENT said that among 10 published gross domestic product growth '$0 PROJECTIONS THE MOST ACcurate was just 0.1 percentage points away from the official FORECAST AN ERROR OF PERCENT COMPARED TO THE WEAKEST WHICH was 0.4 percentage points higher OR OFF BY PERCENT Only two out of 10 forecasts HAD ERRORS GREATER THAN PERCENT

an improvement from seven out of 15 forecasts with errors above 5 percent in the third quarter of

IT ADDED The analysis was made by the DEPARTMENT S 3TRATEGY %CONOMICS AND 2ESULTS 'ROUP HEADED

by Undersecretary Karl Kendrick #HUA THAT LOOKED AT FORECASTS detailed in Manila’s daily newspapers.

The mean absolute percentage ERROR -!0% METHOD WHICH involves computing the average of the absolute percentage errors of analysts’ published forecasts FROM THE kRST QUARTER OF TO THE FOURTH QUARTER OF WAS UTILIZED g4HE ERROR IS DEkNED AS ACTUAL

ÂłSME B2

ÂłForecasts B3

Q In this file photo taken on June 8, 2017, employees inspect Mercedes-Benz C-Class cars at the Mercedes-Benz US International factory in Vance, Alabama. AFP PHOTO

Auto imports a threat to US security NEW YORK: A US Commerce Department report has concluded that American auto imports threaten NATIONAL SECURITY SETTING THE STAGE for possible tariffs by the White (OUSE TWO PEOPLE FAMILIAR WITH the matter said Thursday.

4HE INVESTIGATION ORDERED BY

0RESIDENT $ONALD 4RUMP IN -AY

is “positive� with respect to the central question of whether the imports “impair� US national SECURITY SAID A %UROPEAN AUTO industry source. “It’s going to say that auto imports are a threat to national secu-

RITY u SAID AN OFkCIAL WITH ANOTHER auto company.

4HE REPORT WHICH IS EXPECTED TO be delivered to the White House

BY A 3UNDAY DEADLINE HAS BEEN seen as a major risk for foreign automakers.

ÂłSecurity B2

Helping MSMEs grow faster via fintech SME FIRST M CIRCLE )#2/ small and medium enterprises - more commonly referred to as MSMEs - are DEkNED IN 2EPUBLIC !CT OR THE Magna Carta for MSMEs as business establishments whose total assets (excluding land) are valued AT 0

OR BELOW MSMEs are the backbone of the Philippine economy and comprise AROUND PERCENT OF BUSINESS establishments in the Philippines.

ANGELIQUE VERGARA The latest data from the Department of Trade and Indusry show there are close to a million businesses in this sector.

While there is a push from

B2

Business Times

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY February 16, 2019

Japan pitches high-tech satellite system for Clark

BY ANNA LEAH E. GONZALES

J

APAN is proposing the use of a hightech satellite system in Clark, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said on Friday.

The National Space Policy Secretariat of Japan introduced its high-tech satellite system designed to improve stability and accuracy of navigation services during a

WORKSHOP ORGANIZED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE "#$!

THE AGENCY said in a statement. ,AUNCHED LAST YEAR IN *APAN

the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System

(QZSS) covers wide areas of the !SIA 0ACIkC REGION “During the term of President 2ODRIGO $UTERTE WE ARE WITNESSing the rapid development in #LARK u "#$! 0RESIDENT AND #HIEF %XECUTIVE /FFICER 6INCE $IZON SAID “If there was a place in the country to pilot the technology brought TO US BY OUR *APANESE PARTNERS ) THINK THIS PLACE IS #LARK u HE ADDED Some of the infrastructure proj-

ects lined up for Clark include the construction of New Clark City and the expansion of the Clark International Airport.

Phase 1A of the New Clark City .ATIONAL 'OVERNMENT !DMINISTRAtive Center involves the construction of government buildings and sports facilities to be used for the upcomING 3OUTH %AST !SIAN 'AMES The new Clark International AirPORT TERMINAL MEANWHILE IS SCHEDuled to be completed by June 2020.

Agencies DTI, PCC ink pact for info sharing told to cut red tape TRANSACTIONS NOT CLASSIkED BY government agencies based on the ease of doing business law should be processed within three working DAYS THE !NTI 2ED 4APE !UTHORITY (ARTA) said.

'OVERNMENT AGENCIES SHOULD be able to classify transactions as mandated by Republic Act (RA) 11032 or the Ease of Doing BusiNESS AND %FFICIENT 'OVERNMENT 3ERVICE $ELIVERY %/"$ %'3$ !CT OF %RNESTO 0EREZ !24!

OFkCER IN CHARGE DIRECTOR GENERAL

SAID IN A RECENT PRESS BRIEkNG )F NOT THE LAW WILL CONSIDER them as a simple transaction auTOMATICALLY 0EREZ SAID g-EANING IT WOULD BE PROCESSED WITHIN THREE WORKING DAYS u he added.

5NDER 2 !

SIMPLE BUSIness transactions should be comPLETED WITHIN WORKING DAYS

for complex transactions and 20 for highly technical process. “&IRST WE WILL REQUIRE AGENCIES TO REQUIRE TRANSACTIONS AS SIMPLE

COMPLEX OR HIGHLY ;TECHNICAL= u 0EREZ SAID 4HE CLASSIkCATION HE ADDED “will really depend on the agency’s interpretation of the study of the existing rules and regulations.�

-EANWHILE 0EREZ ALSO SAID some government agencies could be exempted from the 3-7-20 processing time and could process transactions in a longer period if they are covered by special laws. )N -AY LAST YEAR 0RESIDENT 2Odrigo Duterte signed RA 11032 to PROMOTE EFkCIENCY IN PROCESSING government transactions. It ook EFFECT IN *UNE

(OWEVER THE IMPLEMENTING rules and regulations (IRR) of the new law are currently pending as they remain unsigned by a fullpledged director general. Duterte has not yet appointed one amid the presence of a shortlist. “We have submitted already our proposal (IRR) so that when THE DIRECTOR GENERAL IS APPOINTED

ALL HE HAS TO DO IS STUDY w AND IF HE kNDS IT OKAY THEN HE WILL JUST APPROVE u 0EREZ SAID The latest draft of IRR is still open for public consultation until March 31.

RA 11032 mandated the creation of ARTA which is tasked to monitor and implement anti-red tape measures and reforms for ease of doing business to improve the global competitiveness ranking of the Philippines.

TYRONE JASPER C. PIAD

Q SECURITY FROM B1

Auto Trump has threatened to slap 25 PERCENT DUTIES ON %UROPEAN AUTOS

ESPECIALLY TARGETING 'ERMANY

which he says has harmed the American car industry. !FTER RECEIVING THE REPORT THE 53 PRESIDENT WILL HAVE DAYS to decide whether to move ahead with tariffs.

Trump in July reached a trade truce with European Commission 0RESIDENT *EAN #LAUDE *UNCKER

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and thePhilippine Competition Commission (PCC) on Friday signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) on information sharing and cooperation to boost competition and promote consumer welfare. $URING THE SIGNING 4RADE 3ECRETARY 2AMON ,OPEZ SAID gWE ALWAYS want to be assured that there is a good number of players.� He added that competition resulted in competitive prices and would put cartels in check. &OR HIS PART 0## #HAIRMAN Arsenio Balisacan said policies of the two agencies were related. Cooperation between them is needed TO IMPROVE OPERATIONS HE ADDED

“The effectiveness [of our policy] is so much conditioned with other policies of agencies [on trade AND INVESTMENTS AMONG OTHERS= u Balisacan said.

5NDER THE -O! A NOTIkCATION scheme is set in place to allow information sharing on matters relating to their operations. “Where one party receives or otherwise becomes aware of any matter that falls within the jurisdiction of the other party or the regulatory mandate of both parTIES AS THE CASE MAY BE SUCH PARTY shall promptly inform the other party of such matter.�

5PON REQUEST THE PARTIES SHOULD be able to provide the information requested which is subject to the tenors of the Data Privacy Act and

THE RULES ON CONkDENTIALITY THE MoA said. The information and documents asked should be “relevant and necessary to the effective enforcement� of the memoranDUM IT ADDED In case a party asks for assistance IN AN INVESTIGATION THE OTHER PARTY should help on the matter relating to the Philippine Competition Act AND OTHER COMPETITION LAWS GIVEN that it is within the limitations of the party helping.

The MoA also states that “Subject to resource and operational conSIDERATIONS THE PARTIES MAY AGREE TO ORGANIZE JOINT CAPACITY BUILDING activities for the purpose of promoting coordination and cooperation under this agreement.�

TYRONE JASPER C. PIAD

Q HIGH FROM B1

ceeding the BSP’s projected growth rate of 3.0 percent for the year — to BILLION UP FROM billion a year earlier.

'ROWTH IN CASH REMITTANCES WAS supported by transfers from both LAND BASED AND SEA BASED /&7S

which the central bank said were UP BY PERCENT AND PERCENT

RESPECTIVELY FROM LAST YEAR “Cash remittances in 2018 remained strong amid political UNCERTAINTIES ACROSS THE GLOBE u THE "30 SAID ADDING THAT THIS WAS EVIDENT IN THE PERCENT PERcent and 7.7-percent expansions respectively seen in transfers from !SIA THE !MERICAS AND %UROPE 'ROWTH IN THESE REGIONS MADE up for the 15.3-percent decrease in REMITTANCES FROM THE -IDDLE %AST

which the central bank said was partly due to a continued repatriation program. !LMOST PERCENT OF TOTAL CASH

remittances for the year came from THE 53 3AUDI !RABIA THE 5NITED !RAB %MIRATES 3INGAPORE *APAN

THE 5NITED +INGDOM 1ATAR #ANADA 'ERMANY AND (ONG +ONG Commenting on the latest reMITTANCE DATA ).' "ANK -ANILA senior economist Nicholas Antonio Mapa said last year’s growth SHOWED gTHESE lOWS REMAIN STRUCtural and a source of FX (foreign exchange) we can count on.�

He projected a 3-5 percent growth this year as “Filipinos will ALWAYS kND A WAY TO SEND HOME REMITTANCES COME HELL OR HIGH recession.� g)F THE TRADE GAP HOWEVER REMAINS WIDE STRUCTURAL lOWS FROM OFWs and BPO (business process outsourcing) call centers may not BE ENOUGH TO OFFSET THE DRAIN IN &8

leading to a slight depreciation of THE PESO TOWARDS YEAR END u -APA warned.

MSMEs don’t know where to GO FOR FINANCING WHICH DELAYS their growth. When businesses get rejected by banks for their loan APPLICATIONS THEIR FALL BACK WILL BE public corporations and multina- loan sharks or their closest family tionals. and friends.

These companies are within )F THOSE DON T WORK OUT OPERAtheir right to mandate long pay- tions come to a halt and they are MENT TERMS RANGING FROM TO forced to decline order until such DAYS AT TIMES PAYMENT EVEN GETS time they are able to replenish delayed. This proves as a barrier their funds and collect payments for these smaller businesses to take from their buyers. The longer their orders from more buyers more payment terms are with their buyOFTEN AS A LOT OF THEIR CAPITALIZA- ERS THE MORE OPPORTUNITIES THEY TION OR MOBILIZATION FUNDS ARE IN put off. receivables.

4HESE DAYS BANKS AREN T THE ONLY Younger MSMEs have more INSTITUTIONS YOU COULD GET kNANCproblems in getting banks’ help. ING FROM &INANCIAL TECHNOLOGY OR &OR NEWER BUSINESSES GETTING k- kNTECH IS REVOLUTIONIZING THE WAY nancing from banks often requires businesses gain access to funding COLLATERAL WHICH THEY CANNOT READ- for their projects. ily surrender. It also doesn’t help Fintech start-ups like First Circle that the process is more stringent enable these businesses to obtain on smaller businesses and de- kNANCIAL SUPPORT QUICKLY AND in a mands more requirements and non-traditional way. therefore longer processing times.

Most transactions and loan

APPLICATIONS IF NOT ALL ARE DONE online and processed in less than two weeks with very few requirements.

FinTech eliminates the cash lOW GAP THAT ARISES FROM WAITING ON PAYMENTS FROM BUYERS THEREBY allowing them to service a bigger client base and grow at a faster rate.

The only barrier to more MSMEs availing of this is that it sounds too good to be true! But that’s a topic for another time.

OFW AND PERCENT RESPECTIVELY u THE BSP said in a statement.

It added that personal remittances were a major driver of domestic consumption and acCOUNTED FOR PERCENT OF GROSS domestic product and 8.1 percent of gross national income last year. #ASH REMITTANCES WHICH ONLY count money coursed through BANKS ALSO HIT A NEW ALL TIME HIGH OF BILLION IN $ECEMBER

percent higher compared to $2.74 billion a year ago.

The countries that contributed most to the increase during the month were the United States and Canada.

Full-year 2018 cash remittances posted growth of 3.1 percent — ex-

Q SME FROM B1

Helping

with the two pledging no new tariffs while the negotiations continued. $ANIEL 2OSARIO A SPOKESMAN FOR THE %UROPEAN #OMMISSION

said Thursday the July joint statement was “very clear on both sides restraining from taking any kind of action that could disrupt this process.� “Should the US take any kind of ACTION THE %5 WILL REACT u Brussels has already drawn up A LIST OF BILLION EUROS billion) in US exports for retaliatory tariffs should Washington PRESS AHEAD THE COMMISSION S

$IRECTOR 'ENERAL FOR 4RADE *EAN Luc Demarty told the European Parliament last month.

"UT AS WITH #HINA THE 4RUMP administration has used tariffs and tariff threats to try to extract broader trade deals. “The White House wants to have the tariffs in hand to deploy in case talks bog down or it decides EU and Japanese offers ARE NOT GENEROUS ENOUGH u SAID a note this week from Eurasia 'ROUP “Both Brussels and Tokyo reMAIN INCENTIVIZED AT THE MOMENT

HOWEVER THINLY TO AVOID ANOTHER

!NGELIQUE 6ERGARA IS A +EY !Ccounts Manager for First Circle 'ROWTH &INANCE 3HE JOINED THE kRM IN FROM A FOUR YEAR !Ccount Management and Client Servicing stint in Advertising. She IS A CERTIkED PERSONAL TRAINER AND competes in powerlifting. You may contact her through email (anGELIQUE VERGARA kRSTCIRCLE COM OR MOBILE 4O know more about First Circle visit HTTPS kRSTCIRCLE PH trade battle with Washington.

But the uncertainty around these NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE PROMISED TARIFF WEAPON HANGING OVER THEM

will weigh on the automotive sector and perhaps broader market SWATHES IN u

Contemplating on retirement

I

REMEMBER one time when our family went to two provinces to visit some old relatives. In one province is a retired private high SCHOOL TEACHER YEARS OLD UNMARRIED LIVING WITH A CAREGIVER and is occasionally visited by a niece. In the other province are TWO UNMARRIED WOMEN BOTH IN their mid-80s and living with a great grand-son who is taking care of them.

All of them seem to be in good health except for the usual joint pains or hypertension typical of advanced age. But they still have very sharp and clear minds. The lolas are all living in pension. The two eighty-year-olds are maintaining a small sari-sari store to help SUPPORT THEIR EXPENSES 9ET THEIR income and pensions are just— and sometimes—barely enough to sustain their day-to-day needs. !S WE BADE GOODBYE TO THEM

the reality of old age and retirement sinks into me: How will I be during retirement? What will my retirement be like? Would I have enough resources set aside to support my retirement life? Or will I always be dependent upon others? I am now halfway towards retirement age. I should be halfway towards my retirement goals. But SOMETIMES IT FEELS TMY RETIREMENT fund is still not enough. )N THE 5NITED 3TATES RETIREES ARE feeling the pinch of retirement: RISING HEALTHCARE COSTS SUSTAINING DAILY NEEDS A LIFE LONGER THAN EXPECTED AND RISING PRICES OF GOODS )N *APAN THE PINCH IS FELT TOO retirees are forced to look for a job just to sustain their needs. Here in THE 0HILIPPINES WE ARE LUCKIER AS our societal structure provides for elderly care in the family wherein support of the elderly parent or relative is provided for by family members.

But what if the family members themselves are struggling for their own families’ upkeep? Prices of goods are increasing at an average of 4 percent to 5 percent historically. Pensions are there but cannot really be counted on to provide for our future needs.

Fitforwealth.com has done a sample computation for SSS penSION BENEkT A MONTHLY 333 CONTRIBUTION OF 0 PER MONTH FOR an employee that has worked for 30 years in a company shall yield A PENSION OF 0 PER MONTH 4ODAY THAT FIGURE WILL AMOUNT to virtually nil when we speak of monthly expenses. But if that is the value of the pension 30 years FROM NOW IT S PRESENT VALUE TODAY IS JUST 0

DISCOUNTED WITH PERCENT AVERAGE ANNUAL INlATION I have given retirement planning sessions to a lot of people ALREADY AND TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS ALMOST EACH OF THE PROSPECTIVE RETIREES NEAR RETIREES AND RETIREES THEMSELVES SAY WITH REGRET g) WISH I had prepared earlier!�

For what can an average retiree GET 0 MILLION AT AGE 'OING

MONEY TALKS

RIENZIE BIOLENA

BY THAT kGURE THAT MEANS 0

yearly OR 0 per month.

We all know how much of a monthly allowance is comfortable ENOUGH AND THESE kGURES ARE NOT as reassuring. And we still haven’t CONSIDERED HOSPITAL

MEDICAL AND other health-related bills that can easily eat up the retirement savings and pension plan.

Now these are not cause for PANIC BUT OF MERE CONCERN !ND with all concerns are solutions that are within reach. One should not necessarily be subject to the vicissiTUDES OF LIFE MOST ESPECIALLY WHEN one can do something about it.

What can be done then? The answer depends on the person contemplating retirement. Each person is unique in that he has his own goals and stage in life. A yupPIE WHO IS THINKING OF STARTING A retirement kitty is in a much better position to make a very comfortable retirement life than a person who is just thinking on the same thing at age 40.

4HUS THE APPROACH TOWARDS securing their retirement life will be much different. For the younger PERSON A MORE AGGRESSIVE APproach can be done to build up his retirement fund: investment in stocks will be very much recOMMENDED 4HE OLDER ONE ON THE OTHER HAND WILL BE ADVISED TO pitch in a higher amount to offset the lost years of investing for his retirement nest egg.

These are just starters as differENT kNANCIAL INSTRUMENTS CAN BE availed to add up for retirement income stream. One such instrument can be preferred shares and bonds that can give a steady stream of income for the retiree.

A cookie-cutter approach towards retirement is just a starting point in securing one’s retirement.

What is best is to talk with an objective and unbiased professional who sits down and listen to the RETIREMENT NEEDS ASPIRATIONS AND GOALS OF A PERSON &ROM THERE

design and build a plan that can make those come into fruition.

Planning for old age and retireMENT IS NOT ABOUT FEARS ANXIETIES

worries or buying pension plans wantonly. It is all about the person AND HIS COMFORTABLE SUSTAINABLE and peaceful future.

2IENZIE 0 "IOLENA IS A 2EGISTERED &Inancial Planner of RFP Philippines.

Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also Chartered Wealth Advisor #7! AND CHIEF kNANCIAL PLANNER OF 7EALTH!RKI AND #ONSULTANCY A kNANCIAL PLANNING kRM ,EARN MORE ABOUT PERSONAL kNANCIAL PLANNING at the 75th RFP program in April 4O INQUIRE E MAIL INFO RFP ph or text <name><e-mail><RFP> TO

Matthew Cabangon said investors had also repositioned portfolios ahead of a PSEi rebalancing set to take effect on February 18.

3ECTORAL RESULTS WERE MIXED

Sydney edged up.

WITH THE HOLDING kRMS AND PROPThe bearish mood was ampli- erty indices the only gainers. kED BY OFkCIAL DATA SHOWING FACMore than 2.8 billion shares valTORY AND CONSUMER PRICE INlATION UED AT 0 BILLION WERE TRADED in China rose at a slower rate than ,OSERS LED WINNERS TO

expected in January.

WHILE ISSUES WERE UNCHANGED )N A SEPARATE COMMENT !!!

ANGELICA BALLESTEROS Southeast Equities Inc. President AND AFP

Q WORRIES FROM B1

PSEi

INSTANT RETALIATION FROM THE %5

#ANADA -EXICO AND #HINA Trading partners have sometimes reacted with outrage at the suggestion their exports posed a threat to American national security. ,EADING 'ERMAN AUTOMAKERS visited the White House in DeNational security? cember to seek reassurances on The White House has used the na- TARIFFS FROM 4RUMP WHO PRODDED tional security argument â&#x20AC;&#x201D; saying the companies to boost investthat undermining the American ment at plants in the United manufacturing base impairs mili- States where they currently manTARY READINESS AMONG OTHER CLAIMS ufacture cars for the US market â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to impose steep tariffs on steel and for export.

AND ALUMINUM IMPORTS DRAWING 'ERMAN AUTOMAKERS CURRENTLY

EMPLOY PEOPLE AT 53 PLANTS WHERE THEY BUILT

VEHICLES IN PERCENT OF WHICH WERE EXPORTED TO #HINA THE European Union and other destiNATIONS ACCORDING TO THE 'ERMAN CARMAKERS FEDERATION 6$! g)F TARIFFS GO UP IT S NOT GOOD FOR THE CONSUMER IT S NOT GOOD for our dealer network it is not GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY IN TOTAL u "ERNHARD +UHNT #%/ OF "-7 .ORTH !MERICA TOLD #."# ON Wednesday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not a politician but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES u HE added.

AFP

Corporate News PH Resorts cuts price for follow-on offering ALI sets P130-B capex as 2018 profit hits P29B A

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

PH Resorts Group Holdings Inc. now aims to generate up to P12 billion from its follow-on offering (FOO), instead of the P18.5 billion it originally planned, after lowering its target price range. )N A REGULATORY kLING ON &RIDAY

the Dennis Uy-led holding company said it planned to sell up to 1.786 billion common shares with an overallotment option of up to 267.95 million for between P3.65 and P5.84 each, from the previous P9.

The Philippine Stock Exchange has given the go-signal for the share sale during a board meeting on Wednesday, it added.

It plans to list the new shares by the third week of March.

Proceeds shall be used to finance the design, construction and development of the kRST PHASES OF 0( 2ESORTS TWO integrated casino resorts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Emerald on Mactan island in #EBU PROVINCE S ,APU ,APU #ITY and the Clark Resort complex in 0AMPANGA PROVINCE S #LARK &REEport Zone, which is expected to BE kNISHED IN Excess proceeds shall be used to fund the expansion of the Donatela Hotel on Panglao island, Bohol province, as well as for general corporate purposes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Subject to market conditions, pricing of the proposed offering is expected after the conclusion

of a global roadshow that began [on Thursday],â&#x20AC;? PH Resorts said.

4HE COMPANY PICKED #,3! ,TD AND 5"3 !' S 3INGAPORE BRANCH as international underwriters, and China Bank Capital Corp. as the domestic lead underwriter.

5PON THE &// S COMPLETION

THE COMPANY S PUBLIC lOAT IS EXPECTED TO RISE TO BETWEEN AND PERCENT !CCORDING TO 5Y THE 03% APproval brings the company closer to meeting its aim of raising the 0HILIPPINES COMPETITIVENESS IN the tourism and gaming industry. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Emerald and Clark Resort are envisioned to be world-class premium tourism projects aimed at attracting local and international tourists. The same goal is RElECTED IN OUR EXPANSION OF THE Donatela Hotel,â&#x20AC;? he said.

4HE BOURSE S APPROVAL IS THE SECOND SECURED BY 0( 2ESORTS THE kRST WAS FROM THE 3ECURITIES and Exchange Commission on January 25.

Formerly Philippine H2O Ventures Corp., PH Resorts became 5Y S HOLDING kRM FOR HIS INVESTments in tourism-related developments after acquiring a 62-percent stake in Philippine H2O from listed Jolliville Holdings Inc. Shares of PH Resorts dipped by 72 centavos or 11.76 percent to CLOSE AT 0 EACH ON &RIDAY ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

DBP, CamSur power co-op ink P624-M loan THE Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) said on Friday it had signed a P624-million loan agreement with a Camarines Sur province-based electric cooperative to boost its services.

In a statement, DBP President and Chief Executive Officer Cecilia Borromeo said the loan would support Camarines Sur 3 %LECTRIC #OOPERATIVE S #ASURECO 3) various programs aimed at improving its services to more THAN HOUSEHOLDS The loan, she added, will be ALSO USED TO kNANCE THE POWER CO OP S INITIATIVES TO IMPROVE POWER distribution, reduce systems loss, and train personnel. !CCORDING TO THE STATE RUN BANK

Casureco 3 covers Iriga City and the towns of Nabua, Bato, Buhi, Balatan, Bula and Baao with a combined population of about

!LL ITS VILLAGE IN ITS

coverage area have electricity.

Incorporated in 1975, Casureco 3 was upgraded by the .ATIONAL %LECTRIkCATION !DMINISTRATION TO #ATEGORY # IN and Category B the following year after complying with key performance standards. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Casureco 3 maintains deposits with DBP lriga. The electric cooperative has also availed [itself] of other DBP services, such as payroll servicing, deposit pick-up, E-Gov facility, and salary loan program for its employees,â&#x20AC;? the bank said.

BDP also said that, with the approved loan, it had already supported three other power co-ops in Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte province.

The lender also funded majority of the water districts in Region 5 (Bicol).

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

Q FORECASTS FROM B1

Accuracy of analystsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; forecasts or observed value minus the forecasted value, as a percentage of the actual value. The smaller THE -!0% THE BETTER THE FOREcasts,â&#x20AC;? Chua said. g!S WITH INlATION FORECASTS WE did the assessment to see how well analysts were in forecasting GDP growth. The results, based on published forecasts from TO SHOW THAT ACCUracy, on average, has improved recently,â&#x20AC;? he added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For example, the average error IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF WAS DOWN TO PERCENT FROM and 5.4 percent in the second and third quarters, respectively.â&#x20AC;?

The department noted that FROM TO QUARTERLY forecast errors averaged 5.6 perCENT WITH OUT OF FORECASTers scoring an average error of more than 5 percent.

The best forecaster registered an average error of 3.1 percent while the widest margin was 7.2 PERCENT !N ERROR OF PERCENT or less was considered a good forecast.

The most to least accurate of those who published forecasts for seven or more of the 12 quarters covered in the analysis, the Finance department said, were the following: r 3ECURITY "ANK r !TENEO DE -ANILA 5NIVERSITY â&#x20AC;˘ Institute for Development

AND %CONOMETRIC !NALYSIS r 5NIVERSITY OF !SIA THE 0ACIkC r $E ,A 3ALLE 5NIVERSITY r ,AND "ANK OF THE 0HILIPPINES r "$/ .OMURA â&#x20AC;˘ Union Bank of the PhilipPINES r !SIAN )NSTITUTE OF -ANAGEMENT r 5NIVERSITY OF 3TO 4OMAS r $"3 "ANK â&#x20AC;˘ Metropolitan Bank and Trust #OMPANY AND r !.: 0HILIPPINES The most to least accurate among those who published six or fewer GDP forecasts from TO WERE â&#x20AC;˘ Bank of the Philippine IsLANDS r )(3 -ARKIT r ).' r 5NIVERSITY OF THE 0HILIPPINES r 3TANDARD #HARTERED "ANK r 2IZAL #OMMERCIAL "ANKING #ORP â&#x20AC;˘ and Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp.

The economy grew 6.1 percent in THE FOURTH QUARTER OF BRINGING full-year growth to 6.2 percent. !MONG THE ANALYSTS POLLED BY The Manila Times, those from HSBC and IHS Markit were correct on their full-year GDP forecasts.

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

SATURDAY February 16, 2019

BY ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

plans.

YALA Land Inc. has earmarked a record P130 billion of capital expenditures CAPEX THIS YEAR TO kNANCE ITS EXPANSION

$URING A NEWS BRIEkNG IN -AKATI #ITY ON &RIDAY !YALA ,AND #HIEF &INANCE /FkCER !UGUSTO "ENGZON SAID THE CAPEX WAS PERCENT HIGHER THAN THE 0 BILLION IT SPENT IN Forty percent of the capex would go to the listed property DEVELOPER S RESIDENTIAL SEGMENT ABOUT TO PERCENT

FOR ITS LEASING PORTFOLIO AND the rest, for land acquisition and estate development.

The capex will be funded from a mixture of bank debt

and bond offering. !YALA ,AND PLANS TO kLE IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS A 0 BILLION shelf registration program to help kNANCE EXPENDITURES For this year, the company will LAUNCH RESIDENTIAL AND OFkCE PROJECTS WORTH 0 BILLION A SLIGHT decrease from the P139 billion WORTH OF PROJECTS UNVEILED IN The bulk of these new projects are IN -ETRO -ANILA THE REST IN THE Visayas and Mindanao. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The launch is really dependent on the demand in the market,â&#x20AC;?

B3

sales and its leasing business.

Revenues from property developments rose by 18 percent to 0 BILLION FROM 0 BILlion, while earnings from commercial leases jumped by 17 percent to P34.9 billion from P17.66 billion. !YALA ,AND SAID GROWTH FROM its leasing business was driven by robust local consumption, increased offices for the 2018 profit climbs business process outsourcing industry, and tourism sector. !LSO !YALA ,AND SAW ITS NET IN- Reservation sales from property come increase by 16 percent to projects stood at P141.9 billion, 0 BILLION IN FROM 0 a 16-percent surge from P122 bilbillion the year before on the back lion, driven primarily by strong of strong demand for its projects. demand from overseas Filipino Consolidated revenues grew by workers, who accounted for 82 17 percent to P166.25 billion in percent of total sales.

January to December from P142.3 !YALA ,AND SHARES SHED CENBILLION IN WHICH THE COM- tavos or 1.11 percent to close at pany credited to strong residential 0 EACH ON &RIDAY !YALA ,AND 0RESIDENT AND #HIEF Executive Officer Bernard VinCENT $Y SAID DURING THE BRIEkNG 4HE COMPANY IS BUILDING

square meters (sqm) of gross LEASABLE AREA ',! FOR ITS MALLS

SQM ',! FOR OFkCES AND

HOTEL AND RESORT ROOMS )T IS also launching this year 988 seats for its co-working spaces.

Manila Water to spend P197.8B up to 2037 MANILA Water Co. Inc. has allotted P197.8 billion as its capital expenditures (capex) until 2037 to develop water and usedwater facilities in its concession area.

Of the amount, the Ayala-led East Zone concessionaire said, P115.2 billion had been earmarked for building and operating wastewater treatment facilities and P82.6 billion for water supply.

The budget is indicated in Manila Waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest business plan approved by the state-run Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) for the fourth rate rebasing period covering 2018 to 2022.

Part of the capex will also finance the construction of system projects covering 11

subcatchment areas, to be implemented in two or three phases; and rehabilitate existing sewer lines and upgrade active sewage treatment plants (STPs).

In a press briefing on Friday, Arnold Jether Mortera, Manila Water head of used-water operations, said two STPs would be completed within five years and the rest beyond the rebasing period.

These plants would be in the cities of Pasig, Makati, Mandaluyong, Manila, San Juan, Quezon, and Taguig; and in Antipolo City and San Mateo and Rodriguez towns in Rizal province, said Donna Eloisa Perez, Manila Water used-water planning department head.

Since these are modular STPs, Mortera

Q TALKS FROM B1

told reporters that the plants need not to be completed in order to operate them.

These facilities are designed to cumulatively collect and treat up to almost 950 million liters per day (MLD) of wastewater from the east zone by 2037.

The Ilugin STP in Pasig, with has a 100 MLD capacity, is expected to be operational by 2020. Once completed, the plant will serve up to 765,000 households. It will also serve the subcatchment area of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s northern and southern portions.

Manila Water expects to increase its sewerage coverage by 32 percent in 2021 and achieve 99-percent coverage by 2037, when its concession agreement with MWSS ends.

To date, Manila Water has 38 STPs and two septage treatment plants with a total capacity of 310 MLD, serving 22 percent of total water service connections.

It has invested P33 billion in wastewater infrastructure from 1997 to 2018.

Incorporated on Jan. 6, 1997, Manila Water is the exclusive provider of water, sewerage and sanitation, distribution services, pipeworks, and management services to residential, commercial and industrial customers in the eastern part of Metro Manila and Rizal.

Shares of Manila Water rose by 40 centavos or 1.48 percent to end at P27.45 apiece on Friday.

JORDEENE B. LAGARE But many China experts say "EIJING S #OMMUNIST 0ARTY RULERS ARE UNLIKELY TO MAKE SIGNIkCANT changes to industrial policies THAT HAVE ABETTED THE COUNTRY S economic rise without a long and TOUGH kGHT In December, Trump had postponed plans to sharply hike tariffs, setting the March 1 ultimatum for Chinese concessions.

Trump has said that any eventual trade deal would need to be sealed personally between him and Xi in a summit meeting. AFP BRT systems will complement the existing rail network and enable many commuters to have better connections to their destinations.

In fact, technical analysis in the past year by transportation experts have RECONkRMED THE TECHNICAL AND ECOnomic viability of the proposed BRT systems. In many great cities such as Seoul and New York, many BRT lines run along the same alignment as subway lines, bringing greater convenience for commuters.

Even with MRT3 expansion, %$3! NEEDS MUCH LARGER MASS transit capacity and a BRT line along %$3! WILL ENABLE -24 RIDERS TO transfer easily to a BRT bus going, FOR EXAMPLE TO &AIRVIEW !YALA !VENUE 3TA 2OSA OR 6ALENZUELA !

"24 SYSTEM ON %$3! WILL ENABLE a higher volume of commuters TO lOW THROUGH %$3!

ESPECIALLY with coming lane closures due to 'UADALUPE BRIDGE RETROkTTING AND 3UBWAY CONSTRUCTION ! "24 SYSTEM ON %$3! WILL HELP TO PROCESS THE increased volume of commuters THAT WILL DESCEND ON %$3! ONCE -24 IS OPERATIONAL ! "24 SYSTEM ON %$3! WOULD HAVE AVOIDED THE POOR CONNECTIVITY WE kND TODAY AT the PITX terminal in Paranaque.

The two Metro Manila BRT projects can be operational within the next three years â&#x20AC;&#x201D; much earlier than any of the new rail projects â&#x20AC;&#x201D; delivering a more comfortable life for millions of Filipino commuters within the Duterte administration. Otherwise, Metro Manila commuters have little HOPE FOR REAL RELIEF BY What are we waiting for?

was being considered to allow more time for negotiations.

Multiple reports had indicated that little if any progress was made in the Chinese capital toward US demands, with the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg quoting anonymous sources as saying the two sides failed to narrow the gap on key issues.

Washington accuses Beijing of

a range of unfair trade practices including myriad barriers against foreign access to its market, subsidies that favor Chinese companies, rampant theft of intellectual property, and the requirement that FOREIGN kRMS TRANSFER PROPRIETARY technology to their partners in China as a condition of doing business.

-NUCHIN AND ,IGHTHIZER RE-

turned to their hotel after the talks ended but did not speak to the media.

Beijing and Washington have already imposed duties on more THAN BILLION IN TWO WAY trade, which are weighing on their manufacturing sectors and have SHAKEN GLOBAL kNANCIAL MARKETS Expectations for an accord have being growing as China faces pressure from slowing economic growth, and as the market turmoil rattles Trump and his economic advisors.

Q MOBILITY FROM B1

BILLION WILL HAVE ABOUT

daily passengers.

DoTr is also working very hard to expand and improve existing RAIL LINES SUCH AS -24 ,24 AND ,24 4HE NEWEST RAIL LINE -24 IS expected to be operational within the NEXT TWO YEARS 4HIS IS DEkNITELY GOOD NEWS "UT IT IS FAR FROM SUFkCIENT Even if all the rail projects mentioned above proceed as planned, rail transport will account for less than one-fifth of all passenger trips in Greater Manila â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the rest of the passenger trips, more than PERCENT WILL STILL COME FROM road-based transport. To have meaningful positive impact on our collective mobility, road-based public transport, especially buses, should also move to higher quality.

If DoTr focuses on rail development, but leaves other transportation modes as they are today â&#x20AC;&#x201D; unpredictable, slow, unsafe and inconvenient WE WILL NOT SEE ANY SIGNIkCANT IMPROVEMENT IN PEOPLES OVERALL TRAVEL experience. If rail is the only mass transit mode with predictable travel times, rail systems will continue to be overcrowded and uncomfortable.

For most commuters, the rail network covers only part of their total journey. Other parts of their daily journey usually involve walking or transfers to road-based public transport, such as jeepneys, buses and UV Express. If these road-based components of their journey remain â&#x20AC;&#x153;low qualityâ&#x20AC;? and unreliable, commuters will still be inclined to shift to private car or motorcycle use. Mobility will continue deteriorating for all.

How do we make road-based public transport high quality â&#x20AC;&#x201D; safe, comfortable, predictable and fast? This is where BRT comes in.

More than providing faster travel along a dedicated lane, BRT can

help to uplift transport industry performance and standards.

BRT can be inclusive and transformative â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it can help bus and JEEPNEY OPERATORS TO ORGANIZE themselves and transition to a new business model that avoids onstreet competition and provides predictable incomes for bus owners and drivers. Under BRT, bus operators will be paid to provide a service based on a timetables and schedules, rather than compete among each other for riders.

Implementing BRT will help transPORT OPERATORS TO kNANCE THE UPGRADE OF THEIR CURRENT BUS JEEPNEY lEET TO SAFE FUEL EFkCIENT AND LOW EMISSION vehicles. BRT buses could even be fulLY ELECTRIC OR ZERO EMISSION Â&#x2021; CLEANER air and making our cities livable.

This is highly relevant and timely for Philippine bus and jeepney operators who face a deadline to replace their old and polluting equipment.

Since the start of the Duterte administration, there have been two .%$! "OARD APPROVED "24 PROJECTS that have been largely ignored by $/4R -ETRO -ANILA "24 ,INE 1UEZON !VENUE WITH AN INVESTment cost of about P5 billion, would MOVE OVER PASSENGERS DAILY BETWEEN 1UEZON -EMORIAL #IRCLE and Manila City Hall. Metro Manila "24 ,INE %$3! WILL MOVE UP TO 2.6 million passengers daily at an investment cost of about P38 billion. !LTHOUGH THESE PROJECTS RECEIVED APPROPRIATIONS IN AND and should be implemented with urgency, they have sadly received little priority within DOTr. In a metropolis hungry for quality mass transit, the two Metro -ANILA "24 PROJECTS WILL BENEkT close to 3 million passengers daily at a cost of about P43 billion â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a bargain compared to the cost of any of the new rail projects. Both

No announcements

Combination motorcycles are added daily to the population of vehicles on the road.

No amount of road building or widening by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) can deliver enough new road space to accommodate this rate of increase in vehicle numbers. No wonder we all face worsening road congestion.

Most commuters prefer to shift to private car use as soon as they can afford to, because public transPORT IS SLOW INSUFkCIENT UNSAFE AND unreliable â&#x20AC;&#x201D; while other options, such as walking or cycling, are CONSIDERED TOO DIFkCULT OR TOO DANgerous (usually because sidewalks or bike lanes are non-existent or of poor quality).

The sustainable solution â&#x20AC;&#x201D;which cities all over the world have already embraced â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is to make public transport, walking and cycling attractive (safe, convenient, affordable and abundant) so that car owners will prefer to leave their cars at home and commuters will remain loyal to public transport. Mobility will improve for all when we see car users becoming public transport users, instead of the other way around.

We are seeing today a huge effort by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to improve mass transit in Greater Manila. The North-South Commuter Rail Project and the Metro Manila Subway, both of which will break ground this year, are good examples of infrastructure investments urgently needed in this metropolis. The North-South Commuter Railway, a P777.5-billion investment will EVENTUALLY CARRY UP TO

passengers daily. The Metro Manila 3UBWAY WHICH WILL COST ABOUT 0

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

Foreign Business Amazon drops New York plan amid protests N B4

Ë&#x153;Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

SATURDAY February 16, 2019

w w w.manilatimes.net

EW YORK: Amazon abandoned plans for a new headquarters in New York City on Thursday (Friday in Manila), blaming opposition from community leaders angry at the huge subsidies being offered to one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most successful companies.

4HE .EW 9ORK NEIGHBORHOOD OF ,ONG )SLAND #ITY WAS ONE OF TWO LOCATIONS !MAZONSELECTED LAST YEAR AFTER A LONG SEARCH FOR A SECOND HEADQUARTERS OR g(1 u 4HE ONLINE RETAIL GIANT HAD PROM ISED THE SPRAWLING COMPLEX IN THE BOROUGH OF 1UEENS WOULD CREATE

JOBS IN EXCHANGE FOR NEARLY BILLION IN STATE AND CITY INCENTIVES Â&#x2021; WHICH HAD RILED SOME .EW 9ORKERS g7HILE POLLS SHOW THAT PER CENT OF .EW 9ORKERS SUPPORT OUR PLANS AND INVESTMENT A NUMBER OF STATE AND LOCAL POLITICIANS HAVE MADE IT CLEAR THAT THEY OPPOSE OUR PRESENCE AND WILL NOT WORK WITH US TO BUILD THE TYPE OF RELATIONSHIPS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO GO FORWARD WITH THE PROJECT u !MAZON SAID IN A STATEMENT g7E ARE DISAPPOINTED TO HAVE REACHED THIS CONCLUSION Â&#x2021; WE LOVE .EW 9ORK ITS INCOMPARABLE DYNA MISM PEOPLE AND CULTURE Â&#x2021; AND PARTICULARLY THE COMMUNITY OF ,ONG )SLAND #ITY WHERE WE HAVE GOTTEN TO KNOW SO MANY OPTIMISTIC FORWARD LEANING COMMUNITY LEADERS SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND RESIDENTS u !MAZON WHICH IS ALSO IN CLOUD

DECISION FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITY APPEARED MIXED g) M RELIEVED BECAUSE ) M A RENTER HERE u SAID ONE FEMALE RESI DENT OF THE 1UEENS NEIGHBORHOOD WHO DECLINED TO GIVE HER NAME g) M NOT SURE THESE JOBS WOULD HAVE BEEN WHAT THE PEOPLE LIVING IN THIS COMMUNITY NEED u

COMPUTING STREAMING MEDIA AND ARTIkCIAL INTELLIGENCE CHOSE THE SITE AFTER A LENGTHY SEARCH SAYING IT WAS OUTGROWING ITS HOME IN 3EATTLE 7ASHINGTON 4HE COMPANY SAID IT WOULD gCONTINUE GROWINGu ITS STRONG WORKFORCE IN .EW 9ORK

Bitter pill

No new bidding )T ADDED THAT IT WOULD NOT REOPEN THE BIDDING PROCESS BUT WOULD gPROCEED AS PLANNEDu WITH A SITE IN NORTHERN 6IRGINIA AND A LOGISTICS CENTER IN .ASHVILLE 4ENNESSEE 4HE .EW 9ORK PLAN HAD BEEN ENDORSED BY -AYOR "ILL $E "LASIO AND 'OVERNOR !NDREW #UOMO

BUT RAN INTO kERCE OPPOSITION FROM SOME LOCAL POLITICIANS AND COM MUNITY ACTIVISTS INCLUDING NEWLY ELECTED $EMOCRATIC 2EPRESENTATIVE !LEXANDRIA /CASIO #ORTEZ WHOSE DISTRICT BORDERS THE .EW 9ORK SITE g!NYTHING IS POSSIBLE TODAY WAS THE DAY A GROUP OF DEDICATED EVERY DAY .EW 9ORKERS THEIR NEIGHBORS DEFEATED !MAZON S CORPORATE GREED

ITS WORKER EXPLOITATION AND THE POWER OF THE RICHEST MAN IN THE

Q Activists and community members who opposed Amazonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan to move into Queens rally in celebration of Amazonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to pull out of the deal, in the Long Island City neighborhood in the Queens borough of New York City on Thursday. AFP PHOTO WORLD u SHE TWEETED $E "LASIO SOUNDED BITTER ABOUT THE REVERSAL OF A DEAL CLINCHED AFTER MONTHS OF NEGOTIATIONS g7E GAVE !MAZON THE OPPORTU NITY TO BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR AND DO BUSINESS IN THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD )NSTEAD OF WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY !MAZON THREW AWAY THAT OPPORTUNITY u THE MAYOR SAID IN A STATEMENT g)F !MAZON CAN T RECOGNIZE WHAT

THAT S WORTH ITS COMPETITORS WILL u #UOMO MEANWHILE LAMENTED THAT gAT A SMALL GROUP POLITICIANS PUT THEIR OWN NARROW POLITICAL INTERESTS ABOVE THEIR COMMUNITYu TO PRES SURE !MAZON TO WITHDRAW (E SAID THE STATE 3ENATE WHICH appointed an Amazon opponent TO A KEY BOARD gHAS DONE TRE MENDOUS DAMAGEu AND gSHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS LOST ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY u

#ONSERVATIVE AND LIBERAL OPPO NENTS HAVE ARGUED THAT THE COM PANY LED BY *EFF "EZOS WHO TOPS THE &ORBES RICH LIST WITH A PERSONAL WEALTH OF BILLION DOES NOT NEED WHAT SOME DESCRIBE AS gCOR PORATE WELFARE u #RITICS ALSO VOICED CONCERNS THAT THE PROMISED JOBS COULD INlATE AN ALREADY OVERPRICED HOUSING MARKET AND STRAIN INFRASTRUCTURE )NITIAL REACTIONS TO !MAZON S

"UT OTHERS LIKE $AVID +ATZEN WHO OWNS A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD BUT DOES NOT LIVE THERE WERE DISAPPOINTED g)T WAS A HORRIBLE DECISION BY THE LOCAL LEGISLATORS TO OPPOSE IT u HE TOLD !&0 g)T WAS SHORT SIGHTED AND ULTIMATELY WHAT S GOING TO HAPPEN HERE .OTHING 4HERE S NO GOOD THAT CAME OF THIS u 'EORGE -IRANDA WHO LEADS THE LOCAL BRANCH OF THE BLUE COLLAR 4EAMSTERS UNION SAID AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT g.EW 9ORKERS MADE IT CLEAR THAT !MAZON WASN T WELCOME IN OUR CITY IF IT WOULD NOT RESPECT OUR WORKERS AND OUR COMMUNITIES !PPARENTLY THE COMPANY DECIDED THAT WAS TOO MUCH TO ASK u 3COTT 'ALLOWAY A .EW 9ORK 5NI VERSITY PROFESSOR AND AUTHOR SAID ON 4WITTER AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT g)MMUNITIES KICK IN AND .9# kNDS ITS TESTICLES 4HIS IS GOOD FOR .9#

AND !MERICA "ILLIONAIRES SHOULD NOT HAVE THEIR HAND S OUT u AFP

Major bank unveils cryptocurrency prototype China inflation comes in slower than expected

NEW YORK: *0-ORGAN #HASE ON 4HURSDAY UNVEILED A PROTOTYPE FOR A DIGITAL COIN SYSTEM USING BLOCK CHAIN A kRST AMONG MAJOR BANKS AS DISRUPTION ACCELERATES CHANGE IN kNANCIAL SERVICES 4HE SYSTEM CALLED *0- #OIN

WHICH FOR NOW IS ONLY AT THE PROTO TYPE STAGE AND FOR BUSINESS TO BUSI NESS DEALS WOULD PERMIT INSTITU TIONAL CLIENTS TO MAKE INSTANTANEOUS PAYMENTS TO OTHER BANK CLIENTS 4HE ANNOUNCEMENT GIVES A JOLT TO A LEADING kNANCIAL TECHNOLOGY THAT HAS BEEN PRAISED FOR BOOSTING EFk CIENCY IN PAYMENTS AND OTHER BANK PROCESSES BUT WHICH IS STILL SEEN AS AT LEAST A FEW YEARS AWAY FROM WIDE SPREAD APPLICATION IN PART BECAUSE OF THE NEED FOR REGULATIONS ,OU +ERNER A VENTURE CAPITALIST WHO INVESTS IN CRYPTO VENTURES

PREDICTED THE BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOL OGY WOULD AFFECT ALL INDUSTRIES

MUCH LIKE THE )NTERNET g#LEARLY BANKING AND THE MON ETARY SYSTEM IS ONE OF THE kRST AREAS TO FEEL THE DISRUPTION u +ERNER SAID g%VERY MAJOR BANK IN THE WORLD IS ASSESSING THE SITUATION AND DEVEL OPING A CRYPTO BLOCKCHAIN STRATEGY %ITHER THE BANKS DISRUPT THEMSELVES OR THEY LET OTHERS DISRUPT THEM u g4HE CRYPTO GENIE IS OUT OF THE BOTTLE u HE ADDED ,ARGE BANKS FACE INCREASED COM PETITION FROM SMALLER kNANCIAL TECH COMPANIES AS WELL AS CREDIT CARD COMPANIES AND EVEN RETAILERS LIKE !MAZON AND !PPLE WHO ARE JOSTLING IN WITH NEW PAYMENT SYSTEMS "ANKING GIANTS SUCH AS *0-OR GAN #HASE "ANK OF !MERICA AND #ITIGROUP ARE STEERING A kFTH OR

Q In this file photo taken on Jan. 13, 2012, a man walks past a Chase sign at the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Manhattan headquarterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in New York City. AFP PHOTO MORE OF THEIR OVERALL SPENDING TO TECHNOLOGY ACCORDING TO A REPORT FROM 3 0 'LOBAL 2ATINGS g7E BELIEVE IT WILL BE CRUCIAL FOR BANKS TO MAINTAIN THEIR MARKET POSITION IN PAYMENTS BECAUSE PAY MENTS ARE OFTEN CENTRAL TO THE CLIENT RELATIONSHIP GENERATING SUBSTANTIAL REVENUES FROM CREDIT AND DEBIT CARD FEES DEPOSIT ACCOUNT FEES CROSS BORDER TRANSACTION FEES AND NET INTERNET INCOME u 3 0 SAID "USINESS TO BUSINESS VOLUMES ARE WELL OVER TRILLION THE REPORT ADDED 5NDER THE SYSTEM ANNOUNCED 4HURSDAY CUSTOMERS WOULD RECEIVE *0- #OINS THAT COULD BE TRANS FERRED TO OTHER CUSTOMERS WHO WOULD THEN BE FREE TO REDEEM THE SUM 4HE SYSTEM IS BASED ON 53

DOLLARS BUT COULD BE EXPANDED TO OTHER CURRENCIES THE BANK SAID 4HE FRAMEWORK EMPLOYS THE DIGITAL LEDGER TECHNOLOGY KNOWN AS BLOCKCHAIN AND IS BEING TESTED WITH A SMALL NUMBER OF INSTI TUTIONAL CLIENTS WITH PLANS TO EXPANDED IT INTO A PILOT PROGRAM LATER THIS YEAR THE COMPANY SAID ON ITS WEBSITE g*0- #OIN IS CURRENTLY A PROTO TYPE u THE BANK SAID g!S WE MOVE TOWARDS PRODUCTION WE WILL ACTIVELY ENGAGE OUR REGULATORS TO EXPLAIN ITS DESIGN AND SOLICIT THEIR FEEDBACK AND ANY NECESSARY APPROVALS u

Scalability? *UST LAST MONTH EQUITY ANALYSTS AT *0-ORGAN SAID BLOCKCHAIN COULD

REDUCE TRANSACTION SETTLEMENT TIME TO MINUTES LOWER TRANSACTION COSTS AND PROVIDE PARTIES WITH MORE CLARITY ON PAYMENT CYCLES "UT MANY OF THE KEY ADVANCES gARE STILL AT THE WORK IN PROGRESS STAGE AS THEY REQUIRE LEGAL AND REGULATORY PROGRESS OPERATIONAL ADAPTION AND COORDINATION BE TWEEN DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS u THE REPORT SAID g(ENCE WE SEE WIDE SPREAD BLOCKCHAIN ADOPTION WITH SCAL ABLE SOLUTIONS AT LEAST THREE TO kVE YEARS AWAY u )N ANNOUNCING THE SYSTEM *0- ORGAN BECOMES THE FIRST MAJOR BANK WITH CONCRETE PLANS TO PER MIT CLIENTS TO TRANSACT IN CRYPTO CURRENCIES *0-ORGAN #HIEF %XECUTIVE *AMIE $IMON HAS FAMOUSLY DISMISSED THE CRYPTOCURRENCY BITCOIN AS A gFRAUD u AND PRICES OF THE DIGITAL CURRENCY HAVE PLUNGED OVER THE LAST YEAR !T THE SAME TIME THE BANK HAS CONTINUED TO WORK ON BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY WHICH IS THE FOUNDING MECHANISM FOR BITCOIN g7E HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED IN THE POTENTIAL OF BLOCKCHAIN TECH NOLOGY AND WE ARE SUPPORTIVE OF CRYPTOCURRENCIES AS LONG AS THEY ARE PROPERLY CONTROLLED AND REGU LATED u THE BANK SAID g5LTIMATELY WE BELIEVE THAT *0- #OIN CAN YIELD SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS FOR BLOCKCHAIN AP PLICATIONS BY REDUCING CLIENTS COUNTERPARTY AND SETTLEMENT RISK DECREASING CAPITAL REQUIRE MENTS AND ENABLING INSTANT VALUE TRANSFER u AFP

Saudi Arabia could be added to EU blacklist BRUSSELS:Â Saudi Arabia expressed â&#x20AC;&#x153;regretâ&#x20AC;? on Thursday over EU proposals to add it and six other countries to a money-laundering blacklist of governments that do too little to thwart the financing of terrorism and organised crime.

The move comes amid heightened tensions between Riyadh and European capitals over the murder last year of the columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The European Commission said Wednesday it wanted to add seven countries including Saudi Arabia and Panama to another 16 already on the register -- such as Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Ethiopia and North Korea.

Inclusion on the list does not trigger sanctions, but it does oblige European banks to apply tighter controls on transactions with customers and institutions in those countries.

The proposal must now be approved by the European Parliament and the 28

member states, with France and Britain against the new list. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Saudi Arabia notes with regret the European Commission proposed revised list of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;high riskâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; countries,â&#x20AC;? reported the official Saudi Press Agency.

Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan was quoted in the report saying Riyadhâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;commitment to fighting money-laundering and terrorism financing is a strategic priorityâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will continue to develop and enhance our regulatory framework to achieve this goal,â&#x20AC;? he said.

European Commissioner for Justice Vera Jourova said Wednesday the EU had â&#x20AC;&#x153;put in place the highest standards in the worldâ&#x20AC;? to counter illicit financial transactions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But we must ensure that dirty money from other countries does not end up in our financial system,â&#x20AC;? she told a press conference at the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg.

Calls for transparency Jourova added that money-laundering was the â&#x20AC;&#x153;driving forceâ&#x20AC;? behind organised crime and terrorism and urged countries on the list to â&#x20AC;&#x153;quickly remedy their shortcomingsâ&#x20AC;?.

Panama hit out at the EU saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;the process this European body has carried out in preparing this list is shady.â&#x20AC;?

Panamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial sector has been in the international spotlight ever since the 2016 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Panama Papersâ&#x20AC;? scandal in which millions of leaked documents from corporate service provider Mossack Fonseca revealed a network of shell companies used to evade taxes and circumvent international sanctions.

A diplomat said objections to the new list from capitals like London and Paris were not linked to a desire to appease Riyadh, following strained relations in the aftermath of the Khashoggi murder.

There is not â&#x20AC;&#x153;an opposition to the addition of a particular countryâ&#x20AC;? among European

countries, but concerns over the â&#x20AC;&#x153;methodologyâ&#x20AC;? used by the Commission, the diplomat said under condition of anonymity.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, was killed on October 2 by Saudi agents during a visit to his countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s consulate in Istanbul to obtain paperwork ahead of his wedding.

The murder has plunged Saudi Arabia into one of its worst diplomatic crises.

The kingdom, after initially denying any knowledge of the journalistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disappearance, has acknowledged that a team killed him inside the embassy but described it as a rogue operation that did not involve the crown prince.

MEP Eva Joly, a former investigating judge, welcomed the new money-laundering blacklist but suggested the Commission â&#x20AC;&#x153;publish the country assessments in order to increase the transparency of the process and avoid accusations of political bargainingâ&#x20AC;?.

European countries such as Cyprus or the United Kingdom should also be on the list, she said.

AFP

BEIJING: Factory and consumer price INlATION IN #HINA ROSE AT A SLOWER RATE THAN EXPECTED IN *ANUARY AS GLOBAL GROWTH COOLS AND THE 53 TRADE WAR DRAGS ON OFkCIAL DATA SHOWED &RIDAY 4HE PRODUCER PRICE INDEX 00) Â&#x2021; AN IMPORTANT BAROMETER OF THE INDUSTRIAL SECTOR THAT MEASURES THE COST OF GOODS AT THE FACTORY GATE Â&#x2021; ROSE PERCENT ON YEAR IN *ANU ARY COMPARED WITH A PERCENT RISE THE PREVIOUS MONTH 4HE READING EXTENDS A SIX MONTH SLOWDOWN IN WHICH PRICE GROWTH HAS EASED EACH MONTH SINCE A HIGH OF PERCENT LAST *UNE 3LOWER FACTORY GATE INFLATION RElECTS SLUGGISH DEMAND WHILE A TURN TO DElATION COULD DENT COR PORATE PROkTS 4HE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX #0) Â&#x2021; A KEY MEASURE OF RETAIL INlATION Â&#x2021; ROSE PERCENT COMPARED WITH PERCENT IN $ECEMBER "OTH READINGS FELL SHORT OF THE EXPECTATIONS OF ECONOMISTS POLLED BY "LOOMBERG .EWS

00) HIT A TWO YEAR LOW AND #0) A MONTH LOW *ULIAN %VANS 0RITCHARD OF #APITAL %CONOMICS SAID IN A RESEARCH NOTE g!LTHOUGH #0) REMAINS AT A COMFORTABLE LEVEL FALLING PRODUCER PRICES ARE A CONCERN SINCE THESE ARE HIGHLY CORRELATED WITH PROkT GROWTH IN INDUSTRY u SAID %VANS 0RITCHARD g7ITH FACTORY GATE DElATION LIKELY TO DEEPEN IN THE COMING MONTHS

WE EXPECT POLICYMAKERS TO ROLL OUT FURTHER MEASURES TO EASE kNANCIAL PRESSURE ON INDUSTRIAL kRMS u !MERICAN AND #HINESE TRADE NEGOTIATORS ARE HOLDING THEIR LAT EST ROUND OF TRADE TALKS IN "EIJING

TRYING TO WORK OUT A DISPUTE THAT HE SEEN THEM IMPOSE TIT FOR TAT TARIFFS ON BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TRADE GOODS 4HE TRADE WAR AND SLOWING GLOBAL GROWTH HAS STARTED TO BITE IN #HINA WHICH HAS POSTED A STRING OF POOR ECONOMIC DATA IN RECENT MONTHS '$0 GROWTH FELL IN TO A NEARLY YEAR LOW OF PERCENT AFP

Ex-Coke engineer charged with stealing trade secrets WASHINGTON: ! FORMER SENIOR ENGINEER AT #OCA #OLA WAS IN DICTED 4HURSDAY IN 4ENNESSEE FOR STEALING TRADE SECRETS WORTH AN ESTIMATED MILLION TO GIVE TO A #HINESE COMPANY THE *USTICE $EPARTMENT ANNOUNCED 53 NATIONAL 9OU 8IAORONG ALLEG EDLY STOLE TECHNOLOGY FOR VALUABLE "0! FREE PACKAGING JOINTLY OWNED BY SEVERAL COMPANIES INCLUDING A FORMER g!TLANTA BASEDu EMPLOYER THAT WAS UNNAMED IN THE INDICTMENT ! SPOKESWOMAN FOR #OCA #OLA

WHOSE HEADQUARTERS IS IN !TLANTA

DECLINED TO COMMENT ON THE CASE BUT CONkRMED THAT 9OU PREVIOUSLY WORKED FOR THE COMPANY g"ECAUSE THIS IS A PENDING LEGAL MATTER IT WOULD NOT BE APPROPRI ATE FOR US TO COMMENT FURTHER u SHE SAID !CCORDING TO THE INDICTMENT

9OU CONSPIRED WITH #HINESE NA TIONAL ,IU 8IANGCHEN AND AN UNNAMED RELATIVE OF ,IU TO STEAL FORMULATIONS FOR FOOD PACKING COATINGS THAT ARE FREE OF THE WIDELY USED BISPHENOL ! CHEMICAL WHICH SCIENTISTS HAVE DISCOVERED IN RECENT YEARS IS HARMFUL TO HUMAN HEALTH !LTERNATIVES TO "0! ARE SCARCE AND HIGHLY VALUABLE IN THE FOOD PACKING INDUSTRY

,IU WANTED THE TECHNOLOGY FOR HIS COMPANY WHICH WAS PLANNING TO DEVELOP PRODUCTION LINES FOR "0! FREE PACKING ACCORDING TO THE INDICTMENT )N EXCHANGE HE OFFERED 9OU A JOB AND ALSO PROMISED TO HELP HER WIN ONE OF #HINA S HIGHEST AWARDS FOR RESEARCH AND INNOVATION THE g4HOUSAND 4ALENTSu AWARD 4HE PRESTIGIOUS PRIZE HONORS #HINESE WHO RETURN FROM STUDY AND WORK ABROAD BRINGING BACK WITH THEM TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL ADVANCE #HINA S ECONOMY 53 INTELLIGENCE OFkCIALS SAY THE PROGRAM ALSO AIMS TO ENCOURAGE #HINESE ABROAD TO STEAL TECHNOL OGY TO BRING TO #HINA 9OU gIS ACCUSED OF AN EGREGIOUS

PREMEDITATED THEFT AND TRANSFER OF TRADE SECRETS WORTH MORE THAN MILLION FOR THE PURPOSE OF SETTING UP A #HINESE COMPANY THAT WOULD COMPETE WITH THE !MERICAN COMPANIES FROM WHICH THE TRADE SECRETS WERE STOLEN u SAID * $OUG LAS /VERBEY 53 !TTORNEY FOR THE %ASTERN $ISTRICT OF 4ENNESSEE g5NFORTUNATELY #HINA CONTIN UES TO USE ITS NATIONAL PROGRAMS

LIKE THE @4HOUSAND 4ALENTS TO SOLICIT AND REWARD THE THEFT OF OUR NATION S TRADE SECRETS AND INTEL AFP LECTUAL PROPERTY u

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Health Industries

SATURDAY Feruary 16, 2019

B5

Urdaneta health center gets upgrades

BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO

T

HE newly upgraded Urdaneta City Health Center 2 (UCHC 2) in Pangasinan is expected to get a boost in the delivery of its services after qualifying for at least three Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) accreditations.

UCHC 2, one of the three health centers in the city, has the following PhilHealth accreditations: Tuberculosis-Directly Observed Treatment Strategy (TB-DOTS); /UT PATIENT "ENEkT 0ACKAGE AND

0RIMARY #ARE "ENEkT 0ACKAGE AS A result of renovation and refurbishment made by SM Foundation.

Connie Angeles, SM Foundation senior assistant vice president and executive director for

health and medical programs, said the foundation aimed to be partners of the government to help health centers become PhilHealth-accredited. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Such accreditation will help decongest the hospitals as they can now handle minor cases,â&#x20AC;? Angeles said, adding SM Foundation would also help in the maintenance and upkeep of the health center.

Kristine Joy Santiago, SM City Rosales (Pangasinan) public relaTIONS OFkCER SAID THE FOUNDATION upgraded the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main health center from a one-story facility to a spacious two-story facility.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the renovation, the facility is now also ready to provide basic health care, laboratory, pediatric and elderly care, dental services, pharmacy and neo-natal check-ups with a capability to handle child deliveries,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Beneficiaries of the UCHC 2 are 16 barangay (villages) in the city namely Anonas, Bactad East, Bactad proper, Bayaos, Bolaoen, Cabuloan, Camanang, Casantaan, Cayambanan, Consolacion, Dilan Paurido, Nancalobasaan, Nancayasan, Macalong, Tipuso and Tulong.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The upgraded health center can cater to 120 patients a day, having amenities and comfort found in private hospitals in progressive localities,â&#x20AC;? Soriano said.

The health center has a consultation area, obstetrics consultation area, treatment area, pharmacy, storage room for medicines and other medical supplies, dental room, a laboratory and TB-DOTS center, vaccination room, cold storage area, and breastfeeding station. A reception and waiting area called Felicidad Sy has toys for children and a comfortable lounge for the elderly.

SM Foundation also provided for the needed furniture, fixtures, equipment and medicines for the pharmacy. #ITY OFkCIALS ARE THANKFUL FOR 3- Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contributions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Health is important because if a place is not complete in facilities, the health center cannot render effective service to its people,â&#x20AC;? Urdaneta City Mayor Amadeo Perez 4th said.

4HE kRST TO BE TURNED OVER IN 2019 by SM Foundation, UCHC 2 is the 135th health and wellness center to date and the 45th improved community health center.

A centenarian reveals secrets to his long life

BY MYLENE C. ORILLO  MUCH has been said about how to live longer. But 99-year-old World War 2 (WW2) veteran and Bataan Death March survivor, captain Alberto Tuico Orillo, who will turn 100 years old on Feb. 17, 2019, only has two secrets: avoiding meat and smoking. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our food before consists of nilagang pako (steamed fiddlehead fern) and laing (taro Q Alberto Tuico Orillo leaves in coconut milk, a Bicolano dish) with fried kabasi (gizzard shad). We get coconut and firewood from the farm.

We only eat meat when my father brings us. Celi (referring to his late younger sister, Araceli Orillo Arone) looked healthier because she lived with our father,â&#x20AC;? Orillo said in Filipino.  Born on Feb. 17, 1919 in Nagcarlan, Laguna, Orillo is the second child and only boy in the family of three children. His father, Mariano Orillo was a municipal police officer and his mother, Andrea Velasco Tuico was a housekeeper, who died when they were still young.  It seemed like longevity really runs in the family as Orilloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paternal grandmother, whom he fondly called Andang, and elder sister, Rosalina OrilloCortezano both lived their lives well until the age of 101. Araceli passed away at 90. Orillo admitted he used to smoke, but when he retired, he quit smoking and drinking entirely, and seldom (or never) ate meat. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I retired from the food and beverage company I used to work for in Manila, I discovered that meat has this ingredient or chemical that is poisonous to the body. Since then, I stopped eating meat, or I seldom eat meat/pork,â&#x20AC;? he added.

His favorite food includes sinigang na bangus (milkfish porridge) and vegetables like okra and kamote (sweet potato), saying they also helped in bowel movement. His morning routine usually consists of drinking coffee or milk, eating two pandesal (bread roll) with peanut butter and sunny-side-up egg, and reading a newspaper. Orillo also sleeps and wakes up early.  â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m old, I only have one vice and that is buying Lotto tickets [or I ask my son to buy for me]. I already won P2,000 in two-digits, P800 in four-digits, and P2,000 in EZ2 before, so I kept on buying,â&#x20AC;? said Orillo.  Â

Younger years  Orillo used to be an altar boy until he reached high school. In college, he studied in Sta. Cruz, Laguna, but only got to finish third year when war erupted in a nearby town. To make use of his free time, Orillo collected bets from jueteng, then worked for a slippers factory and furniture shop where he would get 20 cents to P20-P30 a day.  At 20, he was recruited by the government to undergo a six-month military training in Guagua, Pampanga. After his training, he applied in Fort Stotsenburg in Camp Dau, Mabalacat, Pampanga, but was rejected from signs of hypertension.  When he went home to Laguna, his father accompanied him to see a doctor, who advised him to take a bath in the afternoon before going to sleep to help lower his blood pressure. He followed the advice, but his blood pressure fluctuated.  Orillo later joined the Philippine Constabulary and got promoted to private first class. He was later inducted to United States Army Forces in the Far East Liberation Army when Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was attacked on Dec. 8, 1941.  Bataan Death March  After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese quickly invaded much of southeast Asia.

Apparently, the combined American-Filipino army, even with the presence of military bases in the country, were not enough to defeat the

Japanese forces. After months of fierce fighting, the allied forces surrendered and the Bataan Death March followed.

The Japanese forced about 76,000 captured Filipino and American soldiers to march about 65 to 80 miles across the Bataan Peninsula in April 1942, from Mariveles to San Fernando and from Capas Train Station to Camp Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell in Tarlac. Orillo took part in the infamous Bataan Death March.

During he march, the Japanese did not give the soldiers food or water, so they became weak.

Many fell behind and were killed or beaten up by the Japanese.

Upon reaching the camp, thousands more soldiers died from starvation and disease. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We slept together like sardines. Sometimes we get drenched by the urine of our dying comrade sleeping beside us. When they die, we let their bodies dry in the open. When the pile reaches 20, we would bury them all together in a deep well,â&#x20AC;? Orillo recalled in Filipino.

Luckily, Orillo kept a canteen so he can sip just enough water to wet his dry lips or throat. Orillo said that it was his prayers and faith in God that helped him survive the ordeal.

In February 1945, US-Filipino forces recaptured the Bataan Peninsula and Manila was liberated early March. The 23-year-old Orillo then met the beautiful 22-year-old Constancia Arbilo in a dance party. They got married and were blessed with seven children: Alice, Carmelita, Bienvinido Jose, Eva, Emma (deceased), Roberto and Alejandro. Â When Orillo retired from the service with a rank of a guerilla captain, he opened his own store and copra business, but they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t flourish. So, he decided to work for a food and beverage company in Manila where he retired after 20 years of service.

In recognition of his military service during WW2, Alberto was granted US citizenship in 1992 at the age of 72. But after seven years, he decided to go back to the Philippines from homesickness as his wife couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be with him.

Constancia died on Nov. 5, 2012 at the age of 90 from illness.

Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life span  According to medical doctor Shelley de la Vega, past president and lifetime fellow of the Philippine College of Geriatric Medicine, the lifespan of humans was about 120 years old.  â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lifespan is the maximum duration of life of a species. What has changed is life expectancy. In the 1990s, the life expectancy of Filipinos varied between 65 to 68 years. Now it is 68 to 72 years,â&#x20AC;? she said.  Dr. De la Vega noted that Orillo was the best example of how to eat and live long. He probably also had a healthy mother. However, there is really no secret and no answer as to how one can live longer. In low-middle income countries like the Philippines, the biggest contributor to increase in life expectancy is the reduction in maternal and child mortality. In high-income countries, it is declining fertility rate and mortality in the older age groups. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can read books such as the Blue Zones. Genetic predisposition accounts for 30 percent of your longevity. The other 70 percent are improving nutrition and sanitation, disease management and medicine, use of antibiotic, having vaccines, drugs for hypertension, diabetes, improved surgical techniques, early screening, and diagnosis [of a certain disease]. Being safe in roads, workplace and healthy lifestyle such as no smoking and being active,â&#x20AC;? she added.  Not everyone gets to live up to 100 years old, so Orillo is just one of few blessed to last a century, but one can live healthy by consulting a geriatric doctor regularly and maintaining family and social connectedness. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Improve your nutrition, manage your disease by taking appropriate medicines [drugs for hypertension, diabetes], get vaccinated against flu and pneumonia, get into fitness and rehabilitation to avoid falling, discuss goals of care and end of life choices and issues to your doctor, and maintain family support and counselling,â&#x20AC;? she advised.

These days, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest killers. One-third or 31 percent of deaths worldwide are from CVDs, resulting in about 17.7 million dying every year. It is no longer associated only with elderly people.

CVDs are now affecting individuals in their 20s and 30s from lifestyle, age, gender, family history and other risk factors.

Q (From left) Medical doctor Carmencita Padilla, chancellor, University of the Philippines Manila; medical doctor Jorge Ignacio, chair, Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Cancer Institute; medical doctor Gerardo Legaspi, director PGH; Veronica Cabalinan, country head, The Walt Disney Company-Philippines; Yoly Crisanto, senior vice president for corporate communications and chief sustainability officer, Globe Telecom; Rossy Anne Yabut Rojales, creative director, Hurray Interior Design Group; and medical doctor Lorna Abad, chair, PGH Department of Pediatrics. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Globe, partners, improve cancer clinic SOMETIME in 2016, Philippine General Hospital (PGH) doctors and the PGH Medical Foundation Inc. saw the need to renovate the Hematologyâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Oncology Clinic at the Cancer Institute. While PGH is recognized as the national universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hospital, the facilities were far from conducive for healing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I came in 2013, the clinic was in disarray â&#x20AC;&#x201D; sira-sira â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;yung sahig ng clinic (THE CLINIC S lOOR WAS DILAPIdated) at madumi siya (it was dirty),â&#x20AC;? said medical doctor Ana Patricia Alcasabas of the PGH Cancer Institute and the section head of Pediatric HematologyOncology. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After visiting other hospitals, even here in the Philippines, I saw the need to renovate our out-patient clinic.

However, it seemed impossible as we did not have any budget for this.â&#x20AC;?

The out-patient clinic sees around 400 children with cancer each month. The most common diagnosis are leukemia, brain tumors, eye cancer and bone cancer. Of these, about 300 children have to undergo procedures such as Intravenous chemotherapy, bone marrow aspirations and lumbar taps in the clinic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Children are scared when they come to the clinic because of the injections.

We wanted a clinic environment that promotes well-being and positive energy,â&#x20AC;? she said partly in Filipino.

After consulting with the PGH Medical Foundation headed by its President, medical doctor Telesforo Gana Jr., it was decided they will pursue the project and solicit the help of Globe Telecom. At that time, Globe was actively participating in the foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gift-giving activities.

Together with its various partners and customers, Globe was able to raise

and donate P1.4 million for the rehabilitation of the Hematologyâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Oncology Clinic. The project concept started in December 2016 in line with the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Create Courage Star Wars-themed campaign that strongly demonstrated the resilience of children in the face of adversity, and encouraged the public to help via donations through prepaid load or charges to their postpaid bills. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are proud to have our partners, employees and customers step in to participate in this worthwhile undertaking.

We hope that through this project, we can all bring hope to the patients at the PGH Pediatric Hematology-Oncology clinic,â&#x20AC;? said Yoly Crisanto, Globe senior vice president for corporate communications.

The newly-renovated clinic was turned over to the PGH management team recently. During the turnover ceremonies, partners were awarded certificates of appreciation for their invaluable contribution to the project and were given jars of atchara (pickled papaya) specially prepared by the parents of pediatric cancer patients. Guests were also treated to a special dance number performed by a select group of pediatric cancer patients.

characters like Rey, Darth Vader, Hans Solo and Princess Leah. There is also a height chart with various characters in it. The designs were made very colorful to serve as â&#x20AC;&#x153;happy distractionsâ&#x20AC;? for the children who undergo treatment at the clinic.

Hurray Interior Design Group, a partner of PGH Medical Foundation, also did its part by ensuring the interiors and overall vibe of the clinic are aligned with what Globe and the foundation envisioned. At the same time, SBS Philippines Corp. sponsored the clinicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s medical equipment. Other partners were Amdocs and Singtel.

Dr. Alcasabas said they were happy to see the smiles on the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s faces when they stepped into the clinic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The clinic has two parts. The first is the consultation area where we discuss the cancer diagnosis with the family, and the other is the procedure area. This is where the patients get their chemotherapy infusion while they watch television or read books. There is also a part where procedures are done. The space ship designs on the ceiling provide a positive distraction for them [from anxiety and fear], as they await the anesthesiologist and oncologist. The doctors, too, and some Star Wars-themed clinic adult patients are also happy with the way the center turned out. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a happy The Walt Disney Company-Philippines place that gives comfort,â&#x20AC;? she said. contributed to the project by sharing its The hospital is also looking forward to Star Wars designs and sponsoring the partner with Globe in its future projects printing of all wall sticker artworks. The that include, among others, plans to condesigns were carefully chosen and custom- duct further research to improve treatment ized by artists from the Globe Creatives for cancer patients and coming up with AND 6ISUAL -ANAGEMENT TEAM TO kT THE standard operating procedures. overall look and feel of the clinic.

For more about Globe Telecom, The names of the consultation rooms visit www.globe.com.ph or follow them were also patterned after key Star Wars on Facebook or Twitter.

How a doctor dealt with cancer GIA SISON, a doctor specializing in ocCUPATIONAL MEDICINE SOCIAL MEDIA INlUencer, and host of CNN Philippines â&#x20AC;&#x153;G Talks,â&#x20AC;? has been cancer free since 2013.

It was challenging for Sison to reverse roles, from doctor to cancer patient. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In going through cancer, it is important to take it slow â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one day at a time. Be grateful for the small things. From diagnosis to treatment, the small milestones matter. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned to be thankful if I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t vomit after a session of chemotherapy or if I get appetite at all that would push me to eat,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Dr. Sison underscored the value of famILY THAT HELPED HER GO THROUGH DIFkCULT TIMES g9OU CAN T kGHT THIS ALONE 9OU NEED a strong support system and you usually get this from your family,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I discovered the lump on my left breast incidentally. I knew right away that the lump was breast cancer. It had the charACTERISTICS OF BREAST CANCER Â&#x2021; IT WAS kXED

IT HAD NO DEkNITE SHAPE AND IT WAS BIG ) wanted to have mastectomy right away, before even having a biopsy,â&#x20AC;? she added.

Fortunately, Dr. Sisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friend, also a

Q Dr. Gia Sison doctor, convinced her to go through the whole process, from diagnosis to treatment, and be take it slowly but surely.

Dr. Sison underwent six cycles of chemotherapy with faith her journey with cancer will soon be over and she would live. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Faith kept me going. Faith will help a lot in making the journey better, that there is something greater than us thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in control.â&#x20AC;?

Her experience with cancer strengthened Sisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s compassion as a doctor, especially in her dealings with patients.

That also pushed her determination to

advocate for patients and form a support group for patients suffering from not just cancer, but chronic illnesses in general. g$ON T LET A DIAGNOSIS DEkNE YOU BEcause the brain, your mindset, can be powerful against cancer,â&#x20AC;? Dr. Sison said.

Dr. Sison is a cancer patient advocate fighting with the Hope From Within: Cancer Game Plan PH, which espouses early detection, access to treatment, and improved patient navigation system in the Philippines. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our goal is that no patient dies because THEY DON T HAVE kNANCIAL SUPPORT AND ACcess to treatment. Everyone should get the CHANCE TO LIVE AND kGHT 7E NEED FUNDING

that is a given, and also increase access to clinical trials, to doctors and specialists, and to diagnosis and treatment facilities EVEN IN FAR lUNG AREAS IN THE 0HILIPPINES u she added.

The recently launched Hope From Within: Cancer Game Plan PH is a campaign that aims to put the patients at the heart OF THE kGHT AGAINST THE DREADED DISEASE More information is available at www. hopefromwithin.org.

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SATURDAY February 16, 2019 NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION

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CIVIL CASE NO. 18-34033 FOR: DECLARATION OF ABSOLUTE NULLITY OF MARRIAGE CEZAR ERENEO J. CANTO, 3HWLWLRQHU YHUVXV JOY N. SEGOVIA ET. AL., Respondent. x â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;x SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION For failure to effect personal service of summons on the SHUVRQ RI UHVSRQGHQW -2< 1 SEGOVIA for the reason that respondent is currently out of the country and that her return is uncertain, the Court ordered that the service of summons upon said UHVSRQGHQW -2< 1 6(*29,$ be published in a newspaper of national circulation once a week IRU WZR FRQVHFXWLYH ZHHNV DW the expense of petitioner Cezar Ereneo J. Canto in compliance with 6HFWLRQ RI $ 0 6& ,Q addition, the Court ordered that a copy of the summons be likewise VHUYHG RQ WKH VDLG UHVSRQGHQW -2< N. SEGOVIA, at her last known address by registered mail.

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THE REGISTER OF DEEDS OF SAN -8$1 &,7< DV QHFHVVDU\ SDUW\ Respondent. [ [ NOTICE OF INITIAL HEARING 7R 8PEHUWR $ 5RGULJXH]

1R nd West Crame St., Brgy. West Crame, San Juan City

Atty. Constantino L. Reyes 8QLW . 1R 'DSLWDQ 6W 6WD 0HVD +HLJKWV 4XH]RQ &LW\ Land Registration Authority East Ave., cor. NIA Road, Diliman, Quezon City

2I¿FH RI WKH &LW\ 3URVHFXWRU RI 6DQ -XDQ &LW\ Registry of Deeds of San Juan City F. Blumentritt St., San Juan City

2I¿FH RI WKH 6ROLFLWRU *HQHUDO $PRUVROR 6W /HJD]SL 9LOODJH 0DNDWL &LW\ and to all whom it may concern.

Greetings: 3OHDVH WDNH QRWLFH WKDW WKLV SHWLWLRQ IRU WKH FDQFHOODWLRQ RI DQQRWDWLRQ DSSHDULQJ RQ 7UDQVIHU &HUWL¿FDWH RI 7LWOH 1R 5 RI WKH 5HJLVWU\ RI 'HHGV RI 6DQ -XDQ &LW\ LV VHW IRU KHDULQJ RQ $SULO D\ $ 0 $OO LQWHUHVWHG SHUVRQV PD\ DSSHDU DQG show cause why the petition should not be granted. :,71(66 WKH +RQ )5$1. ( /2%5,*2 $FWLQJ 3UHVLGLQJ -XGJH RI WKH 5HJLRQDO 7ULDO &RXUW %UDQFK 3DVLJ &LW\ WKLV th GD\ RI -DQXDU\ (SGD.) EUNICE G. SALVADOR OIC â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Branch Clerk of Court 07 ± )HE

WARNING TO THE PUBLIC The Manila Times is warning the public that certain individuals posing as our employees have been threatening to publish articles against some companies.

Anyone who receives a call from these extortionists should report the matter to the police.

07 ± )HE

(SGD.) ATTY. LORALIE C. DATAHAN $VVLVWDQW *HQHUDO 0DQDJHU Chairperson, Bids and Awards Committee

ZKR ZDV WKHQ \HDUV ROG ZDV a freshman student at the Iloilo Doctors Hospital. There, he met the private respondent who was KLV FODVVPDWH 6KH ZDV WKHQ D year old student but their age gad did not seem to be a problem in their relationship.

The parties got along well and were soon dating exclusively and VRRQ HQJDJHG LQ SUH PDULWDO VH[ Not long after they started dating, respondent call the petitioner to meet her at the Hall of Justice Iloilo City. Without his knowing what was going on, he agreed and to his surprise, her father was with her and told petitioner to marry his daughter or he might get into trouble.

3HWLWLRQHU ZDV \RXQJ DQG scared, so he hesitantly agreed after some initial protestations and signed some papers against his will. All along, petitioner believed that what transpired was a secret marriage, without legal effect, not valid or binding and was just to reassure the family of the respondent. They did not live together as husband and wife, instead they lived in their respective homes. He later realized that the UHVSRQGHQW¶V SDUHQWV IRUFHG KLP to marry their daughter.

The fact of the marriage though is that at the time of the marriage of WKH SDUWLHV RQ 1RYHPEHU the petitioner was only seventh years of age having been born RQ -XO\ DQG KLV VWDWH RI being underage at the time of the marriage was known to the respondent and her father who assured him that he will take care of the matter. He later found out WKDW LQ WKHLU 0DUULDJH &HUWL¿FDWH LW ZDV UHÃ&#x20AC;HFWHG WKDW KLV GDWH RI ELUWK LV -XO\ The parties were blessed with

FKLOGUHQ DV WKH \HDUV ZHQW E\ and got married again on January RI ZKLFK SHWLWLRQHU ZDV DOUHDG\ \HDUV ROG 7KH SHWLWLRQHU ZDV SHWLWLRQHG IRU WKH 86 E\ KLV IDWKHU ZKR ZDV D 86 &LWL]HQ DQG became a legal permanent resident LQ 6HSWHPEHU 7KH FRXSOH¶V UHODWLRQVKLS WXUQHG sour, especially when petitioner discovered that respondent got pregnant with another man and eventfully ended their relationship LQ 6LQFH WKHQ WKH SDUWLHV stopped seeing each other and

were only communicating thru their children.

The parties however have a working arrangement as to the support of the children, especially WKH PLQRU RQHV 3HWLWLRQHU DQG respondent have no marital assets debts to be divided.

That based on the circumstances discussed and the legal provisions of the law as cited DERYH WKH 3HWLWLRQHU ZDV D PLQRU and had no legal capacity to marry at the time of the marriage, so that marriage of the parties should be GHFODUHG 18// $1' 92,' DE LQLWLR WHEREFORE, premises considered it is most respectfully prayed unto this Honorable Court that after due process and hearing, judgment be rendered declaring the marriage of the petitioner and UHVSRQGHQW RQ 1RYHPEHU DW ,ORLOR &LW\ 3KLOLSSLQHV FRYHUHG E\ Registry No. WR EH 18// and VOID ab initio and ordering the respondent to record and UHJLVWHUHG WKH 'HFUHH XSRQ ¿QDOLW\ of the judgment.

Other relief and remedies which are just and equitable under premises are likewise prayed for. ,ORLOR &LW\ 3KLOLSSLQHV 2FWREHU ´ xxxxxx DIRECTIVE As a directive to respondent Joy N. Segovia you are hereby to file with the Regional Trial &RXUW %UDQFK ,ORLOR &LW\ \RXU ANSWER to the petition and its annexes of petition Cezar Ereneo - &DQWR ZLWKLQ WKLUW\ GD\V after the last date of publication of this ORDER, and to serve a copy of your ANSWER on the petitioner through his counsel within the VDPH SHULRG <RX DUH UHPLQGHG RI WKH SURYLVLRQ LQ WKH ,%3 2&$ 0HPRUDQGXP RQ 3ROLF\ *XLGHOLQHV GDWHG 0DUFK WR REVHUYH UHVWUDLQW LQ ¿OLQJ D 0RWLRQ WR 'LVPLVV and instead allege, the grounds thereof as defense in the ANSWER. If you fail to answer within the time aforesaid, the court shall not declare you in default, but it may allow the petitioner to present his evidence.

SO ORDERED. ,ORLOR &LW\ 3KLOLSSLQHV -DQXDU\

(SGD.) DANIEL ANTONIO GERARDO S. AMULAR $FWLQJ 3UHVLGLQJ -XGJH 07 )HE

EDITORS AND DESKMEN &RPSHWHQFLHV â&#x20AC;¢ Excellent command of written and spoken English â&#x20AC;¢ Degree holder preferably in journalism, communications, or related discipline (e.g. political science or economics with journalism experience) â&#x20AC;¢ Experience in editing news, analytical reports and columns â&#x20AC;¢ Strong news judgment and familiarity with local issues, as well as an understanding of relevant world affairs â&#x20AC;¢ $ELOLW\ WR ZULWH DQG HGLW ZLWK Ã&#x20AC;DLU DQG VSHHG WR PHHW WLJKW GHDGOLQHV â&#x20AC;¢ )DPLOLDU ZLWK 0LFURVRIW 2I¿FH VRFLDO PHGLD DQG VHDUFK HQJLQHV â&#x20AC;¢ Ability to lead and organize a team well â&#x20AC;¢ Good attitude, willingness to adjust to new systems and ability to respect authority within the organization REPORTERS &RPSHWHQFLHV â&#x20AC;¢ Excellent command of written and spoken English â&#x20AC;¢ Degree holder preferably in journalism, communications, or related discipline â&#x20AC;¢ Ability to establish and maintain a network of contacts in government and the private sector as source of information and analysis â&#x20AC;¢ Ability to identify the angle of news from a raft of available information or seek out information to build a solid news story â&#x20AC;¢ Familiarity with local issues and an understanding of relevant world affairs â&#x20AC;¢ $ VHQVH RI VSHHG DQG DFFXUDF\ LQ ZULWLQJ DQG ¿OOLQJ UHDO WLPH VWRULHV to the news desk to meet tight deadlines â&#x20AC;¢ Knows Microsoft Office, social media and search engines â&#x20AC;¢ A good team player, but is able to work independently within the perimeters of a given assignment â&#x20AC;¢ 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.

3OHDVH HPDLO \RXU UHVXPp DW hrd@manilatimes.net, or you may apply personally at ) 6LWLR *UDQGH %OGJ $ 6RULDQR $YHQXH ,QWUDPXURV 0DQLOD (Formerly TRB Bldg.), or you may call Irish de Guzman at 524-5664 local 122.

The foregoing project is utilizing the 3DUWLFLSDWLRQ 7KURXJK ,QYHVWPHQW Incentivized Compliance, by depositing the amount of One Million Eight Hundred Seventy Eight Thousand One Hundred 6HYHQW\ 2QH 3HVRV DQG )RUW\ 6HYHQ &HQWDYRV 3KS LQ D 7UXVW $FFRXQW 1R XQGHU (VFURZ $JUHHPHQW H[HFXWHG RQ -DQXDU\ EHWZHHQ WKH +286,1* $1' /$1' 86( 5(*8/$725< %2$5' 52%,16216 /$1' &25325$7,21 DQG 0(75232/,7$1 %$1. 75867 &203$1< 7UXVW %DQNLQJ *URXS DV LWV FRPSOLDQFH SXUVXDQW WR 6HFWLRQ RI 5HSXEOLF $FW 1R DV DPHQGHG E\ 5HSXEOLF $FW 1R

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NOTICE Notice is hereby given that ROBINSONS LAND CORPORATION, (Owner/ 'HYHORSHU KDV ¿OHG ZLWK WKLV %RDUG for the sale of units in AURORA ESCALADES located at Aurora Blvd., Brgy. San Roque, Quezon City, described DV /RW 1R 3VG 7UDQVIHU &HUWL¿FDWH RI 7LWOH 1R ZLWK DQ DUHD RI VTXDUH PHWHUV

$EVHQW DQ\ OHJDO LPSHGLPHQW WKH DERYH cited project is deemed registered and D FHUWL¿FDWH LQ HYLGHQFH WKHUHRI VKDOO IRUWKZLWK EH LVVXHG DIWHU ¿YH GD\V from the last day of publication.

,1 7+( 0$77(5 2) 7+( 3(7,7,21 FOR THE CANCELLATION OF $1127$7,21 $33($5,1* 21 TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE 12 5

Very truly yours,

HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD Expanded National Capital Region )LHOG 2I¿FH 6th Floor, Sunnymede IT Center, Quezon Avenue Quezon City

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.

5(38%/,& 2) 7+( 3+,/,33,1(6 1$7,21$/ &$3,7$/ -8',&,$/ 5(*,21 5(*,21$/ 75,$/ &2857 BRANCH 160, PASIG CITY 6$1 -8$1 &,7< 67$7,21

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7KH 3)'$ UHVHUYHV WKH ULJKW WR UHMHFW DQ\ DQG DOO ELGV GHFODUH D IDLOXUH RI ELGGLQJ or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with 6HFWLRQ RI 5$ DQG LWV 5HYLVHG ,55 ZLWKRXW WKHUHE\ LQFXUULQJ DQ\ liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

5HSXEOLF RI WKH 3KLOLSSLQHV REGIONAL TRIAL COURT 6th Judicial Region %UDQFK Iloilo City

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In the event that you might not be able to come and attend the meeting, please accomplish the ac FRPSDQ\LQJ 3UR[\ )RUP DQG VXEPLW WKH VDPH WHQ GD\V SULRU WR WKH VFKHGXOHG PHHWLQJ $OO IRUPV received by the Secretary after the given period will no longer be honored.

7KH FRQWUDFW VKDOO EH FRPSOHWHG ZLWKLQ WZR KXQGUHG IRUW\ FDOHQGDU GD\V RU eight (8) months.

Notice is hereby given that: Rockwell Leisure Club, Inc. with Stock &HUWL¿FDWH 1R $ 6SOHQGLGR Taal Golf Club, Inc. with Stock &HUWL¿FDWH 1R &OXE 3XQWD )XHJR ,QF ZLWK 6WRFN &HUWL¿FDWH 1R DQG &DODWDJDQ *ROI &OXE ,QF ZLWK 6WRFN &HUWL¿FDWH 1R $ issued under the name of Martin H. Galvez were declared lost as per $I¿GDYLW RI /RVV H[HFXWHG E\ KLV ZLGRZ 6KHLOD 3LODU <XOR *DOYH] RQ -DQXDU\ DQG DFNQRZOHGJHG DV 'RF 1R RQ 3DJH 1R RI %RRN 1R ;, 6HULHV RI EHIRUH Atty. Felipe I. Iledan, Jr., a notary public for and in the City of Makati.

The criteria and rating system for short listing are:

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Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

The Manila Times DOES NOT ask for money to stop news articles from being published. This paper does not condone any form of blackmail.

07 )HEUXDU\

HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD Expanded National Capital Region )LHOG 2I¿FH 6th Floor, Sunnymede IT Center, Quezon Avenue Quezon City NOTICE Notice is hereby given that ONE KALAYAAN RESIDENCES, INC. (Owner) and RS REALTY CONCEPTS DEVELOPERS, INC. 'HYHORSHU KDV ¿OHG ZLWK WKLV %RDUG for the sale of condominium units at ONE KALAYAAN RESIDENCES ORFDWHG DW /LZDVDQJ .DOD\DDQ Marikina Heights, Marikina City, FRYHUHG E\ /RW %ON 3ODQ 3FV

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LQ D 7UXVW $FFRXQW 1R XQGHU (VFURZ $JUHHPHQW H[HFXWHG RQ -DQXDU\ EHWZHHQ WKH +286,1* $1' /$1' 86( 5(*8/$725< %2$5' 56 5($/7< &21&(376 '(9(/23(56 ,1& DQG $6,$ 81,7(' %$1. DV LWV FRPSOLDQFH SXUVXDQW WR 6HFWLRQ RI 5HSXEOLF $FW 1R DV DPHQGHG E\ 5HSXEOLF $FW 1R 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 DERYH FLWHG SURMHFW LV GHHPHG UHJLVWHUHG DQG D FHUWL¿FDWH LQ evidence thereof, shall forthwith be LVVXHG DIWHU ¿YH GD\V IURP WKH last day of publication.

Quezon City, Metro Manila, (SGD.) ATTY. NORMAN JACINTO P. DORAL 2I¿FHU ,Q &KDUJH 07 )HEUXDU\

HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD Expanded National Capital Region )LHOG 2I¿FH 6th Floor, Sunnymede IT Center, Quezon Avenue Quezon City NOTICE Notice is hereby given that DMCIPROJECT DEVELOPERS, INC., 2ZQHU 'HYHORSHU KDV ¿OHG ZLWK this Board for the sale of units in FAIRLANE RESIDENCES located at :HVW &DSLWRO 'ULYH %UJ\ .DSLWRO\R 3DVLJ &LW\ GHVFULEHG DV /RW 1R 3VG 7UDQVIHU &HUWL¿FDWH RI 7LWOH 1R ZLWK DQ DUHD RI VTXDUH PHWHUV The foregoing project is utilizing the 3DUWLFLSDWLRQ 7KURXJK ,QYHVWPHQW Incentivized Compliance, by depositing the amount of Thirty Three Million Eight Hundred Forty Nine Thousand Three Hundred 6L[WHHQ 3HVRV DQG 6L[W\ &HQWDYRV 3KS LQ D 7UXVW Account under Escrow Agreement H[HFXWHG RQ -DQXDU\ EHWZHHQ WKH +286,1* $1' /$1' 86( 5(*8/$725< %2$5' '0&, 352-(&7 '(9(/23(56 ,1& DQG %'2 81,%$1. ,1& 7UXVW DQG Investment Group as its compliance SXUVXDQW WR 6HFWLRQ RI 5HSXEOLF $FW 1R DV DPHQGHG E\ 5HSXEOLF $FW 1R 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.

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Quezon City, Metro Manila, FEB.

(SGD) ATTY. NORMAN JACINTO P. DORAL 2I¿FHU ,Q &KDUJH 07 )HEUXDU\

For subscription, please call the Circulation Department at 524-5664 local 222 or 310-5584 or email circulation@ manilatimes.net ----------------------------To a d v e r t i s e , e m a i l us at advertising@ manilatimes.net or call 524-5664 local 121

World Trump plans â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;emergencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to fund wall W

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

SATURDAY February 16, 2019

w w w.manilatimes.net

ASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump plans to declare a national emergency to fund his controversial border wall, the White House said on Thursday (Friday in Manila), a move that alarmed US lawmakers shortly before they passed legislation to avert a government shutdown.

Trump has signaled he will sign the massive spending measure keeping federal agencies operational through September 30.

"UT IT DOES NOT SPECIkCALLY FUND a wall on the US-Mexico border, AND 4RUMP S EMERGENCY DECLARATION WOULD HELP HIM BYPASS #ONgress to locate and redirect billions of dollars in funding to build it.

Trump will take the action â&#x20AC;&#x153;to ensure we stop the national SECURITY AND HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

at the border,â&#x20AC;? White House 0RESS 3ECRETARY 3ARAH 3ANDERS SAID SHORTLY BEFORE THE 3ENATE PASSED the spending bill.

The House of Representatives followed suit hours later, and 4RUMP HAS UNTIL A MIDNIGHT &RIDAY deadline to sign it and prevent the government from going into shutDOWN FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS YEAR Signing the spending bill would bring an end to a rolling, twomonth battle over government

FUNDING "UT BY DECLARING AN EMERGENCY 4RUMP OPENS A NEW CONfrontationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; and creates some of the riskiest legal peril of his term.

(OUSE 3PEAKER .ANCY 0ELOSI

Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Democratic nemesis in #ONGRESS SAID MEMBERS OF HER CAUCUS were â&#x20AC;&#x153;reviewing our optionsâ&#x20AC;? about how to respond to Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s move. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Declaring a national emerGENCY WOULD BE A LAWLESS ACT A gross abuse of the power of the PRESIDENCY AND A DESPERATE ATtempt to distract from the fact that President Trump broke his core PROMISE TO HAVE -EXICO PAY FOR HIS WALL u 0ELOSI AND 3ENATE -INORITY ,EADER #HUCK 3CHUMER SAID IN A statement.

3ENATE -AJORITY ,EADER -ITCH -C#ONNELL SAID HE BACKS THE president, but several others in the Republican camp have expressed

deep reservations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have concerns about the precedent that could be set with THE USE OF EMERGENCY ACTION TO re-appropriate funds,â&#x20AC;? veteran RePUBLICAN 3ENATOR #HUCK 'RASSLEY said in a statement.

3ENATOR 3USAN #OLLINS SAID it â&#x20AC;&#x153;would be a mistake on the part of the presidentâ&#x20AC;? to declare SUCH AN EMERGENCY WARNING IT would â&#x20AC;&#x153;undermineâ&#x20AC;? lawmakersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; all-important role as financial appropriators.

-ANY LAWMAKERS HAVE SAID THEY have no idea from where Trump will draw the funding. Democrats in particular have signaled that the move would open the door to future presidents declaring emergencies on various topics, from gun violence to climate change to the opioid crisis.

Maduro bares secret meets with US envoy CARACAS: A month into Venezuelaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high-stakes political crisis, President Nicolas Maduro revealed in an Associated Press interview that his government held secret talks with the Trump administration and predicted he would survive an unprecedented global campaign to force his resignation.

While harshly criticizing President Donald Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s confrontational stance toward his socialist government, Maduro said Thursday that he holds out hope of meeting the US president soon to resolve a crisis triggered

by Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recognition of opponent Juan Guaido as Venezuelaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rightful leader.

Maduro said that during two hushed meetings in New York, his foreign minister invited the Washington-based special envoy for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, to come to visit â&#x20AC;&#x153;privately, publicly or secretly.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;If he wants to meet, just tell me when, where and how and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be there,â&#x20AC;? Maduro said without providing more details.

He said both New York meetings lasted several hours.

A senior administration official in

Washington who was not authorized to speak publicly said US officials were willing to meet with â&#x20AC;&#x153;former Venezuela officials, including Maduro himself, to discuss their exit plans.â&#x20AC;?

Venezuela is plunging deeper into a political chaos triggered by the US demand that Maduro step down a month into a second presidential term that the US and its allies in Latin America consider illegitimate. His opponent, the 35-yearold Guaido, burst onto the political stage in January in the first viable challenge in years to Maduroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hold on power.

As head of Congress, Guaido declared himself interim president on Jan. 23, saying he had a constitutional right to assume presidential powers from the â&#x20AC;&#x153;tyrantâ&#x20AC;? Maduro. He has since garnered broad support, calling massive street protests and winning recognition from the US and dozens of nations in Latin America and Europe who share his goal of removing Maduro.

The escalating crisis is taking place against a backdrop of economic and social turmoil

that has led to severe shortages of food and medicine that have forced millions to flee the once-prosperous OPEC nation.

Abramsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; appointment as special envoy last month signaled the Trump administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s determination to take a tougher line on Venezuela.

The hawkish former Republican diplomat was a major voice pushing for the ouster of Manuel Noriega in Panama in the 1980s and also was convicted for withholding information from the US Congress during the infamous Iran-Contra affair. He also played a leading role in managing the USâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tepid response to a brief coup that toppled Hugo Chavez in Venezuela in 2002.

Two senior Venezuelan officials who were not authorized to discuss the meetings publicly said the two encounters between Abrams and Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza came at the request of the US The first one on Jan. 26 they described as hostile, with the US envoy threatening Venezuela with the deployment of troops and chastising the Venezuelan government for allegedly being in league with

Cuba, Russia and Hezbollah.

When they met again this week, the atmosphere was less tense, even though the Feb. 11 encounter came four days after Abrams said the â&#x20AC;&#x153;time for dialogue with Maduro had long passed.â&#x20AC;? During that meeting, Abrams insisted that severe US sanctions would oust Maduro even if Venezuelaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s military stuck by him.

Abrams gave no indication the US was prepared to ease demands Maduro step down. Still, the Venezuelans saw the meetings as a sign there is room for discussion with the Americans despite the tough public rhetoric coming from Washington.

At turns conciliatory and combative, Maduro said all Venezuela needs to rebound is for Trump to remove his â&#x20AC;&#x153;infected handâ&#x20AC;? from the country that sits atop the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest petroleum reserves.

He said US sanctions on the oil industry are to blame for mounting hardships even though shortages and hyperinflation that economists say topped 1 million percent long predates Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent action. AP

R. Kelly had sex with minor, says lawyer NEW YORK: 4HE LAWYER REPRESENTING A porn star in a legal battle with US President Donald Trump said on 4HURSDAY HIS OFkCE HAS PREVIOUSLY unreleased footage of R&B superstar 2 +ELLY HAVING SEX WITH A YOUNG GIRL Michael Avenatti said his team discovered the graphic tape as representatives of multiple clients linked to accusations against the American singer, who has faced allegations of sexual assault for decades. +ELLY DENIED THE LATEST ALLEGATIONS ON 4HURSDAY VIA HIS LAWYER 3TEVE 'REENBERG WHO SAID g) HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED BY ANYONE CONnected with law enforcement, nor HAS 2 +ELLY u In a statement Avenatti said he gave the â&#x20AC;&#x153;new critical video eviDENCEu AGAINST THE ARTIST TO THE #OOK #OUNTY 3TATE S !TTORNEY IN #HICAGO

WHERE +ELLY

LIVES â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will continue to work tireLESSLY TO ENSURE THAT THIS PREDATOR IS BROUGHT TO JUSTICE u !VENATTI

tweeted.

4HE ATTORNEY HAS BECOME A PUBLIC kGURE SINCE kLING A LAWSUIT FOR ADULT kLM ACTRESS 3TORMY $ANIELS IN -ARCH LAST YEAR SEEKING TO INVALIDATE A non-disclosure agreement over an alleged affair with Trump in 2006.

He said the events shown in the footage fell within the state of Illinoisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; statute of limitations.

4HE STATE S ATTORNEY S OFkCE TOLD Agence France-Presse it â&#x20AC;&#x153;cannot CONkRM OR DENY AN INVESTIGATIONu but The New Yorker magazine, citING A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFkCIAL SAID AN INDICTMENT IS PENDING AND +ELLY could face arrest.

4HE TAPE WHICH IS NEARLY minutes long, is not the same video THAT SAW +ELLY FACE COUNTS OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES IN

a case in which he was acquitted six YEARS LATER #..

WHICH OBTAINED A COPY of the new footage, described it as â&#x20AC;&#x153;clear and explicit.â&#x20AC;? The network said two scenes show a naked man WHO APPEARS TO BE +ELLY ENGAGE IN several sex acts with a female who CALLS OUT gDADDY u 4HE AUDIO CAPtured with the images suggests the GIRL IS YEARS OLD )N A STATEMENT THE ARTIST S LAWYER accused women who have spoken OUT AGAINST +ELLY OF DOING SO TO â&#x20AC;&#x153;make a buckâ&#x20AC;? and dismissed the LATEST ALLEGATIONS g-R +ELLY DENIES THAT HE HAS ENGAGED IN ANY ILLEGAL CONDUCT OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER u â&#x20AC;&#x153;He would like to be able to

Worldinbrief TRUMP PUTS ON WEIGHT, BUT IN â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;VERY GOOD HEALTHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201C; DOCTOR WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump is technically obese and has put on weight since last year, but his official doctor declared him on Thursday to be in â&#x20AC;&#x153;very good health.â&#x20AC;? The presidential physician, Sean Conley, said Trump, 72, passed his medical exam last week with flying colors. In a statement, he said that â&#x20AC;&#x153;the president remains in very good health overall.â&#x20AC;? Trump, who has confounded health experts with his penchant for junk food and avoidance of strenuous exercise, weighs 243 pounds (110 kg), the report said. This is a little bulkier than the 239 pounds recorded last year, which was already considered too much. The resting heart rate has gone up too, at 70 beats a minute, compared to 68 beats last year.

Trump has a history of high cholesterol and this year the dosage of his anti-cholesterol medicine Rosuvastatin was raised from a low 10mg a day to 40mg, Conley said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There were no findings of significance or changes to report on his physical exam, including the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, teeth/gums, heart, lungs, skin, gastrointestinal, and neurologic systems,â&#x20AC;? Conleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s medical summary said.

AFP

HONG KONG SEIZES $1M IN RHINO HORN IN RECORD AIRPORT HAUL HONG KONG: Two men carrying at least 24 severed rhino horns were arrested in Hong Kong airport by customs officers who said it was their largest ever seizure of rhino contraband smuggled by air passengers.The haulâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;worth some HK$8 million

Q R. Kelly. AFP PHOTO continue to write and sing and PRODUCE AND PERFORM u 'REENBERG SAID ADDING THAT +ELLY IS WORKING on an album. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In this age of hashtags we are too QUICK TO RUSH TO JUDGMENT SIMPLY BEcause something is associated with a hashtag. A hashtag does not make CLAIMS CREDIBLE u THE LAWYER SAID For decades the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;real name 2OBERT 3YLVESTER +ELLYÂ&#x2021;HAS FACED lawsuits and accusations over child PORNOGRAPHY SEX WITH MINORS OPERATING A SEX CULT AND SEXUAL BATTERY

)N HE WED HIS PROTÂźGÂź !ALIYAH THE LATE 2 " STAR WHO WAS at the time. +ELLY THEN HAD PRODUCED THE teenage singerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s debut album titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Age Ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Nothing But a Number.â&#x20AC;?

Their marriage was later annulled, AND !ALIYAH DIED IN A PLANE CRASH in 2001.

Despite unsettling claims against him, the decorated musicianâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; known for hits including â&#x20AC;&#x153;I Believe I #AN &LYuÂ&#x2021;HAS CONTINUED TO PERFORM and maintain a solid fan base. AFP

($1 million)â&#x20AC;&#x201D;was transported brazenly through the terminal in two cardboard boxes, the customs department said. The pair had arrived from Johannesburg and were planning to transit to Vietnamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ho Chi Minh City, a statement from the department said, which did not give their nationalities. An environmental group in Hong Kong said the 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of horn was a major bustâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;accounting for 20 percent of the total amount of rhino horn seizures in the city in the last five years. It came just two weeks after Hong Kong announced it had found a record eight tons of pangolin scales in a shipping container from Nigeria headed to Vietnam. That haul also contained more than 1,000 ivory tusks.

JAPAN TO RECOGNIZE INDIGENOUS AINU PEOPLE FOR FIRST TIME TOKYO: Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s government introduced a bill on Friday to recognize the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ethnic Ainu minority as an â&#x20AC;&#x153;indigenousâ&#x20AC;? people for the first time, after decades of discrimination against the group. The Ainu peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;many of whom live in northern Hokkaidoâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;have long suffered the effects of a policy of forced assimilation, and while discrimination has receded gradually, income and education gaps with the rest of Japan persist. The bill is the first to recognize the Ainu as â&#x20AC;&#x153;indigenous peopleâ&#x20AC;? and calls for the government to make â&#x20AC;&#x153;forward-looking policies,â&#x20AC;? including measures to support communities and boost local economies and tourism. The Ainu have long suffered oppression and exploitation, and the modern Japanese government in the late 19th century banned them from practicing their customs and using their language. The Ainu traditionally observed an animist faith, with men wearing full beards and women adorning themselves with facial tattoos before marriage. The Ainu population is estimated to be at least 12,300, according to a 2017 survey, but the real figure is unknown.

AFP

Under the National Emergencies Act, the president can declare A NATIONAL EMERGENCY PROVIDING A SPECIkC REASON FOR IT That allows the mobilization of HUNDREDS OF DORMANT EMERGENCY powers under other laws, which can permit the White House to declare martial law, suspend civil liberties, EXPAND THE MILITARY SEIZE PROPERTY and restrict trade, communications AND kNANCIAL TRANSACTIONS 4RUMP HAS REPEATEDLY STATED HE will look to other federal sources to fund his wall, one of his top campaign trail promises from 2016.

There is broad expectation that Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s move would be challenged in court. !ND (OUSE *UDICIARY #OMMITTEE *ERRY .ADLER EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR a joint congressional resolution to gTERMINATEu 4RUMP S EMERGENCY

B7

declaration.

4HAT RESOLUTION WOULD LIKELY PASS THE $EMOCRATICALLY CONTROLLED House, but it would face a tough road in the Senate, where several 2EPUBLICANS MAY NOT WISH TO CROSS the president.

Even if it passed, Trump could veto it.

The spending measure includes ONLY BILLION FOR BORDER BARRIERS OR FENCING FAR FROM THE billion that Trump has sought for his long-promised border wallâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a DEMAND THAT LED TO THE RECENT DAY GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN THE LONGEST IN 53 HISTORY The compromise package funds UNTIL 3EPTEMBER THE PERCENT of the government whose operations would lapse if the bill is not SIGNED BY 4RUMP BY THE MIDNIGHT &RIDAY DEADLINE AFP

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Back to Moon soon, to stay this timeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; WASHINGTON, D.C.: NASA is accelerating plans to return Americans to the Moon, and this TIME THE 53 SPACE AGENCY SAYS IT WILL BE THERE TO STAY Jim Bridenstine, NASAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administrator, told reporters on 4HURSDAY &RIDAY IN -ANILA THAT THE AGENCY PLANS TO SPEED UP PLANS BACKED BY 0RESIDENT Donald Trump to return to the moon, using private companies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important that we get back to the moon as fast as possible,â&#x20AC;? said Bridenstine in a meeting at NASAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Washington headquarters, adding he hoped to have astronauts back there BY â&#x20AC;&#x153;This time, when we go to the -OON WE RE ACTUALLY GOING TO STAY 7E RE NOT GOING TO LEAVE lAGS AND FOOTPRINTS AND THEN come home to not go back for ANOTHER YEARSu HE SAID g7E RE DOING IT ENTIRELY DIFFERENT THAN EVERY OTHER COUNTRY in the world. What weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing is, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re making it sustainable SO YOU CAN GO BACK AND FORTH REGULARLY WITH HUMANS u The last person to walk on THE -OON WAS %UGENE #ERNAN IN $ECEMBER DURING THE !POLLO MISSION Before humans set foot on the lunar surface again, NASA aims to land an unmanned veHICLE ON THE -OON BY AND IS ALREADY INVITING BIDS FROM the burgeoning private sector to build the probe.

The deadline for bids is -ARCH WITH A kRST SELECTION DUE IN -AY A TIGHT TIMELINE FOR AN AGENCY WHOSE PAST PROJECTS HAVE RUN YEARS BEHIND SCHEDULE and billions over budget. g&OR US IF WE HAD ANY WISH ) WOULD LIKE TO lY THIS CALENDAR

YEAR 7E WANT TO GO FAST u SAID Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator of NASAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Science Mission Directorate.

However, he admitted that gWE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO u NASAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accelerated plans lESH OUT THE 3PACE 0OLICY $Irective that Trump signed in $ECEMBER ENVISAGING A return to the Moon before a manned mission to Mars, posSIBLY IN THE S NASA plans to build a small SPACE STATION DUBBED 'ATEWAY

IN THE -OON S ORBIT BY )T WILL SERVE AS A WAY STATION for trips to and from the lunar surface, but will not be permaNENTLY CREWED LIKE THE )NTERNATIONAL 3PACE 3TATION )33

CURRENTLY IN %ARTH S ORBIT As with the ISS, NASA would seek the participation of other countries, who could provide SOME OF THE NECESSARY NEEDED

such as modules for the Moon station or vehicles to allow landings on the surface. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want numerous providers competing on cost and innovation,â&#x20AC;? Bridenstine said.

Before this manned program, NASA is also pushing to SEND SCIENTIkC INSTRUMENTS AND other technological tools to the Moon in 2020 or even before THE END OF THIS YEAR 4HE AGENCY IS ALSO CALLING for quick-turnaround bids to manufacture and launch such INSTRUMENTS OFFERING kNANCIAL incentives to make it happen fast. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We care about speed,â&#x20AC;? said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Science Mission Directorate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We DO NOT EXPECT THAT EVERY ONE OF THOSE LAUNCHES OR EVERY ONE OF those landings will be successful. We are taking risks.â&#x20AC;? AFP

SSATURDAY AT URDAY FEBRUARY 16, 20199

Public Square

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BSP deputy governor talks about CHFP in Creba meeting PolySto for food processing plants, laboratories D IWA GUINIGUNDO, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) deputy governor for Monetary Stability and Economics, cited NH\ ÂżJXUHV RQ WKH XQXVHG DJUL DJUD IXQGV RI EDQNV HDUPDUNHG IRU KRXVLQJ SXUSRVHV XQGHU 5HSXEOLF $FW GXULQJ KLV VSHHFK RQ WKH ÂżUVW PRQWKO\ EXVLQHVV PHHWLQJ RI WKH &KDPEHU of Real Estate and Buildersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Associations, Inc. &UHED KHOG LQ 0DNDWL &LW\ RQ -DQ &UHED LV VXSSRUWLQJ WKH ELOO ILOHG E\ +RXVH 6SHDNHU *ORULD 0DFDSDJDO $UUR\R DQG 6HQ - 9 (MHUFLWR PDNLQJ WKLV SDUW RI D 3 ELOOLRQ &RPSUHKHQVLYH +RPH )LQDQF LQJ 3URJUDP &+)3 WR DFFHOHUDWH DQQXDO KRXVLQJ SURGXFWLRQ WR XQLWV DQG DGGUHVV KRPHOHVVQHVV LQ \HDUV

Q BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinugundo (center) with Creba National Chairman Charlie Gorayeb (left) and National President Noel Toti CariĂąo.

Q Tim Pauwels (right) with William Juan (left) of MEFPS Center and Pichaya Madary of MCS Food Protect.

DISEASE-CAUSING microbes can contaminate food especially from old and small food processing plants that do not meet international standard for hygiene, resulting to serious foodborne disease outbreak.

However, Tim Pauwels, PolySto export manager, said that its hygienic wall protection products can fully address these concerns. He added that these can be installed in a short period, which can minimize work disruption

Nickel industry seals partnership with ECCP, EVAP

even in existing facilities.

Introduced during a technical conference at MEFPS Center, in Quezon City, on Feb. 8, the event was attended by representatives from leading companies such as San Miguel Corp., Selecta, and other food processing companies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;PolySto, a Belgian company, is the leading and preferred European producer of hygienic wall protection for the food and pharmaceutical industry,â&#x20AC;? Pauwels stressed.

FAPHL 2019 set in March Q Among those present during the press launch standing, from left: Robert Nazal, MRMJ Earth Movers Corp. president; Francis Neil Mercado, IPM Construction and Development Corp.SVP; Cesar Simbulan, DMCI Mining Corp. president and PNIA board member; Segundino Selma 3rd, Anseca Development Corp. COO; Paul Tan, Carrascal Nickel Corp. and PNIA board member; Kaycee Crisosotomo, Agata Mining Ventures, Inc. director for Communications and PNIA board member; Dei Cimatu, ECCP Memberships officer; Ramon Nieto Santos, Mining Operations at MRMJ Earth Movers Corp.; seated, from left: Florian Gottein, ECCP executive director; Clarence Pimentel Jr., CTP Construction and Mining Corp. president and CEO and PNIA chairman emeritus; Isidro Alcantara Jr., Marcventures Holdings chairman and PNIA chairman; Dante Bravo, Platinum Group Metals Corp. president and PNIA president; and Edmund Araga, EVAP president.

PHILIPPINE Nickel Industry As VRFLDWLRQ 31,$ SDUWQHUV ZLWK (XURSHDQ &KDPEHU RI &RPPHUFH (&&3 DQG (OHFWURQLF 9HKLFOHV

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LQWHUHVWV LQ QLFNHO SDUWLFXODUO\ WKH H YHKLFOHV DQG WUDQVSRUWDWLRQ DQG GLVFXVV KRZ WKLV JURZLQJ SRWHQWLDO can be optimized.

New Makati Tourism Foundation Inc board members take oath NEW board members of the Makati Tourism Foundation Inc. (MTFI) took oath during the foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent board meeting.

New members include Lorna Ballesteros, Anna Campbell and Mary Gaw So who swore to do their best to promote the city of Makati.

MTFI was created to promote Makati as the top business and tourism destination in the country through numerous projects, exhibitions and events. It promotes Jeepney Tours, Horeca Festivals, PWD Friendly Establishment Awards and disseminated detailed, handy and tourist friendly maps.

MTFI objective is to promote Makati as the premier hub for business and travel by improving its tourism.

Q MTFI 2019 Board (seated, from left) Adel Majaba of ExpoDanex (treasurer), Grace Bondad Nicolas of Tag Media Group (vice president), Philip Cea of F1 Hotel (vice president), Elton Tan of The E Hotel (president), Vots Villegas (executive director), Tan Yu 3rd of The E Hotel (secretary general), Jets Yu of Prime Philippines (trustee); (standing, from left) artist Ed Arcilla (trustee), Robert Laurel Yupangco of Yupangco Group of Companies(trustee), Anna Campbell of L.A. Campbell & Associates (trustee), Mary Gaw So of Real Estate Hub Inc (trustee), and Lorna Ballesteros (trustee).

Widus Foundation donates P1.5M to Candaba Infirmary Hospital WIDUS Foundation Inc., (WFI), the corporate social responsibility arm of Widus Hotel and Casino, committed to donating P1.5-million worth of various medicine, medical supplies, and hospital equipment to the CandABA )NkRMARY (OSPITAL THROUGH a memorandum of agreement (MoA) forged during the February â&#x20AC;&#x153;Talk Wid Usâ&#x20AC;? media forum with the Pampanga Press Club.

Under the agreement signed

by WFI Executive Director Agnes Liwanag, WFI Manager Ronnel Golimlim and Candaba Sangguniang Bayan Vice Chair on Health Carol Foz, aims to award #ANDABA AS THE kRST BENEkCIARY

Q Widus Foundation Executive Director Agnes Liwanag (center left) inks a memorandum of agreement with Candaba Sangguniang Bayan Vice Chair on Health Carol Foz (center right) for the foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s P1.5M worth of donation to the Candaba Infirmary Hospital. of the foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Medical Equipment Donation and Suppliesâ&#x20AC;? (MEDS) project.

Built in 2015, the Candaba

-UNICIPAL )NkRMARY UNDER THE MEDS project, will undergo expansion funded by the Department of Health, WFI and the

,OCAL -UNICIPAL (EALTH /FkCE of Candaba and aims to qualify THE INkRMARY TO A ,EVEL $ISTRICT Hospital by the end of the year.

Ogilvy holds BrandCamp for emerging Filipino brands OGILVY Philippines recently organized BrandCamp, a workshop for emerging Filipino brands, gathering small and medium enterprises to give an opportunity to learn marketing communications from one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading agencies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ogilvy was founded on one manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entrepreneurial spirit, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly the kind of spirit we want to encourage in more Filipinos,â&#x20AC;? said Ogilvy Philippines CEO Elly Puyat.

For the workshopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pilot run, Ogilvy worked with representatives from seven local businesses run by millennial entrepreneursâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Q PFA President Richard Sanz WITH a two-day conference featuring 70 industry experts and an international expo showcasing more than 700 homegrown and international brands, the 2019 Franchise Asia Philippines (FAPHL) reasserts its position as the biggest franchisING EVENT IN THE !SIA 0ACIkC REGION With the theme â&#x20AC;&#x153;Growing Businesses, Building Legacies,â&#x20AC;? the event is slated on Mar. 27 to 31, at the SMX Convention in Pasay City, set to ensure a wider participation from exhibitors, conference guests, expo visitors and attendees. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In response to the growing interest in franchising among Filipinos, the international franchise conference of Franchise Asia Philippines

Q FAPHL 2019 Overall Chair Sherill Quintana

Q FAPHL 2019 Overall Co- chair Chris Lim 2019 will feature 70 subject matter experts who will present or facilitate in six plenary sessions, 14 breakout sessions and 30 round table discussionsâ&#x20AC;? said FAPHL 2019 Overall Chair Sherill Quintana.

For more information, visit www.pfa.org.ph, www.franchiseasiaph.com or www.facebook.com/franchiseasiaph.

CEO Ruby Pacis receives 2018 Ambassadors Choice Excellence award RUBY CANTERAS PACIS, CEO and founding president of Faith in God Ruby Pacis Montalbo Professional and Technical Services Corp. (FIGRPMPTSC), was awarded as one of the 2018 Ambassadors Choice Excellence awardee honored by the !SIA 0ACIkC #OUNCIL 7ORLD #OUNCIL for Excellence Award Ministry and the ACSR Humanitarian Service -INISTRY FOR HER SIGNIkCANT CONTRIBUTIONS IN HER RESPECTIVE kELD Pacis was also selected as one of the Top 25 recipients of the 2018 Most Outstanding Model Icon for Life Coach, as well as the Outstanding Asian Achiever Icon, Leadership Excellence Business Service Provider and Model Life Coach Practitioner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I received the award, I cried because this isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t about popularity, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about how I recognize my Creator for giving me the chance to maximize my skills.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a recognition of the things Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve

done in the past, which I did for the glory of the Lord,â&#x20AC;? said Pacis.

FIGRPMPTSC is an independent subcontractor/contractor authorized and registered to provide business process support and services such as HR services, accounting services, process audit services, messengerial services, hotel and restaurant management services in various industries, property housekeeping and rental services, and technical support and services.

Belmonte to enforce stricter smoking ban in QC

Q Ogilvy Philippines holds its first BrandCamp workshops for small local businesses.

1Export, Founding Farmers, Habil Crafts, Marquina Shoemaker, Tali Ti Amianan, Tangerine Kitchen, and TimeFree Innovationsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to help address their marketing com-

munications challenges.

Following the talks, the seven businesses took part in a series of consultation sessions where they sought advice from the BrandCamp

faculty on sustaining their progress and addressing current marketing communications challenges.

For more information, visit http://www.ogilvy.com/.

AMID complaints that the Quezon City government is lenient over the enforcement of the existing smoking ban in the city, Acting City Mayor Joy Belmonte pledged to implement a stricter smoking ban as she cares more for the peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health than the bars and other establishmentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ADDED PROkT DUE TO THEIR LENIENCY with the smoking ban. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know some who have died because of vice-related illnesses, and some were just victimized by second-hand smoke,â&#x20AC;? said Belmonte.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;You might think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s okay for you, being a smoker, to acquire respiratory diseases, but youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re forgetting your smoke can kill the person next to you who doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t smoke, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s obviously unfair. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also think about that perspective.â&#x20AC;?

Belmonte maintains her ground on penalizing the ban violators, saying that the city would revisit the existing ordinance for possible revisions to make it more aligned with the Executive Order No. 26 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte in May 2017.

Sports

C1 SSATURDAY FFEBRUARY 16, 2019

www.manilatimes.net

Pelicans lose Davis but cool off red-hot Thunder L

/3 !.'%,%3 *ULIUS 2ANDLE kNISHED WITH POINTS AND REBOUNDS AS THE .EW /RLEANS 0ELICANS OVERCAME ANOTHER TRIPLE DOUBLE FROM 2USSELL 7ESTBROOK TO BEAT THE /KLAHOMA #ITY 4HUNDER ON 4HURSDAY &RIDAY IN -ANILA 4HE VICTORY COULD PROVE COSTLY FOR THE 0ELICANS AS ALL STAR !NTHONY $AVIS LEFT THE GAME WITH A SHOULDER INJURY AT THE END OF THE kRST HALF The disgruntled Davis, who has requested a trade, did not return and it WAS UNKNOWN WHETHER THE INJURY WOULD keep him out of the NBA all-star game ON 3UNDAY IN #HARLOTTE .ORTH #AROLINA $AVIS kNISHED WITH POINTS IN MINUTES OF PLAYING TIME Randle also added three clutch baskets in the final minute and teamMATE *RUE (OLIDAY SCORED POINTS for the Pelicans, who have lost eight of their last 12 games as the league now heads into the annual midseason all-star break. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Man, we had to be up for this one, the last one before the break,â&#x20AC;? said (OLIDAY g7E CAME OUT AND FOUGHT hard against a great team with Paul George and Russell Westbrook.â&#x20AC;?

7ESTBROOK CONTINUED HIS EYE POPping performances, extending his league record with an 11th straight TRIPLE DOUBLE AS HE kNISHED WITH POINTS REBOUNDS AND ASSISTS It was the 12th time in Westbrookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career in which he scored at least POINTS IN A TRIPLE DOUBLE 4HAT puts him in a tie for second place

WITH (OUSTON S *AMES (ARDEN FOR THE MOST POINT TRIPLE DOUBLES IN ."! HISTORY (OWEVER 7ESTBROOK MISSED BADLY ON A POORLY EXECUTED THREE POINT ATTEMPT WITH /KLAHOMA #ITY BEHIND BY kVE POINTS LATE IN 4HURSDAY S GAME The Pelicans took possession of the ball and cruised from there. /N -ONDAY 7ESTBROOK S TRIPLE double against Portland extended his streak to 10 games, breaking Wilt Chamberlainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mark of nine straight set in 1968. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have so much room for improveMENT JUST FOR ME PERSONALLY BECAUSE ) know how good I can be and how much I can bring to the game and to help this team be successful,â&#x20AC;? he said. g3O ) M VERY VERY OPTIMISTIC u George added 28 points, and Nerlens Noel tallied 22 for the Thunder, who had won four straight and 11 of 12. % 4WAUN -OORE SCORED POINTS AND *AHLIL /KAFOR HAD as New Orleans bounced back from having its lowest point totals of the season in its two most recent games -- a 99-90 loss at Memphis on 3ATURDAY AND A BLOWOUT LOSS TO /RLANDO ON 4UESDAY

Elsewhere, Dennis Smith scored 19 points as the hapless New York Knicks ended their 18-game losing streak with a 106-91 win over the Atlanta Hawks. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has been a long time since we got a win. We had to lock down,â&#x20AC;? said Smith.

The streak set a franchise record for consecutive loses in a season and this WAS THEIR kRST WIN SINCE *ANUARY WHEN THEY BEAT THE STRUGGLING ,OS !NGELES ,AKERS Also, the Orlando Magic snapped a 13GAME LOSING STREAK TO #HARLOTTE BY BEATING the Hornets 127-89 behind 21 points from Terrence Ross.

AFP Q Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (No. 12) blocks a shot from New Orleans Pelicans center Julius Randle (No. 30) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans on Friday. AP PHOTO

Coach Kerr fined $25,000 for ref rant OAKLAND, United States: Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Thursday (Friday in Manila) following his rant at officials during his teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Kerr needed to be escorted from the court at Portlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Moda Center on Wednesday after angrily objecting to a flagrant foul called against Draymond Green.

The Warriors coach was assessed two technical fouls and ejected after slamming his clipboard to the ground and unleashing a verbal volley against official Kenny Mauer.

Kerrâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fine was confirmed

by NBA vice president of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe.

Kerr later spoke to reporters about his angry reaction, explaining he was baffled by the decision to call a foul on Green for what looked like an innocuous Q Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant, left, helps escort coach Steve Kerr challenge. after Kerr was ejected during the second half of the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s NBA basketball game â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was just shocked that against the Portland Trail Blazers in Portland, Oregon on Thursday. AP PHOTO

SEA Games prep suffers a snag THE slashing of the P7.5 billion budget for the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games can cause a snag in the preparation for the 30th edition of the biennial meet among athletes representing the 11-nation conclave.

The Senate early this week, had cut the proposed P7.5 billion funding requirements by 33 percent reducing it to mere P5-billion leaving the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) in quandary as to how to remedy the situation.

Coming at a time when infrastructure requirements on venues have been almost completed, the cutting of the budget, indeed, posed a big problem to the PHISGOC members in-charge of building new competition sites or refurnishing the existing ones.

According to PHISGOC chair, former Foreign Affairs secretary Alan Cayetano, the Senateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision came at a time when his committee had already an idea how it could work within a budget of P6.5 billion o make the hosting successful. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But, definitely, not P5 billion,â&#x20AC;? Cayetano, himself an ex-senator, was quoted by media men during the presentation of the official SEA Games partners on Wednesday.

Tom Carrasco, PHISGOC executive director, intimated that several sports assigned in venues still being constructed at the Clark New City and the old Clark Global City will have to be transferred to the aging Rizal Sports Complex in Manila and the ULTRA in Pasig City. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The move, when implemented, can save jus P2

million,â&#x20AC;? Carrasco assured. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The World Trade Center, which is to be shared by fencing and wushu, come competition days, will have to accommodate, too, other sports for an estimated P4 million savings, â&#x20AC;&#x153; he added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Competitions in wushu last for only three days to five days, anyway, depending on the number of competitors, so, maybe we can transfer the wrestling and sambo competitions there as Q PHISGOC Chairman well,â&#x20AC;? Carrasco suggested.

Wrestling and sambo were Alan Peter Cayetano originally slated to be contested at FILE PHOTO the AUF Auditorium in Clark.

Carrasco clarified, though, that these were all tentative measures subject to further studies.â&#x20AC;? Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still in the process of collating all suggestions we can get and study them thoroughly.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Remember, we are hosting the biggest ever SEA Games in the history of the biennial meet with 56 sports and 523 events to be disputed,â&#x20AC;? Carrasco surmised.

Cayetano, who is running for representative in his hometown Taguig City in the coming mid-term May polls, agreed, saying, the PHISGOC has to raise the remaining P1.5 billion in the proposed appropriation.

However, he added that this time of the year, the big corporations have usually used up their budget for the entire year, including the extent of their participation in sports activities, including the SEA Games hosting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What used to be a hill that PHISGOC had to climb is now a mountain,â&#x20AC;? Cayetano said. EDDIE G. ALINEA

it was called a flagrant foul,â&#x20AC;? Kerr said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That was head-scratching that could be called a flagrant foul. I mean, the guyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to go up for a dunk, you got to make sure he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t dunk it. So I told Kenny I

beg to differ.â&#x20AC;?

Green was equally bemused, suggesting he was being penalized over-harshly because of his checkered disciplinary record. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I got a lot of ball,â&#x20AC;? Green said of the

foul. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Draymond rule.â&#x20AC;?

Green however saluted Kerrâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s response to the incident. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I loved that too,â&#x20AC;? Green said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That was amazing. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great.â&#x20AC;?

AFP

C2

Sports

TheË&#x153;Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY February 16, 2019

Q Gabe Norwood of Team Pilipinas (No. 5) scores against Qatar during the FIBA Asian qualifiersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fourth window last September at the Araneta Coliseum. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Guiao seeks OFWs' support in Qatar

BY JOSEF T. RAMOS

N

ATIONAL coach Yeng Guiao called on overseas Filipino workers in Qatar to show their support for the Philippine team when it plays against the Qataris in Doha on February 21, in the sixth and last window of the International "ASKETBALL &EDERATION &)"! !SIAN QUALIkERS â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we are anticipating is that they will be playing in their home court, they will be more familiar with their surroundings,â&#x20AC;? Guiao told reporters after the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tune-up game with Meralco on Friday morning. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But the positive thing is there are lots of Filipinos in the Middle East, particularly in Qatar.â&#x20AC;?

The nationals beat Meralco, 100-82, be-

hind Pogoyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 21 points and Lassiterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 14 points. It was Gilasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; only tune-up game before facing Qatar. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re hoping they will back us up and they will give us some of their energy by cheering for us.

I hope our fellow Filipinos there will pray for us. Everything we do is for them,â&#x20AC;? added Guiao.

Naturalized player Andray Blatche, coming from China, will

meet his teammates in Qatar that th include amateur standout Thirdy Thir Ravena, Jayson Castro, Gabe NorNo N Raymond wood, June Mar Fajardo, Raym mon Almazan, Japeth Aguilar, Troy RosaRos rio, Scottie Thompson, JP Erram and Marcio Lassiter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to thank Meralco for making themselves available for our only tune-up game. At least even without Andray (Blatche), the guys are blending well. We played good defense and we are hoping we can still improve our defense,â&#x20AC;? said Guiao.

Roger Pogoy will miss the Qatar ACTION BECAUSE OF A kVE GAME SUSpension imposed by the FIBA for his involvement in a brawl between the Philippine team and the Australian team on July 2 last year.

The Philippine team, currently at No. 4 with a 5-5 win-loss record, needs to sweep its remaining two games in Group F to reach the FIBA World Cup in China on August 31 to September 15.

After Qatar, the Philippines will face Kazakhstan in Astana on February 24.

153rd PSL National Series blasts off in Diliman today

PeĂąalosa collides with Cardenas at Skydome UNBEATEN Filipino pug Dave PeĂąalosa will clash against Marcos Cardenas of Mexico for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) oriental featherweight title today at the Skydome in SM North Edsa.

The 28-year-old PeĂąalosa (14-0 win-loss record with 10 knockouts) needs a convincing win against Cardenas (19-6-1 record with 15 knockouts) to strengthen his bid to challenge WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez.

Both fighters made it at 126 pounds during the formal weigh-in on Friday.

Meanwhile, International Boxing Federation (IBF) light flyweight and flyweight former world champion Johnriel Casimero battles Kenya Yamashita of Japan in a non-title bantamweight bout.

Former world champion Gerry PeĂąalosa, the promoter of the bout, said he is giving Casimero (25-4 win-loss record with 16 knockouts) a chance to redeem himself and pursue his dream to become a three-division world champion. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe he can still be a world champion and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re hoping he takes advantage of this

opportunity. If the result of his fight is impressive, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll help him get a world title fight the soonest since heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not getting any younger,â&#x20AC;? said PeĂąalosa in Filipino of the 30-year-old Casimero.

Both Casimero and Yamashita weighed in at 118 pounds.

Casimero lost via unanimous decision to compatriot Jonas Sultan in an IBF super flyweight title eliminator bout in Cebu City last September 16. Casimero decided to climb up to the bantamweight rank after the loss.

Yamashita is carrying a win-loss record of 13-4 with 10 knockouts.

JOSEF T. RAMOS

THE countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s young promising swimmers will vie for top honors in the 153rd Philippine Swimming League (PSL) National Series â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Diliman Preparatory School (DPS) Class C and Motivational Swim Meet today at the DPS swimming pool in Quezon City.

The tournament servesastryoutforinternational competitions in China, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and United Arab Emirates that the PSL will be joining. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our goal to provide venue for our young swimmers to showcase their talents. We are happy that a lot of swimmers from the PSL are reaping the BENEkTS OF OUR GRASSROOTS DEVELopmental program,â&#x20AC;? said PSL president Susan Papa. â&#x20AC;&#x153;PSL is giving chance too to

new swimmers to shine. We WANT TO BUILD THEIR CONkDENCE and elevate them to the next level. We want to develop their talents and give them exposures for future international competitions,â&#x20AC;? added Papa.

Medals and trophies await the TOP kNISHERS IN THE UNDER

9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15-over age bands for boys and girls.

Participants from Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Capiz, National Capital Region, Cavite, Davao, Baguio, Laguna, Pampanga, Quezon and Mindoro are expected to show up in the tournament supported

by MX3, DMI Company and The Manila Times.

Papa stressed that the event is open to all Filipino swimmers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Again, we want to emphasize that our competition is open

to all. We are not requiring a membership, just to be part of the team for our international competitions. As long as you meet the standards and you are willing to represent our country, you are in,â&#x20AC;? Papa said.

Seeing action in the tournament are Male Swimmer of the Year Marc Bryan Dula of Masville Elementary School ParaĂąaque and Christian Trump Luistro of Hope Christian SchoolLegazpi â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both are preparing for the 2019 Palarong Pambansa qualifying tournament.

Dula is part of the ParaĂąaque Swimming Team slated to compete in the Palarong Pambansa National Capital Region Athletic Meet while Luistro banners the Legazpi City Swimming Team in the Palarong Pambansa Bicol Region Athletic Meet.

PSL Grand Prix unfolds today THE long wait is finally over as Philippine Superliga Grand Prix fires off with an explosive double-header and a festive opening ceremony today at the Ynares Sports in Pasig City.

Generika-Ayala tests the mettle of Sta. Lucia at 6 p.m. while two-time champion Foton collides with an overhauled United Volleyball Club (UVC) side in the 4 p.m. opening salvo of this prestigious womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s club tourney that has ESPN5 and 5Plus as broadcast partners.

Before that, all eight competing teams will parade from the Oranbo Barangay Hall going to the venue with MFBD Marching Band and an LBGT group as spearheads, giving fans a chance to personally wish them well before they embark in another grueling tourney.

Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. Peter Cayco was invited to deliver the opening remarks while Philippine Olympic Committee president Ricky Vargas will render the inspirational speech before PSL chairman Philip Ella Juico declares the games open.

But on the court, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be all business.

Generika-Ayala is marching with high morale

following an impressive run in the All-Filipino Conference of this tourney that is backed by Asics, Mikasa, Mueller, Senoh, Team Rebel Sports, Bizooku, UCPB Gen, Hotel Sogo and Data Project.

With head coach Sherwin Meneses calling the shots and Marivic Meneses, Fiola Ceballos and Patty Orendain at the firing end, the Lifesavers made it all the way to the semifinals before falling prey to a powerhouse F2 Logistics squad.

This impressive run gave the Lifesavers high morale heading into the importflavored Grand Prix. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our confidence is high,â&#x20AC;? said Meneses, who will parade open spiker Nikolle del Rio of Brazil and middle blocker Kseniya Kocyvit of Azerbaijan in their pursuit to advance to the finals for the first time since winning the crown in 2014.

Sta. Lucia, however, is coming in with a chip on its shoulders following a winless campaign in the All-Filipino, prompting it to tap a new coach in former National University mentor Babes Castillo.

Castillo said Filipino-American spiker

MJ Philips has yet to fully recover from her shoulder injury, but the rest of the team led by American imports Molly Lohman and Casey Schoenlein are all ready to go.

They also have new players in former Adamson ace Amanda Villanueva and Ateneo libero Rio Lo while veterans Michelle Laborte, Rubie de Leon and Pam Lastimosa return for another tour of duty.

Also set to draw attention is the battle between Foton and UVC. Despite the absence of towering sisters Jaja Santiago and Dindin Manabat, the Tornadoes remain a force to be reckoned with, thanks to the addition of imports Selime Ilyasoglu of Turkey and Courtney Felinski of United States and local hitter Elaine Kasilag.

On the other hand, UVC, which used to be known as Cocolife, had a recruiting spree in the off-season, allowing it to net Filipino-Hawaiian setter Alohi Robins-Hardy and Kiwi Amy Ahomiro together with American imports Tai Manu-Olevao and Yasmeen Bedart-Ghani.Â

Semenya says she is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;unquestionably a womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; JOHANNESBURG: South African 800m Olympic champion Caster Semenya on Thursday (Friday in Manila) said she was â&#x20AC;&#x153;unquestionably a woman,â&#x20AC;? after the IAAF denied reports that it would argue that she should be classified as a biological male.

Semenya, 28, issued the statement ahead of a landmark hearing at the Court of Arbitration (CAS) next week that will challenge a proposed rule by the International Athletics Federation (IAAF) aiming to restrict testosterone levels in female runners. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ms Semenya is unquestionably a woman. She is a heroine and an inspiration to many around the world,â&#x20AC;? her lawyers said in a statement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She asks that she be respected and treated as any other athlete.â&#x20AC;?

The rules would force so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;hyperandrogenicâ&#x20AC;? athletes or those with â&#x20AC;&#x153;differences of sexual developmentâ&#x20AC;?

(DSD) to keep testosterone levels below a prescribed amount.

The rules were to have been instituted in November 2018 but have been put on ice pending next weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hearings.

Supported by the South African Athletics Federation, the two-time Olympic champion in the 800m (2012, 2016) and three-time world champion (2009, 2011, 2017) has denounced the proposals. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just want to run naturally, the way I was born. It is not fair that I am told I must change. It is not fair that people question who I am,â&#x20AC;? she has said previously. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She looks forward to responding to the IAAF at the upcoming CAS hearing,â&#x20AC;?

Semenyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legal team said, adding that â&#x20AC;&#x153;her genetic gift should be celebrated, not discriminated againstâ&#x20AC;?.

As well as Semenya, the silver and bronze medallists of the 800m at the Rio Olympics, Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi and Kenyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Margaret Wambui, have also faced questions about their testosterone levels. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The IAAF is not classifying any DSD athlete as male,â&#x20AC;? the IAAF said in a statement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To preserve fair competition in the female category, it is necessary to require DSD athletes to reduce their testosterone down to female levels.â&#x20AC;?

A CAS spokesman confirmed to AFP on Thursday that the hearing is scheduled for next week in Lausanne from Monday to Friday with Semenya in attendance.

AFP

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY February 16, 2019

Sports

C3

Spieth, Kang share lead at rainy Riviera as Woods waits L

OS ANGELES: Three-time major-winner Jordan Spieth and South Korean Kang Sung topped the leaderboard Thursday (Friday in Manila) when darkness halted play in the weather-hit Genesis Open, where tournament host Tiger Woods never even got to tee off.

3PIETH WAS kVE UNDER THROUGH HOLES OF THE kRST ROUND AND +ANG WAS kVE UNDER THROUGH AT Riviera Country Club, where heavy RAIN SAW THE kRST ROUND GET UNDERway in earnest seven hours late.

Organizers tried to get things going on time, only for increasing rain and deteriorating visibility to prompt them to call a halt, and take the unusual step of nullifying the few scores that had been posted.

That saw Phil Mickelsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unlikely par at Rivieraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 10th â&#x20AC;&#x201D; where he was in three bunkers and holed out from the sand â&#x20AC;&#x201D; expunged.

Mickelson, coming off a win on Monday at the weather-disrupted Pebble Beach Pro-Am, returned in the afternoon and was one-over through 12 when darkness fell, unable to get much going playing alongside Xander Schauffele and Spieth.

3PIETH GRABBED kVE BIRDIES ON the rain-softened course while Kang had one bogey, four birdies AND AN EAGLE AT THE PAR kVE TH

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Given I went cart path to cart PATH TO JUNK ON THE kRST START AND then we got to re-start the round â&#x20AC;&#x201D; I went from kind of being unfortunate to fortunate,â&#x20AC;? Spieth said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Played the par-fives well,â&#x20AC;? said 3PIETH WHO BIRDIED THE THREE PAR kVES and also chipped in twice for birdie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Really solid start, but certainly got some good breaks,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Kang said the weather was worse last week at Pebble Beach. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bother me at all today,â&#x20AC;? said Kang, who had three BIRDIES IN HIS kRST SIX HOLES BUT SAID the chip-in for eagle at 11 was key. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since then I hit fairways â&#x20AC;&#x201D; I hit fairways on the important holes like 12 and 13.â&#x20AC;?

7ITH HALF THE kELD STILL TO COMPLETE THE kRST ROUND AND THE OTHER half yet to start it, PGA Tour rules official Steve Rintoul acknowledged it would be a race to complete the tournament on Sunday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had an interesting start to the morning,â&#x20AC;? Rintoul said, adding that the course received some two

Q Jordan Spieth hits a tee shot on the 12th hole during the first round of the Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club on Friday in Pacific Palisades, California.

AFP PHOTO

inches of rain in 24 hours.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Interesting rulingsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Players were allowed to lift, clean and place their balls in the fairway, and also relieved relief from temporary water and embedded balls.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Interesting rulings, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re progressing,â&#x20AC;? Rintoul said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we lose seven hours on the very kRST DAY OF A TOURNAMENT THE REST of the weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be long. g0ROBABLY WE LL STILL BE kNISHING the third round on Sunday morning and try to get you guys a champion

by Sunday evening,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Spieth was glad he got a good PORTION OF HIS kRST ROUND kNISHED â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not fun if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get to play at all,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The more you play the better, especially if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re playing well.â&#x20AC;?

First-round play was set to resume on Friday at 7 am (1500

GMT), with those in the original afternoon wave expected to tee off between 7:50 am and 9:45 am.

That will include 14-time major champion Woods, who will play alongside Northern Ireland star Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas in his second start of 2019.

AFP

Jolo cruises to record win, Gabasa clings on Teen golfer Li to maintain amateur status â&#x20AC;&#x201C; USGA JOLO MAGCALAYO rolled to a troublefree 11-stroke victory with another 71 while Junia Gabasa needed to hang tough in the clutch to hold off Rianne Malixi and snare the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crown in the W Express RVF Cup Amateur Golf Championship at Cangolfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s North course in Laguna.

Magcalayo, who all but clinched the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s title with a whopping nine-shot lead after three rounds Thursday, just went through the motions in the last 18 holes, mixing two birdies against a bogey and never giving the rest a chance by settling for regulation pars.

Boosted by a solid opening 65, Magcalayo wound up with a 10-under 278 that included back-to-back 71s in the middle rounds that kept him well ahead of the field, completing his dominant, record run despite a day-long struggle in windy conditions yesterday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I struggled with my shots thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m quite disappointed since I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to do my game plan,â&#x20AC;? said Magcalayo, whose romp nearly tripled the four-shot win by Korean Kim Joo Hyung over Aniceto Mandanas last year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Perhaps, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because of the wind and I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t putt quite well unlike in the first round.â&#x20AC;?

Still, his four-day performance stood out with Kristoffer Arevalo and Paqo Barro finishing tied for second way behind at 289, 11 shots off the Grade 10 student at De La Salle-Zobel.

Arevalo shot the dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best six-under 66, spiked by an eagle on No. 14 for a closing 31 for joint runner-up with Barro, who birdied three of the last five holes to finish with a 68.

Gabasa, on the other hand, nearly blew a huge five-shot lead with eight

holes left, needing to match Malixiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s par on the final hole to salvage a 74 and a one-stroke victory with a 296 total in womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s play of the 24th staging of the event sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation and held in honor of the late NGAP president and golf patron Rod V. Feliciano.

Malixi fell by five with a bogey on No. 10 but birdied Nos. 14 and 16 and pulled within one as Gabasa bogeyed Nos. 16 and 17. But the former failed to shake off the 18-year-old Cebuana in their final hole duel, settling for par and second at 297 after a 73.

First round co-leader Sofia Chabon failed to rebound from a disastrous third round 79, ending up with a 76 for joint third with Sofia Legaspi, who limped with a 78, at 302 while Eagle Ace Superal, who also shared the lead after 18 holes, carded a 75 to tie Bernice Ilas, who hobbled with a 76, at 304 in the event event held as part of the PLDT Group National Amateur Tour and backed Cignal, Metro Pacific and Cangolf.

Meanwhile, Korean Kim Tae Won put in a second 77 and took the boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; crown at 154, six shots ahead of Dylan Castillo, who had a 160 after an 84, while Sophia Abarcas ran away with the girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; diadem with a 157 after a 78, 15 shots over Jeong Yeah Eun, who groped for an 86 and a 172 in the Special Division, held as part of the National Golf Association of the Philippinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; grassroots program which features young players from Apo Golf and Del Monte.

Back in menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s play, Rupert Zaragosa finally hit his stride, albeit late, firing a 69 to finished tied at fourth with Paolo Wong, who shot a 71, at 292 while Elee Bisera, Perry Bucay and Carl Corpus shared sixth place at 293 after a 70, 72 and 75, respectively.

Sean Ramos wound up ninth at 294 after a 77 while Masaichi Otake, who started the final round at second after a 69, skied to an opening 42 and finished with a 79 to drop to 10th at 295.

Q Jolo Magcalayo (left) and Junia Gabasa hold the huge W Express RVF Cup trophy after topping their respective divisions in contrasting fashions.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Nishikori eases into Rotterdam last eight ROTTERDAM, Netherlands: Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kei Nishikori carved out a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 win over Latvian Ernests Gulbis on Thursday (Friday in Manila) to power into the Rotterdam /PEN QUARTERkNALS Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top player, the world number seven, needed an hour and a quarter to advance as he booked a third victory against FORMER &RENCH /PEN SEMI kNALIST Gulbis, who was a lucky loser at the Ahoy Arena.

Nishikori will on Friday meet Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, who defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia 7-6 (7/1), 6-1, for a place IN THE SEMI kNALS Nishikori, who won his 12th ATP title in Brisbane earlier this year, earned his 10th victory of the season against a single loss â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

when he retired in the Australian Open last eight against Novak Djokovic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This was so much better than MY kRST MATCH u .ISHIKORI SAID â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was returning well and putting him under pressure. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The second set was tight for a while but I was not worried even after he got the break back. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was able to play good tennis today, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very happy with my level.â&#x20AC;?

Earlier, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won a lengthy opening set and then accelerated past Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor for a quarterfinal place.

The Frenchmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 victory was a match of two parts, WITH THE LABOURIOUS kRST SET TAKing 53 minutes while the second

lasted just 23.

Tsonga, the 2017 champion in Rotterdam, will keep up his bid for a second straight trophy after winning Montpellier at the weekend as he continues his comeback from a seven-month absence last season due to knee surgery and recovery.

The 33-year-old also looks set for another ranking rise from world number 140 as his comeBACK PROGRESS INTENSIkES â&#x20AC;&#x153;At the start I played well, but he was solid also,â&#x20AC;? Tsonga said after seeing off the 211thranked Dutchman. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I took care of my serve and stuck to the game plan. I had my opportunities and he may have missed one or two balls more in the tiebreaker. I took my chances there.â&#x20AC;?

4SONGA NEXT FACES kFTH SEEDED Russian Daniil Medvedev who defeated Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco for the second time in three meetings, posting a 6-2, 7-5 win.

Medvedev, a Rotterdam quarterfinalist on his 2018 debut, has carried the momentum he gained from his fourth career title last WEEKEND IN 3OkA The 23-year-old improved to 13-2 on the season.

Bosnian Damir Dzumhur followed up on his second-round upset of third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, advancing past Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).

Dzumhur will be playing his first quarterfinal of the season when he takes on French crowdPLEASER 'AEL -ONkLS AFP

LOS ANGELES: Teenage golfer Lucy Li will retain her amateur status despite participating in an Apple Watch advertisement campaign, the US Golf Association ruled Thursday (Friday in Manila).

The USGA found that the 16-year-old American did indeed breach golfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rules on amateur status, but opted to issue a onetime warning. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She will retain her amateur status,â&#x20AC;? the USGA said in a statement.

L i , c u r r e n t l y t h e wo r l d â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eighth-ranked amateur woman, is the youngest player to ever qualify for the US Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Open.

She is among 72 players in the kELD FOR THE INAUGURAL !UGUSTA National Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Amateur, a HOLE TOURNAMENT WHOSE kNAL round will be played at Augusta National on the Saturday before Masters week.

In the Apple Watch ad, Li is seen wearing the watch while practicing and hanging out

with friends.

Golfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rules prohibit amateurs from using their golf skill or reputation to promote or advertise products, even if no compensation is received.

In opting to warn Li rather than strip her of her amateur status, the USGA said it took several factors into account, including the fact that she is a minor, she received no compensation, that it was her first breach of the rules.

In addition, the USGA said, ,I gAFkRMED TO THE 53'! THAT AT the time she agreed to participate in the advertisement she did not know she was breaching the Rules of Amateur Status, and at no time did she intend to forfeit her Amateur Status.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;This ruling is consistent with the Committeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s general practice of issuing a warning t o a m a t e u r s w h o u n k n ow ingly breach Rule 6-2 for the first time and take appropriate remedial measures,â&#x20AC;? the USGA said.

AFP

Kabacan hosts PPS Mindanao swing ACTION in the Mindanao stage of the Palawan Pawnshop Palawan Express Pera Padala circuit resumes in Kabacan, Cotabato today with new faces out to grab the spotlight at the Kabacan Tennis Club.

Earl Bermudez gains the top seeding ahead of Bruce Hurtado in the boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; singles 18-and-under class that also drew the likes of Eric Comendador and Herald Aton while Jonn Nadela and Princess Haro banner the cast in the girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; side of the premier division of the Group 2 tournament hosted by Mayor Herlo Guzman Jr. A free clinic will also be held among participants as part of the PPS-PEPPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to help develop the sport in the countryside and at the same time sustain the circuitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talent-search program. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of potentials waiting to be tapped, especially in the countryside and the PPSPEPP circuit will provide them the proper venue to hone their talent and skills,â&#x20AC;? said Pala-

wan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

Ysay Ysulat, Joyce Saldivar, May Torrecareon and Haro, meanwhile, lead the girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 16-U kELD WITH 2EYMAN 3ALDIVAR *R

Geoross Manuel, JB Comendador and Brent Magno looming as the players to watch in the boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; section of the same age-group IN THE kVE DAY EVENT SERVING AS the third of a six-leg circuit in the region.

Kidapawan City will host the next stop on Feb. 21-25 with the fifth and sixth legs slated in Digos City on Feb. 28-March 4 and Tagum City on March 7-11, respectively.

Keen competition is also seen in 12- and 14-U divisions as well as the 10-unisex of both categories with five doubles events spicing up the ranking tournament sanctioned by the 5NIkED 4ENNIS 0HILIPPINES MADE up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Tobyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg. For details and listup, call 09154046464.

C4

SATURDAY February 16, 2019

Football

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

manilatimes.net Q Chelseaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic and Malmoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fouad Bachirou vie for the ball during the UEFA Europa League round of 32, first-leg football match in Malmo, Sweden. AFP PHOTO

Chelsea edges out Malmo as Arsenal suffers Europa League setback

P

ARIS: Chelsea claimed a 2-1 victory at Malmo in the Europa League last-32 first leg on Thursday (Friday in Manila) to ease some of the pressure on beleaguered coach Maurizio Sarri, while Arsenal suffered a shock loss to BATE Borisov.

Ex-FIFA supremo Blatter summoned to 2006 World Cup investigation LAUSANNE: Sepp Blatter has been summoned to explain how Germany was awarded the 2006 World Cup as prosecutors in Switzerland investigate suspected corruption in the bidding process, the disgraced former FIFA supremo told AFP on Thursday.

Swiss authorities are targeting Franz Beckenbauer, former captain and coach of the German World Cup winning sides, who was president of the German 2006 bid, with a suspect 6.7 million euros ($7.5M) payment at the heart of the investigation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Via my lawyer I got a call up on February 8 to a meeting with the Berne public prosecutor as a person of interest in the attributing of the 2006 World Cup to Germany,â&#x20AC;? Blatter told AFP. Currently serving a six-year ban from football related activity Blatter will meet the

2015, when news magazine Der Spiegel accused Germany of having used a secret slush fund to buy votes in support of its bid to host the 2006 World Cup. The fund reportedly held 10 million Swiss francs, or 6.7 million euros according to the exchange rate at the time.

The money was allegedly Q Sepp Blatter provided by the late Robert LouisAFP FILE PHOTO Dreyfus, head of German sportswear giant Adidas, at the request Berne prosecutor, who has been working oin of Beckenbauer, who headed the committee the case for two years, on March 28. promoting Germanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s candidacy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the first time Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been called up in Beckenbauer, now 72, captained Gerrelation to this matter,â&#x20AC;? said Blatter, who will many to the 1974 World Cup and coached have turned 83 by the time of the meeting. the side that won the trophy in Italy in 1990. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The general secretary (of FIFA) at the time The cash-for-votes scandal has hung was Urs Linsi, and he maintains I gave him over German footfall since October 2015 specific guidelines, which I contest,â&#x20AC;? said Blatter. when German magazine Der Spiegel reThe scandal first came to light in October vealed the secret fund.

AFP

Messi, Coutinho create Barcelona dilemma for Valverde MADRID: Barcelona will hope to reassert their authority in the title race on Saturday after a stuttering spell has given Real Madrid fresh hope in La Liga.

(ERE !&0 3PORT LOOKS AT kVE TALKing points ahead of round 24.

Coutinho form a concern When Ousmane Dembele injured his ANKLE IN *ANUARY THE DOOR WAS OPEN for Philippe Coutinho to make his mark at Barca. Instead, he has delivered a series of jaded performances that have left some even questioning his long-term future.

With Dembele now fit again, it remains to be seen whether the Brazilian starts on Saturday against Real Valladolid. Ernesto Valverde has said he appreciates that Coutinho is a player that takes risks but there has BEEN A LACK OF CONkDENCE AND CLARITY in his play that suggests he is still not sure what his job is.

Messi fitness in spotlight Lionel Messi came off the bench against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey and then started in the draw at home to Athletic Bilbao but in neiTHER GAME WAS HE FULLY kT A clear week may have given Messi time to shake off his niggling thigh strain

but Valverde has another decision to make this weekend, particularly with the kRST LEG AGAINST ,YON IN THE #HAMPIONS League to come on Tuesday.

Valverde was blamed for burning out key players last season, to the detriment of their chances in Europe.

But three draws in a row, and Realâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resurgence, means he cannot let the momentum drain further.

Vinicius leads firing Madrid attack â&#x20AC;&#x153;He showed how good he can be,â&#x20AC;?

SAID !JAX COACH %RIK 4EN (AG AFTER 6INICIUS *UNIOR HAD JUST TERRORIZED his defence in Wednesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid.

Viniciusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; performances have tended to follow a similar pattern, with his tender age often showing itself in erratic decision-making and over-eagerness. But scattered in between are the electric moments that have made THE STRIKER ONE OF THE kRST NAMES ON the teamsheet in recent weeks.

At some point, Santiago Solari may feel the 18-year-old needs a break in this, his debut season. Even so, his form seems too good to interrupt, even if there is plenty of depth now that Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio are back from injury, not to mention Lucas Vazquez, who has been a staple under Solari. Madrid has options, just when they need them.

Visitors Chelsea desperately needed a response after back-to-back humiliating away losses, with last Sundayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 6-0 thrashing by Manchester City following a 4-0 reverse at Bournemouth.

Ross Barkley took advantage of a defensive lapse by the home team to put Chelsea ahead on the half-hour mark, with Olivier Giroud adding a 58th-minute second before Malmoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s late goal gave them a glimmer of HOPE AHEAD OF NEXT WEEK S RETURN match at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea face Manchester United in the FA Cup on Monday, before facing City again in the League Cup kNAL ON &EBRUARY â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am happy because we played WITH CONkDENCE AND IT WASN T REALLY very easy after the last match (the defeat by City),â&#x20AC;? Sarri told BT Sport.

Arsenal beaten in Belarus Arsenal face an uphill battle to progress after a 1-0 defeat by BATE in a GAME WHICH SAW !LEXANDRE ,ACAZETTE sent off for elbowing Aleksandar FiliPOVIC WITH kVE MINUTES REMAINING Stanislav Dragun put BATE ahead just before the break in Barysaw and Arsenal never threatened an equaliser, with Lacazetteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s late dismissal ALSO RULING HIM OUT OF NEXT WEEK S second leg in London.

Unai Emeryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side has now won just two of their last nine away matches -- last weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s victory over the Premier Leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bottom club (UDDERSkELD AND AN &! #UP WIN against third-tier Blackpool.

Elsewhere, Napoli began life without record goal scorer Marek Hamsik with a 3-1 wininafieryatmosphereatFCZurich. AFP

Bayern banking on Neuer for final Liverpool tune-up BERLIN: Germany goalkeeper Manuel

Neuer will return from injury for Bayern Munich in Fridayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (Saturday in Manila) Bundesliga game at strugglers !UGSBURG THEIR kNAL TUNE UP BEFORE NEXT weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crunch Champions League clash away to Liverpool.

Neuer, 32, has sat out Bayernâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last three games with a thumb injury but will PROVE HIS kTNESS AT !UGSBURG AHEAD OF 4UESDAY S LAST kRST LEG AGAINST *URGEN +LOPP S ,IVERPOOL AT !NkELD â&#x20AC;&#x153;Things have gone well yesterday and TODAY ) M READY u SAID .EUER AFTER kNAL training on Thursday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The medical department has given me the green light, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had two good sessions and everything has worked well.â&#x20AC;?

Bayern are wary of rushing Neuer back too soon, especially given his injury history after fracturing his foot twice in quick succession in 2017 which saw him miss most of last season.

Simeone with challenges to face Atletico Madrid announced on Thursday that Diego Simeone had EXTENDED HIS CONTRACT AS COACH UNTIL 2022 and few could argue the Argentinean committing his future is not EXCELLENT NEWS FOR THE CLUB But two La Liga defeats on the bounce, to Real Betis and Real Madrid, have placed doubts over the seriousness of their title challenge.

Diego Costa could be back from injury for the trip to Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, which would help, but Atleti have scored almost half as many goals as Barcelona in the LEAGUE A DEkCIT DIFkCULT TO COVER NO matter how tight the defense.

Race for top four heats up Sevilla were top of the table in NovemBER BUT NOW kND THEMSELVES LEADING an increasingly scrunched group of challengers for the last Champions ,EAGUE QUALIkCATION SPOT Two points behind Sevilla are Getafe, who has the second best defense in the division, and they are only ahead of Alaves on goal difference. Betis will feel THEY ARE IN THE RACE SITTING ONLY kVE POINTS off fourth in seventh, and so too will Valencia, one point beneath them. AFP

Sarri named a strong team, although he did leave Gonzalo Higuain and Eden Hazard on the bench.

Chelsea found themselves up AGAINST A SPIRITED -ALMO OUTkT IN THE kRST HALF ROARED ON BY A VOCIFEROUS home crowd, but kept the Swedes at armâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s length before Barkley grabbed THEIR kRST AWAY GOAL OF Pedro swung over a cross, which Lasse Nielsen should have headed away, but the defender failed with his attempted volleyed clearance and Barkley was on hand to control and stab into the net.

Uwe Roslerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Malmo piled on the pressure at the end of the half, but Barkley twice produced crucial headers at the other end to keep Chelsea in front.

But the Premier League giants took total control of the tie in the 58th minute with a wonderful counter-attack.

Barkley led the charge before picking out Willian, and the Brazilian powered to the byline before cutting THE BALL BACK FOR 'IROUD TO lICK IN A

COOL BACK HEELED kNISH The French striker has now scored kVE GOALS IN SIX %UROPA ,EAGUE GAMES this season, despite only netting once in 23 matches in domestic competitions.

But Malmo did grab the goal their efforts deserved in the 80th minute, as Anders Christiansen slotted past Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Q Lionel Messi (left) AP PHOTO

Head coach Niko Kovac now has almost a full-strength squad to choose from with only Arjen Robben and Corentin Tolisso still sidelined by injury.

Second-placed Bayernâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3-1 home win against Schalke last weekend trimmed THE GAP TO kVE POINTS BEHIND "UNDESLIGA leaders Borussia Dortmund, who threw away a three-goal lead in a 3-3 draw with Hoffenheim.

Kovac and Bayern will target a ninth league win in 10 outings at Augsburg to maintain the pressure on Dortmund, who play bottom side Nuremberg away on Monday and are eager to bounce back after Wednesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3-0 drubbing at Tottenham Hotspur in Europe.

The Wembley rout in the Champions League last 16 means Dortmund have conceded three goals in each of their last three games and head coach Lucien Favre needs to shore up a porous defense. !UGSBURG WHO HAVE RECRUITED EX

!RSENAL AND 'ERMANY GOALKEEPER *ENS Lehmann as assistant coach, were hammered 4-0 by Werder Bremen at the weekend to leave them just above the relegation places. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The league title will be won in defense, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d hope we win the game on Friday and, if possible, prevent them from scoring,â&#x20AC;? said Kovac. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have no reason to spare anyone in Augsburg. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have enough time to recover and we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to underestimate the game, because this is a chance to really get into the Bundesliga race. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This game is important to create a bit of atmosphere.â&#x20AC;?

Liverpool will host Bayern having had 10 days off since their last match, Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3-0 home win over Bournemouth, but Kovac says their opponentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; break could be an advantage for the Germans.

AFP

SSATURDAY AT U R DAY FFEBRUARY EBRUARY 16, 20199

Lifestyle

D1

www.manilatimes.net

Q Philippines President of Arts Association and acrylic painting instructor Fidel Sarmiento with his â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dahong Lagas.'

Q World class violinist and Aliw Awards Hall of Fame awardee MerJohn Lagaya.

Q The UP - Singing Ambassadors.

Sunshine Place celebrates love month V

ALENTINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Day is indeed for everyone as the Sunshine Place celebrates the love month with art, music and sharing.

The Senior Hub puts some Heart to Art with a silent auction of the works of its acrylic painting students currently on exhibit; while their mentor, Art Association of the Philippines President Fidel Sarmiento, has his own He-Art exhibit at the centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Happy Garden CafĂŠ.

Proceeds from the auction and exHIBIT WILL BE FOR THE BENEkT OF THE 3AN Lorenzo Ruiz Home for the Elderly, which has been managed by the Little Sisters of the Poor since 2012. The mission of the congregation of French nuns in Manila is to give respect and dignity to the elderly.

The Sunshine Place also treated its members to a Valentine Serenade featuring the UP-Singing Ambassadors with Eduardo Manguiat as conductor, and

Q Conchitina Bernardoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;2 Peacocks.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Aliw Awards Hall of Fame Awardee and Asean Symphony Orchestra Concert Master MerJohn Lagaya. Students from the Little Ballerina School of Dance also performed during the celebration.

The Sunshine Place, a senior recreation center under the Felicidad Tan Sy Foundation, is a venue for adults to live actively, through engaging in recreational classes and age-appropriate physical training programs. It is the venue to be entertained, to socialize AND TO RElECT A PLACE OF HAPPINESS AND wellness for oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind, body and soul.

For more inquiries on paintings, visit the Sunshine Place at #56 Jupiter St., Bel-Air, Makati City; or call 8564144 and 0917515-5656; and email seniorhubjupiter@gmail.com.

Q Florangel Braidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mother and Child.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Q Luisita Guerero and her artwork, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Fountain of Youth.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Q Loida Tan with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Autumn Date.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Q San Lorenzo Ruiz Home for the Elderly Sistersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Noeli and Teresita.

July and Tessieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s five decades of love and devotion L

OVE and devotion was showcased in none ample measure when July and Tessie Tobiano celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary at the Gloria Maris Restaurant in Greenhills. A lOWER DECKED OCCASION staged by their loving daughters Pinky, Vicky, Jinky and son Nino together with a host of smart and attentive grandchildren. Guests performers were Jaya, singer-comedian Naneth Inventor and Mark Bautista.

It was a night when the coupleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enduring love story was outlined in words and on video, and served as an inspiration to everyone present.

Seen at the party were Ilocos Sur Go vernor Chavit Singson, former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and wife Congresswoman Gina de Venecia, Century Properties big boss Ambassador Joey and wife Hilda Antonio.

Close friends of the couple made nice messages to them.

To Tito July and Tita Tess, more loving years to come.

NNN Meanwhile, the Peninsula Manilaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual Christmas musical extravaganza headlined â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hamiltonâ&#x20AC;? star Christine Allado, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and the UST Singers, among others.

A musical Christmas was celebrated at The Peninsula Manila as the hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s General Manager Mark Choon â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with partners Store Specialists Inc., Citibank and Philippine Tatler and in cooperation with co-sponsors the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Lexus Philippines â&#x20AC;&#x201D; assembled a stellar cast of the best of the best in Philippine popular and classical music. The event transformed the elegant and iconic lobby into a grand concert hall, revving the assembled guestsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; festive spirits for the days of celebration ahead.

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) under guest conductor MaeSTRO 2UGGERO "ARBIERI WHO lEW IN FROM Italy especially for this concert) led the way with special guest soloist Christine Allado who is currently starring in â&#x20AC;&#x153;HAMILTON: An American Musicalâ&#x20AC;? in Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s West End; soprano Rachelle

HI! SOCIETY BECKY GARCIA

Q Bettina Huang-Hontiveros, Brian Hontiveros and Patrick Behrens.

Q Julio, Pinky, Jinky, Tessie, Pinky and Nino Tobiano.

Q SSIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nedy Tantoco, Mark Choon, Maritess Tantoco-Enriquez with the Roscigno's, Massimo, Agnes and Ursula.

Gerodias; tenor Arman Ferrer; University of Santo Tomas Singers; Pundaquit Virtuosi; and marimbist Benjamin Angeles who serenaded guests with classical, pop, and holiday-themed music.

The 2017 holiday musical program featured music by some of the best musi-

Q Joy Fong, Juancho Robles and Chavit Singson.

Q Isabelle Huang, Nikki Huang, Mark and Henry Wycherly with Nina and Anton Huang.

cal talent from the Philippines such as Philippine National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab, and the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest composers like Vivaldi, Beethoven, Gounod, Rossini, Verdi, Bizet, and Tchaikovsky.

The annual Christmas Concert at The Pen â&#x20AC;&#x201D; perhaps one of the most enduring

holiday traditions in Metro Manila â&#x20AC;&#x201D; doubled as a fundraiser for the Hope for the Philippines advocacy of the hotel that CONTINUES TO BENEkT THE EDUCATIONAL AND livelihood projects of the families living in The Peninsula â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Gawad Kalinga (GK) Village in Tanauan, Leyte.

D2

Funtimes

SATURDAY February 16, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

HOW WOULD YOU PLAY THIS ONE?

On most hands, declarer’s best line of play is determined by comparing the merits of two or more different approaches. He then selects the one that offers the highest probability of success.

Take this case where South started with eight sure tricks and several possibilities of developing a ninth. He knew that the chance of a 3-3 division of six missing cards was about 36 per-

» CROSSWORD

cent, and that the chance of winning either of two finesses was about 75 percent. For that reason, he decided to try two club finesses rather than depend on the spades or diamonds splitting 3-3.

So he took the heart lead with dummy’s queen and led a club to the jack.

West won with the queen and returned a heart to South’s ace. Declarer crossed to the spade king, led a club and finessed again. After the ten lost to West’s king, South could not recover, and he finished down one.

While it’s true that South ran into some bad luck, the fact remains that he should have played the hand differently. The best plan is to win the first heart with the king, lead a low spade and play low from dummy!

Let’s assume a heart return by East, taken by South with the ace. Declarer next cashes the A-K of spades and plays a fourth spade, establishing dummy’s eight of spades as his ninth trick. The queen of hearts serves as South’s entry to the game-going trick.

The advantage of this approach is that it allows declarer to make the contract not only when the opposing spades divide 3-3, but also when they are divided 4-2 (48 percent), yielding a combined chance of success of 84 percent. This is obviously much better than a 75 percent chance, and that is a good reason for declarer to choose this line of play. ©2019 King Features Syndicate, Inc.

BY EUGENE SHEFFER

Solution to puzzle

By Samantha Weaver

»HOROSCOPE Today’s Birthday (02/16/19). Fortune flows through strong community connections this year. Plan and coordinate your moves for greatest impact. Summer brings physical energy to your work before a period of private planning. Find fresh winter inspiration that benefits your health and work. Your friends are your secret power.

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 a 7 -- Structural malfunctions could create a mess at home. Fix something before it breaks. Consider long-term impacts, and invest in quality materials.

Prioritize family.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20) -- Today is a 7 -- Communications could misfire or backfire. Slow down, and think things through before you speak. Consider long-term consequences of your words. It’s OK to be quiet too.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20) -- Today is a 7 -- Unexpected expenses or budget gaps could pre-empt your spending plans. Carefully monitor the situation. Stick to facts. Hold out for the best deal.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Your personal plans may not go as imagined. Breakdowns or delays could slow the action. Watch for changes in plans. Avoid controversy and recharge.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22) -- Today is a 6 -- Choose private over public engagements. Pass on an expensive outing. Peace and quiet suit your mood. Sort and organize. Clean up a mess.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Share what you’re learning. You may discover the limitations of a group effort. Not everyone sees things the same way. Avoid saying what you’d later regret.

» SUDOKU

• It was Henry Brooks Adams, American historian and descendant of two U.S. presidents, who made the following sage observation: “They know enough who know how to learn.”

• Spanish explorers named California after a mythical island of Amazon women ruled by a warrior queen named Califa.

• Though an electric eel is born with the ability to see, by the time it becomes an adult it is blind. This lack of sight is not a hindrance, though; the fish uses electricity to create an image of its surroundings in much the same way that we use radar. The electricity also is how the electric eel kills its prey, producing a 600-volt shock — five times more powerful than the shock you might receive from a household outlet.

• You might be surprised to learn that Philadelphia-brand cream cheese was originally made in New York.

• With 1.45 million lightning strikes per year, Florida experiences more lightning than any other state in the country. Though it’s not a tagline you’ll see in any tourism brochures, Central Florida is unofficially known as the Lightning Capital of the World.

• In 1811 and again in 1812, earthquakes caused the Mississippi River to temporarily reverse course.

• If you’re of a certain age and facing up to wrinkles, you might be interested to learn that, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, one of the top causes of skin wrinkles is your habitual sleeping position. Rounding out the top five contributing factors are sun exposure, gravity, smoking and facial expressions.

• If you ever travel to China, keep in mind that the menu item known colorfully as phoenix talons are actually just chicken feet. *** Thought for the Day: “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” — Albert Einstein © 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.

BY NANCY BLACK LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Do more research before advancing a professional idea. Listen to your team’s considerations. Don’t test the limits now. Avoid a conflict of interests.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21) -- Today is a 7 -- Take a break along your journey. It’s not a great time for travel. Study your options, and avoid a pitfall. Structural barriers block the path.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Think of someone who needs you. Make inroads quietly. Anticipate resistance, and take a time out when needed. Share resources and support with a partner.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19) -- Today is a 7 -- Pay extra attention to your partner to avoid miscommunications that could fester into arguments. Listen generously. Forgiveness is divine. Support each other.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18) -- Today is an 8 -- Better safe than sorry. Slow to avoid accidents. Anticipate some resistance.

Cutting corners costs you. Avoid distractions, overextending and overindulging. Nurture your health.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Have patience with someone you love. Avoid another’s argument. Words may not come out as planned. Family comes first. Provide an open heart.

(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.

PAGE FROM THE PAST

Today, we look back at an old front page of The Manila Times, the oldest national daily that was founded on October 11, 1898. (Note: This image was adjusted to fit the page.)

SSATURDAY AT U R DAY FEBRUARY 16, 2019

Entertainment

D4

www.manilatimes.net

Q The 30-year-old actor finds sweetness in the simplest of gestures.

Paulo Avelinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sweet side

BY NIKA ROQUE

W

ITH the success of primetime teleserye â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Generalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Daughter,â&#x20AC;? where he plays the protective friend Franco Segismundo, Paulo Avelino shows no signs of slowing down and continues to remain humble. g4O BE HONEST IT lATTERS ME WHEN ) GET GOOD RESPONSE ON WHAT ) VE WORKED HARD ON -ORE THAN THAT THOUGH IT CHALLENGES ME TO BE BETTER )T S SOMETHING THAT ) WOULD CONSTANTLY REMIND MYSELF THAT THERE S STILL A LOT TO LEARN AND EVERYTHING ) DO ISN T PERFECT u !VELINO TOLD 4HE -ANILA 4IMES AT THE LAUNCH OF HIS ENDORSEMENT FOR HOMEGROWN BAKESHOP 2ED 2IBBON g4HE 'ENERAL S $AUGHTER IS DIFFERENT FROM ANYTHING ) VE DONE IN THE PAST TWO TO THREE YEARS ) M HAPPY DOING THIS AND PORTRAYING ANOTHER Q Paulo Avelino in character as Goyo.

CHARACTER ) M ALSO VERY PROUD OF THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT BECAUSE WE ALL WORKED HARD u HE ADDED (OWEVER !VELINO IS MORE SO ACKNOWLEDGED FOR HIS BIG SCREEN OUTINGS AS WITH MOST OF THEM RECEIVING CRITICAL ACCLAIM SPECIkCALLY g) M $RUNK ) ,OVE 9OU u AND g'OYO !NG "ATANG (ENERAL u ) M $RUNK ) ,OVE 9OU IN FACT

IS REPORTEDLY DUE FOR A SEQUEL ALTHOUGH !VELINO HAS NEVER DISCUSSED ON SOCIAL MEDIA g) JUST DON T BELIEVE IN OVERHYPING SO WE LL TALK ABOUT IT WHEN EVERYTHING S kNAL u HE SAID 3O WILL HE BE PRODUCING THE FILM LIKE HE DID FOR 'OYO g) PROBABLY AM u g)T S A GOOD THING BECAUSE IT S INTERESTING TO KNOW WHERE BOTH CHARACTERS EVENTUALLY ENDED UP 7HAT ) WANTED SANA IS AFTER SEVEN YEARS TO SEE THE CHANGE 4HEY SENT ME THE SCRIPT AND ) HAVEN T READ IT YET ) PROBABLY WILL ONE OF THESE DAYS ,ET S SEE WHAT HAPPENS u !VELINO SHARED (IS CINEMATIC WORK IN 'OYO ON THE OTHER HAND GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH NOW EARNING A SPOT IN .ETlIX AND THUS AVAILABLE FOR

VIEWING BY THE REST OF THE WORLD g) M STILL HAPPY AND PROUD OF 'OYO UNTIL NOW ) FEEL LUCKY TO WORK ON A BIG FILM LIKE THIS IN TERMS OF 0HILIPPINE CINEMA .OT JUST HOW BIG THE PRODUCTION IS AND HOW LONG PEOPLE HAVE PREPARED FOR IT BUT ALSO BECAUSE IT S SO NICE TO WORK ON A kLM NA HINDI TINIPID u THE EVER PASSIONATE ACTOR SHARED

Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 7ITH 6ALENTINE WEEK STILL ON !VELINO ENCOURAGES EVERYONE WHO LOVES ANOTHER Â&#x2021; WHETHER FRIENDS FAMILIES OR SIGNIkCANT OTHERS Â&#x2021; TO TAKE THE TIME TO EXPRESS HOW THEY FEEL g3AY IT WITH CAKE u THE NOTED ACTOR CHUCKLED WITH HEART SHAPED 2ED 2IBBON CAKES AROUND HIM (E HAPPILY REVEALED AS WELL THAT BEFORE HE BECAME POPULAR HE APPEARED IN A COMMERCIAL FOR THE BAKESHOP AND IS THEREFORE VERY HAPPY TO HAVE A HOMECOMING OF SORTS FOR THE COMPANY (IS gSWEETu RETURN SEES !VELINO IN AN AD THAT HAS BEEN MAKING WAVES ON SOCIAL MEDIA SINCE COMING OUT ON &EBRUARY "UYING THE LIMITED EDITION HEART SHAPED "LACK

&OREST CAKE HE GETS DOWN ON ONE KNEE TO PROPOSE TO SOMEONE "UT BELIEVE IT OR NOT THE DEBONAIR ACTOR IS GENERALLY UNCOMFORTABLE IN SUCH SCENES ADDING g) M REALLY AWKWARD TO MAKE PA KILIG IN GENERAL BUT WITH THE DIRECTION OF 9AM ,LARANAS IT ALL WORKED OUT u

!SKED IN WHAT WAYS HE SHOWS HIS SWEET SIDE HE kNALLY REPLIED g!KO KASI ) kND SWEETNESS IN THE SIMPLEST OF GESTURES LIKE FOR EXAMPLE KUNG MAY NALAGLAG TUTULUNGAN KONG PULUTIN *UST MAKING AN EXTRA EFFORT TO HELP YOU DO SOMETHING

THAT S SWEET IN ITSELF u

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ang Probinsyanoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; continues Fresh talents take center stage at 'AGT 3' to haunt competitors !

"3 #". S ACTION DRAMA g&0* S !NG 0ROBINSYANOu CONTINUES TO THE NIGHTMARE OF THE '-! S 0RIMETIME BLOCK 7HILE THE #OCO -ARTIN LED PROGRAM STILL ENJOYS HIGH RATINGS SINCE IT STARTED IN 3EPTEMBER ALL THE SHOWS THAT '-!

HAD PITTED AGAINST IT HAD FALLEN BY THE WAYSIDE 4HE LATEST TO FALL IS THE $ENNIS 4RILLO $INGDONG $ANTES STARRER g#AIN AT !BELu WHICH ENDED LAST NIGHT g&0* S !NG 0ROBINSYANOu IS GETTING CONSISTENTLY HIGH RATINGS IN THE S WHILE THE +APUSO SHOWS ARE JUST GETTING A SMALL PIECE OF THE PIE 7E ARE NOT SAYING NO ONE IS WATCHING THE SHOWS IN '-! BUT THE #OCO -ARTIN ACTION DRAMA IS JUST TOO FORMIDABLE 4HE FACT THAT IT IS GETTING RATINGS AS HIGH AS PERCENT MEANS WATCHING g&0* S !NG 0ROBINSYANOu HAS BECOME A HABIT !ND SOME HABITS ARE HARD TO BREAK 4O BE FAIR THE SCRIPT IS VERY TIMELY AND THE ACTION SCENES ARE OF HIGH QUALITY !ND THE SUSPENSE FACTOR IS TRULY INTENSE /NCE YOU WATCH IT YOU GET HOOKED AND WOULD NOT WANT TO MISS AN EPISODE 7E WOULD LIKE TO COMMEND THE PRODUCTION TEAM OF THE PROGRAM AS WELL AS #OCO FOR GIVING THE AUDIENCE A VERY SHOW EVERY NIGHT NNN !WARD WINNING ACTRESS 4ERI -ALVAR IS PLAYING HER kRST LEAD ROLE ON 46 IN THE AFTERNOON DRAMA g)NAGAW .A "ITUIN u )T IS ALSO THE kRST TIME SHE IS DOING A KONTRABIDA ROLE 3HE IS BOTH EXCITED AND GRATEFUL FOR THE BREAK GIVEN HER BY '-! TO PLAY THE ROLE OF !RIELLA IN THE AFTERNOON SERYE

WHO ACCORDING TO HER IS gA GIRL WHO

HAS CONNECTIONS 3HE BELIEVES IN HERSELF AND WHAT SHE CAN DO 3HE IS PROUD OF HERSELF AND SHE WILL DO EVERYTHING TO TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT EVEN IT MEANS GOING UP AGAINST HER SISTER u 7HY SHOULD THE VIEWERS WATCH )NAGAW .A "ITUIN g7ATCH IT NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF ITS THEME THAT TAKES A LOOK IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY AND THE TRAPPINGS OF FAME BUT ALSO OF FAMILY PROBLEMS AND RIVALRY $O WATCH IT BECAUSE OF ITS FANTASTIC CAST WHO WILL EVERYTHING TO MAKE THE SHOW INTERESTING WITH THE HELP OF OUR DIRECTOR -ARK 2EYES u SHE SAID NNN 7HAT IS THE PETITE AND SWEET MOMMA *ACKIE ,OU "LANCO DOING IN AN ACTION MOVIE LIKE g%XIT 0OINT u THE COMEBACK FILM OF 2ONNIE 2ICKETTS UNDER HIS 2OCKETS 0RODUCTION g4HAT WAS ALSO THE QUESTION ) ASKED 2ONNIE WHEN HE TALKED TO ME AND OFFERED ME THE ROLE OF THE CORRUPT JAIL WARDEN IN THE kLM u SAID *ACKIE g"UT 2ONNIE SAID HE WANTS TO GIVE THE kLM A DIFFERENT lAVOR THAT S WHY HE IS CASTING A WOMAN TO PLAY THE ROLE OF TOUGH JAIL WARDEN RUNNING A FACILITY PEOPLED BY TOUGH GUYS ) MAY BE SURROUNDED BY TOUGH GUYS BUT ) AM ALSO A TOUGH GUY MYSELF u 3HE SAID SHE ENJOYED THE SHOOTING SINCE IT WAS THE kRST TIME AFTER A VERY LONG TIME THAT SHE IMMERSED HERSELF IN A TOUGH ROLE WITH SOME ACTION SCENES IN TOW g!T kRST ) DIDN T KNOW IF ) WAS DOING THINGS RIGHT BUT WITH 2ONNIE S GUIDANCE ) THINK ) WAS ABLE TO DO IT u %XIT 0OINT ALSO STARS 2ONNIE 2ICKETTS *ERICO %STREGAN !LVIN !NSON AND INTRODUCES 2AECHELLE 2ICKETTS

THE DAUGHTER OF 2ONNIE AT -ARIZ

WHO IS INTO MARTIAL ARTS

ROVING EYE RO RICKY CA CALDERON

Q Coco Martin in 'FPJ's Ang Probinsyano' INSTAGRAM PHOTO

IT cannot be denied that the Philippines has delivered some of the best artists in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Got Talent.â&#x20AC;?

Since winning Season 1 in 2015, shadow play group El Gamma Penumbra has been bringing their inspiring and touching performances across the world. Also a finalist from Season 1, dance crew Junior New System â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who made male dancers on high heels their trademark â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is showcasing their talent across the globe, with â&#x20AC;&#x153;Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Got Talentâ&#x20AC;? stage the most recent one they conquered.

Meanwhile, Season 2â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s runner-up DMX Comvalenos â&#x20AC;&#x201D; also a dance crew â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is captivating Filipinos with their energertic and funny dance moves.

The show no doubt showcases the power of Asian talent therefore becoming a strong platform for aspiring performers of all ages to pursue their dreams.

As such, the interactive and top-rated talent competition has returned for its third season, with a display of talents from 17 countries.

Hosted anew by Alan Wong and Justin Bratton, Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Got Talent once again sees global music icons David Foster, Anggun and Jay Park in the judging table.

Hours before the anticipated premiere of its third season, DMX Comvalenos shared their journey and success after joining the competition in 2017.

namin,â&#x20AC;? the Compostela Valley natives enthused in a grand press conference.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hindi lang â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;yun, ang daming pumapasok sa aming trabaho dahil dati hindi kami kilala.

Nakapag- perform na kami sa Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore at sa iba-ibang lugar sa Pilipinas. So napatunayan namin na deserving kami,â&#x20AC;? they added.

Âťtvlandia'slatest

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kaya sumali kami kasi may gusto kaming mapatunayan sa sarili namin, lalo na sa pamilya namin dahil may mga hindi naniniwala sa amin. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pag tapos ng show, ang laking pagbabago. Napamahal lalo ang pamilya namin sa amin at sinuportahan ang talento

During the first episode on February 7, Filipino talents continued to show that they are still one of the strongest contenders for the show with plenty of groups receiving the three precious â&#x20AC;&#x153;yesâ&#x20AC;? on pilot episode alone.

Among them were HK Sisters, who got a

standing ovation after singing â&#x20AC;&#x153;Phantom of the Operaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Think of Me;â&#x20AC;? Zianne Angierein Garcia a.k.a. Zeexhie, an internet sensation known for her cheer stunts with her choreographer father; and Junior Good Vibes, a 15-member dance crew from Sampaloc, Manila.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lahat ng Pilipinong sumasali hindi lang nagpe-perform. Bawat acts ay galing talaga sa puso â&#x20AC;&#x201D; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;yan ang lamang ng mga Pilipino â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;pag dating sa mga ganito kalaking talent show,â&#x20AC;? DMX Comvalenos reminded the press and the viewers.

Will the Filipinos claim again the life-changing top prize of $100,000? Tune in to Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Got Talent every Thursday 8:30 p.m. on AXN. IZA IGLESIAS

Q 'Asia's Got Talent' judges David Foster, Anggun and Jay Park.

Liza DiĂąo walks her talk &

),- $EVELOPMENT #OUNCIL OF THE 0HILIPPINES &$#0 #HAIRMAN AND #%/ ,IZA $IĂ&#x201E;O GATHERED TOGETHER SOME FRIENDS FROM THE ENTERTAINMENT PRESS OVER MERIENDA CENA AT )AGO 2ESTOBAR IN 1UEZON #ITY PRIOR TO THE BREEZY &ILM !MBASSADOR S .IGHT RECENTLY HELD AT 3AMSUNG (ALL IN 4AGUIG #ITY !T THE MEDIACON SAID !MBASSADOR S .IGHT ACCORDING TO ,IZA WOULD BE THE EVENT TO OFkCIALLY LAUNCH THE g3ANDAAN u THE CELEBRATION OF THE YEARS OF 0HILIPPINE CINEMA !ND LAUNCHED IT DID UNDER THE COOL DIRECTION OF HER PARTNER SINGER SONGWRITER )CE 3EGUERRA /FFHAND THE #HAIR S ALMOST TETE A TETE WITH THE MEDIA WAS ACTUALLY HER WAY OF DISCLOSING THE MYRIAD OF CINEMATIC CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND GRAND EVENTS SLATED ALL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FOR SAID CELEBRATION 4HIS TO HELP INSPIRE AND ENABLE FILMMAKERS TO DEFINE &ILIPINO FILMS AS AN INDUSTRY FOR CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY 3OME PROJECTS AT HAND EXTEND AS FAR AS ENGAGING IN SITU YOUNG FILMMAKERS IN ,UZON 6ISAYAS AND -INDANAO &OR INSTANCE THE &ILM )NDUSTRY #ONFERENCE &)# WILL TAKE PLACE FOR THE kRST TIME IN THE REGIONS WITH &)# #INE 2EHIYON ON &EB

AND IN $UMAGUETE #ITY 4HIS CONFERENCE OFFERS BOTH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON HOW

TO STRENGTHEN &ILIPINO FILMMAKING THROUGH SEVERAL IN DEPTH TRAINING WORKSHOP DISCUSSIONS DELIVERED BY LOCAL AND FOREIGN EXPERTS 3HE HOWEVER EMPHASIZED THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION IS MORE THAN JUST ABOUT GLITZ AND GLAMOUR OF NEGOTIATING 0HILIPPINE CINEMA YEARS HENCE )T IS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY UPON WHICH TO RElECT AND TRACK DOWN THE EMBODYING HARVEST OF &ILIPINO kLMS AND ITS IMPACT ON THE kLMMAKING INDUSTRY IN GENERAL THE PAST CENTURY !ND HOW IS IT HEADED FOR THE NEW ERA OF kLMMAKING IN MEASURING UP TO THE COMPETITIVE DEMANDS OF THE GLOBAL MARKET 3HE ALSO MADE MENTION OF &$#0 S ADVOCACY TOWARD THE CREATION OF A .ATIONAL &ILM #OMMISSION 4HIS WILL PUT TOGETHER ALL CONCERNS ABOUT THE MOVIE INDUSTRY IN THE COUNTRY UNDER ONE ROOF WITH 3EN 4ITO 3OTTO SPEARHEADING THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS 0ASSIONATE AND UPFRONT IN LAYING OUT AND GETTING ACROSS ALL HER PLATFORMS FOR THE CELEBRATION AND BEYOND ,IZA HAS LEFT NO STONES UNTURNED SO TO SPEAK IN CONSULTING WITH AND REACHING OUT TO ALL MAJOR STAKEPLAYERS AND DECISION MAKERS OF THE INDUSTRY 3HE BELIEVES ALL OF THEM ARE PARTNERS IN HELPING REALIZE THE FAR REACHING IMPLICATIONS OF CINEMA IN NATION

BUILDING AND AS A CULTURAL ARM IN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY 3HE IS SO GROUNDED AND FORTHRIGHT IN HER CURRENT DIRECTIVE 3HE EVEN SHARES UNABASHEDLY HER PREGNANCY PLAN TO HAVE A BABY WITH BELOVED PARTNER 3EGUERRA WHOSE SPERM DONOR IS #AUCASIAN WITH THE BLUE EYES OF (OLLYWOOD ACTOR #HRIS (EMSWORTH 4HE IMPLANTATION WILL HAVE TO BE DONE IN -ALAYSIA )T SEEMS THE SPECIALISTS IN THIS COUNTRY ARE NOT READY TO EMBRACE A BABY SIRED BY ,'"4 PARENTS 4HAT S HOW DAUNTLESS ,IZA $IĂ&#x201E;O IS BOTH IN HER PERSONAL LIFE AND PROFESSIONAL MANDATE 4HREE YEARS INTO HER TERM BEYOND DOUBT SHE HAS WALKED HER TALK 3UCH FEAT WAS NEVER APPROXIMATED BY HER EARLY PREDECESSORS NNN '5%33 7(/ !CTRESS ! !! HAS STARTED TO BADMOUTH !CTRESS " !"

WHEN SHE GOT WIND OF A BIG FILM PROJECT IN PROGRESS PAIRING OFF !" WITH TOP TWO TOP HUNKY COMPETENT ACTORS IN THEIR HOME NETWORK !! THINKS SHE DESERVED THE PROJECT MORE THAN !" #LUE "OTH ACTRESSES SHARE STELLAR EXPOSURES IN A TOP RATED PRIME TIME TELESERYE OF A MAJOR NETWORK WHOSE STORYLINE DEALS WITH ILLICIT IMMORAL RELATIONSHIPS

CAVEAT GEORGE VAIL KABRISTANTE

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SATURDAY FEBRUARY 16, 2019

EDITOR Tessa Mauricio-Arriola STAFF WRITERS Christina Alpad & Iza Iglesias DESKMAN Arlo Custodio

Catriona Gray

A VIP at NY Fashion Week

BY ARLO CUSTODIO

B

EFORE competing in the 2018 Miss Universe pageant in Thailand, Catriona Gray walked the New York Fashion Week (NYFW) runway in September as one of the models for designer Sherri Hill’s collection.

Q Catriona Gray stuns in this pink number by designer Tadashi Shoji on her first day at the New York Fashion Week on February 7. INSTAGRAM PHOTOS @CATRIONA_GRAY AND CATRIONAUNIVERSE

Now with the most coveted beauty pageant title to her name, the proud Filipina Universe was invited to attend the world’s biggest fashion event as VIP guest and happily watched models on the catwalk donning the most iconic brands in the fashionverse.

While she skipped the ramp this year, the fourth Filipina Miss Universe had many heads turning wherever she went nonetheless, with a deluge of professional and amateur photographers taking her photos from every angle. Be it on the streets of the Big Apple, the sidelines of NYFW or at the after-parties where her mega-watt personality won the crowds.

No less than supermodel Veronica Webb posted her photo with Gray, with the caption: “When Miss Universe Catriona Gray just happens to sit next to you at lunch, what do you do? Well, you open your little black book of where to go, what to see, and who to know, that’s what. I cannot tell you how utterly kind and genuine this young lady is and she carries her crown so well.

Thank you E! The Front Five for hosting lunch today at Spring Street Studios.”

While New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter is always broken into two briefer weeks — the NYFW and NYFW Men’s — this edition combined both components with the highly anticipated presentation kicking off on February 4 and ending on February 13.

Q Supermodel and TV personality Veronica Webb says this Miss Universe ‘carries her crown so well.’

Q Confidently beautiful at the Sherri Hill show with (from left) Miss Universe Organization stylist Marquis Bias, Miss USA 2018 Sarah Rose Summers and Miss Teen USA 2018 Hailey Colborn.

Q Catching up with Miss Universe 2018 Top 5 finisher H’Hen Nie of Vietnam during the Phuong My show.

Q At the Sherri Hill New York Fashion Week 2019 as VIP guest and (right) as the brand’s model at the same event in September 2018.

Countdown to Queen Cat’s homecoming!

A HOMECOMING fit for a queen is what awaits Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray when she returns to the Philippines this month.

Gray, who resides in New York City during her reign, has been winningly fulfilling her duties as Miss Universe and is set to fly back to the country on February 20.

Alongside her Binibining Pilipinas family, Gray will hold activities with select media and VIP guests, and participate in charitable activities with the Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) Chair Stella Marquez Araneta.

Gray’s philanthropic work and passion to give back remains priority among her role this year as Miss Universe. Her return to the Philippines will provide an opportunity to visit and support organizations close to her heart such as Love Yourself, an organization focused on advocating for HIV/AIDS education and testing; and Smile Train, an international charity that supports 100 percent-free cleft repair surgery and care for children in underprivileged communities.

Additionally, Gray is expected to make a visit to Tondo, Manila where she has since supported Young Focus Philippines to provide access to education for children living in the area.

A highlight of Gray’s return to the Philippines will be the grand homecoming parade that will provide fans and all Filipinos the opportunity to see and support Miss Universe as she officially brings home the crown. The parade will take the reigning Miss Universe to the streets of Manila and Makati on February 21, with a second parade also waiting for her BPCI home at Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City on February 23. The latter will end inside the Smart Araneta Coliseum where her journey to the Miss Universe crown began when she became a Binibining Pilipinas queen.

A fan appreciation event will also be held during Gray’s time here.

All in all, people can expect a celebration as grand as the one given to Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, who ended a fourdecade hiatus for the Philippines in the pageant.

It can be remembered that a special float resembling her crown was made for Wurtzbach’s homecoming parade, so much so that everyone is already anticipating what Gray’s will be for hers.

There is much inspiration for the organizers to choose from to be sure, from her crown-clinching performance on the Miss Universe stage to her now world-famous “lava walk” and slowmo turn, her Ibong Adarna - and Mt. Mayon-inspired gowns, as well as that memorable quote of seeing the silver lining in every situation.

Indeed, Catriona Gray has captured not just the crown, but the hearts of her countrymen all eager to see her back home.

Catriona Gray’s grand homecoming is supported and spearheaded by BPCI and the Araneta Center. For more updates, log on to www.bbpilipinas.com or follow its social media pages, @realbbpilipinas on Facebook and Twitter and @bbpilipinasofficial on Instagram.

˜ The Manila Times

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SATURDAY FEBRUARY 16, 2019

Kris Bernal and what SHE’s all about

BY IZA IGLESIAS

M

ULTITALENTED actress Kris Bernal, who has made a name as a soap opera star, is fast establishing herself as a versatile businesswoman, too.

Last year, she opened House of Gogi, a Korean barbecue restaurant, which happily serves a constantly growing number of diners. Closing into her ROI — return on investment — she has gone on to her next venture, this time in the beauty industry as founder of SHE Cosmetics. /FkCIALLY LAUNCHED ON &EBRUary 7, Bernal said she went into cosmetics because she has always loved lipsticks. And as a celebrity, she had tried many brands over the years but realized that highquality lippies always come with a hefty price tag.

“Lipstick is enough to keep you going through the day — for me, it’s all the color you need on your face,” she began. “But since the good brands are always so expensive, I thought to myself, ‘Why don’t I make my own brand that many girls like me can enjoy and be able to afford?’”

These in mind, she dedicated over a year to planning and developing her lippies despite her busy showbiz schedule. On top of the entire venture, she oversaw the formulation stage, manufacturing, packaging, and is even ready to receive and act on customer feedback.

She made sure to be hands on because her ultimate

goal is to make SHE users feel good about themselves.

“Grabe ‘yung journey ko dito. Isang bu-

ong taon ko siya binuo

— that includes the formula, the design, branding, logistics and marketing — lahat ng operations ako talaga.

But when you really love what you’re doing, it doesn’t feel like work at all,” the industrious actress related.

“With my hectic schedule also as an actress, I was able know how to handle those things on my own kasi gusto ko yung challenge na ganun, which made me even prouder of this project. Kasi alam ko na Q Actress-entrepreneur Kris Bernal dedicated a year of planning and ginawa ko developing the products of her very own SHE Cosmetics lipstick line.

siya mag-isa, binuo ko siya mag-isa.

“And all the months of work, countless days of meeting people and suppliers are all worth it. It all pays off kasi pag pangarap mo

talaga ang mabubuo at mangyayari, gagawin mo lahat.“

K-fan A self confessed fan of all things Korean, Bernal said that her cosmetics were especially formulated to address K-Beauty requirements. She worked closely with Momo Letter that is based in Korea, which has long perfected producing very SPECIkC SHADES WITH THE KIND of quality that has catapulted Korean beauty products to fame around the world.

Q The Liquid Cushion Lipstick line features a “This brand believes that a unique Diamond Applicator that is designed single makeup product can to easily slide the product on the lips.

BOOST ONE S CONkDENCE and

Q Liza Soberano is ready to slay all day.

Q All natural, Bernal formulated the lipsticks to have four essential oils, namely Rosehip, Bulgarian Rose, Camellia and Peppermint.

reach their full potential and I believe that too,” enthused Bernal.

Starting out with lipsticks for now, SHE cosmetics unveiled its debut collection of liquid cushion LIPSTICKS IN kVE SHADES IDEAL FOR THE Filipina skin tone. (See sidebar)

Innovations Innovative as Bernal envisioned, the SHE Liquid Cushion Lipstick line features a unique Diamond Applicator that is designed to easily glide the product on the lips. It further has a cushion-like feel that makes every swipe of the wand easy and comfy.

Best of all, since the Diamond Applicator is bigger than the usual liquid lipstick applicator, it can hold enough product to

avoid the need of redipping.

As for the formulation, Bernal personally developed a mix of rose hip oil, which heals damaged skin and helps with skin elasticity; Bulgarian Rose which acts as an antioxidant; Vitamin C and Camellia Oil to help moisturise the lips and give them a subtle shine; and Peppermint Oil to give a cool feeling on the lips while plumping them up at the same time.

“Each tube of SHE lipstick has an all-natural formula, and I am very proud of this line because I focused on pursuing the highest qualities in manufacturing a liquid matte lipstick,” she noted.

“I hope that by using them, SHE can help women out there to BECOME MORE CONkDENT IN THEIR own skin,” she ended.

The five SHE-ades SHE’s on Fire is a rich ruby red hue that, contrary to popular belief, can go from day to night. It is the perfect pop of color whether for work or for the red carpet.

Go Girl is a deep fuchsia shade — perfect for those who want a fun smile to go with the rest of their makeup.

So SHE-ic is cinnamon brown and made for those who love darker shades. The shade has just the right hint of red and orange undertones.

SHE lovin’ it IS lAMINGO PINK IN SHADE THAT VEERS TOWARDS THE nude, the perfect choice for everyday wear.

Off SHE goes is a coral pink hue that is perfect for a hint of color with your everyday makeup.

Super slay all day, all over again IT’S every girl’s dream to own a lippie that can keep up with her fast-paced city lifestyle.

Maybelline New York, the brand that brought in the holy grail of liquid lipsticks — Super Stay Matte Ink — has brought in the beauty market more flattering and ultrawearable shades that are inspired by the bold and iconic vibrant hues of New York City.

Following its maiden Super Stay Matte Ink Nude

edition, the American cosmetic giant has released the Super Stay Matte Ink City Edition which comes in 14 New York Cityinspired shades of deep reds, burnt siennas, terra cotta hues and earthy nudes that will definitely suit Filipina skin tones.

Get intense color pigmentation in one swipe that stays on for up to 16 hours — downright “city-proof!” Eat and drink without your lipstick wearing off. Steal a kiss with your loved one without lipstick transfer. Do it all in flattering city-inspired shades!

»beautybox

Q The American cosmetic giant has released the Super Stay Matte Ink City Edition which comes in 14 New York City-inspired shades.

˜ The Manila Times

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SATURDAY FEBRUARY 16, 2019

‘Fashion Revolution: The Future of Textiles’ exhibition F

BY IZA IGLESIAS

ASHION, no matter how beautiful, is one of the most environmentally harmful industries in the world. To address the increasingly alarming situation, the Swedish fashion industry is taking the lead in transitioning into a development phase toward a more sustainable and circular business model “that is as natural as it is necessary.” Nonetheless considered an exciting time in the Northern European country, it is Sweden’s hope that the research, innovation and cross-disciplinary collaborations taking place will eventually inspire the global industry.

With this in mind, The Embassy of Swe- per year — that is a small suitcase full of den in Manila,spearheaded by Ambassador clothes per person — and only 20 Harald Fries, launched the exhibition percent is reused or recycled.

“Fashion Revolution: The Future Since year 2000, global clothes of Textiles” at the Metropoliproduction has more tan Museum of Manila to than doubled, and the highlight Sweden’s active average person now role in promoting sustainbuys 60 percent more ability in fashion. items of clothing every Curated and produced year and keeps them by the Swedish Institute for about half as long with the help of researchas they did 15 years ers and sustainable fashago. It takes 10,000 to ion experts, the exhibition 30,000 liters of water highlights the fashion inand 2 to 4 kilos of chemidustry’s major environcals to produce 1 kilo of mental challenges, showtreated cotton. Fifteen cases Swedish solutions, Q The Kanken bag is made from to 30 percent of the and guides consumers to a single yarn of recycled plastic plastic pollutants in contribute effectively to a bottles spin-dyed to use less the oceans consist of water, energy and chemicals. more sustainable world. microplastics, and 35 The exhibition, which is percent of that comes running until April 30, is supported by major from laundering synthetic textiles.

Swedish brands H&M Philippines, BabyBjorn At the launch of the Fashion Revolution and Houdini Sportswear. H&M Philippines exhibition, Ambassador Fries expressed features key pieces made out of sustainable hope for consumers to become more contextile from their H&M Conscious Collec- scious and mindful of their consumption tion, while Houdini and BabyBjorn exhibit- of fashion. The better informed people are, clothing and baby-carriers that are all made the greater the pressure that can be exerted out of recycled/upcycled products. on companies to act sustainably.

Globally, the world’s population con“The awareness that we must stop sume about 62 million tonnes of clothing producing and consuming clothing

Q (From left) Dan Wigforss of Houdini and Baby Bjorn, Tina Colayco of Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Ambassador of Sweden to the Philippines Harold Fries and Danreb Mejia of H&M Philippines.

Q After years of keeping mountaineers, hikers and runners comfortable, the worn-out wool-base and mid layers of these jackets can be decomposed and used as nutrition for vegetables, flowers and fruits. without consideration for its adverse environmental footprints is taking hold.

The fashion industry is in the midst of a much-needed fundamental change. We talk about a systemic shift in which the fashion industry is moving from focusing on producing as much and as quickly as possible at the lowest price without consideration for environmental impact– to a circular business model,” Ambassador Fries pointed out in his speech.

“The aim of this business model is that all phases of a garment’s life cycle — from choice of materials and design to production, transport, distribution, consumption and reuse — will be integrated with as little adverse environmental and climate impact as possible,” he added.

According to the Ambassador, a shift in business attitude among companies has taken place, as more and more brands have started to view sustainability as a PROkT OPPORTUNITY INSTEAD OF AN OBLIGAtion. New initiatives are also arising to pave the way to what some call “The Fashion Revolution” — the age of being “fashionably sustainable” and “conscious” consumers.

“This revolution will need everyone’s commitment and effort. For the conSUMER THE kRST AND BIGGEST STEP IS TO MAKE conscious and informed choices — from something as simple as not using singleuse plastics, to prolonging the life of your clothing and shopping second-hand. It comes down to mindful decisions. I am proud to say that Swedish businesses and research centers are among the main drivers for a more sustainable global fashion industry,” the ambassador explained.

According to the Swedish initiatives, the aim should be no less than to transition

Q This intricate and delicate floral brocade bodice and full skirt from H&M is made of 96 percent recycled polyester.

TO COTTON THAT IS ORGANIC AND CERTIkED IN accordance with both environmental and social requirements, such as GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) — and to develop equivalent alternatives to cotton.

They added that transparency is a key driving force for change in the fashion industry. Access to information about

different industry actors’ sustainability work is important to enable people to understand what the most critical areas of our value chain are.

While many individual brands have made progress in the area, there’s also a need to have greater collective effort on both an inter-country and cross-industry level.

Dress up ‘In Good Company’ SINGAPORE-based label In Good Company stays strong on the fashion radar as it breathes new life to wardrobe staples with pieces that will easily transition from season to season.

This is because the label’s capsule collec tions showcase a quietly confident lineup that presents lean lines and modern layering against structured and fluid volume.

Take cues with the striking impact of the Rupert dress, the unique silhouettes of the Marlon jacket and the architectural proportions of the Tiffany top, while finishing your ensemble with statement accessories such as the Lelf and Osa necklaces, which are both bold in the same way as they are uncommon.

Channel a polished

yet easy, effortless vibe as In Good Company explores new shapes, combining precise tailoring and deft drape work. In addition to the ingenious techniques the brand is well known for that were applied to these pieces, an array of texture is presented in new materials of contrasting tactility and weight, allowing you to dress it up or down according to wherever your mood takes you. Color takes its cue from neutral palettes accented by vivid reds and blush hues.

Established in Singapore in December 2012, In Good Company is a contemporary label offering neo-modern collections of classic silhouettes with a twist. The go-to label for quirky accessories and stylish wardrobe essentials is helmed by Creative Director Sven Tan, and Chief of Design Kane Tan. Sven’s sharp tailoring approach combined with Kane’s masterful draping techniques has become the label’s design signature. Together, they have won “Designer of the Year” award for In Good Company at the 2016 Singapore Fashion Awards.

The boutique is located at the second level of The SM Store Makati.

Q Robyn block top in blush and white.

Q Channel architectural proportions and unique detailing with the Tiffany top.

Q Cut to perfection.

Q Quietly confident with modern layering.

Q A beautifully fluid sheath dress.

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

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SATURDAY

FEBRUARY 16, 2019

Three fashion Sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at the Grammys N

Sparkles, sequins and statement hats

EW YORK: Sparkly, studded and strutting in designer looks, the Grammys parade of often out-there fashion kicked off in a downpour Sunday, but that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t dampen spirits as the music INDUSTRY S BEST SHOWED OFF THEIR MYRIAD OUTkTS Cardi B had a spot of trouble walking while Camila Cabello appeared cozy in a sculpted look that evoked oked a mermer errin a long-sleeve ssparkler of a bright maid in the half shell, pearls ls pink gown wit pi with a high neck and included. It was hatched op back, done by open in 1995 by Thierry MuA Armani Prive. gler. Michelle Obama The K-pop sensapopped up in a metallic tion BTS B showed up in TROUSER OUTkT ONSTAGE *ENNINN NIblack tux uxedos and colored hair, tuxedos fer Lopez donned a hugee includin ng purp including purple and green, while WHITE BEJEWELED HAT AND Mare ren Morris Mo sported a huge Maren Lady Gaga chose a silver yellow winged decoration yello ow w strapless sequin gown ON ONE SHOULDER OF A lORAL ON O ONE S with a high slit and side halter halte er ggown with a full RUFlE THANKS TO #ELINE loosely loose ely pleated skirt and The Lopez topper plunging plung gin neckline, from pointed to a popular Lahav Couture.

Galia La accessory of the eveâ&#x20AC;&#x153;I d donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m all ning â&#x20AC;&#x201D; statement hats. about abou ut subtlety,â&#x20AC;? Morris It had a brim for miles joked jokeed to The Associaand was embellished ted PPress. to match her dress of Dolly D o Parton wore a the same shade. She apshort sho o red dress with peared relaxed in her a rru ruffle lapel and a Ralph & Russo look as chunky ch hu jewel centershe posed for photogpiece. pi ie Dua Lipa won raphers with boyfriend best bes s necklace of the Alex Rodriguez, who woree night night, t, a huge diamond a multicolored dress jacket. et. piece in n a circular design.

Katy Perry, meanwhile,, arFant Fantastic ta Negrito, the rived in a pink Balmain confecnfecOaklan Oakland, nd California-born tion that prompted comparipariblues aartist, represented sons to a cake topper. in a red r suit with large, 4HE FORMER kRST LADY S LOOK LOOK colo colorful orfu swatches for was custom by Sachin & Babi. pock pockets. kets His silver neckLending a hand openingg the LACE LACE E OF TWO kSH USED TO show, Obama earned a rousbe a bel belt buckle, said the ing welcome from the crowd rowd ro up upcycling pcyclin enthusiast. in Los Angeles.

Memb Members of Weezer, on As for the guys, some went we the oth th other hand, kept it wild. Post Malone was in a light ligh ght relaxed in scoop T-shirts pink embellished jacket and under jac jackets that included matching pants. Kyle Tree off the and baby blue. mauve an EDM duo Grey was inadvertently Harper went full betently Ben Ha ready for the weather in a rain Q Jennifer Lopez in Ralph dazzle in a jacket showing slicker that was, yes, the color or gray, & Russo and a Judith off yellow yello sequins worn as was his hair and that of music Leiber Couture bag. broad-brim hat. with a bro partner Michael Trewartha.

Repeat political provoca4HERE WERE ATTENDEES DRESSED AS BUTTERlIES TEUR *OY 6ILLA WHO ATTENDED LAST YEAR IN NEON LOOKS AND SEVERAL OUTkTS WITH LONG CAPES a gown decorated with a fetus, dressed in unusual places, on jumpsuits and short as President Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wall DRESSES .EVER SHY FASHION WISE *ANELLE -ONAE (think tinfoil) and carried a also wore a wide-brim hat, pairing it with a Make America Great Again short dress that had high pointed shoulders, HANDBAG 3HE kRST MADE A COURTESY OF *EAN 0AUL 'AULTIER Trump splash two years ago Top nominee Kacey Musgraves wore an in Trump messaging. ethereal belted gown in a nude hue with Shawn Mendes went for a daring fan-like bodice, by Valentino, a deep blue Paul Smith

Q Jada Pinkett Smith in her plunging leotard and feathercovered gown, bedazzled with Lorraine Schwartz jewels and Giuseppe Zanotti heels.

Q Kacey Musgraves in Valentino.

Q Janelle MonĂĄe in Jean Paul Gaultier and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

Q Camilla Cabello in a custom Armani Prive glitzy gown, Tamara Mellon heels and Harry Winston jewelry.

jacket with wide black lapels and open collar underneath. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was so nervous to dress for the Grammys,â&#x20AC;? he told the AP. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I felt like, how do you be classy and still stand out?â&#x20AC;?

Purple was an It shade of the evening.

Grammy winner H.E.R. sparkled in the collar in a gown made for her by Coach, with sunglasses in the same shade. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It makes me feel like Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m shininâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. I feel like a star,â&#x20AC;? she said.

AP

Q BTS in custom tuxedos by JayBaek Couture and Kim Seo Ryong.

Q Cardi B in archive Mugler and Gismondi1754 jewelry.

Q Katy Perry in Balmain with Djula jewelry. AP PHOTOS

Q Alicia Keys in Oscar de la Renta and former US first lady Michelle Obama in Sachin and Babi.