THE MANILA TIMES | JANUARY 19, 2019

BSP: Inflation risks ‘broadly balanced’

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2019

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P R E S S E R W I T H PACQ U I AO T U R N S S O U R

Broner spews expletives L

IRRI WARNS PH

BRACE FOR DRY SPELL

AS VEGAS: Never mind that challenger Adrien Broner turned what started as a normal news conference on Wednesday ABOUT HIS COMING kGHT WITH 7ORLD "OXING !Ssociation welterweight champion Manny PacQUIAO INTO AN EXCHANGE OF EXPLETIVES WITH (ALL of Fame broadcaster Al Bernstein.

Q WBA welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (left) and Adrien Broner face off during a news conference at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on January 16 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

THE International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) on Friday urged the Philippine government to take necessary preparations to lessen the impact of an El NiĂąo dry spell IN THE kRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR IRRI Director General Matthew Morell told reporters local farmers could be tremendously affected by what could be another dry start to the upcoming growing

BY EDDIE G. ALINEA

The 29-year-old title pretender, noneAlways seemingly cocky in his predicTHELESS EXUDED CONkDENCE TO HANDLE tions, the former four-division world the Filipino belt owner when they face champion believes he can win the off on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time) biggest bout of his career and succeed at the MGM Grand Arena here. ÂłSpewsA2

AFP PHOTO

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To earn its budget, CHR should critique HRW report

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NOT A BABY SHARK

Diver Ocean Ramsey swims next to a female great white shark off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii on January 15. Great white sharks are extremely rare in Hawaii and this one may be one of the largest recorded. It shows similar markings to ‘Deep Blue,’ a shark Ocean Ramsey studied in Isla Guadalupe, Mexico where she has done most of her work with white sharks. Shark populations around Hawaii are declining and there are no laws to protect sharks from being killed for their fins.

PHOTO BY JUAN OLIPHANT/AFP

S it has done on similar occasions, the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (CHR) will watch coyly from the sidelines and withhold comment on the 2018 World Report of Human Rights Watch (HRW), which declared that, “The Philippine human rights crisis deepened under President Duterte in 2018.�

OBSERVER YEN MAKABENTA

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Mythical beasts

LOOKED, but I really LOWDOWN couldn’t find anything like it happening anywhere else.

A Makati prosecutor this week declared that controversial blogger Jover Laurio has been unable to provide evidence that she was not, in fact, ugly, as another blogger, Franco Mabanta, repeatedly alleged in various online claims. ÂłRoblesA5

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JOJO ROBLES

Palace hits American NGO for calling PH ‘war zone in disguise’ MALACAĂ‘ANG on Friday disputed a report that labeled the Philippines as “a war zone in disguiseâ€? over the alleged “lethalityâ€? of the Duterte administration’s

war on drugs.

In a statement, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said the report of the !RMED #ONlICT ,OCATION AND %VENT $ATA

What’s inside DUTERTE APPOINTS NEW NAYONG NewsA2 PILIPINO EXECS AGAIN, WHERE IS ANDY BAUTISTA?

Antonio ContrerasA5

Project (Acled) calling the Philippines “a war zone in disguise,� along with Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan and Iraq, was “remarkable in ignorance and bias.�

Q Miss Albania Arvanita Peci and Miss Kosovo Arjanita Peci are 20-year-old twins vying for the 47th Miss Intercontinental crown in Manila on January 26.

INSTAGRAM PHOTO

Miss Intercontinental twins a first in pageant history

BY ARLO CUSTODIO NEVER had it happened before that twins compete in the same international beauty pageant representing two different countries.

Since the presentation of the 87 candidates of the 47th Miss Intercontinental to the media on

SPOTLIGHT ON SWIMSUITS AND PH DESIGNERS

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WHAT IS NETFLIX’S ‘SEX EDUCATION’ ALL ABOUT?

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ÂłTwinsA8 REACH US AT: E-mail: newsdesk@ manilatimes.net Tel. Nos.: 524-5664 to 67 Address: 2/F Sitio Grande, 409 A. Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila 1002

“Not having presented any proof that it has conducted factual investigation in the country as to the conditions obtaining, it is

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SHUTDOWN TIT FOR TAT

Pelosi grounded after delaying Trump’s State of the Union WASHINGTON, D.C.: US President Donald Trump forced the cancellation of a trip to Afghanistan by his Democratic opponent Nancy Pelosi, who earlier wrote to the White House to delay the

Republican president’s State of the Union Address amid a government shutdown.

The mess in the US capital already verged on the surreal as

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SATURDAY January 19, 2019

Duterte appoints new Nayong Pilipino execs

BY RALPH U. VILLANUEVA

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has appointed two new board members of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation Inc. (NPFI) months after clearing house.

Duterte named Lucille Malilong Isberto and Michelle Aguilar Ong as the new board members, replacing Patricia Ocampo and Gerald Medina, respectively.

Isberto is a lawyer who previously served as the head of the Committee on Monuments and Sites at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and as a legal counsel at the International

Council on Monuments and Sites Philippines Inc. In August, MalacaĂąang announced the firing of the entire board of directors and management of the NPFI for the alleged “grossly disadvantageousâ€? 25-year, $1.5-billion lease casino contract for the Nayon Landing project.

The contract, which would

build the 97,000-square meter integrated resort and casino, was between the NPFI and the Chinese company Landing Resorts Philippines Development Corp.

It was originally for 70 years, but was later reduced to 50 years, then to 25 years.

On August 8 last year, Duterte ANNOUNCED THAT HE HAD kRED THE board members because he did not like gambling and that no more additional casinos would be built. “Do not give gambling licenses or franchise for 75 years. The child is born today, 75 years later he’s that old. There will still be gambling in the city [and] I will not allow it,� he said in a speech

during the 117th police service anniversary in Camp Crame in Quezon City. “I hate gambling. I do not want it. There will be no casino outside of what are existing now. I am not granting anything. As long as it is gambling, I do not want that. Look for something enticing to wage war [on] money,� Duterte added.

He also appointed former Malabon City vice mayor Mark Allan Yambao as new undersecretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Duterte signed the appointment papers of Isberto, Ong and Yambao on January 15, copies of which were given three days later.

President wants to meet minors caught in drug bust PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte wants to meet the minors arrested in a drug operation in Navotas City and their parents after he got emotional watching the operation video, according to Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron Aquino.

Aquino on Friday said he got a chance to show Duterte the drug operation that was conducted on January 16, and it made the President almost cry.

After that, Duterte requested Aquino to set up a meeting with the arrested minors and their parents at MalacaĂąangPalace next week. “He (Duterte) told me that he almost cried seeing that video and he asked me if I can talk to the minors rescued in the operation [and] I responded that I will make a way for these minors to be in MalacaĂąang,â€?

Aquino said. “One of these days, the President will talk to them, give advice, and maybe talk to their parents because sometimes, these parents are the problems too as they let their children get involved in illegal drugs,� he added.

Aquino said the meeting between the two sides would happen next week but “it will only depend on MalacaĂąang.

We are ready to call the parents of the minors and the minors themselves in order to bring them to Malacaùang and to our President.�

He slammed those who bashed them on social media and accused them of “parading� the arrested minors ages four to 15.

Some netizens criticized the PDEA in its operation in Navotas City for allegedly mishandling the minors by parading them and for focusing on them instead of catching the gBIG kSHu IN THE AREA Aquino said the pictures posted online did not tell the full story, as their bashers tried to twist the facts of the police operation.

He added that they took care of the minors in the operation by giving them food and turning them over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development. “Every picture says a thousand words and they will all twist everything in that picture as long as the PDEA’s image will be destroyed,�

Aquino said. “We never paraded these children...We made these rescued children eat. We never handcuffed them or put them in jail or physically and verbally abused them,� he added.

ROY D.R. NARRA

Q SPEWS FROM A1

Broner spews expletives

STAPLE FARE

Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena (in sunglasses) visits the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baùos, Laguna to witness the signing on Friday of the framework agreement between his government and IRRI to boost his country’s rice sector. PHOTO BY DJ DIOSINA

Q DRY FROM A1

BRACE FOR DRY SPELL

season, especially if the government would not take preparatory measures to mitigate the effects of the El NiĂąo phenomenon.

El NiĂąo refers to above-average sea surface temperatures in the CENTRAL AND EASTERN TROPICAL 0ACIkC Ocean and is associated with below normal rainfall.

Morell said this climactic event could directly destroy the country’s farm sector, particularly the major crops like rice and corn. “This kind of climate event are more likely to be more severe and more frequent in the future,â€? Morell warned the public. “This El NiĂąo would not be the last. It will be a continuous cycle of weather events that we need to prepare to address,â€? he added.

Last week, the Philippine At-

mospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the drought would likely affect the provinces of Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Sulu, Zamboanga del Sur and :AMBOANGA 3IBUGAY IN THE kRST three months of the year.

To address this, Morell said government agencies, particularly the Department of Agriculture (DA), should have urged farmers to shift to high-value crops to at least reduce production losses with the likely occurrence of the El NiĂąo.

He said IRRI was willing to collaborate with the DA to help the Philippines combat the effects of El NiĂąo, particularly to the lives of both the macro and micro farmers.

“We work a lot on satellite imaging technology so that we can understand the climatic changes and its impact on the rice crop as it is developing and so the government can foresee the likely food security outcome,� Morell explained.

Climate-resistant varieties He said the IRRI had developed various climate-resistant rice varieties, which farmers themselves could utilize during typhoon and drought seasons. “We have rice varieties that can do much better than varieties of the past, in the face of drought and other climactic events,� Morell said. “They are part of what we’re working on in here. With our partnership with PhilRice highyielding] varieties are coming out which are always improved in terms of their ability to address

climate change we’re facing. We’re steadily improving the abilities of these varieties to perform well,� he added.

Morell, however, admitted that “we still have a gap to keep workING TOWARDS kLLING IN OUR RESEARCH u This was echoed by Dr. Arvind Kumar, IRRI senior scientist for plant breeding, who said that while the research agency had already developed hundreds of climate-resilient rice varieties, only 50 percent of the total had been made available to Filipino farmers. “Plenty of seed varieties are available to the farmers for cultivation. Many times we release a variety but we lose it because we don’t give much attention to seed multiplication,� Kumar said.

In late 2015 to June 2016, the country was hit by one of the most severe El NiĂąo episodes, which resulted in a very low level of production of staple crops such as rice.

EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ

WHERE HE FAILED PRIOR THIS kGHT g%VERY kGHTER IS DIFFERENT BUT ) KNOW IF ) TOUCH HIM lUSH ) LL put him out. It’s no secret, he’s been to sleep before,� Broner said, referring to Pacquiao having been STOPPED THREE TIMES IN HIS kGHT

24-year professional career.

Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs) apparently forgot to mention his defeats to the best opponents he has faced in Mikey Garcia, Shawn Porter and Marcos Maidana.

He has never been stopped, though. “I’m in shape and ready to go,�

Broner told his audience. We’re prepared to go out and execute.

I’ve been here before, and even THOUGH ) HAVEN T BEEN IN A kGHT of exactly this magnitude, I’m just TREATING IT LIKE ANY OTHER kGHT u He said his being an underdog is no big deal. “We’re ready for whatever this fight is going to end up being,� Broner added. “It could definitely be a war. I’ve always been an underdog. I came from the trenches and I’m bringing that mentality into the ring. I can take over boxing with a win over Pacquiao. “I don’t care about eight-division champion. I’ve always wanted TO kGHT THE BIG NAMES LIKE THIS and I knew that I just had to keep working hard and the time would come,� he said.

Trainer Kevin Cunningham, who is working as Broner’s

Q CALLING FROM A1

Palace hits American NGO for calling PH ‘war zone in disguise’ reasonable to believe that its conclusion is based on allegations made by groups that are hopelessly and blindly critical of the Duterte administration,� Panelo added.

He cited the Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, as well as allegedly partisan media outfits like Rappler, Philippine Daily Inquirer , The New York Times and Reuters, among others. “Describing the war on drugs as a state terror campaign targeting innocent civilians as a government policy is pure hogwash. So is putting the Philippines on its list of the most dangerous places for civilians in 2018,� Panelo said.

The Acled, a United States-based nongovernment organization,

earlier reported that the number of civilians killed in the Philippines in 2018 alone was more than those KILLED IN CONlICT STRICKEN COUNTRIES like Iraq, Somalia or the Democratic Republic of Congo. “The Philippines is a war zone in disguise: Over 1,000 civilians were killed in the Philippines in 2018 — more than in Iraq, Somalia, or the DRC — highlighting the lethality of Duterte’s state terror campaign dubbed the War on Drugs,� it said in its “Year In Review: 2018� report on worldwide political violence and protest.

In the same report, the Acled placed the Philippines under the regional hotspot category, alongside countries like Syria, Nigeria, Yemen and Afghanistan as the

“deadliest countries for civilians� in 2018. “In 2018, nearly as many civilians were killed in Syria (over 7,100) as were in Nigeria, Yemen, Afghanistan and the Philippines combined (over 7,600 total — the next four countries topping the list of deadliest countries for civilians,� it said.

But, Panelo dismissed the REPORT AS gAN INkNITELY FALLACIOUS kNDING u REITERATING THAT THE ALleged drug-related killings in the country were not state-sanctioned. “We have repeatedly debunked the charge that the administration’s war against drugs is statesponsored. The anti-illegal drug campaign is governed by strict police protocols that subject the

POLICE OFkCERS TO ACCOUNTABILITY given the President’s zero tolerance for errant law enforcers,� the Palace OFkCIAL ADDED He said the Philippines was “a dangerous country to drug manufacturers, dealers, addicts, criminals, terrorists, scoundrels, corrupt and abusive persons in authority.� “Impunity has no place under the current administration as EXEMPLIkED BY THE CONVICTION OF Caloocan City policemen involved in the killing of a minor, Kian de los Santos, with no less than the President denouncing the killers and ordering them placed behind bars,� Panelo said.

He also reiterated that the Philippine press remained “one of the

freest in the world.� “Political and media detractors continue to hound the President with their reckless and baseless accusations as well as intrigues; yet they are not haled to court,�

Panelo said.

He cited the case against Rappler, which, according to him, was “unrelated to the content of [its] reports but rather on their having evaded tax payment, a serious criminal offense in the Philippines.�

Panelo mentioned the case against Sen. Leila de Lima, who “remains incarcerated because the evidence in the drug-related charges kLED AGAINST HER IS STRONG AS DETERmined by the court trying her, hence SHE IS UNQUALIkED FOR BAIL u

corner man for only the second fight but who has known him for many years, vouched for Broner’s chance to erase the disappointing losses with an upset victory over Pacquiao. “I think on Saturday night that Adrien is going to be that guy that everyone expected him to be from Day 1. It will open a lot of eyes,� Cunningham said. “The key to victory is for Adrien to just be himself. He has to do what he does best with no hesitation. He must throw the right punches at the right time.�

Near the conclusion of the news conference held at MGM’s David Copperfield Theater, Bernstein took the stage to preside over the question-and-answer portion of the proceedings.

After asking Pacquiao several questions and turning to Broner and asking him an innocuous query about what victory would mean to him, things went off the rails as Broner turned ballistic. “I aint even going to lie to you, I don’t (expletive) with you, bro,� he told the stunned broadcaster. “You talk too much (expletive) about me on Twitter and I’m just letting you know. I’m just being real, bro. I already feel like you’re against me. I’d rather have Roy Jones or Stephen Smith ask me some questions.�

Bernstein was caught off-guard by the outburst, forcing organizers to end the news conference. “The surveys have consistently shown that Filipinos continue to see a trustworthy leader in President Rodrigo Duterte and his continued popularity dispels all these allegations. Our people recognize, feel and embrace the visible change happening in our land,� Panelo said. “To Acled, we say, as we have repeatedly conveyed to other foreign human rights organizations, we do not need lectures from inexpert foreign groups on how to run a nation,� he added.

While lauded by Duterte’s supporters, the war on drugs has drawn global condemnation for the mounting deaths linked to it.

Official police data put the death toll from drug operations at a little over 5,000, but human rights groups say this figure is SIGNIkCANTLY LOWER THAN THE ACTUAL number of killings.

CATHERINE S. VALENTE

News

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‘Do not thank us’: Bong Go turns down youth citation FORMER special assistant to the president and now senatorial candidate Christopher Lawrence “Bong� Go has declined the commendation of the National Youth Commission (NYC) for his contribution in the sector’s development, citing he is merely doing his job.

In a statement, Go said he was grateful for the award, but like President Rodrigo Duterte, he was not keen on receiving commendation as he was only doing his job as a government worker. “Do not thank us. This is our job. President Duterte and I have no other motive than to help and give the youth a better future,� Go said in Filipino.

Resolution 44, sponsored by Youth Commissioner Victor del Rosario and adopted on Sept. 25, 2018, hailed Go’s numerous initiatives that benefited the youth, including health, sports and education efforts.

The NYC said Go’s health advocacy paved the way for the establishment of Malasakit Centers, hastening the delivery of medical services and giving poor patients, including minors, access to medicine.

His sports-led projects such as the “Sapatos

ni SAP, Tsinelas ka-swap� and “Go for Hoops: Three-point shootout� were acknowledged for encouraging the youth, mostly victims of calamities, indigenous people and youth in conflict-affected areas to focus more on sports, teaching them the value of discipline, sportsmanship, and teamwork.

The commission also cited Go’s calls for the proper implementation of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act “that greatly benefited millions of in-school youth across the country.� “Such aforementioned programs and advocacies advanced the administration’s threepoint campaign against drugs, criminality, and corruption that greatly benefits not only the youth and the people who are in need in the country,� the resolution reads.

The recognition was approved by Youth Commission Chairman Ronald Gian Carlo Cardema, and Commissioners del Rosario, Paul Anthony Pangilinan and James Ceasar Ventura.

Del Rosario said he respected the decision of the former secretary, and thank his commitment to the youth sector.

Palace appoints 9 new judges in northern Luzon PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has appointed nine new judges to Municipal Circuit Trial Courts (MCTCs) and Municipal Trial Courts (MTCs) in the northern part of the country.

The appointments were contained in a transmittal letter of Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to the /FkCE OF #HIEF *USTICE ,UCAS "ERSAMIN AND THE *UDICIAL AND "AR #OUNCIL *"# DATED *AN

!PPOINTED WERE *UDGES !RTHUR !GULLANA *R TO THE TH -#4# -ANABO "OLINEY 4UBO ,UBA !BRA %ILYN "EVERLY "LESS #ASTILLO 2IMANDO TO THE TH -#4# $OLORES 3AN *UAN

!BRA .OE !QUINO TO THE TH -#4#

4UBA 3ABLAN "ENGUET #HARLIE 6ALLO TO -4# )TOGON "ENGUET %MMA $E ,UNA -ADRONIO TO THE TH -#4#

!LILEM 3UGPON )LOCOS 3UR -A #ARINA !QUINO TO "RANCH $AGUPAN #ITY 0ANGASINAN "RYAN *ASPER 3OLIS TO THE TH -#4# 4AYUG 3AN .ICOLAS

0ANGASINAN -ANUEL -ORENTE *R TO THE ND -#4# )VANA 5YUGAN "ATANES AND ,ESLIE #OSTALES TO -4# "AYOMBONG .UEVA 6IZCAYA 4HEY WERE SHORTLISTED BY THE *"#

which is constitutionally mandated to screen and vet nominees to the President for vacant posts in the judiciary AND THE /FkCES OF THE /MBUDSMAN AND $EPUTY /MBUDSMAN 4HE *"# IS CHAIRED BY !CTING #HIEF *USTICE !NTONIO #ARPIO WITH EX OFkCIO members Senator Richard Gordon and Oriental -INDORO 2EP 3ALVADOR ,EACHON AND *USTICE 3ECRETARY -ENARDO 'UEVARRA 2ETIRED 3UPREME #OURT JUSTICE *OSE #ATRAL -ENDOZA IS THE HEAD OF THE %XECUTIVE #OMMITTEE WITH -ILAGROS Fernan-Cayosa representing the InTEGRATED "AR OF THE 0HILIPPINES AND 2ET *UDGE 4ORIBIO )LAO REPRESENTING the private sector as the other regular MEMBERS OF THE *"# JOMAR CANLAS

SATURDAY January 19, 2019

A3

Lorenzana:‘No letup in military ops vs NPA’ D

BY DEMPSEY REYES

ATU ODIN SINSUAT, Maguindanao: The Armed Forces of the Philippines would not stop its operations in the northeastern part of Mindanao against communist rebels, even after the New People’s Army (NPA) in the region has expressed plans to release captured soldiers and militiamen, Defense Secretary $ELkN ,ORENZANA SAID ON &RIDAY ,ORENZANA SAID THE RISK OF BEing captured by any threat groups was part of a soldiers’ jobs. “The Cafgu (Civilian Armed

&ORCES 'EOGRAPHICAL 5NIT AND the military know that if they WILL BE CAPTURED IT IS PART OF THEIR jobs. We will go to the process

[but] our operations will not STOP u HE TOLD REPORTERS HERE g.O STOPPING NOW THAT WE ARE WINNING WE WILL JUST STOP .O u ,ORENZANA ADDED /N $ECEMBER THE .0!

TOOK #AFGU MEMBERS AND two Special Forces soldiers as hostages from patrol base in 3IBAGAT !GUSAN DEL 3UR -AJ 'EN 2ONALD 6ILLANUEVA

commander of the Philippine !RMY S TH )NFANTRY $IVISION

said the NPA members that kidnapped the soldiers and militiamen were under the Sub-Regional Sentro de Gravidad Westland.

6ILLANUEVA HAD EARLIER RULED

out the halting of military operations against the comMUNIST REBELS ESPECIALLY IN HIS AREA WHICH WAS SAID TO BE infested by NPA members.

-ARIA -ALAYA SPOKESMAN OF the National Democratic Front of the Northeastern Mindanao 2EGION SAID THAT THE .0!

ITS ARMED WING WAS ONLY WAITING for the right time for the release OF THE CAPTURED TROOPERS WHOM they called “prisoners of war.�

-ALAYA HOWEVER HAD ALSO set conditions for the release of THE TROOPS WHICH INCLUDE THE temporary halting of operations against the communist rebels in the area.

Q Former Optical Media Board chairman ‘Ronnie’ Ricketts and wife Mariz arrive at the Sandiganbayan on Friday to attend the promulgation of his graft case. Ricketts is accused of releasing confiscated pirated movie discs in 2010.

PHOTO BY RUY L. MARTINEZ

Senators join calls vs govt takeover of Hanjin SEN. Sherwin Gatchalian on Friday cautioned the government against taking over the operations and the financial burden of bankrupt shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines (HHIC-PH) in Subic "AY AS IT LACKS THE CREDENTIALS TO manage businesses.

4HE SENATOR SAID gHISTORICALLY

the government has a poor track record of managing businesses.� “This is very evident in various defunct or non-functioning government-owned corporations such as Napocor (National Power #ORP .ATIONAL 3TEEL #ORP AND most recently the MRT (Metro Rail 4RANSIT u HE SAID 'ATCHALIAN CHAIRMAN OF THE Senate Committee on EconomIC !FFAIRS SAID THE GOVERNMENT should instead “attract well established shipbuilders to take over the company.�

He said the shipyard’s operations must be handled by “those who have extensive experience in supply chain management and DEEP kNANCIAL POCKETS u “National security should also be a key consideration in the selec-

tion of a white knight to save the FAILING COMPANY u 'ATCHALIAN SAID 3EN 2ICHARD 'ORDON MEANWHILE

said that the government could enter into a partnership with local taipans and Korean investors in managing (ANJIN 0HILIPPINES SO THAT THE country could build its own ships.

'ORDON FORMER MAYOR OF /LONgapo City and chairman of Subic "AY -ETROPOLITAN !UTHORITY SAID the Hanjin shipyard was a very important resource. “It would also ensure that the workers’ livelihood protected by using the shipyard capabilities to build OUR OWN SHIPS FOR DEFENSE u HE SAID HHIC-PH filed last week a petition before the Regional Trial Court in Olongapo City for voluntary rehabilitation under Republic !CT OR THE LAW PROVIDING FOR THE REHABILITATION OR LIQUIDATION OF kNANCIALLY DISTRESSED ENTERPRISES Hanjin Philippines officials REVEALED TO THE 3UBIC "AY -ETROpolitan Authority that the comPANY HAS AROUND MILLION IN outstanding loans from Philippine BANKS ON TOP OF MILLION IN DEBTS owed to South Korea lenders.

BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

Verdict in graft case vs Ricketts, others known in March THE Sandiganbayan’s Fourth Division will hand down in March ITS VERDICT IN THE GRAFT CASE kLED against former Optical Media "OARD /-" CHAIRMAN AND ACTOR Ronald “Ronnie� Ricketts and several others over the alleged reLEASE OF PIRATED DISCS CONkSCATED FROM A kRM IN /N &RIDAY AFTERNOON THE COURT canceled the promulgation of its decision. It will promulgate the DECISION ON -ARCH The Office of the Ombudsman filed the case before the

3ANDIGANBAYAN IN AGAINST 2ICKETTS AS WELL AS FORMER /-" executive director Cyrus Paul 6ALENZUELA FORMER HEAD OF THE Enforcement and Inspection DiVISION %)$ -ANUEL -ANGUBAT

former EID investigation agent *OSEPH !RNALDO AND FORMER %)$ COMPUTER OPERATOR 'LENN 0EREZ 4HE COURT LATER GRANTED 6ALENZUela’s demurrer to evidence and dismissed the case against him FOR LACK OF SUFkCIENT EVIDENCE The Ombudsman had alleged THAT UNWARRANTED BENEkT ADVAN-

tage or preference was given to Sky High Marketing Corp. with the alleged release of the pirated DISCS CONkSCATED FROM THE kRM According to the OmbudsMAN THE ALLEGED RELEASE OF THE SEIZED ITEMS gCOMPROMISED THE pieces of evidence that could support the case(s) that should have been filed against the said VIOLATORSu OF 2EPUBLIC !CT OR THE g/PTICAL -EDIA "OARD !CT OF u /-" AGENTS RAIDED THE FIRM IN 1UIAPO -ANILA ON -AY

AND CONFISCATED PIRATED digital video discs and video COMPACT DISCS BASED ON THE charge sheet.

The items were then supposEDLY BROUGHT TO THE /-" IN THE AFTERNOON BUT WERE ALLEGEDLY pulled out from the premises in the same evening allegedly under the instruction of Ricketts. !N )SUZU %LF TRUCK OWNED BY Sky High Marketing was allegedly used in pulling out the SEIZED ITEMS REINA C. TOLENTINO

Interference during meat inspections Dear PAO, I am a market meat vendor. Will I violate any law if I refuse to allow a team of inspectors to check the quality of my meat products?

Lito $EAR ,ITO

The law that addresses your SITUATION IS 3ECTION OF THE Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines: g3ECTION )NTERFERENCE IN THE Conduct of Inspection. — It shall

for violation: g3ECTION !DMINISTRATIVE DEAR PAO &INES 4HE 3ECRETARY

BY WAY OF REGULATION SHALL ISSUE A SCHEDULE OF ADMINISTRATIVE kNES FOR violations of any provisions of BE UNLAWFUL FOR ANY PERSON kRM this Act. g3ECTION #EASE AND $ESIST OR CORPORATION TO RESIST HARASS

INTIMIDATE ASSAULT IMPEDE OR IN- Order. — The Secretary is authoterfere with any inspector during RIZED TO ISSUE AFTER PROPER NOTICE the performance of his duties as and hearing which shall be summary in nature except in instances prescribed under this Act.�

The law also provides a penalty when the continued operation

PERSIDA ACOSTA

causes imminent danger to public HEALTH A @#EASE AND $ESIST /RDER TO ANY PERSON kRM OR CORPORATION ENGAGED IN THE BUSINESS OF SLAUGHTERING FOOD ANIMALS OR PREPARING FREEZING PACKAGING

storing or labeling any carcasses or parts or products of carcasses FOR USE AS HUMAN FOOD FOUND to be in violation of any of the PROVISIONS OF THIS !CT SHOULD THE continued operation of said entiTY POSE RISK TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND

endanger the animal population.�

It is clear from the provision that it is unlawful for any perSON TO RESIST HARASS INTIMIDATE

ASSAULT IMPEDE OR INTERFERE WITH any inspector during the perforMANCE OF HIS DUTIES AND THAT THE violator may be subjected to an ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTY (ENCE

your refusal to allow inspection OF YOUR MEAT PRODUCTS IS UNLAWFUL

and you can be held liable for it.

7E kND IT NECESSARY TO MENTION

that this opinion is solely based on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same.

4HUS 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 CHIEF Acosta may be sent to dearpao@ manilatimes.net

A4

Opinion

SATURDAY January 19, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

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E d i to r i a l Energy conservation bill a good first step

A

FTER 30 years of on-again, off-again effort, Congress has finally managed to create a law institutionalizing energy efficiency and conservation in the Philippines. The much larger and more important task of ensuring the law is followed and has a substantially positive impact now lies ahead.

On Thursday, the Bicameral Conference Committee approved the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act, the reconciled version of Senate Bill 1531 and House Bill 8629.

Once signed into law, the measure will create an institutional framework at different levels of government to promote energy conservation practices in the Philippines.

According to Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy, the Philippines is the last country in Southeast Asia to pass a law mandating conservation practices and providing incentives for energy-efficient projects.

4HE %NERGY %FkCIENCY AND #ONSERVATION !CT WILL CREATE A NEW GOVERNMENT BODY THE )NTER !GENCY %NERGY %FkCIENCY AND #ONservation Committee, which will oversee implementation of the Government Energy Management Program (GEMP), aimed at reducing electricity and fuel consumption by the government.

In addition, the Act calls for the creation of a National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Database to centralize information about energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies and energy consumption data.

4HE CENTRAL FEATURE OF THE %NERGY %FkCIENCY AND #ONSERVATION !CT IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A .ATIONAL %NERGY %FkCIENCY AND Conservation Plan, which will create a conservation policy at the national level, including targets, monitoring and evaluation, and energy conservation strategies. The national-level plan will be repeated at the level of local governments, with the creation OF LOCAL ENERGY EFkCIENCY AND CONSERVATION PLANS AS WELL AS “the inclusion of Guidelines on Energy Conserving Design on Buildings in the issuance of building permits.�

The Act also includes provisions for tax incentives and technical assistance from government agencies to encourage compliance with the conservation standards that will be created by the national and local plans.

As encouraging as the aspirations of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act are, as the old saying goes, “the devil is in the details;â€? in the fashion that has become typical of Philippine legislation, there are not many in the measure that will be forwarded to MalacaĂąang for President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature. This is a cause for some concern.

Over the years there have been many instances when a sweeping, progressive legislative measure has failed to take practical effect, or has fallen short of expectations after being passed, because making the new law operational has not been effectively managed by the implementing rules and regulations (IRR).

Those who will be tasked to develop the IRR for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act will have their work cut out for them, because a number of key questions need to be resolved. Funding for the new programs, including the proposed incentives, needs to be found, and the details of those incentives — critical information for the investors the Philippines needs to attract in the sustainable energy space — need to be worked out and clearly communicated.

Similarly, the extent to which various parts of the yet to be written energy efficiency and conservation policies will be obligatory or merely encouraged must be determined. For example, will energy-efficient design standards become part of new building codes, or will they just be recommendations whose adoption is encouraged through incentives?

Along with these kinds of questions, the high cost of electricity must also be addressed. No amount of incentives will encourage compliance with new standards if doing so results in even higher power costs or does not offer a sustainable economic advantage.

While complex, these issues can be effectively resolved now given the welcome first step of passing the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act. We urge Congress and the administration to work together to effectively carry this promising measure forward from aspiration to reality.

~

SATURDAY January 19, 2019

The Manila Times

VOLUME 120 NUMBER 99

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 EVELYN A. FAUNI, Vice President for Finance 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.

Again, where is Andy Bautista?

T

HE public imagination, or at least that which pervades social media, has been bombarded by the ongoing reality soap starring Kris Aquino and the Falcis brothers. Much as people would like to overlay it with political muck and color, this sordid drama of betrayal of private and personal trust has very little value to the

ON THE CONTRARY ANTONIO CONTRERAS advancement of our society and our political development.

But if there is one story of betrayal of trust that needs to be brought

back to our public imagination, it should be the one that Andy Bautista, the former chairman of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), represents. And it is not even about Bautista’s broken relationship with his wife. It is about the failure of the State to secure the electoral process that we entrusted to it.

And it is not just Andy Bautista,

but the institution he led and the web of fraud spawned by its failure to perform its duty to protect our votes.

But what makes Andy Bautista central to the narrative is that he represented not only the betrayal of public trust that ensued during the elections, but also the betrayal that may have been committed

ÂłContrerasA5

Q MAKABENTA FROM A1

To earn its budget, CHR should critique HRW report “via various means.�

It refers to the situation of detained Sen. Leila de Lima, ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th who are some of Duterte’s most vocal critics.

The suggestion that de Lima.

Sereno and Trillanes are human rights victims is incomprehensible, even laughable, to me.

As a journalist who has focused on our public affairs during the last kVE YEARS AND HAS WRITTEN AT LENGTH on the cases of de Lima,Sereno, and Trillanes, I reject the portrayal of the trio as human rights victims by a nongovernment organization based in New York, that comments on our public affairs by remote and not THROUGH HARD NOSED FACT kNDING Had HRW bothered to visit, it would easily have found out THE FOLLOWING 1. Sen. Leila de Lima is in detention and is facing charges for abetting the illegal drugs trade, receiving drug cartel money, and permitting the transMOGRIkCATION OF THE NATIONAL STATE penitentiary into a trans-shipment point for the drug trade.

2. Former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was ousted by her peers in the Supreme Court because of her failure to submit all documentary requirements for Onus to provide critique her applications as associate justice and as chief justice. Her total lack of The 2018 HRW report should end experience on the bench made her this happy-go-lucky existence of the ESPECIALLY UNkT AND INCOMPETENT TO human rights commission. discharge the duties of a justice of I submit that the time has come the Supreme Court. for the CHR to show that it is truly 3. Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th is a deserving and worthy member of facing several charges of rebellion the Philippine government, and not and mutiny in court, following the a member of the opposition. revocation of his amnesty applicaBefore the task falls on the lap of tion, on the ground that he did not the Department of Foreign Affairs FULkLL ALL THE AMNESTY REQUIREMENTS (DFA), the Presidential CommuniHe mounted a coup attempt twice CATIONS /PERATIONS /FkCE 0#// against the government of President and the presidential spokesman, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. the onus (responsibility) should be The report also took particular on the CHR to provide a critique of note of Duterte’s announcement the HRW report as a service to the last year that the country would government and the nation. withdraw from the InternaA critique is a critical essay or tional Criminal Court (ICC) in commentary on published work. response to the court’s move to CHR should earn its budget by open a probe into killings related PROVING IT KNOWS THE kELD AND KEY to the administration’s war on developments. drugs. It glosses over the fact that the Rome Statute fully recognizes De Lima, Sereno, that signatories can withdraw Trillanes as HR victims from the treaty, after giving notice to the Secretary-General of There is plenty to criticize and take the United Nations issue with in the HRW report.

It makes no mention of the #ONSIDER kRST THE FOLLOWING fact that major countries like the The HRW report makes special United States, China, Russia and mention of alleged efforts by the India, among so many, have not Duterte government to silence critics joined the ICC. Crisis? If there is a PH human rights crisis, shouldn’t the CHR BE THE kRST TO KNOW AND KNOW THE problem in detail?

Shouldn’t the commission be the one to tell the nation what is the real score, rather than an NGO based in New York City, with barely a footprint in the country?

And shouldn’t the CHR be the one to argue point-by-point the various issues raised by the HRW report?

Although the CHR postures LIKE A FULL lEDGED CONSTITUTIONAL commission, claiming budget and compensation system similar to those of the three explicitly named constitutional commissions in the Constitution — the Civil Service Commission, the Commission on Elections and the Commission on Audit — it does not in fact perform as a national authority on human rights.

Where other commissions are the acknowledged and responsible AUTHORITIES IN THEIR kELDS THE #(2 is responsible for nothing.

It aspires mainly to be on the good side of international media and human rights organizations, by playing watchdog on the Duterte government and by supplying foreign groups with information for their reports.

Criticism of the drug war HRW singles out Duterte and the Philippines in a keynote essay of the report, written by HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth. Roth claimed that Duterte “encouraged more summary executions, supposedly of drug suspects, but often of people guilty of no more than being poor young men.�

The report took note of “a rare triumph of accountability in the Philippines,� referring to the guilty verdict handed to three cops involved in the murder of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos in August 2017.

It also cited a decision of a Bulacan court last September which convicted ex-Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan and two other military men for the kidnapping and illegal detention of student activists Karen EmpeĂąo and Sherlyn Cadapan.

For the rest, the report made mention of Rappler’s case as emblematic of the government’s attack on press FREEDOM BECAUSE OF THE kNDING BY the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that Rappler violated 3%# RULES AND THE kLING OF TAX EVAsion cases against Rappler CEO and founder Maria Ressa.

There was no negative information about the country that HRW deemed as lying outside the pale of human rights.

On HIV-AIDS situation in the country, the report said that there are “an estimated 68,000 Filipinos living with HIV� and that the number of new cases had “jumped from 4,400 in 2010 to 12,000 in 2017.�

This increase, the HRW said, “has been attributed to government policy failures to respond to the epidemic.�

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International The hatchet-job, grab-anything approach will fool no one who knows the slightest thing about Human Rights Watch and the source of its funding.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, as the only two Western-oriented international human rights organizations operating worldwide, have often been compared to each other. The major differences lie in the groups’ structure and methods for promoting change.

Amnesty International is a massmembership organization. Mobilization of those members is the organization’s central advocacy tool.

Human Rights Watch’s main products are its crisis-directed re-

search and lengthy reports.

In 2010, the Times of London wrote that instead of being supported by a mass membership, as AI is, HRW depends on wealthy donors who like to see the organization’s reports make headlines. For this reason, according to the Times, HRW tends to “concentrate too much on places that the media already cares about,� especially in disproportionate coverage of Israel.

This also explains the keen interest of HRW in Duterte today, because he is good copy for the media and donor bait.

Soros invests $100 million in HRW )N ALSO kNANCIER AND PHILANthropist George Soros of the Open Society Foundation announced his intention to grant $100 million to HRW over a period of 10 years to help it expand its efforts internationally. He said, “Human Rights Watch is one of the most effective organizations I support. Human rights underpin OUR GREATEST ASPIRATIONS THEY RE AT THE heart of open societies.� The donation increased Human Rights Watch’s operating staff of 300 by 120 people.

The donation was the largest in the organization’s history.

The new HRW report, and its dim view of strong leaders like Duterte, will doubtless please Mr. Soros, who is well-known in our region for his feud with Prime Minister Mahathir OF -ALAYSIA DURING THE !SIAN knancial crisis, and the grief he caused in the region with his speculation against Southeast Asia’s currencies. )T IS WELL KNOWN IN kNANCIAL LORE that Soros and his Quantum Fund bet against a basket of Asian currenCIES SPECIkCALLY THE CURRENCIES OF Thailand and Malaysia, just before THE !SIAN kNANCIAL CRISIS They say that Soros broke the Bank of Thailand. “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste,� says Nobel laureate Milton Friedman.

Leaders like President Duterte and Mahathir should learn from the 1997 crisis to do away with the economic policies at the time, and guard against any schemes by George Soros and his front organizations.

HRW will keep up its relentless defamation of Duterte until the government is tough enough to act and stop them.

Crisis will be wasted if Asean forgets about Soros.

yenmakabenta@yahoo.com

Opinion

˜ The Manila Times

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SATURDAY January 19, 2019

A5

Q ROBLES FROM A1

Mythical beasts The closest I could find was a British Broadcasting Corp. report last September, which dismissed a case filed by a Canadian who accused the province of British Columbia of failing to accept that sasquatches — also known as the huge, ape-like Bigfoot — exist. Complainant Todd Standing, a Bigfoot enthusiast, alleged that the province infringed on his fundamental rights of expressing concern for the mythical creature. But, and here is where the decision that BC Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Ball wrote is relevant to the Laurio case, Standing’s complaint “lacked an air of reality� and ordered the complainant to pay for the costs of the case.

According to the BBC, Standing tried to get the province to acknowledge that the giant, apelike figure was “an indigenous mammal living within British Columbia.� But Ball found “no

reasonable cause for the lawsuit� and said the court had no power to compel the province to conduct “scientific investigations of its flora and fauna.�

The judge also dismissed the claim that Standing’s rights were being violated, stating that the province had never placed restrictions on his Bigfoot-related interests. In other words, the high court ruled that the complainant could believe whatever he wanted to believe, he just could not force the government and the court to agree with him.

Now let’s look at the criminal libel case filed last year by Laurio, who is once again in the news for allegedly accepting money from parties working against President Rodrigo Duterte and his online allies in order to besmirch their reputations, including funds from former presidential sister and

celebrity endorser Kris Aquino.

Laurio filed the case against pro-Duterte blogger Mabanta, who called the comely but virulent Laurio — owner of the vicious Pinoy Ako Blog and a favorite of the Yellow faction of politics — “blogre� and “ugly,� among other choice epithets.

At the Makati City prosecutor’s office, where the libel case was originally filed by Laurio against Mabanta, a fiscal dismissed the case last June 20. A motion for reconsideration filed by Laurio led to the transfer of the case to another prosecutor last September 21.

In the latest ruling, issued by the prosecutor’s office last December 3 but disclosed only last week, Assistant City Prosecutor Maria Ghia Evangelista-Vizcarra wrote: “A perusal of the motions showed that the arguments raised herein were already passed upon and

thoroughly considered by this Office during the preliminary investigation. “That notwithstanding, a thorough reevaluation of the matter was made wherein this Office arrived at the same conclusion, that is, that pieces of evidence are insufficient to find probable cause to indict the respondent with the offense complained of,� she explained. “[Complainant] has not forwarded any evidence that can otherwise give merit to the motion for reconsideration,�

Evangelista-Vizcarra wrote. “Lastly, it was observed that the motion was not verified when the [National Prosecutorial Service] rules of appeal so provide, that a motion for reconsideration must be verified; [in] light of this, the instant motion must necessarily be denied.�

And so we are left with the conclusion that a Makati

Damned if I do, damned if I didn’t “CHINA aid are in good hands—most of it already in the pocket of Duterte and some used as payolas for journalists who propagandize for the Chinese, e.g., this writer.�

N

OW, that hurts, a reader’s comment on my column the other Sunday, “China must make sure its aid is put to good use.�

I normally don’t dignify hecklers with replies to their nasty criticism of my writing, but that one, I just can’t take, not that it’s untrue as far as the insinuated payola to me is concerned, as indeed it is not, but that from China’s friends I got a similar whipping. They have a perception that my article puts Chinese assistance to the Philippines in a bad light and China itself as short of intelligence. Imagine funding the demolition of a bridge that is popularly perCEIVED TO BE CRITICAL TO THE EASING UP OF TRAFkC congestion in metropolitan Manila.

The issue was the imminent demolition of the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge from Mandaluyong to -AKATI ACROSS THE 0ASIG 2IVER AS kNALLY DECIDED upon by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The bridge had been slated for demolition in September last year, but anTICIPATING THE VOLUME OF TRAFkC IN THE COMING yuletide season, the demolition was reset to January 12 (then reset again to January 19) this year. Responding to popular outcry against the DEMOLITION ) THOUGHT IT JUST kTTING THAT ) TREATED the issue from the standpoint of China’s actually funding the project — not through loans but through a grant (presumably half of the P5-billion aid given gratis et amore to the Philippines for the construction of two additional bridges across the Pasig River, the other one being the Intramuros-Binondo Bridge in Manila).

I think I had better state my case quite clearly this time.

In contrast to most everybody perhaps, when I talk of issues affecting the Filipino nation, I say things not from the popular notion that the nation is one and indivisible but from my irreversible standpoint that unless the Philippines turns socialist, the nation is divided into employees and entrepreneurs, the exploited and the exploiter – the rich and the poor. Under such a set-up, the government – the Philippine state, if you wish – can never be for the entire Filipino people. Either it is for the employees or the entrepreneurs, the exploited or the exploiter, the rich or the poor.

On the matter of Chinese assistance to the Philippines, unless the nation turns socialist, that assistance cannot but be only for the entrepreneurs, the exploiters and the rich who are in control of the government to which that assistance is delivered, not for the employees, the exploited and the poor who do not have political power.

If only readers would care to turn back to my past articles on this issue, they would notice that I have been quite consistent with such a standpoint.

On the Manila-Matnog mega railway project, for instance, I said it takes so much to build a RAILWAY WHICH THE PEOPLE CAN ENJOY ONLY AFTER kVE years, if at all; it takes so little to feed the hungry Filipino stomach now. The advocacy is actually for China’s Belt and Road Initiative to address not just the long-range strategies of the government but also, and with equal weight as well, the immediate needs of the people.

In other words, address the perennial poverty of the Filipino people not in some distant heaven but in the pragmatic plains of the here and now.

On the occasion of the traditional Christmas party thrown by the Chinese embassy for the Philippine media, Chinese ChargÊ d’Affaires ad interim Tan Qingsheng delivered remarks that made me feel I was listening to someone who should be placed high in the hierarchy of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

And so I wrote: “Now if he is such, then he MUST BE SOMEBODY SPEAKING OF AN OFkCIAL ATTI-

MY SAY

MAURO GIA SAMONTE tude of the Chinese Communist Party toward the Filipino people. This must account for SOME SERIOUS CONCERN FOR ME -R 4AN DEkNITELY sounded as if he was treating the Filipinos AS ONE WHOLE NATION ONE THAT BENEkTS FROM Chinese assistance, be it loans, business investments, grants, or employment opportunity redound to the entirety of the Filipino people.�

In the same article, I raised the question thus: “For some time now, I have been wondering if China can really be serving the Filipino working masses (the workers, peasants and middle-class “productive forces�) genuinely by dealing with the Philippine government alone. Can the Belt and Road Initiative really serve its objective of comprehensive strategic cooperation with the 0HILIPPINES WITHOUT kRST BRINGING ABOUT THE near-dissolution of Philippine social classes as China has done to its people?�

It is the mindset for that inquiry that guided my discussion of the issue of the demolition of the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge: 7ILL IT REDOUND TO THE GENERAL BENEkT OF THE Filipino people or will it be good only for infrastructure investors? But what do I get?

On the one hand, ire from a reader who rates me as pro-Chinese, and on the other, chagrin from those who the reader says I am partial to.

At any rate, all in the spirit of objective reportAGE ) TAKE DELIGHT FROM A CLARIkCATION ISSUED BY the Phil-BRICS Studies, with photographs to boot. Well equipped for conducting research on various social and political concerns, the group claims to have traced the campaign against the demolition of the Estrella-Pantaleon bridge to

one allegedly German national, a certain Franck Schuengel. According to Phil-BRICS, the German posted his protest in his blog and this was picked up by a rabid anti-Duterte, anti-China blogger who spread the noise all over social media.

But I’d leave this matter of the source of the campaign against the demolition of the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge. Rather, I’d focus on amplifying what I believe is Phil-BRICS’ honest information as to the real reason for having to demolish the bridge. “A Bridge Too Low,� goes the title of the lengthy statement Phil-BRICS released to the press. “ ‘What I heard is that the bridge is too low to enable barges carrying bridge parts for the NLEX-SLEX connector skyway and other planned Pasig River bridges to pass through. If true, it is then faulty planning. When the LRT bridge was being planned in the early 1980s, we at PCG were consulted for navigational clearance. I suggested an increase of 1 or 1.5 meters to allow barges supplying the Pililla power plant to pass through.

Anyway there is a need for CSW and good media information.’ – Comm. Chuck Agustin (ret.) “The above is a full quote from retired Commodore Chuck Agustin [of the Philippine Coast Guard] in a Viber discussion on the issue of the present two-lane, simple steel structure Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge demolition and the construction of a new four-lane, fully concrete and steel bridge with higher clearance from the river surface.�

All the above, by way of setting the record straight. There really is no ill will there, nor ill deal. It’s true that demolishing the old bridge WILL RESULT IN UNIMAGINABLE TRAFkC JAMS "UT precisely because the DPWH recognizes this, it has once again postponed the longplanned demolition to January 19 in order to clear routes for diverting expected heavy TRAFkC ONCE THE OLD BRIDGE STARTS FALLING DOWN

Q Pictures can’t lie. Above, the old Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge, built at a cost of P300 million, with hardly any clearance for passing ships. Below, the new one to replace it, funded with a Chinese grant, part of a P5-billion package.

prosecutor has declared that because Laurio has failed to prove that she is not ugly, therefore she must really be deficient in the looks department. There is no other way to interpret the prosecutor’s latest ruling, especially when it says that Laurio has failed to provide evidence to the contrary, even after being given the opportunity to do so in a motion for reconsideration.

The ruling must have really hurt for Laurio, who I hear recently got married. And if I were her, after failing to convince a prosecutor to bring a case in defense of her beauty, she must no longer appeal to another legal venue.

What, after all, is the “new eviDENCEu THAT A kSCAL REQUIRES IN ORDER for her to bolster her case that she is not as ugly as Mabanta claims?

Besides, going back to the Canadian Bigfoot case, she

must stop trying to win people over to her belief in her pulchritude — although she is free to proclaim it to anyone who will listen. Just leave the state and the courts out of it because, as that court said, it is not the job of the government or the judiciary to settle the issue of the existence of mythical beasts like the one described in the portmanteau word coined by Mabanta that is still gaining traction on social media — “blogre.�

Laurio must cease looking for a prosecutor or court that will uphold her idea of her own beauty.

Or else she will know nothing but pain and sorrow. Much like the people spending all their lives looking for the sasquatch and other such creatures.

Move on, Jover. Know when you’re beat.

No use fighting causes that aren’t based on reality.

Q CONTRERAS FROM A4

Again, where is Andy Bautista? by the agents of the State when they ALLOWED HIM TO JUST lY AWAY AS AN ATtempt to escape from our laws. And now, the whole State apparatus, from the President, to the investigative branches of government, to Congress through its separate and joint committees, appear either clueless or helpless, or worse, complicit with the travesty that his absence has become.

Until now, it is not entirely clear how the State could allow Andy Bautista to just roam around in comfortable self-exile, when there is compelling evidence that the election process that he presided over was full of anomalies. And it is not just about straight lines of otherwise random votes, or of abnormally high percentage of undervotes which would have already sounded the alarm bell to any election scientist. We are talking here about actual evidence that points to tampering not only with the results but also with the process itself. Election fraud whistleblower Glenn Chong presented to the public a procession of damning empirical data that screamed at the need for validation through a serious investigation, and which could no longer simply rely on the denials BY #OMELEC OFkCIALS 6OTE COUNTING machines that have already been tested and sealed were already transmitting a day before the elections. An illegal fourth server was established and has not been vetted properly, even as the source codes were not properly vetted according to procedures prescribed by law. Shading thresholds of ballots were unilaterally changed by Comelec without informing the parties. Scanned ballot images are missing, or were apparently tampered with, causing the sequence number to exceed the total number of ballots cast. Signatures of those who voted did not match those who are registered. Ballot boxes were deliberately opened and tampered with, some drenched not only with water but with chemicals, and others stuffed with dirt, which was but apropos to the fact that our elections have been dirtied by fraud.

In functioning democracies, a single and simple allegation of voter fraud can trigger an investigation, and cause the NULLIkCATION OF THE ELECTIONS 4HE 53 House of Representatives even refused to seat someone whose victory was marred by suspected fraud in the casting and gathering of absentee votes. But not in a country like ours. We would rather be scandalized by Kris Aquino’s antics than the fact that our electoral process may have been compromised.

The procession of damning evidence after damning evidence presented by Chong and other election watchdogs, not only in press conferences and social media posts, but even in congressional hearings, while initially whipping some semblance of interest among our legislators, eventually died down and was taken over by other issues and developments. No less than Senate President Tito Sotto stood up to denounce election fraud, and even vowed to present his own witnesses to corroborate the claims made by Chong and others. After all, electoral fraud is a serious issue that needed to

be addressed considering that in May we would have another election, and once again, it is going to be held using the same Smartmatic technology against which the allegations of fraud were made. But eventually, this did not create any semblance of urgency to the joint congressional oversight committee (JCOC) which has yet to act on the allegations disclosed during its hearings. There is no apparent serious attempt to consider, for example, proposals to amend the law on elections to adopt a hybrid system of manual counting and electronic transmission. More importantly, there IS EVEN NO RESOLUTION kLED IN THE 3ENATE or the House that questions the fact that Smartmatic is still the automated election service provider.

One is also compelled to ask why a Congress whose houses both have the penchant for investigations did not utter a single word calling for an inquiry into the death of Richard Santillan, the bodyguard of Chong. Even if his death may eventually be found to be totally unrelated to the issues which his boss is focusing on, due diligence in the performance of oversight functions would have directed Congress to look into the matter considering that there could be a possibility of a connection. After all, the conduct of free and fair elections is the foundation of our democracy, and any attempt to taint it with fraud and to cover this up with murder, even if just a mere possibility, should be seriously investigated.

Eventually, it behooves us to ask what the President has done in relation to election fraud. And it is fair to say that things would have been different had the President shown the same level of resolve to clean our electoral system as he exhibited in cleaning up the streets of drugs and criminality, and the waters of Boracay of slime. It would have helped the crusade against election fraud if the President had expressed the same level of combative language towards election cheats and fraudsters, as he has expressed towards his critics and political enemies, particularly the bishops and the Catholic Church. After all, the bishops are less of a threat to democracy as those who tamper with and undermine our electoral process.

Some people point out that the President is simply following the rule of law, and is respecting the autonomy of Comelec as an independent constitutional body, that he is merely allowing the investigations and the electoral protest of former senator Bongbong Marcos to take their natural course. But when we match this with the image of a President who is willing to transgress the boundaries of civility to engage the bishops as leaders of the Church, which he is even constitutionally barred from meddling into, with bold and offensive speech, then something simply doesn’t add up.

When we see the image of the President as one who is not about to be held back by conventions and niceties in calling out and even dismissing errING OFkCIALS IT IS A BIT ODD THAT HE HAS not uttered a curse directed at people involved in electoral fraud, demanded accountability and loudly asked where the hell is Andy Bautista.

A6

Opinion

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY January 19, 2019

Published election surveys should not be trusted

T

HE election period for the May 2019 elections started last January 13, while the campaign period will start on February 12. Public opinion polling bodies are conducting surveys left and right even before the candidates-to-be HAD kLED THEIR CERTIkCATES OF CANDIDACY (CoC) way back in October last year.

Among the more popular, and probably oldest, survey organizations in the Philippines are the Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia Research Inc. Of course, there are a dozen more companies doing the same. The surveys done by these companies are either commissioned (meaning, somebody paid for them) or at the behest of the companies themselves. ! MONTH BEFORE THE kLING OF #O#S

Pulse Asia published its 2019 senatorial preferences survey, based on the responses of 1,800 registered voters.

Sen. Grace Poe was reportedly preferred by 70 percent of the voters. /N THE WEEK OF THE #O# kLING 373 published the results of the survey commissioned by then presidential political adviser Francis Tolentino on senatorial preferences. Sen. CynthiaVillar topped the survey with 53 percent. It was claimed to have been done using face-to-face interviews with 1,500 adults nationwide, 600 in Balance Luzon, and 300 each in Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao.

The results of this survey were inconsistent, as pointed out by some quarters. The same inconsistency was even admitted by SWS’ own Deputy Director for Surveys, Vlad Licudine, in media interviews. The reason that he

ALL INSIGHT

AL S. VITANGCOL III cited was that there were two different sets of names (candidates) that the subjects were asked to choose from.

In early January 2019, SWS released the results of a survey conducted from Dec. 8, 2018 to Dec. 16, 2018 for the 2019 Senate race. Surprisingly, noncandidates Sara Duterte-Carpio (27 percent) and Erwin Tulfo (26 percent) were included in the Magic 12.

On Jan. 2, 2019, a broadsheet published the results of a survey conducted

by SWS from Dec. 16 2018 to 19 2018.

According to SWS, they used faceto-face interviews with 1,500 survey subjects. The survey showed single-digit voter preferences for volunteer doctor and former columnist “Doc Willie�

Ong and former congressman Neri Colmenares, among others.

Colmenares topping the survey.

Here, then, is the question: Why is there a big difference in the survey results of SWS and Pulse Asia? In SWS and Pulse Asia’s surveys, Colmenares is nowhere near the top 12.

Here is another example. The Social Media 2019 senatorial survey, conducted from Jan. 1 to 9, 2019, showed an entirely different scenario.

Dr. Willie Ong topped this survey.

Completing the rest of the Magic 12 were Bong Go, Larry Gadon, Roland "Bato" de la Rosa, Imee Marcos, Glenn Chong, Harry Roque, Pia Cayetano, Cynthia Villar, Francis Tolentino, Raffy Alunan and Juan Ponce Enrile We ask again: Why is there a big difference between these and the survey results of SWS and Pulse Asia? In SWS and Pulse’s surveys, Ong is far down below the list of preferred candidates.

The Social Media 2019 Senatorial Survey claimed to have a respondent base of more than 50,000, Pulse 1,800, and SWS 1,500. So, which survey can be trusted?

Contradicting survey results Controlled public Results of other surveys conducted opinion polling through other means by other entities, and not by SWS nor Pulse Asia, showed differing results, particularly in the case of Ong and Colmenares.

In a recently concluded senatorial survey conducted by UP Diliman, Colmenares topped the Magic 12 by garnering 52 percent of the straw votes. In the social media arena, @Halalan2019 Twitter user conducted a poll from January 7 to 9, 2019, which again showed

Can we now accuse SWS and Pulse Asia of publishing biased and inaccurate polling? Well, this accusation is not new at all.

According to Manila Times columnist Francisco “Kit� Tatad, who was a senatorial candidate in 2010, citing a research paper and documents from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), members of the Aquino

clan and former associates of the late President Corazon Aquino were directors and stockholders of SWS and Pulse Asia. “This suggests that there was a plan from the beginning by the Aquinos to control public opinion polling in the country,�

Tatad said (https://www.philstar. com/headlines/2010/05/06/572409/ noynoy-kin-allies-behind-pulse-sws).

Based on available online reports, SWS and Pulse Asia were founded by several fellows way back in 1985 and 1999, respectively. However, there is a common denominator in THESE TWO SURVEY kRMS ‡ BOTH WERE founded by University of the Philippines professor Felipe B. Miranda.

Looking closely at their corporate structure, one can see an interlocking of directors and incorporators.

Could Tatad be correct in this aspect?

Professor Alfredo Sureta, the author of the paper that Tatad cited, called for THE ESTABLISHMENT OF POLLING kRMS NOT owned by an avid Aquino supporter or relative to “enhance not only the credibility of the science of polling in the country, but also to allow a betTER lOW OF INFORMATION TO THE VOTING public on the agenda and platforms of the candidates.�

Now, knowing that election survey results coming from SWS and Pulse Asia may be biased and inaccurate, can the Commission on Elections do something about it?

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

Manila.Times

Social media is harming America; we need to do something about it EDITORIAL FROM THE NEW BERN SUN JOURNAL

B

Y now, we know that social media is more likely to bring out the worst in us than the best in us. Or, more accurately, it is likely to bring out the worst of us, while the silent many just groan and become more dispirited at the state of things.

The question that we need to ask ourselves this year, though, is whether social media is changing us as a society and hurting us as a people. The evidence appears increasingly plain that it is.

Our worry is that, as Americans, we are increasingly unwilling to consider ideas that are contrary to our own biases and beliefs, that we are that much more eager to tune them out or shout them down or that we just don’t encounter them at all in our streams of information.

These days, people who disagree aren’t just our neighbors with different points of view. They are our political enemies, called out as such over and over not only in the gutter stream of cable “news� and internet comments, but also more frequently in social media posts.

On an editorial board like ours that uses as its guideposts that people and human liberty matter, this sense of separation rings starkly because it comes from both directions. On any given

day, we are called a shill for the left or the right. That sort of feedback doesn’t bother us much. Newspaper editorial boards are used to taking knocks because we often present a broad range of opinions and arguments. What’s concerning, though, is the increasing sense that many Americans don’t want to even hear other perspectives.

Some of us are becoming like children who will eat only what we like at every meal. Try to sneak in a vegetable and a tantrum ensues. The reactions are childish because they don’t answer argument with argument or reason with reason. They are emotional, not logical.

So, many people online are often so assured of the self-evident righteousness of their perspectives that they don’t bother to support them with arguments or counter-arguments. They just go right to the ad hominem attacks.

Social media doesn’t just exacerbate this problem, it also feeds on it. Algorithms are set to ensure a steady diet OF CONkRMATION BIAS AND EMOTIONAL manipulation.

In December, the Pew Research Center reported that social media has surpassed newspapers as a source of news for Americans. Twenty percent of Americans now cite social media as a frequent news source. It’s easy to lament

this as a newspaper. But the more important question is whether we should lament it as Americans. Take an honest look at the quality of information and the quality of the national discourse and the answer seems clear that we should not continue down this path.

We know that social media has become the preferred platform autocracies use to control their populaces and undermine democracy. It’s not just Russia.

It’s happening all over the world. And we know that even after the social media giant Facebook became aware that it was being used in such a manner, it was slow to react, even as its machine-learning algorithms continued to serve people not the best information, but rather the information most likely to keep them on Facebook, watching one more ad.

Twitter, meanwhile, is a land of bots and trolls that even the most carefully curated feed will struggle to keep out and where a 280-character limit promises not reason and depth, but appeals to shallow emotion.

By now, we know the social media giants are not going to change. Their revenue model is too tied to keeping us online, collecting our personal data and preferences and then selling them to all comers — often without consent.

Congress needs to address social

media companies’ position as the major publishers of our age. It also needs to address how internet companies use and sell personal data. If change is to come, it has to bubble up from the people. The politicians in Washington will spend their time watching the polls or being pulled aside by lobbyists for the internet giants.

It will be up to us, as Americans, to ask hard questions about who we are and how we want to relate to one another. In 2019, we have to be willing to treat one another online as neighbors and fellow citizens. We have to be willing to hear one another out and to respond not from our gut but from our minds — and then support leaders who emulate such behavior.

We also need to be willing to hold social media accountable for the material it spreads, for how it treats our personal data as a commodity and for the division it so often sows among us. That can mean speaking up about it, reducing the frequency we use it or saying goodbye to certain sites altogether.

The old saying “We are what we eat� applies here. We are what we consume.

And with social media, that consumption is too often unhealthy. Let’s stop that this year and do something about it.

CREATORS.COM

FOCUS

The Pences: Defenders of Christian values in the White House WASHINGTON, DC: On page 11 of an application to work at a private Christian school in Virginia, teachers are bluntly asked to pledge to “maintain a lifestyle based on biblical standards of moral conduct.�

It goes on to say banned conduct includes, but is not limited, to: “Heterosexual activity outside of marriage (e.g. premarital sex, cohabitation and extramarital sex), homosexual or lesbian sexual activity, polygamy, transgender identity� or “any other violation of the unique roles of male and female.�

Students at the Immanuel Christian School — who range in age from five to 14 — are also banned from engaging in “homosexual or bisexual activity,� according to an agreement parents must sign before enrolment.

Vice President Mike Pence’s wife Karen is once again teaching art at the school in Washington’s suburbs — sparking anger from gay rights advocates who say it sends the wrong message from the inner circles of United States power. “We’ll let the critics roll off our backs,�

Pence said in an interview with Catholic television network EWTN. But, he added: “The criticism of Christian education in America should stop.�

Of course, the Pence family’s brand of religious conservatism is exactly why Donald Trump

chose him as a running mate in July 2016.

Pro-prayer, anti-abortion At that time, Pence was the governor of Indiana and a former congressman with a low national profile.

He had a few crowning achievements to boast of — a state anti-abortion law and a “religious freedom law� that said individuals and companies wishing not to serve gay and lesbian customers could cite a “substantial burden� on their religious beliefs as a reason.

An amendment was eventually passed to provide protections for LGBT citizens.

The anti-abortion law added limits to access, banning those motivated by the fetus’ race, gender or disability. But it was eventually blocked in the courts.

Nevertheless, the two initiatives had burnished Pence’s reputation as a champion of the religious right.

Since taking office as vice president, the 59-year-old Pence — who seems to make it his business not to make waves — regularly appears alongside the 45th president of the US. In meetings, he often takes a back seat, his lips sealed and his head nodding in approval.

When he speaks in public, he never misses a chance to voice his admiration for the man

who brought him back to Washington.

On the face of it, they could not be more different — Trump is brash, twice divorced, vocal about his sexual conquests and doesn’t seem to have a tight grasp on biblical passages.

Pence, meanwhile, said last year: “I do try and start every day reading the Bible.

My wife and I try to have a prayer together before I leave the house every morning.�

On Thursday, the Vice President was set to host a roundtable for pro-abortion rights activists on the eve of the March for Life, a major annual anti-abortion rally in Washington.

Pence was the first vice president to speak at the march in 2017. “We will not rest, until we restore a culture of life in America for ourselves and our posterity,� Pence told the crowd.

The fight continues Mike and Karen Pence met at church — an evangelical Protestant congregation.

One in four Americans associates with the movement.

Today, they are often seen holding hands when they are together in public. Pence often begins his tweets by saying, “Karen and I are praying for...�

They are reportedly inseparable — a fact

that sometimes sparks mockery In 2002, Mike Pence, then a lawmaker, infamously told The Hill that he never ate alone with a woman other than Karen, and that he would not accept an invitation to an event where alcohol was being served if she were not there. “If there’s alcohol being served and people are being loose, I want to have the bestlooking brunette in the room standing next to me,� Pence told the Washington paper.

While he has often joked about his traditional views of coupledom, he has never denied them.

Karen Pence, 62, shares her husband’s conservative beliefs.

In 1991, she wrote to The Indianapolis Star newspaper to complain about an article that, she claimed, encouraged children to think they were gay or lesbian, according to a copy of the letter released by The Washington Post.

Since that time, gay marriage has become the law of the land — legal across the country.

But, there is no explicit federal ban on discriminating against someone for their sexual orientation, which allows employers like the Immanuel Christian School to maintain its rules against “sexual immorality.�

For the Pences, as for other evangelicals, the battle continues. AFP

Gaps in environmental treaties AMBASSADORS’ I CORNER

NTERNATIONAL environmental lawmaking and diplomacy have gone a long way. However, despite the availability of handbooks on negotiating multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) or treaties as reference tools, much remains to be desired in their actual implementation. Proof are the reports or proceedings of the Conference of the Parties (COPs) held once every three years to review and plan out strategies for the MEAs’ further implementation.

COPs are often the venue for identifying implementation problems commonly encountered by developing countries that were not thought of during the treaty formulation stage.

Thus, there is the perception that these treaties have not been an effective means of addressing issues they intended to resolve. Extremely destructive consequences of climate change and biodiversity loss are said to be worsening in spite of implementation strategies employed in accord with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

7HAT ARE THE GAPS DEkCIENCIES OR LIMITATIONS OF THOSE ENVIronmental treaties?

AMADO S. TOLENTINO, JR.

Climate change and biodiversity loss Despite MEAs, the rate of fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions continues to increase unabated. With regard to biodiversity, “Species are going extinct at rates 1,000 times the background rates typical of the Earth’s past.� (Global Biodiversity Outlook 2) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is THE SCIENTIkC BODY THAT REVIEWS AND ASSESSES THE MOST RECENT SCIENTIkC TECHNICAL AND SOCIO ECONOMIC INFORMATION RELEVANT TO understanding climate change. On the other hand, the ConvenTION ON "IOLOGICAL $IVERSITY HAS THE 3UBSIDIARY "ODY ON 3CIENTIkC

Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA).

Some quarters believe that the IPCC could adequately serve the needs of the biodiversity convention. The issues of climate change and biological diversity are closely and mutually interrelated and intricately tied up with other issues such as poverty and development. In short, climate change should not be pushed forward without a thorough analysis of their consequences for biodiversity, food security, health, etc.

Concerned by the negative impacts that climate change and loss of biodiversity have on each other, the UN General Assembly called for synergy between the two conventions as early as 2009. The objective was to address the causes of climate change and biodiversity loss that lie in the patterns of production and CONSUMPTION AROUND THE WORLD !N ACCURATE IDENTIkCATION OF those causes will be achieved only when the various ecological problems we face are seen in conjunction with one another and equally in relation to problems associated with development.

This perception will necessarily hinge on the participation of those least advantaged not only in the implementation of strategies to deal with the problems but also in the process of understanding and assessing them, and setting the strategy for response.

Enhancing role of developing countries 4HE ROLE OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IN SCIENTIkC ANALYSIS AND AGENDA setting should be enhanced even before the treaty negotiation STAGE 4HIS COULD BE ACHIEVED BY IMPROVING THE LEVEL OF SCIENTIkC education and practice within developing countries.

Aware of the inadequacy of developing countries in terms of FUNDING SCIENTIkC INFORMATION AND STAFkNG A CONCERTED EFFORT at expert assistance and advice to enhance their capacity in the AREA OF SCIENTIkC AWARENESS AND EDUCATION SHOULD BE SERIOUSLY pursued for an accurate understanding of the environmental crisis itself and for searching an effective strategy to deal with it.

Effective involvement of indigenous peoples Environmental treaties, in particular, the Convention on Biological Diversity, are explicit and extensive in their coverage, both in legal articulation and documentation, in support of indigenous peoples. Their ROLE IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS IS ENCOURAGED AND ACCEPTED SPECIkCALLY IN THE AREA OF BENEkT SHARING OF BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES USE "E THAT AS IT MAY

IT IS FREQUENTLY DIFkCULT FOR GOVERNMENTS TO REPRESENT THE DIVERSITY OF their own numerous ethnic groups and it is likewise felt by indigenous peoples that they are not represented by their governments.

Factors that impede indigenous peoples’ participation include, but is not limited to, lack of funds and expertise necessary for their participation and representation. For one, the CBD seeks to protect intellectual property rights of indigenous peoples, but under the principle of national sovereignty, control of biological diversity is granted to national governments, not to local populations. Likewise, indigenous peoples are often subject to discrimination and marginalization. For example, their practices are seen by some environmentalists as exploitative and destructive of the environment. Distrust is not conducive to promoting participation by indigenous communities.

The indigenous peoples’ voice needs to be heard from the earliest stages of negotiation.

Conclusion The environmental crisis is global. No country or region can deal with it in an isolated or totally self-reliant way. It requires an integrated and comprehensive approach. Environmental issues, problems and concerns have to be correlated with one another alongside sustainable development goals, e.g. poverty reduction, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, etc.

Current international efforts at international environmental treaty implementation to meet the crisis should be accompanied by: active interchange and in depth collaboration between conventions; a procedure to broaden the knowledge base in the work of governments, NGOs, indigenous peoples and local communities; and effective representation of developing countries at the earliest stages of problem analysis and strategy-setting.

Finally, there can be no solution to the environmental crisis unless the human activity that gives rise to it is addressed, for example, patterns of consumption and production, political and economic decision-making processes, behavior and conduct toward nature, decisions that paved THE WAY FOR A SOCIETY OF WEALTH AFlUENCE AND COMFORT AT THE EXPENSE of the environment. In this connection, it cannot be helped, but to closely examine the link between the environment and the economy especially as it relates to developing countries.

On a note of hope, the maxim "Think globally, act locally" is only partly valid. Today, we need to act both globally and locally.

Regions

˜ The Manila Times

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SATURDAY January 19, 2019

A7

PROSECUTOR GUNNED DOWN IN CEBU Â MINUTES after attending a gathering of her colleagues, Prosecutor Mary Ann Castro had no inkling that it would be the last day of her life when A GUNMAN RIDING A MOTORCYCLE kRED AT her while she was driving her sports utility vehicle (SUV) in Barangay Kamputhaw, Cebu City on Thursday.

Castro, 50, a prosecutor assigned in Masbate City, was driving her yellow Nissan Juke (FIA 604) from Ayala Center Cebu; when she reached Escario Street at about 10 p.m., the

GUNMAN WHO WAS TAILING HER kRED shots at the driver ‘s seat.

Chief Insp. Eduard Sanchez, station commander of the Cebu City Police Station 2 said Castro’s vehicle swerved to the left about 100 meters away from where she was ambushed, hitting a Toyota FX and colliding with the corrugated metal fence of a construction site.

Sanchez said the Toyota FX that was hit by Castro’s SUV sped off while witNESSES HEARD kVE BURSTS OF GUNkRE 4HE GUNMAN IMMEDIATELY lED

Members of the Cebu City Emergency Medical Services who responded to the crime scene found Castro dead with gunshot wounds on her neck and chin.

Scene of the Crime Operatives FOUND kVE EMPTY SHELLS FOR A CALIBER .45 pistol at the ambush site. “We are looking into her work as a kSCAL AS ONE OF THE MOTIVES BEHIND THE killing, as well as illegal drugs and a love triangle,� Sanchez said.

He said Castro was linked to Senior 0OLICE /FkCER !DONIS $UMPIT WHO

was killed in an operation by the police and members of the National Bureau Investigation in Bohol in June 2018.

Sanchez said Castro’s family members did not issue a statement about the incident.

Castro, who was assigned at the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office for more than 20 years, was transferred to Masbate in 2017.

4HE #EBU #ITY 0OLICE /FkCE FORMED a task force to investigate Castro’s killing.

RHEA RUTH ROSELL

Q Prosecutor Mary Ann Castro

C E B U C I T Y M AY O R T E L L S I M E E

‘Take down tarpaulin’ C

BY ARIC JOHN SY CUA

EBU City Mayor Tomas OsmeĂąa urged Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos to take down a huge tarpaulin greeting Cebuanos on their Sinulog Festival, which will take place this Sunday, as the city does not want the event to be politicized.

OsmeĂąa said in a Facebook post on Friday, “Governor Marcos, trust me when I tell you I am doing you a favor by taking

this tarpaulin down. The Cebuanos do not appreciate the politicization of the Sinulog. This won’t be earning you any votes

and is doing you more harm than good.�

OsmeĂąa later emphasized that even if his brother, former senator Sergio “Sergeâ€? OsmeĂąa, is making a bid to return to the Senate, he did not invite him to the festivities, although he could attend just like as any other participant.

In an earlier post, OsmeĂąa ordered the removal of all political tarpaulins during the Sinulog festival. “The Sinulog is a religious event. It is neither an excuse to get drunk in the streets, nor is it a venue to campaign.

National candidates like anyone else are welcome to join in the celebration, but

they will not be speaking nor will they be grandstanding onstage,� he said.

The mayor has directed his Prevention 2ESTORATION /RDER "EAUTIkCATION %NHANCEment (Probe) team to take down political tarpaulins around the city. He also urged citizens to contact the Probe team should they see tarpaulins in their area. “Probe is now patrolling the parade route and is under orders to remove any Sinulog themed political tarpaulins,� he wrote in a comment.

Now on its 454th year, the theme for this year’s Sinulog Festival is “Sto. NiĂąo: Guide of God’s Children to Humility and Service.â€?

LPA to be called ‘Amang’ THE low pressure area (LPA) being monitored off Mindanao might develop into a tropical depression as it continues to approach the country, the staterun weather bureau said on Friday.

In its 11 a.m. weather update on Friday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the ,0! WAS LAST SEEN KILOMETERS KMS EAST OF (INATUAN 3URIGAO DEL 3UR Pagasa added it might develop into a tropical depression within 24 hours and enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) this Saturday.

The weather disturbance may bring moderate to heavy rains over eastern 6ISAYAS THE #ARAGA 2EGION #OMPOSTELA 6ALLEY AND $AVAO /RIENTAL ON 3ATURDAY evening; moderate to heavy rains in Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Caraga, central Visayas, #OMPOSTELA 6ALLEY $AVAO /RIENTAL THE SOUTHERN PART OF 1UEZON /RIENTAL -INdoro, Occidental Mindoro, Romblon and Marinduque on Sunday and Monday.

Pag-asa advised people in the affected areas to be wary of heavy rains and lASH lOODS BROUGHT BY THE BREWING TYPHOON The LPA will be named “Amang� if it develops into a tropical depression inside PAR. JOVE MOYA

READY

Military troops and members of the Philippine National Police prepare for deployment to secure the plebiscite for the Bangsamoro Organic Law during a send off at Camp BGen Gonzalo Siongco headquarters in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao on Friday.

PHOTO BY J. GERARD SEGUIA

20,000 troops deployed to secure BOL plebiscite DATU ODIN SINSUAT, Maguindanao: It’s all systems go for the military and the police as 20,000 troops were deployed on Friday to secure the conduct of the plebiscite on the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) on Monday.

The ceremony was led by Armed Forces chief Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr., Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Oscar Albayalde and Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Al Parreùo here at the Camp Gonzalo Siongco, headquarters of the PhilipPINE !RMY S TH )NFANTRY $IVISION )$ The deployed troops include 10,000 from the military and another 10,000 from the PNP. $ESPITE SENDING OFF MILITARY AND POLICE forces for the BOL plebiscite, Madrigal and Albayalde did not downplay the possible peace spoilers during the plebiscite, but they assured of the troops’ preparedness.

Albayalde said the troops deployment was part of their “target-hardening measures� in LINE WITH THEIR INTENSIkED INTELLIGENCE MONItoring, including the setting up of checkpoints, conduct of “Oplan Sita� and the increase in police visibility.

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Mujiv Hataman predicted that the plebiscite would be peaceful, adding that THEY WERE CONkDENT OF A g9ESu VOTE FOR THE "/, Madrigal, meanwhile, said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front was not being considered as part of the security forces’ augmentation to secure the plebiscite, as the group would be participating in the BOL ONCE IT IS RATIkED “They have full control of their elements and allow us to be able to peacefully secure this plebiscite. As far as security is concerned, they will be there during the BOL, but the security measures are being handled by the military and the PNP,� he said.

ParreĂąo, on the other hand, said Cotabato

City was placed under Comelec control and the rest of Mindanao was already considered as a hotspot area since martial law was extended until the end of the year. &OR HIS PART $EFENSE 3ECRETARY $ELkN ,Orenzana said there were indications of spoilers on the plebiscite. “Most likely the scenario here is that there will be explosions to disrupt [the plebiscite], that is what we are seeing here from the probable groups that could do this, but our troops are always prepared for this,� Lorenzana said.

4HE $EFENSE CHIEF ADDED THAT OTHER POSSIBLE threats might be the scaring away the people from voting or force them to choose a side in the plebiscite contrary to their actual vote.

No to revolutionary govt Lorenzana also rejected the suggestion of Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan 2nd to declare a revolutionary government to give way for federalism, instead of pursuing the BOL. “I do not favor that because that is an extreme case. I do not see the need for it,� he said.

Earlier this month, Tan urged President RoDRIGO $UTERTE TO PURSUE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A revolutionary government to pave the way for THE FEDERAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT (E ALSO kLED A petition before the Supreme Court questioning the legality and constitutionality of the BOL. “Well, Sakur Tan can’t do anything about IT EITHER IF THE PEOPLE WOULD VOTE @9ES OR @.O@ since they (Sulu) will be included. [The BOL] is already a done deal in Jolo,� Lorenzana said.

He added that the Philippines might not yet ready for federalism, which was also voiced out by Finance Secretary Carlos $OMINGUEZ RD AND 3OCIOECONOMIC 0LANning Secretary Ernesto Pernia.

DEMPSEY REYES AND JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL

IS-linked group member nabbed A SELF-CONFESSED member of the Islamic State (IS)-linked terror group Ansar Al Khilafah Philippines (AKP) out to carry out bombings during the conduct of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) plebiscite was arrested in Cotabato City.

Chief Supt. Eliseo Rasco, Soccsksargen regional director, said Abu Bakr Pagayao was arrested on January 15 in Barangay Bagua.

Soccsksargen is composed of the of South Cotabato, Cotabato City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City.

Rasco announced Pagayao’s arrest during a news briefing with Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde during their security assessment in Cotabato City. “We pre-empted their plan for the upcoming election. We received intelligence information that they would cause chaos for the upcoming [BOL] plebiscite,� Rasco said.

Albayalde echoed Rasco’s statement about pre-empting th attacks of AKP, adding that other IS-affiliated local terror groups are also planning to conduct bomb attacks. “The threat that we see here are local threat groups who want to disrupt the plebiscite. This is our biggest challenge so far and not really on the heated rivalry of the candidates because that is basically political,� he said.

The BOL plebiscite will take place on January 21 and February 6 in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

ROY D.R. NARRA

A8

News

SATURDAY January 19, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

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Rockwell Bridge shuts down

BY NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS

T

HE Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge, also known as the Rockwell Bridge, which connects the cities of Makati and Mandaluyong was closed at 4 a.m. this Saturday morning for demolition to make way for a new and more spacious bridge to accommodate the increasing volume of vehicles, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said.

Bong Nebrija, the agency’s trafkC CHIEF FOR %$3!

SAID MOTORISTS WERE ALLOWED TO USE THE BRIDGE UNTIL MIDNIGHT BUT SAID THEY WERE WARNED THAT TRAFFIC WOULD

GRADUALLY SLOW DOWN IN THE RUN UP TO THE CLOSURE AS THE DELIVERY OF EQUIPMENT AND THE ERECTION OF BARRIERS AND BOARDS WOULD START BEFORE MIDNIGHT

4HE CLOSURE IS SEEN TO CAUSE CHRONIC TRAFkC GRIDLOCKS IN %$3!

AND OTHER ALTERNATE ROUTES IN -AKATI -ANDALUYONG AND NEIGHBORING AREAS 4HE --$! SAID THE USUAL TEN MINUTE DRIVE TO CROSS THE BRIDGE WOULD NOW TAKE MINUTES DUE TO THE INFLUX OF VEHICLES TAKING ALTERNATE ROUTES .EBRIJA SAID MOTORISTS FROM -ANDALUYONG #ITY HAD BEGUN USING ALTERNATE ROUTES TO -AKATI DAYS PRIOR TO THE BRIDGE S CLOSURE WHICH HAD CAUSED HEAVIER THAN USUAL TRAFkC IN %$3! g)N THE %$3! "ONI !VENUE JUNCTION THE LAST EXIT TO -ANDALUYONG

WE OBSERVED MORE VEHICLES THAN THEN #ORONADO THEN TAKE THE USUAL IN THE PAST DAYS u .EBRIJA -AKATIm-ANDALUYONG "RIDGE TO TOLD 4HE -ANILA 4IMES THEIR DESTINATION 6EHICLES COMING FROM -AYSILO Alternate routes AND 3AN &RANCISCO MUST GO STRAIGHT AHEAD TO #ORONADO AND TO THE .EBRIJA SAID %$3! HAD BEEN -AKATIm-ANDALUYONG "RIDGE TO CONSIDERED AS ONE OF THE ALTERNATE THEIR DESTINATION ROUTES FOR MOTORISTS WHO WOULD BE /THER VEHICLES COMING FROM AFFECTED BY THE CLOSURE OF 2OCKWELL -ANDALUYONG BOUND FOR THE "RIDGE ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER -AKATI "USINESS #ENTER SHOULD SECONDARY OR INNER ROUTES ALSO TAKE %$3! THEN 'UADALUPE 4HE AGENCY SAID MOTORISTS MAY #LOVERLEAF TO * 0 2IZAL !VENUE ALSO TAKE ALTERNATE ROUTES %XTENSION THEN TURN LEFT AT %STRELLA 6EHICLES COMING FROM -ANDA- TO THEIR DESTINATION LUYONG 3AN *UAN AND 1UEZON #ITY !LL VEHICLES EXITING FROM 4IVOLI USING 3GT "UMATAY AND "ARANGKA 'ARDEN 2ESIDENCES SHOULD USE THE $RIVE MUST TURN RIGHT AT 0ANTALEON BACK GATE LOCATED AT THE PRIVATE

Plight of poor patients gave rise to Malasakit Centers

Q GROUNDED FROM A1

SEEING how tough it was for poor patients to get the care they need gave senatorial aspirant and former special assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong� Go the idea to put up Malasakit Centers.

In a radio interview, Go recalled that as trusted aide of then Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, he was faced daily with the task of helping people who were seeking medical assistance. He noted that Duterte wanted him to attend to all the concerns even of non-Davao residents. “We have the Lingap Center in Davao that helps indigent patients using funds of the city government. This was where the idea of setting up the Malasakit Center started,� said Go, a senatorial candidate in the May 2019 midterm elections.

A Malasakit center is a one-stop shop, which gathers in one room representatives of the Department of Health, the Department of Social Work and Development, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, to make it easier for poor patients to avail themselves of medical or financial assistance from the government.

With funding support from the Office of the President, the Malasakit Center can also help cut down hospital expenses of poor patients to the barest minimum. “Before, it took patients almost a week to visit the agencies mentioned one by one to seek help, and they had to spend for transportation and food. With the Malasakit Center in place, they only need to go to one place,� Go said.

Go added that his legislative agenda included the institutionalization of Malasakit Centers in every province and urban center nationwide.

Meanwhile, a beneficiary of Malasakit Center yesterday confirmed that there was no need for any ID or endorsement of any politician to avail of as-

#ONGRESS FEUDS WITH THE 7HITE (OUSE OVER HOW TO END AN IMPASSE NOW IN ITS FOURTH WEEK

WITH THOUSANDS OF FEDERAL WORKERS LEFT UNPAID "UT NOW IT IS ALSO GETTING INCREASINGLY PERSONAL BETWEEN THE TWO MAIN ANTAGONISTS )N A LETTER LACED WITH SARCASM 4RUMP TOLD (OUSE 3PEAKER 0ELOSI g) AM SORRY TO INFORM YOU THAT YOUR TRIP TO "RUSSELS %GYPT AND !FGHANISTAN HAS BEEN POSTPONED 7E WILL RESCHEDULE THIS SEVEN DAY EXCURSION WHEN THE 3HUTDOWN IS OVER u g) AM SURE YOU WOULD AGREE THAT POSTPONING THIS PUBLIC RELATIONS EVENT IS APPROPRIATE u HE WROTE !ND IN A MOVE THAT APPEARED AIMED AT HEADING OFF $EMOCRATIC CRITICISM ABOUT NON ESSENTIAL ADMINISTRATION TRAVEL DURING THE SHUTDOWN

THE 7HITE (OUSE ANNOUNCED THE CANCELLATION OF A TRIP TO THE 7ORLD %CONOMIC &ORUM BY 4REASURY 3ECRETARY 3TEVEN -NUCHIN AND OTHERS gOUT OF CONSIDERATION FOR THE GREAT !MERICAN WORKERS NOT RECEIVING PAY u 0ELOSI AND HER DELEGATION HAD PLANNED A TRIP TO !FGHANISTAN ‡ AN ACTIVE WAR ZONE ‡ AND WERE DUE TO TRAVEL ABOARD A 53 !IR &ORCE PLANE (ER OFkCE SAID %GYPT WAS NOT ON THE ITINERARY !CCORDING TO A CONGRESSIONAL AIDE SEVERAL LAWMAKERS WERE ALREADY LOADED ONTO BUSES PREPARING TO LEAVE THE 53 #APITOL 4HURSDAY WHEN 4RUMP PULLED THE PLUG 2UBBING IT IN 4RUMP SAID THAT 0ELOSI COULD STILL BOOK HER OWN NON GOVERNMENT lIGHTS g/BVIOUSLY IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE YOUR JOURNEY BY lYING COMMERCIAL THAT WOULD CERTAINLY BE YOUR PREROGATIVE u HE WROTE 4HE CANCELLATION FOLLOWED 0ELOSI S LETTER THAT 4RUMP POSTPONE HIS *ANUARY 3TATE OF THE 5NION ADDRESS TO #ONGRESS OR DO IT FROM THE 7HITE (OUSE INSTEAD !LTHOUGH SHE CITED THE SHUTDOWN S EFFECT ON SECURITY SHE APPEARED TO WANT TO DENY THE 0RESIDENT ONE OF HIS CHIEF ANNUAL MOMENTS IN THE LIMELIGHT 4HE 7HITE (OUSE DENIED THAT THE TRAVEL BLOCKAGE WAS PAYBACK BUT FEW BOUGHT THE ARGUMENT

HELPING HAND

Former special assistant to the President, Christopher “Bong� Go visits a patient in a ward and informs his guardian of the assistance available to them at the hospital’s Malasakit Center. sistance at the center.

Earlier, a picture of fake Malasakit Center ID cards were posted on social media by a blogger known to be a Duterte administration critic.

Go clarified that every Filipino was qualified to seek assistance from the Malasakit Center as he warned the public against the fake Malasakit ID cards.

There are 20 Malasakit Centers in various areas of the country with additional centers in other areas in the pipeline.

Pelosi grounded after

‘Sophomoric’ (OUSE $EMOCRATS WHO HAD BEEN SLATED FOR THE TRIP WERE LEFT FUMING INCLUDING FRESHMAN

ROAD 3EN . 'ONZALES 2OAD !LL VEHICLES COMING FROM -AKATI !VENUE TAKE 0 "URGOS CONVERTED TO ONE WAY STRAIGHT TO THE -AKATIm-ANDALUYONG "RIDGE

#ORONADO THEN 3AN &RANCISCO

THEN TAKE -ABUHAY ,ANE OR TO THEIR DESTINATION 6EHICLES COMING FROM 2OCKWELL SHOULD TAKE %STRELLA THEN TURN RIGHT TO 'UMAMELA 3TREET

THEN LEFT TO #AMIA 3TREET ONTO T O * 0 2 I Z A L T H E N T O T H E I R DESTINATION 0UBLIC UTILITY JEEPNEYS AND TRICYCLES SHOULD BE DIVERTED TO THE PRIVATE ROAD 3EN . 'ONZALES 2OAD AND VICE VERSA

CONGRESSMAN %LAINE ,URIA A YEAR .AVY VETERAN WHO SAID THE PURPOSE WAS TO EXPRESS APPRECIATION TO !MERICANS IN UNIFORM AND GAIN CRITICAL INTELLIGENCE ON THE GROUND g/VERSIGHT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF #ONGRESS AND IT IS INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE 0RESIDENT TO INTERFERE WITH OUR CONSTITUTIONAL DUTIES u ,URIA SAID IN A STATEMENT 2EPUBLICAN 3ENATOR ,INDSEY 'RAHAM

WHO FOR WEEKS HAS SERVED AS A REFEREE OF SORTS BETWEEN 4RUMP AND 0ELOSI ACCUSED THE LATTER OF gPLAYING POLITICS WITH THE 3TATE OF THE 5NION u "UT HE ALSO HIT OUT AT 4RUMP SAYING gDENYING 3PEAKER 0ELOSI MILITARY TRAVEL TO VISIT OUR TROOPS IN !FGHANISTAN OUR ALLIES IN %GYPT AND .!4/ IS ALSO INAPPROPRIATE u g/NE SOPHOMORIC RESPONSE DOES NOT DESERVE ANOTHER u 'RAHAM SAID 4HE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IS DUE TO 4RUMP S REFUSAL TO SIGN OFF ON FUNDING FOR A HOST OF DEPARTMENTS IN RETALIATION FOR THE $EMOCRATIC LED (OUSE S REFUSAL TO APPROVE HIS 53 -EXICO BORDER WALL PROJECT 4HE SHUTDOWN IS LEAVING AN INCREASINGLY DEEP IMPACT ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHERE FOR ALMOST A MONTH &") AGENTS MUSEUM WORKERS 53 #OAST 'UARD PERSONNEL AND OTHER OFFICIALS HAVE BEEN EITHER ORDERED TO STAY HOME OR FORCED TO WORK WITHOUT PAY 2EGULAR EMPLOYEES WILL GET BACK PAY EVENTUALLY WHILE CONTRACTORS WILL NOT 4HE $EMOCRATS AND THE 7HITE (OUSE BLAME EACH OTHER FOR THE IMPASSE WITH NEITHER SIDE SHOWING SIGNS OF BACKING DOWN 4RUMP CRITICS QUICKLY POINTED OUT THAT HE HIMSELF VISITED TROOPS IN )RAQ DURING THE SHUTDOWN (OUSE )NTELLIGENCE #OMMITTEE CHAIRMAN !DAM 3CHIFF SAID HE BELIEVED CANCELING A SPEAKER OF THE (OUSE S FACT FINDING MISSION TO A WAR ZONE WAS A FIRST FOR A 53 PRESIDENT g7E BELIEVE THIS IS COMPLETELY INAPPROPRIATE BY THE 0RESIDENT 7E RE NOT GOING TO ALLOW THE 0RESIDENT OF THE 5NITED 3TATES TO TELL THE #ONGRESS IT CAN T FULFILL ITS OVERSIGHT RESPONSIBILITIES IT CAN T ENSURE THAT OUR TROOPS HAVE WHAT THEY NEED WHETHER OUR GOVERNMENT IS OPEN OR CLOSED u HE TOLD REPORTERS g4HAT WORK MUST GO ON AND ) THINK IT S VITALLY IMPORTANT NOW IN PARTICULAR THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS ANNOUNCED WITHDRAWALS FROM 3YRIA AND !FGHANISTAN THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION ON THE GROUND u AFP

Q TWINS FROM A1

Miss Intercontinental twins *ANUARY AT THE 3OFITEL 0HILIPPINE 0LAZA (OTEL -ISS !LBANIA !RVANITA 0ECI AND -ISS +OSOVO !RJANITA 0ECI ‡ BOTH +OSOVO NATIVES BUT NOW 'ERMANY RESIDENTS ‡ HAVE CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF BEAUTY PAGEANT AFICIONADOS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD )N HER PROFILE IN THE -ISS )NTERCONTINENTAL WEBSITE -ISS !LBANIA WRITES g-Y NAME IS !RVANITA AND ) AM YEARS OLD ) WAS BORN IN +OSOVO AND NOW ) AM LIVING IN 'ERMANY #URRENTLY ) WORK AS A BANKER -Y BROTHER WAS THE PERSON WHO REGISTERED ME FOR THE FIRST -ISS %LECTION SO EVERYTHING STARTED IN MY HOME CITY .OW IT IS A GREAT HONOR TO ME TO REPRESENT MY COUNTRY AT -ISS )NTERCONTINENTAL BECAUSE ) AM VERY PROUD TO BE !LBANIAN -OREOVER IT IS VERY SPECIAL FOR ME BECAUSE MY TWIN SISTER IS ALSO ONE OF THE CONTESTANTS IN -ANILA REPRESENTING +OSOVO u 3HE LISTS %NGLISH !LBANIAN AND 'ERMAN AS THE LANGUAGES SHE SPEAKS -ISS +OSOVO MEANWHILE WRITES g-Y NAME IS !RJANITA 0ECI AND ) AM YEARS OLD ) WAS BORN IN IN +OSOVO )N THIS YEAR MY FAMILY HAD TO LEAVE OUR COUNTRY BECAUSE OF THE WAR !T THAT TIME ) WAS ONLY ONE MONTH OLD )T WAS A HARD YEAR FOR MY FAMILY BECAUSE WE HAD TO START FROM ZERO 4ODAY WE ARE LIVING SATISFIED IN 'ERMANY ) AM WORKING AS A JUDICIAL CLERK ) AM VERY HAPPY TO REPRESENT MY COUNTRY IN -ANILA )T S VERY SPECIAL FOR ME BECAUE MY TWIN SISTER IS ALSO PART OF -ISS )NTERCONTINENTAL AS -ISS !LBANIA %VERYTHING STARTED WHEN

MY BROTHER REGISTERED ME AND MY TWIN SISTER !RVANITA AT THE FIRST -ISS %LECTION IN OUR CITY .OW WE ARE VERY HAPPY FOR HIS GREAT IDEA AND SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO WHAT IS COMING u 3HE LISTS %NGLISH !LBANIAN AND 2OMANIAN AS THE LANGUAGES SHE SPEAKS )N THE EVENING GOWN COMPETITION AND 0HILIPPINE $ESIGNERS &ILIPINIANA FASHION SHOW HELD ON 4HURSDAY AT THE /KADA -ANILA 'RAND "ALLROOM -ISS !LBANIA STRUTTED IN A SILVER -ARIA #LARIA GOWN BY !NGELO $OMINIC WHILE -ISS +OSOVO WAS DONNED IN A COLORFUL MULTI COLOR 2EY ,AZARO -ARIA #LARA GOWN WITH OVERFLOWING TASSELS AND HAIR ADORNMENT 4HE WINNING &ILIPINIANA DRESS THOUGH

WAS WON BY -ARICRIS DELA 0EĂ„A WORN BY -ISS !RGENTINA #ELINA 6ILLALOBOS &UCHS "EST IN EVENING GOWN WAS -ISS 'ERMANY /LIVIA -OLLER WHO WORE A RED lOWING GOWN 4HE NATIONAL COSTUME COMPETITION WILL BE HELD AT /KADA -ANILA 4HE 'ARDEN TOnight, while the finals/coronation night WILL BE ON *ANUARY AT THE 3- -ALL OF !SIA !RENA TELECAST ON !"3 #". AND BEAMED VIA SATELLITE ON THE MORNING OF *ANUARY )NTERNATIONAL SINGING SENSATION AND POPULAR +APAMILYA TALENT "ILLY #RAWFORD WILL BE THE PAGEANT HOST ALONG WITH *APANESE PERSONALITY 4AKA .ORI AND LAST YEAR S -ISS *APAN )NTERCONTINENTAL &ILIPINO *APANESE MODEL +UMI -IYAMAE ALSO THE CO ORGANIZER OF THE PAGEANT BEING HELD IN -ANILA FOR THE FIRST TIME

PSEi 8,047.12 UP 1.51%

P52.41 TO $1

SATURDAY JANUARY 19, 2019 ASIAN STOCKS: V S h a n g h a i 1 . 4 2 %

Business Times www.manilatimes.net

V S i n g a p o re 0 . 3 1 %

V Seoul 0.82%

V To k yo 1 . 2 5 %

V Jakarta 0.38%

MONEY TALKS

V H o n g Ko n g 1 . 2 5 %

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CURRENCY RATE

B1

V B a n g ko k 0 . 2 2 %

BSP: Inflation risks ‘broadly balanced’ R

BY MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

ISKS to the 2019 inflation outlook are broadly balanced and consumer price growth is expected to return to target after last year’s surge, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said on Friday.

2018 BoP shortfall lower than forecast THE country’s balance of payments (BoP) surplus widened in December, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Friday, but the full-year tally reMAINED IN DEkCIT AND WAS MORE than double the 2017 shortfall.

December’s $2.442-billion SURPLUS WAS SIGNIkCANTLY HIGHer than the $847-million and $917-million surpluses recorded in November and a year earlier.

It was also the largest since July

2012 when the payments position stood at a surplus of $3.182 billion. “Inflows in December 2018 stemmed mainly from the BSP’s foreign exchange operations, National Government’s net foreign currency deposits, and BSP’s income from its investments abroad during the month,� the central bank said in a statement, adding that these were partially

Discussing the central bank’s &OURTH 1UARTER )NlATION 2EPORT

BSP Department of Economic Research director Dennis Lapid said latest baseline forecasts indicated THAT INlATION HAD STARTED TO EASE and would end the year within the 2.0-4.0 percent goal.

“The BSP’s review of current INlATION DYNAMICS SUGGESTS THAT the risks surrounding the inflation outlook is broadly balanced in 2019...,� Lapid told reporters.

The BSP’s policymaking Monetary Board has decided to cut ITS INlATION FORECAST FOR TO

3.1 percent, from 3.5 percent previously, due to global crude price drops, lower-than-expected INlATION RESULTS AS ENDED

the estimated impact of rice tarifkCATION AND THE CUMULATIVE IMPACT of monetary policy adjustments. $URING THE BRIEkNG ,APID SAID

that higher electricity rates, fasterthan-expected monetary policy normalization in advanced economies, and a proposed increase in the sin taxes of alcoholic beverages were the main upside risks TO INlATION

ÂłRisks B2

China’s 2018 growth slowest in decades – poll BEIJING: China’s economy grew at its slowest pace in almost three decades in 2018, analysts in an AFP poll said, as the government struggles to contain ballooning debt and a bruising trade war with the United States.

And in a sign of the battle Bei-

jing faces in getting things back on track, the survey of 13 economists also forecast expansion in the last three months to be AT ITS WEAKEST SINCE THE GLOBAL kNANCIAL crisis 10 years ago.

4HE kGURES ARE THE LATEST IN A LONG RUNNING TREND THAT HAVE PROMPTED OFk-

cials to vow they will not let the economy “fall off a cliff� and announce support measures including tax cuts and making it easier for banks to lend.

The full-year figure of 6.6 percent would be the worst since 1990, when

ÂłDecades B2

ÂłForecast B3

China firm seeks entry into PH tower market ANOTHER #HINESE kRM IS LOOKING to gain a foothold in the Philippines’ telecommunications market, this time in the area of towers that can be used by service providers.

State-owned China Energy Engineering Corp. (CEEC), which on Friday inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department of Information and Communications Technology $)#4 SAID IT WAS CONkDENT OF meeting a target of 50,000 towers.

The MoU takes CEEC one step

closer to becoming an accredited tower provider. Once a company seals business transactions with existing telcos, it will receive support from the DICT in terms of securing government permits in deploying towers.

Huang Fei, CEEC vice president, EXPRESSED OPTIMISM OVER THE kRM S capacity to build the 50,000 towers — expected to cost a total of $4.4 billion — as it was constructing and maintaining 100,000 in China.

What’s inside ILLEGAL CIGARETTE-MAKING MACHINES DESTROYED BusinessB2

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ELECTRONICS EXPORTS UP 4% IN JAN-NOV 2018

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PREMIERE HORIZON INKS P15-B LOAN WITH QATAR FIRM Corporate NewsB3

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ALLIANCE GLOBAL AWAITS RIVAL SKYTRAIN PROPOSALS Corporate NewsB3

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US OFFICIALS CONSIDER LIFTING CHINA TARIFFS

ÂťForeign BusinessB4

CAMBODIA, MYANMAR HIT OUT AT EU RICE TARIFFS

ÂťForeign BusinessB4

ÂłMarket B3

Q This aerial picture taken on November 13, 2018 shows the sun rising behind the skyline of Shanghai’s Lujiazui Financial District of Pudong. China’s economic growth ground to its slowed pace in almost three decades in 2018, analysts said in an AFP survey released this month, as the government battled ballooning debt and a bruising US trade war. AFP PHOTO

Lending to firms, households tightened BANKS on the whole tighthened lending standards for businesses and households during the fourth quarter of 2018, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Friday.

The net tightening of credit standards for business loans “was largely attributed by respondent banks to their PERCEPTION OF STRICTER kNANCIAL SYSTEM regulations and reduced tolerance for risk,� the central bank said as it released its Fourth Quarter 2018 Senior Bank

I

,OAN /FkCERS 3URVEY )N TERMS OF SPECIkC CREDIT STANDARDS

survey results also suggested the implementation of stricter collateral requirements and loan covenants, shortened loan maturities, and increased use of INTEREST RATE lOORS g)N TERMS OF BORROWER kRM SIZE BANKS responses pointed to a net tightening of credit standards for loans across all firm sizes namely, top corporations, large middle-market enterprises, small

and medium enterprises and microenterprises...,� the BSP said.

More banks expect overall credit standards for businesses to tighten over the next quarter given expectations of STRICTER kNANCIAL SYSTEM REGULATIONS AND a more uncertain economic outlook, among others.

Overall credit standards for household loans, meanwhile, were also tightened during the period.

ÂłTightened B2

Subsidies for SMEs, again?

MAGINE you are an owner of a small enterprise servicing other businesses. You have been running your company for 12 years now with a lean team of 20. The business is experiencing a spike in demand, your team is willing and able, but your resources have been held up in earlier projects so you can-

not accept new ones.

You realize you need capital. If the expected PROkT FROM A NEW PROJect is greater than the interest rate your bank charges for a loan, it makes sense to take out a loan from the bank to service the order.

But now imagine the banks, for one reason or another, can’t give you the cash

SME FIRST CIRCLE

IRA GAYLL ZAMUDIO

you need – perhaps your credit line has been maxed out, or you don’t meet their rigid criteria for a higher limit. Or even if you do, they can’t lend in time. Pressed FOR CAPITAL THE kNANCIAL SYSTEM HAS KEPT you from better serving your customers.

This is the story of many entrepreneurs in the Philippines and it happens more often than you may think. According to a 2015 World Bank Enterprise Survey, only

ÂłSME B3

PSEi up as China-US trade deal hopes rise THE stock market returned to 8,000 level anew on Friday, tracking a global rally spurred by reports that the US could lift tariffs on China.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) jumped by 1.51 percent or 119.92 points to close at 8,047.12. The wider All Shares grew by 1.29 PERCENT OR POINTS TO kNISH at 4,804.92.

Regina Capital Development Corp. head of sales Luis Limlingan said investors cheered news that the 4RUMP ADMINISTRATION OFkCIALS WERE looking to remove some or all of the tariffs imposed on Beijing in return for structural reforms.

ÂłRise B3

B2

Business Times

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY January 19, 2019

Illegal cigarette-making machines destroyed S

BY MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

EVERAL machines used in making illegally traded cigarettes were destroyed as the Department of Finance stressed the need for heightened government vigilance against the illicit manufacture and sale of tobacco products.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd, who led the activity, said on a statement on Friday that the destroyed contraband included units and parts of three filter maker machines, two packaging machines, and a cigarette-making machine, along with 484 master cases of various finished cigarette brands and raw materials used in making CIGARETTES SUCH AS kLTER RODS TIPPING

papers, packaging foil, acetate tow, and other supplies.

The machines were bulldozed into pieces while a grinder destroyed the cigarettes. The contraband, seized by the BIR from illegally operating cigarette factories in Pampanga and Pangasinan, was destroyed at the DiGaMa Waste Management Services facility in Porac, Pampanga.

g4HE DESTRUCTION OF THESE CONkScated contraband will send a clear two-pronged message: Illicit manufacturing will not be tolerated. Tax evasion will be hounded ceaselessly,� Dominguez was quoted as saying during the event.

He said this would not be the kRST TIME THAT ILLICIT CIGARETTES WERE destroyed and would certainly not BE THE LAST g"UT THIS IS THE kRST TIME we are destroying the machines that make them. Destroying them will ensure that they can never again be used to defraud the government of what it is due and to cheat consumers by peddling them counterfeit products,� he said.

With a single cigarette-making machine capable of producing 20,000 sticks per minute,

which is equivalent to about 9.6 million sticks during an eighthour shift or 480,000 packs per day, the government has effectively blocked attempts of being defrauded of as much as P16.8 million per day of much-needed revenues for human capital development and the “Build Build Build� program by destroying THESE CONkSCATED MACHINES AND products, he added. “By destroying illicit tobacco products, we remove all temptation to sneak them back into the market. By destroying the machines that make them, we raise the risks for doing illicit manufacturing exponentially higher. Both will do the public some good,� Dominguez said.

Electronics IRRI, Sri Lanka ink deal to boost output exports up 4% in JanNov 2018 THE total value of Philippine electronics exports went up by 4.57 percent to $34.87 billion in January to November last year from $33.35 billion in 2017.

Data provided by the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Inc. (Seipi) on Friday said six sectors increased their exports. Consumer electronics surged 86.15 percent from $295.16 million in 2017 to $549.42 million last year. Other sectors that increased were office equipment, up 39.09 percent from $553.10 million to $769.31 million; automotive electronics, 18.85 percent, from $86.99 million to $103.38 million; control and instrumentation, 11.85 percent, from $742.24 million to $830.17 million; electronic data processing, 7.73 percent, from $5.37 billion to $5.78 billion; and semiconductors, 3.09 percent, from $24.93 billion to $25.70 billion. SEIPI said exports of telecommunication went down by 13.23 percent to $551.95 million from $636.12 million; communication/ radar, 20.97 percent, from $660.72 million to $522.19 million; and medical and industrial instrumentation, 20.65 percent, from $67.34 million to $53.43 million. For November alone, Seipi said exports decreased by 1.62 percent from $3.21 billion in 2017 to $3.16 billion last year. Six out of nine sectors declined led by the medical/ industrial instrumentation at 58.45 percent from $11.14 million to $4.63 million.

Other sectors that posted decreases were communication and radar, telecommunication, semiconductor, and control and instrumentation. SEIPI said sectors which posted an increase were office equipment, consumer electronics, and electronic data processing. “Top five countries of destination during the period were Hong Kong, the United States of America, People’s Republic of China, Singapore, and Japan,� said Seipi.

ANNA LEAH E. GONZALES

A COMPREHENSIVE work plan has been signed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the government of Sri Lanka on Friday to help mitigate the effects of climate change and restore Sri Lanka’s rice SELF SUFkCIENCY 4HE kVE YEAR PARTNERSHIP WAS FORmalized during Sri Lanka President -AITHRIPALA 3IRISENA S kVE DAY VISIT IN the Philippines, which included a tour in the IRRI facility in Los Baùos, Laguna.

Signatories of the said framework were IRRI Deputy Director General for Research Jacqueline Hughes and Additional Secretary for Bilateral Affairs of the Sri Lanka Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sumith Nakandala.

Under the partnership, IRRI would

provide the government of Sri Lanka with technical assistance to reduce post-harvest losses and introduce new techniques to promote the value addition of rice. “This plan aims to improve and build on what we have learned from that to unlock the full potential of Sri Lanka’s rice sector and help the country regain this achievement once again.� IRRI Director General Matthew Morell said. He said the work plan also targets current issues on agricultural productivity and sustainability. “Improving the resilience and sustainability of Sri Lanka’s national rice economy through environmentally sustainable approaches is of utmost importance to address the complex

challenges of population growth, agricultural production, and climate change in Sri Lanka. We are honored to have Sri Lanka’s continued trust and we remain committed to supporting their efforts to restore rice selfSUFkCIENCY AND ATTAIN FOOD SECURITY u Morell explained.

Sri Lanka’s current rice productivity level is less than half of its potential, producing an annual 4.6 million metric tons (MT) with an average yield of 4.3 MT per hectare. Sri Lanka first gained rice self-sufficiency in 4O REMAIN SELF SUFkCIENT )22) had predicted that Sri Lanka needs to increase its rice production by 20 percent over current levels by 2030.

EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ

eral funds rate could result in portfolio outflows and higher risk premia, leading to a weaker PESO AND HIGHER INlATION OVER THE policy horizon,� it added.

The BSP also pointed to a draft 4HE "30 NOTED IN THE INlATION report that there were various bill seeking to raise the sin taxes petitions for rate adjustments by on alcoholic beverages, which Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and account for 0.7 percent of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities consumer price index basket, that is part of Package 2 Plus of the Management Corp. (Psalm).

Meralco’s petitions include gen- government’s Comprehensive Tax eration and transmission charges, Reform Package.

Under the proposed bill, spesystem loss, lifeline subsidy, a December 2013 rate adjustment that cific taxes on distilled spirits, is the subject of Supreme Court wines, and fermented liquor temporary restraining order, and SPECIkED IN THE 3IN 4AX 2EFORM a P0.65-per kilowatt hour adjust- Act of 2012 would be raised in ment for the January 2014 billing addition to a higher annual inperiod that still has to be approved dexation of 7.0 percent from 4.0 percent previously. by regulators.

4HE MAIN DOWNSIDE RISKS TO INlAPsalm’s petitions, meanwhile, cover adjustments for fuel and tion, meanwhile, are protectionist policies in advanced economies and foreign exchange costs.

The Bangko Sentral pointed out geopolitical tensions, along with pothat faster-than-expected monetary tential renegotiation on concessions policy normalization in the US for lower tariffs on meat. “The continued policy uncerand other advanced economies could lead to tighter global liquid- tainty, spillovers from tighter ity conditions and the repricing GLOBAL kNANCIAL CONDITIONS AND of risks. geopolitical tensions could lead to “Consequently, the higher fed- slower global trade and economic

activity on the whole, thereby leading to potential downward price pressures,� the central bank said in the report.

It stressed that increased protectionist measures in key economies remained a major risk to the global growth outlook and trade activity. Global demand, it pointed out, could be undermined by heightened uncertainty over trade policies, especially between the US and China. “On the basis of new information in the fourth quarter, the BSP now has some latitude to allow the monetary policy adjustments throughout 2018, including the cumulative 75-basis-point hike in September and November, to work their way through the traditional channels of monetary policy,�

Lapid said. “Nonetheless, the BSP remains vigilant against developments that could affect the outlook for INlATION AND kNANCIAL STABILITY

including those emanating from external forces such as tighter GLOBAL kNANCIAL CONDITIONS AND lingering geopolitical risks,� he added.

Q RISKS FROM B1

BSP: Inflation

While analysts say the standoff HAS DENTED CONkDENCE ‡ LEAVING THE stock markets battered and the yuan weakened — they attribute most the downturn to government policies to TACKLE GROWING DEBT kNANCIAL RISK AND pollution.

time in more than 20 years.

It is one of a raft of recent economic indicators that point to a deepening slowdown. Imports and exports fell in December while the manufacturing secthe economy was hit by outrage over TOR CONTRACTED FOR THE kRST TIME IN MORE the Tiananmen Square crackdown a than two years. year earlier.

Chinese officials have announced The October-December rate of 6.4 Stimulus measures tax cuts, fee reductions, and cutting red percent marks the slowest quarter since tape, among other measures to stimu2009 and indicates China faces a tough The 2018 growth forecast is above the late the economy. year ahead.

OFkCIAL TARGET OF AROUND PERCENT BUT “We propose to keep the Chinese “Economic momentum is clearly down from the 6.8 percent chalked up economy operating in a reasonable slowing,� said Raymond Yeung, econo- IN THE YEAR BEFORE OFkCIALS ON &RIDAY range, which means that we allow the mist at ANZ bank.

REVISED DOWN THE kGURE economic growth rate to have certain Relations with top trading partner the The National Bureau of Statistics will lUCTUATIONS u #HINESE 0REMIER ,I +EQUnited States deteriorated sharply last RELEASE ITS OFkCIAL RESULTS ON -ONDAY iang told academics and businessmen year after President Donald Trump hit After halting some major infrastruc- this week. roughly half of Chinese imports with ture projects such as subway lines and “But it cannot have major ups and new tariffs in an attempt to force trade MOTORWAYS IN THE kRST HALF OF THE YEAR TO major downs, and it cannot ‘fall off a concessions from Beijing. keep a lid on debt, policymakers gradu- cliff’,� he said.

The trade war with the US is on hold ally eased up and encouraged more for now after President Xi Jinping and infrastructure spending in the autumn. ‘Sword of Damocles’ Donald Trump agreed a three-month g4HE SQUEEZE ON SHADOW kNANCING CEASEkRE WHILE THE TWO SIDES TRY TO kND activity took a particularly heavy toll on Li vowed to help private businesses and a resolution. infrastructure investment,� economists “take advantage of our massive domesMeanwhile China’s top negotiator at Fitch Ratings wrote in a report, refer- tic market�. is heading to Washington for talks this ring to off-the-books loans.

7ITH OFkCIALS INTENT ON NOT FURTHER INmonth ahead of a March deadline to Analysts say the credit tightening also lATING THE DEBT BUBBLE AND THE EXPORT avoid further tariff hikes, while a report made loans harder to come by for some picture dimming, it has reinforced the said the US is considering lifting some would-be car buyers, which contributed need for China to rely on its legion of levies in return for reforms by Beijing. TO ANNUAL CAR SALES FALLING FOR THE kRST consumers to grow its economy.

Q DECADES FROM B1

China’s 2018

I

Money plan

T’S the time of the year when everybody starts making their new year’s resolution. Whether it’s related to relationship, health, career or even about just taking more risk. Whatever it may be, I’m pretty sure that money is always involved. So maybe the best resolution you might want to consider is in fact creating a “money plan�, also known as a kNANCIAL PLAN You may have heard about this from a friend, colleague or even just browsing through the net.

7HAT IS kNANCIAL PLANNING $O ) NEED ONE (OW CAN ) START !RE there professionals or organizaTIONS THAT CAN HELP Financial planning is the process of meeting your life goals through the proper management of your resources by taking into consideration your dreams, NEEDS IDIOSYNCRASIES AND kNANcial resources. These life goals may range from something as SPECIkC AS BUYING YOUR kRST CAR TO planning up for your retirement or you can opt for a full comprehensive plan.

4HE BIGGEST BENEkT OF HAVING A kNANCIAL PLAN IS THAT IT PROVIDES direction and allows you to UNDERSTAND HOW EACH kNANCIAL decision you make affects other AREAS OF YOUR kNANCES -UCH LIKE BUILDING A HOUSE YOUR kNANCIAL plan will serve as your blueprint.

For example, equities might help increase your passive income but may also provide much volatility in the short term. Inversely, instruments like money market where volatility will be low may affect your long term returns for your retirement plan. By viewing EACH kNANCIAL DECISION AS PART of a whole, you can consider its short and long-term effects on your life goals. You can also adapt easily to life changes and feel more secure that your goals are on track.

There are a good number of PERSONAL kNANCE APPS OR SELF HELP books that can help you do your OWN kNANCIAL PLANNING (OWever, I will always encourage you to seek help from a professional financial planner. A financial planner helps individuals meet their medium and long-term kNANCIAL GOALS WHILE BALANCING it with his short term needs by USING THE kNANCIAL PLANNING PROcess. He is tasked to analyze your status and set up a program to help meet those goals and monitor them in a timely manner.

This big picture approach to your kNANCIAL GOALS SETS THE PLANNER APART FROM OTHER kNANCIAL ADVISers, who may have been trained to focus on a particular area of YOUR kNANCIAL LIFE Just a word of caution, choosING A PROFESSIONAL kNANCIAL PLANner can be harder than it seems as there is no governing body here in the Philippines to deal with it.

There are private groups or companies that provide their own CERTIkCATION 4HEY ARE SUBJECTIVE and not standardized. Anyone

“We see a fast deceleration on investment and also retail sales, which weigh on the growth slowdown,� said Liu Ligang, chief China economist at Citigroup. g4HE kNANCIAL DELEVERAGING MADE IT really hard for the private sectors to get funding,� he said. %XPORTS STILL DRIVE A SIGNIkCANT CHUNK of China’s economy and Washington’s targeting of cars, machinery, electronics, consumer appliances and other PRODUCTS HAVE LED SOME kRMS TO SHIFT production out of the country.

Most exporters sped up their shipments across the Pacific to beat the tariff deadlines, with exports to the US holding up until November. “The trade war with the US should be regarded as a ... Sword of Damocles for the Chinese economy, but its impact is only really visible in the very last months of 2018,� said Bjorn Giesbergen, senior economist at Rabobank.

China’s exports fell 4.4 percent in December and shipments to the US tumbled. “The drag to growth from exports looks set to intensify even after the recent announcement to delay the next increase in US tariffs by 90 days,� said economists at Fitch.

AFP

MONEY TALKS

MELVIN ESTEBAN can easily claim to be one. So my best advice, don’t look at just titles or designations. Find out more about their credentials, past works, experiences, references, area of expertise, etc. Watch out for my article on “Tips on choosING A kNANCIAL PLANNERu 4HERE ARE kVE STEPS INVOLVED IN CREATING SUCCESSFUL kNANCIAL PLAN "Y USING THESE kVE STEPS

you can have a better appreciation of where you are now, where you want to be, and how to reach that goal. You may need to add a pre step if you plan to work with A PROFESSIONAL kNANCIAL PLANNER

that is to ESTABLISH AND DEkNE your relationship with the planner. It’s very important that you set each other’s expectation. Remember that this will entail team work. Know the responsibilities of each other.

The steps are as follows: Gather your data and estabLISH YOUR PERSONAL AND kNANCIAL goals. The key is to be SMARTER 3PECIkC -EASURABLE !TTAINABLE

Relevant, Time Bound, Escalating and Rewarding) in setting goals.

Analyze and evaluate your kNANCES .OW THAT YOU SEE THE “big picture�, do the pieces make SENSE $O YOU NEED TO ADJUST

REDUCE ADD OR REALLOCATE Develop your action plan and consider some alternatives.

5NDERSTAND THAT EACH kNANCIAL decision you will make can affect other areas of your plan. Again, be mindful of the big picture.

Implement the plan. Believe IT OR NOT SOME MAY kND THIS THE hardest as people has the tendency to just procrastinate.

Monitor and update your plan. Things do not always go as planned. You need to change and tweak your parameters from time to time for your plan to remain relevant.

Understanding each of these steps is very vital to ensure that you’re doing it right. I will dedicate my next article to discuss this in greater detail but in the meantime, happy wealthy living!

Melvin J. Esteban is the CEO of Motivating Minds and one of the lead lecturer for the Registered Financial Planner Program of RFP Philippines. Melvin is the kRST &ILIPINO TO WIN THE PRESTIgious â&#x20AC;&#x153;Young ASEAN Manager Awardâ&#x20AC;?. He has been engaged in THE kNANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY FOR over 20 years in various capacities such as wealth management, learning and development, portfolio management, and segments marketing. Learn more about personal financial planning at the 74th RFP program this January 2019. To inquire, e-mail info@rfp.ph or text <name><email><RFP> to 0917-9689774.

Q TIGHTENED FROM B1

Lending to firms, households In particular, credit standards for housing loans housing loans, auto loans, and personal/salary loans tightened largely due to perceptions of stricter kNANCIAL SYSTEM REGULATIONS AND REDUCED TOLERANCE for risk, the Bangko Sentral said.

With regard to credit standards, respondents noted strict loan covenants for housing loans and INCREASED USE OF INTEREST RATE lOORS Credit standards are also expected to be stricter over the next quarter on the back of banksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; anticiPATION OF STRICTER kNANCIAL SYSTEM REGULATIONS AND lower tolerance for risk.

Despite the tightening, the survey results also indicated expectations of a net increase in overall loan demand from both businesses and households.

For business loans, the expected net increase in demand was attributed by respondent banks largely to their corporate clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; higher working capital requirements.

The anticipated net increase in loan demand from households was linked to expectations of higher household consumption, lower interest rates and higher housing investments, among others.

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Alliance Global awaits rival Skytrain proposals LISTED Alliance Global Group Inc. (AGI) is hoping to start facing challengers to its unsolicited P3.5-billion proposal to build the Skytrain monorail as early as the second quarter of 2018.

At the sidelines of a forum in Pasay City on Wednesday, Alliance Global Chief Executive Officer Kevin Tan told reporters he hoped his company would be able â&#x20AC;&#x153;to do the Swiss challenge by April or May,â&#x20AC;? noting that its proposal was still with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

Under a Swiss challenge, other firms can match or exceed the proposal of the Andrew Tan-led conglomerate, which will have a chance to make a counter-offer.

The Department of Transportation granted original proponent status on the project in May. The NEDA is yet to approve it.

Subsidiary Infracorp Development Inc., which will implement the project,

is already preparing the groundwork for it, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re now [coordinating] with local government units [and] we hope to start construction by fourth quarter this year,â&#x20AC;? he added.

The Skytrain is a two-kilometer monorail that would connect the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Uptown Mall in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City to the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guadalupe Station.

Once completed, the monorail is expected to accommodate 100,000 commuters daily and cut travel time from 30 minutes to five.

Last year, Alliance Global announced that it was planning to propose a new monorail project that would link MRT3â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Santolan-Annapolis Station to the Eastwood central business district in Libis, Quezon City.

Alliance Global shares added 32 centavos or 2.29 percent to end at P14.28 apiece on Friday.

ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

Corporate News

SATURDAY January 19, 2019

B3

Premiere Horizon inks P15-B loan with Qatar firm

P

REMIERE Horizon Alliance Corp. has signed an agreement with Qatar-based Sama Global Investment for a 250-million-euro (P15-billion) loan facility that will be used to fund several projects.

In a disclosure on Friday, the listed investment holding company said its chief Augusto Antonio Serafica Jr. signed the memorandum of agreement on the facility with Sama Chairman Abdulla Al-Mutawaa on January 17 in the Qatari capital Doha.

The amount would be used to fund its real-estate, tourism and hospitality, infrastructure, power AND kNANCIAL PROJECTS AMONG OTH-

ers, it added.

The facility shall have a tenor of NINE YEARS WITH A kXED RATE INTEREST of 1.25 percent yearly.

Under the deal, Sama would be allowed in two years to convert, in whole or part, the P15 billion into a 60-percent ownership stake in Premiere Horizon in accordance with foreign ownership laws and regulations.

Sama is a global investment firm that provides a range

of investment strategies. The cornerstore of its investment framework, the disclosure said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;is its ability to see and seize opportunity and introduce future initiatives for its portfolio companies with the end in view of improving overall value of these companies.â&#x20AC;?

The funding is seen to help Premiere Horizon boost its business after it reported that its net loss widened by 52 percent to P92.9 MILLION IN THE kRST NINE MONTHS of 2018 from P61.7 million in the same period the year before.

The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gross revenues reached P435.7 million in January to September, a 24.26-percent decrease from P575 million a year ago.

It blamed the drop to lower real estate sales, a slowdown in construction works and higher mining-related services due to the increase in tonnages.

Incorporated on Jan. 13, 1988 originally as Premiere Films International Inc., Premiere Horizon is now into property development. It is developing a master-planned tourism estate in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan province through its subsidiary West Palawan Premiere Development Corp.

Trading of its shares is suspended from January 18 to 22 to allow the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shareholders to digest the deal.

ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

Asian markets on a high as China-US trade hopes rise Meralcoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HONG KONG: Asian markets rallied on Friday as another broadly positive week drew to a close, with investors cheered by a report that the United States was considering LIFTING TARIFFS ON #HINA AS OFkCIALS look to hammer out a trade deal.

Optimism that the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top two economies are on course to reach a deal ending their long-running trade row has helped boost equities across the world this year.

And while news that the US was carrying out a criminal probe into Chinese technology giant Huawei caused a wobble on Thursday, the rally resumed after the Wall Street Journal story on tariff-lifting broke.

The paper reported that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had raised with Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer the idea of removing some or all LEVIES ON "EIJING IN RETURN FOR structural reforms.

It said the move was part of a bid

to reassure markets and bolster the odds of a bigger trade deal, ending a months-long saga that is beginning to impact economies around the world, particularly China.

However, the Treasury Department told Agence France-Presse that no formal recommendation had been made by either Mnuchin or Lighthizer in the talks, which were â&#x20AC;&#x153;nowhere near completion.â&#x20AC;?

Still, investors remained upbeat.

(ONG +ONG ROSE PERcent and Shanghai ended 1.4 percent higher, while Tokyo JUMPED PERCENT Sydney added 0.5 percent, Seoul gained 0.2 percent and Singapore put on 0.8 percent, while there were also advances in Wellington and Taipei.

In early trade, London and Paris each put on 0.6 percent and Frankfurt was 0.7 percent higher. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The US government has said that there have been no formal

Q FORECAST FROM B1

ABS-CBNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s iWant hits 11.3M subscribers

2018 BoP shortfall lower than forecast offset by government payments FOR MATURING FOREIGN EXCHANGE obligations.

Notwithstanding the surplus, the full-year result was a deficit of $2.306 billion, wider than the $863 million recorded in 2017 but lower than Bangko Sentralâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s $5.5-billion deficit forecast.

The central bank said the HIGHER CUMULATIVE "O0 DEkCIT was largely brought about by a merchandise trade deficit in the first 11 months of last year, which it attributed to â&#x20AC;&#x153;the sustained rise in imports of raw materials and intermediate goods as well as capital goods to support doMESTIC ECONOMIC EXPANSION u The trade deficit widened by 6.1 percent as of end-November 2018 to $25.7 billion, from $24.23 billion a year earlier, based on latest available data.

Last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s payments balance position, meanwhile, is conSISTENT WITH THE COUNTRY S kNAL gross international reserves (GIR) of $79.19 billion as of end-December 2018. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At this level, the GIR represents a more than ample liquidity buffer and is equivalent to 7 monthsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income,â&#x20AC;? the BSP said.

The GIR is also equivalent to 6 times the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s short-term EXTERNAL DEBT BASED ON ORIGINAL maturity and 4.1 times based on residual maturity, it added.

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

A TOTAL of 11.3 million people are now subscribed to ABS-CBN Corp.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s streaming platform iWant as of this month, the listed media conglomerate said on Thursday.

In a statement, the Lopez-led media titan said the number improved on the 10.2 million

talks to scale back tariffs, but the market saw the half glass full as the reports signal that concessions are in the works,â&#x20AC;? said Alfonso Esparza, senior market analyst at Oanda.

However, there was skepticism among analysts, with the two sides still far apart on a number of issues, particularly regarding intellectual property.

Crude on the rise â&#x20AC;&#x153;Certainly evidence that the administration is approaching a deal would be good news,â&#x20AC;? said Laura Rosner, a senior economist at MacroPolicy Perspectives. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard noise around trade policy before though, so I would want to make sure the progress happens and sticks.â&#x20AC;?

On currency markets, the pound edged up and was sitting around two-month highs against the dol-

subscribers it reported on November 7.

First introduced to the market as iWant TV in 2007, the platform aims to entertain viewers with its line of TV series; movies produced

by ABS-CBN unit Star Cinema and restored classics; and live-streamed

Q MARKET FROM B1

China firm seeks entry â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have no problem in building these 50,000 towers,â&#x20AC;? the COMPANY EXECUTIVE TOLD REPORTERS through an interpreter.

Huang said no initial invest-

ment and cell site numbers had been finalized as these would depend on demand from carriers.

Asked if CEEC was bullish on clinching a deal with the Mislatel

lar as dealers bet that Britain will not leave the European Union without a deal. !FTER HER GRAND "REXIT PLAN WAS soundly rebuffed by members of Parliament this week, British Prime Minister Theresa May has called cross-party talks to put together a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Plan Bâ&#x20AC;? with a more palatable agreement by Monday.

Still, if that does not work, there IS A GROWING EXPECTATION THAT THE -ARCH EXIT DEADLINE WILL BE pushed back to give May more time to reach another deal or possibly call another referendum. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For the most part the (poundâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s) move higher appears to be more in HOPE THAN EXPECTATION GIVEN THE default position as it stands now REMAINS THAT THE 5+ LEAVES THE EU without a deal,â&#x20AC;? said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at #-# -ARKETS 5+ Oil prices rose on the ChinaUS tariffs report and after the

sports programs.

ABS-CBN is set to strengthen iWant this year by allowing users to access it through TV streaming devices, such as Roku, Android TV BOXES AND 3+9 SET TOP BOXES â&#x20AC;&#x153;New features will also be introduced to subscribers, such as

OFlINE VIEWING AND COMMENTING on and chatting about their favorite content within the streaming service,â&#x20AC;? it said.

ABS-CBNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shares rose by P1.20 or 5.63 percent to close at P22.50 apiece on Friday.

LISBET K. ESMAEL

consortium, the new player that is backed by China Telecommunications Corp, Huang replied that they had yet to meet.

The DICT has now signed -O5S WITH kVE COMPANIES SINCE December, including Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s IHS Towers, Malaysia-based edotco Group, ISOC Infrastruc-

tures, and Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ISON ECP Tower Pte. Ltd. The government wants entice foreign tower companies to invest in the telco industry and increase the number of towers to at least 50,000 from less than 20,000 currently.

LISBET K. ESMAEL

Q SME FROM B1

Subsidies for SMEs, again?

5.1 percent of working capital and 10.1 percent of investments were kNANCED BY BANKS WHICH ARE THE LOWEST kGURES AMONG THE !SEAN The same survey found that 10.4 percent of enterprises in the PhilipPINES CITED ACCESS TO kNANCE AS THEIR biggest obstacle, third to informal sector practices (20 percent) and corruption (11.5 percent).

As small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are seen as riskier than larger companies, they bear the brunt of this problem through lower credit limits and higher interest rates. The Magna Carta for SMEs mandates banks to allocate 10 percent of their loan book to MSMEs. However, as OF THIS kGURE ONLY STOOD AT percent. This implies that banks are STILL NOT SET UP TO LEND PROkTABLY TO SMEs, and this cannot be solved by merely ordering them to lend more.

In other words, for SMEs, financing supply is the problem, not demand. This is referred to as kNANCIAL EXCLUSIVITY WHERE kNANCing remains practically restricted to larger enterprises.

The lost business opportunities DUE TO THE LACK OF kNANCING HAS ENORmous economic cost to society, and the private sector offers no evident market solution. Especially as SMEs

comprise 99.5 percent of businesses and provide employment to 61.6 percent of the labor force, actions coursed through SMEs are likely to see multiplier effects down the funnel if designed and administered properly. Hence, government action may be warranted, but in what form?

Maybe subsidies, but not in the WAY THAT PERHAPS kRST COMES TO MIND (cash given to SME owners, which may be considered direct subsidies).

Rather, I allude to indirect subsidies structured as some form of guaranty to SMEs. A guaranty that commits THE GOVERNMENT TO FULkLL A PORTION of a SMEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s debt obligation in case it defaults, lowering the risk associated WITH LOANS EXTENDED TO 3-%S Therefore, guaranty schemes narROW THE GAP BETWEEN THE RISK PROkLE of SMEs and the risk appetite of funders, which sits at the core of THIS kNANCING DRY SPELL ARGUABLY even more than liquidity). Similar GUARANTIES CURRENTLY EXIST AT SMALLER scales, but the national government has the resources to provide broader access to SMEs through a more centralized program.

The issuance of guaranties, as a policy tool, is not new by any means, not least in the Philippines.

The national government has always

/RGANIZATION OF 0ETROLEUM %Xporting Countries (OPEC) said it had cut output in December before a new agreement to limit supply took effect.

Both main contracts are up AROUND A kFTH SINCE THE END OF $Ecember, thanks to an agreement to cut output by OPEC and other key producers including Russia. That followed almost three months of losses that wiped about 40 percent off prices that was fueled by supply and demand worries.

And while the commodity is on the up, there are still concerns about the impact of a slowing global economy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As global growth stalls so does the appetite for crude,â&#x20AC;? Esparza said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Demand remains the biggest uncertainty. Positive trade headlines could boost energy prices as supply remains a tug-o-war between rising (US) shale production and OPEC-agreed limits.â&#x20AC;? AFP

utilized guaranties to encourage and support private and public transactions in line with its policy OBJECTIVES &OR INSTANCE HOME OWNership is supported by guarantying individual housing loans and developersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; construction loans through the Home Guaranty Corporation.

SME credit guaranties have also been employed by governments in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Hong +ONG TO HELP NURTURE 3-%S Guaranties seem like a reasonABLE MATCH TO THE kNANCING SUPPLY problem as diagnosed, but certainly not without faults. One caveat, much the same as in any public action, is that it can be gamed and defrauded to the disadvantage of THE STATE AND TAXPAYERS Due to the inherent moral hazARD I E kNANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ISSUing loans beyond what is prudent, or SMEs borrowing beyond their capacity), such a program canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t possibly cover all SMEs and all their loans. Standards and riskbased fees must be set, and SMEs and financial institutions must BE PREQUALIkED TO PARTICIPATE IN A guaranty program like this.

The above discussion does not intend to discount current government efforts towards improving

SME access to financing. Other government efforts include the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; advoCACY FOR DIGITAL kNANCIAL INCLUSION

and Small Business Corporationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wholesale lending and credit GUARANTY TO QUALIkED INSTITUTIONS These are clearly a shot in the right direction. However, the earlier 7ORLD "ANK kGURES INDICATE THAT we have still missed the mark. !S WITH ANY POLICY PROBLEM knancial inclusion has many facets. #APITAL SPECIkCALLY EARMARKED FOR SME lending is made more available through cheap wholesale lending by the government. Better access is beING PROVIDED BY NEW kNANCIAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES 3-% kNANCIAL literacy is addressed through trainings conducted by the DTI. Finally, helping to complete the picture of kNANCIAL INCLUSION UNDERWRITING concerns and risk mismatches may be addressed through guaranties.

4HE AUTHOR IS CURRENTLY A 0ROJECT Coordinator at First Circle, having previously served in government for three years at the Department of Finance. She is also a part-time lecturer for Public Finance at De La Salle University. She holds a Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in Finance and Development from SOAS University of London, and Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degrees in Economics and Finance from De La Salle University.

eSakay launches 15 e-jeeps MANILA Electric Co. (Meralco) unit eSakay officially launched on Friday 15 electric jeeps that would travel between the cities of Makati and Mandaluyong.

In a press event in Makati City, the Pangilinan-led power company said introducing e-jeepneys was in support of the Duterte administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s push for its public utility vehicle modernization program. Costing P2 million each, the jeeps are emission-free, has onboard WiFi, an automated fare collection system, global positioning system, close-captioned television cameras, and USB ports, Meralco said in a statement. They will ply the Metro Rail Transit 3 Buendia Station-Mandaluyong City Hall route through Jupiter Street from 5 a.m. to 12 midnight. Minimum fare is set at P9 for the first four kilometers. The maximum fare is P15. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Meralco has long been an advocate for the wider use of electric vehicles in the country with EV shuttling service and electric bike-sharing program at the Meralco Center in Ortigas. It soon became clear to us that electric vehicles were indeed a viable transport solution,â&#x20AC;? eSakay Chairman and Meralco Senior Vice President Alfredo Panlilio was quoted as saying in the statement. His company may expand the fleet once it sees strong commuter demand, he added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an unserved demand in [the Makati-Mandaluyong] route, then we will decide [to add more]. But right now, based on our initial projections, 15 will do.â&#x20AC;?

The launch comes after the Securities and Exchange Commission approved in March the incorporation of eSakay, which would engage in â&#x20AC;&#x153;the business of owning, maintaining, and operating transport service networks of charging stations, batteries, and vehicles utilizing electric energy and other alternative energy sources.â&#x20AC;?

LISBET K. ESMAEL

Q RISE FROM B1

PSEi up The Treasury department, for its part, said no formal recommendations had been made and that talks between the US and China â&#x20AC;&#x153;were nowhere near completion.

Overnight, the Dow Jones rose by 0.67 percent, the S&P 500 grew by 0.76 percent, and the Nasdaq gained 0.71 percent. )N !SIA (ONG +ONG ROSE percent and Shanghai ended 1.4 PERCENT HIGHER WHILE 4OKYO JUMPED 1.3 percent.

Sydney added 0.5 percent, Seoul gained 0.2 percent and Singapore put on 0.8 percent, while there were also advances in Wellington and Taipei.

Back in Manila, all indices ended in the green with the holdING kRMS SECTOR UP THE MOST BY 1.93 percent.

More than 1.8 billion issues valued at P8.4 billion changed hands.

Advancers outmatched decliners, 111 to 76, while 59 issues were unchanged.

ANGELICA BALLESTEROS AND AFP

B4

SATURDAY January 19, 2019

Foreign Business

US officials consider lifting China tariffs W

ASHINGTON, D.C.: US officials have considered lifting tariffs on Chinese imports to calm volatile stock markets and encourage Beijing to make concessions in current trade talks, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

American and Chinese trade OFkCIALS HAVE UNTIL -ARCH TO resolve their trade war, to prevent a sharp increase in punitive US duties on $200 billion in Chinese goods.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin raised the idea of revoking tariffs on some or all of the $250 billion in Chinese goods impacted, during discussions on the strategy for the current talks but the question has not yet reached the White House, according to The Journal.

The US stock market reacted favorably to the report, with equities prices closing higher after being lAT FOR MOST OF THE DAY 4HE TALKS WITH "EIJING ARE BEING led by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who has taken a more hard line position on trade

Q Albert Bourla, chief executive officer of Pfizer pharmaceutical company, arrives to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 17, 2019 in New York City. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up over 150 points at the close on Thursday, after news reports that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is floating a proposal to lift some United States tariffs on Chinese goods in an effort to push trade talks forward between the US and China. AFP PHOTO than Mnuchin.

The Treasury Department told AFP on that the trade talks with China were â&#x20AC;&#x153;nowhere near completion.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Neither Secretary Mnuchin nor Ambassador Lighthizer have made any recommendations to anyone with respect to tariffs or other parts of the negotiation with China,â&#x20AC;? a spokesperson working with the

trade team said by email.

CNBC quoted a senior White (OUSE OFkCIAL INVOLVED IN THE TRADE talks saying that Trump had no incentive to offer concessions, and OFkCIALS INSTEAD WERE FOCUSED ON preparations for talks with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He set for January 30-31 in Washington.

US President Donald Trump tweeted January 8 that the

TALKS WITH "EIJING WERE gGOING very well!â&#x20AC;?

But the trade war has rattled stock markets in the months since, putting pressure on the White House to reach a resolution.

Trump launched the trade war last year and the two sides have SINCE EXCHANGED TIT FOR TAT TARIFFS on more than $360 billion in twoway trade.

AFP

Ghosn received â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;improperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; payments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Nissan TOKYO: Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn received nearly eight million euros in â&#x20AC;&#x153;improper paymentsâ&#x20AC;? from a Netherlands-based JOINT VENTURE THE *APANESE CAR GIant alleged Friday, threatening to sue to recover the funds.

Nissan said Ghosn entered into a personal employment contract with Nissan-Mitsubishi B.V. (NMBV), a company formed â&#x20AC;&#x153;with the mission of EXPLORING AND PROMOTING SYNergies within the Nissan-Mitsubishi Motors partnership.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Under that contract, he received a total of 7,822,206.12 EUROS INCLUDING TAX IN COMPENSAtion and other payments of NMBV funds,â&#x20AC;? Nissan said, citing an ongoing investigation into alleged wrongdoing by Ghosn.

4HE kRM SAID THE CONTRACT WAS signed without consultation with current Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa or Mitsubishi Motors CEO Osamu Masuko. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nissan views the pay-

ments Ghosn received from NMBV to be the result of misconduct and will consider measures to recover FROM 'HOSN THE FULL SUM u THE kRM said in a statement.

Since his out-of-the-blue arrest on November 19, Ghosn has been kept in a Tokyo detention centre and has made only one public appearance in court when he pasSIONATELY REJECTED THE ACCUSATIONS against him.

Ghosn faces three formal charges.

First, he is accused of underDECLARING HIS INCOME BY kVE BILLION yen ($46 million) between 2010 AND IN OFkCIAL DOCUMENTS TO shareholders, apparently to fend off criticism he was overpaid.

Second, he stands accused of continuing this practice for three more years, understating his pay by a further four billion yen. ! THIRD MORE COMPLEX CHARGE relates to allegations he sought to transfer personal investment LOSSES TO THE kRM AND PAID A 3AUDI intermediary from company funds

to stump up collateral for him.

The 64-year-old auto tycoon REJECTS ALL THE CHARGES ARGUING IN court that he has been â&#x20AC;&#x153;wrongly accused and unfairly detained based on meritless and unsubstantiated accusations.â&#x20AC;?

He has appealed several times TO BE RELEASED ON BAIL AND kLED another appeal earlier Friday.

So far, the appeals have all been REJECTED WITH THE COURT REASONING THAT HE IS A lIGHT RISK AND COULD tamper with evidence.

His lawyers have vowed to lodge an appeal with the Supreme Court against his continued detention, but even his lead attorney has told reporters it is unlikely he will taste freedom before a trial â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and that COULD TAKE SIX MONTHS AT LEAST Meanwhile, the allegations continue to stack up against Ghosn â&#x20AC;&#x201D; once revered as a corporate genius who saved Nissan from the verge of bankruptcy.

(E IS SAID TO HAVE HAD LUXURY houses in Beirut and Rio de Ja-

neiro paid for by the company â&#x20AC;&#x201D; plus costly renovations for the kRST PROPERTY It is also alleged one of his sisters received $755,000 for work carried out between 2003 and 2016 as part of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Global Donation Advisory Councilâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a body which has NEVER EXISTED ACCORDING TO SOURCES close to Nissan.

Nissan is thought to be looking into other payments such as donations to universities in Lebanon or a subscription to a yacht club in Brazil for $63,000.

Ghosn has been unable to defend himself against these new allegations and they do not form part of the formal charges against him.

"UT THE *APANESE kRM IS RAMPING up its probe into its former leader and more revelations are likely as it continues.

Nissan has also been slapped with formal charges over the affair as they submitted the documents to shareholders that allegedly under-declared THE EXECUTIVE S INCOME AFP

Oxford rejects additional Huawei funding BEIJING: /XFORD 5NIVERSITY HAS decided to forgo further funding from Chinese tech giant Huawei as scrutiny grows in Europe over the telecom companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relationship WITH THE "EIJING GOVERNMENT (UAWEI HAS BEEN UNDER kRE IN recent months with the arrests of A TOP EXECUTIVE IN #ANADA AND AN employee in Poland, along with a worldwide campaign by Washington to blacklist its equipment.

And in the latest blow for HuaWEI /XFORD 5NIVERSITY SAID IT HAD decided it would â&#x20AC;&#x153;not pursue new funding opportunitiesâ&#x20AC;? for both research contracts or philanthropic donations from Huawei and re-

lated group companies â&#x20AC;&#x201D; though EXISTING PROJECTS WOULD CONTINUE â&#x20AC;&#x153;We currently have two such onGOING PROJECTS WITH A COMBINED funding from Huawei of ÂŁ692,000 ($898,000),â&#x20AC;? a university spokesman said Thursday, adding that Huawei had been informed of the decision to turn away future funding. /XFORD SAID IT HAD MADE THE DEcision in â&#x20AC;&#x153;light of public concerns raised in recent months surroundING 5+ PARTNERSHIPS WITH (UAWEI u But a Huawei spokesman said the company had not been informed and would â&#x20AC;&#x153;await the 5NIVERSITY S FULL EXPLANATION u g7E HAVE OPERATED IN THE 5+

since 2001, employ 1,500 people here and have long standing research collaborations with 20 OTHER 5+ UNIVERSITIES WORKING TO develop the technologies of the future,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Huawei faces unprecedented challenges to its business amid a global campaign by Washington to push nations to reconsider using the telecom giantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s equipment in their cellular networks over security concerns.

Australia and New Zealand banned its gear last year and a top British operator moved to REMOVE ITS EXISTING EQUIPMENT

while concerns grow in Canada,

Japan, France, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and other countries.

Huaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reclusive founder Ren Zhengfei stepped out of the shadows this week to give a rare media interview, forcefully deNYING ACCUSATIONS THAT HIS kRM engaged in espionage on behalf of the Chinese government.

4HE COMPANY kRED THE #HINESE employee in Poland who was arrested on espionage allegations.

Renâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter and Huawei CHIEF kNANCIAL OFkCER -ENG 7ANzhou was detained in Canada last month on US fraud charges related to Iran sanctions violations. AFP

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Cambodia, Myanmar hit out at EU rice tariffs PHNOM PENH: Cambodia and Myanmar have railed at the European Commission for resuming tariffs on millions of dollars of rice, with one ministry describing the move as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;weaponâ&#x20AC;? against already poor farmers.

The EC reimposed duties of up to 175 euros ($200) per ton of Indica rice from the two countries for three years following intensive lobbying by Italy, who said cheap imports were damaging its farmers.

While it is unconnected, the EC decision comes against the backdrop of threats to remove both Southeast Asian countries from its Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme because of human rights abuses.

The EBA deal allows developing COUNTRIES ACCESS TO EXPORT A BROAD array of goods â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including rice â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to European markets without shouldering tariffs.

The EC found that Indica rice imports from Cambodia and Myanmar had increased by 89 PERCENT IN THE LAST kVE SEASONS

But Cambodiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ministry of commerce said the complaint was based on inaccurate information and would hurt farmers in one of Southeast Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poorest countries.

It is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;weapon to kill them and their families who are in debtâ&#x20AC;?, it said late Thursday.

Nearly half of Cambodiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

TONS OF EXPORTED RICE WENT to EU markets last year, according to government data.

9E -IN !UNG OF -YANMAR S Rice Federation, also slammed THE MOVE SAYING ITS RICE EXPORTS TO the EU amounted to around $100 million annually. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We request the EU to keep helping us,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our country has MANY DIFkCULTIES TO OVERCOME u This week Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen threatened â&#x20AC;&#x153;to step on the throatâ&#x20AC;? of his political rivals if the EU ended the Anything But Arms deal, which would hit the kingdomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cash-cow garment sector the hardest.

Removing EU trade preferences is a long, drawn-out process that can take several months.

AFP

The UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sterling runs Brexit gauntlet LONDON: The British pound shrugged off fast-paced political drama this week, but faces sterner tests in the COMING WEEKS AND MONTHS AS "REXIT takes shape, analysts warn.

Sterling, which slumped after Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shock 2016 referendum TO EXIT THE %UROPEAN 5NION HAS only wobbled in response to recent turmoil over Prime Minister 4HERESA -AY S "REXIT PLANS Markets remain fearful of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;no dealâ&#x20AC;? scenario under which Britain reverts to World Trade Organization tariffs and increased barriers, sparking widespread economic uncertainty.

However, such a development, which could potentially cripple supply chains between Britain and the European Union, is not EXPECTED BY MANY PUNDITS â&#x20AC;&#x153;The chance of a no-deal "REXIT Â&#x2021; THE WORST CASE SCENARIO for the pound which would likely drag it down to the region of $1.10 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is for now priced out,â&#x20AC;? said ActivTrades analyst Ricardo Evangelista.

Humiliating defeat MPs gave May the heaviest drubbing in modern British political HISTORY ON 4UESDAY BY REJECTING the divorce deal by a stunning 432 votes to 202.

4HE CURRENCY BRIElY HIT A NEAR two-year low on Tuesday after the humiliating parliamentary defeat.

However, the pound then bounced back as traders bet the vote reinforced their view that there would not be a chaotic and disorderly â&#x20AC;&#x153;no-dealâ&#x20AC;? departure. !ND THE UNIT EXTENDED GAINS Wednesday as Conservative leadER -AY SURVIVED A NO CONkDENCE vote that was called by Jeremy Corbyn of the main opposition Labor party.

Conservative MPs, with the vital help of Northern Irish allies in the Democratic Union Party, rallied behind May â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and her government won by 325 to 306 to avert the threat of a general election.

Some dealers are now betting that another referendum or an EXTENSION OF THE TIME FRAME FOR

Britain to negotiate the terms of divorce with the EU might be more likely than no-deal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parliament may soon be forced to come together to prevent the one thing there is a MAJORITY FOR Â&#x2021; STOPPING A PAINFUL NO DEAL "REXIT u CAUTIONED ANALYST *2 :HOU AT )NkNOX The pound nudged slightly lower early Thursday as May scrambled to swiftly assemble a NEW "REXIT STRATEGY IN CROSS PARTY talks, but recovered later in the European session.

The pound sat at $1.2989 in Asia, while the European single currency stood at 87.74 pence per euro.

May reached out to rival parties shortly after winning the noCONkDENCE VOTE Â&#x2021; BUT #ORBYN HAS REJECTED THE OVERTURE UNTIL she rules out the possibility of crashing out with no agreement.

"RITAIN THE WORLD S kFTH BIGgest economy, splits from its main trading partner at midnight on March 29. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Time is running outâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whatever happens over the NEXT FEW DAYS TIME IS RUNNING out,â&#x20AC;? warned ING analysts James 3MITH AND 0ETR +RPATA IN A REsearch note to clients.

And markets have not yet factored in the possibility of another general election â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which could send the pound sliding once more. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The additional uncertainty a snap general election would bring is one event risk which still HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SIGNIkCANTLY weaken the pound in the nearterm,â&#x20AC;? added MUFG analysts. g-ARKET PARTICIPANTS WILL kND IT DIFkCULT TO STOMACH THE ADDITIONAL risk of a left leaning Labor government alongside current heightENED "REXIT UNCERTAINTY â&#x20AC;&#x153;If a snap general election is called, we believe the pound could fall by around 3.0-5.0 percent.â&#x20AC;?

Since the referendum, the sharp drop in sterling has made imported GOODS MORE EXPENSIVE AND THEREFORE PUSHED UP 5+ ANNUAL INlATION and prompted many consumers to tighten their belts.

AFP

Tesla plans 7% staff cut, says road ahead very difficult 3!9).' the road ahead was â&#x20AC;&#x153;very difficult,â&#x20AC;? Teslaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CEO Elon Musk said Friday that the company would be cutting its staff by about 7 percent.

The electric car and solar panel MAKER NOTIkED ITS EMPLOYEES ABOUT the staff cuts and other plans in an email posted on Tesla Inc.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website.

Musk said Tesla hopes to post a gTINY PROkTu IN THE CURRENT QUARTER BUT A PERCENT EXPANSION IN ITS workforce last year was more than

it can support.

Teslaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shares tumbled earlier this month after it cut vehicle prices by $2,000 and announced FOURTH QUARTER SALES kGURES THAT fell short of Wall Street estimates. g/UR PRODUCTS ARE TOO EXPENSIVE for most people,â&#x20AC;? Musk said in the memo to Tesla staff. saying the company has to â&#x20AC;&#x153;work harder.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tesla has only been producing cars for about a decade and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re

up against massive, entrenched competitors,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Musk said in a tweet in October that Tesla, based on Palo Alto, California, had 45,000 employees. A 7 percent cut would involve laying off about 3,150 people. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We unfortunately have no choice but to reduce full-time EMPLOYEE HEADCOUNT BY APPROXImately 7 percent ... and retain only the most critical temps and

contractors,â&#x20AC;? he said.

The company says it delivered over 245,000 electric cars and SUVs last year, nearly as many as all previous years combined. But its 2018 production fell far short of a goal set nearly three years ago of manufacturing 500,000 vehicles for the year.

That goal was announced in May of 2016 based on advance orders for its mid-range Model 3, which Musk said sells for $44,000.

Musk said Tesla plans to ramp up production of the Model 3, â&#x20AC;&#x153;as we need to reach more customers who can afford our vehicles.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Attempting to build affordable clean energy products at scale necESSARILY REQUIRES EXTREME EFFORT AND relentless creativity,â&#x20AC;? he said in the memo, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but succeeding in our mission is essential to ensure that the future is good, so we must do everything we can to advance the cause.â&#x20AC;?

Tesla broke ground earlier this month for a factory in Shanghai, its kRST OUTSIDE THE 5NITED 3TATES -USK said it plans to begin production there of the Model 3 and a planned crossover by the yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end.

Tesla and other global automakers including General Motors Co., Volkswagen AG and Nissan Motor Corp. are pouring billions of dollars into manufacturing electric vehicles in China.

AP

Health Industries New cancer screening tool developed F ˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

BY CONRAD M. CARIÑO

ROM its extensive research into amino acids for the food industry, Ajinomoto Co. Inc. has developed a new tool that could help detect cancer earlier.

Compared to other cancer screening methods, AminoIndex Cancer Screening (AICS) developed by Ajinomoto is relatively new and has only been studied in Japanese subjects. More than 150,000 Japanese people have taken the test and thousands of Filipinos may follow suit.

4HE 0HILIPPINES CANCER PROkLE by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that only breast palpation or a clinical breast exam is generally available at the public primary health care level, while other cancer screening and detection systems, namely cervical cytology, mammogram and

SATURDAY January 19, 2019

colonoscopy, are not.

“Due to the company’s long history of researching amino acids, it (Ajinomoto) understood that the balance of amino acid concentraTIONS IN BLOOD CHANGES TO RElECT A person’s health. Thus, this led to the development of a simple cancer screening technology, which can increase the possibility of detection together in combination with other screening tests,” the company said in a statement.

According to Ajinomoto, AICS is easy on the doctor and the patient, requiring only 5 milliliter of blood during a routine doctor

visit. In men, it screens for stomach, lung, colorectal, pancreatic and prostate cancer; in women, it screens for stomach, lung, colorectal, pancreatic, breast and uterine/ovarian cancer.

The concentrations of 19 different amino acids are analyzed.

Based on a historical database, the NORMAL CONCENTRATION PROkLE FOR A healthy individual is known, as is THE PROkLE FOR EACH TYPE OF CANCER that is tested. By comparing the PATIENT S PROkLE TO THE DATABASE

cancers can be detected effectively.

The body’s amino acid concentration profile changes in

response to a wide variety of illnesses, not just cancer. As a result, Ajinomoto has also developed AminoIndex Lifestyle disease Screening (AILS) that uses the same underlying technology to screen for common “lifestyle diseases” such as diabetes. The company is currently investigating additional therapeutic areas in which the AILS can be helpful.

According to a study on life expectancy conducted by the WHO, the average Filipino only lives up to 69.3 years old, with males and females living up to 66.2 and 72.6, respectively. This gives the Philippines a

B5

World Life Expectancy rank of 123.

Among the leading causes of death that contributes to the Philippines’ relatively low life expectancy is cancer, which causes over 20,000 deaths yearly. According to the Cancer Coalition of the Philippines, cancer kills seven adults every hour, and eight children every day. Although the Philippines currently implements certain cancer prevention strategies, such as regulation policies, health plans, cancer treatment, and palliative care, there is still much room for improvement when it comes to cancer screening.

Preventing suicide needs cooperation

BY STANLEY BUENAFE GAJETE (First of two parts) THE World Health Organization (WHO) is alarmed by the increasing number of suicide incidents worldwide, despite the fact that the organization has been undertaking several mental health programs in many different countries.

From its original Comprehensive Mental Health action plan 2013-2020, WHO recognizes the essential role of mental health in achieving health for all people.

The said plan contains life-coach approach, including health coverage and stresses the importance of prevention.

Four major objectives were set forth: more effective leadership and governance for mental health; the provision of comprehensive, integrated mental health and social care services in community-based settings; implementation of strategies for promotion and prevention; and strengthened information systems, evidence and research.

Depressing realities But statistics from WHO reveal that close to 800,000 people die from suicide every year.

And for every suicide incident, there are many more people who attempt to do it. It is also the second leading cause of death especially among 15-29 year olds.

About 79 percent of global suicides occur in low-and middle-income countries.

3CIENTIkC RESEARCH ALSO SHOWS while the link between suicide and mental disorders (in particular, depression and alcohol use disorders) is well established in high-income countries, many suicides happen impulsively in moments of crisis with a breakdown in the ability to deal with life stresses, such as financial problems, relationship break-up, or chronic pain and illness. !LSO CONlICT DISASTER VIOlence, abuse, or loss and a sense of isolation were strongly associated with suicidal behaviors according to some pertinent information. Suicide rates were also high among vulnerable groups who experience discrimination, such as refugees and migrants; indigenous peoples; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons; and prisoners, according to a WHO report released in August 2018.

Triggering elements Experts state that everyone experiences anxiety, depression and stress but in varying degrees. “The difference between them is that stress is a response to a threat in a situation or not being able to control a situation. Anxiety and depression is a reaction to the stress,” Psychiatrist Felicitas Soriano, a medical doctor at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in

Quezon City, said.

“Stress interferes at least moderately with lives. Chronic stress can affect one’s health, causing symptoms from headaches, high blood pressure, and chest pain to heart palpitations, skin rashes and loss of sleep,” she added.

However, scientific studies showed that not all stress, depression and anxiety are bad.

Some of the manifestations that a person is experiencing extreme depression is his or her being non-productive, withdrawn, or irritable, and harmful to himself or herself.

“Having poor daily self-care such as refusing to perform personal hygiene habits, refusing to get out of bed, or not eating or eating too much [are manifestations],” Soriano said.

“There’s a sudden and extreme changes in mood; becoming violent, threatening, or aggressive; taking or abusing substances; appearing confused or having hallucinations; [and] talking about suicide or about not having a reason to live are extreme signs,” she added.

Positive management is key Everyone deserves to have a FULkLLED LIFE AND SO EACH ONE OF us have the power to help each other including those experiencing stress, anxiety or depression.

“Having a good family relationship, being in full-life resiliency, exercising, doing relaxation activities, setting goals and priorities, are some of the key WAYS TO DISTRESS AND kGHT ANXIETY and depression,” Soriano said.

“You must also know your limitations so pressures won’t affect you fully. Always get connected with people especially parents, friends and siblings.

Have a very powerful spirituality attitude,” she said.

“But, you must also know the signs and when to go to a doctor. Positive management is key.

Always look on the brightest side of life, and think that everyone can help you,” Soriano added.

Communities also have an important role to play in suicide prevention, according to WHO. This is because communities provide support to people who are vulnerable and to those who have made an attempt on their life. They also can provide comfort to people who have lost someone to suicide and can HELP kGHT THE STIGMA ASSOCIATED with that.

The WHO also released last year the “Preventing suicide: A community engagement toolkit,” which is a step-by-step guide for people wishing to initiate suicide prevention activities in their community. It includes advice and practical tools to help with goal setting, stakeholder mapping. and development of an action plan as well as details of successful initiatives in different countries. It is available online and can be downloaded for proper advising.

Q Department of Health Calabarzon (Region 4A) Director and medical doctor Eduardo Janairo (extreme left) and Philippine Society of Hypertension President and medical doctor Alberto Atilano lead the pledge to the Cardiovascular Risk Assessment and Management Initiative at the Package of NonCommunicable Disease Interventions Summit held at Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay on January 11. PNA PHOTO

PROGRAM VS HYPERTENSION LAUNCHED TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite: The Department of Health (DoH) has partnered with the Philippine Society of Hypertension (PSH) for a joint project initiative aimed at addressing the increasing prevalence of hypertension and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in Cavite province.

The program, Cardiovascular Risk Assessment and Management Initiative, which is anchored on DoH’s Package of NonCommunicable Disease Interventions (PhilPEN) initiative, was officially launched before cardiologists from the public and private sectors at the Taal Vista Hotel on January 11.

In his keynote address, DoH-Calabarzon (Region 4A) Director and medical doctor Eduardo Janairo stressed: “The greater progress in addressing cardiovascular diseases can be achieved through

the cooperation of different sectors.”

Janairo added that while it could be seen that NCDs were driven both by health and non-health variables, the health sector could not adequately prevent and control these diseases on its own and a multi-sectoral approach (MSA) was required to establish enabling environments in the community.

“So that healthy choices become the most attractive choice,” he said.

From the high cost of diagnosis and treatment of hypertension and NCDs, Janairo said a strategic approach to these diseases relies on early detection and care using cost-effective and sustainable health care intervention that are integrated in the primary health care facilities, such as the barangay (village) health stations, rural health, and other community health centers.

“We see our future focusing more on prevention, especially on the four modifiable behavioral risk factors — unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol, and tobacco use,” he said.

The joint project, set to pilot in Cavite province, is seen to result in more Filipinos being assessed, screened and diagnosed early to prevent debilitating and sometimes fatal complications.

“Once successful [in its pilot run], we shall look forward to its duplication in the whole Region 4 (Calabarzon and Mimaropa) and eventually in the entire nation,” Philippine Society of Hypertension President and medical doctor Alberto Atillano said.

The program seeks to bring down the diseases’ prevalence by 3 percent in the next five years.

Hypertension prevalence in adult population

(18 years old and above) in the Philippines increased from 11 percent in 1992 to 28 percent in 2013, with high incidence reported in Cavite.

Based on DoH data released in 2009, cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of death in the country, with 170,000 Filipinos dying each year.

Heart attack and stroke are the top killer diseases in the country while 60 percent to 70 percent of Filipinos have not been treated or have seen a cardiologist, according to 2016 data from the Philippine Heart Association.

During the launch, the participants were treated with lectures on the matter.

The participants in the forum, composed of cardiologists from the public and private sectors, expressed their commitment of support for the health initiative.

PNA

PSOD holds patient’s forum for rare diseases IN support of patients with rare diseases, the Philippine Society for Orphan Disorders (PSOD) gathered key agency leaders and advocates at the PSOD Patient’s Forum to discuss the plight of patients and their needs for medical assistance, held at La Corona Hotel, in Manila, on December 12.

Focusing on the theme “Easing the Burden of Rare Disease,” representatives from the Department of Science and Technology (DoST), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.

(PhilHealth) discussed how local agencies could contribute to the patient’s medication.

“We must help each other to

kND SOLUTIONS TO HELP PEOPLE WITH rare disease and their families, even if it’s just to reach one objective: understand better the regional and global situation to enhance policies and uplift the lives of our patients,” said Jaime Montoya, DoST representative and executive director of Philippine Council for Health Research and Development.

He added that promoting research that addresses unmet necessities of people with special needs would help develop government policies that aid this special population of rare disease.

Meanwhile, Sheena Manuel, senior education program specialist of DepEd, pointed out certain programs and projects to strengthen

the special education program.

Among these include the establishment of learning resource centers, training of teachers, administrators and supervisors of special education, provision of technical assistance, health and allied medical personnel, a transition program, monitoring and evaluation, and distance education.

Apart from strengthening the educational program, massive job generation was also cited as a possible solution to aid rare disease families. The Labor department also cited its DoLe Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program, which provides workers with additional income and alternative employment. This, according to DoLE

representative Eloisa Santos, is the department’s contribution to the government agenda of inclusive growth.

Moreover, PhilHealth and PSOD have been collaboratively working ON HEALTH BENEkT PROPOSALS FOR rare disorder patients.

03/$ IS A NONPROkT ORGANIZAtion whose mission is to uphold the primary concerns and welfare of individuals with rare disorders in the Philippines.

PSOD Patient’s Forum was deemed successful as it gave hope to families to raise their concerns and get access to innovative ideas, alternative learning programs, and medical assistance for their members with rare disease.

MAYLENE STEPHANIE S. VIRAY

B6

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SATURDAY January 19, 2019

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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Republic of the Philippines '(3$570(17 2) 38%/,& :25.6 $1' +,*+:$<6 ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE 1ST DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE REGIONAL OFFICE IX Sta. Isabel, Dipolog City BID BULLETIN NO. 50

The Public is hereby notified that Proprietary Membership &HUWLÂżFDWH 1R RI WKH 0DQLOD 3ROR &OXE UHSUHVHQWLQJ

share herein registered in the name of Norberto C. Nazareno has been declared missing and cannot be located. After the expiration RI RQH \HDU IURP WKH GDWH RI ODVW SXEOLFDWLRQ RI WKLV QRWLFH RQ )HE LI QR FRQWHVW KDV EHHQ SUHVHQWHG WR 0DQLOD 3ROR &OXE UHJDUGLQJ VDLG FHUWLÂżFDWH WKH ULJKW WR PDNH VXFK FRQWHVW VKDOO EH EDUUHG DQG WKH &OXE VKDOO FDQFHO LQ LWV ERRNV WKH FHUWLÂżFDWH RI VWRFN XQOHVV WKH UHJLVWHUHG RZQHU ÂżOHV D ERQG RU RWKHU VHFXULW\ in lieu thereof running for a period of one year, in which case a QHZ FHUWLÂżFDWH PD\EH LVVXHG HYHQ EHIRUH WKH H[SLUDWLRQ RI WKH

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YOUR ADS HERE GET RESULTS

Department of Public Works and Highways

Notice of Settlement of Estate Of Rosauro Guerrero Alberto Notice is hereby given that the estate of Rosauro Guerrero Alberto comprising of a bank account with the Bank of the Philippine Islands has EHHQ VHWWOHG WKUX DQ $IÂżGDYLW of Adjudication by Sole Heir executed by Cynthia / $OEHUWR RQ 'HFHPEHU DQG HQWHUHG DV 'RF 1R 3DJH 1R %RRN 1R ;/9,, 6HULHV RI RI the Notarial registry of Atty.

Joel E. Paner, Notary Public for and in city of Manila.

07 Âą -DQ

Contract ID: Contract Name:

19JB0077 Construction of Concrete Road â&#x20AC;&#x201C; NRJ Dipolog â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sindangan - Liloy Road, Jose Dalman to Jct. Dinasan Provincial Road, Brgy. Dinasan Âą %UJ\ /LSD\ 6HFWLRQ LQ VXSSRUW RI $JULEXVLQHVV 5XEEHU DQG &RFR /RSHUR $JUDULDQ 5HIRUP &RPPXQLW\ 6,*,/2 -RVH 'DOPDQ $VVRFLDWLRQ =DPERDQJD 'HO 1RUWH Location of the Contract: =DPERDQJD 'HO 1RUWH --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Republic of the Philippines '(3$570(17 2) 38%/,& :25.6 $1' +,*+:$<6 ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE 1ST DISTRICT ENGINEERING OFFICE REGIONAL OFFICE IX Sta. Isabel, Dipolog City BID BULLETIN NO. 51 68%-(&7 5HVHWWLQJ RI WKH 'URSSLQJ 2SHQLQJ RI %LGV

This Bid Bulletin No. LV LVVXHG WR DPHQG SURYLVLRQV LQ WKH %LGGLQJ 'RFXPHQWV %'V IRU WKH above stated Contract, as follows: Current Provision of BDs (including Previous Amendments)

Amended Provision of BDs under this BID Bulletin

Schedule of Dropping of Bids -DQXDU\ $ 0

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68%-(&7 5HVHWWLQJ RI WKH 'URSSLQJ 2SHQLQJ RI %LGV This Bid Bulletin No. LV LVVXHG WR DPHQG SURYLVLRQV LQ WKH %LGGLQJ 'RFXPHQWV %'V IRU WKH above stated Contract, as follows:

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

Schedule of Opening of Bids -DQXDU\ $ 0

* NOTE: Adjustment of Program of Works (POW) are still on Process.

This Bid Bulletin shall form an integral part of the said Bidding Documents.

For guidance and information of all concerned.

RAY S. CADAVEDO Chief, Construction Section BAC Chairperson

ERRORS & OMISSIONS Any incorrect advertisement published in The Manila Times Classified Ads must be brought to our attention on the same day the advertisement came out. We will not be held liable for any incorrect ads not reported to us immediately.

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07 Âą -DQ

Schedule of Opening of Bids -DQXDU\ $ 0

Republic of the Philippines Fifth Judicial Region Regional Trial Court Branch 52 Sorsogon City

* NOTE: Adjustment of Program of Works (POW) are still on Process.

This Bid Bulletin shall form an integral part of the said Bidding Documents.

ENRIQUE ESTIPONA, JR., Complainant,

For guidance and information of all concerned.

CIVIL CASE NO. 2018-8999 For: Foreclosure of Mortgage, Damages

RAY S. CADAVEDO Chief, Construction Section BAC Chairperson

07 Âą -DQ

Republic of the Philippines Fifth Judicial Region Regional Trial Court Branch 52 Sorsogon City

- versus THE INTESTATE ESTATE OF THE LATE SPOUSES DOLORES AND FERNANDO DEMDAM, REPRESENTED

BY THEIR CHILDREN AND HEIRS NAMELY: ANALYN D. CARRANZA, RAYMOND DEMDAM, RESMOND DEMDAM, RAYMART DEMDAM, Respondents. x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION

ENRIQUE ESTIPONA, JR. Complainant, CIVIL CASE NO. 2018-8998 For: Foreclosure of Mortgage, Damages - versus ROMAN M. SANOTA, Respondent. x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x-x-x SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION :+(5($6 SODLQWLII ÂżOHG D YHULÂżHG FRPSODLQW ZLWK WKLV &RXUW RQ -XQH TXRWHG in toto as follows: â&#x20AC;&#x153;COMES NOW COMPLAINANT, thru counsel, unto this Honorable Court, most respectfully avers that: &RPSODLQDQW (15,48( & (67,321$ -5 LV RI OHJDO DJH ZLWK FDSDFLW\ WR VXH DQG EH VXHG Filipino, married, and is a resident of Gubat, Sorsogon. Complainant may be served with notices, orders and other court processes through his counselâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s address set forth below; 'HIHQGDQW 520$1 0 6$127$ LV RI OHJDO DJH ZLWK FDSDFLW\ WR VXH DQG EH VXHG )LOLSLQR married to Maribel A. Sanota, and a resident of Brgy. Polvorista, Sorsogon City, where he may be served with summons, notices and other court processes; 1$785( $1' &$86( 2) $&7,21 3. Defendant is the registered owner of a parcel of land more particularly described as follows: 7&7 1R 7 $ SDUFHO RI ODQG GHVLJQDWHG DV /RW 1R %ON RI WKH FRQVROLGDWLRQ VXEGLYLVLRQ VXUYH\ 3FV ORFDWHG DW %UJ\ %LELQFDKDQ 6RUVRJRQ &LW\ DQG FRYHUHG E\ 7&7 1R 7 LVVXHG E\ WKH 5HJLVWHU RI 'HHGV RI WKH 3URYLQFH RI 6RUVRJRQ FRQWDLQLQJ DQ DUHD RI 21( +81'5(' ),)7<

648$5( 0(7(56 &RS\ RI 7&7 1R 7 LV DWWDFKHG DQG PDGH LQWHJUDO SDUW KHUH DV Annexes â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aâ&#x20AC;?.

7KH SURSHUW\ LV GHFODUHG IRU WD[DWLRQ SXUSRVHV XQGHU WKH QDPH RI 'HIHQGDQW $V SHU ODWHVW WD[ GHFODUDWLRQ WKH &XUUHQW 0DUNHW 9DOXH RI WKH VXEMHFW ORW LV 7:2 +81'5(' 7:(17< ),9( 7+286$1' 3(626 3KS DQG WKH $VVHVVHG 9DOXH 7:(17< 7:2 7+286$1' ),9( +81'5(' 3(626 3KS &RS\ RI WKH ODWHVW 7D[ 'HFODUDWLRQV DUH DWWDFKHG DQG PDGH integral part hereof as Annexes â&#x20AC;&#x153;Câ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;C-1â&#x20AC;?; +HUHLQ 'HIHQGDQW LV FDSDEOH RI HQWHULQJ LQWR D FRQWUDFW ZLWK WKLUG SHUVRQV ZLWK UHVSHFW WR WKH subject property, he being the registered owner in full and exclusive control and possession of the same; 2Q PDUFK 'HIHQGDQW REWDLQHG D ORDQ LQ WKH DPRXQW RI 21( +81'5(' ),)7< 7+286$1' 3(626 3KS IURP WKH &RPSODLQW $V VHFXULW\ IRU WKH ORDQ 'HIHQGDQW H[HFXWHG D 'HHG RI 5HDO (VWDWH 0RUWJDJH RI 5HDO 3URSHUW\ on the above-described property in favor of Complainant. Copy of the Deed of Real Estate Mortgage of Real Property is hereto attached and made integral part hereof as Annex â&#x20AC;&#x153;Câ&#x20AC;?; +HUHLQ 'HIHQGDQW IDLOHG WR SD\ LQ IXOO WKH ORDQHG DPRXQW 7KXV DV RI 0D\ WKH WRWDO amount due on the loan, inclusive of past due interest, computed in accordance with the contractual VWLSXODWLRQV DPRXQWHG WR 3KS 7KH SURSHUW\ LV SUHVHQWO\ RFFXSLHG E\ WKH 'HIHQGDQW KLV KHLUV DQG DVVLJQV 1R RWKHU RFFXSDQWV with claims adverse to that of herein Defendant are in occupation of the property.

'HPDQG KDV EHHQ PDGH XSRQ WKH 'HIHQGDQW WR SD\ WKH ORDQ DQG WKH LQWHUHVWV EXW VXFK HIIRUWV SURYHG IXWLOH &RS\ RI WKH GHPDQG OHWWHUV GDWHG 0DUFK DQG -XQH VHQW WR 'HIHQGDQW LV hereto attached as Annexes â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;D-1â&#x20AC;?; &RQVLGHULQJ WKDW WKH DPRXQW KDV QRW EHHQ SDLG IRU VHYHUDO \HDUV DOUHDG\ DQG WKDW WKH DPRXQW SD\DEOH KDV EDOORRQHG VLJQLÂżFDQWO\ &RPSODLQW LV OHIW ZLWK QR RWKHU RSWLRQ EXW WR IRUHFORVXUH WKH property. Hence this Complaint. &RPSHOOHG WR LQVWLWXWH WKH LQVWDQW DFWLRQ &RPSODLQDQW ZDV FRQVWUDLQHG WR VHFXUH WKH VHUYLFHV of counsel to collect payment and upon failure of the Defendant to pay, to effect the foreclosure. Thus, 'HIHQGDQW VKRXOG EH KHOG OLDEOH IRU WHQ SHUFHQW RI WKH DPRXQW GXH DV $WWRUQH\ÂśV )HHV WKH DPRXQW RI 3KS DV UHLPEXUVHPHQW IRU DFFHSWDQFH IHH SOXV DSSHDUDQFH IHH RI 3KS per hearing, as well as other litigation expenses; ,Q DGGLWLRQ 'HIHQGDQW VKRXOG EH KHOG OLDEOH IRU GDPDJHV VXFK DPRXQW DV PD\ EH GHWHUPLQHG E\ the Honorable Court, for appalling lack of concern to repay his obligation.

PRAYER WHEREFORE, it is respectfully prayed of this Honorable Court that, after due notice and hearing, judgment be rendered, that: D 'HIHQGDQW WR SD\ WKH DPRXQW RI 3KS E 'HIHQGDQW VKRXOG EH KHOG OLDEOH IRU WHQ SHUFHQW RI WKH DPRXQW GXH DV $WWRUQH\ÂśV IHHV WKH DPRXQW RI 3KS DV UHLPEXUVHPHQW IRU DFFHSWDQFH IHH SOXV DSSHDUDQFH IHH RI 3KS per hearing, as well as other litigation expenses; F ,Q FDVH RI IDLOXUH WKHUHRI WR RUGHU WKH VDOH RI WKH SURSHUW\ ZLWKLQ WKH SHULRG FRQWHPSODWHG E\ ODZ and the proceeds thereof delivered to Plaintiff in payment of the foregoing claims.

2WKHU UHOLHIV DV DUH MXVW DQG HTXLWDEOH XQGHU WKH SUHPLVHV DUH VLPLODUO\ SUD\HG IRU 5(63(&7)8//< 68%0,77(' -XQH 6RUVRJRQ &LW\ (Sgd.) ALEXXIS MONIQUE O. GRATELA Counsel for Complainant 5ROO 1R ,%3 /LIHWLPH 1R 375 1R -XEDQ 6RU 0&/( 1R 9, * ) )RUPDFLO %OGJ %XUJRV 6W Talisay, Sorsogon City WHEREAS, Summons and a copy of the petition was issued for service upon respondent Roman 0 6DQRWD RQ $XJXVW 7KH 3URFHVV 6HUYHU RI WKLV &RXUW UHWXUQHG WKH VDPH VWDWLQJ WKDW LW ZDV QRW VHUYHG XSRQ UHVSRQGHQW 5RPDQ 0 6DQRWD DV DFFRUGLQJ WR WKH FHUWLÂżFDWLRQ LVVXHG E\ WKH %DUDQJD\ Captain of Barangay Polvorista, Sorsogon City he is not a resident of the said Barangay. :+(5($6 RQ 2FWREHU 3ODLQWLII ÂżOHG D 0RWLRQ IRU /HDYH WR &DXVH 6XPPRQV E\ 3XEOLFDWLRQ GDWHG 2FWREHU ZKLFK ZDV JUDQWHG E\ WKH &RXUW LQ LWV 2UGHU GDWHG 1RYHPEHU NOW THEREFORE, you, respondent ROMAN M. SANOTA is hereby summoned through this PHGLXP RI SXEOLFDWLRQ DQG LV WKHUHIRUH UHTXLUHG WR ÂżOH ZLWK WKH 5HJLRQDO 7ULDO &RXUW %UDQFK 6RUVRJRQ &LW\ \RXU UHVSRQVLYH SOHDGLQJ DQG RU $QVZHU WR WKH DERYH TXRWHG &RPSODLQW ZLWKLQ VL[W\

GD\V IURP WKH GDWH RI WKH SXEOLFDWLRQ VHUYLQJ DW WKH VDPH WLPH D FRS\ RI \RXU UHVSRQVLYH SOHDGLQJ DQG or Answer upon the Plaintiff or his counsel in their given address at Brgy. Polvorista, Sorsogon City and * ) )RUPDFLO %OGJ %XUJRV 6W 7DOLVD\ 6RUVRJRQ &LW\ UHVSHFWLYHO\ DQG \RXU IDLOXUH WR GR VR ZLWKLQ the period herein prescribed will take judgment against you and demand from the Honorable Court the remedies and reliefs prayed for in the petition.

Let this summons be published at the expense of the petitioner in a newspaper of general circulation LQ WKH 3KLOLSSLQHV RQFH D ZHHN IRU WKUHH FRQVHFXWLYH ZHHNV )XUWKHUPRUH OHW D FRS\ RI WKLV 6XPPRQV DQG &RPSODLQW EH VHQW WRJHWKHU ZLWK D FRS\ RI WKH 2UGHU RI WKH &RXUW GDWHG 1RYHPEHU E\ registered mail to the last known address of respondent ROMAN M. SANOTA. :,71(66 WKH +RQRUDEOH 0$;,0,12 5 $%/(6 3UHVLGLQJ -XGJH RI WKLV &RXUW WKLV th day of 'HFHPEHU DW 6RUVRJRQ &LW\ 3KLOLSSLQHV (SGD.) CLARINCE B. JINTALAN 2,& %UDQFK &OHUN RI &RXUW Legal Researcher 07 -DQ

:+(5($6 SODLQWLII ÂżOHG D YHULÂżHG FRPSODLQW ZLWK WKLV &RXUW RQ -XQH TXRWHG in toto as follows: â&#x20AC;&#x153;COMES NOW COMPLAINANT, thru counsel, unto this Honorable Court, most respectfully avers that: &RPSODLQDQW (15,48( & (67,321$ -5 LV RI OHJDO DJH ZLWK FDSDFLW\ WR VXH DQG EH VXHG Filipino, married, and is a resident of Gubat, Sorsogon. Complainant may be served with notices, orders and other court processes through his counselâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s address set forth below; 'HIHQGDQW $1$/<1 ' &$55$1=$ 5$<021' '(0'$0 5(6021' '(0'$0 5$<0$57 DEMDAM, are the surviving heirs of the late Dolores and Fernando Demdam. They are all of legal age, with capacity to sue and be sued, Filipino, and residents of Brgy. Balogo, Sorsogon City, where they may be served with summons, notices and other court processes.

1$785( $1' &$86( 2) $&7,21 3. The late Dolores Demdam is the registered owner of two parcels of land more particularly described as follows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nnexes â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bâ&#x20AC;?.

7KH SURSHUWLHV DUH GHFODUHG IRU WD[DWLRQ SXUSRVHV XQGHU WKH QDPH RI 'RORUHV 'HPGDP $V SHU ODWHVW WD[ GHFODUDWLRQ WKH &XUUHQW 0DUNHW 9DOXH RI /RW 1R % 3VG LV )285 +81'5(' 1,1(7< 7+286$1' (,*+7 +81'5(' 3(626 3KS DQG WKH $VVHVVHG 9DOXH LV )257< 1,1( 7+286$1' (,*+7< 3(626 3KS ZKLOH /RW 1R ( 3VG KDV D &XUUHQW 0DUNHW 9DOXH RI 7:2 +81'5(' )257< 7+286$1' 3(626 3KS

DQG $VVHVVHG 9DOXH RI 7:(17< )285 7+286$1' 3(626 3KS

Copy of the latest Tax Declarations are attached and made integral part hereof as Annexes â&#x20AC;&#x153;Câ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;C-1â&#x20AC;?; %HLQJ WKH UHJLVWHUHG RZQHU RI WKH VDLG ORWV LQ IXOO DQG H[FOXVLYH FRQWURO RI WKH VDPH VDLG 'RORUHV and her spouse can contract with third parties with respect to the subject properties; 'RORUHV 'HPGDP GLHG OHDYLQJ KHU VSRXVH )HUQDQGR DQG WKHLU FKLOGUHQ KHUHLQ 'HIHQGDQWV DV her surviving heirs; 2Q 0DUFK ZKLOH KH ZDV VWLOO DOLYH )HUQDQGR 'HPGDP REWDLQHG D ORDQ LQ WKH DPRXQW RI 21( 0,//,21 3(626 3KS IURP WKH &RPSODLQDQW 6DLG ORDQ LV SD\DEOH IRU D SHULRG RI 7ZHOYH PRQWKV ZKLFK LQWHUHVW RI ÂżYH 3HUFHQW SHU PRQWK $V VHFXULW\ IRU WKH ORDQ )HUQDQGR 'HPGDP H[HFXWHG D 'HHG RI 5HDO (VWDWH 0RUWJDJH RI 5HDO Property on the above-described property in favor of Complainant. Copy of the Deed of Real Estate Mortgage of Real Property is hereto attached and made integral part hereof as Annex â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dâ&#x20AC;?; )HUQDQGR 'HPGDP IDLOHG WR SD\ LQ IXOO WKH ORDQHG DPRXQW 7KXV DV RI 0D\ WKH WRWDO amount due on the loan, inclusive of past due interest, computed in accordance with the contractual VWLSXODWLRQV DPRXQWHG WR 3KS $IWHU WKH GHDWK RI )HUQDQGR 'HPGDP LQ WKH SURSHUW\ LV SUHVHQWO\ RFFXSLHG E\ 'HIHQGDQWV their heirs and assigns. No other occupants with claims adverse to that of herein Defendants are in occupation of the property.

'HPDQG KDV EHHQ PDGH XSRQ WKH 'HIHQGDQWV WR SD\ WKH ORDQ DQG WKH LQWHUHVWV EXW VXFK HIIRUWV SURYHG IXWLOH &RS\ RI WKH GHPDQG OHWWHUV GDWHG 0DUFK DQG -XQH VHQW WR 'HIHQGDQWV are hereto attached as Annexes â&#x20AC;&#x153;Eâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;E-1â&#x20AC;?; &RQVLGHULQJ WKDW WKH DPRXQW KDV QRW EHHQ SDLG IRU VHYHUDO \HDUV DOUHDG\ DQG WKDW WKH DPRXQW SD\DEOH KDV EDOORRQHG VLJQLÂżFDQWO\ &RPSODLQW LV OHIW ZLWK QR RWKHU RSWLRQ EXW WR IRUHFORVH WKH SURSHUW\ Hence this Complaint. &RPSHOOHG WR LQVWLWXWH WKH LQVWDQW DFWLRQ &RPSODLQDQW ZDV FRQVWUDLQHG WR VHFXUH WKH VHUYLFHV of counsel to collect payment and upon failure of the Defendant to pay, to effect the foreclose. Thus, 'HIHQGDQWV VKRXOG EH KHOG OLDEOH IRU WHQ SHUFHQW RI WKH DPRXQW GXH DV $WWRUQH\ÂśV )HHV WKH DPRXQW RI 3KS DV UHLPEXUVHPHQW IRU DFFHSWDQFH IHH SOXV DSSHDUDQFH IHH RI 3KS per hearing, as well as other litigation expenses; ,Q DGGLWLRQ 'HIHQGDQWV VKRXOG EH OLDEOH IRU GDPDJHV LQ VXFK DPRXQW DV PD\ EH GHWHUPLQHG E\ the Honorable Court, for appalling lack of concern to repay his obligation.

PRAYER WHEREFORE, it is respectfully prayed of this Honorable Court that, after due notice and hearing, judgment be rendered, that: D 'HIHQGDQWV WR SD\ WKH DPRXQW RI 3KS E 'HIHQGDQWV VKRXOG EH KHOG OLDEOH IRU WHQ SHUFHQW RI WKH DPRXQW GXH DV $WWRUQH\ÂśV IHHV WKH DPRXQW RI 3KS DV UHLPEXUVHPHQW IRU DFFHSWDQFH IHH SOXV DSSHDUDQFH IHH RI 3KS per hearing, as well as other litigation expenses; F ,Q FDVH RI IDLOXUH WKHUHRI WR RUGHU WKH VDOH RI WKH SURSHUW\ ZLWKLQ WKH SHULRG FRQWHPSODWHG E\ ODZ and the proceeds thereof delivered to Plaintiff in payment of the foregoing claims; 2WKHU UHOLHIV DV DUH MXVW DQG HTXLWDEOH XQGHU WKH SUHPLVHV DUH VLPLODUO\ SUD\HG IRU 5(63(&7)8//< 68%0,77(' -XQH 6RUVRJRQ &LW\ (Sgd.) ALEXXIS MONIQUE O. GRATELA Counsel for Complainant 5ROO 1R ,%3 /LIHWLPH 1R 375 1R -XEDQ 6RU 0&/( 1R 9, * ) )RUPDFLO %OGJ %XUJRV 6W Talisay, Sorsogon City WHEREAS, Summons and a copy of the petition was issued for service upon defendants Analyn ' &DUUDQ]D 5D\PRQG 'HPGDP DQG 5D\PDUW 'HPGDP RQ $XJXVW 7KH 3URFHVV 6HUYHU RI this Court returned the same stating that it was not served upon the said defendants as according to WKH FHUWLÂżFDWLRQ LVVXHG E\ WKH %DUDQJD\ &DSWDLQ RI %DUDQJD\ %DORJR 6RUVRJRQ &LW\ WKH\ DUH QR ORQJHU residents of the said Barangay. :+(5($6 RQ 2FWREHU 3ODLQWLII ÂżOHG D 0RWLRQ IRU /HDYH WR &DXVH 6XPPRQV E\ 3XEOLFDWLRQ GDWHG 2FWREHU ZKLFK ZDV JUDQWHG E\ WKH &RXUW LQ LWV 1RYHPEHU 2UGHU NOW THEREFORE, you, defendants Heirs of the late Spouses Dolores and Fernando Demdam represented by their children namely Analyn D. Carranza, Raymond Demdam, Resmond Demdam and 5D\PDUW 'HPGDP DUH KHUHE\ VXPPRQHG WKURXJK WKLV PHGLXP RI SXEOLFDWLRQ DQG LV WKHUHIRUH UHTXLUHG WR ÂżOH ZLWK WKH 5HJLRQDO 7ULDO &RXUW %UDQFK 6RUVRJRQ &LW\ \RXU UHVSRQVLYH SOHDGLQJ DQG RU $QVZHU WR WKH DERYH TXRWHG &RPSODLQW ZLWKLQ VL[W\ GD\V IURP WKH GDWH RI WKH SXEOLFDWLRQ VHUYLQJ DW WKH VDPH WLPH D FRS\ RI \RXU UHVSRQVLYH SOHDGLQJ DQG RU $QVZHU XSRQ WKH 3ODLQWLII RU KLV FRXQVHO LQ WKHLU JLYHQ DGGUHVV DW %UJ\ %DORJR 6RUVRJRQ &LW\ DQG * ) )RUPDFLO %OGJ %XUJRV 6W 7DOLVD\ 6RUVRJRQ City, respectively, and your failure to do so within the period herein prescribed will take judgment against you and demand from the Honorable Court the remedies and reliefs prayed for in the petition.

Let this summons be published at the expense of the petitioner in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines once a week for three consecutive weeks. Furthermore, let a copy of these Summons DQG &RPSODLQW EH VHQW WRJHWKHU ZLWK D FRS\ RI WKH 2UGHU RI WKH &RXUW GDWHG 1RYHPEHU E\ registered mail to the last known address of defendants Analyn D. Carranza, Raymond Demdam, Resmond Demdam and Raymart Demdam. :,71(66 WKH +RQRUDEOH 0$;,0,12 5 $%/(6 3UHVLGLQJ -XGJH RI WKLV &RXUW WKLV th day of 'HFHPEHU DW 6RUVRJRQ &LW\ 3KLOLSSLQHV (SGD.) CLARINCE B. JINTALAN 2,& %UDQFK &OHUN RI &RXUW Legal Researcher 07 -DQ

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Huawei denies stealing secrets REN Zhengfei, founder of Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Huawei Technologies, who usually keeps a low profile, appeared before journalists on Thursday and stressed that his company does not steal trade secrets. But this has not deterred aggressively hostile attitude from the West.

The Shenzhen-based company has been facing growing pressure from Western countries, particularly the US, as local politicians consider it an arm of the Chinese government. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The few US politicians who make noise do not represent US society. I believe US industries, enterprises and technology sectors firmly support us and seek greater cooperation with us,â&#x20AC;? Ren noted.

Commenting on his military background and being a Party member, Ren said donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t confuse business model with ideology.

Meng Wanzhou, Renâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter, was arrested on December 1, 2018 by Canadian authorities following a US request. She is now facing an extradition through Canadian courts, and US charges may stem from alleged Huaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s violation of US sanctions against Iran.

Ren told the Global Times at an interview with multiple Chinese media outlets in Shenzhen, South Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guangdong Province on Thursday that he calls Meng frequently and tells her jokes to relax. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She is very strong,â&#x20AC;? Ren said.

The 75-year-old Chinese entrepreneur also expressed his gratitude toward the Chinese government for providing consular protection to Chinese citizens. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We anticipated the problems that Huawei might encounter a dozen years ago. We are not totally unprepared for the current situation,â&#x20AC;? Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei said.

On the alleged theft of trade secrets, Ren reiterated that the company absolutely respects intellectual property rights of others. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Huawei now has 87,805 patents, of which 11,152 core patents were granted in the US, and our technology patents are valuable to the information society of the US,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Huawei has been heavily investing in research

and development (R&D) and making major breakthrough in core technologies.

Federal prosecutors are now pursuing a criminal investigation of Huawei for allegedly stealing trade secrets from US business partners, including local carrier T-Mobile, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The investigation stemmed from civil lawsuits against the Chinese company, which is also the largest telecom equipment provider worldwide.

The recent move of federal authorities is seen as part of growing pressure being exerted by the US government on Huawei, in line with its aggressive stance to curb the rise of Chinese high-end technology.

T-Mobile sued Huawei in 2014, claiming that two employees of the Chinese company in its US affiliate spied on a smartphonetesting robot that the US carrier had in its Bellevue lab, and the lawsuit had been settled in federal court in Seattle in 2017, the Seattle Times reported in May 2017.

The jury determined that T-Mobile should be awarded $4.8 million in damages because Huawei had breached a handset supply contract with T-Mobile but it did not award any damages from the trade secret claim, the media report said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday urged the US government to stop politicizing multinational litigation and business disputes, which will seriously damage its judicial reputation as neutral and independent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The dispute between Huawei and T-Mobile is a civil lawsuit that has been properly settled in accordance with US law,â&#x20AC;? Hua Chunying, spokesperson of Foreign Ministry, told a press briefing on Thursday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re concerned about US federal prosecutors who are reportedly investigating the case, and we have doubts about their real intentions,â&#x20AC;? she remarked.

Politicizing civil lawsuits will not only be inconsistent with the rules of free and fair market competition, but will also violate the spirit of the rule of law, Hua noted.

GLOBAL TIMES

Worldinbrief 21 DEAD IN CAR BOMB ATTACK ON COLOMBIAN POLICE ACADEMY BOGOTA: Colombiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; s government declared three days of mourning after at least 21 people died and 68 were wounded when a car bomb exploded at a Bogota police cadet training academy. Authorities said they identified the bomber and that he had no known links to armed guerrilla groups. The defense ministry said the â&#x20AC;&#x153;terrorist actâ&#x20AC;? was carried out using a vehicle packed with 80 kilograms of explosives. The bomber Jose Aldemar Rojas Rodriguezâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;who authorities confirmed was killed in the attackâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;struck at the General Francisco de Paula Santander Officerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School in the south of Bogota during a promotion ceremony for cadets. Public prosecutor Nestor Humberto Martinez said Rojas Rodriguez entered the school compound at 9:30 a.m. (1430 GMT) driving a gray 1993 Nissan Patrol truck, but gave no details about the explosion. Colombian President Ivan Duque condemned the attack and ordered reinforcements to Colombiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s borders and routes in and out of the cities.

SINGAPORE PICKS US F-35 FIGHTER JET OVER EUROPE, CHINA RIVALS SINGAPORE: Singapore has chosen the F-35 warplane to replace its ageing fighter jets, opting for the US aircraft over European and Chinese models, the defense ministry said on Friday. Singapore had earlier said it was evaluating Lockheed Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s F-35 along with Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eurofighter Typhoon and Chinesemade stealth warplanes. The Ministry of Defense said in a statement â&#x20AC;&#x153;the F-16s will have to retire soon after 2030 and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been identified as the most suitable replacement to maintain the RSAFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (Republic of Singapore Air Force) capabilities.â&#x20AC;? The ministry said the air force should first buy â&#x20AC;&#x153;a small numberâ&#x20AC;? of F-35s â&#x20AC;&#x153;for a full evaluation of their capabilities and suitability before deciding on a full fleet.â&#x20AC;? Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post Friday that it took Singapore more than five years to make a decision as they had to look carefully at specifications and what was needed.

AFP

World Top NKorean, Trump to prepare new summit W SATURDAY January 19, 2019

ASHINGTON, D.C.: A top North Korean general was paying a rare visit on Friday to Washington, where he is expected to MEET 0RESIDENT $ONALD 4RUMP TO kNALIZE A NEW SUMMIT AIMED AT DENUCLEARIZATION AND EASING decades of hostility.

Kim Yong Chol, a right-hand man to leader Kim Jong Un, is THE kRST .ORTH +OREAN DIGNITARY IN NEARLY TWO DECADES KNOWN TO HAVE SPENT THE NIGHT IN THE 53 CAPITAL

LITTLE MORE THAN A YEAR AFTER 4RUMP WAS THREATENING TO WIPE THE TOTALITARIAN STATE OFF THE MAP 5NDER LIGHT SNOW +IM AND HIS ENTOURAGE WERE SEEN EXITING A MOTORCADE AND WITHOUT COMMENT ENTERING A FASHIONABLE HOTEL IN THE LIVELY $UPONT #IRCLE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE HE IS EXPECTED TO MEET &RIDAY WITH 3ECRETARY OF 3TATE -IKE 0OMPEO !N !MERICAN SOURCE WHO COULD NOT BE IDENTIkED AS THE SCHEDULE HAS NOT BEEN ANNOUNCED SAID 0OMPEO WOULD INVITE +IM TO AN EARLY LUNCH BEFORE THE TWO LIKELY

HEAD TOGETHER TO THE 7HITE (OUSE

A SHORT DRIVE AWAY .EITHER SIDE HAS PUBLICLY ANNOUNCED THE VISIT WITH THE 5NITED 3TATES TREADING CAUTIOUSLY AFTER +IM 9ONG #HOL ABRUPTLY CANCELED HIS LAST PLANNED TALKS WITH 0OMPEO WHICH WERE SET FOR EARLY .OVEMBER IN .EW 9ORK "UT 4RUMP HAS VOICED OPTIMISM AFTER RECEIVING WHAT HE CALLED A WARM .EW 9EAR S LETTER FROM +IM Jong Un and has opined that the TWO LEADERS ARE gIN LOVE u 4RUMP HAS REPEATEDLY VOICED EAgerness to see Kim Jong Un again AFTER THEIR LANDMARK *UNE SUMMIT IN 3INGAPORE THE kRST MEETING EVER BETWEEN SITTING LEADERS FROM THE TWO COUNTRIES THAT NEVER FORMALLY ENDED THE +OREAN 7AR

4ENSIONS BEGAN TO ABATE A YEAR AGO WITH THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF 3OUTH +OREA S DOVISH GOVERNMENT 4RUMP HAS REPEATEDLY HAILED HIS DIPLOMACY AS A TRIUMPH RECENTLY SAYING THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN gA NICE BIG FAT WAR IN !SIAu IF IT WERE NOT FOR HIM (E HAS SAID TO EXPECT AN ANNOUNCEMENT SOON ABOUT THE SECOND SUMMIT WITH DIPLOMATS SEEING 6IETNAM AND 4HAILAND AS POSSIBLE VENUES 6IETNAM S 0RIMER -INISTER .GUYEN 8UAN 0HUC ON 4HURSDAY SAID HIS COUNTRY IS WILLING TO HOST A MUCH ANTICIPATED SECOND SUMMIT BETWEEN 53 AND .ORTH +OREA g7E DON T KNOW THE kNAL DECISION (OWEVER IF IT HAPPENS HERE WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO FACILITATE THE MEETING u HE SAID IN AN INTERVIEW WITH "LOOMBERG 46 ! 6IETNAMESE GOVERNMENT SOURCE WHO WISHED TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS TOLD !GENCE &RANCE 0RESSE gLOGISTICAL PREPARATIONSu WERE UNDER WAY FOR A 4RUMP +IM SUMMIT ALTHOUGH gNO OFkCIAL DECI-

B7

Q Kim Yong Chol SIONu HAD BEEN MADE &OR 4RUMP THE MADE FOR TELEVISION SUMMITRY WITH THE YOUNG AND ELUSIVE .ORTH +OREAN LEADER ALSO OFFERS A WELCOME RESPITE FROM THE STEADY NEGATIVE HEADLINES AT HOME 3PECIAL COUNSEL 2OBERT -UELLER IS PROBING WHETHER 4RUMP S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN COLLUDED WITH 2USSIA AND HIS INSISTENCE THAT #ONGRESS FUND A WALL ON THE -EXICAN BORDER HAS SHUTTERED THE 53 GOVERNMENT FOR NEARLY A MONTH AFP

US eyes spacebased missiles

Giant shark spotted in Hawaii HONOLULU: $IVERS MONITORING A ROTTING WHALE CARCASS OFF THE SHORES OF /AHU THIS WEEK FOUND THEMSELVES FACE TO FACE WITH A MASSIVE GREAT WHITE SHARK PROMPTING STATE OFFICIALS TO WARN RECREATIONAL DIVERS AND SNORKELERS TO STAY OUT OF THE WATER NEAR THE DEAD SPERM WHALE AMID REPORTS SOME PEOPLE HAVE CLIMBED ONTO THE CARCASS TO TAKE ITS TEETH AS SOUVENIRS 3MALLER TIGER SHARKS LEFT WHEN THE POSSIBLY PREGNANT GREAT WHITE CAME TO DINE ON THE DEAD WHALE 4UESDAY DIVER /CEAN 2AMSEY TOLD THE (ONOLULU 3TAR !DVERTISER g3HE WAS JUST THIS BIG BEAUTIFUL GENTLE GIANT WANTING TO USE OUR BOAT AS A SCRATCHING POST u SAID 2AMSEY WHO POSTED IMAGES OF THE ENCOUNTER g7E WENT OUT AT SUNRISE AND SHE STAYED WITH US PRETTY MUCH THROUGHOUT THE DAY u 2AMSEY STUDIES SHARKS ADVOCATES FOR THEIR CONSERVATION AND LEADS CAGE FREE SHARK DIVING TOURS 2AMSEY AND HER TEAM OBSERVE AND IDENTIFY SHARKS AND SHARE THAT DATA WITH STATE AND FEDERAL PARTNERS (AWAII WATERS ARE USUALLY TOO WARM FOR GREAT WHITES

COMPARED WITH #ALIFORNIA S 0ACIFIC COAST WHERE THEY FEED on sea lions and elephant SEALS 2AMSEY SAID 3HE ESTIMATED THIS SHARK WAS MORE THAN FEET METERS LONG AND FEET METERS ACROSS 4HE GIANT WHITE MIGHT HAVE HEADED TO (AWAII BECAUSE OF HUNGER AND A NEED FOR EXTRA NUTRIENTS IN PREGNANCY

2AMSEY SAID 4HE (AWAII $EPARTMENT OF ,AND AND .ATURAL 2ESOURCES SAID IN A STATEMENT 7EDNESDAY THAT THE DECOMPOSING WHALE CARCASS HAD DRIFTED TO ABOUT EIGHT MILES KILOMETERS SOUTH OF 0EARL (ARBOR AFTER BEING TOWED MILES KILOMETERS OFFSHORE DAYS EARLIER 4HE DEPARTMENT SAID TIGER SHARKS HAVE BEEN gALMOST CONTINUOUSLYu FEEDING ON THE WHALE AND SAID IT WAS AWARE OF PHOTOS OF THE GREAT WHITE 4HE AGENCY S $IVISION OF #ONSERVATION AND 2ESOURCES %NFORCEMENT #HIEF *ASON 2EDULL SAID PEOPLE SHOULD STAY OUT OF THE WATER AROUND THE DEAD WHALE g7E DON T WANT ANYONE TO GET HURT IF A SHARK SWIMMING AROUND THE CARCASS MISTAKES THEM AS FOOD 5NDERSTANDABLY

SOME PEOPLE WANT TO GET INTO

THE WATER EITHER OUT OF FASCInation or to get photographs, BUT IT IS TRULY DANGEROUS TO BE AROUND THIS CARCASS WITH SO MUCH SHARK ACTIVITY u HE SAID 4HE AGENCY SAID THERE ARE REPORTS PEOPLE CLIMBED ON TOP OF THE WHALE CARCASS AND REMOVED ITS TEETH WHICH MAY BE A VIOLATION OF STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS /FFICIALS SAID THE CARCASS IT IS CURRENTLY DRIFTING AWAY FROM SHORE BUT A PREDICTED SHIFT IN THE WINDS COULD ONCE AGAIN PUSH IT BACK TOWARD /AHU 4 H E S H A R K C O U L D B E T H E FAMED $EEP "LUE BASED ON HER SIZE AND MARKINGS 2AMSAY SAID $EEP "LUE IS BELIEVED TO BE THE LARGEST WHITE SHARK EVER RECORDED 2AMSEY PREVIOUSLY SWAM WITH THE HUGE SHARK ON RESEARCH TRIPS TO 'UADALUPE )SLAND -EXICO g"IG PREGNANT FEMALES ARE ACTUALLY THE SAFEST ONES TO BE WITH Â&#x2021; THE BIGGEST OLDEST ONES Â&#x2021; BECAUSE THEY VE SEEN IT ALL INCLUDING US u 2AMSEY SAID g4HAT S WHY ) KIND OF CALL HER LIKE A GRANDMA SHARK u 3HARKS USUALLY ONLY BITE WHEN THEY RE CURIOUS OR MISTAKE PEOPLE FOR THEIR NATURAL PREY BUT ARE UNPREDICTABLE

SHE SAID

AP

WASHINGTON, D.C.: -OVING TO PROTECT THE 53 FROM ADVANCED MISSILE THREATS FROM #HINA AND 2USSIA

0RESIDENT $ONALD 4RUMP ON 4HURSDAY &RIDAY IN MANILA LAID OUT PLANS FOR A NEW ARRAY OF SPACE BASED SENSORS AND OTHER HIGH TECH SYSTEMS DESIGNED TO MORE QUICKLY DETECT AND DEFEAT ATTACKS 4RUMP IN A SPEECH AT THE 0ENTAGON DECLARED THAT SPACE IS THE NEW WARkGHTING DOMAIN !ND HE VOWED THAT THE 53 WILL DEVELOP AN UNRIVALED MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM TO PROTECT AGAINST ADVANCED HYPERSONIC AND CRUISE MISSILE THREATS FROM COMPETITORS AND ADVERSARIES g/UR GOAL IS SIMPLE TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN DETECT AND DESTROY ANY MISSILE LAUNCHED AGAINST THE 5NITED 3TATES Â&#x2021; ANYWHERE ANYTIME ANYPLACE u 4RUMP SAID g)N A TIME OF RAPIDLY EVOLVING THREATS WE MUST BE CERTAIN THAT OUR DEFENSIVE CAPABILITIES ARE UNRIVALED AND UNMATCHED ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD u 4RUMP DID NOT MENTION 2USSIA #HINA OR .ORTH +OREA IN HIS ROUGHLY MINUTE SPEECH "UT THE 0ENTAGON S NEW STRATEGY MAKES CLEAR THAT ITS PLAN FOR A MORE AGGRESSIVE SPACE BASED MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM IS AIMED AT PROTECTING AGAINST EXISTING THREATS FROM .ORTH +OREA AND )RAN AND COUNTERING ADVANCED WEAPON SYSTEMS BEING DEVELOPED BY 2USSIA AND #HINA 4HE NEW REVIEW IS THE kRST SINCE

AND IT CONCLUDES THAT TO ADEQUATELY PROTECT !MERICA THE 0ENTAGON MUST EXPAND DEFENSE TECHNOLOGIES IN SPACE AND USE THOSE SYSTEMS TO MORE QUICKLY DETECT TRACK AND ULTIMATELY DEFEAT INCOMING MISSILES !CTING $EFENSE 3ECRETARY 0AT 3HANAHAN WHO ALSO SPOKE SAID THE NEW HYPERSONIC MISSILES BEING DEVELOPED BY NATIONS SUCH AS 2USSIA and China are harder to see, harder TO TRACK AND HARDER TO DEFEAT 4O ADDRESS THAT THE 53 IS LOOKING AT PUTTING A LAYER OF SENSORS IN SPACE TO MORE QUICKLY DETECT ENEMY MISSILES WHEN THEY ARE LAUNCHED 4HE 53 SEES SPACE AS A CRITICAL AREA FOR ADVANCED NEXT GENERATION CAPABILITIES TO STAY AHEAD OF THE THREATS 4HE ADMINISTRATION ALSO PLANS TO STUDY THE IDEA OF BASING INTERCEPTORS IN SPACE SO THE 53 CAN STRIKE INCOMING ENEMY MISSILES DURING THE kRST MINUTES OF lIGHT WHEN THE BOOSTER ENGINES ARE STILL BURNING -ISSILE DEFENSE OFFICIALS ON 4HURSDAY DECLINED TO PROVIDE ANY BUDGET ESTIMATES OR TIMELINES FOR THE PROGRAMS AP

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Sports

C1 SSATURDAY JJANUARY 19, 2019

www.manilatimes.net Q Manny Pacquiao (third from right) performs a morning run two days before his fight with Adrien Broner on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), his first fight in Las Vegas for more than two years.

Pacquiao ready for Broner in Las Vegas return L

OS ANGELES: Manny Pacquiao is aiming to offer fresh evidence that life begins at 40 when the Filipino veteran takes on Adrien Broner on Saturday IN HIS kRST kGHT IN ,AS 6EGAS FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS

Q Manny Pacquiao displays his ripped physique after a workout.

PHOTOS BY WENDELL ALINEA

Too much talent B

OSTON Celtics guard Terry Rozier said it best when asked about the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s problems this season. Scary Terry said the Celtics have too much talent, too much depth, and have been unable to mesh together.

The Celtics have been very frustrating this season. They were expected to lord it over the Eastern Conference but currently stand in 5th place (26-18), 6 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks. This is a team one game away from the 2018 NBA Finals without their superstars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.

The return of Irving and Hayward set high expectations for the Celtics but so far they have disappointed.

It has been a roller coaster ride for the Celtics which started with a mediocre 1010 win-loss record. In their past few games, they strung up a 4-game streak winning by an average margin of 20-points before losing 3 straight to weaker Eastern Conference teams.

Their losing streak was punctuated with so much drama including Jaylen Brownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s altercation with Marcus Morris during a loss to the Miami Heat and Irvingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s obvious clash with Hayward on the last play against the Orlando Magic.

This was followed by Irving calling out his younger teammates publicly. At that point, everybody thought the team would just implode.

In their next game versus the powerhouse Toronto Raptors, Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with

CROSSOVER RAFFY LEDESMA 27 points and a career-high 18 assists in an impressive win.

Irving then added to the drama by saying that he called LeBron James to apologize for being that young guy who wanted to BE THE LEADER ONLY TO kND OUT that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not easy as it seems.

Irving played with James for three seasons, forming a winning tandem including getting a championship in 2016. Kyrie eventually asked for a trade a year later since he wanted to get out of Jamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; shadow.

Irvingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conversation with James and his subsequent apology to his teammates for calling them out publicly may just be the turning point for the Boston Celtics.

It shows that Irving might be maturing and now has a deeper understanding of what it takes to be a leader of the Celtics. He admitted that he has to get the best out of his team and keep disagreements in house. This also means that he is willing to listen to his veteran and young teammates for the good of the team.

If things start clicking again for the Boston Celtics, their depth and talent, is simply too much for any team to resist.

The Celticsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; next few games are against weaker teams before they go up against the Golden State Warriors on January 27.

We will see if the Celtics have kNALLY TURNED THE CORNER raffyrledesma@yahoo.com

Pacquiao, who celebrated his 40th birthday last month with a lavish birthday party in the Philippines, defends his WBA regular welterweight crown against Broner at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. )T IS THE &ILIPINO S kRST BOUT on US soil since a unanimous decision win over Jessie Vargas in the Nevada boxing and gaming capital in November 2016.

Since then, Pacquiaoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career has followed an uncertain trajectory, with a shock defeat to Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jeff Horn in Brisbane in 2017 followed by a yearlong absence from the ring.

Pacquiao (60-4-2, 39 knockouts) made a triumphant return in Kuala Lumpur last *ULY SCORING HIS kRST KNOCKOUT win in six years with a seventhround stoppage of Argentinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lucas Matthysse.

That impressive return paved the way for Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bout with the 29-year-old Broner, who boasts 33 wins, 24 by knockout in HIS kGHT CAREER While Pacquiao insists he is looking no further than Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contest against Broner, many observers view the kGHT AS A STEPPING stone towards a possible rematch with Floyd Mayweather following their money-spinning SUPERkGHT â&#x20AC;&#x153;My plan is one at a time,â&#x20AC;? Pacquiao told Agence FrancePresse. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I cannot say about the future until January 19.

After that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have a press conference.

Leave it as a question mark for now. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve accomplished what I wanted to accomplish.

But I want to maintain my name at the top and to show that even at 40 years old I can still give the best of Manny Pacquiao, the speed, the power, everything.â&#x20AC;?

Broner meanwhile has bristled at any suggestion Pacquiao is already looking past him towards a bigger payday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People are talking a lot about PacQUIAO kGHTING &LOYD Mayweather again, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m pretty sure Floyd is retired,â&#x20AC;?

Broner said this week. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel like

people are trying to throw me to the wolves and overlook me. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Manny Pacquiao has done a lot for the sport. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to beat him up and have a drink with him afterward...Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to dominate and win.â&#x20AC;?

explained to Manny that being a Senator and being a professional CHAMPION BOXER IS VERY DIFkCULT u Roach told Agence France-Presse. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That training camp was up and down -- sometimes heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d get out of the Senate at three oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock in the afternoon, sometimes 10 oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Killer instinct backâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at night. But we still had to train.

His schedule was not great, I felt.

0ERHAPS SIGNIkCANTLY 0ACQUIAO S â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t telling him which way preparations have been strength- to go or anything, I just said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I ened by the return to his corner think you should do one or the of trainer Freddie Roach. other.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; So then we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t speak Roach and Pacquiao split fol- for a long time. I called Mannyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lowing the 2017 defeat to Horn, number a couple of times and left when Pacquiao apparently took a message, but no response. So umbrage at Roachâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s statement THEN ) TOOK IT ) WAS kRED u that his political career in the The bond forged during a successPhilippines -- he was elected to the ful 15-year partnership, however, Philippine Senate in 2016 -- was was not so easily discarded. The two incompatible with boxing. men reconciled in November after g!FTER THE kGHT IN !USTRALIA ) a press conference in Los Angeles.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Manny called me up and said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Can I meet you at the hotel?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;,â&#x20AC;?

Roach revealed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Yeah sureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

We had a little meeting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sorry I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t invite YOU TO THE LAST kGHT ) SAID @&ORGET about it, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gone. Where are we at right now?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;. And we started negotiating like we always have done.â&#x20AC;?

Roach, who has shared the training duties with Pacquiaoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friend Buboy Fernandez, has been impressed by the Filipinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance in camp. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He hit me a shot in the chest the other day and my whole body went numb,â&#x20AC;? Roach said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;His power is unbelievable. g) M EXCITED FOR THIS kGHT (E GOT HIS kRST KNOCKOUT IN SIX YEARS IN HIS LAST kGHT AND IT FEELS LIKE HE S CARRIED IT OVER INTO THIS kGHT (E S got that killer instinct back.â&#x20AC;? AFP

C2

Sports

TheË&#x153;Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY January 19, 2019

Q Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka dunks as Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges (No. 25) watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Friday in Toronto.

AP PHOTO

Siakam lifts Raptors over Suns, injured Embiid shines for Sixers

L

OS ANGELES: Pascal Siakam banked in the WINNING SHOT AT THE kNAL buzzer as the Toronto Raptors won their eighth consecutive home game with a 111-109 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday (Friday in Manila).

Siakamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basket, which was upheld by a video review, bounced off the backboard and went in after Sunsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mikal "RIDGES HAD TIED IT with 13 seconds to go. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To be honest I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what I was going to do. I just wanted to take the last shot, whatever shot that was,â&#x20AC;? Siakam said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We came out early and had lead and let

them get back in the game. We knew they were going to fight. We just had to make the big plays and we did.â&#x20AC;?

Siakam finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds, Serge Ibaka scored 22 points and Kyle Lowry had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who have won six of their last seven contests. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We call hi m P-Skills for a reason,â&#x20AC;? said CJ Miles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got a lot of skills.

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of things he can do with the basketball.â&#x20AC;?

Toronto coach Nick Nurse wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t please that his team squandered a 16-point lead but he was happy with the way Siakam closed it out. g(E MADE A GREAT MOVE AND kNISHED IT OFF u Miles returned from missing a couple of games with a hip problem to score 13 points AND &RED 6AN6LEET kNISHED WITH IN THE WIN Phoenixâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Devin Booker scored POINTS $EANDRE !YTON HAD points and 17 rebounds, and Kelly Oubre scored 18 in the loss as the Raptors swept a back-to-back season series against the Suns for THE kRST TIME Toronto played without star Kawhi Leonard who was rested.

The Raptors lead 32-20 at the END OF THE kRST QUARTER SHOOTING four-of-nine from three-point range. Phoenix also fell behind AT THE HALF Lowry, 32, came into the game NEEDING SIX ASSISTS TO REACH

for his career. He got it in the fourth quarter dishing to Ibaka for a bucket.

Lowry hits milestone â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would have never thought I would have gotten there at the start of my career,â&#x20AC;? said Lowry. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll look back on this when I retire.â&#x20AC;?

E l s e w h e r e, J o e l E m b i i d

played through the pain of a sore back to finish with 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists as the Philadelphia 76ers beat THE )NDIANA 0ACERS Embiid winced and grabbed his back several times during the contest but still managed to post his 12th double-double in the past 13 games. He also has 38 doubledoubles this season.

Jimmy Butler scored 27 points and JJ Redick added 20, including a half dozen from beyond the arc in the win.

Mike Muscala also contributed 11 while Ben Simmons had 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Thaddeus Young scored 27 points while VicTOR /LADIPO ADDED ON SIX OF SHOOTING FOR Indiana, who had a four-game winning streak snapped. Tyreke Evans had 13 in the loss.

In Oklahoma City, Kyle Kuzma scored 32 points as the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers held on to beat the mistake-prone Oklahoma City Thunder 138-128 in overtime.

Ivica Zubac came off the bench to score a career-high 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Lonzo Ball tallied 18 points and had 10 assists as the Lakers played their 12th straight game WITHOUT *AMES AND 2AJON 2ONDO 4HEY ARE with James and Rondo out of the lineup.

Paul George scored a team-high 27 points, Russell Westbrook had 26 points and 13 assists for the struggling Thunder, who lost for the fifth time in their last six.

The Thunder compiled an early lead but then wheels fell off late as they made just two of 12 from beyond the arc and attempted just one field goal in the extra session.

In London, England, Bradley Beal scored 26 points as the Washington Wizards rallied from A POINT DEkCIT TO DEFEAT THE .EW 9ORK +NICKS IN FRONT OF A CROWD OF AT / !RENA Allonzo Trier was called for goaltending on a layup attempt by Thomas Bryant with SECONDS REMAINING GIVING THE 7IZARDS AFP the win.

PHOENIX EYES BACK-TO-BACK WINS PHOENIX guns for back-to-back wins AGAINST THE DANGEROUS 4.4 +A4ROPA AT P M TONIGHT IN 3EASON 0HILIPPINE "ASKETball Association Philippine Cup at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City. â&#x20AC;&#x153;TNT is a totally different team now because they are emulating the play of the Golden State Warriors, which is more of a running game,â&#x20AC;?

Phoenix coach Louie Alas told reporters. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are playing with one big man. So we need to bring our running shoes against them.â&#x20AC;?

Alas said the goal is to match TNTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s speed and aggressiveness. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every three to four seconds in the game, they are

attempting to shoot,â&#x20AC;? said Alas whose wards will employ tight defense against the KaTropa who are COMING FROM A LOSS TO "ARANGAY 'INEBRA 3AN Miguel in last Sunday's opener. *USTIN #HUA NOTCHED A CAREER HIGH POINTS AND SIX REBOUNDS WHILE -ATTHEW 7RIGHT kNISHED with 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Fuel Masters against the Bolts. Alex Mallari and Dave Marcelo debuted with 11 and six points, respectively, also for Phoenix.

TNT coach Bong Ravena, meanwhile, said they would stick to their defensive strategy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is going to be our defense. And at the same time, we have to make shots. In our

Q Calvin Abueva of Phoenix (No. 8) attempts to score against Chris Newsome and Jared Dillinger of Meralco in a Season 44 PBA Philippine Cup game on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

PBA MEDIA BUREAU PHOTO

kRST GAME AGAINST 'INEBRA WE STRUGGLED A lot on our shooting even our putbacks didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go in. About injuries, we have no choice but TO kGHT u SAID 2AVENA Without Jericho Cruz and Troy Rosario; Roger Pogoy, Don Trollano, Brian Heruela and veteran Jayson Castro are expected to tep up.

Meanwhile, Blackwater and Meralco aim to bounce back their opening game defeats AS THEY CLASH IN THE P M kRST GAME 4HE %LITE WERE THRASHED BY .ORTHPORT

IN THEIR kRST GAME ON 7EDNESDAY WHILE THE "OLTS WERE EDGED BY THE &UEL -ASTERS

JOSEF T. RAMOS

PSC to play more active role in SEA Games prep THE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) will perform a more active role in the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preparation for the hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games scheduled on November 30 to December 11 at different playing venues in Subic, Clark and Manila. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I will be taking a more active role now,â&#x20AC;? PSC Chairman William Ramirez told the media in a news conference on Friday at the PSC office. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I relegated a lot of my jobs to my commissioners and to some directors because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be focusing now on the Southeast Asian Games preparation.â&#x20AC;?

Ramirez explained that the PSC was tasked by the senate to manage the P7.5 billion SEA Games funds.

He also said the disbursements of money will be subject to strict government accounting procedures and will be monitored by the Commission on Audit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were called by the Senate to explain how weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to use the budget but I told them we are not going to change the plan of PHISGOC (Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee). It is subject to verification and government process in each budget to be used. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re

going to return it if we cannot use it all.â&#x20AC;?

Ramirez is one of the three co-chairmen of the PHISGOC the other two being former Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Philippine Olympic Committee President Ricky Vargas.

Ramirez assured the public that the preparation for the hosting of the SEA Games is on track. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We still have seven months to prepare. They have been working, but the pace will quicken now as we near the date,â&#x20AC;? said Ramirez.

JOSEF T. RAMOS

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY January 19, 2019

Sports

C3

Q Joshua â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Passionâ&#x20AC;?

Pacio (left) and Japanese challenger Yosuke â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tobizaruâ&#x20AC;?

Saruta. ONE CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO

Filipino pride powers Pacio J

BY JEAN RUSSEL V V. DAVID

AKARTA, Indonesia: Patriotism more than athletic pride is what powers ONE strawweight world champion Joshua â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Passionâ&#x20AC;? Pacio, as he defends his title against Japanese challenger Yosuke â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tobizaruâ&#x20AC;?

Saruta in the main event of ONE: Eternal Glory on Saturday at the Istora Senayan here. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The belt belongs to the Filipinos and I will defend it with faith

and hard work,â&#x20AC;? Pacio told The Manila Times.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am a champion in my division and I want to prove it again tomorrow (today). By defending this belt, doubts will be removed. I will do anything to bring this back home to the Philippines.â&#x20AC;?

Pacio, 23, with a professional record of 11 wins and two defeats, won the strawweight title from another Japanese Yoshitaka Naito, in 3EPTEMBER LAST YEAR ALSO IN *AKARTA Pacio, under the tutelage of COACH -ARK 3ANGIAO SAID THAT training in Team Lakay is always

SIMPLE AND 3PARTAN g)N OUR CAMP IN "AGUIO WE kND ways to train with anything. Even though we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have fancy gym equipment, or the latest technology, or even nutritionists, we still manage to succeed with good old-fashioned hard work,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To be able to maintain my pace, I have to be in great physical condition. We have worked extensively on my conditioning so I can last a kVE ROUND WAR u HE ADDED Pacio is facing an Asian martial

ARTS SCENE VETERAN IN 3ARUTA The 31-year old Japanese, who beat former strawweight world CHAMPION !LEX 3ILVA VIA UNANIMOUS decision last December in Malaysia, boasts of a formidable striking and WRESTLING PROWESS 3ARUTA A NATIVE OF 3AITAMA *APAN HOLDS A RECORD OF 18 wins and eight losses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wanted to make a statement when I made my debut in ONE Championship a few months AGO u SAID 3ARUTA ALSO KNOWN AS â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tobizaru No. 2.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be an interesting matchup. I vow to give my best performance. I want to be a champion and bring MMA honor to Japan,â&#x20AC;? he stated.

3ARUTA WAS A REPLACEMENT TO ORIGINAL CHALLENGER (AYATO 3UZUKI who was sidelined by injury.

The co-main event features !LEXI 3EREPISOS OF .EW :EALAND vs Mongkolpetch Petchyindee of Academy of Thailand in /.% 3UPER 3ERIES -UAY 4HAI flyweight contest.

4 forge ahead in crowded Pradera board Mickelson kicks off the THAI Tawit Polthai birdied the last hole to card a 71 and force a four-way tie for the lead with Australian Andrew Campbell, Jhonnel Ababa and Keanu Jahns while six others stood just two strokes behind, setting up a wild, wooly kNISH IN THE )#43) 0RADERA 6ERDE Classic in Lubao, Pampanga.

Polthai checked a shaky midround game with a closing birdie, catching Campbell, who shot the dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best 66, Ababa, WHO kRED A AND *AHNS WHO also put in a 71, at six-under 210 after three rounds of play in exacting conditions at the tough Pradera layout yesterday.

With David Gleeson (68), also OF !USTRALIA kRST ROUND LEADER !NDREAS 'RONKVIST OF 3WEDEN

4HAIS 0IYA 3WANGARUNPORN and Namchok Tantipokhakul (72) and Tony LascuĂąa (70) and Clyde Mondilla (71) assembling identical 212s and halfway leader 'UIDO 6AN DER 6ALK STAYING IN THE hunt at 213 despite a 75, expect the title chase to go down to the last putt in one of the most crowded third round leaderboards in the two-year old regional circuit PUT UP BY )#43) Polthai, who with Jahns started THE DAY JUST ONE SHOT BEHIND 6AN DER 6ALK BIRDIED TWO OF THE kRST three holes to wrest control but FELL BACK WITH kVE BOGEYS AGAINST three birdies in a 10-hole stretch from No. 5. He needed to birdie the par-5 closing hole to save a 35-36 and keep Thailandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bid for a breakthrough PGTA win alive.

Jahns took charge at sevenunder overall on a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 12 but the 25-yearold Fil-German bogeyed No. 16 and barely held on to a share of the lead with a par-save on the 18th to remain in pursuit of an elusive maiden victory in the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tough to say what score to shoot tomorrow (today) giv-

en the wind condition, which blew from all directions,â&#x20AC;? said Jahns, whose best finish after SEVEN LEGS WAS EIGHTH AT 3UMMIT Point last November.

Ababa rebounded from a second round 73 with a 33-36 card he sealed with birdies in the last two holes inside seven feet that put the recent PGTA Forest Hills leg winner on track of defending the crown he won by two over CampBELL LAST YEAR "UT THE !USSIE

underscored his readiness to comPLETE AN UNkNISHED BUSINESS BY submitting the best card in windy conditions, a pair of 33s spiked by four straight birdies from No. 1 and four more birdies in the last 10 holes against two bogeys. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I played quite good. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s windy out there but I like the condition as well as the humid weather,â&#x20AC;? said Campbell, who worked his way back FROM SEVEN lIGHTS BEHIND to earn a spot in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s featured threesome with Ababa and Jahns.

But six other fancied players loomed large at 212s, including PGT Asia Luisita leg winner Gleeson, who kept on improving from an opening 74 to a second round 70, putting the dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lone bogey-free round of 35-33, highlighted by three birdies in the last seven holes.

First round leader Gronkvist also got back into the thick of things after a second round 74 and bogeys on Nos. 3 and 4 as he gunned down two birdies at the BACK TO SALVAGE A WHILE 3WANgarunporn and Tantipokhakul also stayed in the mix with an eaglespiked 35-36 and two birdies in the last seven holes for a 37-35 card, respectively.

Two local aces likewise wheeled back into contention despite wobBLY kNISHES WITH ,ASCUĂ&#x201E;A BLOWING a three-under card with a bogey on No. 16 for a 35-35 and Mondilla spoiling a late rally with a bogey

on the 18th for a 36-35.

6AN DER 6ALK WHO GRABBED THE halfway lead with a new-course record 64, fell off the leaderboard with a mediocre 36 start and slipped to 11th with a bogeyRIDDLED BACKSIDE â&#x20AC;&#x153;I played terribly bad, missed so many greens and my short game and putting didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t complement,â&#x20AC;? rued the Manila-based $UTCHMAN WHO NAILED HIS kRST PGT win at Eagle Ridge last year.

Given the course condition and THE -IKE 3INGGARAN DESIGNED layoutâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sleek putting surface, even the likes of Thai Jaturon Duanghaichoom (72), Amer-

ICAN 3AM 'ILLIS AND -ACEDONIA S 0ETER 3TOJANOVSKI ALL tied at 214s, still have a shot at the crown along with Lexus Keoninh, who matched par 72 for a 215 in the event backed by Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, K&G 'OLF !PPAREL "$/ 3HARP

KZG, PLDT, Empire Golf AND 3PORTS AND - 9 3HOkai Technology, Inc.

Q Tawit Polthai puts Thailand on brink of first PGTA win. PHOTO

BY ROGER RAĂ&#x2018;ADA

year by flirting with 59 LOS ANGELES: Five-time major championship winner Phil Mickelson lIRTED WITH A IN THE OPENING ROUND OF THE 53 0'! 4OUR S $ESERT Classic on Thursday (Friday in Manila), settling for the third round of 60 in his storied career.

Mickelson rolled in 10 birdies and an eagle en route to a 12-unDER TO BECOME THE kRST PLAYER in PGA Tour history to post three scores of 60 or better.

His other rounds of 60 came at the par-71 Phoenix Open where he went on to win the both titles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was kind of a lucky day for me in the sense that I did not feel sharp heading in,â&#x20AC;? said Mickelson, who is in his 28th year on the PGA Tour. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really had the intense practice sessions that I would like, but I felt that all parts were OK and it just clicked. g3OMETIMES YOU HAVE DAYS where it just clicks. Bad shots that I hit, I got away with it. It was a fun day, but I certainly did not expect this to be the case.â&#x20AC;?

The 48-year-old Mickelson took advantage of the easier La Quinta course to build a three-shot lead over second place Adam Long â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and record the lowest round in relation to par in his career.

Long fired a nine-under 63, while Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Curtis Luck is in third with a 64. Trey Mullinax, Adam Hadwin, Wyndham Clark and Martin Laird all shot 65 and are tied for fourth.

The only other players to shoot more than one round of 60 or better are Jim Furyk and Zach Johnson. Furyk owns the Tour record with a 58. #ANADA S (ADWIN SHOT A on the La Quinta course two years ago. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was giving it all I had and I had a good chance,â&#x20AC;? Mickelson said.

Mickelson sank birdies on his kRST TWO HOLES AND THEN MADE THE

turn in six-under 30.

After the turn, Mickelson tallied kVE BIRDIES IN HIS NEXT SEVEN HOLES He needed back-to-back birdies ON HIS kNAL TWO HOLES TO SHOOT THE ELUSIVE BUT COULD ONLY MANAGE a par on the par-four 17th.

He closed with another birdie on the par-four 18 to record the 37th all-time round of 60 on the Tour. It was just his 21st putt of the round and he had just nine putts on the back nine.

-ICKELSON SAID HE kRST STARTED THINKING ABOUT A AS HE WALKED off the 16th green.

Sand wedge slip up But his approach shot on 17, with a sand wedge, left him with a longer putt than he had hoped for. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On 17 I hit a nice tee shot in a good spot to kind of hook a sand wedge into that back right pin for me. And I hit a good shot, I had 18 feet though,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I should have hit that closer, but still had a good chance to make the putt.â&#x20AC;?

World number one Justin Rose shot a four-under 68 on the more DIFkCULT 3TADIUM #OURSE 2OSE IS THE kRST WORLD NUMBER ONE TO TAKE part in the event. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Once I got going I felt like I played really well,â&#x20AC;? said Rose. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Birdieing my last three to get it to four under kind of made me feel good. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I drove the ball fantastically well today and hit a lot of shots pin high with my irons.â&#x20AC;?

Defending champion Jon Rahm is in a large group of 10 players at 66, six shots adrift of Mickelson.

The Desert Classic is a Pro-Am event, with players rotating among La Quinta, the Nicklaus TournaMENT #OURSE AND THE 3TADIUM #OURSE OVER THE kRST THREE ROUNDS 3UNDAY S kNAL DAY IS PLAYED AT THE 3TADIUM #OURSE AFP

Sharapova upsets defending champion Wozniacki

Q Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Maria Sharapova hits a return against Denmarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Caroline Wozniacki during their womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s singles match on day five of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Friday. AFP PHOTO

MELBOURNE: &IVE TIME 'RAND 3LAM WINNER -ARIA 3HARAPOVA UPSET defending champion Caroline Wozniacki to reach the Australian Open fourth round Friday after an epic three-set match.

The Russian, who is seeded 30 at Melbourne Park, bundled Denmarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world number three out of the tournament 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to claim her biggest scalp since returning from a drugs

ban in 2017.

3HARAPOVA S WIN SETS UP A last 16 clash with in-form Australian hope Ash Barty for the 31-year-old, who won the tile at Melbourne Park in 2008 and HAS REACHED THE kNAL A FURTHER three times. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I knew I was going to get a really tough match as sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the defending champion of this event and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no secret she loves

this arena,â&#x20AC;? she said after shocking Wozniacki. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t played many matches in the last year, especially against top players and these are the ones I train for, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really rewarding to win.â&#x20AC;?

There were dramatic momentum shifts in the battle between the two former world number ones, but the decisive period CAME WHEN 3HARAPOVA STORMED back from 4-1 down to go on

A kVE GAME WINNING STREAK AND TAKE THE kRST SET After Wozniacki came back she then broke the Dane late in the third set, screaming â&#x20AC;&#x153;come onâ&#x20AC;? after gaining the advantage.

3HARAPOVA WON HER LAST 'RAND 3LAM AT 2OLAND 'ARROS IN and has struggled to rejoin the gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s elite since completing a 15-month ban for failing a drugs test.

AFP

C4

SATURDAY January 19, 2019

Football

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

manilatimes.net

Whereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Phil Younghusband?

C

BY ROMY P. MARIĂ&#x2018;AS

OULD IT BE THAT AFTER THE kRST GAME OF THE 0HILIPPINE !ZKALS AGAINST 3OUTH +OREA IN THE !&# !SIAN #UP IN THE 5NITED !RAB %MIRATES 5!% 0HIL 9OUNGHUSBAND WAS IMMEDIATELY SHIPPED BACK TO -ANILA

7E ARE THROWING THE QUESTION TO 3VEN 'ORAN %RIKSSON THE 0HILIPPINE SIDE S COACH FROM 3WEDEN

WHO FIELDED 9OUNGHUSBAND AS A SUBSTITUTE IN THE DYING VIRTUALLY LAST TWO MINUTES OF THE !ZKALS EVENTUALLY LOSING STAND

AGAINST THE FANCIED 4AEGUK 7ARRIORS !HEAD OF THE MATCH WHICH WAS ITS kRST EVER EXPERIENCE IN THE CONTINENT S PREMIER FOOTBALL SHOWCASE

THE &ILIPINO SQUAD WAS DENIED THE SERVICES OF ITS PERENNIAL TEAM CAPTAIN 0HIL FOR WHAT REASON ONLY %RIKSSON AND %RIKSSON KNOWS 4HE HONOR OF WEARING THE !ZKAL ARMBAND AS THE LEADER OF THE 0HILippine eleven in what could have BEEN A DESERVED RECOGNITION OF THE ROLE THAT 0HIL HAS PLAYED FOR THE LOCAL TEAM ALL THESE YEARS WENT TO 3TEPHAN 3CHROCK 3CHROCK EQUALLY DESERVED TO BE the kuya OF THE NATIONAL PLAYERS IN THE 5!% BUT THIS CORNER THINKS THAT %RIKSSON PICKING A NEW SKIPPER WAS ILL ADVISED &OR ONE IT MAY HAVE GIVEN THE 0HILIPPINE !ZKALS THE IMPRESSION THAT 0HIL WAS NO LONGER RALLYING THE TEAM TO SUCCESS THAT HE OPTED FOR 3CHROCK )F THAT WAS SO THEN %RIKSSON WAS ALL WRONG WITH THE &ILIPINO "RITISH STRIKER HAVING BEEN THE COUNTRY S TOP SCORER WITH GOALS IN OR SO INTERNATIONAL APPEARANCES 4HE 3WEDISH COACH S DECISION BETRAYED THE FACT THAT HE HARDLY KNEW THE MEMBERS OF THE 0HILIPPINE TEAM 7HILE HIS SCANT KNOWLEDGE OF WHO HIS BOYS REALLY ARE AS SEASONED PLAYERS

MAY BE UNDERSTANDABLE BECAUSE HE IS A NEW HIRE AS THE MENTOR OF THE !ZKALS IT ALSO GAVE AWAY THE THOUGHT THAT THE JOB WAS NOT A LONG TERM PROPOSITION FOR HIM HE IS MORE THAN YEARS OLD AND REPORTEDLY WANTS TO GO BACK TO 3WEDEN AFTER HIS STINT WITH THE 0HILIPPINE FOOTBALL TEAM %RIKSSON S NOT SO BRILLIANT IDEA CAME UP BECAUSE ALSO REPORTEDLY HE WANTED TO UNSETTLE THE 3OUTH +OREANS

BY SENDING 0HIL TO THE PITCH TOO LATE IN THE DAY NOT AS A STRIKER A ROLE THAT THE STAR !ZKAL CAN PLAY WITH HIS EYES CLOSED BUT AS A FORWARD /F COURSE THE 7ARRIORS WERE NOT FOOLED BY THAT LITTLE SLEIGHT OF HAND

THE 3OUTH +OREAN PLAYERS HAVING SEEN IT ALL IN THE 7ORLD #UP IN WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN PARTICIPANTS MANY TIMES THE LATEST OF WHICH WAS WHEN THEY SHOCKED 'ERMANY

IN THE BATTLE FOR THE *ULES 2IMET 4ROPHY IN IN 2USSIA !FTER THEIR gENCOURAGINGu DEFEAT TO THE +OREANS THE DEBUT OF THE !ZKALS IN THE !SIAN #UP COLLAPSED IN THE SECOND GAME AGAINST #HINA

AND IN THE THIRD AND FINAL ENCOUNTER WITH +YRGYZSTAN

Q Azkals veteran Phil Younghusband (No. 10) vies for the ball against a player from East Timor during the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup. AFF SUZUKI CUP PHOTO

4HE GAME AGAINST THE #HINESE WAS A DISASTER AND THAT AGAINST THE #ENTRAL !SIAN TEAM WAS SHORT OF A CATASTROPHE

WITH POOR PASSING FEWER BALL POSSESSIONS AND EQUALLY POOR kNISHING

ENABLING A HAT TRICK FROM +YRGYZSTAN 7HICH IS NOT TO SAY THAT 0HIL 9OUNGHUSBAND COULD HAVE HELPED WIN THE MATCHES AGAINST #HINA AND +YRGYZSTAN IF HE WAS NAMED THE TEAM CAPTAIN OR IF HE WAS DEPLOYED AS A STRIKER /UR POINT IS THAT %RIKSSON COULD

HAVE BEEN A MORE INSPIRING COACH READY FOR THE LONG HAUL RATHER THAN THE SEEMINGLY TRANSITION MENTOR READY TO GO BACK TO HIS COUNTRY (E MAY HAVE STEERED THE 0HILIPPINE !ZKALS TO THE SEMIFINALS OF THE 3UZUKI #UP BUT ONE ITEM IN HIS COACHING RESUMÂź WOULD STAND OUT THAT HE LET THE 0HILIPPINES DOWN WITH THE NATIONAL SIDE IN FOURTH AND LAST PLACE IN 'ROUP # IN THIS YEAR S !SIAN #UP

Dembele double helps Barca beat Levante BARCELONA: "ARCELONA OVERTURNED A kRST LEG DEFEAT TO BEAT ,EVANTE IN THE #OPA DEL 2EY ON 4HURSDAY &RIDAY in Manila) but could YET BE THROWN OUT OF the competition AFTER BEING ACCUSED OF FIELDING AN INELIGIBLE PLAYER Barca won 3-0 at the Camp Nou, WITH ,IONEL -ESSI SETTING UP TWO /USmane Dembele GOALS AND THEN SCORING HIMSELF TO SEAL A VICTORY ON AGGREGATE 4HEIR PLACE IN THE QUARTERkNALS HOWEVER IS UNDER THREAT AFTER ,EVANTE PRESIDENT &RANCISCO *AVIER #ATALAN CONkRMED SHORTLY BEFORE KICK OFF THAT THE CLUB WOULD LODGE A COMPLAINT TO THE 3PANISH &OOTBALL &EDERATION ON &RIDAY ,EVANTE CLAIM "ARCELONA DEFENDER *UAN "RANDARIZ @#HUMI PLAYED ILLEGALLY IN THE kRST LEG AS HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SERVING A SUSPENSION g7HATEVER HAPPENS ON THE kELD OF PLAY TODAY ,EVANTE ARE GOING TO TAKE THIS SITUATION TO THE &EDERATION TOMORROW u #ATALAN SAID EARLIER ON 4HURSDAY #HUMI WAS BANNED AFTER HE RECEIVED A YELLOW CARD PLAYING FOR "ARCELONA S " TEAM IN THE 3EGUNDA " DIVISION "ARCELONA HOWEVER INSIST A CHANGE IN THE RULES IN .OVEMBER MEANS THE SUSPENSION DOES NOT CARRY OVER INTO THE #OPA DEL 2EY g4HERE WERE NEVER ANY DOUBTS ABOUT #HUMI NONE u "ARCA COACH %RNESTO 6ALVERDE SAID ,EVANTE MAY FEEL PRECEDENT IS ON THEIR SIDE AFTER 2EAL -ADRID WERE DISQUALIkED FROM THE #OPA DEL 2EY IN FOR kELDING $ENIS #HERYSHEV DESPITE THE PLAYER BEING SUSPENDED -ADRID HAD OVERLOOKED #HERYSHEV RECEIVING THREE YELLOW CARDS WHILE PLAYING FOR 6ILLARREAL IN THE COMPETITION THE PREVIOUS SEASON "ARCELONA WERE CERTAINLY WORTHY WINNERS ON THE PITCH AT THE #AMP .OU AND

AS IT STANDS WILL JOIN 2EAL -ADRID 3EVILLA 2EAL "ETIS 6ALENCIA 'IRONA 'ETAFE AND %SPANYOL IN THE LAST EIGHT OF A TOURNAMENT THEY WON AS WELL AS ,A ,IGA LAST YEAR 4HAT DOMESTIC DOUBLE ARGUABLY TOOK ITS TOLL IN %UROPE HOWEVER AND 6ALVERDE HAS BEEN UNDER PRESSURE TO AFFORD HIS KEY PLAYERS MORE REST THIS SEASON "ARCA PLAY ,YON IN THE #HAMPIONS ,EAGUE LAST NEXT MONTH

AFP

Q Barcelonaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forward Lionel Messi vies with Levanteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goalkeeper Aitor Fernandez (center) during the Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Copa del Rey (Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cup) round of 16 second leg football match at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona. AFP PHOTO

Chelsea, Spurs search for striking solutions LONDON: Chelsea and Arsenal clash in the Premier League this weekend, with both managers looking nervously over their shoulders at a charging Manchester United as Tottenham adjust to life without the injured Harry Kane.

Arsenal has lost three of their past six Premier League matches to fall six points behind Chelsea in the race for a top-four finish.

Unai Emeryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side is now level on points with sixth-placed Manchester United, which have won all five league matches under the temporary leadership of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Elsewhere, Manchester City travels to manager-less Huddersfield while Premier League leaders Liverpool host Crystal Palace.

AFP Sport picks out some of the main talking points ahead of the weekend fixtures in the Premier League.

Can Emery stop Arsenal slide?

Unai Emery led his side on a 22-game unbeaten run between August and December as Arsenal mounted a strong challenge for a return to the Champions League.

But the feel-good factor has vanished at the Emirates and

United now trail fifth-placed Arsenal only on goal difference.

Mesut Ozil, the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest earner, is being frozen out and there are reports that head of recruitment Sven Mislintat could be on his way out of the club.

Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit said Emery needs to completely rebuild the squad and fears the mood could quickly change against the manager, describing the game as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;must-winâ&#x20AC;?.

Will Higuain solve Chelsea goal drought?

Chelsea hopes to have Gonzalo Higuain signed up in

time to feature at the Emirates, but will the Argentine solve the Bluesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; striking woes?

Former Arsenal favorite Olivier Giroud and Atletico Madrid bound Alvaro Morata have scored a paltry six Premier League goals between them this season, with Eden Hazard leading the way on 10.

Higuain, 31, has struggled at AC Milan this season, on loan from Juventus, with just eight goals in all competitions â&#x20AC;&#x201D;prompting doubts over whether he is the man to make the difference.

But Higuain enjoyed his most prolific season under Sarri at Napoli in 2015/16, prompting a 90 million euro move to Juventus.

AFP

4O A D D I N S U L T T O I N J U R Y T H E COUNTRY S 3OUTHEAST !SIAN RIVALS 4HAILAND AND 6IETNAM MADE IT TO THE KNOCKOUT STAGE 4HAILAND S CASE WAS INTERESTING

HAVING BEEN EMBARRASSED

BY )NDIA FROM WHICH DEFEAT THEY HOWEVER RECOVERED 4HAT LOSS TO THE )NDIANS COST THE COACH OF 4HAILAND HIS JOB 7E WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF %RIKSSON GOT THE BOOT TOO

Shiotani fires Japan past Uzbeks, Qatarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ali downs Saudi TSUKASAÂ SHIOTANIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S sizzling winner kept Japan on top of their Asian Cup group on Thursday (Friday in Manila), while Oman scrambled into the knockouts in a pulsating finish to the tournamentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first stage.

In Abu Dhabi, Almoez Ali took his tally to seven goals in just three games as Qatar beat political rivals Saudi Arabia 2-0, but Lebanon heartbreakingly failed to progress despite their 4-1 win over North Korea.

With the Asian Cup featuring a record 24 teams, the 36-game group stage finished with holders Australia facing a last-16 clash with Uzbekistan, while Qatar will play Iraq and Japan face the Saudis.

Hosts UAE play Kyrgyzstan, China are against Thailand, Iran have Oman, Son Heung-minâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s South Korea face Bahrain and Jordan take on Vietnam.

Shiotaniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rocket ensured Japan finished with a perfect nine points at the top of Group F as they beat Uzbekistan 2-1, despite changing 10 players from their previous game.

Eldor Shomurodov opened the scoring with a fine individual goal but the Uzbek lead lasted only three minutes before Newcastle United forward Yoshinori Mutoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s header made it 1-1.

Japanese pressure early in the second half resulted in a thunderous winner from Shiotani, who plays his club football with Al Ain and unfurled a rippling strike just before the hour-mark. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a risk (to change 10 players),â&#x20AC;? said Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wanted to use these players today.â&#x20AC;?

Oman kept their hopes alive with a last-gasp 3-1 win over Turkmenistan to go through as one of the best-performing third-placed teams, behind Japan and Uzbekistan in Group F. Meanwhile, Qatar overcame a hostile atmosphere to beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 and finish top of Group E, setting up next weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s knockout clash with Iraq.

With Qatar in the midst of a blockade by its Gulf neighbors, the Qatari national anthem was drowned out by boos from a pro-Saudi crowd and the 2022 World Cup hosts were jeered every time they attacked.

Qatar captain Hasan Al-Haydos missed a penalty in the 42nd minute but Ali, who plundered four goals in Qatarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 6-0 rout of North Korea last weekend, made no mistake in first-half stoppage time.

He calmly slotted past Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Alowais to stun the partisan crowd and become the first player to score six goals in a single Asian Cup since South Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lee Dong-gook in 2000.

Ali subsequently headed in his seventh goal of the tournament 10 minutes from time, celebrating with a jig of delight that further antagonized the crowd. AFP

SSATURDAY AT U R DAY JJANUARY ANUARY 19, 2019

Lifestyle

D1

www.manilatimes.net

An awe-inspiring union T

HE St. James the Great Parish Church in Alabang was the recent venue of nuptial ceremonies that joined two scions of prominent families as husband and wife.

Edrix Crisologo — son of Quezon City Congressman Bingbong Crisologo and lovely wife Rita — and Renee Puno, daughter of Rene Puno and the ever amiable Ann Puno, were united in wedded union, in ceremonial vows presided by the most Reverent Monsignor Albert Venus.

Principal sponsors included the groom’s relatives Benedicto Crisologo and Nelda Caberte, the Puno siblings Roderico Puno and Rosella Puno Mapa, with Antipolo Congresswoman Cristina “Chiqui” Roa Puno, Consul Helen Ong, Governor Jose Zubiri, Congressman Pantaleon

Alvarez, fomer Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit” Singson, businessman Richard Tiu, and Ann Puno’s sisters, Teresa Elordi and Christine Valencia.

After the church wedding, the dinner cocktails and reception immediately followed at the posh Bellevue Hotel Manila in Alabang.

The Bellevue Grand ballroom was impeccably styled, and comfortably arranged to accommodate the over 600 guests, who were treated to specially selected and prepared DISHES MATCHED WITH lOWING VINtage wines and spirits.

To Edrix and Renee, we extend our wishes for a happy married life, blessed with joy and abundance. Cheers!

HI! SOCIETY BECKY GARCIA

Q Rene and Ann Puno

Q The newly weds Renee Ann Puno and Edrix Crisologo

Q Richard Tiu, Joe Zubiri, former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson and Quezon City Congressman Bingbong Crisologo

Q Ed and Joanne Rae Ramirez, Hera and Marc Geriene and Bum Tenorio

Q Ian Fenton, Johnny Litton, Noel and Eileen Gonzales, Gunther Matschuck and George Sarakinis

Q Rianna Garcia, EJ Garcia, Riane and Gino Puno and Lizzie Lecaroz

Q Richard and Richelle Michael and Joyce Wong

Q Presiding Priest Monsignor Albert Venus, Ann Puno and Tim Laws

Q Jay Camus, Paqui Campos, Henry Zabarte and Yosef Gueta

Q Noel and Eileen Gonzales, Helen Ong and Cris Badiola

Q The bride’s cousins (from left) Tina Valencia, Cris Corro, Tina Vergara and Vanessa Vergara

»cheers!

BATCH 88 COMES HOME

Q Manny and Suzette Lopez, Rene Puno, Lilibeth and Paqui Campos

St. Joseph High School Manila Batch 88 celebrated its 30th Anniversary Homecoming along with The Manila Times Chief of Reporters Jomar Canlas, with Alvin Galvez and Organizing Head Joanne Herrera-Reyes, and Class Valedictorian Marigold San Luis.

D2

Funtimes

SATURDAY January 19, 2019

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

TRUMP RICH

Declarer normally makes a survey of his winners and/or losers when he starts to play a hand. If he is in a suit contract, he counts his losers; in notrump, he counts his winners.

However, this approach has its exceptions, especially in suit play, when there are ruffs available in one or both hands. In such cases, declarer might find it more convenient to count winners in estimating his prospects.

Âť &5266:25'

Thus, in the present case, if South counted only his losers, he would point to three in spades and (assuming he saw Westâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cards) as many as five trump tricks. This would amount to a 1,400-point setback.

But the fact is that South need not lose eight tricks. Indeed, if he exercises no more than a reasonable degree of care, he can hold his losses to only three tricks and make the contract, despite Westâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s formidable array of trumps!

He wins the diamond lead with the ace and embarks on a campaign to score as many of his low trumps as he can. He returns a diamond to the king and ruffs a diamond, then cashes the A-K of clubs and ruffs another diamond.t South has now won six tricks â&#x20AC;&#x201D; two diamonds, two clubs and two diamond ruffs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and still has the J-7-6 of spades and A-Q-10-8 of hearts. West has the seven trumps he started with.

Declarer leads a spade, forcing West to ruff and return a trump to hand South his seventh trick. Declarer plays another spade, forcing West to ruff and lead another trump, handing South his eighth trick.

Finally, when declarer leads his last spade, West must ruff once more and return a trump to Southâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s A-Q to hand declarer his ninth and 10th tricks.

Altogether, West is endplayed in trump three times! Š2019 King Features Syndicate Inc.

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â&#x20AC;˘ In this time of bitter partisan rivalries, it would be well to remember the following sage observation: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do not trust to the cheering, for those persons would cheer just as much if you and I were going to be hanged.â&#x20AC;? The man who first made that observation was Lord Protector of England Oliver Cromwell, considered by some to be a hero of liberty, by others to be a regicidal dictator. He died in 1658, probably from septicemia. He was so reviled that, three years later, his body was exhumed so that he could be posthumously executed, his body thrown into a pit and his head displayed on a pole outside Westminster Hall. â&#x20AC;˘ Those who study such things say that if all the gold in the world were combined in one lump, it would result in a cube that measures 20 yards on each side. â&#x20AC;˘ The acids in your digestive system are so corrosive that your stomach must produce an entirely new lining every three days. â&#x20AC;˘ You might be surprised to learn that the mother of Sir Winston Churchill, that quintessential icon of Britishness, was actually born an American in Brooklyn, New York. Lady Randolph Spencer-Churchill, nee Jeanette Jerome, was a socialite, and it is through her that Winston Churchill is related to his wartime ally, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The prime minister and the president were seventh cousins, once removed. â&#x20AC;˘ If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re planning to travel to Washington state with nefarious plans, hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an interesting law to keep in mind: Any motorist with criminal intent is required to stop before entering a town and inform the chief of police of his or her presence. *** Thought for the Day: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Tom Clancy Š 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.

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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 JANUARY 19, 2019

Entertainment

D4

www.manilatimes.net

N E T F L I X ’ S ‘ S E X E D U C AT I O N ’

What’s it all about?

I

BY IZA IGLESIAS

N this predominantly Catholic country, the topics of sex, gender and sexuality are still generally considered taboo. It is therefore no surprise that a particular billboard scattered all over the metro, not to mention its viral online ad, has caught the attention of Filipinos young and old.

7E RE TALKING ABOUT .ETlIX S NEWEST TITLE g3EX %DUCATION u 7HAT INDEED IS IT ALL ABOUT )S IT EDUCATIONAL AS ITS TITLE SUGGESTS OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE KIDS AND THEIR PARENTS BOTH FEEL AWKWARD IF THEY WATCH IT TOGETHER 9OU BE THE JUDGE FROM THE INFO The Manila 4IMES %NTERTAINMENT HAS GATHERED BELOW !CCORDING TO .ETlIX S PRODUCTION NOTES

3EX %DUCATION IS A CHARMING COMING OF AWKWARD AGE DRAMEDY THAT TACKLES SEX

RELATIONSHIPS AND INSECURITY IN THE LIVES OF "RITISH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS 4HE TOP INTERNET ENTERTAINMENT SERVICE QUIPS g)T IS A CONTEMPORARY "RITISH LOVE LETTER TO !MERICAN HIGH SCHOOL 46 SHOWS u 4HE STREAMING SERIES kRST SEASON DEBUTED ONLINE ON *ANUARY CREATED AND DIRECTED BY ,AURA .UNN WITH YOUNG "RITISH STARS 'ILLIAN !NDERSON !SA "UTTERkELD %MMA -ACKEY AND .CUTI 'ATWA IN THE LEAD %ACH CHARACTER S STORY LINE PRESENTS A FUNNY HEARTWARMING AND CRINGEWORTHY LOOK AT THE UNIVERSALLY AWKWARD COMING OF AGE EXPERIENCE THAT S A MIX OF GOOD TIMES WILD TIMES TOUGH TIMES

AND BASICALLY THE TIME OF EVERYONE S LIFE #ENTRAL IN 3EX %DUCATION IS A BOY NAMED /TIS -ILBURN "UTTERkELD m AN INEXPERIENCED SOCIALLY AWKWARD HIGH SCHOOL

STUDENT WHO LIVES WITH HIS SEX THERAPIST MOTHER *EAN !NDERSON 3URROUNDED

BY MANUALS VIDEOS AND TEDIOUSLY OPEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SEX /TIS BECOMES A RELUCTANT EXPERT ON THE SUBJECT 7HEN TALK ABOUT HIS HOME LIFE SPREADS AROUND SCHOOL /TIS REALIZES HE CAN USE HIS SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE TO BECOME POPULAR 4O GET THE BALL ROLLING HE TEAMS UP WITH -AEVE -ACKEY A WHIP SMART BAD GIRL

WITH WHOM HE SETS UP AN UNDERGROUND SEX THERAPY CLINIC TO DEAL WITH THEIR PEERS WEIRD AND WONDERFUL PROBLEMS (OWEVER AS HE GOES ABOUT ANALYZING TEENAGE SEXUALITY FOR OTHERS /TIS QUICKLY REALIZES HE MAY NEED SOME THERAPY OF HIS OWN 7HILE THE TOPIC OF SEX ESPECIALLY AMONG THE YOUNG REMAINS TO BE A VERY SENSITIVE TOPIC FOR &ILIPINOS THE SHOW CONTINUES TO GAIN POSITIVE REVIEWS IN THE WEST The .EW 9ORK 4IMES FOR EXAMPLE HAS PRAISED HOW THE SHOW gEXPLORES SEX AS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE ABOUT WHO YOU ARE WHAT YOU WANT AND HOW YOU RELATE TO OTHER PEOPLE u

LGBT+ representation 3INCE GOING LIVE THE EIGHT EPISODE SERIES

WHICH PRESENTS A VERY REALISTIC TAKE ON THE ISSUES OF SEX IDENTITY AND LOVE IN A YOUNG ADULT S LIFE ALSO DELVES INTO ,'"4 REPRESENTATION 0RAISED FOR ITS EFFORTS TO HIGHLIGHT INCLUSIVITY /TIS IS ALSO GIVEN AN OPENLY GAY FRIEND NAMED %RIC 'ATWA AMONG HIS POSSE 9OUNG %RIC S JOURNEY CHRONICLES HOW HE DEALS WITH HOMOPHOBIA AND COMES TO TERMS WITH HIS SEXUALITY (E USES DRAG AS A FORM OF SELF EXPRESSION -OREOVER THE SERIES ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK FEATURES A BISEXUAL MUSICIAN %ZRA &URMAN AND HIS BAND 4HE 6ISIONS

Netizens react 3O FAR VIEWERS WHO HAVE GONE ONLINE WITH THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE SERIES ARE MOSTLY FROM THE WEST IN A RESOUNDINGLY POSITIVE VOICE g) JUST FINISHED 3EX %DUCATION AND ) WANNA THANK !SA "UTTERFIELD %MMA -ACKEY THE WHOLE CAST AND EVERYONE WHO HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS SHOW FOR kNALLY TALKING ABOUT TOPICS LIKE FEMINISM

LGBT COMMUNITY SLUT SHAMING THE RIGHT WAY 4HANK YOU SO MUCHÜ u POSTED 4WITTER USER GRAVITYPARKER g) JUST kNISHED 3EASON OF 3EX %DUCATION ON .ETlIX AND IT IS SO WONDERFUL 4HE CHARACTERS ARE SO NUANCED AND DEVELOPED ) ESPECIALLY LOVE HOW THEY TOUCH ON LGBT AND FAMILY u WROTE +AITLIN+EYES !S MORE &ILIPINOS BEGIN TO STREAM THE SHOW WHETHER OUT OF CURIOSITY OR IF THEY kND THEY CAN ACTUALLY RELATE TO THE STORYLINE

ALL WE CAN DO IS WAIT AND SEE IF THE KIDS OF TODAY WILL kNALLY END THE REIGN OF SEX AS TABOO IN SOCIETY

Angel's toughest challenge )

T WAS A GOOD THING !NGEL ,OCSIN IS THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO DOES NOT HARBOR ILL FEELINGS ! LESSER STAR WOULD HAVE PROBABLY THROWN A kT IF IT TOOK kVE YEARS BEFORE GETTING A NEW TELESERYE LAND ON HER LAP "UT IT SEEMS THIS KIND OF SET UP SUITS !NGEL JUST kNE )T HAD BEEN FIVE YEARS SINCE !NGEL HAD HER LAST PRIMETIME TELESERYE AT THE +APAMILYA .ETWORK !LL SHE DID DURING THOSE YEARS WERE MOVIES AND GUEST STINTS IN VARIOUS !"3 #". PROGRAMS 4HE ACTRESS IS MAKING HER MUCH AWAITED COMEBACK ON PRIMETIME VIA THE HIGHLY TOUTED SERIES TITLED g4HE 'ENERAL S $AUGHTER u WHICH STARTS AIRING ON -ONDAY ON THE 0RIMETIME "IDA BLOCK !CCORDING TO !NGEL 4HE 'ENERAL S $AUGHTER WAS AMONG THE FOUR PROJECTS PRESENTED TO HER LAST YEAR )T IS GOING TO BE PRODUCED BY $REAMSCAPE %NTERTAINMENT ALSO PRODUCES g&0* S !NG 0ROBINSYANOu 4HE ACTRESS SAID SHE HAD BEEN LONGING TO WORK UNDER $REAMSCAPE AND IT WAS BUT NATURAL FOR HER TO GRAB THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH $EO %DRINAL AND HIS $REAMSCAPE TEAM !ND SINCE IT IS !NGEL S COMEBACK ON PRIMETIME $REAMSCAPE MADE SURE THEY ARE OFFERING SOMETHING BIG IN TERMS OF PRODUCTION VALUES AND CASTING 4HE TRAILER OF 4HE 'ENERAL S $AUGHTER IS SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT THERE WERE NUMEROUS BIG SCENES PRESENTED ON THE TRAILER ITSELF !ND MORE SO ARE TO BE EXPECTED IN THE SHOW ACCORDING TO -ANNY 0ALO ONE OF THE SHOW S DIRECTORS 4HE +APAMILYA NETWORK S kRST OFFERING FOR HAS !NGEL PLAYING THE ROLE OF 2HIAN "ONIFACIO THE DAUGHTER OF THE RESPECTED MILITARY GENERAL WHO YEARNS FOR THE LOVE OF HER PARENTS 3HE CONSTANTLY PROVES HERSELF TO THEM to get the affection SHE DESERVES !NGEL CONSIDERS HER ROLE IN THE SERIES ONE OF THE HARDEST SHE HAS done in a TELE S ERYE .

3HE SAID g) HAVE DONE SEVERAL ROLES AND ) MUST SAY THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST COMPLEX CHARACTERS ) VE PLAYED )T IS HARD "UT IT IS ALSO FUN BECAUSE ) GET TO ACT WITH GREAT ACTORS SO ) DRAW FROM THEM THE PROPER EMOTIONS u 3HE ALSO ADDED g) THINK THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME TO RETURN TO DOING TELESERYES ) THINK EVERYONE ) DREAM OF WORKING WITH IS HERE ) AM

YOU THAT CATCHES HER ATTENTION !RJO !TAYDE WAS MOMENTARILY SPEECHLESS AFTER THE $IAMOND 3TAR PRAISED HIM TO HIGH HEAVENS AT THE MEDIACON OF 4HE 'ENERAL S $AUGHTER (E PLAYS THE AUTISTIC SON OF -ARICEL IN THE SERIES AND THE VETERAN ACTRESS ADMITTED TO BEING VERY SURROUNDED BY MY IDOLS AND THE PEOPLE IMPRESSED WITH HER CO STAR ) RESPECT IN THE INDUSTRY Ý g) CAN REALLY FEEL HIM IN OUR SCENES 4HE POWERHOUSE CAST OF 4HE 'ENERAL S TOGETHER BECAUSE HE IS THAT GOOD ) AM $AUGHTER INCLUDES THREE GENERATION SEA- ABLE TO GET ENERGY FROM HIS ACTING )F OUR SONED PERFORMERS AND AWARD WINNING SCENES TURNED OUT WELL IT S BECAUSE !RJO THESPIANS THAT INCLUDE 4IRSO #RUZ RD DID IS VERY GOOD IN HIS ROLE u SAID -ARICEL !LBERT -ARTINEZ *ANICE DE "ELEN %ULA g) SELDOM GET ACROSS A NEWCOMER WHO IS 6ALDEZ THE $IAMOND 3TAR -ARICEL VERY GOOD AND ) SEE THAT IN HIM u 3ORIANO 0AOLO !VELINO *# $E 6ERA

!RJO FELT ELATED THAT -ARICEL PRAISED HIS AND !RJO !TAYDE !LSO IN THE CAST IS THE ACTING g4HAT SHOULD INSPIRE ME TO DO EVEN POPULAR LOVE TEAM OF ,OISA !NDALIO AND BETTER ) NEED TO BE ON MY TOES ALWAYS ) Ronnie Alonte.

NEED TO STEP UP BECAUSE ) AM WORKING WITH g) AM EXCITED TO BE BACK ON PRIME- A VERY GOOD ACTRESS u SAID !RJO TIME AND TO WORK WITH SUCH A FORMINNN DABLE CAST 3OME OF THEM ) AM WORKING 7HILE THEY HAVE YET TO MAKE BIG STARS WITH FOR THE kRST TIME AND THAT ADDS OF -IGO !DECER AND +LEA 0INEDA THE LAST UP TO THE EXCITE- TWO WINNERS OF 3TARSTRUCK TWO YEARS AGO

MENT u SAID '-! .ETWORK S ORIGINAL REALITY BASED Angel.

ARTISTA SEARCH 3TARSTRUCK IS ALL SET TO MAKE NNN ITS BIG AND MUCH AWAITED TELEVISION )F -ARI- COMEBACK THIS YEAR CEL 3ORIANO 4HE PIONEERING TALENT SEARCH IS READY P R A I S E S TO DISCOVER THE NEXT g5LTIMATE 3URVIVORSu YOUR ACT- AS IT ONCE AGAIN OPENS ITS DOORS TO ALL ING THEN ASPIRANTS ACROSS THE ARCHIPELAGO t h e r e 4HE COMPETITION IS OPEN TO ALL MALE M U S T B E AND FEMALE HOPEFULS TO YEARS OLD S O M E - AND OF &ILIPINO DESCENT thing 4HE NATIONWIDE AUDITIONS WILL BE i n HELD ON THE FOLLOWING DATES AND VENUES *ANUARY TO &EBRUARY -ONDAYS TO &RIDAYS AT THE '-! !NNEX "UILDING IN 1UEZON #ITY *ANUARY AT #ENTRIO !YALA -ALL IN #AGAYAN DE /RO #ITY *ANUARY AT 2OBINSONS 0LACE "UTUAN IN "UTUAN #ITY &EBRUARY AT 3- #ITY ,EGAZPI AND &EBRUARY AT 3- #ITY .AGA IN .AGA #ITY !UDITIONS WILL BE FROM !- TO P M )NTERESTED APPLICANTS MUST BRING AN ORIGINAL AND PHOTOCOPY OF THEIR birth certificate and TWO RECENT PHOTOS ONE CLOSE UP AND ONE FULL BODY &OR HOPEFULS BELOW YEARS OLD HE SHE SHOULD ALSO BRING A CERTIkCATION SIGNED BY A 0ARENT OR ,EGAL 'UARDIAN THAT HE Q Angel Locsin plays the role of Rhian Bonifacio, SHE IS ALLOWED TO AUDITION AND A the daughter of the respected military general who PHOTOCOPY OF THE )$ OF THE PARENT yearns for the love of her parents.

OR LEGAL GUARDIAN WHO SIGNED IT

ROVING EYE RO RICKY CA CALDERON

Q Meet Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) – an inexperienced, socially awkward high school student who lives with his sex therapist mother.

Q He teams up with Maeve (Emma Mackey),a whip-smart, bad girl with whom he sets up an underground sex therapy clinic.

Q Praised for its effort to highlight inclusivity, the show also gives Otis an openly-gay friend named Eric (Ncuti Gatwa).

Homeless Filipino's plight in new short film L

ATE BLOOMERS CAN VERY WELL TELL THEM- DEDICATED TO HER HUSBAND g) #ALLED -YSELF SELVES THAT THE 'OD GIVEN GIFT FOR SING- #ASSANDRAu AND g3CRIPTED )N (EAVEN u "OTH ING PERHAPS KNOWS NEITHER AGE NOR GENDER TITLES ARE AVAILABLE ON !MAZON SO TO SPEAK 4HIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE IN THE 4O DATE THE YEAR OLD IS THE ONLY &IL !M CASE OF &ILIPINO !MERICAN ARTIST ,OURDES PRODUCER TO WIN THE 4ELLY !WARDS FOR A g,OUu $UQUE "ARON DOCUMENTARY SHE HAS EARLIER WHO DISCOVERED ACPRODUCED 3HE HAS ALSO BEEN CIDENTALLY THAT SHE HONORED AN OMNIBUS AWARD GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO AT THE 'LOBAL 0INOY 7EB 2ADIO breathe life into a !WARDS FOR HER CONTRIBUTION TO SONG EVEN WAY PAST MUSIC kLM AND LIVE ENTERTAINHER SENIOR YEAR MENT INDUSTRY IN THE 3TATES ) T W A S I N )N SHE CAME TO -AWHEN THEN YEAR OLD ,OU GAMELY NILA FOR THE PREMIERE OF HER OWN PRODUCBARGED INTO THE STUDIO OF MULTI TALENTED TION g"UTANDING u AN INDIE kLM IN WHICH PRODUCER !NDREW ,ANE TO RECORD HER FA- SHE PLAYED MOTHER TO ,ARA 1UIGAMAN 3HE VORITE SONG g,A 6IE %N 2OSE u !T THAT TIME IS NOW IN TOWN TO DO A SHORT kLM BILLED IT WAS INTENDED SOLELY FOR HER HUSBAND S g4OMBSTONE 0ILLOW u A SYMPATHETIC TROPE PERSONAL CONSUMPTION ABOUT HOMELESS &ILIPINOS FORCED TO LIVE (OWEVER !NDREW SAW TALENT IN HER EVEN IN CEMETERIES 7RITTEN BY A (OLLYWOOD AT SUCH LATE AGE 3O HE FORTUITOUSLY PAVED AWARD WINNING SCRIPTWRITER &RASER 3COTT THE THE WAY FOR THE RELEASE OF HER kRST ALBUM PROJECT IS SLATED FOR #ANNES )NT L &ESTIVAL g&EELING 'OOD !T !NY !GE u ,ATER IT WON ,OU $UQUE "ARON LIVES WITH HER CANCER THE "REAKTHROUGH !LBUM OF THE 9EAR AT THE SURVIVOR HUSBAND 2OBINSON "ARON AND FAMPRESTIGIOUS ,! -USIC !WARDS ILY AT 3AN 'ABRIEL 6ALLEY #ALIFORNIA ! LIFETIME !NOTHER CUT FROM THE SAME ALBUM CALLED MEMBER OF &%5 -EDICAL !LUMNI &OUNDAg$ANCE #RAZYu HAS TION SHE HAS ALSO FOUNDED 7ORLD -EDICAL CLIMBED UP THE 4OP -ISSIONS AND THE 'REGG 2OBINSON "ARON 4EN ON THE !MAZON &OUNDATION FOR !UTISM WITH HER HUSBAND MUSIC CHARTS *APA!NNUALLY THE COUPLE VISITS THE COUNTRY TO NESE EDITION -ORE DO THEIR REGULAR MEDICAL MISSION AS GESTURE ALBUM RELEASES LIKE OF PAYING BACK THEIR COUNTRYMEN g#HAMELEONu FOLNNN LOWED (ERE SHE COL'5%33 7(/ ! TALENT BUILDER LABORATED WITH LOCAL 4" WAS WATCHING A TELESERYE 3POTIFY RAP HITMAKERS WHEN THE APPEARANCE OF ITS LEAD LIKE 3HANTI $OPE ,OOSTAR SENIOR ACTOR 3!

AN NIE ,ESTER g+LUMCEEu ERSTWHILE HUNK WHO STILL LOOKS 6ANO AND !KLAS SAYat HIS PRIME DESPITE HIS ADVANCING ing that collaborating AGE IGNITED A MEMORY -ANY WITH RAPPERS IS HER WAY YEARS AGO IN AN OUT OF TOWN OF CONNECTING WITH THE SHOOT 4" ACCIDENTALLY ENSOUNDS OF THE MILLENNIALS TERED 3! S ROOM AND SAW &INALLY THE SONG g-INDthe latter in the nude and SET 7AR /N 0OVERTYu LYING IN BED FROM THE SAME ALBUM 4 " W A S S O ALSO PROVED TO BE A HIT ASHAMED OF HIMSELF )T GAVE A UNIQUE INSIGHT INTO HE WANTED TO RUN RAP AND IT SPOKE OF THE NEED OUT PRONTO BUT FOR THE &ILIPINOS TO CHANGE THEIR 3! ASKED HIM

LAID BACK HABITS SO THEY CAN g9OU LIKE u IMPROVE ON THEIR LIVES 4 " W A S !STONISHINGLY ,OU WEARS then OTHER CREATIVE HATS AS WELL INEX SHE IS AN ACTOR PROPERIDUCER AND AUTHOR 3HE enced and HAS PUBLISHED TWO WET BEHIND HIS EARS

CRITICALLYmACCLAIMED Q Filipino-American artist SO HE LET GO OF 3! S Lourdes 'Lou' Duque Baron INSPIRATIONAL BOOKS TEMPTATION

CAVEAT GEORGE VAIL KABRISTANTE

E1

SATURDAY JANUARY 19, 2019

EDITOR Tessa Mauricio-Arriola STAFF WRITERS Christina Alpad & Iza Iglesias DESKMAN Arlo Custodio

M I L A N FA S H I O N W E E K

Of masculine looks and feminine touches M

ILAN: By now, the two Milan Fashion Weeks dedicated to menswear have transformed themselves into platforms for co-ed shows and up-and-coming brands beyond the menswear stalwarts.

The little more than three days of previews for next fall and winter that kicked off on January 11 saw 52 collections in 27 runway shows and 25 presentations. Eleven brands showed mixed men’s and women’s collections during the less hectic week dedicated to male apparel.

While menswear tends to create less of a spectacle than womenswear shows, the lines still carry bottom-line weight. Italian menswear registered a turnover of 9.5 billion euros in 2018, which marked a 1.5 percent-increase over 2017.

Here are highlights—the extremes—of Milan Fashion Week: Q The Versace man is not afraid of femine touches in his ensemble.

Versace’s daring man The Gianni Versace fashion house has changed ownership, but not style.

Donatella Versace explored bondage in the fashion house’s latest collection,

THE kRST SINCE BEING BOUGHT BY THE 53 fashion group Capri Holding Limited.

The opening look had a bondage image printed cheekily on the front of a shirt, worn over dark trousers and with a leather overcoat. Repeated as a motif, bondage became as banal as a bandana print on a blouson. Then, there was winter bondage for her, underneath PUFFER JACKETS AND OFkCE BONDAGE FOR him and her, with the back of suit jackets held together with O-rings, showing off colorful satiny prints.

The looks also veered toward cozy, with warm scarves and fuzzy sweaters bearing a new Versace logo, a V encircled by a G. But the Versace man also is not afraid of feminine touches, like colorful boas peeking out of suit jackets, bejeweled broches, crystal encrusted jeans and least of all, colorful embroidered silken boxers with a prominent Versace label peeking out of trousers, or on their own with

³Milan fashion E2

Q Donatella Versace explores bondage in the fashion house’s latest collection.

AFP PHOTOS

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

E2

w w w.manilatimes.net

LIFESTYLE@MANILATIMES.NET

SATURDAY Â JANUARY 19, 2019

Q Ermenegildo Zegna envisions â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;multicultural generation of global citizens.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Q Dolce & Gabbana dishes out timeless looks for the jet-setting dandy.

Q Classic suits, sportswear and military detailing take center stage at Zegna.

Q Expertly tailored coats, jackets and trousers rule Dolce & Gabbanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fashion comeback.

Q MILAN FASHION FROM E1 a sober black suit jacket and button-up dress shirt.

Versace said in her notes that the image of masculinity has evolved since the 1990s gWHEN THERE WAS A SPECIkC IDEA OF @! MAN u â&#x20AC;&#x153;What I wanted to show in this collection are the different faces of a man, who... has gained the courage that he DIDN T HAVE BEFORE )F ) HAD TO kND A WORD THAT DEkNES TODAY S MEN IT WOULD BE DARING u SHE SAID Versace also previewed a collaboration WITH 53 CARMAKER &ORD INCLUDING THE oval-shaped blue Ford logo on leather jackets, trousers, sneakers, hoodies and button-down shirts. The latter was layered kinkily with a silky lace top and a leopardprint fur coat. For good measure, the modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hair was colored in leopard print.

5NDERLINING SOME OF THE FEMININE touches, Versace sent out womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s looks worn by top models Bella Hadid, Kaia Gerber, Vittoria Ceretti and Emily RataJKOWSKI !CTOR ,UKE %VANS AND )TALIAN RAPPER 3FERA %BBASTA WERE IN THE FRONT row, along with fellow rapper Fedez and HIS WIFE FASHION BLOGGER AND INlUENCER

Chiara Ferragni.

Zegnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global citizens Menswear fashion house Ermenegildo Zegna showed under the cavernous arched ceilings of Milanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fascist-era train station, offering cups of mulled wine to warm spectators before the show.

The space in the entrance hall was

replete with symbolism. Thousands of commuters and travelers rush through each day. But the hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mezzanine was also used as a way station for thousands of migrants who had arrived by sea in the south and were making their way to northern Europe from 2013 to 2015. $ESIGNER !LESSANDRO 3ARTORI SEEMED TO HAVE both in mind, writing that he chose the venue as â&#x20AC;&#x153;a place of arrivals and departures, but also INTEGRATION AND ACCEPTANCE OF DIVERSITY u 4HE COLLECTION AIMED AT 3ARTORI S VIsion of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;multicultural generation of GLOBAL CITIZENSu COMBINED CLASSIC SUITS

sportswear and military detailing. For THE TRAVELLER THE LOOKS WERE kNISHED WITH easy-striding footwear including Zegnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kRST SNEAKER CALLED #ESARE ! PURPLE SUIT CLOSED SLIGHTLY ASYMMETRIcally, the tight silhouette completed with A RIDING CAP AND A LEATHER BAG WITH !RMY surplus volume. Cropped puffer jackets and rich pile hoodies added volume over SLIM TROUSERS !N OVERSIZED PLAID NOTCHED lapel bomber jacket paired with matching cargo trousers gave a neat daytime look.

Military detailing included ribbed knits, CALF STRAPS AND A TOUCH OF CAMOUlAGE

Dolce & Gabbana make dandy comeback

Q M1992 immortalizes the British subculture of past decades.

Q Philipp Pleinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Billionaire collection for mature men zooms in on the equestrian looks.

Q Glam, tartan and sports comprised M1992â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s co-ed collection.

insensitivity. The pace of the Milan show was slow and determined, as designers $OMENICO $OLCE AND 3TEFANO 'ABBANA subbed out millennials for millionaires.

The collection contained an array of timeless looks for the global dandy, from AN !MERICAN 'REAT 'ATSBY A 3ICILIAN noble or, yes, even a Chinese tycoon. The designers put the focus on workmanship, with tailors cutting and stitching in the background. &ROM BACKSTAGE lOWED SILK TWILL ROBES and pajamas, brocade suits whose patterns were inspired by Italian cathedrals, rich velvet day coats over trousers and warm, sequined knitwear bearing geometric motifs.

Coats, jackets and trousers were expertly tailored with herringbone, Prince of Wales and hounds-tooth patterns. Looks were kNISHED WITH TOUCHES LIKE SHEEPSKIN OUTerwear, fringed silk scarfs or elegant umbrellas with grips carved in animal shapes.

There were some signs of the fallout from the China controversy. Gone were THE !SIAN FANS THAT ONCE SWARMED A TRAM station outside the duoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s venue, and some seats were removed to shrink the showroom capacity.

But the crowd inside showed their appreciation with a rare round of applause during the show at a series of jackets with sequin embroidery and warm applause for the designers at their curtain call.

If Dolce & Gabbana is still stinging over a backlash in China, they sought to salve it in Milan with quiet elegance.

4HE RUNWAY SHOW ON 3ATURDAY WAS M1992 British glam flashback THE BRAND S kRST MAJOR OUTING AFTER BEING FORCED TO CANCEL A 3HANGHAI SHOW IN .O- 4HE kFTH COLLECTION BY THE - LABEL vember 2018 amid accusations of cultural founded by former DJ Dorian Tarantini

Q Blazers with leather lapels and fur coats over silken pyjamas are the textures for Pleinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Billionaire.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

featured sophisticated streetwear looks that appeared at home against the pastel shaded ballroom of one of Milanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most ELEGANT HOTELS THE 0RINCIPE DI 3AVOIA The hotel was also where the late Gianfranco Ferre showed in the 1970s and 1980s.

Tarantini said the collection was inspired by the British subculture of past decades, with equal part glam, tartan and sport.

The co-ed collection was more likely to bare male midriffs than female, with slightly short sweaters barely meeting the low-waisted trousers. Women wore mod 1960s printed tunics and leggings kNISHED WITH DIZZYING PLATFORM SHOES !N !USTIN 0OWERS VELVET SUIT WITH PEEK A BOO RUFlE ON THE SHIRT SLEEVE WAS FOR the man not afraid to declare â&#x20AC;&#x153;Danger IS MY MIDDLE NAME u â&#x20AC;&#x153;This collection recalls my adolescent summers spent in London learning English, BUT ALSO TO RESEARCH MUSIC u 4ARANTINI g4HIS is a reawakening of London, a city I love and that I visit often. I wanted to bring this touch to Milan. It is not a form of appropriation, BUT IT IS PART OF MY BACKGROUND u

Billionaire and the game of kings German designer Philipp Plein staged a game of polo in the center of the runway for his Billionaire collection, giving a plug for his sponsorship of the Monte Carlo Polo team.

For four minutes, polo players on horseback played a fast-paced match on a courtyard covered with faux snow in

WHAT IS LIKELY A -ILAN &ASHION 7EEK kRST -ORE HORSES WERE BROUGHT ON TO THE kELD after the match, forming a central runway for the models.

It was little surprise, then, that the collection for mature men featured EQUESTRIAN LOOKS INCLUDING TIGHT kTTING jodhpurs, reptile riding boot and matching caps and even saddles. Blazers had leather or fur lapels, and fur coats draped over silken pyjamas, perhaps to take a last look at the stable. Flashier looks include bold medallion print suits featuring the Billionaire logo alternating with THE STALLION PROkLES 4HEY WERE WORN with leather gloves, a neckerchief and a blanket draped over the arm. !FTER THE SHOW THE FASHION CROWD HAD TO be directed away from the horse droppings on their way out.

Neil Barret celebrates 20 years "RITISH DESIGNER .EIL "ARRETT CELEBRATED HIS 20th anniversary with an exploration of WHAT HE CALLED gTHE UNIFORM OF REBELLION u The co-ed show was set against a video PROJECTION OF A CITY SCAPE WITH OFkCE BUILDINGS LIT UP AND A PLETHORA OF lASHING NEON

which were reproduced in bright prints on trousers and trenches. Worn together, they formed a moving cityscape.

The collection also featured tartan and animal prints, leather and fur accents, with references to the British punk scene of the 1970s. The silhouette was crisp and disciplined, with cuffed trousers and long blazers, or transparent PVC trenches easily transferring from men to women.

AP

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

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SATURDAY JANUARY 19, 2019 Q Bags and belts bring out the best form and style of the modern Filipino gentleman wherever he is in the world.

Manilaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s McJim in ultra-modern Tokyo

Bustling l Japanese capitall provides backdrop for menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leather goods collection

P

ROUDLY Philippine-made menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accessory brand McJim Classic Leather stays true to its mission to put the modern Filipino gentleman in his best form and style wherever he goes around the world.

Q Lending class and flair to a highly cosmopolitan city.

Q McJimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s male leather goods complement the trendy Tokyo setting, which is a melting pot of various styles and influences.

And so, following 2018â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s successful engagement in Montreal, Canada, the brand pursues its international campaign with yet another global ad campaign shoot in the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friendly, stylish and ultra-modern Asian neighbor of Japan.

Just in time for fall, the McJim TEAM lEW TO COSMOPOLITAN 4OKYO

undoubtedly one of the most progressive and fashionable urban centers in the world, to capture its world-class products against a SPECTACULAR BACKDROP While the shoot in Montreal,

Canada, exuded a more classic vibe, the company describes this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photoshoot in the Land of the Rising Sun as more lUID lEXIBLE AND INNOVATIVE Â&#x2021; something that resonates with the vibrant and trendy fashion SCENE IN 4OKYO !FTER ALL *APAN IS renowned for its high regard for both function and aesthetic, the SAME ATTRIBUTES THAT DEkNE THE local labelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world-class products.

4HE SPREAD SHOWS -C*IM S WELL crafted and functional real leather belts, bags, and wallets compleMENTING THE TRENDY 4OKYO SETTING

where all sorts of styles, vibes, AND INFLUENCES MEET 4HESE ARE in the popular destinations of Ginza, the business district; THE HISTORIC 4OKYO 3TATION THE Marunouchi Building; the RopPOGGI DISTRICT OVERLOOKING THE MAJESTIC 4OKYO 4OWER AND THE busy Shibuya Crossing.

A talented team from Japan were commissioned for the shoot, namely professional photograPHER 9USUKE 3HIRAKAWA CAMERA assistant Raita Yabushita, models 9UTA .AKATA AND "RENT /LIAN HAIR AND MAKEUP ARTIST *ULAN 4SUDA

PROJECT MANAGER 4AKUYA 3AKAI

stylist Mei Komiyama, and production assistants Sho Asai and +EI 3EKIGUCHI -C*IM S SUPERVISing team from Manila was led by Insight 360 president and film director Chris Cahilig.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the bag!

Stylish utilitarian chatelaines, purses and slings carry all this New Year

Q The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Fanny Pack.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Updating a centuriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; old bag style handed down from 15th century France with glam and glitter.

34!24 the new year right with the trendiest bags are also utilitarian.

7HATEVER THEIR SIZE SHAPE AND DESIGN OR HOWEVER THEY RE WORN THE KEY IS TO GET THIS DONE WITH STYLE WITH A CARRY ALL THAT kTS ALL OF ONE S NECESsities for a productive day. &ANNY PACKS ARE SAID TO DATE BACK TO THE &RENCH IN THE TH CENTURY when they wore a small bag that hung from a belt called a chatelaine, and the traditional Scottish sporran, a pouch THAT ACCOMPANIED POCKET LESS KILT )T WASN T UNTIL THE S WITH THE kRST WAVE OF ATHLEIsure dressing that these belt bags or waist BAGS WALKED INTO THE FASHION SCENE Since then, everyone from joggers to parENTS JUGGLING KIDS HAVE BEEN SEEN SPORTING this one on the waistline. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been touted AS A PERFECT CARGO CARRYING SACK TO HOLD KEYS

a cell phone, and everything else that you may hold as youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re running around town or NATURE WALKING 4ODAY THE FANNY PACK TREND HAS DOMINATED BOTH THE CATWALKS AND THE STREETS from the runways of Marc Jacobs, Gucci and Balenciaga to the street style games of celebrities and superMODELS LIKE 2IHANNA "EYONCE

Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Kaia Gerber.

And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not surprising as these are the most functional and versatile bags you can have as they can not only be worn as a belt to cinch the waist but also over the shoulder or cross-body style.

"ACKPACKS TOO ARE BACK in the big way. It has come a long way since Gerry Cunningham created the first ZIPPERED BACKPACK 4ODAY

FASHION BACKPACKS Â&#x2021; THINK THOSE designed by major fashion brands LIKE 'UCCI AND 0RADA Â&#x2021; ARE A TRENDY way to carry daily essentials.

0HOTOS COURTESY OF 0ARISIAN Bagâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest collection at all SM Stores.

Q Wear it on your waist or cross-body style.

Q A dazzling backpack for everyday errands.

Q Get things done stylishly carrying just what you need.

Ë&#x153; The Manila Times

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SATURDAY Â JANUARY 19, 2019

Q Winners of the night: Miss Belarus Karalina Charmashei won Best Designer for Filipino couturier Chico Estiva wearing his stunning gown; Miss Paraguay Gabriela Natasha Soley Saw Kiw for Best in Swimsuit; and Miss Philippines Karen Gallman for FiberHealth Body Beautiful.

Spotlight on swimsuits and Ph designers at Miss Intercontinental pre-pageant Paraguay, Belarus and Philippine bets win first fashion round

BY ARLO CUSTODIO

T

HE majestic grand ballroom of Okada Manila turned into an international runway Wednesday night as 87 candidates from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, and Europe vying for the 47th Miss Intercontinental crown strutted before the judges in swimsuits and bespoke gowns made especially made for them by Filipino designers.

4HREE MINOR TITLES WERE UP FOR THE EVEning of fashion and glamour, namely Best IN 3WIMSUIT WHICH WENT TO -ISS 0ARAGUAY Gabriela Natasha Soley Saw Kiw; Best Designer for Chico Estiva whose gown was beautifully worn and showcased by Miss Belarus Karalina Charmashei; while the 0HILIPPINES +AREN 'ALLMAN SWEPT A SLEW OF special awards thereby earning a spot among the pageantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strong contenders for the grand CORONATION A WEEK FROM TODAY Gallman won three special awards in total, SPECIkCALLY "EST "ODY ( ( 3TANDOUT "EAUTY AND -EDIA &AVORITE 4HE &ILIPINO !USTRALIAN beauty who proudly hails from both Bohol and Brisbane also won $1,000 dollars each FROM THE kRST TWO AWARDS GIVEN BY PAGEANT SPONSORS &IBER(EALTH AND ( ( RESPECTIVELY 4HE CLOSEST THE 0HILIPPINES EVER GOT TO WINning the Miss Intercontinental crown was just last year when Katarina Rodriguez placed First Runner-Up to Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Veronica Salas Vallejo

ON *ANUARY IN %GYPT 4HE SAME IS ALSO TRUE FOR THE EDITION WHEN THE 0HILIPPINES Christi Lynn McGarry landed a First Runner5P kNISH IN 'ERMANY WHERE 2USSIA S 6ALENTINA Rasulova emerged victorious.

0AGEANT AkCIONADOS ARE COUNTING ON 'ALLman to further steel her standing at the Evening Gown, Filipiniana Night and National #OSTUME COMPETITIONS YET TO BE HELD THIS WEEK as of press time.

Meanwhile, below are the sidelights of the kRST FASHION ROUND OF 'ALLMAN AND THE INTERnational beauties now in these islands all hoping to be named Miss Intercontinental 2019.

swimsuit and Best Body special awards. r 4WINS -ISS !LBANIA !RVANITA 0ECI AND -ISS +OSOVO !RJANITA 0ECI WERE AMONG HIGHLY anticipated candidates of the night for their UNIQUE STORY "OTH REVEALED THEY WERE JUST A month old when their family left their home in Kosovo because of the war. Now living in 'ERMANY WHERE !RJANITA IS A JUDICIAL CLERK AND !RVANITA IS A BANKER )T WAS THEIR BROTHER WHO went ahead to register the twins to compete IN THE kRST -ISS %LECTION PAGEANT WHERE EACH won the right to represent the two countries to this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Miss Intercontinental tilt.

â&#x20AC;¢ According pageant co-organizer Kumi r -ISS 0ERU SLIPPED TWICE DURING THE SWIMSUIT PRESENTATION INITIALLY TAKING THE AUDIENCE Miyamae (whose mother hails from Baler, ABACK BUT QUICKLY EARNING A ROUND OF APPLAUSE 1UEZON AND *APAN S OFkCIAL CANDIDATE IN 2018â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pageant), there is another candidate for rising with grace. of Filipino ancestry among the delegates this â&#x20AC;¢ Miss England was a standout for her body year. She is Miss Malaysia Scarlett Megan BUILDER kGURE EVEN IF SHE FAILED TO WIN THE Liew Zi Ling, whose mother is a Filipina.

Q Miss Paraguay Gabriela Natasha Soley Saw Kiw PHOTOS BY DJ DIOSINA

Q Miss Belarus in Chico Estiva.

Q A total of 87 candidates from around the world are gathered in Manila for the 47th Miss Intercontinental crown.

Q Miss Philippines Karen Gallman

Q 2018 candidates lend support to this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pageant: Miss USA Racquel Basco and Miss Japan Kumi Miyamae.

Q The Peci twins representing Albania and Kosovo land a first in beauty pageant history as sisters competing for a single title.